That’s right folks!  I am not dead.  I haven’t given up blogging.  Craving Chocolate and Lazy Days hasn’t been abandoned.  I have just been a super crazy busy person. So let’s play 8 and 1/2 months worth of catch up shall we?!  Here goes!!

                      Winter 2010-2011

Right before Christmas 2010, I was looking for a part time job.  I was working at Heritage 7-3:30 and Adam was working a bunch, like always.  I was feeling like all I did was come home, play with Max, and lounge around until Adam got home.  I figured I could get a little part time job and make a few extra bucks.

While I was applying for jobs I came across one at a tanning salon.  I thought that it would be so much fun to work there and get free tanning.  So I put in my application. A few days later I went in for a group interview…a strange group interview actually.  During this interview the owner, David Eseke, told us all about how he had grown up as a struggling teenager complete with drugs, alcohol, and stealing but conquered his life’s circumstances and became a wealthy business man.  As odd as the story was for a group interview I will a little inspired.  I had seen kids at Heritage make such a change in their lives that I knew it was possible and I thought that my background would really allow me to have a good connection with David.  In my interview I expressed my desire for a part time job  but was asked about my interest in a full time store manager job.  This completely caught me off guard seeing as how I was not unhappy at Heritage.  I loved Heritage.

After learning more about the store management position and the money that came along with the job I felt like I would be crazy to not take it.  David was telling me I could make $50,000 a year working at a tanning salon.  That seems incredible seeing as how that was almost double what I was making at Heritage.  I  thought about how being a “store manager” would look on my resume vs. just an “administrative services coordinator.”  I thought about how my hours would be different…instead of Monday-Friday, no weekends or holidays it would change to some days, some nights, weekends, and holidays.  But that was the only downfall in my eyes.  I figured that the money would make up for change in hours.  I talked to my hubby and gave a little prayer or two.  I felt like it would be a fun change.  Rather than sitting all day I would be standing.  Rather than dressing up everyday I would be in comfy blacks yoga pants and a uniform top.  Plus, in the back of my head I kept thinking, “If I don’t like it I won’t be there long,” seeing as how Adam and I are trying to conceive.  So I took it!

I put in my two weeks at Heritage and committed to staying as an on call operator, something we had always wanted but could never find anyone who would be okay with a few shifts here and there and at the same time actually be able to do a good job when they worked.  Now, I am a lightening bolt kind of girl.  I feel like I need to know without a shadow of a doubt that my decision is right.  I hadn’t seen the lightening bolt up until this point.  But when I put in my two weeks at Heritage I felt like I saw it.  I let my boss know I was going to be taking another job but that it wasn’t because I wasn’t liking my job.  The response came as a surprise to me.  “Well wonderful!  Good luck!  We are happy for you.”  Whoa…what!?  I had worked at Heritage for 4 years and 8 months.  I was excepting something like “OH NO!  Why?  Is there anything we can do to keep you around?”  Not just a nice “congrats!”  Now maybe that was selfish of me to want, but everyone wants to feel wanted.  So that is when I felt like perhaps this was my lightening bolt.  Heritage gave me a goodbye chocolate cake (they knew my weakness) and I said my full-time worker farewells.

And off I went to becoming the store manager at Palm Beach Tan and rolling in the big bucks.

Christmas was fun!  We went to the cabin with my family and then spent time with my in laws.  Here it is in a little slideshow:

Then, on January 5th, my little bro went on a mission for our church to Salt Lake City.  He flew in and Lori and I thoroughly greeted him.  Then we wisked him off to eat his “last lunch” with his sisters and their families.  The Chinese buffet gave him that last boost of needed nutrition required before heading into the Missionary Training Center.

At the end of January I got eyeliner tattooed on!  Thanks honey!  Hooray for Wish List Wednesdays!!  It is the best $100 ever spent.  No pain, no swelling, just less time getting ready.

Then, on February 9th we went to the Jazz vs. Bulls game.  Another good game but alas, another loss.  This was Jerry Sloan’s last game that he coached before he resigned.  How lucky of us to be there!

On February 25th, Max turned 1!!  I can’t believe how fast time has flown by.  We love having little Maxi Pants in our house.  She is the best puppy!  We celebrated by having a birthday party at Marley’s house…complete with cake and presents!!  Check out her cute pictures!

