New Chapter

I got a job at Pier 1 Imports! Woo hoo! It was a fast process, as I described in more detail in my last blog. I interviewed on a Tuesday, they called me a few days later on Friday to set up an interview for a couple days later on Monday. I was a little nervous about the interview. They asked some pretty specific questions, and it's been quite a while since I worked retail. I had to come up with specific examples throughout the interview. I must have done okay because they called me the following Friday and offered me the job. It's just part time, but it's a start! A couple days later, on Monday, I had my first day of training!

Monday was mostly filling out paperwork and walking through the store. Pier 1 just introduced a new hiring procedure, so we were working out all the kinks in that! And I had to register online as an employee. Just about everything is done electronically, which is kinda cool. It was a very easy first day. It was also only a 2 hour shift. As I walked through the store I realized just how much merchandise they have throughout the store! A little bit of everything! It was a little overwhelming as I walked through the back room. There's a lot to learn. But, I will try my best, and I'm sure I will do a good job!

Tuesday was not quite as fun. I worked 2 more hours learning how to "pre-close". This is basically code for "cleaning". After watching a safety video and going over more orientation stuff, I was shown around the store a little more. Then came the exciting part: cleaning the bathrooms. Thankfully, the bathrooms are only 1 stall per bathroom. One men's, one women's. I think they care more about efficiency than quality, but I suppose that if you're cleaning them every night they don't require a lot of scrubbing. I finished up the women's bathroom, cleaned the men's by myself, then swept and mopped the hall. They asked if I was able to stay later so that I could also learn how to clean the office and break room. Overall, the cleaning wasn't too bad. However, on Tuesdays and Saturdays we also "get" to clean out the fridge and microwave. The microwave was disgusting! It took a while to clean and it wasn't fully cleaned when I finished. It would've helped if I had a sponge. Oh well. I go back to train again for a couple hours on Friday. Then have a staff meeting on Saturday.

It's nice that they wanted me to start right away, but it seems like training is going to take forever if I'm only working 2 hour shifts every couple days. Oh well. They do seem to emphasize customer service, which I think is an important part of the job. I'll continue to learn more about their values and procedures in future training.

This job is starting out part time. There is potential to maybe get more hours if I do well in sales and opening credit accounts. I think I'll just do my best and continue working for a while. It could turn into a really great opportunity. I really enjoyed when I used to work at Pam's Paper Fantasy. It was a nice, small store. I LOVED my boss and worked with some great people. I also loved the type of store it was! (Gift shop with gifts, cards, balloons, etc... Kind of like a Hallmark, but better!) ;D I was able to really excel there and do things I liked to do. I'm a little worried about the corporate side of Pier 1. It's a national company that's focused on sales. It's definitely not as relaxed as Pam's. However, this could be a great opportunity to learn and grow. And I definitely LOVE home decorating!

The other thing that's kind of hard with any new job is starting over. I worked at Pam's for 6-7 years! I worked seasonally at Kids Inc for about 6-7 years. I was on staff at Mission for 6-7 years. Now I'm starting at the bottom! They don't know me and I have to work my way up. It's definitely a challenge. I really believe that God provided this job - I definitely needed one. But, I've worked hard in the past and was able to be challenged and grow and given opportunities to lead in a variety of ways. I am definitely starting over at a time in my life where I feel like I should be kind of set already. I'm just trying to stay positive! I'm praying before every shift. I'm praying that God will help me to do my best. Maybe this is a great opportunity and I'll stay here forever! Maybe this is a short journey on the road to greater things. Whatever it is, I'm going to do my best where I am. I really do thank God for providing this opportunity for me.

I'll keep you posted on how things go. I don't know my schedule for next week yet. This Friday is 5-7 pm, then I have a staff meeting from 7-10 am. Pray that I won't look half asleep that morning! Pray that I learn quickly and can remember all that I'm being taught. Then, when my training is over, you have to come in and buy all kinds of things from ME! :D So I look like I'm such a great sales person! Alright, maybe not. But please do keep me in your prayers through this next chapter in my life.

Thanks!
Kim



"Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

Philippians 4:4-7

Busy! Busy!

Here's a re-cap of the last couple weeks. I started this blog over a week ago, but I'm just getting back to it. Now I have to add more stuff. A lot has been going on!

