strength

This word had two meanings for me today.

Strength - something I lost very quickly in the last 9 days, those damn weights were heavy this morning and it didn't help that the instructor thought we needed to do 50 reps for every lift that she could dream up.  Along with crazy jumping jacks and lunges until one of the girls screamed "Oh my poor legs".  I think she was on a mission to make us pay for those summer legs we all dream of.  

Strength - something I needed in the first 10 minutes back to work after their 1 week of freedom without me.

I'm okay but you won't wipe the smile off my face

I'm still here and everything is okay.  It's been a crazy couple of weeks but all the excitement is starting to slow down.   I had 2 very important audits within the last two weeks and both went very well.  Let's just say that last night I called John on my way home from work, he was waiting for my call and was wondering how things went.  My only words were "There better be an Old Fashion waiting for me"  He says "Celebration or Frustration?"   CELEBRATION BABY!!!!  I'm still smiling but could not have done this without all the wonderful people I work with.   ISO 9001-2008 Audit with ZERO findings for the second time.

I'll share more news with you soon but right now let's just say it's been a wild ride.  Speaking of a wild ride these skates were Lynn's and I was going to sell them but now they work as a vase on my table both inside and outside the house.

Perkinstown Snowshoe Tramp 2011

What a beautiful day for a snowshoe race. 

Last night we got a couple inches of fresh snow, the sun was shining and the sound of 300 people coming at you was quite the way to start the day. 

Mr Perky you better get out of the way!!!!

The sound of this is incredible

Oh crap IIIIIIiiiiii better get out of the waaaaaaaay!!!!

This smile is from my sister Starla crossing the finish line..... it says it all for those that came out to run the race and finished within their own goals.  I give Starla lots of credit for running this race and doing sooooo well.   We timed her with the timestamp on my camera as I shot her at the cross of the start line and again at the cross of the finish line. 

These are two hot bunnies

And my niece Megan, she's still running after the finish line.

Our WADAL Plastics Team...... yeah!!!

And the Weather Shield Team Photo, gotta love the excitement they are sharing within themselves and each other.

Okay time to walk 1 mile to the truck as I can't feel my finger or toes.....

Feeling kinda guilty for not running the race after almost a year in the gym,

maybe that's my goal for next year.

What a day, what a week, a bear???? oh my!!

This week has been extremly busy for me.  Having 3 photo shoots, decorating for a wedding, a quality audit at work, and I end the week with wedding photos.  All are exciting and scary, I know how to do all of them very well so why should I be nervous?  Because I am, because that is what I do....if I wasn't there would be something wrong with me.  As of tonight everything is done except the wedding photos.   Today we passed our audit with no findings, that's huge!!  We finished the decorating by 7, that's huge!!  and then while watching Greys a bear walks through my flower beds next to the patio door.

Yep a bear

I thought it was a bunny rabbit that caught my eye outside the patio door, I turned to see a bear running through my flower beds, scrambled for my camera that was sitting next to me on the couch.... lens cap flying and I only had my little 50mm lens on so it will have to do, no time for changing the settings so whatever is set is gonna have to work.  I rush out on the deck to take pictures and then all of a sudden the bear looks back at me and I think "what's behind me?"  I slowly turn around to see........ no more bears.  Thank goodness! 

So Lynn and Shannon you didn't want to hang out at the hunting cabin because there were pictures of bear on the deer camera...... do you want to come over here for a campfire???

For those that don't know where I live..... that is not my house in the photo, it's an eyesore we live next to and we do not live near a woods, so where this bear came from and where he was going is crazy. 

Early Weekend

This week was Employee Appreciation Week which included food all day long every day, games, prizes and a night out to end the week a day early.  Yep that's right we got Friday off, I love starting the weekend a day early.  The week was really really nice and very much appreciated by everyone.  I remember reading about this week in the local paper and being so jealous that a company would do this for their employees and I wasn't a part of it, well now I am.   To celebrate a early weekend I brought my weekend flowers in early.  This glass I found for .39 cents and of course I can't pass up polka dots.

Grandpa's Grumpy Eyebrows

Miss Mallory has grumpy eyebrows and we say "put Grandpa's grumpy eyebrows back"..... John says "Grandpa Dave has grumpy eyebrows?"

I was doing my homework for next weeks class and since I have no one else here I get these eyebrows along with the "look" over his glasses. I'll take this look any day... it means he loves me!!

