Dear Dollar Tree

Guess what? Just because you sell very inexpensive items does not mean you can treat your employees how ever you want. If anything you should treat them like Kings and Queens for all they have to put up with. I am not a Dollar Tree employee, however I have seen what these people put up with. like:

• Constantly scheduled on days they are unavailable.
• Always asked to find coverage for those shifts which is ridiculous when you messed up the schedule in the first place. YOU FIX YOUR MISTAKE!
• Managers acting like small children when the employees are ill. Guess what life happens and many large corporations figure out how to pull up their big girl/boy panties and say "Okay, feel better." and then we find someone to cover their shift or we work extra hard that day. I know baffling what you can accomplish when your attitude graduates high school!
• ON a daily basis they deal with possibly the dumbest customers on the planet asking repeatedly about each item how much it costs. and They don't snap at these customers that it's the Dollar Tree it's all a dollar grasp the concept or go home
• They put up with their bosses huffing like a 4 year old and hanging up on them when they are horrible ill and must miss a day.
• They put up with people not minding their children while they ransack the store. 
• They put up with having a day job that only ever gives them half shifts. 
• They put up with constantly being talked down to by management.
• They put up with all of the silly things you make them say or do for your fundraisers.
• They put up with an always growing list of responsibilities while fully knowing that it's damn near impossible to get a raise.

So Dollar Tree maybe your management needs classes on how to humanly treat other people, Or maybe they need to be fired and go back to primary school and learn manners, Whatever they need you should get on it before people start boycotting your store. Because as a customer I have heard a store manager gossiping about other employees and their health issues on the sales floor in front of everyone. Which I'm pretty sure violates Hipaa Privacy policies. But hey you know just a heads up that with the treatment these people are getting from your company I wouldn't be surprised if you start getting more lawsuits. Also hey my mom taught me this thing when I was like 3 that may help your management staff. It's called the golden rule because it's pretty important. Basically you treat others how you wish to be treated. It's not too complex maybe look into it. I've done pretty well in my life living by that rule. In conclusion be nice because if I keep seeing your employees mistreated I will do everything in my power to bring attention to all you are doing! Please just hire nice people or you know train the mean ones to at least have common human decency! Thanks Lambchop!

My love story

It's strange to me that so many people who know me and know my husband don't know how we met or even how he proposed. So since we just passed our five year wedding anniversary and we are coming up on our 8 year dating anniversary I thought what better time then the present.

To first figure us out you have to know a little of how we were before we met. Hammy (my husband) dated quite a bit and had even been engaged once before he met me but he had been single for a while before we met. I on the other hand had always sworn I would never marry and pretty much just figured I'd spend my life surrounded by my family and my many guy friends. I had plenty of opportunity to date and was pretty constantly teased about being "too picky" or "heartless" or "emotionally detached" and to tell you the truth I probably was at least a little bit. I didn't care what guy liked me unless they were Nick Carter I wasn't interested. Most of that however is because I have always been fiercely independent and I always wanted to fall in love with who I was before I felt I could truly love and be loved. 

So around 3 months before I met Hammy I had decided to dip my toe in the water of the dating pool. Well that resulted in a very misguided moment or two with one of my guy friends and then me meeting a guy who I was very attracted to physically but after about a month of dating I found out that he had a girlfriend. I wasn't heartbroken because I was never very attached to him. He broke up with his girlfriend and we dated off and on until I met my Hammy.  See the guy before my husband didn't treat me very well and to be honest I didn't treat him great either. we just weren't meant to be. But since he had initially met online and I had given him a chance, then on November 20th 2006. when my now husband messaged me online I was open to meeting him because he seemed sweet and really he couldn't be much worse then the last guy. 

