Confessions of a babysitter...

Moving here not only caused me to have to quit my job that I loved, but I also had to leave behind families that treated me with the utmost respect in regards to my babysitting services and as a friend.  I became very close with them and there was a mutual respect in many ways.  Not to brag, but they treated me like gold.   They cooked me dinner (you know who you are) knowing I had come straight from work and hadn't had a chance to stop and eat, or they left me cash and a stack of menus to order takeout (which I never did) from, they would sit and chat with me after for endless amounts of time taking interest in my life and even apologizing when they found out my husband was home (which it was always ok), and so many other thoughtful things that I would have never expected and was truly grateful for and felt appreciated.  It had nothing to do with the money, I simply enjoyed caring for their kids and being flexible to work around their schedules so they could have weekly or monthly date nights.  It was truly my pleasure. I loved doing it, with all my heart! I knew moving here I wouldn't have that, the babysitting jobs that is, but I quickly made a few friends out here and they had children and took me up on it.  Their kids are DOLLS and so very well behaved.  I truly enjoy babysitting for them.  I met another family outside of the Coast Guard with three kids, she's an RN and he's just about done with nursing school.  Both used to be army and he's still a reservist.  They also treat me like gold.  Respectful of my schedule, they even went as far as listening to the ONE time I told them Danny's schedule and figured out the days he was home vs. the days he worked and plan their date nights around when he is gone (he was home every night/weekend in CA so it didn't matter as much in terms of date night scheduling there).  So very kind and thoughtful even though I'd happily help out if they needed even when he is home.  These are the types of families I love working for, these are the people I enjoy helping, being flexible for, and giving my time to.

But let's get down to the real reason why I'm writing this...the families that maybe don't have that level of respect for me and the fact that I am a 26 year old married adult with her BA degree that is taking time out of her evening to take care of your two (very wild) children.  We aren't in Davis anymore.  Or California for that matter....here it goes:

Last week a mother text me asking if I was free to babysit Thursday one of Danny's only nights off this week.  Sure I said, no problem.  She asked me to be there at 5:30p.m..  Now, in my opinion, when you are going to be out very late that is something that should be stated at the initial request for the date night.  Very late to me is after 10:30p.m. on a week night. Weekends are fair game, stay out all night, I don't care.  Sounds fair right? Since she asked me to be there at 5:30p.m. for a date night I assumed they would grab dinner, maybe a movie, and be home before 10:00p.m..  As they were running out the door they said they were going to dinner and comedy night at the casino (which I happened to know didn't start till 9:00p.m.).  I had to work the next day at 7:00a.m.. These are the sort of details you discuss with someone before they commit to a week night babysitting job, at least in my opinion.  I don't mind late nights, I don't one bit, I just felt a little...taken advantage of? I babysat all the time during the week and didn't mind it at all.  But, the relationship with the families were much different and well, I enjoyed it a lot more.  So, after being slightly pissed off I did something I have never done before and NEVER would do if I hadn't felt so taken advantage of, I text her to ask her what time she thinks they would be home because I had to be out the door by 6:30a.m. the next day.  She said, "Oh I'm not sure, maybe 11/11:30ish, is that too late?" UH YEAH.  IT IS. So I kindly explained to her and apologized that I had no idea it was going to be this late on a week night  because normally people let me know ahead of time and how I had to work all day the next day.  They came home by 9:30p.m.. *gasp* I know so out of character for me. Ballsy, and I wouldn't normally do something like that, ever.  I would have never done this had I been informed ahead of time and given the chance to turn down the job due to me having to work but they didn't disclose this information until I was already there and they were halfway out the door.  RUDE (some may think I was rude too, but I don't do well when taken advantage of or disrespected).  Oh, but that's not all.  I don't expect people to pay babysitters around here like I was paid in California, the cost of living here is just not the same.  I consider myself very lucky to have found the family I currently help out part time (the nurses) because they do pay me my CA rates and that was THEIR suggested amount.  It's NOT about the money for me and never has been, I babysit for free for a friend here because I just don't mind doing it (sometimes she sneaks money into my tupperware or appliances that she borrows and gives back and gets away with paying me, but I normally don't let her).  This next statement may make it sound like it is about money, but I promise you, it's not! However, when you know the husband works for customs/border patrol and makes DOUBLE what your own husband does and you know the wife works for the Tribe, and you too work for the tribe and know they pay a lot of money to their employees, you know the family can afford the standard going rate around here of $10/hour.  She texts me on her way home and says, "I never asked what you charge, I normally pay $6/hr is that good?" My jaw dropped.  Even when I was 15 years old I never made that.  That is even less than minimum wage here.  I was floored and offended all at the same time.  Especially knowing they can afford it.  I wasn't anticipating anything more than $10/hr and if they pay more (which a few have, it's a pleasant surprise).  I think $10 is fair around here and since it's just an extra thing I do, it's not important.  Babysitting here literally pays for my yoga classes and that's about all I use it for.  But what was I supposed to say after she worded it like that? It was almost her way of sticking me in a situation that she knew I wouldn't say anything in.  I know most of their sitters are these teeny bopping high school girls that don't even drive, but I am not.  I no longer felt the tiniest bit guilty for her coming home early.  As I'm leaving she said, "Thanks so much.  We'll call you again soon".  Please don't.  

Moral of the story, set a rate around here with people and confirm when they will be home before committing to the gig.  Sure, I should have asked ahead of time but if I were the parent I also would have told my babysitter if I was planning on staying out really late on a week night.  The pay wouldn't even have irritated me had they been more respectful about my time.  It's a principle thing.  I am a person too, I have a life, I have a full-time job (which she knew), I have a husband that likes seeing me.  All things she knows.  Respect, that's all I ask for.  You respect me, I respect you, easy as that! 

I miss my California families.




