Fry Baby

This is how I do the beach these days:

Let me explain. My mother is 1/8 Cherokee Indian. She, and two of my three sisters, can go to the beach for a week and come out looking like 7/8 Cherokee Indian. The other part of our ancestry is Scottish/Celtic. Guess who cashed in on that part when it comes to tanning ability? My sister says that I go to the beach and get "dark white." For years, I would go home from our annual vacation with a strange rash, mostly on my hands, but also on the tops of my feet and the tops of my arms near the elbow. Finally, a coworker took a look and said that she thought it was sun poisioning. A bit of Internet research brought me to the same conclusion. That, combined with the fact that I've had several pre-cancerous places removed from my face, convinced me to buy the beach canopy and stay under it as much as possible. I still enjoy the beach, in my own way.
We went shrimping and crabbing in the afternoon. Here's what my sister caught in her cast net -- a puffer fish. When we put him back in the water, he eventually deflated himself and swam along on his merry way.

Monsoon

Here's what it's been like for about the last 3-4 hours:


There was not originally a lake next door. It was the neighbor's front yard.

Monday at the Beach

Even if I'm still not feeling well, Monday at the beach still beats any Monday at work! Here's the view from the patio door in my bedroom.

James can go home happy. He caught several fish today (surf fishing) including these two-for-one.

Here are two nieces, my sister, and my nephew playing the Wii. I promise they were having fun, even though they look so serious!

We Made it to the Beach

We did make it to the beach yesterday (of course just about anyone who would read my blog knows this already), but I'm still sick and haven't left my room much. However, I was graciously assigned the bedroom that looks out over the pool and beyond to the ocean, so at least I can see where I am.

Beach Bound..... Maybe

We're supposed to leave in the morning for our annual trip to the beach near Charleston, S.C. The only problem is that I'm sick. I've had a little bit of a scratchy throat all week, and then last night I was really sick. I laid in the bathroom floor trying to decide if I was going to throw up, pass out, or both. (Sorry... just tellin' it like it happened.) I went to the doctor this morning and he thinks it may be viral, but he gave me an antibiotic anyway since I told him that I was leaving town. In between cat napping (with the cat) I did get some of the packing done, so here's hoping.

So Many Updates, So Little Time

1. Today at work, there was a surprise (to me) ice cream party to celebrate (commiserate?) my four-year anniversary at American Vision. Appropriately, I got a card that plays the Looney Tunes theme.
2. In our home mail today we received an envelope from Nashville Auto Diesel College. I thought it would be a bill, since it's about time for them to ask for more tuition money. I got a good laugh, though, when I opened it to find Phillip's Unofficial Grade Transcript -- a concise listing of the exact descriptions of the courses he's taken so far, and the grades he's made. Let's just say that it coincided somewhat with my recollection.
3. Liz was gracious enough to pick up my fired pottery piece, painted at Girls' Night, last week while I was in Orlando. It won't be donated to Man Night for target practice. I like the way it turned out, and I think it matches my bathroom quite well. (I was looking at a sample of my wallpaper border while I chose colors and painted.) It will hold cotton balls on the vanity.

Happy Anniversary to Me

Today is my four-year anniversary at work, where I am the Office Manager, Bookkeeper, Human Resources Director, and Chocolate Supplier. On July 23, 2004, American Vision had six employees, three full-time and three part-time. We occupied 4,000 square feet of office/warehouse space. Today, there are seventeen employees, twelve full-time and five part-time, plus two contract workers; and we have something in the neighborhood of 18,000 square feet of space.

Here's a small example of how far we've come: When I first started, I had a tiny office (maybe 10 x 11) and in addition to the computer on my desk (which was one with an old-fashioned L-shaped typewriter return), there was a typewriter. It took me about two days to get up the nerve to ask if there wasn't someplace else I could put the typewriter. The response was an incredulous, "But how will you do envelopes?", to which I replied, "In my printer." "And what about labels?" "In my printer." Within the next few weeks, I went around to everyone's desk and showed them how to print envelopes through their computers. You would have thought I'd invented it! Today, we have not only the requisite desktop computers, but several other high-tech pieces of equipment, along with complete audio-video recording and production studios. We still have the typewriter, but it's rarely used, and the employees under age 30 don't even know how to feed the paper in it!

