Why I drive in….

Well since I seem to be on a service kick…

Yes I’m talking about Sonic Drive In. I have a favorite location it’s in Fayetteville NC on Skibo rd, yep the one across from that big box store that’s always crowded. Okay I’ve been going there so long, half of the staff knows my vehicle and sometimes they have my drink ready before I can hit the red button. Yep I get the same thing, every time I’m there.

First I can be just plain lazy, no need to get out of the car. Second the staff there is AWESOME. I’ve had a few food & drink hiccups, but they were always fixed quickly and with a smile. I’m there an average of 5-6 days a week. Third I can control the heat & ac and make it just perfect.

Why, sometimes I’m reading, writing, plotting for Nanowrimo, or just plain hiding out.

Now that we moved across town I must admit that I’ll drive the extra few miles to go to my favorite sonic. I love seeing my smiling friends every time I pull in. Keep up the awesome service and keep an eye out out for your Large Diet Dr. Pepper with pineapple fan.

An amazing server made our night….

A spur of the moment decision took us to On the border. Well we were not sure what to expect with the restaurant being so slow, but we went for it anyway. There were a few brave souls on the patio, we opted for the dining room.

Shortly after getting our guacamole live I was freezing. For those of you who don’t know I’m always cold. Our wonderful server Heather suggested we move to a table in a section that had a fireplace. She started the gas fireplace just for us. Then she set the table closest to the fire for us. A short time later I was warm and cozy. Heather also demonstrated an outstanding knowledge of the menu and what was in each of the dishes. This was very impressive to me as I can’t eat pork. She knew what it was hiding in, and was ready with suggestions.

So perfect entrees ordered clear of food allergies, and a warm cozy place to sit. I was in heaven, or at least heaven on earth. Our entrees arrived exactly as ordered customizations and all. I was once again impressed. Why? It seems I’ve had issues at almost every place I’ve visited in the last few months. Even fast food places have been giving me grief.

When it was clear I was not going to finish my food Heather went and got to go boxes, even making some fresh tortillas for me to enjoy with my food at home. She went a step further and brought separate containers for my beans and rice. I was once again impressed. I did at one point speak to her manager Joe just to tell him how about the wonderful service she was providing.

I don’t talk to managers about average service but I have long ago made it a rule that outstanding or awful service will result in me having a conversation with your manager. I also tip accordingly, so yes Heather earned an nice tip for her outstanding service. I think we need a lot more attentive servers like her. She turned an average night out into the perfect date night.

Thank you Heather.

I’m saving that for ….

I was looking through a number of photos and items from my mom’s old house. My mother passed away a few years ago. Many of the items I found were still brand new in the packaging. She was always saving it for something special. Well I’ve decided that if I buy something for a special occasion that it had better have a date.

I have been a Flybaby that’s a follower of Flylady for over a decade. I have decluttered many times only to regather some but not all of what I rid myself of. So it is getting progressively better, but I gasped when I found a shirt I’d been saving that was ruined and it still had the tags on it.

Flylady teaches us that if you don’t love it don’t keep it, set it free to bless someone else. So I’ve decided to make that my focus with a twist. If I buy it have a date for which it is being used, if I can’t come up with a date or event don’t buy it.

I have heard tell of many stories where a loved one passes away and upon going through their things they find several that were never used. I don’t want to be that statistic. I don’t need an event to use a pretty teacup, any day can be made special if I’m wearing the shirt with the rhinestones. Is there a rule that says I can’t use a table cloth on a Thursday? Since I don’t think any of these are true I’m going to free myself up to use those special items or set them free to bless someone else.

A note about flylady. It is a whole life organizational system. It teaches you how to set your life up for success. It helps you break down even the largest of tasks into 15 minutes sized chunks and how to spend an extra two minutes to keep your bathroom clean. It wont tell you how to get rid of a stain, it will teach you how not to have a kitchen full of dirty dishes. It will let you have friends and family over even on the spur of the moment.

I could go on for pages explaining how Flylady has changed my life, but I won’t, at least not on this post. All I can say is I went from the worst housekeeper / manager ever to company ready on 5 minutes notice. No it didn’t happen overnight, but it did happen. Seriously give it a try, they even have tips for getting kids and how to keep their rooms from being the land of the lost.

Why I refuse to hide the fact that I’m a US Army Wife.

First let me state that in my unsolicited and semi informed opinion ISIS or ISIL (same group two names) is a terrorist group. Their goal is to create terror and chaos in the region and cause fear throughout the world. They post videos of their violence online for a number of reasons. Some of the most obvious reasons are: an attempt to influence the actions of the countries fighting against them, to recruit new members who aspire to such evil, lastly to terrorize everyone. They want us to cower and hide in fear.

This is the definition of terrorism from the online merriam-webster dictionary. “

ter·ror·ism

noun \ˈter-ər-ˌi-zəm\

: the use of violent acts to frighten the people in an area as a way of trying to achieve a political goal

So ISIS wants us to be frightened. While I think there are lone wolf terrorists here in this country right now, I will NOT change my social media profiles! I will not hide the fact that I am married to a member of the US Army. I refuse the give them a victory over me. I will proudly hand out my business cards that proclaim I am an army wife. I will still wear shirts and hoodies that tell you about my spouse. I refuse to let ISIS terrorize me. I will admit that my husbands battalion motto has influenced my decision. Hearing the entire battalion of soldiers call out “No Fear, Sgt Major, No Fear.” is quite inspiring. If they are not showing fear as a spouse I will also show NO FEAR.

I have been both encouraged and criticized for this approach. I understand that each and every military family will have to make their own choices in the face of threats this group of evil doers have been making. I am not saying that my choice is the correct on for everyone, I’m saying I will follow my heart, and not let an army of evil doers, who are largely half a world away terrorize me.

“I didn’t want to bother you.” What it really means to me.

Okay as some of you know I have become a wheelchair user. I have noticed several things after this change occurred in my life. I was once a very active volunteer. First I was told that a handicapped accessible museum did not want or need wheelchair users as volunteers. So I thought about fighting this but decided to just move on and spend my time where I would be valued. So I moved on to try and volunteer with the FRG (Family Readiness Group).

I kept hearing the same refrain “I didn’t want to bother you with…”

This frustrated me beyond belief. If I’m reaching out offering my time you are not bothering me. I soon decided that “I didn’t want to bother you” actually translates to “I didn’t think you could do be of any use since you are in a wheelchair. That is very offensive. So for a while I just hid and ignored the world. Yes, I admit that was not the best idea, but I needed time to adjust to having wheels.

So after getting a new ultra light chair I found even more freedom and abilities. I decided it was time to get back out there. I moved forward with the knowledge that I would have to work 5 times as hard as my cohorts since they were walking. I had to prove I could make valuable contributions from my chair.

I set out to get any and all certifications I could so that I would be more valuable to the FRG. So far I have 5, a 6th will come soon. I have been welcomed by the new leadership of the FRG and made some wonderful new friends.

In short I’m saying don’t tell someone you didn’t want to bother them, if they are offering you help. It’s no bother they want to be included. Just because someone is a wheelchair user, don’t count them out, they know their own limits. They can probably do more than you think. If you think something is to difficult for them, ask don’t assume.

My husband will be deploying next year my biggest concern is how to get the trash can to the curb and back. Yep thats it, the trashcan. He knows his job I can take care of myself, the rest is just noise.