vakay

a few days ago, jamie and i decided we'd take our vacation next week.
and by vacation i mean, drive 15 hours to see our good friends in south carolina.
we're pretty excited.
both boys do really well in the car and our friends have kids roughly the same age as ours. should be fun!

also, two words;

the shopping.

i have to say, i do love to shop. my sister doesn't. my mom doesn't. but i most definitely do.
and here's a few things i'm keeping my eye out for while i'm in the us of a;

raincoats for me and the boys
adorable crocs for jude {i'm thinking of these - in navy}
size 4 shorts for noah
size 4 tees for noah
more of my favourite gap tees {see them here in share the love}
{vanilla coke}
possibly skirts/capris that are suitable for ugands
a bathing suit
possibly a pretty dress for paris {oh did i not mention jamie and i are going to paris for a couple days in june? well. we are. you may freak out with me in 3...2...1...}
good {but stylish and cute} walking shoes

any suggestions/recommendations? {aka, this is your turn to share the love!}
{also, it's going to be hot. like, i get to wear shorts and capris and flops, hot! i'm pumped.}

The Good, The Bad & The Redeemed

Stories about customer service...

The Bad

Back in January, my friend and her fiance came to Canada for a visit. I threw her an engagement party. There was some last minute drama and change of location, but it all worked out and was a really lovely evening. I had planned to get a custom made calendar with pictures of her and her fiance that will start in 2011 (because that's when she's getting married). I had put in an order and it would be ready on the day of the engagement party. I would be bringing it to the party and getting the guests to sign it and add important dates or messages on the calendar for the bride and groom to discover as they went throughout their year.

A cute idea, non?

So when I hadn't heard from the photo lab that my calendar was in, I decided to call them.

There was much running around when the calendar couldn't be found. I spoke to a lovely girl and she figured out that somehow there was a mix up and it never got printed. I was disappointed and frustrated. I told her that my friend was going back to England on Monday (it was a Friday) and now I would have to mail it to her without all the special notes from people. I told her I still wanted the calendar but that I would like it for free due to the fact that they did not fulfill their guarantee that the calendar would be ready within 5 days.

I was told to call the manager on Monday.

So I did.

She was NOT the most helpful person.

In fact, she went on to blame other departments and was very rude and short with me, telling me that if they (the photo lab) were getting charged, then I would be too!

When I asked when she'd hear back from whoever it was that she was waiting to hear back from, she snarkily told me that she had emailed him and email may take a day or two and it's not immediate. Um, I know what email is. Pick up a phone and call the guy! So she said I'd hear back by the end of the week.

I never heard back from her.

So when I got a call last week (approximately 1.5 months LATER) from their printing department in Toronto asking me about the year I had dated the calendar for, I told her I did not want the calendar anymore due to bad customer service and was not interested in it being printed anymore.

The Redeemed

On Friday, I got a call from Zehrs (the photo lab) and a girl told me my calendar was in.

ARE YOU KIDDING ME!?!?

I laughed a little and said I wasn't interested in it anymore and went on to explain what had happened. She asked the person's name and I told her and she paused and said, "Oooh." (I'm guessing the old manager was fired.) And then she proceeded to offer me the calendar for free because of my trouble.

THANK YOU!

She's the new manager at the photo lab. Of course she is.

The Good

A couple weeks ago I checked out an online store called Storks and Berries. They were having a sale on AppleCheeks diapers and I wanted to try them out.
So I ordered a couple and thought about how cute my boys would look in the Cherry Tomato Red and Eucalyptus Green diapers! :)

Oh and I chose the cheapest (but longest) postal option - because I'm cheap and I figured I'd just wait a bit longer for my diapers.

That same day I got an email from Dawn who owns the company saying that her husband would be in my area later that week and that he could bring my diapers and mail them from Toronto or even drop them off at my place instead of mailing them from Alberta and taking an additional week or two!

I was SO IMPRESSED with her thoughtfulness and told her I'd blog about her. :)

Sure enough, later that week I got my diapers in the mail and they were perfect! My boys love them and so do I!

She emailed to follow up to make sure I was happy with my diapers and that I had received them okay.

Great job, Dawn! THIS is what customer service should be all about.

I definitely recommend Storks and Berries for any diaper or baby/kid stuff you need!

While I am pleased with the eventual outcome of my calendar experience with Zerhs Photolab, I am not likely to order a calendar from them anytime soon.

materialistic

Recently I've discovered a few online addictions.

1. Etsy

2. eBay

3. Kijiji

4. Random online shops

My current wants/loves:

Gorgeous necklace from The Vintage Pearl - among other things on this website.

Then there's this:

Beautiful necklace from Etsy store Andromedii. LOVE.

Or this beaut:

Hello love.

And then there are the random cloth diapers I drool over on eBay, cloth diaper accessories, make up, jewelery, watches...my materialistic side pops up from time to time and it's often when I'm feeling home-bound and unable to get out (read: winter!). So yeah.
Here I am. Materialistic.

Busy!

I've got a lot going on in the next couple months.
I was at a store the other day and purchased items for an engagement shower (an engagement party and bridal shower combined into one glorious event), a baby shower and a bachelorette party. I felt like telling the cashier that they were for different people but then felt silly for feeling like I needed to defend my purchases.

Here is what my life will look like over the next 2 months:
January 17th - bridal shower
January 22nd - Engagement Shower
January 23rd 10am - dress fitting
January 23rd 11am - wedding (but not for the one for which I am being fitted)
January 30th - bridal shower
January 31st - baby shower
February 6th - bachelorette party
February 13th - final dress fitting
February 14th - Valentine's Day - no idea if we'll celebrate or not
February 26th - rehersal dinner
February 27th - wedding

...breathe....

But I'm excited.
My lovely friend Tamsin (for whom I am throwing said Engagement Shower) said I was doing too much. Perhaps. But at least I don't feel overwhelmed by it.
Yet.
But I think because I'm doing things that are fun for me for people I love dearly, it doesn't seem like something that puts pressure on me or weighs me down like a burden.
Plus it was an excuse to use up a few gift cards from Christmas to go shopping for new outfits!