My son has his permit.

After several years of driving you tend to forget what "new" drivers do not know.  We have been letting my son drive for the past couple of days.  You forget that you need to remind them...move over, slow down, slow down, wait slow down, now stop, stop, STOP!  Overall he has been doing really well.  We got out of the car and I said to him "son, you did really good except for the two times I thought I was gonna die."  LOL!

College Return

My son returned to college today.  What a big switch from last year.......

Last year I was crying every time someone even talked about him going away to school and every time I would even think about it or try to talk about it myself I was welling up with tears.  I was OK today.  My youngest said as we were saying goodbye..."your not going to cry are you?"  And I didn't ....I was actually OK with it.  Comfortable and used to it as a matter of fact.

It made me wonder.  What is making it OK for me now?  I guess the initial shock is over.  This past summer has been rough....getting him used to be home again, him getting into a little trouble here and there and generally when you have too many adults in the house.....there are lots of differing opinions.  So, collectively....this is making it OK.

Don't get me wrong.  I still felt the lump in my throat when he was leaving and I will miss his presence terribly at the dinner table and I wish we got to spend more time together as a family this summer.  But I do feel comfortable this year in sending him to college and wishing him well.

The family is changing and with that change comes highs and lows.  You have to love the highs for every moment you have them and just take the lows in stride.  Find the good in the change as it can be a growing and renewing experience for everyone.

If only...

If only summer could last just a little longer.....

If only my son would finish his summer homework SOON.....

If only I could have a cleaning lady....

If only I could work from home in jammies and slippers....

If only I could have more hours in the day.....

Lack of Customer Service Again

We decided for lunch today to order some sandwiches from Jersey Mike's.  I called ahead to make it easier.  When I arrived there was 1 person in front of me in the "called & ordered line"....in the "order after you arrive" lane there were about 5 people.  As I was waiting, patiently I might add, the girl who was ringing everyone up was also the same girl who was taking orders over the phone.  As she is speaking to a customer on the phone she is rolling her eyes in a fashion that was saying she could just not tolerate this customer anymore. Then a couple of times she was like "yeaahhh" in the tone of voice that says "duh" and as she did this she was making faces and looking at all the customers in the store.  I could not believe my eyes that this was such a blatant disregard for respecting your customers.....the reason she has a job.  I was disgusted by it and thought she obviously hates the customers who are the sole reason she has the job.

Today we also ended up at Best Buy, my lest favorite store, and here is why:  You walk in the door and someone is saying "hello" to you.  As you walk through the store someone is constantly saying is there something I can help you with and you have to say "no, I am just looking".  After your selection is made and you are now ready to pay there is one line open and a long line of customers waiting.  This happens all the time there.  I want to tell the guy that tells everyone hello to stop doing that and get off his duff and go wait on customers.  I just did not have the nerve to do it.  It's definitely a problem in that store.  As I was waiting I looked over to the Customer Service Department and the line was like a mile long.  Again I thought ...people are constantly coming over and saying can I help you and the guy says hello & goodbye when you leave but they let the long lines go.  What's the deal?  I really don't need someone to say hello and goodbye to me....I want to get in..make my selection and pay.  Every time I go there I see the same thing occurring.  Why don't they get it?

When are we as consumers going to start revolting against this type of lack-of-customer-service mentality?  I guess I am guilty too because I should not shop there yet I do go back.  I guess what I really need to do and I should have done this in both instances is ask to speak to the Manager of both stores and told them both that they were lacking in their game.  I hate to be somebody that is a complaining.   But I always think to myself..........why do we put up with this?

Running Away.....

I am true believer in that everything that is dished out to you is something you can handle.  But right now...I have had enough already.  When I look back starting in 09 I had my Mom who is 88 become sick with AFib and Bladder infections basically locking her to her house most of  the time, my son graduated high school that year and then left for college (which was a major adjustment for me....I am thankful to say I am used to that now), I injured my back last September and was out of work for three months, my brother was diagnosed with brain tumors, my Mom continued to need more help, between my Mom and my brother there have been a lot of highs and lows, this summer my son came home from college and got a job and then recently getting laid off (which is fine because he is close to going back to college anyway), just prior to that his college roommate committed suicide, and this summer he had two incidences of being in the wrong place at the wrong time and getting in trouble for it.  I am crying Uncle!!!!!

