GPTW

My baby is back home! I'm so happy to have him here, even if that means I have to listen to that damn SpongeBob! I bought him a new workbook, so that he can start refreshing his academic skills. I can't believe he's leaving again in a week or so to go visit his Dad. It seems like this summer is just flying by. I registered him for school last week. Hopefully, he'll get to go to the school that is actually in our district. They said that there is a possibility that he'll have to get transferred to another school due to over crowding. We won't know until next month some time. Nothing like the waiting game.

Here is a picture I took on my cell phone when I picked him up at the airport. We kept hugging each other and smiling. He was definitely gone too long! Love you Mom, but we're not doing that again! :-) Well, maybe when he's a teenager and driving me nuts!

The new job is going well. I really like everyone I work with. There is a ton of new information for me to learn. I've been to countless meetings. I have to attend two more tomorrow and at least one on Thursday and Friday. This place uses acronyms like nothing I've ever seen! Seriously. They have an acronym glossary. It's 15 pages long! And it hasn't been updated in a few years. I thought HR had a lot of acronyms, but I guess not. This Thursday is the annual BB-Q after work, so Quentin and I will be going to that. They also do an annual golf tournament in the spring and a bunch of other stuff. There's a committee dedicated to coming up with fun things to do. It's called the GPTW Committee (Great Place to Work). Oh, one of my favorite things is that every Friday morning they bring in bagels and cream cheese! Yummy! What a GPTW! :-)

Ole Mexico

Ole Mexico is the name of a Mexican restaurant near here. I've been eating at home because I need to save money, but this evening I was jonesin' for a taco. There are tons of Mexican Food places around here and they've been calling my name since the 1st. I think that me holding out until the 9th is quite an accomplishment. I seriously love tacos!
Okay, so I decided to stop at the restaurant closest to my office...Ole Mexico. I go in and look at the menu and of course they don't have shredded beef. What is it with Northern California taco shops not having shredded beef? Don't they know how delicious it is? Anyway, I decide to go ahead and order the carne asada tacos. I like to order my tacos crispy not soft. So, I tell the little lady behind the counter that I want two crispy carne asada tacos. I go to the register to pay for my order and the guy puts my ticket on the counter. I read what the lady wrote and it says, "gringo steak". WTF!? I get my printed receipt from the guy at the register and it reads, "2 El Gringo Tacos". Apparently, if you order crispy tacos you're ordering gringo tacos! The menu did not say Gringo or non-Gringo tacos...it just said "tacos". When I saw the receipt I almost laughed out loud. I kept my smirk in check, got my tacos, and went home.
When I got home I sat down to eat. I unwrap my El Gringos and to my surprise they are STORE BOUGHT taco shells! Just because they're called Gringo Tacos doesn't mean you have make them like a gringo would! I wanted some freshly deep fried taco shells people...like a Mexicano would do it! How disappointing. Next time, I'm going to the south side of the freeway to Julio's Taco Shop. Ha ha! That's right, I'm going to check out Julio! :-)

The Move

It went pretty well considering there was a moment that the moving truck overheated and we thought we were going to have to trade it in for a new one, which would have entailed transferring all my stuff from one to the other. My wonderful friends helped me load the moving truck Tuesday night after work and then we moved to the new place Wednesday morning. It was really hot, but it got done pretty quickly. The guys worked really hard. I have no idea how many times we all went up and down the stairs. Woody was kind enough to point out that the stairs were "really going to help me". Well, so far they have helped to make my calves cramp. I can't wait to see what they help with next. :-)
I really like the new place. It's set up differently than the apartment in Sonora. I've made decent progress on the boxes today. I should have the kitchen done by the end of the day. And I've gotten some other things done too.
I'll post pictures when everything is where it's supposed to be.
Quentin, if you're reading this...I love you honey and I miss you!

Sayonara Sonora

All righty then...this is my last post from Sonora. It's on to the big city as of tomorrow. I've got to say that so far I'm holding it together pretty well. Yesterday, Barbi asked me if I was going to cry today. I told her I was determined NOT to cry anymore! I've had enough of it. She asked if she could cry instead. What a good friend! She bought me breakfast this morning. Yummy!

I will really miss all of my Tuolumne County friends and family. You all mean a lot to Quentin and I. I hope you keep in touch!

Here is a picture Jean-NAY took of me a year or two ago. See how hard I'm working? :-)

Take care everyone!

Packing and More Packing

Quentin requested that this post be titled, "Hard, hard and more hard." He's not into the packing thing. We're going to do his room today and he's not really looking forward to it. Honestly, neither am I. But, there are no other options. We just have to do it. I have considered carrying everything out to the dirt lot and burning it, but the burn permit doesn't allow that sort of thing. Damn city limit rules!

Here is our pile of boxes that are stacked in the living room. By the end of the day I'll need to move them into the dining room so that the front door can actually be used. Then again, if we barricade the front door maybe we won't have to move.

Today is Father's Day and I hope that all of the Fathers out there (especially mine) are having a wonderful day! Relax and spend some quality time with those that love you. I love you Dad!

4th Grade Fun

Quentin is finishing up the 4th grade in a few days. So, not much studying has been going on the last week or so. On Friday the fourth grade band gave a concert. They played their little hearts out even if there were some unintentional high notes here and there.

Here's my little guitar man. I'm so proud of him for sticking with band the whole year. He really didn't care much for how the teacher handled the class.

After the band concert the fourth grade classes did a play called "The Pirates of Grammar Island". Quentin was Captain Comma.

In this scene the good Captain was telling his first mate they were looking for parts of speech. The first mate hands the captain a peach pit and a stem. And Captain Comma says, "I said, 'Parts of speech. NOT parts of a PEACH'!"

And here is Quentin's friend Hannah. She was also Captain Comma for her class. She was very animated!

Ch...ch...Changes

A lot has happened within the last few weeks. I'm trying to believe that changes are good things. However, in reality they sometimes bite the big one!
I was pretty discouraged when I was told that I was being laid off from the County. I worked for them for over eight years. I love the County and the people I've worked with throughout my career there. I kept telling myself, "The Lord will provide. The Lord will provide." Well, guess what! I was offered a job today. It's the one and only interview I went to! It is in the big city, so I'll have to move about two hours away. That makes me sad, but I'm so excited about this new opportunity. Quentin is excited too and that makes me really happy. I'm going to go and look for a place to live this weekend. I want to get to know the general area and try to pick a good place for Quentin to go to school and close to work for me.
Thank you to everyone that has been so encouraging and supportive to me. You are wonderful friends!