I am absolutely loving colored denim this season. I wear jeans to work a lot (another ad agency perk) so I am thrilled that with a few pieces of colored denim in my closet, it will look like I've got an entire new wardrobe with the same comfy feel of being in jeans. So far I have the black and rose pink always skinny jeans from the Gap and red ones from the Limited.
I would have never believed it until I spent some time thinking of outfits, but really any color denim can be extremely versatile. Last week I wore my rose pink jeans with a fun navy and white shirt, navy cardigan and the gold Revas I got for Christmas that I have recently become obsessed with (much comfier than my other pair of Revas and also a versatile color). This color will also be cute with grey, black, brown, whites and any other fun color if in the right hue. We all know black pants will go with anything, but I loved the simplicity yet fun combination on Boden's website of the black pants, white oxford and bright green cardi. As for my red pair, they've so far been worn with a black and white top with a black blazer over but I see a lot of color combinations in their future. I bought a few purple shirts to go with the red pants and think it will really make for a fun look. The pants are also the perfect Husker red, so I'm already planning on pairing them with my grey "blackshirt" tee
I'll definitely be buying a few more pairs of fun colored denim--likely in skinny jeans (love they can be paired with flats, boots or heels) and maybe a skirt and some shorts. Tell me what colors are you loving this season and what are you pairing with?
3/20/2012
1/12/2012
Another Happy Customer
I can't help but share my most recent and as expected, positive, interaction with Zappos.com. I think my exact words when I hung up with their customer service rep (was it Christina I was talking to?), was "how are they so nice?"
Story goes a little something like: my folks bought me some Hunter boots and liners for Christmas. The boots are grey and the liners ma purchased were green--and boy oh boy did they clash. So those had to go back and get exchanged for charcoal. As for the boots, I wore them one day after Christmas and unfortunately the insole of the left boot rode up the back of my heel as the day went on, making for a very uncomfortable fit.
I had emailed Zappos a few times to figure out how to do the exchange and they said I should call--they'd be available 24/7. So finally, I did tonight and with ease, the transaction was completed. But this wasn't your normal transaction--the customer service gal was so nice! Chatting me up, asking what I was doing this weekend (and when I said going for a training run for my half-marathon, she made conversation about that). Looking up the gift order was easy--all she needed was my mom's email address. And, apparently the boots were $35 cheaper when my mom ordered them than they are now, but the gal just waived that. I was slightly worried about the boot exchange since they had been worn once, but they chalked it up to a defect--no questions asked. Additionally, since my mom and I are both VIP customers, my order is shipping tomorrow for arrival Monday.
Gift returns and exchanges can be difficult when you're in the store, standing across the counter from an associate. Thanks for making this process easy, breezy, beautiful, Zappos.com.
Story goes a little something like: my folks bought me some Hunter boots and liners for Christmas. The boots are grey and the liners ma purchased were green--and boy oh boy did they clash. So those had to go back and get exchanged for charcoal. As for the boots, I wore them one day after Christmas and unfortunately the insole of the left boot rode up the back of my heel as the day went on, making for a very uncomfortable fit.
I had emailed Zappos a few times to figure out how to do the exchange and they said I should call--they'd be available 24/7. So finally, I did tonight and with ease, the transaction was completed. But this wasn't your normal transaction--the customer service gal was so nice! Chatting me up, asking what I was doing this weekend (and when I said going for a training run for my half-marathon, she made conversation about that). Looking up the gift order was easy--all she needed was my mom's email address. And, apparently the boots were $35 cheaper when my mom ordered them than they are now, but the gal just waived that. I was slightly worried about the boot exchange since they had been worn once, but they chalked it up to a defect--no questions asked. Additionally, since my mom and I are both VIP customers, my order is shipping tomorrow for arrival Monday.
Gift returns and exchanges can be difficult when you're in the store, standing across the counter from an associate. Thanks for making this process easy, breezy, beautiful, Zappos.com.
1/09/2012
Success
As a follow-up to my past blog post, I have to give a huge shout out to Southwest for helping me book my airline ticket to Austin! I really appreciate them listening to me and helping me with the process. I was agitated with the events of last Tuesday, but they have redeemed my faith in their customer relations after all. LUV ya' SWA!
What do I also LUV? That I have officially reached my fundraising goal for the 2012 LIVESTRONG half-marathon! $500 down? CHECK! Plane tickets booked? CHECK! Training--working on it!
What do I also LUV? That I have officially reached my fundraising goal for the 2012 LIVESTRONG half-marathon! $500 down? CHECK! Plane tickets booked? CHECK! Training--working on it!
1/05/2012
Letter to Southwest Since I Exceeded their Character Count on their Email Form
Dear Southwest:
On Jan. 3, I started the entirely-too-long-of-a-process to book my flight from Kansas City to Austin, where I will be running in the Austin LIVESTRONG half-marathon. I’m running with my uncle, a cancer survivor, and his nephew, also a cancer survivor (stating this to put into perspective that all of this is for a good cause). By the time we run our 13.1, our team will have raised $2,000 for the LIVESTRONG organization.
This debacle started when I found a flight to purchase on southwest.com. To Austin would be flights 1509/3388 departing KCI on Sat., Feb. 18 at a rate of $39, and the return flights would be 1198/3072, departing Austin after the race on Sun., Feb. 19.
Because I had a one-way voucher that expires on Jan. 26, I called 800-I-FLY-SWA to make sure a voucher-worthy seat was available for the Sunday flight. I wanted to confirm that before I paid $50 to extend the voucher. The nice man on the phone ensured me there was and said I should book the flight quickly, which I did. I completed transaction one of paying the $50 fee, extending my voucher and booking my return flight home from Austin. Easy as pie, as is typical when booking and flying Southwest.
