Hello? Hello!?

"You! Yes you! You need to help me now!"
"Certainly I'll do my best. What seems to be the problem ma'am?"
"I bought this item a few months ago and it doesn't work. I want a new one."
"Do you have the receipt for this? It'll make the return process much easier."
"No I don't. Can't you just give me a new one? I don't have time for this!"

http://lady-mango.deviantart.com/art/Dept-Store-boys-Angry-Customer-71366493

How many times have you heard a situation like this go on in front of you in a store? Or how many times have you had this type of situation happen to you? I've had it happen a few times myself, but I've always tried to be as courteous as possible.

I worked for a large retail store for 2 years and during those 2 years I experienced both the good and bad sides of customer service. I had some customers who were so nice and wonderful I couldn't help but love my job. But then there were days when no matter how nice you treated the customers they would come in with a major attitude and blame me or my co-workers for all their problems. Those days made me really despise working at my job. left that job 2 years ago and since then I still see customers treating retail employees with no respect.

 
However, I've also noticed that it's not just the customers lacking respect. The employees have now started to retaliate it seems they are giving attitudes back to the customers, even the ones that come in with no attitude at all. I'm not sure when it became the norm to come into work and begin treating all customers the same, no matter how mean or nice they are.

I thought I should highlight a few key points that will make whoever is reading this a better customer and a better worker (if you work in retail that is).

Customers:

1.) Understand that retail workers are people too!

2.) If you receive excellent service, give accolades to that individual.


3.) Make the experience easier by being prepared (receipts, currency, I.D.).


Workers:

1.) Try not to take things personally. Sometimes people have a bad day!

2.) Treat each customer with respect! It really does go a long way.

3.) Listen! They appreciate it more than you know!

I hope these short lists help you and make you re-think your response next time your in a long line at a customer service counter or if you just finished dealing with an irate customer, remember every person is different. I hope all of you have a great Friday!

Preview Into Tomorrow

Since I'm strapped for time I thought I'd let all of you know what tomorrow's blog is going to be about. I recently had an experience today that made me think a lot about what does it mean to have proper customer service etiquette?

I'll go into more details tomorrow, but until then feel free to leave your own experiences in the comments below, both good and bad. I hope all of you have a great day and I look forward to writing more to you tomorrow!

Brrrrrrrrr

 

Okay I'm officially over this winter! Wow I never thought I'd say that...lol. I'm actually the kind of person that loves the cold weather and the snow, just ask my family. Normally I can handle the cold better than most and don't mind driving in the snow and ice. But enough is enough already!

The main reason that I enjoy the cold weather is NO BUGS!! I hate anything that's creepy and crawly and especially during the spring and summer months they are everywhere! It really limits the amount of time I spend outside so when it snows and turns cold I don't have to worry about them bothering me.

A Bug's Life
these guys are the cute version!

 

My second reason for loving the cold weather is the HEAT that comes along with spring and summer. I can't stand how sweaty, sticky, and muggy it gets during this time. Even when you plug in an air conditioner you pretty much need to stand in front of it on full blast to get any kind of relief from the heat, at least that's what I do sometimes (admit it you've done it too).

Here in NYS we're supposed to be getting another storm next Monday into Tuesday and I'm not looking forward to more snow. I wouldn't be so down about the weather if we had a few breaks in between, but it just seems like the storms keep coming, one after another, after another. Here's hoping it'll warm up just a little bit and melt some of the snow; I'd like it to be 40-50 degrees!

Just Why?

Why? This question has been on my mind all day. Why do people who don't need or deserve someones help receive it? Why is it when a good, decent person needs help no one is there to help them? Or better yet why don't people feel inclined to help other people in today's society?

Take for example things that you see everyday. I've seen people cut each other off on streets, scream at each other when they don't get what they want at a store, pass by people that are broken down on the side of the road, and think that they are actually holier than God himself!

So what happened to the world? With so much negativity and selfishness running rampant I'm surprised there's still even a world at all. But, then again there are people in the world who are so selfless and care only about the well being of others. I like to believe that I'm the second one. Even though I have had my moment's of selfishness I still care more about the people around me than I do about myself.

I decided that maybe it's time people of the world started acting more like the second choice than the first. I came up with a short list that everyone could do that might just have a small impact on the way people react and act towards you. Check it out:

1.) SMILE! 
Always try to have a smile on your face. I was told by classmates that my smile was contagious in high school.

