Isn't it [Exhausting]?

I love that music is so adaptable. I love that I can find so many songs to "alter" just a bit to fit my blog post. So, here's the song for this blog post :).

Now that I have 2 part-time jobs, I can work a maximum of 50 hours per week, I'm striving to come as close to that 50 as possible. And this week (my first full week having two jobs), I succeeded. The price, of course, was pure exhaustion. But I slept like a rock every single night, and that's always so wonderful a feeling. Of course, the other part of this is that I also have a 20 minute commute one way between jobs. And since I start at the funeral home, go to the library, and then go back to the funeral home, that means we are looking at 40 minutes a day in commuting, and that is added on to the work day. So, it can be very tiring. But I think it will all work out and I will adjust. I will have to say the library job will take a lot of adjusting. Washington State is very unionized. I'm not a fan of unions. I don't have to join the union with the library system, though it is an option. I won't be joining. But the fact that there is a union still affects me. For example... We are not allowed to even talk about work until we are officially on the clock. We aren't allowed to start working even 2 minutes early -- even if we just want to do something rather than stand like bumps on a log and not "count it" on our time sheet. It's kind of bizarre. But, I can be a letter of the law kind of person when I need to be. I shall comply. I now have a library card in 2 library systems, which I think is wonderful. What one doesn't have, the other might! I checked-out a season of Frasier yesterday from work. Also, I joined one of the "teams" of walkers at library-work. It's just friendly competition where we keep track of how much we walk every day and then the winning team gets little flip-flops hanging from their locker for the week. So I went and dug my pedometer from UA's Strive For Five out of my bedside table -- which resides in the garage ;).

In other semi-related library news... I contacted my friend Kristin and she is working on getting me a picture of Big Blue the station wagon. Yes, the library still owns it. Though, for some reason, it's spent the last who knows how long parked at the library director's house. Hmmmm. I doubt very seriously she's driving it. It's not exactly economical! But anyway, I hope to have a picture of it soon, and I will share it :).

In other semi-related "busy week" news, I also started walking again with a gal from church. Wendy and I walked Monday and Friday after work (and Friday was not a "walk in the park" as it was wet, rainy, and cold, but we persevered!), and I walked on Wednesday alone, because Wendy couldn't make it. Hopefully soon Heidi will be joining us again, but she's a tax preparer, so she has to wait for that rush to die down a bit before her hours will be more normal.

And in other not-related news.... I wrapped up my exhausting week of working 2 jobs yesterday by going to a Century Club Dinner for my funeral home job. This is an annual thing that happens and it is to recognize people (mostly salespeople) who have reached certain "goals" of selling. Anyway, it was fancy. It was at the Seattle Mariott. As always, we laughed and had a grand time. The food was okay, and I was quite surprised that I really liked the asparagus! I don't usually even try that stuff. but I don't think this asparagus was even cooked and it had parmesan cheese on it. Anyway, I was impressed with it. So, in quick succession, here are a few pictures. Oh, and for the record, our table was the loudest. We have the most fun ;). Three people from our location were recognized. And as Ken so eloquently put it, "we may not always be recognized, but we are always noticed." True. So true. Hard not to notice the red-headed step child that makes all the racket ;).

And a tidbit in "meeting my goals" news... I planted tomato seeds today in some "cubicles" (for lack of a better word) made out of wood. I am very excited to see how it turns out, but I'm also nervous. I really want them to grow and produce! And I really don't have a clue what I'm doing. So, I will keep you posted with pictures if they succeed. And I will be way excited if they do!!! But for now, here's my starting point:

Maybe I should add more water? Those dark spots of water make it look kind of pathetic!

And in completely unrelated news.... I got a coupon for $15 off at Best Buy! And this is because I joined their Rewards Zone program. I wasn't expecting to get anything that soon, but I guess it adds up quick! Woohoo! I like free money. It's exciting :). And it's "free" because I got it from earning points for spending money I was going to spend anyway. So yay!

Forgotten Memories

Isn't it funny how you forget things, but they aren't ever forgotten? Because somewhere along the way, something will spark the memory and this hilarious experience will come to the forefront from some deep, dark crevice in your brain. This particular memory was sparked when I had to drive for training and found out I'd be re-imbursed for the trip. I remembered a time in 2000 when I was asked to fill in at the Columbia Branch of the library, and that meant I had to drive about 30 minutes. Well, HLML wasn't big on re-imbursing money. Instead we got the privelege of driving the behemoth blue station wagon and use the gas card to fill up. So this station wagon was enormous. I don't know what model it was, but it was huge. And old. And neither the gas gauge nor the speedometer worked. So, it was anyone's guess if I was speeding down Highway 52. The good news is that I didn't get pulled over ;). At one point, the maintenance guy at the main library was driving the station wagon for something work-related, and a cop pulled him over because the tags had been expired for something like 10 years! Whoops! Since it was a vehicle registered to the county or the city (don't remember), there weren't any penalties. Just advisement that we get the tags renewed -- and soon!

Anyway, random, I know. But so funny to remember small tidbits like this ;).

