Friday, September 22, 2006

Jeff - Jeff and the Puyallup Fair




I hadn't been to the Puyallup fair in ages... and my friend Jeff and I decided that we would go this year since we didn't get to go to Wild Waves. So we planned to go on Thursday because there was going to be a couple of Christian bands there. I decided that I would get the tickets at Costco because they were so much cheaper... saved 4 bucks per ticket! But that really didn't matter because I ended up giving two of them away at the fair because it was just me and Jeff and you can only get four at a time at Costco; they sell in bulk, what do ya do? Anyway, Jeff and I ended up leaving at 3 in the afternoon because Jeff had college and a little bit of trouble with his car. But no problem, that means we would get there around 4, right? Wrong! You see, I was following one of my friends dad because I thought that he was going to the fair, which he was, but that wasn't his first stop. So when we realized that my friends dad wasn't going to the fair right away, we had already passed the exits. So Jeff and I decided to take the back roads because the other side of the freeway wasn't moving all that well. This wasn't the smartest idea, considering we didn't know the back roads in the first place.
After about an hour of driving and asking some people, we found our way to the fair. My friends dad even beat us there. So the only thing that we did at the fair was the concerts, which wasn't all that bad. It was a lot of fun.
The first show that we watched was the Konzelman family. This family is a Christian family who play folk music, it is really cool! The two oldest boys are actually friends of mine, and they are really talented. After listening to them play, we all went to the stadium and sat in the free seating and watched three bands play. These bands were: David Crowder, Third Day and I don't remember what the third band was called... grrr. Anyway, they were awesome! I am not the biggest fan of music that is really loud, but the message that they had was really cool! Third Day was the core focus band at the fair. David Crowder and the other band were openers... but I think that most people were there for David Crowder... I know I was! He was awesome, but so was Third Day.

Well, it was a fun day, but a crazy one. Definitely a day that I will remember. I wonder if I should invest in a GPS system... nah, I would still probably get lost.

Wednesday, September 20, 2006

Crazy floor


Costco, a place of happiness, peace, and joy... a place where anyone can find solitude and forget their worries in their everyday lives. A place where people can relax, and never have to worry about anything... Well, at least for the members. As for me, I am an employee. So Costco is a place of work. And boy, that is exactly what it was yesterday.
Yesterday was the first time that I had the responsibility of being the top guy on the night crew. And that just means that I get to tell everyone what to do. Muhahaha. But it wasn't as easy as I thought. I mean, I never really thought it to be that easy, but I didn't think it was going to be as hard as it was. Not only did I have to tell people where they were working that day, I had to write there lunch schedules, make sure that they were taking their breaks at the right time and also... run the floor. Now I have assisted in running the floor before, which isn't that bad. But this was a different story. I usually am given a section on the floor, like the aisles, and get to focus on those for the whole day. But yesterday, I had to focus on all of hardlines, centers, candy, and the end caps. Not to mention some of the back aisles. And today was a slow day... thank goodness. I definitely have a lot more respect for my friends that run and have ran the floor. You guys rock! You guys make it look easy.
It was fun though, I will say that. It is something that I would probably do again because it is a place where I get to help people all the time. That in itself makes it a sweet job.

Sunday, September 17, 2006

Stratego

Strategy games... not something that I would say that I am good at, or understand for that matter. You can ask my brothers. They on the other hand love strategy games, and are really good at them. But me, I don't really care for them. Maybe it is because I am just not interested in computer games that much, and yes I was talking about strategy computer games. So one day at my apartment, my roommate Steve decided that he wanted to play a board game, and I was like, "Sure, sounds like fun." Loan behold, it was a strategy game. Stratego was its name, which pretty much means strategy. But then I thought, "This will be different... it is a board game." Yeah, I was wrong. Not only did Steve pulverize me, my strategy was so bad that if I was drafted to the army, yeah they would send me back on stupidity leave, or something like that. It was fun though, I will admit that. But I definitely need to work on my strategy, that much is certain.

Tuesday, September 12, 2006

Didn't quite make it...

My roommate Steve likes the chair that we have in our apartment. It actually belonged to my best friend's parents. But that has no relevance to the story. You see, not only does Steve like to sit in the chair, he also likes, or can't help it, to fall asleep in the chair. He has probably fallen asleep in that chair as many times as he has sat on it, almost anyway. His favorite time to fall asleep on that chair is when we are watching a movie... actually... I have a lot of friends that do that... huh. Anyway, the other day, as you can see, Steve didn't quite make it all the way onto the chair. I took pictures of him while he was sleeping, and yes he is asleep when I took this picture. He doesn't even know that I took it. I guess all I can say is, sweet dreams Steve! And he is going to kill me when he finds out.

Monday, September 11, 2006

All In Britton!


