Here I am!!

We are currently in week 2 of Hubster working nights

(edit...make that week 4 now)

Have I ever mentioned that I don't like the night shift?

Because it's true

I've played that game before and I'm not a fan that we have to play it again

And we didn't even have a fighting chance this time around

The manager of the night shift is the same manager of the night shift at his last job in Utah

And that's where Hubster last worked nights

And the manager was so impressed with him that he wouldn't let any of the other managers even think about having him

He was his and his alone

It is good that he has such a good work ethic and is good at his job...and it's good that the uppity ups like him

But...I don't approve

Especially when you consider the fact that it's getting to be our busy time of year at the nursery and I will be working more

We're never going to see each other!!

But he did tell me something that helps me be more patient

The other night a couple of the guys that work the same shift as Hubby were complaining about how hard the weekends were since they still had families and responsibilities but they had to maintain a similar sleeping schedule

The manager informed all of them that he knew it was hard for those with families and responsibilities and it was his goal to have all of those people change shifts and only people that really wanted to work nights would stay there

He's just waiting for them to hire more employees

Phew!!

Plus, they're just opening up a support site in Ireland, so their goal is to be able to do away with the night shift completely

I can handle it as long as I know it's not a "forever, permanent, the manager wants you and you're never going to escape his grasp" type thing

That's a relief

And it's not all horrible, him working the night shift

He gets paid more working at night, sharing our car is a lot easier since we work at different times of the day, he has a job, that job is located in Utah, he loves his job, it's a good job with great benefits, I'm able to help at the family business again, we're right by our family and friends, and did I mention we're back in Utah? :)

So really I don't have too much to complain about

One day we'll be back on the same schedule and we'll see each other more, until then I just keep counting my blessings

****

I can think of a few things that I still have to count and they most definitely aren't blessings

Spiders

Ugh, I don't think I'll ever be able to get over the evilness of spiders

They will always be my worst enemy

Always and forever

The most recent story?

I was siting on our couch, minding my own, very innocent, business, when I nudged the blanket I was using and out of the corner of my eye I saw a spider

Moving

Across the top of my blanket

Less than a foot away from me

Now, the smart thing would have been to move the blanket slowly so that I could kill the spider and have peace of mind

But this spider was right next to me and that sends all common and practical sense out the window

So, obviously, I flung the blanket as far away from me as possible and ran to the other side of the room

After "yelling" at Aaron (Aaron = Hubby) for not being home to take care of the spider I ran upstairs to hang out with my sister and bro-in-law

They were watching Blue Bloods, which has become my new favorite show, so I stayed up there and watched a couple of episodes with them

I finally decided I needed to do something, I mean, I was working on homework on my computer when I saw the spider and didn't want the evil spider to get in the way of homework, so I had to figure out something

That something equals stripping all of the blankets off the couch (we each have a pile of blankets to sit on so we can reach our desks from the couch), clear everything away from the desks, and vacuum everything!! Even under the couch cushions...every nook and cranny around where I saw the spider

And by this point it was way past my bed time so I ignored it until the next day when I went to work and brought home my hero when Aaron isn't home, spider killer spray, and sprayed it all around the couch and the doors...everywhere

Well, I thought everywhere

It obviously wasn't because a few days later I was making breakfast and saw what I thought was a water droplet on the bottom edge of the counter

I looked away and looked back and it morphed into a spider that was headed straight for my breakfast

I told him to stay away, that he didn't want my breakfast, but he wouldn't listen

So I hurried and moved it and then I grabbed my secondary hero, cause Hubby was asleep, and went to town

I don't think I've seen one since, so hopefully they've learned their lesson

Our temporary home (we've decided to stay here until next year...it gives us longer to save and my sister and bro-in-law told us to take our time...and we know if we move elsewhere rent will be ridiculous [at least compared to what we pay now] and it will take us longer to save to get a place/another car....having one car is working since he works at night, but that's not going to be forever and I don't want to keep inconveniencing my family when I need a car when he works during the day...so, we're staying until next year) is currently under construction

They're adding more storage so that we can move our stuff out of our storage unit and because the previous homeowners didn't do a great job as far as insulation is concerned, so the entryway and the spare bedroom were freezing cold and not really worth using

It's going to be fabulouso because the other bedroom can become our office and we won't need to keep our computers in the living room, which will be nice because as of now it's feeling a little cramped with our desks and computers out here

Plus the couch is so low it's not terribly comfortable to work on our computers

ANYWAY, the point of the construction conversation was to say that as soon as it's done that should help with spiders, and as soon as it's done I am really going to town with the hero spray

And that will be a fabulous day

And before I close, I just thought of one more perk to Aaron working at nights

He's deliriously hilarious in the morning when he comes home and gets ready for bed

Seriously hilarious

And since I'm not a morning person it's nice to start out my morning laughing

Poem she wrote

You know, instead of Murder She Wrote?

