Let's Celebrate, It's All Right!

So it's been forever since I did a blog post. Guess I'm just so bored I figured I wouldn't bore the rest of the world with my boring life. ha ha!

Anyway, life is pretty good. I can't complain, really. I mean the very gift of life makes it so that we shouldn't complain. God doesn't have to let us live, ya know? ;)

Work is going well, I'm technically holding two jobs, but if I see any work with the Seavey's it will be very little and probably not until the season gets incredibly busy, or, with my luck, when they run out of workers at the end of the season. Ha ha! Still, I am connected with Wildride in some way still and I'm fine with that.

Census work is pretty slow, at least on my end. Phone isn't ringing nearly as much as a month ago, but I feel that's a blessing. I'm surprised it isn't ringing MORE with complaints by conspiracy freaks intent on finding something wrong with the system and how it's really a part of the overall "Big Brother" movement (I hate that book with a passion lol).

Other than a few coworker drama issues I am enjoying it. Most folks get along rather well, which makes it fun. It's pretty relaxed which is also works well for me considering the only other full time job I've had has also been uber relaxed while maintaining professionalism (I don't count Sears as full time even though I was running an average of 45 hours a week, but getting paid as a parttime employee, but I won't start that rant up again.)

Other than that nothing much is going on. With this new job I'm able to get outta town every once in a while and I've been down to Kenai in the last month more times that I was all of last year! CRAZY!

Erin and I are already planning our trip for next year. I'm hoping that the work will be winding down at the Bureau by the last week and a half of August so that I can take the trip with Erin and then come back and start something new.

We're planning a road trip through Western Canada. So far the prelim planning is going well, and we're already getting excited for it. Then we'll have something like 5 months to save up for Haille's birthday bash at Disneyland. I think we're crazy, but we already knew that so it's all good. Besides the DL trip will be much shorter than the WDW trip ANNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNND cheaper because it just will be ha ha!


Well, it's 8am and I'm up (stupid dog on the stupid work schedule), so I'm going to make myself somethig to eat and get ready to head over to the g'parents' for the day. Jeff is down b.s.ing my parents (heaven help him if he pulls any crap about or with my mom because dad's about ready to kill him. Which I think any judge would find it to be justifiable homicide) for the weekend so I can feel safe going over and hanging with my family. If Jeff disappeared on his Memorial day weekend trip I wouldn't really be upset about it. I know that's cruel but I seriously can't shake these feelings (or I guess the better way to say it is I don't want to.) God's working on me, but I'm fighting it (if you couldn't tell).

Anyway gonna have dinner over there and everything. Tried talking them into going OUT to eat, but nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo. So yeah. *sigh*

So I'm gonna go... yup.

Today on my way home from work (which I am loving, btw) I passed by the Alaska Sled Dog Association's trailhead - Tozier Track - and there were a couple of teams being hooked up for a run. I got all excited. This weekend is the World Championships for sprint races. Next weekend is the start of the Iditarod.

As I passed under the Tudor crossing I saw they had the blue trail 'guards' out to mark the trail... I gave out a little squeal! How is it that in just a couple of year's time I've become a rabid sled dog race fanatic? I guess I have to blame Mitch Seavey and family for hiring me to work for them two summers ago. ha ha!

Work is going well, I'm enjoying it, I'm not stressing about it like I was last week. I'll think I'll keep at it for a while ha ha!

busy busy busy...

Just when I'd given up on the Census Bureau job they called and interviewed me over the phone yesterday (praise God right after I got home from the vet, so I didn't miss it!)! And it wasn't for the part-time position of going door to door and doing the Census survey, it's for a full-time office job! I won't know just what exactly I'll be doing until I start work/training in two weeks, but yay!

The humorous part is I start work on Friday the 13th.

God is so good to provide, even when we doubt. He shows Himself in all things, but sometimes we aren't wearing our "spiritual glasses" and so we can't make Him out. Then he has to get larger than life to help us out. He is faithful even when we seem to be without it.

