Disney on Ice

Wednesday night started a return engagement of Disney on Ice. It is an awesome show and I like it a lot. They did a great job with The Incredibles storyline and tying it in with Disneyland. During the Haunted Mansion segment I find myself reciting the "spiel" because I know it so well. I work tonight and then tomorrow morning and then that's it until Monday when the Sharks come home! I'm not going to see this show because I don't want to go alone and my mom doesn't want to see this one. So, I will have a nice break until church Sunday and the Sharks/PAC-10 Women's Tourney next weekend.

Of course, this show is making me more excited to go down to OC in April for PDCM and Disneyland! I still need to figure out where I am going to stay, etc. Anna is out after the way her husband treated me (and her) when I was there last year. OMG...I see the woman (who I have known since she was FOURTEEN) ONCE a year. My bet is I won't even get to see her this year. I get the baggage from his first marriage...I get the wounds that are still there...but Anna is NOT that woman and all I want to do is see someone who started out as a kid in my small group and became a great friend. Sigh... I may see if I can stay in Buena Park with my friend Gina for a few days and then priceline.com a hotel closer to Saddleback for the conference. I don't mind commuting from Irvine (really don't want to do it from Anaheim) the rest of the week.

Debra gave me ownership of the JH Retreat and then took it away...I think without realizing it...and it's just annoying. I need and will talk to her...but I am taking a break for the next month or so. Part of that is because I will be working some stuff at the HP. My one reservation about saying anything is that she will profusely apologize and then do it again in a couple months. For the most part, this is OK because I have a lot to do leadership/registration wise for the retreat, but that is kinda not the point.

Next month I meet with my JH Student Leaders and we'll plan the dreaded Easter Egg Hunt for Easter. At least I was able to change it to BEFORE church so the kids (and me) can stay IN church for the whole service. That's been a huge pet peeve of mine since I got there. Now if I could just get them to let me cancel it completely... I have to say that this team of 5 Jr. Highrs is probably the best thing I have done for the new year. They are committed, their parents are committed to have them at meetings and the teachers are giving me great reports back on them.

That's kind of it. I have been so busy at the HP that when I at church I try to focus there on what needs to be done. After we are done with the latest Saddleback DVD series, it is back to regular WoRM and I need to find teachers...and the "empty tomb" recipe! The kids have been asking about it for months and we haven't done a cooking rotation for a few months.

Still nothing about the position at Saddleback. I am guessing that it was a no go and they had too many applicants to get back to everyone...or, as I said before, Katie's acknowledgment, was a thank you sending it...that's it...type thing. Not that I am unhappy where I am and I LOVE the HP...but I do miss OC and my friends and Disneyland and would love the chance to go back if God wants me to.

It's Over...for Now!

Today I completed 13 days without a day off. HUGE mistake. I have two full days off and then I am back to twice a day W, TH and F and then Saturday morning and Sunday. I work the Sharks on the 26^th and 28^th and I’ll get my schedule for March on the 26^th.

After finishing my first big event at the HP…I know better how to structure my schedule next year. I got to be part of the “special staffing.” This sounds a lot better than it really is. Yes, I was given a different uniform to wear for most of the time…but it was NOT glamorous work. It was being on the perimeter of the “glam stuff” and making sure only those allowed in certain areas were let in to those areas. It was telling people “no” and sending them where they needed to go. I saw none of the actual event…just what was on TV when I wasn’t working. Granted, I had the opportunity to say hello to a player (initiated by them), but I also had to send them back to the locker room if they didn’t have their credentials. Most of them were very nice about it…a couple were quite rude and one came close to pushing me aside when I asked him for his credential, but I moved first.

Most of the sponsors for the event were great as well. The company that sponsored the event has 35,000 employees in over 100 countries and so we had people from all over the world in the building. I think what amazed me was that some of these people assumed that just because we are ushers that we must be uneducated and only there to try to be groupies for whatever event is in the building at the time. They have no idea how highly educated some of the ushers are and what jobs they hold or have held in the past. Yes we have college students and high schoolers on staff...but that is the minority.

Two things happened this week…one really bad and one that made it all OK. Well, not really, but it was a nice little cap to the end of my day. There was some spoken and some unspoken jealousy about my “special” status this past week. I didn’t ask for it, I had nothing to do with being “chosen” for it, etc. They tell me to do something and I do it. It finally got to me on Thursday night. One of the guys that I get along with fairly well went on and on and ON about how it wasn’t fair, that he heard you had to have been there a year to be chosen, etc. Then, when I was in my spot for the night, one of the others came to give me my break and she questions if I was doing my job correctly. That did it. I barely made it back up the elevator, across the concourse and back down stairway 8 to the Uniform Room before I started really crying. Another usher, trying to be helpful, tells me that we need to just go with the flow because that night I was in “her spot” only because there was a screw up in her schedule.

