Declined.

After being in Washington for a very brief weekend, we over-nighted it back to Cali to resume our daily grind. At this point, we had been down in California for almost two whole months. In the grand scheme of life, two months is not a huge amount of time. In fact, for us, we still didn't even have everything 100% setup for the warehouse, and we were still living out of suitcases in our studio hotel room.

One of the items that we had kept forgetting to pick up when we were out and about, were gloves to use in the warehouse and for cold mornings. I didn't think it was a huge deal at first, but after weeks of loading and unloading pallets, trucks, and organizing boxes, you definitely realize that protecting your hands is a very positive thing. After we got back to our studio hotel room one afternoon, I convinced Aaron that we should walk to the local Home Depot to get some gloves. I thought the walk would be a great break in the monotony of sitting in traffic and in our tiny studio hotel room.

We headed out on our little journey with tennis shoes on, and company credit card in hand. This was definitely one of those instances when I thought the store was much closer than it actually was. So, 1.5 miles later we arrived to the Home Depot 'work gloves' section. After carefully reviewing price, fit, and functionality, Aaron and I both selected a pair of gloves that we thought would be great for our warehouse routines. I was pumped! Until I went up to the counter to check out, and my company credit card was declined. No biggie I thought. I turned to Aaron thinking that he had brought his wallet, but that was not the case. Without any other options at this point, we began our journey back to the hotel. Clearly, purchasing gloves was just not meant to be.

So, three miles later, there we sat gloveless, without funds, and an excellent walk in the California sun under our belts.

All Nighter Co-Pilot

The responsibility of a co-pilot, is to assist the captain by monitoring the flight instruments, handling radio communications, watching for air traffic, and taking over the flight controls when directed by the captain. In car terminology, the responsibility of the co-pilot is to assist the captain by keeping an eye on his personal energy level, handle incoming calls/Facebook updates/text messages/emails etc., watch for speed traps, and taking over the wheel when the captain gets too drowsy. Not to toot my own horn or anything, but after making it from Pleasanton, CA to Puyallup, WA in 12.5 hours without incident, I would have to say that I am a master co-pilot.

To make the most of our time, Aaron and I decided to head back home right after we got off work on Thursday. As it so happened, 'after work' was a little later that Thursday, for the simple fact that we had an agenda. It's funny how it always seems to happen that way. The game plan was that Aaron would start our journey, I would take a brief nap once it got dark out, and then I would complete the drive once Aaron got drowsy. After a few energy drinks, stopping to get gas where it was freezing cold out, and grabbing a bite to eat at a drive-thru, Aaron was wide awake. I'm a firm believer that the minute you start to get bored while driving and zone out, is the minute you start to become very drowsy; no matter how many high fructose corn syrup energy drinks you have. And, being as that I took my job as Aaron's co-pilot very seriously, I decided we would play a little game I call 'Car-Oke'. We played 'Name That Tune' for a little while, but I can never remember who sings what, so instead I would find a song on the ipod and start singing. Before I knew it, I could have sworn that Taylor Swift was in the car with me! But when I looked over, it was someone that looked an awful lot like my husband rocking out in full falsetto to one of my favorite Taylor Swift songs!

Taylor has not graced our presence anytime recently, but I am hoping that she will make a reappearance on our next road trip :)

Our BART Experience...

When I was younger, my mom and I would travel back and forth to West Seattle via Sound Transit. It was a rather long process, but I am so glad that I experienced using our local public transportation. To be honest, using public transportation can be quite intimidating if you've never used it before. In college, I experienced the public transportation in Philadelphia, New York, and Washington DC. Each time, I was so very grateful to have a personal tour guide.

After we visited the beach, Heather & Kris drove us back to their hotel in Downtown SF so that we could all enjoy a bite to eat together. Earlier that day, Aaron and I had decided that we would give our try at using the BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) after saying our goodbyes to Kris & Heather. The terminal was right by the hotel, and the drop off was only a couple blocks from our Extended Stay.