We're going to start with April 6th. Tuesday was Jon's birthday. He is now the BIG 2-9! So old! :D But we really did have a great time together and spending time with family. We also ate at The Dog House Grill for lunch which is sooo... good! Since Tuesday was a weeknight, we just had some family over for dinner that night. Ruth also brought over some strawberry short cake stuff which is Jon's favorite! Mmmm...it was good! Katie also spent the night that night so we could hang out and because she had an appointment in the morning that was near our house. (Oh yeah, this was also the day i went and applied for a job at Pier 1.)

Wednesday we went to see Alice in Wonderland. We'd been wanting to see that for a while, but especially Jon! Katie went with us, which was really nice. And the movie was really good! Katie spent the night again and hung out with her friend Daurissa. Thursday Daurissa came over to our house to hang out with Katie. She and Katie baked cookies, which was nice for me and Jon because we got to help eat them! Alona came over to hang out for a while, too, after school. We all got lunch together and later Daurissa, Katie, and I watched "Did You Hear About the Morgans." It was fun to hang out with them. Jon and Alona watched Peter Pan in the other room. I took Katie home later that night.


Friday night we went out to dinner for Jon's birthday. It was fun. Almost 20 people came. It's nice to have so many friends and family who will come to hang out and celebrate together. It was a nice night. A couple girls came over to our house later, and our friend, Jason, stayed the night with us too. He was going to come into town on Saturday, but came early to go out to dinner Friday night. He came from Santa Maria. It was nice to spend time with him and get to talk with him. (Friday morning was also when Pier 1 called and set up an interview with me to come in on Monday.) Saturday we spent with some friends celebrating their son's birthday. We hung out with them for a long time. Jon went with Bob to the driving range for a while, while Jen and I walked around Big Hat Days in Clovis. It was nice to walk around. We played some worship songs and sang together later that night. It was something we'd never done before together and it was fun.

Sundays are usually busy for us. But after church at God's family, we went to lunch with Stevie, Heather, and Jason. It was nice to spend some time together talking and eating. After going home for a short time, we headed over to the Campus to help in the library. I was sorting through books and magazines, while Jon was cutting down shelves. Four hours later we headed out to pizza. The pizza was our payment for the work we'd done. Mostly, we were just helping people out. Jason spent the night again that night and Kelli came over and played games. It was a lot of fun! I'm glad we were all able to be together.


Monday we were able to spend a little more time at home. I had my interview at Pier 1 that morning at 11. I wasn't totally sure how it went. There were some pretty specific questions I had to answer, but the conversation seemed to go well. When I got home, we were able to get our kitchen all clean from our busy weekend, and I worked on cleaning up our bedroom. It was nice having everything clean and organized again. I love that feeling! The weather was pretty crazy again. The weekend had been nice and warm, and Monday brought rain and even hail! Hopefully, I can add some pics soon. It hailed for at least 10 minutes! Jason ended up heading home when it looked like it cleared up a bit. My mom, Katie, Krissi, James, and Addy all came over for dinner that night, too. We enjoy having people over. It's nice having our family so close!


Tuesday was spent ant Sean and Shyrel O'Neal's house. They're moving to Michigan! We're sad they're leaving California, but we know that is where the Lord is calling them. We got to their house about 9:30 am and helped them pack and load till after 8:00 pm. It was a looong, hard day. But the weather was much nicer than Monday, and we were able to get a lot done! We also went to my parents' house after that. Katie's boyfriend was flying in from Minnesota, so all the family went over to meet Adrian. We just hung out for a few hours.

Wednesday wasn't too crazy. We started a class that night. It's Dave Ramsey's "Financial Peace University". It's a 13-week course that we're pretty excited about! It focuses on budgeting, financial planning, investing, saving for your kids, etc... We just started this, but we're excited about what we'll learn. My mom, dad, Krissi, and James have all been taking this class. Wednesday night we went back over to my parents' house to spend time with Katie, Adrian, and the rest of the family. We just talked and hung out some more.

Thursday we went to Pismo with Katie and Adrian. It was nice to get away from Fresno and also spend some time with Katie and Adrian. Adrian also proposed to Katie! She is now a happily engaged woman! They're hoping to get married in the not-too-distant future. Probably at Pismo. It was a lot of fun to share this day with them. We were also able to meet up with a friend of mine, and his family. We all went to dinner and spent some time catching up. It was really great!



Friday I finally got the call from Pier 1 asking me if I'd like to work there! Of course, I said yes! Jon spent the morning golfing with my brother. That night we all went to my parents' house for a BBQ. It was nice having everyone around the table together. Looking around we had: mom, dad, me, Jon, Katie, Adrian, Krissi, James, Stevie, and Heather. And Addy. :D This was a look at what our family will probably look like for a long time...only we'll be adding more kids to it. (But not from me and Jon any time soon, just letting you know!) It was a great night of bocci ball, mosquitos, and chillin'!

