Some hard working toes!  Look at that big toe!

Very serious about those rocks.

Fuzzy morning hair.

Out for a evening stroll.  She just walked and walked.

Eva loves to be outside.  She cries when it’s time to go in.

One of the best things in the world is a wet baby wrapped in towel!

I love those big, brown eyes!

This is one of those cute but a little crazy faces.

St. Patrick’s Day outfit.  All shades of green!

He had read my email and called to apologize and explain that the computer glitch is something they just discovered and that the IT department is working on it.

He also wanted to make the situation right so he gave me 4 tickets to Alice in Wonderland on IMAX 3D with some popcorn vouchers.

I am happy!

Not only because I get to see the movie but because they cared enough to call and apologize and wanted to make me happy and I never get popcorn at a movie so it will be a real treat.

It is nice to be heard and responded to and it is over and above what I even expected.

Thank you Jordan Commons! I am a happy customer again and will return!

I bought tickets online for Alice in Wonderland 3D IMAX on March 12 for the show at 7pm that same night. I bought the last two seats on the top row of the bottom section that were together for me and my husband. I got a babysitter and was really looking forward to getting out and seeing this movie. I have been excited to see this movie since I saw a preview one year ago.

We arrived right as the lights turned off so we saw our two empty seats on the back row quickly sat down to watch the show. About 10 minutes in an usher started asking everyone on the back row to see their tickets. Apparently someone was in the wrong seats. It ended up being us. He let us know that our seats were not together but were two rows apart and asked us to get into our correct seats. I explained to them this could not be possible and that I had picked my seats and purchased them online. He asked us to step out while he looked at a computer showing the available seats. There were two empty seats in the upper section so I said “OK can we just sit in those?” He responded by telling us we had to go to the ticket counter if we wanted to change seats. I was frustrated with this because it didn’t make sense why he couldn’t go to the ticket counter and let us watch the movie.

At the ticket counter she was pleasant and said yes we can give you those seats but now the movie had been playing for 25 minutes and I was upset. I told her it was too late and that I wanted my money back. She told me she couldn’t do that but she could give me a gift card. I spent $28 dollars on these tickets and I told her that wasn’t acceptable and that I wanted my money back and I wanted a manager if she couldn’t do it. She brought the manager over and he explained to me that he would be able to give me those two seats. I couldn’t believe it! Did he really expect me to pay $28 for a movie I would only see ¾ of? He also wanted to give me a gift card but when I demanded my money back he explained that he would do it this time but that is not normal. I was visibly upset but remained relatively calm for how I was feeling. The manager was nice although I have issues with the way he handled it.

I write this letter to let you know that your customer service and training of employees is lacking. I realize that the Larry Miller theatres is a monopoly in Utah and you might not really care about giving good customer service because you think you are going to make money anyways but I believe that you could do better and make more money if people didn’t leave your theatres in tears because they didn’t get to see the movie they wanted because of computer glitches and poor customer service.

What makes me most upset is that those two boys running the IMAX theatre could have diffused the situation quickly by just giving us those seats. Do you train your employees to evaluate situations and think for themselves? Their reasoning was that someone could come and purchase those seats. Who is going to purchase $28 seats to a movie that has already been going for 20 minutes? Seriously?

What kind of manager wants to drill it in to customers that they are doing you a favor by refunding money and giving bad service? It was like he was warning me “We give bad service here and this is going to happen again so be prepared next time because you won’t give your money back”. He also explained that when buying tickets online if you are buying more than one it will automatically put the seats together. So he admitted that it was an error on the theatre’s part but then didn’t really want to make the situation right.

I realize this is a lengthy letter and if you have gotten this far I commend you. My final thought is that most people go to a movie for a date and a lot of people, like myself, get out to a movie maybe 4 times a year with their spouses because not only are we paying for a movie, a $28 one, but we are also paying for a babysitter. It is a big night! It is important to us! Our night was ruined! The last thing I heard was the cashier saying “It will take 5-10 business days for this to post to your account”. So, you are going to take my money immediately but you aren’t going to give it back right away. Thanks.

