July 31, 2001: Mom & Grandpa's Birthdays

After work at Sears, I filled out an application with the County of Muskegon for a job.   I met my Mom, Grandpa, and Laurie at Bill Knapps for their birthdays.   They got a free chocolate cake for dessert.    That is one of the best chocolate cakes.     My mom turned 55 and Grandpa turned 82 today.   My mom got her 39 cent frosty at Wendy's as you get that when you turn 55.    The frosties used to be free years ago, so she was bummed she had to pay for it.  

July 26, 2001: Shoe Department

Today was an exhausting day for me at work.   Shoes were 75%.   The store was gradually getting rid of all of the merchandise in this store, in order to open up the new store out at the Lakes Mall.   It took all of the associates on duty to clean the shoe department.    We had so many mismatched shoes, so had to put them in a bin.

July 24, 2001: First Day on the Cash Register

Today was an 8 hour day for me.  Alyce first had me on the register. I was so nervous.   I could feel my hands trembling.   I got better at it as the day continued.   My first customer was impatient, which didn't help.  I got more comfortable with the transactions the more I did them.

July 20, 2001: Cash Register Training at Sears

Yesterday, I had the orientation for my  new job at Sears.       Today,  I had 6 hours of training at the downtown store.    There were 15 of us learning how to do the individual transactions.  I was nervous counting the money and doing the transactions, as I had never had a job working with credit cards, checks, and money transactions.  This was going to be a new experience for me.     

July 9, 2001: Sears Position

It hasn't been very easy for me to find a job in the Muskegon/Grand Rapids areas.     I interviewed with Payless Shoes and Sears today.  I got the Sears job for $6.75/hr   I will be working in the Women's department.  I will be working with one of my mom's friends,  Janet Hill.     I will help close the Sears store in the downtown Muskegon mall and then help open the store in the new Lakes Mall on Harvey Road.

July 2, 2001: Gereinger, Norway

Our ride into Geiranger, Norway was gorgeous. We had rooms on the back of the ship, so we could see the mountains on both sides of the ship. We saw the waterfall, ‘7 sisters’, from our porch.



We took a tour of the area. We went to Djupvass Chalet, which is 3100 feet above sea level. We stopped at the Flydal Gorge and could see our ship down below. We also went to the top of the snow covered mountainside of Mount Dalsnibba at 4500 feet above sea level.


We took some photos at Olden Valley. Then, we headed for the Briksdal Glacier, which was so beautiful. The walk up to it took us 2 hours. It was about a 2 ½ mile walk. First, we walked on a flatter surface uphill and then took the left fork in the road for the hike from hell.


We walked over lots of huge stones up the mountain. Mom was having a hard time, but I was proud of her. There was a separate path where horse drawn carriages were giving people rides.


We walked quite a while to get to the foot of the glacier. We stood right on the glacier. The glacier was icy and blue. It was a gorgeous site to see.


I enjoyed the scenery today. I don’t think I would live here, as it is cold and cloudy.


Back on the boat, we went to a seminar about hair. The lady said to use regular shampoo with moisturizer. It will help keep the hair fuller and not flat.

July 1, 2001: Bergen, Norway



Took a city tour of Bergen, Norway, before heading to Troldhauger; home of the well known composer, Edvard Grieg. We saw his home, as well as where he and his wife, Nina, were buried in the side of a cliff. He was born in 1843. His first piano recital was held in 1861, at the age of 18. He died in 1907.



The concert we listed to was fabulous. The woman who played the piano had all of the music memorized. She played the piano very fast. She played Grieg’s well known wedding and Lullaby songs. We found out later that his song, “Morning” is also very good.


We went shopping back at the wharf. We wanted some Norwegian sweaters, but they were over $100 in all of the stores. I ended up getting one on the ship.


We went down to dinner on the ship. It was 2 hours, which is way too long for me to sit. I love my family dearly, but they tend to try and show off or be the center of attention and talk about their tours being better than anyone else. My family doesn’t do this so much at the family gatherings, but only on the cruises.


We went to the entertainment tonight with Grandpa and Laurie. After the entertainment, we went to see the Battle of the Sexes game. We watched Grandpa and Laurie dance. Grandpa danced with this English gal, which was quite comical.

Laurie was telling us that it drives her crazy when Grandpa doesn’t flush the toilet or zip his pants. I have noticed it too, but I guess it must be a thing men do.