What happened in Vegas....

Hello Everyone! I know, I know...it has been FOREVER since I blogged and I know you are dieing to know what happened in Vegas and if it stayed in Vegas or not. So let me begin....

I got there on April 23 and that was a long flight...for some reason I was thinking a short 2 hour flight...nope 3+ hours. Yikes and let me just say the landing was AWEFUL!!! Because Vegas is located in a valley there are some nice gushes of wind that rock your plane back and forth... I seriously felt green after landing! Yuck!

So we get to the hotel and it is the coolest hotel I have ever been to in my life...it was great. It was the Red Rock Casino, Spa and Resort....if you saw the movie 21 that recently came out then you have seen the inside of the hotel....most of the Vegas scenes in that movie where shot at that hotel. Here is their website if you are interested to see it...http://www.redrocklasvegas.com/

Anyways...we get there, check into our room (which is the picture above...me and my room) and then we headed down-stairs to begin working. And let me tell you we worked really, REALLY hard all week! The first few days were prep days and so we would get ready for the convention and then at night our boss would take us out to dinner....speaking of which I have a few tails to tell regarding my "dinning experience in Vegas".

So the first restaurant we went to was called Terra Rosa and the chief there was one of the Hell's Kitchen winners. I had Sea Bass and Swordfish for the first time and let me just say....FABULAS!!!! YUM! I will definitely have those dishes again! Hello!! The second restaurant we went too was called T-Bones...it is the really expensive steak place... I mean just the steak itself for $50. You then had to purchase each side item by itself...prices ranged from $10-$20 per side item...needless to say it could easily cost $100 per person! Yikes!

Anyways...so me and another lady I work with, Kelli, decided to spilt the T-Bone and the New York strip and a loaded baked potato. As our server was bringing out our food he ran into another server and I saw this container go flying in the air...all this white stuff just flying through the air and I thought, "Oh! That must be our cheese!" Well has it splattered on my head, shoulder, back and leg...I realized it was NOT cheese, but SOUR CREAM!!!! All up in my hair, and all over the ONLY suit I brought for the conference…I was wearing the suit because you had to dress a certain way to dine at this restaurant. I of course immediately started laughing...what else could I do?!

As I am sitting there turning red from laughing and my co-workers are just staring at me like I am nuts and if it had been them they would be yelling at the guy…2 of the biggest managers I have ever seen came over and surrounded me. It was like something out of an Italian mafia movie. As they hovered above me they were telling me that I didn’t want to get my dry-cleaning compted but rather would want something taken off of the bill that way I could see instant results. Because if I got my dry-cleaning compted they would have to see the bill and mail me a check and that could take up to a few weeks. So I told them okay…take it off the bill. I really just wanted them to stop intimidating me by breathing down my neck…I told my boss they were going to reduce the ticket cost some and he very kindly said he would take care of the dry-cleaning since it would be about the same amount that was coming off the bill! So for the rest of the night as we continued to prep for the conference I had sour cream hair! Let’s just say after we were done that evening I went up stairs and took a nice long, hot bath in the world’s largest tub…no joke. If I were to try to touch my feet to the end of the tub I would have drowned easy…it was really long, and deep…very nice!

Anyways…here is how the rest of the time went….work until 12,1,or 2 am, then get up and at 5am to be at work by 6am and do the same thing….work until 12,1,or 2 am. Many days this occurred….one of my main jobs was the money lady. I was assigned to registration but when we got there the money took on a life of its own….we had a 50/50 Raffle, a Silent Auction and Live Auction and I was in charge of all that cash!! There were times when my raffle sellers would be there to pick up more tickets and hand in cash AND some one would be wanting to pay for an auction item…I was the only one allowed to take money basically so let’s just say I went crazy with money…every time I ran out of tickets to sell I had to go downstairs to the safety deposit box and get more, put up the money and tickets stubs, etc. I went down to the box so many times the people working the front desk knew exactly who I was…no joke!! I would be walking up and they would say, “Do you need into your box again?” They were my friends during the conference…ha ha!

The last day of the conference we were done at 12 noon, but we had to pack and ship things back to Little Rock…so we finished about 4 pm and I went outside for the first time since getting there 8 days earlier… I lounged by the pool! It was great! I spent about an hour and a half out by the pool and then I met up with my co-workers and we ate at this HUGE buffet place….$25.00 a person! It was good! I actually got to go to bed at a descent hour that night…keep in mind by this time I really have only had about 14-15 hours of sleep in 4-5 days!

We got up early to catch our flight and it was a great trip home… I tried to sleep but that just didn’t work since the man behind me was coughing up his left lung and I was afraid he would hock a loogie into my hair! It was nasty!! Coming home was great…Aaron picked me up and he even had a welcome home present…he bought me Becoming Jane!! Then he took me out for a wonderful steak dinner! I was so great coming home! I think I slept about a million hours the next day! We went and saw Lucy…who has just turned 1 years old! She is getting so big! Merlin wouldn’t leave me alone… I think he missed me!

Well I think that is all the details on Vegas….more to come on life in Little Rock!