Trippin' With My Sistah

So I told you that I would blog about my trip with Christina and her birthday celebration. Truth is, she did a totally awesome job -- with great pictures -- on her blog. So I will refer you to her blog post, and I will fill in around it with tidbits that stick out in my mind. So, if you want to read her version and see the pictures, click here.

I spent the night at Christina's house on the 14th. We ate some dinner and played some dominoes, and watched some Scrubs and ate some popcorn. Now, thanks to Julie, I am hooked on Mexican Train, although I haven't played it since October. I own it, though. I plan to play it again in the future. Well, for Christmas, I got Nick a nice game set that had like 10 games in it. The box was wood, and it looked really nice. Well, it turns out they have these puny little dominoes. Seriously. You can see them in the pictures on Christina's blog. They are probably a third of the size of a regular domino in all dimensions (length, width, etc). So it was hard to "wash" them, as Nick and Christina refer to it (this means mixing them up or shuffling them). But anyway, Christina and Nick taught me how to play dominoes the way they play. It was fun. At one point I almost "stole Nick's points," but since I didn't use the appropriate dominoes lingo (which would have been "mug you thirty"), we let it slide. But they did make fun of me for yelling out, "I steal your points!" Emily went down to bed around 7:30. Desiree was down by 9. But by 11, Emily was talking in the crib, so Christina went and got her after about 15 minutes of this, so that she wouldn't wake up Desiree. So, Emily got to enjoy popcorn with us, which is what two of the pictures are. We had to bite off the parts that have the seed husks or whatever they are called, because we don't figure it's particularly easy for her little body to tolerate them. And so she would follow my hand that had a piece of popcorn in it with her mouth open -- like a little bird. She was very excited when she'd finally get to eat a soft piece. After we were done with the popcorn, she sat with me and pointed at my pajama pants, that have cats and crescent moons on them. She pointed to a cat on my pants, and so I said, "Meow." And I did that a couple more times, and then she started trying to copy what I was saying. It was so cute. She is growing up fast.

The next morning the four of us girls (me, Christina, Desiree, and Emily) got up and on the road by 9. We headed to La Push. It wasn't a bad drive, all in all. I just get impatient. Christina explained the story of our "stowaway" bug, and how we didn't really like it. The girls did marvelously well. They are really good travelers. Desiree is such a good big sister. She entertains Emily (who seriously has the most hilarious furrowed brow expression ever -- hence Christina's link to Pinky and the Brain). Desiree was also in charge of our map. We had the writeen directions, but we also had an overall map. We didn't really need the map, so when Desiree asked if she could be in charge of the map, we were happy to comply. She's such a sweet girl, always wanting to help.

We got to La Push around noon. There were a lot of people there! Probably there for the same reason we were -- because of New Moon. I know.... We are dorks. But, since I won't be able to be in Dothan for the New Moon party, this is the least I can do. So after a few pictures (is that coastline not just gorgeous? Reminds me so much of The Goonies!!!), Christina and I climbed our way down to the water -- where, it turned out, the tide was coming in -- and I collected La Push sand for my Alabamian friends. (And hopefully this wasn't supposed to be a surprise, since I just ruined it for any of them that read my blog...). And then we set our cameras up on timer, and ran to take pictures at the ocean's edge. And we got our feet soaked for our efforts! It was actually quite funny. In one picture, I'm holding Desiree, who is looking down at the water to make sure it doesn't come up and wet her. Too funny! What a great memory. So then we slogged back to the car and headed back up the road to find some lunch. Christina mentioned we stopped for lunch at a place with a Twilight menu. Yeah, basically you just pay for the experience. The people of La Push and Forks are no dummies. They are cashing in on this money-maker. But it was fun and worth it, since this was all about Christina's birthday. We did jaunt into Forks for a little pit-stop at a store there. By this time, though, I was exhausted. And I knew I had a full week ahead of me. So we decided to call it a day and head back. The girls both fell asleep on the way back, which was good, since I know they were tired. Meanwhile Christina and I laughed and joked in the front to help the trip go by faster. We were tired too. Very tired. We did stop in Port Angeles to get some ice cream sundaes, since I told Desiree we would. Emily enjoyed her bites. We wondered if babies get brain freezes? Emily was about done with the trip when we only had an hour left, so we had to entertain her quite a bit that last hour. But even then, she wasn't a screamer, so that was good. And again, Desiree was the helpful big sister who gave Emily all the things she wanted -- that were within Desiree's reach, at least. I dropped Christina and the girls off at home, helped them get inside, and played a game of Princess Dominoes with Desiree. And then I headed home. And I slept really really well that night :).

So, that's my story.

A Different Breed of Library

So I would say that 6:00 dawns early. But I would be lying. Because dawn implies some sort of sunlight. And for the record, the sun wasn't shining at my house at 6:00 this morning. And I probably was "just in the middle of a dream" when my alarm sounded. (And that's a Bangles reference. Because they rock. And so does that song. Which you can hear here :).)

