About Time!

For all those who are wondering where we disappeared to, this post is for you!

We have a new puppy sometimes called "el Diablo". He is actually a chocolate Lab named Tucker. He is a pure bred Lab and he completes the standard colors of the Lab family.We nicknamed him el Diablo because he tends to take after me... a little devil! If you are questioning me as being a little devil... I refer you to my childhood pictures, my mom made me a devil costume for Halloween... If your mom says it... it's true! Right?! Anyway, Tucker likes to tease (sounds familiar!) the other dogs and for the most part Sassy is very good with him and Brio tolerates him, most days.

Here they are after fresh made pancakes! They are all pancake hounds! It's a lot of fun to have them all around.

History

When someone asks me what I have been up to, and my response is just "work"... it kind of bothers me to some extent. My dad is an accountant and he keeps some pretty huge hours during tax season. I think that this year I might have actually logged more hours than him. Would he be proud of me for that? I don't know. What I do know is I have been putting the foundation and cornerstones in on a business, that will provide many years of productivity.

I am sure that I have talked about it before... how much work it is to resurrect a business that was a heartbeat away from flat lining. Once I got in there and put on my size 40 work shirt and size 1 hard hat, I started to realize that I had much more on my plate than I thought. It kind of reminds me of the sketty and jewt (spaghetti and mt. dew) days in college. It wasn't enough for us to eat sketty from a normal size plate... we had to use the pizza pan stacked high and at least a 12 pack of jewt for 2 people. Funny thing to me is I don't remember it taking a really long time to polish off that huge plate of sketty. I also remember having some pretty big friends, like Brandon Smith and Dave Gore... each of those guys were 6 foot 20 and weighed about 225... all muscle. And here I am a 5 nuthin' 135 lb freak and we were pounding so much sketty and jewt.

Back to the point... My plate with the store is like that pizza pan full of sketty. At the store I literally get to put away the noodles and deal with some noodle heads. I knew there would be both physical and mental challenges. I knew there would be people challenges and things that would take quite a bit of patience to overcome. Luckily for me that Mackay temper has stayed tucked away and rather gentle, almost like I forgot how to be mad... ha! Well for the most part.

So the challenges are still there and some are making me polish my mettle. I didn't count on all of the peculiar people coming out of the woodwork to try and force me down. There is a guy who applied for a job, and to his credit he was really diligent in his Inquisitions about a job, yet another candidate was selected for the open position. Then the guy who was not selected for the job says that I discriminated against him based on age. It made me stop and think about many situations, my responses and my reactions, even my pro-actions. I have always been very selective in my responses to those applying for a job, and specific enough to follow a dialogue based on principles so there may be no misunderstanding to what I said. Still someone is challenging me, and that is an opportunity to polish my mettle. We'll see how it all plays out. I have a really good woman to back me up. She helps to keep things in perspective and calm the temper.

No pictures this time. Just ramblings.

Spring!

Spring is finally here! I've always been the type of girl that really enjoys all the seasons wyoming has to offer (aside from the wind) but this year for some reason it seemed like winter was never going to end. When we moved to Thermopolis in November it was actually still warm which I didn't mind at all when I was making hundreds of trips in and out of the house with boxes, but then winter came and set up shop. For some reason I really got cabin fever and am really thankful now for the warm weather we have been enjoying and also the newness that comes with spring. As I've been walking each day the same scripture keeps coming to my mind. D&C 59:18 "Yea, all things which come of the earth, in the season thereof, are made for the benefit and the use of man, both to please the eye and to gladden the heart." Call me a sap but seeing the new baby animals, and the beautiful green hills have been very pleasing to the eye and have gladdened my heart tremendously. Here's some of my favorite spots in Thermop.

Got to love the canyon!

This is the area where I walk called Buffalo Creek Rd.

I just love these dutch belted cows. They look like OreosSome other favorite spots I love this driveway--It reminds me of Ann of Green Gables for some reason Several Canadian Geese stay here year round. It has been so much fun watching them with their new babies. Hopefully you can see them. My faithful walking buddies Brio and Sassy--they LOVE the river. The last six months have really gone by fast. Eric and I have been super busy. It was really weird going from teaching to working at the store, but it's been good for us to work together--oh the things you learn about your spouse when you have to work with each other! We see each other more this way and I feel more a part of the business, but sometimes I still feel like telling people that I would love to do story time with their kids while they shop. A couple weeks ago we made some larger changes to the store by adding new check stands. This poor little store needs some serious remodeling but for now this change has made a big difference. The cashiers had to empty the baskets with the set up on the old stands but the new ones have the belt that brings the groceries to you--big difference if you're standing up there all day.

