Every Day It's Getting Better

Work yesterday wasn't quite so bad. Lorry came in for almost five hours, so I didn't have to do everything all by myself. I ended up only having to work about seven hours and it wasn't nearly as stressful as a regular Friday. Can you see why I ended up working nine to eleven hours every Friday? I don't know how Christopher works twelve hour shifts. I would be a zombie.

Right now, I'm debating going to Yoga Class at the fitness center or working on my MS Office Class. Decisions, decisions. Actually, I'm avoiding both by blogging, aren't I?

I'm taking an MS Office class online because I need to know MS Office better if I'm going to get an Administrative Assistant job at SLCC. I feel like that's the next step in my career. My long, weird, meandering career.

I'm hoping that as an Admin Assistant I'll get to design things, like brochures and charts and presentations. That would be cool. And much more artistic than my current job. Plus, the insurance and other benefits are great. I'd get to take SLCC classes for free! How awesome is that? Especially since I can't get government grants anymore since I have a Bachelor's Degree. Apparently the government thinks that once you've earned a Bachelor's Degree, you've got it made.

I don't think working at SLCC would be as stressful as the inevitable ups and downs of home health. Either we have so many patients we don't know how to fit them all in or so few patients Joe is fretting over having to lay people off. Hopefully they won't expect me to cram a totally unreasonable amount of work into my alloted time (unlike my current job!). I think it would be less stressful to work full time and know I can get my work done, rather than never being able to catch up. I hate having tons of loose ends hanging out at the end of the work day.

Cameron and Jarom are over at Meagan and Zac's at the moment. They probably stayed up all night playing Zombies. Meagan invited Amber, too, but Amber decided not to go. Maybe because Meagan is working this morning? Maybe because Amber wants to play basketball with the Young Women this morning?

Want to know something great? We almost have all of the Primary teacher positions filled. With teachers who actually show up every week or are responsible enough to get subs if they won't be there. And seem to be happy to be in Primary. It's been a struggle getting two teachers for each class. We're almost there - we just need one more Sunbeam teacher and two or three Nursery workers. Oh, and I need another counselor. Tomorrow is Ward Conference, so we'll see how that goes. At least I don't have to do Sharing Time by myself this Ward Conference. Carol (my one and only counselor at the moment) is helping with that.

Hmmm...let's run through the family roster, shall we?

David - has taken up oil painting again. He's on his second or third painting since he started painting a few weeks ago. He's doing a winter scene at the moment.

David's locksmithing skillz saved us $50 on getting our van door fixed. The driver's door kept making a popping noise every time we opened or closed it. Gine's said we'd need to take it to a body shop, since they don't have a spot welder. We took it to K&S Automotive, which is about a block from the library. They told us it would cost $400-$500 to fix it because they'd have to take the door off and take it apart. It ended up costing only $200, and then they gave us an extra $50 off because David fixed the sticky knob on their front door. In the end, it only set us back $150. How awesome is that? And the door works perfectly now.

David wants a bowling ball that smells like birthday cake. Can you believe they make such a thing? When we went bowling on MLK Jr. Day, David spent half his time in the Pro Shop at the bowling alley. Maybe he doesn't really want a bowling ball that smells like birthday cake, but he does want a shiny purple one that fits his arthritic fingers better. I think we'd have to go bowling more often than once every year or two for that investment to be worthwhile.

Meagan - Since Meagan didn't pass Anatomy the first two times around, her grant wouldn't pay for it a third time. She was only going to take a Drawing class, but I reminded her that she has to take at least six credit hours or her grant won't pay for anything. Luckily, she still had enough time to add a Psychology class.

She seems to be enjoying school a lot more this semester. No tough math or science classes. And she's also not training full time for a new job, putting together a wedding, or moving. That may make a difference, too. Through it all, Meagan is still crocheting amazing things. She certainly didn't get that skill from me. Must be from her Great Grandma Baran and her Aunt Tammie.

Zac - is going back to school in March. He's going to ITT Tech and working on an Associate's Degree in - what was it? - Internet Security, I believe. That sounds like a good field to go in to. Zac likes technology and the internet certainly needs security. I hope he likes it.

Cameron - is taking Java 2, Calculus and Drawing. In fact, he's taking the same Drawing class as Meagan, just at a different time, with a different teacher, since they work opposite shifts. They're doing some similar things and some very different things. Every time they see each other, they compare what they're doing in drawing. They are both good artists and it's interesting to see what they end up drawing.