The poker tables were set, the chips were even and everyone was ready for the game to begin. Me, my dad, my brother Brian and a friend of ours, Mr. Long, were all dealers at the four tables we had set up. My younger brother Britton was turning 16 and decided that he wanted a poker party, so we gave him one! 28 people showed up, and only one person would claim the championship. And that person was not Britton unfortunately... no Britton took 27th place because he tried to bluff his way in to winned some chips and ended up losing all of his. But I can't talk much because I was right behind him getting 20th place... lame! But losers really didn't have that much to complain about. For in the losers loung, and yes we did have a losers loung, was all the food you could eat in one room, and four TVs set up so people could play video games, which was in this case, Halo. But you wouldn't catch me playing that game, no thanks. It didn't matter anyway, being the dealer, I was obligater to stay at my table and deal the rest of the game.
At the final table, 8 people remainded... but only one stood his ground. And me, I was the dealer because I drew the short straw amongst all my other fellow dealers. The final table took probaly a good 2 hours because there was so many chips on the table. When three people remainded, it was taking about 15 minutes per hand because there were so many chips to count. So what I did was convert the chips so they wouldn't have so many in front of them. It went a lot more smoother.
After about 5 more hands, it was down to the final two. And that only took one hand when they both decided to go all in... and Shane Wallace was the winner! After that we gave Britton his gifts and then we all said our goodbyes. It was a good day!

Thursday, September 07, 2006

Recording


It was a quarter after three, and I had to be at work at 5. "So what are we going to do," I asked Steve? Record... duh.
Steve and I have known each other since our freshman year in high school. I really think that it was God that brought our friendship together. God even gave me and my brother the chance to witness to Steve, and now he is 100% believer in Jesus Christ our Savior, how awesome is God... totally awesome!
Recording is something that both Steve and I enjoy, and now that we are roommates, we get to record a lot... it is sweet.
Oops, got to go, it is my turn to record!

Tuesday, September 05, 2006

The Smack Talker


I usually don't talk smack, it really isn't my style. But when I do, it gets shoved right back into my face. And that is exactly what happened on Labor day.
My parents, little brother and I decided that we would all go to Oregon to visit my older brother Brian and his wife Melissa over Labor day weekend. My brother and I both work at different Costco's and we both got Labor day off because Costco is closed on Labor day. Anyway, my mom and Melissa decided that they would rent a chick flick while all of us guys would go play some golf... miniature golf that is.
Now I was filling pretty good, for the last time I played on this course, I was un-defeated. And that is where I should have left it. Instead, I decided that I would talk a little smack... not good.
We decided to play the whole 36 hole course. The first 18 wasn't bad, but the second... yeah... not what I had planned. I got beat, and not just by a few strokes... Brian whipped me. It is something that I know he is not going to let me forget either. So the moral of this story is, don't talk smack, because it will come back to bite ya. And sometimes it brings out frustration when things don't go your way, and that isn't good either. I will get my revenge Brian! In a loving way that is.

Sunday, September 03, 2006

Unbelievable...


I just got back from the hospital, and I actually live about 7 miles away. But the problem is... I can't get in my house! Why? Because my roommate is a heavy sleeper. Good guy, but heavy sleeper! You see, I have keys, but we have this lock on the inside that can only be locked or unlocked from the inside... lame! So I am in my car, trying to get some sleep waiting to see if Steve happens to wake up and notice the bazillion voicemails on his phone. I mean, I even tried ringing the door bell... and nothing. I will never let him live this one down. So I sit here in my car... still lame.

Voicemail

I actually like getting voicemail, it always makes me feel like someone cares about me, but this last voicemail that I received was not a favorite of mine. It was about a quarter after nine, and I just arrived at my parents house. Joby and I were planning on going to Packwood the next morning to the swap meet that happens every year. My parents had my new phone for me (that is another story) and when I opened it, it said, "New Voicemail." I was like, "Sweet!" But I felt totally the opposite when I heard what the message was. It was Joby, and his brother Elisha had just been in a boating accident involving the propeller. He was rushed to St. Peters Hospital in Olympia and at the time of the message, he was in surgery. My heart felt like it had leaped out of my chest and the chill that ran up my spine is something that I will never forget. My parents new that look that I gave after hearing the voicemail on my phone, a look that they don't see too often. I quickly tried to call Joby on his phone... no answer. I tried again... still no answer! "He must get no service in the hospital," I assumed. Then my parents suggested that I try their house... why didn't I think of that... I don't know. After calling the house and talking to Liddy, Joby's sister, I found out that Elisha was OK. That was the biggest reliever ever! All I could think of at that moment was, God is AWESOME! The propeller did however end up cutting his thigh to the extent that he will have to probably be on crutches for about 6 weeks. By the grace of God, the only other thing he got was some scrapes and bruises on his stomach. I later ended up going to the Hospital that night. It was good to see a smile on Elisha's face and knowing that he is going to be just fine. I had brought him some movies and he asked me if any of the special features involved a man getting caught by a propeller of a boat and dying? I said, "No, of course not." "Good, cause that is kind of a soft spot in my life," he said with a smile. I laughed. It was nice to know that even after this crazy day, Elisha still had his sense of humor. This proves that God is absolutely amazing. The doctors said that the cut on his leg couldn't have happened in a better place. I just want to say, "Thank you God for taking care of my friend." The bad thing that came out of this though, is I will be expecting the worse now when it comes to listening to my voicemail.