well, zak and i have been living together for the last 3 years or so and we have finally gotten ourselves a new place... just the two of us! YAY! it almost feels like we're kicking our "kid" out to be on his own. i can't wait for this experience. i know it will be rough in some aspects, but so fulfilling in others.
it will be rough because when zak's not home, i'm REALLY alone. up until now, many times, at least ken would be around to hang out with and talk to.
it will be fulfilling because it's just another step of adulthood that i've always dreamed of since i was a kid... you know the get married, get a house, start a family dream... now i've got the first 2 things on that list and will enjoy working on the 3rd in the future (not the NEAR future though... we DO want to enjoy just being us for awhile now that we've finally got a house to ourselves!).
even though it's a rental and we may not be here for years and years to come, it's a starting point and a place to call our own.
Thursday, July 19, 2007
Thursday, July 05, 2007
my first time
ok, now that i've got your attention... not THAT first time!
almost 2 weeks ago (i know, it's been almost 2 weeks since the event, but i've been so busy since then), zak and i went to disney world. yes, i am 25 years old and it was my first time ever going to disney. we weren't going to go just yet, but we had received park hopper passes from my cousin as a wedding gift. zak and i decided we were going to do the animal kingdom and epcot.
we arrived at the animal kingdom at about 10:30 or 11am... later than what we had wanted, but getting up in the morning isn't really our forte and of course there was an accident on our way there that slowed traffic down so bad it set us back about another half hour to 45 minutes! so anyways, we finally made it and of course we're overwhelmed by all to do and see... thankfully i'd been given the scoop and an itinerary by a friend who's a frequent goer of amusement parks. we wandered all over the animal kingdom, seeing amazing animals, shops and even did a couple attractions. zak isn't really much of a ride goer, so we did a lot of walking by things that i wanted to do, but that's ok, mom and i plan to go sometime and we'll hit the shows and rides that zak didn't want to. the one thing at the animal kingdom i REALLY wanted to see was the lion king show. i've heard it was amazing, but since we'd been delayed in our arrival, we couldn't fit it in if we wanted to get over to epcot to explore too. i decided it was more important to me for this trip to make it to the other park and i'll see the show another visit.
so around 4pm we headed over to epcot. zak had been to epcot before when he was young, but much had changed since his visit. new attractions and changed exhibits. it was neat and discouraging for him all at the same time because he had wanted to show me things that he remembered doing when he was young. we saw a few neat attractions and went to the finding nemo/aquarium exhibit. the part we didn't like was that you HAD to ride the ride in order to get to the aquarium, and the ride was rather dumb. after we did a few of the exhibits/attractions up front we headed "around the world" in search of dinner. now, my friend had advised me that we should make reservations as early as possible b/c most of the restaurants would be booked by the evening. i tried to get zak to pick something early on, but he didn't listen b/c he just wanted to see what he'd be in the mood for as we went along. well, it didn't matter what menu hit our fancy b/c they were all booked, there were 2 restaurants that were seating on a 1st come 1st serve basis and the one had about an hour+ wait! after making it completely around the world, going through shops and seeing little shows and performances at each, we went back to the UK for dinner. it was pretty good, but not what i'd been in the mood for, i had my heart set on mexican.
we finished dinner and there were only minutes until the fireworks. zak decided he wanted to head back to the car so he could get pictures from farther away and he also wanted/needed his tripod. we heard a few going off as we walked away. when we got to the car they went off like crazy and i told zak, hurry this is probably it! he was like, no, this can't be it (it has only been about 10 minutes into the show). by the time he got his tripod set up, it was all over... by far the most disappointing fireworks display i'd ever seen.
other than the pitiful fireworks and my sore and blistered feet (my own fault for wearing brand new sandals for the day)... it was a great day and we had a lot of fun. there was so much to see and do... it really DOES take a whole day just to do ONE park!
if you ever get the chance to go, i recommend it. the animal kingdom was so cool and had more stuff for us to take pictures of, but epcot was really interesting and explorative. if you need help planning a day there, i'd be more than happy to pass on my friend's advice, as it helped us get to see most of what we wanted in the time we had.
well, i do have other things to say, but i'll save them for another post. i'll try to do one tomorrow! i know... 2 days in a row, she'll never do it! but who knows, i just might and that would be another first! hehe.
almost 2 weeks ago (i know, it's been almost 2 weeks since the event, but i've been so busy since then), zak and i went to disney world. yes, i am 25 years old and it was my first time ever going to disney. we weren't going to go just yet, but we had received park hopper passes from my cousin as a wedding gift. zak and i decided we were going to do the animal kingdom and epcot.
we arrived at the animal kingdom at about 10:30 or 11am... later than what we had wanted, but getting up in the morning isn't really our forte and of course there was an accident on our way there that slowed traffic down so bad it set us back about another half hour to 45 minutes! so anyways, we finally made it and of course we're overwhelmed by all to do and see... thankfully i'd been given the scoop and an itinerary by a friend who's a frequent goer of amusement parks. we wandered all over the animal kingdom, seeing amazing animals, shops and even did a couple attractions. zak isn't really much of a ride goer, so we did a lot of walking by things that i wanted to do, but that's ok, mom and i plan to go sometime and we'll hit the shows and rides that zak didn't want to. the one thing at the animal kingdom i REALLY wanted to see was the lion king show. i've heard it was amazing, but since we'd been delayed in our arrival, we couldn't fit it in if we wanted to get over to epcot to explore too. i decided it was more important to me for this trip to make it to the other park and i'll see the show another visit.
