Well Hello!
I know it's November 3rd...or should I say November 4th....
Way over due for a blog post (AGAIN!)
But at least I haven't given up or forgotten, just really occupied!
Originally, I wasn't even going to decorate for Fall/Halloween in the apartment, the new one.... you see, My store was shut down and I got moved to a different location to help out and well, that location...Let's just say the commute really SUCKS!
I'm in my car for almost 3 hours a day just commuting to and from where I live to the store I'm helping out at...TRAFFIC in Austin is INSANE! I'll be honest...I get pretty cranky just dealing with the commute and I tend to focus on the 3 hours that I've lost to the daily commute and think of WHAT ELSE I could be dedicating myself to during those 3 hours a day daily....instead of sitting in my car reading magazines or listening to the 'new hit music' these days....Realistically, I listen to the Justin Timberlake or Britney Spears station and Michael Jackson is included on there for 'oldies'....Ugh. Am I really that old?
Anyways, I told myself that I'd just take it easy and not worry about the appearance of the apartment during the holidays....(this mean suffocating my desire to DECORATE for the Holidays....each and EVERY one of them...)
I told myself....'Just decorate for Christmas...it's not a huge sacrifice'.... and It's really not but for every girly girl, we like to decorate, we like to be overachievers and we like to seize the opportunity for creativity.
By October 1st, my boyfriend is in my kitchen making dinner and he just blatantly asks me, 'Are you not decorating for Fall this year?' I responded casually by saying, 'No, I think I'm only going to decorate for Christmas this year, I'm in the car on my daily commute for way longer than I anticipate and I don't think anyone cares anyways.' He responds with, 'Oh okay, I see where you are coming from but I like it when you decorate, it makes everything cozy & you always do a great job.'
As soon as he said that, I knew I had to....and I knew it was a wonderful compliment so it motivated me to make the time for it....
I decided to decorate a little for fall, not crazy as last year but enough for it to stand out in the living room and foyer...
I will post up pictures manana once I get my photos synced to my Verizon Cloud
I just wanted to let Andrew's family and my family know we are still alive and well and up to date on holidays and life....I will strive to be more disciplined on updating everyone. :o)
XoXo,
Meg
Tuesday, November 3, 2015
Monday, July 27, 2015
It's July....
no, it's ALMOST the end of July....
Last post - April....man, what did April bring for me?
APRIL
------Bridesmaid Dress Shopping
-------Working.... (A LOT!)
------- Easter Celebration with my best friend, Derek & his family
-------The rest, I don't really remember, it's all been a blur.
MAY
------I went home to Kansas City's for Mother's Day, got to see my Granny and Papa and just spend time with my family. It was lovely...and a visit that flew much by too quickly.
------ Had a work accomplishment (had the biggest sales month ever and exceeded all my goals & gained national recognition for the 7th month in a row)
------ Baby Brother graduated 8th grade
------ Started packing up apartment/purging & searching for new place due to lease ending
JUNE
-------Threw Andrew a surprise birthday party & pulled it off - he was confused more than shocked but then it clicked in his brain later on that everyone was their to celebrate him and toast him into the last year of his 20's. Welcome to 29, Andrew!
-------Bridal Shower for one of my best friends, Spencer
------Signed lease on an apartment just south of the downtown area (Barton Springs)
------MOVED!
-------Got called into work on the day I was moving to be told that they were shutting my store down...Yes, that's right. The 4th up and rising store in the nation is being shut down...I sat in my office with my District Manager and his boss was on the speaker phone...they took a few minutes just beating around the bush before they got to get to the point and tell me, I'm not sure who was more crushed - me or them. My boss and I were just stunned, shocked and saddened...I'll save all that for the next post - it was a rather intense chapter...(day, week, month)....but I can tell you they quickly found out who the person was behind 'Don't mess with Tech!'...
-----Our friends, Chase & Missy had their baby and we fell in love with Max! (and our baby fever may have slightly kicked in but we love, oooh and snuggle with Max every chance we get!)
JULY
-----Housewarming Party (4th of July party!)
-----Bachelor/Bridal Party
-----Being the Maid of Honor and Andrew as one of the groomsmen in one of the most beautiful/special ceremony I have ever been part of. <3
-----Transferring to another store help out at - (pays the bills despite a huge cut in pay...gotta count your blessings and not your problems)
-----Uh oh....my birthday is in 4 days.
The Big 3-0!
