Prayers Needed...

... My stress level has officially sky rocketed through the roof. Not many people know this so I am hesitant sharing it but I am being sued from my car accident four years ago. The suers terms are skewed and a little hoakie and even the psychiatrist say she is insane.

The mediation session failed and now I have to go to court the end of July for five days (my lawyer told me I wouldn't have to!!!). I am extremely nervous and sick to my stomach. I really need lots of prayers because I honestly do not know how I am going to get through this next month. I think I have watched too many court dramas and I have seen how lawyers can twist things around.

What makes it even more hard is that my parents aren't around. I feel so alone in this matter.

This next month is really going to be a trial of my faith.

Library

I am sitting at the library and I am realizing how much I love it. I love reading... free movie rentals... what more could I want?

On the other hand. I am having a hard time with the Singles Ward. Lately I have only been going to Sacrament Meeting and I am pretty sure I made my mother cry on Sunday because she is worried about me. I guess I am feeling slightly reminiscent and I really miss the University Ward. Single's Ward is just weird and slightly miserable...

Well, I should get home... we have water aerobics for work at 5:45am... I NEED SOME SLEEP!!!

Pleasant Surprise

I was pleasantly surprised when I watered our work garden today and found this little one inch bundle of joy. I shouldn't have picked him but there are so many and he was so cute.

I'm a big girl now...

At work when I make adult purchases we joke that I am being a big girl... so I made an adult buy yesterday. It was 80% off and since my mom moved I don't have her Cuisinart. Now I can do anything her Cuisinart did PLUS more. I am pretty excited about it.



My back windshield wiper and washer have not been working since the beginning of December when we had a BIG storm. I thought it had something to do with the snow and just never had the time to take it in. When I had my oil changed a couple months ago (another big girl purchase) I mentioned it and they said I needed to make an appointment and their would be a service charge of up to $150 to check it out. Yesterday someone mentioned I should check the fuse. This morning Grandpa helped me check and sure enough it was the fuse. On my break I ran and got one and put it in. IT WORKS!



Two big girl purchase in less than 24 hours!!!

Patience...

...has been really hard when coming to our little garden. Today Veronica and I went to check on it and give it some TLC. We were thinning out the carrots and FINALLY they are taking shape. In the little roots there was an one inch little carrot starting to grow. We are both anxiously awaiting the snap peas to bear fruit being our favorite fresh vegetable off the vine. A new resident comes up with me almost every day to water our “little babies”.


This is the whole garden. I believe we have snap peas, carrots, tomatoes, and green onions (and a couple flowers rose accidently planted in the wrong place).


Our tomatoes are also doing pretty well, thanks to the sun these past couple days!


Carrots, Green Onions, and Flowers



These are bouquet sunflowers “Grandpa” Rob donated. They were planted about 3 or 4 weeks ago.


Some of the Snap Peas. We actually have snap peas with our sweet pea flowers and sweet pea flowers with the vegetables!

I am pretty sure I have the best job ever that allows me to play and garden with the seniors. THIS IS THE LIFE! I am starting my golden years early!

Irrevelant Information

This isn't quite important but lately I have heard the term "Peace Officer" used. I thought people were just being dumb and lazy and not using Police Officer in their newspapers. I WAS WRONG. Here is what Wikipedia has to say(I learned something new!!!):

A law enforcement officer (also called peace officer), in North America, is any public-sector or authorized, government-contracted private-police officer, charged with upholding the peace, mainly police officers, customs officers, correctional officers, probation officers, parole officers, auxiliary officers, and sheriffs or marshals and their deputies. A security guard, however, is generally not referred to as a law enforcement officer.

Modern legal codes use the term peace officer (or in some jurisdictions, law enforcement officer) to include every person vested by the legislating state with law-enforcement authority—traditionally, anyone "sworn, badged, and armable" but, basically, who can arrest, or refer such arrest for a criminal prosecution. Hence, city police officers, county sheriffs' deputies, and state troopers are usually vested with the same authority within a given jurisdiction.

Jurisdictions may restrict the powers granted to those who have "peace-officer status" instead of "police-officer status". For example, in New York, all New York State Court Officers,[1] as well as Court clerks,[2] assigned to the 1st and 2nd Judicial Departments are classified as peace officers who can carry a firearm both on and off duty.

Proof that...

... the ghost of Mrs. Johnson moved to Illinois with my family!!!




We think she is right handed because she moved the pot EVERY TIME from the handle being on the right side to the left side.

She must really like my family to move from a house she has been in for over 100 years.

Pictures from Illinois- The many sides of Ashlee

This is how we woke up to Ashlee sleeping one night.. SO CUTE!



Getting in my bag... See how one arm is in and one arm isn't??



One of her new things is to steal your chair or bed when you get up... in this case my book also.



Her again in my bed with my book!



Undoing the seatbelts on the plane.

