Reflections of the Last 9 Months

Yes, I have been feeling sentimental lately. First an entry about my family and now this. But I can't help it!

The time has finally arrived for my baby girl to show up. I have waited 9 long, yet FAST months for this. I have been a roller coaster of emotions and a blend of different women, and my wonderful fiancee, family, and friends have stuck by me through it all. For that I am grateful! I have had several sleepless nights, several nights where I've slept alone and he on the couch just to give me my space to "stretch out and move around" (When really I think he just got tired of being woken up lol) I have cried. I have laughed. I have gotten ANGRY and irritated at people for the dumbest reasons. I have gotten highly emotional. I have been FRUSTRATED to the very max and people (and places) have pushed me to my limits. I have been uncomfortable to the very max, the point where I just wanted to reach in and take her out myself!.....

....but I have also been happy! I've been excited and anxious! I have gone through some pain, both physical and emotional, yes, but it's all been worth it. In just a few short days (or maybe a week or so), I am going to get to look into the eyes of the precious miracle who has been the reason for all this. And I am going to cry. But not a sad, frustrated cry. I am going to cry out of pure joy! I am going to look at this little girl who is looking back at me hoping I have all the answers to everything (which I don't...and that's scary). I am going to find out what REAL, TRUE LOVE really is. And I cannot WAIT for that! I am going to be someone's EVERYTHING! The one she calls when she is hurt, when she's hungry, when she's mad or sad, and sometimes when she's happy! I will be the one (I hope) who she looks up to and wants to be like one day. Puts a lot of pressure on me (haha) but I can take it! This Christmas is going to be the best one of my entire life, past and future. 

The thing about having a baby at Christmas, is that baby is your present, right? You don't want anything else, not even a tree or stockings. (At least I didn't. I didn't really care, nor did I have the energy to fool with it all) And the best thing about that present is it never goes away. It never gets "old", it never gets thrown away after you get tired of it (although, haha, I'm sure sometimes I'll feel like it....), it never gets "unusable". It never gets sent back to the store or to the Goodwill. This baby is going to be my LIFE. She will be everything that matters to me and I will have her for the REST of my life. And not only am I excited about my gift because it will last forever, but I am also very happy that God was the sender =) My Christmas present this year was from GOD! And I helped make it! Which makes it that much more special. My mom and I were having a conversation a while back about how amazing it is that women have been given the honor of making life with God. It took another person (her daddy) to "provide the goods" but for the next 9 months after, I have been "baking" this baby, making sure she has what she needs. Making sure she is growing the way she needs to be. It's an amazing, fulfilling thing to know that I have made life =)

I can't tell you how many times I've cried because I wish some people could be here for her. My grandpa, my Pops, my Mammaw.... Oh how I wish they could be here to meet this little bundle of joy! I know they will be watching down on us, and I know they will be protecting her....but sometimes I just wish they could be HERE to hold her and rock her and love her they wonderful way they loved me!

There are a few songs out there that I have heard recently that have just...well, they have made me CRY MY EYES OUT! Songs that I have heard before and loved, but they never had that effect on me until now, to name a few:  "I Hope You Dance", Leeann Womack, "It Won't Be Like This For Long", Darius Rucker, "In My Daughters Eyes", Martina McBride, "I Won't Let Go", Rascal Flatts....and this one:

"You're Gonna Be", Reba McEntire

6 lbs and 9 oz, looking up at me
Like I have all the answers, I hope I have the ones you need
I've never really done this
Now I know what scared is


Sometimes I'll protect you from everything that's wrong
Other times I'll let you just find out on your own
But that's when you'll be growing 
And the whole time I'll be knowing

You're gonna fly with every dream you chase
You're gonna cry, but know that that's okay
Sometimes life's not fair, but if you just hang in there
You're gonna see that sometimes bad is good
We just have to believe things work out like they should
Life has no guarantees but always loved by me, you're gonna be

I'm afraid you'll have to suffer through some of my mistakes
Lord knows I'll be trying to give you what it takes
What it takes to know the difference between getting by and living
Cause anything worth doing is worth doing all the way
Just know you'll have to live with all the choices that you make
So make sure you're always giving way more than you're taking

You're gonna be someone's everything
You're gonna see just what you are to me


You're gonna fly with every dream you chase 
We just have to believe things work out like they should
Life has no guarantees but always loved by me you're gonna be
Always loved by me


 Like the song says, "You're gonna be someone's everything, you're gonna see just what you are to me!" Already, I have been overwhelmed with how much I love this baby already, but I can't wait to meet her face to face and fall more and more in love with her every day I hold her in my arms! I can't wait to finally get to feel exactly how my parents felt about me...and to finally understand why my parents did what they did, and said what they said. This is going to be an adventure, and I'm SO ready for it! 


Thank you God for sending me this miracle =) 

My Wonderful Family

Lately, I have been looking around at the homes and families around me. People I've met, people I'm involved with, my friends on Facebook, etc. And it dawns on me how very little I take the time out to be thankful for MY family. So this entry I am going to take that time and brag about how loving and wonderful my family is. I am truly blessed...I just wish I had realized just how blessed I am a long time ago.

Let me give you a little background about my family. My grandpa, Clarence Goodson, was a WONDERFUL man. He didn't have a lot growing up, and he had a pretty sorry home life. But you would never know it from the way he was as a grown man. He was HILARIOUS, always smiling, and always had something up his sleeve. Like my Grandpa Grant, he loved his family too. He was a provider; not only of materialistic things but of love, kisses, hugs, and lots of laughs. I have talked about him a lot in my blog, because I adored him so. He passed away in July 2005 after losing his battle with Parkinson's disease. He had just turned 70 three days prior to his death. He lived a long and filling life, and was also an incredibly talented artist. He carved mostly; beautiful walking sticks, and various models of ducks and birds. He also cartooned and painted. I miss him every day. He always knew how to make me smile or laugh and just to make my day a little bit better.

