Are you kidding me?

So, I'm watching the movie The Others on the Oxygen network the other night, and during the commercial breaks the channel is pimping hard the new season of the Tori Spelling show. The one about her and her husband and their kid(s). I think last year they owned a B&B somewhere, and this season is about them moving back to Hollywood. Anyway, during one of the ads for the show I see Tori Spelling say to her husband something like this, "We are going to be hounded by the paparazzi for the rest of our lives!" Did she fail to notice the irony? She voiced the complaint in front of a camera that she has invited into their home and into their lives to film every possible second so that it can air on TV for the country (world?) to see-- the end result being that she will profit from it, and she has a beef with the paps? Seems to me her complaint has no credibility.

School's out

Tomorrow is the last day of the school year. I can see how much fun Ethan has been having for about the past 4 days or so. You remember what that was like, right? Being so young still, he is in a grade where they don't work right up until the very end, rather they are just finishing up the required make-up snow days, and everything is literally fun and games. It is a nice way to end a school year. Sort of a prelude to the promise of fun the summer break holds.
I am looking forward to the summer break, too. A little bit of sleeping-in, a little bit of slowing down. A chance to get some things done around the house that I have been putting-off. Ethan remarked a couple of weeks ago that he hopes we get to do more this summer than we have in past summers. I assured him that we would because I have a lot more energy this year than I have had in a long time. That is what weighing 58 pounds less will do for a person.
Owen, on the other hand, couldn't give a flying fig about the summer break. He is so excited about going to kindergarten in the fall that he would go today if he could. He can't wait to ride the bus (God, I may need medication for that). He was so excited when he went for his visit and discovered the computer lab. I hope he has a really positive experience when he goes in the fall. This will most likely be the last time Owen doesn't care about a summer break.

A rotten shame

One of the absolute worst feelings in the world is when a person who is an authority to you takes, or attempts to take, advantage of you. I would rather not go into specifics, and it has nothing to do with a sexual nature or anything even remotely close. It has to do with following protocol, and it has to do with the expression "shit rolls down hill". It boils down to this: if I don't find a way to resolve it, one of these days there is a chance the aforementioned shit will roll right onto me. Now, the real task is how to resolve it without causing a massive uproar. It doesn't need to really cause a massive uproar, but it may, and then I am afraid I will never be able to get along with this person, who in most respects I get along with fine. I know no one can advise me here, because I won't explain, and that is fine. I am mostly just writing these thoughts as they occur. I am going to sleep on it.

I needed to share, just not with the MySpace world...

I had once said that I didn't expect to abandon this blog just because I was getting a MySpace account, but that seems to have been an unintentional lie. I don't post here anymore really, and I think it is because everyone I know basically has a MySpace account, and so it gets more attention. I still think of this site, but I spend so much time messing with my MySpace account that I end up having no interest or time to devote here. I am making a post now...well just for the hell of it, I suppose. I am sad, and maybe I didn't want to share it with everyone on MySpace. I took our dog to the Animal Shelter today. I couldn't, nor did I want to, take care of him anymore. I thought it would be a big relief, and so I was surprised at how emotional I became when I left him. It was ,though, the right thing do. I couldn't control him, and neither could my husband. He didn't listen, was hyper beyond words at times, was so costly medical-wise, and, I was afraid, becoming a liability. For example, a couple of nights ago he bolted outside to chase a raccoon before Dave had a chance to get the leash on him, left the property (again) after ignoring Dave's command for him to return, and didn't return until 5 am. My biggest concern was that someone would get hurt driving their car just to avoid hitting him should he have been in the road. He has run-off like that countless times, and that was always my fear. I tried to be responsible about taking him today to the shelter. I called and let his veterinarian's office know so that they could keep his records should he be placed with someone. I informed the shelter of who his vet. is, and they said they would just send for his records. I disclosed all of his allergy problems, and told them he was hard to control, and needs an owner with a lot of time and money because he will be a real commitment (he needs to go to the vet's every two weeks for an injection to manage his allergies). I told of his good points, too. Good with kids, house-broken. If anyone is reading this and passing judgement, try not to be too harsh. I want to point out that we tried to make it work for 2 and a half years with him. It is not as if we had him for a couple of months, and said, hey it's not working, and sent him packing. Also, we have spent close to a thousand dollars just trying to manage his allergies, and we didn't bail when faced with that. It just got to be too much. He has never listened and the recent running-off was what put us over the edge, and made us decide it was time to take him to the Shelter. I hope they find a good home for him. I really do.

