A week to remember

I am back to work today after an amazing week of training in Spokane. It was great to be in the city again for a bit and I am so excited to be a part of the team at Horizon Credit Union. I had fun getting back into the swing of dressing up a bit and wearing professional clothes again, so I wanted to share my outfits from the week.

I wore my new favorite blazer on Monday… I just love how it fits. And then I found some cute purple pants at Target, so I wore those on Thursday. Everything I wore was from Maurices, Target and Burlington Coat Factory. Those are my favorite stores. And if you look closely you might notice the other new thing that I got on Tuesday night: a new phone! I was due for an upgrade so I went ahead and got the Samsung Galaxy S III. I have a hard time with letting go of things (even when they barely work anymore…) so it took some convincing and a really good deal for me to make the switch. But I am so happy with my new phone!

I also took the opportunity of my time in the city to meet up with some of my friends that live there. And go to my favorite (and new favorite) restaurants. My nights were full of great food and encouraging conversations and my days were full of learning.

I know that this last week will be on that I remember for a long time. I felt like I was coming home and starting anew all at the same time. I love the financial industry and the values and member service based philosophy of this credit union. I think its going to be a very good fit for me and my personality.

The group that I was in training with was awesome. We had a lot of fun together and left with so many inside jokes and many important lessons: like remembering to check the expiration date on your cans of pop. I felt like a valuable member of the team at Horizon from day one and my skills and knowledge of the industry were utilized at training. I was able to help explain federal regulations and reporting, bring money handling and customer service experience to the table and it made me feel so good. I learned a lot from the instructors and made some new friends. “Yeah Buddy!”

It was such a terrific week!

And now I’m back home with Chris (thank goodness!) and in my branch again working with members. I am grateful for this opportunity and can’t wait to watch life and my new career flourish.

What’s your favorite thing to wear when you dress up?
Do you have dreams of making a change in your life?
What’s holding you back from moving onward and upward?
I’d love to hear about your experiences with changes…

Week In Review

 SUNDAY: Chris and I filled out and turned in our applications for the Russian Language Class at the meeting. We should be getting more information soon! After the meeting we came home and took a nap for pretty much the whole afternoon. It’s a little bit of a Sunday tradition for us…catching up on sleep we missed during the week. Then we got up and made dinner. We decided to try making the amazing dipping sauce with the garlic and olives and capers that we’d had Saturday with my mum. Chris made crispy chicken sandwiches with it and they were simply delicious. We made another big batch of the sauce to keep in the fridge and have tried it on different things all week. Yum! I think we’ll do a recipe post soon and share the chicken sandwich.

 MONDAY: With my Monday/Tuesday boss away teaching a class, when I called her in the morning to see what tasks she had for me she was stressing about coming up with something for me to do. So I said: “I’ll work around the house and then go. Don’t let this cause you stress. That’s the opposite of what I’m supposed to do for you.” So I spent the morning working and then went out in service for the afternoon. It was such a treat. I got to go on a study with a girl who is about my age. It was encouraging to see her progress and learn more about Jehovah and developing a relationship with him. It was a lovely afternoon.

 TUESDAY: Lots of scanning and organizing papers and receipts at work today. And trying to navigate the search function on the Mac. Slowly but surely I’m figuring things out. Then Chris and I went over the comments we prepared for the meeting and I read a full scripture out loud for the first time. I was so nervous, but the others in the group said I did good. 

 WEDNESDAY: The day of the audit had finally arrived, and I heard next to nothing from my boss in Ellensburg at the main office. I was anxious all day and worrying over files and everything. But I did my best to leave work at work once the day was over and we headed to Moses Lake with some friends and got Chinese food for dinner. My fortune cookie (pictured below) was made just for me. A nice reminder in the middle of so much stress as to what’s really important in my life in the stream of things.

 THURSDAY: At about 2 in the afternoon I got a phone call from my boss in Ellensburg saying that the auditors would not be coming to our office at all! I was beyond thrilled with this news. A huge sigh of relief and a bunch of my stress just melted away… We went out for dinner with April (the other lady that works in my office) and her husband to celebrate. We went to the Sundial Bistro in Soap Lake again. Its becoming our favorite local eatery.