So he picked me up at my house and took me to a movie. It was a James Bond movie and I'm not really a 007 kind of girl but it was fun none the less. Then after the movie we grabbed a meal at Wendys and chatted. To be honest he was super shy really quiet and hard to get to open up. Then when he finally did start talking it was all about how many times he had been in car accidents. Not the best topic for the girl who he still has to drive home and who had been in 5 accidents in 3 years all of which I was a passenger. Oy it appeared to not be going well. But he took me home as I was leaving for my job in Salem that night he asked for a hug and  my number and that was that. I thought well not the best but not the worst date ever.

First adorable thing he did was to call me from the bottom of our hill just to make sure I hadn't given him a fake number. Then within the next couple of days he went to the Beavers/Ducks Civil War game. Which is huge in my world as I am and always will be a lifelong beavers fan. I was so jealous that he had tickets. But I stayed home and watched the game. That was an amazing game. Super close and if I remember correctly it was ended by a blocked field goal attempt right at the end. Now at the time I lived in Corvallis which is Beaver Nation. So the fans rushed the field and I said wow Luke is so lucky to be there right now. then 2 seconds later the phone rang and it was him just calling me while rushing the field to make sure i had seen it. That was the second point in his favor. It was so sweet that at such an amazing time he thought of me and wished I could have been there to see it!

Then for a while he went down to his mothers house which was about a 2-3 hour drive away. We talked on the phone or online everyday. and he was so sweet. So when he came back we went on our second date. This was the clincher for both of us. It was a great date. We saw another movie and then we took a nice long walk around town talking. We eventually came upon some carolers and it was snowing so we stopped to dance. I couldn't quit looking at his amazing blue eyes. He was already so sweet and treated me like a queen. We both think that's the day we started to fall for each other.

So after a little while of dating and hearing all of the stories about how scared he was to introduce me to his mom because she hadn't been a fan of any of his exes. It was time to meet his mom. I was so nervous which I think is normal but it didn't help that he kept saying oh I hope she likes you and it would do a lot for my mom and my relationship if you to got along. (Thanks for the pressure Luke) But we had dinner with her and she was and is still to this day one of the most amazing people I've ever met. She's one of those super humans who is amazing at everything and not at all boastful about it. Then that night she called him to tell him how much she liked me! I kept thinking everything is so perfect how can it be going so well for me. I mean this was my first try at a real relationship. Nobody knocks it out of the park on the first try.

But he just kept getting more wonderful. We started a tradition where once a week we got Dutch Bros coffee and went to bible study together. Which was important for me because I wanted God to be a part of our relationship. We spent new years together. Everything was great. I eventually met the rest of his family. and  we were an item. Then one day while holding hands he kept playing with my ring finger on my left hand and I asked what he was doing. He said just thinking about the day that I get to put a ring there. Now mind you I have a horrible fear of commitment and we had been dating 3 months. I said yeah but I'm a tad freaked out by commitment. He said Okay I'll just ask you everyday until the answer becomes a yes! and that he did. For 9 months until our one year dating anniversary he said at least once a day< "hey will you marry me?" and the answer slowly morphed from maybe someday, to yeah probably eventually, to yes someday I will. So on our one year anniversary he said you keep saying yes eventually well doesn't that mean yes? I said yeah I guess it does. So exactly one year after we met we got engaged.

His main hurdles were. my Mom, My brothers and My Gramps. He passed those tests with flying colors. He's a bit of a geek so my older brother likes him. He likes to put in a hard days work so my little brother likes him and my mom just loved the way he treats me and his beautiful eyes and lips. When I finally took him to Salem to meet my Gramps I was super nervous about if Gramps would like him. Then not long after we left I got a call from my aunt saying that Gramps wouldn't quit talking about how much he liked him and that he looked at me like I was the most valuable thing on earth. So he passed the Gramps test too! My aunts and cousins were quick to adjust. They're main comment has been that he just feels like one of the family.

I made him wait a long time to get married. Not because of doubts but more because I had never thought of my own wedding before and I needed a lot of help planning from those who had (My Mom, Aunts, and Best Friend!) But we made it!! We had a beautiful beach wedding over 5 years ago. It's so strange because some days it feels like we haven't been

married that long and others it feels like it's been forever. IN a good way of course like I just can't imagine my life without him. So that it the quicky version of my love story. I hope I didn't leave anything out! BYE!