This weekend we are all going down the shore together as a family and I plan on resting, relaxing and enjoying each others company......I am turning off my cell phone and escaping from the rest of the world because this is what I NEED to do!!!!  I am running away..............and escaping reality because I have had more than my fair share of reality recently.  Goodbye, Adios!

I am looking for....

......an amusement park for adults and instead of soda and cotton candy they sold margaritas and martinis.  How many people do you think would go?

I really need to start.......

getting more organized.

I am going to try and let you know now and again something I really need to start ....please feel free to share tips or tell me what you really need to start.

Lack of customer service.

I am noticing a trend more and more these days and I must say I do not like it.  When I was a kid the saying was "the customer is always right".  It seems we have lost our way and we have totally forgotten what that means exactly.

If you are in the service industry then you would not be in business without your customer or your client.  Today it is the norm for a sales clerk to be rude, half pay attention while waiting on you, texting on their phone and then "oh your here", or busy talking with their co-workers.  What has this world come to when the customer has moved to the back burner?

If you have ever had the opportunity to call a State Office, Township, Federal Government or any School, College or otherwise then you will also understand what I am talking about.  You almost have to beg them to help you.  But the what they are missing is....if it weren't for the tax paying citizens they would be out of a job!  You would think this would make them syrupy and sweet?  I do not find that to be the case.

I don't like to generalize because not all the time is it that way and I know there are people who cater to their customers and I love when I find them.  YOU are what makes me keep coming back.  Those of us who LOVE great customer service need to honor those businesses and leave behind those lacking in caring or showing respect to their customer.

What If.........

Everyone smoked and threw their butts out the window – would it be considered littering then?

Why?

Why do people keep implying that schools no longer say the pledge of allegiance?  I have been in the schools and they do this all the time.  So why may I ask....why are people saying otherwise?  Does anyone know?

What's happening......

This past month has been extremely busy.  I will give you a recap below.

1)  Joined the Y & started swimming 5 days a week.  Best thing I ever did.  Not only am I losing weight but that horrible migraine I usually get did not happen in the past month.  Plus it is helping me manage the stress.  The Y gets an A+.  :-)

2)  My darling son got into a little bit of trouble down the shore.  He got caught with an open bottle of liquor with a rather large group of kids.  (no driving was involved, Thank God)  Of course he is 19 and all the others were 17 so the 19 year olds got the ticket.  After much hassle and aggravation about that it cost us $253.  The ticket (or my son) get an F for that.  :-(

3)  My computer died...it just got a virus and decided it would not work anymore.  An F+ there.  I did, however, get a new Macbook Pro....that gets an A++.

4)  Went to a wedding for my hubby's niece...it was beautiful and everything was creatively done.  Cudos to her...she is a beautiful girl.  She came down the aisle to a Beatles song....awesome, every table was marked by a Beatles album, just so cool and they played some great Beatles music.  It was outside under a tent and the weather turned out perfect for it.  They wrote their own vows which were heartfelt and very touching.  You could tell they are made for each other.  I see a lot of qualities in them that I do in my own marriage and it made me feel good.  A++ for them.

5)  My son's future college roommate committed suicide.  This was horrible.  I was imagining the pain his parents and family must be in and for the past week it just made me cry.  I also was feeling awful for what my own son was going through.  Dealing with a death at his age (19) is not unusual but usually that person is either sick or old and it is somewhat expected.  When your dealing with the death of a peer  it can be very difficult to understand and especially one where someone takes their own life.  He attended the funeral yesterday and I am glad he did.  I think when something like that happens you need closure and grieving time.  He called me after and told me he talked to his parents and it was extremely hard.  I know that attending was difficult for him but he is glad he did it.  (No grade here....it cannot even be measured.)

6)  Finally after extreme business...we are back down the shore.  Regrouping, chilling, relaxing, and destressing.  It is much needed after everything that has recently happened.  This gets an A++.