God is so good!
God is so good!
God is so good,
He's so good to me!

He answers prayer!
He answers prayer!
He answers prayer,
He's so good to me!

Test this morning for the Census Bureau went well... now I just have to wait for a call for an interview, if they decide they want me. *sigh*

nothing like hurry up and wait. I was told to get there 15-20 minutes BEFORE the test so that I could fill out "a lot" of paperwork. apparently two and a half pages are a lot and they were all basically the same question. blah. Then I had to sit and wait while everyone came in right around 11. There was one woman who whined the entire way through the paperwork because she didn't understand any of it. And it wasn't like English was her second language, she just didn't understand any of it... how do you not get "Last name" ??? oy.

Then she started getting all upset because they wouldn't take her American Express card as one of two forms of ID. "But it has my name on it!" *facepalm* HEEEEEEEEEEEEERRRRRREEEEEEE'S your sign.

Got the lasagna for the Seavey's done, and the dishes, and the vaccuuming... now I'm being lazy.

6 days till Disney. Is it sad I am now more excited to be in positive number temps than I am to be going to Disney?

...I'm hiding out in my room because I'm so sick of Judy pretending that she thinks I'm good enough as a photographer. She's now not sure if she wants me or Gaylord to take Haille's Christmas pictures because "he's had more practice." Yeah, well, the kid doesn't like him - so we'll see how THAT goes. That and she said it'd be nice if he could get in on the Alaska Wedding Fair because it'd be nice to have a decent wedding photog in the area.

Gee. Thanks.

I mentioned Tasha Grossl as being one of the best in S. Central AK and she said I was biased. Um, yeah, chick gets called to all over and is one of the most expensive AND sought after photogs in teh state. But yeah, I'm biased.

Judy's still ticked that I've already said I don't want Gaylord to be on 'retainer' for whenver I get married. I'd like to have SOME say in who gets to be part of my day. If it's not Tasha it'd be Casey Chappel (because she'd either fly up here on my dime to do it, or I'd for whatever reason be getting hitched outside of Alaska - fat chance, but still...). For whatever reason that discussion still bothers Judy. Because it proves I don't accept Gaylord. Um, no, I've seen his wedding photography and if I wanted crappy run of the mill non-photojournalistic prison wedding photos I'd call him. It's not that he isn't good, he's just so straight up and down traditional and I'd rather not do that.

He also said that my work would be better if I tried to be more traditional (ie, no creative angles.. no 'fun shots' other than sunglasses for the guys and the girls showing some leg and the 'traditional' fun shots... the boring stuff). Quite frankly that's not me so if I ever find a guy and get married Gaylord is not the photog that fits me.

Not only that but I'd have to get a second eye because there ain't no way I'm letting a guy into the girls dressing room. Why do that when there are female photogs able to do just as much and more than he can?

BLAH!

That really wasn't what I was going to write about in here lol. We just got into it for the millionth time and I'm just so tired of it.

Anyway I applied with the local Census Bureau office here in Anchorage to be one of those annoying people that comes to your house and knocks on your door and counts you for the 2010 consensus. Hooray for me! Monday at 5pm I have to go into their testing area (Church of Christ close by) and do an interview, paperwork, and take a test (they want to make sure that I can read a map according to the guy I talked to). Haille will be here starting Sunday so I have to take her over to Judy's work before I go over for testing... The guy told me that I would be there for about an hour and a half ot two hours. I'm a bit nervous but hopefully it works out. It's a great hourly rate (17 bucks and change) plus milage! So that's pretty stinkin awesome. It's also parttime so I can still work on photography (hopefully).

I just hope that the Disney World trip won't make me inelligible as you have to committ to at least 20 hours a week. But I wouldn't think it'd be that big a problem, right?


Speaking of Miss Rae - I'm trying very hard to make cookies she can eat, but it's very difficult when the ingredients she can have are no where to be found! UGH! All I need is goat's milk BUTTER... but does anyone up here carry it? nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo! BLAH! Poor kid needs Christmas cookies, ok?

there was something else I was going to talk about but I can't remember what it is... so after staring at this screen for fifteen minutes trying to figure it out I'm going to just sign off. ta!