 FRIDAY: After writing about my experience at the balloon festival last week I was surprised by some of the comments I got. It turns out that those who put on the fireworks display found my post and forwarded it to the coordinators of the festival who called our real estate agent (who gave us the tickets) to reach out to me and make sure I was okay. I was a little blown away that little ol’ me would be of any concern to people, but I received kind and encouraging comments and suggestions for what to do next year to keep my anxiety level down. It was a surprising and interesting day in that regard. My sister Megan and her husband Siyani came to stay with us for the weekend and arrived late Friday night. It was so nice to visit with them and Megan brought a ton of baked goods with her to share. 3 different types of pie, pecan tarts, pumpkin roll cake and then made a mock-cheesecake too. She’s such a good baker. What a treat!

 SATURDAY: Megan came to work with me Saturday morning and we spent a couple hours working on a blog for her. Her husband, Siyani and her are moving to Australia soon and she wanted a blog to be able to keep family here updated. We had fun picking pictures to use and colors and fonts. It was really neat for me to work with a design client that was sitting right next to me. Can’t wait to get it finished up and share. I hope she posts a lot while they’re away…it’s a great way to stay connected. We had planned on having a little pizza party at our house Saturday night, but no one was able to come, so the 4 of us spent the rest of the day and into the evening together. Megan and Chris made incredible homemade pizzas and we watched The Lion King (and yes, we sang along with all the songs). At about 10 my cousin Hannah and her husband and son showed up too after a long day in Seattle. I’m really glad they decided to come. We all stayed up till about 3am visiting. I love nights like that!

Favorite parts of this week: getting word that the auditors would not be coming to my office, watching the season premier of Parenthood (love that show!), spending some quality time with my sister and cousin, and working on a blog for Megan.

What is a moment you remember where all your stress melted away?
What is your favorite type of baked goods?
Did you have a memorable week? What’s a highlight?

Week in Review

 SUNDAY: We went to the meeting and joined the Russian group for the talk and Watchtower study. Every other week we have the full meeting in Russian with a visiting speaker from out of town usually. I picked a couple new words to listen for throughout the talk. That’s one way I’m learning. After the meeting we went out to lunch with some friends that were visiting from Wenatchee, including my cousin Hannah. We hadn’t gone out to eat with a big group in awhile and really enjoyed the conversation and visiting.

 MONDAY: Chris and I both worked on Monday…he doesn’t get holiday’s off from driving garbage truck, so I figured I’d go to work too. I stuffed a lot of envelopes! The kids were out of school, so the house was loud and crazy, but I really enjoy working with Kris and am glad for this job however long it lasts.

 TUESDAY: Kris and I went out in early morning service together and had a chance to catch up and visit after a whole month of just work-related interactions. I got to hear about her time at Pioneer School and we got to talk to a few people at bus stops. Then I headed back to her house for a day full of computer work. Once I was home I took a little nap and then went to the meeting. I gave two answers in Russian and picked up our applications for the foreign language class. It starts in the middle of October and we’re looking forward to doing this together.

 WEDNESDAY: I had my follow-up appointment with my GI in Wenatchee early in the morning, so I planned a whole day there. I went to my in-law’s place and they drove me to my appointment and Christa went in with me. No new revelations, just an increase in my milk of magnesia to try. I have to do 2 full weeks on this high dosage to balance things out and hopefully control my IBS with it moving forward. I’m hopeful. After that we went to Costco. Christa said she wanted to get me a present. She is so kind. So she sent me home with a new reversible jacket, a box of chocolates and a big bottle of my favorite wine. A soul renewing kind of present. Then I met up with my cousin Hannah for lunch and to get my hair done. We ordered French Dips for lunch with cream cheese on them. It adds a rich creamy flavor to them and something Hannah introduced me to when she worked in food service when we were teenagers. It was fun to share the memory and the sandwiches again. I wanted to do a blog post all about her salon (coming soon!) and so we spent some time after lunch taking pictures of her and her shop. Can’t wait to share her cute space. Then I got some dinner and stopped in the park by the river to have a little picnic. It was a lovely evening and so I took some pictures and self-portraits by the water.

 THURSDAY: As I mentioned in my post on Friday I woke up from a dream on Thursday morning that just hung on and I couldn’t shake it. Dealing with the stress of the audit and the pressure from my boss and trying to keep everything from my two jobs straight in my head and be on top of it all pushed me to my limit. Thank goodness my mother-in-law bought me some wine, cuz I needed a little glass of it.