**This post in no way is directed at any of the readers of this blog, I thoroughly enjoy/ed babysitting for each and everyone of you!** <3

Little Bits of Happiness

The sun is setting much later thanks to daylight savings time, close to 8pm already, and it was much warmer.  Stepping out to walk home in the snow and hearing that crunch under your shoes is quite lovely.  It's a wonderful sound, the air is fresh and crisp, and there is an indescribable silence all around you.  It is so quiet it's almost deafening.  It truly is a stunning stillness that surrounds you with peace.  It also makes it even better when the sun is setting and it looks like this...

Tahquamenon Falls and Point Iroquois Lighthouse

If there is one thing the E.U.P. (Eastern Upper Peninsula) doesn't lack it is beauty.  I have never seen scenery as beautiful as some of the sights I've seen here.  The snow just adds even more beauty to these places.  Becca came to visit (willingly) in the midst of winter here from California where the temps are still averaging mid-70's.  I love her for that! We took full advantage of the sunshine here and went to see the Tahquamenon Falls which freeze over in the winter.  Danny and I made this 10 mile hike over the summer to see the Falls and they were beautiful then but to see them this time of year was like nothing I have ever seen before.  You can get to the falls also by driving to them which is what most people do in the winter (obviously weather doesn't permit 10 mile hikes!).  It's amazing to me how these enormous falls freeze almost completely over this time of year.  The icicles along the side were stunning! It was a very fun day filled with adventure (of course).  The day (or her visit) wouldn't have been complete without me getting my car stuck either.  Thank goodness for a good samaritan that just happened to be walking up to from the lake as I was trying to move my car from the deep snow to the other side of the lot.  

Ever since the lakes have become frozen over I have had this strange itch to want to walk on them. They freeze every year to the point of being able to walk/snowmobile/snow shoe/ice fish on but this is the most they have been frozen in 34 years! D gets to do this often for work but I had never experienced it and had been dying to do it! When I first heard that he and other people were out snow moiling and snow shoeing on it I thought they were nuts.  But then I just kept thinking about it and thought, "how many chances in this life after leaving here will I have this opportunity?" probably slim to none.  So while Becca was visiting we made it a goal to find somewhere we could access the lake.  We stumbled upon this by accident, which is also where my car got stuck, and ventured out.  It was exhilarating! As we walked farther and farther out we weren't sure if we were on water yet or still the "shore".  Becca looked down and saw a patch of water below a cut out of ice which was our indicator that we were officially walking on the lake.  My heart may have stopped for a split second and I may have panicked and turned around to run back but realized I couldn't without a picture! I am SO glad I had this opportunity.  

"Lake" Superior

After Becca left D and I made another trip to the Falls because our first attempt together was a bust due to white out weather conditions that we attempted to endure to get there.  Not smart of us, we nearly froze to death...that's only slightly an exaggeration!  Since taking Becca to the Falls just 3 days prior the temps had warmed up a bit and the falls were already flowing a bit more. We also pit stopped at a lighthouse that he goes to while at work and had a stunning view of Canada as well as some great pictures of the lighthouse. 

Just a little side-by-side comparison.  Same location, different season! The left one was taken this past weekend and the right one was taken over the summer.  Pretty awesome right? I love mother nature! 

Snow lesson #173829

Since living here I've learned a few lessons about living in the snow.  Some have left bigger impressions than others such as the one time I learned about frozen patio furniture, no gloves, and Ugg boots in the snow and well this one. I knew there would be plenty more to come but wasn't sure when they would decide to pop up in my days.  Well, yesterday we had some fun! We had a decent storm pass through the night prior so the streets were deep with snow but my driveway didn't seem too bad. I shoveled my driveway in a half-ass manner (because as we all know, shoveling and me just don't mix) just enough to ensure my car would pull out but as I was doing this I didn't look far enough to the end of our driveway where Mr. Snow Plow Man must have come by this morning to plow the streets and left a wall of snow at the end of our driveway.  Yes, a wall.  Well, here I am in my gym clothes thinking to myself "yes! I plowed enough and I'm moving backward, PERFECT" then bam! my car came to a halting stop.  WHOOPS! Oh and D isn't home this weekend...go figure.  I sat there for a minute strategizing, "hmmmm how will I get myself out of THIS one alone?". I stepped out of my car because why sit in a car that is just stuck? And to my surprise (not sure why this should have been such a big surprise since I was STUCK in a pile of snow) I sunk into the pile of snow shin deep wearing gym shoes.  Ahhhhh, nothing like freezing cold snow in your shoes and up your legs in the morning to wake you up! Who needs coffee? In the meantime, I had text my friend whose husband came right down on his snow tractor to help get me out. Phew!


Moral of the story:

Even if you plow the main part of your driveway to get your car out of the garage and it looks perfectly clear to pull out, don't forget to check the end of your driveway where the street plowers may have pushed ALL of the snow from the street to the edge of your driveway or else you may get your car stuck. This is especially important to look for when your husband isn't home.

Oh and, like Uggs (which we learned in our last snow lesson), running shoes are not good in mass amounts of snow. Especially when your car is stuck because that normally means it's deep therefore when you step out of your car to get help, your feet will sink and running shoes will not suffice. Duh.

Oh and gloves, always wear gloves, thought this lesson was learned a while back but I guess I forgot.  Oh and don't leave the house when your husband isn't home to properly plow the driveway.  That is all. 

Job interviews, below zero temps, and snow shoveling

Phew! It's been a crazy week settling back in here.  I feel like I have been going non-stop every day this past week and it feels good to just relax! Since being home I've had 3 job interviews! Yes, 3.  One is for subbing at the Lutheran Preschool, loved it (finally!), the other was at Early Head Start for the lead infant and toddler teacher, and the other was just meeting with some parents from the school I worked at prior to leaving for California for two and a half months about helping with their kids when their schedules overlap (she's an RN and he is in school working towards that).

