Do pedicures come with guarantees?

When we were in Santa Barbara, California last week (a place that has recently been added to my mental list of “Favorite Places”), I got my first pedicure.

I know, I’m thirty years old and I’ve never had a pedicure. I honestly had no idea what the big fuss was about. But I’m happy to report that 45 minutes of pampering to my tired old feet was something spectacular that I wish could happen on a frequent and regular basis.

We strolled into this nail place around 7:30pm in the funky, fun shopping district of Santa Barbara (State Street, for those of you who know it). I was hesitant to spend the money (of course), but Abraham insisted. It wasn’t that it cost all that much, I just have issues with spending money on stuff like that. Anyway…

There were two Asian women working that night. One spoke decent English, but the other one spoke almost none. But she didn’t even need it—she was speaking some unknown foot love language that is kept secret from the population at large. She was the pedicure master.

I had a difficult time picking out what color I wanted, so picked a few finalists and had Abraham pick his favorite from those. He chose a deep burgundy red that I liked a lot. So I went with it.

The pedicure was nothing short of fantastic. There was lots of rubbing, snipping, filing, polishing… my toenails have never shone like that!

I was transfixed by the pretty color and how professional they looked. I never thought of my at-home toenail jobs as unprofessional, but I had now seen a whole new level of potential for my piggies, and I was diggin’ it! Imagine my sadness when I discovered a chip in my polish just two days later!

For all you pedicure veterans, is this normal? Obviously I can’t go back to Santa Barbara (as much as I’d like to) and get it fixed, but do pedicures usually have such a short life? Will nail salons fix it within a certain window of time?

I was definitely thinking it would last a week. Were my expectations totally overblown?

I’ve Figured Out How All of Us Women Can Get More Done

Please read the following segment in the most cheesy infomercial voice you can muster:

Ever feel like there aren’t enough hours in a day?
Do you struggle to get through your to-do list?
Are all those tasks piling up on you and making you feel perpetually behind?

Well… do we have the answer for YOU!

It’s called “Start Living in a Different Time Zone!” With “Start Living in a Different Time Zone!” there’s no need to move, just adjust yourself to the time zone one or two behind you and—BAM!—instant time! Now you can give yourself the gift you’ve always wanted… more time!

[end cheesy announcer voice]

We got back from our  California trip on Thursday night. Every night since then I’ve been up until at least 1am. I’ve come to the conclusion that I’m just going to start living on Pacific time.

I mean, it’s not working out as well at the morning end of things, but hey, I’m always tired then so… it’s cool.

Here’s how it works: when I wake up I’m living in Central time (real-time for me). I do all my normal tasks in my actual time zone. Then, after the kids go to bed, I just started telling myself, “Well, it’s only 6pm California-time.” I’m seriously getting so much more done!

Just wanted to impart this amazing discovery to all of you.

We’ll see how it works out tomorrow at work.

Encomium to the Internet

What did people do before the internet?!?!

I know some of the smug answers:

They spent time with their families.

They connected with “real” people.

But seriously, I see the internet as a tool, a common grace. Here’s why I think so, just from my life today:

• My dear friend Kate calls me at lunchtime to say her flight through Minneapolis is going to now have a longer layover, so can I meet her for dinner at the airport?

  Pre-internet, I would have been calling Northwest Airlines 4-5 times this afternoon and would have spent half my day on hold, just trying to follow her flight’s status. With the internet, it’s done in a matter of minutes, thus leaving me more time with my family!

  Also it took me 2 minutes to map out our route to Potbelly’s 3.9 miles away.

• I have a wedding shower to go to on Saturday. But the next two days are going to be really busy for me, so I’m not going to have a lot of shopping time.

  What does the internet allow me to do? I go to target.com, browse the registry, pick the gift I want to give, and I can either order it right then or find out if it’s available at my closest store.

  Since I didn’t give myself enough time to ship it, I’ll just run over and get it on Friday afternoon or Saturday morning. Without the internet, it would take me until Saturday morning just to choose a present!

It’s such a time-saver. I know the reverse could be said, that it’s a time-waster, and that’s often true. But when I think about how much time and effort the internet saves me, it makes me want to blog about it!!!

