Saturday, October 30, 2010

Little things

So the past few days have been trialing. Work is unforgiving. Sickness deepens. Life seems to slow. It is then, that the "little things" in life, seem to be the best. The numerous inside jokes, or handshakes, or nicknames that I have with everyone at work. The chance to stand around and talk about the days events. This makes it easier to get through work. Even being wrongly accused of something, can't stand up to this. I know the truth. And luckily, I have witnesses. They have my back.

Times like these, family is great. Mom & Dad came into work today. We hung around for a little bit. They met some more people and talked with ones they already knew. It's like a burst of energy to get you over the hump. To continue the rest of your day.

And it's always a great feeling to have associates come up to you and tell you how cool your parents are!! DUH!! This, I already know. I am fortunate. Don't really have much to say. Tomorrow is Halloween and I have off. Going to try to relax. Hand out cavities to little kids and take some medicine. Hope to see the family sometime too. LOVE YOU ALL!! Hope all is well with everyone. Until next time...goodnight.

LoVe <3

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Lil Mason

So this was my weekend off. The only thing I had planned was going to my parents for the Ravens game on Sunday, and of course the usual things, like cleaning and going to the store. Well, I suddenly had more plans. Keshia called and asked me to babysit Anthony for the weekend. Anthony is my godson and I love him like he is my own. I hadn't had him for about a month so I was excited to see him. He is growing so fast. It is hard to believe that he will be 1 on November 3rd. Where did the time go?? He looks so different even from a month ago....why can't they stay little? A month ago, he looked liked this....


I got him around 5:30pm. Had all my errands done and the house clean. As soon as he saw me, he reached out for me. Instant happiness. He is the happiest baby. I just love him!! So we played for a while, he ate, then he acted like he was going to go to sleep. PSYCH!! He closed his eyes for 5 minutes, then woke up with a crazy energy. He was "talking" away and I was talking back. I taught him how to drink out of his cup and he was still talking....
....next thing I know, it is dead quiet. I was checking for a pulse and thinking to myself "Oh God...it was only water". Once I made sure he had a pulse, I just started busting out laughing. He must have given his last Hoo-Rah before he literally passed out....
I picked him up and layed him in his playpen, all tucked in. At this time it was 9:30. I cleaned up his toys, wiped them down and got his diaper bag packed for the next day. Then I was in bed. I woke up to him "talking". I rolled over and looked at the clock....it was 4:05am!! I clearly remember thinking to myself "Dear God....please not this early? Not 4am". But I looked at his playpen and he wasn't moving. I know better then to get up, once he knows you are awake....then it's time to play. So I layed there and next thing you know, it was dead silent again. Looked at the clock and it was 4:15am....exactly 10 minutes later. Thank you Lord!!
I fell back asleep. I woke up by him talking yet again. This time it was 9am. We slept almost 12 hours.....that's my boy. Goes to bed happy and wakes up happy.

I got him up, changed his diaper and started to get my clothes out. Then it hit me...."What am I going to do with him while I was in the shower??" I decided to bring up his bouncy chair and sit it in the bathroom. However, it wouldn't fit through the dang door. Soooo I did what i could. Sat him in it with his cup of water and some strawberry-apple puffs. He was fine UNTILLLLL he couldn't see me. He screamed for the 2 seconds that it took me to stick my head out. I instantly thought "Oh my...this is going to be the shortest shower of my life". Yay motherhood. LoL. So I started talking to him and I remembered what Mom used to do with us ALL the time. She would make up songs. Then I was like "Oh great. I can't sing and I can't write a song". But the words just came to me. The most ridiculous song you would ever here, but it worked. He was quiet the whole time. It went like this...
Anthony is a big boy,
sitting in his chair.
Eating his puffs and playing,
waiting for me to be there.

Anthony is going to get a bath,
so he can be all fresh and clean.
And hes got a jersey,
to support his favorite team.

I must admit, I felt ridiculous singing this over and over. But also a sense of accomplishment because he wasn't crying. He then got his bath and all dressed up in his jersey. My lil Mason...
We headed over to Mom & Dads. I gotta tell you, the first grandkid in our family is going to be SPOILED ROTTEN!! Anthony isn't even ours and he is sooo loved by everyone. He is my little love bug. He loves Sam to death....

We all had a great time watching the game, playing with Anthony and eating WAYYY too much. Love being with my family. Its just great. Can't get enough of it. After everything was over and almost everything was cleaned up, it was time to get on the road. Had to get Anthony bathed & ready to go back home to his parents. Instead, his mother decided to text me & ask me to take him to her sister. Fine, whatever. What happened next, brought up nightmares. Makayla loves Anthony and didn't want him to leave to she rode the 5 minutes up the road with me to drop him off at the Shop-Rite. As soon as he saw his soon-to-be-uncle, he started screaming bloody murder. I got him out of his car seat and he was fine. As soon as his Aunt grabbed him, he screamed louder than I have ever heard. It broke my heart. He obviously doesn't want to be with them. Oh well, he is loved when he is with us. That little man has a special place in all of our hearts. Thank you everyone for loving him!!

Today was just another day at work so nothing special there. All the highlights of my life are with family. I LOVE YOU ALL!! I guess I have run out for now. Hope all is well with everyone. Until tomorrow... goodnight.

LoVe <3

P.S. Mom- sorry for all the handprints and drool on the door and all your appliances. LoL. Forgot how that could be. He doesn't sleep all the time anymore.

My Favorite Song
by Mom

5 little monkeys on the wall,
what do you think we should call them all?
Matt, Dan, Bekah, Sam, Seth

5 little monkeys can't you see,
those little monkeys belong to me.
Matt, Dan, Bekah, Sam, Seth

<3 <3 <3


Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Home

So I came over to my parents on Monday afternoon. Every intention of working my overnight and going back to my parents by 6am Tuesday morning to sleep for a few hours. I worked my overnight, got off at 5, took a hot shower and climbed into "my" bed. I call the spare bedroom "my" room because I frequent it often. Once I layed down, I swear I never moved all night. I woke up exactly 6 1/2 hours later at 12:30pm. Realizing I had left my contacts in all night. No wonder my eyes hurt so bad!!

