ok it has been a long time since i blogged. a lot has happened. i will try and remember them, but mostly i will just spotlight ish.
september 2011- came and went with not too much but work going on. work is still work. boss still not a good boss. and that's about it.
october 2011- we moved back in with mom & dad (smith) at the end of the month. trying to stay and get ahead on bills. moving sucks. i don't like packing and all the stuff you can't pack until last minute and then figuring what needs to go into the storage unit and what needs to stay out. it wasn't fun at all. but we got it done. and then, the day before we moved out, the water heater broke. water went all over the hallway and caused quite a mess. we rented a rug doctor and used an outside hose to fill the machine to clean the carpets. hot water works so much better to clean, but with the water heater breaking, we did the best we could. halloween was fun to see all the kids in costumes. i didn't dress up, but i found out my boss sort of wanted us to.
he dressed up and let me just say, i don't ever want to see him like that again. it was creepy and disgusting. he wore a fake velvet suit. it was purple and had leopard looking collar. then he had his face painted pale and wore an afro black wig. it was not a good look. weirdo....
november 2011- thanksgiving was a lot of fun. i got to go out to colorado to see my family. zach was going to come, but then his work sprung last minute "you have to work or you won't have a job" crap on him. so he had to stay here & ended up going with kendra & golden's family & miah to golden coral.
colorado was a lot of fun. i went out sunday afternoon and got there just before it got dark. the drive wasn't bad. no snow, not really any traffic either. i almost made it on 1 tank of gas. brooke & chris hosted a pie night with all of their colorado friends, neighbors, and ward members. it was fun. i chased the boys around when they weren't playing with their friends. i cannot believe how big chan, wyatt, and carter are getting. chan is almost as tall as me now. almost. i know he will be taller than me, but it is just crazy to see how much they grow in just a year.
monday we just hung out. i took my massage table out with me since i owe peeps massage that would be coming and to brooke (whose house we all went to). we had fhe with ma & pa (snyder) and it was a lot of fun. i miss seeing everyone.
tuesday adam & cedar came. chan was stoked. he got to shoot guns with adam & cedar (on wednesday so there was light outside). i loved watching how much the boys love adam & cedar...esp cedar. they wouldn't hardly let them breathe. i can't wait to see the kids adam & cedar will have. they will be great parents. both are so good with kids.
wednesday my dad, mary, dj, and the girls got there. lily wasn't quite as open as izzy & maddy were. we got them warmed up though. it was fun to watch them all run around with the boys. all of the kids are getting so big.
essie couldn't make it out. it was the most tragic thing of thanksgiving.
i can't remember which day it was, but i introduced chandler to the game "guard the puddle" my grandpa used to play this game with us. brooke & i got quite a few good laughs from chandler. he didn't get the point of the game, and kept wanting to play again and again and again.
if you don't know this game, i will explain it.
you have 2 people. one has 2 spoons (1 in each hand). the other has a rag. you pour water into a puddle on the floor. the person with the rag tries to wipe up the puddle. the person with the spoons has to guard the puddle. the person with the rag then pulls the person with the spoons into the puddle. this makes the puddle soak into the spoon person's pants.
the first time i pulled chan through the puddle he just laughed and said, "oh nice one beanie! let's play again" that is when brooke and i started laughing really hard. chan started laughing really hard too. brooke asked him what he was laughing at, and he said he didn't know. this of course brought on a whole new round of laughing. it was pretty funny.
so i kinda counted how many massages i gave over the thanksgiving week... i think it was 9. one of them was on chandler. i about died laughing during his massage. he didn't quite understand it, so brooke and i explained it to him. we had him keep his underwear on because when brooke first said to take off all his clothes, he wasn't sure he wanted a massage anymore.
he is still little enough, i just used 2 big towels instead of having to pull out all new sheets and such. chandler was a little tense at first, but when i started to work, he relaxed. then he started to make "ooooo" and "oh yeah right there" and "ahhh" and "that feels so good" noises. i was having to bite my lip to keep from laughing out loud. chan then asked me, "do you have one of those thingys that massage your head?" to which i replied, "i use my fingers & hands to do that. would you like your head massaged?" i think that was his favorite part (his head massage) chan was so relaxed that he slept so good. in fact he slept so well that he had an accident in his bed. we know now that he can't have massage right before bed anymore.
thursday was a fantastic dinner. i didn't get to eat nearly as much as i wanted... mostly because i sadly got sick and threw up the day before. but it was all really yummy and i wanted to just binge on all the good food. we finally told my family about our news.
december 2011- it went by too fast. i was trying to be a sneaky wife and not let zach know what i was getting him for christmas and that i hadn't done any shopping for him... well that didn't work out. he knew i had already done my christmas shopping for him, and he pretty much guessed what i got him. it was a good christmas. all of the smith family was able to get together and we had quite a party for christmas/new year.
i suppose i should tell you what zach got me. he bought me a really nice necklace & earring set. i also got some clothes, books, a survivor bracelet, a thera cane (a massage tool for self massage on knots & sore spots), candy, and baby stuff.
oh yeah... we are expecting our first baby april 5, 2012. we are having a boy. mostly likely to be named: kyan john smith.
now on to january 2012- pregnancy hasn't been bad. i haven't had morning sickness to any great lengths. i really have only gained 10 pounds so far. our doctor says all looks great. we only have a few more months until baby gets here. i am finding zach & i trade our excitement back and forth. i'll be excited and he will be freaked out ish. then i am really freaked out, and he is way excited.
work is getting a bit more difficult, but my baby bump isn't really that big. most people don't notice it until i say something or someone says something.
the hardest part is that i smell things that really aren't too noticeable to others. it got me in trouble at work. but whatever. i won't be there much longer. there is no incentive to go back to massage envy after the baby comes.