The Lutheran preschool interview went great, she immediately asked me to sub 4 full days next week for her while she is on vacation.  Perfect.  There's not too many kids enrolled yet because they just opened this school year but it is quickly growing! I'm excited to be able to have this opportunity so quickly.

The Heat Start interview was interesting because I had NO idea I was going for an Infant and Toddler position.  I didn't even know an infant and toddler program existed in this city to be honest, I had searched and searched and never saw anything so I settled for a preschool interview at Head Start.  When we sat down for the interview it was almost as if she was "warning" me as to what I was getting into when she looked at me and said "now you are aware that this is for an infant and toddler lead position, right?" Pretty sure my reaction was NOT what she was expecting.  I think I wore the excitement all over my face and definitely owned that interview.  They wasted no time calling some of the references I provided within that hour after I left. There was a written portion of the interview as well that I wrote a novel on. I feel very confident in that position. They did say that it would be a long decision making process, it's just the way it is there because it goes through so many people, so it gives me time to think if I really want another full-time commitment here with how often I want to come and go.  I don't want to burn my bridges in this town within the first year by starting and leaving positions, it's not me!

The last one I went to was with a family whose daughter went to the preschool I was at before leaving.  She was a doll and I couldn't stand knowing I was leaving and potentially not going to see her again so I left her parents a card before I left with all my information.  They immediately contacted me about a potentially position helping them out when their schedules overlap.  Few hours here and there...totally my speed right now! While I was at their house, she informed me that she applied for an RN position with the Air Force (she's ex-army, he's army reserve) and she got in so they would be moving in June to where you may ask? VACAVILLE.  YEAH, what are the damn odds of that!?! Her position is at Travis AFB in Fairfield.  I literally choked on my sip of water when she said it and was so excited for them but so sad at the same time.  I knew he was from Southern California, but I never expected her to say that's where she was going.  How ironic is that?

Lastly, adjusting to the temps wasn't TOO bad because when we came back things were "warmer" than they had been.  Lately things have been a bit on the bitter cold side.  Definitely not rocking shorts to the gym and to the grocery store after like I was last week.  The coldness comes from the skin piercing wind.  Ouch.  Thankfully I don't spend much time outside.

As for snow shoveling, yeah, unless it's an emergency, you won't catch me doing that shit ever again. Do I feel like I am "above" snow shoveling? Not exactly.  We all had nice snow blowers provided for us but the CG cut the budget for fixing them so some have broken and we've all been sharing which works fine and my friend's husband has been doing our driveway for me when D is gone at work.  Yesterday the storm had brought quite a bit of snow so when I got home I decided, "why not give this shoveling thing a whirl", yeah no. NEVER. AGAIN. There were FEET of snow, FAR below zero temps, and more snow falling as I was shoveling and the wind blowing the snow that I was shoveling.  I looked at my neighbor who was shoveling her driveway, said "f*** this I am not leaving tonight anyway" walked in the house and that was that.  My friend's husband is on his way down to snow blow my driveway this morning.  Thank Goodness. And thank goodness for a treadmill in my house!

On a brighter note: The snow is beautiful, the cold is bearable, and I'm already planning my next trip out to California ;)

Home again!

And she's back!

Holy cow, I was MIA for well about 2.5 months but, it was for a very good reason I assure you.  I was in wonderful California and I was kept so busy that I didn't even have time to sit on my computer at all.  It was a lovely trip filled with visiting great friends, family, work, kids, running, lots of good food, wine, sweets, dinner dates, shopping, celebrating, and so much more.  It was harder to say good-bye this time than the last and I think it'll continue in that fashion as long as I keep visiting and leaving.  I'm a California girl at heart and will always miss it in some capacity.

We started the trek home from Southern California this time which, in my opinion, was a MUCH better drive scenery wise than heading north and just taking I-80 the entire way.  We stopped in Albuquerque, NM at a so-so last minute booking of a room at Holiday Inn (Ehhh not impressed, usually Holiday Inns are a safe bet, lesson learned), Collinsville, OK (just outside of Tulsa) at Danny's Aunt's which was a very nice change to have a break from a hotel for a night, Chesterfield, MO at a much nicer room at the Hyatt (Chesterfield was VERY nice, right outside of St. Louis), then made it home last night around 10.  The drive was much easier this route and I would absolutely go this way again over taking I-80.

We arrived home to FEET and FEET of snow plowed up along the roads and our driveway. Thankfully our kind neighbors have maintained our walkway and driveway for us while we were gone, pretty sure we wouldn't have been able to find it if they hadn't.

It was nice to be home, still not quite sure what I'm going to do when all this settling in is over.  As for right now, I have plenty of work cut out for me.  Unpacking, putting away the Christmas decor that I had put out for D to enjoy, and just getting organized again.  I realized last night and today that I need to get rid of some stuff.  I left behind easily an entire closet and dresser full of clothing and shoes that I didn't miss one bit, I also didn't even have to unpack anything to get by last night or today.  Not one thing.  Okay, maybe my hair comb! OH, and my toothbrush...but other than that, I didn't *need* anything from any of my luggage.  Needless to say, I think it's time for a little closet purging...yet again.

The thing I missed the most about not being here?!?!! MY KITCHEN! Yes...I went straight to the store and got down and dirty in my favorite place in the house tonight...

On tonight's menu: Black bean and Sweet Potato Superfood Soup from one of my favorite blogs Produce On Parade.  It is VEGAN and you would never know!  It has purple cabbage in it as well which I love. I made a few modifications, added a little extra chili powder and cumin and a smidge more salt (to taste) and I served it with lots of cilantro on top, corn chips, and added a little Fage greek yogurt (not vegan anymore).  It was delicious and will be made again!

I'll leave you with that tonight.

