...and then some

As promised, some more pictures from our wedding reception which we had at the end of July this year.

Zoie was in love with Andrea's flower bouquet. It was just hard to keep them out of her mouth. Yes, she is at the age of everything going in her mouth. You know, to test it out. It makes me sad a little bit that we can't see Zoie and Garrett on a regular basis. They are both just so much fun right now, but that is the problem with being so far away and that is just something that we have to deal with. This isn't the best picture of Garrett, but we thought it was hilarious because he looks just trashed. and then there is Alan who is just laughing about it. Here are a couple of pictures of us. Me, Shel, and Chuck. And then one of all the kids and grandkids. I felt a little bad for Zoie because Shel made her wear that little hat, but it didn't last too long, so that was good. :o)
This picture of Mom and Dad is great. Very rarely do you see him smile like that. That is where I get it from. And of course, there has to be pictures of the parent dance. So here is the one of Andrea and Gary and me and Mom.

Oh right, the reception...

I just realized that just short of two months later, I didn't write anything about our reception back home. How could I forget to write about that? I just don't get it. Anyway, we had a great time and saw tons of people we hadn't seen in quite some time. There was good food, good cake (mmmm, cake), beer, and horrible dancing...hang on a minute...I did write a little bit about the reception now that I think about it: Regarding wedding receptions. Right, now moving on.

This post is more important for one reason: PICTURES! Yeah. The first half dozen (not the one of them, but the six after) are from our friends Kim and Marc. They rock because they traveled up from Kansas to celebrate with us. Well, Kim was in 'sconsin for work, but Marc came up from Kansas for the sole purpose of partying with us. They are hardcore friends because the weekend afterwards was their wedding. But I think they just needed to get away from all the planning and what not to clear their heads. But still, it rocked the socks off that they came up.

Okay so, here they are. Kim looks a little drunk in this picture, and she may have been.

I'm not gonna lie, this is probably a Marc picture. The best one of the whole reception, in my opinion. Look at the angle, the reserved sign, the beer! Brilliant!

Katie and Carolyn made it to the reception as well. We felt bad for them because they really didn't know anyone, so they came and sat with us for dinner and the evening. It was great to catch up with them. I hadn't seen Carolyn in over a year and I saw Katie this past St. Patrick's day weekend.


The frosting on the cake was excellent as demonstrated by me. It was very sugary and not the normal tasting frosting that is on wedding cakes, it was better. The cake presentation wasn't how Andrea wanted it, and that made us (well, by us I mean Andrea and her mom) a bit upset. There wasn't suppose to be any clear pillars in between the layers, in fact Andrea faxed the lady a picture of what she wanted the cake to look like, but oh well. It tasted good at least. And of course what family gathering wouldn't be complete without a shot featuring the Ankroms and Litzners? Just a quick background story: We've known this family since before I was born. Our parents went to college together. So we grew up with them. Katie and Becky were going to Central the same time Andrea and I were, but we didn't see each other too much, which is an opportunity wasted for some outlandish times, but we can't live in the past. At any rate...so that's that story. So that gives you information on this picture full of people with shot goblets I guess you would call them. And what wedding reception isn't complete without a polka? In all honesty. Chuck, Katie, Carolyn, and I were the only ones to polka but it was so much fun. Afterwards, the DJ said 'not exactly the people I expected to see on the floor.' It was hilarious.


So those are the pictures from Marc and Kim...once again guys, if you come across this, thanks for coming and bringing your camera!

I have some more pictures on the computer, but it's getting close to bed and I have to work early. So stay tuned for more formal pictures of the reception.

Fourth quarter coming around

The slow part of the year is coming to an end at work. Instead of making six figures each day at work, we've only been making five (excluding the weekends). It has been nice having a down time for work so I can actually get shit done. Oh, and then there's the fact that someone was finally hired that is worth a damn, that has been nice. Not having to watch over someone's shoulder every hour to make sure that they are getting work done has taken a lot of stress out of my work life, it has been amazing. Another guy was just hired and went through orientation today for my department as well. With two guys working for me maybe this fourth quarter will go smoothly. Last year wasn't too bad, I got my promotion at the beginning of November, right as the business started to pick up. That was really trying for me, every day I wanted to yank my hair out. But now I have a far better grasp on the whole situation and this year I'll be kickin' ass and takin' names...bitches.

The only draw back to the fourth quarter is no vacation time. We get so busy that no long vacation time is granted. A day here and there is fine, but no long weekends or week long trips home. That can be stressful. Andrea and I had to spend our first Christmas last year away from our families. A bit depressing because of that but also, there was no snow on the ground. Can you imagine, no snow at Christmas? That is sacrilegious. However, her parents might be coming down around that time, but that isn't in stone yet. But if they do, that'll be a little better. But maybe we'll go home in April for a friend's wedding and we'll take ten days or so for that to go home.

And so we move on to quarter number four in the fiscal year. In about a week and a half, I will start to see product come in: frozen turkeys, hams, and the such. It'll be an invasion of dead frozen animals...creepy.

Take the damn hint

Coming up in January, the store is posting an opening for a spot that is right above me, referred to as the senior team lead. Basically, more responsibility, more pay, and some more headaches. A few more people would be working below the position. Taking that into mind, my first reaction was 'is the frustration worth it?'. Then my second thought went to how long I've been working there. Not even two years...not a whole lot of time to gain tons of experience. However...

Last week, I was talking with my store manager, she was the first to mention the position to me, and she said that I should apply for it. My first reaction was, meh...maybe. Then my second thought was about not knowing enough to cover the position. And I also thought that she was just trying to feel out the waters and how I would react. And then...

Today, one of the senior team leads now mentioned that I should apply for it stating that I'm really responsible and so on and so on. And looking at it, that is really scary. Scary how I can be so responsible at work, but when it comes to being outside of work, it isn't necessarily true. Part of me thinks that my store manager talked about me to the senior team lead and they are conspiring to get this thought in my mind. In all honesty, I can say that I am not the most responsible person in the world, or the state, or the city, or the apartment for that matter. Oh, it's true, Andrea is way more responsible than I am. That is a given.

But still, this thought has been planted in my mind. What if...Do people at work take me that seriously that a couple of people think I can go above where I am at right now? Would I ever be able to take it above that level...to the executive level? Could I ever become salaried? Very doubtful...very doubtful.

But what if I fail?

What if I don't get the position?

Is that really failure?