Because my other flight would not be with a voucher, I then went to complete my separate transaction of booking my $39 flight to Austin; this was minutes later. I got an error message when I tried to select my flight, so after refreshing the webpage, imagine my shock when I see the flight price had risen from $39 to $178! An increase of $139 in a matter of minutes! I was floored!
I immediately called 800-I-FLY-SWA back and explained the situation to them. I was floored what I was told by Southwest—a company I covet for customer service: there was nothing they could do for me. They gave me another number to call: 214-932-0333. I called the number and got a response I don’t think I’ve heard in the 21st century: a busy signal. I looked at my phone, back and the number I scribbled down, and back at the phone. They matched; I must of written it down wrong. I tracked down the number on Southwest.com and low and behold—it was the right number. Because of the wonder that is the iPhone call log, I can prove that I called 214-932-0333 at 5:01 pm, 5:05 pm and 5:13 pm Central—being greeted by a busy signal all three times.
It’s about this time I call 800-I-FLY-SWA back and tell the woman that answers this time what is going on. I paid $50 to extend my voucher, went to purchase my $39 flight and it went up to $178. I’d either want the $39 rate or the $50 refunded. She told me she can’t do either, but that my newly extended voucher is now good through Jan. 3, 2013…to which I wanted to respond with, “at this time, I hope to never fly your airline again.” Alas, there’s nothing she can do; I need to call customer relations and she gives me the number: 214-932-0333. I explained I had called that number and it was busy. She said again there was nothing she could do, that I needed to call customer relations.
“Then who am I talking to?” I asked?
“Customer service,” she replies.
“Customer service,” she replies.
Oh, I see. Not.
It’s around this time I send an email to Southwest asking for someone to call me back and also tweet to @southwestair “@southwestair your customer relations line has been busy for an hour now. What's the trick to get thru?” And then I pack up and head home from the office, because my colleagues are tired of me getting worked up about all of this.
5:40 pm
6:15 pm
6:21 pm
6:24 pm
6:38 pm
6:52 pm
7:02 pm
7:19 pm
7:42 pm
Those are the next attempts at getting through to customer relations, again, only to hear the dreaded beep, beep, beep.
Finally, at 8:02 pm I get through. No busy signal! But the greeting on the other end did tell me they closed at 8 pm.
Yesterday, I received a tweet back from @southwestverity and she and I tweeted back and forth about her helping me, which I appreciated. But what if I wasn’t on Twitter; how would I have been helped? This morning I received a response to my email, but ultimately I asked for them to call me, which didn’t happen.
At this point, I’m just disappointed that I was told no twice and basically ignored 12 times by a company I’ve long admired for customer service. And unfortunately, I’ve shared my thoughts with many friends, family members and co-workers.
I guess what I want is this:
1. Let’s get this flight booked. I’m going to Austin. I’d like the $39 rate that disappeared in front of my eyes. If that isn’t possible, I’d like to be told if there is a voucher seat available for the Feb. 18 flight I referenced above. My uncle has a voucher that I can extend and will use for that flight if a voucher seat is available. (They are transferrable, right?)
2. Please recognize the annoyance Southwest has caused me the last few days. I’m a loyal customer. I travel frequently and SWA is my preferred airline. I accept rules and policies. I just felt I wasn’t listened to during my communications and the inability to talk to who I apparently needed to talk to added fuel to the fire and was frustrating. I like you; like me back. In the end, I’ll continue to fly Southwest and I’ll probably even fly Southwest to Austin (though there is a $59 on Delta I’m seriously considering). Please just show me a little LUV cause I haven’t been feeling it thus far in 2012.
Sincerely,
Wendy Fitch
10/23/2011
Happy birthday grandma!
I was struggling finding good invitations for my grandma's 80th birthday and totally hit the jackpot with Shutterfly! With the capabilites to upload a photo like I wanted to and free shipping, 20% off cards AND 20% off my total order, I'm very happy with my final product and the price I paid! I saved $50!
7/21/2011
One year.
I had a crisis to deal with at work today. It was an all-hands-on-deck-camp-out-in-a-war-room-pull-in-the-big-dogs type of crisis.
It was not how I was I anticipating my Thursday to go.
Not unlike the same Thursday one year ago when I got "the" phone call that we should get to Omaha.
I was not anticipating that day's occurences either.
It's been a year. One whole year that 365 days ago I thought none of us would survive to see. I thought the pain in our chests; the inability to breathe; just might be too much for us all.
But here we are. Approaching July 22, 2011.
And we survived.
But not without being changed.
It was not how I was I anticipating my Thursday to go.
Not unlike the same Thursday one year ago when I got "the" phone call that we should get to Omaha.
I was not anticipating that day's occurences either.
It's been a year. One whole year that 365 days ago I thought none of us would survive to see. I thought the pain in our chests; the inability to breathe; just might be too much for us all.
But here we are. Approaching July 22, 2011.
And we survived.
But not without being changed.
7/14/2011
Short Life
On March 5, 2011, TFitch bought the Sunfaded Stanton Short from J. Crew on the Plaza in Kansas City. I know the purchase date and the style because we still have the receipt. I like the shorts--he bought them in a pewter-ish blue--but TFitch wasn't a huge fan. He thought they were too short. (They actually fit him and weren't baggie.) But as such, he wore them less than a handful of times.
