not just one new job – two!

Here it is – the update you’ve all been anxiously waiting for!  I left so many cliffhangers in my last post – will she return to work?  Will they have an AK job?  I know it’s been a long time waiting, but I will do my best to answer these and others mysteries for my faithful readers! (ok – I doubt I will have the answers to great mysteries – but it sounded fun to say that!)

Before we get into it, I wanted to mention, I posted the recipe for my chicken soup that I made last week.  It is YUMMY!  and easy!  If you are looking for a new chicken soup recipe – check it out here:  chicken corn noodle soup

Last Friday was a beautiful day here in central KY. Bill took care of another tire in the morning before we had our scheduled phone interview for a workamper job in AK.  We also had been invited to a picnic for RV-Dreamers that are here working at Amazon this fall.  The second tire went a lot smoother than the first, Bill says mostly b/c he had done it before and knew what to expect.

Our interview went (we think) very well.  We are VERY hopeful for this one, as the owner sounded very nice and his “deal” was the best so far.  Also, it was specifically mentioned (by someone who knows about these things) as a great place to work.  I don’t want to say too much in case it doesn’t work out, but we are hoping to get a contract with this place!  We were also discouraged about one of the other places we interviewed with.  Can’t get into detail on that one, but we will take it into consideration.  This is so much harder than expected, finding the perfect workamper job in AK.  Part of it is, we have now interviewed for 3 and we have had numerous email exchanges with another, and what if they ALL offer us something?  What if none of them do?  We’ve been told that just showing up and finding work is not difficult, that we might not find a workamper job, but stores, restaurants, etc. have signs out all summer.  Not sure I can do that.  When we first talked about going to AK, we were just going to go, drive up and see all the sights, but then after talking to friends who have recently gone, it is a VERY expensive trip – which we sort of knew – but it’s even more than we thought.  We don’t want the purse strings to take that much of a hit, that could mean much more serious issues further down the line.  More than one person has said something to the effect of “why would you want to go all the way there and stay in one place the whole summer?”.  To be honest, that was my first thought as well, but after much thought and before I mentioned the idea of a workamper job to Bill, I decided that working and living “like a local” actually sounded good to me.  For those of you reading that are not full-time RV’ers, that might seen like a strange thing, how would living in a CG all summer be like living like a local?  Consider this – we ALWAYS live in CG’s now!  So, it’s our version of living – just in their part of the world.  I think I’ve said this before, Bill and I like staying in a place a while.  Some people we know like to move a lot, every week (some even more than that!), but we (for the most part) like at least 2 weeks.  We’ve stayed in some places a month.  We like getting to know an area, more than just “seeing the sights” and moving on.  The idea of living anywhere in AK for the summer makes me so excited, I almost can’t think about it.  All the places we’ve been in touch with are aware and understand that we would want time off to see the further away places we can’t see in a day trip from wherever we are.  I will keep you posted on how the search goes.

After our interview, which went much longer than expected, we left for the RV-Dreams picnic, which was at the pavilion at the Green River Lake State Park.  We had checked it out when we first arrived.  It is a beautiful location!  There were a bunch of people already there and after a few introductions, we all helped ourselves to the snacks people brought and just enjoyed the conversation and gorgeous weather!

told you!
told you!

Clockwise, starting on the front left (sitting) Michele, Dino (on Michele's left), Lisa (on Michele's right) George, (other side of table) Nancy, Me and Peg. Standing clockwise starting on the left, Al, Neil, Harry, Richard, Bonnie, Karen, Jessica, Laurie and Bill.
Clockwise, starting on the front left (sitting) Michele, Dino (on Michele’s left), Lisa (on Michele’s right) George, (other side of table) Nancy, Me and Peg. Standing clockwise starting on the left, Al, Neil, Harry, Richard, Bonnie, Karen, Jessica, Laurie and Bill.  Thanks to Karen for sharing the pic!
Everyone brought a yummy snack to share and their own beverages.  It was a wonderful afternoon getting to know each other better!

After getting back to the rig, we learned that Nancy and Neil were having a campfire at their site.  They have an off-ground (raised) fire pit.  We hadn’t had a campfire in a long time, so it was very nice.  What made it even nicer was that Nancy and Neil had celebrated their 36th wedding anniversary earlier in the week, so we had a toast to the special couple!

Happy Anniversary!
Happy Anniversary!

Even Tatum celebrated with us!
Even Tatum celebrated with us!
Saturday the weather was less cooperative, but we didn’t care, we had a lazy morning then got ready and left to see friends we’ve known a long, long time!  We met the Degnan’s way back when we lived in Toms River, NJ and were attending St. Andrews UMC.  They weren’t even married then!  Christine worked in the church nursery a lot, and I had two small kids.  We got to know them better when we went on a retreat together and we’ve been great friends since.  They moved from NJ to KY after we did, came and stayed with us while Mike found a job and a house.  We didn’t end up staying in KY (due to a job change) but they did and they still love it there!  It was awesome to see them and catch up on news!  I didn’t get a pic of it, but Christine even made me my fav – a carrot cake!