Well, I'm going to start casting a line for jobs up here. I am thinking that the job market is more open up here than it is in Kenai, and I really don't want to pack up and move at the moment.

If this is what God wants He'll open the doors and make His will known. If not, Kenai here I come.


I also have a wedding to look forward to. Ellie and Jake got engaged about a month or so ago and they're getting married in April! I'm so excited for them. :) It'll be, no doubt, a lot of fun, and it'll mean I get to drive down to Kenai for a while this spring. So that will be good (that's if I'm not already down there). Either way I am not missing this for anything. Seriously if we were planning a trip to Disney I'd cancel to go to this. They're a special couple and I'd hate myself if I missed it. (I work with Jake in the summer, and got to know Ellie this year and I love 'em!)



Another thing that has brought my spirits up - Heather and Erin taking over my facebook quoting Friends episodes. Hysterical. It's amazing how God uses the littlest things to brighten my day. Right now I'm waiting for the second part of the One In London to come on TV, and it brings up great memories of every trip I've taken with Erin since graduating! We always use Joey's "LONDON, BABY!" and switch it to our destination. "Portland, Baby" "Disney, Baby" "California, Baby!" "Grass Valley, Baby!".... freaking awesome. I love it!

So far I've found six job listings that I am 1. qualified for 2. is not temporary 3. something I would actually enjoy. I haven't looked at Kenai, yet, but I will probably look tomorrow.

Speaking of Tomorrow. I have a lot to do. I have to rewrite my resume and cover letter, take a bunch of stuff out to the post office, and work on Erin's Christmas 'gift'.

So it's off to finish this Friends epi, and then off to bed, off to bed...

Gonna watch Atonement tomorrow, too.

Today was not a good day. It started off well, mostly. I got to sleep in a bit before getting ready for class. But it quickly went downhill. I got caught up in Dan In Real Life which was playing on one of the Starz movie channels this morning, and so I was late getting to my morning class. I did the speed demon thing only to have issues with parking and THEN I get into the class room in about two minutes to when class is dismissed... EARLY. Way early. I was NOT happy. All he did was read the syllybus to the class. I can read on my own, thank you very much. BLAH!

So I went and gassed up the truck, and grabbed something to eat and drink and got to work earlier than expected, which is a better than being late thing. But I didn't realize that when the guys hooked everything up they also... *tweaked* the speakers and so we blasted out the people during the 1pm show. I fixed it for the 4pm show, but then got distracted a few times, so Jake was uber loud and blasted the eardrums of all 30+ people we had there.

Top it off, I didn't vote in the primaries tonight. I am not happy about that. I could have done it this morning at school had I thought about it, but noooooooo I didn't even think about it until Ellie asked about voting absentee. BLAH!

Oh, and I missed class tonight because I COULDN'T FIND THE CLASSROOM!

So I feel *this big* tonight and I just want to SCREAM!

So the countdown has officially begun. We have 10 days (well, nine now) until we close the doors for the year. I am ready, I need the break. But then it'll be all over and I'm going to be uber depressed.

Oh well, at least School will keep me busy.

Today was a very busy day, I didn't take a break because there wasn't time. I raked the arena for the first hour, and then by 10:30 Dallas had me driving around Anchorage trying to pick up some things that needed to be gotten TODAY. The first was getting the dog vitamins that Mitch ordered. Problem was the location I was told to go to was not correct. Come to find out the place I was supposed to go was in the opposite direction and had never been on the street that Dallas said it was on. Nor had it ever been in a brown building like I was told. Not cool. Two hours later I still hadn't found the place (and didn't have my cell phone on me today ugh!) and so I went to the next place that I needed to go. Had bad directions for that, but luckily I was able to find my way to it and picked up the forms that Janine needed me to get.

