Bad Buying Experience Turns Positive!

Yay for me! I took the gift back asked the sales associate to put the money on a gift card and went on my way! It was very easy! I simply told the truth that I was uncomfortable with giving their store my business based on the way I was treated when I bought the gift. The sales associate that helped me at customer service was understanding and apologetic. Now I'm satisfied! Now the bad buying experience has turned into a positive one. It might sound slightly silly what I did but it's important to be satisfied with all aspects of any purchase especially a purchase that is a gift. I'm just so happy I did this today. I have great satisfaction that the condescending sales associate won't be getting credit for my purchase.

Oddly enough just minutes after I completed the purchase at the 2nd store my cousin Nick called me. I was able to chat with him about the situation. He reaffirmed that I had made the right choice to take the gift back and not give the store or the associate my business. Now I'm a satisfied customer!

Not So Great Buying Experience!

Why is it so difficult these days to have a good buying experience, especially difficult when it comes to certain items? My boyfriend's birthday is less than a week away. I've known what I was getting him for at least 3 maybe 4 months now. I've excitedly looked around for the best deal like all other consumers do when buying things. I expected a painless and satisfying buying experience yesterday when I went to buy the gift. I didn't get it! It was not a good experience at all. In fact the buying experience has bothered me since making the purchase. So today I will do something I've never done before. Something that sounds a tiny bit crazy but I don't want a bad buying experience attached to the memory of getting this gift. I had a bad buying experience for my SUV and still to this day I find it irritating when I think about it. And still to this day I would never recommend Midway Nissan in north Phx.

So despite it sounding a bit crazy I'm set on not having a bad buying experience attached to this gift. What am I going to do? I'm taking the gift back asking for the amount I paid to be put on a gift card then going down the street to another store in our area to purchase the gift again. At the time I bought the gift yesterday I thought numerous times about leaving before the transaction was complete but I was polite and kept my mouth shut. Today however, I feel different I don't like that the store got my business, worse yet that the rude sales associate got credit for my business. Today I will take my business elsewhere. I'm determined and I deserve to have a good buying experience to go along with the gift for my boyfriend. Call me crazy if you like!

Sidenote: The fact that customer service in stores has gone down hill is what is helping to spark more and more online buying, in my opinion. It's simply less hassle! Sales associates these days should realize that online buying for any and all items is becoming more and more prevalent. If they like going into work everyday to get a paycheck every two weeks then they should treat customers with respect and not make the buying experience a pain. After I bought the gift yesterday I actually thought to myself, "why didn't I just buy it online? It would have been much less hassle".

p.s. I'll update how this all goes later!

Pets and Vacuums!

I couldn't help but recently notice that each of our pets has a different thought process concerning the vacuum. I thought it would be a little humorous to detail the 3 different approaches or lack of approach for each pet in our "animal kingdom"(as my boyfriend and I have termed our collective group of pets). I wonder which one thinks they have the best strategy for dealing with the vacuum?

Lady's first...Storm isn't fond of the vacuum. She doesn't run when she first spots it she usually waits until it starts up then she's gone in a flash. Literally a flash! There's no time to even start timing her exit she's gone so fast. Then as the vacuum continues to run she gets up the courage to stick to the perimeter. Upon re-entering the living room that's being vacuumed she looks to see where the vacuum is. She dashes from the entrance of the room to the dining table. After breathing a sigh of relief that she made it from the entrance to the dining table she decides to dash to the couch. Once the couch is conquered it's the chair then finally making her way to the TV. She loves to get behind the TV. I'm sure her thought process is to get behind the TV where the big bad vacuum can't see her. It's funny to watch her move from piece of furniture to piece furniture all while keeping a close on eye out for the vacuum.

Next up is Cody-man! Oh Cody's a crack up! I think he has a love-hate relationship with the vacuum. He never seems to mind when I vacuum yet he's not sure it's a friend or a foe. Sometimes when I first start up the vacuum he does his little "bear-down" move. His front paws go down to the ground and he stares directly at the vacuum as if to say, "Come on, I dare you to come at me." As soon as the vacuum does come towards him, he scurries away. He does frequently move his toys out of the way of the vacuum which I appreciate. There's been times when he's dared to step in front of the vacuum in an effort to save his toy. He never goes far, he always stays around when the vacuum is going.

