"It's not easy being green..."

...unless you get to wear these awesome shirts to work!  Behold my work wardrobe:

Amazing Option #1

Amazing Option #2

Oh yes, my friends.  We at Heliae are stylin'.

Weeds of DEATH!

Once upon a time, there lived two fair maidens.  Their cottage was surrounded by a beautiful garden.  One spring morning, the older maiden realized that the garden was not growing as it should.


"Oh no," she told the younger maiden, "the dreadful frost of winter has brought an evil into the shrubbery.  I can hear it whispering its wicked intent to overrun our home.  We must do something!"

The maidens donned their protective clothing, gathered their tools, and set out to put the garden to rights.  As they left the cottage, they met a kind Hedgehog outside their door.


"Allow me to assist you, fair maidens," the Hedgehog said.


"The Hedgehog's sharp spines will make the work go by much quicker!" thought the maidens.  Cheered by this happy coincidence, the maidens entered the garden and got to work.  They plucked out dead branches and leaves with delight and pruned the new growth with their shears.


When the younger maiden was beset with ants, they ran to the good wizard Google to help solve their problem.  "Sprinkle the ants with cinnamon," Google advised, "and they will leave you alone."

Some cinnamon was quickly found, and the maidens did as they were told.  What a pleasant smell filled the garden as they continued to work!


After a short break, the maidens returned to their work, certain that the task was nearly finished.  It was then that the maidens realized the immensity of the problem before them.  They peered at the bushes on the other side of the garden and saw...

The Weeds of Death!

They were hideous!

They were filled with sharp thorns!




"Do not fear, maidens," soothed the Hedgehog.  "I will protect you from these instruments of evil!"


With the help of the Hedgehog, the maidens battled the villainous flora all through the morning.  When the sun was high in the sky, the trio stepped back to admire their victory.


"Is this...[head tilt]...better?"

"It is for today!" the older maiden cried.


The maidens thanked the Hedgehog most graciously for his help and returned to their cottage, confident that the Weeds of Death had been driven back...at least for a time.

Pond Scum in Action!

So, remember that really crazy day I had involving job interviews a few weeks back?  Perhaps I should fill you in on that, too.


Long story short: I got the job.  Yay!


I actually started this past Wednesday (as in a few days ago), so I got a bit of time to wrap up at my previous job.  I'm now at Heliae Development in Gilbert and my official title is Purchasing Assistant.  So, basically, I get told we need stuff, buy it, and make sure it gets shipped and paid for.  Actually, it's a lot crazier than that (so far), but in essence that's what I'm learning how to do.  I'm feeling a little overwhelmed with everything at the moment, but hopefully when I get trained up a little bit more I can give you a better opinion of it.  For the most part, everyone has been really nice and I already know 3 of the guys that work there--hooray!  Built-in friends!  


I'm sure I'll have lots more stories in the future.  Right now, I'm just really hoping that I adjust to the whole full-time thing quickly--let's just say that going from a 10-hour work week to even 2 1/2 days of full-time is quite the change.  Let's hope I get everything figured out sooner rather than later!

Wedding Week

Hey all!


I realize that I haven't updated in a while (despite promising to do otherwise...).  Sorry about that!  It's been a little crazy at my house lately.  Here's what went down last week:


Monday

• Work
• Helped Mom with piano group lessons
• Eva (sister-in-law) and nephews came in from Ohio

Tuesday

• Work
• Hospital
• Helped Mom with more group lessons
• Turned pages and played a duet at Mesa High's choir concert
• Breathed a little {just a little, mind you}

Wednesday-Saturday

• Worked extensively on making wedding food/watching children while Eva made wedding food {except for Wednesday, I think we stayed up until about 1:30 or 2:00 each night}
• Clayton (brother) got in from Ohio Friday afternoon {instead of Thursday--gotta love those flight delays!}

Saturday

• Seth (my brother) and Jaimee got married!!!

This, my friends, is the real reason for all of the craziness.  Not only was our family in charge of the luncheon (you know, groom's duties and all), but Awesome Chef Eva made all of the food for the reception.  And I do mean all--wedding cake, sheet cakes, pasta, appetizers, etc.  (OK, so she didn't make the cheese and/or crackers from scratch, but you get the idea.)  Notice how she got in on Monday night?  Yeah, we're only slightly crazy.  But, everything turned out in the end, with the help of an army of family members and friends.  Lots of people really like us, it turns out.  

Of course, summing everything up like this means that you're missing out on some of the best stories.  (You all know how much I like my stories!)  But, there's simply not enough time to write them all out.  So, if anyone is curious, the next time you see me ask me about blow-drying strawberries and warm potato salad.  And possibly flavored popcorn (although that will require video and may not be as fun for you as it was for me--just sayin').  

Up next: Adventures in Algae!

Circles and Squares and Afghans, Oh My!

Hi everyone!  It's that time again--the time where I'm starting a new crocheting project and I desire your input.  The newest one is going to be a blanket made out of a bunch of patterned squares (you can look at the pattern here to see what I mean).  I have already decided that it's going to be awesome.  However, I have a slight dilemma: I can't decide which pattern I like the best.  That's where you come in!  

Which do you prefer?

Option A

-OR-

Option B

I like them both, but I was really hoping to avoid having a mix of the two.  (I'm slightly OCD, in case you haven't noticed, so planning that out could be a nightmare.)  What do you guys think?