Leeds United Prediction League

I’ve always been proud of every company I have worked for over the years. From the days of the family-run Baldwins, through Connaught and Phoenix I’ve always enjoyed my job….but in November/December 2013 I made a decision that I would never regret. I went for a job at ASDA in their Home Office. I’d been a long-time knocker of “big corporations” and used to rub my wife about her job at First Direct all the time…but here I was stepping into the Walmart family for the first time. 

I instantly loved the job (well after a first day thinking I had made a massive mistake and was completely out of my depth) and fit into the role really well. 

Then I found myself also taking an active role in the fun side of the Finance team, organising games and events and getting people involved. Following on from that I was elected into the Finance Colleague Voice team where I can be a “man of the people” in the department. 

So the next step was to put my name down for “Associates Week” or “Shareholders” week out in the States. I heard a few things about it before I put myself forward but I wanted to experience it myself. 

Luckily I was picked to come. 

So here I am now, on a Sunday night (Central US Time [GMT -6]) after getting up at 3am UK time, picking up Phil, another colleague from ASDA, heading to Manchester, meeting up with my group, hopping on a plane from Manchester to Chicago, experiencing mental turbulence for half an hour halfway through, chowing down a Chicago style pizza and having my first Root Beer of the trip, flying from Chicago to Arkansas, using Wi-Fi in-flight, arriving at Pomfret Hall at the University Of Arkansas, swapping tonnes of badges with Brazilians, Chileans, Japanese, Argentinians, and dancing with them all to some funky music and now laying in bed after being the last man standing……Wow! It’s gonna be a cracking week! 

The Xbox should be back from being fixed tomorrow (Tuesday)…..see previous blog to see what I have been getting up to in the meantime 😉

It’s nearly baby time.

Yup, we’re now less than 6 weeks away from our due date of 7th November, when Baby Woollin will be welcomed into the world. So far, we know that the little one will be a little girl…something which was only confirmed to us at the scan we had today…it’s been a funny little story.

Back on Week 16, we went for a private gender scan. We paid £85-ish to be told we were having a girl…but that was only after about twenty minuted of searching around, then ten minutes of my wife having to go for a walk as well as drinking an ice-cold drink and eating some chocolate…then baby W decided it was OK for the sonographer to see what she was…and we were told we would be having a daughter.

Every NHS scan we’ve been to since have never been able to tell us though. Either she was turning away, or had her hands covering herself up. I guess, in a strange way, I want my daughter to be modest about flashing her bits at all and sundry…but there was always a little bit of doubt whether we needed to trade in all the pink for blue…but thankfully, today they said IT was definitely a SHE.

Oh, and she’s weighing in already at a nice plump 5lb 11oz! Yup indeed…she’s got her daddy’s figure 🙂

So back to the title of this blog….nesting…this weekend that certainly commenced. Now, anyone who knows me will know that my DIY skills are on par with Mr Bean’s, and I do about as much cleaning as Jim Royle…so I would invite you all to take a seat and wonder at a changed man.

This weekend I :

• Cleared the rubbish from the car
• Dusted and polished the interior of the car
• Cleared out the boot of the car
• Fixed a drawer in the kitchen that had fallen off
• Refixed another kitchen panel under the sink which had fallen
• Emptied out the cupboards
• Cleaned all the cupboards
• Bought new plates, cutlery etc
• Cleaned out all the drawers
• Threw away items we no longer needed/used in the cupboards
• Washed the kitchen floor.
• Washed all the tiling in the kitchen
• Fitted a new Fridge/Freezer

Basically my “Man Status” just got a 10 point boost.

Current statistics : Man Status = 3.5