Cameron's Calculus class starts at 7:00 am Monday thru Thursday. He gets himself up every morning around 5:30 and has made it to the bus on time almost every day since class started. I'm impressed. Cameron seems to really like computer programming. I think it's a good field for him. He's planning on transferring to the U eventually and majoring in computer programming with an art emphasis.

Jarom - has been better at getting up in the wee hours of the morning for Jazz Band. He's been pretty much on time since December, when I threatened to pull him out of Jazz Band if he didn't start getting up in the morning. I'm impressed and excited that he's been doing so much better.

Jarom's scheduled to take the ACT Test in February and we need to get him signed up for Engineering Week at USU. Jarom's leaning toward Chemical Engineering, but he's not sure yet. During Engineering Week, high school students live on campus and get to try out experiments in several different kinds of engineering. I think Jarom will enjoy that. Jarom is good at chemistry. Last year when he was taking high school chemistry, he helped Meagan pass college chemistry. I was impressed.

Jarom's art teacher thinks he should major in Graphic Design or Illustration. She's impressed with Jarom's drawings and sensitivity to line and color. His dragon drawings are amazing. He keeps getting better and better. Even Jarom's Physics teacher is impressed with his drawing skills. He had the kids do comic strips about Physics principles and was blown away by Jarom's comic strip.

Amber - goes to Anime Club at the library every month. This week they drew comics and got a free comic book. My, the comics in the book they got were silly.

Amber has been working on improving her grades. She somehow managed to pull 3 D's & F's up to C's, just before the end of the semester. With much urging from David and me. This semester, we're going to keep on top of that better. So far, that's involved sitting at the kitchen table after dinner, doing homework. I usually help Amber with her math. One night Meagan even helped Amber with her math. It was a nice break for me. :)

Amber is taking a Communications class this semester. She finished writing some movie reviews and previews. Next, she gets to record them and add sound effects. I think Communications, Art and French are Amber's favorite classes.

Jetta - poor Jetta is getting old. She's having more trouble getting up and down and she's developed cataracts. The vet told us last summer that Jetta needs her teeth cleaned desperately, and while she's knocked out, he'll remove a couple of tumors (benign, fortunately) she's developed on her chest. I think he told us it’d cost about $400-$500. Somehow, we keep having other expenses/things come up and we haven't taken her in. Maybe when we get our income tax refund?

Thor - is so grouchy, but still so cute. Sometimes he stays out all night in the freezing weather and sometimes he snuggles up in bed with us. He's unpredictable and stealthy and oh so fun to bug. I'm not sure where he is right now, but I'm sure he'll turn up somewhere. Just so he isn't stuck in a bedroom with the door shut...

Well, I guess I’m not going to Yoga Class today…it started fifteen minutes ago. I guess I’ll get back to work on MS Word, figuring out how to do Macros and Mail Merges. Exciting!

My Last Three Posts Have Been Drafts

'Cuz as I wrote them over the past few weeks, I decided it would be better if I didn't "publish" them.

*SIGH* Not liking my job right now. At least I can get a different one if I want, right? I'm pretty sure I'll have a different job within the next few months. A much, much better job with benefits and paid time off and work I can actually get caught up on. I can't handle my current job much longer. I like Joe and Lorry, but the job is horrible.

So...that's what I've been up to. Writing blog posts that will never see the light of day.

Here's something happy, though: I'm taking Monday off of work. Yay! I think we're going to go bowling for MLK day. Should be fun, huh? I NEED some fun right now.

Speaking of fun, it was nice to go to Bountiful and see Mom and Dad and Sheri on Wednesday. I like visiting them. And I found out stuff I never knew before - like that Grandpa Gambles trained to be a barber when he was younger. Who knew?

Post-Wedding Madness

Wow. It's been awhile since I last blogged. I thought my life would stop being crazy once the wedding was over. It's still crazy. But I am glad the wedding's over. Any time I see the word "bridal" now, I shudder.

We've been cleaning our house up before we look into re-financing it. I'm beginning to wonder if we're ever going to get done! Wish I could quit my job and focus on other stuff, but that's not gonna happen, is it?

