Trip to PA

Happy Birthday, Nicole! That huge cookie was pretty tasty!


My two crazy sisters, Linda and Nicole


I caught Nicole off guard when she was coming home from the doctor one day...had to get some good pictures of that belly! She's getting close....

Elijah with his Aunt Nicole (she didn't want to be in the pic!) -- and also with his Aunt Linda above.


The cousins (left to right) Breah and Natalie on the couch, Calvin in the red shirt, Sarah in the pink and Ben is the boy in the white shirt in only the second picture.


Fun with food? Breah and Uncle Stu got silly with celery...and Stu decides to be a walrus?


Natalie with her single celery fang... and Calvin eats his celery to help him do Kung Fu!


POOL FUN! Brett had just as much fun as the kids did...maybe more!



Ben was all tired out after swimming all day!


What a good Jack dog! He was so good with all the kids, including Elijah!


Hi, Super Sarah! Looking super cute I'd say! Calvin riding his Big Wheel


Ben got an expander put in while I was there. Linda and oldest daughter Breah


Elijah, looking kind of tired from all the playtime! Sometimes he tried to push Sarah's head into the carpet!


But aren't they SUPER CUTE here????


Linda calls this Sarah's tribute to Devo....I see the resemblance!!!


And last but certainly not least, this is Nic's cat Yorke....all messed up on catnip one night...notice the tongue sticking out! I had to put this one in here for laughs!

home

We are home...vacation is always great, but the comforts of home are just unbeatable.

Elijah and I had an early flight out of Baltimore this morning. A little bit of turbulence at the beginning and end but otherwise an OK flight. Elijah slept for only about 30 minutes after waking up at 4:30am to go to the airport. He seemed to be getting fussy about 45 minutes prior to landing...of course, I could smell that he was sitting in something that couldn't be too comfortable! As we were getting off the plane, however, we heard so many people say "Oh, he was SO good! Do you fly with him often?" So maybe I was just thinking he was fussier than he was!

It is now just after noon and Elijah has finally allowed himself to fall asleep. So I need to utilize this time wisely and unpack our rather monstrous suitcase! I have somewhere around 100 pictures that are on our camera right now that I will go through soon and post some of them. For now, I just wanted to say HI and that we got back to Wisconsin safe and sound!

In Pennsylvania!

Well, we pulled off the secret! After a long delay in our flight out of Milwaukee, and then having to wait for my luggage due to "ramp construction" at Baltimore's airport, I arrived at the house of my older sister Linda on Wednesday...pulled up to her house in a Lincoln Town Car and called her house.....

ME : "What are you doing?"

HER: "Eating lunch with the kids; why?"

ME: "You should look out your window..."

HER: "Why? Who's here?" pause...

She sees me and screams!

Excellent! Then, my younger sister Nicole FINALLY arrives (I remember how long it took me to do things when I was pregnant!) She cried...happy, of course.

So yes, we are in Pennsylvania...Elijah and I, that is. He has taken quite some time to adjust...we've had a few temper tantrums and 2 major meltdowns but other than that, he's been a champ. He's enjoying the time with his cousins here...he's taken quite the liking to Calvin. I have some cute video footage but not a whole lot of time to put it on the computer. Computer is upstairs in Nicole's house and that's where Eli and I are bunking together. So when he goes to bed, I want him to stay ASLEEP! But if not sooner, I'll get some up when I get home on Wednesday.

We've basically taken a few days to relax and let Elijah adjust a little...today, Nic and Stu are at their labor and delivery class until 11:30am. After that, we're going to head over to Linda and Brett's house. HOPEFULLY, Elijah will want to take a good nap this afternoon and Nic and I are going out for a little Nic & Sam time...I still don't fit into too many of my clothes (OK, NONE of the prepregnancy stuff fits over the nursing boobs!) so I need to find a shirt to wear to church on Sunday. Then we're going to grill out with the Koller Clan (Linda, Brett, the 5 cousins, Tom the Cat and Jack the Dog!) and Nic and Stu. Should be a good time! Early next week, Nic said she'll keep an eye on the babies during nap time so Linda and I can go out for lunch...I believe the restaurant is called Issac's...all of their sandwiches are named after birds (like The Crazy Crane...but not that one...they don't have a sandwich made with Crane meat!)...good stuff.

So that is my update for now...aside from missing Adam, we're doing all right! I will update you as soon as I have some time! Love to everyone!

seven random things

OK, I have at least a half-hour to try to do this again. I am having quite some difficulty thinking of 7 things...but I'll give it a shot....



#1: I have really irrational phobias...I mean, REALLY irrational. For example, clowns. Another example...chevron signs. Yeah, those FREAK me out when I'm driving. I don't have any idea where these phobias came from, either. Weird...

***EDIT*** I forgot one...I am terrified of lady bugs! Those little spotted bodies just creep me out! I can't even let one be in the same room as me. This could be due to the invasion of lady bugs and Asian beetles when I lived in Iowa...there were probably MILLIONS of them in my apartment for about a week straight! I vacuumed them all up and they made my vacuum cleaner bag STINK like rotting carcass! NASTY.

#2: I have a very hard time relaxing when the kitchen is unkempt. Sometimes I am just too tired to clean it, but then my whole evening is a little high stress. When I finish doing the dishes, however, I feel like I'm on top of the world!


