Tis the Season?

There are Christmas decorations in the stores already. Not that this is something new to me, but every year it bugs me more and more. How can we appreciate the true magic of Christmas when it is shoved down our throats before September is even over? By the time Christmas comes around, I have to try really hard to enjoy the Christmas songs that I have been hearing for months. What is wrong with waiting until Thanksgiving is over? Or even waiting until October is over? Let's start a revolt!

The Conspiracy

On Saturday, I went to Walmart to buy a few items--laundry soap, shower soap, dish soap, dryers sheets, and Spray and Wash. I looked at a few other items, wandered aimlessly and went to the check out stand proud that I had in my basket only the items that were on my list. The check out girl commented on the laundry soap--" I love that Scent; Apple Mango Tango. Did you know they have dryer sheets with the same scent?" I paid for my purchase, gathered my bags and headed home.

The next morning, I started the laundry and noticed that the laundry soap was not there. I only had enough of the old box to do a few loads, but had 5 loads waiting. I looked in my trunk-- no Apple Mango Tango there. I had left it at the store. At this point I wonder if I should go back to Walmart to retrieve it. I had the receipt, but would they believe that I had left it? Would they replace it? Is the $5 dollar price of the laundry soap worth the time it will take to go down there? I decided it wasn't. But, I swear Walmart has a conspiracy. In making the customer responsible to retrieve their bags and get them to the cart, they probably have a lot of forgotten items. Is this how they keep costs down? How many people go back to get the items? How many even notice that they were forgotten?

My solution to the piles of laundry and no soap? Send Dave to Smith's to buy more and bribe him with Diet Pepsi. Hey, whatever works.

But, YOU don't pay me

Dave accepted an offer to work in a youth treatment facility located in Parowan (20 mins north of us) this week. Dave was called in on Monday for an interview and the guy hired him on the spot. He will be working with troubled teens, something he has done before and really enjoyed. His shift is 7 am to 3 pm Mon-Friday, so he will be home just in time to start dinner every night. The other good news is that he has weekends, off---or so we thought.

When he put in his notice at the lodge, his fellow employees were sad but supportive, knowing that Dave has a family to support and needs a full time job. Dave has loved working at the lodge, the hustle and bustle of a real restaurant kitchen was exciting and comforting. He was proud that he had made such an impression on the other cooks and his supervisors, considering he had no professional experience. That night, he came home and told me about how everyone was sad that he was quitting. We talked about the possibility of him staying on part time, but it just was not going to fit into his schedule.


The next day, the lodge offered a weekend shift. Dave can come in at 2 and work until 5 or six on Saturdays and Sundays. It will just be one day for now, until ski season picks up. Dave came home boasting about how much they all love him. Worried about how much time we would have together, I said "I love you too, ya know." He just smiled and said with a wink and a chuckle, "But, you don't pay me!" '

Touche.

After realizing that he would be home every night, and that we really could use the money, we agreed to accept the weekend offer. Dave told me after the discussion that he had already told them he would do it, the stinker!


P.S. Dave was more than happy to part ways with his security job, but that is a story for another time..............

Clean = Happy

I have cleaned the house on Saturday morning my whole life, starting from the time I was old enough to help my mom. It was a tradition that was new to Dave in the beginning of our life together, but he has come to appreciate what a few good hours of scrubbing can do. The kids have a list of chores that they need to accomplish by Saturday morning at 12, whether they think their bathroom needs to be cleaned or not. I clean our bedroom and our bathroom, and wipe walls, clean the fridge, and do any other special projects. I love the smell of the house after we have cleaned it.

The kids will thank me for teaching them this work ethic when they are older. I used to think that my parents were obsessive neat freaks when they made me clean and vacuum my room EVERY week. My mom would get up on Saturday and scrub the whole house (with a few coffee breaks) and if we were home, we were expected to help. I used to love to dust, but that was about all I wanted to do. My mom would tell me to clean the bathroom, and I would grudgingly comply. Now, I am proud to say that I know all the best ways to wipe the counters and scrub the toilet ( an old toothbrush is great for all the nooks and crannies). Like so many other things my parents taught me, the appreciation comes years later when I am raising a family of my own. I think I will go call my mom and thank her for introducing me to Mr Clean and Clorox bleach.

The working man, Little nothings and tales from the Ridge

It was a busy weekend. On Saturday we went to the annual CRFM summer party. It was fun to hang out with my fellow employees. Heather and Drew went with me, Dave had to work and Theresa was gone when we left. The weather in the canyon was perfect. And, did you see that I typed "Dave had to work"? He is loving his job at the Brian Head main lodge. He works from 1-6 or 7 pm every day doing prep work (chopping veggies, making sauces, etc.) and cooking lunch. He is also doing security work again at a mine in Milford. 2 jobs! What a relief!

On Sunday we made a marathon drive up to West Jordan to buy school clothes, have a quick lunch with mom, and then home again. I gave Theresa $150 and she was able to buy 6 shirts, 5 pairs of pants and some shoes, I love Ross and TJ Max! Drew bought mostly pants (his dad took care of the shirts) and mom bought lunch, so all together it was a bargain.

Here goes everything.................................

My "NEXT" move................I recently found out that SUU never sent in my transcripts for my application to the Mohave nursing program. That explains a lot. I spoke with the head of the nursing department at Mohave Community College to ask a few questions and that is when I found out that they had no information on my classes/grades at SUU. So, I am working on a new application; cover letter, transcripts and all. I also have tons of support/advice/ well wishes to get me through the application process.

Mohave is a community college in Arizona with a (small) campus in Colorado City. Colorado City is about 70 mins from Cedar. The program at MCC is for an associate's in nursing. I can always go back to school to get a bachelor's degree. And, since I already have taken most of the classes, I will need to only commute to Colorado City once a week for classes and to St George once a week for clinicals. I will still be able to work Monday-Wednesday. It seems like a good fit. So, here goes nothing. Or, more like.....here goes everything.

Book in hand

Nothing relieves my stress more than a good, thought provoking work of fiction, or non fiction, or any book for that matter. I usually read for about 1 hour every night, my way to unwind and settle in for the night. Sometimes I end up reading untill 2 or 3 in the morning, only the thought of going to work with no sleep makes me put the bookmark between the pages.

I love talking about the books, sharing them with friends, discussing the characters that are so real in my mind. The symbolism, the climaxes, the classic themes. I am in awe of the artist of the written word, the manipulators of imagination. I have a deep respect for their talent, a desire to be one of them.