i don't remember the last time this happened...

Today marks 1 year that I have been working for Cascade. How crazy is that?! Okay, not really. But honestly, it's pretty cool for me. I don't remember the last time I worked somewhere this long, so I'm really excited! I love the people I work with, and work for, and I love the work I do! Seriously, I may complain about being the only girl in the office, but it's like having 20 older brothers - and I mean that in both the best and worst ways ;) I love working for a family owned company, and I feel lucky to have this job. It can get pretty crazy sometimes, but at the end of the day, I still love what I do, and that's the important part, right?! Anyway, that's all.

a horrible week during which i cried several times

this week has been awful. awful from the very start. 

i haven't seen my husband outside of sleeping hours all week, thanks to 12 hour school days on tuesdays and even longer thursdays (school and then work until 10:30pm.) not to mention all the late nights at work.

when devin finished school at 8:30 on tuesday, he had to go straight to work for a staff meeting and didn't get home until 11:00. he came promptly to my bedside once he got home (at which point i burst into tears) and held me while i cried. he knew exactly what was wrong and i didn't even have to say it: i missed him. and this is really hard.

so... what better time to get the flu?! am i right? 

i'm not. because this is obviously the worst time ever. and maybe it's not the actual flu, but at the very least, it's the flu's ugly stepsister and she's come to stay for the weekend. throbbing head, fiery thorn bush throat, body aches and chills... they're all keeping me company while devin works and goes to school. if i'm not better by tomorrow night i'll be damned! amanda is coming down with the kids and my sweet and only (for 1 more month!) nephew just had a birthday and i'll probably die if i don't get to squeeze them and hear all about their lives in Vernal. skype sessions just don't do them justice. i need those babies in the flesh!

the good news is that devin is loving school already. he's taking mainly rec classes, so he's at a point where his classmates are friends now, not just strangers - and they are all in all of his classes! another pretty cool thing about this semester? devin is taking a class from my dad, who was been teaching at the university as an adjunct professor. i am so excited that he gets this chance, because that's pretty cool! plus, i'm anxious to know what my dad is like as a teacher. i always thought he would make a great one! devin even got lucky with his math class - the teacher as a TA who is hosting study sessions regularly to make sure everyone stays up to speed with the content - so it's basically like tutoring, which is so cool! 

other updates... kayla seems to be recovering perfectly! she is up and walking (even made a shopping trip! and that's saying something!) when they originally did the surgery, they stitched some of the bandaging onto her, so she got those stitches out, which she says was the most painful experience she's ever remembered (probably only because she has no memory of the burn in the first place!) but the doctor is really happy with the way the skin is reacting and she should be back to herself in no time :) 

also, did you know my brother in law sean is in a band?! he just recently became the new drummer for The Zero Summers, which is a salt lake city -based band - and they've got a good sized following! devin and i are so anxious to get to a show and see them play! sean's one of the coolest people i know and now that he's in a band he's just that much cooler ;) i am so excited for him! and for kelli! she is loving all of it except the 4 hour rehearsals in her living room part... haha! 

also... not only did kaden have a birthday this week, but so did my other brother in law sean! i think his favorite present this year will be a new baby boy! he'll be such an awesome dad. i am as excited as ever to meet this baby boy - he could come any day now - and i would be totally fine with that ;) 

so, maybe this week has be awful. awful from the very start, but it helps to look at the bright side and remember the awesome things about it too :) here's hoping i'm cured by morning! 

The 1st Date of Christmas!

Yay! Christmas has officially begun, once Devin and I start our christmas dates tradition! Last night was date number one! We started the night at Devin's parent's house, because Amanda and Jason came in to town (since they now live in Vernal, which kills me!) and we played with the babies and gave them their Christmas present, then we went to my company christmas party.

Reunited with my Addi-mae. Oh, how I love this little girl. She's growing up way too fast. Good thing we've got another baby in the family coming in just a few weeks!

The party was at the new Utah Valley Convention Center in Provo. It is such a gorgeous building! And HUGE! We walked into the wrong party at first. There were way too many people there for it to be my family-owned company party, ha! We finally found the right crowd, and had a good time! I was surprised at how much fun I had. I was nervous by default (just how I am), and I have only been working there since August, so the only people I know are the ones in my shop. I only knew a few people in the Orem and Provo stores. Kristy, who had trained me, and works as the A/R Manager in Provo is engaged to one of Devin's high school friends, so we sat by them and had a good time. We also sat by Haley and her husband. Haley works as the receptionist in Provo, and her and I talk on our company IM chat pretty much all day long, haha.

