Lessons from Work

WARNING: THIS IS AN EXTREMELY LONG POST (You should probably take care of your personal business first, if you know what I mean). :)

After a long day like today, I can't help but evaluate my current "job" as a mother. However, I don't like to refer to motherhood as a "job" (it completely downplays it). I prefer to call it "the best choice that I have ever made that will thankfully last me my whole entire lifetime and beyond". I'll admit, today was tough! I don't think that I have ever felt this tired since the week after I gave birth! :) Elizabeth has an ear infection, a cold, and a horrible bum rash (that the antibiotics graciously gave her). Needless to say, she was MISERABLE! And when she's miserable, I'm just about doomed. Especially when I have a cold myself and all I feel like doing is lying under the covers and zonking out. My wonderful husband is so sweet and he offered to stay home from work so that I could rest...but I just couldn't let that happen for some reason. Sometimes I'm too stubborn for my own good. I kind of remind myself of my Mom...no offense Mom. :) When my Mom is sick, she refuses to take breaks. Well, mom, I learned from the best! :)

After I put Elizabeth to bed for the night (hallelujah...a break!) I started thinking about all of the jobs that I have ever had in my life. I know, a pretty strange thing to think about. However, I came to the conclusion that every single job that I have had has, in some way, helped to prepare me for motherhood. As a mother, you work hard every second of the day. You don't get a break! I honestly remember days during college when I was so tired from working and school that I literally thought I was going insane! There were some days when I would be at work/school from 4:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. -- and then have to wake up and do it all over again the next day. I remember going to work on a daily basis, never calling in sick. Even if something traumatic happened to me in my life, I still went to work. During times like these, I learned how to manage my emotions (not run away from them, but manage them). Sometimes, as a mother, you have to pretend to be happy, even when you're not. Especially to an innocent little baby (come on, what good is it going to do to be grumpy and mean to a baby?). Mothers have to be strong and do what needs to be done. End of story.

In thinking about my jobs, I decided to compile a list. However, I came to the realization that I have had so many different jobs that I have a difficult time remembering them all! Some jobs I quit and then came back to, others I only had a for a short period of time. Some people thought that I was crazy (especially my Mom) for choosing some of the jobs that I chose, but I don't have any regrets because each of them helped form some aspect of my character. Anyway, here's the list! Perhaps a few of you can relate...

• Job #1: Discovery Research Group. Come on, who (from Logan) DIDN'T try that place out for their first job?! At least everyone in my family gave it a shot. This was my first summer job in high school.
  
  
• Job #2: Arctic Circle. Utterly disgusting. That's just about all that I can say! I refused to eat fast food for at least 5 years after working there...in fact, I still have a hard time with it. California is famous for their "Inn & Out" burgers, so I decided to be brave one day and try one out. Needless to say, I have regretted it ever since. DISGUSTING! Arctic Circle was my first summer job after high school, along with Job #3.
  
  
• Job #3: Old Gristmill (South Store). No complaints here! I would work here again in a heartbeat.
  
  
• Job #4: Old Gristmill (North Store). I worked here my freshman year in college. I didn't have a car, so I rode my bike to work (not too far, I lived on campus). Fun times! This was the best place to work, especially as a "poor, starving, college student". I got %50 off on all of their bagels and bread! PLUS, I got a discount on the food I ate while at work...what a deal! :)
  
  
• Job #5: Jacob Lake, Arizona. I worked here the summer after my freshman year. I was a cook! This was the perfect job! You can't beat 2 four-hour shifts per day, free room and board, and days off where you travel to the Grand Canyon, Bryce Canyon, Zion's National Park, Lake Powell, etc. And I even got payed! :)
  
  
• Job #6: Smith's Food and Drug. I worked here my second year in college (living on campus). Again, no car. I rode my bike to work (even when my shift ended at 11:00 at night). Again, fun times! :) I was a bagger. It was pretty boring, but I managed.
  
