Baylor Homecoming

So this year I happened to be lucky enough to have Nov 4-6 off, so I was able to enjoy my first Homecoming as an alum!

It was strange to not be a part of building the float or anything else this year but it was great to be back on campus and to run into people. Saw so many people I wasn't even planning to see and we won the football game!

 Friday night before walking over to the bonfire

 Ryan's first Judge Baylor pic

 Fireworks! 

 The ADPi float! A Mad Hatters Tea Party

 The winning foat- KOT

 Saturday afternoon hike in Cameron Park

 On the river trail

 Rock climbing!

 More hiking. It was such a nice day!

 Football game! On the alum side- it was weird

 At halftime we snuck over to the other side to hang out with Barrett and Ellie

 Winning!

In other news...
- I had a guest get upset today because we didn't have enough Christmas lights in stock. She bought out what we had of a kind and when I told her that was all we had at the moment she looked at me and said "How do you expect people to decorate their houses?!". Apparently her lights had to be up today and waiting till we got more in was unacceptable
- Thanksgiving is in like two weeks. Work is going to be nuts the next few weeks.
- I was recognized as a quarter 3 top performer at work

A Trip to the Fair

Well my computer seems to be cooperating and has been for a bit so I'll see if I can get a blog out before it crashes. This past weekend I was off so Ryan came to visit! 

Saturday was a day of first time experiences for me. We went to the State Fair with a few friends! I rode the dart (Dallas's version of the subway but mostly above ground) for the first time, and went to the fair for the first time. The fair was basically like the rodeo but without the rodeo events and the concert. It was a lot of fun though. We rode a few rides, ate fried food, and wandered around looking at exhibits and even saw pig races. It was a long exhausting day but a lot of fun. The only thing we didn't find was the deep fried loaded baked potatoes and the walking tacos (a taco in a bag!). After the fair it started raining like crazy and Ryan and I braved the storm to meet up with my friend Ashleigh who was visiting from New York. She moved there after graduation and was back in town for the weekend. We watched the Rangers game with her, her boyfriend and her family. Saturday in photos is below! 

At the fair! 

On the swings ride! 

 It was a lot faster than we were expecting

 Downtown Dallas from the swings

 A deep fried margarita! Interesting, but not bad

 On the Texas Star

 Dallas at night

Sunday was another rainy day. We went to In n Out burger for lunch (one FINALLY opened down the street from me!) and then headed to Ikea. Where of course I found all sorts of good stuff. 

This is how my room looks now with my new dresser! It's so nice to have my whole closet to use now, especially with the constantly growing red and khaki section. I also like the small desk better than my big desk. The big desk was nice at school but not necessary anymore. 

Also scored this cool bowl to go on my coffee table. It looks nice with the couches and my kinda new curtains in the living room! 

I also finally found some flowers to put in the vases I got years ago. They look pretty good in my bathroom. 

This last one has nothing to do with Ikea, I got it a little while ago. It's the new litter box for Stella and Jasper to use! It's pretty awesome. Big enough to share, and it doesn't look like a litter box. I've also switched to feline pine litter so it's not all dusty and a lot better for the cats. It also smells like pine! I mixed it with corn litter to make it clump a little better. The cats seem to like it pretty well. 

It's Already October

It's finally Fall! and not 100+ degrees outside. It's a sunny 77 today and it feels so good. It's crazy that it's already October. We've had our first 4th Quarter planning meeting at work and are already preparing for the holiday season. I've also successfully lead my first surprise visit and navigated through a transition in Produce. The Deli and Meat ones are coming up in the next few weeks. I've also filled out my first guest incident report for a woman who had a seizure, fell and hit her head. Tonight I close the store by myself and lead ad take down for the first time. So work is going pretty well, I've gotten to know my team and every one at the store. It's fun hanging out with the other execs my age, I just miss having weekends. 4th quarter will be an interesting experience, long days, crazy sales, lots of new stuff.
Other than work I've made it back to Waco for a football game which was a lot of fun. Hopefully I'll be back for a few more. I'm going to homecoming for sure. Marianne, Thomas and I have also started meeting up every Friday night after work to eat, get drinks and hang out which is a lot of fun. I'm also working on planning a trip to the state fair sometime next month, and Ryan, Matthew and I are going to go to a Cowboy's game too. I've got to do as much stuff as I can in October before I don't have the time in November or December.