here's why: my boss is a major jerk. he says he has an open door policy, but won't really talk to you. he avoids being at work and gets mad when you call him at home. he makes the receptionists do the "dirty" work and turns the therapists against each other. most of my paychecks are not correct. they are short on hours, bonuses, or requests. it is a battle to get my boss to pay the difference. my paychecks have been off anywhere from $1.00 to $200.00
that is quite a bit of a difference. i did get a raise for christmas, but it doesn't help when the check isn't right to begin with. i have also had 2 paychecks bounce. that makes me question things. which also got me in trouble at work.
i have been handed other therapists cash tips, and when i ask which client it came from, i was given a name i hadn't worked on. not all the therapists ask what client the money came from. most just take it and don't say anything.
i have also been confused with another therapist. the person thought my name wasn't my name and would schedule appointments for the other person instead of me. i would also see tips up front for the person who i supposedly was when that person wasn't even working that shift. but because i am an honest person, i wouldn't take another therapists tip if their name was on it. i only take what has my name.
the building is always dirty. there is dust in all the rooms. the carpets have lint and dust all over them. the ventilation isn't that great, and smells linger in the rooms & halls. most of the equipment is breaking or is broken. the blankets on the tables are not always washed each day or week even. no one cares to clean. it isn't a given responsibility. therapists don't want to do it because we only get paid when we are giving massage. the receptionists don't want to do it because it takes too much time or they just don't want to do it. most follow the example of the boss. he sits at the computer all day when he is actually there and plays games. if the boss won't do it, why should we.
i probably won't even really go into the fact that you may or may not be sexually harassed while at work. the boss has wandering hands that will grab your butt, your shoulder, your back, or if he has a towel in his hands he will towel whip you. thankfully he has only touched my shoulder. i think word got out to him that if he ever touches my butt, i will put my knee in his groin and my fist in his face. he did towel whip me one day. it was while i was washing up after a session. i turned around to yell at him, but he had already run away laughing. it makes me sick that he would even think that it is ok to do that.
oh so i got in trouble at work. in fact it was kind of a write up. supposedly all of my coworkers are sick of listening to me say that it stinks and that my paychecks are off and that my clients are being told i am not available (when i really am). my boss wouldn't even listen to a word i had to say. so i just sat there and let him yell at me. he said, "if you were a mediocre or so-so of a therapist, i would fire you right now. you are free to go at anytime you want" that is seriously a direct quote. i almost did walk out right then. the only thing keeping me there is that i need a paycheck until baby comes.
so yeah, that's why i wouldn't go back to that place. i feel for my clients. they want me, but i'll be gone. some have asked if i will see them outside in my own private practice, but i can't really do that. it breaks my contract and that isn't such a good thing. at this point, i almost would take what clients will follow me, but most have the membership contract that they can't really break.
on happier news: zach got a second job! he got on with diamond ranch academy. it is a youth facility. sad news, his shift is on sundays all day, every sunday. good news, he will have ample opportunities to move up and grow. he actually applied monday and was given the job on tuesday. he started today. so zach has training today, tomorrow, and saturday. then he gets right into the job on sunday. he is still working the hp job, but now he will be at diamond ranch on sundays. it is defiantly a good and bad thing. i am so happy he got another job and i am sad that he will be gone on sundays. i am really hoping that our financial burdens will get easier with this 2nd job. well, i think we are all caught up. for now. and i am really hoping 2012 will be a great year. i know there will be lots of new opportunities. until next time then :)
Thursday, February 2, 2012
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
already august
Havasupai was amazing! we left thursday after aaron & jen got off work. so it was about 3:30pm. we drove to kingsman and were going to stay in a hotel there, but decided to keep driving and ended up staying in peach springs. the hotel there was seriously over-priced but we didn't know of another stop before the trailhead (hualapai hilltop)
we woke up around 4:30-5am friday morning and drove the rest of the way to hualapai hilltop. the hike in was amazing. it took us about 8 hours (we figured cause we didn't have a watch & lost service on our phones) to get to the campsite from the top of the grand canyon, but it was amazing. pictures are posted on facebook.
from the top of the trail to the village is roughly 8 miles. you have to hike in and pay your fees at the village and then hike about 2 miles to the campgrounds (saturday morning they actually had a ranger come and check tags) we were all pretty beat from an all day hike so for the rest of friday we played in the havasu falls and then played blackjack until the mosquitoes ate us alive. and we went to bed about the time it got dark.
saturday morning we woke up with the sun and went hiking (without our packs) to the different falls. we did about 6 miles round trip with visiting mooney falls and beaver falls. if we had wanted to go another 8 miles, we could have made it all the way to the colorado river and back. somehow we just didn't want to do that :)
i couldn't believe how green and rain forest like it was in the middle of the desert. everywhere the river and falls were, it was green and jen said it looked a lot like hawaii. there were some spots where we had to take off our boots to cross the river to stay on the trail. it was beautiful. again pictures are on facebook. i know i need to just get some on here, but i can't figure it out... something about being technology handicapped...
anyway, when we got back from hiking on saturday, we were all pretty beat again, but didn't want to stay outside our tents cause the mosquitoes. it seemed like the more bug spray we sprayed, the more mosquitoes would come and eat us. so we didn't hang outside our tents a whole lot. we ate dinner and went to bed. we woke up about 3am sunday morning and packed up camp. we wanted to not get stuck hiking in the heat as we had coming in. it took us about 5 1/2 hours to hike out. we got to see the sun rise and were so happy to see the jeep.