Not sure whether to laugh or cry about that. I loved my 20s!
You'll hear more from me soon enough - in a few more days after the big 3-0 hits and if it traumatized me or empowered me...I'm going for the latter.
XoXo,
Meg
no, it's ALMOST the end of July....
Last post - April....man, what did April bring for me?
APRIL
------Bridesmaid Dress Shopping
-------Working.... (A LOT!)
------- Easter Celebration with my best friend, Derek & his family
-------The rest, I don't really remember, it's all been a blur.
MAY
------I went home to Kansas City's for Mother's Day, got to see my Granny and Papa and just spend time with my family. It was lovely...and a visit that flew much by too quickly.
------ Had a work accomplishment (had the biggest sales month ever and exceeded all my goals & gained national recognition for the 7th month in a row)
------ Baby Brother graduated 8th grade
------ Started packing up apartment/purging & searching for new place due to lease ending
JUNE
-------Threw Andrew a surprise birthday party & pulled it off - he was confused more than shocked but then it clicked in his brain later on that everyone was their to celebrate him and toast him into the last year of his 20's. Welcome to 29, Andrew!
-------Bridal Shower for one of my best friends, Spencer
------Signed lease on an apartment just south of the downtown area (Barton Springs)
------MOVED!
-------Got called into work on the day I was moving to be told that they were shutting my store down...Yes, that's right. The 4th up and rising store in the nation is being shut down...I sat in my office with my District Manager and his boss was on the speaker phone...they took a few minutes just beating around the bush before they got to get to the point and tell me, I'm not sure who was more crushed - me or them. My boss and I were just stunned, shocked and saddened...I'll save all that for the next post - it was a rather intense chapter...(day, week, month)....but I can tell you they quickly found out who the person was behind 'Don't mess with Tech!'...
-----Our friends, Chase & Missy had their baby and we fell in love with Max! (and our baby fever may have slightly kicked in but we love, oooh and snuggle with Max every chance we get!)
JULY
-----Housewarming Party (4th of July party!)
-----Bachelor/Bridal Party
-----Being the Maid of Honor and Andrew as one of the groomsmen in one of the most beautiful/special ceremony I have ever been part of. <3
-----Transferring to another store help out at - (pays the bills despite a huge cut in pay...gotta count your blessings and not your problems)
-----Uh oh....my birthday is in 4 days.
The Big 3-0!
Not sure whether to laugh or cry about that. I loved my 20s!
You'll hear more from me soon enough - in a few more days after the big 3-0 hits and if it traumatized me or empowered me...I'm going for the latter.
XoXo,
Meg
Wednesday, April 8, 2015
Vegas, Baby!
Is this really only about to be my 3rd post in the year 2015?
And we are already in the 2nd week of April?!?!
A third of the year has already past by?
I'm still having trouble remember to write 2015 on my reports because I keep writing down 2014 on reports, only to cross it out....like this....2014...2015.
Every.single.day.
By the time I get it down, we will be approaching 2016!
Anyways - this post will mostly be highlights of my trip to VEGAS!
It was a well-deserved vacation! Well, the first part was a little stressful...probably because...
I missed my flight out there.
Yep. I missed it. Andrew missed it. We were SO bummed out and we didn't exactly have the greatest customer service experience with Allegiant Airlines.
When we arrived, there was NO ONE at the ticket counter and apparently Allegiant Airlines only has 'certain hours' at the ticket counter. like 4 hours a day 3 days a week. Very inconvenient...after being on the phone with customer service for almost an hour and half before getting ahold of a live person - we finally got a flight out the next day...like 18 hours later.
(Note to self- don't ever book with Allegiant Airlines again)
Their flights may be dirt cheap but they charge for EVERYTHING! Including your seats. Yes, your tickets does not COVER your seat. You have to purchase your seat at the counter. They charge $50 for your first bag. $50 bucks! On the flight, if you want water or crackers, they wanna charge you $5 for that too! Long story short - after all is said and paid for - you end up saving more money if you just go with Southwest Airlines at the end of the day.
Anyways - we FINALLY made it to Vegas and I got to see the whole city at night upon my arrival. It was a really neat scene to see!
We stayed at the Luxor Hotel & Casino -
One of my favorite views in Vegas to see in Vegas was the Eiffel Tower Hotel & Casino. I thought it was even more interesting to find out that the Eiffel Tower in Vegas is actually 1/2 the size of the original one in Paris.