So I went home, let my babysitter go, and sat there in disbelief that it had all taken place. I left with nothing and I really don’t want to return. I wish that there was integrity with companies and that there was recognition of where all your money comes. Just writing this brings up that emotion and I am angry and sad I didn’t get to see that movie.I hope that someone gets this and something changes.
A customer should never leave unhappy or a little teary eyed. That should be your policy.

Sincerely,

Tammy

Surprisingly I stayed calm but firm. I wanted to spew out demeaning comments to them but I didn’t. I know that if you are nice you tend to get better service so I was determined to remain calm. It didn’t work though. I left with nothing and I am mad. I am just a magnet for this crap. I will let you know if I get a response.

Post Edit:  To see Jordan Commons reply click here

So to silence this discouraging voice I have found a few things that help.

1. Music does help and I make sure my playlist is foolproof; that is no song comes on that I want to skip.




2. Making a goal and sticking to it.  If I plan ahead of time what I want to accomplish I usually do it but if I start out running without a goal then I am free to do whatever I feel like which means at the slightest discomfort I give in.  For example:  I must decide on my route before I start running or I will only go for 25 minutes and I won’t push myself or if I don’t tell myself I need to work on my speed then I just putt along at a leisurely pace and I don’t get a good workout.




3. I went to a running workshop about Chi running and it drastically improved my running and helped me win my mental battle.  Chi running helps you to focus on your body’s alignment, breathing and cadence (steps per minute).  Since I have all this to focus on I have not time to listen to that pesky voice.




4. I have always wanted to try to listen to a book while I run and have the hope that it will help the time go by faster.  I also wonder if this would affect my pace.  Has anyone tried this?

Think about how you are going to arm yourself during your mental battle so that you don’t give in.  Usually I find I am stronger than I give myself credit for so I just need to push through and keep going.

So all morning my brain had this continous playback:

How is a raven like a writing desk?  How is a raven like a writing desk?  How is a raven like a writing desk?  How is a raven like a writing desk?  How is a raven like a writing desk?  How is a raven like a writing desk?

It brought back the frustration I felt when I was little and heard this and new it didn’t make any sense and that a raven was in nowhere like a writing desk but I still wanted to know the answer!  And if you don’t already know the answer is never given because there is no answer which I confirmed because I googled it.


Lewis Carroll’s answer was “It is nevar put with the wrong end in front.”


I have found that I am not the only out there with this curious frustration and in my curiousity I stumbled upon this great column that explains it in more detail and giving Lewis Carroll’s answer so I share it with you now for all those Alice fans out there and in celebration of the new movie!

It is a miracle.

I am training for the Moab Half Marathon which is on March 20.  (Yes, that date is right)

I have a friend and we decided to help motivate each other by running with each other every Monday night.  I am so glad to have a running partner; it really helps to keep you motivated and I recommend it to anyone who wants to start running.  Even if you don’t get together but you just communicate weekly or daily about it.  I used to text a group of people when I ran just so that I had someone to answer to.  Anyways, I am very glad to have a partner.

We did a 4 mile loop and I had to walk four different times due to being out of breath and having side aches.  My knees also go really stiff and my body was screaming at me but that’s how the first run is.  I haven’t been running in almost 4 months so really, what did I expect?

We did it in 40 minutes which I was happy about but of course I got teased about from Clint.

Here are some tips to start running whether you are a beginner or just starting up again:

1:  Tell yourself when you are starting, plan it into your schedule and stick to it.

2:  Get a training plan so that you have a schedule and cater it to what you can do.  I always get on Runners World and just fill in the info and it gives you a training plan.  For me I am more motivated to run every other day.  It is too daunting to go every day and I usually will talk myself out of it but if I know I have a rest day I can stick to the plan.  So be honest with yourself and what you can do and then once you feel like you need more then add more.

