Chance

We've had Chance for a week now and above is the first time I was able to catch Cooper near him. Cooper jumped up the couch and laid at the corner and Chance laid close to him. Cooper would usually leave when Chance is around but he didn't mind it this time. My digital camera has no batteries so I had to take this with a phone camera. I tried twice until I got a good shot. Both of them didn't mind the flash (the study is really dark with light only from the TV).

Work

This is my new cubicle at work. I moved from upstairs to the main floor. The main floor is really a warehouse with workspaces and some cubicles. I am not inside the maze (I got lost in it the first time) but outside of it. I got first choice on this location since I have tenure (I've only been there less than 6 months!) over others in our group who moved downstairs. Our group is called Core Product and I am part of Business Planning. With Core Product are Partnership Management and Product Management. Within Business Planning is forecasting and business analysis. The new business analyst starts on Monday & the 2 partner managers started around 2 weeks ago or so. Product Management have always been downstairs but they also have a new Sr. Product Manager who started last week. So far I'm liking being downstairs. I don't have to deal with the stairs anymore and I am so close to the kitchen (not good for my health!!!). Going back to the maze - the maze starts behind my cubicle. There is an entrance to the maze from the workspaces to my left and to my right. To my right is the corner kitchen and a workout room. What I don't like about being downstairs (so far) is the restroom. Since it services more people, the restroom cubicles are very small & it is messier.

I have several loads of laundry to do and I need to go to the store to get new pots to re-pot my strawberry and fuschia plants. The patio table holding my potted plants on the kitchen side toppled over last week with the strong Santa Ana winds. My red plumeria plant/stump was uprooted when the pot fell over so I stuck it in the dirt again. It broke the first time about a month or so ago. I hope it survives.

Kevin is working today (Saturday) as they have to have full staff available to prepare for Toy Fair. I don't miss toyfair at all.

Plumerias and Laie

My friend Denise gave me these 2 Plumeria cuttings early this Spring. We had a really nice one near the pond which came with the house but it died because Max & Cooper peed on it all the time. It would bloom sweet smelling white & yellow plumerias every year. We decided to plant them in pots this time so they won't get peed on. They are not hooked to any drip line so I have to hand water them - which I actually like doing since I get to inspect my flowers at the same time.

I moved to Laie to go to BYU from Manila when I was 17 and started as a Marquesas Villager at the Polynesian Cultural Center. I was 1 of 2 chosen from each village trained to take guided walking tours. Back then only tram and canoe tours were available. Tourists freely walked around to mingle with the villagers to learn about their culture. Each guided walking tour took anywhere from 1-1/2 to 2 hours and as foreign students, we were allowed 4 working hours a day. As walking tour guides we learned to do orientations where we would gather all tourists as they come in and give them the spiel about how we are all students from BYU and how the center started blah-blah-blah ending with how they can spend their time at the center. Between orientations and tours, we were also greeters. Thinking about it now, it sure was a fun job but you got to say and hear the same things over and over. My best friend back then was Elvee (who is now my step sister - my mom married her dad). Plumeria is kalachuchi in Tagalog and hibiscus is gumamela and they grew abundantly all around the center and Elvee used to call them by their Tagalog names in her tours (because she did not know the American names for them yet) when she started. I haven't been back to Hawaii since I graduated in 1979 & I sure would love to take Kevin there sometime. I digressed from my post. Look at my plumerias planted from cuttings!!!!

How is my garden?

I miss having so much time to myself!!! But I'm not complaining because we've been blessed with a second job that I enjoy doing. We've been having a great summer with family starting with a 2 week visit with Penny, Amanda & Heidi. Those girls are so precious!! We were spoiled with Penny's great meals and our home was filled with the happy sounds of young happy voices always eager to do something fun! We spent Father's Day with Doug and Jenny. The surprise came later in the evening with Bert showing up after his 8 day lifeguard training camp. He made it coming in number 16 from a group of 52. Next weekend, we will be having my family over when Jordan's soon-to-be bride, Rose will be over to meet our side of the family. Then we will have a housefull of boys with Kelly, Julia & their 4 sons visiting from Logan. Kevin is so looking forward to taking them to Magic Mountain and getting on those death-defying rides. I promise to post pictures later.

We are getting some hot weather this week (about time!). My flowers are blooming!!! The pink/blue hydrangeas in the front yard caps the luscious nasturtium flowers ranging from yellow to gold. I couldn't take a picture this morning (I'm still in pjs!!) but I took some from our backyard. I just learned to make a movie so here are some photos !! Hope it works!!!