Andrew & I got to check out the M&M Factory there - it was pretty neat!!!
Here are a few shots of the group - it was so much fun!
One more photo of Lindsay and I ---
And we are already in the 2nd week of April?!?!
A third of the year has already past by?
I'm still having trouble remember to write 2015 on my reports because I keep writing down 2014 on reports, only to cross it out....like this....
Every.single.day.
By the time I get it down, we will be approaching 2016!
Anyways - this post will mostly be highlights of my trip to VEGAS!
It was a well-deserved vacation! Well, the first part was a little stressful...probably because...
I missed my flight out there.
Yep. I missed it. Andrew missed it. We were SO bummed out and we didn't exactly have the greatest customer service experience with Allegiant Airlines.
When we arrived, there was NO ONE at the ticket counter and apparently Allegiant Airlines only has 'certain hours' at the ticket counter. like 4 hours a day 3 days a week. Very inconvenient...after being on the phone with customer service for almost an hour and half before getting ahold of a live person - we finally got a flight out the next day...like 18 hours later.
(Note to self- don't ever book with Allegiant Airlines again)
Their flights may be dirt cheap but they charge for EVERYTHING! Including your seats. Yes, your tickets does not COVER your seat. You have to purchase your seat at the counter. They charge $50 for your first bag. $50 bucks! On the flight, if you want water or crackers, they wanna charge you $5 for that too! Long story short - after all is said and paid for - you end up saving more money if you just go with Southwest Airlines at the end of the day.
Anyways - we FINALLY made it to Vegas and I got to see the whole city at night upon my arrival. It was a really neat scene to see!
We stayed at the Luxor Hotel & Casino -
One of my favorite views in Vegas to see in Vegas was the Eiffel Tower Hotel & Casino. I thought it was even more interesting to find out that the Eiffel Tower in Vegas is actually 1/2 the size of the original one in Paris.
One of the highlights on this trip was going to one of Andrew's favorite chef's restaurant. Andrew is obsessed with watching Hell's Kitchen & Masterchef and Masterchef Junior. I do enjoy watching the shows with Andrew and have grown to admire Gordon Ramsay as well. Chef Ramsay has 3 restaurants in Vegas and we went to one of them - It was called Burgr & it was DELICIOIUS!
It was soooo good that we went TWICE!
The BIGGEST highlight of the trip was seeing my BEST friend from high school. I had not seen her in almost 7 years (way too long and way OVERDUE for a visit)! We just picked up right where we left off and it was so wonderful reconnecting with her. I haven't really had very many female friends but the few that I have had, I hold close to my heart and she's one of those ladies but she's also the one that has stuck around by my side - none of that cattiness or betrayal or anything. She is practically my sister and we have known each other for about 15 years now. That's a milestone for female friendships these days! I really enjoyed celebrating her 30th birthday with her in Vegas and we both plan to make this a yearly thing!!!
One more photo of Lindsay and I ---
Friendship isn't about being inseparable....it's about being separated and nothing changes.
XoXo,
Meg
Friday, February 6, 2015
Never a Failure, Always a Lesson
Ahhh, Such is life...
Life is always full of lessons...
I am learning...constantly...and I am learning. every.single.day.
No matter how old you get, there is always something to learn...there is always something that will either disappoint you, shock you, sadden you, scare you, excite you or simply just amaze you.
Interactions with people....Relationships with people
For me, this is the area that I am always learning about -
I've had 'short' friendships, I've seen people come and go. I think everyone has had their fair share of people coming and going from their lives....you learn that people are in your lives for a reason...or if they are no longer in your life, it's for a reason too. You learn that certain people are in your life for a reason, a chapter, a season, or however long it exists.
For me, I just recently had a 15 year friendship end....well, it ended before I even realized it ended and by the time I realized it, it was after the discovery of a betrayal from someone I had least expected. Someone that had been through good times and bad times, easy times and hard times, someone that I respected and adored. That person simply just stopped talking to me and I just assumed that it was because that person was busy, "we always pick up where we left off....no big deal"....and then after time passed, it started to feel that the person was avoiding me....Why?
I don't know.
I have an idea that this person was influenced by another person that I used to be friends with but that person was in my life a short 2 years....Somehow that person had influenced my friend of 15 years....I know this because that person of 2 years bashed me online and the person of 15 years went along and supported it and agreed with it.
What a class act.