My sweet grandpa, Pops =)

Then there is my saint of a grandmother, Cecelia. Yes, I was named after her =) Nona is definitely my hero. She is someone I aspire to be just like. My favorite thing about my Nona is how...what's the word...carefree? she is. She is carefree, yet very organized, practical and down to earth. Her favorite quote (which has become mine as well) is "Life is not about surviving the storm, it's about learning how to dance in the rain." And that is exactly what she does. Nona has had a lot of obstacles in her life. But she is a TROOPER if there ever was one. Sometimes it's hard to remember that she is still human, because she just DOES stuff without question or complaint. Whatever her family needs, she gives, no questions asked. Whatever needs to be done, she gets it done. But that's not the reason I love her so much. I love my Nona so much because of how WONDERFUL she is. How she loves her family. How she is always positive no matter what the situation. How no matter where I am, I feel her with me. How encouraging, courageous, loving, kind hearted, adventurous, caring, beautiful, giving, and fun she is. When I have a bad day, or something in my life isn't going right, I think of her favorite quote and it just makes it better. And I always remember what she says no matter how bad a situation is, "We'll fix it." A little story to go with that:

When my mother was about 34-35 weeks pregnant with me, she went to the doctor because she felt like something was wrong with me, for whatever reason. (You know how a mother's instinct is) Nona and my sisters went with her. Sure enough, the doctor told my mother that if they didn't take me immediately, I would turn out blind, deaf, mentally handicapped and dwarfed all at the same time and I might not even make it to age 2. Naturally, my mom freaked out. But Nona was cool, calm and collected. When they left, Nona reassured her everything was going to be okay. "Let's go shopping," she said, since at that appointment, they also found out I was a girl =) (My mom hadn't wanted to know, but I made it pretty obvious during the ultrasound)  The next week, they delivered me. The doctor thought I was only 2 weeks early and that I would be fine (since I was already 7 lbs). But it turns out, I was 5 weeks early. I ended up being born without a thyroid gland, but the doctor actually saved my life. If I had stayed in the womb much longer, I definitely wouldn't have made it, and neither would my mother. When they told my mother the news, about my condition, my mom freaked out again. But again, Nona said the magic words "We'll fix it." Well, it hasn't been fixed: I'm still without a thyroid gland. But I am now 22 years old, perfectly normal, and all I have to do to survive is take one little pill every day for the rest of my life. And that's pretty good =) So you see, Nona just has this way of putting things in prospective. Things are only tragic if you make them out to be tragic. There is always a bright side.

<3 I love Nona

Nona and Pops had 3 children: My dad, Scott, Greg, and Stephanie (Taffy). My mom already had my sisters from a previous marriage, so when my mom and dad got together, they had me. Dad got remarried a few years ago to my stepmom Sharon, and she had 3 kids, twins, Yvonne and Yvette and a son, Brendan. My Uncle Greg married my Aunt Tonya and they had two boys, Chandler and Avery. Aunt Taffy married my Uncle Blaine and they also had 2 boys, Aidan and Ian. Taffy recently re-married my Uncle Steven and he has a daughter named Rachel.

Me and Daddy =)

Always a Daddy's girl

Uncle Greg, Aunt Tonya, Chandler and Avery

Aunt Taffy, Uncle Steven, Rachel, Aidan and Ian

I am definitely a Daddy's girl. My father is one of the most patient, kind men you will ever meet. He makes sure I have what I need and want, but that doesn't mean that he gives me WHATEVER I want, when I want it. He just makes sure I'm taken care of. And I love that. If I mess up, he doesn't hold it against me for the rest of my life. He makes sure I know he is disappointed, but he always makes sure I know he loves me unconditionally. I have been disappointed in him as well, but at the end of the day, it's all just "stuff". It doesn't matter. All that matters is that I have a daddy that adores me, and always will.

My mom is also an amazing person. She doesn't have a whole lot, but what I love about my mother, is she puts her children first. She is one of the most giving women I've ever met. As long as her children, blood, step, in law, grand, are taken care of, she is happy. She doesn't really care about anything else. She is a hard worker, and she WORKS for what she has. Calling her lazy is a no-no. I am blessed beyond blessed to have a mother who loves me so unconditionally.

My mom and her girls =) 

Me, Mandi, Erin, and granddaughter Brooke

I have put both my parents through some sleepless nights, and I was punished pretty much my whole life for SOMETHING haha. But God gave me two wonderful parents that made sure I had a good life. I didn't get everything I wanted. I respected my parents. If I didn't respect them, I was punished for it. If I was good, I got rewarded. If I was bad, I got reprimanded. NO meant NO. End of story. That's just how it was. And I'll add in here that these days, when I see how kids treat and talk to their parents, oh my gosh it makes me SICK. I always think "Um, why aren't they being punished? Isn't that what is supposed to be happening right now?" and then I remember "Oh yea, times are different now. Spanking is considered ABUSE.....and you are considered an awful parent if you reprimand your poor child in public. You might even be on the 5:00 news for it..." Tis a shame.

Not only did God bless me with wonderful parents, but he also gave me 2 older sisters who I love very much. My oldest sister, Mandi, and I actually NEVER fought as I was growing up. But my other sister, Erin, well, we fought every day of my life lol. For some reason, we just never got along. Luckily, that went away as we got older. Now, we have all three had our ups and downs, but again, at the end of the day, my sisters love me unconditionally and I love them the same.

Mandi got married and had her daughter, Brooke.

Erin married her husband Justin. They don't have kids yet, but maybe one day. =)

I am not "legally" married yet (a few more months) but my fiance, Rick and I have a baby on the way, Alexis Sophia.

Our Sweet Lexi =)

I have been blessed with an amazing family. We get together on the holidays (most of the time). We love each other, and we all know it. One thing I absolutely love about my family is there is a zero-tolerance for cursing. You will probably NEVER hear anyone in my family drop the "f" bomb; well, around each other anyway. I'm sure we've all said it lol. I know I have. Call me weird, but that is one quality you just don't find these days. And I like that we still have what's called "COURTESY". We are all intelligent human beings and we have all been very blessed. We are all fortunate people. We all have roofs over our heads and food to eat. Clothing on our backs and a wonderful family. I wouldn't trade it for anything.

The Fading Art Of Proper Etiquette In Our Social Lives

Here I go on another one of my rants again. Rah Rah, I know you're excited =) What might you ask will I talk about? The faded art of ETIQUETTE.

I don't know if it's just in the generations from baby boomers and on, (cause that's where I've seen it the most) but proper etiquette has been fading quite rapidly. Let me stop and go ahead and define what the word etiquette is, so that I'm perfectly clear on what I'm talking about.

et-i-quette [et-i-kit]- conventional requirements as to social behavior. 
(in other words, it's a code of how to behave in public)


For example, your mother taught you how to chew with your mouth closed, right? How to sit at a table without your elbows on top? Well, I guess I should know that the answer for most people my age is NO...tisk tisk. SADNESS! I'm sorry but if you don't know THOSE basics, there is no hope for you and good luck being successful in life!

I'm going to concentrate on SOCIAL etiquette. I think Facebook and Myspace and Twitter have kind of ruined our social life if you really think about it...but that's a different topic for a different day. I'm just saying that our SOCIAL life etiquette REALLY needs some work these days.

