Fun Fact

For a deck of cards to be mixed up enough to play with properly, it should be shuffled at least seven times.  

Fun Fact

Ketchup originated in China.

Customer Service Fails (and Wins)

Store #1:  "Can I help you?" the minute we enter, interrupting my conversation with Audrey. I finish my sentence. "Can I help you," repeated, this time with more urgency.

"No, just looking."

"We're closing at 4."  It's 3:50.

"Ok."

Store #2:  Walk into TINY store.  Not greeted, or acknowledged. Employee on the phone. Ok, fine - something important. Continue to browse, having actually come in to potentially treat myself to an item of overpriced goods. Daughter and I peruse the jewelry, fighting with a display that stubbornly insists on falling over. Minutes pass... apparently there is an issue with the credit card machine and the woman is desperately trying to iron things out. Unfortunately for her, that means stepping outside several times, because the reception in all the stores on our main street is terrible. On no pass is our presence acknowledged. (Did I mention how small this place is?)

Crisis averted. I notice that a ring is missing from a display, price tag beside it ... potentially bad news. I take it to the employee.

"I actually noticed that earlier," she says.

I ask about a specific type of item. "Oh, they're all over," she says. I feel very "Julia-Roberts-in-the-boutique" a la Pretty Woman.

Store #3: I am greeted immediately. I am chatted to and given several freebies. My child is spoken to by the owner, directly, and engaged in an actual, back-and-forth conversation, cheerfully, and in addition to the other customers in the store. I spend over $50.

Store #4: Greeted, chatted. Allowed a seat to rest, gather thoughts, respond to a text message. Child welcomed and allowed to play with the owner's own child's playthings. Engaged in random conversation.

Guess where I'll visit again?

I vow, in the presence of you, dear reader; I shall never again darken the door of Store #1 OR Store #2. Ever.

Fun Fact

The average American chews 190 sticks of gum, drinks 600 sodas and 800 gallons of water, and eats 135 pounds of sugar and 19 pounds of cereal per year.

Fun Fact

There are more than one hundred chemicals in one cup of coffee.

Retreat: When

When ... it was a bit ago. But you don't care about that, and neither do I, really. What matters, then, is when, in relation to life in general, I got away.

On the small, Maize timeline, and the larger, God's timing timeline. Where did my getaway fall in the grand scheme?

I may have mentioned before - I "asked" for a retreat before the "Trouble." It didn't happen, for a few reasons ... the biggest I think was my inability to communicate the urgency of my need. To an extrovert husband and two "moooooooooooooom-aged" kids ... it wasn't accepted understood. It wasn't feasible. Go away on a scrapbooking retreat weekend, sure; but don't ask to go off by yourself and do nothing for a few days. As my husband explained to me later, his thinking was, "I work hard, too, don't I deserve a vacation?" Yup. Only I have to refer to a previous post; my idea of vacation is "retreat" and not "attack a local theme park and/or ski slope."

So - we've established that I "wasn't supposed to" travel when I felt the desire to. Perhaps it wasn't yet a need... Enter: family trauma. Much stress and preoccupation. The only things that got billing were "eat, sleep, where are the kids, how is Ian today, did I send an update to everyone yet?" That routine completely filled 2-plus months. People brought food, did my laundry, fed the cat ... someone even came to clean once a month. I wouldn't really call it "allowing me to focus" on what mattered because truly, I didn't feel a lot of focus. I just WAS. Did the every day commute like it was my job ... because it was. Then ... the new normal; slow, at-home recovery. Adjusting to things with Ian home - the good and bad that comes with that. (no, I'm not ungrateful, just being honest).

So then it was August ... and it looked like a "now or never" window had appeared. Ian was comfortable doing the stairs alone. The kids weren't at school yet. The neighbors were around to help if needed.  It was hot; the perfect time to hole up inside in the AC ;)

I wanted to be gone more than 2 days; in my experience on other retreats, it takes me nearly a day to "settle in." But I didn't want to miss worship with my family. So that put us on weekdays.

Is there ever a good time to leave it all behind? Maybe. It's difficult for an overly-responsible personality to "ditch." Guilt inevitably comes. But you, dear friends, helped alleviate that guilt. You repeatedly reassured me that I "deserved" and needed a break. Thank you. Your support is incredibly important to me.

Fun Fact

Cranberry jelly is the only jelly flavor that comes from the real fruit, not artificial flavoring.