My plants are growing!

I am so excited; the tomotoes and peppers that I planted in pots are growing. The flowers at the front of my house are growing as well, although not as well as the vegetables. I recently discovered that the neighborhood cat has been using my flowerbed as a bathroom. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to stop this? I once heard that spreading chili powder by the flowers would stop a cat. Is that true? Anyway, here is a picture of my potted plants. Thanks to Mom and Dad for teaching me how to garden. Now I just have to wait for them to sprout something edible.

Memorial Day

Despite only getting about three hours of sleep, I had a great Memorial Day. I had breakfast with some of the members of my singles ward, at which I was mocked for some silly things I had said at Ward Prayer the night before. (That's what I get for joking that I lust in my heart after men on motorcycles :) After the amusing breakfast, I returned home to shower and get ready to leave for Kaysville. I arrived early and so got to visit with Mom, Dad, Jordan, and Alison before I was sent to pick up Grandma Johnsen. Almost a half an hour later after I arrived, Grandma was ready to leave. We had a wonderful dinner made by Mom (and some grilled by Dad.) We had an even better time watching and playing with the kids. Wyatt took two steps, of which none of us got a really good picture. When we all started clapping he stood with his arms raised like a politician accepting our praise. Even though Lauren hadn't had a nap, she was in good spirits, especially after her Grandma gave her a flower. Isaac wanted to play croquet with the big kids. Tanner slept then woke up to visit and complain about his new shoes. All the kids were darling. Josh beat myself, Alison, Jordan, and Sidney in a game of croquet. (Sidney kept hitting my ball with hers :) Britnie, Dad, and the wind blew out the candles to celebrate birthdays. I didn't leave until about 8:30 so I missed Family Home Evening. It was ok though since I had some excellent quality family bonding time in Kaysville. Here are some of the pictures I took:

Myspace in The Onion

As I am filling in for the receptionist this morning because of a dentists appointment, I found myself reading "The Onion." It reminds me of when I worked at the Syracuse library. There were kids who came in after school and stayed until 7 or 8pm. Most of their time was spent on Myspace. I never saw them talk to anyone in the library.

MySpace Outage Leaves Millions Friendless

full finished skirt

I finally finished my skirt last night. It didn't turn out the way that I thought it would, but I think I will keep it. The small flowers are made of beads that I sewed on. It goes to my knees and is fairly comfortable. I however, realized that I may have bought a size too big. Oh well, such is life. I wore it to church and got more than one comment on it. Yeh!

My new skirt

While I am down filling in for the receptionist today, I thought I should tell my loyal blog readers about my new skirt. I am bored with my clothes and cannot find a skirt that I like. So I went to Wal-Mart. Now before anyone (ie my siblings) yell at me, I needed to find a cheap skirt that I could feel good about throwing away if I hated it. I bought a plain light brown skirt that reaches just below my knees. It has two darts in the front. I then bought dark brown embroidery thread and some very small beads and have been making a design on it. I don't have a picture of the work in progress yet but I drew the following picture so that all of you would get the general idea. (Please ignore the color scheme of the paint program. The colors I used are not available.) If it turns out pretty, I have a skirt that cost me $10 and ten hours of work. If I hate it, then it only cost $10 and I won't worry about it. Plus, this is one way to have a skirt with a design no one else has. I will try to post a picture of the finished product. I also bought a white skirt that will most likely be decorated in blue, green, red, yellow, and black.

A visit to the doctor (and Jen)

Last Wednesday, May 16th, I left work at 11:15 am to go to a doctor's appointent in Salt Lake. Dr. Katz is really nice, for an opthomologist, and I really like the new Moran Eye Center. He said that my eyes are progressing at a little faster than normal but it will still be a couple of decades before I go blind. Yeh! We did the regular eye exam, a visual field test, and a pressure test. I took a picture of the sign in the waiting room but it didn't turn out as well as I would have hoped. Before my appointment I had lunch with Jen and Lauren. We went to an excellent bakery, of which I cannot remember the name of. We then sat on the grass and talked a little. I love talking to Jen. She can comfort me when I am upset, give me good advice, or make me laugh. It was also a joy to be around Lauren. With her lovely blue eyes and wrinkled nose, you can't help but smile at her. She was charming people in the bakery. I took a couple of pictures of them before I left. Lauren wouldn't look at the camera because cars and grass are more interesting. I didn't get back to Orem until 4:15pm. I was so tired that I just went home. Even taking off most of Wednesday, I still managed to work 42 hours last week.

