Rachel's Grown-Up Job

After a few years of ups and downs, it looks like I have finally found a steady, full-time, long-term job!  And we both couldn't be happier.  I work for a company called Digilent; it was founded in Pullman about 10 years ago by some WSU engineer professors.  We sell microchip boards and engineering tools.  I'm still not 100% sure what everything is, but I know it has to do with engineering.  People can use our boards to make robots!  There is an office in China, Taiwan (where everything is made) and in Romania.  We ship all over the world, including companies such as Apple, NASA, Microsoft.  Pretty neat stuff.  Click to see the website: http://www.digilentinc.com/

I am on the end of my third week here and I just love it. I am responsible for processing the orders we receive online.  I record them in QuickBooks, and print out shipping labels (I don't pack the boxes).  It takes up the morning, and usually by 1 or 2 I've finished and can move onto filing or reading the news.  I've been working on typing up my notes and organizing my own, personal desk!  It's great.  I have two computer screens, a window and a sweet desk.  I also have my own email address and extension on the phone AND a name plaque on my desk.  It's pretty official.  I can listen to my music, have snacks, wear jeans & flip-flops...it's pretty amazing.

Everyone here is really nice, and I am now the fourth woman in the office.  I think there are about 2 dozen people, including the interns from WSU, that work in the Pullman office.  We ship everything out from here.  But we do have some international distributors.  I'm still now 100% how it all works, but I know what I do and I'm pretty good at it!

What's been great is that everyone has been nice and friendly, offering me food and advice, and wanting to help me when I ask questions.  It's been great.  I feel really good about this job, it's so great.  The one downside is that now I have a commute (so grown-up!), and while it's only 15 minutes, I'm not looking forward to the winter...I've been checking for carpool info online and we are thinking we'll end up buying a commuter car for me in the next few months.

But other than that, it's great!  I'm so happy!  It's kind of a strange feeling to not dread going to work!  I mean, I do sit all day and my wrists get a little bit tired by the end of the day, but I have a little drawer full of candy and snacks, and I can take it easy if I need.  The reason I got this job is because Zak is an excellent job scouter--he sent me a ton of jobs he found on-line.  I had kind of forgotten about this job, because I had done so many applications in a few weeks.  But I came in, nailed the first interview, and was called back for a second one within three days.  I got the job offer call twenty minutes later, just as I was heading into Moscow!

I'm still in my probation period, but no one has given me any reason to be worried.  In fact, the girl whose job I now have didn't leave, they had to create a job for her; no one has left the company, really.  A lot of people have been here since it started.  So there is a great future in store for me here.  I'm really happy to have this job, it just makes life so much better!

where I work

entrance

up a flight of stairs & through this door...

my desk!

some of the things we sell

my view

fancy!

another shot of my desk area

view from where I eat lunch sometimes

where I eat

excited to be at work!

Whirlwind

Our lives have been crazy the last month or so.  It seemed like everything happened all at the same time: I got a new job, Zak lost his job, we decided to move, my aunt passed away, my brother came to visit, I went home for a few days, Zak got unemployment benefits, Zak got a new job, we moved, finals week for Zak....It's hard to believe that it's May, and we are in our new place that we just love.  April absolutely flew by and we are still trying to maintain any semblance of normalcy and structure in our lives.

Let's see, I've already talked about my new job, which is still going well.  I've mostly got the hang of things, but I'm constantly learning something new every day.  But I enjoy it for the most part, and it's a good job, so can't really complain.

Zak was told he was let go from his job about two days after I got the final word about my job.  I was pretty shocked, and so were all our friends.  We initially suspected it was because of Zak's numbers lately, and he had been pretty apathetic for the past few months while he was focusing on finding a job more related to his field and school.  I was pretty annoyed, because the company is run so poorly that if it was because of his numbers, why wouldn't they have given him a months' notice or something?  Surely, a man who has spent 2 years at the company, got certified in diamonds and gemstones and has been a foundation to the store is worth the company's time.  But, nope.  And what even angered me further is that Zak's boss, and our ex-friend Mat seemed not to even care or have fought for Zak at all.  And Zak was always supporting Mat, defending him when other co-workers complained.  Zak was a great friend who always had Mat's back.  But it seems like Mat didn't feel the same way.

