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 :)

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 :)

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... :)

golfers...

my day yesterday was quite interesting. with the weather outside being overcast, i really didn't want to go into work. i wanted to go back to bed. but alas, i got myself up and dressed and all off to work. i decided to stop in at maverick and get a mtn dew live wire (the best ever cause its orange with caffeine). needless to say, i almost guzzled the whole thing on my 30 ish min drive to work. *i haven't had soda for almost a month too, so i was really not wanting to work*
i got to work, and yippee, had clients... no "on call" today. i hate on call cause i don't get paid. i just sit and wait to get called in. but i guess if i just sit there, i don't get paid either. whichever way, i have to have clients to get money.
so both of the bosses were there and they were both in bad moods...really bad moods. it was kinda funny. cause they should be stressing about the place and all the "behind the scenes" stuff going on. (they had 5 therapists leave in less than 2 weeks, and might have 4 more walking out in the next 2 weeks and they so far had only hired me to replace all the ones who left) well, i looked at the screen that tells us when and who our clients are, and low and behold, there is a new therapist. she comes in after me so i won't get to really meet her until after my first 2 clients, unless i get more... which i did.
well, the newest therapist was late. and she was storing her extra linens in one of the couples rooms. and i don't know if she washed after each session cause i only saw her waiting right outside the door each time i was in the hall waiting for my clients. and i watched her walk in on a client disrobing cause she didn't give them enough time before she just walked in. needless to say, i hope her day today will be better or she won't be having this job too much longer. she already had 2 clients complain against her too. poor thing. but she gave me weird vibes. i just don't know if it was first day jitters, but i wasn't like that on my first day. yes it was a little crazy, but i was also on time and watched everyone else in the hall and such.
so on to my clients. boy oh boy.... all but 1 were yappy. every single one of them wanted to talk. so i just let them. it was a little weird cause most people fall asleep, but not these ones. all of them were in because they have a golf tournament tomorrow (today) that they need to relax and work out the sore muscles from practicing on the green. i felt like i was a birthing coach too cause i had to keep telling my clients to breathe slowly in through the nose and out through the mouth so i can work a little deeper. breathe, breathe.
one client was talking about opening his own spa. he offered me a job when it is finished. it was kinda funny cause he was talking and talking and the suddenly snoring. it was funny, but it was also a relief. my hands worked magic. yes! so after i got done with that client, he was still in la la land and took his time coming out of the room, but it was ok cause it gave me a chance to get a business card (massage envy's but i wrote my name & number on it) so he can call me when the spa opens.
and my next 2 clients were also golfers, and wouldn't stop talking. they didn't fall asleep though. but the funniest was my 77 year old man. he was wanting a deeper massage, but then found out he didn't really like deep. so i switched to a more swedish massage style. he asked me what the strokes were called. so i was telling him as i was working the muscles. this is petrissage, this is effleurage, this is feathering, this is petrissage again. he would tell me oh yeah i like that one or oh not so much on that one. and when i had him turn over he was almost in la la land.
well, then i finished working his legs, and moved up to his shoulders and neck. he then opened his eyes and said to me "i don't know how to put this, and don't take it wrong, cause i don't know how else to put it, but that feathering stroke is, well, kinda turning me on. i think i am going to ask my wife if she wants to get in the whirlpool with me when we get home."
HOLY CRAP!!! what do you do with that?! it took me by surprise and all i could say was "ok" but my brain was screaming "la la la la la, too much information, i don't want to know that! just shut up and enjoy your massage! la la la la la" he did leave me a pretty good tip, and i think they might join and become frequent clients. who knows. i just hope he is silent the next time he comes in for a massage so i don't throw up on him.
thank goodness for my last client who was silent. she wasn't a golfer though. oh, and i forgot cause a lot happened at work yesterday... but the new girl has a uniform. i still don't. so i had to give the one boss crap for it. he didn't take it well. and it wasn't until he realized i was totally joking, that he tried to make up for it and said that i looked professional and beautiful in all black. what a jerk, but whatever. he is just stressed and needs to learn how to manage things a little better cause he is going to find himself without therapists soon if things keep on the way they are. oh and they are completely redoing the shirts, so that's why i don't have a massage envy shirt yet. and that was my work day. CRAZY!