Is it Fall Yet?

I'm ready for cool weather...
Oh man, it's been a busy last few weeks. I finished food training and on Tuesday started at my new store. I have an office and everything! My computer has been having a lot of problems lately so I haven't been able to update. Training went well, food is very involved and it was a lot to take in in three short weeks. My new team is pretty seasoned and successful so they will be able to teach me a lot. I'm also enjoying being reunited with Thomas and Damon again, not being the only new person is great. I decorated my office a little, put some pictures up, and organized things. For the most part I'm hoping to spend the next week or so just getting to know everyone and learning about what's been going on at my new store in Hurst. Right now though, I'm just grateful for tomorrow off. I closed all last weekend and Monday and then opened the last few days so I'm ready to sleep and relax.
In other non-work news...
It is still insanely hot here, reaching at least 100 everyday and I am so ready for it to cool off.
Jasper now has a kitty friend. Her name is Stella, and she came from my friend Kristen and her boyfriend Carl. He took her in as a rescue but she was living locked in a bathroom because they have dogs. I brought her home for the weekend so see how they got along and couldn't say no.
I hung curtains in my living room today. I had to buy a power screw driver, but I managed to put up the rod and everything (all bought on clearance at work).
Baylor football starts Friday! I'm hoping to go to about half of the games. Definitely going to Homecoming, and I think I'll be there in a few weeks for the Rice game.

 I visited Austin one weekend and hung out with Ryan's fat cat Shadow. I'm his favorite.

 While Ryan was here we went to the Dallas Aquarium. It was pretty fun.

 Last time I had a few days off I went to Houston to visit. Jason, Kevin and I had a movie/Howl day.

 This is Stella. 

Food Week 1

Well I knew I was back at 1784 when a few hours into my shift last Monday I was called to sit in the AP office until the police arrived to pick up a woman who was apprehended. It's good to be back at a busy store and I'm enjoying spending time with all the team members there again. They are all so welcoming and fun.
Sitting in on an apprehension was interesting to say the least. I worked on my online food training while our TPS and officer filled out all the paperwork and took photos and everything to prepare to call the police. It was actually pretty fun to see how everything works back there and so interesting to hear this woman try to get out of being arrested. With multiple IDs in her purse and a prior arrest for shoplifting there as no way she was getting out of it. So, it was a good start to my return to 1784.
Food training is going well, so many things things to learn in the next two weeks. I'm hoping I have a good team leader who orders at my store because I have a feeling I won't be very good at it.

I like Food

I mean, who doesn't like food right?

Anyway, what does food have to do with anything you might ask? I'll give you a hint, it has to do with my new position with Target!

Monday afternoon I had a visit from my DTL (district team leader) in which I found out I am getting a new ETL position and a new store assignment! So because of STL interview results and people moving around an ETL-Food position at Hurst opened up. So I will be the new ETL-Food at that store! So starting next week I will go back to 1784 and train for 3 weeks with Kristen to learn all about food. I like eating food, so I feel like this will be a good fit. Also, I enjoyed all the food stuff I did during my training for hardlines. After 3 weeks I'll go to Hurst which will be my new home store and I'll be in charge of the front half of the food area (bakery, deli, produce, meat, Starbucks).
Another good thing about this move is that two of my training buddies from 1784 are already at Hurst! Thomas (ETL-HL) and Damon (ETL-AP) just started at that store and we are all excited to be reunited.
So, lots of exciting changes in the next few weeks. I'm kind of sad to be leaving because I was just feeling settled at 255 but I'm excited to learn new things and be back in a Super Target (I like the busy atmosphere!). For now, I'm going to enjoy my last few days at 255 and my weekend off in Austin and I'll update next week on how things are going.

