Tuesday & Wednesday, 3rd & 4th of January 2012

Tuesday - just another day on the job. LOL, had orientation today with 3 newbies, a dish, a grill & a server. Got them through videos & paperwork. Didn't really do a whole lot more. Left work around 4 & headed home, took a mini nap & then Robert came in from his hunting hole & we sat in front of the tv with our lap tops just like we do about every night & watched tv. Wasn't that much of an exciting day.

Wednesday - day two of orientation, gotta do meno's & plate with my grill cooks(Daniel is being cross trained out of dish) & the server. First I was supposed to see Rita about my lower back at 9:30 this morning however she still didn't have the paperwork from Tri-care. So Friday I should be able to see her. I got to work a bit after 10:30 & jumped right in to getting people started what I needed them to do. Got the 2 grill cooks & the server copying the menu's, had Jake on the computer doing courses & the new dish guy on the other doing his. While they were all busy I helped out a bit in the window, checked email & got the newbies hours into the computer from yesterday.

Finished up around 2:45 giving the newbies 45 minutes to do the tests before the rising star meeting. I left work at 3:45 & headed home. Had a nice evening just hanging with Robert, watching some things that were recorded, playing catch up. LOL

So tomorrow is my long 12 hour day then 2 days off. Looking forward to it. Except it will be time to take down & put away all the Christmas things. Undecorate the tree etc.

Ya'll have a great rest of the week, till next time,

God Bless & keep you

Monday, 2 January 2012

The second day of the new year, first day of work in the new year. Not to bad of a day. A little busy, people still traveling back to their homes. Had a family of 7 come in from Ontario, Canada today. Nice group. Not a lot to report about work, just made sure we could get all the lunch crowd in today. Dustin our host is about useless. We stayed busy during lunch, slowed down around 2, ate some lunch & left work around 3:30. Came home, took a nap & then hung out in my spot on the couch, playing facebook, playing with my new iphone, checking apps, down loading some stuff.

All in all it was a nice day, quite evening at home.

Ya'll have a great week, God Bless

1st of January 2012 Continued

Okay, so the rest of my day went like this ........

Met up with Cindy at Starplex Theater & we saw the new Mission Impossible Ghost Protocol, good movie, Tom Cruise maybe a nut but he does make great movies. After the movie we went to Lowe's needed to get a few things for Robert's honeydo list. Found all I needed plus a couple of other things, then we went over to Best Buy just to look around. Cindy added to her collection of movies(bluray). I took her back to her car at the theater & went our seperate ways.

I knew that Robert was out in the field & that when he came in he'd be watching the cowboy game so I decided to stay at the theater & treat myself to another movie. Saw The girl with the dragon tattoo. Again another good movie, very intriguing then at the end suspenseful. Got home just before 10 in time to jinx the Cowboy game I guess, Robert said the were winning till got home. LOL

So now here I sit updating my blog & checking FB.

Take care, see ya tomorrow. God Bless

1st of January 2012

Good morning & happy new year to everyone. Here's wishing you each the most fabulous of new years, may all your dreams & wishes come true or at least the good ones.

Slept in till almost 9 this morning. Just hanging on the couch checking FB & email gonna watch Horrible Bosses here in a minute, Robert had to go collect his things out in the field after getting a deer last evening. Yeah him. Last day for him to have been able to get a buck & he did, almost at the very last minute to boot. Now he has 2 weeks left in the season to get a doe or two. Then we'll be set for the year with really great venison.

Around 12 or so I'm headed to Lake Worth to meet up with my movie buddy, Cindy, so we can see the new Mission Impossible movie. Then I'll hit Lowe's for a few things Robert needs me to pick up.

Any way figured I'd start the new year off right by sending out a post to you all.

Happy New Year & God Bless

The last day of 2011

Wow, since October I've been soooooo very very busy. As much as I love the holidays & always want to enjoy every minute of them from the moment halloween gets here up till Christmas I get so busy with work. Unbelievably busy. So I've been terribly remiss in posting anything here.

I hope that those of you who used to read this daily will enjoy reading these again. I'm gonna see if I can do a better job with this coming year.