I get back to Wildride with about 15 minutes to spare before the people started pouring in for tickets for the 1pm show. I called Burger Jims so I could at least EAT something during the show and then helped Becky with the stuff that needed to be done.

The 1pm was a rough show, and so we were all a little on edge, and let's just say Dallas was not the happiest of campers. So when I told him about not picking up the vitamins he was... unhappy. I got right on finding out where they were actually located, and with only an hour to get there get the stuff and get back I was off. It was on the opposite end of town and I had to go through a roundabout. Which scares the crud out of me because I don't drive through them enough to know what the heck I'm doing. Why we want to be European is beyond me! Didn't we win a war a few hundred years ago so we didn't have to do things like them? BLAH!

anyway I get there and they bring a pallet with the vitamins... 380lbs of vitamins... plus the pallet on a FORK LIFT and set it in the back of my truck... and then I slowly made my way back across town with just enough time to make it.

But like I said I didn't get a break. 9am - 5:30pm. Oh well, i can use the hours, though I'm sure Dallas will be less than pleased at the idea that I didn't take even a small break... such is life.

I work 9 to whenever tomorrow... and then I go to half days at work... I guess.

oy...

oh but Sept. 12 is going to be a happy day! PFDs are coming out a full month EARLY! So Sept. will be a very good month monies wise! :) I'm a happy girl about that! hee hee!

Alright, gotta start getting stuff put together for school and church since I won't have much time this weekend to do it!

Kenai Police Department has a new chief of Police! w00t!

In other news, I have just under two weeks left of work and just a little under a week until school. *sigh* It's gettin close.

What's really cool is this year we have made it onto YOUTUBE! Which is cool ha ha!

Okay, I'm gonna go and get Chinese food now...

...I can hardly believe we're at the closing of Summer. Three weeks left until work is over, two till school starts, and what do I have to show for it? An uneven sunburn, and a lot of good work memories.

It still feels like I was anticipating when work would start. Waiting for that first phone call where Jake or Dallas would be all in a panic because they needed me RIGHT NOW (which I did get in May lol gotta love Jake and Dallas waiting until the last minute!). I was anticipating the frustration of working with them, and anticipating hanging out with the crew.

I could lie and say it was an easy summer, but with all of the rain and the added stresses of things going badly, I can't. There were times when I wanted to throttle one person or the other, and then there were times I just wanted to curl up and hide from the world, but all in all I've loved my second year at Wildride.

I'm not sure what the future holds as far as working, I know I am still going to get my business license and start working as a photog in earnest. I really feel like that is my calling and it works well with my school schedule. I'm taking a full load for the first time in a long time at college, and I have a good feeling on how I will do. I've got the pressure to do well, which I know will kill me later in the semester, but I feel ready. Of course, we'll see if I still feel like that when school starts and I see what is going to be required of me, right?

Talking with Becky and David the last few weeks, I've pretty much decided that if I return to work for the Seavey's next year, it will be part time. It's time I become the pinch hitter for the show. It's not that I don't love the job, I do, it's just that I want the freedom to travel down to see the family once in a while, or just have a day to myself. I haven't been to Seward in over two years, I haven't really had a chance to go fishing (I refuse to do it by myself down at ship creek), and I am always worried that I'll get called into work. So everyone else gets to enjoy my state, but I'm stuck in Anchorage.

I also want to concentrate on photography, and I can't do that if I am working 5+ days a week. I had a couple of photo shoots this summer right after working all day and I just wasn't at my best. My brain shuts down after 8+ hours outside. LOL.

My tune could change around March or April when we see if I even have a job in photography. I might have to dive in for a full time Wildride position. I hate to think about what they will do next year, though, considering Becky and David are both planning to not return full time (if at all) and who knows if Hannah will be back. I don't want to abandon them fully, I really want to see them to continue to succeed. So I might blackmail myself into working. Who knows.