Well, after a week or so, Zak was contacted by one of the Department of Labor workers, who notified him of the real reason he was let go: Harry Ritchie's claimed he stole about 5 - 6 books of stamps.  Ridiculous.  True, Zak has used stamps in the past for personal letters, but it wasn't a big deal--even Mat and the former manager were fine with that practice, everyone has used company supplies for personal reasons at one time or the other.  It turns out that a few days before Zak was let go, Mat accused him of taking the books of stamps, he said there should be 5 or 6 books and that there were only 2.  Zak was closing that night and took a picture of all the 6 books of stamps, and a piece of paper with the date and his signature, and asked the new girl to witness the picture.  He sent it to Mat and it wasn't brought up again.  So, having found out the real reason Zak was let go, the agent told him if he could get some letters from former co-workers verifying the use of stamps for personal use now and then, he would do his best to get Zak his unemployment benefits.  Luckily, we have awesome friends who wrote some great letters backing up Zak, saying he would never steal from the company, and all of that.  Two days later unemployment was granted, BOOM.  What we think happened is that the branch manager and Mat conspired to get Zak fired, which is actually something they would do.  Mat has no back bone and has completely changed in the two years we've known him.  Obviously, we are no longer friends with him or Erika, as I am still in rage mode whenever I think about this.  They have been crappy friends for the past year and we don't need them.  The friends we do have would never betray us and in short are awesome.

So then the day after Zak got unemployment benefits he got the word that he got a job!  It is at a seedling nursery that is an extension of the U of I, and will be great for his future career.  He'll be growing and taking care of trees and doing forestry-related things.  I'm really excited for him.  The nursery is about 2 miles out of town, but he will be able to ride his bike there, in normal clothes, so that is good news.  They will also be able to work with his school schedule for the fall so he can work part-time.  His first day is the 14th and we are really excited!

This past week we moved (I will expand on a different post) so it was another week of craziness for us.  We were able to move a day before, so we actually slept at our new place a night before our lease started.  We mostly spent the next day cleaning our old place.  It's funny how this move has affected me and Zak differently, he was much more relaxed and for some reason, I was really stressed.  I think it was because I couldn't control a lot of the packing and cleaning since I was gone all day, but I knew he would do a good job.  He did do a good job and I was so glad he took care of most everything.  It's like releasing a big breath, unpacking and setting up our home.  I can actually go through boxes and get something.  I'm still adjusting to everything, mostly the kitchen and bathroom, but I love it here.  We both do.  I think I did like, 5 loads of laundry our first night, I am so stoked to have the washer and dryer!  Pictures and further elaboration will come later this week.

In short, we are in a happy and good place right now.  Things have started looking up and it's a good feeling to not have so many things hanging over our heads.  Things to look forward include: actual spring weather (beautiful skies, but with wind and 50 degrees simply doesn't cut it in May), bbq with our friends this weekend, Zak starting work and ending school, and planting things in our backyard!  Hope this update helped fill the gap in your hearts for information about our lives!

Rachel the Legal Assistant

So my new job is pretty great, albeit overwhelming still.  But I made it through this week, so that's good news!  Let's see, let's start off with the basics...The lady I work for is Susan Wilson, she's probably in her early 30's, has 2 little girls and her husband Sean works around the corner at Latah Realty, they often have lunch together. Katie is the other attorney, but she mostly works from home and I don't know that much about her, but she's married and is probably in her late 20's.  Annie was Susan's assistant for 2 years and now works at Latah Realty, I think.  Jenny was the most recent longtime assistant (it sounds like the last gal they hired only lasted a week or so), but she recently got on the 911 Dispatch.  She and Annie trained me the first two days, and hopefully will be back soon -- Jenny can only come in on Monday & Tuesday and Annie's been sick.  So I've been on my own for the past three days!

