Finally the JOB(s)

I went in today for a job interview at eFurniture Showroom; which is an online furniture store. I went in to interview for the customer service sales rep position but did not end up getting it, fine by me, instead I'll be doing Technical Writing. Weird, I know but totally awesome!

Here's how the interview went:

Brian Clark (owner and interviewer): "What job are you here for? the technical writer or sales rep? There's been so many come in, I can't remember"
Me: "the customer service sales rep"
B: have you had any customer service experience?
M: Yes. I haven't had any sales experience though.
B: that's fine, it is basically inbound calls, customer calls in and you take their order. Are you still in school?
M: No. I graduated in Interior Design last December.
(his eyes got really big and his expression was truly excited)
B: Wow, that would be perfect then! What is your schedule like?
M: I'm free anytime, I don't have a job. What is the technical writing job?
B: How fast can you type?
M: 45 wpm, but the more I practice the faster I get.
B: True, well basically you'd write furniture descriptions for the website. Would you rather do customer service or technical writing? And when can you start?
M: technical writing, Monday.
B: Perfect! I just need to find you a computer. The job is M-F 8am-5pm, $9/hr and after 90 days you'll get a pay raise. Sound good?
M: You mean I got the job? I don't have to look for another job?
B: (smile) No you don't have to look any further, you got the job! we'll see you on Monday. Also, if you want to come to work wearing more comfortable clothes like jeans or something, that's absolutely fine. Sound Good?
M: oh, thank you!

So yes, I'm finally employed and I got what I wanted, don't work weekends, mostly won't have to work Sundays! and its close to where we live.

And the job that I got hired on a few months back, but just this last Monday Oct 12, I officially became Personal Design Assistant to Pamela Jensen, Senior Designer, for Atmosphere Interior Design.

Details: 6mo-1yr work as PDA (personal design assistant) working on both Senior's projects and my own
1yr -1.5yrs work as Junior Interior Designer working solely on my own projects and once in a while for Senior (Senior supervises my projects from start to finish- make sure I'm doing it right)
1.5yrs - 3yrs work as Junior Designer work on projects more alone ask for help when needed. (Senior is there to help when I need it, otherwise I am boss)
3yrs-5yrs promote to Senior Designer (may get a junior designer to train) own boss in every way.

Basically it is my responsibility to get my own clients, however, Atmosphere ID will print off the marketing tools for me. I have been gathering names for a database, it is like in the mission, you contact 1,000 people and only 2 get baptized.... send out upteen # of postcards and may only get 1 or 2 leads from it. It is however a great experience considering that they are willing to give me the real world experience before letting me loose to create havoc! hahaha... good and bad of course!

I'm so excited! the Lord has truly blessed me and my little family (Jeff and Me).. He truly wants us to succeed! :) with this job, we'll finally get to pay our tithing in full! yes!

Random but new change in the Smith Household

Sunday September 27, 2009 I dyed my hair black. I already had the dye from a previous shopping experience, so I didn't break the sabbath or anything... Anyway, I needed a change, you know how you get in those weird funks and you're just not sure what to do, well I always take drastic measures (usually my hair-so not attached to it like most people).

As I was getting used to my hair being black, I was still getting used to the fact that it has gotten so long- only over the course of a year and a few months has it grown from being just under my chin last July, to being a few inches below the shoulders in September! Having long hair is nothing new to me, I grew up with it being long- like when I came home from my mission, it was only a couple inches above my waist. The longer my hair gets the straighter it gets and the more time consuming it becomes- so without giving in to actually "doing" my hair, I'd either wear it in curls for half the day and then wear in up the rest of the time... but I had had enough, and so did Jeff...

so I got my friend Stacy Newman to cut it all off for me, she is an amazing hair stylist! she just recently got a job at a hair salon in Bountiful! I'm so excited for her! I love it! I guess it is sort of a pixie bob! I've got bangs again.

She may not be excited for this, but yesterday my bangs were really irritating me cuz no matter how I styled my hair my hair was in my eyes, so I leaned over the sink and with some scissors I cut my bangs, similarly to how she did mine originally. Anyway, they're much better now. :)

Labor day Vacation

(Sunset over Bear Lake, Idaho.)