Jessica the receptionist

I have been a receptionist for an hour now. The usual receptionist for the front desk, Connie, had a doctor's appointment and forgot to ask one of the other receptionists to cover for her. Thus, my current position. In this temporary spot at the front desk, I am unable to do my own work. Thus I am reduced to keeping myself busy by other means. I hope all of you are having a good day. Yesterday, Monday, was a fairly busy one for me. I worked for 9 and a half hours in order to make up some time I am taking off on Wednesday for a doctor's appointment. I went home and ate some dinner, then drove Camille and myself to Family Home Evening. Afterwards, I went to take Dexter for a walk. We went around the park and around the block, which is farther than we usually go. He must have been feeling spry that night. I then returned home to empty the dishwasher, clean some pots, take the garbage can out for pick-up and take a shower. I was in bed by 10:45 pm and asleep by 11:15 pm. I think that is some kind of record for me. It usually takes by an hour to fall asleep.

Happy Mother's Day

I would like to wish my mother a Happy Mother's Day. She is a wonderful woman whom I love very much. Despite our differences of opinion, I deeply respect her and wish that everyone could be as lucky as my siblings and I in growing up with such a woman as an example.

Babysitting Lauren

On Tuesday, May 8th, I got the chance to babysit Lauren. On Sunday, my mom had reminded me that she, Dad, John, and Jen had a play on Tuesday and that I was to babysit Lauren. I made a mental note to be off work early so I could make it on time. I went over the the Larry and Diane's neighbor on Monday and asked if she would be able to take care of Dexter on Tuesday night. She said that she would be happy to do so. I had to work until at least five but promised myself that I wouldn't work a minute past that time. Five o'clock rolled around the people started to come and ask me questions. I explained the situation and then ran for the door. I met Jen, John, Lauren, Mom, Dad, Michael, Shannon, and Katie at a restaurant at the Gateway. They had ordered me an appetizer and some water. We ate a very good meal, then split up. I took my parents van back to Jen and John's house and they took my car to the play. On the way home, Lauren and I stopped at Barnes and Noble to buy Dad his birthday present. We then made our way home. We played on the grass for a little while and watched cars go by. I am not sure why but Lauren seems to love being outside. Maybe it is the fact that there are so many things to look at and touch. Afterwards we went inside and she showed me how she can take the star-shaped rings off her toy. She also tried to climb me when she realized that I was holding a camera. It was pretty cute. We sang, read some books, and she was in bed by 9:15pm. I watched Jane Eyre. When Jen and John came home, I left for home. It was a fun night.

Tanner's blessing

On Sunday, May 6th, my newest darling nephew was blessed. Tanner Cole was blessed by his father, Josh. I sadly missed it. My story starts at 8 am in the morning when I arose, had breakfast, and dressed for the occasion. I then went over to Diane and Larry's house to take care of Dexter the dog. I unlocked the front door, set my keys on the dining room table and then gave Dexter his medicine and food. Afterwards, I went out the front door and put him in his kennel. When I returned, I found the front door locked. Since I had unlocked it fifteen minutes earlier, I couldn't understand what had happened. I went across the street to the neighbor's house to ask for their key and no one answered my repeated doorbell rings and knocks. I then went around the tried every door and window on Diane and Larry's house to see if any were unlocked. Fort Knox would have been easier to break into. I returned to my car, which I had mercifully left unlocked and called Larry's cell phone. I hated to bother them in Europe but I had no way of getting home or into their house. I was hoping there was a hidden key somewhere. Alas, it was not to be. He called his son's wife's sister and she brought a key over. In the meantime, a nice neighbor who was walking her dog kept me company. I will have to take her some cookies some day. By the time I left Orem it was 10:45. Since the blessing took place in a sacrament meeting that began at 11 am, I knew I wouldn't make it. I cried a little then resolved to make the best of a bad situation and drive 75 miles per hour the whole way. I got to the chapel after the blessing but still got to sit with my family. After Tanner's blessing, we all made our way to Mom and Dad's house for a great meal and wonderful company. The weather had cleared so we were able to have it outside. The babies, Lauren, Isaac, Wyatt, and Tanner kept us all entertained. I left Kaysville around 7pm in order to get back for ward prayer. I made it back to Orem a little early and went to take Dexter into the house. When I went to the church for ward prayer, there was no one there. They had canceled it. Such was my Sunday.

