...no work till Tuesday, HR won't have my paperwork till Monday.
No work till Tuesday is sort of a blessing in disguise. I have the whole weekend to work on party preparations for next week. It will, however, really screw up my blood clinic appointments...bummer.
On the bright side, when I stopped by the Sparks store today, I saw Carey recieve almost $100 in tips in about 15 minutes. I am encouraged in spite of my newbie boss and the start up delays.
I am a mighty magnet for money!
Saturday, May 30, 2009
Friday, May 29, 2009
My New Boss
Yes, I have a job. Yes, I am completely grateful. But...that job comes with a boss. Trina is a sweet lady, probably in her late 30's, early 40's and recently promoted to the position of manager of three Dotty's locations: Sparks, Mira Loma and Meadowwood. I knew the day I met her she was in over her head, yesterday she proved it to me.
I was given five pages of paperwork on Wednesday to fill out for Dotty's with regard to my gaming card registration. I took the package with me on my trek across town, filled all five pages out neatly in blue ink, resisting the urge to use purple ink, my favorite. I called Trina as directed when I had everything I needed and she asked me to drop off the packet at Meadowood Mall on the south end of town. No problem. The sooner I can get all the paperwork into HR, which is located in Las Vegas, the sooner I can start working.
Yesterday, she called me to tell me that I needed to come in and refill everything out, I needed to use black ink. OK fine, I thought that seemed silly and I was a bit annoyed that she did not tell me that in the first place, but whatever. I arranged to meet her at the Sparks store at 10:30a. Trina has been at least 15 minutes late to each meeting I have had with her, so I got there right at 10:30 rather than my usual 10 minutes early. When I walked into Dotty's Carey, the day shift person, was on the phone, so I took a seat at the table near the counter. Carey soon came over and informed me that Trina was stuck in a managers meeting and could not meet with me at this time. I had told Trina earlier that I had an appointment at the blood clinic at 1:15 and would most likely be there till 4pm. Trina told Carey to have me call her after I was finished in the afternoon. Fine. I went home.
At 11:30, Trina called me to ask if I could come right over to the Sparks store and fill out the paperwork, she had a manager who was flying to Vegas this afternoon and would hand deliver all my paperwork to HR. Cool, I hopped in my truck and drove over there glad to have this out of the way sooner than later. I left the Sparks store and headed downtown for my blood appointment. I knew I would be very early, but there was really not enough time to go home. No biggie, I will just watch the movie and relax to get my pulse rate down,(my pulse rate has been a constant issue at the blood clinic).
As soon as I got to the blood clinic, which was about 12:45, my phone rings and it is Trina. She has put the wrong address in the Dotty's sections of the paperwork that she filled out and can I come right back to redo the paperwork again! I told her no, I was already downtown and did not have time to come back, so she asked me to call her when I was done, which I did at a little after 4pm as predicted.
She asked me to come to the Meadowood Mall store, which I did, not bothering to hide my irritation. Trina was very apologetic, of course, but still, what a dolt. I told her at least I had been her guinea pig and now she would know what to tell other applicants. I was also probably a bit condescending as I made her go over each page to check for errors, I couldn't help myself. I got home around 5:30p and while I was telling Betsy about my day, I asked her to remind me that when Dotty's offered me the management position to say NO!
This little incident just postponed my start day, probably till tomorrow, but hopefully not till Monday. Apparently HR has to give me the rubber stamp after receiving all the original paperwork and I cannot see how Trina is going to get it there today, Ugh! I am anxious to get a schedule so I can just do my job and not have to deal with all the red tape involved. OK, deep breath, it's over and what ever will be will be. Thanks for listening to me vent.
I was given five pages of paperwork on Wednesday to fill out for Dotty's with regard to my gaming card registration. I took the package with me on my trek across town, filled all five pages out neatly in blue ink, resisting the urge to use purple ink, my favorite. I called Trina as directed when I had everything I needed and she asked me to drop off the packet at Meadowood Mall on the south end of town. No problem. The sooner I can get all the paperwork into HR, which is located in Las Vegas, the sooner I can start working.
