Pookie Powers, Activate!

Happy New Year!

2011-09-30T23:20:00.001-06:00

Well it's a new year and time for resolutions. What will your cyber security resolution be?

Now blogging on the go!

2011-09-28T16:18:00.001-06:00

This is the first of what I hope to be many new mini posts from my iPhone. I've got the new blogger app installed and hopefully one of the barriers to my posting has been removed. I have ideas on the go all the time but rarely do I write them down. So hopefully this will help in that regards. If you are reading this and are interested in infosec please subscribe. Thank you.

Little Sweetie

2009-04-21T18:59:00.000-06:00

Been Too Long

2009-04-21T18:51:00.002-06:00

Since my last posting was about my new job, you might have guessed that it's keeping me pretty darn busy. From January to March, I was completely swamped and working way more hours than I had planned. Since mid-March things have slowed to a more reasonable pace and now I'm just spending way too much time on Facebook and Babycenter, LOL.

This month, Paul also started a new job with the federal government. I'm so proud of him as he's been working toward this for years. Especially in this economy, it's quite a relief for him to finally have some job security.

Jacob turns 10 months next week; hard to believe we're almost at a year! He's developed such an adorable little personality and charms everyone at "school". He's got two teeth, and always seems to be working on the next one though it hasn't poked through yet. He's rolling all over the place, and sliding and scooting backward. He gets up on his knees and rocks, but no forward movement as of yet. He'll take his own sweet time :)

One of my favorite websites!

2009-04-21T15:11:00.001-06:00

My Dream Job

2009-01-07T20:18:00.002-07:00

Funny how it works that these layoffs always seem to turn out for the best. I was laid off by Google in the acquisition of DoubleClick back in Spring 2008. Laid off at 7 months pregnant; I was shocked. However, I quickly realized that this was a great opportunity to stay home with my little peanut. It's been a wonderful 6 months of tons of Mama and Jacob time.

I wasn't even looking for a job when I was contacted by a friend from Right Management last month. I got to know Right when I was laid off from TNC back in 2007, and almost got a job with them until the funding for the position was cut. This was exactly the field that I wanted to break into -- career coaching. Well, lo and behold, now with the economy tanking and thousands getting laid off, Right's business is booming and they're hiring. And they have the PERFECT job for me -- part-time home-based Career Management Consultant.

I'll get to work from home so I don't have to worry about spending time commuting or getting dressed up. It's part-time so I still get to be with my peanut every afternoon. It's good enough pay to justify the cost of part-time daycare. And it's exactly the direction that I've wanted to go in with my career.

YIPPPEEEE!!!

A Good Jewish Boy

2008-12-28T07:40:00.004-07:00

Jacob's first Hannukah! He didn't get too many presents since he wouldn't know what they were yet anyway. But he's had a fun time learning how to light the menorah, playing with the dreidle and wearing his new yarmulke which has been handed down from his Daddy.

The Cousins

2008-11-16T16:57:00.002-07:00

Since Rob and Stephanie have been so busy with Liam, it took some time for them to get around to distributing the photos of my trip there in October. So finally we have a photo of Jacob and Liam together! You can see that Jacob is reaching out to touch Liam's hand (with a little help from his Mama).

Baby's First Swim

2008-11-14T19:29:00.003-07:00

Jacob had his first swim today in the Parent-Tot class at the Paul Derda Recreation Center. Our swim teacher Dawn said we needed to wait another month before we try putting his head under water, but we had fun gliding around, kicking, and bouncing in the water.

I anticipate many fun times in the future swimming at the rec center. Daddy is very excited to join us next time.

Baby's First Food

2008-11-13T16:47:00.003-07:00

Today was a BIG day for little Jacob. He had his first rice cereal, most of which ended up on his face and not in his mouth. But it gave him a chance to taste something new (other than mama's milk) and see how it felt in his mouth.

He also rolled for the first time from his stomach to his back during tummy time. And he managed to replicate this feat twice to prove that it wasn't a total fluke :)

Tomorrow is his first swim lesson...stay tuned!

Celebrating President Obama!

2008-11-06T10:37:00.007-07:00

The momentous day has come and gone, and we now have the enduring legacy of having elected President Barack Obama! We are so proud to have done our part in the effort by volunteering as Obama precinct captains in the democratic primary and at the local Broomfield Obama office in the general election.

