Moments….

How sad is it that something drastic has to happen to make us stop taking things for granted?  I know it is a cliché, but it is so true. We roll through our daily lives dealing with whatever it is that we deal with every day, and the WHAM! Something happens that stops us in our tracks and reminds us how delicate and short life really is.

Today started out with mixed emotions, I was just a tiny bit irritated about something, and trying my best to not let it be a big deal, went to church, and through the doors, one after another, walked people that were part of our old ‘crowd’ at church. These people are the people who bring the things to our church that I love the most. Honest, unpretentious, even a little rough. Ok…some of them are a lot rough.  Over the last 6 months or so, some of them had stopped coming and they’ve been very missed. After a while, I had a huge smile, because it just made my week to see them all there and together again!

After church we were standing around talking and I turned around just in time to see my friend Lee hit the ground. I was the maid of honor in Lee and Lisa’s wedding and they mean a lot to me. Lee’s live a rough life, on the streets of LA, motorcycle accident, lots of loss and seemingly constant illnesses over the last few years. Last fall we took turns sitting with him in the hospital while he fought off MRSA.  Lisa has had to deal with more than any human being should ever have to.  

Lee hit the ground and it was evident right away that he was having a seizure. It lasted 7 minutes, during which time we all sprang into action. After checking to make sure he was breathing and there were people to help protect his head, I made the call to 911. I’ve lived in these mountains for a year and a half now, and I’ve never had to  experience something potentially life threatening while up here. I knew it would be a long wait, and minutes never pass slower than when every second counts.  We made him comfortable and I tried to keep him talking, once he finally could. It wasn’t until the ambulance showed up 20 minutes later that he was finally coming around enough to give full answers.  He wasn’t real happy to be going back to the hospital, in fact we had to hold him down a few times to get him on the backboard and into the ambulance, but he’s there now and getting the best of care.  I have to admit that I had some moments that I was pretty scared, but I have a good ability to be calm and do what needs to be done and my firefighter and cna training all came back in a heartbeat. It wasn’t until after the ambulance pulled away that my knees started shaking.

In the moments of waiting, I listened to Lisa beg him to stay with her and beg for forgiveness for not listening to him, for everything she’d ever done. It was raw and emotional and as heart rendering as it was for me, I can’t even begin to imagine what she was feeling in those moments. They have as many problems as probably any couple that i know, but when it comes down to it, they love each other more than anything. I don’t honestly know if either of them could go on without the other.

My point is….life truly is too short to dwell on the small, stupid things.  Things change in an instant.  I, for one, will try harder to remember that and to not need to have things like this happen to remind me of that. Each day only comes once, and each could be the last.

Lasagna!

I tried a new lasagna recipe today, wanted to share. I was pretty skeptical…because I have my recipe and I like it just fine and I’m pretty picky when it comes to lasagna. I don’t want tangy and twangy tomato-y lasagna.  After reading the reviews on this one, I decided to go ahead and give it a try, with a few minor adjustments. Instead of plain salt, I used garlic salt, because I LOVE my garlic, and on top of the mozerella, I layered some Provolone. I was skeptical all the way through the prep process….just didn’t look like “mine”. Even when I pulled it out of the oven and it was soupy looking (it sets up if you actually let it cool), I was thinking I’d made a big mistake, should have just made it the way I usually do.

The result? It is truly a toss up whether I like my own recipe or this one better, they are both good. This one is definately easy and worth a shot though. It is truly ‘comfort food’! This is what I think of when I think “lasagna”. This is what I always imagined Garfield’s lasagna would taste like. Ironically..I have a cat named Garfield, but SHE didn’t eat any lasagna. There wasn’t any left for her!

Pioneer Woman’s Lasagna

Of course I made that with my version of the italian salad that you get at Olive Garden, and that is one of those recipes that you don’t measure, you just throw stuff in to fit your own taste, but i use:

2 heads of Romaine lettuce, chopped up, 1/2 of a red onion, sliced thinly, some diced up black olives, 8-10 cherry tomatoes, half a box of seasoned croutons, dump some parmesan (preferrably FRESH parmesan) in and toss with some decent Italian dressing. I can’t stand the Kraft stuff, so I just try to look for a brand like Bernsteins, that is a little closer to the real thing.

Happy Eating!

Some of my own special pictures…

Since I wrote about Doris’s pictures last time, I thought I’d take a moment to share some of the pictures that I’ve taken that I like the most.  (If you run your mouse over the photo, it will tell you what it is.)

And…can I add this one again? I didn’t take it but it is still a favorite photo!

On my Blogroll today….