Getting on the BART and beginning our journey back to Pleasanton was a piece of cake. Having to sit -rightnextto- the loud obnoxious drunk girl for 30 minutes, while she repeatedly said, "I want to ride the buulll! I want to ride the buulll!" while she told the story of how her grandma had rode the mechanical bull at a local bar, and how that needed to be their next stop so that she could out last her, was mildly irritating. Finally arriving at our destination, only to walk down the stairs and realize we still had to walk more than a couple of blocks to our studio hotel room, through the dark and chilly business district of Pleasanton, was discouraging. But laughing all the way there about all we had observed while people watching, was priceless!

A Little Piece of Home...

Aaron and I both grew up in Washington. We both stayed close to home for college, and we bought our first house 15 minutes from our parents. Needless to say, neither of us had the experience of building new friendships away from home. Aaron would have probably done great on his own, because guys are so much more easy going, and most of them can somehow manage to remember 75% of the useless sports trivia that they hear in their lifetime (although they never remember what you told them 5 minutes ago :)), which gives them an instant bond. I however, am absolutely terrible at making new friends. I over think every little detail from the moment I introduce myself. I fill in spots where I either don't know what to say, or can't hear what the person said and therefore have no intelligible response, with giggling. And, I have never in my life been the one to make the first move when it comes to continuing the friendship after that first introduction. I have no idea why I'm like this, but thank goodness I could put all my craziness on hold when Kris and Heather called and told us they were coming down for a visit. I was overjoyed! No awkward, "So what do you do?" conversations. We were just good friends, catching up and having some laughs.

One of the stores that Aaron delivered to while we were in NorCal was in Half Moon Bay. Heather, Kris, and I had never been there, so we decided to drive down the windy roads to the NorCal coast and enjoy this beautiful piece of real estate. The best part about driving over there was that we made it just in time for the sunset! I don't think we could have done any better as tour guides :)

Heather & Kris,
We are so glad that you two made it down! Thank you so much for bringing us a little piece of home down to California!
♥ The Walkers

New Place = New Routines

When I was younger, I had the privilege of riding with my dad to school everyday. He has been early for anything and everything, for as long as I can remember. So, the morning routine consisted of stopping at the local donut shop every morning before being dropped off at school (I was still 30 minutes early... Thanks Dad :)). After a little while, the donut shop owner knew who I was and what I was going to order.

In NorCal, my morning routine consisted of rolling out of bed at 3:30am, I would get ready while Aaron made our pot of coffee (Don't worry, we didn't use the Extended Stay's mini-pot, we brought our own from home. Addicts? Maybe :)). I would make one pop tart, grab a banana, and be off for the day. Unlike my dad, I am not early for anything and everything, I am right on time. So, no swinging by the local coffee shop, or grabbing a donut daily.

My recognizable routine came in the afternoons, when I could be more leisurely. I didn't think it was much of a routine, but when you're living in a studio hotel room, it's the small things in life that seem a little more urgent to get out and go do. To be honest, I was a little bit embarrassed when the girl at Office Depot recognized me! From donut shop, to office supplies... Wow, I really must be getting old.

Let go & let God!

Type 'A' Personality, along with being the oldest sibling, combined with how I grew up, equals me being somewhat of a control freak. It's not that I don't want others' help when I don't know how to do something, I just want to decide when and where that help is given. Since excepting God into my life at the age of eight or nine, there are so many different verses that I have memorized or studied, that encourage in so many ways to let go of this habit. One major verse that has been in my life since graduating from the eighth grade is Jeremiah 29:11

'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the Lord, 'plans to prosper you, and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.'

Obviously, if God already has an amazing plan for me, I should have no worries, because as long as I am doing my part, and listening, every trial, tribulation, and joy that I face in life is all part of a greater plan.

While we were in California I struggled to see the purpose of why we were there. There were lots of different road signs, pointing in all different directions, towards a few life changing paths. When we originally thought about moving down there, it was for Aaron to attend chiropractic college. We had no idea how we would swing that financially, and then the opportunity for us to move down there under the impression that Aaron would be the NorCal region sales manager came up. We thought this would be the perfect opportunity to help grow the family business, and some how find a way to do school at the same time. While we were working for the business, SPD started calling Aaron again and finishing up background info. Oh. My. Goodness. Chiropractor, family business, SPD, all the uncertainty is enough to make any girl go crazy!