The dinner was catered by the convention center, and absolutely delicious! We had a little work trivia, which was informative and hilarious and our table won the prize! Devin and I came home with a bunch of candy (snowman peeps!!!!) and a costa vida gift card. There was a slideshow honoring one of the owners, James, who died in August, and then a white elephant gift exchange. I was so so nervous about whoever had me and what they gave me! I ended up with a thermos and some lotion from Caleb - fwew! It was pretty cool. I drew one of the body techs, Brandon and got him a snuggie covered in penguins. It was pretty hilarious. After that was another slideshow, but Devin and I left early because apparently Cooper had thrown up at devin's parent's house! (He's fine.)

This is the only photo I got from the work party. Apparently, this escalator is the longest in the world, or some crazy statistic like that. It's pretty long, so I believe it.

it's only tuesday?

what a crazy week it's already been.

we got our leasing paperwork, and have had loads and loads to look over, read and sign.

we've had accounts to set up and insurance companies to update. 

we've had addresses and multiple accounts to forward. 

and we've been packing forever - it seems like it will never end! i didn't realize how much stuff we had until we had to put it all in boxes. and at the same time, we still have to live! it makes things hard. i don't like having to wait to the last minute, but with some things, we don't have a choice!

work has been a lot of fun. i love the people i work with and i'm learning a lot. i'm definitely starting to get the hang of things, but it can still be stressful at times. this week has been especially hard. on monday, we got the news that one of the owners had taken his own life. i had interviewed with him only one week ago. we were all totally shocked, and obviously, so sad. working for a family company, the rest of us that aren't family have tried to step up and take over so the family has time to grieve and process the situation, which has been the least we can do, but has also resulted in a bit of scrambling. he was so young, and had young children. so heartbreaking. he had so many great friends and was loved and respected by everyone who knew him, and will be missed every day. the hardest part has been talking to customers, vendors we use and delivery men and women who all knew him well and worked with him regularly. nobody can believe the news. nobody wants to.

hoping the rest of the week goes a little bit better...?

for the sake of updating

i started a private blog, so i've been giving more attention to that lately, plus also, we've been more busy than ever! a few updates:

1. I have loved every minute of my new job. It's still extremely overwhelming, and I'm starting to feel like I'll never get the hang of it all, but I think it will just take a little more practice! The guys in the shop are hilarious and also really nice, and the customers are awesome. The shop definitely has a good reputation. Plus also? It's pretty funny to take the company car for a spin every once in awhile :)

2. Sean and Chloe are having a BOY!!! I am getting a new nephew! I married into 2 nieces and a nephew, and even though Addi was still a baby when I met Devin, it will be so different to have a niece/nephew born since I've been an Ashby! It's been fun to watch Chloe and Sean through the pregnancy, and the other night, Chloe brought over the DVD of the ultrasound and we got to watch! I had never seen a video of one before and I was totally amazed by it! You could see the tiny little heart beating inside baby ashby's chest, and you could see his brain! He is going to be so, so gorgeous! Sean has already nicknamed him "blue" because as Chloe has tracked the size of the baby with those fruit things, Sean got hooked on calling "it" (at the time) "baby blue" - now it definitely fits, being a boy and all! I am so excited for them to be parents. They will be so great! 

3. We are moving in ONE WEEK. Holy cow. Where did this last week go? Now all the sudden we have TONS to pack and move in the next week. It's going to be exhausting! I keep looking at the pictures I took on my phone from when we first walked through the house, and it gets me more and more excited. I can't wait! Devin has already set up the internet and i'm pretty sure even the utility bills. The only thing left to do is sign the lease officially and get those keys!!! (Did I mention there's a pool?!)

4. Kelli's birthday was on Wednesday! My big sister is 24! It's weird to think that my husband is older than my older (est) sister. I've just always seen her as so much older and more mature! We get to celebrate at dinner with Kelli, Sean and other friends tomorrow. I love my cheech SO much! I wish she didn't live so far away :(

5. Strawberry soda. I forgot how much I loved this stuff. When I was at UVU, I would buy a can of Welch's at one of the little cafes in the LA building almost every day, and then forgot it existed. When Devin was craving soda at the grocery store the other night, and we saw there was a sale... I couldn't help but get some! So good. So, so good.