Saturday morning we went to breakfast with Bob and Jen. We also went and picked up a treadmill from Sean and Shyrel. Bob and Jon got it successfully up our stairs and into the spare room! We weren't sure if it would fit through the doorways, but they did it! I am so excited! Katie and Adrian also came over that afternoon and we played some games. It was nice spending more time with them, and having them over to our apartment. Krissi and Addy also came over for dinner later. It was fun. I wish Adrian lived closer and not in Minnesota!

Sunday we had church in the morning and church in the evening. The weeks we have church both times are busy, but it was worth it. I love having dinner with our church family. It gives us time to catch up and talk together. The service was really good, too! I really love our church family! We went over to the Taylor's house for a couple hours after. We were going to watch a movie together, but it was getting late. We mostly just goofed off and watched some t.v. But it was still nice to be there.


Monday I started my training at Pier 1. I'm a little nervous about the "corporation" aspect of the job: sales goals, opening credit accounts, etc..., but I'm also excited to be working there. I think the training is going to take a loooong time. There's a lot to learn and I'm only scheduled in 2-hour shifts, sporadically. We'll see how it goes. I'm just praying that the Lord will help me. I'll do my best. We also went back to the Taylor's house for a surprise gathering to say goodbye to the O'Neals. It was nice to have such close friends together. I miss gathering with those people on a regular basis. I'm definitely going to miss that family.

Alright, I've filled you in on most everything. Adrian's leaving in the morning to go back home. I'm sure Katie's going to miss him a lot! And it was nice having him around and part of the family. I also work again from 5-7 pm tomorrow night. Please continue to pray for me through my training. Also pray that we'll be able to find a job for Jon. It's been nice helping people out the last couple weeks, but it'll also be nice when Jon can get a steady job.

Congratulations! You survived this LLLOOONNNGGG blog. I just had to catch up on so much! I hope you're all doing well. I plan to post more often than I have been. I'll do my best! Have a wonderful day!

Kim

"'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the Lord, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you. Plans to give you hope and a future.'" Jeremiah 29:11

Some Pictures!

I told you I'd get you some pictures. We visited the poppy field while in Rosamond at Easter. We actually drove out to Lancaster, Ca. There is a poppy reserve you can go to, but we didn't want to pay $10. We just pulled over on the side of the rode. It was really pretty! And the kids had a lot of fun running around. We just had to remind them not to step on them or pick them. Yeah, right! :D (The poppy is the state flower of California so it's against the law to pick them.)

Nathan and Mallory (Jon's youngest brother and his wife) with Madison



Alona. Cutie Patootie!



Beautiful poppy field! Anyone thinking of The Wizard of Oz?



Here are some of our nieces: Alona, Madison, Bella, and Kallista. So cute! (Alona, Bella, and Kallista are Ruth and Josh's girls)



Our newest niece on Jon's side, Madison (Nathan and Mallory's baby)



Little Bella having fun!



My hottie husband! Jon!



Me and Bella



Me and Jon!



Poppies!



Madison and Grandma Suzie



Nathan and Kim (Rachel & Marcus' foster son)



A happy yellow poppy in the middle of all the orange



Micah is so cute! (Rachel & Marcus' son)



There are other pictures of things we did during Easter, but I don't have any. I'll try to get some and pass them on to you. Plus, there are more pics of me and Jon that I can put up here. Hope you had a wonderful Easter full of remembrance, rest, and peace!




"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? "And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."
Matthew 6:25-34

Easter in Rosamond!

We had a wonderful times celebrating Easter in Rosamond! I am so blessed to be a part of such a wonderful family! I continue to be amazed at what a miracle it is to have such a huge family that genuinely love each other, love the Lord, get along, and have fun together! I will fill you in soon on all the goings-on of me and Jon and our life together! I just wanted you to know that I have not forgotten you! I will write again soon. I have to get up early to celebrate early at our church, then with my Fresno family! More soon! Goodnight for now!


"After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb. There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men. The angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said." Matthew 28:1-6

New Adventures!