there was a point on the last 2 miles ish out that zach & i got stopped by cows being herded in. the cows wouldn't move, so we had to wait to hike up the trail cause the cowboys couldn't get the herd moving. it was irritating, but i was kinda grateful for the delay cause i was getting worn out. i should mention that the first part hiking in is all switchbacks down. of course cause you have to get into the canyon. so that make the last part hiking out all switchbacks up. not easy switchbacks either... ones with big wooden steps and fairly steep. not to also add to the equation your packs which weigh between 30-45 lbs. it almost killed me. but i survived!
next time we go, i think we will save a little more money and pay to ride a horse in or helicopter in. but if you helicopter in, you miss a lot of the view. so i think i will pay to ride a horse in. there is a spring there to get fresh water from. they do recommend filtering it, but we didn't and all of us seem to be fine. the port-o-johns weren't too bad, but they did smell like an outhouse. all of us got blisters. i don't think it matters how broke in your hiking boots are, i think if you hike that long with that much weight on you, you will get blisters. i would also recommend taking as little as possible or things that don't weigh much. we over shot a little and ended up hauling out a fair amount of our food. we just didn't eat as much as we thought we would. i think it was the heat. you don't eat as much when it is hot outside.
all in all it was an amazing experience and i would do it again for sure. i do recommend starting on the hike as early as possible and make sure you have enough water to get in and out. there is no water at the trail head, and there is only the spring in the campground and a faucet at the check-in. depending on the time of day, there is an indian that sells cold drinks and snacks at the trail head, but if they aren't open, you are out of luck. not to mention it is expensive.
so that is pretty much all that has been going on here. not a whole lot else has happened. i finally got a work uniform shirt. i feel like it is more like the old school star trek shirts the women wore. but it is light weight and i don't have to wear a tank top under it. (i did with my school shirts cause they were too short) i've had some really stinky clients. and by stinky i mean smell like chain smokers and bad body odors. i about threw up on one client cause he smelled so bad and wanted aromatherapy on top of it. mix b.o., cigarettes, and aromatherapy....equals barf on client. it wasn't a good night. thankfully i didn't puke on him, but i really came close.
then i had a lady who i think had digestive problems cause when i started working her muscles, the unmistakable smell of poo came out of her pores. and i had another client who just had really bad body odor and really bad breath and wouldn't breathe through his nose. it has been a weird couple of work days since i got back from only taking a week off of work. i usually work monday, wednesday, friday, and saturdays. and boy oh boy was i glad i took the monday after havasupai off. i couldn't hardly walk. well, i can't think of anything else right now so i will leave you until next time :)
we woke up around 4:30-5am friday morning and drove the rest of the way to hualapai hilltop. the hike in was amazing. it took us about 8 hours (we figured cause we didn't have a watch & lost service on our phones) to get to the campsite from the top of the grand canyon, but it was amazing. pictures are posted on facebook.
from the top of the trail to the village is roughly 8 miles. you have to hike in and pay your fees at the village and then hike about 2 miles to the campgrounds (saturday morning they actually had a ranger come and check tags) we were all pretty beat from an all day hike so for the rest of friday we played in the havasu falls and then played blackjack until the mosquitoes ate us alive. and we went to bed about the time it got dark.
saturday morning we woke up with the sun and went hiking (without our packs) to the different falls. we did about 6 miles round trip with visiting mooney falls and beaver falls. if we had wanted to go another 8 miles, we could have made it all the way to the colorado river and back. somehow we just didn't want to do that :)
i couldn't believe how green and rain forest like it was in the middle of the desert. everywhere the river and falls were, it was green and jen said it looked a lot like hawaii. there were some spots where we had to take off our boots to cross the river to stay on the trail. it was beautiful. again pictures are on facebook. i know i need to just get some on here, but i can't figure it out... something about being technology handicapped...
anyway, when we got back from hiking on saturday, we were all pretty beat again, but didn't want to stay outside our tents cause the mosquitoes. it seemed like the more bug spray we sprayed, the more mosquitoes would come and eat us. so we didn't hang outside our tents a whole lot. we ate dinner and went to bed. we woke up about 3am sunday morning and packed up camp. we wanted to not get stuck hiking in the heat as we had coming in. it took us about 5 1/2 hours to hike out. we got to see the sun rise and were so happy to see the jeep.
there was a point on the last 2 miles ish out that zach & i got stopped by cows being herded in. the cows wouldn't move, so we had to wait to hike up the trail cause the cowboys couldn't get the herd moving. it was irritating, but i was kinda grateful for the delay cause i was getting worn out. i should mention that the first part hiking in is all switchbacks down. of course cause you have to get into the canyon. so that make the last part hiking out all switchbacks up. not easy switchbacks either... ones with big wooden steps and fairly steep. not to also add to the equation your packs which weigh between 30-45 lbs. it almost killed me. but i survived!
next time we go, i think we will save a little more money and pay to ride a horse in or helicopter in. but if you helicopter in, you miss a lot of the view. so i think i will pay to ride a horse in. there is a spring there to get fresh water from. they do recommend filtering it, but we didn't and all of us seem to be fine. the port-o-johns weren't too bad, but they did smell like an outhouse. all of us got blisters. i don't think it matters how broke in your hiking boots are, i think if you hike that long with that much weight on you, you will get blisters. i would also recommend taking as little as possible or things that don't weigh much. we over shot a little and ended up hauling out a fair amount of our food. we just didn't eat as much as we thought we would. i think it was the heat. you don't eat as much when it is hot outside.
all in all it was an amazing experience and i would do it again for sure. i do recommend starting on the hike as early as possible and make sure you have enough water to get in and out. there is no water at the trail head, and there is only the spring in the campground and a faucet at the check-in. depending on the time of day, there is an indian that sells cold drinks and snacks at the trail head, but if they aren't open, you are out of luck. not to mention it is expensive.
