Not-too-much-to-say Friday

Kenzer Mae and Karter Lee. Let me just add here that Karter Lee is a bit of a chunky monkey and nearly broke dad's recliner as she tried to jump/scoot her booty onto dad's chair.

Our little Kenzer Mae is quite the contortionist. Sometimes she falls asleep like this. WTH? :)

Hope y'all have a great weekend.

Goodbye to Big Weave

“What you leave behind is not what is engraved in stone monuments, but what is woven into the lives of others.”

--Pericles

I think Pericles summed it up nicely, y’all.

I’m a firm believer that people are sent into our lives for a reason. Either people are there to comfort us when we are facing trials, make us smile when we most need to, pull us out of our shell, toughen us up to the harsh realities of the world…there are even those rascals that teach us the dreaded patience lesson. There seems to always be a reason why each person enters our lives. Now, granted, sometimes we might not see it until later. As always, hindsight is 20/20.

Last Friday, as mentioned in my previous blog, I went to a little going-away party for a friend of mine. Actually, it wasn’t really a going-away party, considering he’s not moving anywhere…just changing jobs.

I’ve written a post or two in the past regarding my first job. (http://missmargarita8604.blogspot.com/2009/01/my-first-job.html ) As I was talking to Ms. Joyce last week, I told her that it felt like I had worked there so much longer than I had. In reality, I only worked there for a year and a half. So many things happened, it seemed like so much longer. There were crazy times, and there were bad times, but I wouldn’t have changed anything looking back.

I first started there as a shy, quiet, mousy thing…Thank God I came out of that quick. Part of that was due to the fact that I was an easy target for the Weave and some of the other managers at the time. He would pick on me until I was ready to deck him…then he would tell me “You need to smile more.” I. Yi. Yi. I would turn my register light off and walk outside, when I came back in he would be standing there waiting to be rang up, my light would have “magically” been turned back on …and then I would get a lecture about how I needed to turn off my light if I was going to go outside. I’m telling you, the boy drove me nuts. But, then again, we also had a lot of fun at the store. Courtney was constantly causing a ruckus, some cashiers (that shall not be named) were always saying the stupidest things, and there was always someone to make fun of. Looking back, the group that I worked with always had a really good time. I miss that sometimes.

Last Wednesday, my heart sank a little when I heard that Weave was leaving. Hitchcock’s will never be the same. There will be no singing through the aisles as the Hitchcock’s radio plays an entirely different song. There will be no one to tease cashiers or tell them crazy crap that they will only believe because they are gullible. There will be no one to say “Get to work” in all-weave fashion as the cashiers stand around gossiping. There will be no one to yell "Big Weave" in that weird way that only Ryan could do when he had accomplished something. Nope, the store will never be the same.

We will miss you Weave. I’m going to post what I wrote in the book that was given to him last week.

Ryan,

Even though you will still live in Trenton and be around, Hitchcock’s won’t be the same, and even Trenton won’t feel quite the same. That is by far the saddest part. You just “made” Hitchcocks. Between your singing, your constant teasing, you making me mad…then telling me “You need to smile more,” us calling each other “bipolar,” you firing me multiple times, and having a yelling match or two in the parking lot…knowing you has been a trip. But in all honesty, you were an awesome boss. When I came to Hitchcocks, I had no work experience. You taught me about customer service (though I am not the best with that now, I will admit…just ask Carrie) and you helped prepare me for the workforce. Not to mention, you gave me tougher skin, which I appreciate now. I do believe you were the best first boss that I could’ve had. You were also a good friend to me. I know we’ve had our ups and downs…and some days I might have wanted to push you down a flight of stairs…haha…but like I told you the other day, that’s just “how we roll.” That’s how it’s always been and how it will always be.

I know that you will be successful in whatever you do; I know that. Who knows, a year from now, you might think this is the best thing that could’ve happened to you. I just want you to know that while you were here, you’ve made an impact on many, many people. I know that because you’ve made a big impact on me, Ryan Weaver. I wish you and your family the best of luck. I hope that you will stop by the Journal from time-to-time to catch me up on things.

Aleta

What next??

Have you ever had a day where you thought if you walked outside you might get struck by lightning, get hit by a Mack Truck, and get snake bit? Just one of those really, really bad days where everything seems to go wrong; and you are left feeling the need to climb in the nearest hole and hide? Really, I’m not Vista-bound, y’all. But thank goodness Friday is over and done with. It was a truly bad day.