The basic stuff is fine, and I've gotten it almost all down.  Come in, turn on the heat and computer, check the voice mail and email Susan the messages.  Check emails, calendar, answer phones, copy, scan in documents.  I'm great at that stuff.  It's the legal terminology and all that entails that is the hardest/scariest part.  Oh, I forgot to mention that Susan practices several types (?) of law, except for Criminal and Bankruptcy.  But anyways, there are so many types of forms and documents, cover letters, things that need to get recorded or filed at the county courthouse that the first day was really overwhelming.  I was writing notes down like crazy!  My first day on my own, I typed up my notes, which has really helped.  I've been going through documents on the computer and hard copies, to try to get a feel for the differences between family law, probate, real property, etc.  Or like, what a warranty deed is and a how that's different than a quit claim.  I still don't really know, but after a week, I am starting to recognize some of the things that go with a certain probate case or one woman's divorce trial.

Susan is really nice, but very professional and get 'zoned in'--I'm sure she forgets that I don't know what she is talking about as she dictates what needs to be in a cover letter regarding an Order to Continuing Trial.  Or something.  But I take notes and ask for her to slow down, ask questions and so far it has taken two drafts before the final one is signed and sent out.  I'm doing well, I can have music on if I want, so I made a bunch of Pandora radio stations and go through them during the day.  Also, downtown Moscow is 'pedestrian friendly' so that means we have to move our cars every 3 hours, so that's what I get to do.  It's not a big deal, but something I have to constantly remember because the tickets are like, $25.

I like it, I have a good feeling I'm doing well; I heard Annie talk to Susan about me and the initiative I've shown, etc.  So that's nice.  I spent an hour or so reorganizing the drawers with all those fun office supplies.  I'm pretty happy.  Fridays are casual day, so I wore jeans and my Tom's with a scarf and a simple shirt.  But the rest of the week I wore black pants, dressier shoes and a nice top, usually with a little bolero type mini jacket.  But it doesn't seem like if I wore jeans on a Tuesday, I'd be fired.  I wish the office wasn't so cold, it takes a few hours for it to warm up.  And that we weren't in an obscure location, we're the first room on the left after these weird old steps that you have to search diligently for on S. Main Street.  But whatever!  I took some pictures with the forethought that at least my mom would like to see pictures of the office.

desk

entering the office

our weird, lonely hallway

just came up those stairs

desk and reception waiting area

Susan's office

Susan's office, cont.

storage area

Conference Room

Conference Room, and through the window is the reception area

My domain!

Rachel's Got a New Job & Our Ceiling is Leaking!

We have had a wet March around here. And I don't just mean the random snow and then rain and back to snow every few days. Our downstairs bathroom has been leaking a lot as of late. In the past week & a half we have collected almost 9 1/2 quarts of water--I haven't emptied the bucket because I plan on showing our manager and the maintenance worker. Luckily, we do have a great apartment manager who has been helping us out with this. She quickly got the roofers here to get an estimate, e-mailed the bids to her supervisor and now we're just waiting for the contractors to give us a time and date--and have the weather be steadily nice, for once! There are a few leaks, and sometimes near the bottom of the surrounding walls will leak. It could be worse, like when we had the apartment kind of flood about a year & a half ago. It is mostly just inconvenient and frustrating. The manager still has to get it approved, but she said we most likely won't have to pay rent this month, as a way to help us out.

But now for the exciting news: I got a new job! It's at a local, small law firm downtown. And I'll be working 9 - 5, Monday - Friday, with a good starting pay rate & promises for raises once my probationary period ends. Zak sent me the ad he saw on craigslist about a week ago, so I wrote up a cover letter (the ladies said it was the best one they had read for the job!) and sent off my resume. About a day or two later, I got an e-mail back asking for a good time to schedule an interview. On Monday I had my first interview, with the gals who held the position previously. It went really well, we had a good back & forth and it felt very natural. I convinced them I could definitely get the job done and be a great fit for the office. An hour after the interview, they called to set up an interview for Tuesday.

