Life

Well, for awhile there, we thought spring was coming any moment. Then we woke up to a bit of snow on the ground yesterday. Sad face. I was soooo ready for spring and the sunshine and flowers! But of course, Idaho has to ruin my hopes and dreams. The snow then melted away until about 5 PM, when it started to hail, sleet and snow a bit more again. It's mostly all gone today, but it's cold and overcast. :(

For those of you who don't know, I was let go from Macy's a few weeks ago. Basically, there was some miscommunication between me and my manager regarding sick days, leaving work early due to sickness, etc. I had a meeting with my manager & the store manager a few months ago that was basically a 'shape up or ship out' kind of meeting, at which point, I told them it wouldn't be a problem, etc. A few weeks later, Zak and I were both sick. But I went to work, talked to my manager about what would happen if I were to go home (since I was throwing up and it was a blizzard outside), since I didn't want to get in trouble, etc., etc. He said everything would be fine. So I went on my sick little way and lo and behold, a week later I was called in to talk to the regional HR gal. Who promptly told me I was being let go, despite me telling her how my manager had ok'd me to go home and all of that. Oh, and my manager just 'happened' to be out of town that week anyways.

So now I am collecting unemployment and taking some time for myself, which I haven't had in awhile. I've been applying for jobs every week, and even had an interview the other week (it didn't work out, oh well). But now I spend my days reading, playing video games or watching t.v., and trying not to cook or eat everything in the house. I'm looking forward to when it warms up, so I can go on walks. I'll be receiving unemployment for up to four months, so I have some time to find a job I'll like.

With that in mind, I had some kind of 24 hour flu or something on Friday. Zak had a little bug and has been fairly congested all week. Whatever he had must've transferred to me and kind of destroyed me by Friday afternoon. I ended up sleeping for 2 and a half hours until Zak got back from work. I was freezing cold and had a temperature of 101! I don't remember the last time I had such a high fever. I normally run a little lower than average as it is. My entire body ached and hurt to be touched, I had a nasty sore throat, coughs and sniffles and was so tired. After a few hours of slumping on the couch, expressionless and lifeless, Zak convinced me to take a shower while he went to get me some medicine. He got me some aspirin and theraflu, and a few more hours later, I wasn't freezing and my temperature had gone done a degree or two. He sent me off to bed and I woke up feeling a fair amount better the next day.

Now I just have a nasty cough and congestion headaches. Hooray.

Our St. Patrick's Day was nice. Zak had to close, so we got up and had breakfast. I made my family's buttermilk pancake recipe (yum) and turned them green because: 1. it's fun, 2. it's tradition in my family, and 3. it's FUN. So we had green pancakes, bacon and green-tinted limeade for breakfast. Then Zak went off to work and I got dinner started. I just cut up some scrubbed red potatoes and dumped them and some baby carrots into the crock pot. I added the corn beef with its spice packet, added in some water and let it cook on high until Zak got home. Easiest meal of all-time. Zak invited our friends Mat & Erika over after I got it started, so I fretted that there wouldn't be enough food, but there was. And everything was just delicious. They were so impressed, they asked me how I made it all so tasty. I just credited our lovely crockpot, hehe.

That is about all I can think of that has been going on in our lives for us. We have started to think about our summer plans. It basically starts next month, when my sister is coming to visit us. Then Zak's mom will be staying with us for a few days before his cousin's wedding in May. He also has another cousin getting married this summer, but I can't remember the date at the moment. We are planning on spending about a week in CA with my family when Kenny gets back from Sweden in July (!). There is also our anniversary in August, followed by Mat & Erika's wedding the next day in Seattle. Looks like we'll be spending our anniversary in Seattle, but that's just fine because neither of us have been there yet. We're hoping to be able to see Zak's sister Delaney when she comes out to Rexburg for school in later August/early September in order to help get her set up, etc. And even now as I'm writing this, my head is spinning with all of these plans! I need to pace myself. It looks like we are going to have a fun summer. But first we have to get to spring!