6. Shortly after Devin started working for Momentum, the owner and his good friend, Jeff, commissioned him to build a team-building program for businesses. This week, the program launched! Not only am I so excited for the kinds of things this will mean for the gym, but I am SO proud of Devin! This is the kind of thing he is going to school for, so for him to be getting this experience right now, while he is just starting the Outdoor Rec. Management program is HUGE! I'm a proud wife :) read more about the program here.

7. It's wedding season. Which means that Devin just finished up editing the last photos he's taken, and it also means that our weekends are booked for receptions of dear friends. Tomorrow? A mission companion. And next Saturday (which is also move-in day!), our dear friends Brit and Joe! So happy for them!

8. My One Tree Hill marathon has finally reached season 2. I love this show so much. I just forgot for... several years... haha!

9. We are PUPPY SHOPPING! If anybody has any information on affordable mini australian shepherd puppies/breeders in Utah or Idaho, please let us know! We are willing to drive pretty much anywhere in the state to find the perfect puppy! We don't need any show dog AKC kind of stuff. Just a cute little guy to be a family dog. Now that we will be living somewhere puppy friendly, we won't last very long without a puppy! 

10. I would also like recommendations for a good new book to read! I'm fresh out! Not that I've had much time for reading lately or anything... ha!

getting ahead of ourselves...

so.... 

i responded to a job posted on ksl.com recently for a receptionist position. got a call, and they wanted to interview me. on my birthday. i was okay with that. mostly because of how desperate i am for a new job. so i interviewed on my birthday. got along so well with the girl that interviewed me. that was last friday (uh, my birthday, duh) and then on monday, or maybe tuesday, i sent her an email. an email that basically said "i really want this job and will do practically anything to get it. just so you know". she loved it. i got called in for a second interview with one of the owners. got major points for being early. got major points for the email. and was told several times throughout the interview, by him, that i was doing a good job. sweet! today, they asked if i would go sit in with the current receptionist and just observe. you know, to make sure it's really what i wanted. so i did. for an hour. and i had a blast. called the girl back, told her how much i loved it, told her i wanted the job even more so now, after the hour i spent with that awesome staff, and she offered me the job on the spot. WAHOO!!!!

a lot of this feel likes "finally". i am so happy to have finally found something new! i have nothing but good things to say about my old job, but when you're unhappy about going to work every day? you're doing it wrong. i hate the idea of working for the weekend. if i'm going to spend more time at work then i will at home with my husband, then freak. i better enjoy it. 

and this place. a family owned company w/ a few locations around the county... they're awesome! i am so excited to be a part of this. i know, it's just a receptionist position, but it's what i wanted. as silly as that may sound. but it's what i need. and it means we can finally start making these other big things happen! 

i got the call while devin and i were on our way to his parent's house tonight, and was thrilled enough to cry (but i didn't). and then we got some j-dawgs. mostly because we didn't want to cook because we're lazy. but in my head, it was to celebrate my new job. because i like to celebrate. we came home and started looking at the pamphlet from the apartment we want, and we started measuring around our house to get an idea of the room sizes. and then we started sorting through things, making a D.I. pile, and talking about moving arrangements (like who has trucks, and time to help us move, so we can do it in 1 day), and we started talking about how we would pack things and where they would go, and talked about decorating our new apartment (i'm so excited!!) needless to say, we may be getting a little bit ahead of ourselves...

and we may be getting a puppy for Christmas... (if i have my way, at least) :)

i am so excited and so ready for this change. draper will be a breath of fresh air, and it will force us to make new friends and get out of our comfort zones. i'm excited to make the changes that have seemed necessary for so long, but have also seemed unattainable. 

things are happening! 

northbound

life has been discouraging lately. i feel like devin and i are still scrambling, trying to figure it out. we keep making changes: our cars, our schooling, our jobs, our priorities, and it's obviously far from over, as i am on the job search once again!

i love the company i work for and have nothing but good things to say about them, but when it doesn't feel right, i know that means it's time for something else.

devin and i are looking to move further north anyway, to eliminate commuting, so there are several reasons for leaving Myler.

i'm excited to move, and it's all i can think about whenever i spill on our carpeted kitchen floor (which we can't stand!), or find, yet another spider in the tub, welcoming me to my morning shower.

we were both raised in Orem, and love it here, but it's beginning to feel a little claustrophobic. we want to be more private and independent, and we see that freedom just a few minutes up the freeway.

