Yes, I am actually posting something... we'll see who still reads this neglected blog...

Okay... so I'm thinking about blogging again. Just because! :) So... a year later update, I'm not that the green apron store anymore. I have a new job that is not fun, but the pay is good and the benefits are amazing! So, that is nice, even though I don't every really want to go and I have to drag myself there every day.
Still living in Kent. The roomie is about to get married and so she is planning on moving out by the end of this month, or maybe the beginning of next. I can't get a straight answer out of her for the life of me. I tried to this afternoon and her boyfriend/fiance got all defensive. I'm not asking to be a part of the plan. She is welcome to stay as long as she wants to. I just want to know what the plan is. I'm a little neurotic sometimes, and I try to keep it to myself, but I live here too. And so I don't need to have input in the plan, I just need to know what it is so that I can take of the things that I am responsible for, you know? My half of the bargain. Cause its her dishes in the cupboard and things like that, and I have to get my stuff out of storage and figure out how to get it here. You can tell my need to know the plan is showing. Sorry. So by the end of the conversation, I knew nothing more and I think that I may have accidentally offended everyone. Can I just say that I'm excited to have my own place?
Howard the dog is good. I attempted to shave him myself two weekends ago. Just trying to save some money. It wasn't horrible.... but I didn't do that great of a job either. Poor little doggie. He has grow out a little bit since then, and so it looks more even now.
Oh, I started my own little garden out on the balcony. I planted some herbs, like basil, thyme, oregano, rosemary, etc. and two tomato plants. I'm pretty excited about it. I have been keeping the plants inside, but today I moved them out back. I think that its warm enough now. There may be an emergency plant move if the temp drops though.
Not to much else is new. Things are just kinda moving along. Pretty glad that it's a slow Saturday for me, nothing major needs to be done at the moment. It's kinda nice!

So I'm in the waiting room... Lacey is seeing the Doctor for a terrible, uncomfortable procedure. I can't even imagine. Anyways. The Dr.'s office has all these strict rules about where I can go. I'm not allowed to leave the building, and if I leave the waiting room I have to get a pager. I guess they don't want to take the chance of someone actually driving themselves, or someone getting left behind. Good news, they offer wireless here! They also have a latte stand with almond flavoring. I love almond and the green apron store doesn't carry it... so sad.
So I am getting ready to go on vacation! Ya! I'm so excited. I am going to Israel, and it is going to be so fun! Honestly, when I think of traveling to Europe, I would not list it as my first priority, but the opportunity came along, so I am going! I am going with a tour group through my parent's church. So, yes, I am going on vacation with my parents. But fortunately for me, I happen to get along with them. Mostly because I grew up a bit and they have mellowed a bit. :)
I really need to post some pictures of Howard's new hair cut. It is so cute! He looks like a lion! I love it, and it's so much cooler for the summer. I think that he gets pretty over-heated with all that fluff, so I know he appreciates a cooler doo.
Not alot is going on. I'm thinking about joining the private blogging world too. Seems like everyone else is going private, so I guess I should too. You never know who might be watching... da...da...dum...

Hmmm... what is new on the homefront...

Working alot, I worked this morning. It's a huge difference between working in the am and the pm. The pm is primarily focused on tasks, clean and sanitize, greet the regular customers, stock the store, etc. The am is just make drinks. And more drinks. And more drinks. Whoo... doggies. I was a vending machine with a green apron on.
I'm pooped now too! I'm headed up to a vegetarian BBQ B-day party next... I wonder what we are actually going to be eating... I guess there are lots of non-meat items that can be BBQ'ed. But I really prefer cow. Or chicken. With a nice savory sauce. :)

More updates later, I promise!