I know you're all dying to know how work went today. It was good, I wasn't nervous or totally lost. My latest nightmare was not even being able to find a pen to write with so I loaded my tote down with pens, post-it notes, markers, calendar, glasses, Special K bar, and a bottle of Mt Dew. (What if they didn't have a soda machine, I wouldn't make it) I told the HR gal about my dream so she looked in my desk drawer and sure enough.... no pens. I am a pen freak, the more pens the better and the pens that write really, really fine are the best.... oh and only black ink or red if you want attention to what your writing..... please no blue ink, it makes my skin crawl. I have lots to figure out in a short time but no doubt in my mind that I can do it. It's hard to go from knowing everything like the back of my hand to not even knowing where my hand is. About 8:30 my new boss came to get me for a meeting and brought me a pen with a big ole' smile..... I'm gonna like it here :)

Tomorrow is my last day

I don't usually do what the norm is - so on my last day I can't just send the "keep in touch" internal e-mail so I got a little creative and made special laminated cards for my friends to post at their desks so they will never forget me.... I love my co-workers and will miss them terribly so hopefully they love me back and don't throw me in the garbage as soon as I walk out the door. :)

Here is my attempt to stay connect with those I will leave behind....

:) News

Have you been wondering what all the smiley faces have been for in the last 2 posts? I've been holding out news from you guys, only a short time, don't be mad. For those of you that talk to me know that I have not been happy in my job since January 7th, 2009. Sad when I can remember the exact date. Well today I gave my 2 week notice, I am quitting. YEAH!!!!

I have another job and have only been working on this since Saturday. I don't have to move, I don't have to drive, I can like my job again, I'll be happy again, I'll feel like going to work. I need to work (I found that out this summer) and be appreciated for what I do and I have had that for the last 25 years but this last year has had it's challenges, I've worked through them but certainly not what I'm used to.

My last day is December 4th, I'm sure there will be lots of tears, there already was today. The anxiety that I had when I turned in my resignation paper was unbelievable, but it was fabulous!!!! I have been smiling since Monday and people were starting to wonder why, so I'm glad the process went fast. My co-workers and customer have shared numerous phone calls, e-mails and hugs with me, when they heard the news. They all do not want me to leave but understand and are happy for me, one coworker has already went as far as calling their friend at the new job place and telling them how rotten I am and how they should retract that offer. I feel so bad for leaving them behind and have had an extremely hard time making the decision just because of that reason. I am good at what I do and hopefully the ones who didn't appreciate it will realize that when I'm gone. For those that did appreciate me will become stronger.

I can't wait to start my new adventure.

Upside Down

It's been so long since I posted it's feeling kinda weird. My trip to Mexico was.... well let's just say "interesting". I would love to be able to take my camera with me and have the driver stop a dozen or a million times so I could show you all what I see, but that ain't gonna happen so let's try this. At my niece Shawna and Mike's wedding I had my fancy film camera and was so "into" taking pictures that I took tons of them during the ceremony, after, dinner.... and then the moment happened. I realized I never put film in the camera!! I get teased to this day when we talk about Shawna's wedding everyone tips their heads up, closes their eyes and acts like Stevie Wonder while looking at my pictures.... yeah they aren't very nice :) Ooppps sorry a little ramble there. Okay back to Mexico and a few of the highlights.

As we drive in the baby goats graze under the bridge.... I see them on the menu's, and actually had a guy eat one while I sat across from him.... it came to the table with a broken leg, plopped onto on table and the Mexican man smiled at me. I turned white and shrank in my chair.

The streets are hard mud with houses on top of houses. If someone builds a house you can build next to it and only have to build 3 walls. Every alley I look down there is a skinny dog laying on the road, along with so much trash you couldn't even imagine picking it all up. People walking no matter what time it is, people cooking on the street corners no matter what time it is. The kids are always walking to or from school and those kids are all in uniforms and look so cute and snazzy. If it rains the hard mud becomes deep puddles of what looks like raw sewage and they walk right through it.

We no longer have our liaison escorting us into Mexico so we have to do things that I'm not used to doing like eat in their cafes. I usually don't eat all day long because I am so picky.... yep I bet you didn't know that about me!! But I would have offended them had I not eaten so I had to take a plate and join them. Let's just say again "Interesting" I did eat some but I know how to shuffle food around on my plate and look like I'm eating but not really.

