Where I Work

Its only been three weeks since I started working at The Roof.  

I. Am. Loving. It!

I am constantly amazed at how well Temple Square Hospitality Corp takes care of their employees.  Each night, the head chef cooks a meal for the staff.  It is always delicious.  They provide us with free downtown parking.  The employees are all so very nice.  I love talking with people when they come to dine (something about learning about other people makes me really happy).  And the best perk... never working on Sundays!  

Well about 2 weeks ago, after I'd been working for a week at The Roof, the manager of H.R. called me up and asked if I would also like to serve at The Garden Restaurant.  They ended up being short staffed and would do well to train an additional server.  And since I have significant restaurant background, they thought of me.  Ya know, I may not have had much variety of employment throughout high school and during my time in Provo, but one thing I did right is work in the restaurant industry for a lengthy time.  Somehow there always seems to be a job available and my experience (and maturity, so they say...aka age, haha) is also a plus.

I just finished my training at The Garden yesterday and will be working most Friday nights.  I am hosting a few nights a week at The Roof and working their reservation desk on Thursdays.  And hopefully I will be trained soon as an assistant server at The Roof so I can pick up shifts as needed.  These are all blessings for me.  School is expensive and I still have bills to pay.  I am so very grateful to have these jobs and the great opportunity that comes with it.

Plus, the view from my work is pretty darn awesome!

I guess if one has to work on Christmas Eve, there isn't a better place to be then looking at His temple.

Cars, Cars, Cars

Cars.  A necessary money pit.

This past Friday afternoon as I was driving downtown for orientation at my new job, I experienced something that seriously got my heart beating.  I was pulling off the freeway when my car started jerking around.  At first I wasn't sure what was happening, but noticed after only a block that my check engine light had come on and the RPMs were way too high.
Oh no!  Transmission? Yep.  A couple more blocks confirmed it.  I could feel the transmission dropping gears while I was driving.  That is a terrible feeling!  I just kept praying that I would make it the last few blocks to work because how horrible would it look to be late on your very first day of work!  Thankfully my car stuck it out and got me there just in time.  Unfortunately, on the drive home after orientation, the transmission just kept getting worse.  I had to pull over several times and put my hazard lights on because my car wouldn't shift out of neutral or first.  It took me 45 minutes to drive a typically 20 minute route.

I, of course, then had to ask my dad to take me back to work that night and pick me up again after the shift.  Flash back to high school!  Wow.

The next morning, my dad took my car in to the shop to get it checked out.  The check engine indicator actually came out with three separate readings.  To fix all that is wrong with my car, including the transmission as expected, it would be nearly 5X the worth of my car...darn.  Part of me is really excited about the idea of driving a new (to me) car since I've been driving my accord since I was in high school.  But, now that I'm back in school again, I simply cannot afford the kind of car I want. This is absolutely the worst time for my car to fail me...right before the holidays...I'm no longer working full time...I do have a job now, but I'm only working part-time because of school, etc...  But, at least I'm living at home so there is usually someone willing to share a car or drop me off, and I can now walk to church, even in the snow.

So, together with my dad, we're deciding whether to fix the car and continue driving it further into the ground, or switch it up with a different car.  In the mean time, I'm stuck at home, borrowing my mom's car, or bumming rides to and from work.
As far as a possible car hunt...my dad keeps teasing me with the idea of an '89 Yogo.  [See right]
I tell him no and he simply laughs at me.  Even though he appears to be joking, I'm sure he secretly would love to see me drive it! 

Well, today I am very thankful for the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday which is allowing me a few days off of school; which also consequently means I don't have to leave my mom stranded at home while I have her car.  I guess I didn't realize that when I decided to go back to school that I was signing up for all the other struggles that come with being a student!

Oh, and for the record, I am now working for the Temple Square Hospitality Corp as a host at The Roof Restaurant!  Feel free to come down and see me anytime.  We have a great view of Temple Square which will be lit up for the holidays starting this Friday!

Flying Sumo

Last Friday, I took my best frind, Liz Draper, to dinner for her birthday.  We both love sushi, so I thought we'd try a new place in Park City, the Flying Sumo.

Delicious!

I hate that I forget to take pictures.  The food was so good and we had so much fun, that I just got distracted.  I had my camera in my purse, but alas...

So, instead you get google photos! :)

We had the Vegas Roll (Liz's favorite), Surf n Turf, and the best Sunset Roll I've ever had!

It was really quite comparable to Happy Sumo (which was previously my favorite), but the rolls were larger and the ambiance was better.  I'd actually say this is my new favorite sushi restaurant.  I just wish it was closer to home. Then again, it makes it a little more enjoyable to go to Park City for it.

A Stretch for Something New

Wow, this week has been rough!  I've been super busy; and finding something big and new to do has been a little difficult.  I'm stretching some, but I do have new things in my life.  :)  You'll just have to deal with my lack of creativity this week.

Red Mango's new flavor - KEY LIME PIE

Super delicious!  I went with my roommates, Ashley and Sarah, to endulge in the new flavor for a spur-of-the-moment Girls Night.  Surprised by how much I like it.  It really tastes like the pie!

RED ROCK Brewing Co for dinner with Mike.  I'd never eaten there and it'd been since high school for him so it was the perfect choice!

I had the most delicous dinner.  Chinese Beef Salad.  It had beef tenderloins, which were perfectly cooked, topping a salad filled with water chestnuts, wontons, mandarine oranges, red and green pepers, and was tossed in a sesame seed dressing.  It was so good I didn't want to stop when I got full!  Can't wait to go back.

Movie night: THE A-TEAM.

Have you seen it?  It is a definite must-see!  Mike and I laughed so hard during the entire movie!  Who knew it was such a comedy?  The action was great too.  See the trailer below. (If you plan to see it on the big screen, go soon.  I think its almost out of the main theaters.)

So that was my week: 3 new things that were a stretch to classify as new.

But hey, when you get busy, sometimes you just gotta take what you can get!