It is amazing how much can change in a week. For example, last week, a day after Good Times, Bad News, I updated my status on Facebook to, "Andrew L Jenkinsthought today was going to be a bad day, but instead, he received good news that made the day fantastic! He is not looking forward to next week, though..."
A few individuals criticized me for posting such a cryptic message, so...the good news: I received a nearly $2 raise, and Sean was offered the job at Marriott Guest Services he applied for (Marriott Rewards Specialist, my first position with Marriott, as well). The extra cash will be appreciated, and I bought Sean an Xbox 360 (and a few other things) to celebrate. I won't/can't provide much detail regarding the last sentence in my status, but it involved the terminating of an associate, something I don't enjoy doing. It went better than expected, though.
I mentioned in Let's Call The Whole Thing Off our friend Mike was moving in with us. Well, that briefly fell through when the company he worked for was sold, but he applied for a job with The Ritz-Carlton and was offered the position a few days ago. So, he'll move in soon (probably this weekend), and all three of us will be/are employed by Marriott International. Speaking of Marriott International/The Ritz-Carlton, we launched The Ritz-Carlton Rewards today. Exciting!
Well, it's getting late, and I'm planning on waking up early again tomorrow. I attended the Big Alliance's Young Leaders Forum this morning to meet and listen to gubernatorial candidate Peter Corroon, so I'm pretty tired. Good night!
Time passes way too fast. I can't believe it's September, and Mom's been gone six months. Pretty soon, the year will be over, and it feels like it just started. I love that it's getting darker earlier, though, as well as cooler. I used to say winter was my favorite season, but I think I enjoy fall more.
On Monday, Sean and I returned from Capitol Reef National Park. My family usually stays at Thousand Lakes RV Park over Labor Day weekend every year, and we estimated we've visited this particular campground for more than 15 years. Below is a picture (stolen from my sister Jill) of the view behind the park:
And here's a picture of Mom and I the first time, I believe, we visited Capitol Reef:
Strike a pose
Sean, my brother James and his wife Heather, my brother-in-law Daren, and I hiked Sulphur Creek, my favorite place in Capitol Reef. This article does a good job explaining why. Everyone seemed to have a good time.
Before the trip, I received a call from my Big Brothers Big Sisters Match Support Specialist. He had bad news. My Little Brother's grandma asked for the match to be closed because she expected someone to play sports with him more often. I can understand that, but what I can't understand is why she didn't give me the opportunity to change. I'm disappointed, of course, and I'm sure it'll be a long time before I'm matched again.
Well, it's late, and Sean's pestering me to come to bed (what else is new?), so hopefully, I'll update again soon. I feel like I don't even scratch the surface of everything that has happened between posts, but it's hard to find time to write. I'm still trying to update every week, though, but you can see how well I'm doing...
I've discovered it doesn't really matter if you stand in the kitchen while watching a pot of water boil or if you wait for the aforementioned pot of water to boil while updating your blog from another room. It still takes too long for that pot of water to boil, especially when you are hungry and craving macaroni and cheese with sliced hot dogs (everyone's childhood favorite).
Exciting news! There are currently TWO tomatoes growing on one of five vines in our small, pathetic garden.
Tomayto? Tomahto?
(Yes, I know, you can see only one of the tomatoes in this picture.) We planted the vines two months ago, I'm guessing, in June, and ever since, I've been anticipating the first tomato sandwich. Nothing tastes better. I do hope there are enough tomatoes to make salsa, though. I found an awesome recipe a few years ago.
Let's see...what else is going on? Oh! Our friend Mike is finally moving in. We extended the invitation to him shortly after we bought the house, and although he wanted to move out of his grandparents' place, drama prevented him from doing so for awhile. In a lot of ways, it'll be nice to have someone else in the house, but I think I will miss being alone sometimes.
Kyle and I went to a picnic hosted by Big Brothers, Big Sisters last week. They provided Arby's regular roast beef sandwiches, chips, drinks, and ice cream for all the Bigs and Littles, and there were several games, such as disc golf, football, and three-legged races. There was also a water fight with sponges and squirt guns, and of course everyone got soaked! It was really fun, and I'm grateful Big Brothers, Big Sisters offers these opportunities.