2.) STAY POSITIVE! 
Don't fret about the small things. Try to be as optimistic as possible.

3.) SHOW RESPECT! 
Don't do or say things to others that you wouldn't like done in return to you.

4.) BE NICE! 
When all else fails my mom told me "Kill 'em with kindness" (it always works).

I hope each and everyone of you have a great rest of the week and try to do at least one of the things on the list above. You never know just how much an act of kindness really means to someone until you go and do it!

Just One Of Those Days

I honestly thought that today was going to be a bad day. I mean I woke up from this crazy nightmare that involved zombie kittens. Yes, you read that correctly zombie kittens. I guess no more watching The Walking Dead and playing with the cats before bed...lol. But for some reason this day has been anything but that.

My house has managed to stay clean for most of the day, besides the cat toys here and there on the floor. My husband and I haven't argued or been angry with each other, so that's awesome (I love days like that)! I got to spend a little time with my mom and now I just found out that my brother got a new truck, so I'm really happy for him.

I know that by the time I post this blog it'll only be noon and there are still plenty more hours in the day that something could go wrong, but I'm not gonna think like that. I'm trying to be more positive and have a better outlook on life. I think I'm finally starting to realize that you have to take it a day at a time and understand that you can't control what's going to happen.

Basically what I'm trying to come across with is don't sweat the small stuff! You might have 10 things going on in your life right now that are stressing you out, but don't focus all your energy on those 10 things. Try to remember the little things in life that make those 10 things seem insignificant.

I hope you all have a blessed and stress free day!

I'm Back!

I decided it was time to come out of hiding! I had a lot going on in my life and I felt I needed to take a break from the blog and get myself together. So for my new post I thought it would be nice to share a positive quote with everyone, because in today's world we all need someone to be there for us, I know I have :-) Enjoy and thanks for sticking with me!

Maintenance Sucks!

Due to unforeseen technical problems beyond my control (basically the power company was playing around with the electric-over 1000 people had no power yesterday) my blog was delayed. But I'm back and I'm excited to share what I found out from Ancestry.com.

As I was digging through my mom's side of the family I discovered my poppy's father (great grandfather) had actually died of a cerebral hemorrhage. This information I had already know about because my grandfather had shared it with already. But what I discovered after this was crazy!

I found out that my great grandfather's mom (2x's great grandmother) had also died of a cerebral hemorrhage, but it didn't stop there. I was also able to find a death certificate for one of my great-grandfathers aunt's (2x's great grand aunt) that showed she too died of a cerebral hemorrhage.

So far I haven't been able to find anything else that links any other family member to 'death by cerebral hemorrhage, but then again I'm still finding my way around (when it comes to looking for records).

Below I'm going to share my 2x's great grand aunts death certificate and a photo of her, which I also found by digging a little deeper into the past.

PS: Sorry about having to make the death certificate so large it's the only way to see all the information. Also, my 2x's great grand aunt was married '4' times so her name was different at the time of her death (just to clarify).

My 2x's great grand aunt (Elizabeth Ward)

 

Hmmm...

Sometimes things need to just stay in the past. But other times it's fun to go back in time and see what the past can tell us. I was poking around my Ancestry tree again and found some more interesting info that I thought would make for a good blog tomorrow. Stay tuned and just to give you a hint it has to do with health and death. Feel free to leave guesses and comments below!

Feeling Creative

I was going through some of my old poetry. Wow what a walk down memory lane that was! I thought I would share one of the poems I wrote back in high school. Maybe I'll share more in the future. Guess you'll just have to see!

I HAD YOU

 

Your smile made everyone smile.

Your laugh made everyone laugh.

Your hugs made everyone warm.

Your food made everyone full.

Your spirit kept everyone together.

But since you're gone, so is everyone else.

The smiles are not smiles.

The laughs are not laughs.

The hugs are not warm.

The food is not filling.

Your spirit is not remembered.

But I do. I remember all of this.

And I miss it so.

You'll be in my heart.

I love you.

 

 

In memory of all those I've lost;

I will see you again!

