Wednesday, July 30, 2008

Ummm...ok, cause that makes sense...

Yesterday the head chef walked out of the restaurant. His wife (who was the manager) had quit about a week ago, and he gave his 2 weeks last Friday but yesterday he got into a fight with one of the investors and he grabbed his recipie book and walked out.

This ought to be interesting. I am predicting that the restaurant will not be open in another month. It always frustrates me when 'upper management' (in this case the investors) think they know what's best when in reality they know jack squat. I fear for the quality of food - that was one thing we always had going for us - but now that the chef and his recipies are gone, I don't know...

So I think I'm going to quit today. I am tired of working two jobs anyway, and I just don't want to work for an organization like that.

Friday, July 25, 2008

A job

Some news!! Nathan didn't pass his second shot at the insurance test (can't remember if I told you that) so we decided that he needed to get a job to help pay the bills while he continues to study. He's trying to get a manager job at the new Walmart that is going up but in the mean time he will be assembling treadmills at a local factory. Not the most glamorous of jobs, but when you need the paycheck so bad, one doesn't care where it comes from! He's working through a temp agency right now and in two weeks the company will hire him on and he'll get a $2/hr raise AND he'll be working 50 hours a week which means 10 hours of overtime! This development has taken a HUGE weight off my chest.
I had yesterday off (Pioneer Day) and I spent it doing one of my favorite things - absolutely nothing. Well, almost nothing. I surfed the web, worked on a couple baby gifts, played on facebook, took a nap with the kitties and cleaned up my scrapbook room. I also got someone to cover my shift at the restaurant so I had the WHOLE day off... sigh :)

Sunday, July 20, 2008

Oh, tender...

So several of my friends who have blogs have this 'tag' on it so I'm in...

Here's how it works.  Leave a comment on my blog of a memory you have with me...it can be big or small, anything at all!  (Oh man, I rhymed  hehe).  Then re-post the instructions on your blog and I'll return the comment with a memory... 

If you don't have a blog, then leave a comment anyway, because I love comments! :)

Friday, July 18, 2008

Bookgroup

If anyone wants to get on the bookgroup bandwagon...head on over to my Online Bookgroup (sidebar link) and nominate some books - we're setting up the list for the next few months...  What are you waiting for - go already. 

Grass!!

Yes, your eyes do not deceive you...that is grass growing in our {{LEVEL}} backyard.
This has only been 2 years in coming, but better late than never!!





Tuesday, July 15, 2008

Changing Direction, well, maybe...

So things on the insurance test front are not good...it is $88 to take the test and Nathan took his 2nd one last night and got the same score as his first shot...which was unfortunately not enough to pass.  He studied really hard - it is apparently just a hard test.  So we are now looking for another (possible) direction.  Anyone have any ideas of jobs that will make a good career and provide excellent benefits??  Oh, and they must be hiring NOW... as in, I can't work two jobs any more NOW.  

Anyone??  Anyone?

Saturday, July 12, 2008

My Cute Brother


You know how they say a picture is worth a thousand words?   Well I think this picture is worth a thousand bucks... good blackmail photo, no?


This is Brad...I don't even want to try and explain...
 

Crimson Trail

A few weeks back Nathan, Besta and I did another hike for our Summer of a Million Hikes.  We hiked the Crimson Trail, which I heard was not as hard as the Wind Caves, but I felt like the climb up to the rock wall was just as if not tougher.  The Crimson Trail is cool because it winds up to the top of the China Wall...which is a huge shelf of rock situated about 2/3 up the mountains in the canyon.  The first part of the trail is hard and then once you're on the rock it is nice and the views are spectacular!  In fact, if you look at THIS pic from our Wind Caves hike you can see the rock wall behind us.




This was at the beginning of the hike - the river ran right past our campsite. Nathan almost got swept away while wading out with Mitch. 


Another view...looking west just a wee bit up the trail from the pic just above. 


Nathan and Besta the Trail Blazer.  He LOVES hikes.  He will run up until we can't see him, we'll holler at him, and he comes trotting back only to repeat the process over and over.  So in the long run he actually hiked the trail 3-4 times in one shot. 


Incredible view looking east at the rock crest.


Besta WOULD NOT cross this little crevice...and it was only 4' deep.  Nathan picked him up and carried him over it...(the pic of Nathan above is just over this crevice).  He probably would have stayed there - but he got the balls to cross it once we began to walk away. 

Monday, July 07, 2008

Pencil Trick

For those who know me you know that I am very superstitious.  I don't step on cracks, I don't walk under ladders, if I spill salt I toss some over my shoulder, etc, etc, etc.  

On the fourth we hung out at my parent's place and Shanna was talking about the Pencil Trick...it can apparently tell you how many kids you'll have.  You thread a sewing needle, then stick it in the center of the eraser on a freshly sharpened pencil.  You hold the pencil (by the string in the needle) over a person's wrist.  It will circle, then move horizontally, vertically or diagonally.  Horizontal= boy, vertical= girl and diagonal=twins.  

I was a bit skeptical but we did the test on my mom... it was girl, boy, twin, boy, boy... Then we did my dad, and his said the same thing...so we did everyone else and guess what mine said:

Girl, Girl there was differing opinions on whether they were preceded by a 'twin' marking.    

Have any of you tried this??  Has it been accurate?

Wednesday, July 02, 2008

Winston Woes

The following is based on a true story that is hilarious, sad and scary...the names were not changed to protect the innocent because everyone mentioned is guilty as sin. 

So I come home from work yesterday to find Winston on the counter chowing down on a Calla Lily... I had this little spark go on in the back of my head that says "I think those are poisonous"...so I did what any logical person would do...I Googled it.  Google did nothing to abate my fears....Calla Lilies are as poisonous as antifreeze!  So I call the vet who gives me instructions (get cat to vomit...yeah right...how, by asking nicely??) We are supposed to give him 1Tbs of Hydrogen Peroxide and then hold his back legs up and sway him front to back.  Any of you who have co-habitated with cats are smiling to yourselves thinking 'Best of Luck!'....We followed the instructions to a T, but Winston is his Mother's (and Father's) cat and is too stubborn.  So we end up running him to the Animal Hospital to have them induce vomiting...then treat the poison.   After I hand him over to the vet tech we walk out of the building all the waterworks start.  All I can think is that Winston is going to die and his last memory of me will be shoving HP down his throat, swaying him around in the bathtub then shoving him in his crate and taking him to the vet.

Needless to say I didn't sleep well...we went back out to the vet at 8am (as we had been told by the vet tech).  We were met by Ms. Vet Tech who had apparently woken up on the VERY wrong side of the bed.  She rudely told us we would just have to wait.   And wait we did - for almost an HOUR.  Finally a new Miss Vet Tech came in and asked if we had been helped - we told her we were (patiently) waiting for the Vet and BAM 30 seconds later he appeared....I think I like Miss Vet Tech better.  They had eventually gotten poor Winston to regurgitate...but not after forcing him to injest charcoal to absorb the poison.  He was also subjected to a catheter (fun for no one), an IV and multiple blood draws...all of which required his neck and both forearms to be buzzed (see exhibit A, above right)  To add insult to injury he apparently stepped in some charcoal while doing the hippie hippie vomit shake and so now one of his snowy white paws is stained a bit black...and his IV foot is swollen.  

After almost 24 long hours of misery (for all involved) we were allowed to take our beloved Winston home.  When they carried him out into the waiting room he was quiet until he saw me and then he let out a big 'MOMMY MEEYEOW' shortly followed by an 'I'm SOOO pissed at you Meow!'. That's my boy.