Yesterday, she called me to tell me that I needed to come in and refill everything out, I needed to use black ink. OK fine, I thought that seemed silly and I was a bit annoyed that she did not tell me that in the first place, but whatever. I arranged to meet her at the Sparks store at 10:30a. Trina has been at least 15 minutes late to each meeting I have had with her, so I got there right at 10:30 rather than my usual 10 minutes early. When I walked into Dotty's Carey, the day shift person, was on the phone, so I took a seat at the table near the counter. Carey soon came over and informed me that Trina was stuck in a managers meeting and could not meet with me at this time. I had told Trina earlier that I had an appointment at the blood clinic at 1:15 and would most likely be there till 4pm. Trina told Carey to have me call her after I was finished in the afternoon. Fine. I went home.
At 11:30, Trina called me to ask if I could come right over to the Sparks store and fill out the paperwork, she had a manager who was flying to Vegas this afternoon and would hand deliver all my paperwork to HR. Cool, I hopped in my truck and drove over there glad to have this out of the way sooner than later. I left the Sparks store and headed downtown for my blood appointment. I knew I would be very early, but there was really not enough time to go home. No biggie, I will just watch the movie and relax to get my pulse rate down,(my pulse rate has been a constant issue at the blood clinic).
As soon as I got to the blood clinic, which was about 12:45, my phone rings and it is Trina. She has put the wrong address in the Dotty's sections of the paperwork that she filled out and can I come right back to redo the paperwork again! I told her no, I was already downtown and did not have time to come back, so she asked me to call her when I was done, which I did at a little after 4pm as predicted.
She asked me to come to the Meadowood Mall store, which I did, not bothering to hide my irritation. Trina was very apologetic, of course, but still, what a dolt. I told her at least I had been her guinea pig and now she would know what to tell other applicants. I was also probably a bit condescending as I made her go over each page to check for errors, I couldn't help myself. I got home around 5:30p and while I was telling Betsy about my day, I asked her to remind me that when Dotty's offered me the management position to say NO!
This little incident just postponed my start day, probably till tomorrow, but hopefully not till Monday. Apparently HR has to give me the rubber stamp after receiving all the original paperwork and I cannot see how Trina is going to get it there today, Ugh! I am anxious to get a schedule so I can just do my job and not have to deal with all the red tape involved. OK, deep breath, it's over and what ever will be will be. Thanks for listening to me vent.
Thursday, May 28, 2009
On Fire!
I thought to myself as I watered the plants in my room this morning, Man, this Christmas Catus is on fire!" I am simply amazed at how fast it is growing all of a sudden. Then I thought, maybe it really is on fire with the heat in the mid 80s sitting in the window where it gets direct sunlight for a good part of the day. Then I thought who cares why, it is happy and thriving and I am getting a tremendous amount of joy from tending it.
Of course, my busy mind flitted from one thing to another, inevitably back to me and what the Universe is trying to tell me through my surroundings, through the thoughts and activities I lend my attention to. I considered my overall experience here in Sparks so far, the fact that I weathered my first real winter, albeit a mild one. Winter is a time of dormancy and hibernation, a time I have never really seen in the world or given myself in my own life. Just being here with David and his calm, centered energy, allowing him to tend to my most basic needs has been such a comfort. I realized just this morning that I have not allowed myself to be taken care of in my entire adult life and while I have experienced a certain sense of despair about it, there has also been an underlying feeling that I am safe. For that I am eternally grateful. I doubt I will ever be able to put into actual words how much this time has meant to me, or how important I am seeing now that it has been for my own growth.
Spring is here in the world and in my heart and I, like the cactus, am on fire!
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
A Job? What is That?
It's been so long since I've had a job, I almost forgot what that was. But things change and I am now officially employed at Dotty's Gaming & Spirits. It is a goofy little chain of casino cafes located in strip malls around the city. There are 12 in the Reno/Sparks area and 47 statewide. I will be working between two of them. One located in Sparks about ten minutes from David's house and one on McCarren & Mira Loma, a bit more south, about a half hour drive, maybe less.
