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!
Showing posts with label U of I. Show all posts
Showing posts with label U of I. Show all posts
Sunday, May 6, 2012
Sunday, January 15, 2012
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.
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.
Monday, August 29, 2011
Busy Bees
Well we have survived Zak's first week back to school after a two-year absence. So far, so good. This semester he is taking Stats, Chemistry (with a lab), Econ, and Forestry (with a lab as well). His schedule is a little irregular, but I made up calendars and all kinds of useful reminders so we can get into some sort of rhythm. He says classes are going fine, they're not super exciting, but he's happy to be in school and all of that. It looks like his work schedule will be closing Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, and either opening or closing on Saturdays. His labs are Thursday and Friday and so far we have been able to get everywhere we need to with one car and/or walking. Once it's not 100 degrees every day for a week, I'm sure he'll be much more up to walking or riding his bike. And once I'm working more, he'll be doing the same as well.
Work for me has been ok. The back-to-school rush was...alright. I had one night (a Monday, I believe) were I was the only hostess, so I was running around for 4 hours seating people, busing tables, etc. It's a lot less crazy when there is another hostess or a busboy, so that made the weekend nights tolerable. I'm hoping to get more hours soon, but there have been a bunch of new hires, so scheduling is up in the air. But everyone is really nice and fun to work with. And I'm getting the hang of almost everything, so I'm feeling pretty confident. We found me a clear, thin nose ring I can use on the days I work, so I don't have to put a band-aid over the piercing or take it out. Since it's been so sensitive to change, I'd rather have something in the hole than not, and no one has said a thing about the new clear one. So that's good.
Yes, it's been about 100 degrees every day for the past week and a half. We finally got a break last night we a major thunderstorm, but it didn't rain as much as we hoped. This has been the only week where I've seriously considered air conditioning, because the two fans have been going almost non-stop and it's been just miserable. It's supposed to cool off in the next few days, but it has been rough the last week or so. We are super ready for fall already!
That's been our life for the past few weeks. We're doing alright with the school adjustment, I'm trying my best to not be a nag about Zak and his homework, but he has a good work ethic and gets what he needs to done. Zak's birthday is in a few weeks, we are getting ready for that. I'm just trying to finalize on a gift idea for him, he is a very practical guy who doesn't want or need a lot of things, so I get to be creative with my presents for him. Unfortunately, his birthday is on a Thursday, and he has a late lab that night (7-9:50), but we'll try to make it a good day for him.
I came home from a really exhausting day at work to these beautiful flowers from Zak!
I'm not really a huge fan of dyed/weird color daises, but this arrangement was really beautiful and cheered me up! Plus, those big orange flowers that I don't know the name of? Gorgeous, they're my new favorites! I love the color gradient
We had our friends, Chad & Bryan over for dinner and I thought it was so cute that the silly dollar store place mats I got matched the flowers!
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