First Week in the New Store

I've been at my new store for two days and I can already tell it's going to be tough. Not only is the store being ripped apart to be remodeled but there isn't enough equipment for those who need it, and there aren't very many people working at a time. Not to mention, much of the team has been there for a very long time. So for a newcomer it's a bit overwhelming. I don't want to step on any toes, but I want to bring new ideas and changes to the store. I have a small area in hardlines that I am in charge of and I have one team leader. She seems pretty baller at her job so she should be a big help to me. Adjusting is just really hard, going from a high volume large store, to a super low volume store is weird. The things I am used to doing all day, and the calls that kept me busy don't happen at my new store so I'm going to have to be a little more creative in finding things to work on, especially when I'm not LOD. Being temporary also poses a problem, I know I'm only there for a few months, and so do they which makes starting any long term projects or enacting any changes tough.

So all in all, the new store isn't what I was expecting. No home store means no office or desk, remodel means disorganization and crazy planogram changes, and small store means less LODing and supervising and more hands on daily tasks. It's a lot to get used to, so for now I'm going to focus on getting to know everyone and the routines of the store while keeping note of things I'd like to work on.

In other news- Jasper let a wasp into the apartment yesterday while he was on the balcony and then couldn't take care of getting it back out. I'm not sure why but the wasp decided it didn't want to come out from behind my blinds in my living room. So it spent its time walking in the cracks on the side of the window frame at an angle where I couldn't smoosh it. Jasper made one attempt to attack it when it came out from behind the blinds but the wasp scared him too and he took off into hiding only venturing out to watch from afar. When attempts to coax the wasp back outside failed I took to watching it crawl around looking for an opportunity to hit it. In the end I took my outdoor wasp spray and used in on the window. It killed the wasp but left a mess and made the apartment smell.

Ready for the Next Step

That's right, today I am officially done being an EIT. Today was my last day training and my last day hanging out at store 1784. I am sad to be leaving everyone there, they were all so nice and welcoming and really made me feel like part of the store. I have this weekend off and Monday morning I report to my new store. I am going to the Irving store on Airport Freeway, which should be pretty close to my apartment. Hopefully this weekend I'll drive over there and check out the store. I also need to return some khaki pants that didn't fit right and maybe look for some more red shirts. I'll be at the Irving store helping with their remodel (the store is becoming a pfresh store so it is getting a grocery area). After the remodel is finished I'll go to Grapevine and replace the ETL-HL who is going on maternity leave. I think these new stores will be a big change, they are a lot smaller and have less ETLs than I am used to, but it should be fun.

I've also started making a list of things I really want to buy now that I am making real money. For the most part everything big that I bought has now been paid for so other than rent my next check is all mine to spend. So I am keeping my eyes out for a bigger tv and a new bedding set (which to my surprise is pretty expensive). There is a super cute gray and yellow set at Target that I really want but everything has to be bought separately so it's pretty expensive.

No exciting plans this weekend, Kristin stopped by this evening and we went out to dinner and hung out some. Other than that I've got no real plans. 

MONA

Actor James Franco recently helped to create the MONA. The Museum of Non-Visible Art. And no, this is not a joke. Check out the article here.
Along with two others Franco is now making money selling plaques describing artwork. So basically they are making tons of money selling pieces of paper describing something that none of these people could probably ever paint/create. In a way I want to say props to James Franco, I mean if you can find people dumb enough to buy something like that maybe you deserve to make money off their stupidity. I'm not saying everyone who goes to this place or buys a piece of its "art" is an idiot, I get that the MONA is trying to be modern and innovative. It's a way for people to express themselves creatively, and there are probably some rich people out there with way too much money who will spend tons to have the first invisible art. However, for the majority of the population I think this will be seen as a waste of time. I mean I could write up a description of something on a piece of paper, does that mean I could actually paint or sculpt it? No, it just means I can write creatively, and I don't think I should make money off that (unless I am turning it into a book or something). Leave the artwork to people with genuine talent, who can turn a good eye into a photograph, or a lump of clay into a vase.

Besides, would you want to pay admission to a museum only to walk inside and find the walls blank except for plaques reading something like:

Orange and white cat slaps person in face while jumping in the air

I sure wouldn't. 

