Thursday, June 19, 2008

I've got --Tagged!

Well, I was hoping that I would be able to evade the game of tag.  I always did poorly at playing tag, partly because I DID want to get caught by the boys!  Hey, that's how girls work.  They say that they hate being chased by boys but in reality, they want to be chased and to be caught.  Admit it, all you girls know what I'm talking about.
Okay, here it goes, mind you my answers involve my children because they were and are a major part of my life:
10 years ago I was....
Preparing for Tyler to be married.  I thought he was young to be getting married, but hey, I got married at nineteen and so did  his dad.  What can I say.   I had 2 grandchildren, Seth and Cade.  I still had Troy, Trent, Tracie, HayLee, and Taylor living at home.  I started substituting at Canyon View Jr. High in the Life Skills class with Mrs. Cook.  And I loved it.  It was from this point that I started subbing for other schools and  found that I totally love teaching.  Still serving in the primary as a counselor.   
5 years ago I was....
Grandchildren by 2 more, making it 4:   Seth, Cade, Tyson, Madeleine.  Trent  graduated in 1999 and then went on his mission to Thailand in 2000. Returned home in 2002.  Troy married Jennifer  in 1999, and they had Maddie in 2001.  Tyler and Cheryl had Tyson in  August 2000.  Tracie and HayLee were involved with a singing group and also did the play Cinderella.  That was a lot of fun for the family to go and watch them in their performances.   Got released from primary and was called as compassionate service leader for a year.  
It was while I was serving as compassionate leader  (2004) when I had my accident with my foot.  I was going down the stairs in my home, carrying a large box of food for the funeral of our dear neighbor.  I thought that I was on the bottom step and stepped out.  I landed on the rock floor with my high heeled sandal and crushed my foot down, twisting as I went.  The food flew everywhere.  The pain was so intense that I nearly passed out.  I would give birth again with no medication before I would go through that pain again.  I called out.  Tracie was in the upstairs bathroom on the phone, the fan running.  She couldn't hear me.  Danielle was in the downstairs bathroom getting ready for a doctors appointment.  She heard me screaming and came running.  I told her I was hurt, to get the phone and call Alan.  I could barely talk , the pain being so intense.  She called Alan and then she handed me the phone.  I tried talking to Alan but could barely get out any words to inform him that I was hurt, and it was bad. I told Danielle to gather up the strewn food and take it over to the church for the funeral.  I waited on the stairs for Alan to come home. Alan had called the paramedics on the way home, and they showed up before he did.  Alan had also called the bishop and he ran over from the church to be with me until Alan arrived.  So I was hauled off to the hospital in the ambulance after getting hooked up with some good feeling drugs.  The hospital staff said that I had just sprained my foot.  They wrapped up my foot and placed me on some crutches and out the door I went.  But six months later I found myself in the hospital ready to have surgery on my foot that was supposedly sprained.  That was a hard year.  
Yesterday I was...
Getting ready for RS enrichment night.  I was called to be on the enrichment committee, as well as the activities committee after being released from young women's.   I have had a hard time adjusting to the new callings.  I loved working with the young women.  But I'm getting older and I guess they needed some young blood.  We had a light dinner at our enrichment activity, and we had a sister in the stake come and do a reading about the Prophet Joseph as his mother, Lucy Mack Smith.  It was a great evening.  