When I got there, the two ladies in charge were still interviewing the only other person for the job. So I sat and chatted with the girl I met the previous day for a bit. When I was called in, I knew I had a good chance of getting the job, they responded really well to my humor, personality and there was very comfortable feeling in the room. We mostly just chatted, they told me I got a glowing report from the other ladies and complimented my cover letter and resume. And told me they thought I'd be a great fit for the office, and how important it is to have personalities that work well in such a small office. So we talked for about 30 minutes and then they asked when I could start! I told them I'd talk to my current manager and then call them back. I could not stop smiling as I drove to the mall to tell Zak. And then I recapped everything that happened. I walked down to Smoky Mountain and told my manager that I got a new job and asked what the procedure was for leaving--I just had to fill out a form that said when my last day would be. He's hiring some new servers and wanted me to help train them this weekend, so I will work this weekend but that's it. I am starting my new job on Monday!

We are so excited. It's pretty much a perfect fit for me. It's a small, quiet office and I actually like office work. I'm only a little bit nervous that I won't live up to the expectations, but Zak has reassured me I will because I am awesome. So now we will be doubling our income, so I can justify buying some new work clothes!

On not-as-exciting-but-still-good-news, Zak is on the reserve list for fire crew. We're not exactly sure how big the list is or how big a possibility of him getting on the crew is, but he'll find out soon. I'm pretty sure training starts in May, so we have about a month to find out, I think. It was a pretty big blow to find that out, especially since Zak did everything in his power to make a good impression and talk to the guy in charge. But it's almost certain that they picked the guys with experience first. So that's been hard to let sink in. But it's not a definite no, Zak still has a chance. He's trying to get some other things in motion, back-up plans and the like. Hopefully he'll be able to find something that will be related to his field.

We've started to look at other apartments. It's not solely because of the recent leak problems, but we feel it might be time to move. We've lived here for 2 years and while we have liked it, we feel like we should let someone else who needs the nice, government-subsidized place have it. My biggest priority is having a washer & dryer, I've gotten really frustrated with the laundry facility here. There are a few places that we would like to move into, so we are putting out feelers for them. We have to give our apartment manager a month's notice, so we are trying to figure something out soon and hopefully move mid-May. At least we have a truck now, so it'll make things easier!

So, a mixture of good and bad news for us. School is still going well for Zak, he is doing great in his classes and all that jazz. I've been good about working out 3 - 4 times a week and eating better. I'm almost to the point where the next size down in clothes will be comfortable and not as tight. So close! And I've gotten a lot tanner, so hopefully by the time I head to California, I'll be brown Rachel again! That's all I have for now, I'll try to write a new post soon--about my first week of work and whatever happens with the roof.

January Update

We don't have a whole lot going on, and until last night, didn't have snow that lasted for more than a few hours. Well, we finally have some snow on the ground and it's starting to feel like winter has come.  Oh well, it had to happen sooner or later and I'm grateful it took as long as it did!

As some of you might know from Facebook, I had a rough week with my back.  I've had some back problems before in the past, and since I've been working out and doing yoga, they have stayed, more or less, at bay.  But last week was a first for me.  It was the worst pain I've been in and what is frustrating is that I am not 100% what even happened.  Last weekend I had a busy few nights at work.  Nothing out of the ordinary, just some big parties and running around busing and cleaning, etc.  Just like I always do.  When I got off Saturday night, I went to hang out with Zak for the last 30 minutes of his shift before closing.  I remember he rubbed my back and shoulders a little bit.  Then we came home, and I noted that my shoulder area on my right side hurt a bit, so I had him pop my back and rub it a little more.  He had some plans to start networking for a job he wants this summer (more on that in a minute), so he went over to a friend's house for the night.  I didn't mind, and decided to read on the couch for a few hours.