So since October what have I done, what haven't I done? Ugh. Seems like I've lived at work. Lots of training, lots of new hires to get us into the holiday's. I don't remember if I had already told ya'll they sent Mani to Arlington & we finally got Doug who I told M Taylor about last September, who wanted to be in our store, he was moving down here from Arkansas. Doug is Domino who used to be my work out partners boyfriend. Great guy, everyone at work loves him. He actually does his job & a great job he does. LOL

November, came & went terribly fast. My brother in law, Clint found out that he had prostate cancer just before Thanksgiving. At work every available moment I had I was on the phone taking TG to go orders. We had 86 this years which is about 30 more than last year. Since they finally opened up the roads, all the construction is pretty much done around us, we have gotten busier & busier. Which is a good thing. But the attentiveness of our service has gone down in our scores. Some things have gotten better & some things haven't.

All the kids are now out on their own, Niki & Randy got a new apartment, Amanda & Jason found a place right off Las Vegas trail North of 30 & Stephanie found an apartment 5 minutes the other direction. So Robert & I now have the house to ourselves. We started working on some of our remodel. We stripped & painted the entry way, it looks really good. Primed & painted the first bedroom & got it all set up as a guest room. Of course we had that mostly done before we went to the Canyon. I still have to decide on the colors I want in the second bedroom. Although I still want to make it my craft room & turn my craft room into the second guest room.

Thanksgiving was a blur, we usually go to Sissy & Clint's but with his diagnosis they had a lot on their plates & didn't get the invite out early enough that we accepted Robert's sister Glenda's invitation. Of course just like the last 5 years I had to work sitting on the front porch for those picking up the bulk to go orders. This year I went in at 7 & didn't leave until after 3. Got home changed & we head to Alvorado. Spent a couple hours at Glenda & Johnny's with Mary Lou, Dena, Katelyn & Stephanie joined us. We had a nice visit, great food. Then we left for home & vegged the rest of the evening. Since Thanks giving is on a Thursday it was nice cause I always have Friday & Saturdays off.

December went even faster than November, I went to Rhonda's yearly Christmas party, which is always a lot of fun especially when you have about 20 women all together enjoying the games that Rhonda devises for us to play. LOL

Work Christmas party was on the 12th, this year it got started late because there are idiots out there that can't read or if they can don't care. We always post on the front door a week & a half to two weeks that we will be closing at 8 PM so that the employees can enjoy our Christmas party. So I get to the store at 7:30 there is an 18 top in the third dinning room who had just gotten sat another 15 top in the first dinning room who had just gotten sat & several other smaller groups. Needless to say that by the time we got everyone served & they sat and visited for ever, once everyone left & we got things cleaned up so that we could set up it was 9:30. Now mind you last year home office said that ETC are no longer to be in charge of the employee Christmas party, that managers are supposed to plan them etc. WELL that went over like a lead balloon this year. I didn't worry about, I had a lot of other things going on. So our party being on the 12th, when I worked Sunday the 11th our DM M Taylor came out to the store for lunch and to shake things up a bit like he likes to do & he asked me what I was doing for the party, if we were ready. I said I don't know, I'm not doing anything. He then proceeds to grill me on why not, I said because the directive from home office last year & this year said ETC are not to do Christmas party planning any more, we could help if asked but not to do the major work. He then tells me that "well you're the only ETC I have in the district then who isn't doing the party" Great, now what? So he tells me I need to find out what's going on & if I can help.