so that is pretty much all that has been going on here. not a whole lot else has happened. i finally got a work uniform shirt. i feel like it is more like the old school star trek shirts the women wore. but it is light weight and i don't have to wear a tank top under it. (i did with my school shirts cause they were too short) i've had some really stinky clients. and by stinky i mean smell like chain smokers and bad body odors. i about threw up on one client cause he smelled so bad and wanted aromatherapy on top of it. mix b.o., cigarettes, and aromatherapy....equals barf on client. it wasn't a good night. thankfully i didn't puke on him, but i really came close.
then i had a lady who i think had digestive problems cause when i started working her muscles, the unmistakable smell of poo came out of her pores. and i had another client who just had really bad body odor and really bad breath and wouldn't breathe through his nose. it has been a weird couple of work days since i got back from only taking a week off of work. i usually work monday, wednesday, friday, and saturdays. and boy oh boy was i glad i took the monday after havasupai off. i couldn't hardly walk. well, i can't think of anything else right now so i will leave you until next time :)
Monday, July 18, 2011
half way through july already?
wow time is certainly flying past. i figure i should update this since zach has gone to work & i have a few hours all to myself... well reichael is with me, but she is content just laying by my side for now. okay so let's start with my birthday.
my birthday was great. uncle devin invited zach to go help brand some calves. zach asked if i could tag along too. so we all went up to the ranch, reichael too, and i got to help round up the cows and watch zach wrestle them down to brand. it was a lot of fun. i had to leave early though cause i had to go to work. i actually did get a nice $40 tip from one client. i told him it was my birthday & he said that it was also his mother's birthday. i am not sure if he tipped well because of my awesome massage or if it was kinda a birthday present ish. i also had another client give me a "sweet tooth fairy" cupcake coupon. it was really yummy (i brought it home & shared with zach cause it was way too sweet to eat alone)
well i didn't have a full schedule, so they let me off first at work cause it was my birthday. anyway, i came home to reichael loving me again (she got a bath when we came back from the ranch cause she smelled like cow poop) and zach had made a wonderful dinner. he also made me a cheesecake. it was yummy! esp for it being his first cheesecake ever. and he got me dominion seaside for my birthday as well as a cute pair of sunglasses. it was a terrific birthday!
our anniversary wasn't what i had planned, but it was still fun. we both had to work the saturday before, and our anniversary landed on sunday this year. we spent the day with mom & dad (smith) and kendra & golden's family and miah was in & out. it was a good day though. and we did end up getting each other backpacking packs. i am so excited for havasupi! we also got hiking boots, but that came a bit later than our anniversary.
we haven't been mountain biking as much lately. mostly because over the 4th of july we almost killed reichael. we went for a bike ride to goosebury white trail on the 4th and mom (smith) even came with us! it was an amazing trail, and i can't wait to do it again. we didn't get to the end of the trail though cause the thunder & lightening were starting to scare me a bit. then we had a great lunch and dinner with mom & dad (smith) and we watched the hurricane fireworks from the church ball field. and then zach set off a bunch of fireworks i've had forever.
then on july 5th we decided we were going to go biking again. just 3 of us went plus reichael (she always comes with us). we did the jem trail. well, about half way or maybe 3/4 of the way reichael decided she was done. she laid down in the middle of the trail and wouldn't move. she wouldn't stand up. she wouldn't wag her tail. she wouldn't do anything but lay there and pant really hard. zach picked her up and carried her to a little stream. we laid her in it and started pouring water all over her. it wasn't cold water, but it was something to help cool her down. thankfully just around the bend was a quarry road so dad (smith) & zach took off to go get the truck while i stayed with reichael to keep pouring water on her. i tried to get her to walk just a few more steps to be closer to the road, but she wouldn't budge at all. i ended up carrying her a little bit farther down the trail.
when we got home, i gave her a bath in cooler water. she still wouldn't do hardly anything but lay there. it took almost 3 days for her to finally be back to her happy, bouncing self. we haven't been biking since. mostly because we don't want to push her. i think she will have to stay home if we go on longer trails. she won't be happy about staying home, but she will be alive. zach says she is more of a sprinting dog and not distance runner. he also says she will have to stay home on longer trails. if we could just get up early in the morning, maybe it would be cool enough for her to still come, but we will have to make sure we have even more water for her than we have been packing.
work is coming along. i had 1 saturday completely booked with all requests. it was awesome! some of the therapists have started to call me the "resident rockstar" just because i've only been there for 4 months and already have had quite the requests. i don't want to get an ego, but i know i do massage a lot different than other therapists. i have my own style and my own pressure and my own flow. granted every therapist is unique, but i have had 4-5 clients tell me i am the most unique they have ever experienced. one of them has been all over the world and had massage and he was so impressed by my style that he came to me even with his usual therapist working. (i don't think he knew she was there or he wouldn't have come to me, but it was a nice thought)
anyway the management still sucks, and on my last check i was not only shorted hours, and bonuses, but also my tips were missing. some of the other therapists think that management is stealing from us. one therapist went to deposit her check & it bounced. another thinks that they are stealing cash tips from us as well. for instance a client will leave a 10 & a 5 but when we go to pick it up it is only a 10. or when they leave 1's that a couple of them disappear. it isn't easy to prove the cash side, but the check side is plain as day. i think it should be reported, but i have no idea where to start or how to prove it in the system, because they can change the computer schedule system. they can even remote log in from home & change it.