Yeah, I'm clever like that

So

The ornament

And the poem

Which took...maybe 2 days to write?

I was in a bit of a hurry, but I enjoyed it

Enjoy!

Coming Home

Many miles away, o’er land and sea (1,283 to be exact)

In a place that is as dank as can be

Hidden amongst multiple towering hillsides

Lies a city not known far and wide

And dwelling in this unknown land of mist

(Who, fortunately, no longer works the night shift)

A beautiful maiden and her beloved groom

Trying to survive this city of gloom

Buried under piles – no, mountains of snow

They’ve suffered through weather of 0 and below

Warming their bones with gallons of hot chocolate

Stealing all of the blankets from their now barren closet

They can’t ever trust the roads in this strange land

One-way streets as far as the eye can see? Not so grand

Too many hills, their car labors in pain

(It’s exponentially worse with the freezing rain)

I’m afraid by now you think they only suffer

Not so! For their lives are filled with awe and wonder

They found good friends, with whom they smile and laugh

(So much, in fact, it would surpass any graph)

Yet, for all of their friends, the beautiful girl was very sad

For her loved ones dwelt half-way ‘cross the land

And she missed her mountains, so majestic and fair

And the food! So delectable and beyond compare!

“I really don’t like this city” the fair maiden stated

“Except for our friends, all of the people are jaded”

“They’re crazy!” she said “You’ve seen how they drive!

I’ve run out of fingers to count the times we’ve almost died!”

“I miss my family and all of the fun we share

The jokes, the laugher…nothing could ever compare!

I’m tired of this cold and dreary place

I can promise you, I’d much rather be driving a case!”

“I want to see my nieces and nephews grow up

I’m losing my spot as the most favorite grown up!

I’m the entertainment! My family needs me around!

Without my sparkling personality? They’re as dry as the ground!”

Her spouse commiserated, sighed, and agreed

But with no job prospects it won’t happen, they had to concede

So they twiddled their thumbs and they waited

Hoping that, one day, their small home could be vacated

Then, magically, one day out of the blue

The gentleman got some wonderful news

“They’re hiring!” he exclaimed “And they want to converse!”

“Well, I’m not hoping” stated the lady “That would be the worst”

Weeks passed and many talks were had

They hoped and prayed the news wouldn’t be bad

They said not a word as to not raise any hopes

How awful would it be if ended up with a big nope?

Finally, after what felt like eons had past

They had joyous, fabulous news they had to share fast

“This is it!” he shouted “I have my dream job”

“You mean it?” she asked as she started to sob

“We need to tell everyone! Get on the news!

Let’s throw a party! Put on your dancing shoes!

We’re going home! I can’t believe this day has come!

I couldn’t care where we live, I’d stay in the slums!”

“Just take me home, back to my loved ones so dear

It will work out when we arrive, I’d even live with the deer!”

So, the fair maiden and her groom left behind the cold city

Anxious to return to their home, to the land so stunningly pretty

And what said the family of the lady so fair?

With such a surprise, did they do more than stare?

She hopes they’re jumping and screaming for joy

But, in reality, some are crying and others are being coy (dad is obviously the one crying ;) )

But how do they start? What do they do?

They have so many things those who help them could sue!

They’ll start with the biggest and baddest of all

Send it to mom and dad, surely they’ll have a ball

The kitchen sink it is!! It always takes up so much space

And since mom is so practiced with it, she’ll know just the place

As for the rest of the stuff in this house

Hopefully aid will come from more than just her spouse 

It has been WAY too long...I hope you like reading novels

Didn't we just celebrate 2014 as the new year?

That's what it feels like to me

To say or write 2015 feels odd and yet it feels like I've been saying it forever

It's a weird feeling

Christmas break was amazing

It was so nice to be back in Utah and be with family and friends that we haven't seen in ages

While we were there we took family pictures

We ate at too many restaurants 

We sang family songs

We got my ring cleaned 

The Hubster visited his favorite massage therapist, after which he was very sore and happy

(he's a weird duck and likes pain)

We spent lots of time with my family

We heard my nieces sing along to Frozen pretty much perfectly

(I hope you can see this video...)