I had to take a drug test last week, a hair follicle drug test, which I had never heard of. This test made me sweat a little, as I have hair on my head from two years ago and anyone who knows me is aware that I am known to indulge in the sweet, delightful bliss of marijuana from time to time, (or almost every day till I moved to Sparks). I had a bit of panic run through me till I checked out this hilarious website called Ipassedmydrugtest.com and found out that the hair follicles do indeed hold traces of hard drugs for up to six months, but pot only lasts 45-63 days. I have long held to the rule that "if it's organic, don't panic, if it's man made, be afraid", so I knew I was in the clear by a couple of weeks, there's been no hard stuff for me for many years. As I waited for the results to come in for four days, I thought about how the Universe does take good care of me. I knew I would be drug tested, but, assumed I would take a urine test, which, for me, would have come up clean in a week or so after I arrived in Sparks. Interesting.
Once the drug test came back clean, I had to go get a Gaming Card. I did that this morning. This involves finger printing and a background check, which I am not worried about. I passed a background check for my real estate license in California. I do not have to wait for the complete check, I can start work as soon as the fingerprinting is registered and in the computer, oh and they get their $75 in a money order. Then, I was required to obtain an Alcohol Awareness Card, which I also did today. I took a class and a test online, printed out my results, (I scored a 92), then drove down to the office near the airport and paid the twenty bucks to get my card. Now I can work in any casino in the state, how 'bout that. My gaming card is good for 5 years, and the alcohol card is good for four years. I know how some of you so enjoy the pictures, so here you go:
I still have to get some sort of thing for the City of Sparks, but the folks at the police department seemed pretty clueless saying I have to bring something in from Dotty's, so I left a message for my new boss, Trina, and we will see what she has to say tomorrow. I imagine I will work my first shift Friday...finally.
I just keep saying to myself over and over, "I am a mighty magnet for money!"
I had to take a drug test last week, a hair follicle drug test, which I had never heard of. This test made me sweat a little, as I have hair on my head from two years ago and anyone who knows me is aware that I am known to indulge in the sweet, delightful bliss of marijuana from time to time, (or almost every day till I moved to Sparks). I had a bit of panic run through me till I checked out this hilarious website called Ipassedmydrugtest.com and found out that the hair follicles do indeed hold traces of hard drugs for up to six months, but pot only lasts 45-63 days. I have long held to the rule that "if it's organic, don't panic, if it's man made, be afraid", so I knew I was in the clear by a couple of weeks, there's been no hard stuff for me for many years. As I waited for the results to come in for four days, I thought about how the Universe does take good care of me. I knew I would be drug tested, but, assumed I would take a urine test, which, for me, would have come up clean in a week or so after I arrived in Sparks. Interesting.
Once the drug test came back clean, I had to go get a Gaming Card. I did that this morning. This involves finger printing and a background check, which I am not worried about. I passed a background check for my real estate license in California. I do not have to wait for the complete check, I can start work as soon as the fingerprinting is registered and in the computer, oh and they get their $75 in a money order. Then, I was required to obtain an Alcohol Awareness Card, which I also did today. I took a class and a test online, printed out my results, (I scored a 92), then drove down to the office near the airport and paid the twenty bucks to get my card. Now I can work in any casino in the state, how 'bout that. My gaming card is good for 5 years, and the alcohol card is good for four years. I know how some of you so enjoy the pictures, so here you go:
I still have to get some sort of thing for the City of Sparks, but the folks at the police department seemed pretty clueless saying I have to bring something in from Dotty's, so I left a message for my new boss, Trina, and we will see what she has to say tomorrow. I imagine I will work my first shift Friday...finally.
I just keep saying to myself over and over, "I am a mighty magnet for money!"
To Be Friends...
...is the name of the feature film Josh worked on for three weeks in Santa Barbara.
I spoke with Josh about his experience when he finished near the end of March and he made some good friends, gained some great experience working with industry professionals and basically had a good time. The photos have been filtering in on Facebook and last night I downloaded some to share with those of you who don't visit FB often or at all.
The inside set was a big barn in the process of being converted to a living space. Enough of the downstairs space was completed to serve nicely as the living quarters for the characters.
They had a good time taking pictures of each other.
The nice thing about a movie set is that meals are always included!