  
• Job #7: USU Housing and Food Services. I worked here the summer after my sophomore year in college. It was a blast! I worked with a bunch of really fun girls and we deep-cleaned Aggie Village Apartments day in and day out. I even got to paint walls for 3 weeks (and experienced my first unofficial "high"). :)
  
  
• Job #8: Old Gristmill (South Store). I loved it so much the first time, that I had to return! I worked here my third year in college. This time, I had a car!!! It was HEAVEN!!!
  
  
• Job #9: EK Eccessories. Never heard of it? It's located in Nibley, UT. It's a "sweat shop" (not really) that makes sports accessories. I really loved this job! Great hours...I got nights and weekends OFF for a change!!! I worked here the summer after my third year in college.
  
  
• Job #10: Convergy's. Hmmm...a little embarrassing. I went through training and then quit. I decided the job just wasn't for me after I started crying on the phone to a customer and I couldn't calm myself down (he was yelling and cussing at me, what do you expect!). :)
  
  
• Job #11: Undergraduate Teaching Fellow. This was one of my favorite jobs!!! I only had it for one semester, but that's okay! I was a T.A. for one of my professors for the Drugs and Human Behavior class. I got to do "teacher stuff" and I absolutely loved it!! :)
  
  
• Job #12: Janitor at USU. I helped clean the Space Dynamics Lab and Agricultural Education Buildings on the USU campus. Hmmm...I really liked it. However, it happened to be at 4:00 in the morning!! Meaning, my alarm went off at 3:00. Ouch. This is one of the jobs my Mom wanted me to quit. But I chose to "rebel" and I kept it anyway. :) I must admit, however, that I was really jealous of Tara (my sister) when I crawled out of bed in the morning and she was still sleeping peacefully. We both lived at home that year and we shared a room (bunk beds...I had the top). :) I had this job during my 4th year at USU. Along with Job #11 (for the first semester) and Job #13 (for the second semester). I know, I'm crazy!
  
  
• Job #13: Firehouse Pizzeria. I wasn't really a fan of this job. Probably because I was so tired that I was trying to prevent myself from falling asleep in the pasta. :) Tara worked there, as a waitress, and she got me the job. In fact, my brother Craig worked as a dishwasher and my sister, Alyssa worked as a table busser at the same time! :) Tara was the only one that stuck that job out though...for 3 years.
  
  
• Job #14: Calgary Health Region. This was AWESOME!!! I was originally volunteering my time (400 hours) as an internship for my Community Health program at USU, but they ended up paying me $3,000 at the end of it! I was stoked! This was a great job "in my field". I spent the summer working on a variety of tobacco cessation campaigns and initiatives.
  
  
• Job #15: Gossner's Cheese Factory. Temp job...which I was grateful for. I was really bad at this job...have you seen the "I love Lucy" episode where Lucy is working a conveyor belt and it's moving too fast and so she starts stuffing chocolate in her mouth and in her bra? Well, that's me. But with cheese (I WISH it was chocolate). :)
  
  
• Job #16: USU Libraries. I worked here my last year at USU. Finally, a job that was manageable! I could do my homework while at work! What an amazing concept. It was great while I was student teaching too...I couldn't have handled any other type of job at the time.
  
  
• Job #17: Icon Health and Fitness. Another Temp Job. Answering questions about equipment over the phone. Pretty boring, but I managed.
  
  
• Job #18: Gossner's Cheese Factory. Back to the old conveyor belt and all of the embarrassment that goes with it. Hey, I needed money! What was I supposed to do!! :)
  
  
• Job #19: Information Alliance. Last job (along with Job #20) before I moved to Lancaster to start my "real" job. It was a phone survey place (like Discovery Research). I didn't mind it this time.
  
  
• Job #20: Janitor at the USU Space Dynamics Lab. One more chance to wake up at 3:00 a.m. before heading to sunny California.
  
  
• Job #21: City of Lancaster Public Works and Maintenance Yard. Well, I moved to Lancaster and I was bored. Probably because I didn't know a single soul in the whole entire city! (Talk about loneliness!). So I got another Temp Job. It only lasted about a week. I spent my shift answering questions about Lancaster that I really didn't know the answers to!
  