 

I want to direct your attention to my Blogroll…over there to the right.  I’ve listed some incredible sites that I’d love for you to take a look at (in your spare time, of course!). All of these people are people that I know personally, so they aren’t just random sites that I pulled out of thin air!

www.thevirginbean.com – This is hands down the BEST coffee ever. Jenn roasts her own organic, fair trade coffee and there is just no comparison.  You need to order some NOW.

www.fridaycards.net – You ever get tired of looking at the same ol generic greeting cards at the grocery store? Angie is a very talented designer and can make just about any kind of card you could imagine.  Order one or order a supply to keep on hand, for your family, for your customers, you need it, she’s got it!

http://naturesartwork.com/ - Doris Jennings is an incredible photographer. She’s self taught for the most part and her photos never fail to amaze me.  She’s become something of a mentor to me, as I explore my own interests in photography. Browse her artwork and then buy a print! You won’t be disappointed.  The picture at the top of this blog is her work, hopefully she won’t kick my butt for posting her artwork without her permission!

 I know I have more friends out there with a flair for the incredible, please let me know if you’d like me to add your link!

Introducing….

Most of you have heard me talk about him, so now you can put a face to the name!

Jeremy is one of the sweetest (and cutest!) guys I know, and I know a lot of sweet guys, so that says a lot! He came to visit a few weeks ago and we had a pretty busy (and magical) week.  I also started the new job on the day that he arrived, so that made things especially hectic, but we had a lot of fun anyway.  Wednesday he flew in, Thursday he tagged along on Clayton and Ruthie’s snowboarding field trip, Friday after work, Tim and Karen and Jeremy and I went to dinner at the Ono Hawaiian Cafe, and then went for a beginning ballroom dance lesson. It was a LOT of fun but apparently I need to learn to follow, instead of trying to lead. I knew that going in though, haha! Saturday I had the final part of the Convention for work and he came into town to go to the dinner/award ceremony with me, it wasn’t anything terribly exciting but we had some good conversation going with the other people at our table.

Sunday, we took Viktoria (Vika) up to Bogus Basin to go snowboarding for her birthday. She’d never been and was feeling a little left out because we always take the boys. She picked it up really quickly (and didn’t have a temper tantrum like I did!) and we had a lot of fun, and we definately did not want to leave the mountain that day! We had to though, and went back into town and all of us (Tim, Karen, Sergei, Joey, Vika, Ruthie, Hannah, Vera, Isabella, Vanya, Clayton, Elizabeth, Jeremy and I) went to see “Horton Hears a Who”. I’m not a huge Dr. Suess fan but the movie was really good and we laughed a lot.  After that, we had a picnic dinner for Vika’s birthday and we all headed home, a little sunburned and tired!

Monday after work, Jeremy and I went to the driving range and hit golf balls for a little while, I’m definately way out of practice and he whooped me pretty badly! Then we went downtown to Gino’s Italian Restaurant and had an incredible dinner!

Tuesday was homemade pizza for dinner at Karen’s, and then Wednesday, we had to say goodbye again, for now. 

It was a busy, fun-filled week and I’m definately looking forward to more visits!

This wonderful life in the mountains!

MOST of the time I love where I live. I love the peace and serenity and the fact that I actually have to work just to make day to day things run…but every so often, I have a moment where multiple curse words come flying out of the thin air. Ok…maybe not out of thin air, maybe they come out of my mouth.  The one thing that seems to elude me is managing the propane.  Doesn’t seem like it should be such a difficult thing, does it?  Last fall, I KNEW I should have called the gas company and have them bring a truck up and fill the 1000? gallon propane tank, but before I knew it, the snow was falling and there is no way a gas truck could make it up there. Luckily Jim, my so-called adopted father (I’ll talk more about him later) had the foresight to hunt down a 25 gallon backup tank so that if I did run out, I could hook it into the line to the house.  That worked GREAT! As long as I had Tim and Karen to help me get the danged thing over here and hooked up. Did you know a 25 gallon propane tank weighs approximately 86 pounds when empty and over 200 when full? Neither did I. 

The first tank lasted a little over 2 weeks. Oops! After procrastinating 2 days, I went out before daylight this morning and wrestled with it until I managed to unhook it, drrraaaagggggeeedd it across the snow and shoved it up into the back of the truck, drove to town with it rolling all over and after work I went and got it filled.  I briefly thought of calling a neighbor on the way home to get some help unloading it but decided not to be a pest and just figure it out myself, and I did!  I backed the truck up to the snowbank, dropped the tailgait, tugged the top of it around to the back of the truck, braced me feet against the big tank and yanked that sucker off of there.  It took me about 5 minutes, but I got it off, in place and a few more minutes and I figured out that the threading on the valve is the opposite of what it usually is. Lefty Loosy, Righty Tighty. Yep…no.  Just the opposite, but I got that figured out too….all while standing knee deep in snow in work clothes.  Before you ask, no I wasn’t wearing a skirt and heels, haha!

Now that I have the propane connected, I have to relight the pilot light on the hot water heater which is just about the most dreaded part of living up here. I HATE doing that! I have visions of the entire bathroom going up in flames while I have my head stuck up the hot water heater.  For one thing, it is situated by the washer and dryer, behind a wall, so to get to it,  I have to shove the washer over enough to lay on the floor and stick my arm back there. 

