Ready for the year to come to a close

I had a good Christmas. Got to talk to family, and eat good food.

Kallen took a nap while I watched a Christmas movie on Hallmark

Work is slowly starting to pick up. All week I thought the Oregon Ducks were staying at the resort-- nope it was Michigan State. I didn't realize there were two bowl games in AZ. So, when I talked to a player on Wed I was really confusing him. (Note Michigan State and Oregon have the SAME colors....) I told him I was from Kansas and don't know what else I said....he was nice and played along like he cared. I will have you know that Michigan State beat TCU--so the resort continues to house the winning team!  So, the bowl game with K-State is still coming up and no, neither team is at the resort.I also learned that K-State is NOT playing for the championship. Man, I should really stay away from football and acting like I know something! Sheesh.

No plans for the New Year-- I work Mon and Tues. So, I bet I don't stay up or go anywhere... It hasn't been a big deal for me in years.

Today we talked about serving in the temple during our 5th Sun .Rs/ Priesthood. Sometime towards the end of 2013 the Gilbert Temple will open, then about 6 mo. later the Phoenix Temple will open....so that is 3 temples within 40 min of me!!! Exciting. Maybe I should call the temple to see if they still have my referral.

I hope you all had a good Christmas and have a safe and happy New Year!

Ready for Christmas

Wanted to take a pic of my place to show my cute Christmas decorations

My love of books and Christmas!

I know I have said it, but I will say it again-- I love my little place! Shockingly I am really not home that much. Between work and trying to get to activities I am usually gone, but I love it.

We had a GREAT meeting at church today. I have some SUPER talented musicians in my ward. The music was just beautiful today. I will join the ward choir next year. I probably should have for Christmas, but I didn't think 3 Sun would be enough time to learn the music. So, today I just enjoyed being in the congregation. I also found out that starting in Jan. I will get to be in a family history course for 14 (?) weeks. Kind of nervous about it, but I should do it right? 

I have had a few work (Spa) Christmas potlucks. I took wassail once-- most had never heard of it! WHAT? Then this weekend I took my cocomotion and showed them what hot chocolate is supposed to taste like. That was a success. I love that thing. I love my hot chocolate! Now that coffee mate makes tasty creamers I like adding that to my coco and YUMMY!

Will spend Christmas with Rachel and family. I bought a Cake Boss cake!!!! I love that we can get his cakes at our local store! I hope it tastes as good as I want it to. It is decorated as a birthday cake...Jesus' birthday right?! Kinsee loves Buddy as much as me so I know she will get a kick out of it. 

December has flown by and it has been a good month. I am getting more training done at work and that has been fun. Everyone should have a scrub with a vichy shower. AWESOME.... and a "wrap" in a steam capsule. I do love my job. 

The Oregon football team will be staying at the resort this week--now that won't mean anything to you, unless you know that they are playing KANSAS STATE in the Fiesta Bowl---- the resort has a little bit of a history with having bowl game teams: the team that stays with us usually wins. I AM DEVASTATED! I want  K-State to be at the resort!!! I don't pay attention to football, but just that fact that my home state is playing for the CHAMPIONSHIP means they should win. So for the sake of the resort I hope the "rule" is broken this year.(Think I will get to massage a football player?--hmmm) On a side note--when the bowl game is being played the resort is having its Christmas party! Empty the resort so we can party!

Merry Christmas! Love you all!

Apartment Living

I am getting all settled. And I am starting to use my new things (pots and pans...kitchenaid mixer...) It is fun. I will take a pic eventually-- but I still have some things to get before I do-- so just wait. Sunday I woke up and went to take out my nightguard. I didn't have my glasses on and I hadn't turned any lights on..... I grabbed my case and FELT SOMETHING-- a GIANT cockroach!!! I screamed-- then got a shoe and killed it. Monday I called the office. They have a standing appt with a bug company so my apt. will be sprayed Thursday. That was the first and only bug I have seen--so far. At least it wasn't a scorpion. I may have to move if I see one of those! I just hate bugs. I like my ward so far. The RS pres. will come visit me tonight. I hope my records get transferred soon. I feel a little homeless as I need to do tithing settlement! I have been good about going to singles activities. I really like institute. The other activities are fine too-- seems like I never see the same people twice though. Guess that's good since I don't know that I would really want to go out with too many of the guys I have met ;-)

I really liked Skyfall. He does a good James Bond-- 

This CD has been on in my car for the last 2 weeks. No, I didn't watch him on American Idol, but I REALLY like his music.

Thanksgiving

November really has been a blur. I got back from Utah and started full time at the spa. I got the stomach virus and missed my RS meeting that I helped to plan :-(

I MOVED!!!!! I am now living in Chandler, AZ. 10 min from the spa. I LOVE it! It is a 1 bedroom apt. I thought I would run out of space, but thankfully things are fitting. I don't have a pantry so I need to put together a "closet" that I got at Home Depot. It will be my pantry. Maybe my new home teachers can help me. My Sis and I tried to do it, but we messed up on "squaring" it so the doors aren't right. 