Happy 2014! Here's to new adventures, stories, and memories! 

A road trip home

Over the last weekend my mom and I made the long haul home from Michigan to California.  She flew in on Tuesday, we did some touring of the town, a trip to Canada, Christmas decorating (yes, premature I know, but I refuse to let D come home 5 days before Christmas to an undecorated house even if he will only be home for a couple days/nights) road trip snack making, and a little shopping.  We took off on Friday for the loooong days of driving.  We drove approximately 13 hours per day gaining an hour with each overnight stop.  The Friday we left was a brutal one in Sault Sainte Marie.  High winds, buckets and buckets of rain, and flash floods tore through town.  I was SO grateful we made it out when we did.

Our first stop was in Omaha, NE where I found us this GEM of a historic hotel.  The hotel was very neat it was an old building but it was beautiful.  When we checked in (at 11pm) I expected nothing short of perfection.  They ran out to my car, valet parked it, helped unload, etc, etc, etc. WELL, we got to our room which was unlocked and already opened.  We walked in and nothing seemed wrong initially.  It was beautiful! The bathroom was awesome with a shower you stepped up into, the drapes were beautiful and went as high as the ceiling, and the marble countertops were to die for.  I walked into the bathroom and saw chewed GUM on the sink next to the faucet, yes, gum.  I asked my mom if she stuck her gum there, she laughed as if I was crazy for thinking she would ever do that (which I was).  She then noticed that the bed looked like it had been sat on and wasn't that "perfectly made hotel bed". I began searching under beds and in closets because now I was scared that someone was in there. By now it was 11:30 and I was exhausted and livid. I wanted to just leave but knew what a pain in the butt it would be so I called down to the front desk where the manager profusely apologized and brought up a new room key to a different room.  This room was perfect but I was still scared and of course, checked under the beds and in the closets (this is routine for me anyway in both my home after returning from being out and in hotels).  When we checked out the next day the new manager on duty already had heard of our incident and apologized once again.  She ended up taking $60 off our stay! We got on the road for another long day on our way to our next stop, Park City, UT one of my favorite places along this trip to and from CA.

The Magnolia Hotel

While driving to Park City we had to cross Nebraska and Wyoming, both VERY large states.  There was already snow through both and we actually ran into some pretty crazy high winds with snow storms and ice. My mom also pointed to a dark cloud that looked as if it was funneling down and asked "do they get tornados here?" (this was the day before hundreds of tornados tore through that area). YIKES! We were 100 miles from Park City, UT in Little America, WY when the freeway sign read "I-80 Closed please exit now".  There was a HUGE storm roaring through and between the snow and wind visibility was pretty much zero according to some who had turned around and made their way back to this stop.  I was not happy about this.  It was not the "plan" that I had in mind and may have had a slight meltdown here over this.  I had booked our hotels in advance so I had to call Park City and cancel which was where I was SO excited about staying because D and I stayed at an awesome place last time we drove through there.  Also, it just wasn't the plan to stop in Little America. I may have a slight issue with dealing with change...have we noticed? Anyway, the hotel there was nice and thankfully there was a good restaurant there too.  It was kind of a creepy place.  It reminded me of a place you'd see on a horror movie.  It was like a mini town of it's own.  It had a post office, a hotel, a restaurant, a general store, gym, pool, and I'm sure more stuff that I missed.  It was nice and I felt safe, that's all that mattered at that point.

The pretty sky somewhere in the middle of Wyoming

Little America, WY

The next morning we were up bright and early once again, today we were to make it home.  I was determined to get on the road and get through before I-80 shut down again.  We made it to Park City and stopped for a bit so I could show my mom where the Winter Olympic landmark was and to get my first Starbucks fill of the trip! This day was going well until I realized a little late that I should have gotten gas back at one of our last stops.  My gas light came on and it says "60 miles to empty" then from there drops in 5 mile increments.  I figured there would be a gas station before that so I checked on my navigation and it said next gas station 40 miles (by this time my car was telling me I had 35 miles to go). "OH SHIT" is what we both thought.  I began panicking and flipping through my owner's manual to make sure my reserve tank of 2 gallons (which would get me another 80 miles) didn't count in this quickly dropping countdown of miles happening on my dashboard.  My mom was driving and trying not to accelerate gripping the steering wheel pretending not to be worried but after the fact informed me that she was just as stressed as I was praying to God that my reserve tank didn't count until 0 miles.  I couldn't find it in the manual and my gas gage was dropping at a rapid rate.  All of a sudden it said 0 miles to go.  I looked at her and said "I'm going to vomit" and she looked back and said, "grab a bag there's no stopping now".  I had called D and he was stressed but trying to stay calm.  I know he wanted to yell at me because he has warned me before about how quickly it drops and how running a diesel out of fuel is terrible.  I never let it get this low! But, to our surprise, we kept on moving and made it to the gas station! PHEW!!!!!! From here, there was nowhere left to go but home! We made it home at about 8:30p.m. Sunday evening. Thank. Goodness.

And this is the sunset in Nevada at the California state line that welcomed me home. :) 

A hard lesson learned...

When the weather channel says it "feels like 7 degrees" outside, not only does that mean that it feels like 7 degrees and is going to be freezing but it also means that leggings are not appropriate attire to be outside in.  It means that everything you touch is going to be so cold it burns your hands when you hold it for a prolonged period of time.  It means that your patio furniture and BBQ will be stuck frozen to your patio when you decide that maybe it's best you bring it into the garage for the winter (something you should have done at the first signs of snow fall, not 4 inches into it), it means that you should probably absolutely should wear gloves when you go out to move that stuff or else you are going to feel like you just lost both your hands and not even the hottest water can warm them up fast enough to alleviate the pain. Yeah. Lesson learned. OH and you should always wear your snow boots if you're going to be doing serious work like this outside because snow sticks to the bottom of Uggs which in turn becomes slick when you step into your garage and you may fall and seriously injure yourself.  So I guess I learned a few lessons.  Thankfully I didn't actually fall and seriously injure myself, however if I had, D would pay for it because he forgot to move this stuff in before he left.  Oh what fun! 