The hamsters are doing well. We are planning on getting some new fish soon. Zak isn't entirely convinced that he shouldn't get me a companion kitty ;) (We'd really love one, but we're not supposed to have one....but I think I qualify as someone who needs a companion kitty, right?). That's all for now, folks!

Things that are Happening Currently.

So far, so good. Our life has been going well the last few weeks, despite some scheduling frustration. However, the weather has been splendid; it is like California in winter, but a little bit colder. Lots of rain, then sun, and the snow that comes every two weeks is gone in a day or so. It's probably a fluke that it's so nice right now, but we'll take it!

Zak has had some great success at work. Not only did the store make its period goal, but so did every employee, so that's two bonuses for Zak on his next check! The store had a good 'remount' show (kind of like a custom design show, lots of loose stones and settings, etc.), and is on its way to making its next goal. Zak is about halfway to his next goal, and it's only been a week. So that is great news, and we're sure he'll make it, what with Valentine's Day coming up and all.

Work has been about the same for me. Our fiscal year is over, so now we are onto new scorecards, etc. Every day is different, sometimes it's crazy busy (like on Saturday) vs. the super slow days where only old ladies come in the morning (Tuesdays, usually). I'm currently looking for other jobs that won't involve retail, so hopefully I'll have some good news to report soon...

Today we had a bit of a cleaning spree and went through our dresser and closet and sorted clothes. Our bedroom is beautiful now, whereas the second bedroom...well, we'll just say that we love having it as a 'storage room', because that's what it is for now. I don't think we'll ever more somewhere without it being a two-bedroom from now on, because it is wonderful to have that second bedroom.

I have been doing yoga for the past few weeks. I downloaded this really neat app on my iPad and just love it. I can custom-make my own routines or use the pre-made ones. I can definitely feel my muscles getting stronger and when I'm doing a certain pose or whatever, I can now identify which muscle I'm using and how to stretch it, etc. It's been pretty good so far. I did about an hour of it one morning and woke up sore for the next two days. My biggest hangup is my wrists. They are so small and weak, so some of the poses are very difficult for me. I'm taking it easy, but would like to find someway to make them stronger, or to alter some of the poses so as to take some of the pressure off my wrists.

Oh, and I decorated a little for Valentine's Day. Zak brought home my early Valentine's Day flowers: a potted hyacinth plant in a cute tin. It smells wonderful and I love the purple color! He is sweet and I'm glad to have him as my valentine. We don't really have plans yet for V-Day, since we don't know when/if Zak has to work. I don't, so the chances of me making some romantic dinner or something...are probably high. We'll see. You'll get an update.

Here are a few pictures :)

look how cute the pot is!

Update.

Sorry for the lack of updates, we have been pretty busy, and will only get busier these next two weeks before Christmas. Things of notable interest include:

-I was sick from last Sunday through Thursday. I went home early from work on Tuesday and called out on Thursday. I had a really bad head cold, sore throat, congestion, dizziness, etc. It was not fantastic, especially regarding work relations. I went through an entire box of Kleenex, several tea bags, and almost two bags of cough drops. Needless to say, I am thoroughly happy to be relieved of it, and am doing everything to not get sick again.

-We have wrapped presents under the tree, which is exciting. We have almost everything ready to send out to our families, and hope to do that within the week.

-Our work schedules are getting crazier. For instance, I work six days in a row this week, with shifts ranging from 8 to 10 hours. I'm not excited, but will be pleased to receive a much heftier check on Christmas Eve. Zak is hoping to work a bit more than usual, so we will have some extra cash, which is always great.

-Christmas decorations are just about done. Zak might do some more drawings, but I got creative and ambitious today while walking around Michael's. I would like to be more creative or artistic, but it takes me a bit longer sometimes. But I ended up with some really cute decorations that I am proud of! I got some glass cranberries on a stick, 'Christmas moss' (green moss with an obscene amount of glitter), gold ribbon, and three square glass vases. Here is the result:

without flash
with
arranged on our book shelf, cute, huh?

I probably won't post again until after Christmas, so from both of us, we hope you all have a Merry Christmas!