But he did decide to wear them to my cousin-in-law's 40th birthday party on July 2. Looking dapper going into the bounce house, TFitch came out of the bounce house with 2/3 of his boxers exposed and a hole in his Sunfaded Stanton Shorts from the crotch to the hem.
This annoyed me. Yes, a 31-year-old man was in a bounce house. But other adult men were in the bounce house too and they didn't come out semi-nude. If these were shorts Trevor loved to death and wore everyday, that would be one thing. But they weren't. They were basically in new condition. I wasn't accepting that high of a cost per wear.
So I took them back.
I found the receipt and even the original J. Crew bag the shorts came to Sloppy Joe in, and last weekend I trekked back to the scene of the purchase. I explained the situation to the cashier. She had to talk to the manager. She came back and said there was nothing they could do.
I asked to speak with the manager.
The manager, Lesley I'd later find out her name to be, came out. She wasn't helpful. "The fact that they've been washed and worn ... blah blah blah ... " ... "we can't tell if their defective."
Not defective? Do I need to show you the photo of my grandma grabbing my husband's boxers through the hole in his shorts? (I didn't show Lesley, but I'll show you.)
My POV was simple:
These shorts are basically brand new. Minus the gigantic rip, you can tell they don't have a lot of wear and tear. I think it's unacceptable to pay $60 for a pair of shorts that lasted less than four months with minimal use.
Lesley still wasn't convinced. I finally told her that was fine; that I was done buying clothes at J. Crew. Why would I spend the money their store charges if more than likely the garment would fall apart after two to three wears.
FINALLY she started to come around. She was pissed about it. I didn't care. She made it difficult. She scanned my credit card and my receipt and said there was no record of my purchase. She asked if I had returned them once before, which really made my blood start to boil. (Was she accusing me of lying?) She called the J. Crew batcave to have them look up the transaction. Amazingly, she gives them my credit card number and they can recite back to her that not only were those shorts purchased on that ticket, but so were three men's shirts and two women's tank tops.
Boo to the freaking yeah.
Five hours later and with mixed reviews of J. Crew, TFitch and I depart with a crotch-intact pair of Sunfaded Stanton Shorts that he probably will never wear because he hates the damn things anyway. And I'm fine with that. In the entire scenario, I wanted J. Crew to acknowledge they had a disappointed customer. The proof was in the pants. I wanted them to be disappointed that their merchandise failed. That they hoped it would never happen again and we'd be satisfied customers here on out. Instead the consumer had to fight for what they wanted. We had to ask for the manager to come out. We had to push her to give us what we wanted. We were honest and transparent with the story. We told you the shorts were in a bounce house, but they are chinos for crying out loud. You don't sell china dolls. And I remain strong on my point that other people were in the same situation and their (likely from Banana Republic) shorts didn't rip.
On JCrew.com, they post the following:
"Quality is our highest priority. Always has been, always will be."
Neither quality in their products nor their customer service were demonstrated to me last weekend. Maybe they should take a lesson from Zappos.com.
But he did decide to wear them to my cousin-in-law's 40th birthday party on July 2. Looking dapper going into the bounce house, TFitch came out of the bounce house with 2/3 of his boxers exposed and a hole in his Sunfaded Stanton Shorts from the crotch to the hem.
This annoyed me. Yes, a 31-year-old man was in a bounce house. But other adult men were in the bounce house too and they didn't come out semi-nude. If these were shorts Trevor loved to death and wore everyday, that would be one thing. But they weren't. They were basically in new condition. I wasn't accepting that high of a cost per wear.
So I took them back.
I found the receipt and even the original J. Crew bag the shorts came to Sloppy Joe in, and last weekend I trekked back to the scene of the purchase. I explained the situation to the cashier. She had to talk to the manager. She came back and said there was nothing they could do.
I asked to speak with the manager.
The manager, Lesley I'd later find out her name to be, came out. She wasn't helpful. "The fact that they've been washed and worn ... blah blah blah ... " ... "we can't tell if their defective."
Not defective? Do I need to show you the photo of my grandma grabbing my husband's boxers through the hole in his shorts? (I didn't show Lesley, but I'll show you.)
My POV was simple:
These shorts are basically brand new. Minus the gigantic rip, you can tell they don't have a lot of wear and tear. I think it's unacceptable to pay $60 for a pair of shorts that lasted less than four months with minimal use.
Lesley still wasn't convinced. I finally told her that was fine; that I was done buying clothes at J. Crew. Why would I spend the money their store charges if more than likely the garment would fall apart after two to three wears.
FINALLY she started to come around. She was pissed about it. I didn't care. She made it difficult. She scanned my credit card and my receipt and said there was no record of my purchase. She asked if I had returned them once before, which really made my blood start to boil. (Was she accusing me of lying?) She called the J. Crew batcave to have them look up the transaction. Amazingly, she gives them my credit card number and they can recite back to her that not only were those shorts purchased on that ticket, but so were three men's shirts and two women's tank tops.
Boo to the freaking yeah.
Five hours later and with mixed reviews of J. Crew, TFitch and I depart with a crotch-intact pair of Sunfaded Stanton Shorts that he probably will never wear because he hates the damn things anyway. And I'm fine with that. In the entire scenario, I wanted J. Crew to acknowledge they had a disappointed customer. The proof was in the pants. I wanted them to be disappointed that their merchandise failed. That they hoped it would never happen again and we'd be satisfied customers here on out. Instead the consumer had to fight for what they wanted. We had to ask for the manager to come out. We had to push her to give us what we wanted. We were honest and transparent with the story. We told you the shorts were in a bounce house, but they are chinos for crying out loud. You don't sell china dolls. And I remain strong on my point that other people were in the same situation and their (likely from Banana Republic) shorts didn't rip.
