cars, vacation, movies, life...

I've been on vacation this week, which has been a very welcome break.:) I've been able to rest up as well as get some things done around here. We had originally planned to camp this week, but since Luke got that security job he's had to work, so we aren't going anywhere until tomorrow morning when we will head to Chicago until Sunday. I'm very excited to get away for a bit; we always have a great time there and we've found that using priceline etc can make it much more affordable. We are planning to visit the Chicago Museum of Contemporary Art and take in a White Sox game among other things. We'll be spending an afternoon in Wicker Park area too, which is always a highlight for me.

A couple of weeks ago, after much consideration, we decided to take advantage of the cash for clunkers program as our '89 f150 has been pretty unreliable (not to mention unsafe & terrible on gas). Ordinarily we never would have considered getting a brand new car, but being able to get $4500 out a truck we would have been lucky to make $700 off of was a huge blessing. We've been planning to get a car for sometime and had been saving toward that end, so we kind of felt that this was just another way God was providing for us. Our truck didn't have air bags or a horn and the drivers seat belt definitely wasn't up to par, and neither of us wanted the other party to drive it, so we thought it was time.:) We found a car (nissan versa) that we felt we could afford and bought the very base model (not much to it:). We are pleased with our purchase and it has made car logistics much easier. It's nice to have two reliable vehicles. As many issues as there are with the cash for clunkers program, we felt that it was great solution for the position we were in.

Movies are obviously a frequent topic on my blog (in fact I'm considering starting another blog for my own persoal movie reviews) and I hope that doesn't bore people too much.:) Luke and I both just happen to love movies and it's one of favorite evening activities (complete with our own discussion & assessment:). We recently decided to join Netflix and we are pretty excited about it. When we moved to the southside, we quit getting cable; it was too expensive and we watched movies alot more anyway. We figure netflix is a lot cheaper (ours is $9 a mo.) than cable and for us will be more enjoyable. You can get great classics, documentaries and foreign films that would be hard to find otherwise, not to mention the fact that they arrive in your mailbox.:) We already added over 100 movies to our queue; it can be a bit addictive. I'm not sure how we'll ever get them all watched.:) We just watched "Watchmen" (very good, by the way) and are eagerly awaiting our next selection.

In other movie news, I will be seeing "Julie and Julia" tonight, which should be good. Also, I am ridiculously excited about Tarantino's new movie, "Inglorious Basterds" which opens this weekend. Luke and I seriously can't wait to see it and so we may be finding a theater in Chicago to view it at.:)

Fantasy Football season is quickly approaching, which means fall is almost here. It's hard to believe that summer is all but over. It's felt like a strange one; definitely out of the ordinary. Life has been good, though. Not without it's challenges or moments of being overwhelmed, but God is good and it is such a comfort knowing that He is there taking care of us.

i saw a news blurb...

about Gen Con (gaming convention) this weekend in Indy. I guess that would explain why there was a man dressed like a Zelda character milling about in my art section at work yesterday. I pretended like it was normal.

the big day

So, Marge got married last weekend... and it was a pretty awesome occasion.:) She did a great job planning it and achieving her dream wedding (a vintage hollywood feel). Alot of people contributed their skills and helped make it a very memorable occasion. It's hard to believe she's married; I'm so happy for her and Philip and I'm very proud of them.
I enjoyed designing the invitations and programs. There were moments where I had school flashbacks of deadlines and printer problems, but in the end everything came together fairly well.:) (Although I'm still trying to catch up on sleep:). Alaina and I collaborated on the wedding favors. She made 250 rice krispie treats (Marge's favorite and no small task:) and I designed the tags we attached. For the guestbook Marge and I had the idea to do a painting that everyone could sign and that they would then have as a memory piece from their wedding. I wasn't sure if I would get it completed, but at the last minute I did and we were both happy with the result. I still have to frame it for them... I didn't quite have enough time for that.:) You can see the painting (pre-signage) at Alaina's blog along with several other wedding photos.
Marge looked amazing in her dress (designed and sewn by her new sister-in-law; accessorized by mom (veil) and our sister-in-law (jewelry)). I really appreciated the charge that the pastor gave to th couple; as a married person I find it encouraging and refreshing to concentrate on the Godly advice given to couples at their weddings. I felt that Pastor Beachy's charge was very meaningful and full of good reminders for any married couple. My aunt did a great job decorating and maintaining the "vintage" feel Marge was going for. They had a wonderful jazz band for the reception: the John Harden Project. I have a feeling that if I could have this band at my house playing that music all day long, I would get a lot more done.:) It was a truly beautiful wedding. Congratulations to Marge and Philip!

a customer service rant...

-to the customer who was laughing out loud about the book he was reading in the coffee area: please don't, it's awkward.

-to the cutomer who #1 talked on the phone throughout our entire register transaction, #2 took a bag for one book and #3 payed me with money that you pulled out of your bra: #1 that's inconsiderate, #2 that's wasteful, #3 that's disgusting. don't.

-to the customer who rejected my offer with incredulity and anger and cut me off every time I attempted to explain my reasoning: your offer was bigger than I normally would have done for the 3 books you brought in (I was trying to be nice) and I'm especially mad at you because I wanted one of the books you were selling.:)

-to the customer(s) that trashed my section, which I had worked very hard to get in order: you are supposed to be adults. act like it.

-to the customer who had me look for 8 different books via phone (even though I ordinarily only would have looked for 2 and was trying to be nice) and then decided that you didn't want the 2 that I actually did find: that was irritating. I wasted 20 minutes trying to help you and didn't so much as get a "thank you."

-to the customer that was trying to interrupt me while I was helping a customer at the register just so you could find out where V.C. Andrews might be: that's rude. wait your turn.


Maybe I was just feeling extra irritable yesterday or maybe people were just extra annoying, who knows. At any rate all of these minor annoyances took place and I found myself very ready to go home at the end of the day. Don't get me wrong, I love my job. But anyone who has worked in retail has put up with many thoughtless customers and can probably identify. A thank you to the customers that actually patiently wait their turns, ask how my day is, say thank you and show a bit of kindness. You are the ones that can brighten a bad day.

-to any cashier that I have ignored by staying on my phone when I went through your check out: I am very sorry. I don't do that any more. I know what it's like.

-to any store where I have carried something around, decided I didn't want it and then just discarded it anywhere in the store instead of putting it back or taking it up to the register and giving it to you: I am sorry. I don't do that any more either. I know how frustrating it can be to find a parenting book stashed on a shelf in the art section.