Here's the before shot
The owners --Twin brothers Kent and Brent Foulger
This is one of the the owners--Brent Foulger. I told him I had some great black mail to send to his wife. There's no getting out of cleaning the floors at home now--I have proof that he knows how.
The finished product

It's my turn.

It's my turn now. I have been so neglectful of my opportunity to update this blog. Fortunately for you I have a few tidbits to share.

Of course this could turn into a huge story about how much work has consumed me and devoured my ability to think about or do anything other than work related stuff... However I am just going to relay a short story...

Our team at Blair's Market was full of new hires and team members who lacked training and discipline. You see, disipline is a key ingredient to sucess, whatever your view of sucess is. If you are disciplined (even if you are doing something wrong) you will be successful. Successful at finding a solution to your opportunity or finding an ani-solution; a way (or multitude of ways) that didn't produce the desired results.

A training session was in order. Perhaps you could have called this a mini seminar. An hour spent very wisely with a great message and a captive audience. We used a few lessons and examples to deliver the message of unity, discipline and example. And the results were fantastic! I delivered a challenge and a score card with opportunity to win and we have seen a change of attitude and an elevation of the status quo.

So enough about work...

We have a very special dog (two of them actually!) at our house. I am starting to see the age in him, and I get very worried about him. I am sure that you dog lovers know what I mean. Well, he loves to go for rides in the truck and since we had to get a new truck he doesn't know how to ride in it. In the old truck he could put his rump on the back seat and lean forward resting his front legs and chest on the center console. Since we bought a crew cab he has a ton more room... and his rump doesn't quite make it to the back seat. Since he went for a ton of rides in the old truck he was trained, how to sit and ride in the truck. In the new truck he forgets, that the back seat area is bigger and on every ride he goes on he tries to sit on the back seat and rest on the center console as before... and when he does he almost falls to the floor... because he doesn't quite reach! Even though he is a big dog! We have had many laughs about it, yet what makes it even funnier is the look he gives you when it happens! It almost breaks my heart as well when I have to help him in. Sometimes he feels really spry and can get in himself, other times he looks at me like "hey dad... a little help please."

Anyway, he is my Big Dog and he'll always be riding shotgun for me.

Just a note

So I had to speak in church last week with Mindy. We got selected not just because we are the new people in the ward, but also because our next door neighbor is in the bishopric and helped us move in (part of the payback) and also because John Winter is in the bishopric as well. I was very impressed with Mindy's talk. She always says that she is not a public speaker, yet her message was clear and her points were backed by thought, principle, and scriptures. Mine, however, was not quite as interesting, I could see many people nodding their heads and even a few of the old guys were drooling! ha ha

The topic was quite interesting for a sacrament meeting. We were to speak on family relationships. I was a little intimidated by the topic so I started to prepare my talk 20 minutes before we left for church. I kept asking Mindy to prepare a talk for me, but she just wouldn't. Darn the luck. Luckily Mindy saved the day and prepared such a wonderful talk that all I had to do was mumble a few words and fake a few people out for a minute and it was over!

Thermopolis is such a beautiful town. The other day Mindy was gone to SLC with her parents and there was a dash of sunlight left before darkness encroached on the high rise skyline. So I took Brio and Sassy out for a ride in the truck. We first headed out to the Buffalo pasture. We didn't see the Buffalo out on the pasture, they were all corralled up and feasting on some really green hay. But the pasture provides some really great views of the city. You see the town much differently from up there. From the Buffalo pasture we went out the county road (headed towards Worland) that is on the opposite side of the river. It's a dirt road and that's why you take them... just to see where they go. Lots of hay fields and micro ranches. As I passed by all these house I noticed they all had one thing in common. A big truck or trailer out front with huge water tanks on them. What a pain that would be to haul water every day.

We took a day to go back to Powell and Cody for pleasure and house business. I decided that since we had the whole day we might as well take the scenic route. We went to Anchor Reservoir and then out another dirt road 37 miles to the high way. That's why I love trucks! We had terrible traffic at one point... a herd of cows jamming up the road... no point in getting your road rage hemmoroid all fired up... they hear those cuss words all the time and they never catch on! It was a beautiful trip and I really found some nice places to explore on the wheeler.

It is quite different now for us... we just found out that on holidays we will have to speak, fight, or swindle our way for a room at my mom and dad's for holidays when everyone comes over. I guess now all my brothers and sisters can't call me a momma's boy anymore cause I moved so far away... wait a tick... I still live the closest!

