Sunday Dinners

Sunday dinners, quite possible one of my favorite events ever.  Easily top 5.  I have a ginormous family that just gets bigger and bigger, which I love.  I am one of the younger ones so I was used to not having all the siblings around all the time, except for Sunday dinners, in which case, everybody came, except Vicki because she was usually in St. George.  Well, this is one of the few things that I get homesick for while living at school, that and the grandkids, because they are my favorite people.  So I haven't been to a Sunday dinner in quite a while, well about a month.  For the last few days I have felt like I just wanted to fill my cup with family goodness. :D  I asked a few people and couldn't find a ride up so I figured it was a Sunday for Hamburger Helper...mmmm.  Not really.  As I walked home from stake conference, I bumped into Smash who said "Frizz, I'm going to Salt Lake for dinner, wanna come?"  Hazzah!!  So I rode up with her and she dropped me off at home for a family dinner.

Lucky me though, it wasn't just our family though, my dad's choir buddy and his wife and mom were there as well.  They are very much Canadian and British so they have never had Dutch Over. My dad took it upon himself to fix that.  We had a divine meal of chicken, cheesy bacon potatoes, blackberry cobbler, and cornbread, all in the dutch ovens.  Bliss.  I ate so much, possible more than I've had in the last two days combine.  Cookies, garden salad, fruit salad were present as well, and lots of milk.  Yup, I love Sunday dinners. 

My favorite part though was just being with the people that I love.  I am blessed with an amazing family.  I enjoy meeting people's family and spending time with them, but at the end of the day, (or when I can get a ride to salt lake,) I love going back mine.  It's not a perfect family, but we are perfect for each other.  It's fun now that I am older to see who got what characteristics from who and how we all love each other the same, whether it was yesterday we saw each other, or 3 months ago.  It's great.  I love talking with them and laughing with them.  That's the real reason why I love Sunday dinners, the company.  It's like a 16 person Italian family gathering at the table, it's a blast!

Here's the Plan...Partially

I feel like it's been forever since I've posted, but it hasn't really been that long.  There have been a few big things happening and again, I am managing to stay really busy.  I got my last check from L I M E, they only paid me for 6 hours though when I worked for 15, and they are refusing to give me the rest.  It's really lame and quite illegal.  I got a phone call about Oakcrest, they said that after prayer and fasting, they felt that I had bigger and better things to do this summer than working at camp.  I don't know if I would classify anything as bigger and better, because nothing is much better than serving the Lord for 3 months teaching his daughters the gospel, but there are other things I can be doing.  When I first found out that I wasn't going to be working there, I thought, cool, I 'll just play all summer, that hasn't happened in years because I always had school related stuff to do in the summer or camp.  However, after a minute I thought, no, there are bigger and better things to do at that time than to be at camp.  So I have decided to stay at my apartment for the summer (save the hassle of moving everything home, having to live under the parents rules for 4 months, and then moving everything back here).  Froot Loop didn't get camp either so she is going to move in with me because it is so super cheap in spring and summer.  I am super excited about this.  I am nervous about the 3 girls that signed up to live in my apartment in fall/winter because I've never met them, so I'm excited to have a best friend still living with me til they get here.

I have found a couple jobs that I am going to apply for, one is a gardening spot, which sounds oddly fabulous to me, I miss gardening, a lot.  I don't know how Grandma would feel about me saying that. :D  Also, since the semester ends in a month, there are going to be job openings left and right, so if all else fails, I'll just ref soccer til then.  I'm also considering looking at places that offer personal training since I will be certified shortly.  I did decided to take a couple classes in the spring semester.  I am hoping to take physiology and another one of my religion classes, I haven't picked which one yet.  I am looking forward to taking these classes at that time, I think it will be nice.  I can study in the warmth, down by the pool.  I will also be taking some fabulous road trips this summer, no doubt.  Especially with Chris living in Cali for the summer and froot as my roommate.  She has days where she feels like driving so she drives to St. George, gets in-n-out, and drives home.  If Checko winds up staying home (she had to come home from her mission on medical leave) then we will spend oodles of time together, I'm sure.  I've seen her almost everyday since she got home already.  But we are praying for her to go back out.  As much as I love having my best friend back, I know how bad she wants to serve and how great she is at it, so that is what I pray for.