And little Sime! Well let me remind everyone that this is Simon's world and he politely tolerates the rest of us(including the vacuum) to live in it. Lol! He doesn't do a darn thing but look annoyed as he lays in his bed while I run the vacuum. He doesn't move a muscle even when the vacuum is 3 inches from his face as he lays in his bed. Just a casual glance of hurry up I'm getting annoyed is given to me. If I start using the attachments to clean the blinds behind his bed then he gets up and moves to a different bed. Later on when I arrive in front of the different bed he's cuddled into I get the same annoyed look this time he feels no need to move out of the way. His strategy for dealing with the vacuum is to simply wait it out.

Three pets and three different ways of dealing with things! Lol!

Simon Shopping!

I finally had a chance to post the pics of Simon "shopping". I love the one where he's craning his neck to check out the goods on the shelf. Likely thinking to himself that he's going to pick the best smelling bag of treats! Much to Simon's dismay we came home with only food and a new brush! He loved the idea of coming home with food would've loved the idea of food and treats even more though. As for the brush, in his mind, it certainly wasn't a must buy!

After learning of his ear infections in each ear both my boyfriend and I have recalled a few moments in recent days when Simon has seemed a little off! His balance certainly hasn't been so great lately. He has moments where he's appeared to be a little drunk when walking up the stairs.

The biggest indicator of all concerning his bad balance was at the vet just minutes before I found out about his ear infections. When we were shown to an exam room by the nurse she took Simon to the back to trim his nails. His vet office is obsessed with nail trimming, it's annoying to Sime! When the nurse brought him back into the exam room I think he saw me out of the corner of his eye then turned around to jump towards me but he totally miscalculated his jump and ended up hitting the wall...face first. He hit that wall crash test dummy style! Geesh! I instantly scooped him up in my arms and checked him over, 10 minutes later when the vet examined him I found out about the ear infections.

A First has Occurred!

Well it's been 9 years with 2 pugs and a first has occurred with the boys....the first ear infection! Little Sime is the one with an ear infection in each ear. He doesn't do anything halfway so of course he had to get ear infections in both ears!

After going to the vet today Simon and mommie went shopping at Petsmart. I try to always take the boys to Petsmart after a vet visit. It's pleasant mommie-puggie time to help erase the effects of the vet visit. He definitely turned heads at Petsmart. Cody eats up that type of attention more than Simon. As for Simon, he's just looking for something to eat doesn't care about people giving him attention.

I took a couple pics of Simon "shopping" at Petsmart I'll post them tomorrow when I have more time!

Pie Success and Stormy Nights!

So the pie I made on Saturday night and was up until the wee hours of Sunday morning waiting for it to cool was a bust. It looked even worse hours later when I checked on it before deciding if I needed to make a second pie. I will not be defeated by a lemon meringue pie so I will attempt to bake another one soon! LOL! Instead of trying another lemon meringue pie on Sunday morning I decided to try a lemon pie that called for some whipped topping decorations versus the complicated meringue. Pie #2 was a success, I'm happy to report. It was fun to make too!

The last 2 nights in Big D have been stormy ones! About 3 am on Tuesday I was awakened first by the noisy storm and second by 2 pugs that had broken through the gate that keep them in the hallway. They had made their way across the apartment and were sitting outside my bedroom door. After that huge storm back in late May the boys were not about to sit in the hallway far away from mommie during the latest noisy storm. Last night's storm began earlier in the evening than the previous night. My boyfriend and I were playing some wii when the storm started up. Cody began to get a little disgruntled about the activity outside we reassured him everything was alright. As I was up for my turn playing wii basketball a huge thunderous noise erupted. Well mommie wasn't available to jump on so without hesitation little Cody landed himself on the couch next to my boyfriend. When I turned to look at Cody he had already begun getting nestled under my boyfriend's arm. Cute!

When I went out to my car today I couldn't believe how clean it looked. The rain did wonders for my car. It looks freshly washed well that is until you get inside!

