A Story

Shana:  I feel really off the ball today, do you think you all can help me get back on it?
Aundrea:  I’m no help today.  At all.  Sorry…
Kim:  I am no help today either, I am off too…in fact I am chasing as the ball rolls down a very steep hill.
Shana: In fact I think that same ball ran me over half way down!
Aundrea:  …where it came to a decided halt at my feet.  (insert blank stare here)
Kim:  Which left Shana and I still running unable to halt and where we bounced on the ball and over Aundrea’s head so we did not run into her.
Aundrea:  And Aundrea, still staring blankly, was left in the dust because she just couldn’t get on the ball.
Shana:  But then Kim and Shana tripped over each other and fell at Annette’s feet, where Annette patiently picked us up, dusted us off, shook Aundrea to wake her up and we all went to lunch and had a good laugh.
Aundrea:  The end.  I LOVE happy endings!

 

 

Should We Contact Weight Watchers?

Not yet.  I am waiting for the Cheesecake Diet.

If Jared of Subway Sandwiches can do it then we can too!

More Service to the World

Apparently The Cheesecake Factory was on-board with our (incredibly fantastic) idea to provide the world with cheesecake reviews, because they offered a Facebook (hooray for social media!) coupon for another day of half-price cheesecake.  This time -- after much serious discussion -- we agreed that a) none of us had cooties, and b) we would share three different cheesecakes so we could give our opinions to the world. 

You're welcome.

WHITE CHOCOLATE TRUFFLE CHEESECAKE:

-          It was like eating the most delicious shake

-          The raspberry flavor exploded in your mouth but was not overwhelming

-          Not too sweet, not to rich, just a perfect balance

-          Light & airy – like eating white chocolate clouds with a touch of raspberry

-          Even people who don’t care for white chocolate will love the light, creamy flavor of this cheesecake

GODIVA CHOCOLATE CHEESECAKE:

-          Death by chocolate  - one bite and you have gone to heaven

-          Short, dark, handsome and rich!

-          The truffle center will make you want to cry

PECAN CARAMEL TURTLE CHEESECAKE:

-          The most wonderful caramel pecan flavor.

-          The pecans were chewy/crunchy, just lovely

-          Brownie crust adds just the right amount of chocolate, just perfect.

-          If you like pralines and cream you will love this!

OREO DREAM CHEESECAKE (yes, we have MORE comments after a full day of contemplation):

-          Hands down our favorite

-          One bite and you will be dreaming in Oreo’s. Your house will be an Oreo, your kids will be little Oreos, and you will love yourself more just by thinking of yourself covered in Oreos

-          The name says it all

-          The cheesecake Oreo center is not overwhelming but the perfect combination

-          We especially loved the giant Oreo cookie on top.  Next quest:  Find somewhere that we can buy a box of those giant Oreos!

Tried and True Technique

There is a strategy to eating a Cheesecake Factory slice, did you not know that?

So the first 3 or 4 bites must be taken back-to-back.  Then you take a drink of water to wash it down, then sit back and let your stomach savor the deliciousness.

Next you just eat the first layer in small bites, slowly savoring each heavenly morsel until you have reached the half-way mark.  Again take a small break:  1 or 2 minutes but no longer.

Then work on the bottom layer until you reach the half way mark of the top, and then another short break with water.

Now here is the big finish…….take 2 large bites, water, 2 large bites, and water, and 2 more large bites then water.  Continue gorging yourself until every last piece is devoured.

Then sit back and count your blessings and ask Heavenly Father to bless the person who invented cheesecake.

WARNING!! – This should only be done on a monthly basis.  Any more frequently and you are crossing the line to addiction!

A Service Project to the World

Yesterday was National Cheesecake Day.  I do not know who determined this, but I sincerely thank her (I'm pretty sure it must have been a 'her').

In honor of this auspicious holiday--and in appreciation for half-price desserts--we paid a visit to The Cheesecake Factory. Please note the irony of "The Gym" right above the restaurant.

Our choice?  The Oreo Dream Extreme, a new creation introduced on this special day.  Here is a "during" shot of this amazing dream of a dessert.

Reviews:

I'm in heaven . . .the Oreo Dream Extreme… is just that … a dreammmmm -- one of my new  favorites.

It’s SO DANG RICH

Every bite was lovely!!

Wanna Laugh?

Go check this out!  I read the-actress-who-plays-Gracie's blog, which is also hilarious.  You can find it here.  Kudos to Deseret Book for making something real and fun and clean.  Hooray!

Re-Posting my Thanks

I am blessed--and cursed--with a strong personality.  I have confidence, I feel my own self-worth, I feel capable of contributing.  I am also incredibly blessed to live with my best friends.  My husband and children are wonderful people who, incidentally, I hope to have as mine forever.  I love them with all my heart; but mostly I just like them a whole lot!

When we decided that it was time for me to go to work full time, I thought there were things that would be fun.  I was excited to wear something besides jeans and t-shirts (oh, Jeans and T-shirts!  How I miss thee now!).  I thought it would be fun to ride the bus and the train into the city each day.  I thought my brain would get some new exercise. 

What I didn't think would happen was that I would make cherished friends.  I was not looking for buddies; I already have buddies at home!

Yesterday the man who was my first manager in my full-time work came to my desk.  I no longer work in the same department as he, so his being at my desk means that he made an extra effort to come see me.  He said this was the 4th time he had come; the other three times I had been in my current manager's office.  We chatted for just a couple of minutes, mostly about our families.