#3: Sometimes I iron bedsheets. Wait...it gets better. I take them OUT of the linen closet and iron the fold lines out of them. Then they get refolded and put away. I find it helps me feel less stressed to "iron out the wrinkles". I haven't done this all that much since Elijah was born but I still think about it...


#4: When I carry cash in my wallet, it MUST be organized. First by 1's, 5's, etc...then I organize all the 1's alphabetically by the letter in the reserve seal, and finally all the 1's in each letter section are organized by serial number. Thank goodness for Visa Check Cards...


#5: I have this "thing" about brushing my teeth. If my teeth feel even the least bit slimy or gritty, I have to brush them...and I tend to be a little vigorous about it. I usually need a new tooth brush after only 2 months because the bristles start to fall out! When I had my own store, I kept a tooth brush and toothpaste in the office. Now I keep it in my car


#6: I love to compose crazy little songs about whatever. It started with my pets...Sadie first, then Fatboy Slim and then Finnegan. Then when Elijah was born, I started making up songs in hopes they would help to stop him from crying. Crazy thing is some of those songs STILL work for him! (Elijah especially likes "The OKAY" song!)


#7: I sleep with one of Elijah's baby blankets because it smells like him. Adam claims I'm going to need strong sedatives when Elijah leaves home someday! It's been about a month and I look for his blanket when I go to bed at night...*sigh*


WOW...can't believe I finished it finally...

goodbye, taco bell

I will leave further details later but I thought everyone would like to hear my good news:

I put my 2 week notice in today, and my boss called me this afternoon to discuss it...well, basically to tell me that my resignation was "acknowledged" and "accepted".

Know what?? I feel pretty good tonight!

ha!

WOW...can you see the similarity????

10 years = tenure?

Last week, I called my boss and told him that I really needed to work in a store closer to home. I explained that I was gone for too many hours a day and that I wanted to be closer so that I had more time to spend with Elijah (and Adam of course, but the baby-baby needs me...). I told him that I had really given this north side drive a try and it was just wearing on me. Plus, there were/are some "in-store issues" that were making work difficult, one of which was that the store manager...Tom M...was scheduling me for an 11am to 9pm shift. C'mon! Even though I got out of work on Sunday by 7pm, by the time I got home shortly after 8, Adam had already had to put a very fussy Elijah to bed. I went to bed Sunday night feeling very defeated...by my job. Tom C (my boss) said to call him Monday...yesterday...and he would see what he could work out for me. So I patiently waited.

Now, yesterday was a particularly tough day at work. It was really busy and it was VERY warm and humid. Working in a hot kitchen on a humid day makes everyone's nerves a little short. I am not proud to say that my nerves were about shot at 10am! To make matters worse, Tom M doesn't have a CLUE how to properly deploy his staff...he had people working positions that they had never worked in the middle of a crazy rush. People who go to fast food restaurants during lunch time USUALLY have a time constraint...they are on lunch break and need to get back to work. It was taking me and my side of the line an average of 5 minutes PER ORDER to get people their food. Standard for the dining room is 1.5 minutes or less. I was embarrassed and irritated. Customers were understanding but obviously a little irritated as well. Long story short, I directed some rather harsh comments at Tom M and ended up just feeling like crap. In walks my boss...Tom C.

Once lunch was over, Tom C and I had a chance to talk about my situation. I again reiterated that this was taking its toll on me...and that I NEEDED to be closer to home. Tom C asked me what I had for suggestions. Know what I said? "How about I work here a couple days a week and the other 2-3 days I can work in a store that isn't an hour away?" I offered to be their slave 2-3 days a week. Here's what I was told:

"Sandy, we need to first put people where we need them. You're needed here...the store's numbers have improved significantly since you've been here. Second, we need to put people in stores where their salary can be supported. Third, there just aren't any openings closer to your home."

Grrrrrrrrrrrrrr...

But then the light...

"What if we let you work a 40 hour week instead of 50? You could either work 5, 8-hour days or 4, 10-hour days? You'd still have the drive but you'd have more time at home?"

I thought a moment. 4, 10-hour days would still suck but it would mean 3 days home with baby-baby! I didn't even get to respond...

"However, you would only get paid for 40 hours."

Here's where the title comes in...QSR became a company in 1997. I worked for Taco Bell Corporate prior to that time. In 1997, I decided to stay at the store I was at and work for QSR. That means I have worked for this company since its beginning. 10 years...I should have TENURE. And they can't even bend a little for me. I've bent over backwards for this company. I moved my entire life to NEVADA IOWA, for crying out loud! I am currently spending 12-13 hours a day away from my infant and my husband. And you're going to tell me that after 10 years of nothing but DEDICATED service, you can't keep me on my normal salary for a few months? If I work 40 hours, I would still spend 8 hours driving for a 4-day work week, or 10 hours driving for a 5-day work week...48 to 50 hours. I would really like to insert an very evil word in here right now but I'm using better judgment. Whatever...I'm hurt and angry. These are not healthy emotions. And on top of all that, I'm a little scared about what I'm going to do for work now. BUT, I'm completely at peace with the fact that I know where I stand with QSR. Tenured? If this is the way QSR treats its tenured employees, I guess I really don't want it.....