Has anyone noticed that the majority of my posts happen during the middle of the week? Hmm... That means nothing really. I don't know why I brought it up.
So I had my review at work today. It went really well. I wasn't to worried about it, just a bit nervous, but I guess my boss just loves me and I'm hoping to keep it that way.
The Green Apron Dictator's came out with the news that they are closing another 300 stores, 200 of them here in the US and the other 100 internationally. Plus they are also laying off 6.700 people. I don't if that includes the people at the stores they are closing or not. So now we wait until the list comes out. And then we hope that my store isn't on it. I don't want to work anywhere else, I love my store! Sigh. And since they give severance packages based on how long you have been with the company, I feel like my six months would equal about $7.00 and hand shake. They might give me a free drink coupon too. Nice.
Also, they are cutting the vacation hours program. Just as I hit my 6 months and am eligible for it. Literally my hire date was 7/31, they are changing the eligibility date to a year instead. So typical. Really? Really.
P.S. I love my job and vacations are expensive and over rated. Well, for single income families they are. I'm just trying to make myself feel better. Everyone, don't cancel your vacations because of what I said. Who am I kidding? Who cancels a vacation? That is just plain crazy talk!
Also... this seems to be the week of creepy old guys making moon eyes at me. One in particular keeps giving me side hugs. Bleh. NO MORE HUGGY HUG TIME. Buy me something first. Then we can talk. Or at least leave a tip. Really. Cheap old bast... Oh, that is a bad word never mind. Take that back!
Oh... but then there is this totally hotty-hot pants Dr that comes in everyday... sigh. I think that as soon as I learn his name we should get married. Sigh. He is so handsome. And then one of the girls that I work with told me that he is always sad when I'm not there. She said that his face lit up when he saw me, and really doesn't ever talk to anyone else but me. So what did I do? Spill his drink while I was making it. No more talk about hot guys. I can't seem to walk straight. Silly me. What is that about? Am I destined to make a fool of myself for the rest of my life when ever a handsome man walks in? I better stay away from Hollywood... or any European countries. : )

Ahh... it snowed again this morning. Can I just say that I hate snow? I have always felt that way, ever since I had to drive in it. Fortunately it started raining a bit later, of course, after I had to drive to work in the snow. I just know the minute that I invest in snow tires it will never snow here again. Plus I don't have any place to store them... I don't have any space to store anything. But yet I just keep buying new shoes... Just kidding. Mostly. : )
So I haven't heard back from YWAM yet, as in they have been emailing me but they have not made a decision. I really want to go, but I don't have the money and I don't doubt that it will come if I am supposed to go... but it's hard to look at the little I have scraped together (I was kidding about the new shoes for the record) and believe that it will be multiplied into what is needed. In 65 days. Whooo...
So I have a back up plan. If I don't get in to this class, I still want to go, but I am going to apply to a different class somewhere else that starts next year. Then I am going to quite my second job and take enough classes over the summer and fall to finish my AA degree. Then I will be done with school and I can think about going next spring or summer. I don't have a deadline to go by... it's not like I'm going to get married or something in the next year. I would have to meet a guy in order for that to happen! : ) And I'm not holding my breathe for that, for sure. Sigh. Prince Charming... is he elusive or non-existent? Which is worse? : ) Thank goodness I have little Howard. He is the best Prince Charming ever. Except for his breathe. Whoo....