More snow and a deployment

Well, I spoke too soon when I said we only saw snow for a few days and haven't seen it since.  It began snowing a few days ago, it has all melted, and it is predicted to snow again tomorrow and Tuesday.  Tomorrow is 1-3 inches which to people here is "a little bit".  Funny thing is, the other day when it was snowing I was sitting in our window watching it come down and began to wonder "is this a blizzard"? HA! not quite! :) I am still enjoying it, even though it seems a bit premature, and D and I both agree that it is better than rain.  We both like it.

Speaking of sitting and watching the snow out my window...while I was doing so I spotted a WOLF...yes, a wolf, right by my backyard fence.  Apparently they are back.  They closed hunting for them because they were once offering money for every wolf caught due to an overpopulation of them in the upper peninsula.  The hunting caused them to be nearly gone up here but it seems as if they have repopulated the area and they have reopened the hunting for them.  Runners are being warned because one was spotted following a runner! A car spotted this and tried to veer his car towards the wolf to scare him back into the woods and picked up the runner and drove him home.  My treadmill has never looked so appealing.  As I was saying, the other morning I was watching the snow come down and I spotted one in the forest behind our house just walking by our fence.  I had to take a double take and look really hard and realized what I was seeing.  I thought it was someone's dog, but quickly realized one, it was huge and two no one was following behind it.  My friend down the street has spotted huge paw prints in the snow in her yard and she and I both saw them in her yard yesterday.  Needless to say, I'm a little scared that they are brave enough to be in our front and back yards.

D is officially on his way to B.O. School in South Carolina.  We will be apart until December 27th at the soonest.  It will be the longest we have ever spent apart.  The goodbye was a really rough one for both of us.  I'm hoping being home will cause the time to fly by.  I truly don't know how some of these wives do this so often and it's for months at a time.  The boats here are gone most of the winter.  Major props to them for their strength.

My mom flies in Tuesday and boy is she in for it! There's going to be a fresh snowfall to greet her with high and low temperatures in the 20's. :) I will say, I feel like the temperatures haven't been too shocking for us.  Yes, it's cold, but we've managed to adjust.  The other evening I went to the gym in shorts and it was snowing.  I was cold, but I survived.  I did however, receive some seriously crazy looks from people when I walked into the restaurant to pick up dinner for D.  I'm sure people were wondering who the nut job in shorts was.  People wear hats and gloves and are all bundled up everyday.  I haven't had to wear anything more than what I would normally wear in California on our really cold days.  I haven't as much as touched my gloves or hats or snow boots (which I know will come in handy later in the season).  I feel confident that we will in fact survive this tundra lifestyle.

This is across the street from my house...the first one was taken just last month...ahh the beautiful colors of Fall.  The second one was taken two days ago.  A light dusting of snow turned it from a Fall wonderland to a Winter wonderland.  Stunning in both photos.

First snow

I have realized that I have so many blog drafts sitting on my list of posts and they are all partially written, only pictures uploaded, or just titled.  I hope to finish a few so bear with me while I overload your feed over the next few days....

Last month, I can't believe it's already November by the way, we had our first SNOW! YES, in October! At first, I was scared and stressed about it, then I was so excited knowing it was coming that I couldn't sleep.  Every time I woke up that night I would peek out the window waiting for it.  The next morning, I woke up to a light dusting.  I jumped on my treadmill and by the time I got off, there was a decent amount that had accrued.  It was beautiful.  Simply lovely! 

I watched the snowflakes fall from my window, each a delicate unique flake, dancing gracefully down from the sky, by the time I left my house, this was the view from my garage... 

My initial reaction was "OH MY GOODNESS, PEOPLE DRIVE IN THIS"? After a bit of self coercion, talking to myself, and telling myself that a little snow is no excuse to call into work...I got in my car and drove. Very. Cautiously. 

Of course, the kids were beyond excited to go out in the first snow....so, we went for a walk around the LSSU campus with them.  They loved it! 

I know the novelty of this may wear off, and I say MAY because some people here absolutely love it all winter so I will determine this for myself.  We haven't had any snow since the few days that this fell, but I plan to enjoy it as long as I can.  People have constantly told me "oh gosh, you're from California? You are going to hate it, blah blah blah" So initially, I was stressed when I found out it was going to snow.  I was expecting this terrible, miserable day.  I wanted to pack my suitcase and leave before it even arrived.  Then, I realized how beautiful it was and I was so sad I almost let people ruin that for me.  It was cleansing, fresh, and lovely.  Sure, it was cold, but it's cold in California too...yes, it IS this cold in California during the winter.  I walked outside before leaving for work, closed my eyes, and took a big deep breath in through my nose and just took it all in.  I'm here, this is where we live for now, I will make the best of it and enjoy this change for a couple years. 

Oh, and I also learned that apparently umbrellas aren't used in the snow? Yeah. I was THAT girl.  Walking into work with her umbrella. It makes complete sense to me, not sure why it is such a strange concept but people found it quite entertaining and said they will never forget me and my umbrella in the snow.  What!? I don't like stuff (snow or rain) falling on my face. An umbrella solves that probably very easily. Amiright!?

Canada...take 2!

Since the restaurant selection here is very mediocre, Saturday we decided to head off to Canada to find some *good* (term used lightly as D says it won't ever be as good as California Sushi, and I agreed that the Thai would never be as good either) sushi and Thai food. It was fairly successful.