But I did manage to drag my sorry butt out of bed. And get ready for the day. And it was so nice to go out and find my car all icy. NOT. It hasn't been getting cold enough here lately to ice over. So I found sweet irony in the fact that it iced over last night, since today I had to get going before daybreak and had to be to the service center for training by 8. So I had to de-ice, which put me about 5 minutes behind schedule. So I decided to go the interstate way through Tacoma, because I figured I knew this way and it wasn't too hard to figure out. And thus I figured it would be quicker in case I got lost going to back way. Well, I didn't think rush hour traffic in Tacoma would start at 7! Yikes! But, apparently, it does. We came to a complete stop at one point when the lane I was in was trying to merge with the interstate. So, I was a little nervous. I really didn't want to be late. And thankfully, I wasn't. I was there about 5 minutes early, and I was the 2nd person there. Out of 4. As the day went on, the four of us got to talking and discussing things, and it turns out that at least 3 of the four of us (the 4th wasn't in on this particular conversation) have been looking for work and applying for library jobs for a long time and constantly not getting the jobs. One of them even used to work in the library system as a substitute and people knew her, but she wasn't getting the jobs. And I guess the position she finally got (as a library aide, same as me), she was told that 134 people applied for that job! It's just crazy! So I am not the only one. I guess when you are "competing" with that many people, even having an interview says a lot. And I had 4 interviews over the past year and a half, including this last one. I'm thankful to have this job. And the benefits are phenomenal! Oh yeah, and they pay you for everything. I get paid for 2 hours of reading the New Employee binder. I get paid for the training I attended today. I get paid for the travel time to the training. I get paid for the mileage to get to the training. We get 2 personal days a year, in addition to vacation leave. And they will pay me for my vacation leave (up to 120 hours) that I don't use when/if I leave the job (or library system), etc. etc. All cool bonuses.

But I will say this... The library world here is a lot different from the library world at HLML! The service center is the "hub" for all the libraries that this library system serves, of which there are 27. There are over 300 employees in the library system. It covers 5 counties. So none of the branches process or order or mend or select their own materials. Even the major reference questions get referred to the hub, where they have a collection of Reference Books. Not that each branch doesn't have some reference materials. But the Reference Collection is maintained at the hub. I remember working in Technical Services at HLML and how much I loved that job.
And part of it was that I was able to do a lot of different jobs. It's weird to think of the library as not having those things done "in-house." I know they weren't done in Ashford, but somehow it just felt different. Not bad mind you. Just different. We got a tour of the whole facility and all the departments from selectors, to acquisitions, to cataloging, to processing, to the computer peeps. And man oh man do they have some computers! We saw a room full of servers. 50 servers, to be exact. With a ton of battery back-ups. And around another corner was the "switchboard" thing where all the telephone lines come in. And those have car batteries as battery back-ups! It was wild. Anyway... I drove home the back way. I think it was quicker, and now I know I can make it that way, so yay :). It was a long day, but a good day. I think I will like this library system. I know I am already adding books to my "to-read" list that is plenty long already, just from some of the conversations we had today at lunch. I am excited to get back into the public library! And there doesn't seem to be a lot of job turnover. Pretty much everyone that talked to us today had worked there for over 10 years. So, there seems to be lots of longevity there. Plus, most of them said they started out as a page or a library aide and moved up the ladder. So obviously there is a lot of internal moving within the library system, which is a good thing. Oh! And another thing I forgot until this morning (Thursday)... They even have a print center in the service center where they do their own printing! They have a huge paper cutter, a Hidelberg printing press, a folder... It was wild to see all those things there. I've seen them before, since my ex-in-laws have a printing business, but it was so weird to see them in a library center!

So, that was my day. I'm going to relax and enjoy my evening. I'm going to probably watch some tv and read. And sleep :).

Birthday Girls

Well, as I promised, I will tell you about Christina and Desiree's birthdays. Mostly, on Friday the 12th (which was both Christina's and Desiree's birthday), we celebrated Desiree's birthday. Christina's birthday celebration was a couple days later -- at least my celebration with her. And that will come in another blog post, because I'm tired.

Friday evening, my mom and I went to Christina's to enjoy some cake and watch Desiree open presents. I seriously cannot believe she is 5. I remember being in the hospital room with Christina when they wheeled in the little bundle that was Desiree and I saw her for the first time. She was so tiny. Oh how the years go by... Now she's a big girl. With a good dose of sass in her (she told me that one day, she was upset with her daddy, so she sent him to his room and told him he couldn't come out until she said so...). So here are a few pictures for you to enjoy:

Desiree got some very nice gifts. She got a Disney Princesses game set from me, a Tinkerbell pillow book from my mom, a Racecar Barbie from her Aunt Ashlee (Nick's sister), Tarzan from her mom and dad, and also from her mom and dad, a couple of ponies, a helmet and elbow pads for her bike, and a barbie vanity set. So, she had a nice birthday. We played some Princess Bingo and Princess Dominoes and Princess Go Fish. She is learning how to play those games. Emily was very interested in being part of the action. She went digging into several boxes and watned whatever the rest of us were playing with (ie dominoes, cards). She is walking everywhere in her cute little toddler way. And she copies you. She would put her hand on my shirt and I'd point to myself and say, "Aunt Hila." So she'd poke me again. Then I'd point to her and say, "Emily." And she'd point to herself and say, "Ha." It was way cute. I have more stories about her copying me, but they are for the next post with Christina's birthday celebration. So here are a couple more pictures before I finish this up with non-birthday randomness :).