Mom and I spent the day sitting on the couch, reading our books and doing a whole lot of nothing. Somewhere around 3:30, I snuck back up to "my" room and curled up under the covers. I fell asleep for another 2 hours. Next thing I hear is Mom saying "You little stinker! Get out of that bed right now! You won't be able to sleep tonight!" I hadn't intended on staying Tuesday night also, but as dinner time rolled around, I had no desire to get in my car and go to my house. Soooo....another sleepover it was.

The plan for this morning was to go to Moms haircut appointment with her and then who-knows-what for the rest of the day. So yet again, I was pretty much in a coma. Oblivious to the outer world in a nice deep sleep. Moms appointment was at 10:45. I hear shoes coming down the hallway. I know it is Mom. I can just tell by the walk, the sound of her steps. Each placed perfectly, not loudly, but on a mission. My brain halfway kicks on as the door opens. "Good Morning!! (way too chipper) If you still want to go with me you are going to have to get up. It's 9:30". What?!? I slept another 11 hours without ever moving? Wow! I guess my body needed it, as well as my mind.

As I get out of bed, the pain in my leg almost shoots through me. I thought I had just pulled a muscle by going up & down while working my overnight. But something was definitely different. I try to shake it off as I get in the shower. I get myself together and I am driving to the hair place before I know it. We are waiting and waiting.....and waiting. Tiffany (the girl who cuts Moms hair) never takes this long. Keep in mind it has only been about 5 minutes. Tiffany comes out in a sort of whirlwind. "Donna I have you down for NEXT Wednesday". The look on her face saying "Oh God PLEASE let me have written the right date on her appointment card!" Mom digs her card out of her wallet and sure enough......it was next wednesday. Gotta love it. Oh well. What were we off to now?

We then went to Marshall's and TJMaxx and Target and even the mall. All the while I develope a nice little gimp. My leg is on fire. What the heck did I do to it?? So as we were getting ready to go home, we decided to get a salad from Qdoba. We are walking back to the car and some ignorant teenager, driving WAY too fast, has the nerve to blow his horn at me!!! This sends Mom into a laughing frenzy and me into an utter rage. I wanted so badly to fly over there, put my hand out and give those obnoxious teenagers the "butt-whooping" of their lives. However, I kept my composure and finished hobbling across the street. We got home, ate our salads entirely too fast and watched "Cool Runnings".

After it was over we headed out to Kohl's. Once we made it home, it was understood.....I was staying the night again!! I have to work tomorrow morning at 8. But I can leave from "Home". It does the heart good to just have these past few days that I have had. Spending the days with Mom and the nights with Mom & Dad. The stress of work, the stress of everyday life disappears when you are around the ones you love. It has done me much good. Now if it could just mend wounded knees. We are making dinner, which consists of spaghetti and salad and some italian bread. And drinking yet another glass of hot tea. I think I have a new favorite thing. The brand is called "Bigelow" and the flavor is Vanilla Caramel. Absolutely Divine!

It's just about time to get off of here. I think I have run out for now. Going to spend some time with the "rents", eat some dinner and ice my knee. Hopefully it will feel better by morning. Hope all is well with everyone. Until tomorrow....goodnight.

LoVe <3

P.S.  Mom.....even though you sound like Frankenstein when you clear your throat, I still love you! ;)

Sunday, October 17, 2010

Quince (15)

This is my 15th post. Didn't know if I would even write this many when I first started. Hopefully I can keep it going. So Mom and Dad are back from their mini vacation. They had a blast. They brought me back the sweetest gift.

I absolutely LOVE them!! It is a set of coasters for my bedroom. It means so much to me. I LOVE YOU BOTH!!

I got an update on Carls Dad. He received 7 staples in the back of his head. Carl told me that they want to move hospice in to help him with his Dad. I know that's not a good sign. Please keep Carl & his Dad in your prayers. I also talked with Bob. He is doing well. He said his foot hurts but he is taking it easy. Keep him in your prayers too please. Hopefully his foot will continue to heal.

Don't have a whole lot to write about. Made it through another day. I work an overnight tomorrow at work. It should be interesting. Hope all is well with everyone. I will talk more tomorrow. Until tomorrow... goodnight.

LoVe <3

P.S.  Parents go from people we have to listen to.....to being the first people we ask for advice. The shoulder to lean on. Best friends. Your biggest fans. Just your whole world. I love you Mom & Dad. Thanks for everything!! XOXOXO

Friday, October 15, 2010

Instincts

Today started like any other day.....waking up, showering and heading into work. It was another day at work. Not bad, but also not amazing. One of my associates, Carl, is 64 years old. He is like a grandfather to me. Reminds me of Chesty. Will stand up for me and bend over backwards to help me. He has been with the store since we opened. He doesn't ever take all his vacation time. And he has over 500 hours of sick time! He had to call out today. He is taking care of his 93 year old father. When I got the call, my heart sunk. I knew something had to be wrong. Not even 5 minutes after the store manager informed me that Carl called out, the hardware phone started ringing. I answered it & it was Carl. He was apologizing for calling out!! I told him it was fine and asked if he was ok. He said "Dad fell again today. He cut his head open and I can't get the bleeding to stop. I have to take him to the hospital to get stitches". I told him to be careful and to call if he needed anything. To stop worrying about Lowe's, his father was way more important. Please keep them both in your prayers. To keep Carl strong and to keep his Dad healthy.