  
• Job #22: Rally Car Dealership. Another Temp Job. This one only lasted for a day or two. I spent my shift making copies, faxing papers, and listening to a strange woman tell me about her mid-life crisis. :)
  
  
• Job #23: Lancaster High School 9th-Grade Health Teacher. FINALLY!!! After all of the dinky little jobs...a REAL JOB!!! I was so excited! And I LOVED it!!! Although there were tough times, teaching health was the best thing in the entire world (until, of course, I got married and became a mother).
  
  
• Job #24: Lancaster High School Title 4 Coordinator. This was an extra stipend position where I got to be in charge of a variety of anti-drugs, alcohol, tobacco, and bullying activities. It was a lot of fun! I got to spend FREE money to buy lots of cool things for the students.
  
  
• Job #25: Lancaster High School Cross Country Coach. Self-explanatory. I only coached for one season, but it was awesome. I learned that coaching isn't for me though. I'm not competitive enough.
  
  
• Job #26: Lancaster High School Long Distance Track Coach. Again, I loved it, but coaching isn't for me. I'm glad that I got to try it out though. Coaching track was really hard for me, however, because I was PREGNANT at the time and you know how that is (extra tired, bloated, BIG, heart burn, etc., etc., etc.).
  
  
• Job #27: MOTHER. Finally, the thing that I had been anxiously waiting for for TWENTY FIVE YEARS!!! I have wanted to be a mother for as long as I can remember. I love it more than anything in the whole entire world. I can't believe how much I love my little daughter. I would do anything in the world for her. I am so grateful that my Heavenly Father has allowed me the wonderful opportunity to be a mother. Even if every single day for the rest of my life was like today (sort of MISERABLE), it would all be worth it. I am so grateful that I had the chance to be pregnant and to give birth! What a miracle! I will never be the same again, as I'm sure all of you mother's out there understand.
  
  
  
  Anyway, sorry for the incredibly long vent session! I honestly don't care if anyone reads this, it was just great to get it all out! :)
  

Over Look-alike Meter

I found this website on Thomas and Lindsay's blog -- what a surprise! Who knows how accurate this is, but it is a little comforting to know that Elizabeth actually DID inherit something from me! :)

Chess, mock photo shoots, and complete randomness

One of the many things that Jon and I enjoy doing together is playing a good old game of chess. I never played it before we were married, but now I'm thinking about going pro. I beat Jon a few weeks ago in only 5 moves! No joke. :) Anyway, when we went on our cruise last year (to Ensenada, Mexico) we bought this giant chess set. We were able to get a bargain deal on it because Jon pretended to be a Mexican (he's really half Guatemalan, half Ecuadorian). The owner of the shop told him "Well, my friend, because you are a Mexican, I will give it to you for really cheap." I feel a little dishonest for not saying anything, but what can we do about it now? Plus, I couldn't say anything anyway. Jon advised me to keep my mouth shut because if I tried to talk to them, they would realize that I didn't know Spanish and they would take advantage of me like crazy. So, I spent the day wandering aimlessly around Ensenada pretending to be a clueless mute. Fun times!

Here's the giant chess set:

And here's Elizabeth playing on our giant chess set:

Elizabeth's favorite things this week were colored shapes and texture balls. I treated her to a shape and ball buffet every day - she was in heaven! :)

Elizabeth really loves sitting on Daddy's shoulders and playing with his hair.

But she refuses to smile at the camera.

I wanted to take a cute picture of Elizabeth, but every time I tried, she kept getting this look of shock on her face. What's up with that? She just wouldn't close her mouth! :)

I'm going to take Elizabeth to a photo studio soon, and so I am trying to practice taking her picture. I have had absolutely no luck whatsoever. She sees the camera, and she refuses to smile. The following pictures are just a few examples...

"Mommy, how many times do I have to tell you? I really don't want to smile for the camera!"

"Did you hear what I said?! I don't want to see that camera again!"

I guess mommy doesn't get the picture. Maybe if I just look really sad and pitiful, she'll feel sorry for me and put the camera away.

Or, maybe if I make a really weird face, she'll start laughing and she'll forget about taking pictures.

Hmmm....that didn't seem to work. I'll try to look really sad this time.

Actually, maybe I'll just leap off the couch!!

