Treat Me Nice

I have a problem. And it concerns customer service. I know the economy sucks and people are getting whatever jobs they can, but I believe that customer service is seriously lacking because of it. Customer service jobs are often not highly paid positions, and therefore attract anyone in need of a job-- people lovers or not. 

I love good customer service and I am passionate about good customer service. I love giving it, and recently I have realized that I love receiving it. When you get served by an awesome waiter, or speak with someone very helpful on the phone, your day is brighter and you feel lighter. You can tell when someone would rather be talking to Darth Vadar then to you, and that just makes me irritated. Do you understand that I am part of the reason you have a job? Your welcome. Now stop having that sassy/sleepy/annoyed tone in your voice. Even if you are having a bad day, you can fake it, but you choose not to. Recent bad customer experiences have caused Josh and I to swear off Chili's and Mimi's Cafe. We're pretty easy going people, but if you treat us badly, we take the hint, and never grace you with our presence again. 

Customer services is essential to the success of a business. Look at Disney and In-N-Out-- always on top of the leader board in all aspects, and I believe it all stems back to their customer service. People are happy to see you, happy to help you, happy to go the extra mile. When someone makes you feel special, you thank them by rewarding them. You can reward them with a tip, your loyalty, your endorsement... all of those things lead to happy employees, more business, more money, and more stability. What a happy cycle! 

Dealing with customers is not easy. Everyone knows this-- we've all been on the receiving end of an unrelenting customer, been in the same room as one, or perhaps we have been one! Because customer service is floundering, people think they have to be mean to be heard, or to get what they want. Threats work well, too. I am here to say that nice people, who communicate in a mature fashion, often get more than those with the whiny tantrum. Who wants to reward someone being indignant and belittling? A manager, who just wants you to go away. It is much more valuable to voice your concern in a calm manner, which will lead it to be taken more seriously, and perhaps incur a positive change within an organization. 

And that's it for my soapbox! Good customer service rocks. The end. :)

Thriller Night!

So, we had a bomb.com party on Saturday, and it was really a success because of all of the great people who came! I have to say, my inner party planner... well, I don't really keep it inside very well... had a lot of fun planning and scheming for this surprise occasion. And the nicest thing was everybody loved it! I used to throw parties like this ALL THE TIME at BYU- some could call them my glory days. My last summer living in P-town, I got all new roommates, and they said, "Hey! We heard from the girls upstairs that you throw the best dance parties!" My reputation precedes me. :)

Anywhooo, there was a lot of good Halloween loving going on at this par-tay. I had mucho help from my neighbor-- what a blessing! She helped turn our living room into a huge spider web and helped Josh believe that I would actually go to a haunted house (yeah, right). But boy, did I play it good. The funniest part about this whole thing... Josh does not like Halloween. Yeah, I know-- what?! And we're married? ;) I just have to say, I forget every year that he doesn't like Halloween, because I love it enough for the both of us. That would apply to all foods that have to do with pumpkin or pumpkin spice as well. I got ya covered, Joshy!

Josh's birthday is on November 2nd, and I really wanted to have a Halloween party. I was talking to my neighbor, who thought we should have a surprise party for Josh's b-day, but thought we should do it a few weeks beforehand so he wouldn't even suspect it. BAM!

Halloween Birthday Surpise Party= Josh's Birthday BOO-nanza! 

We live so far away, that I wanted to make sure that people came to show Josh their love by making the party totally worth it. I needed to have awesome tunes, a cool activity, and lots of fabulous food. Check, check, check. It all turned out so great, and Josh was SO HAPPY. That was the best part! 

We got to see the "Thriller" music video set to many new songs. Some of the favorites on our list were, "Loca" by Shakira, "Telephone" by Lady Gaga feat. Beyonce... and I heard Michael's sweet dance moves were on beat with almost every song. Classics never die. 

We played live action CLUE! Everyone rocked it-- my suspects hammed it up and the detectives were feverishly trying to figure out, who kidnapped Reese?! Well folks, it was Kris (the neighbor), at the Poop Patch, with the Bubble Gun. :)

I got ooodles of compliments about the food, which made me feel super good. I wanted to share some of the recipes with y'all. I have most of the recipes posted on my PINTEREST as well. Yes, I have a new addiction, and I LOVE IT. 

I got the most comments and compliments about Paula Deen's Pumpkin Gooey Butter Cake. It turned out perfectly! And it was super easy... and it really did have two sticks of butter in it. I'm going to make this again fo sho, because I only got a few finger licks of it. :) 

Mmmmm...

For Josh's birthday cake, I made a Nutella Bundt Cake. Boy, does this guy love Nutella. And boy, was this cake GOOD. I am eating the leftovers at work today. HURRAH. 

I just covered mine with powdered sugar! 

We also had some old stand-bys: 

Cream Cheese with Jalepeno Jelly, eaten with crackers. I don't know why, but it is so good. I'm not even sure what else you would use Jalepeno Jelly for. Thanks to Miss T for providing the goods!