so around 4pm we headed over to epcot. zak had been to epcot before when he was young, but much had changed since his visit. new attractions and changed exhibits. it was neat and discouraging for him all at the same time because he had wanted to show me things that he remembered doing when he was young. we saw a few neat attractions and went to the finding nemo/aquarium exhibit. the part we didn't like was that you HAD to ride the ride in order to get to the aquarium, and the ride was rather dumb. after we did a few of the exhibits/attractions up front we headed "around the world" in search of dinner. now, my friend had advised me that we should make reservations as early as possible b/c most of the restaurants would be booked by the evening. i tried to get zak to pick something early on, but he didn't listen b/c he just wanted to see what he'd be in the mood for as we went along. well, it didn't matter what menu hit our fancy b/c they were all booked, there were 2 restaurants that were seating on a 1st come 1st serve basis and the one had about an hour+ wait! after making it completely around the world, going through shops and seeing little shows and performances at each, we went back to the UK for dinner. it was pretty good, but not what i'd been in the mood for, i had my heart set on mexican.
we finished dinner and there were only minutes until the fireworks. zak decided he wanted to head back to the car so he could get pictures from farther away and he also wanted/needed his tripod. we heard a few going off as we walked away. when we got to the car they went off like crazy and i told zak, hurry this is probably it! he was like, no, this can't be it (it has only been about 10 minutes into the show). by the time he got his tripod set up, it was all over... by far the most disappointing fireworks display i'd ever seen.
other than the pitiful fireworks and my sore and blistered feet (my own fault for wearing brand new sandals for the day)... it was a great day and we had a lot of fun. there was so much to see and do... it really DOES take a whole day just to do ONE park!
if you ever get the chance to go, i recommend it. the animal kingdom was so cool and had more stuff for us to take pictures of, but epcot was really interesting and explorative. if you need help planning a day there, i'd be more than happy to pass on my friend's advice, as it helped us get to see most of what we wanted in the time we had.
well, i do have other things to say, but i'll save them for another post. i'll try to do one tomorrow! i know... 2 days in a row, she'll never do it! but who knows, i just might and that would be another first! hehe.
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
these are the moments
a little background first... my grandma and i email back and forth about every week or so. she has recently shared many memories and bits of advice for her newly wed granddaughter... which i appreciate and love so much. i also recently shared these feelings with zak as well the other night and in light of sharing them twice already, thought i'd do it one more time. so here goes...
there are 3 exact moments in my life where i remember very distinct feelings of being overwhelmingly calm and at home...
the very first was just months before i met zak, when my ex had broken up with me. i was a complete wreck, bawling my eyes out in his room right before having to go back home from a visit with him; the visit that he helped me find my apartment just before i went to massage school. i was crying so hard and sitting there so distraught and feeling so alone and all of a sudden it felt like God hugged me and said it will be alright. right then i knew i'd be ok and that something good was to come of this... i'm not saying i instantly got over it, but i knew everything was going to work out.
the second one was back in november 2003, zak and i had been dating just over a month and he was taking me to philadelphia to meet his mom for the first time. i was so nervous, but while driving east on route 80 i looked over at him and got that calming feeling and i knew right then i was going to spend the rest of my life with him. i know it doesn't sound like much, but it was just one of those surreal moments.
the third happened just a day or so before the wedding. i was overly stressed and was overwhelmed by all the family flocking around and all that had to be done and zak just took me in his arms without saying a word and i just melted. he made it all go away even if just for a moment and made me feel like i wasn't alone in this... he was there with me. now, we didn't write our vows and i only read over the ceremony probably that day, so it was almost funny to me that our vows included "may my arms be your home" because that is exactly how i felt when he held me.
these are the moments that keep me together when i'm feeling flustered/frustrated... especially with zak. i will never forget those moments.
there are 3 exact moments in my life where i remember very distinct feelings of being overwhelmingly calm and at home...
the very first was just months before i met zak, when my ex had broken up with me. i was a complete wreck, bawling my eyes out in his room right before having to go back home from a visit with him; the visit that he helped me find my apartment just before i went to massage school. i was crying so hard and sitting there so distraught and feeling so alone and all of a sudden it felt like God hugged me and said it will be alright. right then i knew i'd be ok and that something good was to come of this... i'm not saying i instantly got over it, but i knew everything was going to work out.
the second one was back in november 2003, zak and i had been dating just over a month and he was taking me to philadelphia to meet his mom for the first time. i was so nervous, but while driving east on route 80 i looked over at him and got that calming feeling and i knew right then i was going to spend the rest of my life with him. i know it doesn't sound like much, but it was just one of those surreal moments.
the third happened just a day or so before the wedding. i was overly stressed and was overwhelmed by all the family flocking around and all that had to be done and zak just took me in his arms without saying a word and i just melted. he made it all go away even if just for a moment and made me feel like i wasn't alone in this... he was there with me. now, we didn't write our vows and i only read over the ceremony probably that day, so it was almost funny to me that our vows included "may my arms be your home" because that is exactly how i felt when he held me.
these are the moments that keep me together when i'm feeling flustered/frustrated... especially with zak. i will never forget those moments.
