Lagoon

A few weeks ago we got to go to Lagoon. Gene's sister Camille got us discount tickets through her work...Holiday Oil. Good thing Gene doesn't feel awkward seeing all the people that he used to work for! Anyway, this was Ethan's first time going to an amusement park. We were wondering what his reaction would be to riding on the rides. Thankfully, he did pretty well. He was kind of scared at first. We first put him on a little whale ride that just went in a circle. I think it went up and down too. Poor kid didn't know what to think. His eyes got all red and he chewed on his finger the whole time. No tears though. He did pretty well for the most part. I think he enjoyed the rides that he got to sit by his cousins. Unfortunately, most of the kiddie rides have to be ridden alone. Not very good planning on their part. All in all, I think he had a good time.

I'd say the only down side to our fun day was the weather. It was raining for a good portion of the day. Ever put an adult size poncho on a toddler? Well, we did. For the most part we stayed pretty dry.

We got to see some friends too. Chad and Stephanie Rowley were there with their family too. They are some good friends of ours. They have a son 9 months older than Ethan. They also have a brand new baby girl. It was fun to see them in passing going from ride to ride.

Too bad for Gene, he didn't get to ride a lot of adult rides. I think he felt badly that I couldn't ride anything. We mostly focused on Ethan having fun. Gene got to ride a few things, but I wish he was able to go on more.

At the end of the day, Holiday Oil fed us all dinner. It's kind of funny that a gas station company would feed all the employees and their families gas station food. Sandwiches and chips. It was still really good though. At least I worked up an appetite. Then again, I am pregnant, so I guess that doesn't say much.

Job Update

Wow, I haven't blogged in a while. I'd say it's about time! I thought I'd focus this little entry on updating everyone on Gene's job situation.

Last time I wrote about our employment situation, Gene was going to be a Manager in Training for Sinclair Oil. Well, that time came and went fairly quickly. After only about 3 or 4 months of that position, he was promoted. Instead of a 30 minute commute twice a day, he now has a ten minute commute to his very own store. Yes that's right, Gene is now a manager! He is working at a very nice station on 10600 South and about 20th West. Not too far from our house. So far he has been having a little trouble with a few employees. Some of the people there aren't quite adjusting to the "young kid" that is now their boss. We both understand that completely, but Gene is very qualified for the job. I suppose if they don't like it, they can leave. There are plenty of people out there right now who need employment. Everything else seems to be going pretty well.

We are extremely excited for this opportunity. Money of course will still be tight, but it won't always be that way. When Gene left Holiday he thought he wouldn't get an opportunity like that again. For the short time he was doing other jobs, he was wishing he could find something in management again. It didn't take long for that to happen. Only about a year and a half. I knew he could do it. I am so proud of him.

He has had his store for about a week now. Getting everything in order keeps him there for some pretty long days, but that won't last forever. He works very hard and we know someday it is definitely going to pay off! As long as we follow our plan of being debt free and not living excessively, we'll be just fine. As our friend Dave Ramsey says, "Live like no one else, so later, you can live like no one else."