By the time my lunch had come around, I had pretty much made up my mind that I was going to stay at my parents tonight and hang out with Sam & Seth. So I went home, packed up my stuff for the night, work clothes for tomorrow, ate some left-over spaghetti and headed back to finish my shift. When I got back, I was joking around with some of my fellow associates. Another associate came around the corner and said "It's so great to see a smiley Bekah. Just makes my day great". That was touching but also struck me....Do i really look that serious all the time?? So I'm going to work on tryin to stay positive. Things can always be worse, remember?

So I'm on my way to Mom & Dads. As soon as I walk in the door (literally) I hear Seth saying "Are you serious Mom? Really? I have no clean underwear!!" I bust out laughing hysterically!! Couldn't have entered at a better time. I had every intention of making them a nice dinner. But Seth left and Sam wouldn't tell me what he wanted. So taquitos it was. Bad idea!! I made some brownies with peanut butter M&M's in them and thawed some cool whip.
Ummm, I think Sam likes them. But he is just like me, cuts out of the middle. LOL

I took a shower and then guess what? I found myself doing the dishes, doing their laundry and cleaning up the house. Not that it was dirty. Just instinct. Not that I would never help out but I never imagined that I would just pick up and start doing my brothers laundry. Good 'ole mother instinct kicked in. I gotta look out for those boys. I love 'em too much!

Lol. He is crazy....but definitely an Ayers!

Don't worry....we aren't in the basement. Just needed a picture of Sethie-Poo.
Mom says they are having a blast. She sent a few pictures and they are incredible. So glad they are having a good time. They deserve it. Love you guys!!

This was entering the Yankee Candle store...

This was inside the store!!

I hope that countdown is wrong!!

 All-in-all it has been a pretty great day. I am getting ready to put the clothes in the dryer and head up to bed. I am tired. For some reason I slept awful last night. Just couldn't get comfortable. Hope everyone is well. Until tomorrow....goodnight.

LoVe <3


Thursday, October 14, 2010

Challenge...

Sooo, family is everything! Why is it that they are the ones we take everything out on? Why is it that we hold a grudge against them? But yet, they are the ones to always stay by your side & support you through everything. Thank God for family!!

I am challenging everyone, to get together with their families. Maybe you need to get closer with your immediate family or maybe everyone needs to get together just to catch up. Like the old days. I am extremely close with my parents and my brothers. I couldn't be luckier. But I miss spending time with Aunts, Uncles, cousins, grandparents. Just everyone. I would love to see us all get together like we used to do when Deda was alive. Every Thanksgiving, Christmas, Super Bowl....we were together.

The cousins were like brothers and sisters. Now, we barely know what is going on in each others lives. Yes, I know as we get older and everyone works, that our lives change. People get married, have kids, have demanding jobs....but it doesn't mean we should lose touch with those that we were raised with. I am challenging us to all be able to get together sometime by the end of the year. It would be a blast for everyone to catch up and just have fun. So lets plan something!

That's pretty much my bright idea. I slept in until 11 today. Felt like I slept my day away. Still got a lot accomplished tho. Mom, Dad and the Johnsons made it to Williamsburg successfully and safely. I'm sure they will have a blast. I think I have run out for now. Give everyone a hug & kiss. They deserve it! Until tomorrow....goodnight.

LoVe <3

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

"That looks like you....you want it?"

The plan was to sleep in today. Instead, Jay decides to text me at 8am. Why is he up that early on our days off?? And if he is up that early, he could let me sleep. He could talk to his girlfriend. LoL. So since I was awaken, I decided to do some laundry and make my bed. Shortly after, I heard footsteps running above my head. So I would have been awake anyway. Mom calls me & wants to swing by and see my room. I go to jump in the shower and there is a surprise upstairs. BRAYDON!! He is Michelle's nephew. Just turned 1 and he is a cutie. No bigger than a minute. She says "Go get your Bekah" and he walked to me!! I was so ecstatic. They grow up too fast!!

Mom stops by and then we had to Kohl's and Marshalls to make some returns she had. While we are in Kohl's and getting ready to leave....Mom sees a shirt. She says "That shirt is really cute. It looks like you. You want it?" Something about this struck us both funny. We were in hysterics. I think it was just the way she said it without taking a breath. I love her!! Then we went and got lunch and headed to her house. Luckily Sam was there to share my Arby's with. I didn't need that stuff anway. We chilled there for a little while. Sam & I were tossing pillows around at each other. Then Mom & I decided to go to Rack Room Shoes. She got a nice pair of clogs and I got a pair of cute clogs too.

Shortly after we got back to Moms, I had to leave. Tonight was "Family Night" at the Towson Lowe's. Chelle asked me to go with her. It turned out really nice. They had Coldstone Creamery ice cream, edible arrangements, cakes, pit beef, drinks,mints....pretty much everything there. Store is very nice. Smaller than mine, but still nice. Then the firetrucks came. Kayla got in and put the hat on. Very cute.

Once we got home from that, we made dinner and sat down to watch a movie. Im exhausted. Just sitting here listening to music while I type this. Mom & Dad leave in the morning to go on a mini vacation with the Johnson's. Hopefully, Mom will get better and Dad won't get any worse. I'm sure they will have a blast. Hope they make it safe. I think I have pretty much run out for now. Count your blessings...most of the time they are right in front of you! Until tomorrow....goodnight.

LoVe <3

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

Ugh..

So I hit snooze on my alarm this morning 3 times.....this translates into 30 minutes. I somehow was able to get myself together and out the door by the regular time I would have been leaving. I am driving to work and realize....today is the 12th. The new traffic pattern for 24 started today. UGH!!! Talk about the most retarded, unnecessary thing ever. A man definitely had to think of that! Instead of getting to work 15 minutes early, I punched in at 8 o'clock on the dot!!