I think that I am crazy! But, it's not all my fault. I have parents who are crazy. (You may not believe that, but it's true.) I married a CRAZY man. And I have crazy friends. So, clearly, craziness is something that I've become because of the influences I have in my life. (I'm sure it was not my craziness rubbing off on them.) ;D

So, Jon, Kelli, and I recently went up to visit Kings Canyon National Park. My family used to camp up there at least once a year when I was growing up. Since knowing Jon, we usually camp at Sequoia National Park because that's where he grew up camping. You can actually go from one park into the other, but it would take a while. Since Jon and I are still in the job hunt, we decided to check out some job opportunities in Kings Canyon. My husband LOVES the mountains! (Nature, wildlife, everything about it!) We could work in the mountains, and would live up there during this seasonal job. They have housing, but it's very, very basic. Their website called it "a step above camping". Although we enjoy camping, this might be a little over our heads. Or it might be a great adventure.

We decided to go up to the park to see if we could check out what type of housing we'd be living in. I did call ahead, but was unable to get ahold of anyone from the park. We decided to go up anyway and see what we could find out. We also decided that we might as well camp for the night since we were driving up there anyway. And we also decided to take our friend, Kelli, with us. I got online and checked to see what the weather would be like. The high was around 65 or so, and the low was going to be around 34. We knew it would be cold, but we made our preparations anyway. We decided to brave the cold. (None of us had ever camped in this weather.)

As we drove higher into the mountains we began to see patches of snow on the sides of the mountains. I wasn't too worried. It's been pretty warm the last couple weeks. However, just a few miles before the park entrance, we began to see more and more snow! It was everywhere! Everywhere! And there was A LOT of it! Basically, it was still winter in those mountains! So we decided to go back home and return another time. I am not a crazy person!



NOT! ;D We decided to STAY! There was one campground open. The ranger said there'd been a couple tents up the night before. We decided to give it a go.



We were a little worried, though. We were prepared for the COLD, but we weren't actually prepared for SNOW! There is a difference. We found the best possible spot. We found a bear bin that was not covered in snow, a table we could use that was not covered in snow, and a fire pit...not completely covered in snow! We had to walk over snow to get to the bear bin, there was snow surrounding the fire pit, and we had to set up our tent on the parking spot, but we made it work. We were ready for adventure!...and praying we wouldn't freeze to death.







We did turn in to our tent pretty early. We bundled up on our air mattresses and watched a movie on my laptop. Not something we usually do on a normal camping trip, but we were so cold outside! And there was not room by the fire for 3 people to sit unless you wanted to sit in the snow. We finally went to sleep, and I was just glad to survive the cold and not get eaten by a bear. It was a chilly night!





The next morning we made breakfast and walked around. There was a pretty cool snow plow clearing out some roads. We did tear everything down later and pack up. It was still cold, mostly because the sun was hiding behind some gray clouds. We decided it'd be better to pack up and go see General Grant. We knew we'd be pretty tired to do it later. We left the campground around 1 and headed to the trails to see the General. It was so pretty!









It's amazing how HUGE the trees are up there! It's crazy how many people come from all over the world to see these trees, and they're only a little over an hour away from where I live! I really am blessed to be living in such a great location! And I'm blessed to have friends and family who appreciate God's creation! I had never been up in those mountains, walking those trails with snow and trees surrounding me. It was beautiful! Although our adventure may not have been exactly what we planned, it was definitely an unforgettable experience! One I'm not sure I would do again, but that I'm definitely glad I did!







Of course, this is only one adventure in my life, but it was a really great time with a great friend and a great husband! Remember to always look for those adventures in life. Be courageous...and maybe a little bit crazy. I'm sure it will lead to some incredible adventures!



"May the glory of the LORD endure forever; may the LORD rejoice in his works-
he who looks at the earth, and it trembles, who touches the mountains, and they smoke.
I will sing to the LORD all my life; I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.
May my meditation be pleasing to him, as I rejoice in the LORD."
Psalm 104:31-34

I Think God Cares About the Little Things, Too!

A few weeks ago, Jon and I were BLESSED to be able to go to Ventura and stay on our sister-in-law's parents' boat. We went with Sarah, Robert, Mallory, and Robert. And Justus and Madison, too, of course! The couple weeks prior had been SOOO... stressful! There was one night while Jon and I were cooking dinner that I could just feel the stress come over me. I told Jon that I just KNEW that I needed to trust the Lord! I needed to depend on Him. I knew He would provide what we needed. But, it was so hard! Another night, when we were in bed, I reached over and grabbed His hand. "You need to pray for us." I didn't want to get overwhelmed. Jon prayed for us. God could give us peace. Peace could only come from Him.

