Hard For Me To Understand....

My parents, brother and husband are owners of Little Caesars pizza. They work extremely hard to make our business successful, profitable to our families and for our future. They love owning this business!! Who wouldn't love to own a pizza busines :-) Our stores are doing very well and that is great! What I am having a very hard time understanding is with the way our economy is right now, why our employess today don't appreciate what is done for them, what is given to them, what they have and why they think jobs are no big deal!!! Carver has fired 8 kids this last week!! For the dumbest reasons...my car wouldn't start, it's my moms birthday I need the day off, my children are sick, I forgot....whatever the reason they are give 3 excused absents and then after that they are let go! I think that is pretty reasonable and fair! I am a born and raised Western Kansas girl and I am so proud of that! I was taught at a very young age to work hard, be driven for what you want and make your selof sucessful! I have lived in Wichita for 4 years and though I love it here and love the city life, I am shocked when my husband comes home with a new story about how an employee called in and said they couldn't make it to work. I had my first job when I was 12 years old, a babysitter for two wonderful kids! Making money was a great feeling! I worked hard at it and today I am 28 and I love my job! My parents made my brother and I work! We wanted a job and we wanted to make our own money! They wanted it to teach us responibility and give us an understanding for how the "real world" works! In our hometown having a job and working was just what every high school kid did! Ya my homwtown was 1200 people and therre was not a lot to do but the community loved having the local kids work in their establishemts. We all worked, made money and spend out earnings how we wished! It was great! The kids that we hire are not making a lot of money, most of them are high school drop outs, some of them are the only ones in the famlies with a job and a way of income! I have seen my dad give more then a handful of kids money out of his own pocket to help them out!! Then they turn around and don't show up to work! And they still don't show up, give lame exscuses and use my parents, brother and husband! I was just sitting her at my desk here at work and I looked up ot the window, there was a frail man with a Dillions jacket on walking in our front office door. He had to have been at least 75 years old. The wind is blowing, he was carrying a vase of flowers and he was struggeling to open the door. I jumped up from my desk and ran to the door to help him. The flowers were for a lady next door and I told him I would talk them to her! "Oh thank you so much he said" I told him to have a great day and he went back out in to the cold, windy weather. This is where I started thinking.....here is this 75 year old man working for Dillions as a delivery driver who I am sure had his first job at a very young age...and is still working today! To me that is imspiring! And then I have to watch my family fire employess who could careless if they are fired or let fo from their job!! Its heart rinching, these employess have no drive or work ethic to hold a job and better themselves in the world!! When these employess dont't show up it makes my family work even hard, schedule interviews, and go in on their time! I know that is just part of Owning your own business and that in someway is ok to me...but what makes me so sad is knowing they don't care about anything!! From the day I was born both my parents had their own business! My dad a reatraunt/bar and my mom her own Beauty Shop. I was raised with my dad missing a dance recital, basketball/volleyball game or band concert because he had to be at the restraunt...But he ALWAYS made it up to me and NEVER missed the next one! Our economy is in a horrible state right now and a job is a job! These kids need to wake up and realize that life is hard, life is unfair but you better grow up and deal with it!

Fun Jayhawk Weekend....

As most of you know Carver and I are on the go all the time!! We love to travel, have fun where ever we are and be with our friends!! This last weekend was no exception!! We went to Lawrence to the KU game with one of my best friends since we were little! It was a great time and even though Carver and I travel to Lawrence A LOT for KU Football & Basketball games, going with friends is always a good time!! Spending time in Lawrence at Allen Field House is one of Carver and I's most favorite places to be together :-) We are going again this Saturday and it will be another special game...We are taking Carver's mom and little brother to their first KU game! I am super excited and love that we have the opportunity to take them. They will never forget it and I absolutely can not wait to see Kasen's little smiling face when we walk into the field house. I have made him into quit the little Jayhawk fan....and I love it!! Other than that is was a great weekend and I just feel so blessed to have such wonderful friends. They mean the world to me and spending time with friends and those you love should be a priority in every ones life!
Rock Chalk!!

I have been off here almost a year...what?!?!