Thanksgiving/Black Friday

Zak & I were fortunate enough to be able to celebrate Thanksgiving with his grandparents & family in Washington this year. We both had Wednesday off, so after sleeping in a little and cleaning up, we headed on the trek. It's only a few hours away, but the ice and snow on the road made the journey a little bit longer than we would have liked. But we got there in the afternoon and were able to spend some time with Zak's 'mountain-man' cousin, Kyle & his fiancee, Amanda. This was the first time I've met Kyle since I've known Zak, and he did not disappoint! He & Amanda live in a mud hut they built in the remote wilderness in Washington. Not exactly my style, but they seem to be very happy so good for them. They took off after dinner towards Spokane, and we turned our focus on the pie we were making for Thanksgiving.

some shots on the way there...

I had been craving lemon meringue pie for the past month or so, and I (foolishly) volunteered to make it for my first time for Thanksgiving. Growing up, I remember my uncle Jeff making pies for the holidays and boy, they were great. And his lemon meringue was one of my absolute favorites. So I had a lot to live up to, in my mind. Zak got to work on the crust/shell, while I got the lemon custard and meringue going. I smartly had packed the ingredients, so it was fairly easy to make. I was a little nervous about the meringue topping, and would have beaten it longer, but it wasn't bad for my first try. Our taste test of the lemon custard stuff was positive, so we were sure it'd be delicious the next day. We spent the night in a huge, comfy bed with all of that memory foam topper, etc. It was like sleeping on a dream, ah!

he was pretty happy

The next morning we watched the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, and I watched in dread as the commercials for Black Friday kept coming on and on. I don't know, I think I secretly hoped that they would just cancel Black Friday and I wouldn't have to be at work at 3:45 AM. But the parade was entertaining enough, and I was content to sit and watch. Zak's grandma had made his mom's recipe for rolls (yum), and he helped roll them up; I got flour on my new outfit and decided to go back to the couch, haha. Around noon, Zak's aunt, her boyfriend (now fiance), and some of his cousins showed up. We hung out for a little bit, but then, it was turkey time.

fancy new outfits
with Aunt Ronda & Brad

Everything was delicious, and I don't know about Zak, but I was comfortably full when it was all over. We had a few different salads, sweet potatoes, rolls, stuffing; everything was so yummy. We rolled off to our room to call our families and rest for a bit before it was pie time. We did spend time socializing with everyone as well. It was nice to be able to spend some time with his family. Even though we're only a few hours away, it's hard for us to get the time off to go visit, so it was nice to be pampered a bit by the grandparents. 'Pie O'Clock', as Zak called it, was yummy as well. Zak's grandma had made a few cherry pies and apple ones, as well as a chocolate one. Zak's aunt Ronda made a pecan pie and pumpkin rolls and then there was our lemon meringue pie. I had bites off Zak's plate--I think he had a slice of almost everything! I was so pleased with our pie, it was near perfection! Once pie was done, Zak's cousin Kayla & her fiance (next year is the Year of the Weddings for his family) came over, so we chatted with them before we had to take off.

I think I should've beaten the meringue longer

yum

We got home around 8 and hit the hay soon after, since we had to get up by 3. Zak had to open at 5, and I had to work from 3:45 - 11:45. My experience with Black Friday wasn't as awful as I expected. My department, the women's clothing section, wasn't really busy until after my 'lunch' break (8-9 AM), so that was nice. And once it got really busy, it was time for me to be done with work! So I guess I would open on Black Friday again, as long as I had the same shift and was in the same department. After I was done, I went over to Zak's work, where they were the busiest I've ever seen them, which was great for them. I got us lunch and some jeans from Old Navy ($15, not too bad), and hung around until Zak was tired, by 2. We came home and I slept for 3 hours, which was glorious.

All in all, we had a pretty nice Thanksgiving holiday, despite having to be up at zero-dark-thirty, as my dad would say. We won't be able to make it to WA for Christmas, which is a bummer, but it'll be nice to have a nice, little Christmas with just us. Oh, and the hamsters.

the mountains by their house

The storm.