Saturday, June 09, 2007
why?
ok, so i've always been a big believer in "everything happens for a reason"... i feel that way about my life and everything that's happened. however, i have a really hard time believing it when it comes to certain people in my life... a certain friend has been dealt more than her share of misfortunes in life, each time feeling knocked down, but always gets back up and keeps fighting. i picture a boxer, getting relentlessly hit by his/her opponent, getting knocked down, and beat up, but still standing back up and trying to keep fighting. she is truly strong and someone i admire and look up too... i don't feel she deserves to keep getting hit so hard so often! i'm just having a hard time dealing with this because it's someone i love and i don't like to see people i love hurt... especially for so long!
all i have to say to her is: first, you don't deserve it. second, anything you need, i will do my best to help! even if it's just listening on the phone or through email.
well... i was planning on posting info and pics from the wedding, but now i don't feel so in the mood... i feel like i'm just too lucky... that too many bad things have happened to one of the best people i know and i've just had it so easy. she doesn't deserve what she's going through and i wish i could help!
miss you girl... feel better!
all i have to say to her is: first, you don't deserve it. second, anything you need, i will do my best to help! even if it's just listening on the phone or through email.
well... i was planning on posting info and pics from the wedding, but now i don't feel so in the mood... i feel like i'm just too lucky... that too many bad things have happened to one of the best people i know and i've just had it so easy. she doesn't deserve what she's going through and i wish i could help!
miss you girl... feel better!
Friday, May 11, 2007
our family is growing
****NO I'M NOT PREGNANT****
ok, with that out of the way i wanted to share in the joy of our growing family here in florida... the other day, zak and i went to the pet store to buy some new fish for our aquarium... we got a black fish a white fish of the same species and a little sucker fish... we named them "You, Me and Dupree" after the funny movie. the white would be the girl (bride) the black would be the boy (groom) and dupree is the little sucker fish since he feeds off the other two. hehe.
*side note, if you haven't seen that movie, it's freaking hilarious and a must see! it is also the story of me, zak and ken almost to a tee!*
ANYWHO... our fish had babies today! holy cow! there are now 5 little baby fish swimming in our freshwater tank! how exciting!
ok, to most, this is not that big of a deal, but to me, incredibly exciting as i have no children of my own and no pets besides a bunch of fish and an iguana.
well, that's all i really have to say. just wanted to share the fun and exciting news!
ok, with that out of the way i wanted to share in the joy of our growing family here in florida... the other day, zak and i went to the pet store to buy some new fish for our aquarium... we got a black fish a white fish of the same species and a little sucker fish... we named them "You, Me and Dupree" after the funny movie. the white would be the girl (bride) the black would be the boy (groom) and dupree is the little sucker fish since he feeds off the other two. hehe.
*side note, if you haven't seen that movie, it's freaking hilarious and a must see! it is also the story of me, zak and ken almost to a tee!*
ANYWHO... our fish had babies today! holy cow! there are now 5 little baby fish swimming in our freshwater tank! how exciting!
ok, to most, this is not that big of a deal, but to me, incredibly exciting as i have no children of my own and no pets besides a bunch of fish and an iguana.
well, that's all i really have to say. just wanted to share the fun and exciting news!
Thursday, April 26, 2007
micro vacation
tuesdays are my day off. the intention of that was so that i could schedule wedding appointments and get some planning done on that day. well, zak actually ended up with the day off on tuesday as well, so we took a much needed micro-vacation. we didn't go anywhere more than a 10 min drive, but it was a nice getaway.
during the afternoon we went golfing, which we haven't had the chance to do since february with my parents. zak and i really enjoy getting out and doing this, but just never have the time together to do as such. the front nine i did great (for me anyways) and zak and i actually tied. the back nine, zak did amazing and i stunk like death! he pulled away and killed me by about 14 or so strokes. i did hit 100 even... not bad for me, but i was really hoping to golf under 100 that day!
after golfing we headed home and picked up ken and packed up some snacks and drinks and went fishing. now, i'm not really good at FISHING... i get bored unless i'm CATCHING or at least getting lots of hits on my line. so my mission is always to catch the bait fish the boys use to catch the big fish. i caught about a dozen little guys and it started getting dark and i couldn't really see anymore and the boys stopped using my bait as they'd switched to artificial lures. right around sunset is feeding time and there were some big fish moving around... they had me on lookout duty. they never caught anything and we were all hungry, so we packed up the gear and walked to the restaurant next door for some dinner.
after that we came home and watched a few episodes of some of our favorite tv shows and then headed to bed.
it was a great day and a much needed getaway from the stress and excitement of work/wedding planning. i love living here in florida... always something to do when there's nothing to be done and beautiful weather 95% of the time. days off from work can almost always be micro-vacations!
during the afternoon we went golfing, which we haven't had the chance to do since february with my parents. zak and i really enjoy getting out and doing this, but just never have the time together to do as such. the front nine i did great (for me anyways) and zak and i actually tied. the back nine, zak did amazing and i stunk like death! he pulled away and killed me by about 14 or so strokes. i did hit 100 even... not bad for me, but i was really hoping to golf under 100 that day!
after golfing we headed home and picked up ken and packed up some snacks and drinks and went fishing. now, i'm not really good at FISHING... i get bored unless i'm CATCHING or at least getting lots of hits on my line. so my mission is always to catch the bait fish the boys use to catch the big fish. i caught about a dozen little guys and it started getting dark and i couldn't really see anymore and the boys stopped using my bait as they'd switched to artificial lures. right around sunset is feeding time and there were some big fish moving around... they had me on lookout duty. they never caught anything and we were all hungry, so we packed up the gear and walked to the restaurant next door for some dinner.
after that we came home and watched a few episodes of some of our favorite tv shows and then headed to bed.
it was a great day and a much needed getaway from the stress and excitement of work/wedding planning. i love living here in florida... always something to do when there's nothing to be done and beautiful weather 95% of the time. days off from work can almost always be micro-vacations!
