Cedric Turned 2!

Cedric's birthday was this weekend and our little guy is two years old. I attempted to take cute pictures of him with the birthday hat but he refuses to cooperate in most situations, including this one. He mostly tried to eat the hat or ran away. I did get one though!

It hadn't rained in a few days, so after work, I scooped up the pups and we went to the dog park. It felt like the wind was an icy hand slapping my face for daring to go outside but the dogs had fun. Cedric's favorite activity is running. When it's paired with other dogs and chasing balls, he's the happiest boy in the world.

Adding Cedric to Our Pack
When I met Brandt, he had the sweetest chunkiest pit bull named Sandy. She was his first dog and helped me get over my slight fear of big dogs. I'd had some bad experiences with larger dogs and I had no desire to own one until I met Sandy. She got very sick just before Christmas and we made the difficult decision to end her suffering. Brandt was distraught and deeply missed his Sandy Bear. While Ellie and Sparrow are good dogs, they don't play much.

My mom knew I'd always wanted a Schnoodle (Schnauzer/Poodle) and found one near Wichita a few months later! We'd been looking around at dogs and puppies but nothing seriously. When we saw the picture of the little guy, we decided to take my mom up on the offer of adding a puppy to our pack.

Cedric looked very different when we got him. He was black and tan with almost no curls. I doubted he had much poodle in him but when we shaved him that summer, his hair grew back much curlier.
He was spunky and definitely a terrier. He was very bitey and always barking. Cedric brought excitement back into our grieving house.

Right after we got Cedric.

Where is the puppy?

He loved to crawl under the coffee table.

Ellie couldn't stand him at first but they grew to love each other. 

He had creepy vampire teeth and used them all the time.

Cedric was the dominate dog when it came to boxes!

All of our pups waiting for my sister to come inside.

My buddy.

Brandt was excited to have a dog with a beard and still is. They're beard buddies! Cedric is the best cuddle buddy with me and he goes crazy when it's time to play, which is what Brandt loves. Cedric runs up to us when he's done eating and burps to display his pleasure with the meal. When he gets excited, his stub wags so hard that his entire back side wiggles. 

He wants to do nothing more than play fetch and is constantly doing whatever he can to make us throw anything. He has a great maneuver where he puts the toy on the couch, sets his head on it, then wags his stub and whines until you reach for it. He's ridiculous because he never lets you grab the toy. He always pulls it away, brings it back, and whines because you didn't throw it.

Now time for Cedric pictures!!

Before Cedric's first haircut.

Cedric with his first haircut and fancy bow!

We weren't allowed to go to the bathroom without him.

Cedric is comfortable in the oddest position.

Cedric thinks he's a parrot even though he's huge now.

He can be high maintenance but he's so darn cute.

Cedric doesn't like to be left out when I'm on the hammock.

Buddy with his bee squeaker. Few squeakers lasted as long as that one.

Weird cuddler.

This is my favorite cuddle. He's so hard core when
it comes to cuddle time.

Cedric's second favorite activity is keeping guard.

Cedric loved Oregon and sniffing while I drive!

We watch the sun set together.

I love my boys!

Voting

Brandt and I both fulfilled our civic duties this weekend, and voted. In Oregon, voting is done by mail. It was extremely easy and I preferred this method because they also mailed a large booklet of information about all candidates and proposed measures that we could reference.

Voting doesn't matter in the presidential election because your vote is thrown away due to the electoral college, unless you live in a swing state. However, I still vote in the presidential election and firmly believe in voting at the local and state level. Brandt was watching Boardwalk Empire and thought of me during the first season because it was about women's suffrage. We shouldn't take for granted what our predecessors fought for and voting can make a difference.

"...remember the ladies, and be more generous and favorable to them than your ancestors. Do not put such unlimited power into the hands of the Husbands. Remember all men would be tyrants if they could. If particular care and attention is not paid to the Ladies, we are determined to foment a Rebellion, and will not hold ourselves bound by any laws in which we have no voice or Representation." - Abigail Adams 

How Voting Works in Oregon

We registered like normal and received postcards informing us that our ballots would be mailed in late October. I wasn't sure what I thought about it but kept an open mind. First, we received the Voters' Pamphlet, shown to the right. It contained write ups from every candidate and details about each ballot measure. The part I appreciated the most was arguments in favor of and opposed to the  measures. I found it helpful to consider the positives and negatives before making a decision. I don't like to make uninformed votes but researching measures can be difficult because the internet isn't always reliable. I also rarely took to the time to look in depth beforehand either. Then, when in the voting booth, it's nearly impossible to decipher what the measures propose and what they mean.

My Safeway card next to the booklet.

Our ballots came in the mail with a sheet of detailed information about each measure, a privacy envelope, and the return envelope. Of course, we waited and didn't mail them until Monday. However, we took our time when we voted and each scoured the pamphlet to make our decisions. Finally, we signed the back of our return envelopes and include our return address.