I talk to Fred, who is doing the party, he tells me he thinks it's Doug. Well Domino happened to be eating lunch with a friend at this same time, I was running the dinning room & Doug was on the grill, so I ask Domino, what has/is Doug doing for the party tomorrow? She tells me that she was supposed to get all the gifts the day before but had forgotten so she was going to do the shopping that afternoon. I said ok, well Taylor has pretty much informed me that I should be doing the party so at 2 meet me here back at the store because we have 200 to spend in store and then we'll go to Ross to see what they have, Tuesday Morning also if need be. We have 300 we can spend outside the store. So at 2 Domino & I start shopping for gifts for the party for the next day. We get it done & loaded in my truck. I worked Monday but left around 3 so that I could get home at a decent time to make food for the party & wrap all 90 plus gifts. I got online to see if I could find some games & entertainment for the night. BECAUSE ABSOLUTELY NOTHING HAD BEEN DONE OR DECIDED UPON FOR THE PARTY. I informed Mike Bernard the Wednesday after the party that we're going back to the way we used to do it. Next year I will start on it in late October early November like I used to do, we WILL have sign up sheets etc. Cause the only thing they had decided about the party this year was that instead of pot luck we'd do mexican.

Once the party got started, it went ok, everyone enjoyed the food, we had a couple of games to play, Santa came & saw the kids, giving them a stocking with goodies & pictures. I then had everyone pick a gift, not to open them just to pick a box or bag. I got everyone in a VERY large circle & we played the right/left game. It was a ton of fun & funny. It was something different & everyone enjoyed it plus it gave everyone a gift. There were a few extra left over so we drew for them.

Then Mike had a couple of awards to hand out, he started with some of the Employee of the month awards, then he made a small speech about how much work this person does to keep things in order & running & I really didn't hear the whole thing. Then he says that is why this next award goes to ........

Michelle Bartee - she was chosen as the ETC of the District for 2011. I really was surprised. I was hoping I would get it but when DM Mike Taylor wasn't at the party I figured I didn't get it since he was supposed to award it to me. I teared up, they wanted me to make a speech, I'm not sure what I said except how touched I was & how special it was.

This is the first year for this award & ETC's are chosen by their DM's. I really was surprised & excited that I got it. It's a 3 by 3 by 3 lead crystal block with a star engraved inside with my name & ETC of the District 2011 engraved on the front. It weighs like 5 lbs. Then Mike gave me a gift from the managers at the store. Which was some items from the new peacock display that I love. Tina tricked me, telling me she was thinking of sending some of it to her mom & what did I think.

Of course I've never gotten employee of the year in our building cause everyone thinks they can't vote for me. Oh well I got something more important. It really means alot.

So back to the sign up sheets, after the party was over, some helped me get the dinning room back in order & I assumed that there were people who had straightened up or cleaned the kitchen area where we had all the food laid out. NOT, after everyone had left including all the managers except Shawn cause he was doing his inventory & Sandy the night maintenance gal. I walk into the kitchen & nothing, not one thing had been cleaned up. So it's 11 PM & I have to clean up the kitchen now cause Sandy has to get started on her job & Shawn is useless. It took me an hour to pack up food, clean up the area, put food in the cooler & pack up some of it to take home with me since I was the one who had to clean it all up. I was pissed.

So that is one of the other reasons why next year I'll be totally in charge of the party again. We wont have any of the last minute problems like this year.

The rest of December flew by, I really didn't do any shopping, Robert did it all this year. I actually didn't finish getting his gifts until the 23rd. Of course the 22nd I left work early sick, had been sick for a week & by the 22nd it was really bad, I went to urgent care & found out that I had an upper respiratory infection, got all sorts of meds & told to go home not back to work. No problem wasn't planning on going back that day & I had the rest of the weekend off, my normal fri/sat plus we are closed Christmas day so that gave me Fri thru Sun off. Back to work on Monday feeling better & we were WAY busy the whole week. I once again have Fri thru Sunday off cause I asked to have New years day off this year.

So here it is New Years Eve day & I'm doing absolutely nothing but catching up on this blog.

Oh to report on some of the movies I've seen lately.

Hugo, Sherlock Holmes 2, War Horse, The adventures of Tin Tin, Breaking Dawn, ALL good movies.

Hugo - not really a kids movie but a great 3D, forgot I was watching it in 3D it was that good. It gets into the history of some of the silent movies, I think children under 10 0r 11 really wouldn't understand it. I really enjoyed it alot.

Sherlock - great movie, love Robert Downing Jr. & Jude Law. Can't wait to see it again.

War Horse - Speilberg has done it again. This is a great film, wonderful story & a good family film.