Saturday, April 21, 2007
trivia answer (and my story)
So about 2 years ago zak's mom came to visit and we all decided to go to see the shuttle launch. well, after hours of driving and hanging out at the beach watching storm clouds come and go, the launch was cancelled. so, with the rest of the day to kill and already being about 2+ hours away from home, we decided to just head south and explore the east coast of florida. we ended up going to south beach miami on a whim... we got a hotel (really cheap with zak's hospitality industry association discount) and then decided to go out and enjoy the night on south beach. we finally returned to the hotel late that night and we're all laying in bed... a little intoxicated at that. zak and ken shared a bed and zak's mom and i were in the other like so:
mom/sara zak/ken
so they're all carrying on and i'm trying to sleep and they keep pestering me with "sara are you asleep?" "i think she's asleep" "you asleep yet?"... etc.
i told them to knock it off i was trying to get to sleep, i was tired. they continued. so here it is... the answer to the trivia question...
i reached over the side of the bed, picked up my flip-flop and threw it at zak, nailing him right in the crotch... that part was unintentional, i just wanted to hit him to get him to shut up. it didn't work entirely b/c then he was moaning about how i hit him in the crotch!
that's right. about half of women have thrown their shoes at their significant other. that's the answer to the trivia question.
have you done it?
mom/sara zak/ken
so they're all carrying on and i'm trying to sleep and they keep pestering me with "sara are you asleep?" "i think she's asleep" "you asleep yet?"... etc.
i told them to knock it off i was trying to get to sleep, i was tired. they continued. so here it is... the answer to the trivia question...
i reached over the side of the bed, picked up my flip-flop and threw it at zak, nailing him right in the crotch... that part was unintentional, i just wanted to hit him to get him to shut up. it didn't work entirely b/c then he was moaning about how i hit him in the crotch!
that's right. about half of women have thrown their shoes at their significant other. that's the answer to the trivia question.
have you done it?
Thursday, April 19, 2007
a little trivia
what do about half of all women say they've done to their significant other?
i'll tell you that i am guilty... but the answer will follow in another post.
any guesses?
i'll tell you that i am guilty... but the answer will follow in another post.
any guesses?
Monday, April 16, 2007
my thoughts and prayers
so today a masacre happened. it grabbed my attention very quickly as a friend (and boyfriend of my sister) attends the school that it happened at. i was quick to worry and make phone calls. after talking to my mom, she said she'd heard from my sister (that was there, but off campus) who had heard from her boyfriend (on campus in the building next to the norris building) and that he was ok, but on lockdown for the time being. i was quickly releived to hear that they were both ok, however i started to feel guilty as i saw the numbers of the dead continue to rise. that could've been my friend or my sister... and those victims were someone's friends/relatives. i guess i just don't understand how one person can hold so much anger and resentment to kill off 20+ people for no apparent reason. i pray for those families and friends of the victims and the students and the staff to cope with this tragedy and know that they are very much thought of. i can only hope that i don't live to see another masacre like this. i remember columbine... i will remember this. may God have mercy on that man's soul and be with those that have lost loved ones. may He help us understand that there must be evil in order for there to be good, but it doesn't make it alright for that man to have done this. may He help us to understand that there was a reason for this... although not apparent now.
That is my prayer and thought for the day. God bless and be safe.
That is my prayer and thought for the day. God bless and be safe.
Friday, March 23, 2007
irony
so about 2 or 3 weeks ago, talked to my travel agent, they were able to rebook our honeymoon about $100 less than when we originally booked...
had to apply to get a passport and since they are so backed up had to expedite the service... racking up to $120 EXTRA for the both of us.
it's just ironic. save a little here... spend more there!
had to apply to get a passport and since they are so backed up had to expedite the service... racking up to $120 EXTRA for the both of us.
it's just ironic. save a little here... spend more there!
Thursday, March 15, 2007
celebrate life
a little bit of background before i "celebrate:"
1st, daylight savings happened this past sunday and has been a joy with the days getting longer and the sun shining brighter and warmer. spring is here!
2nd, my great aunt and uncle both just recently suffered major and minor strokes (on the same day!) respectively... my great aunt did pass, with the funeral to be held tomorrow.