I've reached my goal

I have reached and surpassed my weight loss goal of 45 pounds. I reached it on February 15th, and I have shed an extra pound or two since then. I am going for a total of five pounds more than my goal which will make my total loss 50 pounds. Look, I am rather impressed with myself. I mean, it's no small time weight loss...it's magazine cover worthy weight loss. At least to me it is.
I haven't made a post in a long time because I wasn't able to. Our computer's life expired a few weeks ago, and I was without one here at home. We are now the owners of a brand new computer (kept the old monitor and speakers, but may upgrade those at a later time). My cousin Andy built us a new one, and I really like it. I have a few things still to become familiar with, but I am really pleased with how much faster this one moves . Andy did a great job taking care of so much with the new computer for us. We can't thank him enough. Initially, it was believed that nothing from the old hard drive could be retreived, but Andy has said that it may not be a lost cause-my other cousin, Matt, said there may be a couple of things he can try. Those two and their computer know-how, it's beyond me.
My mom just called and said she found, after years of them being missing, 16 reels of 8 mm home-movies that are from my and my brother's childhood. We have looked for them off and on for several years after my parents moved into the home in which they now live. We were afraid they were lost in the move and gone for good, but they turned up today in a box she didn't expect them to be in. Now, my mom is going to find out how much it will cost to transfer the reels over to DVD. I have heard it is pretty costly, but I don't know for sure. I just know I can't wait to see them.
That is about it for today. I have a lot of work to do on my ipod's music library, because unfortunately, my music has so far been unretrievable from the crashed hard drive.

Just some random thoughts

When I don't make a new post for a while I begin to feel remiss for some reason ever though this is really just a diary, and there is no pressure to make a new entry. I guess I just feel as if it needs done. So anyway, I will jot down a few random thoughts:
1. I am really ready for Spring. I hate Winter, and the last couple of days of bitterly cold temps have me longing to feel the warm sun on my face.
2. I am only 3 pounds away from my initial weight loss goal, and I have already decided that I want to lose an extra 5 pounds after that. I think that is realistic, because I honestly feel that anymore weight after that I would be able to lose, but then not maintain which could be detrimental to my attitude. Truthfully I could stop now, but I wouldn't be satisfied. Dave actually picked me up and carried me into the boudoir last week when we were on our way to...well, you get the picture. The point is, my husband carried me for quite possibly the first time in the 10 years we've been together. I felt like such a girly girl. And Victoria's Secret is making out with a nice chunk of my money these days because I am enjoying buying pretty things there. So, see, everybody wins.
3. 10 days till Lost Season 4. But who's counting, right?
4. I just deleted what I had written in this line, because I am not sure I want it out here for the world to see. Matt, I'll talk to you later about it.
5. I spent the better part of last week feeling very angry over the personal tragedy that someone I am sort of acquainted with is experiencing. It only serves to reinforce my idea that there is no sense in many things that happen to human beings, and this new age shit out there about how our thoughts and actions vibrate through the universe and the "Law of Attraction" picks up on it and acts accordingly makes me want to puke. It's all rubbish, because no higher order, which is what this "Law of Attraction" bunk is suggesting it is, would punish a mother and father with what these two were dealt. According to this school of thought, these two parents had thoughts or actions which brought about what they are experiencing. And according to this school of thought even the baby itself somehow manifested thoughts and emotions that brought about what it experienced. This sort of teaching is receiving widespread acceptance right now, and I think it is a dangerous road to be heading down. When I heard one of its proponents skirt the question of whether, but then sort of imply that, children who are abused or killed bring the crimes on themselves I knew I had heard enough. And to make matters worse it is being pimped out by the most popular TV personality the world has ever known. Look, I am all for the notion of "smile, and the world smiles back"; that is just putting on a happy face, and altering your perception of the world around you. There is truth in that, but this other nonsense has got to go. Wow, I am glad I got that out of my system. I think it has been festering for some time.
Well, there you have it. This turned into more of a post than I thought it would.

