Moving Right Along, Saying Thank You, and It Was Time

 Beth bought a couple boxes of gourmet cookies to give to the DART drivers, the dispatchers and others who work to get her where she needs to go. I'm not always sure how companies are handling the latest strain of covid so I didn't want to make something at home. So she included a small tray they could set all the cookies on when he got back to the base, along with a card thanking all of them for helping her. 

 

 One week after Thanksgiving our staff at work got together and... decorated for Christmas! Each department decorates a different area and it usually takes us about three hours, then we order pizza and all have lunch together.

 

The Front Office - During and After 

 

Our main entrance

 

 

 

This is the area where I worked, helping to put up and decorate this tree, then my boss and I hung white stars from the ceiling. The same stars as on top of the trees.

 I love the way our church looks at Christmas. I wish we could leave it up all year!

It was time for some shoe shopping this week. Beth couldn't find the same shoes she's worn lately so she tried on some Sauconys. They're the shoes I bought for our Israel trip in May and they're fantastic. I wore them exclusively in Israel and almost constantly since we got home, and they just now need to be replaced. 

She did her usual strut walk around the aisles (her stride is not that big when she's walking!) and decided to buy a pair. I bought another pair too.

 

 

What is it about shopping? Walking out of a store with an arm load of bags just makes you feel so good, doesn't it?! I hope you've had a good weekend!

Trying New Things

All Aboard hosted a private showing of Frozen 2 tonight. Beth needed to transfer buses to get to the theater so last night we drove her to the transit station and explained exactly what would happen. Then I sent her a text with a picture of the buses, "DART will pick you up at home, Para Transit will drop you off at the theater..."

She did great! She sent me a text when she got to the theater and even sent us this picture:

Then she texted when she got home and said she loved the movie! This was the first time she's had to transfer buses and thankfully she waits on one bus until the other bus arrives so she was never left alone but this morning she did say she was nervous. But she did fine!

We drove around last night and looked at Christmas lights. There were so many cute little characters from tv shows and movies... 'Christmas lights' sure have changed a lot from when I was a kid!

I mentioned a few posts ago that we were going to make some changes with my desk at work. I've found trying to run my department while helping to run the front office isn't working. I just don't have time to do both. My boss wants me to remain centrally located (as opposed to putting me down on the first floor) So yesterday we put a wall up by my desk. We'll try this and see how it goes. 

My desk is in the back. This is what it looked like before:

And after we put up a taller wall:

I used to see the receptionists desk and out to the office area where the guests would come in. Plus through the window and down the hall...

But now I'm hidden behind the wall. I won't be answering the phones as much and even though it'll take some getting used to I'm hoping it gives me more time to be out and about helping my crew and getting things done throughout the building. 

And speaking of getting things done, we were setting up for a Senior Adults Christmas Party yesterday and Beth was helping to set out all the chairs when I looked up and saw her sitting with some of the ladies folding napkins. She's normally very shy but she just sat right down and began folding! She loves doing this kind of thing, being creative and working with her hands.

What about you? Are you creative? Do you make things or paint or draw...?

I Hope There's A Happy Ending

I'm sorry I haven't posted or logged on to read and comment on your posts. The month of August has been one for the record books!

A week after we got back from San Diego, I was at work when the maintenance guy J called me down to his office. (We're equals, he's not my boss.) My head custodian C was also in his office and J  began to talk to me, "I heard S is mad at me. But I never told her..." 

I looked directly at C, and yelled, "You read a note that was on my desk?! A private note?!" I stormed out.

Later she came to the front office and said she wanted to talk to me. We went to another room and she began to incriminate herself by putting up a defense about every single thing in the note! I stood there and just let her talk. Then I yelled, "I DON'T CARE WHAT WAS IN THE NOTE!! THAT NOTE WAS NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS!!!"

I went to my boss who, unbeknownst to me went to our Senior Pastor. Then my boss came back to me and privately told me this was grounds for dismissal. 

This custodian is one who stirs up trouble, creates controversy, gossips, complains... I had written up a disciplinary form a few months ago and she was actually still on probation from that.  (Our old facility manager wrote her up quite a few times. She has a very large file.) And now at this point, we can no longer trust her.

My boss and I made the decision to fire her. Due to circumstances beyond our control, we had to wait to tell her. I had knots in my stomach for two days and couldn't sleep. 

But, it actually went better than I expected. I thought she would scream and yell and try to defend her actions but she just acted very stoic and refused to tell my boss (our boss) why she had done it. "You looked at things on Cindy's desk, what other desks have you gone through? Have you read anyone else's mail?" 

Just a very cocky, "I don't know."

C has been very difficult from day one, she's disrespectful to me and all the custodians and walks around with a chip on her shoulder. I'm 100% positive we made the right decision. But it didn't make it any easier. Especially since she's been there for 20 years.

So I've spent this weekend telling the other custodians that C has been let go. Can I just say, no one has cried any tears. 

As hard as this week was, I know things are only going to get better. I've already seen the other custodians beginning to work together and our maintenance guy even told me, "We're all a team. We're like family."       

My "Big Girl Helper"

That's what I called her when she was little and would help me around the house. She loved to do housework!

 

And she still helps out when I'm at work, emptying the dishwasher or folding and putting the bath towels away. She refills the hand soap and toilet paper dispensers, does her own laundry...

Well this week she helped me work out in the yard. We have pine, cedar and hemlock trees in our yard and there are so many needles and pine cones and twigs!

 We got out there and raked everything up, then put it in the yard waste bin. She would rake and I would put it in the bin and then we'd switch. We make a great team!

Then Chuck got out and used the leaf blower on the driveway. Everything looks so much better!

Have you been able to get out and do any yard work yet this year? 

Do you do it yourself or do you hire someone else to do it?

(That's my goal. Someday someone else will do it for me!)