Workin' the Coal Mine, Goin' Downtown...

I started my job today. The people are great and the job looks to be a mixture of bitch work and really good experience. I accidentally parked in the CO's spot, but in my defense it was marked "CO VISITOR" and it was the only visitor spot I saw. There were signs threatening to tow unauthorized cars, so I parked there. I was then informed that I would not be towed and that I could park elsewhere. My boss is great, but the whole shebang is moving to Jacksonville in two years or less so everyone is trying to find other jobs. So the job seems to be a great "just out of college job" but I don't know if I want to move. Oh well, I have 2 years to decide if it is right for me and I get my OSHA, HAZWHOPER, and a whole bunch of other certifications paid for. I can't ask for much more than that.

Meanwhile, Arnold has a nifty new multipurpose tool he's putting together. I'm going to go see if I can screw with it....I mean help him.

Ham Sandwiches and Brandy Slushies

I got back into Charleston on Sunday. I'd been gone since June 23rd. I first went to my grandmothers. Much fun was had though few people showed up. Mom found a dead deer under the house, retrieved it and summarily called it a "hunting" trip. Next was the Ashby family reunion. It rained the entire day (and most of the next) but the food was good and there was plenty of it. I was reminded that last year we had 14 people show up and combined they brought one whole cheesecake. I then spent the next 5 days with my grandpa and Nadine. This was fun. We played a lot of cards and ate a lot of left-over ham. It was good to finally spend a decent amount of time with grandpa. I even got to meet some of Nadine's family. Sonya came to town on Thursday and we went to the mall. Yes, this is entertainment for West Virginia.

Friday I drove to Greenup, KY to meet Arnold's mom and cousins Debbie and Kathleen. The drive was uneventful except for the speeding ticket. When I arrived Patty gave me the quilt she made me for graduation. It is gorgeous. I will post a picture at some point. We sat and talked a bit and then went and got Mexican food. Patty and Debbie made brandy slushies that night which consisted of 2 cups brandy, 1 can frozen orange juice, one can frozen lemonade and 8 cups water.I was informed that these meetings revolve around food. The next morning Kathleen had warm apple fritters waiting when we woke up. We had a day of quilting stores and food. Debbie and Patty got me the neatest carrying case for my scrapbook projects for using my car to run around in. That night we had Chinese food and then Brandy slushies. The next day I drove home with the 4 doughnuts, 8 can of coke, 3 bananas, and 1 bag of trail mix that Kathleen insisted that I take with me. I drove the wrong direction to get to the highway, which was embarrassing as Patty saw me do it. In West Virginia a Truck Driver ran me off of the road. Other than that the drive was ok. I had a great trip but I was happy to be home.