It's like Christmas all over again...

17 days till Lost Season 4. End of story.

A much needed new wardrobe

The scale is fickle everyday, but for all intents and purposes, I have lost, let's say, nearly 40 lbs. Yesterday it was 39.5 lbs, and today it is 39, and tomorrow it may be 40. That's the way it is for a woman, and I expect it can be the same for a man. At any rate, I am within 6 pounds of my goal. Over the weekend, I gave away 3 large bags of clothes, and I was left with very little. I decided not to hold on to them (the bigger-sized clothes), because I have no intention of going back to weighing what I did. To hold onto them would only be like a security blanket. I was afraid that somewhere in the back of my mind I would be telling myself, "You may need them again one day." So I got rid of them. It was a catharsis.
I did a little shopping this morning. Got a few things, but I am in need of more. I am very excited to go shopping again, and soon. I can't go too overboard, because I really am not quite done losing weight. I think I am safe buying shirts and tops, but I have to show some restraint on pants and the like, because I don't want to invest a buttload only to have them not fit in 4 or 6 weeks. It was very nice to have tried on a pair of size 10 Dockers, and realized that an 8 would probably fit, and then try on the 8 and hello! The 8 fit. I am still a 10 in some jeans, but I haven't been a 10 in a long time, and a ten is a fine size. When all is said and done I don't know for sure what size I will be --I would like to fall somewhere around a 6 or an 8. And as fine as a size as a 10 is, a 6 or an 8 is better.

conflicting schedules

I am pressed for time, but it has been so long since my last post, that I wanted to write something. Dave and I saw "I Am Legend" on New Years Day. I really enjoyed it. I think Will Smith's performance made the movie. He was amazing. There are so many films out right now that I want to see: No Country For Old Men; Sweeney Todd; National Treasure Pt. 2; and in a couple of weeks, Cloverfield. We just don't get to go as often as I would like.
There is actually a lot I would like to write about, but I don't have the time right now, and also some of it shouldn't be on a public blog, because one never knows if it could reach the eyes of someone it isn't suppose to (no matter how slim the chance may be), and so I can't really say anything. I can see the wisdom in making it necessary for people need my approval before being able to read my blog. Suffice it to say that recently I was treated rather nastily by someone who I have never given cause to treat me in such a manner. It was, for me, the proverbial "straw", and this person is now on my shit list.
I have to work tonight, and that is another source of trouble for me. I still really like my job, but with Dave working so much overtime (and hopefully will be doing so until March - I only say hopefully because we both know how much we need the money--the downside is not seeing one another) it is getting very difficult to juggle the kids and my work schedule. I am always relying on my folks, and it isn't fair to them. My mom will be going to Florida in a few weeks, and I don't know what I'll do. I guess I need to tell work to give as many of my hours during that time to someone else because I just won't be available. Yikes!! Confrontation. If they can't/won't work with me on that I'll be in a real pickle. I'll still need my job when Dave's overtime ends, but for now it is not working out so well.