The end of the term is coming up. I've passed two out of the four classes I wanted to complete, but I am nearly done with a third. I only have one task left, but I doubt I will finish it by the end of this month. I've been struggling with the assignment, but I'm going to ask my brother, James, if he'll help me out. Even if I don't pass this class by the end of the term, I'm still in good standing. I'm a bit disappointed in myself, though, and I'm jealous of all those who've recently successfully graduated from college.
By the way, Sean started his own blog a few weeks ago, and he'd really like more followers. Now that I've pimped my husband's blog, I'm going to bed. Good night!
It's been a week since my last entry, and as mentioned, my goal is to update once a week. This post will be somewhat short, even though I can think of several things I want to say tonight, since it is nearly 11:00 PM (way past my bedtime) and the battery in my laptop is low.
Kyle and I went to Lagoon last Saturday, as I said we were going to do. He didn't have a panic attack. In fact, he ended up riding rides he said he wouldn't ride (Wicked, Colossus, Cliffhanger, and Jet Star 2). It was pretty fun. This week, we will probably go to a park and play catch, so he can practice pitching.
(Useless information: I had to get the power cord for my laptop before it died.)
The Welfy Clan (Sean's family) is going to Oceanside, California (just north of San Diego) in two weeks. I'm excited, and of course, time seems to be standing still. I look forward to our annual vacation, and I really need the time off. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy my job, but I need to get away from it for awhile. Plus, I have a few hundred hours of PTO I need to use by the end of the year.
Speaking of work, I have been the Internet/Correspondence Support (ICS) Supervisor for a year now. It's hard to believe how quickly time flies. My annual review is this week. It will be interesting to see how my manager rates me, but I think I've done a good job, for the most part.
I think I'm going to end this entry here, since my eyes are involuntarily closing. I guess that means I'm tired. Good night!
No, that isn't a pig you see flying. No, Hell hasn't frozen over. Yes, I am blogging again. Shocking, I know. I think reading my old journal two weeks ago helped me realize I don't need anything particular to write about. And what I write doesn't necessarily need to be perfect (although, I have spent far too much time on this paragraph already). Hell, the majority of my last blog consisted of surveys and quizzes, such as the Rate My Life Self-Help Quiz I mentioned here. At least it was something. So, going forward, my goal is to update once a week (and posting a survey or quiz won't count).
Kyle and I are going to Lagoon this Saturday. I haven't been to Lagoon in a long time. I can't even remember the last time I went. But it should be fun. And interesting. According to his grandma, whom he lives with, he had a panic attack when they went to Disneyland a few years ago, but he was okay once they entered the park. He ended up riding almost every ride.
There is much more I'd like to write about, but it's taken me a little over an hour to write these three paragraphs, and I'd kind of like to focus on something that doesn't require much concentration, like TV or Facebook. On the other hand, maybe I'll just go to bed.
I spent the past several hours reading entries in my old blog, and seeing how often I wrote prompted me to update this blog. I was such an angsty emo kid. In some ways, I miss that period of my life...and in some ways, I guess I still am that angsty emo kid.
I used to take several quizzes and post the results on my old blog. One of these surveys was the Rate My Life Self-Help Quiz. This survey asks you a number of questions and then computes your life rating. It also breaks down your score into the following categories: Mind, Body, Spirit, Love, Friends/Family, and Financial. This was posted on my old blog three years ago on July 6, 2007:
This survey is only for entertainment purposes, so I take the results with a grain of salt. I am sure if I took this same quiz tomorrow, my life rating would be different, since it is almost entirely based upon my mood at the time. It is interesting to compare the two life ratings, though.
Anyway, my Little Brother, Kyle, and I went to a baseball game on Tuesday. Our team, the Bees, lost to the Reno Aces 5 - 3. It was really fun, and I had not heard him talk as much as he did the other night. It seems he is opening up to me. He is a great kid, and I am enjoying the opportunity to be his Big Brother.
Well, I think I am done blogging for the night. I hope to update again soon...but we shall see...