The Lord has continued to provide for us and show His faithfulness. I am constantly reminded of His grace and mercy and all the blessings that surround me. I have wonderful family and friends who I know support us and pray for us. It's amazing how good God is! And how much He loves us! In the midst of all the financial stress and turmoil, God provided a way for us to ESCAPE! :D A way was provided for us to go to the boat with wonderful family members. Once we found out that we could go without it taking additional finances, I had to get permission to miss church the following Sunday. I didn't want to ask! But, I knew this was an amazing opportunity and God was already at work. I had to call the pastor and so many other people to find people to lead worship for me at 2 different churches! When Jon's mom asked if we were coming, I just told her, "Pray hard!" And everything came together! All the details were figured out and we were on our way!

We drove to Rosamond on Thursday and were able to spend some time with Jon's parents. It's so great to have married into a family that is so in love with the Lord! It's really a miracle! And I am so blessed! Friday afternoon we drove to Ventura. The weather forecast was for rain on Saturday and Sunday, but we didn't care! We were all excited! It was a great time barbecuing on the boat, playing games, and hanging out. It was wonderful!

Saturday morning was cloudy! We could see so many dark clouds in the distance! As they came closer, they seemed to just sail around us. We could see clouds on our left and right, behind and in front. As the clouds came near, they just divided over us and the sun shone through. We still cooked outside, and some people even rode the jet ski! It was fun! We drove over to the beach to walk the pier and spend some time outside. Again, we could see FAT, DARK clouds coming our way. Though it was cold, Mallory convinced us we should park and walk along the beach! I thought she was crazy!

Though the wind whipped around us at first, we quickly adjusted to the weather as we strolled along together. We wondered when the rain would hit and just hoped we would not have to walk ALL the way back to the car in the rain. We stayed at the beach for an hour or two. We walked out across the pier and saw people fishing and hanging out. Justus even convinced us it was a good idea to play at the park area! We all had fun swinging on the swings, building rock towers, destroying rock towers, and playing on all the cool (and somewhat dangerous) equipment. Jon rode his skateboard and we threw a ball around. It was great! We headed back to our cars, waiting for the clouds to release the downpour. And they did. AFTER we made it to the cars. We stepped into the parking lot and it began to rain. Not before. All we had to do was open the car doors and be dry.

I think God did that on purpose! I think He held off the rain just for us. That was the first thought that popped into my head. I think God cares about the little things! Not only has God been taking care of us, not only did God provide a way for us to have such an incredible experience, but God also held off the rain until our time outside was over! God cares! It was wonderful to have it rain while on the boat. Hearing the rain while I fall asleep is one of my favorite things! We did get wet later, but our time at the beach was completely dry. And there were some gorgeous rainbows the next day!



My life has been blessed beyond measure! Over the years I've realized how unique it is to have a family where the parents are still happily married and the kids get along so well and everyone loves the Lord! So many people don't have that. Then I married a wonderful man whose parents have been married for over 40 years! All 7 kids are married with families that love the Lord. Even all the in-laws get along! AMAZING!! And my whole family loves Jon's whole family and visa-versa! I AM SO BLESSED! That's what happens when the Lord is involved! You can see the love of the Lord pour out of these families and we have so many godly examples around us.

Well, if you read all of this, then you deserve a medal! Sorry it was so long. I just keep thinking about that almost-rainy day. I believe the Lord did that for us! So be encouraged! He loves YOU! He cares for YOU! Not only does the Lord care about the BIG things, but I believe He cares about the little things, too!

Till Next Time!

"Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!" Philippians 4:4
"Cast all your cares on Him because He cares for You." 1 Peter 5:7

Faith Like a Child

When I was young I wanted a "baby bruver". I had 2 younger sisters who I loved, but I wanted a baby brother! When I was around 3, I prayed for a baby brother. I had so much faith! I knew that God would give me a baby brother! I told my mom that God was going to give me a baby brother. I was so sure! Of course, my mom was worried that if I didn't get a baby brother my faith would be shattered!

I was confident!

Why do you think we lose this faith? Of course I believe in God. Of course I have faith. But, why do we question everything? Why do we test everything? Believing my mom would have a child was a huge thing. (I'm sure I didn't really know how much of a huge thing.) And a boy! But, I believed I'd heard from God! So I trusted in that promise!

The Bible says in Jeremiah, " 'For I know that plans I have for you', declares the Lord. 'Plans to prosper you and not to harm you. Plans to give you a hope and a future.' " Why do we not trust Him? I hope that I can find that faith that I had when i was 3 years old. That faith like a child.

Oh. And I got my "baby bruver". What did I say to my mom? "See, I told you." :D