Lunching with Jack.

Due to a national managers' meeting today, Philip and I had to work together once again at Runza. We did that my first week so he could train me, but then last week we worked separate shifts. Ryan had no one else he could put on the schedule, and we had no place to put Jack while we were at work... so he came along with us (I'd called and asked Ryan if - last resort - that would be okay, and he'd said it was fine with him).

We were all getting ready when the phone rang at 10:35am. We were supposed to be in at 11am, but it was Brett, calling to see if we could come in right away, as Charlotte's son had gotten sick at school, and she needed to leave to pick him up. Brett would have been alone in the store, and it had just opened five minutes earlier. We hurried, and we got there in ten minutes, and Philip set up Jack in the office with a portable DVD player and a few movies. Much to my surprise, Jack stayed quiet and still in the office, just watching his movies and listening with his headphones. I brought him lunch at 12:45, and a few minutes later, he accidentally spilled his ranch dressing all over the chair, floor and himself. I cleaned him up, he finished lunch, and we finished our shifts. And because we'd arrived there about fifteen minutes early, Charlotte let us go about fifteen minutes early as well.

It was a busy lunch, and I'm so glad that Jack behaved himself. However, I kinda wished that Ryan had been there today, just so he'd see that this isn't really something we want to do again. It's not really fair to Jack (although he seems to think that today was pretty darn cool), and I started working to take over Philip's lunch shifts - not work with him. I know it was a fluke scenario today, but I hope that it doesn't happen again for a while.

Rushing forward with mulch.

I spent about three hours this afternoon digging up mulch from the garden. I'm nowhere near finished; rather, I think it will take me 3-4 more days to get it all done at this rate. Hopefully, however, Philip will be able to help me sometime in the next few days, and maybe that will shave off a day or two that it would take me by myself.

We've got to get all the mulch up and lay grass seed where the garden was this summer. I expected as much, and I'd planned on taking all our mulch over to the new house, for the side and back garden beds there. I changed my mind this afternoon though, and I decided to just really fill in the side bed and area around the bushes at this house. I won't have to weed the bit of grass in there, and they'll never be able to see the difference. And I won't have to take possibly-squash-bug-egg-laden mulch over to the new house, either. Win!

As for the new house, we did some appointments this afternoon before I picked up A.J. from school, and we've got some dates now. We'll be taking keys to the new house on November 1st, and then we'll start painting right away. The movers are coming to pack up this house on the 8th, and they'll deliver our household goods at the new house on the 9th.

I already have too many things on my plate up until Halloween, wishing that I had more hours in the day - on the 30th, especially. What this means now, of course, is that I will be a tornado Nicole from here on out until at least the 10th. I'll be lucky if I remember to eat! (Incidentally, I forgot and didn't have time to eat today until dinner tonight. OH. MY. The heartburn that ensued from too many hours with nothing in my tummy! Thank goodness for Heather - she stopped by on her way home and gave me a few of her chewable Rolaids, in exchange for some of my ibuprofen.)

Costumes.

Honestly. How did I ever think our costumes were a good idea? They are taking me for-freakin'-ever to make!