Funny dream........

My cousin loaned me a book, "The Oath"by Frank Peretti. I've been reading some every night before going to bed. Whether that's a good idea or not, I haven't really decided yet.

I do have a tendency of sleep walking and talking in my sleep. I've been known to walk around my house locking my screen doors because I thought someone was trying to get in. I've even woke up the next morning to find that I locked my bedroom door and I don't have a need to lock that. Oh, and once I sat up in bed and yelled at a coworker? family member? for trying to take over my bed.

So skip to last night...........
Last night I kept having this wild dream about somebody trying to steal my pillows. Yes, you heard me right, my PILLOWS. At one point, I sat up in bed and yelled
"Now you stop taking my pillows. Leave my pillows alone." I awoke the next morning with BOTH of my pillows under my head,(I usually only use one) and I had a death grip on them.

Now whether that has anything to do with this book or not, I really don't know. but I did have a good laugh once I woke up and realized what I did and said. Oh, and of course I HAD to share that with my mom and sister. Mom thought it was hilarious.

Are there any other family members that sleep walk/talk? I'm just curious.

A MAJOR answer to prayer

My Jeep was scheduled to be at the shop Tuesday morning by 9. My dad was nice enough to take it in Monday night after he got home from w0rk. He figured it would be easier on me, and I could sleep in a little.

Well, I was up pretty much most the night worrying about how much this would cost me. Transmission problems run pretty high. Also, since I'm on vacation next week, I have to prepare myself for not getting a check the week I come back. So, to say I was concerned about my finance situation would've been a gross understatement.

Finally before I fell asleep I prayed "Lord, you know how much I can afford, please work everything out."

About 3 PM on Tuesday my dad called me up. He told me that my Jeep was done, and he said "Do you want to know how much you owe?" I braced myself before answering. He said "Nothing." NOTHING!!!!!! They took the bottom pan off the transmission, replaced the seals, and realigned the shifting and didn't charge me ANYTHING!!!!! If that's not God, I don't know what is.
I try to be a fair person and when I feel like I'm being undercharged for something I make it up by giving a "bonus" for finishing quickly. So, I couldn't let them do the work without paying something, so I gave my parents some money to give to them.
When I was leaving for work, my parents were leaving to get my Jeep.

This is the second time I've dealt with this transmission shop, and they are so honest, I don't know how they stay in business. Last time they told me that the problem was one thing, they said it would cost $250. When they fixed it, they said that wasn't the problem and that it would be $100 to fix. So, I was thinking I'll be paying $350. WRONG, they only charged the 100. They said they can't charge for something that didn't fix the problem.

They can have my business anytime. So, if anyone ever needs transmission work, let me know I'll give you the address and phone number.

Why oh why did God create little brothers???

I got home from work tonight and was opening my screen door when I heard footsteps running in my driveway. I gave a weak and wimpy "Hello?" Hoping whoever it was would say something. Next thing I knew Austin came running out from behind my Jeep and scared the daylights out of me. Of course my heart stopped for a few seconds, and he thought it was hilarious when I put both my hands over my chest. Then he ran home laughing, and told the story to my mom.

Then we started talking about things he did to me when he was younger. When he was little, he'd wake me up on Sat mornings to watch cartoons. He would shake me, and when I'd tell him to leave me alone, he'd shake me again. Once he realized the shaking wasn't working, he'd lean over and LICK my face. Yes, I would get up with his saliva on my cheek.

And who can forget the time we went camping, and dad having an upset stomach, sent Austin and I to the camp store. We got to the checkout, had it rung up, and Austin as calmly as could be said: "That's for her." I wanted to crawl away. He's always had a way of embarrassing me.

I'm now "immune" to being embarrassed now by Austin. Perhaps having a brother like Austin has prepared me for kids. LOL. Either way, I love him anyway.

This N That

Our church has a women's group that meets on the third Sat. of each month. Well, this group, L.I.F.T. (Ladies In Fellowship Together) meets at the fellowship hall and everyone brings a sack lunch (usually a "drive thru" sack lunch). We "share concerns" aka Gossip and have devotions.

Well, I guess the district is wanting each church to put together a basket to auction off the Sat of camp. The Missionary group at church is putting together an Avon basket, and LIFT is putting together a kitchen/food basket. It's going to be interesting to see what other baskets the other churches are putting together.

