Moritz Life

New Job & Apartment

2009-11-29T07:48:00.000-08:00

I am happy to report that on Tuesday, December 1st, 2009 I will be starting my new job. After sending resumes to the marketing firms here in Fresno (and literally hundreds of other places around the world) my creative self-promotion finally paid off. If you have not had a chance to check out my resume landing page website, you should.

I will be working for Astone Agency, a full-service marketing firm that specializes in public outreach, enrollment, casual dining, gaming, and hospitality marketing. They are based in Fresno and have satellite offices in San Francisco, San Diego and Sacramento. The first three months will consist of a paid internship type trial period where they get to know me, and make sure I am a good fit for the company. After that I will continue on full-time. It appears I will be heading up a lot of their social media marketing efforts, which means I will be paid to use twitter/facebook/etc. I am very excited to join the team over there.

One of the selling points of Astone Agency for me is their location in downtown Fresno. I am very interested in the downtown revitalization efforts that are afoot here in Fresno, and working downtown will allow me to spend more time down there. As well, my roommate and I have decided that we want to have a more urban lifestyle and in January we will be moving to some brand new lofts in downtown Fresno, the Iron Bird Lofts. We are both very excited to make the move.

Upcoming Trip

2009-10-19T11:41:00.000-07:00

I am taking a trip starting this week.

I will be taking the Amtrak train from Fresno up to San Francisco to visit my friend Andrew Ellenberger. After spending some time hanging out with him I will be flying out of Oakland to Seattle (my first time on Southwest Airlines and flying into or out of Oakland!). After taking the Airporter shuttle bus from Seattle to Yakima I will be with my parents. My Dad and I will be driving up to Edmonton on Friday and spending time there until Wednesday of next week when we will drive back down to Yakima. I will spend a few more days with my parents in Yakima until the following Sunday where we will be heading to church in Bremerton, WA. My parents will drop me off at the Seattle Airport on their way back home from Bremerton. I will then be flying from Seattle to Fresno.

It should be a lot of fun, and I will be doing a lot of traveling which will include train, plane, bus, and car travel (and maybe even a boat if we take the ferry to Bremerton!). It'll be great to get to see a lot of people who I don't normally get to see, especially my Grandma whose health is not good currently.

Career Move

2009-10-05T09:08:00.000-07:00

I recently made the decision to quit my job at Target to pursue other opportunities.

Check out my blog post about specifics.

I am currently unemployed, but I am looking for something in marketing which is much more in line with my passions and talents.

If you know of anyone hiring or know of any opportunities, pass it along!

Busy

2009-09-21T21:13:00.000-07:00

Life has been extremely busy this year - one of the reasons I have not posted much here. In particular my work has been extremely demanding due to the major re-organizational change that I have been leading our association through. While it has required significant time and energy the results are well worth the effort.

But there has been much more going on as well. My dad's illness and death this summer has meant several trips to Edmonton and a number of extra responsibilities. And, occasionally travel keeps life full as well. Last week I spent four intense days in Baltimore, although I was able to spend a couple of hours seeing Washington, D.C. for the very first time. This year I have also been across the continent in many other places, including San Diego, Orlando, Victoria, Chicago, Detroit, Anderson, and St. Louis.

All in all, life is good and there is much to be thankful for!

Job Stuff

2009-09-20T08:27:00.000-07:00

If you follow me on twitter or facebook you may already know, but I recently put in my notice at Target. My last day working for Target Corp. is October 3.

After a lot of prayer and consideration I decided it was time to move on to something else.

This means I am currently looking for employment, specifically something in marketing where my passions are.

If you know of anything available, let me know!

East Coast Trip

2009-08-17T04:55:00.000-07:00

I am currently on a road trip/vacation with my good friends Tim & Chris. On this trip I've already driven across the country, visited Washington DC, Princeton University, Yale University, Annapolis, MD, and a bunch of places along the way.