I do know that this month will probably either make or break my love for the job. No breaks from the guys is going to be tough lol. Dallas has been pretty good about giving me breaks in the schedule, but I do need the hours and funds that they bring, but at the same time... whew! At least I've kept my humor for the most part. I love that I get to work and laugh every day.

Like Thursday, during the four pm show a thunder and hail shower happened right in the middle of the show. I jumped into my sound booth and closed the door trying to protect myself (the hail was decent size) and then the wind picked up and blew it in through the window of the booth! I couldn't win! Watching Jen and Dallas and Jake drown out there in the arena was great too. I mean one minute it's bright sun and the next it's dark, rainy and hailing! Jake even made a comment like "Is it raining out? I can't tell" which cracked the audience and the cast up. It was GREAT!

So I don't know. I just thank God that I was blessed with this job last year when I had such a crappy experience with Sears. Yes, Wildride has its moments and I sometimes wish we were more organized, but at the end of the day I much prefer the honesty and the friendship that I get there to the backstabbing and the lying of a corporate group. It feels like home... like family... and I can't begin to describe how much I appreciate it.

So that's basically life. Erin and I have 156 days until we're down in Florida, which I cannot wait for. We have all of it booked, and paid for (well, I will as soon as October rolls around), and all of the sit down meals are reserved. So now it's just waiting for it to happen. And it's killing me!

Erin is counting down to the double digit countdown. Yes, we are sad. We know, and we don't care.

Other thing I'm looking forward to is the PFD in October. Palin got her wish and we're getting the $1200 energy check, as well as a nice bit of cash from the oil revenue (2000 something!), so it's gonna be a good fall. I hope.

Oh, and is it sad that I've already started Christmas shopping? I have my grandparents' gift already bought and put away. I had to! The place that I got it from closes Sept 1! hee hee.

Alrighty, this thing is getting long, and I have to start getting ready for work (I go in at 11:30 to be at work by Noon). So I hope everyone enjoys their weekend!

I will be working every day from Monday on to the first day of September. Weekends will be half days (noon to whenever on Saturdays... 12:45 to whenever on Sundays)

Pray that I don't keel over.

So today we didn't have any overly creepy guys bug me, but Jake and Dallas are still fixated on the fact that I have never had a boyfriend. Why they have taken such a big interest in this all of a sudden I'm really not sure, apparently they have enough free time on their hands.

Anyway after work today they had me list the requirements that I have for a guy. They already knew he had to be straight (something we had discussed yesterday lol) and then Jake asked if he had to be a Christian (which OF COURSE he does) and then asked if he had to be a 'real one' or did he just get to believe in God. (I didn't know there was a difference, if you truly Believe in God you would believe what He said and Follow Him, right?) Told him he had to be a very strong/devout Christian... Dallas wanted to know if he had to be Baptist - which I said denomination didn't matter so long as he was of strong Christian faith.

Then Jake asked what my preference in looks were lol.

Now they're talking of handing out a survey to each guy that comes through the doors at Wildride.. and in Jake's case I wouldn't be surprised if he didn't ask a few guys tomorrow about it lol

Anyone wanna remind me why I took this job again?


Can't I just have Will Turner?

Now, I know I could be classified as weird, but I would hope that I am not a *Scary* weird.

today at the 4pm show a large family came to see the dogs. Okay, no biggie, come to find out one of the people that called to ask about the show was part of this family and I apparently took the call. He recognized my voice when they arrived and he kinda glomped on to me.

He's not the first, and it's really not that odd. I like it when I'm acknowledged as being the one that sold the show because then Dallas and Jake are happy lol.

But this guy was a little.... off. He was making comments about one of the other girls who had a puppy (calling HER a puppy and not the dog) and how he tried to pet HER (not the puppy). It's common for a lot of the older men to make some inappropriate comments about our teen girls. It's incredibly uncomfy and it's offensive and normally Dallas is good at getting the guys to change the subject.

Well, this guy then started in on me with cat calls. I have not been that uncomfortable since HIGH SCHOOL when my not-so-secret admirer wouldn't take the hint. It unnerved me and I went into hiding as best I could. Which is difficult when you have to be at the cash register, but I put Dallas between the guy and me.

