New Job

Hello Everyone! :) I hope you had a nice September and enjoy the last two days of it. I've been busy lately with my new job and other things. On the 19th, I went to buy some scrub tops and pants for my job. It was fun picking them out!

On Friday, the 21st, my mom, grandma, and I went down to Illinois to stay with my aunt for the weekend. We arrived around 11:30 A. M.. My cousin Elizabeth was there with her little boy, Wyatt, who is also my Godson. We held him when he woke up. He's gotten so much hair since the last time I saw him! He's such a CUTE baby! My other cousin, Melissa, arrived soon with her son, Bobby. He's really cute as well. He can already crawl! I just remember when my cousins and I were kids and it's hard to believe they have kids now! Where did that time go? They always say the older you get, the quicker the time passes, and that's SO right! We were all really hungry, so we went to Panera Bread. I took my friend Taylor's advice and tried the Vegetarian Fiesta Con Queso soup and it was extremely delicious! Anyway, we went to get some things at the grocery store afterwards and then got some gelato to have after dinner. We ordered some really good pizza for dinner and then had the gelato later that night. It is so good that it's hard to believe it's lower in fat than regular ice cream!

On Saturday, my aunt, mom, grandma, and I went to the mall by my aunt's house. I went into the Borders there and talked to a manager. She said my book looked really good and she wants to have me there for a book signing on October 20th! I was so happy that I almost started to cry in the store, LOL. She's going to call me to confirm the date and everything. I also found some good deals at Charlotte Russe and then we headed for some lunch in Orland Park. We ate a place called "Harrison's" and it was pretty good. We then shopped some more and went to World Market, one of my favorite stores! They have items from all over the world. We had my grandma make Palacsinta for dinner that night. Palacsinta is a Hungarian dish pronounced "pul-a-cheen-ta", and it's the same thing as a crepe. We filled them with jelly and enjoyed them. We had more gelato for dessert! We always eat so much when we go to my aunt's house in IL, but we have a blast! We came home the following day.

On Monday, I went in the morning to get my other TB test and thankfully, didn't get dizzy. Later on, I got into my scrubs and went to work. I met with my supervisor, Betty, and she was really nice. It was actually my first time meeting her. I met other supervisors in the department, but she was sick the day I was supposed to interview with her. She said I'm the first person in seventeen years she's hired without interviewing with personally, so I took that as a huge compliment!

After I talked with her for awhile, I talked with Paula, who heads up the catering department. They deliver in the whole clinic and hospital, so it's A LOT to memorize! I hope I can handle all of it! Everyone seemed pretty nice though, so that's good. I was trained by a girl named Tiffany who was kind also. I mostly help with getting the trays ready to send to patients and then help clean things up.

Tuesday I had orientation, which was mostly computer training. After the instructor was done, we all had to take tests on the computer and then we could leave. I was done in about an hour, which wasn't too bad.

On Wednesday, I was trained by a girl named Amber who was really nice also. It went pretty well. I also did the same thing on Thursday night. Before my shift on Thursday night, I also had my first day of catering duties. It was an easy day, since I served punch and cake for a retirement party. I got to wear an apron and I really enjoyed talking to people!

Yesterday was the first day of the 35th Annual Cranberry Festival in Warrens, Wisconsin. People (mostly women), come from all over Wisconsin and the Midwest to attend. There are thousands of vendors and the whole town is loaded with things to buy and things to see. I went with my mom and aunt Maureen. We ate some junk food and walked around for hours. I found a pretty picture to hang in my bathroom, which was just painted and wallpapered recently. We stayed until 5:00 P. M. (It closes at 6:00.) We then came home and ate grilled cheese sandwiches and watched "Ghost Whisperer."

That is all the news for now. Thanks for reading! :)

Love,

Aubrey

My Birthday

Hello everyone! :) I hope you had a wonderful Labor Day weekend and a nice start to your September! Happy Birthday to anyone who also has a September birthday! My birthday was on September 6th. That morning, I went out to breakfast with my good friend, Dee, and her adorable grandson, who's a year and a half. He kept making this cute little laugh. Dee gave me an ornament from Hallmark that I wanted and several of my favorite candy bars, which have all been eaten, LOL. Later on, my mom and I went to the town of Rudolph, which is less than thirty minutes away. We went to the Grotto Gardens which was just too beautiful for words! It was mostly religious statues that were so pretty and gorgeous flowers. Some of the stones were from Italy! It was behind a Catholic church and school. There was also a cave you could go in that had pretty light-up religious things. Some parts of the ceiling were really low, though, and I almost cracked my head twice! But I made it without hurting myself. We also got this really good ice cream that they make in Madison, yum!

