So my week has been pretty busy so far. On Tuesday I went to a motivational conference our company sent us to at Alltel Arena. We didn't really think a lot of people were going to be there, so we left the office so that we would be right on time for the conference. We were so wrong! I ended up parking about 5 blocks away from Alltel and I'm so thankful that it was so early in the morning or else I would have died from heat stroke from walking that far in a suit! Anyway, the conference was good, but I cut out early to go to Hot Springs to see my sister Christina, who was in the hospital as a result of a car accident. Jimmy and I got to see her for just a few minutes, but it was good to know that she was recovering and feeling a little better.
Today work has been wild! I'm taking tomorrow off so I'm trying to prepare everything to run smoothly while I'm out. There is just so much prep to do when you're dealing with 14 offices nationwide! The good thing is that my staff is pretty awesome so they don't need a lot of supervision.
This weekend Jimmy and I and the kids are going to Tulsa for the wedding of one of his cousins. All the kids are in the wedding, so we are very obligated to go. Now, Jimmy and his cousin Erin (the one getting married) aren't really all that close. The reason all the kids are in the wedding is because they are so freakishly beautiful and Erin wants all her pictures to be perfect. So she asked if she could borrow his kids. It's kind of weird, but good to know that the kids are so pretty that everyone notices. Kaylee is a junior bridesmaid, Tristan is the ringbearer and McKenzie is one of the flower girls. McKenzie is a little shy, though, so I'm thinking it might be a challenge to get her to walk down an aisle alone in front of so many people she doesn't know. Jimmy and I are ready to do it with her if we need to, though. I really don't think she'll do it on her own. And Kaylee doesn't really like to wear dresses, so it'll be neat to see her in one. The only time I've even seen her in a skirt is when she's in one of her cheerleader uniforms! And that, my friends, is not a dress.
I used to work at a restaurant in Benton called Dizzy's, and it is some of the best food I've ever had. I took Jimmy there last night. I've wanted to take him there since we got together, but it's right in between Hot Springs and Little Rock, the cities that we live in, and it's just so easy to stay and eat in the town you live in. I told him right off that he shouldn't be shocked by anything he hears the employees talking about. Thank goodness I gave him that warning, because it was a very festive night! First off we walk in and my gay friend Clay was sweeping the floors in a very flamboyant manner. Then, when we got our table, my friend Brent went wild when he saw me. You see, I haven't seen him in a few years. I met him when I started working there and shortly after he was sent to prison for vehicular manslaughter. Now he's home and he seems really happy. And then Kelly, the girl waiting on us told us about a table she just waited on and the man remarked how he thought she looked really familiar. Kelly is a former dancer (exotic, that is) and she knew exactly where he knew her from, but it took him a while to put it together. When he finally did it made her so flustered that she had a hard time even telling us the story! She's now left the dancing life behind and is a mom of 3, and she just fell in love with a guy she knew 16 years ago who she recently reconnected with over the internet. HA! It is a very lively group of people. Then Brent came over and told us about the guy he fell in love with while he was in prison. It was a very colorful story to say the least. These are just a few of the hilarious things that happened during our dinner. When I worked there I was by far the most tame person to ever have been employed there. I had no tattoos (I still don't), I've never been arrested and I'm not a lesbian. People were a little wary of me at first!! It was the most fun I've ever had at a job. Constantly changing atmosphere, crazy co-workers and an owner who was, and is, the most absent minded person I've ever met. Jimmy made an interesting comment...he said that none of the people who work there now could ever be employed anywhere else. And I think he's right! I can't imagine those people fitting into any environment as well as they do at that restaurant. And they're great at what they do. OH! And there was a group of about 15 people there, and Darla (the owner) told me that they had called her at 3pm asking if they could get married and have their reception there that night! So funny! It's such a quirky place. I love it.