The girls and guys that work in the factories have awesome shoes.... I love their shoes!! They are dressed to the hilt, full make-up and look so cute. Me on the other hand, sticks out like a sore thumb with my blonde hair and white skin. They all turn and look at me with smiles, I can't stray to far away from my escort or they all know. I talk to them everyday on the phones and have gotten to know many of them very well, one guy wanted me to stay for 2 weeks to help him out.... I'd be really skinny if that would happen :)

I don't mind visiting them but really like coming home. It was a very long week with early mornings and late nights but I'm back, even if things are a little upside down yet, but with this little man showing me his new trick makes everything all better.

Happy Halloween

Happy Halloween everyone. Adam still likes to carve pumpkins, they just aren't very cute anymore.

We had a few trick or treaters tonight. Shawna came over with the boys just in time to rescue Shan from having to take El. Shan is not a Halloween person so this trick or treating stuff with a 6 and 1 year old is stressful stuff. Now she can hang out here with us and El gets to have a great time trick or treating with the boys and also gets to go to the Halloween party at the hall.

Mallory also came trick or treating, they are all so cute. I'll try to get pics up on the Hemmer Happening Blog before I leave for the week. I have to take a trip to Mexico for work, don't get excited it's not the fun relaxing Mexico. Where I'm going they don't serve Margaritas and Guacamole on the beach. Instead I get to scream when I see rats bigger than small dogs running through the alleyways..... ummm yeah not a fun time.

Grandma Day

Today was a Grandma day for Garrett and Elly and was also my first official day of unemployment (since Lynn was 1 year old) up until today I have been using my vacation time. My friend "K" who was laid off with me was in what her husband calls "Panic Mode" the first week we had off, I finally got there this week. It's funny how everyone says you'll go through stages and without even knowing it you follow the pattern. I've went through the sad, mad, crying, useless, and now worry..... if I only had a crystal ball and could see what the future is going to bring I would feel so much better.

But today I had Garrett Man and Elly over and I have to say this was the best day we have ever had. I have taken vacation days before to help Shan out with days her sitter needs off and when I'm watching the kids I am trying to enjoy my day off with doing laundry, cleaning, gardening, and whatever needs to be done. Today I did nothing (well almost nothing) but play with the kids and give them my whole attention. It was such a fun day and Elly even played by herself for about 2 hours, she never does that here, she tries so hard to get my attention that she sticks to me like glue. Garrett is crawling and pulling himself up on furniture and is so stinkin' cute as he spins himself in circles crawling and sitting. He used my leg as a chew toy and a place to yell and bob his mouth up and down on making a bob bob bob bob bob noise. Lesson for today....stop and enjoy the day.

"Today was Tomorrow Yesterday"



Drooly gus, someday he'll get teeth.....Yep that's my other shoe laying way over there, I had a woodtick on Thursday morning attached to my ankle so John pulled him off with a tweezers as I freaked out. I have not had a woodtick attached to me in 20 years and I hate woodticks. Well where the little bugger was attached is all swollen and itches like crazy so I put some stuff on it to hopefully help with the swelling and itching. The best part of this whole story.... John dropped the stinkin' thing on the floor after he pulled him out and we couldn't find him.... are you all crawly now??? I still am.

What 5AM looks like

Everyday my alarm went off between 5:00 and 5:15, I pushed the snooze 2 times before getting up. (a little useless information about me.... I have to get up and walk across the bedroom to hit the snooze and I do that at least two or three times climbing back in bed and sleeping within that 9 minutes) This morning when I don't have to go to work I am awake at 4AM with John and I can't get back to sleep. My mind is spinning with everything from work to no work, what is going to happen, how will I get through this, what did I do wrong.... I know there isn't answers for any of these questions but when you let your mind run wild it seems to answer them all with a lot of negative responses. I'm not willing to let that happen so I got up and started my day.

This is what 5AM looks like.

By the end of this weekend we should have a Miss Blueberry, she went to the doctor today and they thinks she's moving along quite well and expect her back before the weekend is up. Don't hold your breath but keep checking back and I'll keep you updated.

New

I have a new direction, I have a world of opportunities, I have lots of wonderful friends and a loving family, I have a beautiful home and I have lots of free time on my hands for awhile....