On JCrew.com, they post the following:
"Quality is our highest priority. Always has been, always will be."
Neither quality in their products nor their customer service were demonstrated to me last weekend. Maybe they should take a lesson from Zappos.com.
5/17/2011
DVinoR
I'm not one to really imbibe during the week, for no reason other than one drink often turns into two and two into three and three into hating my alarm clock. But after a little stressful bump at work today, I couldn't be more relaxed tonight than I am now: with a glass of vino and the Desperate Housewives season finale on DVR. Thanks to Shannon for the wine, Cline Cashmere.
It's delish. (And for the stemless wine glass too. I have always wanted a set!)
I received a few recipes after my last post; many, many thanks. To BZ and whoever else is interested, here is the recipe for homemade Runzas. Super easy and super delish.
2 tubes crescent rolls
1 package ground meat (I use turkey, but beef is the recipe)
Cabbage (Either a head or for a shortcut, use bagged chopped coleslaw. No one tastes the carrots)
One onion
Shredded Mozzerella
Salt and Pepper
(This isn't a verbatim recipe, but hopefully you get the idea):
Brown the meat with the onion. Place cabbage on top and steam. Meanwhile, lay one crescent roll out in the bottom of a 9 x 13 pan (greased). Once cabbage is tender, spread meat, onion and cabbage mixture on top of crescent roll. Top with Mozzerella cheese. (Just go ahead and use an entire bag. You know you want to.) Top with the other crescent roll rolled out. Bake approximately 25 minutes covered with foil and an additional 5 uncovered to brown top. Serve with tons of ketchup. Very bueno this way!
There you go. Just like grandma used to make.
It's delish. (And for the stemless wine glass too. I have always wanted a set!)
I received a few recipes after my last post; many, many thanks. To BZ and whoever else is interested, here is the recipe for homemade Runzas. Super easy and super delish.
2 tubes crescent rolls
1 package ground meat (I use turkey, but beef is the recipe)
Cabbage (Either a head or for a shortcut, use bagged chopped coleslaw. No one tastes the carrots)
One onion
Shredded Mozzerella
Salt and Pepper
(This isn't a verbatim recipe, but hopefully you get the idea):
Brown the meat with the onion. Place cabbage on top and steam. Meanwhile, lay one crescent roll out in the bottom of a 9 x 13 pan (greased). Once cabbage is tender, spread meat, onion and cabbage mixture on top of crescent roll. Top with Mozzerella cheese. (Just go ahead and use an entire bag. You know you want to.) Top with the other crescent roll rolled out. Bake approximately 25 minutes covered with foil and an additional 5 uncovered to brown top. Serve with tons of ketchup. Very bueno this way!
There you go. Just like grandma used to make.
5/10/2011
Reciplease
For the better part of living in Sloppy Joe, my weekdays have looked a little something like this:
Hour 1 (6:30 - 7:30 am): Shower/Get Ready
Hour 2 (7:30 - 8:30 am): Drive to work
Hours 3 - 13 (8:30 am - 6:30 pm): Work (that departure time is pretty generous, but let's do easy math here, people)
Hours 13 - 14 (6:30 - 7:30 pm): Drive to Sloppy Joe
Hours 14 - 16 (7:30 - 10:30 pm): Eat dinner, do whatever needs to be done around the house, iron and pack lunches for the next day, etc.
Hours 16 - 24 (10:30 pm - 6:30 am): ZZZzzzzzz
As you can see, that 3 hours of personal time, doesn't leave a lot of time...and the last thing I want to be doing then is cooking dinner! I've done a really good job (if I do say so myself), of cooking for the week on Sundays. Whether that's browning taco meat, assembling the casseroles so they are oven ready or chopping veggies for a cobb salad, by Sunday night our fridge is usually a beautiful sight.
That said, I don't enjoy slaving away in a kitchen all day and night Sunday, either.
I'm looking for some new recipes I can make ahead on Sundays and eat during the week. Preferably fairly simple. Crockpot meals too: what can I dump in the pot, put in the fridge Sunday and simply toss in the crock's skeleton (sounds interesting) on my way to work in the morning. Or lastly, I'll take tips on good multi-purpose ingredients (example: boil 6 chicken breasts, shred two for BBQ chicken sandwiches, cube the other four and marinate in wing sauce for buffalo chicken salads).
I know the notion of easy, weekday recipes isn't something I'm just looking for, so share, share away. I'm sure all of us busy gals no matter the occupation, just want some good ideas to get foods to the hubs and kids stat. I look forward to reading what you cook up. In the meantime, it's time to take the homemade Runzas out of the oven. I'm starving!
Hour 1 (6:30 - 7:30 am): Shower/Get Ready
Hour 2 (7:30 - 8:30 am): Drive to work
Hours 3 - 13 (8:30 am - 6:30 pm): Work (that departure time is pretty generous, but let's do easy math here, people)
Hours 13 - 14 (6:30 - 7:30 pm): Drive to Sloppy Joe
Hours 14 - 16 (7:30 - 10:30 pm): Eat dinner, do whatever needs to be done around the house, iron and pack lunches for the next day, etc.
Hours 16 - 24 (10:30 pm - 6:30 am): ZZZzzzzzz
As you can see, that 3 hours of personal time, doesn't leave a lot of time...and the last thing I want to be doing then is cooking dinner! I've done a really good job (if I do say so myself), of cooking for the week on Sundays. Whether that's browning taco meat, assembling the casseroles so they are oven ready or chopping veggies for a cobb salad, by Sunday night our fridge is usually a beautiful sight.