Also, how many of you have already used the internet to find out what the word encomium means? That’s what I did!

Thanks God, for watching over a klutz like me.

Anyone who knows me well can tell you that I’m a klutz. I’m not well-known for my nimbleness in comportment. That doesn’t mean I’m not coordinated, though. I’m kind of a mixed bag.

It’s not uncommon (as in every other day or so) for me to spill something really annoying—sugar, a huge pitcher of water or juice, etc. But at the same time I’m pretty coordinated for sports. Weird, huh?

Perfect example of my predicament: I find myself regularly thanking God out loud while I’m preparing supper as he protects me from myself. Probably once a week I slice into one of my fingers, only to be stopped short at the last millisecond by those ever-helpful fingernails he gave me. “Thank you Jesus for fingernails!”

Yesterday I was able to marvel anew over one of the other body parts I take for granted all the time. I was walking out of a building, not paying attention (of course), and all of a sudden there was a major jolt in my gait. I had unknowingly negotiated a step.

BAM! I felt my spine absorb the shock. I swear I felt that reserve adrenaline in my body come up to the front lines.

And instead of collapsing into a crippled pile of bones and muscles, I just kept walking! As I walked the next few steps I thanked God for the intricacy of my spine—all those vertabrae and muscles and disks working together to cushion my klutziness. And the reflexes… even the klutziest among us has them! Incredible.

I don’t know about you, but instances like that remind me of how near God is to me all the time. Even when I’m not thinking about him, walking along cluelessly, he’s gracious to walk beside me and intervene for me—a protector, a guardian.

And more than that, all the time I’m not thinking about it, Jesus is making intercession for me with his Father, pleading that the wicked and clueless and rebellious be reconciled to God through the blood he shed on the cross. All the time saying, “Yeah, I know she doesn’t deserve it. But I love her—klutziness, cluelessness, rebelliousness, and all.”

Toy Silencers

Toys that make noise drive me insane. I’m assuming I’m not alone in this. I’m pretty sure it’s impossible to avoid all toys that make noise—I’m not even going to try. I’ve accepted it and I’m moving on, though we keep them to a minimum.

One of my favorite toys that Orison ever had was a toy phone that I got him for Christmas 2005. I remember it so well because the music and noises were quiet! Imagine that, toy manufacturers making toys that parents can stand to be around!

I’ve tried to locate this particular phone so that you all could know which one is awesome, but they must not make it any more. It was a little light-up, musical phone by Chicco. Here’s photographic proof:

For his birthday a couple months ago, my parents just sent Orison these really cool cars that go super fast when you shake them. The boy loves them! The mom loathes them. Perhaps that’s too strong of a word, but they do drive me nuts. They have to be the loudest toys I’ve ever been around. What were my parents thinking?! Don’t they remember what it’s like to have young children???

But I was at a kids’ birthday party awhile back and overheard one of the dads talking about putting tape over the speakers to make the toy quieter. I immediately barged into the conversation and pleaded, “WHAT?!?! What do you do?!?!”

“You just put some packing tape over the speaker if you want to make it softer.”

I’m struck dumb with the sheer genius of this idea.

Then another mother in the conversation said, “Well, I tried that with one of Zoe’s toys, and it didn’t do enough, so I stuck sticky tack into the holes.”

I’m thinking, “People, you are changing my life.”

Here’s something to consider: I remember when we were helping with a preschool Sunday School class a few years ago. They shared that one way to get kids’ attention was to lower your voice to a whisper, and then everyone quiets down to be able to hear. They attend better to that change in volume, rather than raising your voice above the sea of 4-year-old voices. And it worked!

Is it possible that the same could be true for toys? Rather than trying to be the loudest toy in the room, could it engage a child better if it were softer?

Anyway, I’m off to arm myself with packing tape and sticky tack, to see if I can thwart toy manufacturers’ attempts to give my children conductive hearing loss.