Welcome To Vegas

Well as most of you know i am going to Vegas for a company trip...I will be there for 10 days. We are putting on a convention and it takes a few days to set up, the convention and a few days to tear down.

Well after a long travel day yesterday I made it!! And let me just say the hotel and my room are awesome.

I can't really talk now we are about to start setting up, but i wanted to tell you about last night....we at a Terra Rossa...this Italian resturant where Hell's Kitchen''s 1st winner is the excutive chef!! It was great...so fancy!!! My boss treated us to dinner.

I had a Lobster Brische (not sure if that is how it is spelled) and the Seabass... which I split with one of my co-workers so I could aslo try the Swordfish...let me just say it was great... the Swordfish was my favorite!!!!

Well that is all I can say now, but I will try to post more....

oh that picture is in the airport...LOVE IT!!!

Interesting Twist!

I have some exciting news…after only being at my job for 7 weeks I was offered a promotion! Here’s what happened:

We are preparing for our national conference which is in Vegas next month and on Wednesday of last week (3/26) we had a mock registration (that is where people who have been to nationals before pretend to be “customers” and those of us who have never been try our best to “register” them for the conference).

The company flew in a lady who has been going to the national conference for the last 15 years…she along with our Meeting Planner was the ones in charge of the training session. Once they thought we were ready they called our CEO and he came up and pretended to be a person….lots of questions. If you didn’t know the answer you really had to BS your way through and then after the “scene” acted out they would tell you what you should have said.

Well, during the mock registration they kept saying I was doing a great job and I was good at that kind of thing…etc.

Thursday rolls around and my boss asked to speak with me. He took me into the conference room and said, “This is going to hurt me more than it hurts you.” I kept thinking…”oh no…he is going to fire me”. However, he ended up offering me a promotion! He said they all were very impressed with how I handled myself during the mock registration and thought I would be a good fit for the Meeting Planning Assistant.

He also said there is a chance that in 6 months or so I might be able to plan some events on my own….perhaps that means another promotion to Meeting Planner!!

I spent all weekend talking with Aaron, parents, and various people from church including our pastor…after much thought and prayer I decided to take the position! As soon as we can hire a replacement for me in my current position (Customer Service Assistant) then I will start my new job!

Needless to say things are going great here in AR! Now if only we can sell our house!! Please keep that in your prayers!

Until later….

Holy Week....reflections

As I reflect on the wonder that is the Easter season I have to pause and give thanks for the many blessings in my life! God has given me a loving husband, a roof over our heads, food on the table, jobs for financial support, and most important eternal life!! Praise God for all His many blessings.

Life has been slowly, but surely improving. If I am being completely honest I would say when we first moved here I didn't like it (bet you couldn't have guessed that...ha ha). Now, however, I am growing increasingly more and more fond of our new home. The people are so sweet, genuine and possess good hearts...you can't help but love them! I have to say I believe I am truly and completely HAPPY here!! I never thought the day would come, but I think it has! :)

Since getting my new job (which is going great by the way), it seems the "sun has begun to shine again". I wish I could say that during all the different seasons of my life I trust God whole-heartedly and NEVER doubt....that would be a lie! Sadly I fall very short of that mark! Praise God for his ever-present patience for us lowly, Earth-dwellers!! Without His sufficient grace we wouldn't be able to make it day by day!

Well, as we get ready for this weekend I keep thinking, "So many exciting things are going to happen!!" Such as, the Tully's are coming to visit, my good friend Erin Richard is on her way here tomorrow, & Aaron is holding the first ever Good Friday service at Temple! I am so excited I am about to burst out of my skin (figuratively not literally...yuck!)!!!

Friday night we are having a service that reflects solely on Christ crucifixion. There is going to be scripture reading that correspond with video clips and music. After the service Matt Tully is going to have an art exhibit set up that features pieces on the crucifixion (go figure). It is going to be a wonderful time for us to remember why we get so excited on Easter Sunday.

Saturday we are having an Easter Egg Hunt for the children in the church and surrounding community with a fun lunch! Then of coarse Easter Sunday we’ll have a wonderful service and the most exciting part is 2 of our new members are going to be Baptized that morning! What a wonderful, visual reminder of Christ's death and resurrection!!!

Okay, I need to say goodbye for now, but shall write again soon!!! Oh, if you are wondering who the cute little boys are above they are April & Mike McFarland's little ones! They are the folks keeping Lucy for us right now!! Aren't they so precious!?!?!?! Oh yeah...nothing on the house yet!! Keep that in your prayers!

Well...

life is interesting these days! It can be so frustrating when you have no money! I am sure several of you can understand...I bet you have been there at least once in your life. I experienced a first this past week...I couldn't buy chicken because it was to expensive and we don't have the funds for it!!!! I had never even thought a day would come when buying chicken would "break the bank"!!! Oh well...at least it is payday this week!!!! Yeah!!