I forgot I had this in my crazy busy life and I just logged back on and was reading my last blog I wrote. A year ago!!! I lost my puppy of 15 years, sweet baby JR!! Sunday was one year since he has been gone and I miss him everyday. So this is going to be short and sweet but I am back and I promise to write more :-)

R.I.P My Sweet JR

I am writing on only a few hours of sleep but I feel and have this over powering sensation to write my feelings. What I am writing about has been actually over the 15 years or so......my family is loosing our precious lab JR. For the last few years we have known he was very old and this time would soon be coming but it has come to soon.
I remember it is as if it were yesterday.......It was summer time and Justin, "my first boyfriend" called and told me his puppy had finally had her puppies and there was a black one just for me to give to my brother, who was wanting a "black lab to hunt with". I was so excited I rode my bike ( a few blocks) over to his house to see the puppies. I had to hurry though cause we were leaving for Scott City cause I was playing softball that night. I picked out JR, he was a male and the only black one that was born. Months later we were able to bring JR home and Austin had a brand new puppy!
This was 15 years ago! We were a "dog family" actually we were an all animal family. Justin in also gave me cat...haha I'll always remember that too! As the years went by JR grew, and grew, and grew some more. He was the largest, biggest dog in all of Dighton. He was the most love able, sweetest, caring and gentle dog ever. He was very protective of our house and of our family. He had a loud and very deep bark that actually scared people. We knew he wouldn't hurt a fly! He went hunting every time with Austin and my dad, he was there with us through high school and then as we went on to college. He was always there! The night my dad had his heart attack he actually woke me up before my dad even came into the house. It was like he knew. He was a very very smart dog. The the day came where my parents decided to move out of Dighton and to the city of Wichita. To start a new business. How would JR react to this was the first thing we all thought of? Would he adjust to "city life" okay? He did and he loved it here as much as we have.
In Dighton, my dad would always go to the Kwik Shop for a donut and coffee and well he would take JR along with him. He did not ride like a normal dog....have any of the Morris dogs been normal? No, my dad put him from the time he was little to the time when he was 230 pounds and huge, right in the passenger front seat of his pickup, and off they went to the Kwik Shop. Where dad got his donut and coffee and he always came out with a hot dog in the bun with ketchup for JR. This was an everyday thing. Of course where I grew up everyone knows everyone and so they all knew in the afternoon Bear would be coming with JR for a hot dog. That silly tradition carried over when they moved here to Wichita....up until a year ago dad and JR went to QT and got their fixes.
So, for the last couple months we have seen drastic changes in our sweet JR. I myself tried not to think about it cause it was not real to me if I did not think about it. Then your phone rings and you get that call..... yesterday I had a doctors appointment so I left work early. Went to the doctor and then went to work out. It was early so I finished working out earlier then normal. As I was almost home my brother calls me and says I should go over to mom and dads that JR is not good. Last Monday before we left for Lawrence for the KU game we got the news that he had Thyroid Cancer. And pretty much his whole body was cancer. But amazingly his heart was still so strong for his age the Vet could not believe it. His heart would be the last thing to go. I came home, got Carver and for 5 hours yesterday we sat with him. My parents were not going to put him down unless he started suffering so the vet gave my dad some pills that would make him "comfortable" and to where he could feel no pain and he could go at home with us. Well, the pills the first time did not work and I witnessed my dog have four seizers. It was the most horrible, saddest thing I have ever seen in my life. I'll never be able to get those images out of my head. I was not going to leave but they made me.
I have lost both sets of my grandparents, several friends, cousins, my father-in-law and three dogs.....and human or animal it all hurts the same way. It hurts so damn bad! So, in the end what do we understand. Well, I LOVE dogs and I will continue to have them in my life and someday in my children's life. My experiences and the things I remember from growing up with all my dogs are my best memories. They bring us so much happiness and then like anything we have to say good bye. I have watched my parents and my brother suffer through this for the last three days and it is so hard. So, today a decision will be made by our family and either one is the right one I believe. God Bless Jr and his 15 amazing years as a Morris. You will be missed!

Not to much new with us....... Just thought I better post something since I haven't since December....sorry! Things here in Wichita are good. We are staying busy with work. We have been going to KU basketball games here and there. We love it and always have so much fun when we go. We went to the Big Monday night game on the 14th)KU/OK & took my parents. They had not been to a game since I went to school there so they were pretty excited to go back! We had a blast & ending up meeting up with a few of my parents really good friends Dighton at one of my favorite bars in Lawrence & had a blast! Of course, the game was so much fun & to be there with my parents made it even more special. We are hoping to get to at least one more but we have so many things going on I don't know if we will get to or not. We are busy planning summer vacation, booking flights for that in July (we are hoping) depending on another pizza store opening & then as of right now we already have 6 weddings....I love wedding season but it seems like every summer we have 6-10 weddings and it makes our summers go by so fast. But one of them is my best friend from high school & they are getting married out in SaraSota Florida so that one will be a great time!!!! We are planning the trip with another one of my best friends from high school. So to get to go out there with her, spend four days in Florida for a great reason, is something we are really looking forward to in May! Other then that I am just waiting for the warm weather to get here already & be able to be outside again soon. I hope things are good with everyone out there & life is treating you all well. Oh, I wanted to say to that my childhood friend Leslie & her newborn son are doing better & he is out of the hospital. He had a pretty rough first week or two in the new world. So glad he is doing better Les & I will continue to think of your family!