One person took a whole bunch of candle lit photos of everyone, and this is the one of Josh. Something tells me he was not that into it, but had no choice but to oblige. The photos reminded me of the "theme photos" Kathleen and Kay are always taking, but I am sure the reality of the situation is that the power went out. The other house on the property besides the barn is where the cast and crew stayed. This house had some electrical issues and the power went out regularly. Josh said he took many a shower in the dark, and just got in the habit of taking his flashlight with him at all times. He told me that not too long after they were there, people would just go on with business as usual as the power came and went without even a hitch in the conversation. Luckily the barn did not have the same issues, or that surely would have made for a less enjoyable working environment.
Do you think the woman in the white jacket knows Jenn?
Oh yeah, they did do some working too....
Yes, Josh can now mount a camera on a car.
And build crazy accommodations for dolly tracks. Josh is in the far right of the photo holding his iPhone, ( I just finished spell checking and the computer corrected my spelling of the iphone to the capital P, whaddya know!) I wonder if that was the day I sent him a text, hehehe.
But, hey, not a bad working environment for a few weeks, unh?
I will keep you posted when the movie is showing in a theater near you! Keep your fingers crossed!
I spoke with Josh about his experience when he finished near the end of March and he made some good friends, gained some great experience working with industry professionals and basically had a good time. The photos have been filtering in on Facebook and last night I downloaded some to share with those of you who don't visit FB often or at all.
The inside set was a big barn in the process of being converted to a living space. Enough of the downstairs space was completed to serve nicely as the living quarters for the characters.
They had a good time taking pictures of each other.
The nice thing about a movie set is that meals are always included!
One person took a whole bunch of candle lit photos of everyone, and this is the one of Josh. Something tells me he was not that into it, but had no choice but to oblige. The photos reminded me of the "theme photos" Kathleen and Kay are always taking, but I am sure the reality of the situation is that the power went out. The other house on the property besides the barn is where the cast and crew stayed. This house had some electrical issues and the power went out regularly. Josh said he took many a shower in the dark, and just got in the habit of taking his flashlight with him at all times. He told me that not too long after they were there, people would just go on with business as usual as the power came and went without even a hitch in the conversation. Luckily the barn did not have the same issues, or that surely would have made for a less enjoyable working environment.
Do you think the woman in the white jacket knows Jenn?
Oh yeah, they did do some working too....
Yes, Josh can now mount a camera on a car.
And build crazy accommodations for dolly tracks. Josh is in the far right of the photo holding his iPhone, ( I just finished spell checking and the computer corrected my spelling of the iphone to the capital P, whaddya know!) I wonder if that was the day I sent him a text, hehehe.
But, hey, not a bad working environment for a few weeks, unh?
I will keep you posted when the movie is showing in a theater near you! Keep your fingers crossed!
Monday, May 25, 2009
Planting in the Yard
The sun is out and the weather warm, which means Betsy and David are in the yard as much as possible. Betsy has been planting for a couple of weekends now getting flowers in the ground to make the yard beautiful for her, but for the upcoming festivities as well.
Last weekend she and David planted this tree, which is a weeping something. But I thought it was super cool. Unfortunately, David managed to damage some of the sprinkler system while he was digging and that took him a few days to repair. All is well now.
This weekend Betsy bought another round of flowers for the many pots she has decorating the back yard. I helped plant these. It was nice to be outside in the sun getting my hands in the dirt.
David passed through the garage while I was taking pictures, and we both got a good laugh when he jumped in the picture.
I caught David and Betsy chatting with their neighbor over the fence.
I held up my camera to see if I could get a shot of Sharon, the neighbor, and got lucky on the first try, even though it is only the side of her head.
Betsy worked on these pots outside the kitchen door.
Last weekend she did the big pot and the Gerber daisies, this week the lavender went in.
More lavender on the other side for balance. I do not know the names of these flowers even though Betsy definitely told me. Oh well. Those were planted last week too.
These pots are right outside the back door with more flowers I don't remember the name of, but I did plant them in a nice arrangement.
These are fuchsia, my favorite flower. Grandma Long used to grow these in her garden and she would always tell me some story about these flowers being little ballerinas. I used to have a huge fuchsia plant on Kansas and look forward to having another one soon. In the meantime, Betsy let me plant these.
This was the last one I worked on. It sits right outside the door from David & Betsy's bedroom.
There are more pots on the front porch that Betsy planted last weekend, but I forgot to take photos of those. In fact, the whole front yard probably deserves a blog of it's own. It was a nice weekend. We got alot done around here. I hope you had a good weekend too.
