Sorry for the lack of updates, it has been fairly busy in the Reilly household as of late.
First off, Zak got a job & worked yesterday! He is currently employed at Harry Ritchie's jewelry store in the mall. It's actually really close to Macy's, so we can wave to each other now & then AND when we work similar schedules, take lunch together! We're glad he got this job, because he had to go through two interviews & an urine testing at the hospital & wait a few weeks to hear about it.
Oh and yes, I've been working at Macy's since like, the day after my interview. I was hired on the spot as an on-call worker and the following day had a Welcome to Macy's training kind of day. One of the managers told me he'd like to put me into a full-time core (permanent) position in the women's (betters sportswear) section. The day after that I did training on the register computer thing for three long hours. That Saturday I came into work to close (1:15-9:15). It also happened to be a One Day Sale AND University of Idaho's Mother's Weekend. It was insanely busy and overwhelming. I got a lot of sympathy for it and a few people were surprised to see me back on Tuesday.
I work Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday, with the option to pick up extra shifts. And it's better pay too, way over Idaho's minimum wage, so that's great. My co-workers are nice girls that are easy and fun to work with (with the exclusion of one crazy one, but we're hoping things will get better...and yes, there has already been unnecessary drama, ugh) and my manager is great. So far it's been pretty smooth sailing and I am getting competent with most everything. I have to push myself to be on my friendliest behavior and talk to customers, but the majority of them are nice and understand if I don't know everything just yet. There is, however, a lot of down time, meaning I get to fold a lot of clothes. It's not too bad, I don't mind, actually.
So that is our work situation, we are pretty pleased to both be working and having two incomes. Maybe we will go out to dinner now and then since we'll have money, yay!
In other news...Zak wants me to mention that he bought a bike yesterday. He is very excited about it and even rode it home because we didn't really want grease over our seats. And it didn't fit too well. It is a red bike. He'll probably ride it to school and around town. Maybe in a few weeks or so, if the price is reasonable, I'll get a bike as well so we can go on bike rides!
We also acquired a 5 gallon fish tank complete with heater, light, filter AND lots of guppies! It was $10! We have been very fortunate with craigslist around here. We put our betta, Richard, in with the fish and he actually is doing really well with all the fish. There are tiny babies and adult guppies and some in between. We were worried he'd attack the fish, but he only chases the babies in a playful way now and then. We like it.
We are still enjoying Moscow, despite the awful storm that has caused rain, hail, snow, winds and cold temperatures for the last three weeks. But today and some of yesterday it was really nice! That's all for now, since I can't think of much more to write, and I'm getting hungry for dinner.
Showing posts with label Moscow. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Moscow. Show all posts
Sunday, May 9, 2010
Sunday, May 2, 2010
The MOVE
Montana is beautiful to drive through
Well, the first few hours passed by quickly. Zak and I sat in the cab, surfing the radio for interesting songs and eating snacks along the way. After about 3 hours I took over the wheel and drove until Missoula. The sky was clear and blue and actually, Montana isn't too bad to drive through. I was surprised how nice and scenic it was. Getting off of the highway in Missoula proved to be a huge pain in the butt. We needed to get gas and dinner and I was flustered driving a truck with our car attached in a foreign town. It was nerve-wracking but we made it work. After ten minutes, and with Zak driving again, we continued on our way, pausing briefly in Coeur d'Alene to switch drivers again. The route from Missoula to Coeur d'Alene was really beautiful, but a bit nervous-making. We were mostly in a mountainous region, with a few scary turns. Luckily, the weather still was nice.
Yay, we made it!
What I woke up to
Whoever designed our place really couldn't have made it about eighteen inches wider because, ultimately, Zak had to unscrew the banister and some railings in order to get the box spring upstairs. And the poor guy had to do it most of it by hand because the power screwdriver only pulled out the three inch screws halfway. It took him a few hours, but it was worth not having to sleep in the living room the next two years.
