Administrative Assistant Appreciation Day

So I explained in an earlier blog that I started my administrative assistant job at the beginning of March.  So this Thursday, April 21, I was just doing my thing, and my manager stopped by and asked me to schedule a team meeting at 2:30.  He didn't tell me why.  So I did.  Up until 2:30, I was wondering what this meeting was about and I was a little nervous that it was not going be good news.  So I got my pad of paper and a pen to take notes.  Well when I got in there everyone was acting like they didn't know what the meeting was about.  Then Shaun, my manager, came in with these orchids, a cake, a card from everyone, and a gift card to Market Street Grill. He said that today was administrative assistant appreciation day and that they wanted to thank me for all I did.  I thought to myself, "Well all I do is ask questions because I am still learning."  It was such a suprise and everyone laughed that I had brought my pen and pad of paper and I was ready for a hardcore meeting. I was blushing, from the unexpected spotlight, the whole time.  We all enjoyed the cake. I just want to say that I work with awesome people and I'm just loving my new job!  Thanks Team for making me feel special!

Aren't they beautiful!  I love having them bring freshness and color to my office.

I have been blessed...

There have been 2 times when I was in the car and "I have been blessed" by Martina Mcbride has come on the radio and it has reminded me of what really matters and it has brought me to tears.  The second time was today, but let me tell you about the first time.

I had been up in Logan going to Utah State University for about 2 months, so this was almost 5 years ago!  I was driving home for the weekend and I was in the canyon.  It was the prettiest fall day I have ever experienced.  All the trees were orange, red, and yellow and the sun was out. This song came on.  I was having a rough time with my roommates (no worries Cait, not you),  and I was just so dang excited to get to home to my family for the weekend.  As the song played, I was so grateful for the nature's beauty and that I had such a loving family in Centerville that was always so excited to see me, wanted me to be happy, and sincerely cared about how I was feeling.

The second time this song came on was today.  I had just got finished with what will be my last assignment for school EVER!  I was driving in my car with the windows rolled down, the wind blowing in my face, and the sun shining and it was the perfect temperature on a perfect day.  The song came on.  Once I again, it brought me to a few little happy tears. I just was so grateful for the sun and the fresh spring air, but I thought about how getting a bachelor's degree has been a lifelong goal for me and that on May 8th I would receive my diploma.  I feel so forturnate that Trav and I have found a way to both go to school and that my employer helps pay for my tuition and has allowed me to work different hours to work around the classes I needed. I also thought about how one of my goals was to get marrid in the temple.  I feel so grateful that I had met Trav and he was worthy to take me to the temple. He has been so supportive and works so SO hard in his schooling. He is the GREATEST blessing in my life!  I also have the greatest love and support from his family and my family.

Here is the chorus of the song "Blessed" by Martina Mcbride.
  
I have been blessed
And I feel like I've found my way
I thank God for all I've been given

At the end of every day
I have been blessed
With so much more than I deserve
To be here with the ones that love me
To love them so much it hurts
I have been blessed 

I think there was a reason that I heard this song today.  I know that throughout my schooling and Trav's schooling I have had many complaining moments and poor me moments. In all truthfulness, I have been blessed with so much more than I deserve.  This was a good reminder.

What's been going on at our apartment...

In the midst of trying to finish my last semester with a bang and trav coming towards the end of his hardest year, we had a little surprise.  There was an awkard smell in our extra closet.  I don't go in there much, and Trav never goes in there, so it didn't bug me enough to even mention it.  Finally I said to Trav, "This closet smells funny."  He came over to smell it and was like, "I don't smell anything." I said, "How can you not smell that?" He said, "Well my noise is pretty stuffy." That was that....until the next day when I get home from work he told me to go feel the carpet.  I did and it was soaking wet through and through.  So we took out all of our stuff that was on that half of the closet.  Then we started soaking up the water with towels.  It soaked several towels and was still really wet.  So we put a fan on it hoping to dry some of it out until our landlord could come check it out.

This is the side of the closet that was flooding and we pulled back the carpet to fan the paddinig as well.

Our landlord came over an ended up having to cut the sheetrock out on the wall and part of the ceiling to find that it was a leaking pipe.  It was the upstairs kitchen sink drain pipe.  No wonder it smelled!  Oh it makes me sick to think about it. He found that the people who lived there before he bought the house had had the same problem.  The previous owner had fixed the leak with a piece of an inner bike tube and 2 clamps. Side note: Why in the world would you fix a leak like that and take the time to sheetrock over it, plaster it, and paint it??? Wouldn't you think that an inner bicke tube and 2 clamps is a very temporary fix. Anyways, our landlord fixed it properly and now we are back to normal.  Our landlord is quite the handyman and he was super quick to come and get it all taken care of. (It was still a week long process)

This is alal of the stuff we kept in the closet.  The closet held a lot more than I realized!!

We had evereything from files, to textbooks, to Trav's Physiology notes (5  binders full), to camping gear, to games, to food storage (a ton of that ), microwave, and wrapping paper sitting out in our 2nd bedroom.

In our bedroom, our dresser was covered in our clothes and we can't forget Trav's stuffed antelope head and guitar.

Needless to say, we lived in a mess for a week and I'm really glad everything is back in its place and more organized than it was before.