What Just Happened?!

So I’m pretty sure if I wanted to, I could be a millionaire. All I have to do is start writing down all the funny, crazy, and unbelievable things that happen in a day in the life of a Starbucks Barista. Some things are so hilarious that I can’t get through a day without laughing so hard I almost cry. Some things are so infuriating that I have to step in the back room and catch my breath before I totally freak out. But there’s never a day I don’t come home with some stories, and never a day when I don’t utter the phrase, “What just happened??” So occasionally on the blog, I’m going to share some of these stories. Here’s some of my favorites lately:

Man goes through drive thru and orders a Venti latte with 4 equals. When he gets to the window, the following conversation ensues:

Man: Did you put 4 Equals in my Latte?

Barista: Yes, sir, I did.

Man: Yes, that’s what I asked for.

Barista: Yes.

Man: That’s too many. (note: he has not received or tasted his beverage yet.)

Barista: What?

Man: That’s too many. It should have 2.

Barista: Um. Did you want it remade?

Man: Well, yes. You made it too sweet.

What just happened?

We make a cappuccino. A cappuccino, by definition, is espresso shots with half milk and half foam. A cappuccino is NOT what comes out of a machine at 7-11. Often, this creates dissatisfaction among our customers. The other day I took a call from an upset customer.

Me: Thanks for calling Starbucks, Ashley speaking, how can I help you?

Woman: Yes. I was JUST in there. I come in all the time. I always am in there buying drinks.

Me: Ok. Um, how can I help you?

Woman: Well, I was JUST in there. And I ordered a drink, and it was HALF FOAM. IT WAS ONLY HALF FULL.

Me: Can I ask what beverage you ordered?

Woman: Cappuccino.

Me: Oh, I am so sorry. See, our cappuccinos are actually made with half foam and hal—

Woman: NO! I SAID IT WAS HALF FOAM. My drink was HALF FOAM. It was made wrong.

Me: Yes, ma’am. See, though, our cappuccinos are actually made with half foam and half milk. That’s the recipe. Were you looking for a latte? Mostly milk?

Woman: You are not listening. MY DRINK WAS WRONG. IT WAS HALF FOAM. I WANT A NEW ONE.

Me: Sigh. Yes, ma’am. Please come in for a free drink, on us.

What just happened?

Crazy?

So. I’m going to Tennessee in December to run in a half marathon at St. Jude Hospital in Memphis.

Pause. Deep breath. Am I crazy? Perhaps. Or, perhaps not. Let’s go back to the very beginning….

I still remember the first blog I read. A friend of mine from high school had found out some devastating news about the baby boy she was carrying, and her blog address got passed around to most people that knew her from my small school. I read along and followed the journey of her pregnancy, the birth, and her son’s few yet impactful months on earth. From there, I learned of another family’s blog and followed along on a journey of a lung transplant and micro-preemie baby. From, there, it just went on and on….the world of blogs is vast and I’m pretty sure it has no limits. There are craft blogs, political blogs, medical blogs, mom blogs…you name it, there’s a blog about it. Having been quite the Xanga (come on, you know you remember Xanga…) fan back in college, I decided to hop on the bandwagon, and though I’ve never been the most faithful blogger, I have always been a faithful, if quiet, reader of my favorite bloggers. I never really found a niche of blogs, though, I just sort of dabbled around in the popular ones other people posted on Facebook or told me about. Then, I had kids, bought a home, and starting really living life, and I found some of my favorite blogs–blogs that have inspired me, encouraged me, and made me realize how beautiful life can be. I have found blogs that remind me of the grace of God in the midst of tragedy, and remind me of his love even in the little things of daily life. While many blogs are on this list, one of the ones that has been at the top of my list for a long time is Finding My Feet, a blog by a wife and mom named Raechel. I’ve been a silent reader for nearly the entire time, until VERY recently, when I realized that maybe it was weird that I read every blog post she wrote, and she had no idea I even existed So I sent over a little tweet (that entire sentence makes me giggle. Twitter is SO weird.) I patted myself on the back for being brave, and went on my merry little way. Then, Raechel said she had an announcement for her readers.

Enter this post.

Now, most people who know me know that I’ve been saying for YEARS that I want to run a marathon. It’s just one of those things on my bucket list that I really want to accomplish. I’ve only ever run in a 5k though, and haven’t run consistently since before the kiddos came along. But a half marathon? In Decemeber? That could totally be doable. And just might provide the motivation to train. AND, I could actually MEET a person who, in a super weird way, is like a friend. Not to mention help an amazing cause and get to be part of something bigger than myself.

Me and Geoff after our 5k, pre-wedding. Forever ago, it seems!

The blog world is so crazy. To think that we *know* people because of a few snapshots of their lives; to spend time in a world so far removed from our own without ever making our presence known…but it’s also so beautiful. A community of people that come together with things in common–whether they be crafts, or kids, or loss, or death, or pregnancy, or recipes, or faith. And I am thrilled beyond belief to be part of this world, and to be stepping out and making this world a little more real. So, maybe I am crazy. But I told you guys, I am on a quest to find the beauty in life, and something tells me this is going to be a beautiful adventure. I can’t wait to see how this unfolds, and what I learn while I’m training. I am anticipating some hard days of tiredness, time management and discipline struggles, and wanting to throw the towel in on this crazy scheme. But I am also anticipating accomplishing a life goal of mine, learning discipline, and getting to meet some amazing people.

So, crazy? Sure. But what’s life if not for a little craziness sometimes?