That said, I don't enjoy slaving away in a kitchen all day and night Sunday, either.
I'm looking for some new recipes I can make ahead on Sundays and eat during the week. Preferably fairly simple. Crockpot meals too: what can I dump in the pot, put in the fridge Sunday and simply toss in the crock's skeleton (sounds interesting) on my way to work in the morning. Or lastly, I'll take tips on good multi-purpose ingredients (example: boil 6 chicken breasts, shred two for BBQ chicken sandwiches, cube the other four and marinate in wing sauce for buffalo chicken salads).
I know the notion of easy, weekday recipes isn't something I'm just looking for, so share, share away. I'm sure all of us busy gals no matter the occupation, just want some good ideas to get foods to the hubs and kids stat. I look forward to reading what you cook up. In the meantime, it's time to take the homemade Runzas out of the oven. I'm starving!
5/09/2011
KC BBQ Review: RJs Bob-be-Que
The hubs and I decided that while we're living in the suburb of Kansas City that is Sloppy Joe, we need to take advantage of trips to "the City" and go on a Bar-B-Que sampling tour. Kansas City is renown for barbecue; I mean, there is a wikipedia page on the subject. It must be legit. It's something we need to do during our time down South.
The sampling tour kicked off Sunday--Mother's Day--at RJ's Bob-Be-Que in Mission, Kansas.
Overall, I'd give RJ's ****** (six out of 10 stars). Not terrible, not the best thing I've ever had.
Off the bat, I was disappointed when getting these salad dressing packets. Want to get on my good side? Give me a side of good, tasty, not-too-thick foodservice Ranch. TFitch and I often comment on a restaurant's ranch. ("Mmm, this is good ranch.") I realize how fat this is, but it's the truth. While the Marzetti's dressing was just fine, it didn't add any stars to RJ's review. However, the salad itself was pretty delicious.. Craisins and dill pickles were included. Random, but pretty delicious. It actually inspired TFitch and I to add Craisins to our salad tonight at home.
I ordered the Memphis Po Boy with Chicken for my main meal. TFich ordered it with pork. I thought it was decent. I had to eat it with a fork because the cole slaw made the bun too soggy. (But you could tell it was a good tasting bun.) The chicken was pretty good, some parts were a little burned, but good chicken overall. I substituted cheesy corn bake for the french fries. It was weird but good. It was essentially Velveeta cheese with corn with chunks of ham in it (which were little morsels of deliciousness). Didn't taste much "baked," though. Feedback on the cheesy corn bake was mixed, but it didn't keep me from eating my condiment cup of it. I'd give my meal a 6.
My brother got the three meat sammich and couldn't stop raving about the chicken. His girlfriend got the pork butt burger (true story--what they're known for). We all took a pull of it. It was okay. Kind of weird, but it was exactly what you'd think it would be. Ground pork butt formed into a hamburger patty. She wasn't a fan of this for her main meal.
The sampling tour kicked off Sunday--Mother's Day--at RJ's Bob-Be-Que in Mission, Kansas.
Overall, I'd give RJ's ****** (six out of 10 stars). Not terrible, not the best thing I've ever had.
Off the bat, I was disappointed when getting these salad dressing packets. Want to get on my good side? Give me a side of good, tasty, not-too-thick foodservice Ranch. TFitch and I often comment on a restaurant's ranch. ("Mmm, this is good ranch.") I realize how fat this is, but it's the truth. While the Marzetti's dressing was just fine, it didn't add any stars to RJ's review. However, the salad itself was pretty delicious.. Craisins and dill pickles were included. Random, but pretty delicious. It actually inspired TFitch and I to add Craisins to our salad tonight at home.
In terms of atmosphere, I'd say 7. I like dive BBQ joints (but am a little leery of one place my bro and his GF want to take us to. They swear it has delicious food but they were shut down temporarily because of rat poop in the smoker. Ew.) RJs was a good environment. Few things, though:
1. We went on Mother's Day. We waited about 10 minutes for our table, which wasn't horrible. However, we wanted to sit on the nice, big patio, but they insisted it was full. Funny thing was no one was out there.
2. It was a little warm in the place. Naturally cold-blooded, I'm not often warm. I guess those smokers and grills do kick out some heat.
3. It was a bit smoky in the restaurant. Not nasty Marlboro smokey, but BBQ smoke smoky. I just wanted to open a window to cool down and air out the place. Overall, not terrible but enough for me to notice.
4. Just a little cramped. As much as I am sure the table next to us was full of nice people and I was fascinated trying to figure out their family dynamics, I did not want to spend Mother's Day with them.
I ordered the Memphis Po Boy with Chicken for my main meal. TFich ordered it with pork. I thought it was decent. I had to eat it with a fork because the cole slaw made the bun too soggy. (But you could tell it was a good tasting bun.) The chicken was pretty good, some parts were a little burned, but good chicken overall. I substituted cheesy corn bake for the french fries. It was weird but good. It was essentially Velveeta cheese with corn with chunks of ham in it (which were little morsels of deliciousness). Didn't taste much "baked," though. Feedback on the cheesy corn bake was mixed, but it didn't keep me from eating my condiment cup of it. I'd give my meal a 6.
My brother got the three meat sammich and couldn't stop raving about the chicken. His girlfriend got the pork butt burger (true story--what they're known for). We all took a pull of it. It was okay. Kind of weird, but it was exactly what you'd think it would be. Ground pork butt formed into a hamburger patty. She wasn't a fan of this for her main meal.