Negatives:

• You must affix a stamp and anymore, who has stamps? However, if you'd prefer, you can go down to polling centers and vote there. Another option is drop boxes placed around the community. So it's not that much of a negative, really.
• If you live with someone manipulative or controlling, they could force you to vote a certain way or do it for you.
• You could forget or not mail it in by 6 p.m. on Tuesday.
• I didn't get a cool sticker to show off that I voted.

Positives:

• This method is very convenient! I sat in our cozy living room with the smell of pumpkin spice filling the air as I voted.
• No need to worry about having an ID or finding the polling place.
• You don't have to leave work or stand in a ridiculously long line. Last time we voted, Brandt and I stood in line to have our IDs checked and then waiting again for a booth. I think it was about 30 minutes of standing and waiting.
• As mentioned above, I loved having the pamphlet with information readily available.

Overall, the process was easy, convenient, and informative. I didn't know about some of the ballot measures before this weekend. I was able to research everything as I was voting and if I'd wanted, I could have looked up more information online. It even helped to have the candidate statements when making a few of my decisions. Now here's one of my favorite quotes: 

Halloween is my Favorite!

Halloween has been one of my favorite times of year for as long as I can remember. I love dressing up and any excuse I can get to wear I costume, I take it! I also love the fall weather, candy, bats, pumpkins, scary things, the smell of campfires, and so on. My list of things I can't get enough of this time of year goes on and on.

Our favorite things.

A new reason to love this holiday came four years ago when Brandt and I started dating. We went on our first date in early October and spent one of early dates carving pumpkins.

Brandt and his Jack-O-Lantern.

Me and my artwork.

Our first picture together.

 We also went to a Halloween party together and Brandt dressed up even though he wasn't excited about it. His costume was simple but creative and he did it because he knew of my Halloween obsession.

Golf accident victim and cop.

In celebration of costumes, I'm going to post pictures of previous Halloween's below. There are much fewer parties when you're not in college and don't have kids, so I don't think we'll be going out this year. I may dress up for work tomorrow but I still have to be in uniform. We'll see what I come up with!

2005

Beauty Queen

I rewore my prom dress my freshman year of college. Keeping it cheap!

2006

I wore two costumes, each on a different night of celebrating All Hallow's Eve. Pictured with me is one of my wonderful roommates as a Gold Digger.

Swimmer

Angel

2007

Pirate

Continuing my trend of keeping costumes cheap, I put together a pirate outfit! I love pirates and one of my neighbors (pictured below) ended up being a pirate too so it was that much more fun. I drew my own "tattoos," featured below. Also, I had just turned 21 and we had a great time in Aggieville. 

2008

Greek Goddess

I finally splurged and bought a costume but didn't get that many pictures. My friend is a cereal killer but you can't really see her costume either.

2009

Vampire

Pictured with Captain Picard and Lady Gaga.

2010

Cop

I was a "big kid" and working, but we still got to dress up!

2011

Fisherman

This year was inspired by my nautical themed dog costumes. I painted my face with eye shadow to give myself a beard. Apparently, I was quite convincing! I drew my own tattoos again this year as well. Brandt surprised me with his (now infamous) squid hat and the four of us enjoyed the evening walking around Halloween Street in Wichita.

Pondering in my office at work and showing off my "beard" and tat.

Fishing for the giant squid!

My turtle, fish, and squid. Not a bad catch!

Had to add a picture of our Jack-O-Lanterns.

2012

Link from the Legend of Zelda games

Inspired by the video game exhibit at work, I made my costume. I sewed the shirt, hat, and sword belt then painted the shield.

Jack-O-Lanterns from that year.

 2013

Bat

I made a bat costume thanks to Pinterest. I cut up an old umbrella and sewed it to a hoodie. Brandt didn't dress up this year because he was working. My sister joined me and we took the dogs to Halloween Street.

Bat wing makeup.

Sparrow was a witch.

Ellie was a Jack-O-Lantern.

Cedric was a vampire.

Our Jack-O-Lanterns, not hard to guess who did which.
And Brandt did a second (the killer turkey).

My Thoughts on Working at Target

In high school, I worked at Wal-Mart and it has come to be the thing to which I compare horrible situations. I thought it was the worst job ever, then I had that job this summer "marketing" makeup. That made Wal-Mart look like fun. Target would seem like the same situation but so far, it's been great.

I knew Target would be different because they make a genuine effort to recognize their employees and to provide great customer service. They start by calling employees team members and customers are guests. While this is just terminology, it does help set a standard. We are encouraged to go out of our way to help guests find things.

I had such an experience last week when a couple was looking for a mattress topper that wasn't in stock. First, they were impressed that I could just scan the shelf and see how many were in stock in our store and others. I checked in the back and we were out so I offered to call another store. They were already appreciative and saying how great it was that I was going through this effort. We joked about the antiquity of the phone while I was on hold and I eventually found one at another Target and had them reserve it for the couple. They were astonished at my efforts and truly grateful. This is standard procedure and I didn't personally go out of my way. This set of procedures shows Target cares about finding what guests are searching for.

