Goodreads.com and reading

A few days ago I received an e-mail from Alison that invited me to join goodreads.com. I joined and look forward to finding out what other people are reading and getting recommendations on what to read next. I bring this up because I have recently been reflecting on how my life has changed over the past year. In April, I will have worked at Prosper for a year. In the month and a half before I started there, I read a lot. I was looking for a job and, in my spare time, I read a lot of new books. Over the past few months, the number of hours I have worked has steadily rose. Last week, due to circumstances beyond my control, I worked 56 hours. I also have started attending a HR class every Tuesday night. So, on Tuesday, I work from 9-5:30pm and then attend class from 6-9pm. It makes for a long day. A year ago, I read three or four books a week. Now I'm lucky if I finish a book every two or three weeks. I supposed that's what happens when you grow up and get a grown-up job.

Tanner turns 1!

On Sunday I was able to go up north to meet with my family to celebrate Tanner's first birthday. I drove up, spent a little time with my parents, then we drove to Brooke and Josh's house. We had great pulled pork sandwiches with salads and beans. The chocolate cupcakes and cookies for dessert were wonderful. I forgot to bring my gift for Tanner and have to mail it. Josh and Brooke's house is wonderful. They've done a great job decorating, especially with photos that Josh has taken over the past few years. Lauren seemed especially fascinated with a little chair that belonged to Tanner. It was so nice to see everyone (minus the Jordan/Alison/Aaron/Isaac family) and wish I could get together with family more often. I hate living so far away and working so much. Luckily, I got some good pictures. It was especially funny to watch Tanner eat the icing off his cake. He never really dug into the cake part, but he seemed to love the frosting and got upset when it was taken away.

Training and a return

The training that I attended in Phoenix was from a company called ADP. They have an HR database program that works hand-in-hand with a payroll system that Prosper uses. Unfortunately, the class was designed for people who hadn't been using the system very long. I have been using the system since April and have learned a lot through trial and error. While I did learn some new things, I sat through 15 hours of class to learn 1 and 1/2 hours of new information. Phoenix was beautiful to walk around in, since I opted out of getting a rental car (I won't make that mistake again.) The greatest thing about being in Phoenix was the weather. It was beautiful. On Friday, it was clear and 70 F. Every chance I got, I went outside. On Friday afternoon, I sat out on the grass while I waited for my cab. I even took it a picture of it because it was so nice. I got to the airport early and ate dinner at the Wendy's inside the terminal. I got home at 9:30 pm.

Getting out of Utah

I have decided that I hate trying to get to the airport. In Utah, you never know what the weather is going to be like or what maniac will forget how to drive. With an 11:15 flight on Wednesday morning, I thought that leaving Orem by 8:15 am would give me enough time. A normal trip to the airport takes about an hour. While it had snowed a little the night before, the roads were fairly clear. Unfortunately, people forgot how to drive. An accident at the point of the mountain and another on 54th South put traffic at a standstill, then a slow crawl. From Thanksgiving Point to 72nd South, I did not achieve a speed over 15 MPH. When I finally got close to the airport, I was so frazzled that I missed the turnoff for the Park N' Jet and had to park in economy parking since covered parking was full. I caught the shuttle, where I gave up my seat to a mother with three children under the age of 8. I couldn't believe she was taking them on a trip alone. She is braver than I. Due to some excellent advise from my mother, I had checked in the night before and had printed off my boarding pass. Since I was running so late, I didn't have time to check my bag. Because of this, the security officer threw away my shampoo, conditioner, face wash, lotion, face moisturizer, and toothpaste. I ran to the gate, only to find that the gate for my flight had changed. I raced to the other terminal just in time to hear the final boarding call for my flight. I was seated five minutes before they closed the doors. The flight only took an hour and 15 minutes and we were met in Phoenix by a temperature of 68 F. I caught a taxi to my hotel, where I checked in and watched some tv. I then ended up having dinner at Marie Callender's and spent the night preparing for my first day of classes. The mattress at the hotel was horrible and I only got about 4 hours of sleep. All in all, the first day of my business trip was a bust.

Leaving on a jet plane

I will be leaving tomorrow morning for a business trip to Arizona. My work is sending me for training in a computer program that our HR department uses. After two days of training, I then get to come back and help teach others to use the program. I can't help but be nervous, as this is my first business trip alone and out of state. This will also be my first time alone on a plane. Thanks goodness my parents took us on trips, or this would be my first time on a plane. Even though I am an adult, this trip is making me feel a bit small and insignificant. Anyway, I fly out tomorrow at 11:15am and return Friday night at 9pm. I will have a full update when I return, but I now have to pack.