Life's New Adventures

So I have decided to something special with whatever little free time I have. Last Friday night I went up to Centerville to see a really close friend who recently was married. It was great, and mostly because it was a girls (well almost) since her husband was out of town on business. Her co-worker was having a Pampered Chef party and she had to go. I have LOVED going to them since I was about 10 years old! That was when everything just clicked!

As of this Friday, I will officially be the newest Pampered Chef consultant! I am super excited!!! I have always thought it would be fun to sell, but just never really given it much thought! I am not the type of person who likes to sell stuff, and especially if I do not believe in it. I know I worked at Best Buy for many years, but the beauty was that I did not have to sell stuff unless I wanted to. And I know everybody and the sun pretty much sells Avon, Mary Kay, Scentsy, etc, but I really do think this is going to be amazing!

So since I am now going to be selling these products on the side, there are tons of perks, and I excited to hit the ground running! If you Host a show (an actual party or even just a catalog party) in my first month of signing up, you get a free extra Host gift. You will also get the Host gift for the month we are in, free products, up to 60% off other products and anytime you want to order something for the next 12 months an additional 10% off! Pampered chef also comes with a Lifetime Warranty on most of their products and some of your older products that may have been broken or not working properly we have replacement parts.

One thing that I have learned starting training, is that most, well 80% of all the products are under $20. The average family eats out at least 3-4 times a week because they don’t have “time”. Well that is what I love about the Deep Dish Baker, is that you can make a healthy meal in less than 20 minutes!

We made Chicken Fajita’s in the microwave! Yes, the Microwave! I know, microwave chicken sounds dirty, and I would not have believed this If I had not seen it myself! We sliced fresh onions, red and green bell peppers, place chicken and rubbed it with Chipotle Rub and cooked it for 15 minutes. Because of the stoneware and the way it cooks, the chicken came out super juicy and tasty! Not only that, we checked it with the thermometer to make sure it was done fully, and when we put it back in for a few minutes, it did not lose any flavor! In less than 20 minutes we made chicken, fresh salsa and guacamole! It was a healthy meal and way cheaper than going out to a restaurant to buy it.

Until I get my website up and running, please email me at amber.coonce@gmail.com to either look at becoming a consultant, hosting a party or if you just want to buy products.

Plane's Trains and Automobiles- **BEST Christmas EVER***

So I haven’t had a really great Christmas in awhile, and I have grown accustom to spending the morning with my family and then being alone the majority of the day. This year I had plans with my awesome roommate to spend the afternoon eating a Ham Feast and watching a Jane Austin marathon equipped with our 2nd annual showing of Pride and Prejudice! On Monday when I got a message from my mom that our plans where changing because my Dad was joining us, I was a little sad and may or may not have thrown a minor temper tantrum…..

On Christmas Eve we have a family tradition of having a Mexican Fiesta dinner with all the family. As I was in the kitchen of my aunts getting dinner ready, in walked what looked like a homeless man. As my Aunt went to yell at who that was just walking into the house, I did a double take and it was my brother! He just got out of Iraq on his second tour and was supposed to be backpacking Europe with his Girlfriend. The shock and awe of it all, still feels surreal! We have not shared a Christmas together in 5 years, and it meant a lot that he would go through so much planning and sceaming to pull this off.

Cody also brought his girlfriend with him, and I heart her! She is SO adorable, and is the perfect addition to the family! She is a school teacher up in Olympia Washington and makes Cody happy which in turns makes us all happy. I really hope it works out, I would love a Sister  It was quite comical trying to figure out what to get both of them for Christmas when they left to go back to their hotel, when everything closes early!

Christmas morning was great, I surprised my mom with plane tickets for her and me to go to Myrtle Beach, SC to visit our wonderful Aunt Millie. We leave March 25th and come back April 4th. I cannot wait! I have been planning this trip for over 6 months and it was the hardest secret to keep from my mom, EVER! She was not really sure if it was for real or not and she did not pick up the hints very well…. I think after it set in, she is getting more and more exciting! We have a 5 hour layover at JFK on the way there, then will fly into Raleigh, NC, rent a car and drive to the beach. We have not worked out all the details, but we are planning on going up to Richmond to see our other Aunt and hopefully up to Washington DC for the Cherry Blossom festival and Baltimore. It will be a much needed vacation and trust me, we are counting down the days!

We spent all day Saturday as a family and then went to breakfast Sunday morning before my parents and Cody took off on their separate directions. It is always tough to say goodbye, but I am truly grateful for my brother present of coming home. It was a wonderful surprise and some great memories were made. Even though we were forced into watching the 24 hours of a Christmas Story Marathon…. It was a LONG day.

