The BBC believes most people will have only read 6 of the 100 books here.
How do your reading habits stack up?
Instructions:Look at the list and put an 'x' after those you have read.
I copied this from a friends facebook page. I had read 19 from the list. Jake has 30 under his belt. Comment and count how many you've read.
Isn't everyone always wanting to know what to read next?....Now you might have an answer! Enjoy reading
1 Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen
2 The Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien
3 Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte
4 Harry Potter series - JK Rowling
5 To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee
6 The Bible -
7 Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte
8 1984 - George Orwell
9 His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman
10 Great Expectations - Charles Dickens
11 Little Women - Louisa M Alcott
12 Tess of the D’Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy
13 Catch 22 - Joseph Heller
14 Complete Works of Shakespeare
15 Rebecca - Daphne Du Maurier
16 The Hobbit - JRR Tolkien
17 Birdsong - Sebastian Faulk
18 Catcher in the Rye - JD Salinger
19 The Time Traveller’s Wife - Audrey Niffenegger
20 Middlemarch - George Eliot
21 Gone With The Wind - Margaret Mitchell
22 The Great Gatsby - F Scott Fitzgerald
23 Bleak House - Charles Dickens
24 War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy
25 The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams
26 Brideshead Revisited - Evelyn Waugh
27 Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoyevsky
28 Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck
29 Alice in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll
30 The Wind in the Willows - Kenneth Grahame
31 Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy
32 David Copperfield - Charles Dickens
33 Chronicles of Narnia - CS Lewis
34 Emma - Jane Austen
35 Persuasion - Jane Austen
36 The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe - CS Lewis
37 The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini
38 Captain Corelli’s Mandolin - Louis De Bernieres
39 Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden
40 Winnie the Pooh - AA Milne
41 Animal Farm - George Orwell
42 The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown
43 One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
44 A Prayer for Owen Meany - John Irving
45 The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins
46 Anne of Green Gables - LM Montgomery
47 Far From The Madding Crowd - Thomas Hardy
48 The Handmaid’s Tale - Margaret Atwood
49 Lord of the Flies - William Golding
50 Atonement - Ian McEwan
51 Life of Pi - Yann Martel
52 Dune - Frank Herbert
53 Cold Comfort Farm - Stella Gibbons
54 Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen
55 A Suitable Boy - Vikram Seth
56 The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon
57 A Tale Of Two Cities - Charles Dickens
58 Brave New World - Aldous Huxley
59 The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time - Mark Haddon
60 Love In The Time Of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
61 Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck
62 Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov
63 The Secret History - Donna Tartt
64 The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold
65 Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas
66 On The Road - Jack Kerouac
67 Jude the Obscure - Thomas Hardy
68 Bridget Jones’s Diary - Helen Fielding
69 Midnight’s Children - Salman Rushdie
70 Moby Dick - Herman Melville
71 Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens
72 Dracula - Bram Stoker
73 The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett
74 Notes From A Small Island - Bill Bryson
75 Ulysses - James Joyce
76 The Inferno - Dante
77 Swallows and Amazons - Arthur Ransome
78 Germinal - Emile Zola
79 Vanity Fair - William Makepeace Thackeray
80 Possession - AS Byatt
81 A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens
82 Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell
83 The Color Purple - Alice Walker
84 The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro
85 Madame Bovary - Gustave Flaubert
86 A Fine Balance - Rohinton Mistry
87 Charlotte’s Web - EB White
88 The Five People You Meet In Heaven - Mitch Albom
89 Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
90 The Faraway Tree Collection - Enid Blyton
91 Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad
92 The Little Prince - Antoine De Saint-Exupery
93 The Wasp Factory - Iain Banks
94 Watership Down - Richard Adams
95 A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole
96 A Town Like Alice - Nevil Shute
97 The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas
98 Hamlet - William Shakespeare
99 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl
100 Les Miserables - Victor Hugo
Friday, February 27, 2009
Monday, February 23, 2009
Grand Canyon
We'll see if this works, perhaps if I put time and effort into typing at work, and then simply add the photos later...this could work out..then again IF you beautiful readers only look at the blog once, you may miss out....we'll figure something out.
Jake doesn't drive a stick, or rather didn't. We've been trying to take the time to teach him (side note..i love alliteration..while driving on this trip jake read HP:VI to me..or at least started...anyone ever noticed the alliteration the author uses with H's and P's in that book....think it's a coincidence?)
over the past couple years, but the time is never really there....who wants to go out on a beautiful Sat...and drive around an empty parking lot.