So, this is a busy week full of not a lot of sleep for me. I'm exhausted already. I worked all day today (from 8 to 5:15, with an hour and a half break for a RS Presidency meeting) in order to maximize my hours for the week. Good news there is that I got all my hours in :). I drive tomorrow an hour and 15 minutes to the library system's service center for a full day of training. This means that I will be waking up somewhere around 6:15 to get on the road between 6:30 and 6:45. Blech. I am so not a morning person. I will get home around 6:30 tomorrow evening... Then I will work at the funeral home all day again on Thursday (starting at 8), and then on Friday, I will work 1/2 day at the funeral home and 1/2 day at the library, then my mom and I are going to go to the Temple. Then Saturday I will work in the morning some at the funeral home and then go to the library for the afternoon shift. I will be looking forward to Saturday night when I can just relax :). But, it's all good. I just know it's going to be a long week!

Today I bought myself the new Star Trek movie. I'm not a Trekkie by any means. Of all the movies ever made for Star Trek, I've only seen the ones with the "original" crew. And of those, I only like #4 (the whale one that has awesomely 80s stuff) and #6 (The Undiscovered Country). I never saw the ones with Picard. But I really really liked this new one. I thought it was very well done. So I bought it for $9. Which is a good deal. Woohoo! So my mom and Grandma watched it tonight and I watched some of it while I read over my huge binder for my new job. My mom really liked it. So did my grandmother. I will say I did like a couple of the tv series. I liked Voyager, which I started to get hooked on in 8th grade Algebra with Mr. Loudat who would let us watch it on Fridays sometimes. And then I liked Enterprise. That was a really good one. It used to be part of my weekly routine to watch that show. But yeah, other than that, I'm not a Trekkie :).

Well, I probably have other stuff to talk about, but I can't think of it right now, so I will stop. I will write more soon. I have the Christina birthday celebration (with pictures) to write about :).

My Dilemma

So now that I'm rich... Hahahaha. Yeah right. Especially considering I just made a huge HUNK of a payment to my student loan. Which feels downright awesome, by the way. I'm excited. I feel like I am making headway into a better tomorrow filled with no debt. Yay. I have to say I am so thankful for the fact that I have the desire to be wise with my money and my financial situation. I know that we live in a world where instant gratification is the game, and it is easy to want to "keep up with the Joneses," as the saying goes. I am thankful for true principles and for a desire to follow those principles. Yes, I want nice things. But I don't want to owe anyone for them. I want to have them free and clear. I love that this month's Visiting Teaching message (for church) is all about managing our resources and getting out of debt. There are some very wise words found in this month's message. I have linked it here for anyone who would like to read them. There are a lot of tips for helping people to save money and get out of debt -- things that perhaps some people don't think about, like preparing meals at home.

Not that I meant to pontificate on that. Sorry. Kinda segued there. (That word still looks goofy to me).

My dilemma is this... Now that I have my tax return money, my intentions are fully to buy myself a laptop outright. Naturally, I want to get the best bang for my buck. Currently I am really considering this laptop. I have looked at the specs (hah! as though I know what I'm looking at ;)...). I have read the reviews on both Amazon and at the Wal-Mart website. In both cases, the majority of the reviews are very high and the one consistent complaint in anything negative is the keyboard. Which Mary, who also has a Toshiba (though not the same model, I don't think) also confirmed. I know that cheaper isn't always better. Sometimes you get what you pay for when you go that route. I want something that will do what I need it to do (which really isn't much, honestly... I just want something for typing and web-surfing, and watching DVDs basically) for a long time. I don't need a million bells and whistles. I'm a functional kind of gal, so functionality is my main concern. So, that being said... I appreciate any and all advice. I'm not tech-savvy. At all. Kira suggested a Mac, but I don't know how comfortable I am with that. (I'm sure I've mentioned before that I am a late-adopter of new things... I'm also "traditional" in the sense that I've always used a PC, so the thought of changing to something very different is a little daunting for me. Which I know is close-minded, and I don't mean to be... I just don't want to move out of my comfort zone in an area in which I am already so woefully inexperienced and inept!). So, that's my story :).

P.S... My next blog will have pictures of Desiree and Emily. Today was Christina and Desiree's birthdays! Christina is 25. Desiree is 5. Where does the time go!?