We ordered a slab of ribs for the table for everyone to try. I was not impressed with the ribs. They were burned and dry. TFitch makes much better ribs in his smoker at home. I have two ribs a try but just wasn't impressed. I'd give the ribs a 2.
Our bill for two people came to nearly $50, which I thought was a little expensive. This is with Diet Cokes to drink (no alcohol). However, we put the ribs on our ticket, which was $15.
One selling point for RJs is they sell Bernadette's Cupcakes and Cookies (and if you're a mom you got one free Sunday! Sucks for me.) Bernadette made my friend Rachel's wedding cake and I hired her for a cupcake order some years ago for my grandma's 80th birthday party. They're tasty.
So, that's my review of RJ's BBQ in Mission, Kansas. It was featured on Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives, so be sure and check out Guy Fieri's review. And check back soon for a review from another infamous KC BBQ joint.
4/14/2011
La la la la-la la, la la la la-la.
I listen to Mix 93.3 in the morning and they always seem to be talking about things I could easily contribute to. The other day they were talking about bad vacation stories. Hello...have you heard about my father being deported from Canada?
Today they were talking about the Smurfs movie coming out soon. I so badly wanted to call in, but that's never something I would do. (See label of post.) So, let me confess right here, right now, that I was, at one point in my life, OBSESSED with the Smurfs. I'd watch them on Saturday mornings and then--and THEN--I'd call my grandma to make sure she watched. Me, in a voice even higher than the one I have now, would ask any question I could to try and stump her.
Seriously.
How wonderful of my grandma to watch Saturday morning cartoons on a weekly basis, just so she wouldn't get bitched out by her six-year-old granddaughter.
That's some love.
I'll have to ask my grandma if she remembers the Poppa Smurf quizzes (if only I was as punny then). She darn well might.
Today they were talking about the Smurfs movie coming out soon. I so badly wanted to call in, but that's never something I would do. (See label of post.) So, let me confess right here, right now, that I was, at one point in my life, OBSESSED with the Smurfs. I'd watch them on Saturday mornings and then--and THEN--I'd call my grandma to make sure she watched. Me, in a voice even higher than the one I have now, would ask any question I could to try and stump her.
Seriously.
How wonderful of my grandma to watch Saturday morning cartoons on a weekly basis, just so she wouldn't get bitched out by her six-year-old granddaughter.
That's some love.
I'll have to ask my grandma if she remembers the Poppa Smurf quizzes (if only I was as punny then). She darn well might.
Widdle Baby
I'm a second cousin for the 13th time! Today my cousin and his wife welcomed their son Brody Nicholas to the world.
I vividly remember the day his brother was born. It was February of 2008 and that night TFitch, my bro and I hosted a surprise 50th birthday/30th anniversary party for the 'rents. During the party my aunt was telling me all about her newest grandson, going on and on and on about how cute he was. (She also said he was partially such a beautiful baby because he was delivered via a c-section. I had never heard of that before.) For some reason I remember that interaction and conversation very clear. I like the memory.
So today, congrats to Luke, Emily, Abbie and Brennan and welcome to the world Brody Nicholas! You have a happy Nana angel looking down on you!
I vividly remember the day his brother was born. It was February of 2008 and that night TFitch, my bro and I hosted a surprise 50th birthday/30th anniversary party for the 'rents. During the party my aunt was telling me all about her newest grandson, going on and on and on about how cute he was. (She also said he was partially such a beautiful baby because he was delivered via a c-section. I had never heard of that before.) For some reason I remember that interaction and conversation very clear. I like the memory.
So today, congrats to Luke, Emily, Abbie and Brennan and welcome to the world Brody Nicholas! You have a happy Nana angel looking down on you!
3/31/2011
Glee's Anatomy
Let me just say that I love musicals.
Mama Mia.
Wicked.
Phantom of the Opera.
But Grey's Anatomy the musical has GOT to go.
We live without TV for four weeks--I go without watching Grey's Anatomy much longer--and then the one night I get jazzed about it, I tune into McSoprano? WTF? And if I'm Sara Ramirez, I'm a bit pissed off.
"Hey Sara. We're going to kill of your character, and sing and dance about it. You cool with that?"
I'd like Calli to live but this episode must die.
Stat.
Fa la la la lame.
Mama Mia.
Wicked.
Phantom of the Opera.
But Grey's Anatomy the musical has GOT to go.
We live without TV for four weeks--I go without watching Grey's Anatomy much longer--and then the one night I get jazzed about it, I tune into McSoprano? WTF? And if I'm Sara Ramirez, I'm a bit pissed off.
"Hey Sara. We're going to kill of your character, and sing and dance about it. You cool with that?"
I'd like Calli to live but this episode must die.
Stat.
Fa la la la lame.
3/30/2011
Alzheimer's
My grandma was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease last year. Before then, I knew people that had relatives with the disease, but hadn't necessarily been impacted directly. Now, I'm just trying to learn more and more about it and will probably be using the blog as an outlet. If you know of anyone that's been affected, read of anything of importance with regards to the disease or--what I'm most intrigued about--how to make a difference in fighting Alzheimer's, I'd love to know. With regards to the last, I've supported many, many causes in the past without a direct connection. Mostly because it was a good cause I'm scared will affect me or my loved ones in the future (e.g. breast cancer), or because it was a fun way to support a cause. (Drinking beer for charity? Sign me up.) Well, now I have a reason to support the Alzheimer's cause and want to do anything and everything I can.
