At your service.

I like to expect the best in people.  Which is why today I am going to talk about serving in a restaurant. I am doing this because I would rather think that people are innocently ignorant rather than just plain rude.

To start off, servers make less than minimum wage. Way less actually. At my restaurant we don’t even make $4.50 an hour. I could work 60 hours and not even get $150 dollars in my paycheck after taxes. So this whole belief that whatever you tip is ON TOP of what we get paid hourly should just be flushed down the toilet, because we get paid zilch and completely depend on the tips we receive.

I have come to realize in my time as a server that it doesn’t matter how nice or witty you are, how fast you get the food out, or how many times you check up on your customers; it all comes down to the tipper.  Last night I had a teenage couple come in to eat for prom and ended with a bill of $40. After using a $5 off coupon he continued on to do some strenuous math on his receipt and then left $4 on the table. Ok, ok. This can be expected of teenagers. But what about the middle-aged couple that did the same thing a few hours later? Or the elderly couple who paid for their meal and then slipped me a 12% tip, winked and said, “This is all for you honey. Thank you for your great service.”

As cute as they were, 20% is an average tip. An easy way to find 20% without a calculator? Double the first two numbers on the bill (i.e. $25 tab, $5 tip).  Again, this is average.  My advice would be to tip based on the quality of the service rather than the size of your bill. And if you can’t afford a decent tip, then why are you going out to eat in the first place?

1. If you go out with your grandma and she wants to pay, agree, but say you want to leave the tip.

2. If you sit at a table chatting for 2 hours, leave more than 20%. You have just taken up your servers table that they could have been making money on. Do not tip based on the $9 salad you bought.

3. If you wouldn’t use 9 plates for a loaf of bread at home, I would suggest cutting back in a restaurant. We do dishes too.

4. At what point is it EVER cute for your child to rub noodles into the carpet?

5. A ceazar salad without dressing or croutons is just lettuce. And a Steak and Blue without steak and without blue cheese is not a Steak and Blue.

6.  If you are a Christian and you make a point to bow your head and pray, you had better make a point to leave a good tip. Servers notice, and Christians are notorious for bad tipping.

Disclaimer: I do realize that there are bad servers out there, and I have witnessed quite a few myself. They complain, roll their eyes, get nervous, etc. But think about it, how much would their bad mood improve if a table decided to tip generously? How much would their confidence be boosted if you complimented something they did right? Just a thought...

(Ps: Last week of school! Wohoo!)

Don't worry, there's a bunny.

What is Easter to you? Another holiday to gorge on sweets? Receive gifts? Go on an egg hunt?  Spend time with relatives?

This is a link to the Google Image search of “Easter.” Google Easter Images

How is there a picture of Robert Pattinson next to a rainbow but not a single image of Jesus Christ?

To a Christian, this day is not just another holiday. This is THE holiday.  And I would like to take a moment just to remember what this day really means.

Easter as FORETOLD by Jesus:

“See, we are going up to Jerusalem. And the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and scribes, and they will condemn him to death and deliver him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified, and he will be raised on the third day.” Matthew 20:18-19

This is the day that Jesus rose from the grave. And not only did He conquer death, He sacrificed his life for us so that we might have a chance for eternity in Heaven.

What if we all spent Easter remembering THIS story, not the one with a bunny and eggs?

What if we remembered it more than once a year?

What if we were all as selfless as He was?

What if we all lived out what we preached?

Imagine THAT world.

Lately, this message has really struck home for me, and I looked into ways that I can make a difference. This June I will be travelling to Romania with Hope 4 Kids International. For centuries the gypsy minority in this country has battled against discrimination, poverty and illiteracy. Only 1 in 10 can read or write and 85% live below subsistence levels. There is no running water or sanitation in their homes and with parents unable to work, the poverty levels are 3 times greater than the national average. For the last 5 decades the community has not had the option to send children to a literacy program, leaving them little alternative but to beg, partake in crime or even prostitution. While there we will be bringing medical supplies to hospitals, care packages to orphanages, and help the needy people of the nation with construction and renovation projects.

This trip will be the opportunity to show God’s love in action. Pray that we take full advantage of this, and that we are able to make as much of a difference in them as I am sure they will make in us.

Happy Easter everyone. 

Just a bunch of Nancies.

A topic of discussion that has popped up frequently the past couple of weeks is this question of “where have all the good men gone?” Ladies, I would like to stop you right there, because a better question would be, “what have we done?”

If a man were trying to "pursue a woman", there would be a constant question of what his role was in the relationship. Does he ask her out, or wait until she makes a move? Should he open her door? Pay for the meal? Drive? Women stripped men of their roles in relationships, the household, and in the workplace. Girls, you always say, “Chivalry is dead.” Well, duh. And guess what? We are the ones to blame. Women have taken up the roles that men used to hold in society, empowering themselves and feminizing males. Where does this leave the men?