The move was a little emotional as well. I opened boxes that I haven't looked in since I moved from Kansas when I was getting divorced. I also ran across things from my Mother. I put out Christmas decorations and found a bunch of old Christmas letters. She was so good at that. She just loved us so much-we were her world. It just feels good to be on my own-- have my own space. I look forward to having time for "single" activities. 

My new ward seems nice. A really good mix of young and old. I'm not the only single member!!! YAY!!!

So, now you are caught up on my life. It's been busy. I'm sure December will fly by as well!

Oh-- happy 40th birthday to my big brother!

Utah Trip

My nephew Graeme turned 8! I got to go to Utah for his baptism!

3 Generations of Eoff men!

Doesn't Graeme look handsome in his suit?! He was a trooper with all the pics!

Eoff family

All of us. It was a special day.

Me and the birthday boy! 

Darlene is part of the family. 

Had time to go up Provo Canyon and play with my camera. Such beautiful weather!

It was such a good trip. I got to eat at my favorite places with my favorite people.  Best of all I got some good sleep!
I hope this post lets Graeme know I love him and will be better at taking pics of the Eoff bunch when I am in town. Perhaps in Jan I can take some family pics/ individual pics of them? YES??!!

Texas Trip

I am FINALLY getting to update my blog! I will do it in a few posts-- so here is the first one. 

Mid-October I got to go see my Daddy in Texas. It was a FAST weekend, but full of fun. I got in on Wed- we met up with my friend, Kathleen. We went to a yummy seafood cafe. I had fish tacos-- I love fish tacos. Maybe I can convince my brother to make me some when I go see him in January? Yes. please? Anyway it was a fun lunch. Then it was back to the house because Dad was making dinner for a group of friends to come over. More good food.  More fun. Between Tom Nelson's stories and Dennis Neitzel's stories it was a fun evening. Such fun stories of when they were in the Navy and Air Force. Amazing times they had. Sadly I don't remember Thursday.... Friday Dad and I went to the Dallas Arboretum. They were having the pumpkin patch and a Chihuly exibit-- here are some of my favorite: 

I had never seen so many pumpkins. I should have taken more pics. They made children's books come alive with the pumpkins-- like Cinderella's carriage etc. SO COOL!!

The pictures don't do these justice. AMAZING! They had a hail storm before I got there-- only 2 parts of a set were damaged. Some were made specifically for Dallas. I think I should start collecting his art. I really loved it. 

I got to do a card exchange and dinner with friends. It was great. 

Saturday I got to meet up with my friend, Heather. It was so good to see her too. Ah, I miss my Texas friends.

Mostly I went through boxes to get ready for my big move. It was a little emotional going through boxes. My Mom kept SO MUCH....she would be mad at me for throwing so much away, but what am I going to do with it? Most of it was school things-- papers, newspapers, awards. I probably should have scanned some things in and saved it that way...but no. I tossed it. I did keep my old stuffed animals. Heather convinced me to keep them. I did have a 3rd grade paper that asked about me. One question was what makes you mad-- I answered my brother!!! Lol.. wonder what he did to make me mad. Another question was what is the biggest problem-- I said pollution. My teacher thought that was funny. On any of my grade cards--standardized testing my lowest area was spelling. HA! I am a terrible speller still! Thank goodness for auto-correct!

Then Dad and I drove to AZ. Rachel was moving houses so we got to help her move...fun. I HATE MOVING!!

Decision Made!

I have decided to stay in AZ. Job security means a lot to me right now in this phase of life! I started apartment hunting and I found a place only 10 min from work!!!! I will live in Chandler. I will have a 1 bedroom apartment. Only 625 square feet--big enough for me! I am so excited to have my own space. I have never lived by myself--I'm sure I'm in for an adventure!!
In November I will start full time at the spa. Full time is 30 hours-- which is only 4 days a week!!! I would love to only work 4 days, but I will work 1 day at Massage Envy. That can be my vacation money.
Feeling blessed, excited, nervous-- it will be weird to go to Church and be by myself.

Sister's kids had Fall break. We went to the Wildlife World Zoo. It was a lot of fun.

Only pic of me

Love those fishies!

Saling Family

Flume ride= FUN

This week I get to to see my Dad in Texas! So excited for that!!!