After he left, tears sprang to my eyes.  I miss working with him and many others on 2LL.  I miss them terribly.  But if I left where I am now, I would miss these people terribly.  Truly, I would miss them enough to bring tears to my eyes just thinking about it.

Every time this feeling overwhelms me, I am surprised.  I did not expect to love my co-workers the way I do.  I did not expect to care about their families and their church callings and their jobs.  I did not expect them to care about mine.  I did not expect to be so blessed in so many ways--professionally AND personally--by so many people.  I did not think that I would sit in the cafeteria and greet literally hundreds of people and care about each one of them.  I didn't know that I would celebrate the conception of babies or mourn the deaths of parents and siblings of the people I worked with.  I did not anticipate putting my co-workers' names on the temple prayer roll month after month for years on end.  I did not know that I would pray for missionary sons and daughters by name, even though I've never met them.  It didn't even occur to me that I would wish that my work friends knew my parents and my husband and our children, or that I would wish that I could travel with them, or that we would gather for lunch or dinner or a 5K just for the FUN of it.

My life has been so richly blessed by so many people; and of course, it is not limited just to co-workers.  But to my cherished work friends--past and present--THANK YOU for blessing me.  I love you so much!

Color Me Rad

More FUN than an over-30 multi-stake dance and more COLORFUL than your Grandpa's vocabulary.

Have you signed up yet?  The registration is $30 if you sign up by the 9th (that's tomorrow!).  I don't know what it's gonna go up to, but either way I think you should make the commitment NOW to come and play.  Because seriously?  This is gonna be fun!  Worth every. dang. penny.

• Check it out:  http://www.colormerad.com/races/utah.html
• Register
• Get excited

One teeny tiny little kink:  Our team name was supposed to be "Crazy Colorful Course Cruisin'" but I made a typing error.  So when you register, put the team name as "Crazy Colorul..." (see that?) "...Course Cruisin'" 

*sigh*  Who nominated me anyway?

Ya gotta admit:  their tag lines are good!

Ready for a vacation?

Laughter is the best medicine. This is an old saying, and it is used for good reason. Many studies on laughter and its benefits to health have been made through the years all over the world. A good hearty laugh will make us feel good for a long time and we might even find a whole new way of looking at our lives or find solutions we might not have thought of before!
Sometimes we take life to seriously. We have been taught to run through our lives with such a speed that we have no time to laugh! I remember reading that children laugh over 300 times in a day when adults laugh less than 15. 15! What happens to us when we grow up? No wonder the Lord has said, "except ye be converted and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven (Matt 18:3)
If you are down, laughing may seem impossible. You may even look at laughing people and feel they are inconsiderate and loud. But if you are one of the laughing group, you would never think that. You enjoy laughing too much.
The real saints of today are the ones who make you laugh. They give the best gift -the gift of joy!
Thank you to my friends who are the greatest saints I know.
Did you know that laughter is an instant vacation? Hmmmmm

Executive Assistants by Sonia Brown

Despite our problems, we go to work every day
I don't know what drives us, surely not the pay!

Often no lunch,other meetings we must plan
We're off to make copies, and find flights to Japan!

"I only need five minutes with your boss" we all hear
We know they never mean it 'cause then they take all year!

We schedule each meeting with precision and care
Then pray, "Lord, tomorrow please let it still be there!"

The impossible we're given to create what's not
A four-hour meeting in a two-hour spot!

We seek no recognition, corner office or fame
We're happy with a laptop and tickets to a game!

We're unique, we're different, no talent we lack
We're Executive Assistants and you can't beat that!

Treat Your Mother Right

Treat Her Right

High class entertainment, just for you.

Common Sense Is Uncommon

COMMON: occurring or appearing frequently.
COMMON SENSE:  sound and prudent judgment based on a simple perception of the situation or facts.

It is a common perception that an administrative assistant does common tasks.  By the definition given above, the tasks an admin does would appear or occur frequently.  However, employees in the workplace do not frequently organize their projects and calendars and LIVES; they leave it to their administrative assistants.  Admins answer the phones more often than others in an office.  They give training on both hardware and software used in an office more often than anyone else in the office.  Therefore an admin's behavior is NOT common behavior for someone who is not an administrative assistant. 

The skill set required for a good admin includes advanced organizational skills which extend to various environments (technical, social, and environmental), courtesy exercised commonly (occurring frequently), and communication skills for interpersonal interaction as well as training.  The tasks s/he participates in require a certain skill set in behavior/skills UNCOMMON to other workers.  To re-phrase, those skills are UNCOMMON for other workers, but COMMON for admins.

In the work world, employees who have certain skills required for a specific job are paid commensurate to those acquired skills.  An accountant, for example, can acquire employment over someone who has NOT acquired the skills needed, when the skills needed are accounting skills.  Since an accountant has those skills, the compensation to that person would be expected to be more than for a position of employment which does not require specific skills.

Again, good admins possess uncommon skills.  Therefore, it is common sense  that a good admin should make more money, commensurate to the uncommon skill set they possess and exercise daily.  However,  it is uncommon for someone with power to decide to pay their admin better.

Therefore, most people with power do not exhibit common sense.

(We'll tackle the respect issue another time.)

Fixing Leaking Eyes

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865550164/City-Creeks-Harmons-grocery-opens-today-putting-life-in-SLCs-new-urban-living.html?s_cid=s10

My Fix-the-World Friends take good care of me!

Fixing the Car