My Work Sucks...

So, basically, my job sucks. Like really. I work at a grocery bag factory doing manual labor. I am a factory worker. I work 12 hour days, anywhere between 3 and 6 times a week. I work in 100+ degree heat with little ventilation. I have to wear a wonderful highlighter yellow/neon green shirt (I'm not really sure what color it is) and I get no vacation days. I am on my feet for the majority of the 12 hours "packing" machines. Which means I load cardboard boxes into and take cardboard boxes full of plastic bags out of the machine. My job is boring.

HOWEVER...

This job is really, really good for me. Like really. I really don't mind hard work if I know the reason for it. For example, sports practices in high school were tolerable because we were allowed to sit for breaks pretty often, and they were only 3 or 4 hours at the most. I don't mind hard work, if it's not too hard. I've never had to REALLY work hard. In my life. Ever. I am learning stamina from this job. If something is hard, it's ok. And if I feel like I'm dying but still have a job to do, as long as I haven't fainted yet or am still on my feet, I CAN DO IT.

This job is also great for finding out who I am. I'm still not so sure the type of person I am, and even though I work in a factory there are still some really great people that work there. Like there's this guy, an operator who operates the 3 bag machines I have been packing all month, is amazing. He was told when he became an operator, by his operator, that he needed to remember where he came from. So, in addition to doing his operator duties, he is VERY OFTEN out helping me pack and during breaks he packs half of my 6 machines. Amazing. He is also always saying 'thank you' for every little thing that I try to help him out with and also ALWAYS thanks me for a good day running the machines. He even says thank you for no reason at all and gives genuine complements often. I have learned that even though people expect factory workers to be coarse and mean and use foul language, factory workers can also be kind and helpful. You cannot allow your job to define you. You cannot allow others to define you.

 You have to define you.

My Daddy

My daddy is:

• an amazing man. He is basically a superhero.
• incredibly supportive. When I got straight A's in high school, he cheered me on and when I got B's and C's in college he would regale me with stories about his 1.5 GPA his first year of college.
• a great listener. Whenever I would get homesick, I would call my daddy and he would sit on the phone for hours and just listen to me complain and cry. This seriously happened at least once a month.
• my travel companion. Even though we won't be literally traveling the world together, he tells me about how great some places are and where I should go and where I shouldn't. I seriously can't wait until I can travel like he did.
• a super father. After 4 kids and almost 20 years he is still patient and loving with me and my siblings. It really is the greatest thing ever.
• strong in the gospel. As a convert he knows what life is like without the gospel in his life and he knows what life is like with the gospel in it. He has, thankfully, chosen life with the gospel and has raised (and is still raising) my siblings on the straight and narrow.
• a really great pancake maker. Seriously. If I didn't have him I would eat pancakes much, much less.

I seriously cannot imagine life without my father. He is my rock. I am so grateful for the 20+ years that my mom and dad have been married. If it weren't for that I'm not sure what kind of a man my dad would be ;) Thank you daddy for everything that you do!

I LOVE YOU DADDY!