Today is Monday which means tommorow is Tuesday (I know I am stating the obvious). Tuesday means going to the gym at 5:30am, work, and taking the residents on their shopping trip, or yes, it also means taking the resident to the senior center to go dancing at night... I really just want to sleep!!!

On another note, Friday we drove up to Wisconsin to the Jelly Belly Factory. I have to borrow a second wheeling carry on to hold all the Jelly Belly I got for people and Jelly Bellys my mother got for people. DON'T TELL NAOMI I HAVE THEM!!!! THEY AREN'T APART OF THE DIET PLAN!!!!

Saturday we went downtown Chicago, went to the American Girl store (Ashlee loved it, so did Grandma and Granpa... oh and I did) and Ashlee got her first American Girl doll, a bitty baby. Mom and Dad bought me one too. Someday my collection will be complete. We then went to the cheesecake factory for lunch and then the robbery happened on Louis Vuitton and then we split up for the day. Mom and everybody else went to the zoo, dad and I went to the Art Institute. I hold such a reverance for the works of Art that are there. I was speechless almost the whole time. Not to mention my favorite painting in the whole world is there:




We then high tailed it across town to meet up with everybody else. The bus we needed was slow so we walked. We also stopped at Garrett's Popcorn on the way back (best caramel popcorn ever!) and a CVS Pharmacy because they had CHicago Shirts for $3.33. I also got Chicago Hats for $3.33. Can't beat those prices! Especially because at the gift shops they were $15-$30. Then we finally made it to everybody else, got Cheesecake to go, headed out of downtown and went to one of the biggest IKEAS i think I have ever seen. It was three floors and massive. Then we went home and went to sleep!!!

Well, Ashlee has come into my parents office and wants to play.. More to come later!!!

I knew my trip to Chicago would be exciting, but who knew if would be THIS exciting?

http://www.chicagobreakingnews.com/2009/05/possible-police-involved-shooting-near-drake-hotel.html

This happened just a couple blocks away from us and we could hear and the the cops racing through the busy streets to the location.

CRAZY!!! They could have bought my Louis Vuitton off of me... well not with a stolen credit card though!

Earthquake in Italy

My parents go an email early this morning that all the male missionaries were okay and accounted for. We don't know about the other mission in Italy. Scary! Chris is there. We should hear this Wednesday if he felt it and all.

Keep Italy in your prayers, especially those mid to down south!!!!

MOVING = STRESS

SICKY!

If I didn't treat the sinus infection, would I have gotten the cold? I think I would have rather stuck with the migraine, no sleep, head feeling like a rock infection, than the snot faced, stuffy nose, all day every day sneezing cold!

In Loving Memory...

As I sit here typing this I am crying. We lost a dear resident this week. I think one of the hardest to date. She has lived at Arbor Village for nine years. She has always been there and is kind of a staple to the building. It is really hard to let go... even if I know she can see, hear, and dance again. It is still hard to not have her. So, I'll share some memories.

She is the most understanding and accepting person ever. She would always say, "That's okay!" If we did something that disappointing her (Kind of like disappointing a mom). There was one time she didn't tell me that. Because she had macular degeneration we typed to her on a laptop and it blew up big on a screen. Someone typed to her that I was getting married (I AM NOT!) and she was so upset. She worried for days! I think it was on a weekend so she didn't see me until Monday and she made it known to everyone that she wanted to see me. I went to type to her and she was so upset. We had a lengthy LENGTHY conversation about how I am too young to be married. She dais, "You have things to do, places to see!" She told me to wait until I was 29. So when everybody asks me when are you getting married... you now know where my answer comes from!!!

A lot of memories happened in front of the laptop. We talked about religion, politics, prejudices of the world. We usually agreed on everything. Our opinions were much the same (Well, except for religion!) We both agreed that as long as we loved our Lord, Jesus Christ, followed his teachings, prayed daily, loved our neighbors, and followed His teachings, we would be okay. She is definatley a Daughter of our Father in Heaven. My guardian angel. Which she gave me a couple years ago. A little cold and crystal angel that I see daily and think of her.

I helped her fill out her life story in front of the laptop. She told me she always anted to be a rockette. Something I never knew!!! So I imProxy-Connection: keep-alive Cache-Control: max-age=0 ine her up in heaven doing those kicks!

Giving me advice about my parents moving to Chicago. She told me she would always be here to talk to whenever I missed them or felt lonely. I know she is still listening and my guardian angel now!!!

She always told me, "You have such a hard job!" She would always whisper JOB. To everyone even when she whispered it to Laurie (My work Mom!) Sunday in the hospital. She always worried about me at work. Always wanted to know if I was okay. If she could help me in anyway. She would bring me ziploc bags in hopes I could use them. I used the last this week.