Last night there was this awful storm. The winds got up to 85 MPH, which is Category 1 hurricane winds. It hit the hardest around 1:30 AM and knocked the power out. I instantly woke up, Zak slept through it a little bit. But then the thunder and lightning and hail started to come...hard. It was so loud that the only way I could try falling back asleep was to put on my headphones and listening to some relaxation meditation stuff. But just as I was close to drifting off to sleep, Zak's phone started vibrating and he got out of bed. It turns out the security company for Harry Ritchie's wanted to alert Zak that the store had lost power. And needed to tell him that at 2 AM, ugh. By then the storm had mostly passed over, but we were both wide awake. We talked for awhile and eventually Zak drifted off to sleep. It took me longer to fall asleep, and when I did, I slept in small pieces throughout the night.

But the best part was that I had to get up at 6:30 to get to work two hours early for our big One Day sale. We still didn't have power when I got up, so I got to put on minimal make-up and pull my hair back with our flashlight pointed into the mirror. I tried to call work a few times to see if there was power, and if not, would I have to come in. But it seems that right after we left to get to work, the power started coming back on, because lights were on throughout the city. So I got to work on about 3 1/2 hours of sleep and no food. Luckily, someone had brought in bagels and bananas, so I had something to eat.

Oh and today was really busy, all morning. And there was a lady who was on her second day of work so I had to work extra hard. And there were a ton of loud annoying people who seemed to enjoy making me miserable. But I managed to survive (and kick butt, despite it all) and got off work two hours earlier than normal. I tried to take a nap, but it's not going to happen. But at least I'll sleep well tonight, provided there isn't a hurricane outside my window...

This is happening.

Aside from Zak's birthday, we haven't had anything major happening here in Moscow.  However, I feel like I should write at least something about our past month or so. 

1.  We got another hamster.  His name (yes, it's a boy, we are not into breeding dwarf hamsters) is Viscount Tesla von Roborovski.  He is slightly larger than Vladimir, and much quicker.  He has zoomed off Zak's hand a bunch, so we are careful with him.  Our friend Erika donated all of her hamster accessories to us, which is mostly why we decided to get another hamster.  Erika gave us a larger cage, some food bowls, dust bath bowls, rolling balls, a wooden house, a few wheels for the cage, a water bottle, and some connecting plastic maze things.  At first, the hamsters were unsure about each other and there was some fighting and what have you.  But after the first day, they seemed to have gotten along with each other.  We often find them snuggled up together in their house.  It's really quite adorable.  One of the funniest things they do is run on the wheel together, one following the other.  It's very funny.  Zak also put them both in a rolling ball, which was fun to watch them figure it out together.  They are very cute and we are happy with them.

2.  I got my hair cut this week.  It was kind of random, but at the same time...I've been wanting to, but just haven't felt the need.  But the day I went in, I had straightened my hair and flat-out was like, 'no, this won't do', so I got it cut that afternoon.  I was very nervous because I honestly don't remember the last time I've had my hair cut in a studio.  Someone from church, my mom, or my friend from BYU-I have cut it in the last decade+, so I wasn't sure what to expect.  And, not to be sexist or whatever, but a man was my hair dresser, which added to my nervousness.  However, I let myself relax and tried to be clear with my wishes.  And it turned out really well, he took his time (well, I have a ton of hair) and I am pleased with the results.  I didn't want a whole lot of length off, just some new layers and bangs, and it is very cute.  I even had a customer ask if I had it cut yesterday.