5 favorite snacks....
chocolate.....just about anything chocolate, but I am particular, chocolate kisses, Hershey bars especially with toffee bits.  (symphony), all nut bridge mix.  
chips and dip ...and along that same line..cheetos...but not too often
homemade chocolate chip cookies....used to make them sooo many times in one week, but now I cook very rarely, hey I'll eat those dang cookies if they are around.  No self control at all.  
almonds....  I love nuts, but hazel nuts don't love me
5 favorite books....
Follow River
Hey I'm Alive
The Children of the Promise series
The Tennis Shoes series
The Twilight series
Really anything church related.  I especially like historical books.  I'll read anything history related.  
5 Favorite Movies....
The Saint
Sound of Music
Great Escape
Princess Bride
Eighties movies:  Sixteen Candles, Breakfast Club, Pretty in Pink, 
Braveheart
5 favorite places to runaway to......
The movies, I absolutely love going to the movies....just give me a bag of popcorn and I'm in  heaven
The mountains...I love listening to the birds sing and the breeze in the trees....the peace that's found there
My wonderful, comfortable bed....with a good book is the best
Anywhere where Alan is...we loved walking on the beach together in CA.... it was wonderful
With our friends .... just being together 
5 bad habits......
procrastinating....I think that just about everyone procrastinates..except Jen, she's a go-er and do-er
too quick to be upset about things
too picky.....I need to just relax sometimes
 judgmental....I am trying to work on this one 
swearing.....it's trying being married to someone who does not swear....but I am getting better
5 things I would never wear...
my shirt tucked in...never have and never will
a bikini
a thong...tried to one time,  never again
mismatched clothes....(see picky)
bright blue eyeshadow.....a thing of the eighties
5 pet peeves.....
people who drive under the speed limit..especially when I'm in a hurry
phone sales people who just won't listen to you when you say, "Not interested!"
people who talk when they just need to be quite...movies...listening to speakers....church
people who litter..don't clean up after themselves
fake people....those that think that they are a bag of chips and everything else
5 things I enjoy.....
my husband
my children
my grandchildren
the above are all givens, I know, but it's true
hotfudge/banana shakes,  yummm the best!
smelling freshly baked bread, reading, eating, scrapping, napping, shopping
5 favorite TV shows...
all time favorite--Andy Griffith...still love to watch
24
AMC black and white movies..they make you have a good cry sometimes
Stargate SG1
those make it, fix it, clean it shows and recently American Idol
5 people I would like to meet.....(I'll follow Austin's blog)
Dead:
Jesus Christ
Captain Moroni, Captain Teancuam (sp?), Nephi
George Washington
Joseph Smith
Marilyn Monroe
Alive:
Thomas S. Monson
Mel Gibson
Steven Spielberg ( sorry I copied you Austin, but he is a genius)
Arnold S.  (I won't even attempt to try and spell his name, you know the governor of CA)
David Archuleta
Well, that was a pretty long post.  Hope that you enjoyed reading it.  I promise not to have them so long next time.  But it was fun.  I haven't posted a 100 blogs, so don't go looking for my hundred things about me just yet. It's too hard on the brain to figure out what to say.  