Mixed tapes

Ah, I long for the days of mixed tapes. If you gave a mixed tape to someone, then that person really meant something to you..be it a boy/girlfriend or a best friend. I now make people mixed Cd's, and that's cool, but they are so much easier to make. Man, think about it, the mixed tape was a labor of love, and that is why it meant so much to make and give one to someone. It took a long time to do...you had to put each tape into one deck on your stereo, and first find the song you wanted by ff or rewinding, and then you had to find the exact starting and stopping place for recording. If you let it go too far, you had to rewind the mix tape a little to record over the song you just let it play into, and that really pissed you off because you knew you were compromising just slightly the sound of the next song that would then go on the mix tape (i.e., whenever you recorded over something the sound was never quite as good). And heaven help you if you were recording a song off the radio to put on the mixed tape. You might wait 3 hours to catch a song on the radio, and the d.j. always talked over the beginning of the song, and that really burned your ass. Also, there were no convenient play lists to print off of itunes to place in the tape cover, so you had to hand write the name of every song and artist, and if you really had a wild hair, you tried to make a creative cover for the tape. Jesus, the person receiving it really knew they were special. Maybe , I don't long so much for those days, because that was a lot of work. I guess I long for the feeling I got when giving or receiving one of those tapes, because it was better than getting a Hallmark card. You really were caring enough to give the best...the best of your time, and creativity, I suppose.

Ready for Santa

The stockings have been hung by the chimney with care. We put up the tree and decorated it, and put out the rest of our holiday decorations. The living room looks festive and cozy. Ethan has declared it our finest Christmas tree ever (but we say that every year about each tree). I did this a little earlier than usual this year, because I love to enjoy the tree, and I wanted to do so for as long as possible. By the time Christmas day rolls around the tree will be dry as a bone, but oh, well.
Today is a snow day for the boys. Ohio County cancelled school. I, on the other hand, have to work this evening. Bummer dude. I just hope the roads out this way are cleared for when I have to leave.
Dave and I spent the past three evenings watching a Sci-fi production called Tin Man, which was a modern-day take on the Wizard of Oz. While we were entertained, and drawn in to it enough to keep watching, we are sure that there are several scenes that will be making The Soup this week. There were some really cheesy scenes, as well as some really awkward and poorly produced special effects. Also, I don't feel that the people at Sci-fi put too much effort into the name of the mini series. They called it the Tin Man, but really it's as if they said, "Well, there is a tin man in the original and a tin man in this one, and so that will be good enough." Neither movie's main focus is the character of the tin man. They knew they couldn't get away with passing it off as a complete remake of the original (that would have been blasphemous), and thus couldn't call it The Wizard of Oz. So, they might have just said Tin Man will do in the absence of something better.
I saw Beowulf with Kristen this past Sunday. They took some liberties with it, but I expected that. The 3D made for a cool viewing experience. I am looking forward to more 3D movies that we saw in the previews. Namely, Neil Gaiman's book Coraline is being made into a 3D movie, and also a remake of Journey to the Center of the Earth is coming out in 3D. I love going to the movies, and I don't get to go nearly as much as I'd like. Dave and I really want to see I Am Legend. I hope we get to go.

Happy Turkey Day

I just want to say Happy Thanksgiving to everyone (but judging from who leaves comments for me here at my blog, I think I am solely wishing Happy Thanksgiving to Matt, and that's OK because you are one of my favorite people). Anyway, it will be a day of feasting, but for me this year it will be a day of feasting in moderation. I will be having a slice of pie, for sure. However, to bring a balance to the day so that I don't fall off the South Beach wagon, I am going to forgo the mashed potatoes (opt for the yams instead 'cause believe it or not they are more kosher to the diet than regular potatoes), and I won't be having any rolls (maybe just one bite, but definitely not an entire roll). I need to remember to launch a preemptive strike against the temptation to over-indulge/over-eat. I need to take along to my parent's house some mixed nuts and a cheese stick or two. They satisfy me, and help me to not over-eat. At Thanksgivings of yore, my plan would be to skip breakfast so that I would be primed for the big meal. But after 4 1/2 months on this diet I know that when I eat a nice size breakfast I can avoid temptation throughout the rest of the day. There are many things to be thankful for on that famous day, but this year I can add that I am thankful for the 30 lbs. I have shed since the beginning of July.