The bad part came when I tried to get up.  I could barely move.  And the pain was so bad I was taken aback.  I had never felt like that before.  It was like my entire right side of my back, and some of my side, has frozen up.  It took me awhile, but I finally willed myself upstairs.  And of course, Zak had forgotten his phone at work so I was on my own.  I tried to brush my teeth, and even that was an ordeal.  I took some pain killers, painfully and slowly change into my pajamas and crawled into bed.  I remember a lot of crying, praying and wondering what had happened to make me some immobile, so defenseless.  It was awful.  I couldn't think of anything and started to worry that I had maybe done something that was irreversible.  I don't know how, but I eventually fell asleep, half paralyzed and rigid on the bed.  When Zak came to bed a few hours later, I woke up and told him how scared I was and he rubbed my back, put some icy-hot on it and helped me get into a less painful position to sleep in.

When I woke up the next day, he suggested I take a hot shower to relax my muscles.  It helped immensely!  I hobbled downstairs and found the Tylenol and Zak put some more icy-hot on my back and I tried to sit in a position that wouldn't hurt.  The next few days showed slight improvement.  I took a hot shower before bed and in the morning, went through almost a whole bottle of ibuprofen, and a lot of icy-hot.  When I could bare it, I did several types of stretches.  All throughout the week I talked to my dad about my insurance predicament.  Since we live where we do, there isn't really anything Kaiser can do for me, short of treating me at the ER or urgent care.  By the time we got it sorted, my back was considerably better and I was so frustrated I decided to not even bother.  This is why we need simple, universal health care, people!  But he sent me some of his pain killers to help me out, and they really improved the state of my back.  It was a really rough week and now I am almost back to normal.  I can move and do almost everything I used to do without it hurting.  So I am thankful I didn't ruin my back, and that it eventually healed.

So that was my week.

Zak's week was more interesting.  Well, like I said, he wants to get on one of the local fire crews for the summer.  His co-workers have a brother and friends that are on the crew, so Zak has been networking with them lately, hanging out and the like.  If he got the job, it would be a life changer for us: at least 2 times more money than he makes now, it would help with future job placement and for his major, and he would be doing something that interests him.  We're crossing our fingers.  He has to make an appointment for mid-February, when they start hiring.  It looks like he'll have some of the guys' recommendations, which will be very helpful.  He's really excited about it, and we both hope he gets it.  It'll be nice for him to be out in the forest instead of behind a jewelry counter.

He also started school this week.  He is taking: biology, economics of natural resources, forest conservation and physics this semester.  So far, his classes seem interesting and comprehensible enough.  His MWFs are stacked, and he has one of his two labs on T and TH.  His friend from last semester's chemistry class is in a few of his classes, so that's nice for him, too.

That's been our life for now.

Camping Inside & Rachel gets a Job

A few weeks ago, we talked about going camping for the few days Zak had off of work. But then we decided to just camp inside because there was a thunderstorm. It was fun; we moved the furniture and set up the tent and got all the blankets out. But then around 2 AM we woke up and decided that the air mattress wasn't super comfortable and went upstairs to our comfy bed.

I got a job! Two weeks ago, Zak was talking to the manager of the pizza place in the mall (Smoky Mountain Pizzeria Grill), who mentioned they were looking for some new people. The next day Zak & I went in and filled out an application, and when I turned it into the manager, he said he'd call me later about setting up a time to do paperwork, and that I'd be the hostess, starting off at part-time for the moment. It was so sudden and almost difficult to believe, but there it was! So a few days later I went in and filled out all the papers and talked to him about the job. So far I'm working part-time as a hostess, and most likely getting full-time soon (Rush for the colleges starts next week, the week after both universities start back up, so I'll be working a lot more), and eventually will be a server. I'm a bit nervous about being a server, but I'm glad that, so far, my job is pretty easy at the moment. I basically stand around, look pretty, seat customers and help bus tables or roll silverware, tidy up if it needs to be done. My only complaint is that I have to wear a black polo and tan pants, yuck. And I have to cover up my nose ring. I put my diamond stud back in, and just cover it up with a band-aid for the few hours I work.