Then, because I do not seem to have the foresight to buy a bbq lighter, I attempt to light a stick on fire, lay on the floor and curse until it finally burns long enough to make the trip from in front of me, to inside the water heater, with my other arm  over my head try to hold down the pilot light button, stick the stick up under the water heater, find where it is supposed to light, pray to God it lights and then sit there and hold my breath while i hold that damn button down for 60 seconds.  By the time it is lit, I’m ready for a drink….

But, it is lit finally, and we’ll have hot water for dishes and showers, not to mention I can light the stove now . Although I’m slightly more grumpy now, I’m glad it is done and I wouldn’t trade where I live for anything! Spring is here, I noticed on the drive home that the water level is coming up quickly, which means boating season is right around the corner!  I’m feeling the need for some spring cleaning and getting rid of lots of crap.  And….I got home in less than an hour from the time I left work!  I got Gabe’s daycare situation squared away today, so no more driving clear across town to get him back and forth to school!

Now I’m finally getting around to installing my Adobe Creative Suite so that I can edit some photos, which I’ll  post next!  

It is a blessed life I lead, for sure!

My job….

Quite a few people have emailed to ask how the new job is going, and I’ve been pretty busy lately, so here it is!

I’ve almost been here two weeks. The people I work with are great, we have a smallish office consisting of the owner (Dan), a bookkeeper (Donna), a general manager (Bill), a nat’l sales manager(Michael), a guy in charge of logistics (Mike),  and another in charge of making sure we all have our plans right (tech support type of guy)(Kerby, aka The Office Redneck), another recent hire of a CAD designer (Dustin), a receptionist (Melanie) and ME.  There is also a guy from Treasure Valley Forest Products, which is owned by the same guy, just different stuff.  The owner’s wife (Paige) is an integral part of the office and I suspect she is the one who actually runs the show . Half of being successful is knowing who’s butt to kiss!  I’m just kidding there…I’m not a good butt kisser anyway, haha!

I’m in charge of sales for our local area plus whatever nationwide sales the others can’t keep up with, and I also get to be a big part of the website, plus will be the one to write the company blog. Gee…not sure I can handle that last one . One thing is for sure, I definately have to work on my writing style and bring a little bit of the formality back to my writing if I’m going to do it ‘professionally’.

So far things have been a little bit slow, I’ve been sitting in on calls and walk ins, but there are only a few of those per day, I’ve been making notes and starting some of the process of updating the website. Luckily, we’ve hired a company to do the actual re-design of the site, I’m just giving input and organizing content.  I have my first official home, which I have help with at the moment, basically since I was the one up front when they walked in, I get credit for the sale, but Mike will be helping me through it. So….the truth is, he does all the work, I watch and get the credit .

By my own choice, I’m going to start going downstairs and sitting with Mike and Kerby, so that I can learn all of the technical stuff. I’m very hands on and need to learn everything from the inside out so that I can do my job better. I need to have the answers to the questions I’ll be asked, and to have confidence in my work, I need to feel like I know all I can possibly know about it.  As Kerby says, ‘you can make pigs fly…on paper’, and just as going out and helping with installs in cabinets really helped me be able to design and sell better, I’ll be better able to explain the mechanics of a log home and thus, portray much more confidence when I go to close the deal.

I do really like it here, though I am impatient for things to pick up a little more, to have an actual routine.  I’m really thankful for this opportunity and feel the need to give it all I have in order to be successful.  I’m reminded almost constantly of what kind of pay I could be getting for other jobs and while my salary alone here is not enough to make me rich, it is enough to pay the bills and the opportunity to make commission on my sales will get me the rest.  I was having a conversation with Gabe’s dad earlier, he had to be a part of a team that confronted a pharmacy tech with the evidence that she’d shoplifted, both store merchandise and various pharmacuetical items and she was a single mom of three, barely making $10 an hour as a pharmacy tech, and now she’ll be blacklisted from every pharmacy out there. All that education and knowledge…for what?  So she could steal and lose her job, a wasted education for a career that barely made her any money.  I could easily be making that amount of money and it is only through the Grace of God that I’ve been able to take advantage of various opportunities to pull myself up a little higher and be able to earn a decent living.  I’m still aware that that could be taken away from me at any time. These last few months when jobs weren’t popping up as fast as they usually did, I was faced with the cold, hard reality that I might very well have to accept something making less than I had been. All of that makes me doubly thankful for this job!

Howdy!

A new blog……why? Those of you who know me best know that there are several that I frequent…I have a blog on both myspace and on blogspot. Sometimes, though, just like a chapter in a book, things outgrow their usefulness and need to be closed.  My blogspot blog is private, so not just anyone can read, which means if I want to write about something I want to share, I have to write it on myspace, but not everyone HAS myspace, so it seemed like a good idea to condense everything into one area.

 I can’t promise that this blog will have you on the edge of your seat, but I can promise that at times you will laugh, both AT and WITH me, at times you might be tempted to shed a tear, you may shake your head in amazement at the ridiculous stuff that goes on in my life, but most of the time, you’ll be more likely to be bored silly with my own personal expression of my no holds barred view on life as I know it.