Workin' Hard

We had VBA last week so for my department that meant moving dozens of tables and hundreds of chairs and setting up all the class rooms.

Beth came to work on Thursday and helped set up 3 classrooms on the third floor.

I took these during the week and Allie wanted to be in them!
She's such a great model!

 When we got home we sat at the kitchen table for a few minutes when all of the sudden...

After about 5 minutes she woke up and quickly headed to the living room. I thought she was going downstairs and when I got up from the table I saw this:

She was absolutely zonked! She slept for about 30 minutes then it was like she jumped up and came back out to the table. "I was sleepeen." 

Yes you were!

Have you ever worked on a project that left you absolutely exhausted?

Metro Rodeo

Chuck drives a city bus and every year they have what they call a Rodeo, where the drivers can take the buses through an obstacle course. A few weekends ago we sat outside on bleachers and cheered and moaned as they ran over cones and others just barely squeezed through tight spaces.

Then they took a break and we all ate a free lunch from Famous Dave's BBQ food truck. Oh it was so good!

The sun came out, they had a car show, free drinks... Chuck and I don't do stuff like this very often and we really had a great time!

They had a very old bus parked out there and we got to go in and check it out. 

 

The comparison between the old and the new was amazing! 

 

 

It's definitely not a desk job!

 

In the drivers seat of a 60' articulated bus.

 A clever play on words!

Chuck didn't participate this year but he's thinking about it for 2020!

 

 Ooops!

 I don't know how they drive those things! I was nervous just watching them!

So Busy

I've been so busy the last couple of weeks, even more than usual. We're remodeling a couple of our bathrooms at work which puts more work on my department because our maintenance guy isn't available to unclog a toilet or hang a TV... the custodial department is definitely working overtime! The bathrooms will be nice when they're done though!

On Wednesday:
Three loads of laundry
Worked in the yard
Visited with a dear friend (He's 87 and a widower)
Went to Costco
Went to work for a couple of hours
Then Beth and I went to the grocery store
Whew!

I was up early on Thursday to help serve at our National Day of Prayer event. There were about 200 people from different churches and denominations from all over our area. The breakfast started at 7am so most of us arrived at 6am to help get things ready. It really is a blessing to be a part of the Body of Christ.

Beth got a new jacket the other day. She's needed one for a while and we found one in a magazine that had elastic around the wrist. It's so hard to find inexpensive clothes that fit her because her waist is large but her shoulders are not and her arms are short... Well, the jacket came.

Looking at the label

Realizing it's addressed to her

The elastic isn't as gathered as we'd like and the sleeve hangs down over her hands, but I might be able to fix that. But it completely covers her tummy and she can't wait to wear it!

Thank you for all your encouragement and kind comments on Beth's new job. I took her to work yesterday afternoon (after working in the morning and coming home to meet the pest control guy!) and we spent about 2 hours doing the actual job. She signed her time card, we put her key on the lanyard she bought just for work, we put on some gloves, got the big rolling trash cart and got to work! She doesn't have her uniform yet but here are a couple of pictures of her in action.

She finished emptying all the trash (there are a total of 19 trash cans in the 8 classrooms and 4 bathrooms) in just over an hour (a lot faster than I expected!) so I'm already planning to give her more work. 

On Monday I fly out to San Diego to help take care of my dad. Actually on Tuesday we're moving him to a facility where he'll be able to get 24/7 care. My sister is absolutely worn out and it's tearing her up to have to do this. She called me a couple of weeks ago, sobbing, asking if I'd be mad if she put him in a home. He's becoming more angry and violent, like slamming his fist on the table and yelling at her when she's just trying to help him to the bathroom or make him dinner, and she's done. Physically, mentally, she can't go on. So I am going down on Monday and will be home on Friday.

I know it's not going to be a 'vacation' but it will be good to see my dad and sister again and help them through this transition.

Have you been through a transition lately? 

Was it good or difficult?

Job Update

I sent Christine (Beth's job coach) a text a couple weeks ago asking for an update in the job search. She sent me a long reply so I started reading it out loud to Beth and Chuck. We were all sitting at the kitchen table:

"The Chocolate Co. isn't going to work due to payroll issues..."
"Starbucks is doing away with their lobby attendant position..."
"McDonalds wasn't a good experience. Manager was very rude..."
"Schools are getting out so students are applying..."

And on and on. 

I wasn't even thinking about how Beth was responding to all this and all of the sudden, she leaned toward me and threw her arms around me. She was crying.

Oh, I felt horrible! I stood up (with her still draped on me) and just held her while she cried. 

It just broke my heart.

The next day I went to my boss and asked if I could hire Beth. I do the hiring for my department but wasn't sure if there would be an issue with me hiring a family member to work directly with me.

No problem at all. Hire away!