Wednesday, June 11, 2008

My First Job: An A&W carhop

My access to the real world came when I applied for my first job. I applied for my first job in the summer after my junior year of high school.  My sister Terry had applied at the A&W Drive In and was working there when I decided to find a job.  My senior year was coming up and I needed money for the fees that were required for Tigerettes.  I was required to earn my own money for just about everything that I needed and wanted.  I was a little nervous about applying for the job, but Terry put my fears to rest because she had told me that her employer was really nice.  I met with Leon Childs, the owner, for my interview. Terry had been an excellent employee so Mr. Childs, I think, thought that I would be a good hire.  My interview went off without a hitch. He told me that he would give me a call if a position opened up.  I didn't have to wait too long.  I remember being extremely excited when Mr. Childs called an asked if I could come to work. Yes, a job!  I found working to be very fun.  I not only earned money, but I also gained somewhat of a social life that I had never had before. I found it rewarding working with other people and getting to know them. 
I remember my first day on the job was thrilling, exciting, and very nerve wracking. I was sent into a back room and was asked to find a uniform that fit.  All of the new uniforms were either too small or too big, so I ended up wearing an old, outdated uniform, which made me feel uncomfortable. I looked different compared to all of the other girls, and I hated having to look different.  I was way too self conscience. I didn't like being the center of attention, and being dressed different made me stand out from the others.  I didn't like was what we had to wear while working:  skirts, with shirts tucked in.  The skirt was okay, but I never tucked in my shirts and still don't to this day. But, when in Rome, do as the Romans do, right? So I tucked my shirt in.  Later we were asked to wear dresses. Pretty hard to be modest in dresses, especially when you have to bend over to clean things up.
I was trained pretty fast on what to do (you had to be, that's why it's called "Fast Food").   There was a lot to remember.  I had to learn how to answer the order phone and write down the patrons orders. Memorizing the menu and the prices took some time.  My math skills of addition were put to use full time in this job, everything was done long hand, no computers to print out the orders.  I had to learn how to count back money while car hopping and do it quickly.  The hardest part of the job was carrying the trays out to the cars.  Sometimes the trays were loaded with  several rootbeer mugs, and  I'm talking about large mugs of rootbeer.  So to maneuver between the parked cars and carrying a loaded tray was very tricky.  One time I dropped a heavily loaded tray right on top of this guys car, spilling everything everywhere.  The guy wasn't too happy with me.  There were other occasions that I dumped the trays, but they got fewer and far between.  I learned the trick of carrying trays and developed some pretty strong muscles in my arms.  I was buff!!!  I also learned how to make the homemade rootbeer.  It was quite the process.  We used specially made syrup for A&W rootbeer, 50 lbs of sugar, water, and dry ice.  Then you had to mix the rootbeer using a special mixing sieve.  I also learned how to cook all of the menu items, even the hand dipped halibut fish and chips.  Yummm!  My favorite menu item was the rootbeer freezes.  I would bring home many for my dad, he loved them too. 
There were many opportunities to flirt with the cute guys.  Hey, that was half the fun of working! On one particular Saturday evening, a bunch of guys from Provo High came to A&W to hang out. All of the girls workers were freaking out because they were all cute.  Now I was dating Alan at the time, but that didn't mean I couldn't flirt, right?  After all, Alan was one of the biggest flirts I knew, and fairs fair. There was one particular boy from Provo that kept flirting with me, his name was Craig.  He kept after me and I was loving the attention. What girl wouldn't.  He had asked me a question that I will never forget.  He asked me if I was thorney (minus the "t").  Now being terribly naive, I thought that he was asking me if I wore horned-rimmed glasses, I didn't give him a straightforward answer.    I said, "Well, maybe I am, and maybe I'm not."   I didn't want him to know that I wore glasses.  Remember in my earlier posts,  it's  just not cool to wear glasses.  I was too embarrassed to talk to him after that.  I never went back outside.  It wasn't until a couple of years later that I found out what he was really talking about.  Man was I naive.  
There were many days that work was terribly busy.  Those days were dubbed, "Being Bombed."  After the summer was over, and I started back to my senior year of school, I had to quit work.  It was too hard asking for every weekend off for all the times that were required for Tigerettes.  I didn't really want to quit, I was having too much fun.  And I loved the money.  I laugh now when I realize how much I was  making an hour, $1.15, which wasn't too bad at the time.  
After my senior year of school I went back to A&W and asked Mr. Childs to hire me back.  He gave me the job and I put my whole heart into it.  I worked hard and earned the supervisor position.  My wage increased to a whooping $1.65 an hour.  Wow!  The supervisor position required you to be in charge of all the employees on your shift.  Also, you were required to count the money on the night shift and place it in the safe and lock up the building.  Many times Alan would come and visit me on my shift during my break.   I would give him my discount of half-price for the food, not taking any for myself.   He loved the Teen Burgers and I would make them extra special for him. Sometimes he would show up close to closing time and wait for me, I would call home telling my folks that I had a ride and that they wouldn't need to pick me up.  I looked forward to those times.  
Looking back now on my experience of working at A &W, I have fond memories.  I wish that I hadn't quit working before I got married.  I could have worked and been married at the same time, but something in my brain said, "You're getting married, you don't need to work."  How dumb was that?  I could have contributed to the family income, a small amount, but every little bit helps.  
The above photo of the drive-in is not where I worked, it's just a picture of an A&W.  The A&W I worked at is  in Provo where the Stevenettes Ice Cream Shop is now located. The photo of the logo on the can is what the A&W logo looked like when I worked there.  It has changed a bit since, but the orange and brown logo is what I remember.