The Lakers are playing right now, and I know a few people that I love and a whole bunch of people I don't know will be pretty darn happy if they win, so Go Lakers!
Last weekend she and David planted this tree, which is a weeping something. But I thought it was super cool. Unfortunately, David managed to damage some of the sprinkler system while he was digging and that took him a few days to repair. All is well now.
This weekend Betsy bought another round of flowers for the many pots she has decorating the back yard. I helped plant these. It was nice to be outside in the sun getting my hands in the dirt.
David passed through the garage while I was taking pictures, and we both got a good laugh when he jumped in the picture.
I caught David and Betsy chatting with their neighbor over the fence.
I held up my camera to see if I could get a shot of Sharon, the neighbor, and got lucky on the first try, even though it is only the side of her head.
Betsy worked on these pots outside the kitchen door.
Last weekend she did the big pot and the Gerber daisies, this week the lavender went in.
More lavender on the other side for balance. I do not know the names of these flowers even though Betsy definitely told me. Oh well. Those were planted last week too.
These pots are right outside the back door with more flowers I don't remember the name of, but I did plant them in a nice arrangement.
These are fuchsia, my favorite flower. Grandma Long used to grow these in her garden and she would always tell me some story about these flowers being little ballerinas. I used to have a huge fuchsia plant on Kansas and look forward to having another one soon. In the meantime, Betsy let me plant these.
This was the last one I worked on. It sits right outside the door from David & Betsy's bedroom.
There are more pots on the front porch that Betsy planted last weekend, but I forgot to take photos of those. In fact, the whole front yard probably deserves a blog of it's own. It was a nice weekend. We got alot done around here. I hope you had a good weekend too.
The Lakers are playing right now, and I know a few people that I love and a whole bunch of people I don't know will be pretty darn happy if they win, so Go Lakers!
Sunday, May 24, 2009
Seasonal Transition
It is strange to think that this is the first time in my life I have experienced the transition from one season to another. Now in my opinion so far, Sparks does not really have a Spring, (and I may change my mind when 100 degree weather becomes common place in a couple of months), but this feels like Summer to me. The temperature is in the 80s almost everyday. Not like 80 at the beach, it's a dry heat and does not feel as hot to me as if I were in Santa Monica with the same numbers. But you can really feel it in the sun, which is quite different here, and I have to be especially careful about sun screening my poor withering skin. The fight to keep myself moisturized is a constant battle.
I have been really enjoying the evolution of the yard as the cold fades and the plants come back to life after a dormant winter rest. It is just amazing how fast everything grows. The following photos were taken a couple of weeks apart:
This is the planter bed just outside the back door.
This is the planter bed under David and Betsy's bedroom window.
This is the same central tree in the backyard. The photos are just two weeks apart!
It all reminds me how fast time goes, and how I need to pay attention or I will miss something important. I am enjoying the transition though, which I think is a good thing.
I have been really enjoying the evolution of the yard as the cold fades and the plants come back to life after a dormant winter rest. It is just amazing how fast everything grows. The following photos were taken a couple of weeks apart:
This is the planter bed just outside the back door.
This is the planter bed under David and Betsy's bedroom window.
This is the same central tree in the backyard. The photos are just two weeks apart!
It all reminds me how fast time goes, and how I need to pay attention or I will miss something important. I am enjoying the transition though, which I think is a good thing.
Four Short Weeks
It's hard to believe that a month ago it snowed here.
And today it looks like this.
Crazy, unh?
And today it looks like this.
Crazy, unh?
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Belated Mother's Day Surprise
While I was feeling sorry for myself on Mother's Day because I was not going to be with my sons, Amber, bless her heart, was thinking of me and made me the most wonderful gift. She gave it to me on Friday night when I was helping her with the graduation party preparations, but I have not had time to really digest it till today.
It is made of ribbons and hearts and beads that are adorable and not given justice in the photos below, but the photos are just precious to me. Amber was not positive when the photos were taken, but it is my guess that they were shot at Raym's going away party at the Sawtelle apartment when he left for Boston in 2004.
Raym, coming in the door talking...perfect.