Yes, I am Alive :)

What a crazy past 6 month! I know I have been spacey and have not updated this in FOREVER! So here is the *quick* rundown…. I was unemployed for thankfully only 10 days when I landed a job and started within 3 weeks of the initial layoff. I work for First American in the Real Estate Tax Office located in Murray Utah. I enjoy most days, I work a lot and hopefully it is paying off.

Just 3 days outside of the training I was offered the position to be the Auditor over the Customer Research department. Basically if you are on an escrow mortgage account, our company contracts with 16 major mortgage companies (except Wells Fargo, WATCH OUT ;) and our office will pay your property taxes. So if you have any issues with your property taxes or what not, you call into your bank and in turn the bank will send off issues that need to be researched to my department. My job is to have people on my team work the “tasks” and they submit it to Audit and I have to either approve or deny them, and close out on the Lender’s side. I stare at hundreds of loans all day, work close to 60 hours a week, and love most days. Other than work, you can find me at the gym most days after work, I have gotten into nice routine and it is strange when I miss it J

In October I was given the best thing ever! The wonderful Jackson’s flew me out too Portland to hang out for a few days and watch their munchkins while Jon and Nicole went to Mexico for a week. Sadly I could not get that much time off, but I cherished every minute of it! We had a Thai food night, had some crazy experiences at an overpriced pumpkin patch, went to a “hoedown” and saw the cutest 5 year old perform in a children program. I learned how crazy teenagers are (sorry if I was ever like that growing up :) and we also made a haunted gingerbread house! I was great to catch up with people and see some old friends. I learned that even though years pass by, certain things never change…. I also decided that 2010 is the year to move back to the NW. I have some serious things to figure out, but I really want to get out of Utah, I think it is time.

November was Thanksgiving, and I spent the holiday with my best friend Cheryl and her family. It was fun and enjoyable. I spent Turkey day there 2 years ago, it is becoming the tradition of every other year I think. It was nice to have my mom come to, and things went really well. My mom and then enjoyed getting up at 2:15 am to hit the sales, I then had to work 9 hours. Longest day ever, but I got some GREAT deals and got through almost all of my Christmas shopping in those two days.

December came and is almost gone. I don’t really know what happened or where it went, but all in all it has been a busy few months and I am shocked this year has come to an end. This year entailed a lot of firsts and never agains! I will try to keep this updated more often, but I can’t make any promises!

My Curent Situation...

I'm not sure how to really start out this post. Its been a rough and busy few months, and needless to say I will now have too much time on my hands to update my blogs. I am just going to rip it off like a band-aid and say it.... I was layed off. This time it was, your being layed off, no other job, here is your severence check, get the heck out! What hurt was the way they did it, and too so many! There where 22 of us, they kept 6 total to run the company.

One thing that upset me, was that Ted they guy who broke the news, blamed it on the Obama administration. Last time I checked the "crisis" began with bad choices from a previous administration. It is not Obama's fault that they could not run a company the right way and have had various investors pull back. Another thing that made me laugh was that one of their asset managers actually lost a house in tax auction for a $5000 water lien. How is that dumb enough to loose a property, especially not find out for over a month. Poor managing is what got them into this mess, I predict they will only be around through summer, if even that long!

What also frustrates me is the factor that the person they kept, has zero work ethics, kiss too much rear end and I did twice as much work as him with fewer client kickbacks! I have always taken pride in my work, and the factor that I refuse to suck up to anybody. I guess what happened happened, and how I handle it can only make me stronger. This is a hidden blessing, and everything will work its way out in the end.

One thing to be grateful for is unemployment. I have never really believed in it, nor did I ever see myself in a position where I would need it. I have always been independent and have prided myself with that ability. The first thing I did when I got home was filed, thankfully with all of my deductions, I am coming out fairly even and making roughly the same wages, for 18 weeks. Not that I plan on being jobless that long, but to know if I need it, its there.

Right now I am up in island park trying to clear my head. I figured I would take a few days to myself. Its nice to away from the city and relax. I met with the executive chef of a local restaurant, Trout Hunter. He offered me a job and a breakfast/pastry chef. It would be a dollar less an hour, but I still run into the problem of when the summer season ends, I will still need a job in salt lake area.

I guess only one person knows where my life is headed, and I will be excited to see where it leads me. I would also like to thank anybody and everybody who has helped me during this trial!

Cody's Coming To Town!!!

So I know I have been super busy lately with my new job, and I will eventually find time to post soon (who would have thought I would actually have to work now?!), promise! But I did just want to say how excited I am, because my brother Cody is on leave from Iraq and will be flying into Salt Lake in the morning, just until wed morning. Still better than nothing and I can't wait to spend time with him, I love him so much!!!