And then, when I was about to burst from wanting to control the situation, I gave it up to God, and this is what He did for me...

The next morning I had to get gas for my delivery truck. We had company credit cards for expenses such as this, so I navigated to the nearest station. Once I got there, I hopped out of the truck, only to realize that this particular gas station did not except credit cards. So, I asked the gas station clerk where the next closest station was, and he sent me down the road. As I arrived at the next station, I was happy to find a donut shop that had just switched on its open sign. When I let go, and didn't get frustrated about the other station not being user friendly, God provided me with a little sweetness to end my week. He knows just how to make me smile.

NorCal Driving At Its Finest...

When I drove down to California for the first time at the age of 18, my dad gave me one tip. He told me, "Don't use your blinker, it's a sign of weakness." I think that a lot of us non-Cali residents/regulars, have this preconceived notion from things that we've heard throughout our life, or that we have witnessed in movies, that Californians are these crazy erratic drivers. After experiencing the NorCal region for three months, I can now only agree to a certain point.

Californians have a whole different attitude about life in general. Whether it is your driving, your career, your political beliefs, or your lifestyle in general, everything and everyone is excepted. Moral boundaries are somewhat a blur, and so are the rules of driving. If the posted speed is 60mph, 55mph is accepted, but so is 75mph. If you want to use your blinker, it is not necessarily a sign of weakness, but if you get cutoff by someone that is choosing not to use theirs, that is acceptable too.

One afternoon after taking our warehouse exit (which was complete chaos for about two months due to reconstructing the off/on ramps), I had a utility truck that decided it HAD to be in front of me. So, without using their blinker they rudely placed themselves a few feet from my front bumper. Once they were safely in front of me, the dude driving the truck proceeded to look at me in his rear view mirror, and instead of the friendly 'Thanks for letting me in,' wave, he blew me a kiss. Seriously!?! You cut me off, and now you are blowing me a kiss! If I was anywhere but California, this would not be acceptable.

Why this blog began...

In general, most people strongly grasp the concepts in either science/math, or English. I was decent at math until about my junior year in high school, when I was placed in a teacher's class that didn't teach to my learning style. My interest in the subject faded, and English definitely became my stronger area. This actually makes a ton of sense, because anyone that has gotten to know me, knows that I am a talker.

While we were in California, our lives pretty much consisted of three main things. Work. Eat. Sleep. Wake up, and the cycle would continue. Once monotony truly set in, and the confines of our studio hotel room started to make me a little crazy, I decided that I needed an outlet. I got plenty of exercise while at work, so jogging on my off time, wasn't all that appealing. I decided that I would start sharpening my brain, and learning more about creative writing.

One sunny afternoon, Aaron and I headed over to Barnes & Noble. I went to the self-help section, thinking that there had to be some sort of "Writing for Dummies" book. Instead I came across a very well marketed book, titled "Your First Novel." I was immediately attracted to its bright colors (hence, being well marketed). However, because I grew up around the slogan, "you can't judge a book by its cover," I read the back to make sure it touched on the points I was interested in. The book seemed to cover most novel writing topics, so I made my first purchase towards writing my first novel :)

I began reading the book that afternoon while I was pool side. Two of the suggestions were to a.) Read a lot of books that are in the genre you want to write in, and b.) Write. Write a list of 100 things about yourself. Write for 10 minutes about something, anything. Thus, the Pecan Princess Blog was born. I've definitely become a little sidetracked from attacking the writing of a novel, but I still think blogging is a good way to get my creative juices flowing.

332 Quarters Later...

Something I learned very early on is that laundry is never done. It is such a process. You wear clothes, they become dirty, you put them in the washer, you put them in the dryer, you lay them flat to cool down so they don't get wrinkles, you put them in their proper storage place, all the while, the clothes you are currently wearing are now dirty, and the cycle continues. The process of doing laundry becomes even more daunting when you have to use a laundry mat, or shared machines.