(I can't remember if I've told you that I already checked with the state and with Beth's case worker and they both said I can find her a job without having to go through them.) Once my boss said yes, there was no stopping us.

I asked Beth if she wanted to work with me or if she wanted to wait for Christine to find her a job. "Work with you."

So I took Beth to work with me to show her what exactly she'd be doing. Our weekday preschool was on a field trip this week so she wasn't able to do the actual job but I walked her through the process. I gave her my keys and she was unlocking doors, checking each classroom thoroughly... I think she's gonna do great. I even introduced her to a few of the other custodians and they were excited to have her on board.

This is going to boost her self-esteem, help her lose weight and give her a sense of purpose. She kept checking her 'fitbit' and showing me how many steps she had taken.

Next week she'll come in and do the actual job so I'll keep you updated!

Just Random Stuff

Work has been so busy lately. 

We recently had a memorial for a sitting mayor of a city near us. I'm sot sure how he died but there were about 500 people there to honor him. Lots of police officers, fire fighters and local dignitaries. 

The next day we had to set up for our Business Meeting so I had Beth come in to help us. There were 23 tables and a whole lot of chairs!

 Our Sunday school class went well. We've had a couple new students recently, the class is definitely growing although we only had a few this weekend. Teacher M is telling them about Jesus calming the storm.

 

 I picked Allie up from school on Tuesday and she got to spend the night with us because Sharaya went out with friends and knew she was going to have a late night.

 

Getting ready for school and for All Aboard

Today I went out to lunch with friends to celebrate one of their birthdays. It had been about a year since we all went out together and it was so good to get together.

Things around here have been pretty tame compared to other parts of the nation. Those of you living through the Polar Vortex, stay safe and warm!

A Person Can Only Take So Much

My job has been challenging to say the least. Technically I'm supposed to be at 25 hours a week but it's been closer to 35.

These are my stats lately...

 

And today I had to go into work and confront an employee who has been calling in sick at the last minute, taking time off, complaining, sometimes just not showing up... thankfully they told me they did want to keep their job. I'm hoping their behavior changes.

A couple weeks ago I wrote an email to Beth's job coach. I've been so frustrated with her lack of drive to find Beth a job.

 

Well, today I sent it to her.

And to her boss.

And the state agency who pays them both.

I told them that Beth has now missed out on TWO holiday seasons where everyone and their brother is hiring! Yet Beth is still without a job. I told them I didn't want to change services but maybe we're at that place?

And now I'm going to fix some tea, do some laundry and try to enjoy the rest of my day off. Some good news is, I got my Christmas cards done! 😊

How is your holiday season going so far?

An Update On Her Job Hunt

Beth's job coach has spent hours looking for a job for her:

"I've been trying to follow up with McDonalds but the general manager isn't returning any of my calls. When I go in, he is always unavailable."

"I've tried to get her into the school district but they won't carve out a position for her."

"I went to Papa Johns twice but the manager wasn't in."

"I've tried various doctors offices but no luck."

"I've tried at the City of Edmonds but they don't have any positions available."

Please continue to pray with us that Beth gets a job soon.  

A Different Way Of Looking At Things

I think I might have told you that our Facility Manager is moving to Texas. He and his wife have three daughters and the youngest just graduated from high school. And wouldn't you know it, she's going to go to the same college that both her sisters go to... in Texas. 

We attend a large church, about 1200 on a Sunday and we have a Facility Manager, a maintenance guy and I'm the admin for the facilities department. When the FM gave his notice, the Board decided not to hire anyone to replace him. 

Instead, they asked the maintenance guy if he'd want to head up that department and they asked... me if I'd head up the custodial department.

At first I said I wanted to pray about it but inside I felt I was supposed to take it. A couple days later the Lord give me confirmation about it and so I said yes! And man has it been a whirlwind of activity since then!

I've been meeting with our Operations Pastor, talking about my increase in pay, hours, responsibilities. Yesterday the FM said he was going to bring up a few files and he came into my office area... PUSHING A CART!

We sorted through files, he got rid of some, we split some with maintenance and the rest ended up on my desk.

Oh my poor desk.

I spent a couple hours today going through them. Of course, I had to purge old files that were already in my desk to make room for all of these. A lot of my old files are going to the Hospitality Department but we haven't had a chance to get together yet. I trained the admin who runs the database on a few things earlier this week but there's still a lot to do. 

We've attended our church going on 30 years and I've always approached it with an attitude of helping. "Let me put the tablecloths on the tables while you go to your office and make phone calls." "I can sit here and take the money while you address everyone's questions and put out fires." I've always looked for ways to volunteer, to just help. 

But now. Now I have to make sure my crew has the tools and equipment they need to set up for the event; I have to keep in touch with them to assist them where needed; I have to be available to 'put out fires' where the building is concerned: Do we have enough chairs for this event? Is the platform cleaned and ready for Sunday's service? Are there tables in the foyer that shouldn't be there, maybe left over from a previous event? Did anyone on my crew call in sick and will I need to set up this event or that one in their place?