Work went like any other day. Lots of drama and hardly any customers. Hopefully things will improve soon. Once I got off, I went home and took a shower. Next thing on the agenda was to clean and re-arrange my room. Once I got started, I instantly regretted it. I was supposed to be off and relaxing, instead I was sweating and swearing under my breath. Not to mention, I was doing laundry during all this. After I almost tipped over my bookshelf, I realized I had to take half of everything off in order to safely move it. I got everything situated to where I wanted it to be and decided I could put my sheets on later.

I go upstairs to start dinner. I was GOING to cook some park chops on the grill. I defrosted them enough to separate them, headed out to the grill to get it started and it didn't start. NO BUENO!! So I got out the magic pot from pampered chef. Thank goodness for that. Whipped up some pasta and and heated up some corn. I had a hot dinner ready in no time.

After I ate, I went to empty the dishwasher. And guess what?? The bottom drawer wouldn't open. And on top of that, EVERYTHING smelled like sour milk. DOUBLE UGH!! So I then proceeded to take everything out and hand-wash it. While doing this I noticed what was keeping the bottom drawer from opening....one of the beaters had dropped underneath. Finally got all this done.

Then Chelle, Kayla and I all sat down to watch DWTS results show. Which is entirely wayyyy too drawn out. As this was going on, the basement door aka my bedroom door, started creaking. And creaking. And it creaked some more. I must admit, I was scared to open the door. I finally did and everything is fine. I finished the laundry and put my sheets on my bed while I watched the season finale of Teen Mom.

Definitely been an interesting day. At least I won't have a whole lot of cleaning. Planning on sleeping in, but we will see how that goes. Oh yea....I received one of the funniest texts ever today. I asked how my friends night at work was going. His response was "I rolled down a hill into a pond today". I was busting out laughing. Just think about that. At least that wasn't me. No matter what is going on in your life, there is always something worse. Just keep that in mind.

I think I have run out for now. I have the next 2 glorious days off. Tomorrow night is "Family Night" at the Towson store. Chelle asked me to go with her to meet everyone there and just walk around her new store. It should be interesting. Hope all is well with everyone. Feel better soon Mom!! Love you! Until tomorrow... goodnight.

LoVe <3

Monday, October 11, 2010

Another day, another dollar....

Oh boy! What a day. I'm glad it is over. Started out by waking up and literally feeling like my brain was trying to ooze through my ears. My head was throbbing. And what is this?? My throat hurts and I have junk draining down my throat! EEWW! I then received a text message from one of my friends, Jay. He asked how I was doing. He apparently was getting the same thing I was. I told him to just call out. He never calls out. I told him it would be better for him to call out and get better instead of him coming in and giving it to someone else in his department. Most of the people he works with will call out in a heartbeat. So that would just be worse for him in the long-run.

One o'clock rolls around....then 1:30....then 1:50. Nobody has seen Jay, he hadn't told me he was calling out. He is never late. His department is genuinely concerned at this point. They had called him & left messages, they had text him.....no response. So I went up front to the "call out" book. He wasn't in there! Odd. So I text him....no response. Ok....something is wrong! The first manager I see, I ask if Jay had called out or if they had heard from him. The managers response was "Yes, he called out". I was like "Oh ok, because nobondy has told his guys in his department. They were worried". The managers response at this point was "They will figure it out". WOW!! I told his guys. They were grateful and asked me to tell him to get better. I just can't believe what the manager said. Blows my mind.

So with all that being said......we had very little coverage for Zone 3. My closer for Hardware & Tools wouldn't be in becasue he had his toe amputated, Jay called out for the night....spells disaster. That left 1 person to cover Hardware, Tools, Millwork & Lumber after 9pm. I helped cover Millwork after 7....but after that Barry was on his own. I felt bad for the poor guy. At least he only had to deal with it for an hour.

Work was finally over!! I missed most of DWTS but I caught the last 3 dances. I really am hooked on that show for some reason. Not looking forward to working tomorrow. I work 8-5. I'm hoping I will wake up a lot better than today. Then I will have 2 glorious days off. Thinking I am going to do my laundry, go to the grocery store, re-arrange my room and change over my bedding. Who knows though. Hopefully I will see my special friend sometime during those 2 days. Also, I NEED to get "Just Wright" from redbox and take it over to Moms on Wednesday to watch with her. Before her & Dad leave for the weekend.

Not a whole lot to write about today. Just kind of tired and ready to knock this stuff out of my system. Hope all is well with everyone. Until tomorrow...goodnight, sleep tight & don't let the bed bugs bite.

LoVe <3

Saturday, October 9, 2010

Catoctin Colorfest...

After getting less than 4 hours of sleep, I got out of bed and got ready for the day. By 7am I was on the road to go get Amanda. Today was the day....Thurmont!! After picking her up we headed to Mom & Dads. Everyone was here. We ate some banana nut bread and zucchini bread. Then it was time for everyone to pile into the cars to get started on our adventure. As soon as I got in my car & ready to drive away....my car didn't go anywhere.....ummmm. Dad had put my emergency brake on and I had no idea where it was to release it. LoL. Finally, we found it and were on our way. Dan, Amanda, Mrs. Denise and I were all in stitches. What a great way to start our trip.

After 1 1/2 hours of driving, we are finally in the "sea of people". I wasn't even interested in looking at the stands....I was "people watching". We saw some pretty crazy characters. So crazy that I just have to share a few with you...
He is here every year......but come on, honestly??

Orange & black toe socks to top it off.

Then there was the witch......

...and the poodle girls...

...and lastly, we can't forget this guy. What the heck did you do man??

Watching these people was hysterical. There were many more that I wasn't able to take pictures of. It was very hot too. The heat was starting to get to me just a little bit and I was hungry. So we went to get some lunch. We decided on a pit beef stand. I ordered a pit ham sandwhich and a sweet tea. The total came to $10!! Unfortuantely, they gave me a dry pit turkey and a big glass of dish water. Very disappointing.