POINT BEING: Jake took it upon himself to take my car out after I was in bed Wed and Thurs this last week to practice driving my Saturn so that we could take my car to the Grand Canyon (GC) for the better gas mileage. The first night he just went around the block...the second night he tackeled I-15...he sounded so happy with himself.
Friday afternoon we were off. I started driving we did our normal listen to some cds...we started with Van Morrison (Jake's pick.) anyhoo...
we switched drivers when we got to 89 near Kanab. (I think.) Jake drove...and did a good job....and then a huge Jack Rabbit attacked the car...and there was no hope. Aside from both of us being a little shocked....jake kept driving for about an hour, but the road was really winding, and there was a car behind us that wouldn't pass, and it was getting to be really irritating, and we could hear something coming from under the car...we decided to pull over when the road widened...I was scared of what we would find under the car. I grabeed my flashlight and BEHOLD....
part of the "protecter" from under the car had come loose from our "killer bunny." Mom(terri) had given me an emergency kit for the car a few years back....and it had some tape. So jake and i are laying on the ground at 11pm in some podunk town in the frigid air with a beautiful clear starry sky. It was an experience. Later we stopped in Page and jake bought some duct tape, just in case the other stuff wouldn't stay.
other than that....we got to the GC at 1:00am..dad met us at the edge of the park to guide us in. It was pitch black, but as we were driving I had the feeling that if it were light outside i could peer into the canyon from where we were. It was a little eery feeling the massive gap!
The next morning we got up at our leisure had a nice breakfast and headed off for the Bright Angel Trail. Dad should us the first part of the way and snapped a few pics for us, then we were off...it was about noon when we got started.
We were told that it takes about twice as long to come up as to go down, so we decided we would need to turn around at about 200pm. I stopped for photo ops often, cause HELLo, it's beautiful. Being that it is February, even in AZ, we were hicking on snow THE ENTIRE TIME. we kept asking people as they were hiking up...how much farther till the snow was gone, but THEY LIED. anyhoo...we went down for 2 hours, and were sad that we couldn't keep going, but we didn't want to get caught in the dark, and we wanted to see the sun set over the canyon...from up top.
(sorry this is getting long.)
We were both glad when we turned around cause it was HARD to hike up. It's not too steep or anything, it's just CONTINUOUS and then some...not to mention the snow....(it was easier going up on the snow than down....)---Most people had these things they sell in the gift shop..like cat tracks..or something...helps when hiking on the snow...we didn't know about it AND didn't want to spend $25 each...we made it just fine....
We made it to the top...drum roll please..................
by
4pm!
I guess we "pushed" ourselves...or maybe i took too many photo breaks on the way down??? either way we (mostly me) were incredibly tired when we got topside AND
with 2 1/2 hours left before the sunset....we went back to the lodge to nap....and i woke up around 547pm...and decided to stay in bed..and then 617 woke up again, and
it was dark outside...
oVER ALL though, we had a blast.
We trekked out in the PITCH black...(very little lamps outside where we were on the South Rim) to find the Lodge dad was playing his gig in.. ....the whole Lounge was focused on Dad...it was a lot of fun...he embarassed me by saying to the entire place that we brought Jake back as a souvenir because I'm so particular about my souvenirs....(i actually thought that was quite clever.)
Dad invited jake onstage to play a few songs,
the crowd LOVED him.
dad said he talked with someone that sets up the gigs...so you never know, Jakes name might be on the list for entertainers sometime....we can only hope and pray!! (they play for a week!! that would be soo cool.)
we had thought we'd take some time when we left on Sunday to stop at the viewing sites as we left the park...since it was dark on the way in.
then we realized that if we wanted to drive through Zions National Park on the way home it would add some extra time on our trip...and we both had to work on Monday....so we decided that we didn't need to stop.
(i'm almost done, promise.)
HOWEVER,
as we were approaching the edge of the park, i couldn't take it anymore, (jake had started to read HP again, and as I was noticing the view to the left open up, i'd tap jake for him to look up and he would say how amazing it looked, so ...)
