Conquering Fears?

So I know I wrote about some fears I have not too long ago BUT on Wednesday I reached my first step in conquering one of them! Remember that box that I told you I was afraid of in the gym?? Well I was able on Wednesday to get what I will call an "almost" successful jump- I got up but my feet didn't get all the way up so as soon as I was up I was right back down..

Today we were setting up our final workout of boot camp and one of the things on the board was to do burpee-boxjumps which is where you do a burpee (if you don't know what that is- google it..lol) then jump up on the box. One of the girls in my class was placing boxes for everyone (she's a sweetie!!) and I turned around and just jumped up- right up there like I was supposed to be up there.. then I tried again and I fell- backwards where I couldn't catch myself from falling (felt to me like slow motion) and didn't stop falling til I got to the wall- one of the coaches had this panicked look on his face and I just kept saying I'm good I'm good! LOL BUT then we started the workout and I started jumping up there like I'd always been doing it! I was still a little shaky and not getting good foot placement but my coach told me I was too far away and once I got closer I was up there hitting the middle of the box each time- I'm sure they weren't the prettiest box jumps ever, BUT I do know that I most likely looked like this girl- minus the shin slam- (PS why is she wearing flip flops to jump??)
http://youtu.be/Tm475nhXFn4
So that's one fear conquered.. now to make them prettier and where I can do more at one time- I did about 10 today :D

Who made Mother Nature so mad??

I'm not quite sure who pissed off Mother Nature, but frankly they need to apologize!
First let me explain a few things- I do not mind cold when I live somewhere that is cold. I am NOT by any means a hot-weather loving gal. I prefer the cold. That being said I think it is fine time that it warm up a bit. I say this for 2 reasons:
1. NO MORE SNEAUX DAYS!! (Yes that's how they spell S-N-O-W in Louisiana.. don't ask) Our kids have already missed I think 6 days? This friday was supposed to be a holiday but now is a school day.
2. NO MORE SNEAUX DAYS!!! LOL when we have sneaux days the box is closed (the box is the gym) and I hate missing workouts :( I have very little self-motivation to do a workout at home!
It's not just Louisiana that is taking a hit. But since I live here that's what I will tell you about lol. Tonight during dinner it started with some thunder then heavy rain and now they are expecting some ice to start soon!!
Here's what our radar looks like now:

And here is what we are expecting in just a little while:

I'm not sure I ever mentioned this before but we've lived at this same post twice. When we were here the first time waaaaaay back in 1997 we had a terrible ice storm- I'm hoping that this one is not anything like that one!! Back then we lost power, trees there was ice on everything and every where!
The bad thing about the winter weather here is that Louisiana is not equipped to handle this weather in long bursts- usually they get a cold snap for a couple of days and then it warms back up but this year it seems like mother nature is putting us into a deep-freeze. It really makes me miss living up north- at least there you expect it and when you hit 40 degrees it feels so warm!!
How's the weather where you live?? <3

Goin' on a trip!!

So Remember when I said I had a trip coming up that I was going to get to see my team of girls from my business?? Well that trip was this last weekend. I packed a suitcase and went to the airport and flew all the way up to Cleveland, Ohio! The local airport here is tiny (only has 4 gates) and is a very peaceful airport- you come in check in, drop your bag go upstairs have a cup of coffee or snack at the little restaurant/bar go thru security and relax a bit til it's time to go. It's come a long way since the mid 1990's when I flew into this same airport to report to post as my first duty station. Back then it was just a white concrete building with a help desk, a taxi stand and I believe a 1-toilet restroom. I was from a small town- but this shocked me! Now it's a beautiful plantation-esque (or maybe it's grecian lol) building made of brick with some columns. Very nice improvements!!