There are only two times that I can remember using a laundry mat growing up. One time was to wash my mom's huge comforter that wouldn't fit in our washer and dryer, and the other time was when our dryer broke, and we were done placing the drying rack over the heater vent, in hopes that the jeans would dry more thoroughly. For three months, Aaron and I had to use shared laundry machines that were provided by the hotel. The laundry process was not something I was very prepared for.

Our first purchase toward laundering our clothes was a giant 'dorm style' laundry bag, $5.00. Then we had to purchase laundry soap and dryer sheets, $6.00 (I was bargain shopping after the nylon bag was so dang expensive!). And then of course washing and drying your clothes at the hotel is not free, $3.00 per load. I refuse to wash whites and colors together, $6.00 per laundry day. Two months in, the price for using the laundry machines went up, $4.00 per load. I'm still refusing to turn my whites gray or pink by washing them with my colors, $8.00 per laundry day! Grand total for laundering our clothes... $83.00... in quarters.

If for some reason you have to live in an Extended Stay Hotel for a period of time, something I would recommend is bringing your laundry basket. For packing purposes, you can keep dried foods or anything that doesn't need to be 100% confined in it, and for laundry purposes it would be great to have. It would have saved me $5.00 right from the start, and I would not have strained my back walking through the hotel lobby like Santa Claus with a huge bag of extremely heavy stuffed animals (laundry) slung over my shoulder.

Trick or Treat!

Do you remember your favorite Halloween costume growing up? My mom had a sewing machine when I was younger, and whipped me up some pretty neat costumes. The outfits that I remember most are; white bunny rabbit, Pocahontas, clown, and genie. The tricky part came on the day of Halloween. Depending on the ever changing Washington weather, each costume had to have a layering system that didn't take away from the coolness of the outfit, but allowed for a comfortable warmness. When you're in California, all those rules fly right out the window with the warm California breeze.

Aaron isn't a big fan of Halloween as it is. If we dress up, I always have to think of the idea and bring it to life with little or no help. This year, my cousin invited us over to her house, to enjoy trick or treat night. No adults costumed, just a glass of wine, a big batch of homemade chili, and some great company. Her little guys are the cutest, and were such a joy to be around for the evening. Her eldest was dressed as a cowboy, and her youngest was dressed as a cow. You didn't have to look around all the layers to figure out what they were. It was apparent. They were joyful, loved little boys in costume, that didn't care as much about the candy as they did a good story.

Aside from the good food, great company, and adorable little boys, I'm sure the best part of Halloween for Aaron, was that he didn't have to dress up. But for me, the best part was that I didn't have to wear any sort of jacket!

Learning Curve

Growing up, I was a straight A student kind of girl. My parents held me to a certain standard, and I have never outgrown my need for perfectionism. I am a quick learner, I enjoy growing relationships, and most people that I have worked for when asked the question, "Would you hire her again?" Without pause would say, "Yes."

Working in California, was such a huge learning experience for me. The job I did was both physically and mentally challenging. Not mentally challenging in the intellectual kind of way, but in the; this is a whole new crowd I have to learn and adapt to kind of way.

The crowd of people I am specifically talking about is 'Inventory Control Clerks.' There are a handful of nice ones, that are patient to a new deliverer's learning curve, but the majorities are ladies and gents that have no relational skills whatsoever, and have therefore been moved to the backroom. This is where they will not be scaring customers away, and causing the rest of the staff to receive a bad secret shop score.

ICCs usually open their doors around 5:00am, but aren't morning people. Although there are set guidelines of how to receive deliveries sent out by the corporate office, each ICC has their own personal set of rules. If you don't remember the particular set of rules that the store you are delivering to has, you are shunned. My personal learning curve was not helped by the fact that our company was new in the NorCal area to direct delivery. And, although our product had been in their stores for 20+ years, some of them didn't recognize it, and were skeptical that I should be bringing it in. Maybe the Budget truck I had to drive for 2 months had something to do with it.

