Best Laid Plans

My family loves surprises. My mom, in particular, loves to surprise my brother, Tim, and I. But it can be pretty easy to surprise her, too. Several weeks ago, my brother said he wanted to surprise my mom and come home and see her. Tim lives 7 hours from my mom and that drive after work on a Friday night and then back again on Sunday can be exhausting. Because he doesn't get home that often, I knew that she would never suspect anything if I told her late in the week that I wanted to come home even after being home the weekend before.

After a little planning, it was decided that I was to take my mom to breakfast and then Tim and his girlfriend, Katie, would surprise my mom there. Well, that didn't happen due to a squirrel getting trapped in my mom's chimney. The squirrel was supposed to be gone, but the guy who was to take care of the situation was a complete sheister, which is a completely different story.
 

Because my mom and I were waiting for another guy to come and take a look at the squirrel situation, we couldn't go to breakfast. So in a quick decision on how this surprise was going to be pulled off, my brother picked up donuts and came to the house to surprise my mom there. Regardless of the location, my mom was still shocked to see my brother and his girlfriend at the front door bearing donuts.

While planning the surprise was fun, the point of Tim and Katie coming to Ohio was to spend time all together even if things didn't go exactly as planned. It is fun to reverse the roles and be able to make my mom feel special, especially after a rough couple of months.

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A common field forever changed

This weekend I headed out to Summerset to celebrate my best friend’s 27 years of life. During our weekend celebrations, which included snowboarding, food, jello shots, food, Blue Moon cupcakes, more food, board games and even MORE food, we also stopped by the Flight 93 Memorial in Shanksville, PA.

I think until you visit the memorial in person, the media clips, the articles, the photos, do not do it justice. The memorial is special – simple, but includes many elements. It is a quiet place for those to come and reflect and honor the heroes of Flight 93.

We talk about it every year on September 11 – the everyday heroes from that flight. They were courageous, proud, and did what they knew they had to do. You think about all of this when visiting the memorial.

Those 40 passengers and crew members, their families, THAT day – it is all encompassed by a marble wall in the middle of a field, in the middle of nowhere. Most of the passengers were from California or New Jersey, some from other countries. But their final resting place lies in these flatlands in western PA. It was surreal. Eight acres of what the coroner claimed as the crime scene is now and forever will be the marker to one of the most horrific events in American history.

If you have time some weekend, visit the memorial -- any of the memorials. I really gained a new appreciation for the heroes of that day.

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The Best Job Ever

Did you ever look back on a past job you held and thought to yourself, wouldn't it be fun to step back into that position and do it all over again? I am sure there are a lot of you thinking, WOW she's off her rocker today! But the job I had when I was in college was honestly the best job I ever had, and I can't imagine a better job that has yet to come. I would gladly go back and work it again...if only I made more money!! $$

My sophmore year of college a Starbucks opened up nearby. Growing up in Slippery Rock (yes, where the University is), there was not a Starbucks for miles upon miles. And I can't even think of when I was at a Starbucks to even know what it was about. But I knew that it was new, just opening, and they were hiring. So I went in and filled out an application. The girls behind the counter seemed like they were happy and were just chatting away to me - a great first impression.

A couple of days later I had an interview and I remember the manager asking me if I would like a drink, on the house. Since I had never been to a Starbucks before, I quickly glanced at the menu and picked a strawberry frap. I have never been a coffee person, so I avoided that but still, this was my first Starbucks drink experience...and it was good!

So I was hired and I can truthfully tell you the first couple weeks were stressful and hard. I know you're laughing at me thinking how hard can it be to sling some coffee, but it is so much more than that. It is memorizing recipes (no wonder my memory is shot now) and customer's usual drinks, and basically just being super friendly even on some days that you just didn't want to be around anyone.

However, once I got the swing of it, the job became enjoyable. Going to work was actually fun and it was all because I loved the customers, I loved the people I worked with, it was a great organization who cared about their employees (AKA- partners) and it was so easy! I was lucky to work with a WONDERFUL group of girls (we had a few guys here and there but the girls stuck around) and we all became best friends, and still are to this day. Sure, some have moved away, and came back, but we all still talk and when we get together it is like we haven't skipped a beat.

So now can you think of a job that was the best job ever? Or maybe it is your job now! That would be lucky. Tell me about where you work/worked and what made it so special.

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An Ode to My Friends

Some of you may or may not know this but I recently accepted a new position with another company. I regret to say that I had to leave my wonderful WW&B friends behind. I will no longer get to see them every day or enjoy their lunch company. For now, it is the occasional lunch meet-up or after work happy hour. What we had goin’ is hard to find, it is not every job that you will thoroughly enjoy the people you work with. When I found myself lying in bed, cursing my alarm I would think to myself, “hey, at least I get to go in and hang out with the girls!” - it made it easier to get out of bed. Now, when I say I would get to “hang out with the girls” I do not mean that we got to sit around and talk boys (ok sometimes we did), paint our nails and fix eachother’s hair, I mean that we got along so well that work didn’t always seem like work. We had fun bouncing ideas off of each other and working on projects together.