I've been debating what I really need/want to keep and what I won't really care (in the long run) if I get rid of. David brought the movie "Cast Away" home from the library. After watching it again, I started wondering how much stuff I really need. But then I don't want to get rid of a bunch of stuff and then regret it - like half of my clothes. Then again, maybe I won't even miss them? Decisions, decisions.

David and I have been watching the X Factor this season. I don't know why I even care about it. I used to loathe reality tv. For some reason, Master Chef (I know, I don't even like Gordon Ramsey, he makes Simon Cowell look nice!) sucked me in to reality tv. Maybe it's just an escape?

So, from the beginning, I've liked Marcus Canty. Ever since he sang the Stevie Wonder song "I Wish." I love that song and Marcus sang it so well. And I've like Melanie Amaro. Those two have been my favorite all along. But taco-maker Josh was amazing last week. Sometimes I really have to wonder about song choices. Why didn't they have Marcus sing "Thriller" instead of "PYT" last night. And Drew singing "Billie Jean"? That was strange. The judges are all goofy and famous acts they have performing? I don't think I've liked any of them. Of course, I am old school and I have a hard time getting into some hip-hop and an even harder time getting into rap.

David is more into X Factor than I am now. We started voting a couple of weeks ago. Can you believe it? I know, but oddly, it doesn't take off much time from our tracfones. I sometimes wonder if our votes even really registered. Of course, David Jason says the whole thing is rigged from the start. I don't doubt it. The voting isn't very transparent, they don't post it on the internet and won't even reveal the rankings.

Jarom is asleep on the couch. That's what I feel like doing. Maybe not on the couch, but sleep sounds really good right now.

Amber went to Anime Club at the library yesterday and came home with about 20 buttons she'd made. They made shrinky-dinks, too, but apparently those didn't get all the way done.

Cameron is now a permanent sweeper at the elementary school, so he has a regular shift he works. So that's good. Jarom might apply for a job there. Cameron's going to take Calculus next semester, can you believe it?

Meagan and I went and bought her and Zac a used washer and dryer that were delivered last Saturday. The washer worked great. The dryer spun, but wouldn't warm up. Meagan called the company that sold us the set. They told her to check the lint vent, because it was probably clogged. Sure enough it was. I guess their dryer is working fine now. I haven't heard that it's not.

Of Weddings and Cars and ERs

Apparently I was too busy in September to post anything. I can't imagine why that would be.

So, Meagan and Zac got married on Wednesday. It would have been alot less stressful if Meagan and I hadn't had to do the flowers on top of everything else. But we did them. I thought they turned out quite well thanks to the tutorials by the man in the orange shirt on youtube.

We did have a back up plan if Meagan's bouquet had turned out horribly ugly. There was an already made bridal bouquet with white roses and ivy at Michael's for $50 we would have bought. It's hard to believe that only a week ago Meagan, Zac and I were out shopping for silk flowers and trying to decide what on earth to get. We ended up buying most of the flowers at JoAnn's. I liked their flower selection better and most of their silk flowers were on sale.

We'd thought of having Michael's do the flowers, but what we wanted would have cost about $300. I called a few florists, too. The Flower Patch wanted $460. Can you believe that? Hyland Floral would have been about $210, which wasn't bad, but they needed 2 weeks advance notice to get all the flowers ordered in. Yeah, we didn't have 2 weeks. After having made 6 corsages, 10 boutonnieres (or was it 11?), 4 small bouquets and 1 large bouquet that I understand why they charge so much for flowers. It's alot of work!

The thing that made it all worth it was that the bridesmaids absolutely adored their bouquets. And the girl who dived for the toss bouquet and was excited when Meagan told her she got to keep it. I love gratitude. I can understand the scriptures where God says He loves a grateful person.

I spent most of the night before the wedding finishing flowers and making chicken salad. The chicken salad turned out pretty well, but if I had it to do again, I'd have someone else make it! And I wouldn't have bought nearly as much food. Jo told me about how much I'd need and I didn't believe her! Zac was excited that they got to take some of the extra rootbeer and ice cream home, though. At least we didn't spend a whole lot on the food. :)

Wednesday I spent almost all day running around: dropping Jarom off at school at 6:00 am, decorating, finishing the chicken salad, dragging Amber to Walmart to buy underclothing, wondering when Meagan would show up to the church so I could strap her into her corset and wedding dress, running back to the house for Meagan's bridal bouquet, greeting guests, making sure people got served food, cleaning up...