Recipe Post: Avocado Goodness!

Sooo, here’s my first recipe post! This is for one of our most favorite things to eat–we didn’t make this up, but we edited it a little. I’ll post the link to the original recipe at the bottom in case anyone wants to compare. This dish is especially great in the summer when produce is fresh and local, plus its great because you don’t need to use the oven and make your house hot; a big plus in this crazy heat we’ve been having! It’s a refreshing, delicious salad.

So, first lets gather our ingredients.

You will need: 2 ripe tomatoes, 1 red onion, 3 limes, 1 yellow pepper, 1 jalepeno pepper, 1 can of black beans, 1 can of corn, olive oil, cayenne pepper, fresh garlic, and salt. The thing I LOVE about this recipe is all of the amounts are totally flexible. Like things super spicy? Throw in another jalepeno. Green peppers on sale? Use that instead of yellow. Or, in this case, if all you have is half of a red onion, no worries We also love to use fresh corn in the summer instead of canned corn; but I didn’t have a chance to get any.

Ok, so first you want to take the tomatoes, peppers, and onion and chop them up. Again, this is totally personal preference–we leave ours pretty chunky, but you could dice them smaller if you prefer. Throw it all into a big bowl, and then zest one (or 2 if you prefer!) of the limes on top. You should have a bowl that looks something like this:

Next, toss in your cans of corn and beans–drained! The salad will get a dressing, so make sure you don’t put liquid in now. Give it all a good mix.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Next you want to put together the dressing. Whisk together your olive oil, the juice from your limes, cayenne pepper, salt and minced garlic. I just measure my oil and then add all the ingredients to my measuring glass. When it’s whisked, go ahead and add it to your salad.

The last thing is to chop your avocados. Avocados are just one of the most wonderful things in the entire world. You want to make sure they are perfectly ripe though–they should be soft to the touch, but NOT squishy. Check for any super soft spots, they will be bad. But make sure it isn’t too firm; you want it to be soft and buttery. To cut them, just slice it in half longways, stick your knife into the pit, and twist it out. Then cut the flesh into squares and scoop it out with a spoon, as pictured below.

Toss your avocado in your bowl with the other ingredients, but mix it gently because your avocado will get smushy if you mix it too much.

Now you’re looking at a fresh, delicious salad! You can eat it straight out of the bowl like this, or put it on a bed of lettuce. You could eat it with rice, or, our favorite is to eat it with tortilla chips–the extra crunch and salt are just perfection. This is also a great meal to have without any meat because the avocado and beans make it very filling. However, if you’re feeling carnivorous like we were, you can add fish, chicken, or steak. We’ve tried it all ways and it pairs well with any protein. Tonight we put some steak on top and it was DELICIOUS!

And there you have it–one of the best dinners ever. Special thanks to my hubby for photographing this as we went along. Let me know if you try any great variations!

Here’s the original recipe: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/guacamole-salad-recipe/index.html

Sweet Sammy is 18 months!

Dear Little Sammy,

How can you possibly be 18 months already? It seems like just yesterday you were 6 months old (the first 6 months of your life passed by dreadfully slow…but it has definitely picked up speed!) Since I’m terrible at keeping your baby book and saving memories, I want you to know some of the happy things you bring to this family. You have come so far in your little life!

You are hilarious. Absolutely hilarious. Right now, one of your favorite words is “stuck.” You use it eleventy billion times a day, when anything isn’t going like you think it should. If I go to open a door and it is locked, you shout “STUCK!” If you try to pick up something that is too heavy…”STUCK!” You find it so funny. You also think fake coughs and sneezes are hilarious, and your most favorite game is “stinky feet” where we smell your feet and make yucky faces. You also play a game your daddy invented where he lays on you and pretends to sleep, and you “wake him up.”

You are a total, 100% Daddy’s boy. If Daddy is around, you don’t want anything to do with anyone else. You will follow your daddy around the house, and if he needs to go to the bathroom, you will sit outside the door and cry until he comes back out. You’ve gotten better at when he leaves for work though, and now you like to wave out the door.

Daddy and Sammy playing Stinky Feet!

We got you lots of fun summer toys–a pool, a slide, and a bucket and shovel that you just love. You really love splashing in the water and pouring it on your head. Your other favorite things to do are read books, build block towers, and watch Super Why on the computer. You LOVE Super Why (and call it “Wha”) and get so excited when it comes on. Occasionally you will watch other stuff, but you aren’t very interested in TV unless that is on.

Sam and Super Why

You have a very sensitive and sweet heart. When you went to your friend’s birthday party, you walked around making sure that all the kids had a ball or toy to play with. You get upset when anyone else is upset, especially your baby sister. You could give her kisses all day long, but we have to be careful because sometimes your kisses turn into accidental bites. You also love to try to give her a pacifier, but sometimes it lands in her eye.

You love to “GO!” Anywhere to get out of the house makes you happy. Walks around the block in your car, the grocery store, going to Starbucks–you just love to get out. One of your newest words is “Costco” and it’s your favorite store. You aren’t a great napper, but have gotten better. You do great at night though, and almost always sleep from about 7a-7p.

Overall, you’re a pretty high maintenance kid, but you’re the best kid we could have hoped for. I love seeing your little personality and the boy you are becoming. I can’t believe we’re going to be celebrating your SECOND birthday in just a few months. Thanks for all the happiness and laughter you bring to life–you make my heart so happy and full. I love you, sweet boy!

Love,

Mommy