Our active customer base has grown from about 5,500 to over 30,000, and we've gone from an annual revenue of $450,000 to over $2,000,000. God has been good to American Vision, especially in sending our Executive Vice President who came about six weeks after I did. I tell him that for six glorious weeks, I thought I could do my job. Now, I'd just like to catch my breath occasionally! He & I are a lot alike in that we both suffer from OCD --- we can't stand a crooked line or an uneven stack. However, his favorite business motto is, "Go big, or go home," and mine is, "Does the president know about this?" Our responsibilities and the working relationship we have is sometimes described this way: Brandon makes things happen, and Joan goes behind him and cleans it up. (Sometimes with a whisk broom, often with a front loader.)

A ho-hum staff meeting and lunch....

A Versatile and Proficient Student

Phillip called me this afternoon to tell me that he's made another A at school (Nashville Auto Diesel College). This time it was a 92 in heavy-duty drive trains. After nine months at school with all As and Bs, it's starting to run together a bit for me, but here are his grades and classes so far, to the best of my memory:

• Transmissions - 94
• Electrical - 98
• Air Conditioning - 87
• Tires - 90
• Rear View Mirrors - 91
• Windshield Wipers - 95
• Floor Mats - 99
• Blinkers - 85
• Fuzzy Dice - 100

I'm sure Phillip will let me know if I've missed any or if there are any that I didn't get quite right.

Random picture of pollen on my screened porch two springs ago.

WWJD?

I learned today that there's a new motto in the shipping department at work, and when he heard it, the president affirmed it: What would Joan do?

One Project Complete

A few weeks ago, I posted about three or four projects I have in the works. I had purchased several small pieces of fabric in bright, primary colors for a quilt. My idea was for my friend Angi's birthday, and she reads my blog, so I couldn't spill the beans until after her birthday (July 15). She has recently redecorated her TV room. The walls, flooring, and furniture upholstery are all neutral, and then she has framed and hung several racing posters.... the European kind, not the Nascar kind. (Think: Ferrari, not Ford.) The cars in the posters are all vivid colors, and the frames are black. I think the wall hanging I made in the Chinese Coins pattern will look great in her room.

Goodies -- Free Stuff

It took me just about all day to do the shopping, including trying to print coupons before I left, but it was a good day. I saved 31% at Kroger and 58% at Publix. Publix had Suave shampoo for $1, and I had several 50-cents-off coupons that they doubled, so I came home with nine free bottles of shampoo. They also had Bic mechanical pencils on sale, and I had coupons so that the two ten-packs that I "bought" were also free. I like free stuff!
At CVS, I spent $2.06 out-of-pocket. I started with $8 in Extra Bucks and ended with $10 in Extra Bucks, so basically, I spent six cents. I wanted to make a 6x8 photo book for $7.99 that gave $7.99 back in EB, but the first CVS I went to had one Kodak machine that would not read my flash drive. So the clerk gave me a rain check for a free book. The second CVS had three Kodak machines: one was in use, one didn't have the option for a 6x8 book, and the third wouldn't read my flash drive until the clerk came over and jiggled it. So I did get to make a book, and Emily had given me a $3 off coupon, so I made three bucks, plus I'll get to make another book later, even though today is the last day for the deal. Sweet.

Crocodile Gram-MEE

Finale in Orlando

Today is my last day in Orlando. I'm glad that I wasn't paying to vacation here because it has rained every day, anywhere from a couple of hours to all day long. In addition to staying at a hotel that doesn't seem to have towels, each of us has experienced other problems with our rooms. It's a good thing that there are two beds in my room, and that only one of them is needed, because the other one is uninhabitable. Here's a picture of what happened when I sat on the edge of the bed:

The bed is on a some sort of platform like hotel beds often are, but it isn't attached properly. If I sit on the other side of the bed, it almost goes back to level. Almost. One of our staff opened his closet door and it fell on him. When he called to report that and ask for towels, he got eight towels in a big hurry. Since they're such a hot commodity, he's hoarding the extras between the mattresses.