Rebekah, and her way to big to be a lap dog, Jasper
Rebekah, and her way to big to be a lap dog, Jasper

Bill with Rebekah - who is his Goddaughter
Bill with Rebekah – his Goddaughter

Michael (also known as JR), Mike, Christine, Rebekah w/Jasper
Michael (also known as JR), Mike, Christine, Rebekah w/Jasper
Thanks again for an awesome day!

Sunday was pretty much a lazy day.  It rained most of it and the sun didn’t show itself at all.  After relaxing and doing some small household chores, we decided to check out a local Mexican restaurant that was recommended, which was ok at best.

Monday and Tuesday I was home alone after Bill went to work.  I was pretty bored honestly.  I reorganized some cabinets, cleaned, cooked a bit, nothing exciting at all.  My kitty was happy I was home and sat on my lap whenever I was sitting in my chair.

Wednesday I dropped Bill off at work and made my way to E-Town to see the doc about my knees.  He said he was happy I was doing better and we discussed my options about returning to work.  He believed (as did I) that even though I was doing much better, doing the amount of walking a picker has to do was a bad idea.  We agreed I could try a position that only required me to stand (mostly) and use more of my upper body.  I went back to Amazon and showed them my revised restrictions and learned they were moving me to packing!  I was so happy to be able to return to work in a way that would be less stressful for my knees!  I was told to return the next day at my regular time and I would go to pack school!

Thursday I was very happy to be getting back on the clock!  The week before’s paycheck (we can view our stub online on Thursdays even though payday isn’t until Friday – every Friday, imagine that?) was pretty lame to say the least!  So, I was introduced to Jamie and she brought me upstairs to the “loft” area and showed me how to make and pack boxes.  The totes that pickers fill with items comes up on a conveyor belt and we have to grab them down onto a slot at our station.  We make sure the bar code off the tote is scanned and then we take out the items one at a time.  These are known as singles, only one thing in a box.  After the item is scanned in, the screen tell us what size box to make.  There are about 20 different size boxes, 4 different size plastic bags, 2 size padded envelopes, and 2 “V” boxes, which are mostly for books.  There are also these HUGE carts with flexible size “bins” that are used for what they call “multi’s”.  All items in each “bin” are all go in one box.  The screen tells us which size box to use, but it isn’t always right, so if we believe a different size box or bag is needed, we use that size.  There is also these air-puff things used as filler, which is called “donage” – I have no idea what it means – Bill says its a freight/shipping term.  There are other area’s in packing that I haven’t been anywhere near yet, but I’m told I will learn them all, if and when it’s needed.  I love learning new things, so that is good for me!  I also told them I wouldn’t mind learning/going to gift wrap, when that is available.  I think I am going to like packing.  I wore my pedometer and I still walked almost 10,000 steps my first day back.  That is more than enough.  My knees were ok, getting sore at the end of the day, but ok.  I am just happy to be back on the clock and not home alone! (ok, except for Callie!)

So, we have more good news!  After 2 months of looking, 4 interviews and 3 “official” offers (with a 4th expected next week) – we have a job for ALASKA for next summer!  We will be at Renfro’s Lakeside Retreat in Seward.  The owner, Gary, sounds like a great guy!  We couldn’t be happier!  TripAdvisor reviews are all 5 star!  Recent RV Park Reviews reviews are also excellent.  The schedule is the BEST – one week (full 7 days) on followed by one week (full 7 days) off.  Plenty of time to go off and see other areas of AK.  We will be starting June 1 and ending on Sept 30!  I’ve been told that the Kenai Peninsula is beautiful and has lots of things to do, like fishing boats, wildlife boat tours, glacier boat tours, etc.  Ok – enough of that!  I could go on and on, but I think you get the idea – I am HAPPY!

So – that’s all for today faithful readers!  I may or may not be posting every week – I hear overtime is coming!  Thanks for following…

0 thoughts on “not just one new job – two!

  1. Congratulations on the great job in Alaska! And, it’s good to hear that you are able to get back to work. Hope those knees don’t give you any more problems. 🙂

  2. Glad to hear your knees are doing better and are able to resume work at Amazon.
    The Alaska job sounds GREAT, the schedule sounds perfect. What type of work will you be doing?

    1. We will be doing general camp host things, helping people to their sites, checking them in, etc and also cleaning cabins, there are 8. The owner says about 5 to 6 hours a day. He also has a “project list” we can work off if we want to!

