Tonight one of the co-owners of the store decided to make supper for her family. She often does her cooking at the store, so I got to peek over her shoulder several times as she cooked her supper. Not only did she make the usual rice and greens and veggies, but she cooked up some fresh squid to go along with it. These squid had just been purchased in Chicago, and they were the whole thingies. So each one had to be cut open, have the ink pouch and beak removed, and then be cut into pieces. How unusual!
When the food was all done, my boss, Sam, offered me a plate of the food. I was so tickled, and asked if I could take it home. When I got home, my oldest three children were still awake, so I offered them part of my squid dinner. At first they said they’d like to try it, but when they saw the curled tentacles, they quickly backed away from my dish and decided they weren’t feeling quite as adventurous as they thought.
The food was spicy and delicious, and the squid was quite chewy.
At least I can say that my workplace offers something new and interesting almost every day.

Last Sunday marked the first week anniversary of my new job.  What a week!  In summary, I will say that the work is interesting, and at the same time challenging, yet still fun.  I can’t help but feel like I’m “playing store”, collecting money from customers, arranging stock on shelves, keeping the store clean, etc.

One of my bosses challenged me to push myself to learn still more about the cheeses and other products in the store, and I have taken him seriously.  Every time I’m there I write down a few more names of cheeses, and then later at home, I pull out my paper and read about these cheeses online.  I’m learning so much about history and cheese and food in general.  It makes a difference, too, when I go back to work, and recognize some of my new friends in the cheese case.  For instance, yesterday my eye caught a glimpse of the “Maytag Blue” cheese, and I smiled a greeting, remembering what I had read about the son of the guy who started the Maytag appliance company, wanting to make a name for himself, and researching and developing his very own blue cheese, with the help of scientists, in the great state of Iowa.   Now the Maytag Blue is not a stranger, but a friend with a story.  I can’t wait until someone wants to know about that cheese and I can tell them this interesting tale.    I suppose all this research is a bit like having homework, but it’s a pleasant study, and I can learn at my own pace.

Meanwhile, back at home, I am challenged to be much more productive with my time.  No longer can I take long afternoon naps and procrastinate on projects.  Time is short, so I must be diligent.  I’m sorry to say that it has been a good discipline, though I do still miss my more leisurely days.

Today I receive my first paycheck.  I’m so excited.  I can’t wait to put it in the bank and get it sent off to the credit card people.  That’s my whole reason for doing this!

Oh, of interesting note:  my co-worker quit yesterday.  So now I’m the only “underling” at the store.  I sure hope my bosses decide to hire someone else to help with the mopping at the end of the day. 

It has been three days since I started my new job. Since everything is still new to me, I find that I’m learning a great deal with every new day. And even though the work is sometimes hard, I still look forward to my next shift.
I realize that it’s impossible to judge the merits of this job and our new situation after only half of a week of work. But if I were to make a judgment, I would say that it’s going very well, and this seems to be the perfect job for me. I’m still amazed at how it all worked out, and I marvel at what seems to be God’s hand in directing me there.
All in all, I’m eager to continue on this course for a while.
I would like to say a special thank you to my family for being so supportive. Michael and the children are very excited and willing to compensate for the gap in me being gone. My mother and sister have been so encouraging, and both of them have stopped into the store to see me. My sister invited me out to shop in her store of dressy maternity clothes, so now I’m all set with beautiful things to wear to work, and I didn’t have to go buy anything new (other than a few needed undergarments).  What a blessing!
Thank you!

Yesterday Laura and I went to a local store called World Gourmet to enjoy their “tasting party” that they have every Saturday from 11 a.m. – 5 p.m.  When we walked in the door, I noticed a “Help Needed” sign on the door.  I found that interesting, since I’ve sort of been looking for a part-time job.  I texted Michael that this store was looking for help, and he texted back that he thought it would be fine for me to inquire about it.  He has been talking for a while about getting a second job in order to help pay off the last of our debt more quickly, and I’ve argued that he doesn’t need to be gone from home any more.  Michael agreed that it was fine with him if I wanted to get a job while he stayed home with the kids, but then it was up to me to actually look for that job, and to find a place that needs help in the evenings and weekends.  So, here was a sign, literally, and I decided to at least see what they were looking for.  I was amazed at how nervous I was at the prospect of asking for work.  It’s harder than I thought it would be.

The co-owner of the store was very kind, but I couldn’t help but feel a bit unqualified when he asked me, “Do you have any experience in this line of work?”  I have absolutely NO retail experience.  None.  I’ve never operated a cash register.  I’ve only ever had desk jobs.  But the owner still handed me an application and said it would be fine for me to fill that out.

I went home with my application in hand, wondering what to do.  Michael and I talked about the various pros and cons, and finally decided I should at least turn in an application.  So I filled it out, and took it back to the store a little after 5 p.m. that same day.  I kept shaking my head, wondering what made me think these people wanted to hire a pregnant lady with no retail experience.