Josh with his big cherub grin hiding behind his music...perfect.
Me, caught by surprise at a party way past my bedtime...perfect.
I simply love this and have it hanging prominently in my room where I will see it first thing everyday. Amber, thank you so much for your thoughtful, creative heart. You know I love you as if you were born of my body, thank you, thank you, thank you.
It is made of ribbons and hearts and beads that are adorable and not given justice in the photos below, but the photos are just precious to me. Amber was not positive when the photos were taken, but it is my guess that they were shot at Raym's going away party at the Sawtelle apartment when he left for Boston in 2004.
Raym, coming in the door talking...perfect.
Josh with his big cherub grin hiding behind his music...perfect.
Me, caught by surprise at a party way past my bedtime...perfect.
I simply love this and have it hanging prominently in my room where I will see it first thing everyday. Amber, thank you so much for your thoughtful, creative heart. You know I love you as if you were born of my body, thank you, thank you, thank you.
Save The Date!
There has been so much celebrating around here, I wanted to share one more tidbit of great news and this morning I asked Jenn for permission to tell you all.
Jenn and Richard are engaged to be married!
So save the date: July 31, 2010, when we will all gather to witness the vows of a loving life long commitment between these two love birds.
Obviously details will follow as the planning progresses. Jenn and I were talking about it Saturday at Jeremy's graduation party, and, of course, other than the where and when, there have not been many decisions made about the how and what. I was telling them I will certainly help plan and execute a wonderful event,(once a caterer, always a caterer).I asked Richard some random question and he replied, "Well, we are on week 1 of 60, so I will let you know." I cracked up. For now, let me say, Rachel, you will be needed to take those awesome photos you produce. Josh, we'd love to have you shoot video. Monica, I will definitely need your help in the kitchen. As soon as I have jobs for the rest of you, I will let you know. Can you tell I am just a wee bit excited?
For those of you who have not had the privilege of hanging out with the two of them, let me tell you, they are adorable together. Richard is a good man, honest, funny and loving. He and Jenn have a solid relationship based on honesty, mutual respect and love. It is such a joy being around them, and I am so pleased that Jenn brought Richard to our family and we will all have the pleasure of him forever. However, this blog would not be real if I didn't include one picture of Jenn with her tongue sticking out...
Congratulations, you guys, I love you and I am so happy for you!
More New Growth
The Christmas Cactus continues to sprout new growth. Now the newest sections are growing newer sections. I am so pleased. This was taken last Saturday...
...and this one this morning.
I feel like it's going to be a good day.
...and this one this morning.
I feel like it's going to be a good day.
Early Morning Surprises
This morning I could not stay in bed, strange for me. I can usually force myself to go back to dreamland and escape the reality that is my daily boredom at least for a few more hours. I got up and decided to look online for the shampoo and conditioner I wanted. Over a year ago I bought some shampoo and conditioner at Costco that was organic and simply wonderful. It is odd for me to find a product I like so much. I am usually fickle and change brands often, but Giovanni Cosmetics changed that. I ran out of the shampoo awhile back and made do with whatever David & Betsy provided in Jade's bathroom. The conditioner is just coming to the end of the bottle and is the best stuff I have ever used on my hair, I wanted more. I went to the Giovanni website and found everything I wanted to find amidst the most beautiful website I have visited in a long time. The music is soft and soothing and the poetry inspiring. A lovely way to start the day when I will have my second job interview in twelve months. Wish me luck.
Monday, May 18, 2009
Graduation Day Part Six: The Party
Amber was the driving force behind this party and I want to start off by thanking her for all the thought, planning and hard work she put into this event. The party itself was spectacular and everyone in attendance had a really good time.
I went over on Friday to help her with the final preparations getting the house ready for Saturday. She shares a lovely house with Nick, a long time friend of Richard's, who owns the house. Nick is a great guy, but he is a guy and this house is a boy's house for sure. Vicki cleaned the downstairs on Friday during the day, then she attended Maryke's graduation ceremony in the evening with Jenn, Richard and Jeremy. Amber and I spent our time in the evening making the house look nice. Starting with a cover over the couch, too bad I don't have a "before" picture, so you could see what an improvement this made.
We hung decorations and new curtains in the dining room.