 FRIDAY: April, my co-worker joined me at work all day Friday. I was thankful for not only her company, but her assistance is going back through all the files and making decisions with me so we were both on the same page. And then, after I posted my blog post and my mom read it, she decided to pop down for a little overnight visit. It was just the thing I needed. Initially I started stressing over things at the house, but Chris took care of everything and the 3 of us had a lovely evening together. After dinner out in Moses Lake, Mom and I went to Walmart, bought some gifts for her to take home (one was a joke pillow that had us both giggling). And then we went back to the house, had some ice-cream and stayed up till 1 am visiting and laughing some more. I think we both really needed it. I’m so glad she was willing to hop in the car and come be with me when I needed her the most. She is a precious gift. “At least it wasn’t WAR!” Hahahaha!!

 SATURDAY: Mom and I woke up early and went for a walk together around the block. There was a slight cool breeze that reminded me again that fall is just around the corner. Then Mom and Chris came with me to work. It is so neat that I’m able to have them there with me. I was glad to have their calming presence in a place that is causing me much anxiety lately. After work we went to the Sundial Bistro in Soap Lake for a late lunch. Mom and I got their soup special which was a cream of mushroom with green beans. It was like a green bean casserole soup…so amazing. And then the chef made us a special order dipping sauce for our fries that had lots of garlic (which we love), capers and olives. We loved it and I think it would be awesome on a sandwich of some sort. I’d be his taste tester! After mom headed home Chris and I took a nap because we knew we’d be out late with our evening plans. We’d been given tickets to the Quincy Hot Air Balloon Festival by our real estate agent, Deb. The event had scheduled an Elvis impersonator, the hot air balloon glow after dark and a fireworks display. We went early and joined the huge crowd laying out in the middle of a field. We enjoyed the music and watched the sunset through the lightning storm in the distance. ‘Elvis’ did a few songs, but unfortunately because of the storm the balloons were not able to be blown all the way up. They tried, but the wind was too strong and it would have been too dangerous. And then it was time for the fireworks. When they started they were pretty awesome. I’d never been that close to them before and most of them were exploding directly above us. But once they really got going, the proximity became a problem. They became extremely intense and the debris falling from them covered us and all our stuff and I had a bit of a panic attack. It felt like being under fire. I gathered everything and ran to the car in tears…I couldn’t get out of there fast enough. We got home and showered off all the ash and went to bed. Not quite how I imagined the evening…

***** edited to add: I have received some very kind comments and phone calls from the coordinators of this event and those involved. It warms my heart that little old me would be of any concern to people, but to those of you who went out of your way to check on me: thank you. We'll be back next year for sure! But maybe sit back a ways. ;) 

Favorite parts from this week: Seeing my mom and staying up late laughing together. It was so good for my heart and soul. Enjoying good food with good people. Getting my hair touched up and having my husband tell me he thinks I’m beautiful.

What little things did you enjoy this week?
Have you ever been to a hot air balloon festival?
Do you have inside jokes with your family? I love them!

Week In Review

 SUNDAY: We met up with my brother Micah, his girlfriend Shawntel and little Emerson for a visit. Just a couple hours, but it was so good to see them.

 MONDAY: I went to work and did some running around for my boss, dropping stuff off and stuffing folders. Some computer work and laundry. I think I’ve done more laundry at her house than I’ve done in my house in the last 6 months. But I guess that comes with having kids. Then after work I went to visit my friend Lisa who just got back from 2 weeks at Pioneer School. I loved hearing her stories and the points that she took away. Very encouraging. A much needed visit.

 TUESDAY: So while we were visiting Micah he wasn’t feeling very good. And what he had hit Chris and I HARD at about 12:30am Tuesday morning. Chris got it first…I heard him sick in the bathroom and when I stood up to go check on him, I knew I wasn’t far behind. For the next 20 hours or so we were in separate beds and separate bathrooms sicker than sick. Like on the toilet with a bucket at the same time, and that’s the nicest way I could think to explain it. Turns out we got Norovirus. I googled it and the first hit was from the CDC. That’s never a good sign. Extremely contagious. We both were able to call in and stay home on Tuesday. There was no way we could have done anything else.

 WEDNESDAY: Chris couldn’t get Wednesday covered at work, but thankfully I could. He managed through the day in his garbage truck and went right back to bed once he got home. I pretty much stayed in bed. I don’t think either of us has slept that much at one whack in a long time. It was so so awful.