I guess I'll start ranting with the one thing that made want to write this entry in the first place: invitation etiquette. Not to give you a boo-hoo story of my life, but ever since I was about 16, every event that I've had, be it birthday, graduation party, baby shower or what have you, I invite a LOT of people. I always do. What can I say? There are a lot of special people in my life. But through the years, I guess I have learned that either I have HORRIBLE timing, or I am not as special to those people as they are to me. Both of which are unfortunate. But that's okay because it's a good way to tell who your friends are. Don't get me wrong, I KNOW that stuff gets in the way. Former commitments, work, etc. See those things HAPPEN. And I hold no judgement against those people who can't come because of that. But the thing that makes me the most annoyed and angry are the people who don't bother to respond.....at all. And that tells me a couple things: either A. You don't WANT to come and are too afraid to tell me B. You don't know what RSVP means or C. You don't care. And each and every time I have a party, I keep track of those people and I don't bother inviting them again. You see, I don't care if you can't come or not. Well, I mean I do...but if you can't come, you can't come. I want to know IF you are coming, because I need to know how many people I'm having for a variety of reasons: how much seating do I need. How much FOOD do I need? How big should my venue be? Ya know, some places make you put a deposit down and depending on how many people you have coming, that fluctuates. So it's nice to KNOW ahead of time how many people you have coming. And if you don't bother to RSVP at all, that makes things different. By the way, RSVP means "Please Reply." It does not mean "Only reply if coming" or "Only reply if not coming". It simply means REPLY!

So, here is the proper etiquette of Invitation and RSVP according to EmilyPost.com, an etiquette website:
1. RSVP. (see, it's the VERY FIRST RULE!) From the French, it means “Répondez, s’il vous plaît,” or, “Please reply.” This little code has been around for a long time and it’s definitely telling you that your hosts want to know if you are attending. Reply promptly, within a day or two of receiving an invitation. (OR, as soon as possible, but before the deadline)


2. How Do I Respond? Basically it comes down to this. READ THE DARN INSTRUCTIONS! 
     a. If there is a phone number on the invitation and it says "RSVP to Sally at 555-6786 by June 5" well obviously that means you need to CALL Sally by (meaning before or on) June 5 to let her know if you are coming or not. And sometimes, especially in this day and age, a TEXT will do. 
     b. If there is a response card included (this is usually the case with weddings) then you fill it out, and you send it back to the host of the party
     c. EMAIL with a nice "I'm sorry I cannot make it; I have prior commitments. I hope you have a wonderful time and thank you so much for thinking of me." and if you want to send a gift "Is there an address I can send a gift to?" or "Thank you so much for inviting me! I will definitely be attending! Is there any information I need to know about?" Yada Yada, or something along those lines. 


3. Is that your final answer? 
According to etiquette, this is correct:

• Changing a ‘yes’ to a ‘no’ is only acceptable on account of: illness or injury, a death in the family or an unavoidable professional or business conflict. Call your hosts immediately.
• Canceling because you have a “better” offer is a sure fire way to get dropped from ALL the guest lists.
• Being a “no show” is unacceptable.
• Changing a ‘no’ to a ‘yes’ is OK only if it will not upset the hosts’ arrangements.

4. Do not ask if you can bring anyone else. If the invitation was sent to YOU and it was only ADDRESSED TO YOU, then the only person invited is YOU. If the invitation is addressed to YOU and your Spouse/Partner/Husband/Etc, obviously, they are invited as well. Basically, whoever the invitation is addressed to, that is who is invited. Note: the only thing RUDER than yacking away on your cell phone at the table, is bringing an uninvited guest. WORST thing you can possibly do. 

5. Always say THANK YOU. Say it when you are RSVP'ing. Say it when you are leaving the event. And call or send a thank you note 2-3 days later. Let them know you had a great time, and you can be sure you will most likely be on their next guest list. 

Now, the following rules are about how to behave when you're AT the said event:


1. Arrive on time. NEVER show up early, and if you're going to be more than 15 mins late, just let your host know. I will personally always understand because again, life happens. But it's good to just let me know! In this case, texting doesn't count because I may not see the text until way too late.


2. Turn off your cell phone. or at least put it on vibrate. 


3. Be a willing participant.
Be SOCIAL. At least TRY to strike up some conversation. And participate in any games they have. They have them for a reason: to entertain YOU. So the least you can do, even if you think they are dumb, is participate. It's for FUN! 

I'll tell you the truth: if you're the one refusing to participate in anything, you're the Debbie Downer who brings the mood of the party DOWN about 10 notches. And you don't wanna be that at a party. As much as you think it doesn't affect it, it REALLY REALLY does.

4. Practice moderation. 
I'll make this one short. If there is alcohol, don't get wasted. If there is a ton of food, don't eat it all. Simple as that.

5. Offer to help with whatever you can. 
There are lots of things to get done at a party, and 90% of the time, help is always appreciated. However, if the person you ask says no, don't insist. Just enjoy yourself, know that you DID offer and be done with it.

6. If there is assigned seating (such as a wedding) Don't switch your place cards.
Your host spent a lot of time and effort deciding where you would sit, so don't screw it up!

7. Be considerate. I would hope these would be common sense, but I think Mr. Common Sense left our society a LONG time ago....
Wipe your feet before entering. Don't put your feet on furniture. Use a coaster for drinks. Leave the bathroom neat for the next person. If you're a smoker and there are no ashtrays, go outside to smoke. If you have a cold or other spreadable illness, call with your regrets and stay home.


8. Compliment your host. 
Don't go overboard, but compliment your host for her hard work. Compliment the food, the decor, the venue. Make her feel like she did a great job and that she is appreciated. But again, don't gush. 


9. Respect your hosts trust.
ie: Don't go snooping around in her house. And if you break something, let her know immediately and offer to pay for repair.


10. Leave with the pack.
Don't overstay your welcome unless you were invited to stay longer. And if you need to leave early, just let your host know so she is not insulted with an early departure.


11. Thank your host. 




Now, let's touch on DATING, shall we?


Use your manners! That goes for men and women.  Be CONSIDERATE of your date. These rules are gender-neutral, but if you're old-fashioned like me, the italicized rules should be reserved for the men. But that's just me. 

Holding the door: Whoever gets to the door first holds it for others. (Or, if you think like me, man hold door for woman) 

Getting off an elevator: The person closest to the door exits first. (Or, if you think like me, woman go first.)

Helping to put on a coat: Anyone having trouble putting on a coat or sweater should receive some help, regardless of gender.

Paying for a meal: Whoever does the inviting does the paying.

Standing: Getting up to greet someone is always polite—and this is especially important when the person is elderly or is a business superior or client. It’s also the thing to do when you are being introduced to someone.

Walking on the outside: The custom of a man walking between his female companion and the street was the custom in the days when carriages splashed mud and ladies’ finery needed shielding. These days, it doesn’t matter who is walking on the street side of the sidewalk. (completely disagree with that, but again, I'm old fashioned)

Shaking hands: Used to be that a man was supposed to wait for a woman to offer her hand before he extended his. Today, regardless of gender, people should shake hands upon meeting, and it doesn’t matter who puts their hand out first.