One night I sat here researching all the restaurants in Canada and I found a ton of great places just waiting for us over there.  There's an abundance of Italian places, steakhouses, sushi, Thai, and yes...Indian! My tummy couldn't believe my eyes! I have a running list of places we must go to. We ate lunch at a Sushi/Thai place which we both agreed was good and then made our way to the mall (yes, they also have a mall!) that didn't have any stores I recognized but a lot of stores were versions of stores we have here.  For example, they have a store that is setup exactly like Victoria's Secret but called something different.  Same with a lot of other places.  It was nice to see.  Of course, it is no Galleria or anything but it's a mall nonetheless. I may have snuck out with a new pair of glasses from there. :)

Then, we did what I was looking forward to all day, we found the grocery store that I had been anticipating going to for a while.  Pino's. HOLY CANADIAN VERSION OF NUGGET. I was in heaven! It was gorgeous just as I had envisioned, they made and sold gelato, a fresh bakery with goodies galore (a couple of their handmade cannoli made their way home with me), a produce department that reminded me of being right back at home in my very own Nugget.  Oh, AND...they have a Starbucks! Say what?! Only 20 minutes from us there is a Starbucks! Now, granted I have to pay a $3 bridge toll to get it, it's nice to know it's there for when I'm over there doing more than just going for coffee.  Needless to say, this grocery store brightened my outlook a bit on things over here.  Let's be real here, grocery shopping at Wal-Mart is not the business and if it wasn't for being here and not having a Target, I wouldn't go there unless I absolutely had to.  It is stressful, full of rude people, and just not a fun experience.  Our regular grocery store is sub-par but I do go there to get as much as I can and we have a huge fresh produce stand open just about year round. But sometimes, we just gotta go to good ol' Wal-Mart.  I rate my grocery stores (yep that's right! I take my grocery shopping VERY serious) on multiple levels.  Cleanliness, layout, organization, product availability, friendliness of the workers, and overall atmosphere.

Fall, Butternut Squash Lasagna Rolls, and a government shut down.

Fall is upon us and the weather here since I have returned has been cool and without humidity.  I am enjoying it.  The trees here have changed to vibrant reds, oranges, yellows, and other beautiful in between colors that I wouldn't normally see in California.  They say the first couple weeks of October are the prettiest and I will admit, it's beautiful.  One thing Michigan has going for it! I love fall so it's just perfect in my eyes.  I know winter is right around the corner and I know it's rough up here but what is making me feel better about all of it is knowing I can leave WHENEVER I need to if I just can't hang! I am all set in terms of winter clothes but I know I'll still be cold, not that I'll be spending that much time outside anyway.  :) Anyway, it is what it is and we shall take on the winter as it comes.  Truly our biggest concern is our cars with the salt on the roads.  We see so many rusted vehicles up here and it scares us.  I know it's lack of care on the owner's part but it's still awful to see.  We will do all we can to keep our cars pretty, I know for a fact D won't let them get ruined.

Another reason I love fall us because of all the delicious squash that is in season! I buy tons of it all season and cook it in a million different ways.  One of my favorites is butternut squash chili that I make often.  Tonight I made a gluten free version of Butternut Squash and Spinach Lasagna Rolls from Skinnytaste...they were delicious! I made a few of the lasagna rolls with regular spaghetti sauce just in case D wasn't crazy about the butternut squash sauce but he actually enjoyed it too.  I will admit, her sauce recipe wasn't TOO full of flavor like I prefer so I added a little extra to it and I'd still probably add more next time but the recipe is a keeper.  It even tasted good with the regular sauce and the butternut squash sauce mixed.

On another note, as we all know, the government is in a partial shutdown.  This greatly effects us as D is a federal employee.  Thankfully as of now they are paying military salaries but a lot of things have been cut, it's quite sad.  They took away their government vehicles, their galley's (the kitchens where they can purchase meals while on duty), the trash is no longer paid for (this goes for us in housing as well!), medical COULD possibly be effected, all military schools have been shut down (unless the training is necessary for national security purposes), and if they don't figure this out by the 15th, they will not get paid.  If they remain unpaid for over 90 days all military contracts are void and all personnel are free to get out with an honorable discharge.  If pay is withheld they will get backpay for however long they weren't paid for.  Also, many military banks are offering to pay the members their salaries (loans without interest) for as long as it's needed then once they start getting the backpay, they will pay back the banks. Not only does it hurt the military members here but all the men and women overseas are taking a hit from this as well.  They cut their meals from 3 meals a day to 2, and they will also lose their pay come the 15th if the government doesn't figure this out. Vets are losing all their benefits and reservists aren't getting paid.  Veterans attending school with their GI bills are losing their funding if nothing is figured out by Friday.  How sad, right!? It's so unfortunate and corrupt in a way.  They are all still getting paid I'm sure.  Dirtbags.  Hopefully they get their business in order and come to some sort of agreement.  I'll tell you one thing, if D doesn't get paid for 90 days, we are outta here! :)

4 days, 4 days, 4 days!!!

Well, here we are! One day away from September already and I couldn't be happier about that! Fall is right around the corner and it's my favorite time of year and from what I've been told, this is one of the most beautiful areas to see during the Fall.  Let's hope this holds true.  I've also been told that it is a bit dryer (humidity wise) in the Fall and Winter, I REALLY hope this holds true because I'm so sick of this humidity! YUCK! We don't have A/C here because it really isn't needed.  There's a few weeks out of the summer that are "scorching" hot aka 85-90 degrees, and a few random days have hit here and there as well but I do not feel that calls for an A/C purchase!  I guess that's the California in me knowing the true definition of "scorching" heat when it's 115 degrees out.  Only difference is it is DRY heat, not this yucky muggy garbage.  Anyway, I'm excited for Fall and all the beauty it has to bring here.

I leave in 4 days for my first trip home to visit. I am ecstatic about that! I feel like a child on the days preceding Christmas. No joke...I am THAT excited! :) I am so thankful my new job is understanding and flexible and told me trips home shouldn't be an issue as long as I give enough notice...phew!