i have to work today and oh yeah, i still don't have a uniform. all of the 5 people that have been hired after me have massage envy shirts, but i still don't. i asked about it again the other day and the manager said, "i am not going to order the old shirts because we are getting the new ones in july" i said, "it is july" and he said, "well you can just wear whatever black or white shirt you want until then, but i think you look good in that (my school uniform)"
it is so frustrating. on saturday one new girl didn't even bother showing up for her shift. i don't really blame her. if i didn't need the money, i wouldn't be there either. i want to press sexual harassment charges too because my manager towel whipped me one day. i tried to tell him that wasn't appropriate, but he had turned around and ran away laughing before i could say anything. he usually isn't around when i come in for work and if he is, i don't hardly acknowledge him. i don't want to give him the opportunity to try anything else. if he does, i will not even hesitate to put my knee in his groin and walk out. then i will go to the officials for certain.
well, i have a house that won't clean itself, so i should get going. until next time :)
my birthday was great. uncle devin invited zach to go help brand some calves. zach asked if i could tag along too. so we all went up to the ranch, reichael too, and i got to help round up the cows and watch zach wrestle them down to brand. it was a lot of fun. i had to leave early though cause i had to go to work. i actually did get a nice $40 tip from one client. i told him it was my birthday & he said that it was also his mother's birthday. i am not sure if he tipped well because of my awesome massage or if it was kinda a birthday present ish. i also had another client give me a "sweet tooth fairy" cupcake coupon. it was really yummy (i brought it home & shared with zach cause it was way too sweet to eat alone)
well i didn't have a full schedule, so they let me off first at work cause it was my birthday. anyway, i came home to reichael loving me again (she got a bath when we came back from the ranch cause she smelled like cow poop) and zach had made a wonderful dinner. he also made me a cheesecake. it was yummy! esp for it being his first cheesecake ever. and he got me dominion seaside for my birthday as well as a cute pair of sunglasses. it was a terrific birthday!
our anniversary wasn't what i had planned, but it was still fun. we both had to work the saturday before, and our anniversary landed on sunday this year. we spent the day with mom & dad (smith) and kendra & golden's family and miah was in & out. it was a good day though. and we did end up getting each other backpacking packs. i am so excited for havasupi! we also got hiking boots, but that came a bit later than our anniversary.
we haven't been mountain biking as much lately. mostly because over the 4th of july we almost killed reichael. we went for a bike ride to goosebury white trail on the 4th and mom (smith) even came with us! it was an amazing trail, and i can't wait to do it again. we didn't get to the end of the trail though cause the thunder & lightening were starting to scare me a bit. then we had a great lunch and dinner with mom & dad (smith) and we watched the hurricane fireworks from the church ball field. and then zach set off a bunch of fireworks i've had forever.
then on july 5th we decided we were going to go biking again. just 3 of us went plus reichael (she always comes with us). we did the jem trail. well, about half way or maybe 3/4 of the way reichael decided she was done. she laid down in the middle of the trail and wouldn't move. she wouldn't stand up. she wouldn't wag her tail. she wouldn't do anything but lay there and pant really hard. zach picked her up and carried her to a little stream. we laid her in it and started pouring water all over her. it wasn't cold water, but it was something to help cool her down. thankfully just around the bend was a quarry road so dad (smith) & zach took off to go get the truck while i stayed with reichael to keep pouring water on her. i tried to get her to walk just a few more steps to be closer to the road, but she wouldn't budge at all. i ended up carrying her a little bit farther down the trail.
when we got home, i gave her a bath in cooler water. she still wouldn't do hardly anything but lay there. it took almost 3 days for her to finally be back to her happy, bouncing self. we haven't been biking since. mostly because we don't want to push her. i think she will have to stay home if we go on longer trails. she won't be happy about staying home, but she will be alive. zach says she is more of a sprinting dog and not distance runner. he also says she will have to stay home on longer trails. if we could just get up early in the morning, maybe it would be cool enough for her to still come, but we will have to make sure we have even more water for her than we have been packing.
work is coming along. i had 1 saturday completely booked with all requests. it was awesome! some of the therapists have started to call me the "resident rockstar" just because i've only been there for 4 months and already have had quite the requests. i don't want to get an ego, but i know i do massage a lot different than other therapists. i have my own style and my own pressure and my own flow. granted every therapist is unique, but i have had 4-5 clients tell me i am the most unique they have ever experienced. one of them has been all over the world and had massage and he was so impressed by my style that he came to me even with his usual therapist working. (i don't think he knew she was there or he wouldn't have come to me, but it was a nice thought)
anyway the management still sucks, and on my last check i was not only shorted hours, and bonuses, but also my tips were missing. some of the other therapists think that management is stealing from us. one therapist went to deposit her check & it bounced. another thinks that they are stealing cash tips from us as well. for instance a client will leave a 10 & a 5 but when we go to pick it up it is only a 10. or when they leave 1's that a couple of them disappear. it isn't easy to prove the cash side, but the check side is plain as day. i think it should be reported, but i have no idea where to start or how to prove it in the system, because they can change the computer schedule system. they can even remote log in from home & change it.
i have to work today and oh yeah, i still don't have a uniform. all of the 5 people that have been hired after me have massage envy shirts, but i still don't. i asked about it again the other day and the manager said, "i am not going to order the old shirts because we are getting the new ones in july" i said, "it is july" and he said, "well you can just wear whatever black or white shirt you want until then, but i think you look good in that (my school uniform)"
it is so frustrating. on saturday one new girl didn't even bother showing up for her shift. i don't really blame her. if i didn't need the money, i wouldn't be there either. i want to press sexual harassment charges too because my manager towel whipped me one day. i tried to tell him that wasn't appropriate, but he had turned around and ran away laughing before i could say anything. he usually isn't around when i come in for work and if he is, i don't hardly acknowledge him. i don't want to give him the opportunity to try anything else. if he does, i will not even hesitate to put my knee in his groin and walk out. then i will go to the officials for certain.