If you don't already, you should read my blog ( http://jukeyblog.blogspot.com/ ), follow me on Twitter (@jukey), and find me on Google Latitude to check out how my trip is going.

Edward Moritz - Biography and Obituary

2009-08-12T22:53:00.000-07:00

My Dad was born in 1924 in a modest farmhouse in the village of Tempel, just outside of Ribnitz-Damgarten, in what was the state of Pommern in Northeast Germany right below the Baltic Sea.

He was the 4th child born to Edward and Lydia Moritz, (nee Keding) following the births of sisters Dorothy, Hilda, and Freida.

Dad was not yet walking when he was ushered in Grand style aboard the Empress of Scotland with the family, who sailed in May 1925 to Canada. At the time of it’s maiden voyage, it was the world’s largest passenger ship.

The family settled on a farm in Clymont, Alberta where younger brother William was born. Dad told us many stories of growing up on the farm and getting into mischief with his brother Bill. One story I remember is when they were kids with nothing but time and energy on their hands and were chasing a chicken around the yard. After the “unfortunate” loss of feather’s by the chicken, they got scared of the consequences and decided the “smart” thing to do was “hide” the chicken down the hole in the outhouse. Later that night, Grandpa was seen running out of the outhouse after being unceremoniously startled by a screaming chicken. What followed was the very familiar:

"Adolf, Willy, Kommt Hier!!"

He stayed on the farm until he was 16 years old, and then went to Edmonton to look for his first job. He worked in the city for about two years and when WWII broke out, he returned to the farm where he worked a half section of land by himself – he had seven others to take care of – six horses and an old Fordson tractor. Although farming this land was a huge task by himself, he somehow found the time to court Irma and they got married in 1944 when he was 19 years of age.

After having his fill of farming, mom and dad decided to move to greener pastures to Chilliwack, BC, where dad got a job driving truck on a daily run from Chilliwack to Vancouver. He enjoyed this work, but they missed the family and moved back to Edmonton in 1949. They lived in Onoway for a few years and then moved back to Edmonton where Lloyd was born in 1961 and I was added to the family in the spring of 1965.

In 1967 Dad went to work for Boychuk Transport and continued to work for many years in the trucking industry. Later, I had the pleasure of being present for a National Transportation Award Ceremony where the Minister of Transportation attended. My father was presented with a long term service award for 40 years of service and the “Man of the Year” award in the Transportation Industry. This was one of the proudest moments I shared with him. Dad worked for several companies over the years, but was called by Tim Boychuk in the early 90’s to return to work in sales where he finished his career at the age of 80. Tim graciously hosted a retirement party for Dad where many of his friends and colleagues celebrated his achievements and contributions over the years.

We spent many wonderful years together as a family and I especially remember when we had Dad (and Mom) all to ourselves for annual summer Vacation. Every year, without fail, Dad would pack up and take us traveling and camping, often to BC and sometimes to the US to visit our family in Michigan. In the early years, we would go tenting, and as a child, I remember the men telling stories about bears wandering through the campsite at night and causing havoc. Between the mosquitos and the bears, Dad had enough and upgraded to a tent trailer. One year we had to abandon the tent trailer and scurry to safety as a tornado suddenly hit - within minutes trees were uprooted and the campsite flooded… through it all dad was our rock, steadfast and true. After the tornado, Dad purchased a nice Travel Trailer and that was the end of our “mis-adventures”.

Dad was also a great spiritual influence in our family by taking us to Sunday School, Church, Choir, and later Youth. He also valued family devotions, thus providing a solid foundation for us to later draw upon during the trials of life.

In 1985 we suffered a great loss with the death of his wife and our mother, Irma.

In 1991 dad married Helen and gained 4 stepchildren and 8 step-grandchildren. Dad loved all of his family very much and enjoyed visits and impromptu concerts during family events. Helen and Dad were always generous hosts, especially for gatherings of the Moritz and Breitkreutz clans.
In retirement, Dad developed several interests, one of which was bird-watching in his backyard. He built a number of birdhouses and fixed them to posts, so he could watch them while BBQ’ing or sitting on the patio. He could tell you what kind of birds lived in each house, how many baby birds were born, and other details including their feeding habits; in which he helped by throwing breadcrumbs and trimmings onto the garage roof.