Soo... an new year. So far, I'm not doing so great at posting, it's what, the 13th and I'm zero posts in. Hmmm....
Christmas was good. It was different. But in the end I made it to Eastern WA to see my family, and then I made it back alive (all because fearless Lacey was behind the wheel!)
New Year's was lame, lamer then ever. I worked both New Years Eve and the Day after. So I didn't do anything, in fact I didn't even stay up to watch the fireworks. I think that New Year's Eve is kind of a couple's holiday anyway... It's not much fun if you don't have someone to kiss at midnight and you are surrounded by ten hundred people who do. I'm sure that you catch my drift.
I finally gave in to the madness and read the Twilight series. I couldn't help myself, after seen the movie twice... ahh Edward. It took me all of two days to read the first two books, and then a friend from work lent me the second two. Sometimes I hate the fact that I can read so quickly, Edward was gone to soon. Ahh... Edward. I would gladly sign up to be a vampire if Twilight was real. I don't know many girls who wouldn't! : )
Not to much else is new. I'm still working three jobs, trying to keep it under 55 hours a week or I get a little crazy.
Only one more single-person-hater-holiday left and then I will be home free! Dang it that the last one is the worst, stupid Cupid. And it's on a Saturday. Also lame. I need to make some plans soon... but most of my single friends are holding out that a boy will show up unexpectedly. I can't blame them. I will leave my phone on, just in case I get a call. From Edward. Ha! : ) That was entertaining to me.
Oh, lots of drama at the coffee shop. This guy has been coming in, and he is tall, thin, good looking. And he has this fantastic English accent. Everyone likes a boy with an accent. Anyway, to make a long story short, he comes in and we talk for a while... and then he starts hitting on me hard core. Like really, really hard core, with questions like, "What do you look for in a guy? Tell me about your past relationships? What do you do for fun? Do you like guys from other countries?" He is laying on the complements pretty thick... and I'm a bit taken by surprise but defiantly not interested (the guy is really a boy, barely 21). In the end, he leaves because he has to pick someone up or something and he promises to come back soon and visit. So I ask around, and find out that alot of the other barista's think that his accent is... not hot, but FAKE! I know! So then I can't handle the curiosity, and I really, really hope that he comes in again. And he does, but I can't really tell. So one day (a couple of weeks later and maybe four or five visits later) and he is sitting there at the bar talking again, and this lady walks in and looks and him in surprise and says "Oh, hi Eric! What are you doing here?" Problem is this guys has told all of us his name. And it's not Eric. Ha! So then I really, really want to listen to there conversation to hear if he is using an accent or not! But the store is to busy and I'm barring, so I can't hear them at all because they are sitting at the other end of the store. Sadly, they decide to leave before I can sneak over and listen. But when "Eric" leaves, he doesn't say a single word to me, he just waves and then walks out. I know! Grrr.... and so I tell my co-worker how bummed I am that I couldn't hear them. And he then tells me that he could over hear them and "Eric" was NOT talking in an accent! AHHH!!!! Can you believe it? It's one thing to use an accent through the drive thru to win a dare. I have done that several times. It's another to create a new person and an entirely different LIFE!! What is that about? How bored is this guy really? Doesn't he have a tv? Sheesh.... To much, I am telling you. It is out of control! And then he has the nerve to come back two days later with his fake little accent and try to woo me some more.
Bottom line: Fake accents will not get you free coffee. Not at my shop. : )

Hi. I just needed to vent for a minute... and it's to late at night to call someone. I got a phone call this evening, and my grandmother had a stroke today, early this morning. I guess the bottom line is that I'm sad. Sad that she is on her way home.... The doctors had given us no hope of recovery, and they are looking at discharging her tomorrow into hospice care. She is completely unresponsive, apparently she opened her eye's for a bit but did not recognize anyone or what was happening around her. At this moment, it seems like a flood of memories is almost overtaking me. I was so blessed to have spent my childhood living next door to my grandparents. They were a constant part of my life from three months old into my early teenage years. I think that my heart hurts the most for my grandfather. I don't think that he can even remember life with out my grandmother around. They met in college, and were married shortly after that. I think that they are close to 60 years together. Also for my Aunt who lives on the East Coast, who is pregnant for the first time. She and my uncle have been trying for years, and they had given up, since she is over 40 years old. I want my grandmother to meet this new little baby, the last of her grandchildren. They are so dear to me. My grandma is not the first of my grandparents to leave, my grandfather on my mom's side died about five years ago. I got a phone call from my mom telling me that I needed to call him to say goodbye. I can still remember that conversation today. He said, "I love you, Becky. And you must remember that this is not goodbye for ever, just for now. I will see you again."
But most of all, it is hard for me to face the fact that someday I will feel this way again, much deeper. It stares me in the face as my parents grow older. I hate it. I hate that we can't just live forever here. My faith gives me reason to believe that there is something better on the other side, that pain and suffering will no longer be in our lives. But it's hard to let go and stop grasping for the physical things we have now. Complicated, yes? Amidst the complication though, I am sad. Sad that this chapter is coming to a close. It has been a wonderful chapter. I am forever changed by it.