It's been a crazy few weeks around here...unfortunately we had 2 houses catch on fire on the street over from us.  It was truly a sad sight to see.  It happened so quickly and before anyone could do anything one house was up in flames and it was jumping to the other unit (we are condo style homes so we share a wall with our neighbors).  No one was hurt, thank God, but both houses were considered a complete loss.  So sad. One family wasn't even in town, and the other wasn't home when the fire was at it's biggest, she was there about an hour before it happened.  It's a devastating sight to drive by every day.  Just heart breaking.

Speaking of fires, I nearly blew up our own house on Wednesday.  We don't have a microwave here (and don't use one enough to even notice that we needed to buy one), so I use the stove for everything and we have gas stoves here which I used growing up so I'm pretty familiar with them.  Well, Wednesday morning I'm warming up a tortilla (because a WW tortilla with pb, chia seeds, and slivered almonds has been my favorite snack lately) on the burner and THOUGHT I turned it all the way off.  I continued to get ready and knew it was going to be a pretty hot day so I closed all the windows and blinds to make sure the house stayed cool.  I took off for work and when I came home I noticed a funny smell, one that I had never smelled before.  I assumed that it was the trash, I had done a lot of cooking and cutting of fruit the night before so I figured maybe something was just going bad in the trash so I took it out.  I came back into the house to light a candle and realized "hmmm, that isn't a trash smell, IT'S GAS"!!! I left the burner turned over just enough to let gas leak out of the stove for 5+ hours in my house with all the windows closed.  I panicked and immediately opened all the windows, doors, the door to the garage with the garage door open, all the fans in the house on high and called housing to have them come make sure my house was safe to be in.  Big oops.  They came out and immediately noticed the smell, they had their little gas sensor machine and made sure nothing was leaking pipe wise and that it was just the stove that I had left on.  At this point I already felt sick to my stomach and had a massive headache.  They said it would be best if I aired it out and left for a bit which is exactly what I did! Yikes.  Big mistake on my part and thank goodness I didn't light that candle!

Looking forward to the next couple weeks! I'm excited for all the amazing food, friends, and fun I'm about to have! I can't wait to see everyone.

Happy Saturday!

Birthday fun

Another year has passed and I am officially 26...or is it 27? I am embarrassed to admit that this entire year I couldn't figure out how old I was turning.  Someone even wished me a, "Happy 27th Birthday" and I went along with it as if they were right.  Then, I began questioning it and confusing myself and having to count from the date I was born.  This wasn't the first time this happened this year.  UH OH. :) We were planning on leaving town for my birthday but once the neighbors got wind that it was my birthday they immediately began planning a block party with everyone so we of course, stayed in town instead.  It was so much fun! Tons of great food and friends, drinks (MOONSHINE, yes, I never thought I'd ever get to taste REAL moonshine) made staying in town worth it.  Speaking of moonshine, ever tried it? Well, this stuff isn't just plain moonshine, it's apple pie moonshine.  It's from Louisiana and it's the real deal.  It has apple slices, spices, and well, moonshine.  It's not made with Everclear like a lot of the "moonshine" you will find being sold up here, it's the real deal.  It is delicious!

One of the wives made my day extra special by making PB and chocolate cake pops because she knew I loved anything PB and chocolate because the prior weekend we had been hanging out and I made a simple comment about how it was my favorite and she remembered.  I love when people do that and pay attention to the small details, it's what I do for others.

If there is one thing this town has going for it, it's the abundance of homemade fudge and ice cream shops! We all know how much I love good ice cream! We hit up one of my favorites on the night of my birthday :) 

To new friends...

I will admit, it was a bit hard being away from family for my birthday.  It was the first birthday in 26 years that I wasn't there with them to celebrate and have our traditional family birthday dinner.  It almost feels like my birthday hasn't even arrived yet.  However, even from afar my parents and friends showered me with gifts and cards through the mail and texts and FaceTime calls.  One of my favorite calls of the day was from my toddlers at La Rue.  They all sang happy birthday to me and passed the phone around.

From my parents (they also bought me my winter jacket which I'll probably need here soon!) and the J'adore is from a great friend.  Chanel, J'adore, and house decor...perfect! Did I mention I bought 2 new perfumes before leaving Cali(the new Dolce perfume and Daisy by Marc Jacobs)? A girl can never smell too good right?

The absolute WORST thing about my birthday was the 50+ mosquito bites I got on my lower body.  Yes, 50+ from the waist down and that was with pants on and those pants were covered in bug spray.  As the day progressed the mosquitos began swarming, literally swarming, so I went home and put on pants and a sweatshirt and sprayed down (I hate bug spray, we tried to use the all natural stuff and these mosquitos didn't care, they bit right through it, they're relentless).  I went back out and kept getting bit and swarmed by these mosquitos.  The next day I woke up with welts and bruises and just awful bites all over my lower half.  I counted them and I had over 50 bites! My legs were swollen and bruised from scratching in my sleep and neither one of us slept for 2 days because I was up all night scratching and non of the creams were helping with the itch.  AWFUL.  Not sure what the deal is with these mosquitos but they don't care much about bug spray and I've been bit multiple times since then, just as the itching stops more attack me.  I went for a run last night and didn't get bit once but must have carried some into my house with me and killed 4 mosquitos and got bit a few more times.  I'll spare you the pictures of my legs because well, who really wants to see that?

I am so excited to be coming home in 10 days, I am already looking into the NEXT trip home after this one and when I will be planning that! :)

An end to the job search...

The job search has ended! After searching, for what seemed like forever, and hitting many dead ends I finally found a job at a preschool.