Also Known As Bribery

So last night my mom and I made oreo truffles. Mostly because it turned out I had bought a package of oreos when they were on awesome sale and had forgotten about them. And then my mom found them. And it turned out to be a good thing, since I figured I'd make a batch of oreo truffles to give some to Mary to share with her husband Ed for Valentine's Day. After trying various and sundry ways of coming up with a tool to keep from having to dip my fingers in the chocolate, I finally caved with last night's endeavor. I just dipped 'em with my fingers. It went a whole lot faster than usual! So this morning I divvied them up -- some for Mary, some for work, and some for the little boy who lives down the lane... Nah, I'm kidding (that was a reference to a nursery rhyme, though, if you didn't know ;)). I decided to take some down to my new job place today, since I had to go down to get a binder for new employees. As it is with starting any new job, at least for me, I am hopeful that I will fit in there. But what if I don't!?! Julie said I should fit in by bringing them Little Debbie cakes, since that was the beginning of our beautiful friendship (and that's an allusion to Casablanca ;)). But I told her I took them oreo truffles instead ;). Who can't like the girl who brings oreo truffles!? Hahaha... Nah, I'm kidding. I did take them, but not as bribery. Fact is, who knows when I'll make them again, so I figured I'd take them in and be nice. I did, after all, get a nice card from all of them (signed by all of them), welcoming me aboard. I thought that was really nice.

Lately, I have been getting a lot of blog hits from Europe and stuff. It's weird. Germany. Tonight I got two from Russia. Very odd. I don't know people in those places. Oh well.

And since Julie was asking about it, I'm going to clarify... I mentioned another blog where I do booktalks. You will not find my opinions of the books there. This is because we were trained (when I was in library school) not to offer biased booktalks. So, in an effort to have a professional-ish blog, I opted to follow those rules. In fact, several of those entries were actually school assignments from yesteryear that I simply pasted into blogger. So, yeah. My opinion isn't there. But, if you want my opinion on any of them, feel free to ask me. The blurb I write is mostly a synopsis of the book so that people can decide if they want to read it based on the subject or story line. Believe me, I have books I love, books that are okay, and books that are downright boring or not on my favorites list... I just try not to convey that opinion in that particular arena :).

Why'd [I] Have to [Grow] and Make Things so Complicated?

I am easily one of the biggest dorks on the planet. I was thinking of this blog post when I got out of the shower and this song (and my alteration of it) popped into my head, and I smiled. Hahahaha... I crack myself up. So, here's the song to go with this song-title post :).

Julie and I often ask each other -- from the wise vantage point of adulthood... Why did we want to grow up so badly when we were teenagers? There is only one plausible answer: we were cuh-ray-zee! Grown up life is full of so many things I know I didn't even think of when I was a teenager. For example... I got this packet in the mail since I'm starting this new job. Basically it is full of forms and such that have me choosing what retirement plan I want to contribute to (like do I want a plan that I can draw from after only 10 years of service, or do I think I might put in 20 years of service in the public sector, and could therefore feel happier with the other plan? or like do I want to contribute more money each paycheck for a smaller return if I do the 10 year thing or contribute less money with a larger return after I put in 20 years?) And then I have to choose between dental plans (which is paid 100% by the employer, so that is wondermous), but that means I should be able to know what makes the plans different, and I didn't receive any literature on that, so I will have to do my own research. And then I have to choose which health insurance plan I want. Same issue as the dental plan thing. And don't get me wrong. I'm not complaining. I'm just amazed at all these decisions and responsiblities that keep cropping up in adulthood. I mean, who knew? Of course, if we did know, we might all go on strike to stay teenagers forever, right? ;). And there'd probably be a bunch of loony parents running around (having gone crazy from the fact that their teenage children stopped growing and never moved out...). The other thing is that they do a background check. I'm not concerned about this, since I've had one done already here, and plus, I haven't been a shady character.... or have I ;)? But every time, I have to remember my addresses from the last 7 years of my life! Let's just say I have a lot. 7 to be exact (though 2 of them are the same, with about 3 years between them). I guess that's reason enough to continue living in the basement for the next 7 years ;). I can just have 1 address to remember! Hahahaha... Totally kidding.

In other exciting (yeah right) news... So I get this phone call from a phone number in Alabama that has called me before, but didn't leave a message. I googled it the last time, and it came up with State of Alabama or something. But then I found this site where people were telling where the phone number went to, and it turns out it's probably some middle man who gets the job of soliciting donations from alumni from the various Alabama Universities (like Troy, Auburn, etc). So when I answered my phone and they asked for me by my married name, I knew it wasn't a phone call I needed to concern myself with.... Anyone important knows my current last name and that's all there is to it. Turns out the girl was updating alumni information for Troy. And she was also asking if I'd been receiving a copy of Troy T (whatever that is), to which I replied, "No, because I haven't lived in Alabama for the past year and a half." And finally, she asked if I would like to donate money to the school. Ummm. No. And okay, I was probably a little short with her on the phone. Because this is ridiculous. But then I felt guilty, because if she's sales person, I know she's just trying to do her job. I'm not saying I was out and out rude with her. But I probably could have been nicer and less peeved that they were calling my cell phone and using up my minutes. Because I happen to work with salespeople who are really good and nice people. And while I don't have money to be giving away left and right, I know that they are just trying to earn a paycheck like I am. And their job is a lot harder (from my perspective) than either of mine are, I'm sure. I couldn't be a sales person, because the rejection would destroy me. I know this about myself. So note to self... Be nicer, even to annoying situations. I guess what annoyed me most was that they didn't bother to leave a message when they called the first time, and I think that's a bit rude. When I get a phone call from a Southeastern Alabama number that I don't recognize, I have to check it out, because my dad is there, and I need to make sure he's okay and that someone isn't calling about him, you know?