This is what I wanted to scream at the skeptics every time I came across one, "Seriously! How many people try to sneak product INTO Safeway!?! It would be pointless! If the product wasn't in your computer, customers couldn't purchase it anyways, and our company would never get paid!" I never actually said this out loud to them of course. Instead, I answered their questions with a smile, and told them to have a great day when I left. It was only in the confines of my truck cab that I would scream in frustration, and on some days, be in tears from their lack of kindness.

California ICCs, you taught me so much about my character, and how important it is to shrug off negative nellies. You taught me that even though you were nasty to me, I could not dwell on it for the rest of the day. Because in the end, it's not your poor attitude that makes or breaks my character, it's my own. I thank you all for that.

The Joys of Public Housing...

I have been a very blessed girl. All through out my life, I have lived in a private residence, minus a couple years that my mom and I lived in a duplex. The amenities of living in a house include; privacy, no noise from neighbors that are 'attached' to you, control of utilities, and in our case, more space. With that being said, neither Aaron nor myself had experienced apartment style living, let alone hotel living.

After fulfilling our month long contract in the Extended Stay located in Dublin, Aaron and I moved to an Extended Stay Deluxe in Pleasanton. The hotel assistant manager was very cool, and he tried to place us in a location where we would be least bothered by other noisy guests. We very much appreciated his hospitality. The one thing we forgot to take into consideration when we moved into our new room was the phone.

Aaron had unplugged one of the phones just in case, but didn't realize that there were two phones in our room. The very first night we were staying in our new room, the phone rang around midnight. Mind you, we had already been sleeping for a few hours, because we got up to go to work around 3:00am. Needless to say, I answered the phone, and this is how the conversation went...

Me: "Hello?" (Groggy Tara voice :))
Girl: "Is this room 107?" (Non-groggy)
Me: "Yes."
Girl: "This is supposed to be my boyfriend's room." (Sounding a little worried)
Me: "Maybe he switched rooms?" (Trying to be helpful)
Girl: Silence, but not getting off the phone.
Me: "Unless your boyfriend is my husband, this is the wrong room."
Girl: Silence.
Me: "Sorry I can't help you. Goodbye." Click "Um... Aaron?"

Although I was not super happy about my sleep being interrupted, this is still something Aaron and I joke about. I'm just hoping that the poor girl figured out what room her boyfriend was in and that he didn't get dumped over it.

Happy Weekend!

The weekend is something that I find so hard to take advantage of properly. I want to fit in fun things, but I also want to get rest. If I rest too much, it cuts into the fun time. If I don't get enough rest, I'm too grumpy to enjoy the fun time. Most people probably don't over think this weekend business quite like I do, but I think what we would all agree on, is that weekends go by WAY too fast.

After working all kinds of crazy hours in Sacramento, I was definitely excited for the weekend. In March, before we left for California, Aaron and I had taken a financial class through our church. The class was called Financial Peace University, and was created by New York Times Best Selling Author, Dave Ramsey. The class encourages people to eliminate debt in their lives, and assign every dollar that comes into your household a name before the month even begins. Aaron and I became very intense about paying down our debts. This in turn, caused us to cut back on going out, or purchasing little treats for ourselves. But after a long week, we decided to reward ourselves for all our hard work.

On Saturday, we went and saw the movie "Couples Retreat." I don't remember how long it had been since the last time we went out to a movie theatre, but tickets in California were $11.50 each! Thank goodness the movie was so hysterical, it allowed me to forgive the price... a little bit. This movie was the perfect treat for us, because we have couple friends that matched up to the characters almost perfectly. It made the movie that much better, and helped us to really enjoy a restful Saturday, outside of our studio hotel room.

Life is All About Attitude.

I'm sure when you think back throughout your life; there are individuals that stick out. They usually stick out because of a great sense of humor, an ability to find the fun in any situation, or maybe because when you needed someone to listen, they did just that. California is definitely the melting pot for all different kinds of people, but Aaron and I were truly blessed to meet a person whose attitude about life is something to be envious of.