Team members are also encouraged to share stories about great things other team members, or even they, have done. There is a meeting in the morning and evening where some of those situations are shared. It helps recognize employees that are going above their regular duties and shares stories like my previous one to spread the good vibe. There is also a huge board near the time clock where we write out great moments and post them. Just the fact that the board is expected to be filled, showed me that Target wants the working experience there to be pleasant.

So far the two ladies in HR have always been smiling and welcoming. The leads have all expressed their desire to help me learn and genuine concern if I ever have a question. Coworkers have also been helpful with my unending questions and ready to show me how to do something new. I haven't felt devalued or disrespected at all, which is a nice change for retail work. I'm encouraged to problem solve, which I love, and given the authority to make decisions.

I've only been working at Target for about three weeks and today I was given the task of reorganizing the seasonal section. Last week, they put out all of the Halloween items and have none in backstock. This made for full displays and many unlabeled areas. I was told to label accordingly and flex items as I saw fit. My OCD and true love of organization were dancing in circles with excitement. Plus, my favorite holiday is Halloween so going through all of the merchandise was fun. I spent the entire time cleaning up and organizing the area. My lead checked in with me via radio half way through my shift to ensure I was doing OK but didn't hover over me or require approval for everything I did. It was a fun shift and I was proud of how it looked when I left. I know it will all be destroyed by close this evening but hopefully it can more easily be put back together now.

Overall, I'd rate working at Target quite high on my list of enjoyability. I'd like to be full time and better pay but I'm grateful that it's a good place to work. My coworkers are nice and I'm not stuck on a register! I think that helps make all the difference.

We Love a Good Deal

My life has been overwhelmed with work lately but I've finally found some time to sit and type. I am still working at Target but quit at Barnes and Noble due to schedule conflicts and an unprofessional work environment. I loved the job itself but that particular location wasn't run well. The only example I will give is that after I asked about transferring (and was told I couldn't for a year) the store manager asked why. When I started to explain the hour drive wasn't working she started shouting "Cry me a river!" on the sales floor and saying that this manager and that manager had long drives too. I didn't get a chance to explain that I was trying to make two part-time jobs work and those managers were probably getting more hours and better pay. I kept my mouth shut though. I had an interview last Friday and one at another place tomorrow. Brandt has an interview on Monday!

I aged another year recently. After college, it's been hard to keep track of how old I am or tell time relative to other events in the past. So this birthday feels much the same as the past five years or so. I had an overwhelming outpouring of birthday well-wishers on Facebook. It was nice to feel the love from so far away and was a reminder that Brandt and I aren't out here without support. I rarely splurge, especially not on myself, so I took the opportunity to buy some things we needed with my birthday money (and take us out to half-price dinner!).

I love getting a great deal or finding something awesome on sale. I've used my 10% Target discount, plus coupons, plus Cartwheel to save $20 each of the last two trips to Target to get things we desperately needed! Brandt has been cutting coupons like crazy and getting things like laundry detergent for $1. I don't buy something just because it's a deal if I don't need it though. That kind of defeats the purpose of pinching pennies if I spend all my savings on things we don't need.

We have desperately needed new sheets, comforter, and bed-skirt for more than a year. Cedric had a problem of ripping things apart when he was a puppy. He'd run into the bedroom and rip the sheets or tear a hole in the comforter. He even did it while Brandt was sleeping in the bed. Cedric did the same in our spare bedroom but we threw out those sheets and comforter when we moved. Here are some pictures of Cedric's work with my attempt at sewing things back together.

He ripped this hole open more than once.

This sheet lost part of the side, which we never found. I think he ate it.

This was a hole in one of the pillows.
It wasn't so comfy on your face when you're trying to fall asleep.

I have kept my eye out for new bedding since we moved and hadn't seen anything I liked. What I did like was much too expensive or came with 8 pieces. We don't need decorative pillows, especially since we don't even use the shams that come with the comforters so I was unwilling to drop $100 - $200 on things I didn't want.

I looked at Target, JCP, and Amazon, then decided to give Macy's a try. I'd never been in a Macy's since there aren't any in KS any longer and I never visited the one that was in Topeka. They were having a huge sale last weekend and I happened upon an awesome deal! I found the perfect comforter set with only one extra pillow. I also splurged and got new sheets. The total coast was about $55! I was quite proud of myself. Brandt was less impressed when he saw that the sheets I picked out were purple. When I told him that I almost bought the purple comforter, the dirty look left his face. So here is our new pretty bed, with Ellie as a model. Because any time we get something new, Ellie must sit on it if she can.

So thanks for the birthday money, dear family! You helped make our home look a little less sad and much more put-together.