3rd, today is the ides of march... always a reminder that today is my friend alicia's birthday... i then realized that i had many more friends and family with march birthdays.
so onto the celebration...
spring is a time of growth and renewal. i have lost someone i do care about, but i want to celebrate the memories i did have... unfortunately most from when i was little and not many as i grew older. i want to celebrate the many lives of those dear to me that are still alive. life is fragile and can be taken away from us at any moment... young or old. in my great aunt's case, she had led a full and fruitful life. i can only hope that i last that long and am that blessed when my time to go comes along. i want to cherish the people in my life that i am blessed to know and have a part of my life.
so... happy birthday (belated, ontime, and early) to:
kate michele... happy belated 25th, you're now a quarter century like me! hehe
alicia... also happy 25th today! miss you lots and hope you have a great day!
andy... happy early 26th. hope all is well with you.
my cousins elizabeth, ann, glenn, and brian... happy early birthdays!
my aunts mary k and jen happy belated birthdays
my cousin's wife heather happy early birthday
my friend angie... happy belated
a few friends from work, happy belated desmond and jason
if i missed anyone, i apologize, those were all i had written down... you are always welcome to update me!
and the final reason to celebrate this month... st patrick's day. i am part irish so i shall not disappoint my fore fathers... guinness and jameson all day long!
so celebrate life, live it to it's fullest. you never know when it will be taken away. let those around you know you love them and try not to take them for granted. happy march everyone!
1st, daylight savings happened this past sunday and has been a joy with the days getting longer and the sun shining brighter and warmer. spring is here!
2nd, my great aunt and uncle both just recently suffered major and minor strokes (on the same day!) respectively... my great aunt did pass, with the funeral to be held tomorrow.
3rd, today is the ides of march... always a reminder that today is my friend alicia's birthday... i then realized that i had many more friends and family with march birthdays.
so onto the celebration...
spring is a time of growth and renewal. i have lost someone i do care about, but i want to celebrate the memories i did have... unfortunately most from when i was little and not many as i grew older. i want to celebrate the many lives of those dear to me that are still alive. life is fragile and can be taken away from us at any moment... young or old. in my great aunt's case, she had led a full and fruitful life. i can only hope that i last that long and am that blessed when my time to go comes along. i want to cherish the people in my life that i am blessed to know and have a part of my life.
so... happy birthday (belated, ontime, and early) to:
kate michele... happy belated 25th, you're now a quarter century like me! hehe
alicia... also happy 25th today! miss you lots and hope you have a great day!
andy... happy early 26th. hope all is well with you.
my cousins elizabeth, ann, glenn, and brian... happy early birthdays!
my aunts mary k and jen happy belated birthdays
my cousin's wife heather happy early birthday
my friend angie... happy belated
a few friends from work, happy belated desmond and jason
if i missed anyone, i apologize, those were all i had written down... you are always welcome to update me!
and the final reason to celebrate this month... st patrick's day. i am part irish so i shall not disappoint my fore fathers... guinness and jameson all day long!
so celebrate life, live it to it's fullest. you never know when it will be taken away. let those around you know you love them and try not to take them for granted. happy march everyone!
Thursday, March 01, 2007
blessings in disguise...
ok, so i'm a very firm believer in "everything happens for a reason." i believe it more and more everyday. here is an example of it from last night at work...
so i go to take out someone's food and try to take it to the wrong table, i go back to the kitchen to get a check for my own table and to double check where the food is really supposed to go. one of the bussers was on his way out of the kitchen with a couple extra chairs and i had my tray. he let me go ahead of him. i carried my tray out, set it down so that i could drop off the check to my table while on the way to the table that the food belonged to. i set the check down and i hear a big crash. the busser couldn't see the tray i had set down and had run right into it. a little frazzled he asked what he could do, i told him to just clean up the mess while i got the food refired in the kitchen.
i let our manager know and he goes to the table to apologize and schmooze the table for the mishap. it actually ended up working out in our favor... see the guest had asked for no mushrooms in his dish and from what i understand the dish had the mushrooms in it and the kitchen had just picked them out b/c of the set up for that particular dish (NOT something we normally do, i promise!). while at the table, ralph found out the guest was rather allergic to mushrooms and it could have been very bad if we had sent out that first dish.
crazy and so cool! blessings in disguise... i love them! if you have any good ones, feel free to share!
so i go to take out someone's food and try to take it to the wrong table, i go back to the kitchen to get a check for my own table and to double check where the food is really supposed to go. one of the bussers was on his way out of the kitchen with a couple extra chairs and i had my tray. he let me go ahead of him. i carried my tray out, set it down so that i could drop off the check to my table while on the way to the table that the food belonged to. i set the check down and i hear a big crash. the busser couldn't see the tray i had set down and had run right into it. a little frazzled he asked what he could do, i told him to just clean up the mess while i got the food refired in the kitchen.
i let our manager know and he goes to the table to apologize and schmooze the table for the mishap. it actually ended up working out in our favor... see the guest had asked for no mushrooms in his dish and from what i understand the dish had the mushrooms in it and the kitchen had just picked them out b/c of the set up for that particular dish (NOT something we normally do, i promise!). while at the table, ralph found out the guest was rather allergic to mushrooms and it could have been very bad if we had sent out that first dish.
crazy and so cool! blessings in disguise... i love them! if you have any good ones, feel free to share!