But we're where the chick and the duck live.

Big points if you know where I got the title of this blog from. So because I'm spoiled (can't help it blame my family) My husband got me chicks and ducks. So here's how it all started. I saw an ad on craigslist for 2 adult male Muscovy ducks. In case you don't know that is my favorite breed of duck because they are so sweet they are super quiet because they don't quack they mostly just hiss and wag their tails. Anyway the lady who had them wanted a home for them where they wouldn't be eaten. (Muscovy's are typically raised for meat) So I of course don't eat duck and love them as friends not food. So we began corresponding and making plans. Then she said she had a friend with an adult female Muscovy duck who needed a home. I said sure of course we have 400 acres a river and tons of streams it's like ducky paradise out here. Then she asked if I wanted ducklings and I said sure I'll take a couple of babies. and it spiraled. We now have 9 babies and 3 adults. (I have a very patient husband.) So we brought them home introduced them to the dogs and cats who are all miraculously in love with them. The cats continue to hunt everything else while protecting the ducks! Sasha our lab mix is madly in love with ducks! So we successfully have many little feathered friends.

Now as most people know we are cattle farmers so unfortunately we frequent feed stores. Me being the princess that I am I have very little interest in feed stores. My husband tries desperately to get me to buy some boots and camo. Silly boy. So he always makes me go with because he is holding out hope that some day I'll become less princess and more cowgirl. (Not gonna happen) So we went in to get cattle wormer and there right by the door were six containers of little tiny chicks. OMG. Now another thing you should know is I have a huge fear of chickens. I have never been a bird person unless they are aquatic birds. But really who hates chicks? I mean they are living cotton balls. So I fell in love but they only had meat chicks which we were told run the risk of getting so big they break their own legs if kept longer then 8 weeks. So it looked like I would yet again admire but not be able to leave with a chick. Just when all hope was almost lost the lady said but I'm getting in a bunch of Layers tomorrow. So if you want chickens for eggs come back tomorrow. My poor husband he can't say no to me and he loves farm fresh eggs so what could he do?

So we agreed we would get 4 female chicks the following day. So we went in and he walked to the back to use the restroom and I just stood there falling in love and pondering which ones to get. Oh the options. So I told the lady I would take 2 Banded Rock chicks and 2 Rhode Island Reds. that was that I grabbed my 50lb bag of feed and I was ready to go as soon as hubby came out of the bathroom. But then I had to wait too long and four just didn't feel like the right number and I have O.C.D. so I'm weird about numbers. I mean who gets four chicks? You get three or five not four. and I certainly wasn't putting one back I mean imagine the life story of that chick. I was on my way to Chicken and Duck paradise but then this heartless women decided she didn't want me because four wasn't a magical enough number. I can't play the villain in any chickens story. So we had to get one more and the Jersey Giants are so cute and their card said nothing but good things about them so........ Oh crap here comes hubby ummmm think think think. So the pouty lip came out I gave him a big hug like he had been at war instead of in the mens room. and in my sweetest voice I said Hammy..... I got 2 Rhody's and 2 Banded Rocks but the Jersey Giants are so cute. My husband hadn't caught on yet and said so switch some out. Oh silly boy he hadn't thought through the poor chicken life story. So I said but can't I get just one of the Jersey's? He said how many chickens do I have to buy before we leave here? I said just five! and grinned and ran to pick out my newest feathered friend.

So that is how, "Hey honey, can I have 2 ducks again" turned into, "Thanks so much for my 17 feathered friends!" They truly are a blessing and the chicks remind me everyday of God's glory watching their instincts tell them how to survive and groom and knock on their giant aquarium in between chirps to try to tell me to hold them. It's so amazing how they just know how to be their perfect little selves! I wish we were all so lucky! So prepare to be bombarded with adorable pics and stories! and if you have time pray and thank God for all the little creatures in life and then maybe throw in a prayer for my husband's sanity! <3

Why I believe that everyone should own a dog at some point in life.