After this, we decided to go walk through the stands in the park. That way we would be in the shade. It was even more crowded in here. We are walking along and Amanda & I decided to get something from the Rita's stand. We waited our turn in line and the woman asks "What can I get for you ma'am?" As I am trying to place my order some dude says "Theres a line back here". I ignore him and place my order. He repeats himself even louder "There is a line back here!" I am irritated at this point and turn around and say "And there was a line over here too!" The woman at the stand then says "Yes we are working from both sides". The only thing this obnoxious redneck could say at this point was "My bad, my bad". Yes sir, it is your bad, maybe you should think before you talk next time. Please and thank you.

After I get over this near meltdown, we continue walking through the town. Laughing harder and harder at everyone that we are seeing. We ate so much junk that was so unhealthy. I never want to eat any of that again. As fun as it was to get a good laugh in, it was time to go. People were too much in my bubble. It was time to say goodbye to the "sea of people".

The drive home felt like it took forever!! I could barely keep my eyes open. All I wanted was sleep! We get back to Mom & Dads and I had every intention of taking a nap. This did NOT happen. Instead I got up and threw the football around with Dad & Dan. Then Aunt Crickett and I sat down and she helped me "bling" my blog. THANKS A BUSHEL!! I never would have figured it out. We then sat down to eat dinner. Beef stew that had been cooking in a crock-pot all day. REAL food. After this, you could tell exhaustion was setting in. We started to get crazy. I swear a song came on the radio and it sounded like they were singing "baked potato, baked potato, baked potato".



Then we were talking about the macarena and doing our own versions of it. Things just went downhill from there.


It was a great day with everyone. We are getting ready to eat some ice cream and then I will probably pass out. Still have to drive home. Many memories were definitely made. Lots of laughs. Thanks everyone for coming and being a part of these memories. I love you all!! And to those of you who have no idea how many laughs you gave us, thank you! It made our trip well worth it. Until tomorrow....good night.

LoVe <3

A day in my life...

Today started out like any other day.....waking up. It was a glorious day off. Didn't have to be up early, so obviously, I was looking forward to sleeping in. Then I heard my phone go off. It was a text saying "so what u got planned for today?". As I was getting ready to respond, I noticed the time. It was 8:30 in the morning!! Why would someone else be up that early?? LoL. My response was...."I WAS sleeping. What do you have planned?" Needless to say, I got no response.

After I was awaken, I decided to just get up for the day. Start my day early. I hopped in the shower, received a phone call from Mom and headed to the store. It's funny how before I would go shopping for things I "needed". Now I go shopping for things I NEED! Priorities are in line. After I got what all I needed for the house, I received a phone call from Matt. He wanted to know if I could swing by the post office and pick up a package for him. He didn't think I would be able to without the paper that was left at his house but I told him I would try. It baffles me how I was able to just give his address and I was given the packages. They never even asked for his name or anything. I just signed and was headed on my way.

After I got everything put away at the house, I headed over to Mom & Dads. We chilled for a little bit and then Mom & I went to the grocery store and Target. While we were at the grocery store I found a nice little halloween section. Anyone who knows me, knows that I am a sucker for hats. I LOVE hats. So naturally, I couldn't help myself but to try some on.....so we have orange...

Then we have green....

and lastly we have pink....

The many colors of Bekah!

Once we got back home I took Seth out for ice cream. We went to Coldstone Creamery. That stuff is expensive, filling and you get A LOT of it. We had a nice time together. It was definitely nice to get to talk with him and hang out. Once we got back home yet again I ended up cutting Sams hair. I couldn't help myself but to cut a design first....although it looks normal from the front....

It is FAR from it....

LOL....but he was a good sport!!


We then ate some pizza for dinner. I headed over to Matt & Amandas to drop off the packages. Stayed there for a liitle bit, then headed home. Can't wait for Thurmont in the morning. I am going to swing by and pick up Amanda on my way to Mom & Dads. Sooo excited. Right now I am painting my nails and they are drying as I am typing this. Now THAT is multi-tasking. LoL. I think that is all for now....until tomorrow.
Good night.

LoVe <3

Friday, October 8, 2010

Mommies

Once I woke up this morning I realized that I had forgotten to mention one of the funniest things that had happened all day yesterday.

As I mentioned before, my best friend (Michelle) and I are roommates. Chelle has a 4 year old daughter named Makayla. She is very bright, outspoken and funny. A few weeks ago, I had the day off so I decided I would watch Kayla while Chelle had to work. We went up to Annie's Playground. We were there for almost 3 hours. I had lost track of time.

I was pushing her on the swings when all of a sudden Makayla says, (very loudly) "thats redicalus". She cannot say the word correctly, hence the spelling being wrong. I said "Whats ridiculous Kayla?" In her world there is no black and white. It is chocolate or banilla. She replied " There is a chocolate Dad, a banilla Mom and a chocolate baby". I started laughing. At this time the 2 Dads with their kids on the swings next to us are looking at me. I explained to her that she would have been the same way. She would have a chocolate Dad, a vanilla Mom and then her.....

This did not go over well with her. Her response was "No I don't!" I continued to tell her it was. Her next response left me speechless. She said, and I quote, "NO I DON'T! I have 2 banilla Moms. I have you, Miss Bekah & I have my Mom Michelle". My face turns blood red. The other Dads are now looking at me with their jaws dropped. I am telling her no that isn't the case. The more I say no, the more she says yes. Needless to say, it wasn't very funny at the time. Very embarrassing. But now I can laugh at it.

So yesterday I go home for my lunch break. Chelle is there but Makayla isn't. She gets a phone call and leaves the room. Once she comes back in she tells me about what she was just told. The sitter called and said they were going to be bringing Makayla home becasue she was having a meltdown. She kept crying and saying she "misses her mommies". Yes i did put an "s" on the end of that. Michelle and I are busting out laughing.

