Back From Arizona

Justin arrived home from Arizona on Thursday (yes, I'm slow), and the kids absolutely loved going to pick him up at the airport. I was fascinated by the technology at the airport that enables you to stick a credit card in at arrival and departure, and you are charged for how long you've been there (which is usually zero, since we try to be as quick as possible), and also whatever device makes it possible for them to be able to tell you how many parking spots are available on each level of the parking garage. Pretty cool and very useful! (Yes, I'm thrilled by weird things-- and we obviously don't go to the airport much.)

Justin brought home little gifts for each member of the family, one of which was a scorpion encased in resin for Christopher, which he got a huge kick out of! He took it for show-and-tell on Friday! Justin was going to get himself a t-shirt with a picture of a skeleton on it that said, "It's only a dry heat," because he's a humidity fan, but he didn't.

Justin's favorite activity of yesterday, before coming home, was at the F1 Race Factory in Phoenix. They divided everyone into teams of five (with people they didn't know well) and had them compete in fun things like changing all the tires on a real race car and racing in these cool race cars that were low and wide so you could go fast and not tip over. Justin ended up on a team with three women, so after he and the other guy raced, their team's possibility of winning slowly went downhill (I'm sure some women wouldn't have been so timid, but I guess these gals were). Nevertheless, it was a lot of fun! Justin says someone took pictures, so hopefully I'll be able to post them later. (These are just from the F1 website.)

Justin is hoping that Caremark takes them back there next year! (His dad used to race cars, so I guess he got a little of that gene in him.)

So, in case you're wondering, we are NOT moving to Arizona (at least for now), and, so far, it seems like Caremark will keep RX America as just another one of their locations. Every time they've bought a company, they keep the buildings and many of the employees in whatever location the acquired company is in. They have offices in many different places, and the company seems to function well that way. They have a lot of teleconferences, fly where they need to, and it saves them the exorbitant cost of moving all employees to either Rhode Island (where CVS headquarters are) or Arizona (where Caremark headquarters are) and trying to accomodate all the new employees at one of those locations (buying or leasing more land, building more offices). We have uttered a small sigh of relief, but are keeping in mind that nothing in life is certain but death and taxes, so we will keep one figurative leg on moving on with life and one in the possibility that Justin will need to transfer to a different department, look for a new job, or continue with the new company in (gasp) a new location. RX America has actually acquired new plans this year, and is growing even more, while Caremark, like most other companies in this lovely economy, has lost revenue, so that could be very positive for them. Also, Justin's rebate team (with only five employees) has managed to process as many rebate submissions as the rest of Caremark's rebate arm (pretty impressive, though very stressful!). In addition, when Justin gave a presentation to the Caremark execs after the merger, they told Justin that the rebate database he built himself was very similar to their big, expensive database, and one of the VPs likes Justin's submission process better than Caremark's! (Yes, yes, I am very proud of my husband--I am sorry to brag!) But hopefully these things will help him in the future.

I am just so grateful that Justin's hard work and perserverance are paying off in little ways here and there. So many times, he has reminded me of George Bailey from It's A Wonderful Life (one of the best movies ever!) in the way that he has plugged along where he's supposed to be, doing the best he can, even though other opportunities would have been so much more satisfactory in so many ways. I am so grateful beyond measure that he has kept doing what he should and that little by little opportunities have opened up for him along the way. Now, with the economy so uncertain, things could still go a different way. But I am so grateful for the tender mercies!

My Heart Is With You

Last night, after all my kids were finally asleep, I "visited" some friends at their blogs and discovered, to my great dismay, that two of my dear friends, women I admire more than I can express, suffered great losses.

The way they have handled their situations, the strength they and their husbands have shown, have touched my heart immensely. I am inspired by their faith and by the eternal commitment and deep love these couples have for one another.

I know that mere words can never express feelings of the heart adequately, nor can they heal or comfort alone, but the Holy Spirit can convey the deepest and most needed things, the tenderest mercies our Savior has in store for us. To my friends, I love you. My heart is with you; my prayers are with you. May God continue to bless you as you recover and heal from your experiences.

“When through the deep waters I call thee to go,

The rivers of sorrow shall not overflow;

For I will be with thee thy trouble to bless,

And sanctify to thee thy deepest distress."