Jacob too did his part inspiring the volunteers by his cuteness in his Obama onesie.

Jacob's First Halloween

2008-11-02T19:40:00.003-07:00

Jacob had two looks for his first Halloween celebration. There's the My First Halloween outfit and his baby lobster costume. Special shout out to the Gaddis family for the costume.

He got to show off his outfits to all the trick or treaters and to our neighbors the Sosas.

Jacob Holding his Head Up High

2008-10-28T11:35:00.002-06:00

I know...two posts in one day...but I couldn't resist posting this photo of Jacob that I took last week.

Some things to point out here are that he's wearing a sweater that his Nana Judie knit for him, and he's sitting up with his head held high in his Bumbo chair. This chair is great for giving babies a head start in sitting up; he loves it. Pretty soon he'll be sitting in it for his first bites of rice cereal..stay tuned.

My Nephew Liam

2008-10-28T11:15:00.002-06:00

This weekend Jacob and I got to meet my nephew Liam in Eugene, Oregon. Here is the little cutie all dressed up in his halloween attire at 3 weeks old. I'm thinking he does look a bit like my brother Rob, at least in the hairline. :)

It was a bit of a hectic time since I had my hands full taking care of 4 month old Jacob completely on my own for 3 days and 2 airplane flights. So it was definitely nice to get everyone together (minus Paul), but I'm glad to be home.

The next time we all get together this summer in New York, both little boys will be much bigger and hopefully playing together!

Back to VA

2008-10-21T14:01:00.003-06:00

This month we went back to Virginia for the first time as a family since Paul and I moved to Colorado in 2007. The impetus for our trip was the wedding of my good friend Kristen Dunne in Leesburg on October 10. It was a beautiful wedding and we were so excited to be able to be there to celebrate with Kristen and Walter. Being in VA, we also got to visit with lots of other friends and introduce them to our little peanut.

And as an extra special bonus, Jacob got to see Grandpa David and Grandma Jacquie who came down from NY to spend time with him and babysit while we were at the wedding. There were so many terrific photos which I've posted on Facebook, but this one with Grandpa and Grandma is just too sweet.

Announcing Liam Jennings Inerfeld

2008-10-06T08:46:00.004-06:00

Paul and I are so excited to welcome our first nephew and Jacob's first cousin Liam! He came as quite a surprise on October 5 since his due date wasn't until November 15, so he was a month and a half early. Though he's a premie, Liam is a healthy baby boy at 5 lbs 6 oz and 18 inches long. He's currently being monitored in the NICU and hopefully will be going home soon.

The coolest part is that Jacob and I were already scheduled to visit Rob and Stephanie at the end of October. Now we'll get to meet Liam while we're there!

Sleepyheads

2008-09-19T20:07:00.001-06:00

Mr. Giggles

2008-09-16T19:49:00.002-06:00

My Dream Come True!

2008-09-15T16:50:00.003-06:00

Ever since we got Gus last summer, my dream has been that I would wake up one morning and find Gus and Mable curled up together.

This weekend we got close...I found them sunning themselves right next to each other!

2008-09-05T11:08:00.002-06:00

Since I'm usually the one taking all the pictures of our little peanut, there are so few of me with him! I forced Paul to take this one since he was looking so cute snoozing away in his sling.

Paul as the Stork

2008-09-03T19:55:00.003-06:00

My new friend Claudia Landau was so kind as to lend me a couple of awesome baby wearing devices: a fleece sling and a moby. The moby is this incredibly long piece of fabric (about 10 feet) which I wrap all around me and slide Jacob into. I'm like an African woman going out to work in the field with her baby, LOL.

Paul loves to wear the baby in the sling, and once he's in there Jacob just passes out. Here you can see Paul holding Jacob in the sling after he's taken it off. Doesn't he look like the Stork?!? And below is little peanut Jacob happily snuggled in his sling.

The Mountains

2008-08-11T20:40:00.003-06:00

We've now lived in Colorado for almost a year and a half and while Paul has been skiing many times, I haven't spent much time in the mountains. This weekend we were invited to a party with the Zedecks in Steamboat Springs.