Oh, and in Sept. LIFT is going to some chocolate factory. YUM.... Chocolate.

The main thing is...... The last Sunday of camp, the pastor is going to cut services short, go over for camp, and have a picnic lunch. I was thinking that Grandma could probably go if she feels up to it.

Next Tues. my Jeep goes into the shop. It's leaking Transmission fluid.

It's hard to believe that in less than a month, school will be starting again. Austin will be off to school, and Ashley will be getting ready to leave. Where has the summer gone?

Common sense

After reading Carrie's blog about the 5 year old that was killed I find myself pondering this thought.........

Where are the parents common sense?

Why was a 5 year old on a MOTORIZED scooter to begin with? I can see a 10 MAYBE a 9 year old on one, but a 5 year old? Where were the parents? Weren't they supervising this child? That's just asking for trouble.

This reminds me of a family about 10 miles away. This couple took their 2 children 5 and 3 sledding on a hill in their subdivision. The parents pushed these children down the hill and across the icy road. They had been doing this for a hour or so. The thing is, an old man was driving down the street, the parents pushed the kids, the man slams on his brakes, starts sliding, runs over the kids, kills one kid and injures? kills? the other. Then the parents had enough nerve to sue this old man. Thankfully the jury found the parents negligent and awarded them NOTHING.

All these parents had to do was drive about 8 miles to a park that has a "safe" hill just for sledding. Matter of fact, the town close to us has just made an AWESOME man-made hill PERFECT for sledding.

When I hear of parents buying a chopper (mini motorcycle) or a go cart for a three year old I cringe. I know a man that bought his 2 year old twin daughters both brand new snowmobiles.

Okay motorized things are ok for OLDER kids, not a kid under the age of 10. Maybe even 13.

Kids this age should be into toy trucks and dolls. NOT Motorized toys.

2 Days off.

Today was my friend, Lois's, birthday. Before all my coworkers got shipped around, we used to have a pitch in dinner for the birthday person. Since it's just Lois and I now, I told her I'd take her out for lunch. Since her son was there, she picked Chuckie Cheese. I told her to pick what she wanted, and that's what she wanted. It was nice to be able to talk with her while her son was busy playing games. It was fun, even though she told me that she almost (Literally) drowned on the 4th. Thank the Lord there was someone close by to help her to shore.

Oh, I did give her the book "Big Girls Don't Whine." I told her not to take the title personally, and that I only gave it to her because it's an AMAZING book
that EVERY woman should read.


After I left it was 2 PM. I didn't have time to drive all the way home, so I went to the mall instead. BIG mistake. I spent over an hour at the bookstore. I bought 4 books.......

"Night" by Elie Wiesel.
Yes, the Oprah Book Club book. I normally don't get into her "chosen" books, but I have been wanting to read this one for a loooong time, and it was on sale at that.

"They Were Single Too; 8 Biblical Role Models" by David M. Hoffeditz.

I love the names of the chapters.. 1 Paul:The "Gift" of Singleness 2. Anna: Left at the Altar 3. Martha: Living Life In The Fast Lane 4: Jeremiah: All Alone In a Couple's World. 5: Ruth: Encountering Shattered Dreams. 6. Joseph: Purity in the Midst of Temptation. 7: Nehemiah: Not Going "A-Wall" (AWOL) 8. John the Baptist: Always a Groomsman, Never a Groom.

"The Preacher's Daughter" by Beverly Lewis...
which is the first book in the "Annie's People" series. I LOVE her books.

And finally...

"The House" by Frank Peretti and Ted Dekker.
I have to admit, I saw it on Carrie's blog and it looked interesting. After reading the summary it intrigued me. I bought it only 15 minutes before going to work, and I've read approx. 150 pages so far.... And that was ONLY at work. It's a hard one to put down.

Some of my friends started a "52 club". 52 books in 52 weeks. I've lost count on how many I've read so far this year. I know my mom always writes down the title, how many pages, start date, and end date. She does this to see how many books she reads in a year. She's done this for as long as I can remember. Maybe someday I'll do the same.

Anyway, I get a two day weekend this weekend, which doesn't happen too often. I'll give you three guesses what I'll be doing, and the first two guess don't count.