Helping to carry something: A neighbor or coworker—anyone—who is overloaded with books or packages will appreciate an offer of help from whoever is nearby.

I think that about does it for the evening. Thank you for reading. And just remember that even in our modern society, ETIQUETTE still matters. If you don't have good etiquette, don't be surprised if you don't go too far in life!

Be THANKFUL For That Tree BEFORE You Put It Up!

Is it just me, or are there other people out there deeply offended when people put their Christmas trees up before Thanksgiving? I don't know if it's happened in years previous (and it probably has) but this year, I've noticed it just seems like EVERYBODY wants to put up their Christmas tree right this second. It's like an epidemic! I don't get it. Maybe everyone is just bored or something, I don't know.

People look at me as though I'm a Mrs Scrooge and I'm so against putting the tree up because I hate Christmas or something. Which is not the case at all. I love Christmas! I always have and always will! I love the decorations and the music, the smells and the traditions. I love putting up my Christmas tree too. But....this is the time of the year you spend with your FAMILY and it's not about decorations. It's not about the turkey and the stuffing or the football. It's not about presents. It's not about materialistic stuff at all. It's about being with the people you are most thankful for. THANKSgiving is about giving THANKS. And when you put a Christmas tree up before Thanksgiving, you overshadow a very important holiday. You wouldn't have turkeys put up on Halloween would you? You wouldn't have shamrocks everywhere for Valentines day? You wouldn't have 4th of July decorations out for Easter? So why would you have a Christmas tree out before Thanksgiving? Why do you think the biggest shopping day of the year, Black Friday, is used most for buying Christmas gifts and it's the day AFTER Thanksgiving?

I know Christmas is a favorite time of year for everyone and it's everyone's FAVORITE holiday. Congratulations, it's mine too. But first I celebrate Thanksgiving. I am THANKFUL for the blessings in my life FIRST. Then the day after Thanksgiving, up goes the tree and the decor.

Someone said earlier (and she didn't say it directly to me but I know she was implying it) that people who don't put up their tree before Thanksgiving don't get to experience the joy of Christmas as long. Haha. That made me laugh. Dumbest thing  I've heard all day. No, let me correct you. Not only do I get to experience the joy of Christmas, but I also get to experience the joy of Thanksgiving. So I get DOUBLE the joy.

And maybe Christmas isn't a big deal to me this year because my gift this year is my daughter, Lexi. I am more excited about her than anything else! Even more than I was when my parents took me to Disneyworld for the very first time for Christmas when I was about 8. ;-) The tree, and the decor, and the stockings, and the ornaments, and the caroling, the lights, the music....yea, I'm excited about it. It's fun! But having a baby does kind of overshadow all that...and first things first: I am THANKFUL for the people in my life. I am THANKFUL for the roof over my head. I am THANKFUL for the food on my table. I am THANKFUL for the car I have to drive to get places. I am THANKFUL for my health. I am THANKFUL for my job. I am THANKFUL that I have such a wonderful, loving family and that they raised me to know Jesus Christ as my personal Savior.  I am THANKFUL that I have a beautiful baby girl on the way: a miracle from God. And I am THANKFUL that I KNOW what the meaning of Christmas really is. It's Jesus' birthday. It's the first day of the beginning of HOPE for mankind. And it's also about being THANKFUL for your BLESSINGS!

So before you go putting up that tree before Thanksgiving, how about being THANKFUL that you have a tree to put up in the first place?

Pet Peeves!

GRRRRAAAAAAAGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHGGGRRRRAAAAGGGHHHHHHH!

That's a scream of frustration.....

There are just so many things in this world that get on my nerves! I know that in life, you shouldn't let the little things get to you. But I'm having a really really hard time with that. I try so hard to be positive and optimistic, and I have been until about 7 months ago. Now, my hormones are going crazy and my patience is very low. A lot of it has to do with my job. Ok, 90% of it is my job. (Don't worry my last day here is just a month and a couple weeks away, and I will never come back to the industry again, unless of course I go to the place that started it all: Hampton Inn Brevard.) So I'm just going to vent here, even though I have vented a lot on Facebook Notes.

I'll start with my number one pet peeve:

1. BEING INTERRUPTED.
*sigh* I guess the whole concept of "raising your hand to speak" has been tossed out the window. In fact, I think "RESPECT" has been completely tossed out the window in general. Wouldn't you agree? I mean people these days just don't have any respect for each other in general.  But I digress; the respect subject is for a different time. But really, when I'm talking, you don't. I don't expect you to actually raise your hand, that would just be weird. We aren't in school. But most people love it when other people finish their sentences. Well, NOT me. Unless of course you're my husband. And I only have one of those, or you're someone who is very close to me who probably has an idea of what I'm talking about. It's just so rude to me! And on a deeper level, I hate it when people interrupt me by asking a question of which what I'm talking about will answer that question.
ex: "Thank you for calling Embassy Suites La---" "Is this the Lake Buena Vista one?" "Yes it is." "Ok, and who am I speaking to?" "My name is Cecelia."
Now, if that person had just waited another 5 seconds, which is the polite thing to do, to let me completely finish my greeting that I am paid to say, BOTH of those questions they had just asked me would have been answered at the same time.
i.e.: "Thank you for calling Embassy Suites Lake Buena Vista. This is Cecelia, how may I help you?"
See? Now this whole asking a question before I'm done explaining thing happens alll the time at work. This is a normal check-in dialogue:
"Hello, welcome to Embassy. Are you checking in?
"Yes, my last name is ------"Yes, Mr./Mrs. ----, we have been expecting you. I see you have a --- suite for --- nights?"
"Yes, that is correct."
"Okay perfect, I just need to see an ID and a credit card please."
*guest hands over items*
"Thank you, Mr./Mrs ---. And how many keys will you need? "
"2 please"
*we make keys*
"Okay, Mr./Mrs.---. Now, breakfast is held from 6:30-10, and we have a happy hour every day from 5:30pm-7:30pm. That includes your free alcohol and non beverages as well as snacks. Check out is at noon. Here is a copy of the complimentary schedule to Disney. We also have a movie that plays by the pool and you will find that schedule here on the back. Here are your room keys, which is what you will need to park. This is where your room is. Since you are located on this side of the hotel, you may park in the West/East side parking lot. Do you have any other questions?"

Now, at that point would be the time for the guest to ask any questions that I haven't answered, and ask for any paperwork I haven't given him/her.  But for some reason, guests constantly ask where to park, what time breakfast is, what time the managers reception is, etc, before I even get done making the keys. Ugh. lol it just irks me to DEATH!