 THURSDAY: I went to work Thursday, but after talking to my boss she said to just take it easy and not push myself through audit paperwork with my head still so fuzzy. That was so kind of her, cuz I really was barely able to focus on customers when I got them. So I watched HULU on my computer and wiped down everything I touched with Lysol wipes.

 FRIDAY: I woke up feeling much better and more like my old self again. My boss could even tell in my voice that I was feeling better Friday. It was a busy end of the month day with lots of loan customers, checks to cash and people buying money orders. And in between I worked hard on the audit.

 SATURDAY:  I went to work and Chris came to the shop with me. He brought his PS3 and our TV down so he could do a system update on it. We don’t have internet at home, so the wireless at work did the trick. Glad we got that this year. I went kept at the audit paperwork. Lots to go through, and only a week until the date. Then we called our friends and hung out with them for the evening. They were building a deck and working in their yard, so we brought a pizza over and hung out with them. Then we all went and saw the Bourne Legacy movie. It was really good. I liked the action and the story line. It was nice to get out of the house and spend some time with friends.

 

Favorite parts of this week: Seeing my brother and my nephew. Drinking my favorite coffee. And getting over this stupid virus!! And it looks like no one we were in contact with got it from us, thank goodness! What a week! And that explains my unplanned blogging break. I couldn’t even think about looking at the computer while I was sick, let alone blog. Hopefully things will start to get back to normal around here soon. Did you miss me??

What’s the worst kind of sick you’ve ever been?
Does your work have a “stay home if you’re sick” policy?
What was the best part of your week?

Week in Review

 SUNDAY: We woke up at Chris’ parents house in their camper to a great breakfast of blueberry pancakes, bacon and the best French Press coffee. I don’t know why, but their coffee just always tastes the best. And of course their dog Razzy was begging like crazy. He never gets food off the table, but that doesn’t keep him from asking. That evening their congregation had a get-together as a going away party for a couple families that are moving away. It was nice to visit with the friends and enjoy a gorgeous day by the river. A few people tubed down the river after dinner was over. If we hadn’t had to get home in time for Chris to get sleep before waking up for work at 3am I totally would have joined them. I’ve never done that before and it looks like so much fun. Someday…maybe I’ll add it to our Summer Manifesto for next year!

 MONDAY: I was not feeling good Monday…I had some flu like symptoms and just felt really draggy on top of some rough allergies. So I slept most of the morning and then headed to work. I finished up a couple big projects and felt good about all I was able to cross off my to-do list without having to ask my boss for help with every task. 

 TUESDAY: Today I got to do something that I really enjoy doing: proof-reading! My boss has a project she’s working on and wanted another set of eyes on. I was so excited to be asked because that’s something I really love doing! Back in high school my classmates would always get me to proof-read and edit their papers. Me and my red pen were pretty famous. lol. That’s sounds silly, but its one of my favorite memories from high school. Glad to be able to use my skills (and my red pen) again.

 WEDNESDAY: After work today Chris and I rented a movie called Anonymous. It’s a completely different take on the story of William Shakespeare. Such a cool movie! Lots of switching between different timelines, which I love in a movie, and great photography. 

THURSDAY: The shop that I work at is getting audited next month so I spent the bulk of the week going through files and triple checking everything is 100% in compliance. It’s a big task, but we’re working hard to pass with flying colors. Lots of paper cuts and blurry eyes looking at the same paper over and over again.

 FRIDAY: Chris made burgers for dinner tonight with feta cheese, kalamata olives and onion and cheese melted on top. They were amazing. The only time he made burgers that topped these was when he added bacon. So delicious. Bacon makes everything better, right?! We also spent a couple nights sleeping in our guest room this week. Its cool to have 2 comfy beds at our house, and it feels a little like staying somewhere else for a night. Like a built-in get-away. Although its pretty funny when I wake up in the middle of the night and get lost looking for the bathroom. haha!

SATURDAY: After going for breakfast and working from 10-2, Chris and I drove up to Omak to stay with my parents. On Sunday the four of us are heading up into Canada to see my brother Micah, his girlfriend Shawntel and my little nephew Emerson. I can’t wait!! It is nice to spend some time with my parents too. They have been so busy lately and trying to get their house sold. Anyone know of someone looking for a great house with property?? Let me know!