Tin Tin - wonderful fun, good kids adventure movie.

Breaking Dawn - saw it twice, can't wait for the 2nd part to it. It was good.

I'm sure there are a couple others that I've seen & hadn't reported on. But these are the most recent.

Still want to see the new Mission Impossible, the Darkest Hour & We bought a zoo. Plus I really want to see The girl with the Dragon Tattoo.

So tonight we're going over to Glen & Rue's for dominoes & snacks. Just gonna hang out with friends. No big parties.

So to all of you my friends & family, followers of my blog, I want to say I hope you all had a wonderful holiday season, a blessed Christmas & most of all that you each have a Happy & prosperous New Year. God Bless you all & keep you safe through out this next year.

Saturday, 16th of Oct to Sunday 23rd of Oct 2011

Hmm, where to start for this past week? Last Saturday didn't do much of anything, we stayed around the house all day, didn't go anywhere. So it was just a hang out & continue to catch up on all that I had recorded while we were gone. Think I got it all caught up. LOL

Sunday had to work as usual. Busy day, good day. Got home around 2:30 & chilled for the night. Watched the premier of Walking Dead. Great start for the new season. Wow.

Monday I had orientation with a new server & a seasonal retail. It was a good day, two nice young ladies. Finished up with them at 2 & sent them on their way. Finished up some of my work & headed home a bit after 4.

Tuesday my new server was supposed to show up to do computer work, never saw her. Called left messages, nothing. Really strange, she seemed eager & excited to work for us. Not a clue as to what happened. Called her several times through out the week with no luck or return calls. Spent the majority of the day calling all the applications that have been piling up since my vacation. LOL. Set all the managers up with interviews for the rest of the week. Will call more this week & set up more.

Had my 6 month follow appointment with Dr. Young at 2:50 in Fort Worth so left work early to get there. After the appointment went over to visit Cindy at her work since it was only 3 blocks away. All was well, Dr. Young released me.

Wednesday finished calling applicants & booking appointments, fielded return phone calls from those I had called on Tuesday. Worked on our holiday mail outs with the help of one of new rising stars, giving her extra hours. Left work after 4 & headed h0me.

Thursday was once again the 12 plus hour day for me at work. It was really a great day. Everyone in good moods, business good. Stayed busy & steady most of the day. Finished up the mailers. Got home after 9 & vegged.

Most nights after I get home from work, Robert & I sit in front of the TV watching our shows or right now the World Series - Go Rangers. It's really rather boring. Stephanie has moved back in with us just over a week now. Supposed to move into her new apartment the 4th of November. Niki & Randy spent this weekend moving into their new place. Amanda & Jason have been in their new apartment for about 3 weeks now.

Friday Robert & I were both off work, I had to go to the Weatherford PO to get the mailer out & when I got there they told me it wasn't even ready, I didn't have the bulk mail stamp on the envelopes from the Chamber & they'd have to be crated or what ever they call it. So I had to go to the Chamber & once their the lady who does the bulk mailers for the Chamber didn't even have a clue that we were supposed to be using their stamp. It was a big mess. Tammy who is the boss over there had just walked in the door as we were trying to figure out what to do, we all had some ideas. Then Tammy said "are they all going to chamber members" I said yes, we got the labels from ya'll. She suggested then that Saturday they have a crew who comes in & does the stuffing for the Chamber news letter & why don't we just put it inside that & it wouldn't cost you anything. Yes, that was a fantastic idea. I offered to stay & de-envelope them all but they said no, I had already done so much not to worry about it they'd take care of it. Thank heavens. Mike should be happy to hear that when I see him on Wednesday.

After I got home we loaded up to go over to some friends house & help them move some furniture from one place to another. Went out to dinner after ward & then to a club in Dallas. Had a very nice evening got home close to 2, went straight to bed I was beat - slept on the drive home also. LOL.

