We're back!

Sorry I have been absent from the blogging world. We were in Washington D.C. and then I was in Boston. It didn't leave much time for posting. I'll post some pictures from our trip soon.

A fun story though. On my way home from Boston my flight to Valdosta was way overbooked. Since there were no more flights to Valdosta that night, they were offering some nice compensation for those who gave up their seat.

Well since I fly with only carry-on luggage and Mark picks me up, I just had them re-route me to Tallahassee. I only had to wait an extra hour and I still got the sweet compensation (400 Delta dollars).

It was a nice end to a great trip.

Leaving on a Jet Plane

It's 2 days until Mark and I take off on our belated honeymoon to Washington D.C. Last year when we got married, we didn't have enough vacation time from work to take a trip. So finally, almost 1 year later we are taking our vacation. Of course we are the nerds who are going to learn about history on our trip, but it should be a good time.

I will have internet access while we are away, so we may do some posting.

Have a good week!

Mopping the floor

The other evening as we were cleaning up from dinner, Mark commented that the kitchen floor needed mopped. I was aware of this and it was on my to-do list for the weekend cleaning. Well being the incredibly sweet honey he is, Mark decided it was going to bug him too much to wait. So you know what he did...


He got out the mop and did it himself. I appreciated it very much as I could now check something off of my list. Yipee!

Always been a phone person

I love talking on the phone. Since moving so far away from most of friends and family, this has been a huge benefit. I'm very thankful for Verizon "in" network and free nights/weekends, otherwise my phone bill would be terrible.

I also recently got a Vonage phone which has unlimited local and long-distance. I'm loving it as well. Now I can call some people whenever I want. I always try to be conscientious of my friend's cell phones. This way I don't use up their minutes.


Mark and I definitely survived our long-distance engagement through the telephone. We estimated we spent an average of 3 hours per day on the phone. We still talk that much since we've been married, we just do it in person now. When I'm on business trips we usually only are able to do 2 hours or so because I'm so busy. Mark's phone usage has notably dropped since we've been married.




So if you are bored and need something to do, feel free to give me a call. I am certainly a phone person.

Adventures with Amanda Part 2: Dinner with FJ

One evening during Amanda's visit we had some friends and family over for dinner. Just some people to hang out with Amanda. Being the terribly social bird she is, she enjoyed herself thoroughly.

FJ took this opportunity to give some cooking lessons. We had bacon wrapped chicken, fabulous mashed potatoes, asparagus etc... for supper. Then for dessert we had pound cake with berries and what Amanda & I lovingly refer to as "happy sauce."

A tribute to my brother "Fun was had by all"

Favorite thing

On a recent trip to South Bend, we were playing a little game at work where people asked another co-worker any random question.

For example:
What type of animal is most like you?
What is a childhood memory you have that defines your childhood?
Etc...


My question came from my boss as "What's your second favorite thing to do?"
I was a little surprised "Why my second?"
He smiled "We already know that spending time with your husband is your first?"

I guess it isn't any secret how much I enjoy just being with Mark.


What can I say? I love this man!

Adventures with Amanda

While Amanda was here, I did my best to show her some of the fun things to do in the South. Of course we had a low country boil and ate some of the best friend chicken in town.

Another popular favorite of mine in the Gulf Speciman Marine Lab in Pancea, FL. About 1 1/2 hour drive from Thomasville, this is the first "hand's on" aquarium I've ever been to. Depending on what they have in their tanks, you can touch all sorts of things from sand dollars and star fish to really large crabs.

Here is Amanda enjoying the touch tanks.

I always enjoy the horsehoe crabs. I would highly avoid them if you see one out on the beach. But in the safety of the gulf lab, these things are pretty cool.

Amanda-now that she has come and gone

My kid sister Amanda was here visiting us in Georgia. We had tons of fun. I'll try to post some pictures once I get them off my camera.

Amanda's birthday is tomorrow. She is going to be 16. I have to admit I'm a little sad, my baby is growing up. On the plus side though, this means she will be driving.



Some people ask if this frightens me or if I worry about her being on the road. Of course I worry about her in that I want her to be safe, but as far as young drivers go...she'll be just fine. Amanda is a pretty good driver for all accounts. The only way anyone learns to drive is...to drive.



Besides, my parents bought her a boat of a car. It is a 1990 Mercury Grand Marquis. This isn't an actual picture (as Amanda still needs to send me one) but it's something like this. Keep in mind this car is older than she is and only 1 year newer than the car I drove when I was 16. Not to make me sound old...but seriously. The funny thing about the whole ordeal is that this is the car she wanted. She picked it out and everything.

As long as she is safe. It sounds good to me. I'm just glad her and Dad found one they could agree on :).

Missing my friends and family

Sorry it has been so long since I last posted. Amanda (aka baby sister and short child) was here visiting for a little over a week. We had a fabulous time. I'll be updating my blog more with photos and memories of that. I truly enjoyed her visit but it does make me miss my family a little bit more. The day to day is fine. But sometimes after a wonderful visit, I get a little sad that I don't get to see them more often.