Week 1

I've beem leaving home closer to 9am & am getting to work in 10-15 minutes. My cubicle is in the 2nd floor. There are 2 other marketing staff in addition to myself. We share the 2nd floor with Accounting. I got a 32" Vizio display monitor by Thursday and a new Dell notebook by Friday on my 1st week (I was using a loaner my 1st few days. They have several wireless networks available so people can work on their notebooks to meetings and I seem to be in meetings a good part of the day each day. So far everyone's been really nice & I am really enjoying my work & the company. I especially like my boss. He is very mellow and even keeled. I loved my previous boss but he was a little too hyperactive. My new boss seems really calm. To my amazement, very few execs have type A personalities and there is very little yelling/cussing. People also don't act important which was what I really disliked about people from my previous job.

Our irises are blooming like crazy!! I don't remember them being this beautiful! The fig tree and one of the wisterias are finally sprouting leaves!! I just love the snapdragons & bacopas. I think I will be planting those annuals more often/all over since they are just so lush, beautiful and easy to grow in the spring.

The weather was nice last Saturday (last weekend was HOT!) for us to plant in our front yard. We planted carnations, delphiniums & some groundcovers. The fruit trees in the front yard are not doing as well as those in the back but Kevin fixed the sprinklers so hopefully they'll catch up.

Kevin & I were called to be Ward Family History consultants. Kevin is especially excited about this calling. We missed church again last Sunday and also Rob's birthday dinner. Linda, Ryanne and her boys dropped by Saturday afternoon on their way home from visiting Jenn but Kevin wasn't home. He was out buying some stuff for the sprinklers or the pond or something. He stayed home again Monday but was feeling much better today so he went back to work.

End of my leisure days

We removed the rosemary (which I had earlier thinned to 1/4 its size) altogether. It was a direct view from my kitchen window so we decided to use the prime space for more flowers. We trellised the pink jasmines back against the wall (and planted a new one too) and added a Delphinium, Azalea and other flowering groundcovers. Here is my first mulching experience. I remulched a few days after this photo was taken because I read mulch should be 1 of more inches thick above the ground. We've also been spending a few early evenings weeding and working around the yard.



Denise gave me cuttings of her Chinese wisteria which I planted in the front yard. I hope for it to hang over the front fence. She also gave me cuttings of her plumeria and Arabian jasmine. I planted the plumerias in pots for now and the Arabian jasmine in front of the Pink jasmine. Arabian jasmine is sampaguita which is the national flower of the Philippines.

I've been doing several errands this week requiring me to leave Max & Cooper home (not something I've done while I've been home). After coming from one earlier this week, I found that Cooper has been doing a lot of digging in my newly planted garden beds. Cooper was a heavy digger when he first lived with us but he stopped after 6 months or so. I figured this is because he's feeling more secure about his place in our home. I think he is sensing I will be leaving them home alone again so the digging has started. I am torn between wanting to give them full access to the yard or just keeping them in the house while I'm at work. I think I am going to keep them in the house until he becomes more confident and then slowly give them outside access. I hate the thought of not having him around me all day. As a consolation, it is only a 10 minute drive from work to home so I plan to come home for lunch as much as possible.

I was shocked and disappointed at Michael Johns' elimination. I voted several times for Carly last Tuesday because I was afraid she was going to be next. I just love her version of "Here You Come Again". I think I will download it from iTunes. I should have put in a few votes for Michael but I was too lazy to punch in new numbers (it was easier to just hit redial). I was a big fan of David Archuleta especially after hearing his version of "Imagine" but he no longer interests me. I am turning into a major Duff Goldman fan!!! I love Ace of Cakes!!!!

We are closing on refinancing later today. We decided to do this to avail of lower rates and hopefully get our monthly mortgage down. To the contrary, we will be paying more because portions of the loan will have a much shorter term. The closing could not have come at a better time since I'll be getting a steady paycheck to help out with the payments. We are so blessed. We can feel the Lord's hand in everything that's recently transpired in our life as things just fall into place.

New Job

I got the job!!! I interviewed with a consumer electronics company selling HD and plasma TVs (you will find them at Costco & Walmart among other places & I know Terry Lisonbee just got one late last year. You might even already own one!!!) last August shortly after leaving Playmates. They put the position on hold. They called me last week Tuesday to find out if I was still available and on Thursday they called again to set up an interview with their Marketing VP who I met the following day Friday. They called me today and the offer letter is in the mail. They are only 8 miles away from me and the job is similar to a good fraction of my last job except on a bigger scale so I am so excited. I start on Monday, April 14. Thank you all for keeping me in your prayers!!!