Holidays

As the holiday season is fast approaching, I'll have to admit it comes with much joy and some sadness. This year Mark and I do have the opportunity to spend the week of Thanksgiving up in Illinois. Last year due to Mark's limited vacation time, we didn't get to go back for any major holidays.

This year we are sacrificing Christmas to Thanksgiving. Now Thanksgiving is a pretty big holiday in my family. Both sides get together and enjoy a time of sharing and of course eating. The food is always great even if some what predictable. I'm excited about going back to Illinois even if I know I'll be sad when we have to leave. We are leaving on the last flight out of Bloomington to fly home. I know this is crazy but it was the only way to make the most of the day. I'm trusting God will get us back to Georgia.

Here are some pictures from last year's events that my family sent me in our absence.

My Immediate Family Christmas

Vercler Family Thanksgiving

House Alarms

When I stay with different people in my trips to South Bend, many of them have home security systems. I've recently been a pro at setting these systems off.

The first time I did it, it really wasn't my fault. I thought someone was home, they weren't and I didn't know the code. So of course after I enter 60 seconds later the alarm goes off.

This most recent time...it was my fault. I was talking on the phone when I entered the house. Instead of pushing "off" after the code, I did like I had in the morning and pushed "away." If I had been focused on the task at hand...it probably wouldn't have happened.

Now if you have never experienced the perils of a house alarm going off, I liken it to what I think alarms at the end of the world will sound like. So loud that you can't think straight. I think they protect your house from burglary as the criminals will be scared and deafened by the noise.

I did get them shut off eventually and no police showed up so it wasn't a huge deal. Just a lesson learned.

Tabasco Sauce

I had a very early flight with a fairly long lay-over on my recent trip to South Bend. In an effort to curb my hunger and entertain myself during my layover, I decided to have breakfast at one of the restaurants in the Atlanta airport verses just getting a quick bite to go. I should have got the quick bite to go.

As many of you know, I travel with carry-on luggage only. As I was trying to arrange it around my table, I accidentally bumped over a bottle of Tabasco Sauce. It then promptly broke and splattered all over tile floor. In addition it doused the ankle of a man wearing a very nice light tan suit at the table next to me. Needless to say he wasn't impressed (or very nice). I apologized profusely and the waitress helped him clean it.

They then moved me to another table (probably for my own protection) and to clean up the mess. To top it all off, I had an itch in my eye. I didn't realize I still had the Tabasco Sauce still on my fingers and of course it caused my eye to burn. I did get it rinsed out but it probably looked like I was crying over spilled Tabasco Sauce.

Oh well, such is life.

Surprise from Mark

Earlier this year I had seen this very cool watch on-line. I wanted to get it right away but I thought a little delayed gratification would be good for me, so I decided I'd ask for it at Christmas. The watch is part of a unique collection designed by Mindy. I was so bummed when about a month or so later it was labeled at "sold" on the site.


It turns out my honey decided to surprise me with the watch (hence why it was sold). He went to a lot of work to get it without my knowledge. He had it shipped to his brother's place so that I wouldn't find it in the mail. It is extremely difficult to get things by me here since I work from home. I was thoroughly impressed and happily surprised. He even called my mom at one point to make sure she wouldn't buy me a different one for Christmas like I had requested. I think I have one of the sweetest most romantic men on the planet.


Needless to say I really like the watch. If you are looking for a unique watch, I highly recommend you check out Expressions by Mindy I have had several friends who really like their watches and now I can speak for the quality myself. Mark made an excellent purchase.

Visiting our Representative

On our trip to Washington D.C., we stopped by the offices of our Representative and Senator to get gallery tickets to watch Congress in session. We throughly enjoyed watching the lawmakers and were some what taken aback by the casualness of these decisions.

On a more positive note, visiting our Rep's office was a lot of fun. Mr. Sanford Bishop's receptionist offered us drinks and snacks. She also let us go into his office and told us just to relax. Given how hot of a day it was, it did feel nice. It was a little weird but we got some fun pictures.

Smoke Alarm

On our vacation our smoke alarm was really sensitive. I was making dinner on Sunday evening. Just boiling some mac n' cheese when all of sudden the thing started going off. I wasn't even burning anything!

Well it is one of those electronically wired to the building alarms. This caused a great deal of concern for me as we may end up evacuating the whole building. Well we got it to quit but I was paranoid every time we cooked that we would set it off again.

My brother is here

My brother is down in Thomasville for a little while working on a project for Caterpillar. He just arrived yesterday. I feel bad because our air conditioning went out last night. He got to experience a very warm first night with us. The repair person hopefully is coming today. I'm stalking our maintenance man to make sure he is.

Other than that everything is good. We don't know how long Brian will be here. It will depend on how long the project takes. It may be several weeks. Mark & I excited to have him around.

Cold Shower

On our recent trip to Washington D.C. we stayed in a condo instead of a traditional hotel. We enjoyed this immensely as it gave us more space plus a kitchen, washer/dryer etc...

A funny thing happened our first couple of days. We arrived on Saturday morning and after a brief nap we decided to go exploring. We walked all over and after coming home hot a sweaty decided a shower was in order. When I turned on the water I messed around with the handle to find the hot and the cold. I thought the hot was all the way over to the left because when I turned it all the way over to the right it got even colder.

On that first day the water never did get very hot. It wasn't cold but it wasn't very warm either. Sunday morning I get up and do the exact same thing. This time the water isn't what I would call "cold" but it certainly wasn't warm either. I crawled back in bed after my shower and Mark commented how chilly I was. I told him that we needed to talk to the rental office soon about the "cold" water. Our water heater may need some fixin'.

The ever resourceful Mark tried out the shower again. He found out I had been turning the handle the wrong way. Our problem wasn't that we lacked hot water...rather our water never got very cold. I'm glad we figured this out on Sunday because I averaged two showers a day and I wasn't going for the "Jamaica experience."

Here is a picture of our bathroom in the condo.

Riding the Metro

During our trip to Washington D.C. we traveled around the city using the Metro system. We had wonderful passes that gave us unlimited use for 7 days. The train even allowed us to get out close to the D.C. Apostolic Church. With the help of a wonderful member, we were able to attend services our first Sunday there.

The Metro runs very regularly and can get you about anywhere you want to go. We had a good location to be clsoe to a station.

Here are some pictures of our Metro travels.

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.