Another thing that drives me crazy, on the topic of interruption, (and my mother is guilty of this the most; sorry mama.) But when I'm on the phone with someone and they start talking to someone else they're with WHILE I'm in mid sentence. O my gosh that drives me bananas. So much in fact that I end up just saying "Hey, I'll just talk to you later". Obviously, I do not have your full attention, so I will talk to you when I do.

2. RUDENESS.
I have this firm belief that every person on the planet should work in the retail, hotel, food, or some kind of public service industry at least one point in there life. Realistically, that's not always possible, especially when there are a lot of people out there who inherit positions in family businesses that have nothing to do with public service. But I have this philosophy that if everyone worked in the public service industry, to kind of get a sense of what "we" go through, then maybe people would be a little more understanding and less rude.

Now, I'm just talking about my job here, but like I said, 90% of my pet peeves come from my job. It's amazing how rude people on vacation can be. I mean vacation is supposed to be a de-stresser. But if it's stressing you out THAT much to where you're being rude to the people trying to make your vacation special, maybe you shouldn't even be on it! I think people these days live in fantasy world, and when they go on vacation, reality just kinda goes out the window. Now, in a perfect world, you would be able to get a room automatically at 10:30pm, in July, in Orlando, FL, and it be the EXACT room you want at the EXACT location you wanted. But unfortunately, and this is true for any hotel, to get EXACTLY what you want, usually requires a reservation at least a week or longer in advance, depending on what type of room you want. In REALITY, there are other people with certain types of requests JUST like you that are staying in this hotel at the SAME time you are. Can you BELIEVE IT? And in reality, that room that you wanted on the 5th floor with the beautiful room by the pool is currently occupied by someone else who made their reservation 6 months ago, so NO, Mr. Walk-in-at-10:30pm on a Friday night in July in Orlando, FL, that room is not available. And it is SO amazing how RUDE and bent out of shape people are about that. 'I'm writing to your company! My family is on vacation and you're making it miserable!" Well, no, sir it's not our fault that YOU are an idiot. Go ahead and write your little letter, but you're just going to writing to write. You will not be refunded for anything. The response corporate gives you is probably just going to tick you off even more, so you probably shouldn't even write the letter in the first place. The fact that you're threatening us with a letter, really doesn't phase us the least bit because we know that this little mishap is not our fault. And the ruder you are to us, the less likely you are to get what you want, though you may think that rudeness gets you what you want. Actually, at that point, we just want you out of our face and out of our hotel. If you were in a restaurant right now, we'd probably be spitting in your food. So you're lucky.

Off my rant on rudeness at work. Let's talk about in general. When you bump into someone, it's polite to apologize and say excuse me. When you're driving, the law is to use your turn signal, and it's also polite as well.  If there is an older person or a pregnant lady in front of you in line, it is not polite to push them out of the way. It's not polite to shout at people for no good reason, especially when you're shouting at someone for a reason that is not under their control. It is not polite to call people names. When you receive a gift, the polite thing to do is to write a thank you note. I mean c'mon people you learn this stuff in grade school!  Now, I am definately not saying I am never rude because that would be a lie and a half. But always remember that Please, Thank You, and Excuse Me are necessary phrases in life. Use them!

Ok, enough of that. Onto the next one.

3. You're in America. SPEAK ENGLISH!
Okay, I'm all about people coming over and enjoying America. More power to ya! But first of all, come LEGALLY and second of all LEARN SOME ENGLISH! I wouldn't go to France or Mexico on VACATION without knowing some basics, and I certainly wouldn't move there without knowing more than basics. Now, I know that most of the immigrants here who don't know a lick of English are mostly illegal. That just makes me mad in general, but it's a different subject for a different time as well. And another thing, if you don't know english, then don't get mad at us for not knowing your language. We're in America, we speak English. The door swings both ways, you know.

4. Way too lenient parents.
*sigh* If your kid is screaming and making a scene in public, control them please. Nobody wants to hear them. If your kid is bad in public, discipline them. It drives me crazy when parents don't control their kids in public. I'll give you an example:
A month or so ago, we had a little girl who was going up to kids in the pool area and pushing them in the pool. Just random kids she didn't know. She was about 5 or 6. She was reported by a few concerned parents. When we confronted her father about it, he got angry at us and took his daughters side! Wow! "My daughter would NEVER do such things." Right. Okay. So you really think that we found you and just accused your daughter of pushing kids in the pool for our entertainment? Really? Okay.

I think that about covers it. Yup.

It's Time To Let OUT Some STEAM!

Okay, so I will admit that I haven't been the MOST pleasant and happy pregnant woman. My temper has been short, my nerves have been thin, and my tolerance for almost everything stupid or negative has been LOW, which it is anyway but pregnancy has made it even lower.  I feel like I'm about to BURST at any moment with ANGER! And the sad thing is, I'm actually very happy right now. Why wouldn't I be? What do I NOT have to be thankful for? Absolutely NOTHING! I have a beautiful house over my head, I have some money to pay my bills and a little extra, I have a man that adores me, and a little girl on the way. My family loves me, and I have awesome friends. I have the opportunity to go on an amazing vacation in a couple weeks: the kind of vacation I have actually NEVER been on before. So what is making me so irritable? My hormones, of course. But for what reason?


I think most of it is human stupidity and ignorance. I hate to sound all high and mighty, and I will be the first to tell you that I don't know everything. Frankly, I don't know a lot of stuff. Sometimes, my common sense DOES go away. So I am in no way perfect and I don't claim to be. But the part that bugs the crap out of me about people is the people that THINK they DO know it all. The people that will not take "NO" for an answer. The snobby people. The spoiled people. The cocky people. The people that don't do their research before they make a move. THOSE people...I honestly have NO room for in my life. Period. Which is why, for example, I want to get out of the industry I'm in right now. It's pretty bad when work makes you mad. When your place of employment makes you want to quit every single day.  I blame my job for 95% of the negativity in my life. Honestly. That's not good. But it's not just the guests and co-workers I work with everyday. I also have friends and family that are like that as well. But, there is really no way of getting rid of them....

I have had a lot of friends and family that make jokes about me writing a book about my job. And I have actually seriously considered it. In fact, I put all my posts on FB about the stupid comments and questions I get everyday in one place. It's a good way to let out my frustrations...by writing about them. Hence the reason I have a blog in the first place. So, I am going to USE this blog to express my opinions. That's what they are, opinions so I hope I don't offend anyone. Now, I know that most people will say "You can't let stuff get to you so much." Well, unfortunately, I do. That's how I'm wired. I can't help it. So you can save that argument because it doesn't work with me.