I had been dreading yesterday since Wednesday. My mama had another doctor’s appointment, our Kenzie Mae was having an operation, and I was set to go to a going-away party to someone near and dear to my heart.

I won’t go into all the stuff with mama, considering she’s pretty private. She is in good hands and the tests came back ok. They’re just going to do further testing. The horrible thing about cancer is the fact that even when it’s done, and you think that you or a loved one is finished with all the treatments…there is always stuff that can come up. So, anytime mama goes to the doctor, I (being the worry-wart that I am) feel like I have to hold my breath and brace myself.

Now onto the heartbreaking news of Kenzie Mae (a/k/a Kenzer Mae). Kenzie Mae is my sister’s 1-year old chocolate lab. She hasn’t been doing very well the last few months. She has been losing weight and just mopes around. Dad has taken her to the vet and also had talked to numerous “dog people” about her. The vet (that I would like to throw something at) that is in Williston checked her out a few months ago and diagnosed her with a false pregnancy w/o really checking her out (without really doing anything but collecting a check, but I digress…). We took it at that and continued on. She continued losing weight this summer, which began to concern us even more. We took her back to the vet (Suwannee Valley Vets, which are awesome, if you ever are in need of one) and they found that she had a large tumor inside of her that was pressing against her stomach, liver, intestines, etc. They said that they could do exploratory surgery and see if they could remove it, but the odds weren’t really in Kenzie’s favor. This was risky, considering that she wasn’t in great shape as it was…but it was one of those things where if you didn’t you might always wonder if you could’ve saved her. They started the operation at around 3. Unfortunately, the tumor was too large, and it involved too many blood vessels. The vet said that she had had it for a while, but by the time it would’ve really made itself noticeable, it would’ve already been far too late to do anything about it. I would just like to say this about the vet that did the surgery yesterday-- You know that you have an awesome vet when she calls crying with the news that she couldn’t remove the tumor. She told my mama that she had prayed about the surgery and Kenzie all day, and that she was really upset about it too…she had just recently lost a dog herself. That blessed my heart. Kenzie Mae is very much a part of our family, and it’s heartbreaking to know that we can’t save her. But my philosophy is this: We need to give our loved ones (family, friends, pets, etc.) the best life we possibly can. We’re never guaranteed tomorrow with them. If we know that we’ve done our best and loved them as much as possible, that is going to be a great comfort to us when they are gone. The vet put Kenzie on steroids to see if that would help shrink the tumor. Maybe that will help so that she will be able to have better digestion. They said that she wasn’t in any pain because of it, so they didn’t feel a need to put her down right away. I’m praying the steroids will help her.

I’m going to post a separate blog (hopefully tomorrow) about saying goodbye to the Weave. He was an awesome boss and a good friend to me. It’s been like a band-aid slowly ripping off since Wednesday when I found out that he was leaving. I made breakfast for the Hitchcock’s crew yesterday morning: sausage and cheese biscuits, French puffs, fruit salad, and I also baked an Ooh-la-la Chocolate cake for him. While I was busy preparing all the food, my mind was busy and not really thinking of what yesterday would bring. It hit me as soon as I went in the Hitchcock’s doors yesterday morning. It hurt my heart. Things just won’t be the same at the store, that’s for sure. More about that later, though.

AND to top yesterday off. We got a call at 4 a.m. yesterday morning from my Aunt. She was rushing my grandma to the ER. They were afraid that it was her heart, but it wound up being a gall bladder attack. She’s had her surgery now and is recuperating as we speak.

I Yi Yi. What a day it was yesterday. It was tough, for sure. I’m glad it is over. But I would like to look at the positive here. 1. My mama’s doctor seemed to think that it wasn’t anything super serious. 2. Kenzie Mae is still with us. 3. Spending time at Hitchcock’s yesterday reminded me of all the good times that we all shared there. 4. My grandma’s situation turned out a lot better than it could’ve been. And 5. I was able to have a great dinner with a friend last night and get out all my thoughts and catch up on all the latest gossip AND share a great laugh or two. Thank God for getting us through it.

New "Favorites" list

So, I haven't blogged in what seems like FOREVER. Ok, really it has been like 2 1/2 months...so that is actually quite a while for me.