not the best picture, but trust me, it's shorter and cute

3.  We bought a new couch.  Er, sofa.  Well, I have hated our current couch for awhile (we got it a second-hand shop and it hurts my back), and we have been looking into getting a new one for our Christmas present.  It's just that .. Christmas decided to come early for us!  We had found one we liked at a store in town and tried to financing for it (it was a $440 couch, like $40/month payments, no biggie, right?), but we weren't cleared for it.  It upset us for awhile, since we have pretty decent credit history.  So we put that idea on the back-burner for awhile until we decided to go to Pullman on a mutual day off and look at a place.  It was basically good furniture for a cheaper price, I think the website is like extrafurniture.com or something.  Anyways, we found two sofas we really liked, and they were both cheaper than the store we had tried previously (since our price range was minimal, we had a limited selection).  After trying them both out, back and forth, we settled on the one I really liked (sorry, Zak!--he does like it, he just liked this moss/olive green one that was more fabric-y.  I didn't like it as much because it didn't support my back as much as the one we got, plus it'd be more difficult to clean), a mixed leather one.  I never thought we'd end up picking out a leather sofa, but there you go.  It's comfortable and nice, and we are pretty psyched about it.  The other day we wandered around Bed, Bath & Beyond to look at accent pillows and whatnot, because we'll finally have something nice, and then we can create a 'look' for the room.  It arrived in Pullman yesterday, but Zak's friend Mat is helping Zak pick it up tomorrow (since we don't want to pay $50 to ship it to us).  Here is a few pictures of it:

 fresh from the factory

 we got the pillows from Bed, Bath & Beyond; the tiger one Zak got in Nepal

4.  I got extremely praised at work yesterday.  Our corporate execs were visiting (they do so every 8 weeks, and I have always missed out because I normally don't work on Wednesdays) our store and since I've been kicking butt the last couple of months, I was called out by my district merchant lady.  I was surprised and caught off-guard...and also pretty embarrassed.  I don't like to have a lot of attention focused on me, not at work, not when I'm opening birthday presents, I just don't like it.  But whatever.  My numbers have been really good lately, and I am proud of that, but I don't feel like I'm doing a whole lot more at work.  I am definitely more confident with my products and what to suggest to people, and I greet/meet customers more.  But I don't think I've been doing something so progressive.  But whatever, my managers think I'm awesome, so we'll leave it at that.  I also have a really low return rate, which I didn't know.  The corporate lady said that implies/infers (?) that I find out what my customer wants and I get it for them and they leave happy.  So that was cool.  Oh and I got to be in a meeting with some of our 'elite' selling team, talking about our new way of selling and why it's great, etc.  I don't know, I'm proud that I've been doing so well, but now I feel like I have to continually keep it up, so I don't disappoint everyone.  I'm working on it.

5.  The weather is starting to get cold and crisp, and we both love it.  Some of the trees on campus have even starting to turn color!  I'm getting really excited, because we are going to have fall here!  Of course, it's nothing compared to back east, but it's more than I've ever experienced, and for that, I am excited.  I'm also excited for these things:
-pumpkins, carving, eating, etc.
-caramel/candy apples
-apples in general (ooh, apple crisp!)
-scary movies
-watching leaves/rain fall, while bundled up in blankets with Zak
-trick-or-treaters this year!
-soup--clam chowder, potato, minestrone, tortellini, ravioli, I think I might try homemade chicken noodle!

Not to get ahead of ourselves, but we are both (Zak more than me) excited for winter, because it'll be beautiful here.  I'm happy to have autumn for awhile, however.  I'll post pictures of the leaves as they start to turn even more.

6.  Zak is finally getting back to full-time and 40 or so hours a week.  Meaning I don't have to pick up a shift or two every week if I don't want to, because Zak will have more hours than me, hahaha.  One of the girls quit this past week (and is now working in the shoe department at Macy's), so it's just going to be four people (including Zak) at work.  Which is good for the hours and information will be easier to consolidate, but bad because of scheduling.  I'm hoping we get at least one day off a week together.

7.  We are going to Spokane next month to see one of our favorite bands since high school, Coheed and Cambria.  Zak has seen many bands in his day, but never them, so he is really pumped.  I'm not a huge concert person, and I've only been to a handful (well, 3, but I was chaperoning 2 of them, the only one that was my choice when I was 16, Rufus Wainwright in San Francisco--win), but!  I love this band too, so I am excited.  In fact, before we started dating, Zak was over at my apartment for a big dance party thing, and he was wearing a Coheed and Cambria shirt.  I told him I loved them, and he asked if I liked them before they got big, and I was like, 'Duh, since I was 15.'  He then fell in love with me right then.  No, I'm just kidding, but I guess it made me e v e n cooler to him.  More to come on the concert, but we are getting pretty excited for it!