I think this world we live in is so screwed up to begin with. No idea where it started exactly, but people are so spoiled these days! Spoiled, stuck up, and stubborn. I think a lot of it has to do with the fact that nobody takes "no" for an answer. Everyone wants things their way, and nobody wants to settle for less. The settling for less part, I understand. But there comes a time in life where "no" has to suffice. It's a fact of life: you don't always get your way. Period. You SHOULD have learned that in grade school. Obviously no one took that lesson with them....or maybe they had THOSE parents to fought with the teachers all the time, the ones who insisted that "their little Jimmy would never do such things...." when in fact "Little Jimmy" is the main bully of the school...I have fought and fought and fought against people like that my entire life. I just don't understand it.

I remember a few years ago, I was working at the YMCA in Hendersonville and there was a little boy named David...basically everyone that worked there was intimidated by his mother, and I found out very quickly why.  I actually considered being a teacher at one point, and this kid completely changed my mind about it. Some people may think that to be cowardly, but I knew that if there were kids like that out there, I didn't want to have anything to do with them.  Anyway, let's talk about what he did. There was a little girl who was selling candy bars for a fundraiser.  David wanted one. Did David have the money to buy one? No. Was he asking everyone in the room for money? Yes. I told him "David, if you do not have the money to buy the candy bar, then you don't get the candy bar." He pitched a FIT! So, I put him in time out for 10 mins. In the meantime, another little girl had laid her candy bar that she had bought with her own money on top of the tv. Probably not the brightest idea, but hey, she was like 7.  So, when David got out of time-out, what did he do? He marched right on over there and grabbed the candy bar and ate it.  Oh, man was I furious. So, I put him in time-out again, and this time I made him write 25 sentences: I will not steal. When he was done, he turned them into me and before I left work that night, I gave the sentences to the front desk and asked them to turn them into his mother when she was done exercising.  They smiled at me, gave me a pat on the back and said "That's awesome. I wish we had the courage to do that." I wasn't really sure what they meant by that, because it was pretty easy for me. But obviously, I hadn't met David's mother yet. The very next day, she marched in and TOLD ME OFF! "MY SON IS NOT A THIEF AND YOU ARE MAKING HIM OUT TO BE ONE." I said "Ma'am, I saw him with my own eyes take that little girls candy bar.  In my eyes, and every one else here, that is called stealing. I never said he was a thief. He is only 7 years old. He made a mistake, and he was punished for it." She said "Well my son said he didn't steal anything." Right. Your 7 year old son said he didn't steal anything and just because he said it, just because he probably boo hooed to you and pitched a fit and said he didn't do it, you believe him and now you're gonna come yell at me about it. I wish I could say that I got my point across to her, but I didn't. I ended up leaving that job very soon after that, and never going into a job that required working with children again, which is a shame because I always thought being a teacher would be a great job. I used to PLAY school when I came home from school. But after that little incident, and knowing that there would be more children like that, and knowing that if I had to put up with those children and their parents on a daily basis, I would hate my life.

I'm going to get off on a short tangent here about that: It starts during childhood. Example: In what era did "spanking" become "wrong"? Seriously. I don't understand it. There is NOTHING wrong with simply popping your child a few times on the butt with your hand. There is a huge difference in spanking and beating. HUGE difference. Anyway, that's a whole different tangent for a different day.

But really, when did parents start believing everything their child said? Taking their childrens side instead of the grown adult and the authoritive figure? Well, maybe it was when people of authority that were in charge of children became so corrupt. Ok, I can understand that parents are wary now. But honestly, when my little girl is born, when she does something wrong, (notice I said "when" not "if") she will be punished for it, case closed. End of story. That's the only way she is going to learn right from wrong. What do you do when your dog poops where he shouldn't? You stick his nose in it right? After a couple times, he understands, 'Oh, I'm not supposed to poop there." Same with children. They do something wrong, you punish them. Eventually they learn that they can't do that and they stop. Well, most of them.


Anyway, I digress. My point is, I don't understand why grown adults act like children. I guess it's a fact of life that I'm going to have to learn as well: they just don't. People want it their way or no way at all. It drives me absolutely crazy, yes. But there is absolutely nothing I can do about it. I can't change the people, but I CAN change my career. I CAN change the people I associate myself with. This job has made me a very sad person. Or maybe I should say the people I have to deal with. Mankind. Working in this position, I have become a little more prejudiced than I would like. The fact I'm even predjudiced at all bothers me. But I am. I have begun stereotyping every single kind of person I deal with. For the sake of not insulting anyone, I will not go into which race is what: cheapest, most spoiled, most stubborn etc. But I hate that it has even come down to that. But it's true.

Okay, I feel much better now. Now, if this phone will just stop ringing....

Let's Play CATCH UP!

Let's catch up a bit on this pregnancy, shall we?

I am now almost 21 weeks along, so that's about 5 months.  Finally over the horrible first trimester: that morning sickness and all day nausea was going to be the death of me! I still haven't felt her move distinctly; the movements I do feel, I can only guess is my baby girl. Yes, I said GIRL! We are so excited about her! We found out the sex a few days before I went to North Carolina for my shower!

I finally decided on her nursery decor =) Ladybugs! Once I get the nursery completed I will share pics, but for now, it's a work in progress.

The most exciting news of all though? As of yesterday, our sweet love bug has a name! Alexis Sophia Castiglione.  We will call her Lexi.  I am so happy that I finally have something to call her besides Peanut =) It's truly a relief, you don't even know!

Now last week was a busy one! (Actually more like 2 weeks ago).  Between finding out the sex of the baby, getting ready for my trip to North Carolina and MOVING, we were POOPED!  Yes, that's right, we finally moved out of that horrible s*** hole we were living in.  We are now living in Lake Helen, FL: population 1500 and it has a few churches, couple day cares, couple restaurants, a gas station, police station, Wells Fargo bank, fire station, American Legion, City Hall, and a park. Yup, that's about it. But I love it! It reminds me of back home.  The houses here are very old, and we are living in one of them, built in the 1940's.  It's charming and it has been well updated on the inside.  3 bedrooms, 1 bath (I know, ugh. Couldn't they have put at least a HALF bath in here =P) The master bedroom used to be the garage, so it's HUGE! My favorite feature of the house are the amazing front and backyards.  They are VERY spacious.  We have a cactus in the front yard with a few pretty hot pink buds on them and a ginormous magnolia tree in the back yard AND a shed! The driveway is shaped like a horseshoe so we no longer have to REVERSE out of our driveway (which is big plus for me =P)  And it wouldn't be complete without our little flower bed in front (which I need to start planting flowers in) It's nice to finally be able to spread out instead of being cramped into one small hotel-room size apartment.  It's also FANTASTIC that we have our own KITCHEN and laundry room. Heck, we even have a DINING room.  I know, the smallest things are awesome when you have to do without them for so long!