well, i have a house that won't clean itself, so i should get going. until next time :)
Thursday, June 23, 2011
a day of remembrance
today marks 15 years since my mom passed away. oh how i miss her. i often find myself thinking about how different things would be if she were still on this earth. it is silly, i know. i find myself thinking if i really remember her. here is what i do remember.
i remember always running to her if i was hurt or if i was in trouble with my dad. i would sit on her lap and the world would be ok again.
i remember her smile.
i remember the day she came home from getting her hair cut really really short. i didn't know at the time she did it so it would be easier when her hair fell out from the chemo.
i remember thinking, "what did she do with her hair?" but telling her, "i think it's cute"
i remember coming home from school to the house smelling like bread and suddenly getting really hungry. no one made bread like she did.
i remember her driving faster when the classical music on the radio got faster.
i remember when she was really mad that she could no longer speak in english.
i remember she always prayed in chinese.
i remember when she would start doing dishes the running water would make her have to use the bathroom, but she would do the "potty dance" until the sink was full then she'd run.
i remember she would always make my dad a lunch everyday for work.
i remember her walking with me to school one day because i had missed the bus.
i remember how she loved to sing.
i remember that she used to keep some type of candy under the headboard drawer under her pillow.
i remember going grocery shopping with her and me always having to put a penny in the gumball machine.
i remember crawling into her side of the bed at night if i got sick or had a bad dream.
i remember she always planned the best birthday parties for me.
i remember the beautiful dresses she made.
i remember going to "help" her teach english to some chinese friends.
i remember she loved to chew gum.
i remember how she always had some chinese medicine to fix any ailment.
i remember her doing all the packing on all our family camping trips.
i remember her cutting up the deer my dad got on his hunting trips.
i remember her plucking chickens.
i remember every christmas morning we would have new pajamas made by her and we had to go put them on before we opened presents.
i remember back to school shopping with her & how we would all put our coats in the cart so she could also do christmas shopping if needed.
i remember her hugs.
i remember how she used to lock the storage room so we wouldn't get into the snacks for camping.
i love my mom!
i remember always running to her if i was hurt or if i was in trouble with my dad. i would sit on her lap and the world would be ok again.
i remember her smile.
i remember the day she came home from getting her hair cut really really short. i didn't know at the time she did it so it would be easier when her hair fell out from the chemo.
i remember thinking, "what did she do with her hair?" but telling her, "i think it's cute"
i remember coming home from school to the house smelling like bread and suddenly getting really hungry. no one made bread like she did.
i remember her driving faster when the classical music on the radio got faster.
i remember when she was really mad that she could no longer speak in english.
i remember she always prayed in chinese.
i remember when she would start doing dishes the running water would make her have to use the bathroom, but she would do the "potty dance" until the sink was full then she'd run.
i remember she would always make my dad a lunch everyday for work.
i remember her walking with me to school one day because i had missed the bus.
i remember how she loved to sing.
i remember that she used to keep some type of candy under the headboard drawer under her pillow.
i remember going grocery shopping with her and me always having to put a penny in the gumball machine.
i remember crawling into her side of the bed at night if i got sick or had a bad dream.
i remember she always planned the best birthday parties for me.
i remember the beautiful dresses she made.
i remember going to "help" her teach english to some chinese friends.
i remember she loved to chew gum.
i remember how she always had some chinese medicine to fix any ailment.
i remember her doing all the packing on all our family camping trips.
i remember her cutting up the deer my dad got on his hunting trips.
i remember her plucking chickens.
i remember every christmas morning we would have new pajamas made by her and we had to go put them on before we opened presents.
i remember back to school shopping with her & how we would all put our coats in the cart so she could also do christmas shopping if needed.
i remember her hugs.
i remember how she used to lock the storage room so we wouldn't get into the snacks for camping.
i love my mom!
Monday, June 13, 2011
welcome to june... and it only gets hotter
so here we are almost half way through june. things have been going pretty well. zach, dad (smith), lincoln, gage, reichael, and i have been going out mountain biking. its been lots of fun. gage actually only came with us for the first time on saturday. he did so awesome! and is excited to come next time too. we figured we will have to ride at least 2 times a week so we can have a "big kid" ride and a "everyone" ride. the big kid ride we go much longer and on a bit harder trails. the everyone ride, we just do smaller trails. it is great exercise, and it is so much fun. look at pictures on my facebook. i know, i know... i need to just get the pictures on here, but i am still trying to figure it out.
this past thursday, i got a phone call from none other- my bff- lena. she was on her way down here with her singles ward. they were having their super activity. well, zach & i had the wonderful opportunity to attend a temple session with lena & her ward. it was awesome! i haven't seen her, or talked to her since our wedding. and that is almost a year now :)
crazy, i know. time is flying.
so work at massage envy is becoming a bit of a challenge. i love massage and most of my co-workers. i just don't love the management. every single therapist there warned me that i have to watch my checks closely. well, i didn't really keep a close enough watch. i went back through my checks on saturday because i had discovered on my last check i was shorted an hour & a half. so i went back through every single one.... guess how much i was shorted. 5 hours & 5 bonus treatments. guess how much money that it adds up to.... $81.00
on saturday, my one manager told me that my 1 & 1/2 was not paid because the client didn't show up. duh i know she didn't show cause i sat there waiting. well, massage envy didn't have a credit card number on file so they didn't charge for the session. (if you don't cancel before 24 hrs, or 4 hrs at my location; you are charged at least half price for the session if you don't show)
so because the receptionist didn't get a card number to hold the session, and because the client didn't show up, massage envy didn't get paid, and therefore means i don't get paid. i think the receptionist should have to give me the money for not doing her job. but who knows... whatever. $81 will just keep adding up. and all the good therapists will leave. now i do work today, so who knows if i will be able to get paid that shorted amount since it was from a month ago. they will probably have some other excuse. and i will just find another place to work.