So first off this blog isn't going to shock anyone. I'm an animal lover I will always be an animal lover and my all time dream come true would be running an animal rescue. However, there are truly so many things that you learn from owning a dog. I think the first thing they teach you when you're a kid is responsibility, You have to feed and walk the dog and clean up their messes. Also when they are still puppies you have to keep a constant eye on them so they don't do something very bad like chew electrical cords. Or in the case of my dog Sasha when she was a pup chew daddies only pair of glasses which were very expensive. But there are so many more things a dog can teach you.

I have had a Lab or Lab mix my whole life. I truly feel like anyone can love a Lab but it's also okay to find a dog more suited to your needs and care abilities. Like if your house is full of breakable things that you keep kind of low down, then don't get a lab. Trust me Lab's tails are destructive. So with that in mind one of the main things owning Labs or puppies has taught me is, patience. I have to clean  up whatever they break and still love them. Which to be fair they love us even if we broke something of theirs.

Dogs are great because they make you laugh so much. My dog, Ranger, would do the silliest things and he pretty much always had a dur dur dur look on his face. But when he would stare at a bug on the road on our walks and then have to sneeze and smack his nose on the road. He made me laugh or he would steal paper towel rolls from the trash and want to play what we called "Bonka" which was basically sword fighting with paper towel rolls. He always brightened my day.

My Pug, Fubu used to wait until you left the room and go slap the T.V. until he got it to a channel that played music. Sasha who is part lab and part Elkhound, She is two breeds of hunting dogs. Yet she swims with our pet Ducks and Elk terrify her. She even accidentally killed a roof rat once and mourned that thing for at least 2 weeks. She knows that she doesn't have to be a hunting dog and she loves it. Dogs will teach you so much and bring such joy to your life. I can't imagine how much less joy I would have had if I couldn't have been a dog owner. I will always own and love dogs! The best thing you get from them is true unconditional love and who wouldn't want that?

The real reason I want to have money.

There are so many people out there who want to win the lottery so that they could never work again and travel and all of that. As wonderful as that all would be I think the main things I wish I had money for are to help people. I would love to be able to pay of my mom and my mother-in-law's mortgages. I would love to take them on a trip and to spa's because they both do so much for me and my husband. I would buy my brothers all houses and make sure they had reliable vehicles. I would start a college fund for my baby niece. I would do so much good with more money.

That being said I will most likely never win the lottery. I probably won't become wealthy ever and that's okay. But that doesn't change my attitude. I still want to do everything I can everyday to take away stress from my family. I would love to travel but I always think of all the people who's lives could be made better with the money I would use on a vacation. I want to be able to not spoil but just provide for all my family, and friends. I wish that more people would do good with the money they do have.

So if you are a friend or family member of mine. Just know that I may have no way to financially help you right now. I may never have that. But I'm always here to help trouble shoot. Or even just to listen to what's going on with you. I will live my life giving what I can. Even if all I can give is a smile and some encouraging words!! God Bless you all!

Many different ways to tell if you're a crazy cat person.

It's no secret I love my cats. People always tell me I baby them too much, but really until I have an actual baby what harm is it doing. True my cat Oliver pretty much has a God complex because I always tell him he's a king. But he is the king of the kitties. Bagheera may think he owns our farm but so what? He keeps the rodent and bird population under control. Little miss Rochette pretty much thinks the world revolves around her and I but I'm alright with that. I have begun to notice some things that make me believe that I may take it too far. Here's a few examples of things I have noticed and you might want to watch out for so you don't become as crazy as I am.