Poor guy
Friday, March 12, 2010
Great news!
So we definitely have an apartment in Moscow! The lady sent us this huge packet of papers we need to fill out and send back as soon as we can and let us know the address, etc. We are SOOO excited!! We keep talking about planting things in the little garden area and how nice it'll be to have an extra bedroom (that Jenna would be able to stay in if our parents spring for the idea!), new decoration ideas...We are happy to be moving onto a new place and chapter in our life.
ALSO, Zak got accepted into the University of Idaho; he wrote an e-mail today asking, and they responded that he was accepted and to look for the official letter in the mail. Yay!! We weren't too concerned that he'd get in, he's a smart guy with good grades and is a transfer student, but it's just nice to have it finalized. He's pretty pumped about this school, but he's undecided about which cool program to go with: Environmental Sciences or Forestry Resources. I wouldn't know either, they both sound awesome. He is also planning on getting his teaching credential, which is something I may consider in the future...I still don't feel like I have the 'teaching gene' that the rest of my family does (1 grandma, 2 aunts, 1 cousin at the moment with a few more planning on it). But maybe I will, who knows what'll happen, and I'm sure it'll be a great resource, blah blah blah.
I've also decided that I should probably figure out what to do with graduation announcements. I was looking around on-line for a cheaper option, and it was a challenge to find anything that would work. But I went to the craft store we live across from (Porter's), and looked at their stuff. I got inspired, and think I will make my own with some card stock and basic scrap booking supplies. I'm actually really excited about it. Tomorrow morning my friend is going to take some 'senior portraits' for me, since I think it'd be an alright idea to include a decent picture in the announcement, since some people might not recognize my new name just yet.
Zak has been working long and late this week, the past few nights he's gotten home after 10:30 to a very lonely wife. It's been hard for both of us, but today he was able to get home a few hours earlier than that, so we were able to spend some time together. He sold another vacuum on Tuesday, so that is good news. Tomorrow is Sell-A-Kirby-Day, with extra incentive prizes, so hopefully it'll be a success. He is an excellent salesman, but it's often hard to be forceful in sealing the deal. My feelings are...the people probably didn't think they were going to drop $2,000 on a vacuum (it is worth it, though!) that day. I'd be a bad salesman because I can usually put myself in the customer's shoes. But Zak is getting better at it every day and his co-workers all really like him, so does his boss, so that is great. I decided to not work, since the hours are not only long, but pretty unpredictable. I have been able to get a lot accomplished with my school work, so that is good, at least.
I did hear back from a job at Macy's that I applied to in Moscow. I received an e-mail with instructions to set up an interview; however, the site only had a date in March for the interview. I called the store in Moscow and talked to the manager and explained that I wouldn't be able to interview until we were actually moved in. She was very nice and told me to keep checking to see if another date would show up on the site that would work for me. And if not, she said to call her once we moved in. So that is good, hopefully something will happen with that.
My back is doing a lot better in the last week. The pills have helped, I usually take them in the afternoon, when I start to notice the pain, and an hour or two before I go to sleep. I've been doing the exercises as well and sleeping with a pillow between my leg, and I've noticed a difference. I've been able to sleep better throughout the night and wake up feeling better!
I think that is it for the news update, we've actually had a pretty decent week around here. I started a blog selling some of my old jewelry and clothing--not because I hate them, but because I don't wear them (I hardly wear jewelry anyways), or some of the shirts don't fit either because I've put on some weight, or garments restrictions now, etc. But I've been able to make about $30 off ($60 once my friend's check gets here) of it this week. I'm really hoping to sell as much as possible before we move, because I want to get it sold off to people who will love it and love wearing it, and the extra money certainly wouldn't hurt.
Tomorrow should be a success--senior pictures, helping out a friend, hopefully finishing the rough draft of my capstone paper, hopefully a sale or two for Zak--wish us luck!