FINALLY i decided that i was in control of the car and made the decision to pull over. (and it's a great thing i did, because it was the last stop, and we could see th river at the bottom, and it was amazing.)
anyhoo..
so then we drove up through Zions, and that is an AMAZING drive....we had to pay the park fee of $25 to go through, and we weren't thrilled about that...but i think it was worth it...jake had my camera at the ready and snapped the crap out of that canyon...it was awesome. We got out a few times and "hiked" around...but i was feeling that great...whether from driving, or from hiking the day before....either way....the red rock sprinkled with snow...and then the ever greens, and We really really liked the tunnels. The rocks were massive.
i drove the whole way home....jake is amazingly wonderful with keeping me awake with chatting, reading to me, and playing Anastasia as loud as i want while i sing at the top of my lungs...and he duets with me too....(i still cry when the song from our wedding plays....at the beginning....)
we got home and we were both wasted...he whipped up a quick dinner while we caught the tail end of THE ROCK.
It was a swell weekend. I"ll plost pics soon.
as always, thanks for reading.
Jake doesn't drive a stick, or rather didn't. We've been trying to take the time to teach him (side note..i love alliteration..while driving on this trip jake read HP:VI to me..or at least started...anyone ever noticed the alliteration the author uses with H's and P's in that book....think it's a coincidence?)
over the past couple years, but the time is never really there....who wants to go out on a beautiful Sat...and drive around an empty parking lot.
POINT BEING: Jake took it upon himself to take my car out after I was in bed Wed and Thurs this last week to practice driving my Saturn so that we could take my car to the Grand Canyon (GC) for the better gas mileage. The first night he just went around the block...the second night he tackeled I-15...he sounded so happy with himself.
Friday afternoon we were off. I started driving we did our normal listen to some cds...we started with Van Morrison (Jake's pick.) anyhoo...
we switched drivers when we got to 89 near Kanab. (I think.) Jake drove...and did a good job....and then a huge Jack Rabbit attacked the car...and there was no hope. Aside from both of us being a little shocked....jake kept driving for about an hour, but the road was really winding, and there was a car behind us that wouldn't pass, and it was getting to be really irritating, and we could hear something coming from under the car...we decided to pull over when the road widened...I was scared of what we would find under the car. I grabeed my flashlight and BEHOLD....
part of the "protecter" from under the car had come loose from our "killer bunny." Mom(terri) had given me an emergency kit for the car a few years back....and it had some tape. So jake and i are laying on the ground at 11pm in some podunk town in the frigid air with a beautiful clear starry sky. It was an experience. Later we stopped in Page and jake bought some duct tape, just in case the other stuff wouldn't stay.
other than that....we got to the GC at 1:00am..dad met us at the edge of the park to guide us in. It was pitch black, but as we were driving I had the feeling that if it were light outside i could peer into the canyon from where we were. It was a little eery feeling the massive gap!
The next morning we got up at our leisure had a nice breakfast and headed off for the Bright Angel Trail. Dad should us the first part of the way and snapped a few pics for us, then we were off...it was about noon when we got started.
We were told that it takes about twice as long to come up as to go down, so we decided we would need to turn around at about 200pm. I stopped for photo ops often, cause HELLo, it's beautiful. Being that it is February, even in AZ, we were hicking on snow THE ENTIRE TIME. we kept asking people as they were hiking up...how much farther till the snow was gone, but THEY LIED. anyhoo...we went down for 2 hours, and were sad that we couldn't keep going, but we didn't want to get caught in the dark, and we wanted to see the sun set over the canyon...from up top.
(sorry this is getting long.)
We were both glad when we turned around cause it was HARD to hike up. It's not too steep or anything, it's just CONTINUOUS and then some...not to mention the snow....(it was easier going up on the snow than down....)---Most people had these things they sell in the gift shop..like cat tracks..or something...helps when hiking on the snow...we didn't know about it AND didn't want to spend $25 each...we made it just fine....
We made it to the top...drum roll please..................
by
4pm!
I guess we "pushed" ourselves...or maybe i took too many photo breaks on the way down??? either way we (mostly me) were incredibly tired when we got topside AND
with 2 1/2 hours left before the sunset....we went back to the lodge to nap....and i woke up around 547pm...and decided to stay in bed..and then 617 woke up again, and
it was dark outside...
oVER ALL though, we had a blast.
We trekked out in the PITCH black...(very little lamps outside where we were on the South Rim) to find the Lodge dad was playing his gig in.. ....the whole Lounge was focused on Dad...it was a lot of fun...he embarassed me by saying to the entire place that we brought Jake back as a souvenir because I'm so particular about my souvenirs....(i actually thought that was quite clever.)