Decisions

I am not very good at making decisions. And, I have had to make one in the last little bit. I have lived with my sister for over a year now, and it is time for me to move on. But where to move to? I debated between Utah and Arizona. It has been so hard to decide. I love my family in Utah and miss them and my friends so much!!! I also love my family here and have just started to like Arizona.... Ultimately it came down to my ability to work and care for myself.(and a matter of fasting and prayer of course!) In Utah I would have a hard time finding a spa or massage job that would pay enough to allow me to have just one job. So, I am staying in Arizona. I hope to start full-time with the Aji Spa in November. After 6 months I will get benefits etc. We find out in the end of Dec. beginning of January if we have made the select Forbes 5 Star rating. If that is accomplished then I will have no problems finding a job in the future.
static.howstuffworks.com/pdf/spa-criteria.pdf 
click that link if you want to know about 5 Star Spas. 
I am now looking into apartments--just a little one bedroom will do. I want to be close to the spa, which will then allow me to be close to my sister to help her once a week and close to the single adult activities.
I have started going to a mid-singles institute class. It is SO good. And just what I need in the middle of my week. I still think of myself as awkward around the guys, but maybe I can get better at talking to them! In the meantime I am there for myself and am learning little gems of knowledge that help me go another week!
Sister working--kids screaming--guess it is time to run. I will try to be better at updating....

Recovery

What do you do when you are recovering from surgery? You read this book. It is seriously the cutest story I have read in a long time. LOVED it.

Surgery went well. I was a little too optimistic thinking I could take a pain pill and fly to Dallas 48 hours after....it didn't happen. I have learned that I am allergic to morphine and some other pain pill. Recovery has been slow, but I am a lot better. Thankfully my Dad was able to cancel his flight too and he stayed with me. I am back to work. It is ok...just wears me out. I come home pretty tired.

Hopefully I can take that trip to Dallas in the next little while. Love my Daddy!!!

Sedona

Jeep tour in the rain

Getting to see things others don't because they cancel a tour!

Rain Waterfalls

Merry-go-round rock at sunset

Elvis took a picture here in a similar pose

Duck at timeshare--totally posing

Sunrise

The clouds were beautiful each day

Darlene and I got to go to Sedona! It was such a nice break for me--quiet time, cooler weather, lots of good food--we had a wonderful time! We got there Sun. morning and left Wed morning. Kind of a quick trip (we originally planned for a week, but then her sister decided to get married so Darlene had to go back early). Sunday we checked out the shops, ate at a yummy Mexican place (only to later find out the timeshare guy said he never tells people to go there because they are always getting in trouble with health code violations....but we liked it). Monday we took a jeep tour-- and seems to be the only day I took pictures. It rained on us at the beginning and then it was nice. We were dry by the time we were done (a 3 hour tour). Tuesday we got massages and watched The Dark Knight Rises (LOVED IT!!!!) Wednesday we packed and left. I love my annual trips with Darlene (3 years now--next year we are saving for an Alaskan cruise.) Enjoy the pictures!

A little vent

I have finally gotten my surgery scheduled--June 30 at 9:00AM. I was thinking about this, I think I have the "junky" body of the family (because I am the youngest?!) I am the only one who has broken a bone, I have no gall bladder, tonsils, adnoids (my bro too)...and now this. Hmmnnn So,this surgery they will go in through my leg and block the blood flow from my uteran arteries. This then stops the blood flow to the fibroids... and should help me out. (This or a hysterectomy, but who wants that at 34 years old?) I was told I may or may not be able to have kids. Since I am not dating anyone I don't see that as an issue...and the closer I get to 40 and being single I don't see it being an issue... BUT.. a little sad to think about.

Work today--MADE ME CRAZY! I had nothing on the schedule until 2:00 (I leave at 3:00). I had my book so I was ok. Then I got a 9:30 appt....and then NOTHING...at 1:59 the lady calls to cancel the 2:00. I WAS SO MAD! I could have left at 11:00!!! She had an appt. yesterday and rescheduled to today... now she is set for next week and it better not be with me! Sheesh. So glad I had my book... but still.  Frustrating to sit around for so long and then not get paid because they "reschedule." And the other frustration is that when I come in on Tues mornings the laundry is piled high and so is the trash. It takes me 30 min just to deal with all of that! Today I left my manager a note. She didn't respond to it. Grr.

Pictures and health

With all of my sisters family here I got to take pictures of the kids. I have a new camera that will do black and white--while pulling out a color--seriously fun for me! I still need to do some family pics.

Work at the spa is going well. I still have a lot to learn--or remember. I don't think I have had what I would consider a smooth session yet. I forget to place towels out or do the gord... or remember what all to say...I will get there.

I had a MRI last week. I have uteran fibroids. Apparently I have the uterus the size of someone 3 months pregnant. The MRI tech described the fibroids as HUGE...so, I will meet with a surgeon in the near future to discus surgery options. From what I have read I will be down at least a week. I am a little sad because this means I can't go to a wedding next week that I was really wanting to. I can't take off work when I know I will be gone a week later in the month for a vacation and then with this surgery coming up. SAD!!! So, I may try to combine my surgery/ recovery time. If they won't let me swim I will just have to have the surgery later! Why ruin a vacation!