If there's one thing I love about the job is that the guys are all extremely protective of the girls... and respectful (I mean yeah they can make comments about us being girly or what not, but they do have a line they won't cross). And they really pick up on when we are not comfortable with a situation - and they have no problem jumping in.

Anyway the show went off really well and I made sure to stay far enough away from the guy... It was not a big problem as I used gathering mics as my excuse for leaving the gift shop when his group came through on their way to exit.

Then, as we're closing up shop about 20 minutes later, the phone rang and I answered, the gang was a bit noisy in the gift shop so I stepped outside to the front of the gift shop (we do this a lot of the time) and the group with the weird dude was out there and while I am stil on the phone the guy once again starts doing these cat calls!!!! I was just so freaked out.

So I went back inside and told Dallas and Jake the creepy guy was out there and was scaring me, so Jake told me he'd walk me out. I didn't really want to seem all wimpy, but it was unnerving and I am very thankful he wouldn't take my no I'm okay for an answer. Jake went out and talked to the group while I headed for my truck.

So, yeah, I may have my differences with Jake, but all in all I am very thankful for him and how he takes his role seriously.



On a somewhat related note, right before the 1 pm show I was mumbling something about Tricia (I forget what now lol) and Jake thought I said I was single again and asked 'what happened to your boyfriend?' which I then said that I didn't HAVE a boyfriend and have never had one. He didn't believe me at first and then he fixated on that for the rest of the day lol. He kept telling me to get a boyfriend (thanks, Jake) and it became the running gag of the day lol. Dallas joined in, it was pretty embarassing. But in a fun way (hey we rag on David and Hannah so it's only fair!)... anyway, around 3:30 Jake called the gift shop and told me he wanted me to change the music that we play while people are coming in - okay, not a problem - and then he was all 'oh, and get a boyfriend'...

so after 2 years with Wildride they've finally found something to keep as a running gag with me... not sure, yet, if I like it or not lol

Alrighty, I gotta get moving around here... got tons of laundry... and I'm orderig 8x10s to hang up in my soundbooth at work...

Ta!

I am sooooooooo upset about today. First the music cues were all screwy (Seriously, I don't get how this supposed sound tech dude is able to do anything in sound as he screws up the computer every time! GRRRR!) so I screwed up the music right at the beginning because I didn't realize that the scenes were all switched around in the computer.

Dallas was not pleased.

Then, trying to get the mics on a better frequency I some how ended up with two mics on the same channel and so when both mics went on for the second scene one mic canceled out entirely... I was soooooooooooooo embarassed.

Thankfully I figured out what went wrong and it was fixed and the show went on.

But today sucked all the way around... I am not happy and just want to go and hide.

I just started National Treasure about a half an hour ago... there's no way I'm going to finish the movie before I poop out and go to bed.

This weekend was fantastic, I spent quality time with my dog. We went to the Pugnic on Saturday and afterwards I parked the truck in my aunt's work's parking garage and we walked around downtown Anchorage. Ran into a couple of coworkers (they advertise for the show with puppies lol) and then headed to the Saturday market, saw more coworkers and just enjoyed the time being away from the house. It was relaxing even with it being crowded (something I normally freak out with.)

We came home from that and Yuka zonked out for the rest of the day while I worked on Sunday School material and chatted online. The story for today's lesson was the one where Joseph Interprets Pharoh's dream (7 skinny cows eat up the 7 fat ones) and so the craft was a simple cow craft that I had to come up with on my own because the online cow crafts were not very good.

Anyway the craft was a hit, and I was very happy with how the class went today. Yay. Next month I'll have at least one Sunday when I am teaching by myself, and I'm confident that my girls can handle it!

One of my favorite scenes is playing on the movie, guess I should go back to watching it before going to bed. Yay!

Anyway got five days of shows, 10 shows total because as of today Wildride is doing two shows daily! I am SO VERY HAPPY because I cannot stand being bored until 4pm.