CNN.com just posted this article on dealing with Alzheimer's patients when they get violent. My grandma hasn't gotten violent, but you can definitely see a side of her personality we hadn't before. (She's dropping the f-bomb!) I cringe thinking about the fact my grandma could actually turn physical. And mean.
One of the things I find most amazing about the disease is long vs. short term memory. My grandma can't remember where we live nowadays (to her credit, neither can I). But I made a Shutterfly book for them from Christmas with old photos and she remembered their first apartment, her maid-of-honor (and funny things about her), could easily point out photos of my dad and uncle as kids, etc. It was pretty amazing that part of her memory is still there, whereas hours ago is not.
The brain is pretty remarkable. Here's to the day when Alzheimer's is a memory we'll all forget.
3/29/2011
Reason 2,392 why I love my dad.
On Mon, Mar 28, 2011 at 4:21 PM, Wendy Fitch wrote:
Holy crap. They grow up so fast, don't they? One day they're in doggie diapers, the next they have worms and are destroying your house.
Mom and dad: is it totally ridiculous to ask you to ship us her "I'm the birthday pup" shirt that's hanging in my closet? I totally forgot about it and I feel like she needs it. She's worn it on April 1 since 2008.
Kalin and Lindsay: interested in coming to St. Joe for dinner Friday night? Maybe a litle OK Joes takeout for us and a Land of Paws birthday treat for the guest of honor?
Woof love,
A proud doggie mom
On Mon, Mar 28, 2011 at 5:48 PM, Mary Hicks wrote:
LOL Wendy E-mail Dad where the shirt is at because he will have to do it, I'll be vacationing!!!!!!
From: Wendy Fitch
Sent: Monday, March 28, 2011 9:57 PM
To: Ron Hicks
Cc: Ron Hicks; Kalin Hicks; Lindsay Fetter; Trevor.Fitch
Subject: Re: Macy is turning 4!
Dad: it's hanging in my closet. Would you really do this for widdle Mace?
On Tue, Mar 29, 2011 at 10:10 AM, Ron Hicks wrote:
Wendy,
What address do you want this shipped to?
From: Wendy Fitch
Sent: Tuesday, March 29, 2011 10:23 AM
To: Ron Hicks
Cc: Mary Hicks
Subject: Re: Macy is turning 4!
XXXX North S%&@ Drive
St. Joseph, MO !)@*&
So, if you go in the master closet, you'll see a rack of Macy's clothes on the top right. It's the little pink shirt that says, I'm the birthday pup!
On Tue, Mar 29, 2011 at 10:47 AM, Ron Hicks wrote:
Found it
Holy crap. They grow up so fast, don't they? One day they're in doggie diapers, the next they have worms and are destroying your house.
Mom and dad: is it totally ridiculous to ask you to ship us her "I'm the birthday pup" shirt that's hanging in my closet? I totally forgot about it and I feel like she needs it. She's worn it on April 1 since 2008.
Kalin and Lindsay: interested in coming to St. Joe for dinner Friday night? Maybe a litle OK Joes takeout for us and a Land of Paws birthday treat for the guest of honor?
Woof love,
A proud doggie mom
On Mon, Mar 28, 2011 at 5:48 PM, Mary Hicks wrote:
LOL Wendy E-mail Dad where the shirt is at because he will have to do it, I'll be vacationing!!!!!!
From: Wendy Fitch
Sent: Monday, March 28, 2011 9:57 PM
To: Ron Hicks
Cc: Ron Hicks; Kalin Hicks; Lindsay Fetter; Trevor.Fitch
Subject: Re: Macy is turning 4!
Dad: it's hanging in my closet. Would you really do this for widdle Mace?
On Tue, Mar 29, 2011 at 10:10 AM, Ron Hicks wrote:
Wendy,
What address do you want this shipped to?
From: Wendy Fitch
Sent: Tuesday, March 29, 2011 10:23 AM
To: Ron Hicks
Cc: Mary Hicks
Subject: Re: Macy is turning 4!
XXXX North S%&@ Drive
St. Joseph, MO !)@*&
So, if you go in the master closet, you'll see a rack of Macy's clothes on the top right. It's the little pink shirt that says, I'm the birthday pup!
On Tue, Mar 29, 2011 at 10:47 AM, Ron Hicks wrote:
Found it
3/08/2011
3/07/2011
It's amazing how theraputic an hour commute with a good cup of coffee is.
That is all.
Happy Monday!
Happy Monday!
2/08/2011
It's good to be back.
My husband, quite the blog follower, I've learned, asked me tonight why I "never update my blog anymore." While he laughed at my response of, "oh, I do. I just changed the URL so you can't read it," the truth is blogging takes a lot of time. At least for me. But, I must remember, like anything in life--everything in moderation. I don't need to write novel-long blog posts. Just like 15 minutes at the gym is better than nothing, just like a quick 20-minute power nap rocks more than no nap, a little blog update is better than three months of radio silence. And, while my Words with Friends games might start to suffer, consider me back into the blogosphere.
11/12/2010
Working for the weekend.
Today was a 19-hour workday.
On a Friday.
1289.53 miles from home (according to Mapquest.)
Away from TFitch.
Away from friends.
Away from widdle Macy.
Two more days to go.
I do it, because I need to do it.
I do it without complaining (so I hope).
I do it because I hope to God I never, ever have to write this,
Or this,
Or this,
Or this,
Or this,
Or this,
This,
This,
Or this,
Or this.
No matter how many hours.
No matter how many weekends.