Moving Forward

The blog below is raw and real. The text describes my feelings about certain people who will not be named and what I've seen and felt for the past 5 years. Proceed with caution:

Sooner or later you grow up. It's inevitable. It happens to everyone and depending on the person and the situation it can be easy or hard. For me I wanted to grow up fast. I couldn't wait to be done with high school, go onto college, get a job, and be on my own. But life never turns out the way you think it's going to.

I got married when I was 21. Some people thought I made a mistake or that their son made a mistake in getting married, but if I had to do it all over again I would. I don't regret the decisions I've made in my life because I love my life (I just wish my dad and poppy were here with me still). However, there are just some things I wish I could erase.

What do you do when it comes to overbearing parents? I'm not referring to mine because they've always treated me like an adult and respect boundaries when it comes to my marriage. I know that they care about me and love me to death, but they know when to butt in and when to stay out. What I'm talking about is my husband's parents lack of respect towards him as an adult.

The respect towards me and my family went out the window a long time ago, so I just shrugged it off and tried to ignore them. But when it comes to my husband and the way he's treated I can't stand by and not say or do something. The amount of pain I feel for him eats me up inside. What's worse is to have to sit by and watch them blatantly disrespect him (either to his face or behind his back).

When he tries to talk to them and let him know how he feels forget it. It just goes in one ear and out the other. One of the hardest things for me is to have to sit there and watch my mother-in-law flat out lie and say how much her son means to her and how much she loves him and misses him. It just makes my blood boil. She only misses him because he's not around to do things for her and be her little 'errand boy'. She doesn't have someone to kick around anymore and that pisses her off.

When it comes to his father and brother they're not any better. They lie right to his face and promise my husband things and then don't follow through with the promise they made. They use him just like his mother did. They all think that lying, stealing, and cheating is OK to do, newsflash it's NOT!!! What really hurt me the most of all was when my husband did have the courage to stand up to them. He stood there and asked for space and for them to back off but his words just fell on deaf ears and nothing changed.

I sat by for 4 years and kept my mouth shut. I wonder if I should have done that for so long. I was taught to respect your elders, but what do you do when you're not getting the respect back? When are you supposed to stand up for yourself? How long should you keep getting stabbed in the back and be someones punching bag? I think these questions will haunt me for a long time.

 

My husband and I are slowly picking up the pieces and putting them back together. It's not easy. Some days I wanted to give up. Some days he wanted to give up. But we supported each other and made it through the storm. I wish I could say that things are gonna be easier, but I don't know that, nobody does. I pray we'll find a silver lining in all this darkness. Only time will tell.



http://www.amazon.com/Toxic-In-Laws-Strategies-Protecting-Marriage/dp/0060507853/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1375587354&sr=8-6&keywords=toxic+parents

P.S. I recommend this book to anyone going through in-law issues. I only wish I would've found it sooner rather than later.

Found That Spark!

I took some time and got back to me. I got back to who I was and I think I found parts of me that have been missing for some time now. I'm not completely put back together, but I'm getting there.

Being able to sit down with my husband and reconnect and discuss a lot of things on our minds was exactly what I needed to do. Sitting there with him and hashing everything out just ignited such a spark in me, I actually feel like a love-sick kid again, but in the best way.

I thought that for the longest time that I would have to always fight for my husband to be in my life. I had to fight with his family and tried so hard to prove that I was good enough for him. But in the process of doing this I actually took away pieces of myself. Pieces of me that my husband initially fell in love with.

Standing up to his family has never been easy for him and it definitely wasn't easy for me either. I'm sure it's not easy for a person to do with their family. So I thought that I had to be his voice for him, but in all actuality I was deameaning him just like his family had done and still tries to do to this day.

These past few months haven't been the easiest for either of us. But through it all we've stuck by each other. Sure we've argued and said things we didn't mean, but no marriage is perfect. It's the little cracks that can falter a marriage, but if you work together to mend those cracks soon enough you won't be broken anymore.

This blog was about us saving each other. I've said in previous blogs that no one's life is perfect (not even mine) and it's the truth. Whether you have one rainy day out of the year or a dozen right in a row just remember that the person by your side is there for you. Through thick or thin my husband has been there for me and I'll continue to be there for him.

Thankful

I'm thankful that I married my husband. Thankful that through the good and the bad we will always love one another. Thankful that my Mom is still here on this earth. Thankful that she still wants to help me no matter how old I get. Thankful that I have my brothers to turn to when I need them the most. Thankful that they can make me laugh when I'm being too serious. Thankful that I was able to spend the time I had with my Poppy and Dad before they were called back home.