I just wish they'd let me get in an 8 hour day.

Alright. Hope everyone else had a great weekend!

I GOT SUNDAY OFF!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

but it's back to work monday... *sigh*

I so feel bipolar this summer, which I know I shouldn't joke about, and I'm not. But I've been all over the map today.

Started off great, Erin called to get my Airmiles Info for Alaska Air so that she could book our tickets and she got us airfare for $55 to Orlando. How? By transferring miles to make it so that we could both go on free tickets ha ha! She is awesome for more on that and the trip go here, please ;) - wdwbaby. Needless to say I am uber excited that the trip feels REAL now. And I have no doubt I will be able to afford it...

Then I get to work and Heather is there to train everyone on the gift shop stuff - which I am pretty good at, but it's always nice to see Mary Poppins at Wildride ;) I was tired and then extremely BORED when I was at work because EVERYONE left and I was the onliest one there and it was DEAD phone wise. Blah.

Then the show happened and it was uber fun and everything went well save for my minor detail of muting Dallas instead of Hannah during the first race. But he didn't notice and I would have gotten off scott free had I not been stupid and told him! LOL

Things were pretty much GREAT save for my screwing up basic words when talking - I am just so TIRED this week - and snapping at Jake. He's just rubbing me wrong and I know it's because we're both over worked and over stressed and it's just coming to a head. But I just chalked that up to not having a day off since I started work a week and a half ago.

Then Dallas and I got to talking about how Matthew did yesterday on the cues, and lets just say Dallas is not happy or confident in Matthew's ability to do the show by himself on Sunday. He's basically hinted that I will probably be coming in AGAIN on Sunday. Which I am not all that happy about. Yes it does mean more $$ in my pocket, and therefore that helps with bills and school and Disneyworld and all of that... but I really need a break. I am tired, cranky, and I'm just not able to handle it!

The one thing that I am glad about is IF it comes down to that I know all he'll ask of me is two and a half hours tops. Tomorrow I work 3 to about 5:30... and if I work Sunday I suspect I won't even be needed for that amount of time. Just basically from 4-5. I hope anyway.

Dallas is wanting to have Matthew come in tomorrow for the Sat. show so that he can work it with me watching him so I can have a day off (which it won't be much of one because I will have church, and I want so bad to call in sick for church but it's the first day of the new kids in my sunday school class and that just does not work). I'll just take what I get, but they are going to owe me big if I don't get a real day off soon.

so today went a bit better, but Dallas's mic STILL sucks (only during the show, though. We can play around with the flipping thing and it works just fine. UGH!) Matthew's coming along pretty well with the cues, I think he'll be okay come Sunday.

Yup, I don't get to have a day off till Sunday. Not looking forward to that, but at least I only have to go in FOR the SHOW on Saturday if Matthew has a soccer game. Matthew's pretty sure he won't be in on Saturday... oy.

I was thinking of asking Dallas for Monday off, but we have two shows that day and I won't be doing a bunch of busy work, and I don't want to take Tuesday off because Becky will be back to work and I don't want to miss her return! (WE SO NEED HER TOO! the poor gift shop has yet to close down with the correct numbers *smacks forehead* and no one wants to own up to something gone wrong - and when I try to own up they Dallas says he's certain it wasn't me! ha ha!)

Anyway, I'm tired and sore and my dinner is almost ready so ta ta!

... so today sucked. The show was... well... let's just say last year's first week of shows were all better than today's... I swear we have some sort of ghost that just likes to toy with everything at Wildride this year!

Our crowds are low (and DEAD), our dogs are trying to eat each other, and the mics are doing everything but working. Dallas's mic in particular is giving me fits.

Today his mic completely cut out during the finale so I ran out with the hand mic which was on and unmuted and everything. It worked for two seconds and then died. The weird thing was it turned back on and worked fine after the show ended... same with Dallas' mic.

