cuil.com - a new search engine

I just read about cuil.com, a new search engine, in this article at Yahoo News!. (Pronounced "cool" apparently.) Naturally, I had to go see where ericalucci.com shows up on this search engine.

I was pleasantly surprised to be on the front page. Slightly less thrilled that the thumbnail photo with my listing isn't me. I'm not even sure where it came from since it's not an image I recognize.

Hopefully cuil will get better with time. There's always tweaking for searching. Plus, it's not responding well at all, but hopefully that's just first day launch jitters. I'll definitely give it a try for some real searching in the future. I'm looking forward to an alternative to Google because competition is always good.

Being Fired But Seeing the Silver Lining

Chris lost his job on June 23rd. It was a bit of a shock to get a call from him and knowing something was wrong just from his voice. It was a relief that it was only a lost job and not something more important. Yet, jobs are still important so I was flooded with emotion. Mostly fear at first. Then sadness and a sense of loss. And a little bit of anger too.

That first night was a little rough. We went through the range of emotions together. We talked about the good and the bad. We even cried a bit. I think it's all a part of the process.

Chris was working at a very small company - only 4 people. They do high end home automation, home theaters, lighting, audio, etc. Chris is a system designer and a salesperson, but they really need someone in business development. They needed someone who would bring customers in the door. Chris is honest about hating cold calling. I totally understand because I hate it too.

With things like this, you always try to look on the bright side. To my surprise, Chris was able to start looking on the bright side almost immediately. I'm pretty sure I would have wallowed in sadness a lot longer had it been me. He started looking at this as an opportunity to change careers, to go back to school, to think about what he really, really wants to do. We know that something big like this had to happen to get us thinking like this. So while it's a hard pill to swallow, ultimately, I'm thankful for the opportunity.

And I hope that it is a positive situation for the company as well. I really, really liked the owner and Chris's coworkers. I want them to do well.

We're adjusting our lifestyle to fit within my salary. This is something we wanted to do anyway, with the intention of saving all of his income. Now we're just doing it a bit sooner than we had planned. This change is stressing me quite a bit. Chris is seeing how neurotic about money I can be. I'm seeing what a solid rock he is. Together, we're weathering the storm.

Chris, who is always better about seeing the silver lining than I am, is taking this opportunity to the right thing for himself So he's going back to school! He's decided to finish his undergraduate degree and has already enrolled in Fall classes. He'll be going to school full time in just a few short weeks. I'm really excited and proud.

For the next few weeks he gets to do what he wants. I don't understand how he's not sleeping until noon every day, but I'm not complaining about the fact he gets up to have breakfast with me. I like having our time to chat in the morning. He's taking the time to complete a bunch of little projects around the house, which is awesome. AND he's making dinner every night. I REALLY love that part!!

So in a few short weeks, we'll be entering a new phase in life. Chris gets to be a student again and I get to be his sugar-mama!

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C&E - The Early Days

The other night Chris was upstairs messing around on the computer and I was downstairs messing around on the computer. Eventually we put the computers away and sat on the couch talking to each other. It turns out that we were both looking through pictures from the early part of our relationship.

Here are some of my favorites:

Chris's 29th Birthday

Random visit to the Arlington Museum of Art

At the racetrack

Wedding Pictures & Wedding Vows

Chris and I has a small wedding ceremony in his parents' backyard on May 30th. We wrote our own ceremony and since we were legally married a week prior, we did not have an officiant. It was just us and a few words by our parents. We are very proud of our ceremony as it turned out exactly as we wanted. It had a lot of meaning to us, which is the point of a ceremony.

Here are the vows we said that day:

Chris: “Erica, I am marrying you because I believe our lives complement each other. Your support and love have made me want to grow in life and look beyond the every-day. You have helped me to believe in myself and not to be afraid to step outside the box. We can work together on anything, but it’s working together on life that I look forward to the most each day. I am marrying you because you are an amazing person that I want to grow with, forever.”

Erica: “Chris, I am marrying you because I believe that two is better than one. You have already made me a better person and I look forward to continuing that process for the rest of our lives. You have taught me about perseverance despite 1001 miles between us. You have been the emotional foundation, the rock I needed. You were patient especially all those weeks we weren't together & I was less than sane. I am marrying you because of all the amazing things that make you, you.”

Chris: “I am marrying you because our conversations never grow too long.”
Erica: “I am marrying you because you are emotionally available “
Chris: “I am marrying you because you make me want to be a better person.”
Erica: “I am marrying you because you communicate.”
Chris: “I am marrying you because you make communication easy.”
Erica: “I am marrying you because you work hard.”
Chris: “I am marrying you because of your continuous and undying support.”
Erica: “I am marrying you because you're creative.”
Chris: “I am marrying you because you are the best companion anyone could ever want.”
Erica: “I am marrying you because you're sexy.”
Chris: “I am marrying you because you are not afraid of pointing out my flaws.”
Erica: “I am marrying you because you know how to be a partner.”
Chris: “I am marrying you because you take my opinion seriously even if it’s “obviously” wrong.”
Erica: “I am marrying you because you can keep me in line and put me in my place.”
Chris: “I am marrying you because you get my jokes.”
Erica: “I am marrying you because on our first date I cried through the entire U2 concert and you didn't run away.”
Chris: “I am marrying you because you make even the most uncomfortable situations comfortable.”
Erica: “I am marrying you because we laugh together... a lot.”
Chris: “I am marrying you because I am happiest when you are around.”
Erica: “I am marrying you because you take care of me even when I don't want to be taken care of.”
Chris: “I love you despite your love for documentaries.”
Erica: “I am marrying you despite your love of cars and buffalo wings.”
Chris: “I am marrying you despite your stubbornness.”
Erica: “I am marrying you despite your garage full of tools.”
Chris: “I am marrying you despite your uncanny knack at changing your mind.”
Erica: “I am marrying you despite your refusal to use the blinker.”
Chris: “I am marrying you because you are my best friend.”
Erica: “I am marrying you because you are my best friend.”

Chris: “I enter this promise with the realization that not everything is perfect; that this isn’t about perfection, it’s about compatibility, sharing, communication, and growth. Things will change, and I promise to change together. I do not take this lightly; you are the rest of my life.”

Erica: “I am here with eyes wide open. I know this journey will not always be an easy one, but I'm committing to it. I'm committing to you for the rest of my life.”

Chris: “Erica, I am marrying you
for better and for worse
in sickness and in health
in need and in wealth
in unhappiness and in happiness.
Erica, I give you this ring as a symbol of my promise. With everything it represents, so it represents my commitment.”

Erica: “Chris, I am marrying you
for better and for worse
in sickness and in health
in need and in wealth
in unhappiness and in happiness.
Chris, I give you this ring as a symbol of my promise. With everything it represents, so it represents my commitment.”

View the entire set of wedding pictures.

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