Curse you construction!

Ok so yesterday. I went to the archaeology field with my dad again. This time I was just driving him, so I would drop him off in one place and pick him up at another. Since I slept on the way there while he drove, I decided to drive home. Worst experience of my life! There was some of the worst construction I've ever been through. They set up cones to divide lanes, and the cones were so ridiculously close together I was terrified I was going to hit them. My dad didn't let me go slower than 45 mph, and the people behind me were practically tailgating. I was praying for it to be a short construction area, but it sure wasn't. It was about 8 miles long. It wasn't a regular highway either. It was the kind that has sharp turns and hills, and so I didn't relax. At all. I was white knuckled basically the whole time, near hyperventilation. To make things worse, about half way through it started to pour rain. It was one of those storms where no matter how fast you have your wipers going, you still can't see. I almost hit a worker, because the idiot walked into our lane. By the time we finally got out of the construction, I had probably lost 5 years of life because I was so stressed. My dad made me get a drink at a gas station, but he must be on crack because that didn't help at all. It was terrifying. On a happier note, I survived. I know, the world would miss me terribly if i died.

Reporting from work

This is my second day at work! Well, training at least. I am a sub for the head receptionist at Liberty Press. When I got the call to start training, I was expecting to be put into some cublicle and take 5 calls at the same time for hours on end. Instead, I walked into the large building to be greeted by my trainer, behind a large granite desk. I have my own settings on the computer, keep an eye on security cameras, and answer phone calls from all over the states. It's so weird going from no job experience (outside of babysitting) to what I feel like is a really good job. Granted, it's hard to keep the hang of it at first. I get calls and say "Liberty Press!" and all the person will say is "I need to speak to Mr. Oldham." uh..."Which one sir?" This is a family business, and there are ten different Oldhams here. Outside of the Oldhams, there are lists of other employees. Some you just transfer the call to then hang up. Others you transfer, call their intercom, then tell them "Hi Kathryn I have a Doug from IVSI for you." If they take it, great. If they want to forward it to their voicemail, you have to ask the caller if they want to be forwarded to the employee's voicemail. If they say no, then you tell them to call back later. If they say yes, you have to press Transfer, Voicemail, then the the person's extension. I think I'm getting it down, but there are still awkward moments where I press hold, and can't find the buttons or numbers I need. Overall I like it here. Everything in front of me is glass, the windows, walls, and doors. There's a water fountain to the left, where visitors can wait. Out the windows and to the right there is a park with large ponds and ducks and pelicans. It's a low paying paradise. ;) So far, I've gotten 8 calls, most of which have gone to a woman named Kathryn. She takes alot of sales calls, and is also the head secretary for the CEOs. Well now I gotta go. I figure I might as well do homework during down time. Buh Bye.

Just some pictures from my phone. My phone only allows me to upload pictures that are a smaller size, so that's my lame excuse for the pictures being smaller. These are all from spring break.

Daughter of an Archeologist

It started at about 5:30 yesterday morning when my dad came in and woke me up. "Come on let's go! We need to be out the door by 6:30." Me: grumble grumble grumble. I finally dragged out and got into my only pair of jeans and put on a bright red t-shirt I got in 9th grade as part of a bike ride. Finally I put on my running shoes and threw my hair back into a pony tail. I figured there was no point in putting on make up when we were going to the middle of no man's land where nobody had bothered to live for 50+ years. I had the perfect breakfast of a piece of toast and juice (I've never been a big fan of breakfast, so this was the best.) I grabbed my pillow and we headed out. My dad drove, my younger brother in the front seat, while I sprawled out in the back seat. I fell asleep until we finally reached the site where we were supposed to survey. It was the future site of an oil well, and was a square mile. We spread out about 20 yards apart from each other and began trudging. We stepped on and over sage brush, and struggled to stay in a semi straight line as we walked around pine trees, the dirt getting all over us. The first site was the slowest, since we got lost several times. We walked that section from about 10:15-12:00. We got back to the truck and ate lunch. After lunch, we headed to another site. This one was the fastest, since we didn't get lost. We found two or three cans along with some old beer bottles that dated between 1915-1960. We marked them into the GPS as "isolated artifacts" and kept walking. There were lizards everywhere, and I'm going to openly admit I tried to catch them. Those little suckers are FAST! After giving up, I was walking around another group of sage brush when something moved from under my feet. I froze when I realized it was a horned lizard or whatever those things are called. It was really fat, with yellow and orange spots on its back so it looked like a rock with lichens on it. It was so slow. I called my brother over and we teased it for a few minutes. I finally reached down to touch it. As soon as my finger touched its back, it hissed. I shrieked and decided it was time to go. We finished that section about 3:00. A quick side note: when it comes to archeology trips, NEVER get your hopes up. We started driving, and I was sure we were done. Of course not. We drove for all of 5 minutes and stopped. "Alright let's go!" Uuuuuuggggghhhh. This section was the worst. We were tired, and there was a really steep hill we had to survey. We found a "historical site", with 9 food cans, 2 tobacco flip top containers, lids, 2 milk cans, etc. We had to write down each one, and my dad recorded it into the GPS, It took 20 minutes, but it couldn't have felt anymore like death. There was no where safe to sit, since there was a giant ant hill in the middle of the site and the little red things were everywhere. Our feet were throbbing, and the mosquitoes decided we were quite appetizing. When we finally finished with the site, we kept walking. And walking. And walking. By the time we got back to the truck, I was covered with mosquito bites and burned a bright red color. We stopped at the nearest town to grab drinks for my brother and dad (I avoid soda when I can) then headed home. We resumed our previous positions, with my dad behind the wheel and my brother in the front seat. I passed out for an hour long nap, and reluctantly woke myself up when we got back to Orem. Nothing beats a day out in the archeology field, and if there is, I don't want to know what it is. I get to go back out again on Tuesday. This time I'll take my Costco camera to prove it. Until then, I gotta go babysit. Peace.

Dandelions

Some of the little chillens

Deiderick, age 4 (as of today!)

Isabel. nickname: Tornado. Don't let the cuteness fool you.

Deidrick, caught in one of those classic moments

Paxton, age 6. What a stud.

Deidrick again. Playing at the park.

Samantha, age 8. Future model and kick butt soccer player.