poop

well work is going alright. i only get paid though when i actually work on clients. my schedule isn't quite set yet, but it is getting there. i still don't always get booked either. so sometimes i sit and wait for people. it gets very boring. the other therapists are all pretty cool people. i am still trying to get names with faces and keep them straight. i know it will come eventually. reichael is doing much better. she has an autoimmune disease. they treat it with steroids. most likely she will have to have shots or pills for the rest of her life. but at least medication is working. reichael still is having digestive issues though. i was woken up an hour ago by her jumping on our bed to inform me she pooped. usually she lets us know she needs out, but i guess since she has diarrhea, she just went. it smelled awful and i managed to step in it. i hope that it will be better once the bleach water dries. i cleaned it up. yuck yuck yuck. i almost threw up too. whatever am i going to do with babies? zach is looking for another job as well as getting back into school. his hp job is going great, but he isn't getting enough hours to support us. i am worried about bills. but i guess as long as we have faith and pay tithing, the Lord will provide. i am still wondering what it is we are supposed to do down here. all in due time though. i need to figure out what i am getting zach for his birthday or what we are going to do. if we want to go out & eat or if i should actually attempt cooking a meal. we both will have to work that saturday, but i guess it just depends on what zach would like. anyway, i should try to get back to sleep again. i fell asleep just after midnight and was woken up at 2am, cleaned up the diarrhea, and tried to sleep again, but tossed and turned. so i got up and am still feeling like i should be sleeping, but i'm wide awake. blah blah blah. i guess its good i am not scheduled for today. but i did work yesterday & am really tired. i just can't get comfortable and my allergies make it hard to breathe. oh well. whatever.

i got a job

okay so the family vacation was tons of fun. we just went to st. george and stayed in the world mark there. it was really nice. the world mark is like a time share for those of you who don't know. there were 2 pools, 2 hot tubs, and 2 kiddie pools. and if you are rich enough, the presidential suite has its own hot tub on the deck. it was great to spend time with all of zach's family and we just played games and ate and swam and hiked a bit too.
well, i guess the biggest thing that has happened since my last blog was that i got a job. yep, that's right. i went in for a practical on tuesday of this week and they put me to work on wednesday of this week. i also worked thursday and today (friday). i won't work again until wednesday. i got a request and they decided to schedule me to fit in the request. plus i think i get a few more dollars when someone requests me specifically. so i am now working at massage envy in the pineview plaza. i get paid when i give massage.... so everyone come in and request me.
reichael is doing much better, but she is still really sick. the vet thinks it could be seasonal allergies or some other autoimmune disease. he gave her a shot of steroids and sent out for a biopsy as well. we should know by tuesday exactly what is making our puppy sick.
we are all moved in to our new place and we got the internet today. (that's why i am blogging) and zach bought me a desktop computer so we both can work in the office (our second bedroom). it will be really nice once we get all the extra boxes and stuff out. i can actually do massage here at home again. and we have an extra bed that someone can come visit. hint hint... family you can come visit zach and me :)
zach got his hp packet today so he can actually work tomorrow in uniform and not just sunday best. he will still be in a white shirt, but it has hp on it. and he will have a name badge as well. i am still waiting for my uniforms. i will be in black or tan pants/capri which i have to provide but massage envy will get me t-shirts. they are in the middle of a uniform change, so i get to wear my school uniforms for now. good thing i kept those.
i am also still waiting for my massage insurance packet. techinically i am not supposed to be working without the proof that i have it, but where everything happened so quickly and i explained what happened, they understand. i just have to get it to them as soon as i get it.
so life here in la verkin isn't so bad. i love having family so close. i think things are finally going in the right direction with us. we just need reichael to get better and everything will be great.

the things going on

we got everything packed in the horse trailer and the back of dad (smith's) truck. i am quite surprised it actually all fit. where and how did we accumulate so much stuff? oh well. zach & i found a place to live down here in la verkin. it is actually a place that zach's uncle owns and rents out. it is a 2 bedroom, 1 bathroom, washer & dryer place. it will be nice not to have to haul the laundry to the laundromat. we have been living with mom & dad (smith) for the last 2 weeks. and on monday we will be moving just up the road from them. i think i might go over today and clean up the place to amber standards. i don't think it has been lived in for a bit. when we turned on the water in the shower, it came out brown for a few seconds. don't get me wrong, the place was cleaned after vacancy, but i just feel better about cleaning it myself and knowing that i was the last one to clean.
zach is working today. he had a conference call this morning and then went to meet his boss over at the hotel. his boss lives up in slc i think. he just came down to take zach around to the different stores he will be working at and introductions and the such. so i am just hanging out doing laundry and taking care of rei rei.
she got a bacterial skin infection. it was about a month ago that we first noticed it, but we didn't know a vet or have the money for a vet. well we got our tax return, and when her sores spread all down her one side and her leg & ears, zach took her to a vet he knows down here. she is on a broad spectrum antibiotic. if it still isn't better by tuesday, we take her back to the vet. hopefully she will get better. she put herself to bed and won't come out unless we make her. usually its just to potty and eat a little bit. i think i will try and take her for a walk later today. just to keep her moving. the first pill we gave her made her throw up. after the second one, we walked her around a little and she did much better. i think she just needs rest and the antibiotics will do the rest. well, i am going to go to walmart with mom (smith) now so i'll leave this blog here and tell about our family vacation on the next one.