Today was a day for me to be thankful for the people I have/had in my life.

So what are you thankful for?

My Favorite Movie



This is my all time favorite movie!!

Directed by Steven Spielberg in 1975, the movie Jaws is actually based on the novel of the same name by author Peter Benchley. The film stars Roy Scheider (Chief Martin Brody), Richard Dreyfuss (Matt Hooper), Robert Shaw (Quint), Lorraine Gary (Ellen Brody), and Murray Hamilton ( Mayor Larry Vaughn).

The above links for Jaws, the actors/actresses, the director, and author can explain why this movie was so amazingly great, a lot better than I ever could here on paper. So if you would, please read.

Also, besides the stellar cast and crew was the music behind the film. Enter legendary music director John Williams, who came up with the most terrifying music sequence in film history. And to think it all started with just three little notes. Take a listen below to see what I mean.

http://youtu.be/mWLO4acMTCM

 

To this day that music still sends shivers down my spine, especially when I'm near water. You just never know what could be lurking underneath that glassy surface. I don't think it matters how old I get, I'll always have a craving to watch Jaws, even though it's made it where I never want to go into the ocean for a swim...lol.

 

Jaws vs. Martin Brody (aka Roy Scheider)



Do You Know?

 

Movies. Everyone has their favorite for one reason or another. Is it the plot or the gorgeous actor/actress that's onscreen? Or perhaps it a funny line or a fantastic twist at the end? Whatever the reason everyone has a favorite movie, but sometimes it's not easy to narrow it down to just one.
 
In my case this isn't the truth. I have one movie that sticks out among all the rest. I swear I've watched this movie over 100 times (yes that's how much I love it). A few of you might be saying why would she watch a movie more than 100 times? Is it really that good?
 
The answer is YES! The movie is that good. I love this movie not only for the actors/actresses, but for the plot and the amazing way the director was able to take the book and put it on the big screen. So I decided that for tomorrow's blog I'll discuss my favorite movie (no this will not be boring).
 
I'll bring up all the good and bad points (even though I'm a bit biased). The camera angles, the script, the lines, the actors/actresses, the director, and even the author of the book that the movie came from.

• Universal bought the rights to the book for $150,000 (the author was over the moon).
• The director said the movie was a time in his life when he had courage and stupidity.

Think you have an idea what the movie is? Hopefully the two hints above helped you out some. I hope you all enjoy the movie blog tomorrow!

25

Tomorrow I officially turn 25. I'm not exactly sure how I feel about it just yet. My husband, Mom, and brothers keep joking around with me that I'm really old. And in a sense I think that I am. Sure some of you who are reading this would probably kill to be 25 again, but I'd kill to be 14 again.

I'd like to be able to go back and be 14, knowing what I know now. Maybe I wouldn't have made some of the mistakes I made. Maybe I would've made different ones. At 14 I never thought what I'd be doing or where I'd be when I turned 25 and maybe I should've thought about it more.

As I've said before, I am happy and content with the way my life is, but then again what if? There goes that damn 'what if' BS again. Turning a quarter-century old scares some people, but it doesn't scare me. And 'no' I don't feel like I'm gonna go through a quarter-life crisis...lol.

I'm glad that I know what I know at 25. I know that I don't know everything, but then again I'm not supposed to. Still I feel kinda in shock, that tomorrow means that it'll be 11 years since I had my first job. Tomorrow will also mark 7 years that I've been out of highschool (wow).

It seem's like time has just flown by and some things are just distant memories. But every decision I've made has brought me here. It'll be interesting to see what 25 brings me. Tomorrow marks a new page and I'm excited to begin writing another chapter for my book called Life.

This Day

Yesterday I was excited about telling all of you what I found from my Ancestry tree. Sitting here today maybe I wonder if maybe I should have just told you yesterday. I discovered that on both my mother's and father's side I have Native American ancestors. I know that I should be more excited, like I was yesterday, but the excitement has disappeared.

Three years ago today I lost my best friend. I lost the person that I could talk to about anything and could trust to keep my secrets. I lost the person who taught me everything I wanted to learn. I lost the person that in my heart can never be replaced. I lost my Poppy.