Like I said, men have been feminized, their roles scoffed at, families have been redefined so there is no traditional father figure, and male characteristics have been caricaturized as cavemen. Feminism attempted to create a goal for strong and independent females, but went too far by creating a culture that minimizes and emasculates males. And we are all worse off because of it.

“If women ruled the world there would be no war.”

Pish posh.

Some fun stats about children raised in fatherless homes:

85% portray behavioral disorders

71% of high school dropouts

63% of youth suicides

70% of juveniles in state-operated facilities

Young men are twice as likely to engage in criminal activity if he was raised without a father, and triples if he was raised in a neighborhood comprised of single parents.

Children need a dominant male figure in their lives. Statistics like these would not have even existed 50 years ago. There was a shift in the roles of men and women, and that shift threw everything off balance.

Women make up 46.8% of the work force in America, and 51 percent of all workers in the high-paying management, professional, and related occupations are women. We have gotten everything we asked for. So what are we still fighting for?

I would like to say that this is not an anti-feminist argument. I believe that women are strong, individualistic, and capable. But I do not believe that one can exist without the other.

I believe in interdependency, or at the very least an acknowledgement of the roles each person should play out. To diminish the role of one diminishes the role of the other.

In closing: women, can we just stop the complaining? If you want a good guy, stop trying to control everything and let them do their job.

Good grief.


On a side note, I would like to quickly mention how thankful I am for my wonderful boyfriend. 

Now that's a man. <3

Never judge a book by its movie.

After 9 straight weeks of travelling and company, it feels good to have some time to myself. Time to catch up on work, spend time with people I haven’t seen in months, work out again, sleep in…but I have to say my favorite thing of all is the chance to read again.

It has been such a long time since I have been able to pick up a book and read it straight through. My parents instilled literature into me when I was extremely young. My dad read Little House on the Prairie to my sister and I every night for years, and my mom taught me to journal when I was 4 years old.  I documented everything, and because I was so shy, I actually took to writing things down as a means of communication. I walked to and from school with a book in front of my face (which I still get teased about to this day) and even got my books taken away from me as a form of punishment. (My boyfriend told me last night that he can always tell the kind of book I am reading by how I act. The example he gave is that I sometimes speak in Old English when I read classics. How embarrassing.)

Some of the many books that captured my heart when I was young include the Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, Eragon, and Inkheart series. I religiously read each of these books every year. One series I am now able to add to this list is The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins.  A fascinating Sci-Fi about a dystopian society where kids are forced to kill each other off for sport…it consumed my life for 3 days straight.

I heard a lot of weird but good things about this next children’s novel. The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick is a book made up of 50% text, 50% illustrations (it even won a Caldecott.) My curiosity peaked and I bought a copy for myself and read it in just a couple of hours. Beautiful and creative, and in my mind a brilliant twist to literature, even if it is just a children’s book.

The last book I read this week was Vanishing Acts by Jodi Picoult. She is the only author I know who can make the reader love and hate each character so much. Every book of hers has blown my mind, and this was a definite favorite. 

 Happy reading!

(I realize that the title has almost no relation to this post, I just really like the saying.)

Framily.

Let me tell you a little story.

Once upon a time, there lived two next-door neighbors who were the very best of friends: Lynette and Shelly. Through laughter, and tears, they built the foundations of a lifelong friendship. They took long walks during the day, had barbeques at night, gardened in the backyard, (one hard at work, the other watching). Their husbands even shoveled the snow off each other’s driveways in the winter.

As time went on, each had three kids; two of them were born only a few months apart. What were their names? Daniel and Danielle. Better known as D-Squared.

The friendship of Lynette and Shelley evolved. There were now play dates; watching the kids playing in shallow plastic pools, setting up crafts, digging in the sandbox (where most of the time was spent yelling,  “Don’t pour the sand onto the grass!”). Holiday parties, parades (strollers and bikes decorated)…life was good.

It would seem that nothing could bring them apart, until one day Danielle’s dad (Lynette’s husband) was transferred across the country for his job. Daniel and Danielle grew up. They are now adults studying their future careers (both to be teachers, actually). They even go by different names: Dan and Dani. And yet still, after 12 years and 3,000 miles of separation, they still make a point to stay in contact.

Friends? Nah. Family? Not by blood. Framily.