We have been greatly blessed.  His mother Cindy has been great: coming to help us set up the house, buying us small luxuries here and there: curtains, kitchen utensils, towels, microwave stand, hamper for the babies room etc. Plus, one of her friends sold her over probably $1500 (or more) worth of furniture for $700, which she gave to us! We got a brand new sofa, dining room table and chairs, toaster, microwave, lamp, bed set (including headboard and foot board, dresser and mattresses) Yes, it's been awesome.  And now, we have a little one to add to our home just in a few months.  We are going to be one little happy family and I couldn't be more excited!

It seems like yesterday I was thinking I would never be able to have children.  The day I found out I was pregnant with my little girl, I was probably the most happiest I had ever been.  Scared and nervous, of course.  But SO happy.  I was born to be a mommy and by God, I am going to be the best mommy the world has ever seen! You just watch and see =)

A Letter To My Sweet Angel

I have been overwhelmed with nothing but excitement, love, and JOY (with a little stress and worry) over the little life I'm carrying around.  So, I decided to sit down and write a letter to my baby full of wishes for him/her and just to say how excited I am to have them in my life!

"To my sweet baby,

I am writing you this letter at only 14 weeks pregnant.  You are already my angel, my whole life, and I cannot imagine how much more I can love you already. The next 5 3/4 months are going to seem so slow because of my excitement to finally meet you! I can hardly stand it!  I do have a few wishes for you:

The first: never be afraid to reach for your goals and your dreams.  Nothing is too big....or too small.  If you are driven and you put your whole body, soul, and mind into it, anything is possible.  Don't ever let anyone tell you that you can't do something because the minute you do, you have failed yourself.  Always know I am here to support you nomatter what.  If that means supporting you through your Presidency of the United States or flipping burgers at McDonalds, I will stand by you and be PROUD of you for MAKING  yourself HAPPY!

The second:  Always know I love you unconditionally.  You will make plenty of mistakes and disappoint me more than I care to admit, but I want you to always know that you can tell me anything.  I am your mother first, but I am also your friend and your biggest fan.  I will never push you away for any reason, so I don't want you to push me away. I would rather you tell me your thoughts and let me help you through them, than think something stupid, act on it, and then have me punish you for your actions. 

The third: Always put God first, family second, friends third, and yourself last, but always LOVE yourself! Trust and believe in yourself and know that you are a BEAUTIFUL soul inside and out.  Don't let anyone put you down.

Stay strong in your FAITH, always HOPE for the best, and above all else, LOVE as truly and as deeply as you can.

I love you forever unconditionally, my sweet angel.

Love,
Mommy

Venting of A Pregnant Woma

Before I start this, let me just warn my readers that I will get mean. I am simply speaking my mind...and its meant for plain entertainment. So enjoy! And Father God, please forgive me in advance.

I'm not sure what it is with me and rude, ignorant and slobby people, but I have zero tolerance for them.  Now, having said that, some people classify me as a slob.  I'm not a slob...I'm unorganized.  What's my definition of a slob? 5 words: the people I live with. I won't mention what nationality they are, because I don't want to insult any of my readers by stereotyping, but it's been very hard to stay NON-prejudiced since living here. Just sayin.

Picture this if you will:  the building Rick and I live in is a 3 bedroom, 2 bath townhome with an attached mother in law apartment.  The woman who is on the lease is basically running this place like a flippin boarding house for the homeless. No joke.  Rick and I have half of the mother in law apartment and one of the woman's bum, good for nothing 45 year old loser male friends has the other half.  Now, the man is basically a man-whore: different girl every weekend.  Until recently, the same girl seems to be over allll the time. Congrats, David, let's see if this ones a keeper!  Plus, he has his 2 bratty lazy and inconsiderate kids here for the summer. Great.  The woman has her 19 year old bum of a son living here: this kid is basically a waste. Seriously. High School drop out. Criminal. Has zero drive in life except to eat, smoke pot, drink, play his x-box all day and be the biggest slob on the planet.  But we'll get to that in a second.  There is the womans other friend...I guess her "lay of the week" as well...only thing bad I can say about him is he takes my parking spot all the time. And there is dear sweet Danny.  He is the ONLY person in this crazy house I can stand. He is here to try and "shape up" the son. It's not workin very well though, and I believe the poor kid is about to give up.  Let me throw in here now that Rick and I are the ONLY ones paying rent. Yup. The woman who is running this household inherited her mothers car and doesn't have the money to get a parking permit for it, but parties every night and blows her money on pot an booze. Here's an idea: WHY DON'T YOU EITHER STOP PARTYING OR START CHARGING EVERY OTHER FLIPPIN PERSON IN THIS HOUSE SOME RENT SO YOU CAN PAY THE 50 DOLLARS FOR THE PARKING PERMIT AND  STOP GETTING YOUR JUNKY A** CAR TOWED ALL THE TIME....IDIOT!!!!!  People in this house have NO common sense whatsoever.  And they get mad at us when we complain about them slamming doors and furniture and jumping up and down upstairs at 3 am when we, the only 2 working people in this joint have to work the next morning. But if I'm not mistaken, and I don't believe I am, I think since we are the only 2 ppl paying any kind of rent in this place, we have every right to complain. Don't you.  Oh and another thing: this place was SO nice when Rick first moved in, minus the ugly teal colored carpet. Now, its a flippin junk house. Doors falling off the hinges (from people not knowing how to gently SHUT them...), oven broken, washer and dryer broken....etc etc...

Okay...so let's get into about why "the son", Michael, is such a slob. And its not just him...its his 40 yr old mother too.  Picture this: everyday I come in, the house smells like cig smoke, rotten food and pot...so I have to hold my breath to unlock our door to our apt or else, since my gag reflex is so sensitive, I barf.  Yea, not pretty.  I DO NOT go into the kitchen unless I absolutely HAVE to use the microwave (since the man whore has the kitchen part of our suite...leaving us with a mini fridge only...) but when I do go into the kitchen, I find eaten strawberries lying on the counter, with only the leaves left...an overflowing trash can..(which pisses me off first of all cause its so overflowing there are flies and cockroaches everywhere). NASTY floor, looks like it hasnt been mopped or sweeped in years....ummm....yesterday for instance, I found an empty can of Chef Boy Ardee with the sauce all over it, right next to the bowl they poured the contents into, and ate non of it then left the whole bowl there for 2 days. I'll stop there just for the sake of NOT grossing you out further. But the point is, the kitchen is nasty.  They only clean when the landlord comes or her mom visits. and I dont think anyone in this household except myself, Danny and Rick know how to wash a dish.

So you can imagine why I want to get the HELL out of here, especially since we have a baby on the way.  Luckily we have found a house FAR away from here all to ourselves that we are very excited to move into the first week of August. So not too much longer here.