Funny or embarrassing? You decide

I went to the Taco Bell/KFC not far from my house. I like every other time, I went through the drive thru.
I ordered, pulled around, paid, got my drink and took off..... WITHOUT my food. I got halfway home before it dawned on me that I didn't get my food, so I turned around and went back for it. I walked in, and they had it sitting there waiting for me. Yeah, I bet the employees had a good laugh about that one.

Things that make you wonder??

There's a guy that works a good 300 feet from me. To get to where he works, you'd have to walk about 100 feet, turn right, and walk another 200 feet, turn right again and walk another 10/20 feet. I have to walk past his line to go to the cafeteria. Okay, now about 100 feet in the opposite direction of where I work is a break room (vending machines/pop machines) and bathrooms.

To explain my work area; the hallway is a L shape. My area is where the two lines meet. so I see everyone that comes down the halls. This guy instead of walking to the bathrooms close to the cafeteria (which would be closer for him), he walks past me to the bathrooms in the opposite direction. At first I didn't think much about it, but one day last week he smiled as he walked past and said HI. No biggie there, people say HI all the time. However, before he turned he looked back. The next night he again walked past me and said hi. Only this time on the way back, he stopped to talk to me for a couple minutes.

He seems to be the backward/shy type. So.... I'm wondering if he's trying to get his nerve up to speak to me, or is he just out to get some exercise. I don't know...

Puzzling Puzzle

This test does not measure intelligence, fluency with words nor
mathematical ability. It will, however, give you some gauge of your
mental flexibility and creativity. In the years since this test was
developed, it has been found that few people could solve more than
half on the first day. Many reported getting answers long after the
test had been set aside, at unexpected moments when their minds were
relaxed.

This is an example:
16 = O in a P
Answer: 16 = ounces in a pound

1. 26 = L of the A
2. 7 = D of the W
3. 1001 = A N
4. 12 = S of the Z
5. 54 = C in a D
6. 9 = P in the S S
7. 88 = P K
8. 13 = S on the A F
9. 32 = D F at which W F
10. 18 = H on a G C
11. 90 = D in a R A
12. 200 = D for P G in M
13. 8 = S on a S S
14. 3 = B M (S H T R)
15. 4 = Q in a G
16. 24 = H in a D
17. 1 = W on a U
18. 5 = D in a Z C
19. 57 = H V
20. 11 = P on a F T B
21. 1000 = W that a P is W
22. 29 = D in F in a L Y
23. 64 = S on a C B
24. 40 = D and N of the G F
25. 76 = T in the B P
26. 50 = W to L Y L
27. 99 = B of B on the W
28. 60 = S in a M
29. 1 = H on a U
30. 9 = J on the S C
31. 7 = B for S B
32. 21 = D on a D
33. 7 = W of the A W
34. 15 = M on a D M C

I will post the answers at a later date, or you can ask me to email you the answers.

I've been robbed.

Sometime between 12:30 AM and 11:30 AM SOMEONE got into my jeep, opened my console and STOLE my checkbook. So, after spending an hour searching my jeep for it (and having my mom give another eye over.) I went to the bank to have the checks stopped. I'm ANGRY, but I hope whoever took my checkbook gets caught, so I can press charges..... Oh, YES, I WILL press charges if he/she/they are caught.

THIS IS WAR!!!!!!!!!!

Back in July 2004 I had my garage fixed. When the roof was tore off a HUGE nest of carpenter ants were discovered. They were sprayed and I was told that the problem had been taken care of. I fought those little boogers for a few weeks afterwards. It seemed as though some strays found their way into my house, but they went away after awhile.. Well...... They've invaded my house again. As I'm typing this, I'm watching these bugs climb up my wall, and the bottom of my shoes are a very good weapon for hand to hand combat. I've killed 10 of those stupid bugs in less than 5 minutes, and the bottom of my shoe is looking like a gruesome battleground. Does ANYONE know how to get rid of these stupid things for good? I kill them as I see them, but I'm afraid my house will fall apart if I'm not careful. If I put siding up, will that take care of them? Someone...Anyone...... HELP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am declaring war against these invaders and I need HELP.....

Books, books, and more books.....

My cousin, Carrie, asked on her blog what everyone's favorite books are. Since I didn't want to "clog" her comments, I'll post mine here.