Wednesday, February 28, 2007
busy
wow i just realized it's been a month since my last post! where does the time go?!
well, to sum things up...
been working six days a week between 2 outbacks and doing outback charity events. in my little bit of spare time i've been trying to plan a wedding and clean up around this pig sty we call a house.
the wedding is coming up faster than i can prepare for it! everyone told me i was starting so early, and i did... now i seem to have fallen behind somehow! all i can look forward to is that beautiful day that will fly by faster than the last year and a half engagement and that wonderfully exciting honeymoon that i am sure will end up feeling to short once it's all over. zak and i are extremely excited for all of that, but there is still so much to do to prep for it! i feel a little overwhelmed, but not entirely stressed (yet... hehe).
last weekend zak, ken and i all went to orlando to see a concert at the hard rock at universal. they do classic rock album tributes and they were doing U2's the joshua tree. we met up with a couple that we'd met from the actual U2 concerts back in november 2005. i drank 5 guinness that night from when we got there, through the concert and at the little irish pub afterwards! i was a champ and the boys were impressed! while at the little irish pub, i looked around their gift shop and found a shirt that had my name written all over it... ok, it had my favorite liquor's name all over it... jameson! everyone (including myself) insisted that i had to have it, so i got it! it is SO me and now i have something green to wear for st. pat's day this year!
my parents were in orlando this week for a little vacation and to listen to a time share presentation. they were pushed and pressured and insulted (i'm not even going to get into that one), but afterwards zak and i took them golfing. my dad has never golfed (besides mini golf) in his life and did VERY well (kicked my butt). the course, however was EXTREMELY challenging and probably not the best choice for a first and second timer (mom has golfed once before). we all had fun, but called it quits after only 9 holes. after about 4 hours, we were exhausted and starving and had lost enough golf balls to call it a day! we then went out to dinner at a chop house (a new experience for myself and zak). incredible food and presentation. very neat experience. the visit was over too quick, but i'll get to see them again in just a couple months for the wedding! yay!
hmmm... other news...
the good news... yay, my friend from work found out back in november (i think) that her dad had terminal colon cancer. after just a few chemo treatments the cancerous tumor has receded exponentially and they are hoping/praying for a removal surgery in june or july! holy cow! praise God for this wonderful miracle!
the bad news... so we found out last week that the city is buying up our entire block and will be tearing everthing down and building townhome condos. what sucks even more is that we have no idea when this will happen could be 2 days, could be 2 years! no one here seems to know what's going on so we're all nervous about our homes and businesses here (o'houston's included!). now on top of everything else that's going on, we have to be prepared to move out at anytime between now and the end of our lease in september. i pray that nothing will happen before the wedding. that i think would be cause for me to be checked into the mental ward at the hospital! hehe.
well, enough random thoughts for one day. i apologize again for my lapse in posts, but as you can see we've been pretty busy! i apologize again now if i fall behind again in the next couple months. there is just so much to do.
well, to sum things up...
been working six days a week between 2 outbacks and doing outback charity events. in my little bit of spare time i've been trying to plan a wedding and clean up around this pig sty we call a house.
the wedding is coming up faster than i can prepare for it! everyone told me i was starting so early, and i did... now i seem to have fallen behind somehow! all i can look forward to is that beautiful day that will fly by faster than the last year and a half engagement and that wonderfully exciting honeymoon that i am sure will end up feeling to short once it's all over. zak and i are extremely excited for all of that, but there is still so much to do to prep for it! i feel a little overwhelmed, but not entirely stressed (yet... hehe).
last weekend zak, ken and i all went to orlando to see a concert at the hard rock at universal. they do classic rock album tributes and they were doing U2's the joshua tree. we met up with a couple that we'd met from the actual U2 concerts back in november 2005. i drank 5 guinness that night from when we got there, through the concert and at the little irish pub afterwards! i was a champ and the boys were impressed! while at the little irish pub, i looked around their gift shop and found a shirt that had my name written all over it... ok, it had my favorite liquor's name all over it... jameson! everyone (including myself) insisted that i had to have it, so i got it! it is SO me and now i have something green to wear for st. pat's day this year!
my parents were in orlando this week for a little vacation and to listen to a time share presentation. they were pushed and pressured and insulted (i'm not even going to get into that one), but afterwards zak and i took them golfing. my dad has never golfed (besides mini golf) in his life and did VERY well (kicked my butt). the course, however was EXTREMELY challenging and probably not the best choice for a first and second timer (mom has golfed once before). we all had fun, but called it quits after only 9 holes. after about 4 hours, we were exhausted and starving and had lost enough golf balls to call it a day! we then went out to dinner at a chop house (a new experience for myself and zak). incredible food and presentation. very neat experience. the visit was over too quick, but i'll get to see them again in just a couple months for the wedding! yay!
hmmm... other news...
the good news... yay, my friend from work found out back in november (i think) that her dad had terminal colon cancer. after just a few chemo treatments the cancerous tumor has receded exponentially and they are hoping/praying for a removal surgery in june or july! holy cow! praise God for this wonderful miracle!
the bad news... so we found out last week that the city is buying up our entire block and will be tearing everthing down and building townhome condos. what sucks even more is that we have no idea when this will happen could be 2 days, could be 2 years! no one here seems to know what's going on so we're all nervous about our homes and businesses here (o'houston's included!). now on top of everything else that's going on, we have to be prepared to move out at anytime between now and the end of our lease in september. i pray that nothing will happen before the wedding. that i think would be cause for me to be checked into the mental ward at the hospital! hehe.
well, enough random thoughts for one day. i apologize again for my lapse in posts, but as you can see we've been pretty busy! i apologize again now if i fall behind again in the next couple months. there is just so much to do.
