One Year - It's About Time!

Wow, it's been a long year since I last posted. I have received several requests and light rebukes to post again. So, here I am and here's my past year in a nut shell.

WORK, WORK, WORK! My new job turned into a full-time, suck-the-life-out-of-me type of job. Really, I don't mind it so much, but, for a while, it was consuming my life. The job also changed, so I am now doing all of the bookkeeping and I oversee the marketing. It's an okay job; at least it helps pay the bills. And, it is nice to work from home to be close to Tyler and work mostly on my own terms.

In May 2009, we visited the Grand Canyon (North Rim). It's surprising how close it is to us - only about 2.5 hours away. It was my first visit ever. Wow, that is one big hole! Not much else to say about that. It was a pretty drive, too.

In June 2009, we lost our dog Sadie. She learned to jump the fence and got a lost for a few days. While we were looking for her, a nice family a few blocks away took her in for a few days while they tried to find her owners. They were so nice they fed her food from their table and even let her sleep in their bed with them (Gross, gross, gross, since I knew how long it'd been since she had a bath and she wasn't an indoor dog! Who does that? Who let's a stray dog sleep in their bed?). Needless to say, she was useless to us after that. The spoiled dog kept jumping the fence to go back to luxury living. I swear they had us on speed dial. After the 6th escape, we let them keep her. It was sad to lose her, and I miss her lots. But, we just aren't indoor dog people.

In June 2009, Mr. Rooter Plumbing Franchise contacted Chris to ask him to open a franchise in St. George. And, after several discussions with them, many prayers, lots of contemplation, and a visit to Waco, TX, we decided to go for it and buy the franchise for our area. In July, we signed the paperwork and went back to Waco, TX for a week long training to start our franchise. We were excited about the prospects. Even though neither of us had heard of Mr. Rooter Plumbing, we were told it was the 2nd largest plumbing franchise and were impressed with the quality and reputation of the company. In August, we officially opened our doors (or our van). We started with no phone book ads (since corporate told us the internet was just as effective as phone books), which was crazy. But we started getting a few calls. We were excited! But calls weren't consistent and growth wasn't what we were told to expect. It turns out, the internet isn't huge, especially in St. George, retirement-resort community, UT. So, we awaited January when our first phone book would come out.

In the meantime, in November 2009, my sister Becca got married. She married a nice guy form Cedar City, so we enjoyed her frequent visits up until her wedding. It was nice to have an excuse to visit family up north. We were very excited for Becca and also to invite Dane into our family.

Here's how cute Tyler looked. I couldnt' resist putting this up here.

In December 2009, we had a nice small Christmas. This was the first year I didn’t spend Christmas with my family, which was a sad event. But, it was nice to have Christmas with our small family and start some new traditions.

In January 2010, our first phone book came out. We had a small spurt of calls, which was hopeful. We were excited for our new, thriving franchise to grow (big – just like we were told it would). Things started picking up, and I got more hopeful with each call. However, calls never picked up like expected. Most calls turned into price shoppers, and, with the economy in the state that it is, people turned away at the pricing. We started to learn that, regardless of the superior service, people want to save money. Things had changed in the past few years; people who used to prefer great service, now preferred low prices. We also discovered that many other franchises who opened in late 2008 to now are struggling. Not good news for the Hoods.

In February 2010, I potty trained Tyler. It was surprisingly easy, using “Toilet Training in Less Than a Day”. He did amazingly great with very accidents. Yeah!

In March 2010, Tyler turned 3. I love this kid so much. He cracks me up every day. Also, in March, 6 weeks after potty training, he decided he didn’t want to potty train anymore. So, started having “accidents” on purpose. He told me he decided he wanted to wear diapers again. Not yeah! Potty training now down the toilet. My stubborn child still choses to wear diapers and will only potty in the big boy pot occasionally on his own terms. There should be a joke about a plumber whose son refuses to use the toilet. Oh well, I’ll start worrying when he’s five (if he’s still not potty trained).

In April 2010, Julie, Michelle, and I (being obsessed with Project Runway) decided to do our own Project Sego Runway. We actually decided to start it in February, but who’s counting. It really took place in April. Here’s what I created without any patterns. I thought I did great, and am pretty proud of my “skillz”.

In May 2010, I turned 35. Wow, that sounds old is all I can say. It’s been a rough year, but I’ve learned a lot and I hope not to repeat it. Chris gave me Chiweenie (Chiwawa/Weiner dog mix) puppy that we got from a homeless couple we pet at the splash park (long story) for my birthday/Mothers’ Day. He knew how much I missed Sadie. Tyler named the dog “Six Pack” and it stuck, since he is so small and opposite of the name. Really, I think the dog has been the best thing for Tyler, who spends half the day playing with and singing to him.

In June 2010, with work still slow and franchise costs so high, we decided to break up with Mr. Rooter. This is a good decision, and the funny thing is, since we made the decision, work is starting to pick up a bit. Go figure.

In one year, we’ve come full circle. We lost a dog and found a new one. We started a new business and went back to the old one. GO FIGURE!