Ethan's time machine

Ethan has a big, inquisitive, and philosophical brain. Sometimes he can't remember to close the door behind him, and other times he floors us with a thought he has. This morning he got out a pencil and a notebook, and he told me the notebook would henceforth contain his inventions. Invention number one is a time machine. He drew a crude sketch, and then wrote out very specific instructions as to whom the time machine would be handed over to -"to the army for emergency uses only". Maybe a little naive, but he knows he doesn't want any "bad guys" getting a hold of it. So, the time machine has a power source, a generator, some knobs, and a few other things, and I said to him, "Well, bud, you know you need a mechanism that actually makes time travel possible (I was thinking of the "flux capacitor" from "Back to the Future")."
I told him that he will need to study lots of math and physics in order to one day see his plans for a time machine come to fruition. He said to me, "I believe someone can make anything they want to if they want it enough, even if everyone else says it's impossible." I said, "I think you are right." The we talked a little more about the specifics of what would be needed to make his time machine work. He said that in order to go back in time in his machine you would have to take with you an object that was from the time period to which you wanted to travel. I said something like, "So, if you wanted to go back to 5 Christmas's ago you would need, for example, a Christmas ornament that we used on our tree that year." He said that was correct. I said that it wouldn't work if I tried to use something that had just been made because it wasn't around from that time, and he said I was right. We were on the same page. Then, he said he hadn't yet figured out how to travel to the future, because if you needed an object from the past to travel there, how do you acquire an object from the future to travel there? I was standing at the kitchen sink thinking about his statement when, after a pause, he answered his own question. This is the part where I was just very impressed by my 8 year old's mind..He said, "You would need to use something that would grow in the future, like a plant." I was taken aback at his logic. He had reasoned it out way before I did. I said, a wee bit excitedly, "Yeah, so if you had a sapling, and of course one day it would probably grown into a big tree, you could use part of it to place in the time machine to take you to a future point in time!" See, I probably know only a fraction more about time travel than Ethan does, and what I know has to do with some of the theoretical problems associated with it; ie, can you kill your own grandfather if you travel to the past (without undoing your own future); can you travel back further than the time when your time machine was created; and can you travel back in time before you were born, and what happens if you die in the past? Anyway, so here is my eight year old child figuring that you need an object to actually link you to a point of time in the past, and then figuring out that the reciprocal of that is needing an object from the future, and solving it in a matter of seconds with the possibility of using something organic like a plant that is sure to grow in the future. Never mind that a person is technically an object that can be from a certain point in the past or future, he knows that some objects have been around for a long time, and some objects will exist into the future for quite some time. See, he didn't just have an idea and see it as boundless, he saw possible problems and came up with solutions to those problems. I don't care how rudimentary his notions may be, I see a real genius in it. I could be biased, and I am sure I am, but I believe if anyone is going to grow up and finally solve the problem of space/time travel, and successfully build a time machine it is going to be Ethan. Perhaps it is my belief in his potential that is also a necessary component to making his time machine work.

My myspace page

I have spent my free-time over the past few days customizing and tweaking my new myspace page. It has been kind of fun. I have run into a few technical problems, but I worked them out. I think navigating the set-up here on blogspot was easier, but it's no biggie. I am interested to see who I may reconnect with by having a page on there. Maybe no one will find me, maybe it will take a while or maybe I'll hear from someone quickly. Who knows? Anyway, I originally put my name in as "Becky McFadden-Cantrell", but I soon realized that you can't do a search and find me if you use just my first and maiden name. It appears it would have to be the entire "Becky McFadden-Cantrell". So, since anyone who knows me now knows my married name and my maiden name, I am switching to just Becky McFadden because old acquaintances will only know to search for me under Becky McFadden.
Not too much new to report. I had a store meeting at 7:00 am this morning, which required me to get up at 5:00 am in order to look good and be there on time. After that I met Dave and the boys at Ethan's hockey practice and then the 4 of us went to Bob Evans for breakfast. Well, that was a lapse in judgement on my and Dave's part 'cause Owen was ill mannered most of the time. I sometimes feel as if he is never going to mature.
Well, I have a few more things to do on myspace and then I am going to call it a day. Btw, I am going to keep my blog on here, and not myspace. I like what I've got here.