Dad invited jake onstage to play a few songs,
the crowd LOVED him.
dad said he talked with someone that sets up the gigs...so you never know, Jakes name might be on the list for entertainers sometime....we can only hope and pray!! (they play for a week!! that would be soo cool.)
we had thought we'd take some time when we left on Sunday to stop at the viewing sites as we left the park...since it was dark on the way in.
then we realized that if we wanted to drive through Zions National Park on the way home it would add some extra time on our trip...and we both had to work on Monday....so we decided that we didn't need to stop.
(i'm almost done, promise.)
HOWEVER,
as we were approaching the edge of the park, i couldn't take it anymore, (jake had started to read HP again, and as I was noticing the view to the left open up, i'd tap jake for him to look up and he would say how amazing it looked, so ...)
FINALLY i decided that i was in control of the car and made the decision to pull over. (and it's a great thing i did, because it was the last stop, and we could see th river at the bottom, and it was amazing.)
anyhoo..
so then we drove up through Zions, and that is an AMAZING drive....we had to pay the park fee of $25 to go through, and we weren't thrilled about that...but i think it was worth it...jake had my camera at the ready and snapped the crap out of that canyon...it was awesome. We got out a few times and "hiked" around...but i was feeling that great...whether from driving, or from hiking the day before....either way....the red rock sprinkled with snow...and then the ever greens, and We really really liked the tunnels. The rocks were massive.
i drove the whole way home....jake is amazingly wonderful with keeping me awake with chatting, reading to me, and playing Anastasia as loud as i want while i sing at the top of my lungs...and he duets with me too....(i still cry when the song from our wedding plays....at the beginning....)
we got home and we were both wasted...he whipped up a quick dinner while we caught the tail end of THE ROCK.
It was a swell weekend. I"ll plost pics soon.
as always, thanks for reading.
Monday, February 16, 2009
Ouch!
As many of you may know, I don't work out. Like ever. I consider myself an active enough person, but going to the gym doesn't fit into my schedule. However, Jake has been going to 24 hour Fitness everyday for the past month. (before that was 3 times a week.) I think he enjoys the discipline.
This past Saturday we decided to go to the gym together. (after we got a call from Jakes brother about his engagement!!!!...well we didn't officially hear from Andrew until later that night...but we knew what had happened!!)
Anyhoo...Jake does the Eliptical for 30 mintues, than various weights or machines, then ends with crunches...with this roller table kind of thing...not sure what you call it.
So I decided to join him with his workout...didn't think to lessen it because....let's face it, that's not in my personality.
Half way ...really 10 minutes into the Eliptical, I started whining a bit. I allowed myself to stop more often than Jake (like 10 times as much and drink more water...) >>If Shara were reading this she'd completely understand ..I tried a cycling class with her ONCE..and that was more than enough for me. I finished the 30 minutes...but could barely walk down the stairs.
I wanted to work on my legs, since I seem to sit ALL day long....I always have enjoyed doing reps on differnet machines, it almost feels like a game. We did a few different machines...Jake was really patient to stay with me the whole time....I think he enjoyed it. and to finish it off we went back upstairs to the crunches machine....I love doing crunches..so I was showing off a bit and putting both legs in the air and pulling up with the bar...Jake said "impressive." I'm not sure I should have been so impressive...
SO the point is..the rest of the day went fabulous, and then I went to bed, and then I woke up...somewhat of a mistake.
Yest. My abs were hurting...but only right in the center right under your heart/ribs area...it hurt. not the lower abs, just the top...COughing was NO fun..
then today I woke up and now my inner legs are killing me....I need to stretch, but sitting here at work....smiles..I guess if anyone asks, I can refer them to this blog..giggles.
I like the pain because I know my muscles are being toned...or were or whatever, but...
it still
HURTS!
have a good day, and thanks for reading.
May you work out and enjoy the pain as well
This past Saturday we decided to go to the gym together. (after we got a call from Jakes brother about his engagement!!!!...well we didn't officially hear from Andrew until later that night...but we knew what had happened!!)
Anyhoo...Jake does the Eliptical for 30 mintues, than various weights or machines, then ends with crunches...with this roller table kind of thing...not sure what you call it.
So I decided to join him with his workout...didn't think to lessen it because....let's face it, that's not in my personality.