i am much to valuable to have to keep tabs on my checks. i was also talking to another therapist about it, and she suggested to me that i also track how much i am being tipped on credit cards. apparently some of their checks have been shorted their tips. does that seem like good business to you?! GRRRR!!!
well, anyway... june is now here. the days are getting hotter. it is kinda nice, but also not. i am getting really funny tan lines from biking. zach says i am becoming stripped like a tiger. i told him that he needs to take me to a lake or beach and then i'll be just fine with only swimsuit tan lines. then i add, "even my white skin that never ever sees sun is still darker than your white" to which he responds, "yes, but you are chinese." and so life goes here in la verkin at the smith's.
my birthday is coming up next monday. i am stupid and am working it. maybe i will/can get bigger tips by telling my clients that it is my birthday. HA! like that will really work. i keep asking zach what he is getting me. he won't tell me. blast. i then ask him what he is going to get me for our anniversary. he won't tell me that either. but i think i know what we are getting because we are getting each other the same thing.
our friends, jen & aaron, invited us to come on havasupi with them in august. we don't have hiking backpacks, so we are going to get each other a hiking backpack for our anniversary. at least i think that is what we decided. i am super excited and zach is too, to be going on havasupi. aaron is the only one who has gone backpacking on a trip like that.
i am also excited for erin & greg to come visit. they are coming to st. george for a mini vacation/celebration and we are going to go hiking and maybe mountain biking with them. i think summer will be a great summer full of good friends and good times. makin' memories, wahoo!!
i am also reading a lot more that i have been in the last year or two. it is great to get my nose in a book again for fun. zach was laughing at me the other day because we bought "the hunger games" on paperback. i was smelling the pages. nothing smells like a brand new book. i love the smell. he called me a bookworm and laughed. i called him a techno-worm. i really don't mind being called a bookworm. i love books. i love to read for fun. we just finished "i am number 4" and it was really good. yes, zach will read on occasion. i am trying to get him reading more rather than play with the technology. oh well.
anyway, i can't really think of a whole lot else right now, so i will leave you here. until next time :)
this past thursday, i got a phone call from none other- my bff- lena. she was on her way down here with her singles ward. they were having their super activity. well, zach & i had the wonderful opportunity to attend a temple session with lena & her ward. it was awesome! i haven't seen her, or talked to her since our wedding. and that is almost a year now :)
crazy, i know. time is flying.
so work at massage envy is becoming a bit of a challenge. i love massage and most of my co-workers. i just don't love the management. every single therapist there warned me that i have to watch my checks closely. well, i didn't really keep a close enough watch. i went back through my checks on saturday because i had discovered on my last check i was shorted an hour & a half. so i went back through every single one.... guess how much i was shorted. 5 hours & 5 bonus treatments. guess how much money that it adds up to.... $81.00
on saturday, my one manager told me that my 1 & 1/2 was not paid because the client didn't show up. duh i know she didn't show cause i sat there waiting. well, massage envy didn't have a credit card number on file so they didn't charge for the session. (if you don't cancel before 24 hrs, or 4 hrs at my location; you are charged at least half price for the session if you don't show)
so because the receptionist didn't get a card number to hold the session, and because the client didn't show up, massage envy didn't get paid, and therefore means i don't get paid. i think the receptionist should have to give me the money for not doing her job. but who knows... whatever. $81 will just keep adding up. and all the good therapists will leave. now i do work today, so who knows if i will be able to get paid that shorted amount since it was from a month ago. they will probably have some other excuse. and i will just find another place to work.
i am much to valuable to have to keep tabs on my checks. i was also talking to another therapist about it, and she suggested to me that i also track how much i am being tipped on credit cards. apparently some of their checks have been shorted their tips. does that seem like good business to you?! GRRRR!!!
well, anyway... june is now here. the days are getting hotter. it is kinda nice, but also not. i am getting really funny tan lines from biking. zach says i am becoming stripped like a tiger. i told him that he needs to take me to a lake or beach and then i'll be just fine with only swimsuit tan lines. then i add, "even my white skin that never ever sees sun is still darker than your white" to which he responds, "yes, but you are chinese." and so life goes here in la verkin at the smith's.
my birthday is coming up next monday. i am stupid and am working it. maybe i will/can get bigger tips by telling my clients that it is my birthday. HA! like that will really work. i keep asking zach what he is getting me. he won't tell me. blast. i then ask him what he is going to get me for our anniversary. he won't tell me that either. but i think i know what we are getting because we are getting each other the same thing.
our friends, jen & aaron, invited us to come on havasupi with them in august. we don't have hiking backpacks, so we are going to get each other a hiking backpack for our anniversary. at least i think that is what we decided. i am super excited and zach is too, to be going on havasupi. aaron is the only one who has gone backpacking on a trip like that.
i am also excited for erin & greg to come visit. they are coming to st. george for a mini vacation/celebration and we are going to go hiking and maybe mountain biking with them. i think summer will be a great summer full of good friends and good times. makin' memories, wahoo!!
i am also reading a lot more that i have been in the last year or two. it is great to get my nose in a book again for fun. zach was laughing at me the other day because we bought "the hunger games" on paperback. i was smelling the pages. nothing smells like a brand new book. i love the smell. he called me a bookworm and laughed. i called him a techno-worm. i really don't mind being called a bookworm. i love books. i love to read for fun. we just finished "i am number 4" and it was really good. yes, zach will read on occasion. i am trying to get him reading more rather than play with the technology. oh well.