Kids say the darndest things! It is all so very innocent, but keeps us laughing every time. Just like the other day when I made dinner. Makayla then declares "Mommy, you need to put me on a rice diet". Where do these things come from?? If only the world could see everything through a childs eyes. Things would be much simpler. I am very fortunate to have these 2 in my life. Friends forever. We learn a lot from each other.

I believe that is all for now. I will have much more to talk about tonight. My Aunt & Uncle are coming up for the weekend. Can't wait!! Thurmont is tomorrow. Came so fast! Until later on....ta-ta for now.

LoVe <3

Thursday, October 7, 2010

Miss Robotica

"Oh how I love my job. Oh how I need my job." (rub ears & repeat) This was the calming method I used today at work. I hate how I can have such a good morning and it instantly gets shattered when I walk into work. I barely got a chance to get punched in when I got a complete, slurred, unsure and almost in-audible rundown for the day up to that point. It was at this time that I decided it would be best to just nod my head, half smile and pretend like I heard & understood everything that I was just told. When in reality my mind was flipped upside down and twisted. I figured if it was really important my manager would tell me.

Shortly after, meaning approximately 30 minutes, I punched in I noticed a nice, heaping red cart full of boxes. This cart was not at my desk when I clocked in. Then the same associate that couldn't clearly tell me what had happened all morning came over and said "John dropped this off & ran". I just shrugged it off and went to face "The Cart".

Let me explain this wonderful cart full of boxes. Remember those 99 boxes I mentioned the other day? Well these boxes are just as bad, maybe worse. They vary in sizes and on the outside of the boxes in big, bold green letters reads "Hillman". Inside these boxes are bags filled with smaller bags, boxes filled with smaller boxes. If you have ever been to Lowe's or any hardware store, you know they are going to have one thing....nuts, screws, bolts. All of those little bags of screws, the individual screws, the keys, key accessories, mailbox numbers, yard signs, nuts and bolts are what "Hillman" is. Lots & lots & lots of tiny pieces. The only good thing about putting Hillman away is that it is time consuming and with the store being so slow, it was actually great. It took 3 1/2 hours of my shift for me to get it all put away.

Once I accomplished this task, I walked around and helped what little bit of customers we had in the store. Shortly after I headed to lunch at 6. The whole plan that was discussed with me before I went to lunch went as follows:
* When I got back from lunch I was to help my manager finish hanging the posters that we had started yesterday.
So that was fine with me. I had no problem with that. When I got back from lunch, my manager, Scott, was still on lunch so I decided to be proactive and start removing the other papers that had to come down in order for us to hang the new posters. While I was doing this in the breakroom, one of our regular thieves came in & went to the family bathroom. I instantly called my guys in Tools to give them a heads up. This person has stolen thousands from us and knows he cant get away with it when I am there. I am on him like white on rice.

He finally leaves the family bathroom and goes into the mens bathroom. Ummm.....I'm confused. Didn't you just take care of what you needed to? Turns out he got scared. He went out to his car, sat in his SUV for about 10 minutes, then drove to the end of the parking lot. At this time I realized that he might be waiting for someone else to show up. So I started to walk out into the parking lot. I made it approximately 5 steps, keep in mind I would have needed about 75, and he drove away. Woohoo!! He went home empty-handed. Didn't even get a chance to look at product.

At this time it is now 9pm. The store closes in an hour. Scott pages for me overhead. He tells me about the current situation. It was at this point that I wished I wasn't a dependable person. I had so much dumped on my plate. I had to go down and spot lumber to bring in product from outside. Then I found out the truck wasn't even done being unloaded yet!! The truck is normally done and the pallets are already taken out to the floor by 9:30! So I head down to spot lumber.....Scott pages me again. He asks me to go unload the truck instead. So I find someone to spot lumber and head back to help finish the truck. I get back there and take 2 pallets out to the floor and help them move a couple big shelving units onto carts. I take the blue carts with product out to the floor and I'm on my way back to receiving to finish the truck....Scott pages me AGAIN.
He wants me to stop what I am doing and finish hanging the posters. Holy mackerel!!! I am only one person!

So I stop what I was doing and go to hang the posters. I get the posters hung, without any interruptions. They looked good. At this time it is 10:10. Scott pages me. Ok, seriously?? He then tells me I can go home, thanks me for everything and tells me that he couldn't have gotten in done without me. It was at that point that I was in shock. He is the only manager that will go out of his way to actually say "Thank You". Yea, it might just be 2 small words, but to some people it means a lot. I have the ut-most respect for him. Yea he ran me like a machine tonight. But at least he knows he can count on me. My parents always told me that a job half-done, is a job not done.

So all-in-all, it was a CRAZY night. But thankfully I have the next 2 days off!! Can't wait for Thurmont! I feel so wide awake right now, but I know as soon as I lay down I will be out like a light. I think I have emptied my brain for now. Until tomorrow....Good night.

LoVe <3

Finally!!

After eating leftovers for 8 straight days, the pumpkin bake is finally gone!! This is one of my favorite things for fall, but when I am the only person in the house to eat leftovers, I am actually kind of sick of it right now. LoL. Have to close again today. But as of right now, I am baking chocolate chip brownies. I will be taking some in to the unloaders at work. They also received half of the pan of pumpkin bake I made, they loved it. *Note to self: give them almost the whole pan next time. Less leftovers for me :)

I almost don't know what to do with myself before work. I did all the cleaning yesterday. I put the trash out for the trashman, brownies are in the oven. Just have to get myself together when the time comes. Sooo, I am just going to relax. Something that doesn't happen very often.