Then there are my friends who I see even less. There are even members of our wedding party who we haven't seen since the wedding. Part of the problem with moving to different places (Purdue, South Bend, Georgia) away from Gridley is that I make these wonderful friends then I move again. I now have a bunch of places where people who I miss live. All these places to visit, not enough time.

Oh well...Praise the Lord for friends and family. They have truly blessed my life in more ways than I can even fathom.

Stalking for customer service

Working for a company that mails out patient satisfaction surveys and promoting best practices to improve health care customer service, I have increased my expectations about what constitutes good customer service. I've also learned that to receive the service you need requires you be your own advocate.

Recently Verizon erroneously charged my credit card 75$. I had received no bill or notification of the charge. When I first called they couldn't even tell me that they knew my card had been charged. Needless to say it took at least 5 phone calls talking to as many as 4 people per phone call to get a proper credit. I also had a great deal of difficulty with a local doctor's office. A few years ago I got my leather coat replaced.

I have learned the following rules for effectively prying out excellent customer service from those who should willing give it.

Stalking for Customer Service- How to get your complaints sufficiently resolved.
1. Always keep records of everything. Keep all e-mails, bills, receipts, dates of phone conversations, names of people you talk to (especially those that are rude). As soon as you realize something is amiss, keep everything. This will prove valuable should you have to prove something to anyone.

2. Stick to the facts. Avoid at all costs inflating your claim or injecting emotional concerns. It only hurts your credibility. It never hurts to review your complaint prior to calling to make sure it is truly legitimate. You are likely to be caught with any falsehood (not to mention it is wrong) and emotional appeals yield little action.

3. Know what you want/deserve. Make sure you have clear expectations of how the issue will be resolved. Typically people will offer little up, be prepared to set the bar.

4. Put it in writing. Letters typically receive a better response than phone calls. Many organizations have policies about how written complaints are handled. With a phone call they'll just try to make you go away. A letter usually will get a manager's attention.

5. Be persistent. It may take several phone calls, letters or a visit. You need to demonstrate you are serious.

6. Leave NOTHING ambiguous. Always ask for a date when you can expect a response. When that date comes and nothing happens, call the same people back.

7. Take comfort in that at least you tried. You won't always be able to resolve issues completely, but it is our job as consumers to hold businesses to their promise.

Happy Stalking!

Sleeping in the bathroom

When children are growing up, sometimes communication with their parents struggles a bit. This issue becomes even more profound when the parents are awakened in the middle of the night.

All of us as children remember waking up in the middle of the night with an upset tummy. You waddle down to Mom and Dad's room because of course that is what you do. Mom and Dad's primary concern upon your arrival is that you don't vomit on the carpet.

Mark's younger brother one night woke up with an aching arm. He toddled down to his parent's room to seek a remedy (and likely a little sympathy). Dad was obviously groggy and must of misunderstand his chief complaint. He told the poor little tyke to go sleep in the bathroom. Even though the little guy was thoroughly confused, he was obedient. He promptly went to the bathroom and slept on the floor.

In the morning, Mom found him sleeping and inquired. He explained about his arm and that Dad told him to go sleep in the bathroom. Realizing very quickly what likely happened she assured him that it was just a misunderstanding. He did not have to sleep in the bathroom that night.

Fun parts of my job

One of the most common questions I get is in regards to my job. "What do you do?"

Well that is an interesting question. In my current position as a Knowledge Manager my primary activities revolve around researching best practices in patient satisfaction improvement and sharing them with our clients. Now of course my job also includes a wide variety of other activities as well.

One of the more entertaining ones occurred this past November. At our client conference in NYC we had our resource tables and booths each take on a Broadway play or musical to create a "Walk Down Broadway." This of course was terribly fun. With the release of Mary Poppins on Broadway just this past October, our team decided this was the perfect opportunity.

I firmly believe you can buy anything off the Internet and with the help of eBay I was able to procure a Mary Poppins costume.

So there I was in NYC at the Marriott Hotel dressed as Mary Poppins. I have included a picture for your amusement. Now please be forgiving of my tired face, after nearly 2 and 1/2 days on my feet straight...even Mary Poppins gets tired.

So my short stint as Mary Poppins is one of the many random aspects of my job.

My diligent husband

Over the past few months (pretty much since Jan 1), Mark has been working many many hours. The product he works with is in high demand and has had some production issues. This means that we've had very few weekends where he hasn't had to work. The first quarter of this year it also meant 10-12 hour days as well. This has thankfully tapered off a bit.

During this time of long hours and tiring days, Mark has maintained to keep up with his school work as well. He is close to completing his associates degree and will be moving on to his bachelors very shortly.

Everyday he comes home from work and studies for 3-4 hours. I'm so proud of his hard work and diligence. He also is careful to make a point of spending time with me. School keeps our days full but together, we'll get through it.

For those of you who don't know Mark, here is a picture of him on our recent trip to Chicago with my family.

