Chill Out

There is too much sadness in this world! People are worrying too much about life when there is still SO much to be happy about! I decided a few weeks ago to make it my little mission to make at least one person smile every day. The ultimate goal is to cheer up everybody I come across. Why should we be unhappy when the gospel has been restored to the earth? We have a living prophet! We have temples all around us (some more than others, but they are practically sprouting up everywhere!), missionaries in the field, and the power of the Holy Ghost to guide us each day. President Monson said this about happiness: "To find real happiness, we must seek for it in a focus outside ourselves. No one has learned the meaning of living until he has surrendered his ego to the service of his fellow man." If you see somebody that needs groceries carried to their car, or someone with a sad look on their face, or even somebody who is in a really bad mood, you should throw them a smile or a helping hand. It makes all the difference in the world! You won't worry about the state of the world because you're built on the "rock" mentioned in Helaman 5:12 (if you haven't read that scripture recently, look it up). Yeah, we're going to have trials and bad days and even times when we don't think we can go any further. But that's when the one who already went through it all will carry you. All I want for this world is for people to just chill.... and look around at all of the things we can be happy about!

Infinite Valentine

For God
so loVed the world, that
he gAve
his onLy begotten Son, that whosoever
beliEveth
iN him should
noT
perIsh, but have ever-
lastiNg
lifE. John 3:16

What's been happening at your nearest Quizno's? You Don't Want to Know...

• Something which disturbs me greatly: the fact that the dumpster always smells like a dead body and today two cop cars were over there. Oh dear…

• Something inevitable: The fact that I always work with Dee/McKay and I always end up laughing while eating pickles simultaneously for my entire shift.

• The fact that when I’m running the register we always seem to run out of stuff, a.k.a. paper, staples, and sanity.

• People make me laugh. Seriously. This guy once added bacon to his prime rib sandwich. I wanted to ask, “Would you like a heart attack on the side?” Also, don’t ask me what comes on the Turkey Ranch and Swiss. You know. And when I say “Is this for here or to go?” don’t answer “Yes.” Because that confuses both of us and turns the ordering process into yet another awkward moment. Mostly for me. Because I didn’t ask you a yes or no question.

• On Saturdays, you can do a few things when the bidnez gets slow: dip the bread ends in the oil and see how soon they will catch on fire in the oven, play Frisbee with the flatbreads, catch stuff with the knives, and/or sit up front and wait for a customer to come in. When someone does approach the door, we play “not it.” Slackers!

• We think that the sink up front is possessed. Every time you turn the hot water up, the faucet rattles and shakes and roars and then with a final gasp, the water stops running. Some of us think it’s the ghosts of employees past.

• The “muzak” player has two choices of songs: 1, “the-I’m-too-old-to-be-hearing-this-nonsense-and-will-you-please-get-me-an-aspirin,” and 2, “Should’ve had a V8!” (that’s how bad it is. It will make you feel like you’re eating junk food.
  
• Funny: how 75% of all customers run straight into the door that says "Please Use Other Door" and then continue trying to open it even though it's locked. Some people even shake it until they think it will break off the hinges. You know what? You could always take a mili-step to the left and use the door that's unlocked. Just to make things easier. And less humiliating.
• Funnier: The person who every once in a while walks in and says, "Why'd you get rid of your orange chicken?" Then I have to make sure I'm wearing my Quizno's shirt and that all of our Quizno's logos are in full view before I point out the (even more) obvious. "Uhhhh, Panda Express is next door." Then they give me another puzzled look and (you guessed it), try to exit out the door that is locked. Strike two!
• Funniest: When we run out of stuff at the pepper bar, people usually tell us that we need to restock and we take care of it. Others, however, take matters into their own hands. There are three big jars of the peppers on display above the actual pepper bar. Who knows how long they've been there. Well, once this lady decided she was going to try and crack one of 'em open. She huffed and puffed and still couldn't unscrew the darn thing! Finally we told her that those jars were display only...and that she probably shouldn't open them for the sake of her nose.
  

Hope You Don't Have a Weak Bladder...

Get ready for this.

Belated....But Sincere

For Ellie
oh well, I like getting up with
the sun
and your bright-glowing-beautiful
madness
which I have come to miss when
silence
finds its way into our door after 9
you were the last bloom
before autumn arrives
the first snowflake in December
and sweet rain falling in
summer
I have not yet discovered a smile
quite like yours
it seems to put hope into
places where hope does not belong
For once and forever
(from now on)
there's good news every morning

This is for you, Liz (New Year's Eve)

Having large muscles requires scowling at all times.

The threesome strikes again!

When nobody's stopping you, just do it! Haha...

Laughing, always laughing

Shorter than the rest...

Nobody else would dance with us. Wonder why?

Single enough for the singles ward!

So...you know that movie where singles wards are just outright mocked? Well I have news: they aren't really like that! I mean yeah, some of them are solely for getting hitched, but the one I have recently begun to attend is just a place to make friends. And boy is that something I need right now! I was pretty afraid to go to a singles ward when I first moved back for the winter, so I stayed away from it for a few weeks. Then finally I got some guts and dived headfirst. I'm usually good with names, but every time I go to church now I forget who people are and if I've met them already. That's how many times I have introduced myself! What the junk?! When I told my bishop that I'd be staying until April, he said, "Right on!" and slapped me five. I was also called to the activities committee on my second sunday. Wahoodles! The truth is, the church is the same wherever you go. The only difference is the people--or should I say, the new friends you make.