Enough rambling. I have chores to do.

A Long Time...

These last few months have been very, very busy. We moved to Thermopolis. Looked forever for a place to live and settled on a little house to rent for now. I think that we looked at every house for sale here in Thermop!

When the 16th of November came I don't know that I was ready for what was about to happen. I was scared to death, thrilled, and nearly pee'ed down both legs a time or two! The condition of the store was a little worse than you could see from the outside looking in. We bought a semi truck of groceries and that was only a small improvement... 4 trucks later the store finally felt like it had product on the shelves even with the massive holes from where the previous owners had pulled the ordering information from items that sold out.

For the first few weeks Mindy stayed in Powell and I lived at the Super 8. Let me tell you, if you have the opportuninty to do that... or get kicked in the teeth with steel toed boots... take the steel toed boots! I lived there for almost a month with no fridge, no microwave, not hot water on some days and rusty orange-ish black-ish water on most days. Lucky for me I didn't have to be there all that much because the store required a lot of time. I was spending a 120 hours a week at the store trying to clean things up and make them presentable. Fortunately I am now able to only spend around 75-80 hours a week... maybe I'll get a part time job with all the free time I have! Ha ha

The work has been really rewarding. The people of Thermopolis have almost declared the store sacred ground. They were hungry for a store that treated them as a guest, and gave them a choice. The comments we still recieve are tear jerkers, and literally people still come up and introduce themselves, saying how appreciative they are we came to town. It really gives the 20 years of work prior to this a lot of validity. For 20 years I helped build the name Blair's Market, the brand, the end product... and for those who experienced it they loved it! It's also been a testament to Kent and his hard work. EVERYONE in Thermop has been to the Worland store, and they compare our little store to the Worland store. I have some pretty big shoes to fill. But I know that the hard work will be very rewarding to the guest. It won't be long and we will bust the seams on this little store and be begging the corporation for a store stretcher!

I do have to say that it is wonderful to be able to have Mindy at the store. Some days I know she questioned why I was so tired... now she knows that I don't sit in the office all day and point fingers and shout orders! She works really hard to help us be the best and she is a very valuable asset... and she lets me do what I love, serve the guest.

So for now, we survived the Holidays... and are looking forward to pushing the limits of this little store while we learn, grown, teach and have fun!

Here's the story...

I've been working for Blair's Market for the last 20 years. That's not really a secret to anyone. And recently our lives have changed significantly. And really the only reason why some of you are wondering "Why didn't you say anything?"... is because of confidentiality. We are moving to Thermopolis, Wyoming. The Blair's Market group has now expanded to 3 stores and we have been asked to operate the Thermopolis store. It is quite an opportunity that we are very grateful for. We are excited and scared all rolled into one. The biggest cause for concern though is timing. We start on Sunday Nov. 16th, 2008.

Here is how the story goes... This store was owned by a man who worked really hard and stuck it out through some really hard times. He eventually got his store to be a good producing store and also got to the age of retirement. He looked for buyers (we looked at this opportunity then, but passed) and found a married couple who wanted a business of their own. Lots of unfortunate events began to come to the new owners, to put it mildly and they got in a pickle. Contact was made about a sale to the Blair's Market group... and the answer was a surprising "no sale". A few weeks later around the first few days of October, an actual offer was made. This time circumstances had progressed/deteriorated (depending on your point of view) to the point of addressing the cold hard facts. Fact of the matter was the new owners were in need of a big bucket to bail them out of their situation.

As it turns out at the time of the offer in October there was a 99.9% chance that this deal would go through and we would be moving to Thermopolis, yet at every step of the way from the time of the offer and eventual acceptance of the offer we had to beat the 0.1% monster to the ground. It was quite an emotional, physical and psycotic journey. One day the 99.9% wins and the next three the 0.1%.... back and forth untill Monday the 10th of Nov. That is when the actual agreements to sale were signed. And since the new owner's situation had changed dramatically a final ultimatum was given to be out of the store on the 15th of Nov.

So, here we are. We are so grateful and blessed to have this opportunity. Mindy is looking forward to working directly and closely with her hard headed husband. She told me at one point that she would never work for me. Now I am glad that she said that, because she doesn't have to work FOR me, just has to work WITH me! ha ha We may be living in a van down by the river for a while... but we will make it! We haven't found a place to live, so the search continues.

So, if you are traveling through, stop by and see us. We are right on the main street of town. We'll update more when we get settled.