This is my (Jeff) first attempt at blogging. I think my wife is very excited that i am contributing because she is hovering over my shoulder to teach me everything she knows, it's cute. For labor day weekend I wanted to take my gorgeous wife to somewhere she had never been so i took her to Paris.

(To the left is the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France.)




(To the right is the Not-So-Eiffel-Tower in Paris, Idaho)




As you can see above there are some differences between the two Paris'. and you will never guess which one we visited. O.K. I will tell you we visited the 5-Star Not-So-Eiffel-Tower in Paris, Idaho. Melissa described it as being one of her most memorable experiences of all time and highly recommends that you book your reservation now.(below are some pictures of the accommodations)

After we got settled in and unpacked in the luxurious bed and breakfast, (featured above) room service arrived so we decided to step out to grab a bite to eat and take a dip in the pool, while they were tidying up the place.

(Above: Jeff and the Marvelously Mesmerizing Melissa enjoying Bear Lake's food and fun)

The pool was very spacious but i think the heating element was broken. the water was so cold Melissa couldn't stand to touch it even with her bum (see picture above). After we had had all the fun we could handle we returned to Paris... Idaho to sleep the night away in the luxury.

Note to those that care: some of the above information may be exaggerated.

(Jeff + Melissa!!)

Yellowstone.........................................................

The Road into Yellowstone from the South Entrance

like the crack in the windshield?

The Teton Mountains

Many much moosen! (but I think they were actually elk)

And many buffalos, we wanted to see lions, tigers, or bears oh my, but no, we only saw many much baffalo....

Old Faithful!

the walkabout around old faithful, all the geysers and such. A foreigner behind us asked if she could take a picture of us because we just looked so "qute"

One of the bigger mud valcanoes that we saw, the bubbles looked like something out of the Flinstones. it smelt like rotten eggs or FARTS! GROSS!


Our trip to Yellowstone was very spontaneous, we had talked about going for ages, but we weren't sure if we were actually going to go camping or not because it was Labor Day weekend, all the spots may be taken and what not, even though we packed, we didn't pack as much as we could of if we had just stopped to really think what we needed.

1. don't pack two sleeping bags- we only need one
2. we don't need padding- we're ruffing it
3. it won't be cold-bring only two blankets-we'll share
4. pack matches but don't bring wood
5. bring stuff for smores-but don't bother to bring hangers, we'll use sticks

It rained. It poured while we were setting up the tent and we didn't really pack rain gear either. :)
Even though our tent was purple, this is a pretty good picture of what it looked like after we set up our tent.

Even though it was cold, it was wet (it rained), there was no dry wood for fire or for smores, we bought subway and a few muffins for dinner and breakfast the day before so we were set, but rocks were uncomfortable to sleep on, and the one sleeping bag was way too small for the two of us to sleep restfully in, we really had fun and memorable time camping in the rain at Yellowstone National Park, I wouldn't change a thing about it, we laughed, we got wet, we cuddled, it was fun being out there with my hubby! However next time we will plan more strategically- at least bring padding to sleep on. Our trip was very fun and spontaneous!

the next day we drove around to see all that Yellowstone had to offer....
a petrified tree
a waterfall... obviously


Mammoth Hot Springsthe trees look dead, but they are not, they are actually growing out of the sulfer geyser!
Our Vacation was Awesome and Memorable!

Say Goodbye to TEXAS

We left Lubbock, aka the greasy spoon, Saturday at around 6pm... I was still on the clock, that was interesting... Brian wanted me to work all the next week too, he couldn't do his job, the techs jobs, and my job... don't blame him, plus I needed the extra cash! :)

Our trip back was fun! and thankfully I didn't have to drive once, honestly I'm an ok driver, but I hate to drive! I feel much safer when Jeff drives, I live in luxury in the passenger seat! (oh the adventures that passenger seat has had this summer.... Giving service to an elderly woman who in return peed in the seat, at first we thought it was just wet because of sweat, and then a rep from the APX office, whom we will not name, had an "accident" in his pants in the middle of nowhere while out knocking none-the-less, and Jeff had to give him a ride to get cleaned up!
The Adventures of Urine and Pooh!) haha.

Our journey back, we wanted it to feel like an adventure, so we tried to find those odd things like, "the biggest yarn ball in the world!" but unfortunately I don't think they have those kinds of things from TX to UT, maybe in Kansas or someplace like that... so we did our best to just keep our camera ready for whatever was in store for us this trip...