ALSO, Zak got accepted into the University of Idaho; he wrote an e-mail today asking, and they responded that he was accepted and to look for the official letter in the mail. Yay!! We weren't too concerned that he'd get in, he's a smart guy with good grades and is a transfer student, but it's just nice to have it finalized. He's pretty pumped about this school, but he's undecided about which cool program to go with: Environmental Sciences or Forestry Resources. I wouldn't know either, they both sound awesome. He is also planning on getting his teaching credential, which is something I may consider in the future...I still don't feel like I have the 'teaching gene' that the rest of my family does (1 grandma, 2 aunts, 1 cousin at the moment with a few more planning on it). But maybe I will, who knows what'll happen, and I'm sure it'll be a great resource, blah blah blah.
I've also decided that I should probably figure out what to do with graduation announcements. I was looking around on-line for a cheaper option, and it was a challenge to find anything that would work. But I went to the craft store we live across from (Porter's), and looked at their stuff. I got inspired, and think I will make my own with some card stock and basic scrap booking supplies. I'm actually really excited about it. Tomorrow morning my friend is going to take some 'senior portraits' for me, since I think it'd be an alright idea to include a decent picture in the announcement, since some people might not recognize my new name just yet.
Zak has been working long and late this week, the past few nights he's gotten home after 10:30 to a very lonely wife. It's been hard for both of us, but today he was able to get home a few hours earlier than that, so we were able to spend some time together. He sold another vacuum on Tuesday, so that is good news. Tomorrow is Sell-A-Kirby-Day, with extra incentive prizes, so hopefully it'll be a success. He is an excellent salesman, but it's often hard to be forceful in sealing the deal. My feelings are...the people probably didn't think they were going to drop $2,000 on a vacuum (it is worth it, though!) that day. I'd be a bad salesman because I can usually put myself in the customer's shoes. But Zak is getting better at it every day and his co-workers all really like him, so does his boss, so that is great. I decided to not work, since the hours are not only long, but pretty unpredictable. I have been able to get a lot accomplished with my school work, so that is good, at least.
I did hear back from a job at Macy's that I applied to in Moscow. I received an e-mail with instructions to set up an interview; however, the site only had a date in March for the interview. I called the store in Moscow and talked to the manager and explained that I wouldn't be able to interview until we were actually moved in. She was very nice and told me to keep checking to see if another date would show up on the site that would work for me. And if not, she said to call her once we moved in. So that is good, hopefully something will happen with that.
My back is doing a lot better in the last week. The pills have helped, I usually take them in the afternoon, when I start to notice the pain, and an hour or two before I go to sleep. I've been doing the exercises as well and sleeping with a pillow between my leg, and I've noticed a difference. I've been able to sleep better throughout the night and wake up feeling better!
I think that is it for the news update, we've actually had a pretty decent week around here. I started a blog selling some of my old jewelry and clothing--not because I hate them, but because I don't wear them (I hardly wear jewelry anyways), or some of the shirts don't fit either because I've put on some weight, or garments restrictions now, etc. But I've been able to make about $30 off ($60 once my friend's check gets here) of it this week. I'm really hoping to sell as much as possible before we move, because I want to get it sold off to people who will love it and love wearing it, and the extra money certainly wouldn't hurt.
Tomorrow should be a success--senior pictures, helping out a friend, hopefully finishing the rough draft of my capstone paper, hopefully a sale or two for Zak--wish us luck!
Monday, March 8, 2010
We're 95% sure...
...that we have a place to live when we move next month to Moscow!!!
On Friday I saw a listing for a place that looked great--windows, good price, excellent location--and wrote the person about it. She was super helpful and we e-mailed back and forth the whole day, because we both had questions. She sent us an application and we scanned it in today. I guess the place is government subsidized, and we aren't very set on our employment for Moscow at the moment, but she was very willing to help us out with that--I guess we'll take care of it once it happens. But the place we think we're getting is a two bedroom townhouse, complete with a little garden area! Since it wasn't more than $30 than what we are paying now, we figured why not? Rent is based on income, and there is a minimum and maximum amount--we'll never have to pay more than $500, I think. So--GREAT DEAL!!