4 Weeks In

It's so nice to touch base with other Executives in Training. Makes me feel like I'm on the right track and that its totally normal to still feel a bit overwhelmed and lost. I'm in week 5 of my training, so only a week to go! I can't believe that in a couple weeks I'll be at my home store. Yikes! I know I still have a lot to learn, and it's going to be weird to be a total newbie in charge of a bunch of people who have worked for Target for years. This week we have a lot classroom days, which means it will be hard to get 50 hours but it's really nice to hang out with other people in my same situation. Being able to compare experiences, training and feelings about our new ETL positions is great. Knowing that other people feel the same way I do and have the same worries I do is so reassuring.

In other non-work news, this past weekend was my weekend off. Ryan came up during the week for a baseball game and then after a trip to Oklahoma with his dad for business came back Friday. We went out in uptown Friday night with a few people. Then on Saturday our friends Ellie and Barrett came up from Waco. We all went to Six Flags, which of course was a lot of fun. We are also trying to plan a trip to Schlitterbahn before the summer is over. Saturday night we had people over to my apartment to hang out. Sunday we took Ellie to get her first In N Out burger and then Ryan and I went to see Bad Teacher. All in all, a great weekend! I have the 4th off but no plans as of yet, hopefully I'll make it down to Houston sometime soon.

Busy Busy

Wow, I can't believe it is already week three of training. I feel like I've learned so much, but I still have so much more to learn. Things are going so fast, and on the days that I work I don't hardly have time for anything else. My day off is a welcome break every week.
Lets see, in the last three weeks I've gotten my first paycheck, gotten a Target debit card, enrolled in benefits, paid my first bills at this apartment, and added a few new things to the place (like pillows, and decorative stuff). I've done a lot of online training, learned how to do a business walk, use the LPDA and learned a lot of rules and policies but I definitely need more hands on experience in my actual job figuring out everyday things.
Last weekend was my first weekend off and I spent it in Austin. One of Ryan's friends got married on Saturday so that afternoon we drove out to this little place in Kyle, Tx for the wedding. Although it was hot out the wedding was very pretty. It was on this property with a big white house and a little gazebo out back along with a covered area for the reception. They had a photobooth and everyone could take pictures and write notes to the bride and groom in an album. So cute. We had steak, chicken, and veggies along with an open wine/beer/margarita bar and cake. After the wedding we hung out with a few friends on 6th Street. Sunday we watched the Mavs become NBA Champions with some people in Austin. It was a lot of fun and an exciting game.
Monday and Tuesday have been work days, nothing too exciting. Tomorrow is total store inventory so I'll be working all night long.

 Hanging out at the Wedding

Shoplifters and Scan Downs

First closing shift at Target and it was a long one. After a day off Friday I went in at 3:00 today and didn't leave till around 1:15. I worked on one of my online lessons and then joined one of the Leaders on duty for a store walk before my trainer Reggie arrived. We spent a lot of our night walking the floor, zoning (straightning) and making sure everything was covered because there were a lot of call ins. I learned how to sign off on delivery trucks, and check the food temperatures. Tonight was also ad scan down. Starting around 10 we walked around taking down all the clearance and price cut signs that ended today. It took hours to do this, each card in each isle has to be scanned back into the system and taken off the shelves so that the new ad can be put up overnight. The most exciting part of the evening however was catching shoplifters! The asset protection team (people, including police officers, who monitor the store and take care of theft and other issues) caught three 13 year old girls stealing $600 worth of merchandise including many boxes of condoms. So tonight I got to see the monitors and the holding cell and the police had to come and take the girls. It was kind of exciting, I wish I had gotten to be the employee sitting in on all the action. Hopefully tomorrow's closing shift will be quieter, the store closes an hour earlier so at least I should be home before 2:00.

First Days

I have now completed two days at my new job. Getting up early is going to take some getting used to. Yesterday I had to be at the Target in Euless at 9am for the first day of Business College. We spent the day watching videos, filling out paperwork, and talking about what to expect over the next six weeks. In total there are 11 new EITs (executives in training), 5 are pharmacists, the rest of us are in various areas around the store. At the end of the day we got our training calenders and surprise, we all had different stores to be at the next day. We meet in Euless four more times for classes and all the other days are spent at a training store.