Most of us go through our daily activities and life in general with ease. There are bumps along the way, but it's how we react to those annoyances that show our true character. Vinesh, our co-worker and new friend, is someone with amazing character.

Every time that I would see him, he always had a positive attitude. This was even after the day that the receiving clerk told him, "I'm not racist, but... what my friends call people like you is..." too inappropriate to write on my blog. He would tell the story over and over again, laughing, and adding new details, like how the receiving clerk then shared that he enjoyed hunting and owned a gun collection.

He kept a positive attitude the day him and Aaron got stopped at the weigh scales and had to be searched, he made a joke about it and said, "It's because they think I'm a terrorist." When he got pulled over going from California to Nevada and was cited for not having a travel log when he was driving a budget rental truck, he was disappointed, but still all smiles and jokes.

Vinesh is definitely one of the most positive people I know. There were so many things that were said to him and actions taken against him that I think were unjust, but he kept smiling. He is a person we will never forget, and are so happy to call our friend.

What's in a name?

A lot of people grow up with nicknames. Usually the name is a shorter version of their birth given name, but in some cases it is a name based on their personality. I was never a nickname kind of person growing up. My mom called me "Scoot", "Scooter", or "Tara Beara", but for the most part nothing really stuck. After four hours of sleep, followed by a 16 hour work day, followed by interrupted sleep, I guess my creative juices were flowing.

After J and I were done working the Sacramento area the second day, we were called to attend a staff meeting at the local Chevy's. We were running a little behind from the couple of stores that we had hit that morning, and when we arrived, everyone else was waiting for us. The conversations naturally went towards sales, and who was going to be the top sales rep that quarter.

Aaron had been the top sales rep in Washington for three consecutive quarters before we went down to California. As part of his recognition, they gave him a Superman action figure to put in his truck. This got me thinking. Our most expensive product that we brought into stores, until pine nuts were introduced that is, was pecans. So, I told the boys that they weren't in my league, they were merely "Cashew Cowboys," but I was the "Pecan Princess," and when I sold the most product by the end of the quarter, I didn't want a Superman figurine, I wanted a crown.

When you are working a position in life that isn't necessarily your dream career or job, you have to find ways to own it, and make it fun. And thus, the "Pecan Princess" was born.

Consistency... Kind of.

Seeing as that I started my career in the customer service industry as a seasonal GAP sales associate, I think I have a pretty good handle on excellent customer service, and what that should look like. I can still remember to this day what GAP looked at as an excellent service provider; they were friendly, helpful, knowledgeable, and quick. The fact that I remember this further proves that GAP Inc. really does have its own sub-culture. Anyways, this past May, I experienced my first Hilton Garden Inn. The HGI is definitely the GAP of the hotel industry... Or so I thought.

The first HGI that we stayed at was in Milpitas, CA. I was impressed. Good room size, excellent restaurant, great location, and wonderful front desk people. The next HGI that we stayed at was in Napa, CA. First of all, it's in beautiful wine country, so it already gets one gold star. When it came to accommodations, it was practically identical to that of the Milpitas location. I loved that. In between, we had stayed at what we thought was going to be an "Old Navy" type of hotel, but ended up being more like a "Value Village." So, the consistency of the HGI provided me with a great sense of comfort.

Fast forwarding to October... We had been staying at multiple Extended Stay locations. The first one was awesome. The second one, not so much. Since we were staying up in the Sacramento area for a second night, Aaron decided to book ourselves and J, a room at the HGI in Elk Grove, Ca. Mind you, this is the same one that thought I was a crazy girl. However, I love the consistency of the HGI, and therefore, would admit that I may have seemed a little crazy the night prior, and appreciate that the front desk person was merely taking precautions for the guests. After two nights with a lack of, or interrupted sleep, I now blame the front desk person for not knowing how to execute his job properly.

I know that for most people, 11:00pm really isn't all that late. But when you get up for work at 3:30am most mornings, and just got done working a 16 hour day, 11:00pm is quite late. In fact, 11:00pm is a time in which I had already been sleeping for almost two hours, and was in my REM cycle.

