xoelle » serving

There’s a bee in my helmet dear Laura, dear Laura

admin — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 13:22:11 +0000

Garth got a bee stuck in his helmet on the way home from Alabama the other day. It’s certainly not the most exciting thing to happen in recent days, but it’s the only thing that I doodled about on my Sacrament meeting program.
I’m packing this morning for Spokane, WA. I’ll be visiting my family and playing in Hoopfest and meeting Julia’s boyfriend, and hopefully, taking a break from this persistent Florida heat.

If you’re in the area, and I like you, let’s meet at the Dockside for dessert. =)
xoxo
elle

our interfaith, all-over-town Christmas

admin — Wed, 19 Dec 2007 17:54:34 +0000

Garth and I were wandering around festive downtown Pensacola the other night and spotted several little angels, cardboard wings and sparkly pipe-cleaner halo included, headed towards a church with open doors. We decided to peek inside, and found St. Michael Interparochial School’s Christmas Pageant. It was adorable. The church was beautiful, and the parents were oh-so-proud of their little ones singing Christmas carols in their school uniforms.

The very next night I was working as a banquet server for a temporary agency, and had the pleasure of serving The Pentacostals of Pensacola’s Annual Christmas Banquet. The church auxillary room was decorated like a wedding. A Christmas tree hung upside down from the ceiling as a chandelier and the entire room was filled with this gossamer tent. They really like their iced tea.

The very next night, Garth and I wandered downtown again…to the First Baptist Church to sit in their beautiful chapel and listen to a 170 voice choir sing Robert Shaw’s The Many Moods of Christmas (with 37 piece orchestra!). It was marvelous. We live about a mile from downtown, and I have to admit…my favorite part was getting all bundled up and walking through the lit-up-for-Christmas downtown with Garth. I’m always finding excuses to take walks with him. He’s a real good take-walks-with-guy. Ha. Forgive my southern sentence structure. It’s growing on me.

I have pictures of the latter events as well, but Garth has killed his computer. So I’ll add them in later.
I love all ya’ll. Hope your holiday events are miraculous!

xoxo
elle

pink or no pink?

admin — Sat, 23 Dec 2006 05:08:38 +0000

I’m serving at Red Robin again.
It’s so annoyingly comfortable.

After three straight shifts I smell like stale fries.

break!

admin — Fri, 17 Nov 2006 20:03:24 +0000

Ask a teacher why they teach and they will probably spout something about how much they love kids, or how passionate they are about thier subject, but deep down, the truth is, all teachers teach for the breaks. Holidays mean more work for those who work retail or restaurant jobs (I’m with you kids…I’ve put my time in), but for teachers, holidays mean weeks of paid time off.
So, Happy upcoming holidays to all of you (especially those of you who will deliver 13 ramikins of ranch per hour wearing a smile), I’m off to enjoy my 10 day Thanksgiving break.

elle. =)

my heart will go on

admin — Wed, 15 Nov 2006 15:22:30 +0000

2 gallons of paint.
13 random summer days.
6 cans of spray paint.
4 Gourmet Red Robin Burgers.

I love all ya’ll at the Spokane Valley Red Robin!

Goodbye. again.

admin — Fri, 11 Aug 2006 18:18:48 +0000

Last night was my last night at Red Robin. again. Last time I left I made them this huge Oldenberg-esque stuffed BBQ burger made from my order slips. It is over 4 feet wide and sits atop the revolving doors in the lobby. If you’re ever stopping in to have lunch at the Spokane Valley Red Robin be sure to check it out. While I hope to one day make some fries to accompany the burger, and fill another troublesome empty spot in the restaurant, this time, my departure was marked with a mural in the back “smoke break” or “garbage dump” area. Here are some photos of the project that I thought would take me a day, but took over a week of my life. =) (I turned 27 painting this mural!). Today, is my last day living in this house, and while I am enjoying putting off the packing, I’m getting dangerously close to slacking off, so I must get started. =) btw- Eric (super brother, computer whiz) and I spent a long late night fixing my computer…so once I’m in San Diego I’ll be back in business. Still looking forward to the carnivorous plants? They are coming soon to a computer terminal near you!
lazy-not-packing-laura. =)

fifteen right things, and one that’s wrong.

admin — Thu, 20 Jul 2006 21:51:26 +0000

So many things in our lives are right.