Hello! It has been a long time since my last real post. I would like to promise to change that, but I am pretty sure I would not be able to. I do want to update more often, though, and as I have said before, knowing I actually have readers is encouraging...
A lot has happened since the last update; some of it has been good, and some of it has been bad. Since this is supposed to be a quick post, I am going to avoid details right now, for the most part, but if you are interested in reading more about something I mention, please let me know.
First, my mom passed away March 5, 2010. It has been difficult at times, and I am sure it will remain so for awhile. She was a wonderful person, and I miss her very much, but I know I will see her again someday. If you would like to read her obituary, please click here.
I decided I needed to go back to church after my mom's death. For the past month, Sean and I have been attending the South Valley Unitarian Universalist Society. We have enjoyed attending and listening to various speakers, such as Charles Lynn Frost (AKA Sister Dottie S. Dixon) and former Salt Lake City mayor, Rocky Anderson.
Finally, after a year of waiting, I have been matched with a Little Brother. His name is Kyle, and he is 10 years old. We had our first activity together yesterday, and I am really excited to get to know him and hopefully make a positive impact on his life.
Much more has happened, but these three events stand out the most in my mind. Again, if you would like to read more about anything I have posted, please let me know; I will try to provide more information. Until then, best wishes.
It's been nearly a month since my last post. Time flies - I can't believe there are five months left of this year. At least I update this blog more often than Sean...
Let's see, what's happened? I guess I'll start with work (as I usually do, it seems). My first week as the ICS Supervisor went well with only a few issues I didn't know how to handle (one of them being a representative with swine flu). In fact, one of my associates commented that the transition has been easier for her than she expected. However, we began our annual associate opinion survey (AOS) this week, and John (my manager) and I believe we'll be scored low - some of our employees don't like and resist change. I guess we'll see what happens in the next few months, and regardless of the results, I will strive to be the best supervisor I can be.
Oh, remember the manager of Customer Relationship Management position I mentioned I applied for in this entry? I got to meet the guy who got the job, as well as the hiring manager and a few other corporate executives, today. He seemed nice, and it was exciting to get to know people I'd be working with at headquarters (if that is where I end up in the future). Of course, I need to get my degrees in Business Management and Marketing first...
I've continued to procrastinate schoolwork since my last post. It's terribly frustrating - at work, I have no problem completing tasks I set for myself or that are assigned to me, yet I struggle with school. I'm just not motivated for some reason, which I don't understand, since graduating from school is tied to moving up at work. It really decreases my self-esteem/confidence. I know I'm intelligent and can do just about anything, but I've always had trouble with school. I appreciate the suggestions you left in my last entry. If you have any additional feedback, please let me know.
On to lighter subjects, we (Sean, his family and his friend, Mike, and I) returned from a nice week-long vacation yesterday. We left home Saturday, August 1, and stayed overnight in Portland, Oregon. I love that city - it is so beautiful, and if I didn't want to end up in Washington, D.C., I'd want to live there. The next day, we stopped at Powell's Books - the largest bookstore I've ever been to - before driving to the house we rented in Florence, Oregon. We spent the week playing on/in the lake, relaxing inside, and visiting nearby attractions, such as the aquarium in Newport, Oregon, and Old Town Florence. It was a fantastic vacation!
Sean and I put an offer on this house before we left on vacation. According to my brother-in-law and real estate agent, Daren, we should be hearing from the bank regarding our offer tomorrow. Honestly, I don't think they'll approve the offer we made, but I hope they counteroffer with a reasonable price. I'm really looking forward to being a homeowner, and this property felt like home more than any others that we have looked at. *crosses fingers*
I have nothing new to report regarding Big Brothers - I still haven't been matched, and I haven't heard from anyone since my last e-mail several weeks ago.
Well, I think that pretty much sums up the past month. I hope to update sooner next time. Until then!
I guess it's that time again. It's almost been a week since my last entry. Not much has happened, though. I haven't started my new job yet. My official start date is July 25. They will begin training me before then, however, which is a good thing, considering John, my new manager, leaves on vacation July 24 and will be gone my first week on the job. That will be interesting. I'm sure that's when everything will go wrong.