It's nice to be back in the mall and close to Zak, scheduling will be easier with both of us working there. And everyone I've met so far is really helpful and nice and easy to get along with. And they've been patient with me, not only because I'm new, but I'm also new to the food service industry. So I'm not complaining, because a job is a job. I'm still going to see if maybe I can find another part-time job in the future.

Other than that, our gladiolus bulbs I got from Wal-Mart and planted in May are finally flowering! I planted them on a whim, not expecting too much, but lo and behold, most of them grew up nicely! We've had some pretty pink ones, as well as purple, and right now there is a new yellow one and a beautiful white one. I'm happy! But in other garden news, our vegetables really aren't doing well. This summer was weird, we had cold snaps and then heat waves, so maybe next year we'll stick to all flowers.

Coming up on the next blog entry: our anniversary in Seattle! Keep on the look-out for it!

Other Things that Happen + Pictures

May has been super quick, it's hard to believe it's almost June! The weather certainly doesn't feel very summer-y, we have had thunderstorms, hail, and massive amounts of rain this past month. It's frustrating, because all we want to do is enjoy the windows being opened, the sun and warm weather, and not using the heat until the fall. As far as job hunting goes for me, it is still rough. I had some interviews that sounded promising, only to get our dreams crushed a few days later. Some days it's definitely hard to stay positive, but I keep trying and trying. Zak has been great at supporting me and motivating me to keep trying. Hopefully I'll get something soon and life will be a bit easier.

One morning Zak woke up very early, which in turn woke me up. We couldn't go back to bed, so I suggested we go for a walk. We didn't go as far as I would've liked, because it was actually quite chilly. But I took some pictures so you can see the trail we walk on. Also, there were some beautiful tulips and some cute bunnies along the way!

a river

down the hill from our place

Zak thought it was cute that I was ecstatic to see wild baby bunnies! They were so cute!!

pretty tulips

sorry it's blurry; you get the gist of it, though, right?

walking back from Safeway trail

One major complication that happened with me this week involved not only a job, but my nose and its ring. I had an interview at the Best Western last week about a busing/cashier job that sounded decent enough. Their policy is no piercings except for ears, and I figured, ok no problem. I had the second out of a possible three interviews a few days later and Zak suggested that since I knew the policy, I should show up without my nose ring in. I took it without any problems and went about my interview, and the following one I had at a daycare place. Zak talked me into getting a small hoop for my nose, with the idea that it would be easier to take out and put back in if I got the job at the hotel, and plus, he thought it'd be really cute for me. We got a decent one and came back home after all our errands.

Too bad the next several hours were awful. I can't remember exactly what happened, in the correct order, but there was a lot of blood and pain on my end. For starters, the hoop was a little bit thicker than my stud with the screw end. For second, the inside hole in my nose had more or less closed up. I had never taken out my ring just for fun, a few times it's been yanked out (OW), but I don't play with it because I'm nervous about it closing up. And putting in the screw end ring is difficult, because it feels different than it looks in the mirror and after 30 minutes of me getting frustrated and convincing myself to just let my holes close up permanently, Zak stepped in. He sterilized a safety pin so we could 're-pierce' the inside hole in my nose. We let that sit for a few hours and then we tried again. It appeared that I would not be the one to do it, so Zak bravely got the hoop through my nose.

yes, we only had GIANT safety pins...good times...

my poor, sad, little red nose :(

And then to my utter & total frustration, I didn't get the stupid job where I'd have to take out my nose ring. Thanks! So for now I have the hoop in my nose, and I clean it at least twice a day and try to move it around so it won't get super gross. It sure doesn't help to blow my nose with a sore nose, but that's life. I'm still not 100% sold on the hoop, but people tell me it's cute, so go figure.