So, that's it in a nutshell. I finished Ender's Game (and booktalked it on my other blog). I'm now reading Angels and Demons. And I'm working on the 3rd season of Scrubs. And I found a song I love on one of the episodes, so I'm linking it here for you :). And I'm taking notes, because April and I are planning our next big theme party (though who knows when it will be... but this just means we will have plenty of time to make it perfect ;)). And it will be a Scrubs party. And if you haven't a clue what I'm talking about when I mention theme parties with April, click on "Pink, it's my favorite crayon" link under my picture. Or click here. Or here. That's a sample of our past parties ;).

Spiritual Pruning

Today was my turn to teach the lesson in Relief Society. I used the topic of spiritual pruning and contrasted it against pruning trees. I have to take a moment to say that I am so often amazed at the patterns and examples we have all around us of eternal truths. And every once in a while, I am in tune enough with the Spirit to actually see them. I wish I was more in tune more often. I know there are so many insights I could gain. It is something for me to work on. In the meantime, I am so thankful for the insights I have gained in my life. They are moments that are very special to me and that I do not forget. Those light-bulb moments where I suddenly get it. Those are treasured moments.

Ironically enough, the light-bulb on this particular topic went on for me in the middle of a blog. I was talking about how I wanted to prune the tree in the back yard because it is growing out of control and will soon take out electrical lines! I had given up the hope of getting any fruit out of it anytime soon. And I made the comment in the blog post that apparently a tree has to be pruned to produce good fruit. And I just had that moment of, "Well what do you know! The same can be said of our spiritual selves!!"

As with most lessons I have taught or talks I have given, I think it was more for me. I learned so much. I learned that there are two types of pruning. One is the type we can control. We can eliminate things from our own lives that will prevent us from bearing good fruit. We can get rid of dishonesty. We can get rid of impure actions and thoughts. We can be kinder in our speech. We can not gossip. We can discard bitter feelings of jealousy and anger. I'm not saying that these are easy tasks. Some tasks will be harder for some than for others. We all have our own trials and temptations. But ultimately, we do have the control and willpower to overcome those weaknesses. We may need help. And the Savior is always there to help us. But we can make up our minds to improve and do better. To be better with each new day. The other type of pruning, though, is the harder one -- at least for me. Because it is the one we cannot control. It is the pruning performed by a loving Heavenly Father who knows what is best for us long before we do. It is the type that makes us stronger, but only because we are put through a trial over which we have no control. One quote I shared said (concerning actual tree or vine pruning), "When a vine's main branch reaches a certain size, it is cut back by taking off the tip to force the development of side shoots. Such pruning and shaping halt the growth at the tip of the branch and send nourishment into the new branches. Then, as these side branches develop, each produces as much fruit as the single vine had produced." In comparing this to us and our spiritual development, the other said, "...even when we are living righteously, we still need the Gardener, who knows us so completely and sees beyond what we see, so that He can purge, or prune and purify, us. While at times this pruning may seem hard to bear, it is only through this process that we will become more fruitful. Our pruning comes in a variety of ways. We may develop an illness or physical limitation. We may find that our expectations are not fulfilled. We may find sorrow in relationships or experience personal loss. Yet what initially might seem to be a sad event can help us grow if it causes us to rely more on the Lord and to rethink our priorities. Such difficult experiences can make us more fruitful..."

I guess what touched me most about this is that while I was studying and preparing for this lesson, I was struggling with things beyond my control and not able to understand why. And I had people very dear to me who were also struggling with things beyond their control. It is easy to think in those moments, that we are forgotten. Unloved. Abandoned. Forsaken. I know it is easy, because I have been there. The thoughts have crept in, even when I know better. But it is so important to be reminded from time to time that I am known. I am loved. I could never be forgotten. One more quote from a book my friend Tammy lent me last March (and that I totally need to return to her...): "No matter how serious the trial, how deep the distress, how great the affliction, [God] will never desert us. He never has, and He never will. He cannot do it. It is [against] His character [to do so]. He is an unchangeable being... He will stand by us. We may pass through the fiery furnace; we may pass through deep waters; but we shall not be consumed nor overwhelmed. We shall emerge from all these trials and difficulties the better and the purer for them, if we only trust in our God and keep His commandments."

I cannot see the big picture. So often I wish I could. But I can't. I know I have felt like I've done enough of the hard stuff and I just want the easy road from here on out. But then I know I won't grow as I need to. I know that I will not bear the fruits that I have the potential of bearing. And so I will face the future with a desire to accept the things I cannot control and to see them as opportunities to grow. I may not always be successful, but I will try. And I know, because I have seen it in my past and I need to remember to have faith in it in my future, that the blessings will outweigh the hardships. I will be what my Heavenly Father and my Savior would have me be.