I still haven't been matched with a Little. I e-mailed my Match Support Coordinator (I think that's her title) for an update, but she didn't have one. It's too bad - there are a lot of kids out there that need a positive, male adult role model. I appreciate the desire to match brothers based on comparable interests; however, it seems to me that the delay ends up hurting the children. I guess I'm just being impatient.
And school...well, I've been procrastinating on that lately. I need to complete four tasks by the end of August. Possible, but not easy. *sigh* I really want to graduate in 2011, but I don't seem to have any motivation at the moment. Any suggestions?
That's about it. There might be more I could mention, but I'm pretty tired and I have to wake up early tomorrow. Maybe I'll edit this entry later...nah. Have a great night!
During the past two weeks, I worked more than 120 hours, so I'm sure you can understand why I didn't post earlier. The extra money will certainly be nice -- it's paying for a trip to D.C. in October, which I'll talk about later -- but I had to take two (paid) days off this week to make up for the weekend I missed last week. Instead of doing homeworking like I planned, though, I've been playing Sims 3. I have tomorrow...
I haven't heard anything about the job I applied for two weeks ago. I'm pretty sure, though, that the hiring manager will begin interviewing this week. *crosses fingers* I really hope I get it, and if what I've heard (that I'm the top candidate) is any indication, I'm pretty sure I will. Oh, in my last entry, I told you I bought a suit to prepare for my interview. Here are two pictures of it:
To further prepare for the interview, I made an appointment at the Sanctuary Day Spa & Salon for a haircut and manicure tomorrow morning. The package I booked also includes a deep tissue massage, which will be nice. I've never treated myself to something like this before, so I'm really excited.
I received a letter from Big Brothers Big Sisters a few days after my last post. It took longer than expected, but I was finally accepted into the program! The process of finding a Little for me will no doubt be quite long, but I'm excited. I hope I'm matched with someone before the end of summer - Lagoon isn't open all year!
I also talked about Dr. Bentley's Pops Concert in my last entry. The songs we as alumni sang were recorded and posted on Facebook. I don't think you need to be a member of the group or Facebook to view them, so check them out: Defying Gravity and For Good.
Mistaken - I'm sad to see you deleted your Facebook account. My schedule is wide open for your visit next week, so give me a call and we'll get together: (801)867-1322. It'll be nice to see you again! As for what I like and dislike about Sims 3...
Likes:
Being able to walk seamlessly around town is awesome! You can visit neighbors and commercial lots without load screens, allowing you to fully immerse yourself into the neighborhood.
The addition of traits, such as "Family Oriented," "Good" (and its counterpart, "Evil"), and "Workaholic," allows you to customize your Sims' personalities, far above what you were able to do in Sims and Sims 2.
The "moodlets" are pretty cool. They can positively and/or negatively affect your mood, and they can be obtained by certain events, such as moving into a new home (a mood booster) or getting burglarized (a mood buster).
The stories of your neighbors continue to progress. They age, have children, quit their jobs and find new ones, and move out of town. It balances out the neighborhood. If you don't want the stories to progress, you can turn it (and aging) off, which is another plus.
Dislikes:
Weather, which was added to Sims 2 via the Seasons expansion pack, is nowhere to be found. Weather should be a standard feature, but I'm pretty sure it will be added again in a future expansion pack.
Apartments, which were added to Sims 2 via the Apartment Life expansion pack, have been removed, too. Like the weather, I'm sure these will come back at some point.
Where are the pets?! Another expansion pack, I'm sure.
EA is really trying to milk as much money as they can from consumers this time. In addition to the inevitable expansion packs mentioned above, they have a store, which I haven't been able to download items from, with tons of objects and other items you can buy with SimPoints. How do you get SimPoints? Well, other than the 1,000 SimPoints you are given for registering your game, you have to spend real money to get them.
I'm sure there are other likes and dislikes, but those are the only ones I can think of at the moment.
As mentioned at the beginning of this entry, I'm going to Washington, D.C. this October. We're staying for four days, and we'll be attending the National Equality March at the Mall. Our flight is booked, and we have a room reserved at the JW Marriott Hotel Washington, DC, which is located steps away from the White House on Pennsylvania Avenue. I'm so excited! It'll be my first time in the Nation's capital.