My $34 Latte: A Failed Attempt at Free Alone Time

I set out on a coffee shop excursion this afternoon around 2pm. I decided on a nearby Dunn Bros. for 3 reasons:

1. Free coupon for any size drink.
2. Good atmosphere.
3. Free parking.

Concerning #1: I stepped up to the counter and ordered my large chai tea latte (not a coffee drinker, friends) and headed upstairs to experience reason #2.

Concerning #2: I did my best to focus in a room of strangers, most of whom were talking loudly about their drunken escapades (and who were too old to be having so many drunken escapades, if you ask me). The people watcher in me is totally overstimulated in a coffee shop—can’t turn my gawk off.

I looked at my watch—wow, that 90 minutes went fast! Did I accomplish anything? Got my coat, packed up my laptop, walked to the door only to see…

the dreaded parking authority driving away from my car!!

Concerning #3: there is a free parking lot at this particular coffee shop, but of course when I arrived all the spaces were taken, but I thought, “No problem, I actually brought a handful of quarters.” I was prepared for a successful afternoon.

I was literally two minutes late. I mean, it’s not their fault. I was late.

But this experience only confirms to me why I just stay home, folks. Here are my reasons for staying home:

1. I’ve already paid for all the drinks at my house and am no longer thinking about it, so they are, therefore, free.
2. The atmosphere is just as distracting as anywhere else, except I’m distracted by kids and tasks that I need to do, instead of other peoples’ post-inebriated conversations.
3. Free parking.

Election Results

Abraham and I flipped through our local channels last night, all the while adjusting our rabbit ears.

One of the things Abraham mentioned while watching that really struck me after he said it was, “It’s incredible. We’re watching the first African-American become President.”

It really is incredible.

Just 41 years ago, there were still laws on the books in many states outlawing black-white intermarriage. Only 41 years ago.

Regardless of what people might believe politically, it is a historic moment.

I’m no economic expert, but…

With all the talk of the economic crisis/downturn/recession/slump (insert your adjective of preference here), many people are talking about wanting to save money.

Now many of you might already know this secret four-letter word, but for the rest of you, consider this a favor from me to you:

A-L-D-I

Say it with me now: “ALDI!”

Good job.

Yesterday I found that I had not a single can of beef broth in my cupboards, which was the only thing I lacked to make Abraham’s favorite spaghetti sauce recipe. We have an ALDI within walking distance of our house (another way to save money!), so I thought I’d hike it over there and pick up a couple cans.

Now, one thing that I consider an inconvenience about my ALDI is that they don’t take my debit card; I always have to pay with cash. And considering I never carry cash, I began the process of spare-change scrounging.

I was able to collect about two dollars off my dresser, so I stuffed that into my pocket thinking, “That should be enough for 2 cans, right? Then I’ll have one for next time.”

I get over to the store, find the broth, and check the price to make sure I have enough money. And much to my delight/shock… 39 cents. I think I did a triple take. Thirty-nine cents?! I was able to leave the store with $1.22 in my pocket!

This is good economics, people. At my regular grocery store, I would have paid at least twice that amount. I can’t say I’d buy all my groceries there, but for pantry stuffs, they can’t be beat.

To those of you without an ALDI in your neck of the woods during this time in our economy… God be with you.

Besides caring for kids…

It’s hard to conceive of, but there have been other things going on in my life since Morrow’s arrival. Actually it’s been a really busy few weeks. Here’s a quick update:

• Duplex: The “tenants” who were in the house when we bought it finally left the first floor on 8/31. They left it a total disaster, as far as cleanliness goes. We were pretty sure that was going to be the case. Since then we’ve been cleaning like crazy, painting like crazy, installing a new IKEA kitchen, and trying to get it ready for our awesome, extremely forbearing, new tenants. They should be able to move in next week. Right now all the hardwood floors are being refinished. It’s going to look so good when it’s done!!
• Books: I’ve been going through the comments that were left on my post about funny books awhile back and systematically requesting them from my library. I read Bill Bryson’s A Walk in the Woods and nearly died of laughter. Right now I’m making my way through Alexander McCall Smith’s series The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency. They are delightful novels, set in Botswana. If you haven’t read them, do it! Basically I need books that will keep me awake during nighttime feedings.
• Our house: We’ve had a really promising lead come up for renting our current house—praise God! Turns out it’s a friend of a friend who found me via blogging. I LOVE THE INTERNET! But seriously, they are good friends with one of my best friends from college, so that excites me, making new connections and all.
• Knitting: I finished a pair of socks that I’ve had on my needles for a year and half. It was a lace pattern and they turned out nice, it just took me forever to have the motivation to get ‘em done!
• Marriage: Our fifth anniversary is on September 20th! I can’t believe it’s been five years. More on that later.
• Felicity: Following quickly on the heels of our anniversary is Felicity’s birthday on 9/22. There are so many thoughts going through my head about this. That will have to be its own post.
• Oh, and also this has been on my mind a lot.
  