When I had discovered this - It was just this past weekend. Andrew was in Chicago. (Not good....My main support system, the one that understands my heart and my soul is thousands of miles away). My sister was the one that had discovered it and told me immediately because she felt like I needed to know who my 'real friends' were. Mind you, I didn't think I would need to know a fact like this due to the fact that I'm approaching the age of 30 and people are more mature and don't have issues like this when they are in the later part of their twenties, right?.
Well, I was wrong.
People will offend you, hurt you, disappoint you or betray you irregardless of how young they are or rather in this case, how old they are.
I talked about it with my best friend, Derek a few days later and what he spoke to me in response about the situation was point on. I felt relieved being able to talk about what had happened with someone close to me. I don't have to carry this around. I don't have to be sad or upset about this.
Why?
Because MY response to the entire situation is what truly matters.
I can either let them win and break my heart and completely ruin my day or my week....or I can smile and say , "thanks for the memories, we had some good times. How you acted makes me feel sorry for you as a person and I wish you the best of luck." and simply just let it go at that.
I felt FREE.
Life is all about LEARNING experiences....
Learn from it and continue to live your life.
People are not meant to live with bitterness or anger or resentment, we are meant to live with joy, endurance and to grow as an individual and let our light within us shine. Share what we have learned with others and listen to what others have learned. Never let anyone bury you or who you are. I know exactly who I am, my friends and my family and God above know my heart. I want to be an example to others and even to myself on how to respond to situations.
Always be open to learning.
/XoXo,
Meg
Life is always full of lessons...
I am learning...constantly...and I am learning. every.single.day.
No matter how old you get, there is always something to learn...there is always something that will either disappoint you, shock you, sadden you, scare you, excite you or simply just amaze you.
Interactions with people....Relationships with people
For me, this is the area that I am always learning about -
I've had 'short' friendships, I've seen people come and go. I think everyone has had their fair share of people coming and going from their lives....you learn that people are in your lives for a reason...or if they are no longer in your life, it's for a reason too. You learn that certain people are in your life for a reason, a chapter, a season, or however long it exists.
For me, I just recently had a 15 year friendship end....well, it ended before I even realized it ended and by the time I realized it, it was after the discovery of a betrayal from someone I had least expected. Someone that had been through good times and bad times, easy times and hard times, someone that I respected and adored. That person simply just stopped talking to me and I just assumed that it was because that person was busy, "we always pick up where we left off....no big deal"....and then after time passed, it started to feel that the person was avoiding me....Why?
I don't know.
I have an idea that this person was influenced by another person that I used to be friends with but that person was in my life a short 2 years....Somehow that person had influenced my friend of 15 years....I know this because that person of 2 years bashed me online and the person of 15 years went along and supported it and agreed with it.
What a class act.
When I had discovered this - It was just this past weekend. Andrew was in Chicago. (Not good....My main support system, the one that understands my heart and my soul is thousands of miles away). My sister was the one that had discovered it and told me immediately because she felt like I needed to know who my 'real friends' were. Mind you, I didn't think I would need to know a fact like this due to the fact that I'm approaching the age of 30 and people are more mature and don't have issues like this when they are in the later part of their twenties, right?.
Well, I was wrong.
People will offend you, hurt you, disappoint you or betray you irregardless of how young they are or rather in this case, how old they are.
I talked about it with my best friend, Derek a few days later and what he spoke to me in response about the situation was point on. I felt relieved being able to talk about what had happened with someone close to me. I don't have to carry this around. I don't have to be sad or upset about this.
Why?
Because MY response to the entire situation is what truly matters.
I can either let them win and break my heart and completely ruin my day or my week....or I can smile and say , "thanks for the memories, we had some good times. How you acted makes me feel sorry for you as a person and I wish you the best of luck." and simply just let it go at that.
I felt FREE.
Life is all about LEARNING experiences....
Learn from it and continue to live your life.
People are not meant to live with bitterness or anger or resentment, we are meant to live with joy, endurance and to grow as an individual and let our light within us shine. Share what we have learned with others and listen to what others have learned. Never let anyone bury you or who you are. I know exactly who I am, my friends and my family and God above know my heart. I want to be an example to others and even to myself on how to respond to situations.
Always be open to learning.
/XoXo,
Meg
Sunday, January 11, 2015
One Month
It's already January 11th!?!?!
Has one month seriously gone by since I last wrote a post?