Dad was always willing to go out of his comfort zone to learn new things, like learning to use a computer with email, instant messaging, Skype, Facebook, and even computer games when he was in his late 70’s and eighties so he could keep in touch with the family and his much loved grandchildren whom he talked about often - with great interest and pride.

Near the end of his life when Dad was diagnosed with cancer, he was never in denial, angry, nor resentful. He accepted this challenge as he accepted every challenge in his life: head-on and with courage. He enjoyed all visitors while in care and was very gracious and generous with the little time he had left. He was brave and inspired all of us by his example in the way he carried himself until the end. He will be Dearly remembered by his family and friends and we ALL just all want to say:
WE LOVE YOU and UNTIL WE MEET AGAIN

(by Myron Moritz)

On Saturday, July 25, 2009, at the age of 84 Ed Moritz passed into the presence of the Lord, following a brief illness. Ed is survived by his wife of 18 years, Helen; his sons Lloyd (Kathy), and Myron (Betty); his grandsons Luke, Jonathan and Andrew; his stepchildren Dale (Carol), Kathleen (Doug), Dan and Tim (Su Lin); his step grandchildren Sara, Dylan, Donna, Melissa, Andrew, Hope, Karlee and Melody; his sister Hilda Sturz and numerous family and friends. He is predeceased by his sisters Dorothy Stumkat, Frieda Hartwig, his brother Bill and his first wife Irma in 1985. A private interment will be held at the request of the family, followed by a service celebrating his life, at First Church of God 9224-82 Street, Edmonton on Wednesday July 29,2009 at 2:00pm. In Lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to a charity of one's own choice.

Edward Moritz

2009-08-01T18:07:00.000-07:00

On Saturday, July 25th my father, Edward Moritz, died peacefully after a relatively short bout with cancer. Needless to say, things have been somewhat chaotic in our lives in the past month - dealing with the news of his diagnosis and prognosis, traveling to Edmonton to see him several weeks ago, and returning this past week for his funeral which I officiated. Luke and Jonathan were able to be with us in Edmonton. Unfortunately, Andrew could not.

Dad passed away just one month and one day short of his 85th birthday. He was well prepared for his departure from this earth, and we enjoyed the times we spent during our last visit. His impact on my life is very significant, and there are many wonderful memories and reflections to cherish.

In the coming week I will post some more information here, including a more detailed biography.

My New Phone

2009-06-22T18:00:00.000-07:00

I haven't posted a lot recently due to not having Internet for the first few weeks at the new apartment I just moved into.

Other than moving to a new apartment, the only other exciting thing about my life is my new phone, which you can read about here.

Father's Day

2009-06-20T20:46:00.000-07:00

I think one of the biggest influence in our lives is our fathers, but it seems in our culture they are not as valued as mothers. As a daughter, a father is very important in building a safe relationship so that when she grows up, she can look for a spouse that is respectful to her. I am grateful for my dad and even though we don't get to talk often, I appreciate having a great relationship with him.

So, to all you dads out there, remember that you are a very important part of your child's' life no matter what their age.

To my dad specifically, I wish you a very, very Happy Father's Day. Wish I could spend time with you more often!

To my sons, I want you to know how lucky you are to have a dad who only has your best interest at heart, and loves to be there to help whenever he can.

Lastly, (but not leastly) to my husband, the father of our 3 wonderful sons, you are the love of my life and I appreciate so much the positive influence you have been in their lives.

Wishing all the dads a wonderful year full of God's great blessings and praying that you will continue to be a blessing to those around you.