we still haven't found an apartment, but when we do, our first purchase will be a puppy. even though i know devin will try putting it off for awhile, he won't have much luck, seeing as how a dog is becoming less of a want and more of a need in my eyes lately. no news on jobs yet either. but we aren't in a situation yet where it's totally necessary to find something new. the point is to just be happier, and figure out what feels right, but knowing that the near future holds a fresh start for us, with more room to grow and progress, makes my days bearable. i just wish it would come sooner, of course.

we are ready for a change. we feel this need to grow up a little bit, and once again, like all the other major changes we've made in the last year or so, it feels right.

changed used to be something i shied away from, but now that i have my wonderful husband by my side to rely on, i welcome anything, knowing we can handle it together. because we totally can.

so excuse us for looking like we have no clue what we're doing lately - but that's because we're still trying to figure it out! we're just doing what we know it right, every time a circumstance changes. and we're okay with that. 

my week via iPhone

< one cannot simply... help themselves around unlimited office supplies
> my favorite kids at Malawi's for dinner on Thursday to celebrate their Uncle Sean's graduation!


< showing off their balloons that Sean gave them.
> you've just gotta meet this little girl. she's the funniest. endless entertainment when Addison is around.


< shops at riverwoods. so pretty.
> i took my flowers home, because i didn't want to leave them at work over the weekend to die, so they sat in the cup holder on the way home. it was awkward.


< preparing for a weekend of rock climbing at Joe's!
> i love getting packages in the mail. even though it's to myself, from myself.


< lindt chocolate is the best kind of chocolate. especially Touch of Sea Salt.
> one of my 5 food groups: french fries. (others: coca-cola, berries, soft serve ice cream, and cotton candy.)

 
< this is what Devin's work nights look like on my end: catching up on hulu shows in a bed that is two times too big when it's just me.
> man, do i miss those kids!!!



reason #874 why my niece is the cutest. and funniest: she will demand to be put down in the middle of a restaurant, for the sole purpose of dancing right in the middle of it. following by greeting strangers. she literally walked right up to a guy that was on a date, shook his hand, and began flirting. she's a bold one! love her! (ignore my really annoying laugh...) she had already been dancing for a good 5 minutes before i started recording her.

funny... not.

work played this really rude trick on us. called, "welcome to Myler Disability, new employee, our break rooms are equipped with free soda machines"

don't worry, that wasn't the rude part.

this is the rude part:

i don't call this a soda machine. i call it a mean trick. it says coca-cola, all sprawled out across the top there, making my eyes get wide and my throat suddenly parched, and then I look down... and what do I find?

not coke...

pepsi.

does anybody besides my mom even drink pepsi anymore?

what a cruel, cruel joke.

i wouldn't be so upset if it just said pepsi on the top like it's supposed to.

this is the main reason why i avoid the break room.

so what do I do instead?

i fill my filing cabinet with coke. i'm being serious.

you can't fight a love like ours.

nice try, pepsi.

today at work... i left on my lunch break at 12:20. a little later than usual. i was trying to return all my voicemails before i left. and i succeeded. all 14 of them. returned. bam! i headed to cafe rio and got back to work around 12:50. the light on 500 east i turn at wasn't working, but it's all under construction right now, so I thought it made sense. when I walked in the front door, I noticed all the lights at reception were out... that's weird. i headed upstairs and all the lights were out up there, too. everyone was out of their cubicals and talking and being loud, so i was confused. the power had gone out, city wide! after about 10 minutes (I had just enough time to eat my pork salad and chat with my dad for awhile on the phone), they sent us home for the day!

the cool thing about this: because it wasn't our choice as employees to leave, we still get paid for the full day.

the bad thing about this is: i'm going to have a ton of work to do tomorrow! i had at least 50 more calls to make today, and about 30 clients that i needed to send out medical forms to! on top of whatever i've got to do tomorrow. yikes! it'll be interesting.

luckily for me... my awesome sister, McKayla gets off work in just a few minutes.. and we're going shopping! later tonight? i'm spending the night with the two most handsome men i know: my husband, and harry and banner's baby boy, Simon. don't worry, i'll take a million pictures of his bright blue eyes so you can see what i mean. he is beautiful. and i'm slightly obsessed with him. 

couple things...