Since we weren't originally staying at the Elk Grove HGI for two consecutive nights, the night shift person whom we had dealt with the night previously, thought it important to call our room at 11:00pm to make sure that we were actually staying there. Once we didn't answer the phone, they sent up the bus boy to make sure that we were in our room. Seriously? All I could think, was that something must be super important if they wanted to get a hold of us that badly, so I had Aaron call back down to the front desk. The front desk person's reason for trying so hard to get a hold of us was that he wanted to make sure no one was abusing our credit card, and booking a night on it that wasn't actually us. This was a very kind gesture on his part, but couldn't it have waited until the morning!?! I was thinking this out of my grumpy, sleep deprived mind. But really.

I still love the consistency of the Hilton Garden Inn. I love that they have sleep number mattresses you can adjust on either side. I love that they make some pretty yummy breakfast crepes. I love that they have decent sized flat screen TVs, and Neutrogena bathroom products. But when it comes to customer service, sometimes the best people to hire are not the ones with the hotel management degree, but they are the ones with a good head on their shoulders, and a little common sense. I'm just saying.

Going Nuts Over Nuts!

When I worked in corporate retail, I was brought into stores that were having visits and asked to fold their jean wall and t-shirt tables. I folded each area to perfection, and once 2am hit, I went home. I was promoted in corporate retail, because I was well-rounded, and had an amazing attention to detail. Nine years later, I am in NorCal, applying all the same qualities to the bulk nut and dried fruit business.

After the briefest four hours of sleep in my life, I met J at 5:00am at our first store. Because we wanted to get eight stores done in two days, and most stores end their receiving hours around noon, we decided to drive to five stores the first day, drop product, and then go back and clean each store. Cleaning one store, depending on the number of bulk bins that it has, takes two or more hours. Since we wanted to service five stores, we were looking at a minimum of a ten hour day right off the bat.

The nerve racking part about going to each store, was that most of them had never been maintained when it comes to cleanliness. When we went to clean the bulk bins at the store level, we were only allowed to use corporate approved cleaning products, and our secret nut oil removing weapon... rubbing alcohol. One of the stores we went to that day actually had moths growing inside the bulk bins. Yummy. We had to put a lot of elbow grease into the stores that day, and sixteen hours later, plus Aaron stopping back at one of our stores for us, we still had to complete three more stores the following day.

At least we got to go rest our pretty heads at the always consistent, Hilton Garden Inn.

Oh rental car, how I loathe thee...

The first time I ever rented a car was in Philadelphia when I was nineteen years old. I know what you're thinking, "Isn't the minimum age 25 to rent a car from most companies?" The answer to that is yes. But when two cute girls approach you, one with an awesome fake, age limitations become a non-issue.

While we were in California, I rented quite a few vehicles for the business. Delivery trucks had been ordered, but were taking longer than expected, and product needed to make its way into stores. Originally, we rented one box truck, and one Saturn Vue. I drove the box truck around for a couple of days, and we loaded up the Vue for the driver working the San Jose area.

After Aaron had been working up in the Sacramento/Reno/Lake Tahoe area for only a day, I got the call that they needed more product up there. Because J, one of the other drivers, was responsible for the lower Sacramento area, we decided that I would take over the Vue for the next couple of days, drive extra product up to the boys, and would meet J up there to clean all the stores in the area that she hadn't made it to yet. This was a fantastic game plan.

After working my area all day on Wednesday, I loaded up the Vue with product for the boys. The mid-sized SUV was so weighed down, that I would have probably popped a wheelie driving out of the parking lot if I wasn't on a downhill slope. Needless to say, I picked up some items from the hotel, and headed out towards Sacramento.