Visit from Luke

2009-05-21T15:01:00.000-07:00

We were excited to have Luke come to Yakima and spend a full 5 days with us last week. We had a great time just hanging out and enjoying each other's company. I also had fun trying to incorporate asparagus into every other dinner as we were able to get all we wanted for free from my boss, Mark. He's the avid gardner where I got all my raspberries and blackberries for jam last summer.

Luke and I got to visit Snoqualmie Falls while Lloyd was meeting at Double K. It's a beautiful and tall waterfall. We took the 1 mile hike to the river and back, which was pretty steep, but I was glad I went. We saw some beautiful scenery on the way down. The way back up was spent trying to get my breath on 3 or 4 occasions, but before I knew it, we were back at the top. After picking Lloyd up, we drove to the beautiful Bavarian-like city of Leavenworth and went out for some great schnitzel and spaetzle (forgive my spelling if it's wrong).

Sunday evening came too quickly and we had to drop Luke off at the Yakima airport to go back.

We sure enjoy it when the boys' can come and visit.

By the way, the sheets are clean on the bed in the spare room, and you're welcome to come for a visit!

Trips

2009-05-01T09:26:00.001-07:00

Last week on April 21st Jonathan and I drove up to San Jose in my Smart Car to the dealership where I bought my car.

I got a letter in the mail a couple of months ago that I was able to take my car into the dealership to get the "Smart 2.0 Checkup". They did a few things to my car including installing a bigger battery, upgrading the firmware/software for the transmission and engine, checked and updated smog and VIN stickers, as well as replaced my sun screen in the headliner/moon roof of my car, as it had broken.

While the trip is about 2 1/2 hours, it was worth it because I got all those things done on my car for free, and it gave Jonathan and I some good time to hang out.

I also booked my plane tickets this week to fly from Fresno to Yakima on May 12th. I will be visiting my parents for about 5 days that week. I haven't seen them since December, so it will be nice to be with them for a bit. Plus, Mother's Day is the Sunday before.

Kids Day

2009-03-11T10:24:00.000-07:00

Last week I participated in a yearly tradition here in Fresno. It's called Kid's Day and every year the local newspaper The Fresno Bee gives away its newspaper for a suggested donation of $1 and gives all proceeds to the Central California Children's Hospital.

What this day consists of throughout Fresno is different organizations and individuals get together and plant themselves at various intersections throughout the city. They hopefully have enough people for every corner and if they have enough they plant people at the medians too. This translates to a typical drive to work being asked at almost every single intersection if you would like to buy a newspaper to help raise money for the Children's hospital.

It can get a little much, especially if you've already purchased a paper at a previous corner, getting asked and called to throughout your commute. It is, however, great to see so many people getting together and raising money for such a good cause.

Check out my friend Luke Mundy's post on Kid's Day this year.

In University I participated a number of years with one of my organizations. This year I also helped out with a group from my Target store that was volunteering to sell the newspapers. Our store raised almost $500 dollars for the Children's hospital, and my share of that was about $80.

Too Long

2009-01-08T11:06:00.001-08:00

It has been far too long since I've posted anything on this blog and I apologize to all of my readers/fans out there! :) It has been a very busy couple of months and doesn't look like it will slow down anytime soon.

September found us in Edmonton visiting family and friends and doing some training for our Shaklee leaders there. October was a wonderful vacation (first in a very long time!) for the two of us to celebrate our success in Shaklee with other top leaders and also have a lot of free time for us to do whatever we wanted. This included a day trip around the entire "Big Island" of Hawaii with stops in Hilo, the volcano, a black sand beach ending up in Kona. I got very sunburned the day before we left after only being out for little more than an hour. Of course, it may have had to do with the fact that I forgot to put sunscreen on my legs...
In November we were delighted to have my brother Douglas spend a week and celebrate American Thanksgiving together. I cooked a turkey for the three of us and we also had the traditional Moritz Thanksgiving fondue that weekend too.

