Okay, I totally stole this blog title from my friend's hashtag. But it was necessary because it was cool :).
So as you may already know, I have been in Utah the last couple days. And tonight my mom and I were invited to crash a bridal shower for someone we knew years ago in Panama. (Maybe it isn't crashing if you'really invited?)
So we drove the 30 minutes... And it was so awesome. We saw so many people we knew growing up. It was such a treat to reminisce about the good ol' days (like about the high school teacher who called me Hilda my entire freshman year...). Seriously, this was the perfect way to round out our wonderful trip. I loved it! And I have to give a special shout out to Julie J for making it happen!
What are you grateful for today?
Saturday, August 9, 2014
Friday, August 8, 2014
The Chance to Visit the THRIVE Showroom
Well, one of the bonuses of coming to visit my brother is that we are close to the THRIVE warehouse and showroom! So naturally we had to swing in... And save shipping on our orders! And of course get a few more items... Oh if only I had a million dollars! I swear I felt like a kid in a candy store!
I wish I had been able to tour the whole warehouse, but I didn't realize I would be so close to the warehouse, so I didn't schedule one. Nonetheless, it was so fun and exciting AND we got to sample anything we wanted! I learned I will be ordering the THRIVE Ground Beef soon!
What are you grateful for today?
I wish I had been able to tour the whole warehouse, but I didn't realize I would be so close to the warehouse, so I didn't schedule one. Nonetheless, it was so fun and exciting AND we got to sample anything we wanted! I learned I will be ordering the THRIVE Ground Beef soon!
What are you grateful for today?
Thursday, August 7, 2014
The Garmin
Technology is amazing. This is the first road trip I can think of when I didn't print a map! My mom has a Garmin, and it has been a wonderful tool. Most especially when it helped us find the Chick-fil-A in Twin Falls, Idaho.
If you are wondering about my uber-short posts... it's because of the tablet... Still haven't learned everything about it yet ;).
What are you grateful for today?
If you are wondering about my uber-short posts... it's because of the tablet... Still haven't learned everything about it yet ;).
What are you grateful for today?
Wednesday, August 6, 2014
Motels
...Because sometimes, after 13 hours of driving -- with a toddler (and only 4 hours of sleep the night before), your eyes say they can do no more driving... and the contacts NEED to come out! That's when I am really grateful motels exist.
What are you grateful for today?
What are you grateful for today?
Tuesday, August 5, 2014
My "Big" Brother Ben
Today is my older brother's birthday. So I wanted to share several memories of growing up as his "little" (and likely obnoxious) sister to explain a bit of why I am grateful for him!
Due to the large gap in age between us (9 years, with no siblings in between), Ben was often tasked with watching us younger siblings when we were growing up. I don't necessarily remember a lot about this, except I've seen some of our home videos -- so I know he was usually helping corral the kiddos while my mom was filming. And I remember at least one time when he walked to pick me up from a friend's house. I don't remember much about it, I just remember him walking me home and making a snide comment to some neighborhood kid said something rude to him (don't remember what, though). Ah, the things we remember.
I remember, after he moved away to go to college, how excited we always were to see him when he'd go home to Panama to visit. I remember his huge collection of cassette tapes of Guns 'n' Roses and other things (I don't remember the others, though... just the G 'n' R). Yep, cassette tapes -- so awesome, right? Oh, the Moody Blues. He listened to them too at some point.
I remember how he and I would write letters back and forth for a while. Those meant a lot to me. I mean, I really looked up to my "big" brother; so when he moved away and wrote to me, that was the bee's knees :). And I recall how hard it was for me to accept that he had grown up and was moving on with life. He was "my" big brother -- and I felt very possessive of him for a long time.
I remember him playing the Atari a lot (old school... awesome old school). And I remember there was one game called Dandy where you could create your own level and I think he made one that was basically impossible to beat. You "warped" into that level and were surrounded by all the monsters. I can still hear (in my head) the sounds of the monsters "hitting" the character (which was a number with legs...) and then the explosion-like sound of death. Hahaha.