I just want to take a minute to say, Life is good, I love it a lot.  There are times when I think that I could be doing more right now, but I am happy to just take a break from all the stress and enjoy what I have been given and be there 100%  for those that need me.  It is very refreshing and opens your eyes up to a lot of things that you might have missed otherwise.

Blast From The Past

So last night was a random blast.  It was Zazzy's birthday so Frootput together a party for her at none other than...Chucke Cheese!!  Who goes to Chucke Cheese?  Oh ya, small little children...hundreds of them...and apparently Oakcrest staff.  It was a blast.  We sang happy birthday to Zazzy, Oakcrest style.  Everybody turned and stared because it was that awesome.  :D  Then a few of us went next door to go bowling.  Chris came and met us there when he got off of work.  This activity was a little more our age, but still just fun.  Following that, we went to Classic Skating.  I haven't been there since I was 14 probably, it was really funny to go back.  Chris got a kick out of the whole "snowball" thing, but as soon as we got there, they announced that it was snowball time, so we snowballed.  All the times that I went there in my youth, it never happened, so last night, we made it happen.  It's funny how much less exciting it is to go there when you're not there to check out the guys, but that's ok, I was happy with the guy I was with.   In short, I had a blast from the past last night.  Chucke Cheese, I haven't been there since I was probably 8, bowling with just a group of girls (plus Chris), hasn't happened since the beginning of high school, and Classic Skating, haven't been since I was 14.  All of this in one fabulously random and fun night!!

Me and Froot at Chucke Cheese

 

OC Bowling

 

Chris and I at Classic Skating

Finally...Something.

Today has been almost as excellent as I had hoped when I woke up this morning.  I was supposed to hear about the police department job as well as a job I interviewed for being a soccer referee.  I also had my first day of my "Personal Training Strategies" class today.  I woke up in a great mood and was so jittery all morning, ask Katie.  My class was at noon so I got all geared up for that, I felt so prepared having already gone through the material on blackboard, it was fabulous.  My classroom is in quite possibly the weirdest spot, it's at the top of a secret stairwell off the track in the SFH.  It is called the "Human Movement Labratory" though.  Awesome?  I submit that it is.  I sat there for two hours through the lecture with a ridiculous grin on my face because I was so excited to be there and to finally have my goal in sight.  I committed myself to this 3 years ago when I decided that this is what I wanted to do, but I wanted to do it through the university.  I am still just so excited everytime I think about it.  I talked to my mom and she ordered my text book with my left over Christmas money.  She had it shipped to my apartment, and I can't wait for it to get here.  I feel more like a small child on Christmas morning, than when I was a small child on Christmas morning.  :D  I just want it to get here so I can read it and study it and work on my lab book and devour it.  I am so excited.  5 more days. 

As for the jobs, I didn't hear from the Police Department so I called them like they said, and, no luck.  I was slightly bummed.  However, around six, I got a phone call from the soccer guys, and sure enough, I am going to be a soccer ref for parks and rec, which I am super excited about.  I mean, getting paid a minimum of 9 dollars an hour to watch soccer, um...yes, awesome.  I still need to find another job for the day, but I am just so excited to finally have a class to study and work at as well as a bit of a job.  It will be great, I can't wait!!

Heroes

I have been blessed with a ridiculous number of amazing people in my life.  I don't know what I did in the pre-existence to deserve it, but nonetheless, I am grateful.  I have had some of the best friends a girl could wish for, loving brothers and sisters, and parents that raised me right.  My favorite people in the world are the people in my family, immediate and extended.

I have amazing grandparents on both sides but I have chosen to dedicate this post to my mom's parents, they will forever be two of my BIGGEST heroes.  They have worked hard their entire lives.  Owning the mortuary kept them very busy, but something they always made a point to do, was to spend time with their family.  Now, they are old and their family is no longer just their 6 kids, but a whole slew of grandkids and now 9 great-grandkids.