December held two trips for us. One to Fresno to visit the boys, celebrate Jonathan's graduation and have Christmas with our wonderful sons. The other saw us drive 16 1/2 hours on the 24th to get to Edmonton in time for Christmas Eve, 3 days of power-visiting, and then a 17 hour drive back to Yakima. The really great part about this was having Andrew with us. He arrived on the 21st of December and went back to Fresno on the 31st just in time to celebrate the New Year with Jessica. It was our privilege to visit many of Lloyd's aunts this trip and especially to see Auntie Vi who passed away yesterday. We will miss her joyful heart!

Next week the travel saga continues with our annual trek to the Area Administrator's Retreat which will be in San Diego, CA. Since it is so close to the boys, we've invited them to come and spend the week with us. Luke is planning to be there for 5 days and the other two will probably only be able to be there a few days due to school and work commitments. We are excited to see them again!

I wish you all the best in the New Year and look forward to the next time we get to talk and/or visit!

California

2008-12-16T20:47:00.000-08:00

As already mentioned Kathy and I were recently in Fresno. In addition to Jonathan's graduation we also used the opportunity to celebrate Christmas. While we had a great time, these trips are never long enough, but we savor them nonetheless.

Here is a brief photo album of our trip: LINK

Jonathan's graduation

2008-12-16T10:46:00.000-08:00

Over the last week Kathy and I were in Fresno to visit the boys. The timing of this trip was based around Jonathan's graduation from Fresno Pacific University with a Bachelor of Arts degree, majoring in Psychology. We are proud of his accomplishment! Following the ceremony Friday evening we held a surprise graduation party for both him and Kathy. (Watch for more details and photos on our trip coming soon).

Graduation and Life

2008-12-09T08:44:00.001-08:00

It has been plenty long since I have written a post. I will try and catch everyone up as best as possible.

As you know this summer I spent 6 weeks leading a missions team to Berlin, Germany. It was amazing of course. God is working in great ways there. I would love to go back and be a part of their amazing ministry.

This has been my last semester of college. It has been great. I have taken 8 units. My classes were weight lifting, self defense, drawing I, and child development. Definitely my easiest semester ever. And the best part is, through scholarships and Cal Grant my tuition for the whole semester ended up being only $75 dollars. I thank God for that. Also this semester was ultimate frisbee intramurals, my team won the title for the second year in a row. Honestly, the chance to play frisbee one more year was a big deciding factor for me to take an extra semester of school :)

As this is my last semester I will be graduating this Friday the 12th of December. I will be graduating with a B.A. in Psychology. I am excited, my parents are coming down for 5 days for graduation, during which time, we will also be celebrating Christmas as a family.

So this week should be a good one.

Merry Christmas everyone.

No Shave November

2008-12-02T11:23:00.000-08:00

As you are probably aware, I participate in No Shave November every year. This, which may be obvious, means that I don't shave for the entire month of November.

This year was good for a couple of reasons. My facial hair came in really well, I really didn't have any facial hair itch, and I got a lot of compliments on it.

I also enjoy shaving my facial hair off while trying some different hair styles on the face. This year I started with the Fu Manchu. Check it out.

The last day of November

The Fu Manchu

No Shave November

2008-11-01T11:15:00.001-07:00

As you may know, I participate in a thing called No Shave November every year. It is basically where I don't shave for the entire month of November.

Since I have a job where I need to look (at least) semi-professional, I do trim down in the neck and cheek areas, but I do get a pretty full beard still.

If you want to follow my progress, you can check out my No Shave November blog at http://noshavenovember.blogspot.com/

Hawaii photos

2008-10-26T22:44:00.000-07:00

As Kathy already mentioned, we had a great time in Hawaii! We have a created a photo album to share some of the highlights:

LINK

Home from Hawaii

2008-10-20T15:20:00.000-07:00

I know it has been quite some time since I wrote on this blog. This will probably be short but sweet!