That evening, we went to my brother's and met my aunt at Noodles for supper. I got a free meal since it was my birthday. We then got a yummy cake from the Coldstone Creamery and went back to my brother's to eat it. I got a lot of nice gifts and cards. All in all, it was a pretty great birthday!

On Monday, the 10th, my mom and I went back up to Door County. I checked on the bookstores I'd given books to. We then went to downtown Sturgeon Bay, which is a really cute town. We went into a HUGE Hallmark store which had two levels. I hate to admit it's nicer than the one I used to work at, but it was the best one I'd ever been in! We walked across the street to one of the Door County Confectionery shops, yum! It smells like melted butter and chocolate before you even enter the building! It was too good to pass up, LOL. We then headed on to Ephraim for lunch at Wilson's. It was QUIET in there compared to last time. After lunch, we walked around Egg Harbor, but didn't buy anything.

Last Friday, the 14th, I went with my parents down to Illinois to say with my grandparents. We went out to eat at this place called "Meson Sabika." It was really delicious! We each ordered a cold dish, then a hot dish, then dessert. We went shopping and to a wine festival the following day. I got in for less since I don't drink wine. There were other things to drink and lots of foods to sample. It was interesting! We came home on Sunday.

Today, I had to go to the hospital to get my picture taken for my badge and to get set-up on the payroll and all of that. Then, I had to go to the Employee Health room and get a TB test and have my blood drawn. I went down this LONG hallway to a part of the hospital I didn't even know existed! Anyway, I had a lady named Ann and she was SO nice to me! She checked my pulse and all of that, and then said I could lie down and she'd draw my blood. She even checked both arms to see which one would work better. I talked the whole time she was doing it, because I didn't want to think about what was going on. Then, she let me sit for a minute and then did the TB test, which didn't really hurt, but it pinched. Then I sat up and sat in the chair and felt really faint. She had to get me some water and then asked me what else I like to do, so I told her about my book. I felt less and less light-headed the more I talked, and then it went away completely. I gave her one of my pens and she thanked me. I thanked her for being so patient with me. I wish I didn't get so light-headed sometimes, but I do. :(

Anyway, that's it for now! Have a great week! :)

Love,
Aubrey

Fun at the Fair

Hey everyone! Hope you've had a wonderful August! I can't believe it's September already, and in five days it's my birthday! Time sure does fly by!

Anyway, lots has happened since my last blog. Sorry about not writing sooner! :( I guess I should start where I left off. On Friday, August 10th, my boss gave me and two other ladies a "good-bye breakfast" at Perkins. I got a nice card from everyone and a beautiful church that plays "Silent Night", my favorite Christmas song. August 14th was my last day at Hallmark. I will miss everyone because they became nice friends, but I know I did the right thing. I got a job at the hospital, but don't start for almost four weeks!

I went to see Hairspray on August 15th with two ladies I used to work with. We had a fun time and it was a cute movie! Two days later, I went to Steven's Point (a city about 40 minutes away), with my friend Dee. We ate the IHOP in Plover, the town right next to Steven's Point. We looked around some shops in the area, but didn't buy much. We also looked at the furniture store, since Dee was looking for a new recliner, but she didn't see anything. So then we went to the Coldstone Creamery for ice cream, yum! :) We stopped at an antique store on the way home, just to look around. It was such a fun day! It got even better, because shortly after I got home, I got a call from the Book World store in Marshfield, saying all five copies of my book sold, and she wanted five more copies! So I was really glad to hear that!

I didn't do much exciting for the next few days. On Thursday, August 23rd, I went with my aunt Maureen on the road again. We stopped at several places, but the two places I had luck in were Wisconsin Dells and Baraboo. Wisconsin Dells is a big tourist attraction and known as "The Waterpark Capital of the World." I dropped off some copies at the Book World there. We had lunch in Baraboo and I also dropped off some copies at the Book World there as well. We got stuck in some rain on the way home. It rained pretty much the whole week!

On Monday, August 27th, I went for my interview at the hospital. The kitchen area (where I'll be working), is HUGE, but really nice. I heard about the job on Thursday. I spent the rest of Monday and most of Tuesday, baking things to enter in the fair. I went with my mom to judging on Wednesday. I entered five things, and won 4th place on three of my things! My corn bread, peanut butter cookies, and whole wheat cookies all won 4th place. It wasn't as good as 1st, but I was still happy, since I won a pink ribbon and a $1.00 for each item.

My mom and I went back to the fair on Thursday for the photo judging. I didn't win anything, but I still had fun. We went on two rides. I get sicker on rides than I used to, so two rides were enough for me! We also got some ice cream. They have amazing soft serve there!

Anyway, I guess that's it for now, so I'll write again soon!

Have a great Labor Day weekend! :)

Love,

Aubrey