--How Firm A Foundation, Hymns 85, attr. John Keith

Arizona Update

Just thought I'd let you know how the "team building experience" is going. First of all, I'm not really as bitter as my last post may have sounded, although yesterday was a terrible day (compounded by some news I'll allude to later); it was mostly in fun.

Justin had a good day, and spoke with every single member of their team (all 60 or so). They all know who he is, because somehow his department is linked with every aspect of their operation. That's a great sign, and a pleasant surprise for Justin. (Hey, these days, you need all the contacts you can get!) They had some great presentations to familiarize them with Caremark and the way they do things, and, to Justin's great pleasure, the food was all awesome! (He is really picky, as many of you know, so it's nice that he is enjoying the cuisine.) After a full day of meetings at the resort, Caremark took everyone out to dinner, and the food was great--at a bar!! Who'da thunk it? Justin was glad that Arizona has a clean air act like Utah so he didn't have to choke the night away. He got back at a reasonable hour and is looking forward to tomorrow's wrap up. Can't wait to hear about his go-cart race!

Where's The Justin. . .I Mean Justice. . .

I am stuck inside my house, freezing (no, my furnace works fine, just not my body temperature regulator) while outside nature is dumping thick, wet snow on the ground, and while Christopher is about to drive me up the wall.

Justin is. . .

. . .flying into beautiful Phoenix, Arizona.

I am shoveling wet, heavy snow with a kid's shovel because I can hardly push or lift the snow with the manly shovel. Slush slops onto my head from the overhanging trees. My hands are turning into icicles.

Justin is in lovely Tempe, Arizona, hanging out at a mall with some friends and will soon be heading to a fun local restaurant to eat out with the friends and the rest of his team from work.

I am dragging five kids to the store and ballet and putting up with complete uncooperativeness that spirals downward into two kids refusing to come to scriptures, and another child blasting the Beach Boys multiple times as I alternate between trying to change diapers, brush teeth, get people in bed, and finding a secure place to hide my iPod. (Wheeeee, Dad's not here! We can drive Mom absolutely bonkers!) As I am finally changing the last diaper and everyone else is at last in bed, Justin calls from Scottsdale sunny-and-in-the-70's Arizona, where his hotel is. And guess where he's staying?!

The Scottsdale Plaza Resort! In a patio suite!!

This is only part of the suite!

Two people wearing the lovely robes you can take

home for only $45--don't worry, that's not Justin!

Two rooms and a bathroom! Two TVs! A sectional! What in the heck is Justin going to do with all of it? I snorted and said, "And we didn't get a babysitter why?"

So why is Justin in the lap of luxury while I slop around my messy house trying to get kids to mind me? CVS/Caremark bought RX America's parent company, Long's Drug Stores, and now they're having a "team-building" session in Scottsdale, Caremark's main headquarters, to get all the various satellite locations together and "bonding." Justin's team, from Salt Lake, and various groups from Irving, Texas; Northbrook, Illinois; and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; as well as Scottsdale, are all meeting together through Thursday afternoon to help them all feel more like one "team." (At CVS/Caremark, everyone is a "colleague," and they are grouped into various "teams" according to their departments and management. Isn't that lovely?) They will be fed three meals a day and their session will end with a fun-filled trip to a go-cart race track. Hoo boy!

Actually, Justin has been looking forward to this session for several months, and he is feeling like it will be really productive and positive for all of them. He will be able to meet people he'll be working with even though they're far away, establish relationships, network, and feel more a part of the whole Rebate team. And, honestly, nobody deserves a little change-of-pace like Justin, who goes to work faithfully every morning at 6:30 A.M., deals with so much responsibility, works through frustration as all the little details of this merger get worked out, works from home if he thinks I might need to go to the doctor, helps me get caught up on the dishes if we get behind (which he did last night so I wouldn't be left with even more to deal with), often goes shopping for me, takes such good care of our finances, puts up with our chaos, tries so hard to be understanding and patient, and loves me no matter what I look or act like (and some days are pretty bad, especially when I'm pregnant).

--And besides, he won't get to go swimming, visit the whirlpool or the spa, or really get to enjoy his room because he'll be so busy, so heh-heh!! Just kidding! I love you honey, and we're all looking forward to picking you up from the Salt Lake Airport on Thursday evening!