Well, that's about it for now. Thanks for reading!
So, yeah...way past my once-a-week post! Sorry. Honestly, I haven't been motivated to do much lately. I am supposed to be writing an essay comparing and contrasting three paintings for school (anyone want to "help"?), but instead, I'm updating the blog I've neglected for the past two weeks. Now that we know where my priorities lie...
Okay, what's happened since I last posted? My oldest nephew, Tyler, had his missionary farewell a week ago yesterday, and left on...Wednesday, I believe. Even though I no longer consider myself Mormon, I'm sure he will be an excellent representative of the Church. I can't believe how fast time flies, though! It seems like just yesterday my brother, James, and I were babysitting him and his brother, Dallin.
A week ago today was Dr. Bentley's final choir concert, as mentioned in my last entry. It was definitely bittersweet singing the alumni songs ("Defying Gravity" and "For Good" from the musical Wicked) we prepared and watching Dr. Bentley and his wife, Becky, ball their eyes out. It was very powerful. I have to admit that I cried, and honestly, blogging about this is bringing up a lot of emotions, too (I take after my mom and sisters). Five others from my year were there, and I wish more had participated. It was good to see them again, even though most of them rarely talk to me anymore. I hope we have a reunion sometime this summer, but I doubt we will, unfortunately.
Okay, what's next? Oh, the position I mentioned in this entry opened up last week. Obviously, I applied. I bought a very nice suit on Saturday, and I've been practicing interviewing with my manager for the past several months, so I'm sure I will do fine. The posting doesn't close until June 11, so it will be awhile before I hear anything, but I'm excited. I've heard from a few sources that I'm the top candidate, so wish me luck. It wouldn't be a huge pay increase, but I'm not disappointed. I'm just looking forward to more responsibility and visibility. I will keep you updated, of course.
I ordered Sims 3 from Amazon.com awhile ago and received it on Friday. Needless to say, I've been spending much of my time playing it, making it difficult to finish my homework. It's pretty fun, and since I'm not sure how many of you actually play the Sims series, I won't go into much detail about what I like and don't like about this new version. I asked Sean to hide it for me so I would write my paper tonight, but we can see how well that's working...
In addition to buying a suit on Saturday, Sean and I checked in to the Salt Lake City Center Marriott for the evening. It was Pride this weekend, and we always enjoy staying downtown for the festivities. Last year, we stayed at the Hotel Monaco. Both hotels are very nice and I recommend them to anyone visiting Salt Lake. Anyway, Paula Poundstone performed Saturday night. She was pretty funny, and we watched her until it started raining. On Sunday morning, we woke up to more fun, but we didn't let that stop us from enjoying the parade. We did, however, go home afterward instead of going to festival, which is kind of disappointing. I hope next year will be more dry.
Although I'd love to update you on Big Brothers Big Sisters, not much has happened. I've called the woman who interviewed me several times, but I always get her voicemail and she never calls me back. Someone else, however, finally got around to contacting another one of my references, Sean's mom, Julianne. I'm sure it will be another two weeks before they call the rest of my contacts, Sean and my boss, Jeff.
That pretty much brings us to today. I've had the Manhattan Clique remix of Katy Perry's "Waking Up In Vegas" stuck in my head. I swear I've played it at least fifty times today, and no, I'm not exaggerating. It's the only way I know how to get songs out of my head. I wish I could buy it, but I've only been able to find the song on YouTube, which I've included for your listening pleasure.
Well, I think it's time to go to bed. Wish me luck on writing the essay I keep putting off, and I hope to post again next week. Be like Mistaken and remind me to update this blog if I..."forget" to. It helps to know that people actually read it! Now I need to pester Sean into posting again...
Goodnight!
EDIT: I was able to find "Defying Gravity" on YouTube, but I couldn't find a good version of "For Good":
I don't have anything to say, really (other than the fact I'm bored and nothing is entertaining me). It's getting harder and harder to find something to blog about, but I'm still going to stick to it. That right there, folks, is dedication. Now if only I could be more dedicated to school...