Saturday got up around 7:30 had to be at work at 9. Got there about 10 till. Got the key & my head set on as it was Fred in the kitchen & me in the front of the house. Shawn wasn't supposed to be in until something like 11, I think it was supposed to be 10, he said he thought Mike had changed it to 11, he came in at 10:15. No biggie. He spends all his time in the back of the house anyway. He & Fred both stayed in the back while I ran the front & the dinning room. We did a great job if I say so myself. Stayed busy, had good compliments, barely went on a wait. Left work around 2:30 & headed home. Chilled out for a bit took an hour or so nap then went to Lake Worth to the movies with Cindy. We went to see The Three Musketeers. It was really fun. I liked the new twist on the storyline. We enjoyed it, very entertaining. Isn't that the point to enjoy & be entertained. We were.

Got home after 9 & it was close to the end of the ball game, no bueno, very bad game last night. I think we were both in bed & passed out by 11:30. I was really tired.

Sunday Robert got up before me, I think I was up about an hour after him. He hooked up the BAT to the truck, backed it out of the pasture & I got in the drivers seat & took it out for a practice drive. Since I'll be the one driving it down to Burleson Friday for our weekend away. I drove it to Walmart in Hudson Oaks, actually to the street that runs next to Walmart to get it out on to I - 20 West, drove it up to the Main Street exit, took it around the Texas turn around back up 20 to the Aledo exit over to 1886 to 730 then home, I parked it myself. Yeah me. Didn't have any problems, however it took me a while before I could breath right again. LOL. But I think I can handle pulling it down to Burleson on Friday.

Just hung out around the house the rest of the day, played on my facebook, read emails, sat here in the living room while Robert watched Nascar, the Cowboys win & now the Rangers. LOL

There ya have it folks, my life in a nut shell. LOL

Hope you all have a fantastic week. God Bless & keep you till next time.

Wednesday to Friday, 12th to the 14th of October 2011

Wednesday - very busy finishing up training with all my newbies, computer work, classes, a couple of PAR tests, menu's. I think I was running around like a chicken with it's head cut off. I don't think I ever stopped that day. Left around 4 to go home to get ready for our dinner date. Robert & I met friends in Grapevine for dinner at Le Madeleine's, it was good but of course all the boys & some of the girls wanted to watch the game so after we ate we went next door to chili's to the bar area to watch the Rangers win. It was 11 before Robert & I got home.

Thursday - I went into work early because Mike was supposed to give me my eval first thing. I did very well & should be getting my annual pay raise. Plus he submitted me to our District Manager for a new award the company has decided to do, ETC of the Year for each District. So exciting - however I really don't expect to get it. I'll be surprised if I do. After the confrontation between our DM & myself back in the early part of the year I don't think he likes me much. We'll see. It would be nice to get some sort of recognition after 5 years as an ETC.

This was my long day & surprisingly it was a very good day. Everyone was in a great mood, we were all having alot of fun, we stayed steady. I had some of my newbies finishing up their computer work. Working around some of these new guys schedules is getting a bit difficult. But we'll get there. It was after 9 before I got home. Working 13 hours. Very long day.

Friday - got up before 6 & got dressed for the Weatherford Chamber of Commerce Breakfast Before Business meeting at 7:30 at the Doss Center. I took two gift baskets for the drawing & our holiday brochures. Made a couple of new contacts that I believed panned out very well for our store. Met a man who is the President of the Texas Home Builders Association & they meet once a month at a different restaurant that isn't working out for them, so he had quite a few questions. I gave him some info, Mike's card & told him to call I'm sure we could work something out.

After the meeting I went to Walmart to do some grocery shopping then home to unload. Did some house work & chilled out. Took a nap. LOL Robert woke me up around 5. We just hung out at the house & watched recorded shows from the week that we didn't watch due to watching the Rangers. In the evening Kelley called me & said that a lady had come in to talk to Mike about using the dinning room once a month for their meeting. The gentleman from earlier in the day had told me he'd have his secretary call, it seems she decided to come in rather than call. I think they worked out a deal & it would make us an extra 800 one Tuesday a month. This would be great. Love local network marketing.

So, not a lot to tell for the past 3 days. Same ol', same ol'.

Enjoy your weekend. God Bless