8.  I'm pretty sure that's all that has happened/will happen.  Right now I am home sick (blah), and need to do some dishes or something.  It's like they never end...That's all for now--ttfn--ta-ta for now!

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. :)

Another reason why Macy's is pretty ok.

A few weeks ago, Zak started talking about wanting to get a sport or suit coat to go with his brown pants for work (corporate requires the guys wear suit coats at work).  So he started looking at Macy's to see if there were any good deals.  There was a small 70% clearance rack that we sorted through, and we actually found a coat that would work!  We also found some the pants he loves in a color that would work well with the new coat as well.  We went over to my co-worker to check out and sign him up for a Macy's card (it was an extra discount to use your card on top of the discount you get for opening the card).  The total damage: $52.  For both the pants and coat.  I'm still really happy about it, and Zak loves his new coat.  Plus, he looks really handsome!

Work Rock Stars

I just wanted to write a post about how great Zak is!  At his job at Harry Ritchie's, he is still in his kind of 'probationary' period, but he's gone through training and can now open and close the store on his own.  He has a 'rookie' goal, which is a little bit lower than the people who've been working there for awhile.  I believe the goal period lasts for about a month, and if he makes his goal on time, he gets an extra $100.  If he reaches 120% of his goal, he gets an additional $20, and from there, each percentage he gets over (I think), he gets an extra couple bucks.  So if he sells 200% over his goal, he could get a fair amount of extra change.

Well it just so happens that Zak reached his goal this week.  Yep, he reached his $4,000 goal within two weeks of the goal period and will definitely get at least $100 extra at the end of July.  Not too shabby!  He has had a few big sales this week, including an older couple who walked in and dropped about a grand for a men's band and a women's chocolate diamond ring.  And I believe that couple will be in a few more times to buy stuff from Zak.  Oh, and he has been in the top 3% of the new rookies throughout all 30 or so stores. 

So basically, Zak is kicking butt and taking names, and I'm proud of him.  As much as I complain how unfair it is that he gets to sit all day while I am running around with old ladies and whatnot, he has earned this job and deserves it.  And he's good at it, too!  Good job, Zakky!

I also wanted to share that I've been doing pretty well this past week at work also.  Well, first some bad news.  My manager, Jacob, pulled me into his office on Thursday to talk.  On Wednesday we had what is called 'deep dive', where all the fancy executives come to the store and tell everyone what's wrong & right with everything, blah blah.  I have been fortunate to miss the last two, because I don't typically work Wednesdays.  Well, Jacob's bosses pointed out that my monthly scorecard for May wasn't so hot (it was much worse than anticipated), and told him he needed to talk to me to see what could be done.  Jacob is a great guy and manager and told me even though my numbers weren't so great, he was still proud of the work I've been doing, considering that I'm still new and there was a ton of drama last month (which is what I'm sure helped my numbers be less than stellar).  But we talked about some things I could do to improve my numbers, etc. 

And then I left the office and a made a $737.90 sale.  Boo-yah.  This lady with two small girls bought a TON of stuff.  I had been helping her before my talk with Jacob and had carried three big armfuls of clothes into the handicapped stall for her.  And she bought about 3/4 of what I put in there.  Oh and she bought $600+ worth of children's clothing a few hours earlier.  So yeah, take that, big execs in Portland!  So that sale was more than my entire daily goal and I was at 195% over it, so I just rang for my co-worker to get her to her goal. 

And then on Friday I reached my goal by 12:30 and rang for another co-worker, because I'd rather have everyone else reach their goal than have me be at 300%.  And I got a customer to sign up for a Macy's card (when we do that [we're supposed to get at least 2 a week], we get 'Macy's money', and points for the scorecard as well) And yesterday, while I was unable to reach my goal, I signed up two people for a card.  And Jacob gave me a bonus because I rang up a card for the last person who needed to get a card for the week in his department, so that way all the people he manages got at least one card this week. 

So Zak & I have been rock stars this past week, no big deal! 

Updates!

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.