I checked out every single preschool in this town (or at least I thought I covered them all) and just wasn't feeling any of them.  I went to an interview at one where I think we both quickly realized we were not on the same page in terms of what the way we preferred a classroom to be run.  That was OK with me! Not every school is the same, and surely not every school will be La Rue.  I came to the conclusion that I was being too picky and had too high of standards for the area we were living in...true, but unfortunate.

After running through all the schools, I interviewed at a women's shelter for a Parent counser caseworker...I landed that job! She liked what I had to offer and was impressed with my experience and education.  I was very excited about working out in the field with families that needed extra support and guidance to strengthen their relationships.  I understand things weren't going to all be happy situations, but I was ready for the challenge.  BUT, that same day that I was offered that position, I also had one last interview at a school that I had not checked into and didn't even know about until I spoke to one of the wives out here.  "It's the best in the Soo," she said.  With those words, I looked it up and took one last shot before I decided I was heading back to Cali for a month for a vacation if I didn't find a job.  I emailed her with my cover letter, resume, and references all attached and within minutes she responded with "Ashley, thank you for sending me your information, I would like to meet you, please stop by Thursday at 2:00 p.m.".  "Holy cow", I thought...could this be it!? I met her Thursday and she offered me the job on the spot.  She loved me, I loved her, she too was impressed with my background and it was a fantastic meeting.  It is a part time position which I don't mind too much.  I am considered the "lead" teacher from 9:30a.m.-2:00p.m. where I am in charge of the "Discovery" part of the curriculum, aka...SCIENCE and ART...HELLO couldn't be any more perfect of a position for me out here.

The crazy thing about this job is that she hadn't even told anyone she was looking to hire.  She said if I had emailed her 2 weeks before she wouldn't have even thought of hiring on another teacher.  She was just telling her husband how she didn't want to put an ad in the paper because she hates the interview process and then voila, my email popped into her inbox.  Couldn't have been better timing.

I've been working the past few days and truly enjoy it already.  I've just been observing and watching how things are done.  Apparently the center had closed down (due to infrastructure issues, it was located in a different building on campus) and just recently opened last fall in the new building on the Lake Superior State University campus. I feel like she is looking to me for guidance with curriculum planning and other center ideas, she is always asking for my input.  I have a feeling my ideas will be more than welcomed and I am very excited to help with such a fantastic place.  It definitely will never be La Rue, no place can ever fill that spot that La Rue has, but it will do for my time here and I will make the best of it and leave my mark as best as I can.  It is definitely the best preschool here and I am truly happy I hit all those other dead ends before finally arriving here.

I am still planning my trip home in 3 weeks and couldn't be more excited about seeing everyone.  One of the parents said "I think L may fall over in excitement when he sees you", the feeling is mutual little guy, it is definitely mutual! :)

California here I come :)

September 4th-19th.

Excited to say the least.  First of many trips home to come.

I will get to see my family, my friends, my hair will be done, hit up the farmer's market, I will get to eat good Indian, Thai, and Mexican food, and the best part? Baby TODDLER LOVE!!!!! :)


Yipeeeee!!!

A birthday month, Trip to Minneapolis, and Trader Joe's/Whole Foodsvisit

Many people that know me know I like to celebrate my birthday ALL MONTH.  Yep.  Every year I have multiple celebrations.  This year is no different even if we are all the way in Michigan.  We have a lot of fun things planned for this month.  I love that we share a birthday month because it's a second excuse to add more fun things to it.  D isn't a big "birthday" person but I am, therefore, he doesn't have a choice but to celebrate his.  This year is his big one, 30! I'll be 26.  I had initially wanted to throw a huge party for him, but that was before we had to move here.  That party is postponed for a few years :)  My 23rd birthday may have been by far the most memorable and pretty hard to beat...a quick recap on that was a trip to a week in SD, a trip to Mexico, a week in Vegas, and ended it with 2 weeks in Florida.  So it lasted a little longer than a month... :) This year we started with a trip to Minneapolis, MN to see Matt play.  We also have a trip to Chicago planned and we are tossing around the option of one more. I LOVE August!

This past weekend we made the long 10 hour haul across the upper peninsula, down through Wisconsin, and into good ol' Minnesota to Minneapolis.  D's brother was in town playing the Twins and it was a long drive but still close enough to do on a weekend.  We left early Friday made it just in time for his first at bat then hit the road home Sunday after the afternoon game and got home at 3:30a.m..

Minneapolis was neat! We truly enjoyed being there.  It was a happening town.  Kind of a mix between Davis and San Francisco, two of my favorite places.  Target field was very nice and the best part about the whole trip was seeing a familiar face! Matt is doing great with the Astros and really enjoys playing and we were able to spend Saturday afternoon and Night with him.  D had this brilliant idea that we should camp while we are there since the weather was going to be so nice, so since this was his birthday trip, we camped.  Camping, baseball, beer...I think that makes for a great birthday.

The view from the ball park was beautiful.  It was a perfect shot of downtown Minneapolis.

After lunch on Saturday we decided to check out the Mall of America to waste some time.  HOLY COW.  It was huge.  Overwhelming! There's an aquarium and theme park there, 400 stores, tons of restaurants, and a water park across the street.  It's just too much!

Sunday was the most anticipated day of the weekend for me.  It was Trader Joe's day! To my surprise when I found Trader Joe's, Whole Foods was right next door. Pleasant surprise! Whole Foods has one of my favorite salad bars.  It's loaded with SO MUCH GOOD STUFF! I pack my huge box full of deliciousness. I stocked up on my favorites and "necessities" from TJ's and was one happy camper :).  I have enough to last until we head down to Chicago at the end of the month where I'll hit it up again.

Oh and did I mention we also got spoiled with  having Starbucks so easily accessible to us? Hello Americano <3

Needless to say, it was a fun and successful weekend!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MONTH TO US!!!! :)

Celebrating 30 and 26!