I sat up last night until 1:01AM. The exact time my Poppy passed away. I sat there and wished and hoped that I could just go to sleep, wake up, and have this all be a dream. That when I awoke I'd be able to just jump in the car and drive down and see him. Sitting there. Smiling at me and asking how I'd been. Just like nothing changed.

The tears seem to fall so much easier when this time rolls around. No matter how hard I try to I can't hold them in any longer, just like that day when I knew he was gone. They fall onto this keyboard and I know I should just wipe them away but I let them sit there. Each tear is another piece of him that I'm losing and I can't lose him again.

Maybe I'll start to bottle up all my tears and keep them on a shelf. And each time I look at them I won't have the urge to cry anymore because I'll see all the tears I've already shed. But I doubt that I'll ever be able to stop crying. I just want my life back the way it was before everything crashed down around me. I want the hurt to stop.

You know when people say 'goodbyes aren't forever', it's so untrue. Because I know I have a way's to go until I can ever see him again and for me it feels like I never will. I just wish this day would disappear and that I could just sleep through it and not have to deal with the pain. If only.

Very Exciting News!

After taking yesterday off and resting my brain I certainly felt a heck of a lot better! I felt like I could tackle anything and that's just what I did early this morning. I sat in front of my laptop for what seemed like an hour, but in retrospect it was actually 4 hours!

While digging deeper into my Ancestry tree and discovering more documents and amazing facts I discovered something fascinating, but I'm going to reveal this all to you tomorrow! I want to be able to have all the facts together before writing anything else.

Please feel free to take guesses. But just a heads up, it's not going to be as easy as it was with the blog "Take A Guess". Hope to hear from you all and remember think old world history!

This Quote

I'm just having another one of those day's where I can't seem to come up with something to write about, no matter how hard I rack my brain. So instead of just sitting here and writing nothingness I've decided to take the day off. The quote below explains it all. Hope everyone has a good day and try to stay dry out there with all this rain!

We all get stuck. We all lose ourselves a little bit in a fantasy or in our jobs and forget how we feel about other things. It's really important to check yourself, to spend some time alone.

-Amanda Seyfried-

 

http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/a/amandaseyf462348.html

 

 

Learning From The Past

I'm sure everyone is curious about their past. Not just what's gone on in their own life, but what kind of family history they have. When I say the world 'family history' I'm not just referring to your mom, dad, grandparents, and a distant cousin or two. I'm talking about going back much, much farther.

http://www.ancestry.com/

 

I joined Ancestry.com a little over a year ago. Like many of you I was curious about where I came from and who I might be related to. But never in a million years did I imagine all of the information I would uncover when I did this.

 

Take for example that after searching my first day for a few minutes, I was able to find a picture of my great-grandmother from her passport paperwork. My mother never met her grandmother and never saw a picture of her, so it was very exciting to say the least when we found it.

 

My great-grandmother Dorothy and daughter Mildred.

 

After that great find I just wanted to dig even deeper and that's exactly what I did. Currently I have now found over 2,000 relatives! Using this website has certainly opened up my eyes to my history. And in retrospect it's even caused me to look up a lot of events I should have remembered from history class, but I guess it's more interesting when you find out you had relatives in the War of 1812.

 

Some of you may be wondering if maybe you should join Ancestry.com. Is it worth it? Well, if you click on the link in the last sentence it brings you to the web page that will allow you to have a FREE 14-day trial! If you even have the slightest bit of curiosity I urge you to try it out. And for those of you who are still on the fence take a peek at the picture below.

 

My great, great great grandfather (Philip) and great, great, great grandmother (Mary).

 

Yes you did read that above caption correctly. It does say GREAT 3 TIMES!!! I'll never forget the day I found this picture and showed it to my Dad when he was still here with us. Such a smile came over his face and he couldn't believe what he was seeing. So take advantage of that FREE 14-day trial and get searching. You'll never know what you'll find until you start looking!

Take A Guess

So I thought instead of telling you what tomorrow's blog would be about I'd let you try and figure it out (kind of like 21 questions).

Look at the above picture and tell me what you see. Then try and figure out how that image play's a role in everyone's life in the world today.

Leave comments below and you'll discover tomorrow what the world has to do with that tree up top. Have a great day!