-it's been an incredibly busy week at work. just lots to do. i love it, but it gets a little stressful sometimes. we have a lot of incentives that require us to "zero out" by the end of the week, which means you have to have returned all voicemails and emails, done all your calls, completed all your tasks, and done all your other work. it's sort of a lot! and i happen to work with a girl who is a really hard worker, and she gets a lot done every week, which means there's a lot of work for me each week as well! as stressed as i was today about getting everything done? i did it. i did all of it. boo. ya.

i sent a lot of forms out to clients today... like, a lot. see what i mean by busy?! haha

- today, i took an extra long lunch and met up with devin at the provo temple to go to the wedding of his old roommate, Spencer. spencer is one of the guys devin was living with when we started dating, and he has become a very dear friend! spencer married a beautiful girl names lindsey and they are perfect for each other! we were so excited to be a part of their sealing

-you know what helps getting through a busy work week? christmas in my cubical, or in other words: a new chair. when i heard John pushing this beauty down my aisle... it was immediately a great day.

- devin and i have become addicted to these. seriously. this is a huge bag from costco, and it was practically half way gone after 3 days.

- remember that time my sister got her husband an iguana for his birthday? here he is: ignacio. in all his glory. he's extremely flexible.

- we're also addicted to... this stuff. probably moreso than the pomegranate chocolates. i don't even like dark chocolate, but this stuff is my new favorite chocolate of all time.

- we've also become candy hoarders. all of the sudden, you can constantly find some kind of candy under the coffee table. always.

- sometimes i like to think i'm a pretty great visiting teacher. even if "pretty great" is referring to that one time i bought trail mix and didn't like it, so i gave it to the women i visit teach. maybe they'll have better luck with it... that's not mean, right? it was just too sweet for me. i like salty trail mix, that's all...

- devin gets off at 8:00 tonight. his earliest for the whole week! yahoo! i can't wait. maybe we'll go to dinner. it wouldn't be unusual for us to eat that late anyway. or we'll probably go grocery shopping. even more exciting is that he has tomorrow off. i get my husband back! for the weekend, at least, haha!

someone is watching out for us

after all of the decision making we've been going through, it really makes a difference to a get a sign that you're doing something right.

like an awesome promotion at work.

the day devin starts training at his new job, i get called into my department manager's office, thinking i'm in trouble for missing so much work with being so sick, and instead, get promoted.

talk about blessings! it was so unexpected, and came at the exact right time we needed a little boost of "hey, you're doing the right thing. keep going." and that's exactly what this was for me.

it can be so scary to take the kinds of big leaps of faith that we've been taking in the last week or so, and it sure did ease my mind to get called into steve's office today and get this news.

new

when Devin and I first met and he explained to me that he was service technician for a water softening company, I thought it was interesting. What I thought was even more interesting is how much he loved his job. He loved it.

over the last year or so, I have watched him slowly burn out. As he gets closer and closer to his goals in school, and where he wants to be in that part of his life, he was realizing that his career with Intermountain wasn't going to get him anywhere. At this time, I was nannying, which was a financial hurdle on it's own, so we agreed that the time would come for Devin to start looking for a new job around June.

I'm not sure how it happened, but there we were in the beginning of March, and Devin decides that he just wants to get his name out there, so he started sending resumes to jobs he would love to have. Most of the positions he applied for were at places like Telos and Discovery Academy - his ultimate career goal jobs, and he also applied at a few others, for the sake of trying. Neither of us expected anything serious to come of any of it. It was just exploring.

He had also been talking with an old friend, Jeff. Jeff runs the Quarry and Momentum - both climbing gyms here, and Devin worked at the Quarry for 6 year before his mission has the head route setter, so he and Jeff are old friends. He talked about the possibility of returning to the gym around June, and Jeff had said that would be tricky, since June is when business slows, because everyone goes outside to climb, so he's actually letting people go around that time.

Then, Devin was contacted by one company he had applied for, and they wanted to set up an interview. He interviewed on a Friday, and they called him later that day to set up a second interview for the following Tuesday. Meanwhile, Jeff called again, saying there was some potential room to work with, and he could possibly get Devin back into the gym, and wanted to meet with him on that Tuesday as well.

Tuesday came, his interview with the first company went well, and they said they would be in touch within a few days. Later that day, he met with Jeff, who opened a lot of options. Working back in the climbing gym would be good, because that is in his field of study, whereas the other company would be just another job to get us by. The first company meant good pay, with a lot of potential for even more. Working at the gym would be a sacrifice, but worth it. It would build his resume in a way no other job could, and he would be learning about work at school, and visa-verse. And on top of all that? He would go to work every day doing something he loves.

We had plans to spend our Wednesday evening at the temple, but with how sick I have been, it wasn't a good idea. Thursday came, and Devin got 1 phone call.