I have never known my grandpa to be healthy.  He has had parkinson's disease for about 25 years now, longer than I've been alive.  Most people with that disease don't typically live longer than 15 years with it.  5 years ago, he was diagnosed with leukemia on top of that.  The doctors gave him a  year to live.  He proved them wrong and kept plugging along, still finding ways to work hard at home and love his family in any way he could.  This last November, he was diagnosed to with type II diabetes on top of the other two diseases.  He reached the point last summer where the doctor basically said, go home and live it up, because there was nothing else he could do to help.  He keeps an amazing attitude about the entire situation.  I have never once heard him complain about any of his pain or discomfort.  He shows amazing love for my grandma and our family.  Everytime he has an opportunity, he tells us the story about how he found heaven, aka, meeting my grandma and having a family.  He makes it known to us on a regular basis that we are worth more to him than any fortune he has ever made.  He and my grandma lead a very humble life, choosing to bless others with their wealth, rather than live immaculate lives, flaunting their wealth.  As I have met certain people in my life, I think they could learn a great deal from this.

My Grandma is amazing as well.  I have watched her recently and been able to figure out where I get some of my characteristics, it's kind of fun.  She is without a doubt, the most caring person I have ever met.  She loves letting people tell her anything and everything.  She feeds you til you are full beyond all reason, then she offers you dessert, and then she sends leftovers of the entire meal home with you.  She takes great care of my grandpa, which is a lot of work these days with all the pills he has to take, him not being able to drive, etc.  She too, has never complained about any of it.  She even finds positive things to say about the whole situation, it is amazing.  She has always been overweight with asthma but in the last few years, she started doing water aerobics and lost a lot of weight, helping her body to be more healthy.  A couple of weeks ago, out of no where, she was diagnosed with breast cancer.  This came as a huge shock to us because we have never had anybody related to us have breast cancer, but now it is in our maternal genes, which is a problem.  They gave her the option to just remove the lump and then she would have to have radiation 5 days a week for 5 weeks, which wasn't practical because of where she lived, and where the hospital was, and the fact that she would have to leave grandpa and awful lot.  Her other option was to have the whole infected breast removed and then that would hopefully be it.  That's the option she chose so that she could take care of grandpa.  We held a family fast and met together with all the cousins and everybody to break it and give her and grandpa blessings.  When my uncle gave her a hug and started crying in her arms, she looked at him with great confidence and faith, and said, "I feel good about this, it is going to be ok."  What a woman.  Even when she is the one physically suffering, she still puts all of her effort into loving and comforting those around her.  The surgery went well, the doctors are confident they got all the cancer, and her recovery is going great.

These two people are amazing, I love them.  I have learned lessons from them that I don't think anybody else could ever teach me, the first being unconditional love, for each other, and for anybody and everybody around them.  I frequently tell people in my family, that if I find a man that will love me half as much as my grandpa loves my grandma, I will be a happy girl.  Knowing that one of them could leave us anyday, doesn't scare me one bit because I know they are both going straight to the celestial kingdom, where I can be reunited with them one day and have them forever.  Meanwhile, I will follow their example and try everyday to be more like my heroes.

Grandma and Grandpa after her surgery.  A tear rolled down his cheek

when she told him he could hold her hand through the bed.

Hunting About

As mentioned in my previous post, I quit my job almost two weeks ago.  It was a small company, that was supposed to be growing really fast, however, the two owners struggled with a few things, honesty and responsibility being the biggest in my opinion.  I started working there because one of these two owners was one of my best friends and he wanted me to join the team, so I did.  I thoroughly enjoyed it for the first few months, but around December, they fell into this awful rut where they weren't the ones responsible for anything that went wrong.  Everyday I walked out of there feeling frustrated out of my mind because they didn't appreciate anything that I did right, and they went bizerk over anything that I did wrong.  For example, we were sending out Christmas cards to a whole bunch of companies.  I assembled a list of all these companies, their addresses, their CEO's, etc.  Very time consuming.  I printed, stuffed, and licked each individual envelope.  At the end of each day, they would take the completed envelopes to mail them at the post office on their way home.  I thought it was working alright.  Then, I came into the office on about the 4th day, and much to my surprise, there were ALL of the envelopes, sitting there, back on my desk. What the?!?!?!  They came in with about half an hour left before I was supposed to leave and told me that I had to figure out a way to get them mailed off.  They were furious when I told them that I had no way of doing that, they knew very well I didn't have a car to drive to the post office, it was 20 degrees outside so there was no way I was walking, plus I would have been walking through creepy downtown Provo by myself.  Finally, I had a final I had to take by six o'clock that night (it was 4:30).  They were livid towards me and wouldn't even speak to me.  Real mature, right?  Wrong.  I do not see how any of that was my fault.  The whole time I thought they had been mailing those dumb envelopes off every day, how was I to know that they were secretly stashing them away so that they could find a reason to be mad at me.  Dumb.  Anyways, that is just one example and the start of my bad job situation.  We started to get things straightened out but after being late getting our pay checks for three pay periods in a row, I decided I was done.  There was no reason why I should have to put up with their arrogance and ignorance any more.  I am hard worker and always give 100% when I am on the clock, no matter what.  So finally, after a sequence of events, I turned in my 2 weeks notice.  They decided it would be awkward to keep me around for two weeks, knowing that I didn't want to be there so they gave me a $50 severance check, really thoughtful, I know, and then I was done.  I am waiting on my last pay check that they still owe me, but naturally, they refuse to respond to any e-mail or text message I send them, which means I'll have to corner them, blah.