Favorite children's books:
The Ramona series by Beverly Cleary
Madeline by Ludwig Bemelmans
The Stinky Cheese Man and other Fairly Stupid Tales by Jon Scieszka and Lane Smith (A MUST for children and adults alike. I reread this whenever I need a chuckle)
The Boxcar Children by Gertude Chandler Warner
The Babysitter's Club series By Anne Martin (I do have the whole series... Yes, ALL 200+ of them)
The Shel silverstein books (A Light In The Attic and Where the Sidewalk Ends)
The Dear America series by various authors
The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling
The Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett
The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
Tales of the Fourth Grade Nothing by Judy Blume (Have to love a kid that swallows a turtle whole.)
Superfudge by Judy Blume
Little House on the Prairie series by Laura Ingalls Wilder

Favorite "Childrens" books that aren't for children..
Grimmes Fairy Tales (Very dark and morbid.)
The Mary Poppins series by P.L. Travers (NOT kid friendly)

Favorite fiction

The Daughters Of Lancaster County (The Storekeeper's Daughter, The Quilter's Daughter, and the Bishop's Daughter. All Amish by the way) by Wanda E Brunstetter
The Love Comes Softly series by Jannette Oke
A Woman Named Damarus by Jannette Oke
The Princess Bride by William Goldman (The movie is based on this book)
The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leneox
The Touch by Patricia Hickman (Story is inspired by the painting.)

Favorite nonfiction
Not Without My Daughter by Betty Mahmoody (movie is based on this book.)
Please Stop Laughing At Me: One Woman's Inspirational Story by Jodee Blanco
Big Girls Don't Whine by Jan Silvious
Alex:The Life of a Child by Frank Deford (The author is the head of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, and he wrote about his 9 year old daughter who died of the disease. Have tissues handy if you read this one.)

Favorite Holocaust books
Diary of Anne Frank
When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit, The Other Way Round, A Small Person Far Away by Judith Kerr
My Friend Anne Frank by Jacqueline Van Maarsen
Edith's Story by Edith Velmans
Tell No One Who You Are" The Hidden Childhood of Regine Miller by Walter Buchignani and Regine Miller

There are MANY, MANY more, but these are the ones from the top of my head. Might add more as I think of them.... Oh, and by the way I own ALL of these books. ;)

Only 5 days to go........

This past Saturday wasn't 100% (which means it wasn't manitory.) I KNOW they're going to do what they did Memorial Day weekend..... They didn't force anyone in the Sat. before Memorial day weekend, so they forced everyone to work the Sat. OF MDW. Since I had a feeling they're going to do that this weekend, I made sure to work this past Sat. Since I worked the last two Saturdays in a row , they can't force me this weekend..... OH, but I have a feeling there going to be forcing a LOT of people in. None of the assemblies worked, so I have a feeling that I'm going to hear a lot of heated complaints. So, while everyone else will be complaining, I'll be looking forward to my FOUR day weekend... Come on FRIDAY!!!!! Okay, female family members...... Any ideas for Sat, Mon, or Tues?

The simple thing called work........

As you may or may not know, I work in the ATA room as a material handler. Which means I load parts on the line. My boss wanted me to learn the machines, and since that's a jobsetter job (.74 cents more an hour) I took the lockout training, and I now get the jobsetter pay.

Allen and Melissa are the jobsetters that run the four automatic machines in the room. I get along great with Melissa, but not so much with Allen. He's too "friendly" with upper management for my taste.

A couple weeks ago Allen bid on a new job,and got it...... For those of you who don't know how this goes..... If a job opens up, they put it on the board for a week....... (Wens. - Wens.) Whoever signs and has the most seniority, gets the job. So, with Allen gone, his job was open. I signed for it, and I got it...... However, I found out that Chad signed for it as well. Chad has been filling in for Allen, and the three of us gets along WONDERFULLY. I found out that he was the second highest in seniority. Which meant if I turned down the job, he'd get it. Since he knows so much more than I do about these machines, I declined the job, and let Chad have it.... It not only made Chad happy, but me as well. The three of us really work together as a team. No back biting, lying, or "tattling" on each other. There's no more tension in the air. This is really going to work out great. I couldn't think of a greater coworker..... Except Sheila, Lois, Michelle, Tammy, or Christie.....

With Allen out of that room, I don't dread going to work. Oh, and I no longer have to smoke half of Allen's cigarettes. He smokes one every 8 mins. (Melissa and I counted one night.) I now work in a smoke free environment. That's the best part.