Not only did this give us the opportunity to bond with Paul's cousins and see Nana Judie and Grandpa Fred, but we also got to visit a new part of the state and drive back through Rocky Mountain National Park. The park is amazing! It's too bad we couldn't stop more since we had to keep up with baby feedings, but we both look forward to going back soon when we have more time.

Population of Pookie Nation Grows by One

2008-08-08T11:52:00.004-06:00

Hard to believe it's been 6 weeks since Jacob Inerfeld Zedeck was born on June 25, 2008! He surprised us all by making his debut 10 days early and was mercifully easy on his mommy who was only in active labor for 5 hours.

He's wonderful, adorable, and challenging. It's a whole new world.

Comparing Baby Bellies

2008-06-16T11:48:00.002-06:00

Did you know that my brother Rob and sister-in-law Stephanie are also pregnant?!? They're due in late November and Stephanie's about halfway there. It was fun to have them visit this weekend and especially funny to compare our baby bellies.

2008-06-11T12:34:00.003-06:00

Baby Jacob's furniture arrived today courtesy of Babies R Us and Grandma and Grandpa Inerfeld. Gus couldn't miss a chance to get in on the action.

3 more weeks 'til due date!

Baby Body

2008-04-29T11:14:00.003-06:00

Ok, so the cake is hiding the belly a wee bit, but you get the idea. Big belly and boobs! And that's my mom Jacquie with me who threw a wonderful shower with help from Michelle and Esther.

Pre-Baby Body

2008-04-15T08:34:00.003-06:00

Just found this awesome picture of me from cycling last summer. Hope I can get back to this body after baby Jacob arrives. Soon will be posting baby belly photos from the upcoming baby shower this weekend. Stay tuned!

12 Weeks to Baby Jacob!

2008-04-09T15:01:00.002-06:00

In case you haven't heard the big news, baby Jacob Inerfeld Zedeck is on his way. He's scheduled for his big debut on July 4. Here he is at his last ultrasound 2 months ago; already smiling for the camera.

Miracles Abound!

2008-04-05T20:18:00.004-06:00

In a miraculous turn of events, I got laid-off from DoubleClick this week courtesy of the Google overlords. Sure, I was crying in my Cheerios for about a day, but now I sees it truly was a MIRACLE! My severance package will provide me with almost fully paid maternity leave, and I now have the opportunity to pursue my own consulting business which I've thought about doing for a while.

I'll also have the chance to stay home with baby Jacob at least part-time, and won't need to leave him to fly all over the country for work.

My consulting will focus mainly on projects involving training and documentation, and I also have skill in software usability testing.

Any suggestions for business names???

My Sister Hailey

2007-07-12T20:54:00.000-06:00

Didn't you know that I had a sister? Yes, her name is Hailey. She's what my mom calls a "designer dog". My dad carries pictures of her in his wallet in lieu of me or my brother. And why not -- she worships him! Not like us troublesome kids who give him a hard time for being a Republican.

Whenever I tried to take her for a walk in Greenport, she cried and cried to be taken away from her "parents". This little dog can really pull your arm off. On one walk though, I did manage to get her to go a few blocks down to the park next to the beach. There were a bunch of kids there at a day camp who hundled around to visit Hailey. Imagine seven little girls petting her belly all at once while she lies on her back in bliss. Yup, that's my sister.

Dad the Kayaker

2007-07-11T21:17:00.000-06:00

Since biking didn't work out too well, we got back to Dad's prefered activity of kayaking. One of the best aspects of the house in Greenport is that it's just a few blocks from Pipe's Cove which has an ideal beach for putting in the kayaks and a nice bay to paddle in with views of Shelter Island.

Dad's First and Last Ride

2007-07-05T16:03:00.000-06:00

Dad hesitantly agreed to go biking with me today on his new Schwinn. He's very busy "relaxing" out here in Greenport with gardening, cleaning, walking the dog, swimming, kayaking, etc. and has viewed the whole idea of biking as an unwanted imposition on his already full schedule. But since my mom went to the trouble of buying him a bike, he reluctantly agreed to give it a try.

