And I Quote . . .

Here is my Mom with all 13 of her kids. Yup...we all (mostly) inherited her gorgeousness, wit and spunk. Here is basically the same photo, but with the significant others stuck in it.

It's been 3-4 years now that I've been a babysitter for a foster mother. (Since I began a full time job as waitress, it's been less often.) This Mother has 2 of her own children and a big heart. So she and her husband have been doing foster care for several years.  You wouldn't believe the sad stories of some of these children. From starvation to sexual abuse to abandonment, they all have stories that make you want to cry. The look in the eyes of a 2 year old who is confused about where she is and to whom she belongs breaks your heart. The kids who stayed the longest were Kylie and Kayden; half siblings. They were very attached to each other and were very trusting to anyone who was nice to them. They had their foster mom and their real mom and didn't seem to have a clear idea of which one was which. I took care of them for over a year, until they were returned to their birth Mother. I was blessed to watch them grow and change in that time. Ky...

I thought it would be fun to do a post on being a waitress. I wish I could say that I wrote all of these. I didn't. I just renovated an article I recently read to fit my own experience.  So here goes: 20 things about a server: 1.  Your weekends start on Sundays. And ends on Sunday too. You try squeezing an entire weekend in one day. Not easy. 2.   Wanting it to be busy but also wanting it to be soooo sloooow. Get busy and make money that you desperately need, or stay slow and get cut in time to have a social life? DECISIONS ARE HARD. 3.  People who switch tables a hundred times. ‘This one is too dark. That one is too bright. This one is too secluded. That one is too loud.’ This table will take up   maybe   45-90 minutes of your life. You are not Goldilocks. Please SIT DOWN! 4.  Being ignored after saying hello to a table. Gotta love those people who think that drinks, food...

Hey Psych (tv show) ,  You are seriously getting me through winter evenings. The one liners make my day! And also make me wonder why I can't think of such witty comebacks. Hey Coworkers , Our discussions during slow hours at the restaurant really are strange, but hey! it's not just anyone who can have a half hour debate on where nursery rhymes originated from. (E.G. Was there REALLY every a Humpty Dumpty and was he/it and egg or a person?) Hey Coffee Shop , You smell good.  Hey New Shoes ,  A nice heel, non slippery feel AND a strap with a vintage feel all for just $12.99?! YES, PLEASE! Hey Adventures in Odyssey , Will I ever outgrow you? I hope not! Hey Valentine's Day , Can't wait to 'Celebrate' you with friends. And I can buy myself some chocolates. =) Hey Itch-to-travel , Just you wait until spring, I have plans for you!!!

So the other night a bunch of coworkers from the restaurant got together for a movie night/sleepover. I don't want to say how much junk food was consumed...it's a little scary how much girls can eat when it's late at night. So with movies and DEEP discussions and food and more movies, we managed to mostly stay awake until sometime in the morning hours.  Thankfully none of us had to work, so we took half of the next day to get up, laugh at our own witty jokes, eat more junk food and eventually make our way to a coffee shop where we sleepily drank our coffee and tried to stay awake. Here are several pictures...we didn't take many. These girls are all either a waitress, hostess, or table cleaner: Karen, me, Marla, Joleen, LeAnna, Rose, Debbi, Sherri and Bethany Sherri LOVES nutella! Marla and Rose at the coffee shop Sherri, our lovely host for the sleepover.