anyway, i can't really think of a whole lot else right now, so i will leave you here. until next time :)
Monday, May 23, 2011
holy smokes its almost the end of may!
yikes i haven't been here for a while. well, things are going pretty good. zach & i have been mountain biking a bit. sometimes if we can & he is available, we ask dad (smith) if he wants to come. it is a lot of fun and if we hit the right trails, reichael can come too. she loves it. and it is great exercise for her, and well us too.
not too much has been going on around here though. may has come and gone almost too quickly. work is going alright. there are busy days and not busy days. i need to find out what is going on with the scheduling though cause i am only scheduled to work 3 days a week. YIKES! i must admit it is nice to have more time for biking and laying around the house, but at the same time, i need to make sure the bills get paid so we can continue to have a place to live, food to eat, and a jeep to drive.
talk about gas prices...they are super scary and fluctuate way too much in my opinion. inflation...poop on it!
zach continues to work for marketsource as an hp rep, but he is also looking into working another job as well as getting back into school. hooray and blah all at the same time. i am so glad i am done with school for now. i might go back once i am an empty nester, but who knows... and that is a long ways away.
time is flying by for sure, but seeing how we are thinking about 4 maybe 5 kids... and if we have them all out of the house by 21 at about 2 years apart... then the math adds to be... okay i can't think it in my head so i'll have to pause: but it doesn't matter if i pause cause you'll continue reading along and it won't matter :) oh yeah and the starting to have kids.... well, its a ways away. and thanks to zach, it would be 31 years once we started having kids. and that is a long ways... i'll be in my 50s maybe 60s... and we are so done with this for now.
don't get me wrong, i want kids... i just don't want to think about how old i'll be. next month i turn 26. not that big of a deal, but zach turned 27 so he is way closer to 30 than i am. he is trying to get me freaked out about being closer to 30 than to 20. really, i don't care. i just don't want to think about me being 50 or 60 something right now.
i posted pictures on facebook of our apartment in la verkin as well as a bike ride we went on today. and i am thinking i need to get off the computer since rei rei is jumping on me and panting in my face. that is usually a sign that she needs out to potty or she just wants to be center of attention. and here i'll leave today, hopefully to be back faster than last time. so most likely, i'll see you in june. ha ha ha :)
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
fun with 2 cool kids
we had 2 cool kids come stay the night with us sunday. lincoln & shaunie. they had the easter break so we had them come sleep over. it was a lot of fun. zach & i were sneaky ninjas and started the night off with a pillow fight....that we totally won. then we told ghost stories. some were really scary, but others were only scary until the punch line.
after that we decided to lighten the mood and watched "support your local sheriff" i thought for sure we would all fall asleep, but as soon as the movie was over, lincoln, shaunie, and i were still fairly wide awake. so we stayed up talking and then finally around 4 o'clock, we all went to bed. i woke up at 7 and got zach up so we could run to the store and buy bacon. breakfast was made and the kids were woken up. after dishes, we decided to go into st. george to the mall.
we walked around for a while and then finally shaunie & lincoln decided what they wanted to buy. shaunie got earrings, a necklace, and a very cute shirt. lincoln got a shirt and a spitfire sticker. then it was lunch time. so we stopped at arctic circle and pigged out. we had a fun day with them. when we got home, lincoln & i played through a duet that we are going to perform sometime. it was then time to take the little ones home so they could get the things done they needed to.
zach & i then took reichael out to the park & stopped by mom & dad (smith)'s house on the way back. they had chili and offered us some. it was delicious! and after the wonderful chili, we topped it off by going to yumz. it is a self serve frozen yogurt place. really good! and thanks to mom & dad for providing us with dinner & dessert. it was really yummy & as always a fun time out with you two :)
i am also going to blog a bit about zach's birthday. it was kinda a lame one since we both worked. i did, however, make 2 cheesecakes from scratch. he wanted strawberry cheesecake instead of regular cake. and i am such an awesome wify & put sparklers on 1 of them for his candles. it was awesome and the cheesecake didn't taste that bad either. in fact, i am going to go have a piece after i finish with this blog. and that would be now cause it sounds better than typing... :)
after that we decided to lighten the mood and watched "support your local sheriff" i thought for sure we would all fall asleep, but as soon as the movie was over, lincoln, shaunie, and i were still fairly wide awake. so we stayed up talking and then finally around 4 o'clock, we all went to bed. i woke up at 7 and got zach up so we could run to the store and buy bacon. breakfast was made and the kids were woken up. after dishes, we decided to go into st. george to the mall.
we walked around for a while and then finally shaunie & lincoln decided what they wanted to buy. shaunie got earrings, a necklace, and a very cute shirt. lincoln got a shirt and a spitfire sticker. then it was lunch time. so we stopped at arctic circle and pigged out. we had a fun day with them. when we got home, lincoln & i played through a duet that we are going to perform sometime. it was then time to take the little ones home so they could get the things done they needed to.
zach & i then took reichael out to the park & stopped by mom & dad (smith)'s house on the way back. they had chili and offered us some. it was delicious! and after the wonderful chili, we topped it off by going to yumz. it is a self serve frozen yogurt place. really good! and thanks to mom & dad for providing us with dinner & dessert. it was really yummy & as always a fun time out with you two :)
i am also going to blog a bit about zach's birthday. it was kinda a lame one since we both worked. i did, however, make 2 cheesecakes from scratch. he wanted strawberry cheesecake instead of regular cake. and i am such an awesome wify & put sparklers on 1 of them for his candles. it was awesome and the cheesecake didn't taste that bad either. in fact, i am going to go have a piece after i finish with this blog. and that would be now cause it sounds better than typing... :)
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