We biked the half mile into town and made one stop at the grocery store to pick up Stella D'Oro cookies to bring back to my friend Jess in Colorado. Apparently, all the pedestrians and ferry traffic were t0o much for a man trying to figure out how to shift gears and remember how to break. He's vowed to stick to his other more pleasurable pastimes. So for any guests to Greenport -- there's a new bicycle for you to use!

The Other Hamptons

2007-07-01T20:12:00.000-06:00

In case you thought The Hamptons was the only chic summer locale in New York, think again. Greenport, on the North Fork of Long Island is giving The Hamptons a run for their money, and for less of our money! Yes, an affordable summer vacation on Long Island. Ok, for me it's practically free since my parents have a new summer home here. It may not have the waves of the ocean, but it has all the seaside charm.

My good friend since high school Michelle visited us here this weekend. We had a wonderful time shopping, sunning, and swimming. She's a real pro at navigating pool floatation devices. I think she might be awarded certification soon.

I've Landed!

2007-06-27T18:10:00.000-06:00

On July 9, I start my new job as a Product Trainer at DoubleClick in Thornton, CO. YIPPEEE!!!

"With over 1500 clients, DoubleClick is the preferred partner of leading companies worldwide for a full range of digital advertising solutions." When I was working at AOL a few years back, DoubleClick was one of our greatest competitors, now AOL is one of their clients. So I'll be digging in my brain for all my archived knowledge about online advertising to put to use at my new job.

Just a few of the highlights of my new job: a non-existent commute since the office is 5 miles from home, lots of growth potential, and frequent travel to NY and SF my favorite cities.

Prince Gus

2007-06-22T09:39:00.000-06:00

Please join me in welcoming Gus to the Pookie family! We adopted 5 year old Gus yesterday from Safe Harbor Lab Rescue. Apparently he had been given up by his owner due to financial problems that required him to take a job with too much travel to care for sweet Gus. It must have been hard to give this boy up since he is AWESOME! He has a very sweet disposition, loves to play fetch, comes when you call him, etc. He has basic training, but we're looking forward to taking him to obedience class to get to the next level where we can feel really comfortable having him off leash to play, hike and swim. He's already given me some good exercise this morning with a nice walk and a round of fetch in the yard. Since people are WAY into dogs here, we'll be taking him out of the house with us as much as we can.

The only snag in the happy Pookie household is cat/dog relations. Earlier this week, we brought over another dog to meet Mable and things did not go well due to my own stupidity. There's a whole world of information online about how to introduce cats and dogs and most of it is the complete opposite of what I did. I held Mable in my arms and brought her over to the dog , then she proceeded to claw her way out of my arms -- OUCH. I have the war wounds to prove it. So we're now following the advice of experts and taking our time to introduce them. Wish us luck!

Princess Mable

2007-06-20T10:32:00.000-06:00

I've gotten lots of questions from friends about whether Mable had made it to Colorado with us -- YES! Mable is *loving* her new home, especially the huge window sills where she can luxuriate for hours stalking the birds and bunnies outside. She's also hoping that I never get a new job since she loves having me home to hang out and play with her. Her favorite game is wrestling with her toy mice and kicking them under the door that leads to the basement.

Getting Mable here was no small feat since Paul moved in January to start his new job, and I had the most work travel I've ever had between January and when we moved in March. It took a whole community of wonderful friends to take care of Mable during all the transition. Much love and thanks to: Virginia, Dave, David and Daniel Crocker and Virginia's mom who all took care of Mable during many of my trips; Rachael, Jonathan and Gershon Price who adopted Mable for the entire month of March; and our friends in Colorado David, Declan and Aedan White and Jennifer Coken who hosted Mable during our first week before we moved into our new house. Good thing Mable is a truly adaptable kitty who had a great time visiting with everyone!

Life With Less TV = More Reading!

2007-06-06T10:48:00.001-06:00

While living in VA, we Pookies had a serious problem -- TV addiction. Having a big screen TV with high-definition DirectTV with Tivo certainly didn't help matters. So we made an agreement, we would leave our big screen TV in VA and upon moving to CO we would no longer pay for TV service. I am proud to report that this crazy experiment has actually worked!