I'm bored to tears here at work today and I have "9 to 5" stuck in my head, when actually I'll probably only work until 3:30. Slacker, I know. "8 to 3:30" just doesn't have quite the same ring to it.

There's quite a bit to catch y'all up on, but I dunno if I'm really up for all of that today...so I'll just make this a fun post. But let me first say this, when I actually get around to taking pics off my camera, I'm going to post a pile of them...be prepared. Between new sewing projects, birthdays, mine and KW's trip to tuckers, my recent vacation, and my family's two chocolate labs (Kenzie Mae and Karter Lee), there's a lot to show and tell about.

This blog will be about my new list of favorite things...

My list of favorite things (and things I cannot live without):

Headbands--I've got quite the collection now, from hot pink to brown polka dots to zebra stripes...I've got 'em and I love 'em.

a sewing machine & serger-- I've been sewing like a mad woman this summer. I believe the women at Joann's know me by name now.

Subway Double Chocolate Chip cookies-- Yummmmm! I eat one every workday. Maybe not so good for my waistline, but lawsy bee, it sure is good.

Vera Bradley clutches-- I used to not be VB's biggest fan. But my, oh my! Have y'all took a gander at the new clutches? Too cute. VB, I'm loving you!

Grace perfume by Luzier-- My friend Marie's mom sells Luzier, so I stumbled across this perfume back when I was in high school. Love, love, LOVE.

A hair straightener--Though I love curls, I rarely can take the time to curl my hair (and if I do, it rarely turns out right). My hair straightener is essential through the summer.

Sun-less tanner-- I'm looking mighty tan currently (with a few orange spots, I'll be honest). Could it be that I have countless hours to spend laying out by my pool? Psshhh...nope. This beautiful (slightly orange) tan comes from a bottle. Oh how I love you, Jergen's Natural Glow.

Wedge heels--I used to wear heels in high school all the time. All through college, however, I wore flats and oodles and oodles of flip-flops. They were just so much easier to truck it across campus in. But now, I'm loving my wedge heels again. And what's better than that?? Flip flop wedge heels!

White pizza--I love spinach, which is odd. I am a very, very picky eater. I don't eat much meat. I HATE seafood (need I remind you of the time I tried shrimp and it bobbled down my throat?). I have just recently began eating spaghetti noodles with marinara sauce again. I'm telling you, I'm picky. But with one taste of white pizza, my tastebuds were in love.

Wack-a-doo small town stories-- Last week, at the Journal, we were privileged to hear about (and Carrie got to write about) the break-in at the local convenient store where the robber wielded a table leg as the weapon AND we had the "topless dog wash" article run in the paper. Before you begin to wonder if we are beginning to sensationalize stories, let me just tell you that the article about the topless dog wash was SUBMITTED...and it was only referring to the fact that they don't wash the dog's head. Why? I have no clue. But it caught our attention, so maybe that'll help out their cause.

I LOVE love/hate relationships-- Odd, I realize. And I'm sure that a psychologist would have a field day with that. But what is better than being able to scream "You're a despicable, horrible person" in a parking lot in true white trash fashion and being ok a few days later? Maybe that's really weird...but that's "how I roll" :)

The band "Kornbred" "One of Many" and "Locomotive"--We were able to hear "One of Many" back in April. They did such a great job. It was there that we met Kathy, who is good friends with the members of One of Many. Then, on our recent trip, we were able to hear Kathy's band "Kornbred" play and "Locomotive." We really enjoyed it. The 3rd of July was a busy one, but we had a really good time and the bands were really good.

Trying new restaurants--On a recent trip to Carrabelle, KW and I found a new favorite restaurant. The Crooked River Grill. They have one of the best chicken salads ever....and don't even get me started on their sticky pecan cheesecake....

Well, I'd better conclude this. I only have one current dislike. People keep asking me "What are you going to do?"... to which I want to answer "I'm not sure, but as soon as I know, I'll let you know." Sigh. (rolling eyes) I. Yi. Yi. Talk about pressure. I'm not a bum, or lacking ambition. I just strictly have no idea yet what career path I want to take. The Journal still makes me happy...so I'm happy here for now. Plus, one of the best benefits to my job is seeing Miss Allie Claire and Gus every once in a while and hearing "I la you" (I love you). And hearing Miss Allie yell "Leeda, Leeda" as she beats on my desk. Yep, those are all the benefits I need right now :)