the rain today.

When I walked outside this morning there was sun. It was clear and bright actually. And then. It rained. Misted really. And all at once I was back in Africa. It was such a strange feeling because as I was walking, the ground looked so much like something in Africa. Which, sounds silly, but it's true. 

I miss Africa. I never thought another country could capture my heart like Kenya did. Don't you hate the feeling of forgetting (or at least remembering less) an experience that was so dear. I was thankful for this glimpse back today because I hadn't really thought about my trip in quite some time. Kenya taught me a lot. It shaped me and I miss it. I'll go back there someday. I will. So thank you Idaho for being my Africa today. 

On another note, today would have been my friend Ryan House's 22nd birthday. Every year I wonder what to feel or think on this day. Mainly, it's just a chance to say that I'm thankful for his life and that I miss him. Happy birthday Ryan. 

time's a wastin'.

It's pedal to the medal time here at ol' northwest nazarene. Finals are approaching and I have quite a bit on my plate. Therefore, no bloggin for a while. Sorry dudes. 

for kathy.

This is going to be some coffee shop talk again. But hopefully worthwhile. I have worked at The Flying M for 2 years. In that 2 years I have met many, many people. Some good and some bad. And it's such a strange thing - these meetings - because they're so seemingly impersonal and fleeting and yet we become a part of each other's lives. I see relationships begin, I see them end, I meet families both separately and together, I watch hair grow and then get cut,  I see pregnancy both announced and progress, the list could probably go on and on. The point is, I witness so much of people's lives so passively. 

And that brings me to this. Last week one of our customers passed away. Her name was Kathy. And probably if you live in Nampa, you knew her or at least of her. When Flying M first met her we only knew her as "Jesus Lady." I'll explain, Kathy truly did love Jesus. In fact, she made sure that everyone she encountered knew about it. She always had shirts on that she had added on to say something about Jesus or a verse of some kind. Her forte, was crocheting. She crocheted these tiny little dolls and crosses and then just left them here and there for people. Sometimes she made them special for people. She was strange, but fairly unforgettable. A regular for sure. Everyday, sometimes twice a day she ordered a small coffee and a cookie. Everyday. And everyday she would look over the top of her glasses and say thank you always with a look on her face that said, "You kids." She walked everywhere because she had epilepsy. There was also some rumor about her skills in skateboarding, but I never got to witness that. She died of a seizure and - to be honest- life is better for Kathy in Heaven. (I know, I know this obvious). 

I'm sorry to ramble, but it's just been on my mind for a while. It's just so strange to lose a customer. Because I feel the loss, but I was such a passive part of her life that it's hard to know what to feel. I realize I don't need permission to feel anything, but its complex. Part of me wanted to write this blog to honor Kathy with some words because I'm fairly certain that her life was lived quietly and mostly unrecognized. I'm glad that I met Kathy. As not into crazy-about-Jesus-gonna-make-sure-you-know-it people I am, I truly believed that Kathy served the Lord whole heartedly. I hope she made Him a tiny little crocheted doll. She really is livin the dream.

So, here's to you Kathy. And life goes on for us at the M. But certainly we won't forget. Just somethin' to think about. 

grown-up steps.

Big news here in the Cork household: We bought a car! Our first car as a married couple! We're pretty excited about it. It's a cute little 2001 Passat in lovely condition. I've never had this nice of a car in my whole life! 

Anyway, I just thought I'd tell everyone the news. It was a big deal. We had to get a loan all by ourselves and everything. The loan thing makes me a little nervous because I'm fairly protective of money, BUT this will be great. We're really excited about it and feel very grown-up with such an awesome car. SO if you happen to be in the market for a 1999 Honda Civic - give us a call! For pictures see Ryan's blog. Yay!

have your cake.

I have a very sweet husband. Some girls talk about how their husbands are lazy or just don't "get it" or various other common stereotypes of husbands. My husband is not that way. Ryan LOVES to be a husband and it seems to be his constant to goal to try and accomplish all the things that "Good husbands" do. In fact, he will often say to me, "Claire, don't you think I'm just the best husband?" Which of course my response is a resounding yes. 

Last night I was working as I do every Thursday night. Ryan and I grabbed some dinner before because, on another note, we are still terrible at buying groceries that make meals. Anyway, the grabbing dinner experience didn't end as well as one would have hoped and we both left with a little bit of hurt feelings. I got a text later asking me what my favorite kind of cake was for a survey. About 4 hours later Ryan and Phil came marching into The Flying M with a giant platter in hand holding a warm, frosted carrot cake. I wish I could have taken a picture of Ryan's face. He was so proud. He had spent the last 4 hours making, from scratch a carrot cake for me. With cream cheese frosting and all. Can you believe that? He graded the carrots and made the frosting all by himself. I was impressed. He's quite the little baker. 

So, nothing of real substance today. I just wanted to show off my husband a little bit. He's very wonderful to me and just amazing at taking care of me. I wouldn't have it any other way. Cheers to Mark and Jacque for raising such a sweet boy. 

enable.

I work at a coffee shop. In that coffee shop I see many people. I interact with them, serve them, take their orders. And to be honest I'm getting pretty tired of it. People just aren't very nice, is the thing. And as each day passes it seems to bother me more and more. Here's why:

I feel like in the customer service realm we are constantly told that the customer is, of course, always right. I have to disagree. There are instances when customers are BLATANTLY wrong. For example, a woman approached the counter today after ordering, threw her to-go bag of food on the counter and said, "I wanted a turnover, not a scone." My co-worker Nathan then responded, "Oh, you said scone" which she just returned a, "No." Nathan had no problem with giving this woman the correct piece of food, but our customer could never have been at fault, for she should be always right. Right? The fact is, this woman was paying so little attention to her interaction with us at the counter that she couldn't even faintly recall saying "scone" instead of "turnover." Just to be clear - it was certain between Nathan and I that this woman said scone, not turnover. I could give you countless examples of similar situations - people being jerks because of a mistake they made in the ordering process. 

At what point do we stop enabling people to blame all their actions on other people? I realize that it would be inappropriate for me to correct each person's mistake, but I feel like there should be a time for me, the server, to say to the customer - I'm sorry, you're incorrect. I just think that we (the world) enable people to be as self-interested and absorbed as possible. When is it right to say - "Hey! Don't talk to me like that!" Don't I have the right to be treated reasonably? For heavens sake, I'm giving these people a cup of coffee! They don't NEED this coffee, it's not something they're investing in - it's a beverage! So just chill out, slow down and order. 

I'm about ready to snap at the next guy that pushes my buttons.

P.S. next time you order your medium caramel latte with an extra shot, could you just say hello to your barista first? They'd appreciate it. We're not machines.