Wishing you God's richest blessings

It is an exciting time in the world of my friends. In recent months, two very dear friends (bridesmaids actually) have had their engagements announced.

Katy Schlipf to Chris Stoller

&


Jolynn Schmidgall to Kevin Hodel

Each one is special to me and I'm excited to see how God has brought this change into their lives.

Marriage is a wonderful blessing. Yet it was in our singleness did these relationships even come to be. I wouldn't trade either.

Picking Blueberries

One of the joys of living in the South is the abundance of produce available. We have a year around farmer's market and I typically have an easier time getting produce than I did up north. They say only in the hottest times of the summer is there not something to harvest.

While we worked in the corn fields at home, young men down here may have a summer job of throwin' watermelons. When they harvest watermelons people walk down the rows picking up melons and throwing them to one another toward a truck. You build up quite the muscles doing that.

Well this past Saturday I met Mom and Dad Lindberg, Lydia and Caleb to pick blueberries. A lovely old lady named Miss Bea has an excellent blueberry patch behind her home. You can come pick fresh blueberries for 8.00 a gallon. Now if you have purchased blueberries in the store recently, you know this is quite the deal.

I only picked a 1/2 gallon and have come to realize I need to return and get some more. I think we are going Thursday or Friday. We had a dry spell earlier this year so the patch is a little thin and the berries not as plump according to Miss Bea. Yet they are tasty. The best part is she lets you eat as many as you like while you pick.

Melted Chocolate

If you have the inclination to mail me a present in the next few months, I highly recommend you stay away from food items. My company recently sent down a box of chocolates for my assistance with a project. Summers in Georgia are notably hot and humid.

Well they sat in the UPS guy's truck during the entire Memorial Day weekend. Needless to say they were a melted chocolate mess.

If you have the urge to send us anything...things that can stand extreme heat are highly recommended.


(Note: This is not a solicitation for gifts but for humorous purposes only)

For the birds

Throughout the warmer seasons of the year, all the birds that fly south for the winter return to their native lands. They leave us little reminders of their presence by the chripping, the flocks in the sky, and of couse the lovely droppings on your car.

While scrubbing your car is never fun, I've realize their are worse things. During my parents trip to Georgia in March, we were having lunch by a lake at a wildlife refuge. Commenting on the number of birds in the area, my dad was quickly reminded of their presence. They kindly sent him a present of dodo straight into his mouth. I was impressed my Dad's composure and restraint during this unfortunate incident.

Another gift was bestowed on us while Mark and I were taking wedding pictures. We were in an alley in downtown Bloomington. Looking up at the high buildings we saw a couple of birds look over the edge. They then promptly turned around and dropped one down. Thankfully it did not hit Mark or I in our wedding clothes, but the camera and another piece of the photographer's equipment was not so fortunate.

While the birds may feel they are sharing with us, those two experiences were definitely for the birds.

Salami and Ice Cream

One of my favorite bridal showers last year was with some friend's from Chenoa. These women have been a part of my life as long as I can remember. Many have been like alternative parents for me.

One of the games at the shower allowed me to ask the group about something they learned or experienced during their first years of marriage.

One lady, I'll call her Jane, shared the funniest story. When her and her husband, George, were first married he did all sorts of funny things. One night as they were crawling into bed he brought with him a stick of salami and a bowl of ice cream. Jane looking appalled didn't know what to do. His response was "Oh, I'm sorry. Do you want some?"

Smoke

As you may or may not know, the southeastern part of Georgia and north Florida has been plagued by wildfires in the Okefenokee Swamp. Up until recently we had not been personally effected. Well..my brother-in-law, Jake, is a fire fighter and is now gone for a 2nd time to fight them but that was as close as we had been.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/04/28/national/main2738548.shtml

Well apparently we've had some that are a little bit closer than before. Saturday and Sunday Thomasville and the surrounding area was covered with a smoky haze. It was like you were 1 block away from someone burning leaves...everywhere you went. It made for a fog on the road, prompting us to turn on our lights.

We speculate a change in the wind brought us the smoke. Well now the wind has changed again and the smoke has lifted.

I feel sorry for those who are close to the fire. Please pray for rain to help put out the fire and cure our definite drought.

Cooking

Before I was married, I already enjoyed cooking. I loved inviting people over to my apartment for a meal of any sorts. So when I did become a wife, I was already reasonably prepared in that area. Mark is anything but picky so he typically likes what I make.

So far I haven't put the wrong ingredient in or left something important out. The only trouble I have had it burning veggies. I bake cookies just fine. My meat is typically moist and tender. Yet for whatever reason, actually I know the reason is because I'm like my mom and I get distracted, I have burnt two pans of vegetables.

Now the only thing I'm doing is boiling a small pot of peas or mixed veggies for dinner. Nothing overly complicated. This is part of the problem. I put these on the stove and walk away. Typically to work on my computer. It isn't until more time has passed than I thought do I realize all the water has evaporated and my veggies are burned to the bottom of the pan.

Fortunately they aren't very expensive, Mark just laughs at me and we try again.

I'm glad so far it has only been burnt veggies.