And the cleaning! Oh, the amount of work it takes to clean a building this size! And I'm now in charge of it all.

It's a completely different mindset. And, I'm the head of a department. Looking back, I can see where the Lord has been preparing me for this. Little by little increasing my circle of influence and putting me in places of authority over more and more people. When I think about everything that's involved in this I get a little nervous, but deep down I'm so excited about how the Lord is going to use me in this position. You can bet I'll be praying for direction and guidance every step of the way!

Ooops. I Forgot To Explain What It's Like To Be Old

A few months back I asked if you remembered the phrase Pounding The Pavement but I realized I never explained what it meant! Raise your hand if you've heard it before... okay, a few of you, that's good.

It used to be that when you needed a job you looked through the classifieds in the newspaper, found stores or companies that were hiring, then dressed in your nicest clothes and walked from place to place. That's where 'pounding the pavement' came from. All that walking.

If they were hiring, they would hand you an application and you'd sit there and fill it out. With a pen. Then you'd go home and sit by the phone. Literally, because it was attached to the wall. And you'd wait.

If you didn't get a call, often times you would go back to the store and ask them if they had filled the position. It was important back then to be face to face, to let them see you. That proved to an employer that you really were interested in the job. If you didn't bother to come in, they didn't bother to hire you.

Nowadays it's all done on-line. You go on-line to see if they're hiring. The applications are on-line. You submit them on-line. The employer will contact you on-line...

Times, they are a changin'! 

As far as my girls, both Sharaya and Diana are working 2 jobs and Beth is still 'pounding the pavement'. Her job coach is looking into jobs at hospitals, churches, the school district... no openings yet, but she continues to look.

Job Interview

Beth had a job interview last week with MOD Pizza.

(Thanks Google) 

 

Her job coach had to leave because the manager doing the interview was running late so another coach filled in but she said she thought it went really well.

Beth won't be folding boxes this time. Instead she'd come in in the morning, before the store opened and she'd pull the chairs off the tables from when they mopped the night before. She'd wipe tables, fill napkin holders, and just get the dining area ready for customers. 

 Then when the store opened, she'd head home. It sounds perfect for her but the store is under construction and we won't know for a few more weeks.

Beth has our church's app on her phone and she wrote this prayer request on Sunday:

'Jesus please answer my prayer right now is my new job I really want to get this job because I really need it every day and I am very serious about this prayer right now... I need to speak out loud and we are still waiting for them too call us and you always been there for me Jesus please answer my prayer right now Jesus and I am not kidding about it.'

What have you been praying about this week?

Remember The Phrase 'Pounding The Pavement'?

Beth has had so many jobs over the years. For a while she worked in the dining room at a McDonalds but at her break time they allowed her to have a free snack like fries or whatever and it got to the point that's the only reason she would work. She wouldn't do a good job, instead she would just quickly swipe a table or sort of sweep just so she could go get her snack. It became all about the food.

She worked at Creation Station for a short time. It was a store filled with stuff kids could use to create; paper towel rolls, empty spools of thread, cotton balls, springs, lids... schools would have field trips to this place and they would make anything they wanted. 

(These are from Google.)

When they were done, Beth would help clean up, put everything away and prepare the space for the next group. It was a really good fit and she liked it there, but unfortunately they went out of business.

She worked at The Dollar Tree but there were some issues between the manager and other co-workers (personality conflicts and arguments at work) and her job coach decided it was too toxic.

She worked a short time at Auntie Anne's, offering samples to shoppers. But she's very shy and wouldn't actually talk to anyone. She'd just stand there, then her feet would ache and her back would hurt... just not a good fit.

Then her job coach found Little Caesars. This store went out of their way to hire and train and include people with special needs. Beth was brought in to fold boxes and everyone there loved her!

 

The one problem was it's location. The store was about 45 minutes to an hour from our house by car. The DART bus however, would make numerous stops along the way and she'd end up being on the bus for 2-3 hours each way. And she didn't get off work until 8pm so that made for some long days and very late nights.

They found another LC closer to our home and that has worked out so well!

She's been with the company now for a little over 6 years and she folds about 450-500 boxes in a 3 hour shift. About a month ago she told me that she likes it so much that she wishes she could do it every single day! So... I called her job coach (I love the way the Lord works!) and when she went in to talk to the manager, he was folding boxes! She told him that Beth wanted to work more hours and... "Yes!! I hate folding boxes!" So he put down the box and immediately added her to the schedule!

So now she's working 3 days a week. At a job she absolutely loves. Course, the bigger paycheck doesn't hurt either!

And I learned today that Beth has made such an impact on them, they're hiring another person with special needs! 

 

So what kind of jobs have you had over the years? Which one was your favorite?