Spring 2011

On March 4th Adam and I went and stayed in Salt Lake City.  On Saturday morning we went to the Mars Needs Moms 3D premiere, checked out the Clark Planetarium, and then headed to the Gateway for some shopping.  That night we went to the Jazz vs. Kings game with Erin and Josh.  OOO!  It was a good game and a nail biter for sure.  17th row baby!!

March 22–Best Day Ever!!  I got my braces off!  It was the best feeling ever…or at least that I had felt in 10 months.  All my hard work had paid off and I finally had the teeth I wanted the first 3 times in braces.  I celebrated with a caramel apple.   Check out these pearly whites!!

For my 27th birthday, Erin, Josh, Adam, and I celebrated by taking the Wendover fun bus out to the desert to win some cash.  My luck at the Roulette table wasn’t very good all night…I would win and then I would lose it all and then some, win it all back and then lose again.  At the very end of the night, er morning, I put $5 on number 17…my lucky number.  Erin told me to go big or go home so I put my remaining $4 on #17 too.  BOOYA!  WINNER!  I won $400 and something bucks!!  I was so stoked.  I had been playing #17 all night and it had only hit once or twice before.  I was screaming and jumping up and down.  In fact I think I even yelled, “I am a millionaire!”  ha ha  Needless to say, I was excited!

WINNING!

On my actual birthday, Adam and I were watching tv when the doorbell rang.  Adam peeked out the window and told me it was for me.  I was thinking “Oh, I bet it is the Relief Society coming by to drop off a card or something.”  I opened the door and OMG!  All my sisters, brothers-in-law, and nieces and nephews were there yelling “Happy Birthday!”  Then a few short minutes later, all of Adam’s family came through the door.  Everyone came with arms of food…and a childhood style birthday cake.  I am such a lucky girl with such a great fam and husband!

Summer 2011

If you know Adam and I pretty well, or even at all, you will know that when summer comes I see less of Adam.  Work is so busy in the summer for Adam that it is hard for us to do anything but work.  But we were able to get in some play time. We went to the American Idol Tour.  Salt Lake City was the first stop on the tour and boy it was hot!  Before the concert we got to go to the “meet and greet”.  It wasn’t really a “meet and greet” so much as it was a “see and sign”.  ha ha There wasn’t really any greeting going on.

This summer I slaved away at Palm Beach Tan, all while looking for a new job.  Surprise?  I know!  Me too.  I really thought I was going to like the tanning salon job, and at first I really did.  But the longer I worked there the more I got to know the owner, David.  The more I got to know him the more I realized I was working for a person I couldn’t trust.  I wasn’t making near what I was promised, I couldn’t tell anything to David in confidence (like a store manager should be able to with the owner), David crossed the line several times in his language to me, and overall I just felt like I couldn’t trust him.

In May I began going to different interviews.  I turned down a handful of jobs because I didn’t want to make another job change mistake.  Sure I didn’t want to be at the salon anymore but at the same time I didn’t want to settle just so I could get out. At the beginning of July I went in for an interview.  I thought I didn’t have a chance because the next week I was going to Disneyland.  I told them if offered the position I would want to put in a two weeks notice and although I didn’t love David, I had enough respect for him to not put in my two weeks from Disneyland and I would want to give a full two weeks.  (I loth when people put in a two weeks notice and can only work part of it.)  I worked a 12 hour day at the salon before heading home to pack to get out of town.

While I was in Disneyland I was offered a position in the HR department for this company.  I really wanted to think it over so I put it in the back of my mind and enjoyed Disneyland. Adam and I went to Disneyland with my mother and brother, who came home from his mission early for health reasons.  It was so great to just get away.  Going on a vacation in the summer is next to impossible for Adam, but somehow he made it work.  Thanks babe!  I really needed to get away from Palm Beach TanCrazy Town.  We had a blast!!

While we were in Cali we also took in the Queen Mary, complete with the haunted tour…freaky!  Then we headed over to eat.  We wanted to go to a place we don’t normally go to…no Chili’s, no Outback…we chose Hooters!  Trevor blushed the whole time.  It was great…needless to say the wings are not all they are cracked up to be. Then we went over to the Aquarium.  So fun!