Geez...I wasn't kidding about the "blackout period". I've literally been busy with work...this entire time! Heck, I was so busy with work that I didn't even finish decorating my apartment for Christmas!!! Believe it or not, that was something I really struggled with...and complained to my boyfriend about it constantly. I don't like, pardon my french, I don't like "half-assing" things. I like to finish what I start....and December didn't allow me to finish or complete any projects that I had started (my personal projects - I finished all my professional projects for my job).
I DID make it a point to get my family's gifts wrapped and shipped...they did it get it the day AFTER Christmas but it got there!!!
On Friday - I told myself I'd hire a maid to clean my apartment because I felt like I had fallen so far behind. And then, I thought, "that's stupid. Who hires a maid to clean an apartment? You hire a maid to clean a 4 bedroom house...not a 2 bedroom apartment....Just go home and at least clean the bathroom."
Sure enough, I went home and cleaned my bathroom. It was quick and wasn't so bad...I felt motivated so I threw all the towels in the wash and had it dried and folded with an hour later. Hmm, I thought, "What maid? I can totally do this!"
Decided to go to bed instead.
Went to work Saturday and when I got home...I decided to clean the kitchen - I even got down on my knees and scrubbed the floor...Needless to say, it's spotless!
Relaxed with the boyfriend with a lovely dinner and watched a movie.
Today - I FINALLY took the Christmas tree down, put the decorations in the half filled boxes still sitting in my dining room. I took the boxes out the garage and stored them and when I came back inside, I cleaned my dining room and living room. My apartment is SPOTLESS! It felt soooo good!
I know this seems silly but this is a personal task that I was excited and proud to have completed for the year 2015! Great start! Yes, it's obvious I need to take a vacation!
Which brings me to my next point! I am going to take a short weekend trip to Vegas in March. My best friend from high school, Lindsay is turning 30 and invited me a few months ago but I am finally putting the plan into action. It's going to be a short weekend but it is going to be fun-filled and well deserved. I am so excited!
My FIRST real vacation....since my vacation to Mexico with my family in February of 2013!
It's been 3 years.
That is way too long...(in my opinion).
I say it's time to take a vacation and enjoy myself. I've earned it. I will be definitely be taking SEVERAL vacations this year and I cannot wait! It's going to be wonderful and I'm excited to finally go and see the world!
But for now....next stop, VEGAS!
Xoxo,
Meg
PS - In case you were curious....the tree was really pretty this year - here's a peek at it!
I hope y'all had a wonderful Christmas a great start to the new year!
Has one month seriously gone by since I last wrote a post?
Geez...I wasn't kidding about the "blackout period". I've literally been busy with work...this entire time! Heck, I was so busy with work that I didn't even finish decorating my apartment for Christmas!!! Believe it or not, that was something I really struggled with...and complained to my boyfriend about it constantly. I don't like, pardon my french, I don't like "half-assing" things. I like to finish what I start....and December didn't allow me to finish or complete any projects that I had started (my personal projects - I finished all my professional projects for my job).
I DID make it a point to get my family's gifts wrapped and shipped...they did it get it the day AFTER Christmas but it got there!!!
On Friday - I told myself I'd hire a maid to clean my apartment because I felt like I had fallen so far behind. And then, I thought, "that's stupid. Who hires a maid to clean an apartment? You hire a maid to clean a 4 bedroom house...not a 2 bedroom apartment....Just go home and at least clean the bathroom."
Sure enough, I went home and cleaned my bathroom. It was quick and wasn't so bad...I felt motivated so I threw all the towels in the wash and had it dried and folded with an hour later. Hmm, I thought, "What maid? I can totally do this!"
Decided to go to bed instead.
Went to work Saturday and when I got home...I decided to clean the kitchen - I even got down on my knees and scrubbed the floor...Needless to say, it's spotless!
Relaxed with the boyfriend with a lovely dinner and watched a movie.
Today - I FINALLY took the Christmas tree down, put the decorations in the half filled boxes still sitting in my dining room. I took the boxes out the garage and stored them and when I came back inside, I cleaned my dining room and living room. My apartment is SPOTLESS! It felt soooo good!
I know this seems silly but this is a personal task that I was excited and proud to have completed for the year 2015! Great start! Yes, it's obvious I need to take a vacation!
Which brings me to my next point! I am going to take a short weekend trip to Vegas in March. My best friend from high school, Lindsay is turning 30 and invited me a few months ago but I am finally putting the plan into action. It's going to be a short weekend but it is going to be fun-filled and well deserved. I am so excited!