Seattle Trip Day 1

* pictures to come soon.


What an intersting day. It is surreal to be sitting in my Grandma and Aunt's house, and my Aunt not be here... I thought I would be okay, since I have given myself the last few days to come to terms, but its still a struggle.

This morning our flight left Salt Lake at 9:45am, but since we needed to check in Roni's baby stuff we got there at like 7:30. We thought security would be a breeze, for me it was. However Margie had a different experience. She had a birthday on Monday, and it happened to be the same year her drivers licence expired. She had a temporary one she printed off online, but that and the factor of her wrist cast weighed in, it created an issue. I captured a picture of her getting the "royal treatment". She was a good sport, I have been there and done that before!

The flight was full, so I cuddled with my mom, and my uncles and aunt say behind us. Thankfully we got the front row, so there was an extra few feet of leg room! I gate being tall sometimes... Once we finally landed and got the luggage, we tried to find our rental car. That was yet another experience on our own. There where issues with shuttle, and my mom and I ended up waiting back while the others went to get the paperwork started. They crammed 10 of us into a van that say 7! The driver was a maniac, he ran lights, no seatbelt, texting and when he would stop it was in the middle of the intersection! I thought I was going to die!

After we got the rentals, we made our way to Gig Harbor. I lived there for 8 years, and that is one of two places I call home (the other of course Vancouver). Everything has expanded and it was strange to see some of it. You can tell that it is one of THE places to live now. We met my Grandma and our two aunts for lunch at my favorite place for lunch. We have been eating at Moctazumas since they first opened in the early 90's. The food was better than I remembered! It was a wonderful experience to just be with the family!

After lunch we kidnapped my Aunt Millie and drove through the town, and by our old house. It looked as cute as I remembered, and made me think of the awesome times we had! We also drove through downtown and the water front. I did see the coolest thing ever, inside the Key Bank, they had a Starbucks! On in Seattle...

We spent the majority of the day just with the family and remembering the good times we shard with Aunt Evy. Friends of Grandma's came and brought dinner over, and while John and Margie where checking into their hotel, Millie, Mom and I went for a walk to Safeway. It was glorious to be out in the fresh air, and smell nature! First thing Millie went to, was the Wine section. I forget how large of a selection they have up here in stores! We found some interesting names, and she decided on mini merlot bottles (mostly to hide it from her sisters! Easier than big bottles). We also found some nice veggie/fruit platters and some chocolate. What a great combination!

On the walk back, my Uncle John and Aunt Margie ended up picking us up. Another family friend came over and chatted while we ate dinner, and shared more memories. I know deep in my heart that Evy's passing was for the better and it was a good thing. She had lost her Husband to cancer 25 years prior, and when they declared what caused her death it was because her cancer came back. My aunt suffered a lot, including being in a wheelchair the majority of her life. She beat cancer once before, but this time it came back and when they finally found out, it spread to too many organs. She lived a full life, and I know she is happy again, so I should be too.

Tomorrow is the funeral, and possibly a surprise ferry ride to Seattle and back for no reason, other than I simply LOVE ferry rides!

I will miss you Aunt Evy!!!

There are certain people in ones life, that changes things for the better. Mine was essentially my Grandparents. Most know my grandfather past away nearly 3 years ago and "technically" my real grandmother is still alive. I say this because my grandmother has never really been a big piece of my life, we do not see eye to eye and I'm definitely not close to her. She did have a twin sister though, and her name was Evy, she was wheelchair bound and more of a grandmother to me than anyone else in my family. "technically" being my aunt, she had been sick for a long time now and has been needing assistance.

This morning I received a phone call from my mother telling me she had past away. Instantly my heart sank. She was such a caring and loving person. She was somebody I always felt safe to go to and talk to. She always opened her heart to those around her and was always giving. Her husband past away years ago (I honestly do not remember him, I was just a baby), and she had a daughter and two grandsons. I can honestly say they always treated her badly and walked all over her. Evy had so much to give, and even though she was bound by a wheelchair, she always eager and on the go when I was younger.

Its been over two years since I have seen her, and I feel horrible that I did not get to say goodbye. She will be missed, and I know deep down she is in a better place and is happy to be reunited with the loved ones she lost.

A special thanks to my Aunt and Uncle who are helping me get out to the funeral. I just got my itinerary, and I fly out early Thursday morning and come back Saturday mid day. Its gonna be a short trip, but well worth it. A sad way to see my family again, but it will also be nice to be away for a few days. Now I just have to tell my boss I won't be there next week...