Lil' Smokies in Crescent Rolls. I love hot dogs... so what?!

Chili Cream Cheese Dip. I gotta say, the crock pot was EMPTY at the end of the night. You have one part cream cheese to one party chili... BAM! For this large crowd, I revised, and used two blocks of cream cheese, one big fat can of regular chili, one normal can of chunky chili, and one normal can of jalapeno chili. SPICE IT UP! 

Teri, my lover, also provided us with her Orange Meatballs. I heart them. RECIPE PLEASE! :) 

I just keep smiling when I think about the party. Thank you so much for coming!!! And I know that some people weren't able to make it, and we love you madly no matter what. 

Now, have a HAPPY HALLOWEEN! 

P.S. After rocking the crimson/black fake eyelashes on Saturday, I will be wearing fake eyelashes for every Halloween hereafter. They are HOT. 

P.P.S. I'll be posting party pics on Facebook!!! 

Friends Forever

I wrote this several weeks ago, intending it for blog publication... so here it is! Just spreading the love. And whilst you read this, I hope that you are singing, "Friends forever, always we'll be friends, talking 'bout friends forever..." from my beloved Saved by the Bell. (**If you don't know it, look it up!**)

I am grateful for good friends. I have so many good friends that I don't get to see very often. I think the beautiful thing about friendship is that it lasts over space and time.

 

I like that you don't have to see someone everyday in order for them to be qualified as your "best friend." I know that most of my friends see their other friends a lot more than they see me, but they still keep a special place for me in their heart. And they always make me feel that way. What a great thing!

 

As I've gotten older, I've realized how hard it can be to make friends. When you're a kid, it's easy! When you're an adult, I feel like it can be difficult to "click" with someone. It's harder to find that same connection that you have with some of your oldest friends, and that can be sad. You just don't get to take your favorite people with you wherever you go. Although, I wish this was the case. If my life was a sitcom, I would have a great cast of characters. :) You know who you are!

 

Lovey loves, 

M

I'm Alright

So tonight was AWESOME!

Worth every penny.

Every second was jam packed with awesomeness.

It was something I've been waiting for ALL SUMMER...

KENNY LOGGINS! 

No, I did not take this picture. :) 

If you didn't know that I LOVE KENNY LOGGINS... now you know. It's one of my many secrets, but one that I am not afraid to shout to the world. I do it in a high pitch slur... 'KENNYLOGGINS!' Just ask Josh or Teri, my sister-in-law. :)

I have my mom to thank for instilling this undying love for Kenny Loggins in me. I've been hearing his sweet tuneage since before I can remember, and I've held onto it into my adult years. 

While I was at BYU, Loggins & Messina performed at UVSC/UVU/whatever, and I bought two tickets and made Jason Jones come with me because he was the only one I could think of who would appreciate it. It was fabulous! But of course it was all Loggins & Messina songs, and everyone in the crowd would periodically yell "Danger Zone!" ... "Footloose!" 

In the past four years, Kenny has come nearby at least three times, and every time I couldn't go, due to whatever job I had at the time. LAME! And then I saw the schedule for the Davis Arts Council's SUMMER OF THE STARS and BOOM! I had plans for September 10th. 

Teri and I went this evening, and it was GREAT! He has a new band called Blue Sky Riders, comprised of good ol' Kenny and two awesome songwriters from Nashville. They are so good and the songs were beautiful-- great lyrics and great messages. What more can a girl ask for?

Then Kenny sang THE JAMS. Man, can that guy SING! His voice sounds just the same as his records, and just the same as it did years ago. He sang all of my favorites-- "Whenever I Call You Friend," "Conviction of the Heart," "I'm Alright," "Footloose," and "Forever." Did he sing "Danger Zone" you ask? Heck yea! And it was AWESOME! 

So the evening was already fabulous, but the guy next to us was HILARIOUS! He kept yelling "YEAH!" in the style of Lil Jon in Usher's "Yeah"... and this guy did not look like someone who would be doing that. We ended up dancing with him to "Footloose," he yelled 'ROCK ON' at the top of his lungs, and "FOREVER" during "Forever"-- oh man, I almost peed myself. I LOVE when people get passionate and excited at concerts-- that is what they are all about! Sometimes I feel like I'm the only one screaming, but I don't care. I sing along and cheer to my heart's content. But man, did this guy have me beat. In his Harley-Davidson shirt and scraggly beard, he was a Kenny Loggins fan through and through. 

And that is why I LOVE LIVE MUSIC and love Kenny Loggins more than I ever did before. He can play a guitar til it falls apart and riff with the best of 'em. 

Oh, and did I get a shirt? YOU KNOW IT! 

Worth every penny :)

Thought of the week:  

"Music is a world within itself, with a language we all understand." ~Stevie Wonder.