Fun in Florida, Day Two

This will be quick because it's late (for me) and I'm really tired. Today I held an alligator. I didn't have a measuring tape handy, but I would guess that he was about 3-4 feet long. I do have a picture to prove it, but I forgot that my memory card was in the computer, so the picture is stored in my camera's internal memory, and I can't get to it until I return home. My only hesitation in holding him (his mouth was taped shut) was that he wasn't housebroken, and I knew that I needed to wear my khaki pants for another day. Happily, it will be possible.

Day One of the Show

Today was the first day that the exhibit floor was open at the International Christian Retailers' Show. I took one or two orders, but I spent most of the day trying to work on problem situations at the office. I haven't quite gotten the entire story yet, but desktop printers seem to implode when I'm not there. "Toner clean-up needed on the customer service aisle...."
Our hotel rooms were obtained through an unnamed credit card rewards program. The first day I arrived, after having asked for towels twice via phone and once in person at the desk, I went back down to the front desk and told them that I wasn't leaving until they gave me towels. They did. Good thing. My next plan of action was to shriek the same message at the top of my lungs.

Blogging from Mickey World

Greetings from Orlando. I'm here for several days representing my company at the International Christian Retailers' Show. I don't expect to see Mickey or Minnie, however. There was a rain shower just before I arrived, so it's cooler and less muggy here than it was at home. I think I could have driven here almost as quickly as this whole trip took by air and land. James drove me to the airport, leaving home around 12:30 for my 2:45 flight. By the time I got inside the airport, it was already posted that the flight was 15 minutes behind. It ended up being about 50 minutes late taking off. Then, thunderstorms north of Orlando made us take a circuitous route to the airport. I thought I was going to be picked up at the airport by my colleagues who were already here, but while I was getting to the Atlanta airport, my boss called to tell me that he had arranged a rental car for me. When the flight landed, I made my way to the rental car counter, where I got behind about 40 people waiting for their cars... and four agents working the counter. I stood for an hour before it was my turn. Then, when I went to the assigned car, I opened the door and discovered that the interior reeked of cigarettes. So, I went back to the agent and asked for another car. Finally, I was on the road. The toll road. Two of them in an eight-mile stretch. By the time I found the hotel, it was more than seven hours since I'd left home. And the actual flight was just over one hour. I had dinner at 8:30 p.m. and I'm hitting the hay (a sleep number bed) very soon.

Girls' Night

In response to "Man Night" at work (all the guys getting together after work and going to the firing range to shoot stuff and other such nonsense), the ladies have started planning our own after-hours events. In May, we went out to dinner together at the Macaroni Grill and then went to someone's house for coffee, dessert, and games. One of the games involved dressing up in ridiculous accoutrements. I have pictures, but I'm not posting them because we made a pact that what happens at Girls' Night stays at Girls' Night. That, and the fact that we had instructions straight from the president not to embarrass the ministry. Not to mention that I was wearing the most ridiculous get-up of all. Tonight, we're having dinner and then going to paint pottery. We've decided that if we don't like the finished product, we can donate it to Man Night for target practice.

GRIPE: Posting to my blog is not my preferred activity at 5 a.m.

Post as Promised: $9,000,000 Addition

No, we're not remodeling our house, and if we were, this price tag is a little steep! Our church is about midway through a building project. Included are a 1,200-seat sanctuary, a fellowship hall, classrooms, and office space. The sanctuary will have hardwood floors (marble in the foyer) and the pews are a rich mahogany. A new pipe organ is being built now for installation at the appropriate time. The project is scheduled to be finished this year, and so far, it remains on schedule. Over half of the cost has already been raised. We're looking forward to occupying and worshiping in this magnificent space.

Post as Promised: Doggie Duty

I don't know why I felt the need to create a post, because this topic isn't even very interesting, much less reaching a thrill level of anything close to exciting. I'm feeding my no-longer-
anonymous-friend Angi's dog while her family is on vacation. If you must have details, Gretchen the dog is a medium-to-large sized, long-haired mutt of indistinct parentage. She is about 14 years old in dog years, which makes her about 98 years old in human years. I was left the telephone number of the vet, along with the instructions, "Don't be in a big hurry to call." If it's time for Gretchen to start burying her bones in that great backyard in the sky, I think my friends are OK with that. Here are some scenarios that could make for an exciting post, but I'm sure that neither Angi nor I would want some of them to actually happen, and some are probably even impossible. I arrive to find that....