Devin's back in the gym! He will start some training on Tuesday and officially start next Monday. I am so excited for him, and although we realize the sacrifice we are making right now, we both understand that we will be in a much better place in the long run, and this is a decision we won't ever regret, because it is getting us to the place we need to be.

Along with these sacrifices have come several others, none that matter much right now, or that are worth sharing at this point. We have just been making changes that are right for us, and that's what matters.

I think this entire process, as difficult and stressful as it has been, has brought us closer together, and made our marriage that much stronger. Money tends to be a huge problem-causer in marriage, and we got through this trial without even an argument.

We definitely have Sean, Devin's older brother to thank for a lot of this. He is a financial guru, and even though his advice was hard to take at times, we have so grown to trust his opinion, and really value what he has to say, which has definitely benefited us. We love being surrounded by friends and family who genuinely have our best intentions in mind, and it makes a huge difference to have that support as we make such a big transition.

Change is scary, especially when it's sacrifice, but we are making a good decision. We know it's right for us, and our family, and I couldn't be more happy that Devin is back doing what he loves. We are really getting somewhere! It is so comforting to make hard decisions and feel good about them, and be on the same page with your spouse during difficult times. As stressed out as we may be, we are feeling equally blessed!

a disclaimer

i love my job. 

i've already said that. 

it's still true.

last week, we had a sexual harassment... seminar? whatever. anyway, they mentioned blogging specifically, and how important it is to make this clear:

I am an employee of Myler Disability. The views and opinions expressed on this blog are not necessarily the views and opinions of the company. 

(doesn't it go something like that? they are also not meant to be correlated with the company.) anyway. you get my point. so as long as that's clear, we can move on. 

lots of funny things happen at work. I also want to make clear, that I am not trying to make light of any situation, if there is a situation to begin with. but let's be real. sometimes, you've just gotta shake your head and laugh it off, right? so when people misspell things, or word something funny... we get a kick out of it in the office. my boss, Dana has this sort of "wall of fame" with funny things people have said or written, and it's pretty entertaining. I've gathered quite a list myself in my short time here so far, and my good friend Danica, convinced me to share the wealth. 

so prepare yourself for some good laughs. maybe even a new weekly series (since i'm always so consistent with those...). Either way, be prepared. just like the boy scouts. I'll do my best to keep it discrete, because I don't mean to offend anyone. I'm just looking for some comic relief.

my office vs. the office

the office i work at is a lot like The Office. and by that I mean it's only the same in two ways. maybe  three. we got water bottles on our first day, and tomorrow is employee appreciation day. i didn't even know that was a real thing. they're getting us breakfast, so i'm not complaining. and the maybe/third? my boss is steve. which is close to michael. (because steve plays michael). he's not nearly as inappropriate though. 

speaking of The Office, i just finished Mindy Kaling's book today. i'm positive i got a few degrees funnier just from reading it. i'm sad it's over, but i will read it again and again. it's a book i will forever go back to. she is so much funnier than i thought. she has one of the coolest senses of humor. one i get. and i like that. i hope she writes another book soon. next on my list is Bossypants, but I think I will wait and read the last hunger games book to break up the celebrity - comedy - autobiographies. I am equally looking forward to it though. 

today i finally went back to work. finally. i had been in bed for 5 days. that is a long time to lay in bed feeling miserable. so i quit laying in bed, but i still feel pretty miserable. the horrible thing is that the only thing left that hurts is my throat. it is painful to talk. and that is all i do at work all day. i spend 20-45 minutes on the phone with clients. so it was a rough day. i still managed to maintain my average of 10 new clients, but i am feeling it tonight! i even took a long break and did a ton of filing for other departments. tomorrow will be better. hopefully. 

tonight devin and i went to his parents house to drop off some things and pick up some mail. i say it a million times, but Addison is too cute for words. she is starting to pronounce things so well. she is getting so hilarious! she was being so funny and playing with my hair and kept making a mustache across my lip with my hair and saying "Mustache?!" too. cute. and Kaden? he was spelling words on the fridge with alphabet magnets. he is a genius! the next sheldon cooper, i tell you. in more ways than one. and kayla was doing hard fractions and spelling hard words. she is so smart too! i can't believe these kids! they are all leaps and bounds ahead of where i probably was at their age. amanda and jason raised some smart babies! i love them! 

