Changes

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 Jenkins thought 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!

Good Times, Bad News

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...

Good night!

Let's Call The Whole Thing Off

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!

Vacation, All I Ever Wanted

I am currently sitting in the small, yet comfortable condominium we (the Welfy Clan) rented in Oceanside, California, and I am rushing to finish this entry before dinner at 333 Pacific (side-note: I wasn't able to and am now finishing this a day later). We arrived on Sunday, after an uncomfortable one-night stay at the Residence Inn Las Vegas Convention Center, primarily due to the 108-degree heat, but the hotel itself wasn't as good as others I/we have stayed at. The weather here in Oceanside has been very pleasant, though.

We've spent most of our time in the condo, on the beach, and in the hot tub. It's a short walk to the ocean, and the water is comfortable once you get used to it (I didn't actually go swimming, though, because I don't like swimming in bodies of water I can't see the bottom of).

On Wednesday, we ate lunch at Ruby's Diner. It was here we found out Proposition 8 had been ruled unconstitutional. Sean and I began talking about getting married, but that conversation ended when we found out a temporary stay had been issued.



Paradise? Not quite, but it's pretty close. I prefer quieter white-sand beaches, warm crystal-clear water, and skimpier bathing suits.  (EDIT: Photobucket decided a picture of two attractive men in skimpy bathing suits violated their terms of use.  Lame.)

Well, Sean wants to watch an episode of Mad Men, plus it's late, and we're waking up early tomorrow to begin our long drive back home (ugh). Goodnight!

To see more pictures from our vacation, please visit my mother-in-law's blog, Welfyville.

Ramblings

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!