Pie Baking and Mavs Shopping!

I'm currently up pretty late waiting for a pie to cool. Not sure how great the pie will be since I forgot to put in the full amount of water the recipe called for and I didn't seal it very well so it's a bit of a mess on one side. I might be making another pie if I can find time tomorrow morning! Geesh!

We bought our second round of championship shirts Saturday evening. We got the parade shirts. They have so many shirts out it's hard to decide. Not all shirts are championship ones, I was eyeing some non-championship shirts as well. It's very interesting to see what memorabilia is available in a city that just won a NBA title. Sports Illustrated released an entire magazine dedicated to the Mavs play-off run. Sprite soda has put congrats to the Mavs on their cans. And I'm sure the Wheaties box will likely feature one or two Mavs players soon.

Here's some interesting Mavs history for all. In their 31 years of existence they've only had 2 owners. The original owners were the Carters. Don Carter's wife Linda loves basketball. She loves basketball so much that 31 years ago he bought her a team as a gift. The Carter's sold the team 11 years ago to Mark Cuban. Nice history in my opinion! And now 31 years later that team won Dallas' first NBA title!!!!

Below is a pic of the "raise the banner" parade shirt we now both have along with a pic of a local paper. I snapped the local paper pic while we were at dinner Saturday night. I also couldn't resist including a pic of the boys, especially since they haven't gotten on the blog in recent weeks. Aren't they sweet? I love how Cody has his front leg extended over Simon. They would say it's been tough celebrating so much therefore extra zzz's are required!

NBA Champions Parade!!!

Today is all about the Mavs. Alright so all week it's been about the Mavs! The city has been decorated in royal blue all week. Even today I went in my closet in search of some more blue to wear since my Mavs shirts have already been worn this week! What can I say this city has waited 31 years for a NBA title to celebrate. I'm extremely glad I'm now in Texas so I can share in this celebration. Watching the parade I got chills numerous times! It's just so exciting! I think one of my favorite parts is from the last pic where Jason Kidd grabbed the Texas flag and started waving it. It's a little hard to see in the pic but it was really cool to see during the parade. Yay Mavs!!!!!!

Mavs Parade is Thursday!

I'm still very excited the Mavs beat the Heat to win the NBA Championship. It's the first time I've lived in a city that has won an NBA championship. The Suns came the closest to a title back in '93 and got to somewhat close in '96 being beat out by the Mavs to go to the NBA Finals that year! As far as other championships, the Cardinals came sooooo close a few years ago.....Yes, I'm still mad about that game! It's the Diamondbacks that have the special honor of giving the city of Phx it's first championship back in 2001. I remember the night the Diamondbacks won the World Series very well! Lots of horn honking went on as I drove home from my mom's place after watching the game with her!

Finally after 31 years in the league the Mavs were able to win their first championship and give this city a good reason to celebrate! The parade is tomorrow(Thursday) for the new NBA Champs. I will be watching that's for sure! I won't miss a second of it! I will be getting up early to walk the boys and get all doggie chores out of the way so I can watch. The boys will also watch! Mavs owner has said he's picking up the tab for the parade but many people believe the city should pay for it since the Mavs represent the city of Dallas. So we shall see who ends up paying...Cuban or the city? At least Cuban has offered to pay, I doubt many other NBA owners would offer such a thing!

Mavs Win NBA Title!!!!!!

The Dallas Mavericks just won the NBA Championship! Oh how sweet it is! We had a little Mavs watching party at my boyfriend's house. We were all cheering like crazy! I remember experiencing the Diamondbacks World Series victory but this victory will always be more memorable to me, I believe. It's very exciting to see a team you root for win a championship. I haven't been a true Mavs fan for long however, I've certainly embraced watching the Mavs for the past 2 years. Yay Mavs!!!!

I will definitely be watching TV tomorrow when the Mavs arrive home to big D! I'm so happy to see Dirk and of course Kidd and Marion get their rings. Awesome!!

My Mom's B-day!

Yesterday for my mom's birthday I treated her to her favorite Dallas spot for breakfast. We then went to the mall to do some shopping. We tried going to a movie while we were at the mall but we were in the mood for a good chick flick, which we were out of luck at finding.