Being sick and life's goals

Being sick is no fun. I haven't had a sinus infection in a couple of years, and now I have one that is showing no mercy. It teased me with a headache for a couple of weeks until finally it stopped dicking around and kicked in last Wednesday. Now it is in my chest as well, and I feel like a big steaming pile of crap. Now, the burning question is whether or not to go to work tonight. I do not like calling off, and I am very reluctant to do so with my new job. I better wait and see how well the Advil Cold and Sinus works for me, and then decide.
Christmas keeps getting closer and closer, and I am feeling the slight panic of needing to have all of the cash necessary to purchase everything. Yet another reason not to call off of work tonight. I have at least already made a dent in the Christmas shopping.
I talked to Matt last night, and he said something that I had been thinking of earlier in the day. He remarked that he doesn't have enough time to do all of the things he would like to do as well as all of the tasks that he is required to do. Just that very afternoon, while cleaning the ashes out of the fireplace, I was thinking about how short life is and of all the things I would still like to learn how to do/experience/accomplish. Here are some of them (if I think of any more in the future I may put them in a post):
1) Learn to play the guitar (or piano)
2) Take a pottery class
3) Finish the really big cross-stitch project I started months ago
4) Learn Spanish with Owen (he seems to have an ear for Spanish, and I figure I should learn it with him so he can have someone with whom he can converse)
5) Try Pilates (not sure if I spelled that correctly)
6) Volunteer at a literacy program (I want to remember this so that when Owen goes off to Kindergarten I can see if I can make it happen)
7) Travel (this would require vast sums of money, and since one never knows what life has in store for one, it is not impossible that I could one day find myself flush with cash, and therefor have the means to travel)
8) Write something really great and be published (hence the money and the opportunity that would make number 7 possible).
9) Finish my Bachelor's degree
10) Discover my Personal Legend and fulfill it. If you haven't read the book The Alchemist you may not know what this means.
Anyway, my head is really foggy right now, and I should really leave off here. Let me know what your ambitions are.

Just what's new

It has been quite a while since my last post (Matt tried to assure me that I was not the only one reading this blog, but the gig is up and I really think that I am the only one to look at it by now-and so I don't feel bad about how long it has been since I wrote something). We have been so busy. Dave and I have been like two ships passing in the night. He has been working overtime, and I have been working some late nights. But tomorrow we are both off and the four of us can spend some time together.
Work is awesome. I am really fortunate to have a job that I like going to. Mom and I cleaned-up today doing some Christmas shopping at Bed Bath & Beyond. They are giving the associates an extra discount this week that can even be used for a family member if they accompany the associate to the store. We saved a ton.
Got two new Cd's recently that I feel are worth commenting on. The Amy Winehouse "Back to Black" is just so cool. Her voice...that big voice coming out of that gin soaked tiny body is just so amazing. Also, a really beautiful album is the A Fine Frenzy "One Cell in the Sea". I am listening to this one a lot. Favorite tracks are "Almost Lover" and "The Minnow and the Trout". I almost just got some selections from the iTunes store, but I instead figured the entire Cd's were going to be worth the purchase, and I was right.
Tori Amos was in concert this passed Tuesday in Pittsburgh, and I didn't find out until it was too late to try and go. I missed seeing her again. Perhaps someday.
51 days till Christmas.
That's all I can think of right now. I am very tired because I closed the store last night and then had to be up at 6:00 am in order to get Ethan ready and off to Hockey. We will set the clocks back tonight, and so I'll gain an hour of sleep. I'll write more when I am struck with the notion.
Oh before I forget...the Ye Old Alpha has Greek Wings made with feta cheese and they are really tastey.