Anywho- I flew from this quiet airport to Atlanta (Home of CHAOS) and had to deal with zillions of people (I stand completely by that number) who were rushing from one plane to the other, I on the other hand had a 2 hour layover to figure out what to do in... I found my new gate (after having to change terminals-anyone whose been to Atlanta knows what a pain this is) got myself a snack and waited for my next flight. As I flew further north I began to notice snow on the ground. I've never flown somewhere that had snow!! I've lived there but never flown in/out when there was snow on the ground- I wondered how this would impact landing!! (YAY something else to be anxious about)

But I made it into Cleveland and waited for my team to pick me up/luggage to come out of the baggage claim and got to spend time with my gals on Friday night. We went to dinner together and then back to our hotel to get ready for our mini-convention the next morning! We had a GREAT time Learned some AMAZING things and best of all got to spend lots of time together!!
When we woke up on Sunday morning it was snowing in Cleveland.. not hard, but a good steady snow! When we got downstairs to get ready to go to the airport the sidewalk in front of our hotel was a slushy mess- we loaded the car up and headed to the airport. I've decided that the state of Ohio doesn't have a single snow plow.. or if they do they are invisible- because in the entire trip to the airport I didn't see a single one.. In New York you see one every 5 minutes when it's snowing! Anyhow- made it to the airport and got checked in and went to my gate- where to my HORROR I saw this:

I knew there was a runway out there.. somewhere.. right? (OH and I think I found all of Ohio's plows.. they were at the airport).. GAH. If you have anxiety about anything this is sure to help trigger it. So I had some time to kill so I went and had some grilled chicken and a glass of wine at one of the restaurants in the airport- the wine helped.. a LOT! When our plane came in it was snowing a little less but was still snowing- but you could kind of see the runway out there- see?

.. well okay maybe not.. BUT at least I knew there was a runway somewhere that this plane had come in on! They let all the passengers off, cleaned and reset the plane and we boarded. We were at the gate for FOREVER past our take off time when the pilot announced we had to be de-iced.. GAH.. it was as bad as I thought it was!! I've never been de-iced before- wasn't even sure how they do that- but we taxied up to a "holding area" that was the de-icing lane- kind of like a car wash line. There were 2 planes that I could see out my window and I'm sure a couple more on the other side. This truck drove over with a weird cab on top of it and these weird spraying nozzles- and the guy up in the cab was driving the truck from up there (swear it's true- freaky but true)

And then they started spraying the plane with this orange-thick fluid! The whole plane was covered in it- I watched as this ooze flowed over my window in horror- but hoping and praying that this stuff is going to keep our plane from freezing up!!

And guess what?? It worked- we got up in the air and I made it from Cleveland, back to Atlanta with only a minor delay- BUT now my 1 hour 1 minute layover was just a 40 minute layover and I had to change terminals AGAIN.. so I hit the ground RUNNING in Atlanta- true story- okay well I ran down the escalator to the train doors and then back from the train to the gate to be safe- and I made it with just enough time to go potty and get a drink! YAY!
We got boarded and I was next to a man eating french fries.. seriously dude? Anyway- outside my window I watched the world of Atlanta get smaller and I took some time to read a book- I looked up at just the right time to realize we were crossing the Mighty Mississippi River! So amazing!

and then I noticed that there was this weird pattern on my window- kind of like a star or an angel.. was pretty neat to see it- check it out:

When we landed I was so appreciative of the quiet, peaceful airport here- It was so easy- no one was fighting to get to their connecting gates, no one was rushing for anywhere but a bathroom. I got into my car and I drove myself HOME.. it's good to be HOME.. I love to travel but I always LOVE coming HOME..