"Mommy...I just can't take this anymore. I feel a little nautious."

"How's this, Mommy? Is it good enough for you?"

"Oh...it's not? I'm sorry."

"There! I smiled! Are you satisfied?!"

Later on in the day...

"Mom, is that what I think it is?!"

"I thought that I made it perfectly clear earlier that I despise that thing!"

Maybe when I open my eyes, the camera will be gone.

Oh, it's still there. Will this ever end?

I hope that we have better luck at the actual photo studio!!

My grade in "Blogging" = F

I was under the impression that having the internet at my fingertips would motivate me to be a better blogger. You know, the kind of blogger who posts daily updates and even the mere thought of going a whole entire two weeks without posting would be overwhelmingly frightening. Well, I obviously thought wrong. Fine with me, I'll graciously accept my "F" in blogging. And rather than attempt to conjure up any dull excuses for neglecting our blog, I'll choose to be honest - I'm lazy. Pure and simple! Enough said. :)

Anyway, on with the pictures. As has become my blogging routine (since I can't seem to make myself post pictures more than twice a month), a bunch of random pictures with their accomponying explanations will follow. I do sincerely apologize for the complete lack of creativity in my blogging efforts. Perhaps one day I'll go out on a limb and try something really crazy - like color-coordinated text, or even video clips! (But don't get your hopes up...I'm not one for making promises I don't intend to keep.) :)

Jonathan's cousin, Cynthia, sent Elizabeth a package of really cute clothes a few weeks ago. Included was this darling little purple dress.
Elizabeth's favorite color is purple (she told me that herself, I promise).

I'm not really sure what to do. I have noticed that Elizabeth looks a little drunk in a few of the pictures that I have taken over the past few weeks. I don't know how that could be possible! Jonathan and I have been hammering the Word of Wisdom in her little brain since day one. She should know by now that alcohol isn't good for the body. Perhaps this is her way of rebelling? I think so. She probably sneaks out to the dumpster and scrounges up half-empty beer cans while I'm taking care of my business in the you-know-where. What else could explain the following pictures?

Do you ever wonder what babies think about all day? I sure do. It's still a mystery to me. Elizabeth looks perplexed quite often.

It's those red cups, again. She can't get enough of them! Cheap thrills...I love it!

We decided that Elizabeth his probably intimidated by our real piano, so we bought her one just her size. She loves to play it!

(Or does she just think that it tastes really good?)

Lately, Elizabeth has HATED it when I leave her alone for even a second. She forces herself to cry (it sounds like a dog howling) and she makes funny faces like the ones shown below. I might be a horrible mom, but sometimes I can't help but laugh at her when she's like this! :)

Where's Elizabeth? We went on a walk one day and it was kind of nippy outside. So I covered her completely up except for her face. She looked like a totally different baby! The last little picture cracks me up...

Our little Pink Jedi

We bought Elizabeth this little toy train. She loves it! It has little balls that spin around and around. (And it also plays that annoying music that repeats itself over and over again.)

Lately, Elizabeth has LOVED reading books! She loves the book "Goodnight Moon". I have read the thing so many times that I can recite it with my eyes closed. But every time I read it to her, it's as if she's never heard it before in her entire life. Go figure...

Elizabeth's friend, Rodney, came over last week. They had a lot of fun together!

Little Rodney is showing Elizabeth all of the tricks that he can do with his binky. (Elizabeth probably wants to steal it, since I got rid of all of hers a few weeks ago).

The two friends bonded while Elizabeth scratched his back...

and Rodney gave her compliments on her nicely developing biceps.

Here she is, practically drowning in her sea of cheap toys. Oh, the life of an only child.

We decided that we needed a toy box for all of her toys. So, we bought a cheap one from IKEA (I love that place). I painted the wooden frame purple (like Elizabeth's room...it's her favorite color, you know), and Jonathan put it together. The original toy box was a simple rectangular box. However, Jon wasn't satisfied with the simplicity of it. So he went to Home Depot and purchased wheels, two side handles, hinges, and a top knob.

Here's the completed ensamble. Not to shabby, if I do say so myself. :)

Well, there you have it (again). Thanks for visiting! :)