We are sooo excited. I'm really excited about the garden idea--I loved planting flowers with my grandma the last few summers and would love to have a little bit of earth to take care of. It's only a few minutes away from the University of Idaho, so that is excellent, especially if I get a job that needs to be driven to.
So on Zak's day off, he went a little nuts with the moving and packing idea. He forced me to pack more than I was comfortable with at the moment. I'm still a bit in my school panic mode--I haven't really reached moving panic mode, so it was hard for me at first. But we got all our books, art/craft/scrapbook, winter clothing taken care of. And some of the stuff we won't wear until after we move. I also did about four loads of laundry.
It's been a successful day, we are thrilled about this place; the lady is sending us the final papers, I think, so that is awesome! I'll let everyone know for sure once it's ours. :)
On Friday I saw a listing for a place that looked great--windows, good price, excellent location--and wrote the person about it. She was super helpful and we e-mailed back and forth the whole day, because we both had questions. She sent us an application and we scanned it in today. I guess the place is government subsidized, and we aren't very set on our employment for Moscow at the moment, but she was very willing to help us out with that--I guess we'll take care of it once it happens. But the place we think we're getting is a two bedroom townhouse, complete with a little garden area! Since it wasn't more than $30 than what we are paying now, we figured why not? Rent is based on income, and there is a minimum and maximum amount--we'll never have to pay more than $500, I think. So--GREAT DEAL!!
We are sooo excited. I'm really excited about the garden idea--I loved planting flowers with my grandma the last few summers and would love to have a little bit of earth to take care of. It's only a few minutes away from the University of Idaho, so that is excellent, especially if I get a job that needs to be driven to.
So on Zak's day off, he went a little nuts with the moving and packing idea. He forced me to pack more than I was comfortable with at the moment. I'm still a bit in my school panic mode--I haven't really reached moving panic mode, so it was hard for me at first. But we got all our books, art/craft/scrapbook, winter clothing taken care of. And some of the stuff we won't wear until after we move. I also did about four loads of laundry.
It's been a successful day, we are thrilled about this place; the lady is sending us the final papers, I think, so that is awesome! I'll let everyone know for sure once it's ours. :)
Friday, March 5, 2010
Tidbits.
Well I am feeling just dandy. I've been having some back problems (more than usual) and went to the school health center today. I know I need to change how I sleep, and fully intend on doing the stretches the doctor told me about, etc. I got two different pills from the pharmacy: one is a fairly strong pain killer (the stuff I've been given before hardly worked at all) and a muscle relaxant. Luckily, I am laying in bed at home because I'm a little out of my mind. But the pain has eased up a lot, so that is good. I'll try not to get addicted, ahaha.
In other news, I want to throw my computer off the top of our building. Yesterday the LCD screen back light thing went out. This has happened before, I want to say...November?...and for no reason whatsoever! The screen just went dark, and the only way to see anything on it was to shine a flashlight on it. So that's what I was doing for a good few hours yesterday while on the phone with Dell (a 100+ minute phone call). So today the guy who does the repairs in the area called me after I dropped off the computer and said that he turned it on and off a few times and that it worked fine. But to just to be safe, he installed the new LCD screen. OF - FREAKING - COURSE. Of course it works when the technician is looking at it, but I must have turned it on and off a dozen times yesterday and NOTHING. AUGH. And to make it even better, yesterday while on the phone with Dell, I mentioned that my DVD drive hasn't been working for like, 8 months. And it's only recognized a CD once since then. So of course while the agent is remote accessing my computer, and I put in a CD, the computer decides it'll work. It'll play CDs but Dell is sending me like, 6 discs to install Power DVD or something. So that's just great. My computer only works when I'm complaining about it to someone who can fix it. And my warranty is up in April. It better not have any problems after then...
