Adam Got A New Job!!!

Now I know what you are thinking....haven't we already seen this post? Well, yes and no. Adam has been working for the bank in the am then working for a new company in the pm over the past 2 weeks. Unfortunately, the new place has a interesting boss who managed to exhaust his profane vocabulary on my husband in front of all the leaders of the company during a staff meeting. (All because Adam didn't perform a task, which he couldn't do because the boss refused to grant him access to the information. This led to the "what are you doing then...since you obviously aren't doing your job" tyrade.) So, God smiled on Adam and the same day this all happened, Adam got a call for a telephone interview. The next day, he had a normal interview and was granted the new job. Adam now works for Cyber View (which you can google online and see their site). It is a small company based in the UK (so his new boss is in London). He is really excited with this opportunity, which includes benefits, vacation time (1.3 days per month earned for 20 days in the year), and a well-established and happy staff. He also has flexible hours and has chosed 7-4 (with 1 hour of breaks required by Nevada state law). So...I actually get to see my husband again (which was the whole point of him moving out here with me). We are definitely going to celebrate his new job, my passing the boards, and my happiness in my job this weekend, so pictures will be coming. (I think we are going to see a show!)

I Passed My Boards!!!

Just so you know, I passed my General Surgery written boards! (Adam has had the mail in his car all day and just got home with it. He thought is was a membership renewal notice or something...) I made 80 percentile, which I consider really good. So, just wanted to spread my very happy news!

Guess Who?

Adam needed a lanyward to hold his new work ID and timecard, so we went to Bonanza this afternoon. Bonanza claims to be the world's largest gift shop ("junk" shop). So, I made him try on a few things and here are the 2 pictures that actually turned out. I tried to get him to wear the black wig, but he refused...

Red Rock Canyon Park...Not for Fonzie!

Since I am off today and Adam has to work until 9, I decided to explore Red Rock Canyon park. The area is about 5-6 miles from our apartment and is full of hiking trails, beautiful scenery, and occasionally water (though not during the summer). Fonzie wanted to go, so I took him. He got hot and refused to walk after only a quarter of a mile. So...I had to carry him! The 2 of us did however drive the 13 mile "loop" around the park and took lots of pictures. Here are some pics of various viewing areas... The first is Fonzie with the whole park in the background. (He's sitting on an aluminum (cool) picnic table.) The second is Fonzie and I (taken by me) at the Calico Springs area. The third is Fonzie overlooking the park from the highest point in the park. The forth is Fonzie with the "ugly mountain" in the background. (Yes, he looks like he could use some sunglassses.) The fifth is also a view through the Calico Springs Oasis (not much of an oasis is it?).

Saturday Night...

Well, tonight was our "cheat" night on our diets and we chose the Treasure Island buffet on the Strip. It wasn't as good as the Bellagio, but was cheaper and still leaps and bounds above Golden Coral! They don't peel their shrimp or crack the crab legs for you, and their desserts were not as good. But, we enjoyed ourselves anyway. We then saw the Treasure Island outdoor "show" which was entertaining to say the least... (Not exactly the family pirate show it used to be!) We then went to Circus Circus to play put-put. I won by a few strokes. I used Adam's money to win him a Simpsons Krusty toy and we gambled a total of $5 ($1 for me and $4 for Adam). We then came home and are about to watch Norbit (the new Eddie Murphy movie). Here are some pictures... (I'm holding my winning score card at Pike's Pass Put-put and Adam's posing with Krusty outside Circus Circus.)

Adam Got A Job!!!

Well, for those who don't know... Adam's transfer has been denied (at multiple levels) and therefore he has been seeking a new position in Vegas while still working for the bank (undercover). He knew that he would have to return to Jacksonville if he didn't have a job by September 1, so we were a little concerned. IT jobs in Adam's exact field are hard to come by out here, and the pay is not usually very good. But he was called on Wednesday, interviewed the same day, and offered a job on the same day. He initially refused bc the pay wasn't enough, but they offered more and he accepted today. The goods are: 1. Reasonable salary with opportunity for a raise in 90 days. 2. He only answers to one person, who is the director of the entire division. 3. He learns matters of telephone and video security (which will help him in the business he hopes to establish in Tennessee). 4. Tuition reimbursement for computer and college classes. 5. Shorts and flip-flops are Friday attire! 6. (Most important...) Adam really likes the place, his boss, and his opportunity to professional growth. The bads are: 1. No paid vacation days for 1 year. (This is the situation with every job he has looked at here...seems to be the norm.) He does get 3 days though, and his boss may be willing to grant days occasionally. 2. Weird hours (10:30 am til 8:00 pm)...though these may be flexible, especially on Fridays.
So...overall he's excited and eager to start something "stable." Obviously, staying with the bank would have been the best, but they just were not willing to work with him on the telecommuting. He is still with the bank and starting his new job Monday! (He and his boss are going to discuss the "hand-overs" and he's willing to work in the early mornings to help with his transition.) We are quite relieved and are looking forward to Adam's new job and the opportunites it may present!