The job is going really good. We just relocated into a new office and I really like it! I have a view again...not as nice as the view from Advancement but pretty close to it (enjoy that Debbie)! :) This up-coming week will be the first at the new office... I will let you know how it’s going after a few days there!!! :)

Aaron and I had dinner this past week at some friends house, the McFarland’s, and Aaron played "Cowboys & Indians" with their 4 yr old Ethan...that's the picture above!!! It was pretty darn cute!! :)

Well I think that is all for now... Oh yeah... STILL WAITING FOR THE HOUSE TO SELL!!!! GRRRRR. If you know of any buyers wanting in the Wylie area please tell them to buy our house!!!! I really want to get a house here and we can't until we unload the TX house!! Even Aaron is getting tired of the room at church! At least we aren't paying rent...we would be completely broke if we had to pay 2 housing payments!!! Yikes!

Until later!

The New Job

Well...it has been a week now since I started my job, and I have to say not a day goes by that it doesn't make think of my DBU!!! I miss everyone there, and this job makes me think of the Cashier's office, the Business office, and Advancement!! It is like I took all those jobs and mixed them together! :)

I am liking it ....we are trying to relocate our office so I think this week and next will be a moving week!!! yikes!

Aaron is doing really well...he is LOVING his job and we LOVE our church!!! They are a wonderful group of people!

Merlin is still a playful cat, but now he will crawl up into your lab and fall asleep!!! I LOVE it!! Lucy is getting so big....I hate that she isn't with us, but she is having the time of her life with Boo! I think we may need to get another dog after we buy a house that way she doesn't get so lonely! :)

Speaking of the house....we just lowered the price from $144,900 to $142,500. That is about all we can afford to lower it! We really need to sell it....we barely have any money in the bank!! That house payment is killing us!!! Hopefully our finances will do better now that I have a job and will be getting paychecks!!!

Okay...I need to get back to the old job!!! Have a great day everyone! :)

New Job!!!

Okay, I know I promised some of you that I would blog sooner....sorry!! I have been SO busy at my NEW JOB!!!! YEAH!!!!

Here are all the details:

I had an interview Monday at 8:00 am with ACMA in Little Rock (off Markham & Shackleford for those of you in AR). By 12:00 he called and offered me that position and asked if I could start 2:00 pm the same day!! I of coarse said yes!

The reason I started Monday was because the lady who left my position had her last day today! So I was able to train with her a few days!! Tomorrow is my first day alone!!! yikes! The lady's husband was transferred to South Carolina...that is why the position opened up! Praise the Lord though...for me!! :) She had only been there for 2 months!! She didn't know that he was going to be transferred!!! They tease me already about not leaving in 2 months.

The position title is Customer Service Assistant....here is what that basically entails:
1. I am the 2nd assistant to the CEO
2. I am the Financial Director's assistant
3. I am Customer Service (just me)
4. I am the Receptionist/catch all for everyone else

So I will pretty much stay busy until the day I die...just kidding!!

The company's official name is CGI which stands for Cunningham Group Inc. However, they mostly go by ACMA/NICM.

ACMA- American Case Management Association
NICM - National Institute of Case Management

In a nutshell we keep certified all Social Workers, RN who work with case workers, Case Workers, and any one else in that type of field. They have to become a member of our company to remain certified, attend our conferences to achieve the hours they need to be certified, and take the certification/re-certification test through us.

There are several chapters in different states with presidents and so on, but they are all members of our company...if that makes sense. Each chapter has their own state conference once a year (which we help put on) and then we host the National conference which is held in a different major city each year... this year it is in Vegas!!!

The entire staff goes to our National conference for 8 days and works it...they pay the way for all of us (get us a hotel and give us money for food)!!! I am really excited I get to go to Vegas...even if I will be working for most of the time!!

They are paying me a little less than what I was making at DBU, however, there is a possible $2,000 bonus each year based on performance...so if I can get that bonus it will be about the same as what DBU was paying! Let's face it... I have been without a job for 4 months now... I will take anything that pays!!! :)

The job itself is kind of like my Cashier job and Advancement job all rolled into one... I am processing all financial apps., payments, ect. At the same time keeping track of who has registered/paid for the conferences....not to mention COPYING CHECKS again!! :)

Thankfully it is similar to jobs I've held before...it helps me not feel as overwhelmed. I know this job will be a ministry opportunity... I don't think any of them (or many of them) go to church or are saved. They kept making comments today about how I am a crazy Baptist when I was goofing around with them! Here's the story....

I was joking with one of the ladies about buying eatable underwear for her husband for Valentines day! She of coarse told the entire office that I was going to buy my hubby eatable underwear!! They kept saying, "Wait, aren't you a Baptist Ministers Wife? You want to buy eatable underwear?!" I would just laugh and say, "It's okay, because we are married and there is nothing wrong with that in a marriage" Of coarse the entire time I could feel my face getting red! :)

I also told them that even if I wanted to go buy something like eatable underwear I didn't think I could work up enough nerve to actually go into a store like that... I would be too embarrassed. They thought that was funny! Who knows...maybe they will see that Christians can have fun too and are normal just like they are!

okay... now that I have told you an embarrassing story....I am going to get off this thing!

Until next time!! xo