The good/sweet thing that happened was one of the sponsor’s staffers. One night I thought I may have screwed up and asked him who I should apologize to. I let a CRT team member down the stairs instead of sending him down the elevator. Their job is to get where they need to be as quickly as possible so I didn’t think until it happened. Anyway, I was explaining that to James and telling him I was really sorry. He told me that it was fine, it was no big deal and that I was doing a great job. Wednesday night he came up to me and formally introduced himself and I was glad to have an ally. Friday I was in my “blues” and he got there (I had been there since before light) about 5ish or so and told me I looked “smart” in my uniform. Gag!

Since I didn’t work today, last night I let him know and he said to make sure I say goodbye before I left or he’d come find me at the end of the matches. He was handling some transportation issues and so I went out to day goodbye. He said he’d see me next year and I said that as far as I knew I was planning on being there and we shook hands. I started to head back in when he pulled me back out and leaned over and kissed my cheek. I know it was no big deal…but it was sweet.

Here’s the thing. I get so very little affection (friendly or otherwise) from anyone other than my hugs from Rob at the end of our sessions that just that little peck of friendship/finishing a battle well together…whatever you want to call it really felt good. Okay, a friend of mine was asked for her phone number by one of the players…but this was still nice. I am such a dork!

In other rants…I didn’t even get a card from my mom for Valentine’s Day. I made sure she had a card and some candy…and I got nothing! She bought a meatloaf Thursday night and when I got home at almost 1 AM Friday morning I just wanted to go to bed and so I said I’d eat some later Friday. I get off work, stop to get some potato wedges to go with the meatloaf and she gave the rest to my grandparents! She offered to go me something else…but I told her to forget it! This is one of the reasons why James’ kindness meant a lot.

Anyone Out There?

Lets' see...

I finished my meds and so far, so good. I am pain free and infection free, but it is still hard to eat. I do and am doing okay...but there is a little fear each time I have to eat. I made the mistake of eating some broccoli too soon and so anything that might have more fiber in it (though it helps with not having another infection) scares me a little. I had an apple last night at work (I wish they would have fruit ALL the time. I think it would sell at other events.) and it was fine. So, I tuink it is safe.

Our SP is back from Sabbatical and it has been a fairly smooth transition to "back to normal." I know there will be some changes (good ones) as a result of his time away and I am looking forward to them. We meet tomorrow for an hour or so to talk about the last few months and where I need his help ASAP. We talked a bit after staff meeting yesterday and it was really positive. I think tomorrow will be a good meeting.

I am almost at my 260 hours at the HP and I will be off probation. Most jobs have a 60-90 thing, but because we are event based, they do our probationary period by hours worked. I'll get a raise and that's about it...but it will good to know I have passed that milestone. I think I am just over 40 hours shy of the 260. This month I have had three 5 hour days already and I still work three more nights this week that should be 5+ hours. The rest will add up.

Our Presbytery JH Retreat is coming up the 2nd weekend in March and I am working on stuff for that. Getting the order sheets ready to fax to the camp next week, finalizing the schedule for approval of the rest of the committee, working with the speaker to get what I need from him to do the booklets, etc. It is going to weird to be there with our kids and yet not be "with them." With all my duties while we are there (registration, Friday's group game, MCing, etc.) I am going to stay in a leadership cabin so I can sleep when I need to and be up when I need to. The bummer thing is DST starts while we are there! We lose an hour our last night! Ugh!

Haven't heard anything from Saddleback yet...who knows? I am so excited about the possibility, but since I have not received anything other than Katie's acknowledgment...I am thinking it is thanks, but no thanks.

Oh...GO SHARKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!

A Pain in...

I know...been MIA again. Last week I spent two days in pain before I finally went to the ER. Having no insurance I was scared to go. But, since I make NO $$, I qualified for a program that cost me a whopping $20 for everything. This was good because I had a CT scan!

Turns out I have diverticulitis. I am a little young (a lot young) and I have feeling it is a long term effect of Mr. ED. Anyway, they gave me meds and vicodin and sent me home. Turns out I was allergic to the meds and my face swelled like a balloon. I called Urgent Care and they said quit taking them, drink a lot of water and they could see me Monday. I have a new med and so far...so good. I am still in a little pain, but I can work through it.

This has brought up a lot of food issues. Nothing major, but stuff I need to be aware of and work through. Rob and I started on it, but got sidetracked because some nice people encouraged me on YMX and as I was reading I literally got sick to my stomach. I think working through that is going to take precedence over food stuff.

Anyway, I will try and post more. There isn't a lot going on right now. I am gearing up for VBS and the kids are doing a great series from Saddleback. The teachers are liking the material and shock of all shocks...making it work for them!!! Woo hoo!

Junior High? I have been out of the loop the last couple weeks because it was my grandma's 86th birthday on the 21st and then they were all at Winter Camp last week. It was probably a good thing Debra left me off the leadership for the trip...with the diverticulitis I would have had to cancel anyway.