Leaving TX and Arriving in New Mexico

the Four Corners

(can you believe we had to pay $6 to go see concrete? dumb reservations!)

After leaving the Four Corners we ran into (not literally) a wild ass.
Jeff here is trying to feed it an apple, first he takes a bite, then reaches out his hand for it to smell it and know that it isn't poisonous. :)

Lake Powell
(I had never been here before, I thought the lake was more like Bear Lake, not like the Zion and Narrows!) I had to go to the bathroom and there were no public toilets anywhere, so I squatted in between a crevice of rocks... interesting and breezy!

then went to Goblin Valley, by far the coolest natural landmark I've ever seen! it seriously looks like goblins crawling out of the earth!

I took the liberty of enhancing the colors to show you just how freakin amazing our time was here!

Last place we ate before the Big Move! ...............................................................

~Buffalo Wild Wings~

Located in Lubbock TX, stays open till 4am. One night, one of our last nights, I was craving hot wings bad... and thankfully this place satisfied my craving! By far the one of the best hot wings Jeff and I have ever had! This restaurant had 14 flavors--

Sweet BBQ- Satisfyingly Sweet
Terriyaki- Terrifically Tasty
Mild- High Flavor Low Heat
Parmesan Garlic
Medium- Comfortable Hot
Honey BBQ- Sweet Sassy Sauce
Spicy Garlic
Asian Zing- Chili Pepper Soy and Ginger Sauce
Caribbean Jerk- Exotic Delicious Sauce
Hot BBQ- Rich BBQ Sauce with a touch of Heat
Hot- Delicious Flavor Exhilarating Heat
Mango Habenaro- Feel the Burn Savor the Sweet
Wild- Big Flavor Blistering Heat
Blazin- Keep away from eyes, pets, children: the hottest flavor they've got!

We taste tested Asian Zing, Caribbean Jerk, Hot BBQ, Hot, Wild, and Blazin...
We ate Hot BBQ and Wild... so tasty, and yet so HOT!

Oh man, Jeff was just downing them... and I never knew he liked hot wings as much as I did.

eek... the heat was painful, it was so bad it made my hair turn even redder and same as my nails!

PHAT!

I went on a search for pictures depicting Lubbock, the town we just moved to yesterday, and this is what was number one on the search results. I'm not quite sure what it means, but I have a pretty good idea. Since I've been here, I sure have seen a lot of "big" people, them Texans sure aren't joking when they say, "everything in Texas is big!" hence greasy spoon!

................................

We went to Rudy's BBQ last night for dinner. Not saying that the food was greasy, in fact it wasn't at all, it was very delicious! and Jeff nor I ate at all with silverware. Also the ambiance of the place was very picnic table setup- no plates, no silverware, everyone gathers around a table and eats. yummy, my kind of eating.

I'd say it was the best brisket I ever had, but it was the only brisket I ever had, however, the ribs- EXCELLENT!!!!

The menu you order by pounds... crazy

The kitchen had these huge ovens in the back, I'm sure they're big enough a large person could fit inside them, where do they get their meat from???

And this is the tray in which you get your food!

...............................
Lubbock, TX

We are staying at the TownePlace by Marriott for the next 2-3 weeks. It wouldn't be fair to compare it to the Residence Inn, where we were staying before, because we were definitely pampered. It is as though our room was made for a midget. all the counters are not even three feet high, the bathtub is normal until you get inside- it is raised. and the bed is a big twin. I can't complain too much because apparently we are living in luxury compared to where the Technicians are living, it is so ghetto they are thinking of installing an alarm system in their apt. for the time being! eek.

This does not really show the minitureness of what we are dealing with, however you know how tall Jeff and I are, we are seriously going to have some back injuries by the end of the summer. Everything in TX is not Large! Our kitchen is mini.. a mini sink, dishwasher, fridge, stove, countertop, etc! Jeff looks like a giant standing in the kitchen.

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FOOD FOR THOUGHT........

I don't know who eric "badlands" booker is, but he should not be eating that burger... he is already fat! I swear, every restaurant in America wants to kill Americans and anyone else who eats... the portions are ridiculous... and you wonder why 1/2 of the population is obese!

Also, why is he wearing a helmet? is he also retarded? I guess that's not a politically correct statement, but hey this is my blog!