Thursday, March 27, 2008
Strep Throat :(
Rob took me to the ER today and it's Strep Throat. I got a shot of penicillan in the right cheek and I should be good to go in 1-2 days. I think that will feel like 1-2 weeks. I miss my baby so much. I have been staying in my room so he won't get this (if he did not already have it). I am contagious for 24 hours after the shot, so I think I'll stay contained to my room until tomorrow after he gets home. I also decided that tylenol/dayquil/nyquil don't work for crap, so I just took a Vicodin that I had left over - hopefully that makes it so I can at least swallow water!
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Easter in the Hills
The Rivermen game on Saturday night
Easter morning at Bob Evans for breakfast. He gave the bunny high five too, but I missed that on camera....
Ugh.
Sorry for the lack of pictures. I have been on my death bed for 2 days now. I went to bed at 11am yesterday not feeling well and it's gone downhill from there. Sore throat, ears hurt, achey, chills/sweats - no fun! Thank god I have a wonderful husband who takes care of Justin for me, even though Rob is not feeling 100% himself... I love you!
I am really bummed because I want to meet Beila Sage Wisley - she was born on Monday night at 8:01 pm and weighed 7 pounds 2 ounces. Congrats David, Stacy and Samantha :) Glad to hear that all went well and I can't wait to meet your daughter/sister!!!!!
I will try to post more later when I am feeling better!
I am really bummed because I want to meet Beila Sage Wisley - she was born on Monday night at 8:01 pm and weighed 7 pounds 2 ounces. Congrats David, Stacy and Samantha :) Glad to hear that all went well and I can't wait to meet your daughter/sister!!!!!
I will try to post more later when I am feeling better!
Monday, March 24, 2008
Happy Belated Easter!
I don't have my camera with me right now, so I don't have any pictures to upload, but I'll try to do that tonight...
We had a fun weekend with G&G Brooks! They got there on Thursday night becuase PALS was closed on Friday, so they watched Justin. Friday night we grilled brats for dinner and then me, Rob and Kent went to the Riverboat casino. Saturday we just hung out, ran errands and then went to the Rivermen game. Justin was not feeling very good all weekend, but he was perfectly happy the entire game! Good thing we took Grandpa - he caught almost everything they were throwing for promotions into the crowd! He got a spirit towel, a hooters frisbee and a foam hockey puck (that one hit him in the head, but we'll still give him credit)! He missed the t-shirt or he would have been 4 for 4 :) After the game they had the World Champions of Midget Wrestling, but Justin needed to go to bed. G&G took him home and Rob and I went to BW's and played trivia and Golden Tee for a couple of hours!
Sunday morning Justin was still not feeling well, but he got a little burst of happy time so we went out to breakfast before they headed home. He was good and he got to see the Easter Bunny and gave him (her?) a high five :) Then Rob, Justin and I just hung out all day. We had leftover brats for lunch/dinner - nice Easter feast!!!
I am excited for The Hills and Greek new seasons that start tonight! I have to Tivo them because it's much more relaxing to watch them by myself at a later time without Rob telling me how stupid they are :) Oh, and they canceled Jerico for the 2nd time...I am pretty sure it's for good now, so tomorrow is the last episode. I'm not too bummed about that one; it was getting hard to follow....
Oh, and I got a $50 gift card and a hand written apology in the mail from the CEO of Auntie Anne's pretzels. I will have to go out to the Shoppes to use it or at the LV airport because I am NOT going back to the one in the mall :)
I'll try to post pictures tonight!
We had a fun weekend with G&G Brooks! They got there on Thursday night becuase PALS was closed on Friday, so they watched Justin. Friday night we grilled brats for dinner and then me, Rob and Kent went to the Riverboat casino. Saturday we just hung out, ran errands and then went to the Rivermen game. Justin was not feeling very good all weekend, but he was perfectly happy the entire game! Good thing we took Grandpa - he caught almost everything they were throwing for promotions into the crowd! He got a spirit towel, a hooters frisbee and a foam hockey puck (that one hit him in the head, but we'll still give him credit)! He missed the t-shirt or he would have been 4 for 4 :) After the game they had the World Champions of Midget Wrestling, but Justin needed to go to bed. G&G took him home and Rob and I went to BW's and played trivia and Golden Tee for a couple of hours!