We sold our big screen TV on Craig's List in one hour and got a new, smaller flat panel LCD that fits in our TV nook in the family room. Then Paul hooked up a high-definition antenna -- high-tech rabbit ears. So now we get about 10 channels for free including NBC, FOX, CW, a cool music channel and public television, some of these are actually in HD. With less to watch and no Tivo there's less temptation to spend our free time sacked out on the couch with the TV IV hooked up.

One of the benefits of all this new free time is that we are reading books! Even Paul, who usually prefers to read online, started reading a book this week. I used to be an avid reader and had really dropped off in the last few years. Now I've discovered the Broomfield Library which has been awesome. It was an epiphany -- why pay for books when I'll be done with them in a week? A no-brainer. Book reviews coming soon!

Cycling Elephant Rock Festival

2007-06-04T12:46:00.000-06:00

Elephant Rocks! Dana and I went out this weekend and really got plugged into the cycling community. The Elephant Rock Cycling festival was great! If I can tell anyone how to live a more powerful life it is to be with the ones that you love and that love you. It is so easy to just isolate yourself and say you are too busy. I have found that it takes work to have fun. But when you are there to enjoy the moment. Cheers!

The Power of Two...

2007-05-28T22:26:00.000-06:00

To my wife I would like to say that which I have said many times before but never shared with anyone but you. Now that we are sharing with the world it is time to say that without you I would be lost in the wild. Our journey has been long but we have come to a place we have both created and call home. You are my world.

Crazy Giggles Abound

2007-05-28T21:30:00.000-06:00

Our 5th anniversary weekend can universally be declared a smashing success! We went on two long bike/trike rides one of which was a fun historic ride with the Denver Bicycle Touring Club, a drive into the mountains, miniature golf, go-karting and more. Paul still has the sound of my crazy giggles ringing in his ears from chasing me around the go-kart track. Since we're all old enough to drive, I wouldn't have thought that go-karting would be that much fun, but it was such a blast -- I just could not stop laughing! The piece-de-resistance of the weekend was certainly my very own balloon tiara made by a "Balloon Artiste" on the streets of Boulder.

The Colorado Lifestyle

2007-05-25T14:43:00.000-06:00

The Pookies have *finally* gotten off their respective behinds and started cycling -- 11 miles today, a great accomplishment for me! I almost said "biking," but since I ride a trike (WizWheelz TerraTrike Cruiser pictured at right) it would be blasphemy. In fact, I think trike enthusiasts (and there are tons of them!) would actually be offended if I said that I was biking on my trike. We'll never forget Al from Bikes at Vienna -- now that guy was an enthusiast! We still quote Al occasionally, "The more you ride, the faster you'll be, the more you'll want to ride, the faster you'll be..." Never doubt Al; I actually am getting a little faster. It helps that I've finally gotten the hang of the gears. Us Inerfelds are not known to be technically adept so it took a while for me to get it. In fact, my dad is in the market for a bike right now and he is so sure of his own technical ineptitude that he is thinking of getting one without any gears at all.

One of our goals in moving here to Colorado was to ditch our couch/computer potato lifestyle for the "Colorado Lifestyle." What, pray tell, is the Colorado Lifestyle? First, a disclaimer -- I'm still figuring it out so don't count on my as an expert on this. As far as I can tell, Coloradans are exemplified by being active and being outdoors. An example of this is Colorado being listed #8 on a list of states ranked by amount of physical exercise. It helps that we have very low humidity and about 300 days of sunshine per year so people actually want to be outside.

Cycling is a start to get us outside and moving...stay tuned while the Pookies figure out gardening and lawn care...

Happy Anniversary!

2007-05-25T14:40:00.001-06:00

I, Pookie One, present this blog to Pookie Two on the occasion of our five year wedding anniversary. When we were first married five years ago, I asked you to create a website to document our wedding, our marriage, our life, etc. Since you were busy with other projects, the idea got shelved. It's now time to charge the paddles and bring it back to life!

Through these five years, there's been a lot of give and take as in any relationship. Amazing breakthroughs and also breakdowns caused by unmet expectations as in any relationship. But this is not just ANY relationship! This relationship has a secret ingredient. An ingredient so secret that we've hoarded it to ourselves all these years. Yes, you guessed it, it's POOKIE POWER!

Now that we're starting a new life and we've launched our extraordinary partnership, it's time to share POOKIE POWER with the world. What will that mean? Let's find out :)