So give me coffee and TV.

"The easy states of black and white that I had know before did not apply. I felt, if I were to say any word, churned. Not as a verb but as an adjective. Happy + Frightened = Churned."
--The Lovely Bones, Alice Sebold

Some lovely words to begin with.

It was an exciting week -- I started at First and Shaw on Monday. So far, it's been great. All of my partners are ready for a change and am glad I'm there (thank goodness). My ASM, Dustin, is my biggest cheerleader -- ready to support me and learn. There's a lot to work on, both on the floor and in the business, but it's a challenge that, after three days of work, I know I'm ready for. I didn't sleep well Sunday night because I was a bundle of nerves, but those nerves are (mostly) gone. They've been replaced by boxing gloves because I'm ready to fight to make First and Shaw the best store in Fresno! (But not overnight, so if you come visit, be kind. Honest, but kind. :)

Balloons from Mom and Dad (aw, thanks!):


Last Friday, my parents came up to put together the (goshdarn) bookshelves before we went to the Faculty Guitar concert at Fresno State. By the time the shelves were together, I was exhausted (not that I really helped, but I had opened that morning). Mom and Dad offered to go home, but I felt awful that they'd driven an hour in rush hour traffic just to drill shelves so we decided to go to Costco for pizza then watch a movie. Have you seen The Pursuit of Happyness? Do yourself a favor and rent it this weekend. Better yet, buy it. It's a movie you should own and watch when you need a laugh or inspiration.

Saturday was my last day at Peach and McKinley; I opened then planned to go to the Sax Festival in hopes of seeing Pat play. It was not meant to be because I got a flat tire on my way to the bank! Thank goodness I had my spare and a jack and many kudos to Carly for sharing her wrench! After work, we wrenched the heck out of that tire and got it changed all by ourselves. Carly rocks. I took the long way home and planned to get the tire looked at that afternoon but ended up falling asleep on the couch with a kitty on my lap. That takes precedence over a little ol' tire ....

Sunday brought church at University Vineyard, where I saw Meredith from school. The service was nice -- an hour of worship led by their fantastic youth praise band. The sermon was about being a living sacrifice. I found it a little scattered but inspiring. Instead of following Sunday tradition (newspaper at Starbucks), I drove to America's Tire Co. -- they were closed! When I looked online for another tire place, they were all closed! People need tires on Sundays, too, people! Finally had it fixed on Monday morning because ATC is down the street from my store. And because they were able to fix the flat, it was free! America's Tire Co. on Shaw and Fresno -- this is a plug: go there!

Almost all of my Christmas shopping is done, praise be to God. I spent quite a bit of Tuesday online shopping, only a couple of people left. Money is tight, but more importantly, I want to give gifts that I hope my family and friends will enjoy, not something just to wrap and give away. It took a while to get inspired. Hope your holiday season is going well. Remember, be friendly to your neighborhood barista. She might have had a long day.

Good Things:

1. Sleep.
2. The internet for shopping and communicating and learning, oh my!
3. Being appreciated.
4. Starbucks commercials! (I just saw my first. Have you bought your Christmas Blend yet? Come to my store!)
5. Wonderful Fresno State jazz concert.
   
6. Christmas lights.
7. An awesome last episode of Heroes.
8. The possibility of rain. I refuse to let it get me down. Remember, Erica, you've always liked rain.
9. Sunshine.
10. "Take heart!"