Thurmont is on Saturday! I text Dan yesterday. He said he is coming, but Carrie isn't sure yet. He would let me know for sure by tomorrow. The last time I went was a couple years ago. Aunt Crickett, Uncle Bob, Mom, Dad and I all went.

Just a tip for everyone, if you are ever thinking of getting one of those big turkey legs, DON'T!! They are so tough and you can't bite through the tendons, they are just awful. Dad & I got one the last time and we both vowed that we would never do it again. Not to mention everyone was staring at us like we were some kind of circus sideshow. I imagine it looked pretty crazy because it was about as big as my head.


Not to mention, hanging plastic bags from our ears...


....or rubbing your head like one of the 3 stooges....


...or even running around on a broom like a witch.

 I'm sure we will make many new memories this year. SO looking forward to it!

Well my brownies are all done and I have written another post. This time, before work. I swear it's like therapy. After I write I just feel, I don't know, relieved. It just makes me feel good. I am going to go get ready for work. Until next time...

LoVe <3

Inked...

Today was a very productive day. I got up early, did ALL my laundry, vaccumed, swept, mopped, cleaned all the bathrooms, did the dishes and even cleaned out the fridge. All before 11 am. After I finished all this, I definitely couldn't get motivated to go to work. Then I get a nice phone call, from Mom. She asked if I wanted to go to Kohl's. Normally I would be all over this, but at that point in time all I wanted to do was chill. So Mom went to Kohl's alone.

After her trip to the store, she brought lunch by. We were sitting there talking and eating our lunch when Mom's phone says "message from Matt....beep beep beep" (and yes, her phone does talk). Of course, he wanted to know what she was doing. I swear that boy can smell food no matter where he is! So Mom and I both cut our sandwhiches in half so he would have something to eat also. He comes over and the 3 of us just hung out for a while before I had to go to work. It was nice and relaxing. Then it was time to go to work...

I get to work and guess what?? I barely get a chance to get punched in before I have 2 customer issues dumped on me. Ummm hello, but the last time I checked I am NOT the only person in the store capable of picking up a phone and calling the vendor and/or customer in order to resolve an issue. But then again, maybe I am. They let the issues sit all day until I came in at 2:30. I literally resolved both issues AND called the customers back in less than 10 minutes. Why would they push it off? I guess it was just the fear of the unknown. But that which doesn't kill you, makes you stronger.

As my work day started off rocky, it got worse. I was parched so I went back to my locker to get something to drink. It was then that one of my fellow employees asked "Bekah, what did you do? You got your shirt all dirty". I gazed at my sleeves as I saw him point to the bottom of my sweater. I was in utter shock! My marker had exploded in my vest pocket. At this point, I realized I had sharpie all over my hands and fingers. I had NO clue how it got there. It bled through the vest, onto my sweater and also on my jeans. I immediately went back to HR to get a new vest. She saw what happened and grabbed a HUGE can of hairspray from I don't know where and sprayed the areas. I started to wipe it off and luckily a good bit of it was removed. If nothing more I have a new pair of work pants and a work sweater :)



As if this wasn't bad enough, I get one of the most ignorant customers. I understand it is my job to help them, but if we don't have it, I can NOT pull it out of thin air. I especially like once you tell them that we don't carry the product, they then demand that you get it or that you find it. It is at this point that I wish I knew where they worked, so I could in turn go to their job and give them a hard time over something that they cannot control. However, I was not raised this way. Treat others as you wish to be treated. I definitely am tired of being yelled at by people because they are having a bad day. So I kill them with kindness. Put a big grin on my face and talk in a very calming tone. Unfortunately for me, this sometimes comes off as sarcastic or as if I am talking to you like a child. LoL. It's a lose-lose situation. But I wasn't the only person she was ignorant with, so I had witnesses.

After all this, I was then paged overhead by my manager. GREAT!! You can only imagine the thoughts going through my head. I was getting ready to tell him how everything happened, when he asked me to go back to the training room. OH GREAT!! The HR manager was still there so I instantly thought I was getting written up. Instead he asked me to hang some big posters. My face must have been white as a ghost when I walked in the room. Thank God it wasn't anything bad.

So all-in-all it was a crazy day, but still good. I am going to ask one thing though. Anyone reading this, could you please pray for Bob? He is a fellow employee of mine that has diabetes really bad. He just found out, that he does in fact, have to get his little toe amputated on Friday. Just please pray that everything goes well. Thank you!!

I guess I am running out for now. Only 2 full days until Thurmont!! I can't wait!! Very excited. Thanks Mom & Matt for a great day before work. Love you both. Until tomorrow......Good Night.

LoVe <3

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

Hi-Ho, Hi-Ho...

The alarm at 4:30 came way too early this morning. My body decided that it wanted to lock up, stuck in the fetal position, buried under my cozy covers for at least a few more hours. That obviously couldn't happen. So I got myself out of bed and took a refreshing shower with the hopes that it would wake me up. WRONG! Instead I just wanted even more to get back into bed. My only solution was to turn the fan on while I was getting ready for work. Can't be comfortable if you are cold. This theory actually worked. I was dressed and completely ready for work in less than 30 minutes. So I sat down and listened to some music. Before I knew it, I was headed out the door humming "Hi-Ho, Hi-Ho, it's off to work I go".

This chipper, wide-awake state did NOT last long. I arrived to work at 5:45, got punched in and then saw the 2 HUGE pallets of 99 boxes. Let me explain what 99 boxes are. They are cardboard boxes that are approximately 4 ft long x 2 ft wide x 1 ft deep. In these amazing cardboard cubes are lots & lots of little pieces that can not be put on a pallet. It is my job as Manager of Hardware to then sort through all these boxes. Yes....I said SORT! All these pieces get dumped in hardware, I then sort them into carts and deliver them to the correct departments. One pallet can be tidious, but 2? Luckily, my guy friends came to the rescue. We had it knocked out in less than an hour. THANK YOU BOYS!!

