My World. Welcome to it......

I took a camera to work so that everyone could meet the people I work with. These pictures were taken yesterday and I will be taking a few more of the people that were absent yesterday. This is a great group of people to work with.

Bill is a new mechanic that started just after I did. He had lunch with his family yesterday, so I was able to meet them. Nice family.

Bill

Tony is our head mechanic and all around guru for biking. He is a library of information on biking. I love talking to him about the subject of biking. He is soft talking and patient with me.

Tony

Here is a picture of the owners of BIKES PLUS. Lidia and Steve are our friends from Nativity Catholic Church. Glen is the co-owner of bikes plus.

Lidia, Steve & Glen

I chose to have a picture of me and Vince in front of Bikes Plus. We are right across from Carmax. Stop in and chew the fat with these great people.

Ta ta for now.

In the beginning

I finally decided to sit down and tell everyone of my experiences at my new job. I started work on March 15th. I had no knowledge of bikes, but I had experience in working with people and how important a customer is to the store.

I was introduced to the workings of the cash register. I am still a novice at that part of the job. It is not complicated, but it takes getting used to. I met Eva,owners wife, and James, my go to guy. When I don't know where something is or what it does I go to "James". Eva has one week more experience than I. She only works 3 days a week. I, on the other hand, work full time. Needless to say, Eva and  I will be learning together.

Tony griffin is the mechanic and the guru on the workings of a bike. He can look at a bike when it is coming in the door and tell you just what the bike needs in repairs. I would trust him to fix any bike. He is gentle, softspoken, patient and interesting to talk with. If He is not working on bikes, He helps me with the customer by explaining which bike does what. You can tell he loves the sport of biking. Quite a few customers come in just to say hi to Tony.

The atmosphere at Bikes Plus is pleasant and friendly. Everyone is helpful and cordial. When you walk in the door you feel at home. Our goal is to be near when you need help in deciding what bike is best for you or lead you to the right area for the item you are looking for. I am still learning those areas. In finding out what the customer is looking for, I am learning what goes where. So come on down and teach me where everything is. Just kidding.

Steve, one of my bosses, has had me check in merchandise and put it on the shelves so that I can get to know the store. It is an eyeopener as to what the store carries.From small to large we carry it. It is amazing how much storage the store has. There are tires and wheels hanging from the ceiling where bike repairs are kept. They have kickstands and seat extenders and all kinds of parts for bikes on the walls.

I enjoy showing people around the store and helping them choose the bike they need or want. Steve has enrolled me in an online class with Giant, one of the bike manufacturers we use. Giant and Specialized are the main manufacturers they use. When I have spare time I can go online and learn more about the bikes that are in the store. I have taken several modules in the course.It is very user friendly.

Saturday was my first day to sell a bike without anyone helping me. Of course the customer did the hard part. I was just there to have them try their bike and close the sale. I wish all the sales were that easy.

I really enjoy my job and look forward to coming to work every day. I appreciate Glen and Steve giving me the opportunity to prove myself. Most of all,.I thank God for his support and his answer to my prayers.

Brenda finds work, YEA YEA

God works in mysterious ways. I have been looking for a job to boost our savings and had mentioned to a church friend that I was having no luck finding anything. My friends husband is co owner of a bike shop and he needed some help in his busy months. He told me to come see him on Tuesday and we can discuss what he was looking for in an employee.

I met the owners of Bikes Plus on Tuesday. They explained what the job entails and what the needs were. We talked for an hour about my experience and they decided to give me a chance to try a new skill. I stayed and was given a tour of the store. I was even given a taste of what I will be doing. Needless to say, I thoroughly enjoyed it.

I reported to work yesterday. My day started off a little slow because I had to be shown how to enter sales and repairs. I also was introduced to special order sales. There will be many times I will have to complete order forms and repair slips. I am looking forward to embracing my new skill.

I will be shadowing the salespersons for the next few weeks so that I can learn the merchandise and how to listen to what the customers needs are. I will be on their heels picking up bits and pieces of information about how a bike works and what type of bike a person would be comfortable with. I was given a few books about the bikes they carry and it was very helpful. Now I just need to soak up all the information I can from the salesmen.

We don't work on commission. It is straight salary. There is no cut throat selling. You are there to help the customer. I wish all jobs were like that.

I am looking forward to an interesting stay here at Bikes Plus. I will keep you informed as to how I am doing on the job.

Tata for now

Much Improvement

Brenda & I went back to the doctor last week, and everything is improving.
Brenda's rash has cleared up and her face is as beautiful as ever. It appears that what she had was ringworm and generic Lamisil used twice a day has cleared the problem nicely.
We don't know where she got it, but it is cleared up.

I have been working and if I don't move around too much I do ok. I'm not sure if the vertigo is improving or I'm just getting used to it. I still get really dizzy when I look up, so I don't do that much.
I drove to church on Sunday and I drove to the dentist yesterday and it was alright.

We are in desperate need of rain here as it hasn't rained in about 10 days.
Mike and I washed all of the vehicles, so that should bring the rain. It was supposed to rain with thunder and lightning last night, but I didn't hear any rain on the roof.

Brenda finished my lap quilt, It is red, white and blue stripes. It is very nice and keeps my legs warm. Cleo loves it. She loves to sit in my lap while I watch TV, and she lays on top of the quilt.

The red is fairly dark and the combination of colors reminds me of the British flag.

Brenda is having lunch with her sisters and cousins today. One of her cousins has late stage breast cancer and the women try to have lunch with her at least once a month. Good family support. We know with Brenda's journey through her breast cancer, just how important support is.

Ta ta for now.