But I think the best memory I have of him took place in 1989. December of 1989. It was during Operation Just Cause (a "war" that took place in Panama while we lived there). There was a lot of fear during that time. We lived in U.S. Civilian housing, but we weren't on-base -- which meant there were no guards monitoring the entering and exiting of our little community. (Actually, eventually things got bad enough that there were for a time.) I remember my parents always having the news on the tv at this time -- even during dinner, which was not the case beforehand. One night, they were downstairs watching TV in the dark while the rest of us were upstairs. Ben was entertaining us by drawing us little cartoon characters. He was very talented with these types of things. He drew us a goofy family. The daughter was listening to a walkman with her eyes closed and not watching where she was going and was about to trip on a rock... The sun was holding a lit round bomb (think Mario Bros bombs) and the animated duck on his shirt was freaking out looking at the bomb... the dad was sitting in a recliner eating potato chips (and was a rather large man)... and the mom was standing on a stool afraid of a mouse who was sticking its tongue out at her. I don't know why we all remember that so well, but we do. We thought those cartoons were the most awesome ever. I remember, though, that we were told to go into the hallway upstairs if we wanted the big lights on (we were keeping the lights to a minimum so as to draw little attention to our home). And then I remember my parents came running up the stairs at one point to be with us. Apparently there had been snipers in the neighborhood trying to get onto one of the military bases which had a back-road access through our community (that wasn't really guarded), so some U.S. tanks were rolling into our neighborhood. I'd never seen my parents act so afraid and it scared me.... I remember crying.
Anyway, that's just best memory I have of Ben... The memory of him taking care of us and entertaining us during a scary time while my parents were trying to know all that was going on to keep our family safe.
And I have to say that, of all my mom's 4 kids, I think Ben is the one who got her compassion. Which is a trait I admire a lot.
So, Happy Birthday Ben! I love you -- and I'm grateful you're my brother :).
What are you grateful for today?
Due to the large gap in age between us (9 years, with no siblings in between), Ben was often tasked with watching us younger siblings when we were growing up. I don't necessarily remember a lot about this, except I've seen some of our home videos -- so I know he was usually helping corral the kiddos while my mom was filming. And I remember at least one time when he walked to pick me up from a friend's house. I don't remember much about it, I just remember him walking me home and making a snide comment to some neighborhood kid said something rude to him (don't remember what, though). Ah, the things we remember.
I remember, after he moved away to go to college, how excited we always were to see him when he'd go home to Panama to visit. I remember his huge collection of cassette tapes of Guns 'n' Roses and other things (I don't remember the others, though... just the G 'n' R). Yep, cassette tapes -- so awesome, right? Oh, the Moody Blues. He listened to them too at some point.
I remember how he and I would write letters back and forth for a while. Those meant a lot to me. I mean, I really looked up to my "big" brother; so when he moved away and wrote to me, that was the bee's knees :). And I recall how hard it was for me to accept that he had grown up and was moving on with life. He was "my" big brother -- and I felt very possessive of him for a long time.
I remember him playing the Atari a lot (old school... awesome old school). And I remember there was one game called Dandy where you could create your own level and I think he made one that was basically impossible to beat. You "warped" into that level and were surrounded by all the monsters. I can still hear (in my head) the sounds of the monsters "hitting" the character (which was a number with legs...) and then the explosion-like sound of death. Hahaha.
But I think the best memory I have of him took place in 1989. December of 1989. It was during Operation Just Cause (a "war" that took place in Panama while we lived there). There was a lot of fear during that time. We lived in U.S. Civilian housing, but we weren't on-base -- which meant there were no guards monitoring the entering and exiting of our little community. (Actually, eventually things got bad enough that there were for a time.) I remember my parents always having the news on the tv at this time -- even during dinner, which was not the case beforehand. One night, they were downstairs watching TV in the dark while the rest of us were upstairs. Ben was entertaining us by drawing us little cartoon characters. He was very talented with these types of things. He drew us a goofy family. The daughter was listening to a walkman with her eyes closed and not watching where she was going and was about to trip on a rock... The sun was holding a lit round bomb (think Mario Bros bombs) and the animated duck on his shirt was freaking out looking at the bomb... the dad was sitting in a recliner eating potato chips (and was a rather large man)... and the mom was standing on a stool afraid of a mouse who was sticking its tongue out at her. I don't know why we all remember that so well, but we do. We thought those cartoons were the most awesome ever. I remember, though, that we were told to go into the hallway upstairs if we wanted the big lights on (we were keeping the lights to a minimum so as to draw little attention to our home). And then I remember my parents came running up the stairs at one point to be with us. Apparently there had been snipers in the neighborhood trying to get onto one of the military bases which had a back-road access through our community (that wasn't really guarded), so some U.S. tanks were rolling into our neighborhood. I'd never seen my parents act so afraid and it scared me.... I remember crying.