Half way ...really 10 minutes into the Eliptical, I started whining a bit. I allowed myself to stop more often than Jake (like 10 times as much and drink more water...) >>If Shara were reading this she'd completely understand ..I tried a cycling class with her ONCE..and that was more than enough for me. I finished the 30 minutes...but could barely walk down the stairs.
I wanted to work on my legs, since I seem to sit ALL day long....I always have enjoyed doing reps on differnet machines, it almost feels like a game. We did a few different machines...Jake was really patient to stay with me the whole time....I think he enjoyed it. and to finish it off we went back upstairs to the crunches machine....I love doing crunches..so I was showing off a bit and putting both legs in the air and pulling up with the bar...Jake said "impressive." I'm not sure I should have been so impressive...
SO the point is..the rest of the day went fabulous, and then I went to bed, and then I woke up...somewhat of a mistake.
Yest. My abs were hurting...but only right in the center right under your heart/ribs area...it hurt. not the lower abs, just the top...COughing was NO fun..
then today I woke up and now my inner legs are killing me....I need to stretch, but sitting here at work....smiles..I guess if anyone asks, I can refer them to this blog..giggles.
I like the pain because I know my muscles are being toned...or were or whatever, but...
it still
HURTS!
have a good day, and thanks for reading.
May you work out and enjoy the pain as well
Saturday, February 14, 2009
Christmas...better late than never
Here's a glimpse into the fun time we had with our family up in Minnesota. Yes, it was freezing (didn't take my thermals off once.) but it was a blast! ...as you can see. Jake and his dad made this awesome sledding path in the back yard...starting just up from where we are in the first picture....next to the window of the house...just up past the pines
He was so in his element.
This is Alyssa
This is Sage
Later that day, we decided to go back out for some night sledding. I tried to be brave. The sled got turned around backwards with only me on it...and instead of bailing, i figured i'd be cool and ride it out....as you can see in the picture above...the trees just to the left of where jake and i are, i landed smack in the middle of them....head bumping into them at top speed. Thankfully nothing bad happened but it scared us..including my brother in law who was watching at the top of the hill. I havne't gone sledding since. Hopefully i'll get the nerve up again sometime, i'm just going to stay away from trees.
He was so in his element.
This is Alyssa
This is Sage
And to end it all, Sweet Alyssa throwing snow (as we had all agreed on), right into dads pants....we had a lot of fun.(take note of how jayna is still not having a fun time.Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Shrug...?
As i read my fellow bloggers posts, I realize I haven't been adding too much. It's mostly a time thing...like i've complained before. I really like to post with pics...but since I'm REALLY slow with uploading onto the computer, and then even slower loading them onto this thing....
I'm crocheting a blanket right now.
Jake and I have been doing some water color at home and during arts group.
My friends are home from their Europe trip...and one of them is off again...to Hawaii currently.
Both jobs are going GREAT!
We're going to attempt our taxes this weekend...we tried to do the paper book together like we did last year...and i think we need help this time...cause the numbers just aren't making any sense.
SuperBowl sunday was fun, we watched it with some friends....it was a fun game to watch...
other than the 171 I bowled on monday...and jakes audition last night....there isn't much that comes to mind....I"ll keep thinking...and really make an effort to add some pics to these lame posts....smiles to everyone who is reading...hope you are being blessed and are blessing others.
I'm crocheting a blanket right now.
Jake and I have been doing some water color at home and during arts group.
My friends are home from their Europe trip...and one of them is off again...to Hawaii currently.
Both jobs are going GREAT!
We're going to attempt our taxes this weekend...we tried to do the paper book together like we did last year...and i think we need help this time...cause the numbers just aren't making any sense.
SuperBowl sunday was fun, we watched it with some friends....it was a fun game to watch...
other than the 171 I bowled on monday...and jakes audition last night....there isn't much that comes to mind....I"ll keep thinking...and really make an effort to add some pics to these lame posts....smiles to everyone who is reading...hope you are being blessed and are blessing others.
Saturday, January 24, 2009
Sears Portrait Phenomenon
As many of you know, I've worked for Sears Portrait Studio for 10 years. I have recently decided to cut ties with their actual company CPI corps. For the most part CPI has taken good care of me, especially the vacation hours I've accumulated over the years. However, because of my newer job as an ASL interpreter I have decided that my time can best be spent doing that at the educational level and the Video Relay Service that I'm also involved in.