  
  (via JT)

Olympic Exhaustion

I’m sure others are experiencing this too, so I had to mention it. Abraham and I have spent every night this week staying up way too late to watch the Olympics. Here are some of my observations:

• They show the hottest events/sports later in the prime time slot (starting at more like 10pm) so that you watch the lesser-desired events/sports earlier in the time slot while you wait for your favorites. Perfect example: Beach volleyball, though interesting and pretty cool, just doesn’t come close to the women’s all-around gymnastics competition for most people. But you just keep watching and watching because you don’t want to miss a minute of the gymnastics.
• Sports announcers are driveling idiots sometimes. I think because they basically have to be talking every single minute, they just come out with some of the most off-the-wall stuff. They went on and on about how Phil Dalhausser made the transition from balding to shaving like a cue ball.
• I’m not that impressed with Michael Phelps. I mean, he’s an amazing swimmer, but it seems like it’s all about him whenever they show anything swimming related. I’m kind of tired of all the hype. Anyone else?
• This whole experience is causing us to lose lots of sleep. We stayed up so late every night this week that by Friday night we were completely crashed by 10:15pm. I don’t know how much more of this my body can take.

Kitchen Remodel: What kind of countertops should we get?

Before we move into the second floor of our duplex, we are planning to remodel the kitchen. This is happening for a number of reasons:

1. My husband is very nice and wants me to have a nice kitchen.
2. The current kitchen is quite small and not laid out very well.
3. We are hoping for this house to be the one we stay in for many years, so figure the investment is worth it.

Our remodel will begin with taking everything out of there, and finding out what’s beneath the current linoleum. We’re praying it’s hardwood, since that’s what’s in the rest of the place. That will make our flooring choice very easy!

Then we will knock out the wall between the current kitchen and the back bedroom of the apartment, making it one large room. This will give us a larger eating area in the kitchen and a place for people to mill around and talk to me while I’m in the kitchen. Or it might just end up being where the kids play while I cook.

Right now I’m really torn about what counter tops to get. Here are the contenders and my feelings on each:

Granite PROS:

• It’s very pretty.
• It will last a long time.

Granite CONS:

• It seems kind of fancy. I’m not very fancy. So it just doesn’t feel like me.
• It can chip.
• It’s not repairable.
• It’s porous, which can gather bacteria.
• Very expensive.

Quartz PROS:

• It’s very pretty.
• It’s durable.
• It doesn’t seem as fancy as granite.
• Not porous, so good for keeping out bacteria.

Quartz CONS:

• Not repairable.
• Can chip.
• Expensive.

Corian PROS:

• A little more affordable than granite and quartz.
• Repairable. You just melt a new piece in there and it’s fixed.
• Can have the sink integrated right into the counter top! (This is my favorite feature!)
• Lots of colors, and the look is not too fancy.

Corian CONS:

• Still pretty expensive.
• Seems like it stains like crazy (from what I’ve read on the internet).
• It scratches (though I’m told you can buff out any scratches very easily).
• Don’t know if I’d like a Corian sink, and you have to have one if you want to do the integrated sink.

Laminate PROS:

• Very affordable.
• If I hate it in 10 years, or if it gets badly damaged, I can replace it (because I didn’t spend as much the first time around).
• Lots of color choices.

Laminate CONS:

• Not easily repairable.
• Not as cool as the other options. (Just being honest.)