Who's the teacher here??

I have a "routine" I do during Sunday school.

If I only have Jake, (which is 99.99% of the time)he isn't a very good reader, so I have him "practice" by reading the lesson out of his book out loud. Even then, I always ask him if he wants to read the lesson. He only says no when he's not feeling well. If we have visitors, I don't want to put him on the spot, so I just take volunteers. If no one volunteers, then I read the lesson out of their book, and afterwards I read the lesson out of mine. I remember vividly being self conscious about reading outloud when I was younger, so I NEVER force anyone.

So, yesterday during Sunday school, I asked Jake; "Do you feel like reading today?", He said "Yes." then he paused and said, "I'll read the first paragraph, then you can read the second, and I'll read the last." I said "Who's the teacher here you or me?" Of course I was laughing when I said that, which made him laugh.

So, I agreed to his terms, and when it was my turn to read, I realized why he had me to read that paragraph........ Let's just say, some of those Bible names are hard enough for adults, I can't imagine kids trying to pronouce them. Jake really is a bright boy......

Anyway, our lesson was on Daniel and the three Hebrew boys that were being trained by King N. (I'm not even going to try to spell his name. LOL), and how they refused the food and wine..... As an illustration I used.......

Imagine the president asked your whole class at school to live at the white house for a year, and all he would feed you is candy and ice cream. Now, that's not very healthy is it? Your body needs vegetables, meat, and fruits. If you only had ice cream and candy, it would make you sick. It would be hard to refuse when all your classmates are eating the junk food now wouldn't it? It's not always easy to do what's right. Sometimes it can be very hard, but if you ask Jesus to help you, He will.

AMEN!!!!!!!!

Sheila emailed this too me, and I agree with it wholeheartedly..........

The Old Paths

I liked the old paths,
when Moms were at home.
Dads were at work.
Brothers went into the army.
And sisters got married
BEFORE having children!

Crime did not pay;
Hard work did;
And people knew the difference

Moms could cook;
Dads would work;
Children would behave.

Husbands were loving;
Wives were supportive;
And children were polite.

Women wore the jewelry;
And Men wore the pants.
Women looked like ladies;
Men looked like gentlemen;
And children looked decent.

People loved the truth,
And hated a lie;
They came to church to get IN,
Not to get OUT!

Hymns sounded Godly;
Sermons sounded helpful;
Rejoicing sounded normal;
And crying sounded sincere.

Cursing was wicked;
Drinking was evil;
and divorce was unthinkable.

The flag was honored;
America was beautiful;
And God was welcome!

We read the Bible in public;
Prayed in school;
And preached from house to house.

To be called an American was worth dying for;
To be called a Christian was worth living for;
To be called a traitor was a shame!

Sex was a personal word.
Homosexual was an unheard of word,
And abortion was an illegal word.

Preachers preached because they had a message;
And Christians rejoiced because they had the VICTORY!
Preachers preached from the Bible;
Singers sang from the heart;
And sinners turned to the Lord to be SAVED!

A new birth meant a new life;
Salvation meant a changed life;
Following Christ led to eternal life.

Being a preacher meant you proclaimed the word of God;
Being a deacon meant you would serve the Lord;
Being a Christian meant you would live for Jesus;
And being a sinner meant someone was praying for you!

Laws were based on the Bible;
Homes read the Bible;
And churches taught the Bible.

Preachers were more interested in new converts,
Than new clothes and new cars.
God was worshiped;
Christ was exalted;
and the Holy Spirit was respected.

Church was where you found Christians on the Lord's day,
rather than in the garden,
on the creek bank,
on the golf course,
or being entertained somewhere else.

I still like the old paths the best.

Special prayer request

I have a dear friend, Sheila who used to be one of my coworkers. She emailed me today to tell me that her mom has been diagnosed with breast cancer. It's in the early stages, and she goes to the cancer doc on Monday. Since our family understands what this is like, I'm asking you to PLEASE keep her, Sheila, and Sheila's husband, Tim in your prayers. Oh, and Sheila, if you're reading this, If you ever need me, I'm here for you ANYTIME. I love you friend.

Strange way of saying it........

