I’m in the ‘Real World’ now May 15, 2008

Well friends, this is it. I’m in the ‘real world’. I thought I was before but now I really am…but I guess I’m more on the brink than in the miry muck. How’s that for being negative?!…lol.

I recently had a battle between my doctor, insurance company and pharmacy with drugs I’ve been taking to help the nausea subside. It was such a mess and so ridiculous. All I will say about it is don’t get between a nauseous pregnant women and the pills that make her feel better!!!!! Needless to say I have my pills and now I am a happier person!

We’re having a huge garage sale on Saturday because…you guessed it…we need to make room for the baby and we need to make some $$$! We’re getting rid of A LOT of stuff…I didn’t realize how much junk we were holding onto; it’s ridiculous! We’re selling everything from furniture to Christmas decorations to clothes to office supplies. You name it, we’re probably selling it or something like it. Pray for us that we will make a decent amount of money!

We’ve also been having a bit of car trouble. Last weekend our Jeep was towed away from our own parking lot because the registration was expired by a week. $180 and a sketchy neighborhood later, we got it back. Our other (newer) car is giving us a really dangerous problem. When you press on the gas, it sticks! Yes, you read that right. And guess what? Even though we bought an extended warranty from CarMax, it doesn’t cover this specific problem. Figures, right? We’re still unsure as to what we need to do. Right now I’m driving my old car from college that my parents own, which I affectionately call ‘Cappy’ (it’s an ‘88 Caprice Classic…here’s a link to a pic of a similar car). It’s hilarious…I love the looks I get while I’m driving it.

Anyway sorry for the negativity but I just needed a place to vent! These are the ups and downs of life!

Lime Fresh Mexican Grill Review February 20, 2008

So Joel and I tried out the (only) restaurant open at the new mall off of Pines & I-75. Lime Fresh Mexican Grill is a really neat place. We loved the decor and the laid back atmosphere. Here’s the positives:

• I had the fajita quesadilla…it was good!
• They had lots of low fat/low carb options on the menu which I am excited about.
• They had lots of choices for salsa…and I LOVE salsa.
• Their pico de gallo was so fresh…it was pretty amazing actually.

The negatives:

• Tortilla Chips come with the meal…I only got 6 and Joel got 8….we counted. We are BIG chips and salsa people and that was kind of a rip off.
• The staff wasn’t overly friendly.
• The prices could’ve been better.

Overall it was a good experience and I would go back again! Check out what some of my friends have said about it here and here.

I’m better now September 7, 2007

Haha, after my earlier post, I picked up the phone and all but yelled at the receptionist of this company. I knew it wasn’t her fault, but I didn’t have another option…no one would talk to me or return my phone calls! After she politely offered to call me back, I firmly said “no, absolutely not. no one in this organization has called me back all day and you will let me talk to someone now.” whew…it felt good. she put me on hold and I almost started crying…lol. I’m such a wimp.

I talked to my sales rep…who is more of a coward than a man…he interrupted me everytime I tried to speak and in the end, never apologized. Then he inconvenienced me by forcing me to drive to Miami to pick up my order. I’ve still never seen him or even gotten a courtesy call from him.

To say I was furious is an understatement. I sent him an email before I left for Miami to tell him in so many words that he would not be getting business from us anymore. He’s not even worth blogging about, but I had to explain my earlier post.

I’ve cooled down now and I’m finally ready to enjoy my day off…:)

Bad customer service September 7, 2007

Today has been a bad day. Two of our vendors have messed me up.

How do you keep your cool on the phone with these people and still say that you’re with a church? Just because I’m from a church doesn’t mean I can’t speak up for myself or get what I’ve paid for already! I haven’t raised my voice, but I’ve tried to be firm, but still “sweet” even though the absolute LAST thing I want to do is be sweet. I’m actually very mad. But if I show through words how mad I am and they know I’m from a church, what happens then? How hard is it to pick up the phone and call me to let me know that my orders aren’t ready?!

OK, I’m stopping now…this has been more of a venting release for me than anything.

UGH.

A Word on Customer Service August 23, 2007

Pictures of yesterday at American Idol are coming…I promise!

Today I went to lunch at Chick-fil-A with Joel. As always, it was a wonderful experience. They always know to make the customer happy. They are great at what they do. Not only do they make incredible chicken sandwiches and killer waffle fries, they have mastered the art of customer service. There is a man in the store we go to where his only job (it seems like his only job, but it’s probably not) is to walk around the store, take people’s trays and refill their drinks! That is completely unnecessary, but so nice! He even responds to “thank you” by saying “my pleasure“. I love that.

Another great fast food experience is at Panda Express (the free-standing ones, not the ones in the mall). They are very well-spoken and polite. Some of them even greet you in Chinese! How refreshing to get customer service from people who want to be there and like their jobs. I know people can be obnoxious and it’s easier to retaliate than kill them with kindness; I’ve worked in the food industry and retail, I know how it is. But it’s so great when companies train their employees to be different.

Same goes for Starbucks, but we all knew that!

We can definitely apply this to the church. By just changing our attitudes, we can make someone else’s church-going experience a better one!

Good customer service…at the County Government Office? February 26, 2007

I had a great experience today and it literally blew me away. People who work at County/Governmental offices are notoriously known for bad customer service. I mean, I don’t blame them. They sit in cubicles all day and deal with people who give them attitude. I would hate my job, too.

We went today to our county government office to declare domicile and to apply for homestead exemption. We put enough quarters in the parking meter for almost 2 hours. We were there MAYBE 30 minutes. 30 MINUTES?!

Everyone we talked to, from the security desk to the busy offices, was nice to us and they were helpful. We needed that. We didn’t know what we were doing and we were 2 days from the deadline. They didn’t have to be nice to us. They didn’t have to help. But, they did and we successfully did what we came to do in a short amount of time.

We were both floored as we walked the busy streets to the parking garage. I’ve never done anything with that much success and good customer service…well, maybe I have, but I didn’t expect it!