So here is a quick rundown of the last year in the lives of the Garvin's, the stuff I can remember anyway.
I turned 30 in January
I was a giant pregnant woman by February
Brian went to look for a place for us to live in March
Brian turned 28 in April, I had my baby shower
I weighed 462 lbs in May
Luke was born in June, and Brian lost his job
Brian had throat surgery in July
I had leg surgery in August, and we put the house on the market
We sold our house in September
We moved in with Brian's mom in October
Luke got two teeth in November
Jake tried to leave us in Decemeber
So now we start a new year, headed to a new house at the end of the first week. I am not turning 31 this year. Instead I have decided to go with something a little more popular, so I will be 22 this year! Luke will learn to talk and walk in this year. We will be getting settled and making a new start in Charlotte this year. I will have 3 MRI's on my leg to make sure that my tumor is not back this year. We will, hopefully, be happy and well-adjusted to our new environment. I hope that all of you have a great upcoming year. We are looking forward to ending the year that was, with it's ups and downs, and getting, what feels like a fresh start. New Year, new city, new house, new challenges, new victories.
Happy new year!!
Monday, December 31, 2007
Sunday, December 30, 2007
Am I a bad person?
Today we went to lunch with Brian's mom, brian's stepbrother Gib, his wife and two kids and his wife's parents (did you get all that?). We had the baby with us so it's always a race to the finish to see if we can get out of there before he can't take anymore and starts to fuss. We ordered our food, salads, appetizers, drinks, all at once. Our server disappeared and we literlly did not see him again for about 20 minutes. He had one other table that had finished eating shortly after we sat down.
Okay, let me back up. I worked in a restaurant for a very long time. I know how things should work and I know when they are going horribly wrong. I hate excuses for long food times, bad service, cold food and no drink refills. Nothing makes me angrier than a bad dining experience. I don't get to go out very often and I just expect to be taken care of, not catered to, when I do go.
So back to lunch. OUr server literally disappeared. No one had drinks, our appetizers never came and he never came to check on us. We had seperate checks at the table and told him that as we ordered. Well the first thing to hit the table was my mother-in-laws lunch. No salad, just her food. It was brought by a different server who didn't stay long enough to ask for a refill on my tea (I hate being thirsty). Twenty more minutes before anyone else came back. Madeleine was still the only one with any food! I was about to blow a gasket when the manager came by with some more food. Still no appetizers or salads. She smiled and asked if we needed anything and that was it for me. There were 3 out of the 9 of us that were eating, no one had drinks. I just told her that we were very unhappy with the service and told her what we needed. Anyway, long story not quite as long, we were there for 3 hours. When the server brought the checks, they had all been discounted by half, except for mine. Mine was free. When I told the server there was a mistake on my check he said, "no, yours is free because you were so angry". I realized that I had become "that customer", the one all servers hate, the one you can't please, the one you hate to see coming. I felt really badly but then wondered if I should. I am paying for a service. The server started telling us that he had only been working there for 3 days (which is another pet peeve of mine that servers do), but he didn't have any other tables but ours! The reality of it is that he was probably out drinking last night and just couldn't quite get his crap together today. The restaurant was not busy, at all. Ask for help if you are "in the weeds", but don't make excuses for not knowing how to do your job. I know that I am probably a little harder to wait on than the average patron but I am also an excellent tipper and appreciate a job well done.
I have decided that I may be that customer but I think that I am okay with it. I will just have to go to a different restaurant every time we eat out so that no one will know me as "that customer". I am getting awefully cranky in my old age!
Okay, let me back up. I worked in a restaurant for a very long time. I know how things should work and I know when they are going horribly wrong. I hate excuses for long food times, bad service, cold food and no drink refills. Nothing makes me angrier than a bad dining experience. I don't get to go out very often and I just expect to be taken care of, not catered to, when I do go.
So back to lunch. OUr server literally disappeared. No one had drinks, our appetizers never came and he never came to check on us. We had seperate checks at the table and told him that as we ordered. Well the first thing to hit the table was my mother-in-laws lunch. No salad, just her food. It was brought by a different server who didn't stay long enough to ask for a refill on my tea (I hate being thirsty). Twenty more minutes before anyone else came back. Madeleine was still the only one with any food! I was about to blow a gasket when the manager came by with some more food. Still no appetizers or salads. She smiled and asked if we needed anything and that was it for me. There were 3 out of the 9 of us that were eating, no one had drinks. I just told her that we were very unhappy with the service and told her what we needed. Anyway, long story not quite as long, we were there for 3 hours. When the server brought the checks, they had all been discounted by half, except for mine. Mine was free. When I told the server there was a mistake on my check he said, "no, yours is free because you were so angry". I realized that I had become "that customer", the one all servers hate, the one you can't please, the one you hate to see coming. I felt really badly but then wondered if I should. I am paying for a service. The server started telling us that he had only been working there for 3 days (which is another pet peeve of mine that servers do), but he didn't have any other tables but ours! The reality of it is that he was probably out drinking last night and just couldn't quite get his crap together today. The restaurant was not busy, at all. Ask for help if you are "in the weeds", but don't make excuses for not knowing how to do your job. I know that I am probably a little harder to wait on than the average patron but I am also an excellent tipper and appreciate a job well done.
I have decided that I may be that customer but I think that I am okay with it. I will just have to go to a different restaurant every time we eat out so that no one will know me as "that customer". I am getting awefully cranky in my old age!
Saturday, December 01, 2007
The Random compliment
The other day Brian and I went to a coffee house in town. We were the only people in there for most of the time. Just before we left, an older woman came in. She was very pleasant in her exchange with the waitress and had a very warm and comforting face. We stood up to leave and I headed to the bathroom. She stopped me on my way and said, "You have the most beautiful hair". I thanked her, of course, and we left. I thought about that for the rest of the evening and how nice it was. It made me feel so good about myself that a stranger would pay me such a random compliment. I wondered why this doesn't happen more often. I see people all of the time that I could say nice things to but I don't. I think it to myself and move on. But something as small as that could change someone's day or outlook that they have about themselves. I have decided that I am going to make a point of paying compliments to strangers when I feel that they are necessary. I think it's a great way to make someone smile.
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