Then we finished with a drive down the PCH and landed at Laguna Beach for a cone from Haagen Dazs.  Count me in to live in that white palace on the left!

The last day at Disneyland I had pretty much decided that I was going to take the HR job offer, however like I said before, I am a lightening bolt kind of girl.  I just really wanted to make sure I wasn’t making another mistake.  That afternoon I got a text from one of my girls at the salon.  It said, “So I hear I am getting a new manager at the beginning of August…” I replied, “Are you leaving or am I?”  She told me all about how she found out from another non-management employee that David replaced me.  I was really confused.  David didn’t know I have been looking for a job for several months, I hadn’t done anything that warranted me needing to be replaced, and overall I was doing a great job at the salon.  The customers loved me and my girls.  Our salon was cleaner than it had ever been and our sales per customer were right on target, if not even a little better than target.  I was hitting my goals and things were going good.  In fact, I thought that when I put in my two weeks notice it would come as a surprise to David.

Alas, the week I was gone on my first vacation in my 7 months of employment, David found someone to replace me.  I actually didn’t care that much, but the thing that got me the most was the fact that I found out through an employee who wasn’t a manager and she found out through an employee that wasn’t a manager who found out right from the mouth of David.  What owner of any business tells others about replacing a store manager before he tells the store manager!?  Not only is the completely unprofessional, it is unethical and disrespectful.

I promptly called David to find out what was going on.  He returned my call hours later.  He said that what I heard was true.  Then he tried to act like he was the victim.  He said he had taken my replacement to a manager meeting a thought he could trust the other managers to not say anything.  I called him out on the carpet explaining that actually I found out through a non-manager who HE told.  I couldn’t believe that he was trying to come off as the victim.  He then tried to play the good guy role by saying he didn’t want to tell me until after my vacation because he didn’t want to ruin it…little did he know he didn’t ruin it….he made the ending one of the best ever!  I was pretty upset, mostly because I couldn’t believe he would be so dishonest.  When I agreed to taking the job and leaving Heritage I explained to him that one of my biggest fears was leaving a job I was head of heels for and then not performing well at a commission sales job and then being out of a job and having given up one I loved.  He said and I practically quote (I am sure I say it more eloquently), “I would never ask you to leave a job to come work for me if I didn’t know you would succeed.  I promise I will do everything I can to help you and even if this isn’t a good fit you will never be blindsided with a lack of a job.”  Well I am calling BULL SHIT David.  Once again, dishonest.

Anyway, David could tell I was hurt and said that maybe on Tuesday we could talk about this a little more.  WHAT!?  You are kidding me!?  I didn’t know he could get any more stupid.  He really thought I would come back and train my replacement for the last two weeks!?  That’s a HELL NO!  I told him I wouldn’t be returning to work and that further conversation wasn’t necessary.  So what does he do?  Nothing that I hadn’t seen before…he tried to come off as the good guy in the situation once again.  He said he wanted to talk to me about severance.  NO WAY!  He will never get that fuzzy feeling in his stomach like he helped me out.  I wasn’t going to take money from the scum of the earth.  No way no how!  He tried to pull the “let’s talk Tuesday card” again but I reminded him I wasn’t going to be working the 42 hours I was scheduled for.

As soon as I hung up the phone, I called and accepted the job I had been stewing over.  I had received my lightening bolt!  Suddenly I felt 10 inches taller!  The weight of having a job I was unhappy at was off my shoulders and suddenly I was looking forward to going to work again.

When I got home I started working at Independence Rehab.  Our business goes into skilled nursing and assisted living facilities and provide their physical therapy, occupational therapy, and speech therapy to patients.  I am the Human Resources Administrative Assistant.  I am enjoying my job and making some good friends.  It is nice to be back in a professional atmosphere, working with professional trustworthy people.  Awww…relief!

I have wrapped my summer up with a Salmon Supper in Payson, a Tim McGraw concert, several SCERA concerts including Brian McKnight, and a weekend at the cabin with my family.

Then, most recently I did something I have never done before…I went BRUNETTE!  Crazy, I know.  But it is fun to try something new.   What do you think?  (This was taken just as I left the salon.  My hair has lightened a tiny bit since then.)

Well, that brings me up to date now.  I promise I won’t go another 9 months without blogging ever again.  I have missed it too much!