He was so good humored about it, but I feel like a complete and utter failure. Why can't I just fix things with no problem? BLAH! I so wanted to just lock myself in my sound booth and scream and cry and throw a fit. I honestly feel *this big* right now.

Oh well, I'm going in at 10 tomorrow... I guess we'll figure out what's wrong with it... I guess...

So my emotions have been all over the map this weekend. It all started Friday when I was told that there was no way I would get Sunday off. That they needed me. Unfortunately they didn't tell me sooner and Judy and I had fandangoed tickets for Indy Jones. I am now out 15 bucks because of the poor decisions on the part of the guys in charge. I was a bit upset, but fair is fair I guess. Got a big lecture on how we're a team and I'm one of the most important members of that team and it was time to pull together - okay, I can buy that.

But I don't really FEEL like I'm always considered important. I'm pretty much walked on by some of the 'actors' until something goes wrong and then they need me and then it's "oh, Toni, we love you." Mind you, Dallas is always up front with me - though he sends Jake in to do the dirty work because Dallas apparently doesn't enjoy confrontations - and so I decided to talk to him last night.

But back to Friday. After working my tooshie off and helping out with as much as I could I was feeling pretty good about where we were audio wise come Saturday which was our first official show. We decided to not charge people until the show on Monday (ie TODAY!) so we were expecting a decent turn out. Then we wake up to really crappy weather on Saturday and we were figuring we'd get like 5 people. Nope! We had close to 100 people. I missed about three cues, but I was happily surprised by the fact that Dallas FOUND MY SUB for weekends! I am officially getting Saturday and Sunday off as soon as Matthew is trained (which won't be hard, he's technically more qualified for the position than I am!). I was cold, and tired, and wet, and still ticked off - for the most part - that I was working Sunday and therefore missing Indiana Jones.

Then I came home and started searching for music for the show. Dallas is wanting a specific song for the show that is the typical 'circus music' song (I'm told it's "Entry of the Gladiators"?) so I went to find it and somehow wound up with a very septic virus on my computer. I couldn't get anything to come up on Norton and worse I couldn't get on to norton's website OR get a live update! ACK! I tried for two days to get it fixed!

Anyway Sunday rolled around and I went to church and said good bye to my girls (we get a new batch next Sunday, which I'm not looking forward to. I was REALLY attached to a couple of the girls this time around and one was actually hugging me and crying that she wanted me to teach her next class :() So I was feeling good and I came home and vegged until 3:00 when I had to get to work by 3:30. Got there just under the gun and set up for the show. It was BEAUTIFUL weather and the official count for people was 150. Because we were still set up for small crowds and bad weather we had STANDING ROOM ONLY. I was giving out my two sound booth stools out for people to sit on! LOL It was flipping insane!

I missed one cue (it's going to be the death of me this year, I just know it!) but everything else went really well. Dallas is very hopeful that by July we'll get the 500 people crowds he is planning for lol.

The show has a few new scenes, and a couple of old scenes have been done away with (one of which I didn't think needed to go, but that's just me. It does really only work with Jake and Caleb and since Caleb isn't up here this year it makes it kinda difficult - and I think it was a better scene for the team than it was for the tourists!) so we don't have half of the sound track that we should AND I'm learning the show on my feet and making do the best I can. So my stress level is very high.

After the show I waited around to talk to Dallas and vented a bit and talked about what we were looking at summer wise. He is easy to talk to - surprisingly - and I got my points across and I think we both walked away from the discussion more at ease with everything. I got this morning and the afternoon off, I just have to come in early enough to figure out what the show is doing for today and to help out with the gift shop girls (one of which is a rant in and of herself which I will do some other time I'm sure!) if they need me. So I am a happier girl this week!

Back to the virus... I JUST got rid of it like 15 minutes ago after TWO HOURS on the phone with tech support. 50 viruses and 100 bucks later and I'm clean again. OY!

Anyway I gotta get in the shower. I go in at 3 and it's almost 12:30 which means I have 2 hours till I gotta leave! Where did the time go?!