Well, Zak was very productive today and not only applied to University of Idaho (we just have to get one transcript from CT), but filed our taxes. We just have to get a W2 that wasn't ever sent to us. It looks like we'll get a pretty decent return (yay paying rent and moving fees!), so that is a relief. We have gotten a few e-mails back on apartments we inquired about in Moscow, whoo! There is a few places in particular that we are really excited about, especially since they're very close to campus (within a few minutes of walking). We are going to fill out an application today and send it out asap-hopefully we'll have a place to live within the next week or so! All we have to do now is find jobs for the summer...
The weather is finally getting 'warmer' (35-45 degrees). A lot of the snow is melting, which is great. Spring is kind of in the air! But today it is a bit wet and cold, so I am planning on making baked potato soup, if my head will ever come back to Earth. Another fun fact: BYU-Idaho finally decided on graduation information! I will graduate on Saturday, April 10th. The big convocation commencement thing is at 9AM, my college one is at 11AM. Whoo hoo! And my parents and Jenna will be here Thursday night, my grandparents the next day. I am so excited to see my family!! I guess I need to send out announcement and get my cap and gown this month.
That is all for now.
In other news, I want to throw my computer off the top of our building. Yesterday the LCD screen back light thing went out. This has happened before, I want to say...November?...and for no reason whatsoever! The screen just went dark, and the only way to see anything on it was to shine a flashlight on it. So that's what I was doing for a good few hours yesterday while on the phone with Dell (a 100+ minute phone call). So today the guy who does the repairs in the area called me after I dropped off the computer and said that he turned it on and off a few times and that it worked fine. But to just to be safe, he installed the new LCD screen. OF - FREAKING - COURSE. Of course it works when the technician is looking at it, but I must have turned it on and off a dozen times yesterday and NOTHING. AUGH. And to make it even better, yesterday while on the phone with Dell, I mentioned that my DVD drive hasn't been working for like, 8 months. And it's only recognized a CD once since then. So of course while the agent is remote accessing my computer, and I put in a CD, the computer decides it'll work. It'll play CDs but Dell is sending me like, 6 discs to install Power DVD or something. So that's just great. My computer only works when I'm complaining about it to someone who can fix it. And my warranty is up in April. It better not have any problems after then...
Well, Zak was very productive today and not only applied to University of Idaho (we just have to get one transcript from CT), but filed our taxes. We just have to get a W2 that wasn't ever sent to us. It looks like we'll get a pretty decent return (yay paying rent and moving fees!), so that is a relief. We have gotten a few e-mails back on apartments we inquired about in Moscow, whoo! There is a few places in particular that we are really excited about, especially since they're very close to campus (within a few minutes of walking). We are going to fill out an application today and send it out asap-hopefully we'll have a place to live within the next week or so! All we have to do now is find jobs for the summer...
The weather is finally getting 'warmer' (35-45 degrees). A lot of the snow is melting, which is great. Spring is kind of in the air! But today it is a bit wet and cold, so I am planning on making baked potato soup, if my head will ever come back to Earth. Another fun fact: BYU-Idaho finally decided on graduation information! I will graduate on Saturday, April 10th. The big convocation commencement thing is at 9AM, my college one is at 11AM. Whoo hoo! And my parents and Jenna will be here Thursday night, my grandparents the next day. I am so excited to see my family!! I guess I need to send out announcement and get my cap and gown this month.
That is all for now.
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Moving...next month! *we hope*
We have more or less figured out our plans! After much debating, pros & cons lists, and research, we have decided that Moscow, Idaho will be our next place of residency. Zak did some research and found out that the school in Syracuse, NY is a little more expensive than the University of Idaho is, plus it's only a day drive vs. a few days drive. There are several good programs that Zak is interested in, heck, I'm even excited about them! It'll be great to have Zak back in school, taking classes that will not only be interesting, but will apply for his major! (For those of you who didn't know, the BYU-Idaho three-track system is great...if your major and your track line up. Unfortunately, this was not the case for Zak; he was on the Winter/Summer track, whereas the Geology major is only offered on the Fall/Winter track. The school J U S T changed the policy allowing spouses to switch tracks. Before, it was near impossible--you'd have to have some many credits taken already, and seeing as how Zak could only take one or two classes max each Winter semester, it makes sense to change schools.) He is looking into the Forestry area, I believe one major is called Forestry Resources? Anyways, there are a few to choose from, and he is excited about that.