Thank goodness so many people helped or it never would have happened! I thought it turned out quite well. Quite a few people showed up, considering it was a school night and our ward had 3 other activities/meetings going on that night.

I thought I would have slept pretty well Wednesday night, but I tossed and turned most of the night. Wednesday morning I dragged myself out of bed and returned Meagan's wedding gown to the rental shop. The alterations lady was relieved to hear that Meagan hadn't thrown up in the dress. (She almost did at her alterations fitting!) I had to return the dress between 8:00 am and noon the day after the wedding. I thought I'd be there by 9:00. Try 11:30. I'm glad I had the extra time and I didn't have to be to work until 1:00 pm.

After that, I went to a Chevron and washed "Father of the Bride" off the back window of the Crown. When I was almost done, a teenage girl pulled up behind me to get gas. She climbed out of her jeep and realized she hadn't pulled far enough foward, so she got back in proceeded to ram into the back of the Crown. I was a little surprised. I've never had that happen before. She got out of her Jeep and apologized profusely. I examined the back of the Crown and couldn't find any damage. (It's a tough car!) As I pulled away, I realized that if she'd hit the car just a minute earlier, I could have been between the two cars when they collided. I thanked God profusely for my good fortune. Thank you, God - I still have both my legs!

I just happened to be at the Chevron right by Becky's, so I went over and talked to her for about an hour. Byron jumped on me periodically and jabbered about dolphins and letter crackers. He's so funny. He reminds me of Cameron of many years ago.

Thursday night I slept the best I had in a couple of months. What a relief! I think it's because the wedding was over and I'd returned the dress and it was all over and done with.

Yesterday was my long day at work. Meagan called me about 6:00-ish, stressed because David couldn't stand up or talk and could barely breathe. He was helping her and Zac move and someone was smoking a cigarette. I told her to call 9-1-1 if he couldn't talk. So she did. I finished making my last few phone calls then I headed to the ER.

As I was driving, I thought to myself, "Great, maybe I'll become a mother-in-law and a widow in the same week." Fortunately, I was wrong about the last part. By the time I got the the ER, David could talk again. Apparently someone in the library parking lot was smoking marajuana, then David went to the apartments and someone was smoking cigarettes and he couldn't handle all that smoke. Now he's wondering if it's safe for him to go to public places. He thinks a gas mask might work, but Jarom thinks he might be mistaken for a terrorist. Maybe a surgical mask? Then he could look like Michael Jackson - well, how MJ used to look.

This morning David, Cameron and I went to the 5th Annual Eagle Scout Breakfast. It was nice, but the only things I could eat were scrambled eggs and OJ. That's better than nothing, right? The servers looked at me a little weird when I asked for more eggs and told them that's all I was eating.

This afternoon, I got to see Meagie and Zac's apartment. It's not bad. They're in a one bedroom basement apartment with a small patio with a storage shed. They have washer and dryer hookups even if they don't have a washer and dryer yet. Meagan moved out the last of her stuff about 15 minutes ago and even vacuumed her old bedroom. She's been in that bedroom since she was 6! That's 14 years now. Wow. It'll be weird without her here.

Well, that's my excitement for the last week. I'm ready to go back to bed!

Cameron and Door-to-Door Salesmen

About a month ago I posted a sign on the inside of the front door directing everyone to tell door-to-door salesmen, "I'm sorry but we don't buy anything sold door-to-door," then shut the door. We already have a "No Solicitors" sign on the front door, but the salesmen don't read it, don't know what a solicitor is or just plain ignore it.

The day after I put up the notice, David knocked on the front door because he wanted to show us something in the front yard. The door was locked, like it usually is. Cameron answered the door and told his Dad, "I'm sorry but we don't buy anything sold door-to-door," then he shut the door. It was hilarious.

Last night just as David and I got home from delivering the last of Meagan and Zac's wedding invitations, we noticed Cameron was at the front door with a door-to-door salesman. David and I came in through the back door as Cameron was telling the salesman goodbye. I asked Cameron if he told the salesman we don't buy anything sold door-to-door. He told me, "Yes, I told him that, but I also asked him if he wanted a drink of water. He did, so I got him one." Cameron was still holding the cup he'd taken to the salesman.

Cameron is so thoughtful and sweet, how proud I am of him!