Sunday morning Justin was still not feeling well, but he got a little burst of happy time so we went out to breakfast before they headed home. He was good and he got to see the Easter Bunny and gave him (her?) a high five :) Then Rob, Justin and I just hung out all day. We had leftover brats for lunch/dinner - nice Easter feast!!!
I am excited for The Hills and Greek new seasons that start tonight! I have to Tivo them because it's much more relaxing to watch them by myself at a later time without Rob telling me how stupid they are :) Oh, and they canceled Jerico for the 2nd time...I am pretty sure it's for good now, so tomorrow is the last episode. I'm not too bummed about that one; it was getting hard to follow....
Oh, and I got a $50 gift card and a hand written apology in the mail from the CEO of Auntie Anne's pretzels. I will have to go out to the Shoppes to use it or at the LV airport because I am NOT going back to the one in the mall :)
I'll try to post pictures tonight!
Friday, March 21, 2008
a few pics.....
Hello! Sorry I've been MIA - work is busy and Justin keeps us busy at night! I have not taken any pics since Monday, but here are a few to tide you over for a day or two Gramma & Papa :) I will take more this weekend; I promise! G&G Brooks got here last night for a visit. PALS is closed today for Good Friday, but Rob and I still have to work so he's home with them...playing hockey I would assume! That also means that Rob and I get a date night tonight - yeah!!!!
Our St. Patrick's Day dinner....
Justin enjoying a Danimal - his favorite snack!
I don't think I'll ever have normal pictures of this kid - all I get anymore is this cheesy smile :)
Our St. Patrick's Day dinner....
Justin enjoying a Danimal - his favorite snack!
I don't think I'll ever have normal pictures of this kid - all I get anymore is this cheesy smile :)
Monday, March 17, 2008
Sunday, March 16, 2008
newspaper
** EDIT ** Sorry; I didn't read the comments from the last post and Katie already mentioned this!!!! Thanks for looking out for me Katie :) If we ever find out who Jane is, let's go TP her house!
For those of you who didn't know, if you click on the title of the article below, it takes you to the PJ Star (newspaper) link. There have been 49 comments on this article today! Some said I over reacted (about 4), one lady named Jane said that she knows Melissa Brooks and she's nutbag (I don't even know anyone named Jane other than my aunt in Michigan!), but most agreed with me. Tonight this was posted, after about 46 other comments:
Subject: Customer Service
Good evening. My name is Sam Beiler, I am the President and CEO of Auntie Anne's, Inc., the franchisor of Auntie Anne's Soft Pretzels.
Frankly, I'm embarrassed by this situation that should have been put to rest by the store's owner with a sincere and genuine apology, his renewed focus on the quality of the product in his store, and his offer of a thank you to our customer, Melissa Brooks, who cared enough to tell us where we can improve. The situation that Ms. Brooks experienced is absolutely unacceptable and we guard against these types of incidences. The store owner's response to Ms. Brooks' complaint is unacceptable and should have been, "I'm sorry - this should not have happened. Is there anything we can do to make it right for you?" Auntie Anne's takes pride in our hundreds of dedicated franchisees, thousands of enthusiastic managers and assistant/shift managers, and tens of thousands of employees all around the world - who on a daily basis do whatever it takes to please our customers.
I hope you will offer Auntie Anne's a little bit of grace as we do the best we can to correct this situation at the Northwoods Mall store, and look for an opportunity to serve you again. I will contact Ms. Brooks tomorrow to offer my personal apology.
Sam Beiler
I am just a little nervous though; that comment card had my address on it...hope Larry doesn't go postal!
I will get some pics of Justin posted soon - I promise!!!