When we bagged bean soup for the food bank she wanted to help so bad. I had to make up a job she could do. A job that wouldn't need hearing or sight. When the other residents would finish bagging the little bags, we would put them on a tray and take them to her who would then put them in a larger bag to transport. Sometimes we re-emptied the larger bags to keep her busy. She would count each bag she put in to make sure and give me a detailed account of how many we did.

One of the most positive experiences I had with her was this Sunday when myself, Laurie, Jessica and Malerie went to the hospital to visit her. We typed on her computer that Laura and Laurie were here and in a worn out little breather she said , "My Arbor Friends!" I started to cry. She gave us instructions. To fix the lights in the dining room... It was important to her that we do that for all the people with Macular Degeneration... so they could see better. She also instructed us when we have a Memorial Service for her at the village, she wanted us to serve Root Beer Floats. WE ARE TODAY! She also asked what we thought Heaven would be like.

This is a hard death, but very positive from all the experiences I have had with her.

She will truly be missed... but Heaven is gaining an angel. One of the best they could ever have!

I'll miss you Frannie!

My Daddy...

... Left for Chicago today! It is really sad! I cried a lot.... It is sad, one more month and they will all be gone.... WHAT AM I GOING TO DO????

Job Market

I guess I never really had to think about the job market because I have always been stable at this company but lately it has been on my mind. We will be opening our Memory Care building in the next couple months and put an add on Craiglist about hiring. We have maybe a little bit more than 300 applications. They will be putting up a banner soon and also having a job fair. It is really sad most of these people will not get hired.... some of them look like they would be great employees also.... IT IS SAD!!!!

Highschoolers

The high schoolers have to teach do community service for school and of course they all save it for the last minute. These four dumb girls are here right now and absolutely driving me insane!!! They are fake and annoying and loud and I actually had to tell them to be quiet and respectful. SO DUMB!!!!

On the other hand, some Ballroom Dancers came Saturday to perform for my residents. It is amazing the difference between the two groups. Here is a supper cute picture of Hannah (She is in my ward) and one of my residents.

I am sooooo lucky!

I am pretty much the luckiest person around. Well, I exaggerated a little bit. Christmas Day I had to work and I was leaving around 2:30pm and noticed the fire alarms at our second building was going off. I debated in my head for ten seconds whether I should go help and of course I did. There was only one employee over there because of the holiday. I guess the alarm was going off for ten minutes before I got there. I had her go check the building and she said there was nothing wrong as I was calling 911. They came and couldn't silence the alarm which usually means there is a problem so they went to the sprinkler panel outside and it was almost drained.... We searched again, I went Down one hall and there was a shower of water coming from the sealing. I ran up the stairs to get the fireman (yes, he was cute!!!) and when we were coming down the stairs an exposed screw on the back of the stair rail sliced my right middle finger and was a bloody mess. I wasn't going to go get stitches on Christmas so I steri-stripped it and let it be. Also, I don't know if any of you have ever smelled fire sprinkler water but it is gross. The water sits in a pipe until it needs to be used. In this case for three years. Three year old stale water is disgusting and I vacuumed almost all of it up and my boss said leave the rest for Friday. By the way, the pipe exploded (and not because of the freak snow). So, that is injury number one... Monday I was shopping with my mom and dad, we were leaving Costco and i am sure I am being punished because I pushed the cart in a pile of snow instead of returning it (IT WAS REALLY REALLY COLD!!) As I was coming back to the van my mom shut her door and it got my hand... well, my finger... the same finger that I cut on Christmas. It hurt, I cried... I bawled actually and it bled for quite a while. The next day it felt worse and the pressure was building up underneath my nail so I went into the doctor. They xrayed it and I have a fracture on the tip of my right middle finger. It hurts like the dickens and they burned a hole in my nail to release the blood and it still hasn't stopped bleeding. My poor finger... I can't injure anything else but that stupid middle finger. My work won't let me touch knives or scissors because they are sure I will harm myself again. It is amazing how much finger injuries hurt... it's all those stinking nerves.

Snowed In

I think it is really sad when you live 1.47 miles from home and might get snowed in tomorrow!!! I could walk home, but i am a wimp... and if I do get snowed in, I could get the work done I can't do during work because there is too many distractions... maybe getting snowed in might be fun... I am going to pack just in case!

With my new job I have been so busy and haven't had time to do much. While my residents are watching a movie, I thought I should get busy! They loaded backwards and I don't know how to separate to label.

The first three are from Veteran's Day. The flowers we presented to veteran's and surviving spouses. Our Wall of Veterans and From the Ceremony at the cemetery.

Next couple are from Trunk or Treat and our Wine and Cheese Party at work. The two men are my boss (the fat mullet man) and our marketing director (Captain Morgan or Captain Hook, you choose!) and the hairy man sitting down is actually one of my residents, a 95 year old, 90 pound lady!!!

Enjoy!