Friends and Family

Somewhere along our journey my Kia developed quite a wobble when braking.  Since I have PEOPLE here, I asked one of them what that was and how to fix it.  Mikie went for a short ride with me (to Walgreens!  We saw another Alaska license plate!). He said my brake rotors were warped.

The repair cost?  We just had to listen to a lecture about the inner workings of an engine, complete with visuals and math problems, while Mikie smoothed out the brake rotors and then put the car back together.  My family is the greatest!

We also got to meet Pops!  He'd been following our road trip progress, too, so we were kind of like celebrities.

There's my brake rotor!  Isn't it pretty?

And here's Mikie putting it back on the car. No more wobble.

We also got to have lunch with one of my nieces last week, Rachael.  A yummy lunch at Joe's Farm Grill and a quick trip to DSW where everybody found something we needed.  Fun morning! We also got to see the rest of her drapery and upholstery shop, Pillow Talk Designs.  She's pretty amazing!  You can follow her new custom furniture venture on intragram here.

Since I'm adding plugs for my talented family's ventures, Rachael's sister Cristal has an adorable shop on etsy that you might want to check out, especially if you have a little one.  Or know someone who has a little one.  Or know someone who loves hair accessories:  A Dash of Sass Designs.

While the job offers are pouring in, we spent some time shopping for apartments and furniture.  Here we are testing out a new mattress:

Turns out the apartment complex wants you to have proof of INCOME before they'll rent to you.  So we have the couch and beds picked out, but didn't get to buy them yet.  Guess we're staying at Lori's house a little longer.  We like it here.  It's very nice, and we get to use the kitchen.  Also, I finally got to have Marlon's famous tacos! Wow!  They live up to their reputation.  Delicious.

Also on the agenda:  catching up with old friends.  I attended high school with most of these people a million years ago. A couple of them went to Mesa High, but they turned out okay.  Thanks, Karen and David for hosting a lovely party!

The job search is not going quite as I'd hoped.  Andrew recommended LDS job service as a resource, and I'm going to their resume and interviewing classes tomorrow.  Somebody will be willing to pay me what I'm worth, I just need to find them. 

Our search for a new church continues, as well.  Tried a third one this weekend.  My favorite so far, but  St. Gregory's, our parish in Sitka, is going to be really hard to replace.  The churches here are all so big.