For those of you who didn't know, if you click on the title of the article below, it takes you to the PJ Star (newspaper) link. There have been 49 comments on this article today! Some said I over reacted (about 4), one lady named Jane said that she knows Melissa Brooks and she's nutbag (I don't even know anyone named Jane other than my aunt in Michigan!), but most agreed with me. Tonight this was posted, after about 46 other comments:
Subject: Customer Service
Good evening. My name is Sam Beiler, I am the President and CEO of Auntie Anne's, Inc., the franchisor of Auntie Anne's Soft Pretzels.
Frankly, I'm embarrassed by this situation that should have been put to rest by the store's owner with a sincere and genuine apology, his renewed focus on the quality of the product in his store, and his offer of a thank you to our customer, Melissa Brooks, who cared enough to tell us where we can improve. The situation that Ms. Brooks experienced is absolutely unacceptable and we guard against these types of incidences. The store owner's response to Ms. Brooks' complaint is unacceptable and should have been, "I'm sorry - this should not have happened. Is there anything we can do to make it right for you?" Auntie Anne's takes pride in our hundreds of dedicated franchisees, thousands of enthusiastic managers and assistant/shift managers, and tens of thousands of employees all around the world - who on a daily basis do whatever it takes to please our customers.
I hope you will offer Auntie Anne's a little bit of grace as we do the best we can to correct this situation at the Northwoods Mall store, and look for an opportunity to serve you again. I will contact Ms. Brooks tomorrow to offer my personal apology.
Sam Beiler
I am just a little nervous though; that comment card had my address on it...hope Larry doesn't go postal!
I will get some pics of Justin posted soon - I promise!!!
Newspaper article about pretzel guy....
Just a hair of sarcasm in apology to customer
Terry Bibo
NEWS COLUMNIST
Sunday, March 16, 2008
About a month ago, Melissa Brooks visited Auntie Anne's Pretzels in Northwoods Mall. She found a long black hair baked into her pretzel, so she dropped a comment card to the corporate headquarters in Pennsylvania. The corporate office sent her complaint back to "Larry" at the local store.
"Ms. Brooks," he responded via e-mail last month. "I got your comment card. I was aghast at the extent of your horrification and likewise impressed by your use of the all caps function to communicate your message. I am in need of your help to ferret out this evil-minded culprit and put an end to this ghastly problem."
He said the hair Melissa found was "undoubtedly planted by some devious saboteur" because the two people working at the store that day didn't have long black hair.
"Did you see anybody with a secreted supply of long black hair hanging around the store?" he asked. "I certainly hope I can get your help because I can sense the devastation that you experienced and want to do everything possible to keep this from happening to another innocent and unsuspecting customer."
Then he cut to the chase. He said if she wanted to be taken seriously she shouldn't write an "over-the-top" comment card. He figures she's just fishing for free products.
"You will be receiving some free pretzel coupons by mail. Enjoy them with my compliments," he concluded. "By the way, hair is not a transmitter of disease according to the Peoria County Health Department. So while it is not appetizing, it is not hazardous to your health."
Well. That redefines customer service, doesn't it?
"I understand that a hair in a pretzel can happen," Melissa said recently. "The response is what really set me off!"
So I e-mailed Larry.
"Ms. Brooks has been apologized to," he replied. "If you want info, then you need to identify yourself and your agenda. Or should I inquire at the (news)paper to find out why I am getting an e-mail that has the veiled threat of bad publicity for my business."
Well again. My e-mails generally have my name at the top, but maybe that wasn't clear enough. So I e-mailed Larry back, told him my agenda is to write stories and that he sounds like he might be one. I offered him the phone numbers for three Journal Star editors.
He shot back an e-mail that he had apologized to Melissa and considers the matter resolved.
She doesn't.
"If I did something like that, I'd be fired," she said.
He probably won't be. According to a couple of different sources, including the corporate office, Larry Goetz owns the joint. He won't confirm the spelling of his name or his ownership.
"What do you mean by 'owner'?" he said in a phone interview Thursday. "I've owned a lot of cars in my life."
He said he's sorry, he used poor judgment and he didn't reflect Auntie Anne's business philosophies.
"Offense taken. Apology given. Matter closed," he said. "End of story."
That depends on Melissa. She never got the coupons he promised, but doesn't care since she won't go back to his store. She did contact the corporate office again and was pleased with its response. She already has visited other franchises.