I served a table today, a family of six, who used the one thing that wasn’t perfect about thier meal to let it taint thier experience. One of thier milkshakes came out the wrong flavor- and even though it was remedied and a new shake was delivered in less than 2 minutes, it was enough that they left a comment card stating that the shakes were lousy, and they didn’t have fun. Out of a possible four points, they graded their experience at ones and twos in every column, including if the food was good, if they got a good value, and if the team members were friendly. They were my last table of the day, and left me something that really can’t be described as a tip, but that’s not why they linger in my mind. I worry that we focus so much on the bad. I worry that we are not grateful for the hundered things that are right in our lives, while we bemoan the seven that aren’t. I include myself in this- am I not, at this very moment, writing about the one table that annoyed me today rather than the fifteen that made me smile?

So many things in my life are right.

Nacho Libre, peach roses, and Zane

admin — Fri, 16 Jun 2006 05:53:24 +0000

I jumped at the chance tonight to see Nacho Libre before it is officially released tomorrow. um- I like the teal and red. I love the simplicity of the scenes. I love the diy nature of Nacho and his sidekick. It left me feeling almost the same way as Napoleon Dynamite did…a mix of slight confusion and slight dissatisfaction. I found myself unttering the exact same words as I did when I first saw Dynamite- a huge, “WHAT?” with a lingering uhhhh and punctuated t. Dynamite has come to rest on my top ten movies of all time list. On repeated watching I was lulled by it’s charms. I think that both of these movies are disarming for the anti-climactic endings that leave many viewers without the sugar-like rush of most Hollywood movies. I appreciate the change- life does not come at us in neat little two hour packages with well wrapped ending that tie up all loose and ends and create heroes. Lives are lived without many endings. I appreciate the art of these two movies that seek to glorify the journey rather than the ending. =)
Peach roses were delivered to me this afternoon from a gentleman who denies my refusals to his advances and acts as if we were dating. I know there are no words to deter him. I have tried to explain the word never to him, but he refuses to let negativity blot his day- and I understand. I’ve been in his position before and have even sent flowers in such a state. There were no words to set me straight. Nothing anyone could have said would have changed my mind about the hope that I posessed. It was a glorious thing to own. How dare I try to take that away from someone else, however timid I may feel treading on his heart as I speak. Peach roses. *grins* I can’t feel too badly about it though- the guy got me peach roses! He doesn’t know me well enough to love me. =)
Zane is in town! His voiced boomed into my ear earlier this week and I had neglected to call him back…but he materialized in my section this evening. He started working at Red Robin when he was a young kid of 16- and since then has done some growing up. His voice really does boom. I’m jealous of thsoe pipes- they would come in handy in my line of work. =) It was great to laugh with him again.
sorry about the lack of picture lately. i’ll get better- I’ve just been getting so many other things done around the house…and neglecting you visually!
If you haven’t already, think of a way to honor your Daddy on sunday!
love!
laura. =)

Happy Seven Years Spokane Valley Red Robin!

admin — Thu, 25 May 2006 02:35:24 +0000

I can’t hardly believe that it was seven years ago that I started working at Red Robin. We opened our doors seven years ago today. I’ve worked there longer than anywhere else, even longer than attending college. Tonight I took the crew these cookie burgers. They are super fun to make! They look really close to the original thing, but they are mostly made of sugar!
*hugs*
elle

stuck on survive

admin — Thu, 18 May 2006 02:30:36 +0000

I work too much. I force a smile. I don’t realize until the warm evening sunset hits me that I’ve been coasting all day and out of 362 smiles, only 5 were genuine. This bothers me quite a bit. I don’t want to live a common life. I don’t want this daily routine to dull me into submitting to a life lived to find rest after a taxing day at a job that I return to only for money.
Sadly, my current financial position requires that I do little more than simply work for money- I am paying the price in my own days for the things I bought and experienced a few years ago. I’m frustrated and tired. I have no one to blame but myself, and nothing to do to get out of this drudgery except work more. =)
The bright side? As a subsitute teacher, I get to do something new everyday, and I have lots of time to read, plan, and create little things, like the above that I made at Sacajawea Middle School today. Also, at Red Robin, I work with the best crew ever who have been so sweet these past few months putting up with my fake smiles and constant sighs of “holy moly” and “can I go home now?” Thank goodness I picked this corner to paint myself into…it’s at least comfortable. =)
elle. =)