  3. So happy you got to come back to our favorite place 🙂 Cudos to you guys on the Alaska gig! Will be following your blog for sure as we plan to do Alaska some year too.

  4. Dunnage is a term used in cargo ships. It consists of wooden boards nailed together around pieces of cargo to stop them sliding around in the hold when the ship rolls.
    Have fun Alaska, we’re jealous.
    BnB

    1. Thanks for reading Brian and Barbara! And for the definition – I was planning on looking it up – wouldn’t have found it b/c I was spelling it wrong!
      And – join us in AK!

  5. Thank you for the great post. I for one do look forward to the weekends and getting up and seeing if you had posted. Today was a crazy busy day so I am now just reading it. Glad your knees are better and congrats on job in ALaska. You will have a great time there. Everyone is do nice. That is what we have found when we have been there. Have a great week. Continue to get better.

    1. Thanks Chris – you are so sweet! I have found I do really like this whole blogging thing – I just don’t want to post when there isn’t a whole lot to say – although I guess sometimes that is life right – some weeks are busy and have lots going on – some – not so much! I’ll have to see!
      Any tips on things to do in AK would be appreciated.

      1. We just love Alaska. Anchorage I can tell you some good places to eat. As a matter of fact the one place we had breakfast the president ate there a month later. They have lines out the door every day but do take reservations. Anchorage also has a lot of free outdoor concerts which is nice. Lots of great store and a huge flea market every weekend. We also did a Segway tour which I highly recommend. Denili is a great place. They have a strip of some nice shops and restaurants right across from the Princess lodge. Going through Denili park is a must. They have buses that continue to go through the park and you can hop on and off anywhere you want. We saw a lot of wildlife on our trip. I will think about other things we did and get back to you. Have a great week.

  6. Congrats on being back to work and finding jobs in AK! Some people might not get it, but I really like my job and I am happy to be working! It sounds like you are the same.

    1. Thanks June! I’m not so sure I “like” working so much – I don’t mind Amazon but it would not be a career choice! It’s way to mindless for me! What I like is every hour I work – I’m closer to AK! I did like my “previous” life job – just couldn’t take it on the road!

  7. Kelly & Bill, we are so happy your favorite place to visit happened to be the one you were offered.
    We had lifted you in prayer for your health challenge with the knees, and pray you continue to make progress with a full recovery.
    I have a high school sister who lives with her husband in Wasilla, about 15 minutes from former AK Governor Sarah Palin. My friend served in the Army, while in Anchorage, she met her husband, married and has continued to live there since early 80’s. Maybe you will have the chance one day to contact her for more history of AK, places to go, things to do. I’ll follow up on this with you later.
    Morris, Omega and I are RVing in Winchester, VA about 40 minutes from my brother and sister in law for a few days, then on to our reservations in Charlotte, NC for the Annual Sprint Cup Championship Races. The weather isn’t looking good for the races, but we are reserved in the same place we have gone every year and it’s right across the road from the track…we’ll enjoy rain on our roof and our fireplace if our races get rained out. We are reserved there until Nov. 8th when we return to our primary home.
    Maybe one day we will be RVing for six months at a time in the winter months to a warmer climate.
    We love your blog, all the information you share, and are grateful to you for your honesty in your writing. We wish you continued success at Amazon.
    Hugs to you and little Callie.

    1. Thanks Elizabeth-Anne! We are so excited! I would love to hear any suggestions your friend has!
      I am so glad to hear you are out and about in the world! Sorry the weather is bad but a good day camping is still better than a good day at work, right? I hope you and Morris (and Omega) get to live your dream soon!
      Thanks also for the prayers and support – Bill and I very much appreciate it!
      Hugs back at you, Morris and Omega!

  8. Hello Kelly. Hope you had a good week. Do you belong to or recommend any camping clubs? I have been researching and there are so many. Passport, coast to coast, thousand trails, good Sam, etc. what about escapees? Thanks so much. Have a wonderful Sunday.

  9. So glad to read about the Alaska “job”. It sounds perfect. We absolutely loved our trip to Alaska in 2006. We were headed there last summer when Tom’s back was SO bad we had to turn around. We made it to Calgary and could see the Canadian Rockies in front of us – but it was impossible to continue. Maybe another time. We will look forward to reading about your experience. Take care of those knees! You will be needing them!

    1. Hi guys! Thanks for checking in! Great to hear from you! I’ve signed up for your blog – I’m just so bad about commenting! You guys have awesome wildlife pics! We’ve been to some of those places, but have added others to our list!
      Switching jobs has really helped my knees – that and keeping them taped! I am just about back to 100%! When I need to do stairs (some of the pack areas are upstairs) I will get a twinge, but ok otherwise!
      Thanks again! Hope we can share a campfire someday when our paths cross again!

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