"We do have 950 stores worldwide," company spokeswoman Valerie Kinney said. "She has her options."
Kinney said Larry Goetz is actually a great guy who "understands he needs to improve his communications skills."
For starters, he might reconsider telling anyone that hair in food is not a problem.
"Yes, it is a problem," said Dorothy David, assistant director of environmental health at the Peoria City/County Health Department.
"She can call our health department and make an official complaint. We will send an inspector out to investigate."
She probably will.
"He brought this upon himself. He e-mailed the wrong person," Melissa said.
It would have been a lot simpler to at least pretend the customer might be right.
Terry Bibo
NEWS COLUMNIST
Sunday, March 16, 2008
About a month ago, Melissa Brooks visited Auntie Anne's Pretzels in Northwoods Mall. She found a long black hair baked into her pretzel, so she dropped a comment card to the corporate headquarters in Pennsylvania. The corporate office sent her complaint back to "Larry" at the local store.
"Ms. Brooks," he responded via e-mail last month. "I got your comment card. I was aghast at the extent of your horrification and likewise impressed by your use of the all caps function to communicate your message. I am in need of your help to ferret out this evil-minded culprit and put an end to this ghastly problem."
He said the hair Melissa found was "undoubtedly planted by some devious saboteur" because the two people working at the store that day didn't have long black hair.
"Did you see anybody with a secreted supply of long black hair hanging around the store?" he asked. "I certainly hope I can get your help because I can sense the devastation that you experienced and want to do everything possible to keep this from happening to another innocent and unsuspecting customer."
Then he cut to the chase. He said if she wanted to be taken seriously she shouldn't write an "over-the-top" comment card. He figures she's just fishing for free products.
"You will be receiving some free pretzel coupons by mail. Enjoy them with my compliments," he concluded. "By the way, hair is not a transmitter of disease according to the Peoria County Health Department. So while it is not appetizing, it is not hazardous to your health."
Well. That redefines customer service, doesn't it?
"I understand that a hair in a pretzel can happen," Melissa said recently. "The response is what really set me off!"
So I e-mailed Larry.
"Ms. Brooks has been apologized to," he replied. "If you want info, then you need to identify yourself and your agenda. Or should I inquire at the (news)paper to find out why I am getting an e-mail that has the veiled threat of bad publicity for my business."
Well again. My e-mails generally have my name at the top, but maybe that wasn't clear enough. So I e-mailed Larry back, told him my agenda is to write stories and that he sounds like he might be one. I offered him the phone numbers for three Journal Star editors.
He shot back an e-mail that he had apologized to Melissa and considers the matter resolved.
She doesn't.
"If I did something like that, I'd be fired," she said.
He probably won't be. According to a couple of different sources, including the corporate office, Larry Goetz owns the joint. He won't confirm the spelling of his name or his ownership.
"What do you mean by 'owner'?" he said in a phone interview Thursday. "I've owned a lot of cars in my life."
He said he's sorry, he used poor judgment and he didn't reflect Auntie Anne's business philosophies.
"Offense taken. Apology given. Matter closed," he said. "End of story."
That depends on Melissa. She never got the coupons he promised, but doesn't care since she won't go back to his store. She did contact the corporate office again and was pleased with its response. She already has visited other franchises.
"We do have 950 stores worldwide," company spokeswoman Valerie Kinney said. "She has her options."
Kinney said Larry Goetz is actually a great guy who "understands he needs to improve his communications skills."
For starters, he might reconsider telling anyone that hair in food is not a problem.
"Yes, it is a problem," said Dorothy David, assistant director of environmental health at the Peoria City/County Health Department.
"She can call our health department and make an official complaint. We will send an inspector out to investigate."
She probably will.
"He brought this upon himself. He e-mailed the wrong person," Melissa said.
It would have been a lot simpler to at least pretend the customer might be right.
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Weekend Videos
You know your baby is tired when he won't even eat ice cream!
Riding the horse at Chuck E. Cheese's!
Wheee! Finally some nice weather so we can be outside!
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