A few hours later,  I wasn’t near my phone, and didn’t rush to answer it when it rang, forgetting that it might be important.  A half hour later I finally remembered to check my messages, and there was a phone call from the man I had met earlier that day at World Gourmet.  I called him back, and he explained that he was very happy with my application, and he’d like to offer me a job.  I was completely amazed.  I explained that one piece of information I hadn’t yet shared with him is that I’m pregnant, and I didn’t know if he wanted to hire someone who would not be able to work after December.  He said that was fine, as long as I felt comfortable working while pregnant.  After we worked that out, he again offered me the job, and this time I accepted.

On my application I had indicated that I was available “immediately”, and I guess they took me literally, because I was put on the schedule for today.  So, one morning I woke up without a job, and the next morning I woke up with a job.

My first day of work went really well.  I did stuff that I was able to do with minimal instruction, such as straightening shelves, washing dishes and cleaning surfaces.  I’m eager to learn the other things, such as running the cash register, cutting cheeses from the deli, or waiting on people in the little cafe. But all in all, if my job ends up being just “grunt work”, I can handle that.  If nothing else, it’s a great workout!  I’ve been needing more exercise, and this job is definitely good exercise.

The children are terribly curious about my job.  They’ve never experienced me with an outside job.

So far, this is a fun adventure so far… at the end of Day One.  We’ll see how it goes.

My mom is a neverending song in my heart of comfort, happiness, and being. I may sometimes forget the words but I always remember the tune.

~Graycie Harmon

I suppose it would make more sense to have posted this quote somewhere around Mother’s Day. It would also make sense for me to save this for next Monday, which is my mother’s birthday. But I just re-found the paper it was scribbled on, and I’m afraid it will get lost again before I remember to post it at the right time.

So, Happy Early Birthday, Mom!

Love,
Christie

Yesterday we awoke to a rainy, cold, dreary Independence Day. It’s amazing that just a few weeks ago it was smotheringly hot outside, and now we’re wearing jackets… in July! Anyway, after I slept in late (thanks to Michael getting up with the kids), I decided to head to the Farmer’s Market. The Market goes on, rain or shine, and I needed a few things. By the time I said yes to all the people who wanted to go with me, and then loaded up in the van, and then tried to find a parking place… I wasn’t sure I still wanted to go to the Farmer’s Market. But finally we were there.
We walked around, admiring the beautiful things, and then were surprised by a man at a bakery booth asking if the children were hungry and if they’d like a cinnamon roll or a chocolate croissant. Turns out, due to the rain, he was closing his booth early, and didn’t want to haul his baked goods back to the shop. We all eagerly accepted a treat, and as we walked away, I took the first bite of mine. Oooooh, it was delicious. After mulling it over for a minute, I headed back to the booth to ask if I might impose by asking for just one more treat to take to my husband. The answer was, “Of course! In fact, take this whole bag!” I was so shocked to receive a bag of about 8 more goodies. What a fortune!

Now that we were happily munching on rolls, we headed to the vegetable section to get down to business. I was able to find the things on my list, and then we headed home. It was fun to hand out goodies at home and tell our story of being given the sweet treats.

Then it was time to make the festive cupcakes Amelia had been waiting patiently to make. We mixed up the cake batter, stirred in the red and blue stars and stripes sprinkles, and the scooped out the cupcakes. Once they were baked and cooling, I turned to the next task: making blueberry jello parfaits with Luke. Quick as a wink, those were done and chilling in the fridge. By this time, I was ready for a break, so after reading a few books to the kids, I headed to my bed for a rest.

After a short rest, I got up and started making homemade salsa for our supper birthday party. It was to have a Guatemalan theme, and I thought homemade salsa would be nice.

Before I knew it, we were loading up into the van and heading to my folks’ house. The party went very well, and we headed home after 7 pm.

It had been raining all day, and was still drizzling, but the radio reports were that the fireworks would still take place. So after we got home, and I decided I still had the gumption to take kids to a fireworks display, I loaded back into the van with Luke, Amelia, Miguel and Judah. Everyone else stayed at home.

We got to our local park and made our way to the viewing area for the fireworks. The kids pestered me with lots of questions about when the show would start, and how they would know when it started. I kept assuring them that they would know, without a doubt, when the fireworks display was happening.

At long last, the fireworks started! It was a very nice 25-minute show that seemed to be over way too soon. Then we gathered our things and headed back to our vehicle. Thanks to some well-placed traffic police, we were able to get out of the area very quickly, and were home in no time.

As promised, we had our jello parfaits with lots of whipped cream on top. Yummy!

Around 10:30 pm the children were finally sent to bed, and Michael and I wondered how we would ever get to church on time the next morning.

All in all, it was a nice day, with the rain finally lifting shortly before the fireworks display. The children seemed to enjoy our various festivities. I’m looking forward to hearing them talk about it as they remember the best parts.