And while I am not standing in line for every hardship I can possibly have in this earth life, I will do my best to remember that, with new challenges, come new opportunities for growth. And also that I am never alone. It just means I'm being pruned :).

Finally It Happened to Me!

Well today is the first day of the rest of my life ;). How cliche.

Today was full of events to proclaim. Well, okay... Maybe there weren't all that many. But there were some events. One of them was the email I got from the public library saying that Ender's Game was waiting for me at the library. To say I was ecstatic is an understatement! I had visions of me curling up with the book and finishing it tonight. (I think I'm a loser after reading back over this paragraph, but oh well...). Those visions were quickly dashed when I made it all the way to the library and found out they were closed until 1. That's what I get for assuming. I mean, what main branch of a library doesn't open all day on a weekday? But then I must remember that budget cuts hit libraries in a particularly nasty way. Economic hardships are not friendly, ever, to the public library. Shoot... Economically good times aren't especially favorable to most library systems in my experience. It's a sad fact, really. But I digress. So I drove all the way over there to have my hopes dashed. And since they closed at 5, I couldn't pick the book up after work either. This will help to remind me to check the hours next time. I didn't learn my lesson the first time I did this either, but that was with the downtown branch, so it has different hours anyway. But still, I could learn the lesson of looking up the hours online before heading over!!! So, tomorrow is the day then. Tomorrow I will go check out the book. Yay!

The other awesome event is the reason for the blog post title (which is a song title post). (Although I just realized that the whole Ender's Game thing is also applicable :)). I finally got a job in the library world again! Woohoo! It is a part-time job in the same town where I volunteer at the middle school. I will continue to work at the funeral home, and I am glad for that. I love my job. Thinking of having to leave it and the people there had made me sad. So I'm glad that, at least for now, that isn't an issue. I have a foot in the door in libraries here now, so that is good. I got the phone call this morning and they offered me the job. And this is why I mentioned the other day that I talk way too much with my hands when I'm nervous. I noticed the hand-talking a lot during my interview. So anyway, I have to give a world of thanks to Mary, Annie, and Donna for being my references and for letting me know they had gotten phone calls! And I know this is seemingly out of the blue. But I got so tired of mentioning jobs I applied for; jobs I interviewed for; and then having to say, "No, I didn't get it." It made me feel like a total loser. So, I've kept quiet about things of that nature (not that there has been a whole heck of a lot of library job openings in my area for which I applied), because I just didn't want to have to do that again and again.

Perks of the job: It's a 2nd job and supplemental to the one I have. It's a foot in the door of the library world. I'm back in the public library world, where I haven't really been for almost 6 years, and I have missed it. I will now know when Tess Gerritsen will come out with her new book. Or what the best-sellers are. Yep, I've been out of the loop for far too long, and I've felt it.

"Downfalls" of the job (circumstantial/situational, not the job itself, mind you ;)): Schedule is Tuesday through Saturday, which means I will no longer be receptionist on Saturdays at the funeral home. Not that I'm totally bummed about it, I just feel bad that they have to readjust. And also I will miss working with Mary every 3rd Saturday. I will, however, enjoy having part of the day off on Saturdays. This also means I definitely will not be able to make the New Moon party with my dear Alabama friends. I knew this was likely true for other reasons, but this pretty much nips it in the bud. I will be sad to miss it. But I will be there in spirit! And, there's always Eclipse, right :)? But thanks anyway to all you lovely ladies who really wanted me to be there -- to the point of saying you'd pick me up at airports from Birmingham to Montgomery to Panama City, FL! You all are awesome! And seriously, I will miss being there to party down with you gals.

The other event of the day was what happened on my way in to work. I had a gift card to this little coffee establishment that is on the way to the funeral home. I'd been scoping it out to see if the only option was drive-thru, because remember, my windows don't roll down. Now, I don't drink coffee, but I won this during the Dirty Santa we played at work in December. And Bob told me that this place had a really good Italian Soda. So, in my days of scoping the place out, I noticed that there was a door, so I figured I could probably go in, even though it wasn't set up as a shop. So, I pulled in there today. Turns out you can't actually go in, but upon closer inspection, there is a walk-up window. So I was pretty excited. So I asked the girl about the Italian Sodas and she told me all the different types and said the orange one was like an orange dreamsicle. That sounded fantabulous to me. So, I got that. Used my gift card. Still have money on it. Yay. Headed for work. Parked my car. Got out of my car with the Italian Soda (which I tasted and it was way good) and my purse and my other bag I take to work with me (because it has things like make-up, in case I want to put it on, and my mp3 player, and my reading book, if I have one I'm currently reading...). Plus I had my keys in my hand. So, I put everything on top of my car to get organized, and when I went to pull my bag back off my car, it knocked off the Italian Soda and it went SPLAT! all over the cement. I was soooo bummed. Honestly, I'm still rather bummed about it. I'm just glad I didn't actually pay for it. And I can go back one more time and try again. This time, I will not put it on top of my car and knock it off :).