Taking photos of families, babies, grads and anything else you can think of has brought me great joy for the last decade; with joy also comes pain. The industry of photos is so sales driven that it's become too much. I was born to do sales. I really am amazing at it...although I never worked for commission. I believe in passion and when I'm passionate about something, it tends to be contagious, hence... people will buy. But the corporate world was never satisfied. I can't tell you the amount of times prices went up on the same product...no quality change, just the price...simply because they could.
The new company I work for has so many perks, I feel well taken care of. Sears on the other hand (and I mean CPI...we really aren't involved with sears at all except for the location.) has very little appreciation they show....except for the once a year fiscal number crunching whether or not we beat our sales and sittings from the previous year. The cycle works out so that you want to just BARELY beat your sales from the previous year so that you can guarantee your position the next year. IT's Ridiculous...not to mention the stress the bigger bosses put on their managers to make it happen. Soliciting patrons in the store.....come in for a free 8x10...and then do whatever you can to get them to buy more. It's uncomfortable and exhausting. and i'm fed up with it.
I could go on and on....but I will ju st say that I'veenjoyed most of the time that I worked there...obviously....because I believe if you don't like your job, than you shouldn't do it....so that is why I have finally decided to really stop it this time. I'm unhappy there....THE PEOPLE I WORKED with are fabulous. That is really the reason I stayed on for so long. It just finally became too much, and God has given me abilities and opportunities to take care of finances elsewhere.
I told a few of my customers whom I've worked with since there babies were born that if they were to ever see my face in the obituaries that I'd like everyone to bring photos that i've taken and make a mosaic to me...sort of like Mr. Holland's Opus...you know, the smiles and tears that I've captured over the years....It's been amazing to be intimately involved with so many people by taking photos of their babies and Great grand parents...etc...but...just because the CPI/Sears chapter of my life is closed doesn't mean anyone could EVER pry my camera from my ..........hands (I was almost going to quote Charelton Heston...but it sounded too morbid.).
...THAT will never happen.
as always.
thanks for reading.
Taking photos of families, babies, grads and anything else you can think of has brought me great joy for the last decade; with joy also comes pain. The industry of photos is so sales driven that it's become too much. I was born to do sales. I really am amazing at it...although I never worked for commission. I believe in passion and when I'm passionate about something, it tends to be contagious, hence... people will buy. But the corporate world was never satisfied. I can't tell you the amount of times prices went up on the same product...no quality change, just the price...simply because they could.
The new company I work for has so many perks, I feel well taken care of. Sears on the other hand (and I mean CPI...we really aren't involved with sears at all except for the location.) has very little appreciation they show....except for the once a year fiscal number crunching whether or not we beat our sales and sittings from the previous year. The cycle works out so that you want to just BARELY beat your sales from the previous year so that you can guarantee your position the next year. IT's Ridiculous...not to mention the stress the bigger bosses put on their managers to make it happen. Soliciting patrons in the store.....come in for a free 8x10...and then do whatever you can to get them to buy more. It's uncomfortable and exhausting. and i'm fed up with it.
I could go on and on....but I will ju st say that I'veenjoyed most of the time that I worked there...obviously....because I believe if you don't like your job, than you shouldn't do it....so that is why I have finally decided to really stop it this time. I'm unhappy there....THE PEOPLE I WORKED with are fabulous. That is really the reason I stayed on for so long. It just finally became too much, and God has given me abilities and opportunities to take care of finances elsewhere.
I told a few of my customers whom I've worked with since there babies were born that if they were to ever see my face in the obituaries that I'd like everyone to bring photos that i've taken and make a mosaic to me...sort of like Mr. Holland's Opus...you know, the smiles and tears that I've captured over the years....It's been amazing to be intimately involved with so many people by taking photos of their babies and Great grand parents...etc...but...just because the CPI/Sears chapter of my life is closed doesn't mean anyone could EVER pry my camera from my ..........hands (I was almost going to quote Charelton Heston...but it sounded too morbid.).
...THAT will never happen.
as always.
thanks for reading.
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
main reason for blogging??? come to an end?
Hey there. My two dear friends Rebecca and Elizabeth (Little Lod and the Queen) have recently come home from their 6 months abroad. They were the main reason that I started blogging.
However, I really enjoy it now...whether anyone else checks this or not..I think it'll be fun to reflect and look back on my year...because of what I blogged on.
However, I'm still lazy at this because I like to add photos, but because of my time/what I choose to do with my time while I'm around my computer at home.....I don't typically choose to blog.
So...I could just type and let you know what's been going on...but that sounds sort of boring...is it better just not to write at all?