We arrived home from Hawaii this morning around 1030 am local time. We had a wonderful trip, saw sea turtles, a black sand beach, went snorkeling, laid by the pool, ate too much and just had a very nice, relaxing time. We met lots of new Shaklee friends as well as touched base with some old friends as well. There is nothing quite like the rewards Shaklee gives you for being a top performer. Along with some welcome gifts to use during our stay in Hawaii, we got a big beautiful wood framed picture of all 688 of us on the Grand Staircase at the Hilton Waikoloa Village Resort and we will be receiving in the mail a beautiful commemorative plate by a local Hawaiian artist of a sea turtle in mosaic pattern. That was in addition to the all expenses paid trip! We are so blessed to be part of such a caring company!

Aloha!

Voting

2008-10-09T09:19:00.000-07:00

As you know, I (along with my entire family) am a citizen of the United States of America.

What is probably most exciting about this to me is the fact that I am now able to vote in an election. Because our family moved out of Canada only about 2 months after I turned 18, I was never able to vote in a Canadian election. Since I only recently became a US citizen I have not been able to vote here in the US either.

This November will be my first time ever voting!

I recently received my "vote-by-mail" ballot, and will soon be filling it out to vote for a number of political offices and measures.

Here is a highlight of things for which I can vote.

Nationally (the only truly national vote/office in the country):

President of the United States of America

State of California:

House of Representatives (United States Congress)
Member of the State Assembly
Superior Court Judge

City of Fresno

Mayor

Measures

Safe, Reliable High-Speed Passenger Train Bond Act
Standards for confining farm animals
Children's hospital bond act grant program
Waiting Period and Parental Notification before termination of minor's pregnancy
Renewable Energy Generation Initiative Statute
Eliminating right of same-sex couples to marry

I have yet to make decisions on a number of the votes yet, but I am planning on mailing my ballot in before the end of October.

Edmonton - Sep 08

2008-09-21T22:10:00.000-07:00

It's been awhile since anyone has posted here. It appears that all of us have been quite busy.

But, Kathy and I were able to take a week out of our hectic schedules to make a trip to Edmonton at the beginning of September (August 31-September 7). This is the first significant visit for the two of us together to Edmonton for several years.

There is much that we could report on our week - much more than can be described here. But, apart from spending time with family (including my father) here are some other brief highlights:

- Visiting Harley, Lynda and Leeson Shockey in Armstrong, BC
- Seeing a significant amount of snow on the ground in Canmore, AB
- Touring Fort Edmonton Park
- Spending time with three of my Michigan cousins: Joyce, Judy and Jackie who were also in Edmonton this week
- Spending a couple of days with Luke who flew in for...
- Ryan and Jennifer Jones' wedding, and seeing a large number of old friends and acquaintances
- Visiting what was Northside Church of God in Red Deer, where we spent five years back in the 80's.

New Orleans

2008-08-19T16:37:00.000-07:00

As mentioned previously, my Dad and I took a trip to New Orleans earlier this month.

Check out my blog post with pictures from our trip.

New Orleans

2008-08-17T22:16:00.001-07:00

I know this is a week late, but Luke and I had a great time together in New Orleans, August 6-10!

We were in New Orleans for the Shaklee Global Conference, and for both of us this was the first time to visit this city. It was fun for the two of us to spend these 4 days together as we rarely get the opportunity to see each other. Besides attending the convention we were able to see the city, especially the historic French Quarter, and experience some of the local culture including the food! New Orleans is a city of history and unique culture, but also one that is still suffering from the devastating effects of hurricane Katrina over 3 years ago. Sadly there are many areas still boarded up as a result of all the flooding and it is evident that it will be years until the city returns to its full vigor.

The Shaklee convention was tremendous, as the company is experiencing significant growth and launched an incredible new product that is based on advanced new scientific and medical research. Our own Shaklee business is also experiencing rapid growth, and in fact Kathy and I received an award at the convention as multiple category Star Achievers. Unfortunately, Kathy could not be with me to receive this tremendous recognition. (Although we will be together in Hawaii in October for the fabulous trip that we earned from Shaklee!).