We got to see quite a few friends

(albeit not as many as we wanted to)

We went and saw the new Annie and The Hobbit

(both of which we enjoyed)

We spent lots of time just staring at the mountains

We met new babies that we had only seen pictures of

I read a LOT, which was nice

The Hubster didn't touch work once and I didn't touch school once

(both of which were very much needed)

Mama Smurf helped me sew new pillows for our couch

We made and decorated sugar cookie bars with some of my nieces and nephews 

(one of my new favorite recipes....it is to die for)

We caught up on sleep 

(VERY important)

All in all it was a very good trip

We survived the drive both ways

The way to Utah we stopped in Lexington, Nebraska to get a few hours of sleep

Although I almost wish we had just gone straight through

So on the way back we did just that

We just wanted to get home to our bed and to our house and be done

And then something crazy happened

Wait, wait, wait

We need to give you more information first

Once upon a time, just before Thanksgiving, Hubster got an email from a recruiter about a position working with a company back in Utah

(the same company I talked about here...that he wanted to work at since before we moved to Iowa)

He hates recruiters because, typically, the jobs aren't steady and you're not as valued as a regular employee

You're the first to get a pay cut, the first to be let go, etc

But this time he really felt like he needed to talk to this guy

They exchanged emails back and forth, and just after Thanksgiving he had his first interview with Pure Storage

It was just over the phone, but he felt like it went well

But if you'll remember from the previous post, we thought that first interview went well also

A few weeks later he had another phone interview and he was very pleased with how this interview went

When they found out we would be in Utah for Christmas they took advantage and had him come in for a face to face interview

At this point he felt so good about how everything was going that he was quite convinced he would get the job

But we were convinced we would get it last time as well, so there was no way I was getting my hopes up

We were hoping to hear by Christmas so we could have it be a Christmas present of sorts

We had it all planned out

We purchased an ornament with a sink full of dishes on it and we were going to give it to my parents telling them that we had brought home the kitchen sink and they would have to help us bring home the rest

But we still hadn't heard by the time we left, so we didn't say anything

We didn't want to raise expectations for anyone

We went back and just 9 days later, I was walking on the treadmill, just minding my own business, when Hubster told me he had some news

And what was that news, you might ask?

WE GOT THE JOB!!

So, you know, nothing big :)

We got the job, he got a raise, and he had to start in 3 weeks

On February 2nd

*sigh*

Oh boy, we can never do anything slow and easy

It has to be ridiculously crazy, fast-paced, and complicated

So, we sent the padres the ornament along with a poem (I'll share that in the next post)

Papa Smurf smiled, Mama Smurf cried, and our world turned topsy-turvy

We requested the help of one or both of the padres and Mama Smurf agreed to fly out and help us for 4ish days

And let me tell you, that help was exactly what we needed

We wanted to travel to the Nauvoo temple while she was with us since it's only 3 hours away, but there was a storm that might hit on Saturday, which is when we were going to travel, and we still had a lot to do, so we didn't risk it and stayed home and packed some more

Yay?

We did get to take her to a friend's house for dinner, which was a nice break, but other than that we kept her very busy

But she was a miracle worker, I don't know what we would have done without her

She left on Monday, the day the trailer was dropped off at our house, and we loaded it on Tuesday with help from our ward, which was GREATLY appreciated

We loaded everything but the cleaning supplies and spent all day Wednesday cleaning and trying to gather everything that was going in our car

(next time we do a big road trip/move, we need to have a bigger car....Hubster's is way too small for that)

I wanted to be all done on Wednesday, but it just didn't happen

So Thursday morning we got up at 6:00 so we could finish cleaning, pack and lock the trailer, turn in our keys, turn in our cable box, pick up my medical records, and fill up our water bottles for the trip

By 1:00 the car was full of gas, we had lunch ready to be devoured, and we were on the road

And we both said "Didn't we just play this game?"

We decided to drive straight through, no stops

I'm pretty sure that wasn't the smartest idea we've ever had when you take into consideration the fact that we woke up at 6:00, but we just didn't want to stop

We just wanted to be home

And we got home at about 6:00 in the morning

Taking into consideration the time difference, a 25-hour day

And boy were we tired!!

We crashed for 5 hours and got up for the rest of the day

But that meant we got to go to a play (Aladdin) that my niece and nephew were in

(nephew was Iago, niece was a member of the town)

(The little ones with Papa and Mama Smurf...Papa Smurf was "scared" of Iago)

They did a wonderful job!! It was a ton of fun

And....we've just been trying to settle in since then

My sister is letting us stay with her family until we find a place (where we stayed before we moved to Iowa, ironically)

Our trailer showed up on Tuesday, we unloaded it Wednesday, and they came and took it away on Thursday

It's been a bit of a whirlwind week

We have a lot of our stuff in the storage unit and we're still going through some boxes trying to decide what we need for however long we're staying with them

It's kind of crazy, we've been gone for a year and yet it feels like nothing has really changed at all

We've just fallen back into rhythm with life in Utah and it's been a decently smooth transition

I don't love the fact that we had to pack up our whole life in less than a month, it makes going through boxes complicated, but I'm grateful for this new adventure we're beginning

The timing of all of this has been miraculous...but I'll discuss that in another post

This one has been in draft mode since....the end of December, so it needs to be done

And I need to go through boxes and try to organize our crazy life

But don't worry, the Oreos were saved from going into the storage unit and are sitting in our kitchen

At least I know I have the important things