No matter how many nights away from family and friends,
I will do what I can so no one I love is lost because of this disease.
On a Friday.
1289.53 miles from home (according to Mapquest.)
Away from TFitch.
Away from friends.
Away from widdle Macy.
Two more days to go.
I do it, because I need to do it.
I do it without complaining (so I hope).
I do it because I hope to God I never, ever have to write this,
Or this,
Or this,
Or this,
This,
This,
Or this,
Or this.
No matter how many hours.
No matter how many weekends.
No matter how many nights away from family and friends,
I will do what I can so no one I love is lost because of this disease.
10/19/2010
Unsportsmanlike Conduct
I found this article unfortunate--that Nebraska receiver Niles Paul was heckled by his own fans after NU's 20-13 loss to Texas last weekend.
Nebraska fans are said to be some of the best in college football--it even says so on one of the entrances of Memorial Stadium. But if you need a third-party endorsement, you'll find many. Most recently, after his victory in Lincoln, Texas head coach Mack Brown complimented Nebraska fans. Good sportsmanship is expected of those who wear the scarlet and cream, even by Bo Pelini who has better things to do than worry about his fans.
During the Texas game, TFitch and I had the pleasure of sitting in the burnt orange section. While most of the Longhorns were very nice, the guy next to me was less than. Not only was he obnoxious and drunk (spilling his scotch all over me and his neighbors to boot), he was downright rude. A few comments that I remember him shouting:
"Hey Nebraska. Your "jumbotron" is about as cool as AIDS."
"Nice stadium, Nebraska! We have high school stadiums bigger than this."
"Oh, there's 85,000 people here? I didn't know 85,000 people lived in Nebraska. I know no one makes $85,000 living in Nebraska."
Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me...
Did I care he was spewing stupid, obnoxious shit? No. Trust me; none of the lame comments coming out of this one guy's mouth hurt my feelings. But it did interrupt me and distract me from watching the football game. (We watched the second half of the game at a bar, simply because I didn't want to deal with the terrible Texan.)
Let me reiterate one phrase...football game.
It's a sport, people. A sport. A recreational past time. A game, which is by definition "an activity engaged in for diversion and amusement." It's not the whole world. Newsflash: there's more to life than football. Two dear friends (MU fans whom I love dearly) emailed me this week, telling me they were sorry for my loss. My heart started racing for a minute while I figured out what they were talking about. I hadn't heard that since my aunt died. Did someone else pass away and I was the last to know?
Don't get me wrong--I love me some Husker football. I've been affectionately named "Ultimate Husker Fan" by my husband. But does football make me stoop so low as to yell petty comments to opposing fans? No. That I'd remind a player to his face his gloves were made of butter? No. Pretty sure Niles Paul was at the game too.
Remember those people on the field--the ones you're yelling at--were born in 1990. How old, and silly, does that make you feel, to yell at these kids? No one's dying out there. Life WILL go on. Contrary to popular belief, the Huskers leaving the Big 12 is not going to be the end of the world. Maybe put that energy into something a little more meaningful; maybe give that attention to your friends, family or volunteer for an organization. If we all put as much energy into the other aspects of life as we do college football, we'll all walk away with a win.
Nebraska fans are said to be some of the best in college football--it even says so on one of the entrances of Memorial Stadium. But if you need a third-party endorsement, you'll find many. Most recently, after his victory in Lincoln, Texas head coach Mack Brown complimented Nebraska fans. Good sportsmanship is expected of those who wear the scarlet and cream, even by Bo Pelini who has better things to do than worry about his fans.
During the Texas game, TFitch and I had the pleasure of sitting in the burnt orange section. While most of the Longhorns were very nice, the guy next to me was less than. Not only was he obnoxious and drunk (spilling his scotch all over me and his neighbors to boot), he was downright rude. A few comments that I remember him shouting:
"Hey Nebraska. Your "jumbotron" is about as cool as AIDS."
"Nice stadium, Nebraska! We have high school stadiums bigger than this."
"Oh, there's 85,000 people here? I didn't know 85,000 people lived in Nebraska. I know no one makes $85,000 living in Nebraska."
Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me...
Did I care he was spewing stupid, obnoxious shit? No. Trust me; none of the lame comments coming out of this one guy's mouth hurt my feelings. But it did interrupt me and distract me from watching the football game. (We watched the second half of the game at a bar, simply because I didn't want to deal with the terrible Texan.)
Let me reiterate one phrase...football game.
It's a sport, people. A sport. A recreational past time. A game, which is by definition "an activity engaged in for diversion and amusement." It's not the whole world. Newsflash: there's more to life than football. Two dear friends (MU fans whom I love dearly) emailed me this week, telling me they were sorry for my loss. My heart started racing for a minute while I figured out what they were talking about. I hadn't heard that since my aunt died. Did someone else pass away and I was the last to know?
Don't get me wrong--I love me some Husker football. I've been affectionately named "Ultimate Husker Fan" by my husband. But does football make me stoop so low as to yell petty comments to opposing fans? No. That I'd remind a player to his face his gloves were made of butter? No. Pretty sure Niles Paul was at the game too.
Remember those people on the field--the ones you're yelling at--were born in 1990. How old, and silly, does that make you feel, to yell at these kids? No one's dying out there. Life WILL go on. Contrary to popular belief, the Huskers leaving the Big 12 is not going to be the end of the world. Maybe put that energy into something a little more meaningful; maybe give that attention to your friends, family or volunteer for an organization. If we all put as much energy into the other aspects of life as we do college football, we'll all walk away with a win.
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