My FIRST real vacation....since my vacation to Mexico with my family in February of 2013!
It's been 3 years.
That is way too long...(in my opinion).
I say it's time to take a vacation and enjoy myself. I've earned it. I will be definitely be taking SEVERAL vacations this year and I cannot wait! It's going to be wonderful and I'm excited to finally go and see the world!
But for now....next stop, VEGAS!
Xoxo,
Meg
PS - In case you were curious....the tree was really pretty this year - here's a peek at it!
I hope y'all had a wonderful Christmas a great start to the new year!
Wednesday, December 10, 2014
Changes.
Changes.
That's something that always occurs when the new year is right on the horizon.
Fortunately for me, there will be some new changes right as we embark onto the new year. Some of these changes I look forward to, some I have some hesitation about...but we all know that some kind of change can be good.
The biggest change right now for me is with work...my job...the one that consumes most of my time.
I just hired...ahem...my district manager, has hired 2 new people. For my location. One of them I did orchestrate to get hired on - the other one is a wild card. The one that I did help get hired on, he used to work for the company and he is with another premium retailer and is very good with customer service, sales and everything - I don't even have to train him! I am SO looking forward to having him start on Friday. (I wish he could have started sooner!) I don't mind having new employees - I'm just really burned out on training new people. This is something I have been doing in Dallas since March.
My District Manger (in Dallas) let Andrew go to Austin immediately....I had to stay behind for almost a month to train new employees in Dallas before I could return to Austin. I love that my DM up there had so much confidence in me and felt like he needed me so much to keep me for an extra month. I just feel like I have been training new people nonstop since March & it gets old sometimes.
Anyways,
The Wild Card.
The wild card was currently employed with electronics and phone sales for Target - I do have to do some training with him. He started on Monday. He's going to catch on quick. One of my strongest employees that I have right now will be transferred to another store - a store that will be much closer to home for him. I'm excited for him...but I will miss his help greatly. He's my bilingual employee - that will kind of hurt to lose him but fortunately, I have Jean - she's my main bilingual employee and the one that is teaching me how to speak Spanish more frequently. (Remember, my store is 50% spanish-only speaking customers).
It's so funny - I can't speak the language that well but I can tell what my employees are saying (in spanish) when they are speaking with their customers and at the end of the conversation, they introduce themselves and let them know that they are here to help and I always chime in with a 'y llama es Megan' so that they know that I'm Megan & that I will try to help them to fullest of my knowledge of Spanish on communication with them.
Change.
I'm thinking about enrolling in a spanish class in January with the community college so that I can communicate better with my customers. I've always loved the Hispanic culture and I do love hearing Spanish being spoken in my store. It intrigues me.
I understand now why some people are intrigued by sign language.
I do have a couple of hard of hearing/deaf customers that come into my store and I'm glad that I'm able to communicate with them - they are always so surprised and delighted when they encounter me because it makes communication so much easier for them. They can express to me exactly why they are there, what they want, what they are looking for and together, we can reach a solution.
My employees are always intrigued and always ask me to show them a few signs. It's a great trade-off between us --- we are learning to be tri-lingual. :o) I don't know if that's even a word but that's exactly what it is.
The Wild Card.
I don't think I'm at liberty to say much about him right now - all I know is that he has a seizure disorder and his eyes flutter alot every 30 seconds when he's speaking to customers. At first, I didn't think he was up front about it but after working a few days with him, he tells his customers that he has a rare form of epilepsy and jokes about it - He says that he's just 'geeking out' over the products we have and the customers laugh and respond well to it.
It's a new change.
A positive change.
He's going to teach me alot. He's going to teach my co-workers alot. He's going to teach my customers alot.
I've never really been fully 100% accepting of the fact that I'm hard of hearing. I feel like people focus on it too much and ask me too many questions than I care for. This is something that I've been working on for the past year - learning how to be up front with people of it. When people ask me where I'm from (yes, they all think I have either a British or an Australian accent) - I now am able to tell them that I'm not from another country, I'm just simply hard of hearing and that it has affected my speech in a way- the way that it sounds like an accent.
It puts everyone at ease much quicker.
My new employee is going to teach me and everyone to not only be accepting of others -ALSO to be accepting of their flaws....
but mostly to be accepting of ourselves and our flaws.
Ending 2014 and starting 2015 on that note is going to be positive and embracing.
Accept yourself first...
and the rest will fall into place.