Caleb's birthday

On Saturday morning, I drove up to Bountiful to see my oldest nephew for his birthday. Caleb would have been three years old

on Saturday. The family met at the gravesite. In attendance were my parents, Alison's parents, Emily and Erin, Jeremy Lowe and his girlfriend, Me, Jen and Lauren, Josh, Brooke and Tanner, Jordan, Alison, and Isaac. I stopped by the store on my way and bought a balloon. I made a card and expressed my feelings towards my beloved nephew. We met, sang happy birthday, and had some cupcakes. It was hard but theraputic. We would have stayed longer but it was so cold. I still really miss Caleb. I cry less and don't think about him constantly, but I still wonder if he would be walking and talking. My consolation is that he isn't in any pain. He is surrounded by love and happiness. When we all left, I sat in my car for a moment and cried.
The rain started coming down so the Johnsen side of the group went up to Grandma Johnsen's house and talked for about an hour. Lauren and Isaac crawled around. They are so cute. Tanner was darling although he got al ittle crancky after a while. I managed to calm him down with some old Frank Sinatra songs. Afterwards, we went to lunch at Plates and Palates. They always have such wonderful food. After everyone else left, Mom, Dad, and I went up to the hospital to see Grandma Johnsen. It seems like I only see her there these days. I wish she wasn't so sick. I drove back in the evening to take care of Dexter. I was so tired by the time I got home that I took a nap. When I woke up, Camille was home. She was soon picked up by Dave. I spent the night cleaning and watching tv. Such was my Saturday.

Friday and a missing roommate

I had a crazy day at work on Friday. On the usual Friday before new employee orientation, Joee and I would usually make sure all the paperwork was in order and call everyone to remind them about their 9 am meeting time. This Friday was quite a different story. Joee was on a business trip to Idaho, so I had to prepare for orientation alone. The owner of the company came to the HR department and said that eight new people would be starting on Monday; eight salespeople who had never filled out paperwork or had their background checks done. I had to go in and give a small speech about the paperwork. After a very long day at work, I went up to Salt Lake for dinner at Chili's with Ryan, John, Curtis, and lawyer Ryan. For Ryan's birthday, which was the next day, I got him a movie and card. Afterwards, we all went to Ryan and Bryan's house to meet with friends. I had a great conversation with bald Ryan about life and death and missing people. When I got home, Sarah was just starting to pack for her trip to Europe. Camille was out with Dave. At this point, I hadn't seen her for a day or two. I went to bed and read a little more of my book, Bel Canto. Jen recommended it to me. So far, it is really interesting. The next morning, I awoke at 6:15 am to take Sarah over to her parents house so that they could go to the airport. Diane and Larry gave me last minute instructions on how to care for Dexter, their old boxer. Apparently, his health is not good. He has a thyroid condition and liver problems. He has lost a lot of hair on his back. For the next two week it is my job to keep him fed, watered, and active. Thus started my Saturday. I miss Sarah already.

Work

I have to say that work can be very interesting at times. Last week was interesting because one of my HR coworkers was on vacation and another one was sick. That left me, the head of HR, and a PR girl named Candra in the Human Resources department. Yesterday was Candra's last day. Today my immediate boss, Joee, is in Idaho for a three-day business trip. That leaves me, Tamara (who's last day is Friday), and the head of HR. For a person who has only been here for three weeks, this is an interesting situation. While I am enjoying working at my own pace and have plenty to do, I do occasionally have questions. When the head of HR is in a meeting, which is frequently, I don't really have anyone to ask. Information in the HR department is of a highly sensitive nature, so I cannot just go ask a random person outside of the department. It can be frustrating at times. At the end of Mr. Marrot,s meetings, I inevitably almost run him over so that I can ask him questions before his next meeting starts. Overall, I am enjoying this job. I am kept very busy and have already been given quite a bit of trust with sensitive information. I am learning new computer programs, new HR protocol, and how to deal with all sorts of situations. I hope I am doing a good job and am a benefit to the department.
Right now I am sitting at the receptionists desk, typing because I have nothing else that I can do. The receptionist is at lunch and there was no one to replace her today. My mountain of work is sitting at my desk in the HR department, but I am not allowed to bring some of that sensitive information out into the open area. I don't have access to my work e-mail or other programs that I could work on. So I sit, waiting for her return so that I may go to lunch myself and then race back to my own work. Even as I type, I am making mental lists of what I will tackle first and what needs to be completed by the end of work today. Hopefully my loyal readers will not have been too annoyed by this impromptu post.