Unpacking wasn't too hard, and getting used to the area wasn't all that hard either. The hardest part to adjusting here is the driving! The speed limit here is usually 35, and only 55 on the freeway! There are a gagillion lanes, tiny parking spots in ridiculously packed parking lots, waaaay too many cops, lots of freeways, and I can't even fill up my own gas! It makes me miss Idaho driving, where if you were going 55 mph on Highway 55, you were going too slow.
The shopping experience is... interesting. I love the Costco here, not that it is different from any other Costco. Look what I found in the produce section: Baby, organic, mixed baby me!!
Don't I look so cute??
And there are shopping malls/outlets EVERYWHERE!!! Such a temptation. Here is me with my new "Administrative Assistant" shoes, and enjoying a free massage experience at Brookstone:
Speaking of work... I'm the Administrative Assistant for my uncle's company, A1 Installations NW. THe company has contracts with all of the Lowe's, Sears, and Home Depots in NW and central Oregon, as well as SW Washington to install all major appliances. That means that our installers are the ones that install you dishwasher, washer/dryer, shower door, microhoods, ovens/ranges, cooktops, sinks, faucets, toilets, etc. The list goes on forever. So my job is to help communicate with the suppliers, customers, and our installers, letting them know what our schedule looks like, and figuring out where products are. It's hectic. On average, we have at least 150 appointments for installations or details a week. So I call the customers, which can be CRAZY! You would be surprised how angry people will get over their dishwasher installations. I deal with the paperwork, and I usually talk to 20 different Lowe's stores multiple times a day talking about products, appointments, and angry people. It's just a lot of Excel work, paperwork, and phone calls. But I like working with family! Most of the time, that is.
I also hang out with my family a lot, and go to places where I grew up. I went on a little trip down memory lane the other day and found some stuff which made me miss my childhood:
This is my treehouse! My grandpa made this in his backyard. From scratch. I was 8 or so, and it took him all summer, but I sure loved this thing! He even put old rocking chairs and bean bags inside, with a bird feeder on the side, and there used to be a net underneath the rope swing, if you can see it. We could swing on the rope and fall down the net, or climb the net and crawl through the window to hang out in there. I have a pretty awesome grandpa, and was sad when they moved. The new owners haven't washed it, but when I asked to take pictures of it and told them my grandpa built it, they were amazed. I feel pretty lucky to part of the generation that playing outside was what kids were expected to do, instead of staying inside to watch tv or play the xbox.
And this ugly thing... Haha. In the 3rd grade, we were given clay squares, upon which we were to make a self portrait, or whatever you call it. Then they put them outside of the main office at the school. Only the students of that year made them. So it is still there, 12 years later. I think it was supposed to be of my along my grandparents' pool, and they always had leaves fall in... I don't know. But it was pretty cool to see it up there, like there was still a piece of my childhood forever cemented in a place I loved so much.
That's about it. I live at Maria's condo, where I am only there to sleep and change clothes, as I work 10-6, and usually just eat dinner at Barb's. I go window shopping with Ney and Brooke, hang out with Eric, and go to Isaac's soccer games. It's a simple life, but it's good!
Except this week is crazy. Barb and Curt are in Hawaii, so I've been here watching the kids. So stay tuned to see if I survive this week, that is if you weren't bored to death by this super long post.