MY BIRTHDAY WEEKEND/week was/is this past 4 day/holiday weekend.
So a little clarification to that back slash chaos. As most of you know, I not only have the one fabulous day that I (and my twin) was born....I enjoy an entire week of festivities. This week kicked off with "my girls" coming on on
THURSDAY. That evening was spent looking at 2000 photos ranging from stray cats in Egypt, to a Nile Cruise, various Obliesques...(sp..i'm sure is wrong...sorry ladies.)...The pyramids...and on and on and on...(Yes, I WANTED to see all 8000 that night, but there just wasn't enough time in the day.)...
therefore, we continued it to
FRIDAY after I got off of work.(we made it through Ireland England Some France, and Spain...and ate at Greek Souvlaki..my favorite place to eat ever!!
SATURDAY was a hair trim, a meeting, and then Christmas Tree tear down at my parents home...then we were swept up to Snowbird for an amazing ...(what's that really amazing cut of steak...prime rib???)...that, with lobster bernaise on top...(my fav.) as usual mom and dad spoil my tastebuds like crazy...topped with a fine JakesCreek Merlot..
that was nice..and a bit later, a purple saki...that was fun too
um...then..SUNDAY.: church, and then we had a fun January birthday/welcome home/congrats party for daniel moore for getting his EMT certification. It was fun...(there are 4+ people that have birthdays on the 17, 19, 16, 18...and everyother day...
it's was a blast...we try to do the birthday thing every year...it's just fun celebrating birth with friends and family.
we played mafia, ate, hung out....friends are fabulous.
MONDAY: the big day. Jake left in the morning to go SHOPPING for me..smiles.
I dropped off my photo order at sears..(my complimentary photo package from Christmas...)MY LAST ONE EVER because i quite sears a few weeks ago!!! that could have been it's own blog.
I know this is getting long, but you all know how wordy I can be...
So I went home and opened this cool gift Jake got me...I had my eye on almost one year ago, and I never expected to get it because he didn't think it looked all that cool, its a Think Fun game...sort of mind puzzles, if you aren't familiar with them...this one is called Rush Hour. YOu have cars and trucks on this grid, and there are cadrs that tell you how to set up the traffic scenerio, and then you have to move the cards round until you can get the reed car free from the tgraffic jam...it can be a little elementary, but I find it challenging, plus I think people that w come over might enjoy it. something fun to have on the cofffee table..we like to entertain our guests.
anyhoo, the majority of the birthday was spent with Elizabeth, rebecca and Jake..and my phone...TONS of poeple texting and calling and leaving messages...that was a blast.
so we saw Bedtime stories at teh movie theater, then grabbed cafe rio/chipotle...then ran home to blockbuster and rented The Happening.
THe Happening: That movie....wow...I had heard it was M. N. Shamalans first rated R.. and that Wahlberg wasn't convincing as a timid school teacher. That's all I had heard....needless to say...it was very graphic....lots of dead bodies...and how they were killed...I don't want to say too much just in case someone would EVER want to watch this...but...that mans imagination, is morbid...Yes, that statement comes from a woman who occasionally takes pictures of roadkill..that movie was morbid.
Then jake and i did our bowling league...we are in 2nd place and played against the #1 team..we tied 2 and 2, but that was better than losing 4! we were really happy..
THEN
TUESDAY: (off school cause of teachers doing grades...) MOVIE:yes man/SHOPPINGkohls /Lunch la luna (so delicious) with my bestest friend Shara, then MORE pics with the queen and lod (this time..i think..Italy, Germany, Switzerland, Belgium, Holland, Croatia, Slovenia... and we got to drink BOBA TEA...another fav..then arts group..
only to get home and play one more game of Settlers of Catan on my fav website...what an end to a beautiful week.....and then I check the mail and i get a gift from my Mary...(mom in law..but i hate using those words...)...and now i get to go to joannes wearing very warm socks and buy some fun yarn/paint, or whatever i want.
I"M SO BLESSED!!
Thanks to all for making my life wonderful and
blessed, and I hope you all receive Joy back from me when you are in my presence because you know I do with you...(hope that came out as sweet as i meant it.)
I know this is long, but i hope you've read it.
until later...hopefully not too much later..
However, I really enjoy it now...whether anyone else checks this or not..I think it'll be fun to reflect and look back on my year...because of what I blogged on.