Favorite parts of this week: Taking my mum’s flower pictures and adding sentiments for her to use in making her cards. I love her flower photography. Watching movies with Chris before bed and catching up on So You Think You Can Dance and Suits on HULU. Seeing another picture of my friend Kelly’s baby boy. I so wish I could go visit them. Looking at cute glasses on Firmoo.com. Wearing my wedding ring again.

What did your week look like?
What was a highlight for you?
Did you remember to take time to celebrate the everyday?

Week In Review

SUNDAY: Sunday after the meeting we met up with our friends who have a boat and spent the afternoon on the lake with them. There was 8 of us and we had so much fun! I got some videos of our friend Andy wake boarding and Chris being pulled on the tube. I’ll share soon! My phone died right before Chris was flung off the tube and launched 4 feet above the water and then bounced. It was crazy! Too bad I don’t have video of that! I just enjoyed being in the sun a bit and jumping into the cool lake from the boat. So glad they invited us along. Hopefully we’ll get to do that a few more time before the summer is gone.

MONDAY: After finding my to-do list from my boss in my junk mail halfway through the day and still managing to complete all the tasks on the list, Chris and I headed to Wenatchee. We went for dinner with his parents to celebrate their 32nd wedding anniversary and to take my wedding ring to the jeweler who made it to see if it could be resized. All the other places we’d taken it said that the diamonds would pop out if we tried to. But thankfully the guy that made it said it wouldn’t be a problem. I eager to get it back and wear it again.

TUESDAY: Most of my Tuesday was spent stuffing copies into folders for an upcoming class. I survived with only one paper-cut, so that’s not bad. Then we went to the meeting and heard news about the Russian language class that’s coming soon. We are getting so excited!

WEDNESDAY: Just another normal day at the payday loan store today. But after Chris was done his workday he got us a little Chinese food take-out as a treat and we watched episodes of So You Think You Can Dance on HULU. We really love that show! Are you watching this season? Who are your favorites? Then I convinced Chris to go get pedicures with me. He is so ticklish he giggled through the whole thing. The ladies at the little spa got quite a kick out of him!

THURSDAY: The owner of the shop I work for was supposed to come this week for her every-other-week visit. She lives in Ellensburg and runs the other store there. However, this week there is a horrible fire in Cle Elum which is right near where she lives, so she’s got a lot going on. Friends and customers dealing with the loss of their homes and animals and mass evacuations. It’s a real tragedy and one of the worst parts about the dry side of Washington State. It makes the heat of the summer very dangerous. The smoke from the fire is reaching over to our town too. Today was a huge day for me in regards to blog designing. I was trying to do something specific and didn’t even know where to start in terms of making it happen. So I reached out to my friend Katie of Priceless Adventure who also does blog designs. She was willing to take the time out of her afternoon to Skype with me and show me via her screen how to create what I wanted. Totally opened up a whole new world for me and I’m so grateful!!

FRIDAY: The Grant County Fair is going on this week, and in the four years we’ve lived here we’ve never gone. So we decided to change that this year. The best part? I got to RIDE AN ELEPHANT!! I have a post planned to share the pictures, but it was so amazing. It feels a little wrong to be so excited about riding an elephant in captivity and as a fair attraction. But it is one of the things I’ve most wanted to do in my life, so I just couldn’t pass up the opportunity. It was so amazing! Chris even took a little video, so I can share that too.

SATURDAY: Chris has been dumping the trash at the fair all week, and they asked for him to come specially for Friday night. So after we’d been at the fair (and to Walmart for a midnight movie release) he went back to the fairgrounds to dump the trash after 1 am when everyone was gone. So we didn’t get home until 3 in the morning. Man, I haven’t stayed up like that in a long time! I feel so old. LOL. We made plans with Chris’ parents to visit again (to pick up my ring) and go to a get-together with their congregation Sunday afternoon. They don’t have a guest room, but they do have a camper! So as I type this we’re all cozy out in their bus, as they call it.

Favorite parts of this week: Riding the elephant!! Taking pictures of the amazing fresh fruit Chris’ mom gave us: blackberries, raspberries and peaches. I used a butterfly tea cup set my Auntie Lee-Ann gave us as a wedding present. Learning new skills and finding a class I want to take to continue growing my design ability. Seeing a video of my nephew Emerson clapping and saying “yay.” He is too cute!

What did your week look like?
Did you take time to find something good in every day?
How do you keep track of the happenings in your life?