So here I am, in my new job, feeling lost. Where do I fit in? A new crowd of people-I am the newbie. Every time you get a new job you go through it, first you are elated with excitement that you got the job; you celebrate with your friends and think of the fun, new things to come for your career. After that, you start to panic and question if you will be able to do the job. You get nervous about your new responsibilities, the new company culture and of course, the new people you will be working with.

I have come to realize, while starting a job is a stressful experience, it doesn’t have to be full of constant worry and anxiety. Keeping a positive outlook and using your new role as a stepping ground to a new, exciting time in your career– that is the way to go. It is ok and normal to feel overwhelmed because everything is drastically different.

Even though it will be a bit harder to see the girls, and will take much more planning than before, I know that we will all remain friends and see each other on a more regular basis. I am grateful to have had the chance to work with such amazing people. Whether they know this or not, I really learned a lot from all of them both on a personal and professional level. Instead of co-workers, they became friends and as I said before, that doesn’t happen often.

So this is an ode to you, my lovely WW&B friends/bloggers/co-workers/comrades –I miss you!

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Happy Hump Day!

Wednesday…typically referred to as “Hump day”, is a day that most people look forward to.  It’s the middle of the work week, one day before “Thirsty Thursday” and two days from Friday.  So why do I find Wednesday’s to be the absolute WORST day of the week?

I think it’s because Wednesday’s are really the start of my very busy work week.  Owning my own bar/restaurant and working my “big girl” job really fills my schedule.  On Wednesday’s, I wake up at the butt-ass crack of dawn and go to my office for a full day.  Then I rush home, change, make dinner, do the dishes and I then I rush down to the bar to start my shift.  By the time I get home it’s very late and before I know it, my alarm is going off and I’m up, logging in to my computer and working my “big girl” job.  I then shut down, jump in the shower and back to the bar to get it opened.  Again, I get home late and then it’s up again to work the “big girl” job.  I then have to call in the liquor order for the bar, pick-up the liquor, take the liquor to the bar and check it in and put it away.  Then it’s back home again to get some housework done whether it is cleaning, laundry, grocery shopping, etc.  I make dinner, clean-up, jump in the shower and back to the bar.  By Saturday, I’m exhausted but I know I just have to get through one more long night at the bar and then finally…it’s Sunday.  Precious Sunday.  The day where I don’t get out of my jammies, I don’t answer the phone; I don’t cook, clean, do laundry…nothing.  I lay on the couch with my hubby, watch mindless TV, order pizza and take a million naps.

Now don’t get me wrong…I love my life and I’m very happy with both the bar/restaurant and my “big girl” job.  Sometimes I feel pretty damn lucky…like I “have my cake and I’m eating it too” kind of thing. What drives me crazy is that everything needs to run on a very tight, strict schedule or it all won’t get done and I can’t have that.  My list each and every week has to get done or I feel like everything is falling apart.  I know, that’s slightly dramatic but, it’s the truth.  This must be what it’s like to have children.  I can’t imagine all of the cooking, cleaning, laundry, running around and craziness that goes into to being a parent.  Especially if you’re working parents.  I think you guys are crazy but I give you mad props.  Because if my week is this crazy and it’s just because I own my own business and work another job…I can’t imagine what it’s like to have kids. 

So I guess this blog post is dedicated to all of the hardworking people and parents who just don’t have enough hours in the day to get everything done but somehow always managed to get done…like me!

Happy Hump Day!

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Happy Valentine's Day

Original Artwork by Miss Katie Jean

The Legend of St. Valentine

The history of Valentine's Day--and the story of its patron saint--is shrouded in mystery. We do know that February has long been celebrated as a month of romance, and that St. Valentine's Day, as we know it today, contains vestiges of both Christian and ancient Roman tradition. But who was Saint Valentine, and how did he become associated with this ancient rite?

The Catholic Church recognizes at least three different saints named Valentine or Valentinus, all of whom were martyred. One legend contends that Valentine was a priest who served during the third century in Rome. When Emperor Claudius II decided that single men made better soldiers than those with wives and families, he outlawed marriage for young men. Valentine, realizing the injustice of the decree, defied Claudius and continued to perform marriages for young lovers in secret. When Valentine's actions were discovered, Claudius ordered that he be put to death.