Today was my first day at the training store and I had to be there at 7am! So early. The day passed pretty quickly once we got started though, and now I'm wondering how we will possibly fit everything in each day. My trainer's name is Reggie and he is originally from the Wichita area, and coincidentally remembers my mom from when she first started at Target! I spent a lot of the day walking the store learning about the different areas and meeting people in them. I also trained as a cashier and at the guest services desk. I also got to sit in on an interview, and see schedules and things like that. It was a long day, but it was good. Tomorrow Reggie is off, but I'm still working 7-5 and will probably spend a lot of the day working on my online training and getting certified to use the various tools in the back. Then I am off Friday, and work 3-close the rest of the weekend. During my training I will also get to participate in total store inventory, which happens over night. So that is pretty cool. I've got my to-do list of everything to finish tomorrow and hopefully I can fit it all in!

Washing Machine Mishaps

Today I finally got my new washing machine. A week late, but finally here. So I immediately started washing clothes, sheets and towels. This high efficiency machine is going to take a little getting used to. It sounds a bit like a shrieking child when it runs, and I think using the right amount of soap is going to take some getting used to. The load of towels seemed to go well, so I threw in a load of colors. There is no size setting on the washing machine, so that was confusing enough, but then there are six different types of water settings. This being a load of colors I usually wash on cold/cold, but I saw a setting called color/cold. I won't be using that setting again, when I opened the machine not only did half the clothes still have soap residue on them they were all very warm. Apparently the wash had gotten so warm it had heated up some of the screen printing on one of my t-shirts, so now I have a dress with printing residue on it, and an "a" stamped onto part of another shirt. I'm not sure if the high efficiency setting just uses more heat and less water or what. But it's going to take some getting used to.

Rain Rain Go Away

And I thought I left the crazy weather and humidity behind in Houston. Such an interesting last few days with thunder storms here in the DFW area. Ashleigh and I attempted to go to the pool yesterday but in a matter of minutes the sky turned dark and it began pouring. Same thing today, it was bright and sunny all day and around 4/5 it got really windy and the temperature dropped. It took awhile for the actual storm to get going, not until about 7:30 did it actually start raining but since then I've seen fist size hail, crazy wind and rain. We've been under a tornado warning for most of the evening because of funnel clouds and rotation near Fort Worth and Love Field. Currently two of the three hail storms have passed, so it's only raining now and luckily I still have power. Such an interesting start to my week here. Luckily it was nice over the weekend and Ryan and I went to Six Flags, and to some bars in Uptown with his friends from HS. So much fun! I missed having roller coasters to ride.

 Start of the hail storm

Night Two, Meal One

 Cake at our party

 Before the ceremony

 Everyone ready to graduate

 On campus with Judge Baylor

 Pat Neff in the background

Family photo, like usual my hair is in front of my face

Today we finished hanging everything and setting up my apartment. I also added a carport to my lease so I now have a place to park all the time. I even went to the grocery store and got a couple flowers to put on my balcony. I also actually cooked dinner tonight instead of picking something up. I've still got a few things I need to pick up from the store that I forgot earlier so I might go back in a bit. I also found out where I report for training on the 31st, now I just need to drive out there and check the store out. I've also got to get a few more things to wear to work before I start. Luckily I'll have all next week! 

 First thing I cooked: garlic shrimp with lemon butter sauce

 Living room completed!

Bedroom with curtains and stuff hung on the walls

First Night in my New Place!

It's been a busy week! Friday was graduation, which was long and kind of boring. The roommates and I rented out the La Fiesta Party House for dinner/graduation party for us and all our families which was fun. I'll post pictures and more stuff about all the graduation festivities when I get them from my dad.
Monday was move in day! We started at 8am in Houston and the movers loaded my stuff there and in Waco and brought it to my new place in Dallas (technically Irving)! So we have now spent two days unpacking and everything is mostly done. Tonight is my first night spending the night here. Jasper slept here by himself last night, and after a day of hiding he is finally running around exploring and getting into everything.

 He's had a long day

 Living room

 The fire place

 Kitchen

 I have a pantry!

 Dining room

 The bathroom

Stuff in the bathroom

 Bedroom

Vanity