Speaking of school, I passed my Fundamentals of Marketing and Business Communication course. I was kind of worried since I hadn't studied as much as I should have, but I'm happy I made it through another class. Only 16 more course to complete before I graduate...think I can do it in two years? *sigh* I procrastinate too much.
Sean, Mike (Sean's dad), and I had a good time last night. First, we went out to eat at Flemings with Julianne (Sean's mom). Even though it is a little expensive (I'm not even going to mention how much I spent last night), their food is so good. We then saw Angels and Demons. It's been a long time since I read the book, but I liked it better than The Da Vinci Code. I'm excited to read Dan Brown's next book, The Lost Symbol, which touches on Freemasonry.
I don't have any Big Brother updates for you. Only one of my five references have been called, which is a little disappointing, but I'm patient...somewhat. I'll probably give them a call on Monday to check on their progress since I was supposed to hear from them by today.
My old supervisor was promoted to manager the other day. I'm excited. Why? Because I'm going to apply for his position when it's posted in a few months. :) Hopefully, I'll have better luck than when I applied for a manager of Customer Relationship Management position. I wasn't even interviewed, which was really disappointing since I felt I had a good chance.
Well, for someone who didn't have much to say, I certainly wrote a lot...
I interviewed with Big Brothers Big Sisters a week ago yesterday. It went well, I think. I should hear from them within the next week if I am accepted into the program, and the process of matching me with a Little Brother begins, which could take a few months, unfortunately. I'm very excited to be a Big Brother. In fact, I already have a few activities in mind. I'll continue to update you on the progress, of course.
On Thursday, I saw the new Star Trek movie with Sean and his family. I thought it was excellent! Although some Trekkies are disappointed with the changes that were made to the Star Trek universe, I feel it gave new life to a nearly-dead franchise, gaining new, younger fans. They, the Star Trek producers, writers, directors, et cetera, can take the series in a new direction without being tied down by the original time line and story. It'll be interesting to see what happens with this franchise in the future.
Here's a video mocking the disappointed Trekkies from The Onion:
We also saw "Transmorfers: Mormon Meets the Eye" at The Off Broadway Theatre. It wasn't as funny as some of the other plays I've seen there, but it was still good. Afterward, we went to Keys on Main, which was really fun. We were all pretty tired, though, so we left early. I'm sure we'll go back sometime soon.
Yesterday, we walked in Salt Lake City's Race for the Cure. More than 18,000 individuals participated (about 100 of them from my work), raising several thousand dollars. It was nice to get out and enjoy the nice weather in support of a good cause - breast cancer. I am grateful my mom was able to overcome this disease several years ago, and I walked in celebration of her.
Although someone may be watching you, Orwell's 1984 is not the subject of this blog; instead, I'm referring to Big Brothers Big Sisters, whose mission is "to help children reach their potential through professionally supported, one-to-one relationships with mentors that have a measurable impact on youth."
As most of you probably know (since I mentioned it on Facebook and The Mo-Board), I applied to be a Big Brother. My boss has been encouraging me to volunteer outside of work (he recognized a need to develop myself), I'm good with kids (I often babysat my nieces and nephews when they were younger), and I attended a networking breakfast last Saturday where I met another Big Brother who talked about the program, so I decided being a Big Brother would be a good opportunity for me.
I have an interview with the organization on Saturday. They'll get to know me, run a criminal background check (obviously - they wouldn't want predators working one-on-one with children), and begin contacting my references. I'm attending an orientation next Tuesday (a week after tomorrow), as well. I'm really looking forward to it. After all, I'm a kid at heart sometimes, and I'll enjoy playing video games, attending sporting events (*gasp* "Did Andrew just say he would attend sporting events?"), hiking, cooking, and hanging out with a child.
If I'm accepted into the program, I'll be sure to continue blogging about my experiences as a Big Brother. Which kind of leads me to my next issue; my last post only received ONE comment (thanks, Sally)?! Granted, I didn't write much to comment on, but that's beside the point. You need to step up and make it worthwhile for me to blog! :-p
Until next week...
EDIT: Make that two comments on my last entry. Just because I say "goodnight" doesn't mean I'm actually going to bed, James. :-)
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