Dog Sitting is overrated

So, Christmas morning Peter had to be at work at 8:00am. We left the house together and I went directly to the Butler's - a family in our ward who's out of town in UT for 9 days. They asked me to help out with the dog sitting duties, which I agreed to reluctantly. It requires me to walk 25 minutes one-way (good exercise!), to feed the dog, let her out, and walk her if I'm so inclined. I figured it was a good act of service and I wanted to do something b/c the prophets tell us our prayers are more likely to be answered if we actually help others. :) I know thats true, by the way. So, I get there Christmas morning about 8:45am... probably a little later than I should have arrived. Obviously. I let the dog out and walked around the kitchen for a bit when my eyes settled on the HUGE, fresh pile of dog poop by the back door. !?#$%^! Too late, I had smeared it on my new boots and on various sections of the floor. Poor doggie, she knew that she had done something "bad" so my reprimanding was pointless. But I did it anyway. I let her have it. I threw the back rug away (hey, I'm not going to clean that up). I then forgave the dog and took her on a walk. It was a gorgeous sunny Christmas morning. And my good deeds allowed the Lord to answer my prayer later that day. I had prayed that Peter could actually stay for Christmas dinner at our friends' house and not have to go to the hospital (he was on call that day). He stayed the full FIVE hours. What a blessing. Merry Christmas everyone!

All the Jobs I've ever had...

As I look back, I realize that I have had a TON of jobs thus far in my life. I'm grateful for the opportunity to work; growing up poor forced me to become self-reliant and industrious. So...
I think this list is pretty comprehensive (listed from the most present back):

Hanesbrands, Inc. in NYC (Nov 2009 - present) - receptionist/ administrative assistant
University of Nebraska at Omaha (Aug. 2007 - May 2009) - Italian instructor
Broadway Palm Dinner Theatre in Mesa, AZ (July 03 - June 05) - Director of Group Sales
Dobson Ranch Inn & Resort in Mesa, AZ (Jan 01 - June 02) - Sales Manager
Mesa Convention & Visitors Bureau in Mesa, AZ (Aug 99 - Jan 01) - Tourism Sales Manager
Fiesta Inn Resort in Tempe, AZ (Aug 1997 - June 1999) - Front Desk Agent
Merit Medical in South Jordan, UT (summer of 1997) - label inspector, & yes I wore a hairnet!
LDS Missionary in Milan, Italy (1995-1996)
Broadway Sales Inc. in Tempe, AZ (Jan-March 1995) - catalog/ customer service rep.
Psychology Dept. at the University of AZ in Tucson, AZ (Aug 1002-Dec 1994) - office assistant
Carol's Hallmark in Tucson, AZ (summer 1992) - cashier/ card stocker
Cafeteria at UofA in Tucson, AZ (Aug 91 - May 92) - potato plopper/ soup scooper, etc.
Pretty Party Place in Mesa, AZ (1889-1991) - cashier, balloon maker, wig sorter, straightener
Ned's Krazy Sub in Mesa, AZ (jr. high and high school) - cashier, sub maker, cleaner upper girl

Wow, I'm a well-rounded individual with lots of experience in many fields! :) I'd love to see YOUR list(s), dear blog reader. Let me know when its compiled!

The Devil designs clothing

Ever seen the movie, "The Devil Wears Prada?" Its my life right now. Only, fortunately, Peter works even more than I so he's not pressuring me to quit like Andi's boyfriend in the aforementioned flick. Quite the contrary, he couldn't be happier that I work for the MAN. At least I'm bringing in cash and we're making our bills. Capisci? So, I am the receptionist/ admin for Hanesbrands, Inc. This umbrella company houses the clothing designers for Hanes, Champion, Just My Size, among others. I order all the supplies, sign for and deliver all packages (about 50+ a day), make copies, grind special imported coffee for the Boss Man, get his lunch, get the other lady's lunch, and essentially troubleshoot. In typical New York style, there was no official training for this job, so I learn everything in the moment, naturally making numerous mistakes as I figure out how often we change the water filter, how many boxes of paper we order weekly, when to get fresh flowers for particular clients, and how many gallons of milk we go through a week. Its mayhem, but sometimes I have a quiet moment to surf the internet or update my blog. Take right now for example.

Most days, my thoughts are dominated by the concept that I'm 36 and I'm grinding coffee. !? Did I just go back in time 15 years!? When people ask me about my employment, I dread the inevitable - "well, this could be a launch pad for something better," or "you gotta start somewhere"... huh? Am I getting career advice from people in their 20's? They mean well. There's just nothing to say. So, its better if people don't ask. I truly am grateful to be employed in this economy and ultimately, its all for Peter's career and he's the love of my life.

Oh, and the thing about the DEVIL... I actually have 5 people that I "report" to and they're all pretty nice. Except for one lady who makes me do petty errands for her, like get her lunch or put the candles in the Menorah each day. If she's Jewish, then wouldn't it have more meaning for HER to do it than me? Whatever. Have you ever had an experience like this? A so-called demoralizing arrangement that robbed you of your "dignity" in some way, but you had to keep at it?

Oh, and did I mention that I have the privilege of refilling the candy dish each day and that I got to decorate the Christmas tree? Yippity skippity.

Giving Thanks 2009

When your husband works on Thanksgiving Day, what do you do? You have a slumber party!!! I spent the night at my friend's Sarah's house Wed. AND Thursday nights over the Thanksgiving holiday. We laughed, we cried, we baked and cooked until we were exhausted. All so that we could gorge alla grande. Please note that we did put our turkey in the Crock Pot and it turned out very well. I highly recommend it. Doesn't take much time or thought, you just rub it down with spices and olive oil. And, of course, there's the small matter of ripping off the turkey legs and wings... not so pleasant. But I was not faint hearted. Sarah grossed out. Alla grande.

Anyway, we went and saw the teenie bopper film New Moon and it was mediocre at best. Why exactly did I read those books again? Embarrassing. We also watched Jane Eyre on Friday morning after rolling in bed for a few hours. Much better story, acting and plot!

In these pics the missionaries are featured, as well as myself and Sarah's boyfriend Miguel.

Hope y'all had a nice Thanksgiving. I'm grateful for a wonderful life, especially friends and family. Peter is grateful for the leftovers I brought him.