Then there is the rudeness of the household. Remember the manwhore who has his kids staying over for the summer? Well since Rick and I don't have a fridge to keep a lot of stuff in, sometimes we have to use the main fridge in the disgusting kitchen.  The other day, we put half a half gallon of milk in there but not before OBSESSIVELY writing our names all over it.  Usually, it would have been fine.  But ever since David's despicable children have moved in, the things we put there somehow seem to disappear: the milk, the ice cream sandwiches, the pizza, etc. Yea, and David laughs about it when we say something.  Plus, when we try to do laundry: good luck getting it all done at once. There is a good chance SOMEONE will come by and decide their laundry is more important, take your either CLEAN or SOAPY clothes and yes...THROW them on the nasty cockroach infested kitchen floor. So that when you come back, you have no choice but to do it again, and PRAY the next person doesn't do the same thing.

Oh, and let me also throw in here that Mr. Michael the slob is now set for life. He has no reason to find a job at all. The grandmother has agreed to give him a car and money whenever he asks and whenever he needs. Oh and she is buying him an apartment to. Yea. How MESSED UP is THAT? Like I said, he is a complete waste.

Let's touch on the zero tolerance for rudeness now.  It happens to me everyday, if you wanna consider the IDIOTIC RUDE drivers here in Orlando. (Who gives foreigners cars and why are we letting them drive????) But that's not all.  I'm talking about COMMANDING me to do things. For example, "give me this...give me that..." Oh, and the people at work who CONSTANTLY steal my things: phone chargers....food....etc...Where did your MANNERS go? I won't even begin to mention the rude guests I deal with. Although I will say this to all my readers: when you go on vacation, please please please try to keep in mind, and this is coming from a Front Desk Clerks POV, YOU are on VACATION. I am not. I am working.  There is absolutely NO reason for you to complain about the VIEW of your room when you have a full week planned of theme parks all day every day. Right? Try and limit your complaints....seriously.  And if you don't, then don't expect your trip to be any easier. 

Last but not least, ignorance.  Omg. I know people say there is no such thing as a dumb question. Well, I'm going to call BS on that one. Or maybe I should rephrase that: There IS a such thing as people not THINKING before they SPEAK.  For future reference, do NOT ask a prego woman ridiculously stupid questions and if you do, be prepared to either get smacked, a smartass response, or made to feel like the biggest idiot in the world by the look she has on her face. Got it? =)

In conclusion I want to say one thing: I try to be as optimistic as possible.  Being pregnant and having my hormones go in completely crazy directions has not helped that out at all....however I have managed to stay somewhat optimistic.  I am not one to complain about much...although I did complain at a restaurant for the very first time on Fathers Day....that was fun. Point is, you'll have to excuse me and just take my ranting as pure entertainment, and just something to give you a laugh. I hope none of my readers think less of me, and if you do...well, then stop reading now! =)

What Happened To The Rules We Learned In Kindergarten?

As I approach this adventure of becoming a new mommy, I am so excited I can hardly stand it.  I am excited about the adventure in itself, but most of all I'm excited to be a MOMMY. To have this little life to teach things, love on, and be his/her number one fan.

But though I'm excited, I'm scared to death. For obvious reasons.  Will I REALLY know what to do when they are sick?  What if something happens?  Am I going to be able to give my child the life he/she deserves?  And the big question: What if I screw them up? What if my child becomes like every other child on this planet that have no respect for anyone or anything around them because of me?

You see, these days, kids are NOTHING like what they used to be.  Respect for elders, much less respect for ANYONE has diminished.  I swear, if I had spoke to my parents the way some of these kids today do (or even kids MY age do), I would have had my REAR END WORE OUT and grounded til the END of TIME.  Even grown adults have zero respect for each other anymore.  It's sad.

My main issue is what happened to all those rules everyone learned in Kindergarten?  The most BASIC and IMPORTANT rules a person can learn?  I think Robert Fulghum had most of it right in All I Really Need To Know I Learned In Kindergarten:



Share everything. 

Play fair. 

Don't hit people. 

Put things back where you found them. 

Clean up your own mess. 

Don't take things that aren't yours. 

Say you're sorry when you hurt somebody. 

Wash your hands before you eat. 

Flush. 

Warm cookies and cold milk are good for you. 

Live a balanced life - learn some and think some
and draw and paint and sing and dance and play 
and work every day some. 

Take a nap every afternoon. 

When you go out into the world, watch out for traffic, 
hold hands, and stick together. 

Be aware of wonder.
Remember the little seed in the styrofoam cup: 
The roots go down and the plant goes up and nobody 
really knows how or why, but we are all like that. 

Goldfish and hamsters and white mice and even 
the little seed in the Styrofoam cup - they all die. 
So do we. 

And then remember the Dick-and-Jane books 
and the first word you learned - the biggest
word of all - LOOK. 


But I think he left out one thing:  When someone is speaking, you don't.  Raise your hand to be called on.  I mean don't you think so? I'll tell you why I'm going on this rant.  So many times people miscommunicate, are hurt, don't get their fair share of something because NOBODY LISTENS TO THEM.  Everyone is so self absorbed these days with the mind set of "its my way or the highway". Almost like "I'm right, you're wrong and I know it and I don't want to stop and think for a second that it's the other way around."  We are all stubborn and self-absorbed, rude human beings.  I'm not saying I'm not guilty because I am.  I've just come to realize it recently.  


Having said that, and working in the Hotel business, let's add a side note here.  Just because you do listen to someone, and hear their point of view doesn't mean they will be right.  For instance, (and I'm just speaking in Hotel terms) 


"I had a reservation to come to your hotel tomorrow and I need to cancel.  My son is in the hospital and I know that I have booked with a 3rd party and my reservation is non-cancellable and I know your rule is that you need documentation that my son is in the hospital but I'm not able to provide that so can you please just make an exception?"


Well, of course the answer would be no.  But before I jump the gun and interrupt him before he speaks, like most people would do, I listen first.  I listen to his issue, and I sympathize with him, and NICELY give him the bad news.  What is so hard about taking that extra step to listen?  Because we are all selfish people.  I mean it's natural, that's how we are built.  But that's also why you have these rules that you learn WAY back in the early stages to TEACH you RIGHT FROM WRONG and how to deal with yourself.  


How many times have you felt this way: "Yes, I know I'm wrong, but can you just listen to me and sympathize with me for 2 seconds before you shut me down completely?" I rest my case. The GOLDEN RULE is a good illustration for that...


What happened to COMPASSION? What happened to LOVE? What happened to RESPECT? What happened to COMMUNICATION? I am making it a point to bang it in my child's head to LISTEN to all people and THINK before you SPEAK. Not to make him/her a wimp by any means; of course I'm going to teach self-defense as well.  But AFTER they LISTEN. I think if everyone could live by that rule too, just like it was back in Kindergarten, this world would be so much happier, and we may even come together a little bit more.  Join me?