Anyway, that's just best memory I have of Ben... The memory of him taking care of us and entertaining us during a scary time while my parents were trying to know all that was going on to keep our family safe.
And I have to say that, of all my mom's 4 kids, I think Ben is the one who got her compassion. Which is a trait I admire a lot.
So, Happy Birthday Ben! I love you -- and I'm grateful you're my brother :).
What are you grateful for today?
Monday, August 4, 2014
R'Lene B
So back in 2011, I was employed... But I wouldn't say I was gainfully employed. I worked two jobs and, fortunately, one of them offered insurance. But I couldn't afford to move out of my grandmother's house with what I was making. It was a frustrating time for me. Incredibly frustrating. I had been trying everything I knew to do to get a job as a professional librarian (which I was educated to be), and nothing was panning out. Not even for me to return to the South (I tried that too). So I decided to change tactics and just look for employment outside of libraries.
And one day, I happened on a job posting for a job at the County in which I live. It was a job for a front-desk person. I met the qualifications. I applied. I got called to test my typing skills and such. Then I got called for an interview. And that's when I met R'Lene. I remember her coming out to the waiting room to get me for the interview. I remember being nervous. Incredibly nervous.
A few days later, R'Lene called me again. She said I was one of the top two choices, so they wanted me to go in and meet the Commissioners, since I'd be working with them if I got the job. Yikes! I was really nervous again. I remember chatting with R'Lene as we waited for a Board meeting to wrap up so I could go in and meet the Commissioners. I remember how R'Lene was so friendly and put me at ease. She said a lot of really nice things to me -- about me. I remember that it meant a lot to me -- the things she said.
But then I didn't get the job. I was the second choice. I was sort of bummed, but just figured something else would pan out. She asked if she could keep my information for future job possibilities, because she said I had really impressive credentials. I told her she could. And I remember telling her I hoped everything went well and smoothly with the new person -- I expressed that I know it can sometimes take a while for things to even out after a new person comes on board. I remember she said, "I hope so too. But if it doesn't, you'll be hearing from me."
Well, it turns out they didn't. Because a couple weeks later, I got another call from R'Lene. She wanted to know if I was still available -- and if I was still interested. I said I was. And, initially, I was a little nervous, since I didn't know exactly what hadn't worked out with the first person. But it was all good. And I ended up with a great job -- and an even greater boss: R'Lene.
That's a lot of talk before I get to the point of why I'm grateful for her today.
So, it turns out that R'Lene is retiring. And, due to out-of-townedness, I won't be able to be there for her retirement party. So Munchkin and I went to say good-bye to her today. Not that it's really good-bye. There will still be lunches and get-togethers from time to time...
But today, as I pondered the blessing I feel it has been to know R'Lene and to work for her, I thought over all those moments. She was an amazing boss. She trusts her employees to do their jobs -- she doesn't micromanage. Her door is always open and she was always willing to listen. She was encouraging and really believed in me. She brought me in on fiscal responsibilities while my friend Angel was helping with other financial stuff -- and that's how I ended up becoming good friends with Angel! R'Lene helped me expand my horizons while I worked for her, and I really appreciated that. Because I ended up really loving the fiscal stuff.
I will never forget that R'Lene told me that she believes we work to live, we don't live to work. And she totally showed that. She lived it. And she allowed that of her employees.
I will never forget that she was actually the very first person I told I was pregnant with our little girl. The reason is because there was a fiscal job opening that she was encouraging me to apply for, and I wanted to, but I knew I would be quitting to be a stay-at-home mom once the baby was born. That didn't matter to her. She encouraged me to apply anyway. I didn't get the job (there was a way qualified gal with tons of experience), but in the end, that was for the better anyway, because I ended up quitting 3 months later anyway. (We kept the pregnancy quiet -- even from family -- because of our previous miscarriage).
And she'll probably never know it, but it meant the world to me that she went to my baby shower several months later, after I'd quit. She drove 30 minutes or so to attend it. And I think that was so sweet.
And so... I had to go and say "good-bye" to such a marvelous woman. To a woman who blessed my life in so many ways (that job allowed me to finally move out on my own, by the way). And I'm glad it's not really good-bye. And I'm grateful I was blessed to work for her -- and that I am blessed to know her. She is a strong and amazing woman.
What are you grateful for today?