Saturday, January 27, 2007
God bless our soldiers
now, i may not agree with the war, or having our soldiers being sent off, but i do thank God every day for those brave souls that will do anything that their country asks of them without hesitation. Sometimes it's easy to forget that those men and women there fighting are our sons/daughters, brothers/sisters, cousins, friends, fathers/mothers and husbands/wives.
I have only personally known about a dozen people that have been in the armed forces, and only about 4 that have actually been sent to war. but to each of them (and every other soldier i meet), i hold them in the highest regards!
To our soldiers: Thank you all for the freedoms you have provided and protected by fighting for your country. Thank you for standing up for those of us that are too weak or scared to do so ourselves. Thank you for sacrificing your lives if need be so that we can live. All branches of military... all men and women... all races and religions... all ages; thank you for what you have done and may God bless you, be with you and protect you, as you do for us!
I have only personally known about a dozen people that have been in the armed forces, and only about 4 that have actually been sent to war. but to each of them (and every other soldier i meet), i hold them in the highest regards!
To our soldiers: Thank you all for the freedoms you have provided and protected by fighting for your country. Thank you for standing up for those of us that are too weak or scared to do so ourselves. Thank you for sacrificing your lives if need be so that we can live. All branches of military... all men and women... all races and religions... all ages; thank you for what you have done and may God bless you, be with you and protect you, as you do for us!
Wednesday, January 24, 2007
America's Most Reliable Network?
To Whom It May Concern:
You boast about being “America’s most reliable network.” So one would think consistency, good customer service, and product knowledge by your employees would be part of that. My fiancé and I have been with Verizon Wireless for 6 and 4 years respectively, and up until recently have been happy with that decision. My fiancé has recently started shopping around for a new phone and after going to three different Verizon stores is now ready to drop his services with your company. He was given three different answers about the same phone and services that go along with it. Quotes about pricing, features, and phone availability were different at each location. Also, when he expressed his interest to leave and go with another service provider, no one seemed to care, they almost seemed eager to let him go.
The word reliable is defined as “that may be relied on; dependable in achievement, accuracy, honesty, etc,” and after our latest experiences we feel that you have become very unreliable. I bring this up so that you can better train your employees. After all being a SERVICE provider, is about taking care of your customers. If your employees can’t take care of their customers then your customers won’t take care of you.
Sincerely,
Sara
You boast about being “America’s most reliable network.” So one would think consistency, good customer service, and product knowledge by your employees would be part of that. My fiancé and I have been with Verizon Wireless for 6 and 4 years respectively, and up until recently have been happy with that decision. My fiancé has recently started shopping around for a new phone and after going to three different Verizon stores is now ready to drop his services with your company. He was given three different answers about the same phone and services that go along with it. Quotes about pricing, features, and phone availability were different at each location. Also, when he expressed his interest to leave and go with another service provider, no one seemed to care, they almost seemed eager to let him go.
The word reliable is defined as “that may be relied on; dependable in achievement, accuracy, honesty, etc,” and after our latest experiences we feel that you have become very unreliable. I bring this up so that you can better train your employees. After all being a SERVICE provider, is about taking care of your customers. If your employees can’t take care of their customers then your customers won’t take care of you.
Sincerely,
Sara
Service Industry
ok, i work and live in the service industry. my particular company has certain commitments and standards to guests, employees and all those involved with our operation. a few things that i think we do well and that i think should be standard in the service industry are as follows:
hospitality... giving for the sake of giving and making people feel welcome and comfortable
courage... doing what's right (in the customers eyes especially!) and admitting when things go wrong
quality... providing consistant service and products
those are just a few of the things that i live and breath everyday whether at home or at work. i also find that i come to expect it from others. however, this does not always happen. the following are real life happenings that were NEGATIVE customer service experiences:
so a few weeks back zak and i ordered pizza. when delivered i accepted the box and when i opened it, it was the wrong size. so i called and let them know about this. i was too hungry to wait for a new one that night and the person i talked to stating that he was very sorry for the inconvenience and offered me a $15 credit (which more than covered the cost of my pizza) so that i could get another pizza and add some breadsticks or a little something extra too. i was more than happy as all i wanted was the credit for my pizza. now fastforward to yesterday. i go to order another pizza from the same location for lunch and their system is down when i call in so they can't look up my info at the time of the order, but could "hopefully help me when i come in to pick up the order." ok... no biggie, i understand their method of documentation is unaccessable. it happens. i go to pick up the order and this woman comes out and doesn't say anything other than "just to let you know, i pulled up your ticket from your last order and all you ordered was a $10 pizza. there is NO WAY one of our managers would issue a credit for more than what the problem was for!" now excuse me, but the last time i checked i never INSISTED that someone DID. i told them what i was told and would have been happy to pay for the extras i got had she just said so nicely. but instead she gave me attitude and essentially told me i was wrong.
a little background for the next post... zak is in the market for a new phone. he is up for his upgrade next month. he wants a pocket pc phone so that he can use it for work. he went to 3 different verizon stores and they all told him different things. he came home very upset and he wanted to write hate mail to them... i reworded the obsenities for him and put it into an informative letter (the next post)...