3.  Listen to your body but also push yourself.  If you feel like you need to walk look ahead and find a point where you are going to begin walking and then where you are going to begin running again.  That way you won’t just decide to keep walking because let’s face it, walking feels better and is much easier than running.  Remember, this is new so don’t injure yourself on your first run.

4.  Go for at least 30 minutes.

5.  Remember it doesn’t help to go running once a week and why go through the first runs pain if you aren’t going to stick to it.

6.  Remember the first run is always really hard but it gets better each time.  Stick with it and don’t get discouraged if you don’t lose weight right away, give yourself at least a month to see a noticeable difference and to feel a noticeable difference.  (Don’t let this discourage you because you will get stronger each run but I see so many people run for a week and quit because they haven’t lost 10 lbs or can’t run an 8 min mile.  You’ve got to give yourself some time.)

7.  Figure out what motivates you to run.  Is it music?  Get an MP3 player.  Is it food?  Allow yourself a little something to splurge on.  Is it TV or movies?  Whatever it is reward yourself for your efforts and remind yourself of your reward.  (I enjoy music but stress out that I won’t hear the crazy man sneaking up behind me so I am constantly looking behind me.  Hope I didn’t scare anyone but hey, that comes with womanhood.)

8.  Sign up for a race; it is a great motivator and try to get someone to do it with you.  If you can’t sign up for a race you should attend one and cheer people on.  It is a great motivator when you see an 80 year old running a marathon or to see the wheelchair competitors or to see a runner leading a blind runner!  Anyone can participate!

Running is an individual sport and it is a great community to be a part of.  Everyone who runs is aware that it is a personal sport and that everyone has a Personal Best (PB) and they are really supportive and excited with you.  Everyone is on a different level; it is just fun to be a part of it.

It is beautiful March and it is the perfect time to start running!

Enjoy!


p.s. Please comment and leave your personal running tips!

So we all sat down to watch and we enjoyed the benefit of being able to fast forward and rewind.  We must of rewound a lot because when we got to best actor the recording ended and we did not get to see the rest since it was over.

YES, I MISSED THE BEST PART OF THE OSCARS!!!!  I MISSED SANDRA BULLOCK WINNING AND THE HURT LOCKER BEATING OUT AVATAR (thank goodness!  Avatar was pretty cool but the story line was not original and the tribe was African not alien.).

Of course I am writing a strongly worded written letter to my cable provider to let them know that when you DVR a show it should record the whole show not just when it was scheduled to end.  Everyone knows the Oscars go over the planned time, right?  It is the reason that the producers of the Oscars shut the microphone off after giving each winner about 15 seconds to speak.  They might as well put in a trap door; it would be just as humiliating as turning off the mic and blasting some music at them to get them off stage.

So, the party was fun, I won for the most guessed right, and my friends are great and were good sports about missing the end.

Happy Oscars everyone!

Rebecca writes about Stephanie Meyer and she states it perfectly.  It is if she read my thoughts but I could not have written it as well as she did.  So thanks Rebecca for giving me something to blog about and ending my massive 1 week hiatus.

Second, I am taking a break from blogging .  I am not telling you all this so that you will comment and tell me that you can’t live without this blog because I know it’s not true.  I just have a lot going on and feel like I can’t blog about it.  I am grateful that family, friends and work collegues read this blog but sometimes things happen that I would love to share but feel I can’t because it might hurt people involved or even uninvolved.  Which means I am breaking one of my personal rules.  I am not being honest.  This blog is usually an outlet for me but is not anymore.

Maybe I will pick it back up at some point but for now, adieu.

p.s.  thanks Jake for making my blog look good.  I hope it wasn’t a total waste of time.  Check out Jake’s blog, he and his wife Reagan are doing cool things pretty much every second of their lives.

p.p.s. I am contemplating just turning this blog into movie reviews.  Sounds good right?  Much better than my actual life.

p.p.s.  check out what I was doing almost a year ago!  Crazy how time flies!