I had the great pleasure of a weeklong visit from my framily last week. It stinks that they have to live so far away, but it is always so wonderful when we get the chance to meet up again. I can say that Shelly is one of the most incredible women I have ever met. She makes a point to lift up and encourage everyone around her, and has the most amazing gift of creativity that she always uses to brighten someone’s day.  She is one of the few people who kept in contact with me while I was abroad, writing without fail even when I forgot or was too busy to respond. I am blessed to be able to say that she is not only a wonderful friend to my mom, but to me also. Daniel is still the same goofball he was when I left him 12 years ago. He is witty and never afraid to be honest. He can make anyone laugh with just a few words, and I am so thankful he flew so far to come visit.

Left: The two dads and D-Squared. Right: Shelly look at us!

And so, here is a shout out to my framily from Minnesota. I love you and miss you Nemitz family. Until this summer…J

A generation of zombies.

I look around and I see an entire generation in a near catatonic state, engrossed and obsessed with this sense of endless technological connectedness.

The curse of texting.

It makes me so sad to see people so absorbed in the electronic gadget clutched in their hand that they become completely oblivious to what is going on around them.

It is rude. And it is sad. 

It is a blatant statement to your company saying “I know I am with you, but I would rather be talking to these people in my phone.”

WHAT could possibly be so important that you would be so discourteous to everyone around you?

“Hey.” 

“Hey, hows it going?” 

“Not much. Bored.” 

“Me too. How are you?” 

“Good.”

Awesome. So glad you prefer to waste your time with meaningless small talk than enjoy a great movie, feast on a wonderful meal, or simply have a REAL face-to-face conversation.

When and how did this start? I can walk into any crowded place and about 50% of the people are on their phone: talking, texting, on the Internet, or doing work.

Working in a restaurant, I see it all the time. Two people go out to eat, one gets a call or engrossed in a texting battle, one person is left with nothing to do but sit in silence, and I (the server) am stuck in an awkward situation of when to ask for the order in fear of interrupting.

Is 1 hour at a restaurant really too much time to put aside the electronic device?

Does it really consume that much of our lives?

I have to admit, I used to be a texting freak. I literally cannot find a picture of me in high school where my phone isn’t glued to my hand.

I have to admit; I remember my parents and friends asking me to put away my phone. I would roll my eyes and think nothing of it while continuing to text. I can tell you now I cannot remember a single conversation I had over that phone.

I can only imagine how much fun I was to be around.

In the past two years I have lost and broken more phones than I can count. People laugh and feel sorry, but it was the best thing that could have happened to me. The months and weeks without a phone made me realize how much I don’t need it. The same thing happened in Australia.

It is Spring Break. If you are on vacation or spending time with friends, please make an effort to simply put the phone down. Maybe just for a little bit. I can guarantee the people on the other end can wait, the true friends will find a way to contact you, and the people you are with  really will appreciate it.

Ok, now that I am done with that little rant, enjoy these pictures of our water balloon fight the other day!

 Timmy on left: soooo happy!

 Marcel, running for his life from sneaky Uncle Bruce

 Above and below: I hope you can see how intense this water balloon fight got.

 Kyle (Left) and Marcel (right): Battle Wounds!

I don't even know if this link will work, but this is a video of the battle. Enjoy!

http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=1629882703729

Just Wiiing It

Is it ironic that the moment I finally get back into “school mode” it is time for Spring Break? The past 7 days I have done homework, ran errands, made bank at work, eaten right (or at least average compared to my normal pig outs)... and it is suddenly time for another break. Listen to me, complaining about a vacation. I guess it just feels good to be on a productive streak. No endless lists of things to do, or looking down and seeing some chub without being able to take time to go to the gym and actually attempt to get rid of it..

I mean, I even woke up at 7:30 today. Granted it was only because someone came to clean our carpets…but still.

Last night at class my teacher announced we wouldn’t see him for 2 weeks. I turned to the girl next to me and asked why. Please tell me I am not the only college student who did not realize when Spring Break was.?

Anyways, moving on to new news, I am once again a Red Bull Girl. I had the job before I left for Australia and I am now officially back. I haven’t been out on the field yet, but I can’t wait. I miss those crazy girls. This shout out goes to you WTM's. I have missed you and I am so happy to be back. Dance Party!

To everyone else, let me know if something big is happening and I will be sure to hook you up.

Last night was the Red Bull Reto Del Sol soccer game: the New York Red Bulls against Mexico's Club Atlas de Guadalajara. A big gang of us went out to support it. I wouldn’t exactly call myself a huge soccer fan, but I had a blast with everyone.

This is our 'We have been Stuck in This Line for 25 Minutes' face.

Tomorrow my cousin Reigh Claire and her family (my mom’s sister and gang) arrive from Minnesota. They are a hoot. I can’t wait to hang with all of them. Living in Arizona does have it’s perks, but living 3,000 miles away from your family is not one of them.  Reigh Reigh, you are a shining star. Literally, a fireball. Hurry up and get here.

[Reigh's farting face]

Love you. :)