Youth Rally

This past Saturday night, my church had a youth rally with Greg Lentz. Unfortunately, I couldn't go because I had to work, but Sam got to go. I had to work 11am - 7pm, and Sam went to work with me and waited around there until Bro. Charles picked him up around 4pm or so. He wandered around the store some, spent some money he had earned last week, and sat out in the car listening to music and reading a book.

When I went out to the car to go home, the car wouldn't start. I noticed right away that although the air was turned off, the fan setting was set on high. I knew then what had happened. Sam had been sitting out there listening to the car's radio and running the air conditioner on high. He had run down my battery, and I wanted to ring his neck as soon as I got him back home from church.

Well, when I picked him up, I didn't have the heart any more. All the way home, he excitedly told me all about the youth rally and went on to tell me that he had rededicated his life to Christ. I was so pleased that I couldn't make a big deal about the car battery.

The next morning, at the end of the worship service, Sam went forward and told the whole church about his decision the night before. I couldn't have been prouder!

Vehicle-Less

Last week was interesting. I was without a vehicle. Let me back up and give you the history first.

When we bought my car almost three and a half years ago, Scott told me that the clutch was going out and would need to be replaced soon. I believe it is a testimony to my good driving that it lasted until last weekend. I thank the Lord that when it went out completely it was sitting in Scott's driveway.

So, Scott managed to get it to a friend's shop where it remained for just about a week. That left me vehicle-less on a week when I was scheduled to work every day Monday - Friday. I didn't know how I was going to get to work and back every day!

That Sunday night at church, I asked my pastor if he knew of anyone with an extra car that I could borrow for the week. He didn't, but he pointed out a man for me to talk to. Well, that man rounded up several of the old men in the church, and they took my work schedule and assigned days and times for each of them to take me to work and bring me back home. What a blessing!!

Now, I'm one of those people who gets to work right on time (or even a few minutes late on occasion). Not last week!! You know how old men are...if you're not 20 minutes early, you're late. Haha! So, I was nice and early every day. Too bad it didn't stick. This week, I've already gone back to my old habits.

Happy Birthday, Mom!!!

Today would have been my mom's 69th birthday. It's always been a bittersweet day for me, ever since she passed away over 7 years ago. Every year, I think back to great times I had with her, and this year was no exception. Today, my thoughts centered on the greatest vaction we had together, along with Dad and my aunt Kitty.

In the summer of 1995 (while I was pregnant with Sam), we took a road trip from our home in McAllen, TX, to the west coast. We visited San Diego, Hollywood, and the beach, as well as Las Vegas, the Grand Canyon, Hoover Dam, and Gallup, NM, where Mom and Dad had met over 30 years earlier.

Here are a few pictures, featuring Mom, from that awesome trip.


This is Mom and me in Beverly Hills.



This is Mom and Dad in Beverly Hills.



This is Mom, Kitty, and me at the beach. It was the first and only time any of us had been to the Pacific Ocean.



This is Mom and Kitty at the Grand Canyon.



This is Mom at Four-Corners.



My mom was always up for an adventure and didn't even mind camping out in tents when we that was the only way we could afford to travel. I sure do miss her and her zest for life.

Move That Body!

One of the hardest things for me is getting in my cardio workout. I'm too busy, I'm too tired, or I'm just too lazy. Today, I decided to start fitting it in whenever/wherever I can.

I work as a cashier at Walmart, and I had to be there at 7:00 this morning. When I first got there, they put me on the self-checkout monitor. Now, at 7am, there are hardly any customers in the store and even fewer using self-checkout. I realized that provided the perfect opportunity to walk. I walked as fast as I could in the confined area, lifting my knees high with each step, and I managed to fit in 20 minutes of exercise.

Before walking today, I was feeling tired, barely awake; but after walking, I felt a burst of energy to get me through the morning. After having done my strength training yesterday for the first time in a long time, my legs were sore and stiff. The walking helped them loosen up and not feel so achy.

From now on, I'm not going to accept any excuses from myself for not exercising. I will find a way to fit it into my day.

I Love Making Money!

In my blog post dated March 9 ("The Saving Game"), I talked about my most recent shopping trip at Kroger. I talked all about how I had saved with coupons and in-store specials, but I failed to mention one thing. After checking out, I looked at my receipt and realized that there was a promotional with Martinsville Speedway, and my purchases had qualified me for two free tickets to the NASCAR race there next weekend. Now, I'm not a NASCAR fan, and I probably wouldn't attend the race, even if it were the one here in Bristol. However, I saw a money-making opportunity there.

I called the number on my receipt and received my two free tickets which I then listed on ebay. This morning, when I woke up, the current bid was just over $26. When the auction ended, three minutes later, the ending sale price was $50.02. Woohoo!! Gotta love getting $50 for free!!!

I'll Take the Blame!

Have you ever known someone who couldn't take the blame for anything? I think we've all known people who couldn't ever accept blame for anything, no matter how monumental or trivial. Well, that person is not me! In fact, I will sometimes take the blame for things I didn't even do.

At work today, a CSM came around to the cashiers, reminding us that when ringing up a cake from the bakery, we are not to turn it upside down to see the barcode on the bottom. The lady purchasing the cake was too kind to tell us which cashier did that today, and we were all speculating. Finally, I said, "I'll take the blame! It's just too unique and funny!" So, some of my co-workers accepted my fake claim of responsibility and gave me a new nickname -- "Shake-A-Cake"

Celebrity at Walmart

There are a couple things I use at Walmart to size up the customers. The first one is competency on the self-checkouts. It is amazing the vast number of people who try to use them but are totally incompetent. I've often said that there should be a short aptitude test that must be passed before being allowed to use them. Secondly, I watch what people do with their carts or baskets after paying for their merchandise. The polite ones return them to their designated places, while the self-absorbed, inconsiderate ones leave them sitting wherever, with no concern about blocking the way of fellow-shoppers or causing extra work for the associates.

Last night, my last hour of work was spent monitoring the self-checkouts, and at one point it became interesting when a celebrity (well, a local celebrity) came through. It was Garick Zikan of WCYB News5. Of course, I was curious to see how competent he was at using the machine. He sailed through the whole process like a pro, and he was very polite, as well. He spoke kindly and was concerned about what to do with the basket he had used to carry his items. Thank you, Mr. Zikan, for being a model shopper.