So, that's my news. I'm excited. I don't know why it took as long as it did for me to get a library job. I may not ever know. Or maybe I will one day look back and find out why things have been the way they have been. In spite of all the hard times (and during those times, I most definitely don't see it this way, even if I know it to be true), I do know that I have been watched over. I know that things don't happen randomly, but that all things (both the good and the bad) are for my experience and growth. And if I just have faith (I know, easier said than done... at least for me), it will all be ordered for my good.

"Sometimes He lets it rain. He lets the fierce winds blow. Sometimes it takes a storm to lead a heart where it can grow. He can move mountains of grief and oceans of pain. But sometimes He lets it rain." (lyrics by Hilary Weeks)

Tidbits

I really don't have much to say, but I feel like blogging. Therefore, you get some tidbits. Of random information. That is totally pointless. And useless. But it satiates my blog-craving :).

I know some pretty darn awesome people. Today the guys at work gave me the hook-up and sprayed some stuff into my car door locks and they are turning (and letting me insert my key) much nicer now.

I finished shifting the pre-need funeral files (since we got a new cabinet for them) and made up the new labels. Yay! Now to work on the cemetery side... Which is a much larger feat, and was therefore left for later.

I have little to no artistic ability... at all. Tonight I made a tree out of construction paper for a lesson I have to teach. It's a leafless tree, because it's supposed to be an apple tree ready for pruning (which you do during the winter months, so there are no leaves :)). I'm pretty sure it looks dorky. And more like a phallic symbol than anything else. LOL. And that line is for Julie who once sent me a text (recently) asking what that word was that Sigmund Freud always talked about if you used trees or something in a story. And this comes from my days of Literary Criticism when I was working toward my undergrad. Oh the things you learn in college. Anyway, let's just hope my lesson is good enough to overcome my dorky and lacking (to the point of non-existent) artistic side.

Last night I watched more episodes of Scrubs from season 2. I watched one that made me laugh so hard! I love a good laugh.

I don't think Target sells laptops. I went last night just to price them and see what they have. I didn't see any at all. I did see several TVs. Some of them were tempting. They are on sale. Again, only if I can pay cash for it. It's not really a need. Just a want. But I have goals. And a tv wasn't on that list. A laptop was. So is paying off all debt :).

I'm going to see about watching the new episode of Lost tonight. I heard that it started last night. And then I'll watch more Scrubs. Because I want to :).

Correction (made at 12:13 a.m. on Thursday...): I will be watching the newest episode of Lost at some later date. Mary and I just finished one of our marathon conversations. This one lasted 2 hours and 45 minutes. I think I'll pop in some Scrubs, have a few chuckles, read some scriptures, and call it a night!

SHHHHHH-OOT

That's the librarian SHHHH in me coming out ;).

Im kidding. Although I'm seriously annoyed by the whole Ender's Game situation. I seriously have a craving to get my read on, but I can't. I seriously cannot start another book without finishing that one first. This is one of my quirks. You can imagine the horror and anguish I must have felt being an English major and having no choice but to read more than one book at a time. But at least in that case, I had all the books in my possession! Not so with Ender's Game. I will not be able to finish it until some unknown future date. And believe me, I've tried. Even the downloadable copy is checked out through the library system here! And most of you may already know that I loathe the idea of reading a book online (which is probably why I haven't really bothered to try to read Midnight Sun, by the way). There is something gratifying, for me, about having a book in my hands and turning the pages. Old fashioned, yes. But me nonetheless. I don't even really care for audio books. I can't stay focused on them. My mind wanders and I have no clue what I just listened to. So, I don't go that route either. Anyway, so today I went to Goodwill to see if they, by chance, had a copy. Nope. On Friday, I tried another thrift store that I frequent... Nope. They had another book by the same author, but not Ender's Game. Today I also tried a used book store I have never been to before. Nope. I got to work and was talking about it, and a lady there suggested I try the two used book stores up by where she lives and if they had the book, she'd be happy to swing in and pick it up for me. One store didn't answer the phone all afternoon (and I called at least 4 times). The other one didn't have it, and that lady said she's been having a hard time getting her hands on it as well. So blah. I have struck out royally. I finally just put it on hold. So here's to hoping that at least one of the people who have it checked out will return it on time, if not sooner ;). Oh the hardships! LOL.

My car is falling apart. Got the bulb in the headlight replaced. Not expensive. Door locks are the new issue. Most days I have to really jam hard to get my key into the driver side lock. Some days I either can't get the key inserted no matter how hard I try, or, if I do get it inserted, I can't get the key to turn. And in that case, I only am willing to exert so much pressure... Don't need the key snapping off in there... YIKES! And the passenger side... Key always inserts fine. But it doesn't always come back out easily. So, I'm going to try to put graphite dust or whatever into the driver's side door and see if that does the trick.

Last night I watched several episodes from the 2nd season of Scrubs that I don't think I ever saw on tv. Way funny. And tonight I watched The Ghosts of Girlfriends Past. Cute concept for the movie. Romantic comedy -- the best kind. Kind of on the raunchy side, though.

I changed my "Glimpses" section on the right for the month of February. This month is the month of love. I linked accordingly :).