Other stories suggest that Valentine may have been killed for attempting to help Christians escape harsh Roman prisons, where they were often beaten and tortured. According to one legend, an imprisoned Valentine actually sent the first "valentine" greeting himself after he fell in love with a young girl--possibly his jailor's daughter--who visited him during his confinement. Before his death, it is alleged that he wrote her a letter signed "From your Valentine," an expression that is still in use today. Although the truth behind the Valentine legends is murky, the stories all emphasize his appeal as a sympathetic, heroic and--most importantly--romantic figure. By the Middle Ages, perhaps thanks to this reputation, Valentine would become one of the most popular saints in England and France.

Thank you, http://www.history.com/topics/valentines-day!

Origins of Valentine's Day: A Pagan Festival in February

While some believe that Valentine's Day is celebrated in the middle of February to commemorate the anniversary of Valentine's death or burial--which probably occurred around A.D. 270--others claim that the Christian church may have decided to place St. Valentine's feast day in the middle of February in an effort to "Christianize" the pagan celebration of Lupercalia. Celebrated at the ides of February, or February 15, Lupercalia was a fertility festival dedicated to Faunus, the Roman god of agriculture, as well as to the Roman founders Romulus and Remus.

To begin the festival, members of the Luperci, an order of Roman priests, would gather at a sacred cave where the infants Romulus and Remus, the founders of Rome, were believed to have been cared for by a she-wolf or lupa. The priests would sacrifice a goat, for fertility, and a dog, for purification. They would then strip the goat's hide into strips, dip them into the sacrificial blood and take to the streets, gently slapping both women and crop fields with the goat hide. Far from being fearful, Roman women welcomed the touch of the hides because it was believed to make them more fertile in the coming year. Later in the day, according to legend, all the young women in the city would place their names in a big urn. The city's bachelors would each choose a name and become paired for the year with his chosen woman. These matches often ended in marriage.

Valentine's Day: A Day of Romance

Lupercalia survived the initial rise of Christianity and but was outlawed—as it was deemed “un-Christian”--at the end of the 5th century, when Pope Gelasius declared February 14 St. Valentine's Day. It was not until much later, however, that the day became definitively associated with love. During the Middle Ages, it was commonly believed in France and England that February 14 was the beginning of birds' mating season, which added to the idea that the middle of Valentine's Day should be a day for romance.

Valentine greetings were popular as far back as the Middle Ages, though written Valentine's didn't begin to appear until after 1400. The oldest known valentine still in existence today was a poem written in 1415 by Charles, Duke of Orleans, to his wife while he was imprisoned in the Tower of London following his capture at the Battle of Agincourt. (The greeting is now part of the manuscript collection of the British Library in London, England.) Several years later, it is believed that King Henry V hired a writer named John Lydgate to compose a valentine note to Catherine of Valois.

Typical Valentine's Day Greetings

In addition to the United States, Valentine's Day is celebrated in Canada, Mexico, the United Kingdom, France and Australia. In Great Britain, Valentine's Day began to be popularly celebrated around the 17th century. By the middle of the 18th, it was common for friends and lovers of all social classes to exchange small tokens of affection or handwritten notes, and by 1900 printed cards began to replace written letters due to improvements in printing technology. Ready-made cards were an easy way for people to express their emotions in a time when direct expression of one's feelings was discouraged. Cheaper postage rates also contributed to an increase in the popularity of sending Valentine's Day greetings.

Americans probably began exchanging hand-made valentines in the early 1700s. In the 1840s, Esther A. Howland began selling the first mass-produced valentines in America. Howland, known as the “Mother of the Valentine,” made elaborate creations with real lace, ribbons and colorful pictures known as "scrap." Today, according to the Greeting Card Association, an estimated 1 billion Valentine’s Day cards are sent each year, making Valentine's Day the second largest card-sending holiday of the year. (An estimated 2.6 billion cards are sent for Christmas.) Women purchase approximately 85 percent of all valentines.

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The Single Girl's Valentine's Day

Tomorrow is Valentine's Day. As a single girl, I should be sad that I don't have someone to be my valentine. But I don't feel that way. Would it be nice? Sure, but such is life. I like Valentine's Day. Maybe because it is a little bright spot in a cold, dreary winter.

Those singles out there who are completely opposed to Valentine's Day can rest assured that an alternative option is offered - Singles Awareness Day or Singles Appreciation Day. In addition to the holiday name change, people can wear green or black to go against the grain of wearing red. Or you can completely ignore the holiday all together.

The thing that I don't like about these alternatives is that it makes people who are single look bitter. There may be some single people who are extremely bitter that they don't have a significant other to share this Hallmark holiday with, but why share your bitterness with everyone. A person's happiness shouldn't be dependent on a relationship status.

So instead of feeling terrible about being alone, do something special for yourself. Get a pedicure, go out to dinner with friends, watch a good movie, share your love with your parents, siblings, friends, whoever! It is just one day...and this too shall pass!

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