Well, another Christmas season is past & my family sure had a nice one. Mom, Austin & I drove out to Dighton (our hometown) for four days to spend with my Aunt & Uncle who still live there & my cousins. It was nice to go back, see friends that I hadn't seen in a long time and spend the days just lounging around being with family & of course eating!! Being back is always great & there will always be something about a persons home town that is very special. I have so many many wonderful memories there, as well as some that are not so good....haha But, as I went out with a few friends from my class that I have known since pre-school we talked, caught up with what was going on in each of our lives, I realized just how special my hometown & my memories from there really are. Carver & my dad drove out to Dighton Christmas Eve morning. We all went to candle light church service at the church I grew up going to. Christmas Eve night & attending the church service Christmas Eve night with all our family was & still is one of my best memories of Christmas. It was always so special & so magical on that night. This was the first time we have been back there since Carver & I have been married so to take him there & share that with him was very special to me. Of course we get to open presents too!! This year we did a white elephant gift exchange which was a lot of fun!! Christmas morning we woke to my 10 year old cousin getting the presents she had asked for!! Also, she pulled her tooth the night before so she also had a visit from the tooth fairy too!! We had another gift exchange that morning and it was really nice. We ate lunch and then it was time to hit the road & head back to the city we all love, Wichita. I need the city life!!!!! We were having Christmas at my parents house so we needed to get back. We went there & had prolly one of the nicest Christmas's I've ever had!!! My dad made us all martini's, we had great food, more martini's, lots of gifts, played a few games, relaxed & laughed & laughed!! It was a wonderful wonderful Christmas!! But ours is not over just yet.....we are heading out to Carver's home town (Quinter) next weekend to be with his family. So back out to Western Kansas again!! I love spending time with carver's family, we always have so much fun together!! So, with the end of 2007 almost here it has been a pretty great year. I just feel so blessed to have had such a wonderful year & can only hope & pray that 2008 is just as wonderful!!!

Hustel & Bustle Of The Holiday Season

The last few days before Christmas are upon us and the insane rush has started to affect me. Carver and I went out last Sunday afternoon and we went to several stores. We had fun laughing, picking gifts out, toys for our nieces and nephew, and just taking our time. It went so smoothly in fact I looked at Carver and said" I can't believe how easy we are getting everything and how we are finding exactly what we want." Well, I spoke wayyyyy to soon. Thought we had everything and we were finished. We went home, sat by the fire, I wrapping gifts, Carver watching football and then we came to realize....we had forgot this, and well maybe we should go back and get that, and lets get that one thing we say too....ughhhhhh So, now I have to go back to the mall tonight and finish up! On top of that, I am needing to make my famous sugar cookies with frosting. Every year since I was in high school I have made sugar cookies with my Grandma Morris's "secret" recipe. I was waiting this year to make them cause I usually make them the week before Christmas and then they are all gone. So, I figured I would wait a few days before so we would have some to eat on Christmas.....I'm running out of time now!!! My mom loves watching me and helping decorate so we decided she would come over tomorrow night and we would make them together.Ok, so the cookies are covered.....This year, for the first time since my Grandma Betty passed away we are going back to my hometown to have Christmas. It is going to be a really special time for my family but emotional as well. We are all really looking forward to it. Spending Christmas with my cousins is how I grew up, special traditions we looked forward to every year, and just being together was what was so important to all of us. It all kind of stopped when we lost our grandma. We also all grew up, my family moved away from the small town and we all have our own families now. So, this will be a very special Christmas in Dighton. But have I packed yet.....not one single thing. And if you know me, then you know I am an over packing, organized crazy woman!! And we are leaving around noon on Friday. So I am worried about that too!!! I love this time of year and now as I am sitting here, drinking my Starbucks latte I am thinking how much the running around and the hustle and bustle of the holiday season I actually like. It keeps you going and makes the days shorter up to the 25Th!! So, I will run to the mall over my lunch break, see what I can get done in an hour, get my hair and nails done after work, go home wrap more gifts, make sugar cookies tomorrow night, pack, and leave Friday.......whoohoooo I am really going to enjoy when Friday arrives! Hope all of you are having as much fun running around as I am this holiday season. Don't forget to stop, look around, count your blessings this Christmas and have a very Merry one!! Happy Holidays!!