I didn't know the exact location I was driving to when I got on the freeway. Aaron had not decided on a hotel yet, but it would be somewhere in Sacramento, we figured by the time I got close he would be settled, and let me know. I was chatting with my mom for a while, when I noticed that my battery on my cell phone was starting to get low, so I found my car charger and plugged it into the rental car's power outlet. Around this same time, Aaron called to let me know the hotel and exit to take. Then, my cell phone beeped the 'low battery' beep. I looked at the car charger and noticed that it wasn't lit up. I looked for another outlet, but had no luck. Awesome. I don't know where I am, and now my only form of communication and navigation is dying. Since my mom was still on the phone, I asked her to Google the location Aaron had given me. She read me the basic directions and I made notes, just in case my phone didn't make it all the way. We hung up so that I could save battery, and I continued on.

My phone died. A two hour drive turned into a four hour drive. My mom, bless her heart, had given me directions to the wrong Hilton Garden Inn. I got off the freeway in the UC Davis area about four times, trying to get back to the freeway I thought I was supposed to be on. I was near meltdown, when I finally saw the exit that Aaron had told me to take three hours prior. I didn't get to the hotel until 11:00pm, and when I got there, the hotel clerk thought I was some crazy girl, and wouldn't give me a key, or let me go up to the room until he talked to Aaron. When I finally got to sleep that night, I had to wake up four hours later.

Oh Saturn Vue rental car, how I loathe thee and your non-working power outlet.

Tune in!

I remember riding with my parents over to Ocean Shores for the weekend when I was younger; I always knew when we were getting close, because the radio station would become all static. When that happened they would pop in my cassette tape of Ritchie Valens, and we would sing "La Bamba." Three non-Spanish speaking Americans rocking out to "La Bamba," now that's comical.

Nowadays, when the radio station turns to static, I either press seek, pop in a CD, or hook up my ipod. The ipod is convenient, because I know that I am going to hear a selection that I previously chose for myself, and will most likely enjoy. Because my job in California entailed hours of driving from location to location, I would sometimes opt for the more fun method of music selection, which is pressing the seek button.

A lot of the radio stations in Cali are the same as in Washington, just a few clicks of the dial away from each other. When I didn't feel like seeking, this was very nice, because I at least knew the genre to expect. However, I loved when I would press seek, and land on an oldie that would bring back fun memories of my mom driving my sis and I around, belting out lyrics I was never corrected on.

Pressing the seek button in California is like roulette. Some days the radio stations would be playing awesome songs, and other times it would stop on a song I loved the beat of, but would soon realize the lyrics were in Spanish. The awesome thing now is, after taking three years of Spanish in high school, I can at least catch a few phrases!

Everything is scarier in the dark!

When I was eighteen and drove down to SoCal with my friend Meagan, Dad armed me with some pretty serious pepper spray, while Mom armed me with a AAA membership. As you go through life, the importances of some things stick with you, while others simply do not.

After being in the NorCal region for a little over a month, we had four established drivers with routes, and two independent distributors (one being in Hawaii). A fifth route driver had just been brought on to cover the Sacramento/Reno/Lake Tahoe area, and Aaron was responsible for getting him trained. Sacramento was a little over two hours away from our hometel in Dublin, and Reno/Lake Tahoe was approximately 5 hours from there. Needless to say, Aaron would not be returning to our crazy hometel for a couple of days. I solicited for someone to come and stay with me, but had no takers. With no pepper spray, no AAA membership, and no one staying with me, I had to rely on my trusty guard dog. Right.

Aaron left at 1:00am to head to Sacramento and begin training. He would usually have taken Sugar out to do her thing before we left for work, but that responsibility now fell on me. If we were in Washington, I would simply open the back door, tell her to go potty, and when I saw her back at the door, I would let her in. They have pretty serious leash laws in California, and we were on the second floor, so there I am at 4:00am with Sugar leashed up, doing her thing. Until something scared her and she started bolting for the hotel door. Up until that point, I was feeling pretty secure. I have never seen Sugar act that way. No barking, just sprinting for the door. At this point I was a little scared.

I put Sugar back in the room and headed down to our car. I practically jogged to the car and hopped in. I continued the rest of my day a little jumpy, hoping I wouldn't freak myself out when it was night time again. Because everything is a little scarier when it is dark outside.