Camping! WOO!

Well invitations went out today!! Book your hotels!! Please don't make me stress over whether you're coming or not! :o We had some doubts about our cruise, but after doing more research we think this could be really great, and we're both very much looking forward to it! We can take our own champagne on board, which is VERY exciting, because I've always thought a honeymoon should include a champagne toast!!

Pat and I leave for camping tomorrow! We head to Independence first, the city right outside our camping mountain, before we head up to Onion Valley! The road is 13.8 miles almost straight up! We'll hike to Little Pothole, which is 2 miles away from the campsite, and enjoy our evening fires, as long as it doesn't rain!

Many people at work have said they can't imagine me camping! I really don't know why! I really can not be on the computer for hours at a time, and I enjoy solitude and quiet. Pat and I can sit and listen to the fire, and the evening noises and stare at the sky with narry a word to each other for a long time, just enjoying each others company. I adore camping! Next year, we're doing it more often!!

While camping, I want to visit the fish hatchery that's in the town! Maybe Pat will let me sneak home a fish!! I'll name him slippy! Slippy Trout Simpson! He'll never let me do it! :(

The best part of camping? There's a Burger King on the way, and a Subway in town! MMMMMMMMM! FOOD! I realize that it's nuts that I'm looking forward to camping for the fast food, but come on, we don't get out of town much!!

I tried very hard to step down as support, but our head assistant came to me and asked me not to. Said they'd work with me on scheduling, and whatever I needed to be happy. Now I'll be off one weekend a month! I guess the plan is to hire another support manager, for a grand total of 3, and switch weekends off. Let me just say, that would suck. I LOVE being support, and I get bored when I'm on the floor. Plus it's really hard to switch from being a regular associate some days of the week, to pretty much running the store and being in charge of everything and everyone other days.

Now I'm going to be managing even less days, and somehow, that doesn't make sense. I probably should have taken the pharmacy job, because now I feel as though I had a choice between Pat and work, and somehow, I chose both again!! *sighs* I am really confused by all of this. I am struggling very hard with not taking care of Pat and the house, but I am BEAT by the time I get home.

I guess I'll just need to keep feeling inadequate at both, because right now, it doesn't appear to be fixable! BLAH!

Anyway, it's going to be a great weekend, I'm really looking forward to it!! YAY!

Stress comes, and it goes. You get sick, you get better. Pat has taught me not to stress things, he has taught me to be calm, and to accept, and move forward. I love him!

I'm not dead!! :o

Pat's mom and dad were here with us! They got here Thursday night, and they left today at 7am! ugh!

John and MariLu are incredibly gracious people! They are so nice, and have welcomed me into their family with such willingness that it's humbling. I have a great time every chance we get together, and I'm so glad they came by to spend some time!!

Pat's dad works for the Oak Ridge National Labratory. I'm not exactly sure what he does there, but he has a doctorate in fiber optics, or something along those lines. He's fun to talk to, and incredibly intelligent!!

Here we are bowling!! MariLu, and Pat,

More Pat and John!

We had a great time, I'm really glad they got to come out, though it kinda makes me miss my parents quite a bit!!!

Pat's mom is simply awesome!! She's smart, and funny, and Pat simply adores both of his parents. It's so easy to see where he gets his laid back attitude from! She really makes me feel as if I'm not doing what I should to take care of Pat (not by anything she does or says, but just cause she takes such good care of her house, and John), but I can't help thinking it would be so much easier if I didn't work! So, I guess the right amount of care taking will just have to wait!

MariLu started teaching me how to quilt, which I'm very excited about! I finished my first square, which isn't a perfect square shape, last night, and will continue to work at it, with Pat as my dedicated fabric cutter!! I'm crocheting a baby blanket for Vanessa, who found out she's having a boy!! YAY!

Now time for some cool stuff I found online!
Disney's Virtual Kingdom! - A free online MMO where you can visit the Magic Kingdom! I think I'm in heaven!
Microsoft beats Apple to patent! - Interesting stuff. I might seriously look into the portable players once there are more options! A flash player, definitely!
Google Delays Book Scanning - Copyrights? What Copyrights?!! Going to be an uphill battle, but the publisher that first does it is going to be rich. But don't make any stock purchases based on my opinion. Unless you're going to pay me for it!

I am so looking forward to camping!! We're going to Onion Valley, there's a fishery there, and a subway!! mmmm Subway!! I've got 7 working days til we leave!!! YAY!

Anyway, one more day of work, and then it's time for some days off!! I talk to my head assistant today about my terms for not leaving. He asked me not to step down, and to be honest, I love my job. And I'm really good at it.
We'll see how things go!

133 days til Christmas! ºoº

Everything falls apart, then I get to try to put it back together

Wow, what a few weeks it's been! Let's start out with some rants shall we?First off: People who use words entirely to often, and in such a way as to make me want to kill them! YAY!

I'm working in electronics this past week, Tawnia wasn't feeling well and went home early. A group of 3 young men, between the ages of 17 and 20 walk into the department and proceed to walk past every aisle of merchandise. While doing so, they comment to each other on interesting looking items using the following remarks! "Dude, sick, look at this!", "How sick is this!", "So sick! I can't believe this!"
At this point, I'm pretty much wanting to chuck whatever is on my risers (the area over the shelves of merchandise people normally buy from, that holds our overstock) at them! I decided that looking for another job was to much trouble, so I refrained. I'm very proud of myself!

Next topic: Changing jobs!

Pat and I have been having a rough time. We work such different schedules that we never see each other! My job demands a great deal of my energy and attention, and I hate that. I'd rather be giving my attention to Pat, and the house. But by the time I get home, I'm often too exhausted to even get myself food, regardless of how starving I may be.
Pat and I decided that I should look for another job! However, no one in town is currently hiring so it could be a long process.

We've spent the last 6 months barely seeing each other, he goes to work and I get up, and I come home and it's time for bed. Meal times are non-existant, there's no time for talking and catching up before bed because I get home so late. There's a managers meeting Tuesday, where the fate of several of us in the store will be decided. Weekends off won't happen, but even a non-closing shift every now and then would be nice. I feel badly. Others in my store are in the same boat, but they don't have a choice. They'd never be able to leave simply because a schedule doesn't suit them, and here I am, complaining not that I don't have enough money to live on, but because I don't get a schedule that I like. It just seems wrong!

There's a bunch more I could write, but honestly, Pat and I are going to watch Hell's Kitchen Finale tonight. So onto the interesting news!

Taxidermy Cat on Ebay - Gross!! That's all I have to say!

Harry Potter Stuff - The book was interesting. Good writing, but the story was weak compared to the other books. The book will make a horrible movie as it seems to be merely setting the story for the last book. I wasn't impressed. Bought the book at the midnight sale, finished it less then 36 hours later. blah!

US Gets Angry..London...? - Interesting read. I remember the feel of the US after Sept 11th. We were angry, furious, ready to fight! London, just kinda goes back to the way things were. I wonder if it's their experience with the Irish Repulic Army attacks that makes it more easily taken? I thought it was interesting.

There's so much going on and so little time to deal with it all. I'm trying to do nothing more then just make it through the next month without an emotional outburst that Pat doesn't deserve. I feel like I'm fighting for survival at a store where I should be secure in my position, and in my capabilities. But I'm not. Our management team is a mess, my people are being pushed to hard, to often, with no help or appreciation, and it's draining. I give myself a month to find another position within Wal-Mart. I won't make it as support, working the same hours I am right now, much longer.