A large Congrats poster on the big blank wall in the pool/dart board room. And to give Nick credit, having a pool table and a dart board was most excellent during the party! I did not take a picture of the other wall which has a six foot poster of a woman in way too short shorts with her rear end hanging mostly out, a boy's house to be sure.
David contributed the tables from his work and rented chairs for the occasion. Amber came up with the lovely linens and more decorations. Gotta love the Dollar Store!
That's Nick on the right side of the frame.
Amber spent some time planting a bunch of flowers and really making the back yard look nice.
The entire yard was covered in games. Pictured below is a new one called Ladder Golf, that Jazmin gave to Amber for Christmas. This game is so fun! There are two sets of colored golf balls connected to each other by a string. You toss the golf balls and string toward the ladder on the opposite side trying to wrap it around on of the rungs to score points. The top rung is one point, the middle is two and the bottom rung is three. Fun, fun, but stay out of the way of those flying golf balls.
Amber is shown here tossing a set, and you can see the points scored by her opponent.
David and Betsy relax in the sun and shade before the party moves into full swing. The weather was hot, but the back yard had lots of shade and a nice breeze, so the day ended up being perfect, of course.
David brought both sets of his washers, which were well used during the day.
It was all family at first, which suits me just fine.
The house had a nice covered patio, so it was easy to get out of the sun and eat or relax in the shade.
Amber found some window paint, so she wrote messages on almost every window, which I thought was a cute idea, plus it just washes off with the hose!
I think this might have been the only time Amber sat down all day, bless her heart!
Besides the beautiful veggie tray, I made the best guac ever!
Ladder Golf got moved over to accommodate croquet, which I learned might just be my sport! There were slight obstacles with lumpy tufts of grass on the course, but it was really fun.
Amber had a great idea to have a games tournament. Teams of two would sign up and compete in all the games available, Washers, Cornhole, Ladder Golf, Pool, and Darts. Croquet was ousted for tournament purposes. It was a great idea, however, the actual set up of how play would progress was a bit flawed and they paired the same two teams against each other, moving from game to game. Peggy and I were a team and played against Vicki and her boyfriend, Tom. We started with the endless game of washers, which Peggy and I lost in a dead heat to the end. Then we moved over to Cornhole and talk about a game that lasts forever! I started routing for which ever one of us had a chance to win and end the game. Poor Peggy did not realize she was paired with the least competitive person at the party, and she is more like Monica in that regard and really wants to win. We did battle back from a 12-0 deficit to 19-20, and took forever to score the exact points we needed to reach 21. Tom finally score one point and he and Vic defeated us again. By that time, I think even Peggy was glad it was over despite the loss. We were not only the oldest of the participating teams, but the slowest, holding up the progress of the tournament and by the end of our Cornhole game, everyone at the party was watching and waiting to see if we would ever finish. No pressure or anything.
Here is the board for keeping track of the winning teams. It never advanced farther than this, as we took so long to finish our Cornhole game that most everyone had lost interest in the tournament. Oh well! Games continued to be played all day anyway.
Later in the day things started to wind down. Of course, Odin, Slater, (Jenn & Richard's beagle) and Scooter were in attendance. A few of the other guests brought in dogs through out the course of the day and they were all very well behaved for the most part. Except Scooter, of course, who barked all day and annoyed everyone. We expect nothing less from the little darling and he spent a considerable amount of time locked in Amber's room. But late in the after noon, when there was a lull in the action, Odin and Slater were just exhausted as you can see below.
While the dogs slept, there was no shortage of continuing conversation in the patio.
The party picked up again in the evening when many friends of Jeremy's made their way back to Amber's after making the rounds at other graduation celebrations around town. They brought the Patron and the Jaegermeister (spelling may be off) and the shots began.
All in all, a really good party, lots of fun and games and laughter. I am so pleased I was able to share the day with Jeremy and all the people he loves. The only thing that could have made it better for me was if Josh and Raym had been there. Maybe next time.
I went over on Friday to help her with the final preparations getting the house ready for Saturday. She shares a lovely house with Nick, a long time friend of Richard's, who owns the house. Nick is a great guy, but he is a guy and this house is a boy's house for sure. Vicki cleaned the downstairs on Friday during the day, then she attended Maryke's graduation ceremony in the evening with Jenn, Richard and Jeremy. Amber and I spent our time in the evening making the house look nice. Starting with a cover over the couch, too bad I don't have a "before" picture, so you could see what an improvement this made.