Wow, that wound up being a lot longer than I expected, I guess I still get kind of frustrated by it.  I feel pretty good about leaving though.  It's hard just because the economy is terrible and not a lot of places are hiring, but I have applied for 15-20 jobs, interviewed at 1 yesterday, and I have another interview on Monday.  Hopefully one of them works out.  The interview at Charlotte Russe went really well, I know it wouldn't be a lot of hours, but it's something, plus a 40% discount...to my favorite clothing store.  The Police Department job would be good, just because I have a lot experience with that stuff, but they are looking for a specific major that has nothing to do with fitness/wellness, so we'll see.   Oh, and I also interviewed for Oakcrest again last week, but that obviously doesn't start June, so I probably need something between now and then. :D  Also, my personal training class starts one week from today, so once I finish that, I can certify and then get a job doing what I'm actually studying!!  As for right now though, I just need a job, I'm kind of bored.  If anybody has any suggestions, holla.  I'm even considering applying in Salt Lake and taking the bus up there multiple times a week, just for the sake of having a job that I can enjoy and be happy at.

Why Not?

So I keep thinking of all these great things I should blog about but I just haven't taken the time to do it yet.  And sadly enough, this is not one of those things.  It is something completely different.  I was just reading through some friend's blogs and it seems that everybody is sharing Valentine's Day stories so I thought why not jump in because, for the first time in my life, I had a date for Valentine's Day.  It was kind of strange to not refer to it as "Single Person's Awareness Day".  Chris asked me if he could take me out for the evening about a week before at just the right time.  (I had just quit my job and was feeling shockingly down about it.  That will be another post soon.)   He left a dozen roses and a card on my doorstep before he went to work so I could find them, however, he got antsy due to my sleeping in and chatting with Bee and wound up texting me to open my door.  I was still surprised and excited, I've only received flowers from one boy and that was just a weird situation.  Even when I had a boyfriend he didn't ever get me flowers.  (He was a champ.)  Anyways, the flowers are gorgeous and they are sitting on my desk in my room, I love them.

While  Chris was at work, I had an intramural soccer game which is always a great way to show love and caring for somebody.  We did this to the other team by beating them 12-2.  We tried to be nice, we pulled back and played two short for the second half, but alas, we still dominated. (And I scored 2 goals for a total of 4 points. :D)  Anyways, that's beside the point.

When Chris finished work, he sent Daniel to come and pick me up.  We rode back to their house where Chris had made a big dinner for his whole family and their dates.  It was chicken cordon blu which I typically don't like, but this was delicious.  It was a lot of really good food and a lot of really good company.  He didn't really have anything else planned so he just took me to a movie, Mall Cop.  It was a very strange movie, but entertaining, I would suggest dollar theater it or redbox if you want to wait, but it's enjoyable.  He wasn't ready to take me home after that so we went back to his house and watched Hitch, which is always great.  Anyways, that was my Valentine's Day, and I must say I enjoyed it.  He didn't try to make it all mushy and lovey and stuff, because we aren't really like that.  It was very upbeat and light-hearted with minimal romancing in the form of wiping cupcake frosting on each other's faces.  Hooray!