Oh, I also cut some of our lovely tulips and brought them inside to cheer me up. I had always thought they were red, and they kind of are, when they're really open in the sunlight. But inside and closed up, they are pink, and that makes me even happier! Our pretty blue hyacinths are dead, but what can you do.

Other news includes how much we love the bread machine. It is so easy and I have found a great basic, white bread recipe for it. I need to try a few others to compare for wheat, or specialty breads, so if anyone has some good ones to contribute, please e-mail me! And we continually enjoy our hamsters and how cute they are. They hardly fight anymore, and we catch them doing cute things, like sleeping on top of each other in a random corner in their cage.

Vlad very much enjoyed being in Zak's pocket

hello!

...normal Zak

these guys LOVE the colored pellet pieces, he was chewing on this forever!

hehehehe they are sooo cute :)

Next weekend Zak has shows up in Spokane and Coeur d'Alene. I will most likely go with him, so that will be fun for us. His first round of the custom design shows didn't go well, which was really hard on him. :( No one showed up in Moscow or Lewiston, but at least that's better than people showing up and leaving without purchasing anything. He's trying to stay positive, but this is a test to prove that not only can he do it, but be the best at it. There are 3 computers and 4 people qualified to do this job, and he wants to be one who gets to keep the computer locally. I know he will do great at these next shows because they are bigger volume stores with clients that have more money. Moscow is more or less a college town, with humbler folk around here, and kind of the same story for Lewiston. Spokane and Coeur d'Alene have nicer stores, products and richer customers. Plus, the weekend after this round of shows, Zak will fly out to Oregon to do shows at the top stores in the company, so he will kick butt at that. It has been fun to watch him create and design things, even silly ideas I suggests, he'll make look nice. He has a good eye for design and I just want him to be successful, because he can definitely do this--it's not his fault customers haven't shown up. So it's just hard to prove himself without an opportunity. So think of Zak and wish him luck these next few weeks!

Quick update

Just a quick update about our lives for all of you.  Zak & I have been working almost every day.  Zak's had some trouble keeping the hours he's had the last few months.  The new manager's hours come out of the store's hours, but not the store's paycheck, so it's been irritating.  However, Zak worked it out so his hours wouldn't be cut in half, just slightly trimmed for the next month, until he starts school, and then he'll go to part time.  Macy's is still fine, we had training for the new company-wide way of selling, which isn't too bad.  My 'scorecard' has been steadily increasing, which is good.   

I also went to the doctor, who recommended me to physical therapy.  That wasn't too bad, the lady gave me several new stretches and exercises to do.  So far they've been helping.  Zak & I had a talk, and decided that I really need to get my act together to change how I feel about my body image.  He drew up a workout schedule, which includes working on my core strength and walking/jogging in the mornings.  Today we walked/jogged for an hour, and it felt great to come home to a cold shower.  I've been careful about what I'm eating, and I consume water like it's a rare commodity.  Things are looking good so far, Zak's been really helpful in keeping me motivated (like saying I can have ice cream on the days I work out harder).

The weather is finally hot, and it's been nice to have air conditioning at work, because we work out fans out at home.  We bought a cherry tomato plant last week at the Farmer's Market and we're hoping it will do well.  Our tomato plant has a dozen and a half tomatoes on it, with the early bloomer finally turning a beautiful red.  Our pepper is getting larger every day; we are excited to soon eat our veggies!

all three plants

our (hopefully soon to be red) pepper

cherry tomato

ready to be picked

Zak going in for the kill

oh Zak

Zak wouldn't let me take a good picture of it :-/

it was good!

That is about all that has happened lately.  Our anniversary is coming up in a few weeks, but we are still undecided about what we'll do; we might spend the day in Spokane, who knows.  Shortly after that, my sister Jenna is coming to visit for a week and we are getting excited to have her around.  I've already started thinking about the meals I'll make, and where we'll take her.

More updates to follow, if anything else, I'll write one about our anniversary. :)