We hung decorations and new curtains in the dining room.
A large Congrats poster on the big blank wall in the pool/dart board room. And to give Nick credit, having a pool table and a dart board was most excellent during the party! I did not take a picture of the other wall which has a six foot poster of a woman in way too short shorts with her rear end hanging mostly out, a boy's house to be sure.
David contributed the tables from his work and rented chairs for the occasion. Amber came up with the lovely linens and more decorations. Gotta love the Dollar Store!
That's Nick on the right side of the frame.
Amber spent some time planting a bunch of flowers and really making the back yard look nice.
The entire yard was covered in games. Pictured below is a new one called Ladder Golf, that Jazmin gave to Amber for Christmas. This game is so fun! There are two sets of colored golf balls connected to each other by a string. You toss the golf balls and string toward the ladder on the opposite side trying to wrap it around on of the rungs to score points. The top rung is one point, the middle is two and the bottom rung is three. Fun, fun, but stay out of the way of those flying golf balls.
Amber is shown here tossing a set, and you can see the points scored by her opponent.
David and Betsy relax in the sun and shade before the party moves into full swing. The weather was hot, but the back yard had lots of shade and a nice breeze, so the day ended up being perfect, of course.
David brought both sets of his washers, which were well used during the day.
It was all family at first, which suits me just fine.
The house had a nice covered patio, so it was easy to get out of the sun and eat or relax in the shade.
Amber found some window paint, so she wrote messages on almost every window, which I thought was a cute idea, plus it just washes off with the hose!
I think this might have been the only time Amber sat down all day, bless her heart!
Besides the beautiful veggie tray, I made the best guac ever!
Ladder Golf got moved over to accommodate croquet, which I learned might just be my sport! There were slight obstacles with lumpy tufts of grass on the course, but it was really fun.
Amber had a great idea to have a games tournament. Teams of two would sign up and compete in all the games available, Washers, Cornhole, Ladder Golf, Pool, and Darts. Croquet was ousted for tournament purposes. It was a great idea, however, the actual set up of how play would progress was a bit flawed and they paired the same two teams against each other, moving from game to game. Peggy and I were a team and played against Vicki and her boyfriend, Tom. We started with the endless game of washers, which Peggy and I lost in a dead heat to the end. Then we moved over to Cornhole and talk about a game that lasts forever! I started routing for which ever one of us had a chance to win and end the game. Poor Peggy did not realize she was paired with the least competitive person at the party, and she is more like Monica in that regard and really wants to win. We did battle back from a 12-0 deficit to 19-20, and took forever to score the exact points we needed to reach 21. Tom finally score one point and he and Vic defeated us again. By that time, I think even Peggy was glad it was over despite the loss. We were not only the oldest of the participating teams, but the slowest, holding up the progress of the tournament and by the end of our Cornhole game, everyone at the party was watching and waiting to see if we would ever finish. No pressure or anything.
Here is the board for keeping track of the winning teams. It never advanced farther than this, as we took so long to finish our Cornhole game that most everyone had lost interest in the tournament. Oh well! Games continued to be played all day anyway.
Later in the day things started to wind down. Of course, Odin, Slater, (Jenn & Richard's beagle) and Scooter were in attendance. A few of the other guests brought in dogs through out the course of the day and they were all very well behaved for the most part. Except Scooter, of course, who barked all day and annoyed everyone. We expect nothing less from the little darling and he spent a considerable amount of time locked in Amber's room. But late in the after noon, when there was a lull in the action, Odin and Slater were just exhausted as you can see below.
While the dogs slept, there was no shortage of continuing conversation in the patio.
The party picked up again in the evening when many friends of Jeremy's made their way back to Amber's after making the rounds at other graduation celebrations around town. They brought the Patron and the Jaegermeister (spelling may be off) and the shots began.
All in all, a really good party, lots of fun and games and laughter. I am so pleased I was able to share the day with Jeremy and all the people he loves. The only thing that could have made it better for me was if Josh and Raym had been there. Maybe next time.
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