So those are my thoughts. Any feedback?

Help me out here, Super Target lovers

Okay, I know so many people love Super Target (“Super T” as some of my girlfriends call it). And trust me, I do too. But I come away from every grocery-buying experience disappointed thinking, “Wow, they’re more expensive than my regular grocery store.”

So if we’re just talking about price, does anyone else find this to be true?

If it is true and you still shop there, that’s fine with me. I just want to know what other factors you weigh into your grocery-buying decision (well-organized stores, proximity to home, Starbucks inside, etc.).

I think I’ve already tipped my hand as to my deciding factor.

The Tipping Dilemma Is Now More Confusing

So there was a TON of response to the tipping question—I was kind of stunned. I wasn’t expecting so many people to weigh in on the matter. I’m glad you did, but now it seems I have more options than I ever considered, so now it’s more confusing! Thanks a lot!

I didn’t want to go too far into the story that happened to us, but I’ll reveal it now…

[Begin story].

We sat down in the outdoor area of the restaurant to eat, and the waiter came over and greeted us. He was not over-the-top friendly, which can be nice, but it can also be a warning that he’s really not into his job. On one hand, I don’t usually like when a waiter or waitress feels fake because they’re trying so hard to be “friendly,” but I also don’t want someone who’s aloof.

Abraham told me later that he could tell right from the beginning that this guy wasn’t going to be any good. I did not have the same premonition. (I don’t tend to be very intuitive.)

The food came out quickly enough, but the chips and salsa refills were a little slow. Not that big of a deal, I figured, since we were downing them like it was our job.

About halfway into the meal, I thought I’d like to have a lemonade. Abraham said he’d order it for me, but then as we looked around again and again, the man was nowhere to be found.

From time to time he’d pop back onto the patio and get something for another table but never made his way down to the end, where we were seated.

So we were endlessly trying to get this man’s attention. When we finally ordered it, it came quickly enough. We continued on with our meal, Abraham helping me ingest the lemonade at record speed (easy to do when you’re eating Mexican food).

We asked him for a refill, and he took the glass away to refill it. Then we didn’t see him for literally five minutes. Maybe more. It was a really long time. By this time we had eaten all of our food and were just waiting on the lemonade refill. It felt like we were sitting there forever.

Eventually he came back to our table, asking if we needed anything else. Abraham said, “We’re just waiting on the lemonade.” And he was kind of apologetic, but not really. So he hurried inside, and I thought, “Okay, it’s coming now.” But then he didn’t show up again for another five minutes at least. And this was not fresh-squeezed lemonade. All he had to do was go to the fountain and fill ‘er up.

So he finally brought the refill with no further apology. And we sat there and drank it, more out of obligation at that point than true desire for it.

[End story.]

I know it’s not the worst ever. It’s not like he brought the lemonade out and had his Band-Aided thumb in the glass or anything. But waiting that long for one refill? And there were plenty of other staff around that he could have handed the task off to.

Aaron posted a pretty long comment, including an article that was really helpful. Aaron is one of my oldest friends, and he, in a former life, was an excellent server and restaurant manager. I take what he says about customer service seriously, because he thinks about it all the time. He posted a link to the article on his blog, so feel free to read it if you get a chance.

The mercy/justice tension is always there if you’re thinking about the undeserved favor that we as Christians have received from God, but that we still live striving for holiness in all we do.

I also understand the argument for the underlying issue/personal matter, but honestly know that if I let my personal problems affect my job, I would be in major trouble and not be rewarded for my performance. If doctors do it, it’s a lawsuit; if designers do it, they don’t get paid for their work; if teachers do it, their students fail and they are let out of their contract. Why is the standard different for servers?

I think the suggestion to talk to a manager when service is bad or good is definitely something we should do more often.

Sometimes I try to put it into a global perspective and remind myself just how privileged we are to sit down in a restaurant with tons of options for meals on the menu and money in our wallets to pay for it, unlike most of the world. However, what does that mean when we actually do live in America and there are different standards for service provision here?

Thanks for all the thoughts, readers. You’ve got me totally bamboozled.