And one day, I happened on a job posting for a job at the County in which I live. It was a job for a front-desk person. I met the qualifications. I applied. I got called to test my typing skills and such. Then I got called for an interview. And that's when I met R'Lene. I remember her coming out to the waiting room to get me for the interview. I remember being nervous. Incredibly nervous.
A few days later, R'Lene called me again. She said I was one of the top two choices, so they wanted me to go in and meet the Commissioners, since I'd be working with them if I got the job. Yikes! I was really nervous again. I remember chatting with R'Lene as we waited for a Board meeting to wrap up so I could go in and meet the Commissioners. I remember how R'Lene was so friendly and put me at ease. She said a lot of really nice things to me -- about me. I remember that it meant a lot to me -- the things she said.
But then I didn't get the job. I was the second choice. I was sort of bummed, but just figured something else would pan out. She asked if she could keep my information for future job possibilities, because she said I had really impressive credentials. I told her she could. And I remember telling her I hoped everything went well and smoothly with the new person -- I expressed that I know it can sometimes take a while for things to even out after a new person comes on board. I remember she said, "I hope so too. But if it doesn't, you'll be hearing from me."
Well, it turns out they didn't. Because a couple weeks later, I got another call from R'Lene. She wanted to know if I was still available -- and if I was still interested. I said I was. And, initially, I was a little nervous, since I didn't know exactly what hadn't worked out with the first person. But it was all good. And I ended up with a great job -- and an even greater boss: R'Lene.
That's a lot of talk before I get to the point of why I'm grateful for her today.
So, it turns out that R'Lene is retiring. And, due to out-of-townedness, I won't be able to be there for her retirement party. So Munchkin and I went to say good-bye to her today. Not that it's really good-bye. There will still be lunches and get-togethers from time to time...
But today, as I pondered the blessing I feel it has been to know R'Lene and to work for her, I thought over all those moments. She was an amazing boss. She trusts her employees to do their jobs -- she doesn't micromanage. Her door is always open and she was always willing to listen. She was encouraging and really believed in me. She brought me in on fiscal responsibilities while my friend Angel was helping with other financial stuff -- and that's how I ended up becoming good friends with Angel! R'Lene helped me expand my horizons while I worked for her, and I really appreciated that. Because I ended up really loving the fiscal stuff.
I will never forget that R'Lene told me that she believes we work to live, we don't live to work. And she totally showed that. She lived it. And she allowed that of her employees.
I will never forget that she was actually the very first person I told I was pregnant with our little girl. The reason is because there was a fiscal job opening that she was encouraging me to apply for, and I wanted to, but I knew I would be quitting to be a stay-at-home mom once the baby was born. That didn't matter to her. She encouraged me to apply anyway. I didn't get the job (there was a way qualified gal with tons of experience), but in the end, that was for the better anyway, because I ended up quitting 3 months later anyway. (We kept the pregnancy quiet -- even from family -- because of our previous miscarriage).
And she'll probably never know it, but it meant the world to me that she went to my baby shower several months later, after I'd quit. She drove 30 minutes or so to attend it. And I think that was so sweet.
And so... I had to go and say "good-bye" to such a marvelous woman. To a woman who blessed my life in so many ways (that job allowed me to finally move out on my own, by the way). And I'm glad it's not really good-bye. And I'm grateful I was blessed to work for her -- and that I am blessed to know her. She is a strong and amazing woman.
What are you grateful for today?
Sunday, August 3, 2014
Our Tablet
So this past Friday, we finally decided to enter this decade and buy a tablet. Okay, maybe it's more correct to say I decided to do that.
Truth is, we've been wanting one for a while, but kept putting it off... But, since we'll be taking a trip soon, we figured this could be a few minutes of entertainment for the munchkin when she gets fussy.
And it's already being beneficial... Like for having materials for the lesson I taught in Young Women today. I didn't have to print anything -- just have it on the tablet! Way convenient.
Anyway, I'm sure I'll be even more grateful for this thing once we are making our road trip, but even so, I'm still grateful for it today, too :).
What are you grateful for today?
Truth is, we've been wanting one for a while, but kept putting it off... But, since we'll be taking a trip soon, we figured this could be a few minutes of entertainment for the munchkin when she gets fussy.
And it's already being beneficial... Like for having materials for the lesson I taught in Young Women today. I didn't have to print anything -- just have it on the tablet! Way convenient.
Anyway, I'm sure I'll be even more grateful for this thing once we are making our road trip, but even so, I'm still grateful for it today, too :).
What are you grateful for today?
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