(If other people don't accept it, shrug it off - they're the ones with a problem - not you)
XoXo,
Meg
That's something that always occurs when the new year is right on the horizon.
Fortunately for me, there will be some new changes right as we embark onto the new year. Some of these changes I look forward to, some I have some hesitation about...but we all know that some kind of change can be good.
The biggest change right now for me is with work...my job...the one that consumes most of my time.
I just hired...ahem...my district manager, has hired 2 new people. For my location. One of them I did orchestrate to get hired on - the other one is a wild card. The one that I did help get hired on, he used to work for the company and he is with another premium retailer and is very good with customer service, sales and everything - I don't even have to train him! I am SO looking forward to having him start on Friday. (I wish he could have started sooner!) I don't mind having new employees - I'm just really burned out on training new people. This is something I have been doing in Dallas since March.
My District Manger (in Dallas) let Andrew go to Austin immediately....I had to stay behind for almost a month to train new employees in Dallas before I could return to Austin. I love that my DM up there had so much confidence in me and felt like he needed me so much to keep me for an extra month. I just feel like I have been training new people nonstop since March & it gets old sometimes.
Anyways,
The Wild Card.
The wild card was currently employed with electronics and phone sales for Target - I do have to do some training with him. He started on Monday. He's going to catch on quick. One of my strongest employees that I have right now will be transferred to another store - a store that will be much closer to home for him. I'm excited for him...but I will miss his help greatly. He's my bilingual employee - that will kind of hurt to lose him but fortunately, I have Jean - she's my main bilingual employee and the one that is teaching me how to speak Spanish more frequently. (Remember, my store is 50% spanish-only speaking customers).
It's so funny - I can't speak the language that well but I can tell what my employees are saying (in spanish) when they are speaking with their customers and at the end of the conversation, they introduce themselves and let them know that they are here to help and I always chime in with a 'y llama es Megan' so that they know that I'm Megan & that I will try to help them to fullest of my knowledge of Spanish on communication with them.
Change.
I'm thinking about enrolling in a spanish class in January with the community college so that I can communicate better with my customers. I've always loved the Hispanic culture and I do love hearing Spanish being spoken in my store. It intrigues me.
I understand now why some people are intrigued by sign language.
I do have a couple of hard of hearing/deaf customers that come into my store and I'm glad that I'm able to communicate with them - they are always so surprised and delighted when they encounter me because it makes communication so much easier for them. They can express to me exactly why they are there, what they want, what they are looking for and together, we can reach a solution.
My employees are always intrigued and always ask me to show them a few signs. It's a great trade-off between us --- we are learning to be tri-lingual. :o) I don't know if that's even a word but that's exactly what it is.
The Wild Card.
I don't think I'm at liberty to say much about him right now - all I know is that he has a seizure disorder and his eyes flutter alot every 30 seconds when he's speaking to customers. At first, I didn't think he was up front about it but after working a few days with him, he tells his customers that he has a rare form of epilepsy and jokes about it - He says that he's just 'geeking out' over the products we have and the customers laugh and respond well to it.
It's a new change.
A positive change.
He's going to teach me alot. He's going to teach my co-workers alot. He's going to teach my customers alot.
I've never really been fully 100% accepting of the fact that I'm hard of hearing. I feel like people focus on it too much and ask me too many questions than I care for. This is something that I've been working on for the past year - learning how to be up front with people of it. When people ask me where I'm from (yes, they all think I have either a British or an Australian accent) - I now am able to tell them that I'm not from another country, I'm just simply hard of hearing and that it has affected my speech in a way- the way that it sounds like an accent.
It puts everyone at ease much quicker.
My new employee is going to teach me and everyone to not only be accepting of others -ALSO to be accepting of their flaws....
but mostly to be accepting of ourselves and our flaws.
Ending 2014 and starting 2015 on that note is going to be positive and embracing.
Accept yourself first...
and the rest will fall into place.
(If other people don't accept it, shrug it off - they're the ones with a problem - not you)
XoXo,
Meg
Saturday, November 29, 2014
Entering the Black-Out Period
It seems like I have "disappeared" for awhile...
"Disappeared" as in not being on social media anywhere as much, or if I am, it's only just for a few minutes to glance at the newsfeed..."Disappeared" as in not responding to texts or if I do respond, I'm hours behind on the timing of the response, "Disappeared" as in being extremely behind on mail and e-mail - my inbox is full of messages that have yet to be checked - My work email is alot better than my personal one but that's because I'm required to be on top of my work email (I mean, they PAY me to do my job and part of my duties is reading my email or typing them out all day long), my "actual" mail is in several piles on a table off to the side in my apartment - pretty much all unopened.