• Having pictures of your pets in your phone is fine. Having more pictures then you have of family may be taking it a bit too far. 
• Snuggling your cat is great but if you have ever stayed still when you have important things to do (like work or pee) just so that you don't wake the cat, It's becoming an issue. 
• If you make your significant other move over in bed to make room for your cat because she prefers to sleep in between you two , under the covers, like a human. Is probably taking more of a relationship risk then you want to take. 
• If you judge whether or not you like someone by how your cat feels about them it's taking it a bit far. Mainly because my cats hate most people who aren't Me, Hubby, my Mom, or my Brothers. If I cut down my social circle that much it's going to be harmful to my sanity. 
• If you hold your cats like a baby even when they weigh about twice the size of an average baby. It's pushing it a tad. Plus really not good on your arms and shoulders especially if you have a torn rotator cuff. (That one may just be me)
• If you rock your cats to sleep when you get home from work because you know that they missed you and had a big day. (never mind that you are exhausted and have better things to do)
• It's true that some cats meow in different ways for different things they want. My cats can all say the only 4 words a cat really needs to say, Mom, Dad, Out, and NOW. But responding to them as if they are a teen-aged human is not really normal. Nor is dropping everything to feed them because they are sitting by there food bowl (which is not empty but apparently not full enough for them.) yelling NOW.
• Playing games with your cat that are really more for five year old humans. I may or may not play both hide and seek and the floor is lava with my cat Rochette. 
• If you baby-talk to your cat more then you do actual babies. You probably need to tone it down a bit. 
• If you are badly allergic to cats and yet own three of them and do all of the above things and let them lay on your head until you can barely breathe. Maybe take a look at what you're doing to yourself. 

I adore my cats and will most likely continue to baby them. They and my other fur babies bring me happiness the least I can do is try to return the favor. So, the next time someone calls me a crazy cat person my response will probably be, "Yes, but I'm a happy crazy cat person!"  

Loosing the Legend.

This may sound lame or weird to some people, but I'm having a very hard time with the death of Robin Williams. Not just because of the manner in which he died. (I have lost a brother and a dear friend both to suicide) But also because I think ahead to when I have children and they won't know and love him like I did. They will never get the joy of waiting to see anything new from him because it's always random and hilarious. I know that is normally thoughts you have when you lose a grandparent not a celebrity. He was a huge part of my childhood. Coming from an abusive home as a child there was always two people my mom could put on the T.V. to make me laugh and calm down. Even if some of the jokes were over my head. Those two people were John Ritter and Robin Williams.

I think that so many of us just assumed that he would be around for years to come because someone who brings that much laughter and joy to the world surely should stay in the world for a while. Maybe God just missed him and knew that he needed the Lord's comfort. Or maybe God wanted a laugh. No matter what happened I think that to judge in anyway how he died is horrible. Judge not lest ye be judged. We don't know what went on behind the smiles and laughter. And we shouldn't get too. As much as he was ours he was also not ours. He was an amazing man and I can't imagine what his family is going through. On top of dealing with the horribleness of loosing their family member. They are also dealing with all the extra emotions that come with suicide. The public needs to let them be alone and mourn. We have his movies which we can watch over and over and grieve in our own way but I think some of the horrible comments made about him are absolutely intolerable.

I am in this funk that I can't get out of. Part of that is that when anyone even mentions the word suicide I go back to when I lost the people I did. It is a horrible thing to go through and I wouldn't wish it on anyone. Also he died on the 18th anniversary of me loosing my grandmother. So I was already pretty vulnerable. I can't help but dwell on the fact that somewhere out there is a full grown adult who wasn't even born yet when we lost her. I am trying to get out of this hole of sadness and I will I'm Tuff after all. But it's hard. I just keep thinking I'm loosing all the things that made me feel safe and grounded as a child in a bad situation.

What are my favorite things about Robin Williams? Well most of them are things he did out of the spotlight that we later found out about. but I love that he could make any movie both hilarious and have a message. I think from Aladdin, to Hook, to The Angriest Man in Brooklyn, to What dreams May Come, and Good Will Hunting, no matter what the movie was no matter if it was silly or serious, He always made you smile, laugh, and think. Thank You Mr. Robin Williams for blessing my childhood and my life. You taught me lessons I will carry to the end. Rest well! See you on the other side!