then we had some hibachi san dinner and walked around the mall for a few minutes. looked at some watches. i am so worn out from work, and i don't even have a tiring job! it was just rough on my little throat. i'm sure i'm scaring clients, too. luckily, nobody said anything about how i sounded, but i'm sure they were thinking it. it seems like people applying for social security disability benefits are some of the nicest people ever. i expected them to be angry and impatient, but they're all awesome. it makes me love my job. 

anyway. i didn't really have anything to say. except that i love the office, and mindy kaling, and i'm back at work, and have an awesome job. the end. 

february photo a day challenge: where you work

i thought i published this yesterday - whoops!

i am ashamed. i had every intention of at least snapping a photo of my cubical today, and it just didn't happen. it was my first day of actual work (not training anymore), so I started out pretty high strung, but quickly realized that it was more manageable than I had anticipated, and I felt very confident about it. when you're new in this department, your goal is to get 8 of what we call "intakes" - and 8 is supposed to be a challenge. I got 10. in fact, most of the other kids I trained with did, too. we were all very relieved! and we all felt the same: that we had scared ourselves into thinking it would be much harder, and when it wasn't, it was a very pleasant surprise. i love this job already.

anyway, i totally screwed the pooch on the picture thing. but maybe it's a good thing i didn't take a picture of my cubical, because right now it's hideous. there is a computer with a headset on the desk, and the walls have some papers with important referencing info. the walls are also upholstered (is that the right word?) with fabric (?) that looks like it was bought in the clearance section of the ugly fabric store that nobody shops at because it's ugly. but that's okay. i love it anyway. because it's my cubical. devin asked me last night, "will you put a picture of me in your cubical?" of course, dev. of course i will. haha!

regardless, here's what i found when i google image searched my office:

nothing.

at least nothing that made sense. there were lots of pictures of random people? and even a few of our "logo", but still. maybe after i have a picture of two, i will feel more inclined to take pictures of my cubical.

to make up for it, though, here's my "welcome to Myler Disability" gift. plasticware. i was immediately reminded of the Sabre water bottles on that episode of the office. it's pretty sweet. i mean, not just everyone gets handed a water bottle with the company's logo on it on the first day of work.

i also realized that this is a good time to describe what I actually do, since last time i talked about it, i was absolutely unsure. the deal is: I am a Legal Assistant. I contact people, or they call me -- they have all expressed/ are expressing interest in applying of Social Security Disability Benefits.

Our office sets a little bit tighter criteria then the social security administration, because of course, we want the best clients, right? so I make sure they meet our criteria, and if they don't: I refer them to the SSA, and if they do, I start the application process with them. It's a long process. I spent about 45 minutes on the phone with each client, asking a lot of questions. Since it's all social security stuff, it's all pretty confidential, so that's about it. The rest probably wouldn't interest anybody else anyway. I love it though. The people I work with, and for, are all awesome. The company is awesome. The work I do is awesome. I feel good about it, because I'm helping people with big things that can make big differences in their lives. It's a good feeling.

anyway. i'm really glad i got this job. i love it already. i know i'll be here for a long time. and i feel pretty confident about what i do. i haven't had this kind of a rewarding feeling... ever? in different ways with other jobs, yes, but not in this way. it's a good day.

twilight

the weekend was great. we went to Shoots for dinner for Friday. we made the plan to go earlier this week, but in my head, we were celebrating my new job. it was delicious. they have the best soy sauce. and the wonton chips? i could eat them every day. i love that place. favorite chinese restaurant, definitely. after that, we wandered over to Zion Mercantile to meet up with Shawn, who we had Coldstone with the night before after we went climbing, which was also a great addition to our fun weekend.

Devin and I have realized that we have pictures of the temples and even the proclamation in our home, but no pictures of Christ, so we wanted to change that! we love Simon Dewey's work, and will probably get one of those prints eventually, but Devin decided to get a Christus Statue. Good move, babe. I love it.

After that, we headed down to Pleasant Grove with Shawn to watch Benton Paul at Sammy's for free. Devin has gotten to know Benton pretty well, just from going to shows and spending some time with him. He is incredibly talented, and even though he only played for half an hour, it was awesome! We were joking a lot with him after that all of his fans are young girls. He said, "it's all the touring I did with David Archuleta. and the Jonas Brothers thing probably doesn't help either." (he has done some writing for the Jonas Brothers, and is good friends with them.) It was entertaining to watch these girls swoon over him and sing along. I told Devin that Benton should be on The Voice. I think he would do awesome.