Disappeared.
Disappeared...to a certain time of the year. I have officially entered the "Black-Out" Period of the Retail World.
What's a Blackout Period? It's the time that the retail world decides that ANY and ALL of its employees will be required to be dedicated to work November 15th to January 5th with absolutely no vacation, no PTO's, no holiday travel or holiday time. (You see, when you accept a job in the retail world, you sign a paper stating that you will work holidays and weekends and nights - those are the hours.) It's also a period where you will work longer hours, you will work overtime and you will have more deadlines to meet. It will not be a choice, it will not be an option, you will have to just work the longer hours irregardless of what you want or what you think you deserve.
That is why I haven't been around as much.
I have been working longer hours...I have been doing overtime. Everything gets put on the back burner and honestly, this year....it feels like
Work has consumed my life.
I'm really looking forward to tomorrow being the last day of November All of my deadlines will be met and I'm glad to say that I'm exactly where I need to be...even though the stakes are higher, the bar has been set HIGH for success. And I completed it - tomorrow is just 'breathing room' at work but dang, it feels good to know that my store has broken the record for the highest sales for the month of November at that location...and we just beat it yesterday.
Although work consumes my life as of lately - I also have the attitude of gratitude. I am back in the city that I love, I have wonderful family and I miss them very much but cherish them & maintain a close relationship with them all, I have amazing friends, I have the sweetest boyfriend and I have a job that I enjoy very much.
I have more than enough.
Yes, the hours are long and I don't like not having my holidays - but I am grateful. My holidays are anywhere from Januart 6th to November 14th. :)
So if it seems I have disappeared.... that the texts are few and far between, just know that I'm super busy with work, thinking of y'all and wish y'all a wonderful holiday and I miss you!
I hope y'all had a WONDERFUL Thanksgiving.
XoXo,
Meg
"Disappeared" as in not being on social media anywhere as much, or if I am, it's only just for a few minutes to glance at the newsfeed..."Disappeared" as in not responding to texts or if I do respond, I'm hours behind on the timing of the response, "Disappeared" as in being extremely behind on mail and e-mail - my inbox is full of messages that have yet to be checked - My work email is alot better than my personal one but that's because I'm required to be on top of my work email (I mean, they PAY me to do my job and part of my duties is reading my email or typing them out all day long), my "actual" mail is in several piles on a table off to the side in my apartment - pretty much all unopened.
Disappeared.
Disappeared...to a certain time of the year. I have officially entered the "Black-Out" Period of the Retail World.
What's a Blackout Period? It's the time that the retail world decides that ANY and ALL of its employees will be required to be dedicated to work November 15th to January 5th with absolutely no vacation, no PTO's, no holiday travel or holiday time. (You see, when you accept a job in the retail world, you sign a paper stating that you will work holidays and weekends and nights - those are the hours.) It's also a period where you will work longer hours, you will work overtime and you will have more deadlines to meet. It will not be a choice, it will not be an option, you will have to just work the longer hours irregardless of what you want or what you think you deserve.
That is why I haven't been around as much.
I have been working longer hours...I have been doing overtime. Everything gets put on the back burner and honestly, this year....it feels like
Work has consumed my life.
I'm really looking forward to tomorrow being the last day of November All of my deadlines will be met and I'm glad to say that I'm exactly where I need to be...even though the stakes are higher, the bar has been set HIGH for success. And I completed it - tomorrow is just 'breathing room' at work but dang, it feels good to know that my store has broken the record for the highest sales for the month of November at that location...and we just beat it yesterday.
Although work consumes my life as of lately - I also have the attitude of gratitude. I am back in the city that I love, I have wonderful family and I miss them very much but cherish them & maintain a close relationship with them all, I have amazing friends, I have the sweetest boyfriend and I have a job that I enjoy very much.
I have more than enough.
Yes, the hours are long and I don't like not having my holidays - but I am grateful. My holidays are anywhere from Januart 6th to November 14th. :)
So if it seems I have disappeared.... that the texts are few and far between, just know that I'm super busy with work, thinking of y'all and wish y'all a wonderful holiday and I miss you!
I hope y'all had a WONDERFUL Thanksgiving.
XoXo,
Meg
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