Talking Points

OK, so here are a few thoughts on some totally unconnected topics, but things that I wish to comment on.
1) I have lost almost 25 lbs. total (not done yet, though). One perk to this that I am really excited about...my thighs no longer rub together when I walk.

2) I just watched the movie Transformers the other night, and it is one bad ass movie. Anyone who grew up in the '80's should appreciate it. And if you didn't grow up then, you should appreciate it for the effects. They look seamless. It rocks.

3) I really like my job, and recognize that I am fortunate for having a job about which I can say that.

4) Christmas is only 66 days away.

5) I can't believe how warm it is for the middle of October.

6) I don't know how much longer I can stand the wait for Season 4 of Lost.

Goodbye Judy

She was one of the kindest people I've ever known. She had a laugh that really filled up a room. She smiled with her eyes as well as with her mouth. Talented seamstress, and dedicated teacher. When I approached her hospital bed I was so glad that I had come because I knew just from my intuition that it was going to be a goodbye. As she lay there, her own body betraying her more and more each day, she had the grace to declare that I "looked healthy as a horse". She was funny right up until the end, and though her body was failing her, her spirit never did. She was herself. That is what is so hard-reconciling the loss of someone who was always so full of life. Judy said farewell to the three of us, and she cried, and the three of us cried because we all knew the score. I watched her girls hold onto one another in their grief and in their sadness, and I cried all the more because I realized they were losing their mom. She was too young to go; she lost her battle to that hideous disease for which a cure still eludes us. I am saving those pink yogurt lids now, and I will send them in to try to make some kind of difference in the battle on cancer. Wife, mother, grandmother, friend, teacher. She said she wasn't able to draw enough breath or push it out with enough force to do something she loved so much-sing. She is singing now for sure. Judy, you will be missed by so many.

New Job

It has been a while since my last post, but since I believe I am the only person to look at my blog, then it is no big deal. I have been hired within the last week to a newly arrived (to this area) store. It is a popular domestics retailer, and I won't name them, but their initials are Bed Bath & Beyond. The first time I walked into the store two Saturdays ago was the first time I ever set foot in a BB&B. Suffice it to say that it is a freakin' awesome store. I have spent my days in there stocking shelves and helping to get the store ready. It has been very hard work, but I have enjoyed it immensely. All of the managers that were brought in from other places to help set us up are all great people, and I enjoyed meeting and working with them all. And the two women who are staying here permanently to run the store are very nice, too. So far it has been a good experience. The store actually opens tomorrow (Oct. 2), but I don't have my first shift until Thursday evening. I have only had a little bit of register training, and so I am a bit nervous. Hopefully, things will go smoothly.
The interesting thing about my experience is the fact that I spent so much time at the top of a very tall ladder. I have always been afraid of heights (I get vertigo on a 4 foot step ladder), but there were many times within the past week that I was required to ascend to the top of a double sided 10 foot ladder, straddle the top of it, and stock merchandise on the top-most shelf. I just told myself that if I wanted to work at this store I needed to get a grip and adapt. So I did. It was scary at first, but after so many times it wasn't so bad. I am not entirely comfortable, but I can do it without getting dizzy or really afraid. I guess the best word to describe what I feel when I am up there is "cautious". Perhaps a little more than some, and I am OK with that. The first time I did it I almost cried when I got back down-partly with relief for being back on the ground and still alive, but partly because I felt a real sense of overcoming something that has always been difficult for me. To someone not afraid of heights this will all sound so silly, but to anyone who has a fear of heights, it will make sense.
The merchandise is so nice. I think people in this area are going to go nuts over the place. We are growing up, this area, and it is about time. BB&B has a lot of things, and I am already getting ideas for Christmas gifts to give to friends and family. Not to mention there are so many things that I will be purchasing for myself. 800 thread count sheets...employee discount--a match made in Heaven!