hospitality... giving for the sake of giving and making people feel welcome and comfortable
courage... doing what's right (in the customers eyes especially!) and admitting when things go wrong
quality... providing consistant service and products
those are just a few of the things that i live and breath everyday whether at home or at work. i also find that i come to expect it from others. however, this does not always happen. the following are real life happenings that were NEGATIVE customer service experiences:
so a few weeks back zak and i ordered pizza. when delivered i accepted the box and when i opened it, it was the wrong size. so i called and let them know about this. i was too hungry to wait for a new one that night and the person i talked to stating that he was very sorry for the inconvenience and offered me a $15 credit (which more than covered the cost of my pizza) so that i could get another pizza and add some breadsticks or a little something extra too. i was more than happy as all i wanted was the credit for my pizza. now fastforward to yesterday. i go to order another pizza from the same location for lunch and their system is down when i call in so they can't look up my info at the time of the order, but could "hopefully help me when i come in to pick up the order." ok... no biggie, i understand their method of documentation is unaccessable. it happens. i go to pick up the order and this woman comes out and doesn't say anything other than "just to let you know, i pulled up your ticket from your last order and all you ordered was a $10 pizza. there is NO WAY one of our managers would issue a credit for more than what the problem was for!" now excuse me, but the last time i checked i never INSISTED that someone DID. i told them what i was told and would have been happy to pay for the extras i got had she just said so nicely. but instead she gave me attitude and essentially told me i was wrong.
a little background for the next post... zak is in the market for a new phone. he is up for his upgrade next month. he wants a pocket pc phone so that he can use it for work. he went to 3 different verizon stores and they all told him different things. he came home very upset and he wanted to write hate mail to them... i reworded the obsenities for him and put it into an informative letter (the next post)...
Saturday, January 13, 2007
lazy
so today was my day off... how i pulled off gettting a saturday off, i don't know. well, it was supposed to be a lazy day, but i ended up cleaning the living room, doing a load of laundry, doing dishes and even went jogging and lifting! so much for the lazy day!
anywho... my maid of honor, amy, and i decided we were gonna exercise today (we BOTH had the day off... i KNOW... it's crazy that this happened, but anywho...). so we went to the park and went running. now, this is more my area of expertise. i ran cross country and track in high school and was always a bit of an endurance person. amy is not so good with the endurance, but does have strength! we also went to the gym and lifted. i have a feeling i'm going to hate her tomorrow for pushing me so hard at the gym. when i got up from the last machine and we started to walk towards another room, my legs already felt like jello! but hey, i pushed her at the park, so she pushed back at the gym!
well, i hope to finish this day and get some relaxation in... veg out watch some tv or movies, take a nice hot shower (relax those tired muscles). but there is talk about going out dancing tonight and that's hard for me to resist.
moral of the story is... when i say i'm gonna have a lazy day, that's hardly ever the case! i've always gotta do SOMETHING productive! why can't i just be lazy?!
anywho... my maid of honor, amy, and i decided we were gonna exercise today (we BOTH had the day off... i KNOW... it's crazy that this happened, but anywho...). so we went to the park and went running. now, this is more my area of expertise. i ran cross country and track in high school and was always a bit of an endurance person. amy is not so good with the endurance, but does have strength! we also went to the gym and lifted. i have a feeling i'm going to hate her tomorrow for pushing me so hard at the gym. when i got up from the last machine and we started to walk towards another room, my legs already felt like jello! but hey, i pushed her at the park, so she pushed back at the gym!
well, i hope to finish this day and get some relaxation in... veg out watch some tv or movies, take a nice hot shower (relax those tired muscles). but there is talk about going out dancing tonight and that's hard for me to resist.
moral of the story is... when i say i'm gonna have a lazy day, that's hardly ever the case! i've always gotta do SOMETHING productive! why can't i just be lazy?!
Friday, January 12, 2007
wedding worries
ok, i know i normally say no worries, but i'm down to 4 months to finish planning and paying for my wedding! so now, i'm starting to worry. really i have about 3 months to book and pay for everything b/c pretty much everyone wants their money about a month before the big day. while i have accomplished a lot, there is still so much to do! i have a florist to choose and book (which i think i have it figured out and will make a decision this next week), a dj to select and book, a menu to fine tune, a guest list to compile, invitations to word, print, address and send out, passports to attain, wedding bands to select and purchase... WHEW! i shouldn't have started to think about it so much! the fact that i work so much doesn't help either. i never have any free time to get anything done.
(DEEP BREATH)
now, i know that i'm the only one that will ever know every mondane detail and whether they came through or not, but i still stress over them. i need to keep focused and calm. deep breaths. make a plan and JUST DO IT! alrighty... typing about it isn't helping me get things done, so off i go to try and set up some appointments via email! i've gotta get this stuff done!
if you all could just keep telling me to breath and that it will all work out that'd be helpful. as would keeping tabs on my progress... if i have to report to someone, i'm more likely to get things done.
(DEEP BREATH)
now, i know that i'm the only one that will ever know every mondane detail and whether they came through or not, but i still stress over them. i need to keep focused and calm. deep breaths. make a plan and JUST DO IT! alrighty... typing about it isn't helping me get things done, so off i go to try and set up some appointments via email! i've gotta get this stuff done!
if you all could just keep telling me to breath and that it will all work out that'd be helpful. as would keeping tabs on my progress... if i have to report to someone, i'm more likely to get things done.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)