• Gretchen has had a litter of puppies.
• Gretchen is gone and has been replaced by a toy poodle.
• Gretchen has left a note saying that she's decided to run off and join the circus.
  
• Gretchen has dug a big hole in the backyard and unearthed buried treasure.
• Gretchen has gotten inside the house and is in the TV room watching Animal Planet.
• Gretchen is stuck ten feet up a tree.
• Gretchen tells me that she's sick of Alpo and would like to try some Mighty Dog instead.

Angi will have to dream up her own list of exciting events when she feeds my cat in a few weeks.

Woo Hoo! and Too Good to Be True

Woo Hoo! The Braves just won a 17-inning game with a bases-loaded hit by Teixeira.
Too good to be true... Phillip made it safely back to Nashville and to his extended-stay hotel housing... where he DOESN'T get the benefit of someone else cleaning the room and changing the sheets. But he can swap out the sheets and towels for clean ones, so at least he doesn't have to wash them himself.

Elmo Chocolate Cake

Saturday morning was Caleb and Alexa's combined birthday party. Alexa turned one on June 27 and Caleb will be three on July 14. Caleb kept asking for an Elmo balloon every time Emily took him in the grocery store, so she had an Elmo theme and got him the balloon. And plates, cups, napkins, table cover, and above all, Elmo Chocolate Cake. I wish I had gotten a little video clip of him saying, "Elmo Chocolate Cake." He only said it about twenty times in the few hours we were there, so I don't know how I missed it!Caleb likes his "Cars" shirt.
Alexa asks, "Am I supposed to have this?"

Here's how Alexa manages to crawl outdoors in a dress... she does the "'Elephant Walk."

And here are Dave and Caleb trying to help Alexa walk. As you can see, she prefers her own method of locomotion.



GRIPE: I subscribed the to the Sunday paper for the sole purpose of getting the coupons, and there were no coupons in my paper today!

Deals Du Jour

I made the rounds today to Kroger, Publix, and three CVS stores (but four stops at said CVS stores -- forgot something at one). Here's what I got at CVS:

I spent $2.29 out-of-pocket, plus I used about $1.50 more in EB than I started with. Not pictured is a candy bar that I remember buying, but it didn't make it all the way home. It did get as far as my car. I saved 44% at Kroger and 42% at Publix. I would have saved 45% at Publix except for the Cars and Disney Princesses plates that jumped into my cart for Caleb and Alexa.

Speaking of Caleb and Alexa, the little tornadoes spent some time at our house today along with Emily and Dave. Here's what was left in their wake:

We enjoyed grilled chicken and steak and lots of Wii for our Independence Day Holiday. God Bless America!

Blogs to be (not to hook you, but to remind me!):

• $9,000,000 addition
• Toting the teeth
• Doggie Duty

Blinky Responds

today's blg is psted by mii --bblinkii. mii staff iis too tiired an siince ii am knockturnal nnyway ii'm just geariing up fer a fun-fiild niite. iiif mii staff wiiill let mii near the noodle an fred... or niidle an thred... then iit wiil bii a wiild an crzzy tiime. iif not, a cat fiit may nnnsue.

Sewing with the Blinky Cat

Blinky is going to get her feline card revoked. She doesn't know that cats are supposed to be aloof and standoffish. She wants to be in the room where the people are, and she wants to be involved in whatever they are doing. She is very affectionate, especially first thing in the morning and when we get home in the afternoon. And I am quite certain it has nothing to do with the fact that her staff (us) will soon be filling her food dish. Actually, she's more affectionate after she's had her breakfast. James has the coffee stains on his undershirts to prove it. On more than one occasion he has been sitting on the sofa with a full cup of coffee, and she'll come up unannounced and head-butt his arm to nudge him to pet her.... which he is not inclined to do when he has scalding coffee singeing his chest hair.
I was trying to finish up some sewing last week so that I could take down the table I was using in Phillip's room. Blinky thought that winding the bobbin was a game. She was pulling off the thread faster than I could get it rewound.

When she had had enough fun, this is what she did: