Hello from North Carolina

Guess what?  The Smart family has moved.  We have left the home state of Maine for the Southern part of the United States.  To say it has been an adjustment is to put it mildly.

About two years after we moved to Waterville, Maine the husband went into work one day and was told that the plant was closing down.  There were rumors that some people might have jobs available in other parts of the country or in Mexico or China.... but there were no details.  We just knew the plant was closing at an undetermined time.  So the husband put in a transfer request, basically reapplied to the same company, and we were given the option to move to NC.  It was a very tough decision.  All our family and friends live in Maine.  However, this was the third time the husband had lost a job due directly to the economy in Maine.  He does a specialized kind of job... so we decided the Universe didn't need to hit us upside the head a forth time and we decided to move.  Even if the job in NC didn't work out, there were so many opportunities in the new state for someone with the husbands skill set... it was really a no brainer.  At the same time the eldest and her young man (now fiance) decided to move to Seattle Washington.  The husband, youngest and I moved to NC and a week later the eldest moved to Seattle.



We have settled in quite nicely.  Everyone seems so friendly here, and the weather is so glorious.  Our eldest daughter got engaged, and now they have decided its time to move closer to family which makes me incredibly happy.  Our youngest daughter is finishing up her Senior year in High School and will be starting college in the fall.  I have started up a soap making business again, but i went with a new name this time.  Still in the process of get the soap store up and running but we are getting there.

I am in the process of starting a few new blogs, one on soap making as well as one on my general life including eating gluten free etc, Figured it might be a good idea to get back into the habit of blogging. If there is anyone out there reading this,  leave me a message and say howdy.

Lots of love,
Regi

Mother's day

I love you Mom, and I miss you!

Happy Mother's day!

Current happenings

Spring has arrived.  I am so thankful, what a long cold winter it was.

 I am working on a few projects, one of them is a knit blanket for a brand new little nephew that will be born in August.  The blanket I made for Jericho, his big brother to be, was pretty... but we didnt know if Sarah was having a boy or a girl when I chose the yarn, so I made it from a variegated baby yarn in pale blues, purples and white.  The new blanket is definitely different, it's going to be very bold. 

The yarn for Parker's blanket.

 

Jericho's blanket

 Maddy is doing well with the homeschooling.  Right now I would say that World history and Latin are still her favorite classes.  We need to start lining up her materials for next year, but I still have lots of time to find just the right stuff for her.  Tentatively next year she will be taking English, Geometry or Algebra 2, US History, Latin 2, another lab science as well as some "fun" classes.  Fun being the point... so it will be totally Maddy driven.  We have some local art classes, including stained glass, pottery, as well as things like Karate etc.  She will also be getting a part time job in the fall... and sometime over the next year will be taking Driver's ed through a local program.  We will also be utilizing a SAT program to help her get ready for that in the spring of 2014. Her Junior year is going to be a busy busy year for us.

In July, the husband and I will be going on our first vacation (alone without children) in 23 years.  A group of our friends, that we met online, get together every year in July for a weekend.  This year the stars all aligned and we are able to go. *knock on wood*  Its also the year of our 25th wedding anniversary, so we decided to extend our trip past the weekend and visit the area.  I am so excited, and nervous, and excited, and just can't wait, and excited...

Eileen has moved into a new place with her young man.  He is a full time culinary student as well as a  full time sous chef at a local restaurant.   Eileen will be returning to college in the fall. She is also working full time as a pharmacy tech at the state's biggest hospital.  She is a pretty busy young lady but she knows what she wants to do with her life and is moving herself that direction.  I am very excited for her.

Its a lovely day outside... there is a soft breeze and the sun is shining.  Its a very nice day and I hope you are having a great day as well.

~Regi

Hello from great beyond

Well no... I am not dead.  But you would think I had fallen off the edge of the planet with the length of time since I last posted.

 Just kidding, but things have been a bit busy and my life at the same time seemed a bit boring.  I just didnt think I had anything to share with my one or two loyal readers.  *grins*

Since my last post we have sort of settled into our new home.  Our eldest daughter ended a 6 year relationship and came home so we could help her heal her broken heart.  She then found a new job, a new place to live, and a new love of her life.  Funny thing...this guy actually seems to want her to be happy.  Who would have thought such a thing possible eh?  We have also started homeschooling Maddy again.  Which, come to think of it, was why this blog was started in the first place, to document our homeschooling journey.  I have also left my job at Walmart.  While I miss my friends at the store, right now my place is here.

So anyways...that's whats up with me... in part anyways.  I will try to remember to pop in from time to time.


*hugs*
Reg

The Move

I can't believe its over.  Sure we still have a few things at the old place, and some cleaning to do but even that is almost done.  It will be nice to have it all completed and then we can totally focus on unpacking and getting settled in here at the new home.

Maddy is turning 15 today... hard to believe my baby is 15 and almost ready for drivers ed.  She is going to be a sophomore in high school come the fall... where did the time go?  Happy birthday my little firecracker baby!!!

Jasper is settling into the new house quite nicely.  Loves his run in the back yard and sitting on the window seat in Madelynne's room.
 

I am going to miss the wonderful gardens our old house had... I guess I will just have to put some in here.

 

I really think we are going to like it here in Waterville!!


~Reg

Changes

Isn't Jericho the cutest.  Look at those little toes. I can't wait to spend more time with him.  Which brings me to my next topic.

Lots of stuff changing around the old homestead.

 We are moving from the country back to a city.  Back in 2008 when we moved here, I was so excited about the peace and quiet... I so had it set in my mind that I was a country girl at heart, that I didn't allow myself to be unhappy with the way things were.  So what if it took 30 minutess to get to the nearest grocery store, or there was no delivery for pizza.  I wont mention the first 2 years here struggling with an antenna so we could pick up 3 channels, 2 of which were the same programming but different stations.  There wasnt a single cable company that came out this far and the landlords at that time were very anti-Dish.  Who cared that if we lost power we had no water or working plumbing.  You just had to walk across the road to the lake and get water to flush the commode.  Anyways... after almost 4 years here we are moving again.  This time to a city larger then the one we used to live in.  Waterville Maine... home of the Waterville High School Panthers and oddly enough the same city my sister and her family live in.  We definitely didn't plan it that way.  We tried to find a place nearer to the husbands work.  They have a fantastic high school there and we were so excited about Maddy possibly going to that school.  We had no interest in buying a house with the economy the way it is... and the job field, we didn't want to tie ourselves to another community the husband would have to commute from.  Been there done that and its not fun.  So... we were looking for a house, not an apartment, and one where we would be happy for the next 3 years at least.  Once Maddy is out of high school we will have a better idea about the future of this new company the husband is working for, and just might be ready to buy a house or some land.

  The new place we are renting is nice... I can't wait to get moved, but the journey there is going to be a bit long and a bit rough.  It will work out though, just have to keep telling myself that, and all will be well. The best part... it's in a city.  They have actual coffee shops, grocery stores and a big old library all within a minutes drive or walk.  We will be 45 minutes closer to the eldest daughter, and the husband will be 25 mins from his job.

We have decided that the night we move in, we are going to celebrate by ordering pizza and getting it delivered.  Ahh... the good life.

*grins*  I guess I am a city girl after all.

~Reg

Jericho is here!

Jericho Michael was born on March 28 at 12:39pm.  He, his momma, daddy and Mimi are doing well. My sister is beside herself in love, and I don't blame her at all, he is totally a sweetheart. I got to hold him yesterday, smell him and just stare into his little face.  Everyone says he looks so much like his daddy but I can definitely see Sarah in him.

This is Jericho and his mommy.  Sarah looked incredibly tired but so happy to have her little man with her finally.

My youngest daughter holding the newest member of the family.  He grabbed right a hold of her finger and with that a piece of her heart.  She told me later she had never seen a baby "so brand new." She seemed to think it was pretty awesome.

Welcome to the world little Jericho... we are all so glad you are with us.

*hugs*
Reg

Jericho's sweater

The sweater is coming along rather well.  I have the main body done and am now working on the sleeves.  I am still enjoying the process, even if I end up frogging it in the end it was fun.    

 

And I couldn't help myself... had to throw in a picture of my buddy Jasper.  Isn't he sweet?

 

*hugs*
Reg

Jericho's sweater... wip.

Jericho's sweater in progress (sorry for the horrid picture!) I have separated the right front and back onto stitch holders and am working on the left front. Its coming together quickly and I am in hopes the rest of it goes as smoothly... *knocks on wood*

Its been a lovely week so far, temps in the 50's and today we are getting a bit of rain to wash away more of that cursed snow. Bring on the spring!!! 

I am off to work... I wish you a wonderful day!!!

*hugs*
Reg

In progress...

Started a new project, because you know.... its not like I have don't have enough stuff going on. *grins* I swore after the baby blanket that I knitted for Jericho, that I would never knit another thing. I even warned my girls that knit blankets for their eventual children were out of the question, and yet I find myself casting on stitches to make little Jericho a baby sweater. I found the pattern at the Lion Brand Yarn website and its very sweet. I got the yarn yesterday, its Caron, Simply Soft and the color is Ocean. Its a very pretty dark blue... almost a dark denim color. I think it will be very sweet and manly lol... My only concern is that it calls for two little buttons. Can I secure them on tightly enough that they dont present a choking hazard? Or should i try to find a different way to close the sweater. So far I have about an inch done... the yarn is so soft in my hands and almost silky. I am enjoying the texture of it so far. Here is a picture of what the final project is supposed to look like.

 

In other fronts, work is going well, we are all adjusting to the husbands coming home on weekends, and staying up in that area during the week.  Maddy is doing well in school, and the eldest has decided to get married in the fall, though she has no details picked out.   The weather was glorious yesterday, in the high 50s with a warm wind, a hint at what is to come and it was so refreshing.  I can not wait for spring even though it brings the mud.  hehe.  

Guess thats all for now... still haven't found the camera or its cord, might splurge with some christmas money and get myself a new one.  

*hugs*

Reg

ps... as much as I love this yarn I bought for Jer's little sweater... how I long to use pink.  I definitely need a little girl to knit for.

Two Pips down... a million billion to go!

I am happy to report that two of the pips on my list are completed.  The first one was Eileen's fleecy blanket.  We got the fabric and then she said, "Mom, would you mind if I made it myself?"  I hemmed and hawed... looked disappointed.  "Sure Eileen, if thats what you want," I said... "its your present." 

Ok ok... i know thats kinda cheating but a pip is marked off my list  *grins* and hopefully she didnt see me cheering as she drove away with a large stack of fleece. 

The second one is Jericho's blanket.  I am happy to announce that it is complete and in its new home just waiting for Mister Jericho to be born.

I am sure glad to have that little blanket done.  I did a simple pattern.  I knitted 10 rows, then for the body of the blanket I knit completely across on the right side, and on the back side of the piece I knit 7 stitches, purled across and then knit the last 7 stitches.  I did this until the blanket was a comfy size and then knit the last 10 rows.  When adding new yarn in I always did it on the wrong side at the beginning of a row.  I used a pretty variegated yarn and it ended up with 8-9 purple stripes.  Its not the best picture above but I was trying to get everything ready for the shower when i realized i hadn't take a photo yet. 

Superbowl Fun

We had a lot of fun watching the Superbowl last night.  The game was riveting.  Unlike years in the past where we would watch a bit and then do other things and come back for the commercials and halftime show, we watched every minute of it.  I did manage to get some knitting done but for the most part we sat glued to the tv.  I do wish the Patriots had managed to win, but my hat's off to the NY Giants... it was an awesome game and they totally deserve that win. 

At one point Maddy started talking during a commercial and her father and I both said "Shhh Maddy the commercials are on".  She looked at us like we were insane and said "wait wut?"  I told her, "its the superbowl... if you gotta talk... do it during the game but please be quiet for the commercials" and she just laughed.

Personally I enjoyed the halftime show, although the reviews seemed to be mixed.  It was filled with pageantry, old and new artists alike (forgive me Madonna for calling you old)  *grins*  dancing and familiar songs. 

We had lots of yummy food,  most of which the husband had prepared while I was at work.  He is such a good egg, I might keep him for a bit longer. *wink*

All in all we had a very good time.

This morning we got him all packed up for another week at his job.  Its been tough with him living up there during the week and only coming home on the weekends, but we are managing.  We are both so grateful he was able to find this job.  He seems to be enjoying his co-workers, and the job is a nice challenge which is always a good thing.  He says he is meeting some really nice people and he has even found some co-workers with kids Maddy's age, and has found at least 2 that will be Sophomores with her next year at MCI.  Its going to be a challenge to help her adjust and fit in at the new school and yet help her keep her ties at the old one but we are going to try our best.  Its only an hour away and with FB, Twitter, texting etc she will never be too far from her friends at all.

My job is going well and I have made some nice friends there.  I am not sure how feasible it would be to continue working in the Augusta store after we move but I would sure like to try.  Even if its only a couple of really long shifts a week, as it wouldn't make any sense to drive 45 minutes to work for a 4 hour shift.  Oh well... we will cross that bridge when we get to it.

In regards to my crafting, I still have some work to do on Jericho's blanket, and my sister has given me a cross-stitch bib to work on for her.  She will be coming over sometime this week with her sewing machine in order for us to sew the backing and binding on the baby quilt she made.  I can't wait to see how its going to turn out.

Guess thats all for now.  Hopefully I will get at least one more post in before March.  lol

*hugs*
Regi

It's a New Year... thank goodness!!!

So... the whole month of December flew by.  Between my crazy hours at work and projects around the house it seemed to go by in a flash and I can't honestly say I am sorry to see the end of 2011. I could rehash all the horridness of 2011 but I am not going to bother... I am merely going to say "Welcome" and "Glad you are here" to 2012.

The husband started his new job today.  We got up at 5am and I sent him out the door at 6:30 with a cup of coffee, a lunch and a hearty "good luck and remember to sit with people who make you feel good about yourself." What can I say... I have been saying the same thing to my girls for as long as I can remember and its just habit.  He laughed and gave me a big hug.

Then I took the teen to school, we wont talk about or dwell over the fact that the car wouldn't start at first.  We had parked it on a hill, and it was only 20 degrees this morning so I am hoping that was the problem.  After I dropped her off I drove for probably 30 minutes and stopped a couple of times and then restarted the engine.  Seems fine now... but I will continue to go out periodically during the day and check to see if its starting.  Why in heavens name would it pick today to give me problems?  But like I said... im not going to dwell on it... much.

The niece is having a baby shower on Feb 18 so I need to get hopping on her baby blanket... also find some cute but simple baby things to make online.  I have a sewing machine... it should probably be used from time to time eh?  hehe

I also want to finally get Maddys quilt done.  Its only been a few years ... *sigh* Not sure its still appealing to her but she deserves to have it finished.  I also need to make Miss Eileen a no sew fleece blanket... I know she has been wanting one and her birthday is coming up on the 8th.  I can't believe she is going to be 22... hell... i remember being that age.

I want to make this the year I get back into my crafts... quilting, sewing, knitting and soap making.  I honestly miss all of them.

Here is to starting the new year off right...

*hugs*
Reg 

 ps...

I am becoming a PiPster for 2012... learn about it and sign up at Loft Creations

Thanksgiving

We are going to spend Thanksgiving Day with Eileen and Shaun.  The last time we got to spend any time with them was the beginning of September.  Between my job and Eileen's two jobs and Shaun's job and his classes, our days off never once aligned up.  Woohooo for spending time with them.  Eileen told me last night she thinks she is forgettting something big for dinner... I told her that I didnt care if we were eating tomato soup for Turkey day dinner... it wouldnt matter as long as we could all be together.

Today, I work at Walmart from 12:30 to 8:30pm... then go home and sleep.  We head to Eileen's early tomorrow, then we will come home and I will go to bed so I can be rested for my Midnight to 9 am shift.  It is going to be very interesting. 

We are in the midst of our second snow storm of the winter... sure we have had a few mornings where we woke up to a thin layer of the white stuff on the ground but this is the second storm where snow plows were required.  Its soon to be followed with freezing rain and nasty guck like that.  The poor husband has been drafted into driving me to work lol... ostensibly to purchase the last few items we need for tomorrow so that I can come straight home from work as opposed to shopping after work... but its really so that I dont have to drive in this stuff.  I havent gotten my "winter storm legs" yet.

The baby blanket for Sarah's little boy is coming along.  I work at it here and there.   Took the picture with my cell phone... will try to get a better one once i find my camera.  =)  Its a little misleading in this picture.  The yarn is a variegated yarn with white, pale blue, darker blue, and purple in it.  Its very soft to the touch, Jericho is going to love it (I hope).  I can't wait to get it finished. 

Heh... this has been rather disjointed update, but at least its posted lol...

Hope you have a wonderful Turkey day surrounded by loved ones.  

*hugs*
Reg

A Foggy Morning

Its foggy here this morning, and my mind feels all foggy as well.  I didnt sleep well last night, kept waking up thinking of things that were worrying me or because I thought I heard something, and on top of that my allergies are acting up.  I tried to go back to bed, but laying there, attempting to fall asleep has done nothing but give me a headache lol... and yes i realize i am being rather whiney.

The husband went to visit his family last Saturday and  told me he had a long talk with his younger sister.  They have decided to not exchange gifts with everyone this year but to in fact only buy gifts for the kids.  While this is something I am heartily in favor of (my sister and I have been exchanging Christmas ornaments for many many years now instead of gifts and only buying for the children) it makes me a bit sad.  I don't know why, it just does. Perhaps its more that I feel like i have lost touch with his family with my job.  I work every weekend and that is typically when we would see them.  Haven't talked to any of them in a long time and I miss them. Guess I need to work on fixing that.

This morning Maddy woke us up with the news that the dryer isnt working... so we need to call the landlords (in florida) and get it looked at.  We live out in the middle of no where... I have no clue where the nearest laundromat is.  Sheesh...

I need the sun to come out and burn this fog away...

... And it's November!

Time sure flies when you are having fun!  *grins*

I have been getting between 32 and 34 hours a week at work and I am really getting into the swing of the job.  One of the CSMs told me last night that everyone has nothing but nice things to say about me... so that was good to hear.  I will have my 3 month performance review the first week of December and also my discount card.  That will be nice!!  Things have been getting busier and crazier at work as the holidays approach.  The weekend before Halloween everything was orange and black... costumes and scary themed food and candy.  I worked Halloween night and it was really dead.  I had a day off and when I came in next there were Christmas decorations up, Christmas trees in the entrys and Christmas music playing.  I felt a bit disoriented lol.

My niece, who got married in August, is pregnant.  Well technically, she was pregnant at the wedding, but it was early on yet and very few people knew.  She now has a baby belly... although its a little one and she finds out on Wednesday what the gender of the baby is.  I keep reminding her that not all babies want to share that info right off... but she is confident her child will behave and show the appropriate bits hehe.  Boy does she have a lot to learn about being a parent lmao... i cant wait to see it all unfold.  I hope her child is as much a joy and handful as Miss Sarah was for her parents.  I am trying to figure out what to make for this little one.  My sister is making the traditional (well in our family) cross-stitch blanket.  My eldest has stated she is making a quilt, so either i make some clothes for the child or knit something.  I may just go ahead and make a quilt too... a baby cant have too many quilts, but we will see.  I found a very cute pattern for a knit hat... it resembles a small berry, pattern can be found on Ravelry here.  Also found a pattern for a little knit blanket with a waffle pattern that looks adorable.  I think I will wait till we know on Wednesday (or dont know for that matter) before i finalize my plans. 


Paul and I had a long talk yesterday... he told me he fully intends to take the new job in Jan.  Its going to be very hard for the family to adjust but its going to be a good thing.  The pay is wonderful for this area, we will have medical insurance for the first time in a very long time... 401k, etc... and the town this business is in has a wonderful highschool.  Its actually a private boarding school but families that live in the town get to send their high school kids there.  Maddy will have the opportunity to get a fantastic education which will only benefit her in the future... and its half way between my sisters town and the town my eldest daughter lives in.  I just found out today that the library there is a Carnegie library.  That's exciting!  They also have an Egg festival in July... a week long festival of egg stuff.  >.>  hehe.  It will be nice to be part of a town again.

I guess thats it for now... i will try to post pictures of the projects I am thinking about doing for the baby.

*hugs*
Reg

Whoa... It's October already?

Hah... been some time since I posted, life has been a bit crazy.

Training went well, had about 3 days with my sponsor before I was set free.  I made sure that the CSMs up front knew I was a bit nervous being alone, so for the rest of my first week and all of my second, I was put at a register near a more experienced cashier.  It went very well.  I have been getting an average of 32-34 hours a week and they have mostly been afternoon into late evening shifts.

About 2 - 3 weeks after I started at Walmart, the husband went into work and left unemployed.  He was laid off with a bunch of his other co-workers.  They are all considered displaced workers as their jobs went to a company in Canada. As such he has additional unemployment benefits such as training etc.  Its been such an odd transition... He was the breadwinner and i the stay at home parent... and now its completely reversed.  He has a good job prospect about an hour north of us but that position doesn't start till Jan 3.  In the meantime he is enrolled in a program to help Maine workers start up businesses etc.  When he was laid off the last time (2008) he was in this program then as well. We are both hoping it will take off this time, he has a lot of great ideas.  We are just taking things a day at a time at this point, its all you can really do in these situations. 