Initially, I was very hesitant about this possibility. I figured we would move back to Connecticut and work during the summer and either stay there for school or go up to NY. Zak would at least have a job, and I probably would too. We would be near his family, be out of the state, etc. But once we really researched Moscow, we kind of fell in love with it. Not only is it 10 minutes from the Washington border, but looks nothing at all like the area we are currently in! There are many pictures of trees and it's in an area with national parks, so that helped our decision a bit. The size of Moscow is about the same as Rexburg, but there are more places in the area (Safeway! Winco! Old Navy!) that we love. The city of Pullman, WA is about 20 minutes away; it is home to .. a Washington State University. Spokane is about 2 hours away.
Yesterday we started looking seriously at moving information, like the rates for renting a truck or a pick-up truck or getting a hitch installed to tow a trailer. And if Zak can make a good number of sales this month, we will definitely be fine money-wise. We also started looking at apartments in Moscow and Pullman. We e-mailed someone already; it would be so perfect if we were able to get the apartment-it's like 3 minutes from campus, the rent is about what we pay now, and is available. We found some good information and if we have enough money, we may get a kitty. But we'll see.
The only obstacle is finding a job for me. I plan to go to the career services or whatever this week and see if they can help get me a job at either school. Because that would be really great, to work in their art museums! If that doesn't seem to be the case, there are a few museums I plan on volunteering at.
As the month continues, we will hopefully know exactly when we are moving-we are really hoping we can move after I graduate, but if not, we might end up sticking around here until August. We'll see, but now that we've made up our mind, every day in Rexburg is the longest day ever! We are so excited to be moving not only locations but in life, this is going to be a great experience for us and I have the highest hopes for it. As our plans became more solidified, I'll make sure to update!
Initially, I was very hesitant about this possibility. I figured we would move back to Connecticut and work during the summer and either stay there for school or go up to NY. Zak would at least have a job, and I probably would too. We would be near his family, be out of the state, etc. But once we really researched Moscow, we kind of fell in love with it. Not only is it 10 minutes from the Washington border, but looks nothing at all like the area we are currently in! There are many pictures of trees and it's in an area with national parks, so that helped our decision a bit. The size of Moscow is about the same as Rexburg, but there are more places in the area (Safeway! Winco! Old Navy!) that we love. The city of Pullman, WA is about 20 minutes away; it is home to .. a Washington State University. Spokane is about 2 hours away.
Yesterday we started looking seriously at moving information, like the rates for renting a truck or a pick-up truck or getting a hitch installed to tow a trailer. And if Zak can make a good number of sales this month, we will definitely be fine money-wise. We also started looking at apartments in Moscow and Pullman. We e-mailed someone already; it would be so perfect if we were able to get the apartment-it's like 3 minutes from campus, the rent is about what we pay now, and is available. We found some good information and if we have enough money, we may get a kitty. But we'll see.
The only obstacle is finding a job for me. I plan to go to the career services or whatever this week and see if they can help get me a job at either school. Because that would be really great, to work in their art museums! If that doesn't seem to be the case, there are a few museums I plan on volunteering at.
As the month continues, we will hopefully know exactly when we are moving-we are really hoping we can move after I graduate, but if not, we might end up sticking around here until August. We'll see, but now that we've made up our mind, every day in Rexburg is the longest day ever! We are so excited to be moving not only locations but in life, this is going to be a great experience for us and I have the highest hopes for it. As our plans became more solidified, I'll make sure to update!
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)