After that, Shawn really wanted some Cafe Rio, so we went next door and got some frozen yogurt at Menchie's to eat with him. We were disappointed with that place. Farr's is definitely the favorite. Except I tried this thing called "Lychee" which is like a sweet grapefruit, and it was delicious. And they strawberry popping boba's, not just orange ones.

On saturday, we slept in until 10:00 and Devin got up and did some homework and studying, and went to take a test, and then we went to Sundance. We got twilight passes for skiing (which is my new favorite time to ski (2:30-9:00p.m.)) and spent a good 5 hours on the mountain. It was awesome! I think I forget how much I love skiing until I'm actually skiing. (again, there are lots of duplicates. i'm getting my money's worth before picnik closes. and by "money's worth", i'm not implying that i ever paid any money... but it is worth it. anyway... pictures...)

 

getting all our gear on

 

pausing for a photo before our first run

 

not realizing how bright it would be to take off our goggles and get a picture

making stupid faces

 

lunch. devin got a bread bowl and soup

i got a pulled pork sandwich

and we shared those chili nachos. yummm

 

making really stupid faces

 

lunchtime

 

getting a few more pictures before it got too dark, after we had shed layers of gear

 

best picture of the whole trip. he kills me!

 

prettiest views at Sundance

 

i am horrible at devin's signature move

in the middle of a twilight run

we are both pretty positive we're going to get colds after the day we had in nursery. naturally, kids don't understand germs and how they spread, so they will get right in your face and cough and sneeze all over you. it was a giant incubator for a cold in there, today. i can feel it already! good thing those kids are all so darn cute. 

we have absolutely no plans for the rest of the day, just the way we like it. 

tomorrow, i start training at work and i can't wait. i have missed the world of work, and i'm anxious to learn exactly what this job entails, and to meet my co-workers. it's going to be a good day! 

february photo a day challenge: something new

lots of new today.

but first, and most importantly, I GOT A NEW JOB! it's been 2 weeks since I stopped working as a nanny (which is a heck of a lot better than the 2 months I went without a job after Stores Online laid us all off).

I am the proud new employee of Myler Disability. They are a Law Firm - Social Security Advocates, really. We help people get disability claims (I think? I just barely interviewed and got called today. I know basically nothing about social security, but the awesome lady that interviewed me (she was seriously the coolest), assured me I would be trained and learn a lot. Fwew!) My job will be Legal Assistant / Case Manager (I'm really not sure at all what the job title is... I'll get back to you. It's possible that I'm totally false.) The firm seems AWESOME. Full of great people, closer to home (AF), and best of all? I get my own desk. That is probably the most exciting part. I guess there's benefits and bonuses, too, but I was overjoyed when she said I get my own cubical. Now we're talkin', HR. I don't have a picture of this though. That would've probably been a bad first impression. But it's new. And it's very exciting. I start training on Monday. I'm thrilled.

Also new? Devin broke his backpacking tent on his Canyonlands trip, so we found one for a really great deal, and just got it in the mail today. Naturally, we had to set it up in the living room. At this point, it's tradition. We bought a tent while we were engaged, and Devin was living at his parent's during that time, and when the tent came, we set it up in their basement and watched a TV show about the B-2 Bomber. So we've gotta keep this going. Although, he won't let us sleep in it in the living room. Something about an extremely comfortable bed being 20 feet away... whatever.

Also new? Devin and I got cards for a free yoga class at 3B yoga. Which we've both done before, but not together. So it will be a new thing to add to our really long list called "Fun Things We Can Do Together,"

Another new thing? I started working on 5.8's tonight at the climbing gym. I just sort of skipped over 5.7's. As I was doing a 5.5 to warm up tonight, Devin decided to teach me some more technique, which made a world of difference in saving my energy while I climb, and I was confident enough to go straight to the 5.8's, which was probably a mistake, considering the throbbing pain in my forearms that hasn't gone away, and the calluses forming on my hands. But I can do it. I can't flash it (which means finishing it without falling or taking on the first try), but I can do it. I climbed hard tonight, and I'm proud of myself for the first time on the wall (well, for the first time since I did that 5.6). Devin is a genius. Seriously. If not a genius, he is at least spiderman. At least. I want to video tape him climbing and post it on here, but you have to use 2 hands to belay... And my video skills will definitely not do his climbing skills any justice at all. I'll figure something out. He is amazing. I can't believe he's my husband. I'm a pretty lucky girl.

Also new? I cried for the first time today because I miss Carter and Aria so much. Those kids are so great. I'm so sad I'm not their nanny anymore. They seem so grown up, and it's only been 2 weeks! They were the best.