Do you ever have crazy travel stories? <3

Customer Service

Okay so it's not a secret that I run a business. In my business I strive to provide my customers with good (if not excellent) customer service. I go out of my way most of the time to ensure they are happy.
BUT lately I have had a string of bad customer service situations with other businesses. When you provide me with less than good service, I tend not to recommend you to my friends, customers and general public. When you provide me with horrible service I tend to make sure everyone knows how bad it was. Not to try to hurt your business, but rather to help my friends from having the same experience.
I always try to give the benefit of the doubt- is there a possible reason why your service is terrible? If its justifiable or understandable then I don't get upset, but when there is NO GOOD REASON, then I of course get upset. If you lie to me, that's even worse. It's better to tell the truth in all situations. Case in point: Not long after moving to Louisiana I took my car to the dealership to get an oil change. I got there and they said it would be about 45 minutes- no problem, settled into the waiting area with my son and we waited. About 20 minutes go by and the service advisor comes in, my first thought was "Wow, that's awesome!!" thinking they were done- but he came in to tell me that when they went to torque my oil plug open that the threads came out of the oil pan.. say what? He had a quote for a new oil pan in hand and told me I couldn't leave with my car.. say what again? He told me to call a rental agency and get a rental and that my car would be ready in 2-3 days if I could just sign this page- the estimate for the new oil pan.. one that they just broke? Hold up- you just broke my car and want me to pay to fix it? I think at that moment I lost my ever loving mind. See I have religiously maintained my 10 year old car at the dealer only. I have always had a great relationship with the service department in each of the places I've lived since buying this car. And I've NEVER heard of oil plug threads coming out of the oil pan.. So I told him to hold up- I want my car on the lift and I want you to show me what is wrong with it- he looked at me in shock and disbelief.. see, my dad is a mechanic, our first dealership where we bought the car used to put it on the lift and show you the underside if there was a problem, come to think of it, they all have.. He told me that safety rules prohibit that.. I said you better go ask someone else- and I walked outside and called my dealer in New York- they said that the stripped oil pans are a result of not using a standard wrench to remove the plug but rather using a torque wrench- which at this point the new dealership was saying they didn't use.. (LIE). So the service advisor went and got the service manager- and at this point I was quite loud and crying (crying because I was angry) and I told him to put my car on the lift and show me what was wrong with it. I also told him that I've never been told I had to get a rental car when getting my car fixed at any other dealership and that I've always been given a loaner. He told me that they charge people for their loaners.. SERIOUSLY?? I told him that was NOT acceptable. I drove an hour to get to this dealership (closest to me) so that I could get my car into a dealership service not just a walmart oil change. At this point I was ready to just get my car towed home I was that upset. Finally he came in and told me that he'd "Give" me a loaner car but that I'd have to pay to get the oil pan fixed. I said fine- Fix it- 3 days later when they called to say it was ready when i got there the FIRST thing I did was lay on my back and crawl under my car to ensure that the oil pan on my car was indeed new. As I paid, the lady in the cash cage asked to schedule my next appointment and I said, "I'm sorry I won't be back. The customer service here is lacking in so many ways in the service department" She apologized but didn't look surprised. What would they have had to do to make me believe they cared bout customer service? Possibly owned up to the fact that they broke the oil pan and they replaced it free of charge? Maybe just be nicer about the whole situation instead of acting like I broke my car. Who knows. All I know is that I'm due for another oil change here soon and I am looking for a new dealership to go to!

Have you ever had horrible Customer Service?? What happened?? How'd it resolve??
<3

It's February!!

Oh my goodness- where have I been the last few days?? To be honest, barely near a computer except for brief moments here and there. It's been a chaotic last few days! I thrive on the chaos though because time moves faster the busier you are! My poor dogs have spent more time crated in the past 3 days than they have in a long time! :(
BUT the good news is that it's now February! Most people are getting ready for the super bowl today.. not me. I'm not a foot ball fan. My kids want to watch it, I'll let them but I am keeping that TV off as long as possible.. lol Today I'm more focused on laundry, house cleaning and getting all my business affairs in order from January (I know it's february but still working on some January things! PLUS I'm expecting several deliveries early this week! GAH!
I made myself some homemade spaghetti sauce this morning and it's simmering on the stove now until dinner. My kids are excited to have spaghetti but what they don't know is that I'm not cooking noodles.. I'm cooking a spaghetti squash instead. I'll have to let everyone know how that goes. I'm sure there will be some initial resistance but I'm hoping they come around pretty quickly.
I'm also trying to get ready for a super quick business trip I'm taking the end of the week to Ohio~ I get to see members of my team for my business plus get even more excited at what's to come this year!! I'm excited about this trip and nervous at the same time! I know it will all be okay!
Let's see what else is going on? As of today there are only 71 days until we go on our cruise. It's hard to get excited for that considering my hubby is still in Afghanistan.. I think once he's here it will be easier to get hyped for the cruise!
I guess that's really all the news on the home front here.. what are you doing for the super bowl??