However, I'm still lazy at this because I like to add photos, but because of my time/what I choose to do with my time while I'm around my computer at home.....I don't typically choose to blog.
So...I could just type and let you know what's been going on...but that sounds sort of boring...is it better just not to write at all?
MY BIRTHDAY WEEKEND/week was/is this past 4 day/holiday weekend.
So a little clarification to that back slash chaos. As most of you know, I not only have the one fabulous day that I (and my twin) was born....I enjoy an entire week of festivities. This week kicked off with "my girls" coming on on
THURSDAY. That evening was spent looking at 2000 photos ranging from stray cats in Egypt, to a Nile Cruise, various Obliesques...(sp..i'm sure is wrong...sorry ladies.)...The pyramids...and on and on and on...(Yes, I WANTED to see all 8000 that night, but there just wasn't enough time in the day.)...
therefore, we continued it to
FRIDAY after I got off of work.(we made it through Ireland England Some France, and Spain...and ate at Greek Souvlaki..my favorite place to eat ever!!
SATURDAY was a hair trim, a meeting, and then Christmas Tree tear down at my parents home...then we were swept up to Snowbird for an amazing ...(what's that really amazing cut of steak...prime rib???)...that, with lobster bernaise on top...(my fav.) as usual mom and dad spoil my tastebuds like crazy...topped with a fine JakesCreek Merlot..
that was nice..and a bit later, a purple saki...that was fun too
um...then..SUNDAY.: church, and then we had a fun January birthday/welcome home/congrats party for daniel moore for getting his EMT certification. It was fun...(there are 4+ people that have birthdays on the 17, 19, 16, 18...and everyother day...
it's was a blast...we try to do the birthday thing every year...it's just fun celebrating birth with friends and family.
we played mafia, ate, hung out....friends are fabulous.
MONDAY: the big day. Jake left in the morning to go SHOPPING for me..smiles.
I dropped off my photo order at sears..(my complimentary photo package from Christmas...)MY LAST ONE EVER because i quite sears a few weeks ago!!! that could have been it's own blog.
I know this is getting long, but you all know how wordy I can be...
So I went home and opened this cool gift Jake got me...I had my eye on almost one year ago, and I never expected to get it because he didn't think it looked all that cool, its a Think Fun game...sort of mind puzzles, if you aren't familiar with them...this one is called Rush Hour. YOu have cars and trucks on this grid, and there are cadrs that tell you how to set up the traffic scenerio, and then you have to move the cards round until you can get the reed car free from the tgraffic jam...it can be a little elementary, but I find it challenging, plus I think people that w come over might enjoy it. something fun to have on the cofffee table..we like to entertain our guests.
anyhoo, the majority of the birthday was spent with Elizabeth, rebecca and Jake..and my phone...TONS of poeple texting and calling and leaving messages...that was a blast.
so we saw Bedtime stories at teh movie theater, then grabbed cafe rio/chipotle...then ran home to blockbuster and rented The Happening.
THe Happening: That movie....wow...I had heard it was M. N. Shamalans first rated R.. and that Wahlberg wasn't convincing as a timid school teacher. That's all I had heard....needless to say...it was very graphic....lots of dead bodies...and how they were killed...I don't want to say too much just in case someone would EVER want to watch this...but...that mans imagination, is morbid...Yes, that statement comes from a woman who occasionally takes pictures of roadkill..that movie was morbid.
Then jake and i did our bowling league...we are in 2nd place and played against the #1 team..we tied 2 and 2, but that was better than losing 4! we were really happy..
THEN
TUESDAY: (off school cause of teachers doing grades...) MOVIE:yes man/SHOPPINGkohls /Lunch la luna (so delicious) with my bestest friend Shara, then MORE pics with the queen and lod (this time..i think..Italy, Germany, Switzerland, Belgium, Holland, Croatia, Slovenia... and we got to drink BOBA TEA...another fav..then arts group..
only to get home and play one more game of Settlers of Catan on my fav website...what an end to a beautiful week.....and then I check the mail and i get a gift from my Mary...(mom in law..but i hate using those words...)...and now i get to go to joannes wearing very warm socks and buy some fun yarn/paint, or whatever i want.
I"M SO BLESSED!!
Thanks to all for making my life wonderful and
blessed, and I hope you all receive Joy back from me when you are in my presence because you know I do with you...(hope that came out as sweet as i meant it.)
I know this is long, but i hope you've read it.
until later...hopefully not too much later..
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