One Family Making a Difference this Holiday Season

The date on my wall calendar reads September 21 (the thermometer, 82 degrees), and it still seems as if we have plenty of time until the holiday season unfolds. Yet, as we all know, November and December have a way of abruptly arriving. Many of us are already making some preliminary plans for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Hanukkah. We may even be making gift purchases here and there for our friends and family. In my family (we number a good many) we have a tradition of drawing names for a family gift exchange. This is something fun, and we keep the names we draw a secret (or at least we are supposed to). We have already drawn our names, and everyone is making his/her wish list that gets posted on-line. It occurred to me a couple of days ago that maybe we needed to add a new concept to our family holiday tradition. So, I had an idea.
I composed an email, and sent it off to each household in my family that gathers together every year for Thanksgiving and Christmas. The idea works like this: Each household (not each member of the household) donates only $5.00 to a local charity as determined by an entire family vote. In our case, we have 8 households, and so the math is easy...8 households donating $5.00 each makes a total donation of $40.00 to a local charity. Not too shabby for one group. I came up with 3 different, but of course, all deserving charities, and each household was asked to submit one vote for their charity of choice. If a tie had occurred, I would have used the tried and true method of flipping a coin to break the tie.
I told everyone that I will collect the money on or before November 1st, so that the charity we decided on will be able to have our donation by Thanksgiving Day. I believe Thanksgiving is an appropriate time to make a donation for a couple of reasons. The closer we get to Christmas, the tighter money gets, and people usually have a little more in early November. However, the most important reason for choosing Thanksgiving, is the one that should be obvious: it is a way to do something that resonates with the true meaning of the holiday.
When my family gathers together on Thanksgiving day, we always make a point during Grace to say that we are thankful for all we have, and especially for each other. Our family donation may not amount to hundreds of dollars, but it is something we can do to benefit a local charity, no matter how small the benefit. I believe most people are generous and kind, and sometimes we (present company included) just need a little nudge to help us remember to look around at those who are less fortunate.
The response from my family has been great. Everyone is very excited by the idea. I think it may even be something we will try to do a couple of times a year- with the charity that came in second place in the voting getting an Easter time donation. $5.00 is an easy amount to come up with. I believe that my husband and I probably have that much sitting in our loose change jar. I was not sure at first how to handle the situation if one household wanted to donate more than $5.00 (which of course happened). My only concern was that another household might feel obligated to up their donation, but I didn't put any restrictions on the amount. This is for a charity after all, and the greater the donation the better. So I just decided to keep any donations larger than the $5.00 amount confidential. It is not for me to decide that a donation should be kept at a minimum. If someone has had placed in his/her heart the desire to contribute more than that is an extra blessing.
I have also asked the members of my family to spread this idea around to their friends and co-workers, because if even just 10 families in this area were to do something like this it could really have an impact on our local charities. And just imagine, if in cities all across the country, families were to participate in a collection such as the one my family has now adopted. The potential difference would be amazing. Perhaps you don't gather with too many family members; maybe you have a core of friends that you get together with who could participate in a group donation. Do I sound crazy with idealism? Good, I am happy to be excited over something like this. This is an opportunity for families as a whole to make a difference, and I think it is appealing because giving as a group to a local charity feels very personal. Don't forget, though, that there are plenty of nationwide organizations who are deserving, and if your family would prefer to donate to one of them that is a great idea, too. I am partial to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. The goal here is just to give.
Go and roll up those nickels, dimes, and quarters. Or, skip the extra trip to the coffee shop, and put aside that $5.00 for your donation. Get your family involved. It is an easy thing to do. Pass the idea around! Make a difference!