Earthen Vessel

So much time has gone by since I last posted on my blog! I have been getting adjusted to my new job at Starbucks. I have been much busier since I have started working again and I have been wanting to use my time differently than working on my blog as much as I used to. Since I am not going to be able to post every two or three days I am going to start posting one day a week. I am thinking the day I will pick is Saturdays. Saturday evenings are usually a very leisurely time for me and it would be a perfect time to curl up on the couch with the laptop and do some blogging. :)

My job at Starbucks is so much fun! I love it! At first it is very intimidating and I wondered what I had gotten myself in to. I thought that especially the first morning they had me working the drive-thru at the busiest time of the day! But I survived and learned A LOT that day. I never knew how much work actually goes in to making someone their cup of coffee and making sure they get it in a timely manner. I have been working there a month and a week and I am now very comfortable and everything is so much easier. The only thing left for me to really learn is how to make the drinks. I had a little lesson the other day on the basics but then they leave it up to you to practice when you get the chance and learn how to make all the different drinks. So during the slower times of the day (which are few and far between) I will ask if I can make a drink or two and they are very happy to let me practice. I am really getting comfortable with making the cold drinks. Yesterday we got pretty busy and since it was a warm day lots of people were ordering Frappaccinos and I would jump in a help when there was a long row of drinks that needed to be made. It was a lot of fun.

A typical shift for me has me arriving at 5:30am. There is usually just two other workers there at this time because this is a very slow time of the day. I usually get the warming area ready for when people order breakfast sandwiches and pastries they want warmed up. Then I just look around and do whatever I see needs to be done like stocking cups, brewing coffee and arranging the pastry case. Around 6am more co-workers arrive and the rush usually starts. I am then busy warming up food, brewing coffee, making coffee bases for cold drinks, writing orders on the cups for the barista and answering the drive-thru when the person who is doing it is swamped with doing something else. I will also call the line up front which means asking people what drink we can start making for them before they even get to the register. I also really like keeping my warming area clean and tidy. It makes things a lot easier for me and I can get the food warmed and to the customer quickly when things are organized the way that is best for me. I am wearing a head-set at this time so I can hear when someone in the drive through orders something that needs to be warmed up. I also must keep an ear out for customers in the front who want something warmed up as well. If someone in the drive-thru orders something from the pastry case I usually grab it and take it to the drive-thru. And this is only some of the things I must do during my shift. Obviously this job requires lots of multitasking and concentration. But it just gets easier and easier each day I work. I also love the fact that there is always something that has to be done so there are never times of boredom and staring at the clock wondering when you will be able to go home. Most days I lose track of time and the supurvisor on shift that day has to remind me that it's time for me to go home! I am very thankful for the job I have and the fact that I do not dread going to work at all, I look forward to it!

My Uncle Phil was married to Maxine on June 16th. My mom went down to LA for the wedding and was the photographer. They were married in Penn Park which is located in very pretty uptown Whitter.
















We had a very nice 4th of July. I had to be at work at 5:30 the next morning but that did not keep me from shooting off fireworks and enjoying a bonfire. The Riley's and the Waldock's from church came over to my parent's house. We had a BBQ and a bonfire. The weather was beautiful and hot so for a while none of us even wanted to go and sit by the fire because it was just too hot. But once the sun went down behind the trees and it was shady then sitting by the fire was muchWe had a very nice 4th of July. I had to be at more pleasant. It didn't get completely dark until 10pm and then we brought out the fireworkd. Mary and Deborah Riley and I were the ones who shot off the fireworks for everyone. At one point Mary tried to light a couple small fountains at the same time and one of them got knocked off the ladder we had set up and fell on her arm. She was able to hit it off before it went off though but she got a small burn on her arm. That was the only incident though and everything else went with out a hitch. It was so nice to have the Riley's there since they are moving to Texas in a couple weeks. Major Joe Riley is a Chaplain in the Army and he just got back from Iraq because they reassigned him to Texas. Mary Riley is trying to find a full time job here in Washington so she can stay. Deborah is going Seattle Pacific University in the fall and so she will be returning then.

On July 6th my dad went in for back surgery. He had a bunch of herniated disks and pinched nerves. One of his legs was going numb because of it and they said if he didn't get the surgery soon his leg would go permanently numb. Yesterday after the surgery they had him up and walking around and he already had a lot more feeling back in his foot and shin. He is doing really good, but is pretty sleepy from the pain medication. I guess as he heals up he will see even more improvement!

So that is an update on what has been happening. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend! :)