I need to start getting my Christmas projects done, I know what I am making for a few people, need to figure out the rest of it soon.

I will try to remember to post every so often ... especially when the holiday projects start flowing.

*hugs*
Regi

Update...

Well lots of stuff has been happening around the old homestead.

I finished up my "orientation" to my job and moved on to the actual cashiering part.  Oh my gosh there is so much to remember, so many steps to making the process flow smoothly.  Codes to remember for fruits and veggies, procedures to follow for dealing with food stamps and wic, processes to go through for filling and selling phone cards, checks are used differently now... i was so surprised.  Anyways I have been on the registers for 4 days now, 2 days by myself.  I am still having to ask for help from the nearby cashiers but its happening less and less.  Had my first unhappy customer today and I just gritted my teeth, smiled and wished her a "pleasant day" all the while wishing her to the deepest parts of Hades.  One wicked weird thing happened... im still a bit in shock over it.  When my family moved here to Maine back in 1975 or 1976, the first girl I met was named Wanda.  We became very good friends during Junior and Senior High.  We lost touch after I went to college, I invited her and her mom to my wedding but they were unable to attend.  Over the years I have attempted to find her.  I even joined that classmates site just to see if she was registered there, as well as the Facebook group for our class.  I haven't been able to find her in any phone book or by asking ppl who live in our old hometown.  Today I was working the register and a couple came up.  I check them through when the woman said Regina?  I looked at her and smiled, lots of ppl say the cashiers name so I didn't think anything of it.  She looked at me and said " Do you remember me?" I looked again and saw my best friend from when we were children.  "Wanda?" I said... I was so surprised.  Come to find out she lives not 15 mins from me.  Unfortunately she doesn't use Facebook and I didn't catch her married name.  Hopefully she will come to the store again.  How amazing is life at times.

Another thing that happened this week was an unfortunate run in with a case of water... in trying to help a customer I hurt my back and its had an impact on the week for sure.

And the last huge thing that happened was that my husband was laid off on Wednesday.  All the management team was notified that there would be another round of lay offs in September.  He has spent the last two weeks helping to choose who would stay and who would go among the hourly employees.  I would see him come home all tired and just discouraged.  He hated helping to make those decisions but it had to be done.  On Tuesday some important customers came in and he dressed up for his meetings with them, but when I asked him about it that night, he said he hadn't gotten to meet with them at all.  Then bright and early the next day he was informed that they had to cut several people from management and he was unfortunately one of the ones to have to go.  *sigh* I am just flabbergasted at this... he had been told that his job was safe... he has taken not only a pay cut to help keep the company up and running but never got his initial raise that was promised to him in his employment contract from 3 years ago.  Because his job is being lost to Canada, he and the other employees are considered displaced employees and they have additional benefits under state or federal guidelines... but that doesn't help right now.  I am really discouraged and just plain tired.

When you come to the end of your rope, 
tie a knot and hang on.  
~Franklin D. Roosevelt

New Job!!

I started my new job today.  I 'm training to be a Walmart cashier. When we were introducing ourselves to other employees they would ask the group of us what positions we were going to be in.  They would nod and nod when someone said backend... assembler... but when the other woman and I said Cashier (or in her case Customer service desk) they would almost cheer.  One of them looked at me sadly and said... it will be ok.  Im totally not sure how to take that.  At one point I heard two people talking about how they were wicked short on cashiers... that they needed to hire 6 new ones and then some left.  I am a bit nervous but I know it will be ok. I am definitely not going into this blind... I had a choice between being a cashier and working the jewelry counter... and I think i got the better end of the deal.  *smiles* I have worked a register at a fast food restaurant, a bookstore, a clothing store and a department store... sure payment methods may have changed a bit over time but customers haven't.  You will always get the happy ones, the stressed ones... the angry ones and its important to take each one individually.  Dont let one unhappy customer ruin your whole day and make it a priority to send each customer off with a smile if you can.  Its like a game I play... can i make that person smile before they walk out the door.    

Anyways... this week is all about learning store policies, getting to know where things are and training via the computer.  Then for the two weeks following that, I will be training with my sponsor, that is a person who does the job I am training for and who will teach me what they know.  After that I will start settling into my schedule (while I am with my sponsor I will be working their shifts with them).

I am tired tonight...but its a good tired.  =D