After having an EXTREMELY slow first half of my shift, I then had to go to a meeting. This meeting went from informative to boring to our senior staff losing control of the room. I felt like I was in the middle of a meltdown. I couldn't help but look around, meet eyes with one of my friends and just start busting out laughing. Once 3 o'clock came around I couldn't have been more happy. I knew I had laundry and cleaning to do. But something else sounded more fun....

I took a shower and headed over to see Mom. We hung out, made dinner, laughed, talked....just had a good time. Reminded me of old days. She is an amazing person. My Mom, best friend, sister...she fits all positions. I love you Mom!

Well I guess I have run out for now. The only tune that is going through my head at this point is "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star". Just have to fold this load of laundry real quick. Or maybe it can wait until tomorrow. LoL. Can't wait to write again tomorrow night.

LoVe <3

Monday, October 4, 2010

Day #2

I must admit, I spent all day thinking about what I was going to blog about today. I kept waiting for something exciting to happen, or some story to unravel. I never thought I would say this, but I was REALLY excited to just write! To put my feelings and adventures throughout the day into words. So on that note, lets get this post started!

I didn't get the exciting story I was thinking I would get today at work. Instead, reality hit me. I am waiting for something exciting to happen so I can blog about it, when I should be excited to have a job. The economy is bad right now. So many people are feeling the harsh effects of it. I am fortunate to be with a company that is stable at this point. Thank God! All I have to do is continue to do my job and stay out of all the drama.

With that being said, work can still be a bummer sometimes! People aren't always the nicest and sometimes I think they forget that I am a human with feelings and not a robot. Luckily, I have a lot of people that I can lean on. Being with the company for almost 5 years I have made some pretty close friendships. These people keep me on my toes & try to keep a smile on my face (not always an easy task). Even though my best friend transferred stores and no longer works with me, we are still roommates. These people are all amazing. Thanks to everyone for the laughs and inside jokes. We have too many to name.

I guess the point of this post, was to always be thankful for what you have. Life isn't always greener on the other side. God has really opened my eyes to a lot of things in the past week. I have always known these things but just had blinders on. Thank you Lord for helping me take them off! And to everyone out there that is affected by these tough times, inlcuding myself, remember one thing. Everything happens for a reason. God wouldn't put you in a situation if He didn't think you could handle it.

LoVe <3

Sunday, October 3, 2010

Just the Beginning...

So...I have never done anything like this. My Aunt is why I decided to give it a try. She has so many interesting blogs and I figured I would try it out. I am going to start out by telling you that no matter how dull or boring life seems, there is always something to blog about.

I decided today would be the perfect day to start blogging because I had so much stuff to write about. My parents had a birthday celebration for Dan. So everyone was at the house. Today was also the Ravens vs. Steelers game. My family & I are huge Ravens fans. Steelers are our arch enemies. The Steelers were undefeated coming into the game. So as we are all sitting there watching the game, we are munching on finger foods. And goofing around during commercials.

During half time Matt, Dan, Sam and I decided to play some catch. We were throwing the ball around in the front yard, talking about the game as we were playing. Half time was over so we went in to watch the game and eat dinner. Why does it seem that every time I am seriously concentrating on the game, we do bad?? Yet if I would stop watching it even for a second, something amazing happens? Guess that is just my luck. So as I walk out of the room the Steelers take the lead, 14-10 with 2 1/2 minutes left. All of our spirits went down. We thought it was over. I go upstairs and dress up in my brothers costume beard and a sweat band to give everyone a laugh. And guess what? By the time I got downstairs we had gotten posession of the ball again....

We made a comeback. We scored a touchdown with 32 seconds to go. Inevitably, we WON!! The end score being 17-14. I had no idea my brothers or father were capable of screaming that loud. As I looked around the room & saw everyone hugging, jumping, high-fiving and smiling ear to ear, I realized something. This was a group of people I loved more than words could ever describe. My parents, brothers, sister-in-laws and girlfriends are amazing people that I would never want to trade. I realized how fortunate I am to have these amazing people in my life.

As we were all in this state of complete elation, we yet again decided to play catch. This time we went to the back yard. The throws were harder and all i kept thinking was "I am seriously going to break a finger if I catch this football wrong". Dad was standing up on the deck and throwing running passes down to Matt, Dan and Sam. I decided I would be safer if I continued to stand still while catching the ball, instead of trying to run, focus on not running into the boys, watching where I was going and then still trying to catch the ball.

The boys were doing really good. I was cheering them on and catching the ball when it was thrown my way. Matt and Sam were both trying to catch the same pass. As this happened, Sam somehow hit Matt causing his eyeball, not just his eye, to make a complete imprint on his glasses. He was running around showing all of us. We could literally see his eyelashes, his entire eye including his pupil and his eyelid on the imprint. I had never seen anything like it. As we all continued to laugh about that, one of the biggest highlights of the day occured. Dad threw Dan a running pass. One second he was running and trying to catch the ball. The next second....Dan was sliding across the dirt on his stomach face first, as if he was sliding into home plate. The birthday boy had a wipeout. We were all laughing hysterically. Then it struck us, is he ok?? He was laughing and covered in dirt, had grass in his watch and his hands were stained brown. The first thing out of his mouth was "I am completely fine. At least I didn't break my glasses". We all wished we had it on video for him to see. He kept saying how he didn't feel a thing.

Soon after this incident, we all decided it was time to take a break. We went back inside, celebrated Dan's birthday with some hot milk cake and ice cream, he opened his gifts and then everyone started to head home. Days like this make me realize how lucky I am to be so close with these people. They are my world. Without these people I wouldn't be who I am today. For that, I want to say "Thank You". For sticking by my side when I thought I knew everything, for believing in me, for being my best friends and for giving me something to look forward to everyday. You guys are the best and I love you!! XO XO XO