After YEARS of working in a hot department, I now work in a nice air conditioned room. This room has 4 automatic machines, which makes the rear carriers. (If any coworkers are reading this, you will know that I work in the ATA room. To everyone else: you're probably lost, and I apologize.) Well, this room has a dry erase board to leave notes for the other shifts. We use it to let each other know what needs fixed, what's been fixed, etc.... Today we go in and there's the following note...... "Pete has left us for that big factory in the sky, in which other coworkers have gone before, and has welcomed him with open arms. We'll miss you."............ Yes, one of our coworkers, which I didn't know, passed away yesterday. I found that note very disturbing. If Heaven is just a big factory, do I really want to go? I would think that if you died and went to a factory, you sure didn't make it to Heaven. After all there's a million and one places I'd rather be than in a factory. Okay, maybe a million is too many, but a hundred at least. It's like I told one of my other Christian friends..... I hope when the rapture takes place, I'm at work. That way, I'll be going from the worst place possible to the best. Don't get me wrong, I don't hate my job. After all, it puts a roof over my head, food on my table, clothes on my back, and pays the bills. It's just that working in a factory sure isn't where I thought I'd be 12 years ago.

What a weekend. Is it over yet?

This weekend hasn't been a very good one. Ashley and I were going to go to the city wide yard sales, but got rained out. Very disappointing. But the worst part was.... I guess it starts on Thursday. I noticed that my water pressure was way down, but that's city water for you. The city likes to flush out the hydrants once in a while, and that does some weird things to our water which sometimes includes changing the water smell and/or color, and sometimes the pressure for a day or two. So, I thought nothing about it.......... UNTIL today......... After church, I heard water running under my house by the outdoor spigot. Well after having my mom help investigate, we discovered that yes, I do have a water leak. So, I took my flashlight down to my cobweb invested basement (I hate going down there by the way.), and followed the pipe to the valve. So, I shut it off, and thankfully it only shut the water off outside, not inside. I still have hot/cold water inside my house, which is a VERY important thing. The other bad thing is, my basement is only a PARTIAL basement, so we'll (aka my dad) will have to cut the pipe, pull it through, and splice it with another. I think I may just wait a little while for that.... Or should I say, work a couple Saturdays to be able to buy the materials. It's days like this I feel like selling my house and just renting. Aww..... The joys of owning your own home.

The good and bad of dress codes.

After twelve years of working in the same factory, management has finally decided that maybe we should have a dress code. Usually, people just wear pretty much what they want to wear. I've seen woman wearing shorts so short and tight I always wonder how they can walk, not to mention sit. LOL. So they passed out papers with our new dress code. I'll let you read it for yourself. This gives you an idea how people dress now. : Clothing shall be of a durable material and not loose fitting. (So I guess I have to buy some tight fitting clothes then. Man, I love my XL size t shirts.) Long pants are highly recommended. Shorts or skirts, if worn, must be knee length, and not have slits and/or holes. Shirts must cover the torso completely. This does not allow tank tops, halters, or sports bras worn by themselves. Necklaces and earrings (hanging below the earlobe) are not to be worn while performing work on machining, material handling, or assembly processes. Shoes: Proper footwear consisting of durable leather upper construction with hard, oil resistant soles, and low heels shall be worn while on the plant floor; this includes travel to/from doors and work areas.... (Most people keep their work shoes inside toolboxes, and wear regular shoes into the plant. Then change into their work shoes once they get to their toolboxes. Who wants to mess up their vehicles with those nasty oily shoes?) Athletic/street shoes, open toed shoes, open heeled shoes, slippers, flip flops, sandals, or any type of high heeled shoes will be prohibited. Company approved prescription or company approved non prescription safety glasses with permanently attached side shields shall be worn thoughout the plant floor at all times; this includes travel to/from doors and work areas..... (This too is something most people leave in toolboxes. This is the only thing I see as being a hassle. Most people that wear glasses anyway, might forget their safety glasses at home or in vehicle. This is the only thing I'm concerned about.) ENFORCEMENT: Employees found in violation of this policy and/or the standards of conduct may be subject to disciplinary action up to and including discharge. I do think I have the shoes thing worked out... Payless shoes used to carry black shoes that were oil resistant for about $15 or so. I think I'll see if they still have those. I know we have a contract coming up fall of 2007. I just wonder if they're trying to fire people, so they have something to barter the union with. Makes me wonder.