We have Furniture!!!

Today we got our furniture! It's nice to sit on something other than a cheap yard chair with a box for a footrest. Our townhome is starting to look like a home and I think all of us are adjusting. This weekend, I should finish all unpacking and be able to forget about moving for awhile. Here are some inside pictures of the place...

My First Day...

Well, yesterday was my first day of my Cosmetics fellowship. The day went well, with 5 surgeries that lasted until 10:35 PM! Overall, I learned several things and had a really nice time being in the OR again (certainly beats packing and moving). Hopefully, I'll be able to start moonlighting later this month, which will supplement my income a little. Anyway, gotta get ready for work...

Our Trip to the Strip

Last night Adam and I celebrated our first week in Vegas with a trip to the Strip. We figured we would "cheat" (which we have the available points for with Weight Watchers) and eat at a good buffet. We set out and made it to the Strip around 5:00. We decided that we'd go whole hog and eat at the Bellagio buffet. It's one of the most expensive ones here, but it has amazing things. For example, it has Kobe beef, beef wellington (very nice...we learned from Hells Kitchen), snow crab legs already cracked length-wise for easy eating, rack of lamb, roasted BBQ quail, fresh rolled sushi, a Chinese area with dim sum, and all the usual buffet salads and vegetables. There was so much food, we couldn't even sample a tiny bite of each thing (though we did try really hard). After trying as much as we could (saving a little room), we then hit the desert bar. This included creme brule, flan, cappucino mouse (Adam's favorite), chocolate-covered strawberries (my favorite), cheesecake, apricot mouse, key-lime pie, apple crumb cake, and several sugar-free options (which we conviently bypassed). So, we left so full we could hardly move!!! We then walked around and watched the Bellgio fountain "show." By 9:00, we were really tired, so we headed home, cared for the dogs, and went to bed. Here are just a few pictures that we took. One is of us at the Mirage volcano, one is of me at Bellagio, and the third is of Adam at the "Eiffel Tower."

Lilly's Making Us Crazy!!!

Ok, Lilly is driving us crazy! She hasn't lived indoors in over 5 years and we haven't had to deal with her indoors during that time either... Something about Vegas has really messed her up. She now poops twice a day (instead of her Florida weeklies) and is too dumb to climb into her hammock and perch that I built her. So, she sits at the bottom of the cage and scratches the bars (making horrible noises) to get attention. She sometimes gets to the top of the cage and then falls to the bottom again (more noise)! So today, I built her a ramp to climb. I bought the 2 maple dowels, painted them hunter green, and tied them together with zip ties. So far, she hasn't been willing to try it. Anyway...this cage is becoming a huge ordeal! We are just trying to make her comfortable and happy, which will hopefully subject us to less noise and pain. Here's a pic of me in the cage with the new ramp and Lilly over my left shoulder.

Oops, I was wrong...

Adam helped me realize that the 3 little windows are ours (they are actually in our living room)! So, the entire picture is our townhome. I'm heading out to take the boards tomorrow in Anaheim, so gotta run. Hopefully, I'll be able to get some inside pics up by Sunday.

Lilly's Cage and Outside Pics...

As requested, here are some outside pics of our townhome. The 3 tiny windows on the right are not ours, but the rest is. The garage is on the side. I also included some of the cage I fixed for Lilly. It's a giant dog kennel (I can sit comfortable inside it, which tells you how huge it is.) with cable ties and garden "wire" with dowels. She seems to like it. Abbey is loving the carpet, as you can see in the picture. Fonzie is under the bed, as many of you would expect...

Lilly's new home and Adam's work desk more or less consume our dining room. Oh well, we don't need a table for microwaver meals, fruit, cereal, and 100 cal snacks... I'll post the inside at some point...

We're Here!!!

Well, we made it and are celebrating our first anniversary today by unpacking boxes, setting up Lilly's cage (it's huge), and getting our DSL up and running. Hopefully, we'll be able to get our couch and guest bedrom funiture tomorrow. I'll take some pictures once we are a little more moved in. Thanks for all the well wishes and prayers... they helped!

754 Today for Total of 2259 Miles!!!

Well...we are about 100 miles from our new home tonight! (We couldn't get our paperwork and keys until tomorrow, so we figured we'd just stop in Kingson and get a good night's rest.) We should start unloading the truck by noon tomorrow. We've had a great trip with really no problems(thank God)! The animals have done really well and have made the trip a pleasure. Their only issue seems to be the paucity of grass here in the west... Anyway, I took some pics as we travelled through some amazing landscapes over the past 3 days. Here they are from east to west!!!

715 miles!!!

Today we made it from Jax to Alexandria, Louisana! We did well overall with only minor issues (ie my husband couldn't get the trailer around the curve at the gas station and a nice "beer truck" driver helped us out). The dogs and Lilly did wonderful and are happy to be in the hotel tonight. I'll post pics sometime in the next day or 2. So far, so good!