By the time the late afternoon rolled around I needed to start frosting and decorating the cake. I baked the cake on Friday then stored the layers until I had time on Saturday to make the frosting and decorations. I was very excited making the decorations. I was totally in my element! My mom watched some TV and held her youngest grandson pug while I busily worked on the cake. The marble cake, chocolate frosting and decorations all turned out well. I was proud of how it looked and it tastes good too! Is it absolutely perfect? No! It definitely looks homemade not as perfect as a store bought cake but I worked hard making it, the frosting, and the decorations. I'm continuing to improve my cake baking/decorating skills!



For her birthday dinner my boyfriend and I took her to our favorite pizza restaurant. We typically order take-out from the family-owned pizza chain but they do have a dine-in restaurant near us so that's where we went. Yummy! Pizza followed by birthday cake and ice cream....what could be better? Needless to say by the end of the evening we were all pleasantly stuffed!!!





The finished product of my mom's birthday cake!

Getting Ready for Mom's Arrival to Big D!

So 2 days until my mom hits town. I'll admit I normally feel more stress when mom comes to town. I'm pretty relaxed so far. I still have some things I want to get done before she lands. I'll get everything done though. One thing that needs to be done is the boys need to go to the groomers. It's a must for them to look good for grammie!

I went out today to get a few items for her bday cake. I know what kind of cake I'm making but I'm not sure when I'm going to find the time to bake the cake. I don't want to bake it too early I want it to be as fresh as possible so I'm just going to have to find the time Friday night or Saturday morning. I have a picture in my head as to how I want to decorate the cake...fingers crossed the picture in my head can come to life when it's time to decorate! I get very excited to bake cakes! With each cake I bake I challenge myself with the decorating part. That's my favorite! I love to make the frosting and decorate! I believe at this point I'm confident enough making my own frosting that when I'm buying my cake ingredients tomorrow I will be able to skip right over buying some store frosting(which I've been doing as back-up just in case I mess up the frosting I'm making).

Building Changes!

Our complex is getting a facelift! I knew something was up when a bunch of wood was delivered and now sits covered up just down a little ways from our building. They're re-painting the property but they're doing a lot of prep work before the buildings get painted. Workers worked on our building yesterday prepping the wood edging. Simon and Cody loved that noise! Lol! I closed the blinds so the boys didn't bark they're fool heads off at the workers. That worked for the most part. After I eliminated looking out the window Cody went over to look out the glass door that leads to the balcony. He's a curious one! I currently have some things on my balcony that need to be donated. So I obviously need to get them out of here before the painting starts. One thing I must say about our complex is that they sure do take pride in keeping their buildings up. They don't skimp on the pennies and let things just go they keep them up very well.

I went by the new Petco today, I couldn't believe my eyes....a brand new store is getting a facelift! Yep, they are changing the outside of the store. A store that has been in business for only a month! So here's my theory on the sudden facelift for a brand new Petco store, I think they broke city code by not putting brick work on the extension they made to the top of their building. I've noticed that all shopping centers in our neighborhood are uniform. Each shopping center has a certain look and all shops in the shopping center match. The city likely didn't appreciate that Petco built an extension to the top of their building and then didn't make that extension match with the rest of the shopping center. When I went by the brick work is what was being added today. I thought it looked a little strange with the Petco being the only shop that didn't have brick. I think I'm on the side of the city with this one I like it when all the shops match, not one shop sticking out like a sore thumb trying to be different.

Along the same lines as the previous paragraphs yet a little different...I must mention that we are getting an In-n-Out Burgers in our area. Now since moving to TX I have learned that this is a great state for burgers! Awesome burger state! Burgers in Phx don't compare....sorry Phx! So now I'm not sure how I'm going to like an In-n-Out burger when I've been introduced to so many other great burger joints. We shall see if I will continue to be an avid In-n-Out Burgers fan! The sauce on their burgers is quite yummy though! I'm definitely going to give it a try once it's built! Wish they would hurry up with building it! Oh how I love a good burger and some fries!