John thought since I had a horrible day he would buy me a present. It was the sweetest present ever. I love it thank you honey. I'll have this done in a week with all my new free time, what's the plan for the next 3 months?

Did I hear anyone say......Spoil Ellyn, Garrett and Blueberry, I thought so. Here's my present and he even unloaded it for me.

Not gonna be good

Tomorrow I have a feeling is not going to be a good day. I've meet a lot of wonderful people with having to expand my co-workers into another city and they came to visit me at home Tuesday night and we dug up lots of flowers. They were the funnest group and you could just tell that they have become a work family and I am now feeling like part of their family. But today we've been given sad news that some have had to take a long-term layoff. I'm feeling very sorry for whomever it effects today and I have a bad feeling it will effects many others tomorrow.

Until then I hope this guy makes you smile, this world has got to turn around soon.

What happened?

What happened to the TV, I can't believe they went digital without a warning. No TV broadcast, no banners going across the tv to warn us on a daily, hourly, minutely basis, no news stories, no warning what-so-ever just one day we no longer have access to local channels because of this thing called digital. I really don't know what we're gonna do.... we have no idea what options we have... When were they gonna tell us??

Just kidding. What cracks me up now is them telling us we have to do a re-scan to get access to the channels but if you don't have the converter box or digital tv how are you going to see the broadcasts to know that!! Last night as I wasn't sleeping, it was 2AM and Adam leaves his tv on all night but now his converter box shuts off after 4 hours of non-use so he has the static screen and sound until he wakes up to hear it... I heard it for about 30 minutes but didn't go turn it off since it gave me something else to think about and I hoped it would bore me to sleep, nope didn't work I heard Adam shut it off.

If you made it this far in my boring post I have a work update for you. I get to keep my job. It's a very happy day along with a very sad day. We lost a lot of good people today, the plant was in tears for about 9 hours as they worked through the groups of people telling them what their options were, saying good bye to lots of friends and congratulating others. I hope the sleepless nights I have been having and this exhausting day will help me sleep through the night, if I could only shut my brain off, all I can do is think about everyone that is effected.

What's for Supper?

It's just me tonight for supper and as much as I'd like to skip it totally I know John will be coming home and asking the 20 questions for what I did tonight and what I ate today. He knows that when I get stressed I don't eat very well. So this week we were suppose to find out at work if we had jobs in our other facility 45 miles away or if they didn't have any job for us. Well plans changed on Tuesday and they are keeping our plant open for a small workforce and won't be able to let us know anything for 2 more weeks. This waiting game is wearing very thin with everyone, which for me results in having an apple with peanut butter for supper. YUMMY

Confused?

Does this photo confuse you? Good because that is how I feel. I'm really sorry if I am boring you with my feelings but this is my blog for what is happening in my life and right now it's not all sunshine and roses. There are stages of grief for losing someone very close to you and I remember very well those stages. I am going through them with the MAYBE loss of my job and right now I am at the confused stage.

I remember when Mom died I was at the anger stage and didn't realize it until I was alone in my truck driving down Broadway returning a movie. There was an older couple walking down the sidewalk holding hands. I wanted to run them both over with my truck, seriously I thought if my mom and dad could no longer hold hands and grow old together than why should they be able to. ANGER STAGE... it happens but thank goodness it only lasted a little while.

I am so confused as to what my job is, if I'm gonna have a job, what am I gonna do if I don't have a job, why do I feel so loyal to my job yet, how am I ever going to sell this house, how can I live somewhere else for the week and here on the weekends, how can I drive more than 15 minutes to work, what if I don't have a job to go to. There are so many questions right now and there are no answers. Don't worry I'm not gonna run over any old people :)

Am I looking up or down, is this photo taken looking up the tree or down or is it looking across a branch.... right now I don't even know.

Black Wednesday

The way the economy is going businesses are forced to make some very difficult changes. Today at work we cut 37 people. Every one's job is at risk and it's hard to be comfortable until the day is over. I still have my job but my heart goes out to those who do not. My prayers to the families effected today and anyone having to go through these cut backs. The production floor refers to this day as Black Wednesday.

January 7th has other meaning to our family that I'd rather not elaborate on, our prayers are with them today also.

Cute Surprise

While in a meeting today I came back to my desk to a cute little surprise. Aren't they just the cutest cookies ever? I got them this morning and still haven't been able to eat them, maybe all my food should be cute! I might get skinny???? LOL