It was an early rise this morning as we head off to school for our first day after Fall Break. Mr. Michie made a pot of coffee, I worked on some breakfast (peanut butter toast) and we had a few minutes just to us this morning. The first day back is always a long one. So, here’s to a good day that flies by, so I can come home and snuggle with Mr. Michie.
To celebrate our first official week back at school, Mr Michie and I planned a Friday night date in London. He came to pick me up at my new school and after getting to meet and chat with my new colleagues at the staff barbeque we headed back into central London for cheeseburgers at Five Guys.
By the time we left the party at school and got back over to Covent Garden it was about 8:30 and there was still a huge line of people waiting outside Five Guys to get in. We only had to wait about 10 minutes, it didn’t matter it was worth the wait!!
When we made it to the front of the line, the manager in charge for the evening (or, the gentleman who we think was the manager, unfortunately we were not able to get his name) told us he would bring us downstairs to order, the only hitch was they we had to come back up to collect our food. No problem!
So, off we went and proceeded to order, this is when things started to go a little hairy. Their credit card machine had gone down earlier in the day and unbeknownst to them had not come back online downstairs. Our server was very apologetic, extremely smiley and was working very hard to try and rectify the problem. One of his colleagues came over to try and help and at this time the gentleman we believe to be the manager came to help as well.
Now, we continued to smile, because 1) we are pretty easy going and 2) we were going to eat Five Guys cheeseburgers, so it would all come out in the wash! Well we waited for a good five minutes while they attempted to fix the machine, we apologized for not having any cash on us and smiled at the people waiting in line behind us for holding up the works. We continued to wait a little longer and it was at this point that the gentleman we believe to be the manager printed out our receipt and told us that dinner was on the house!
We immediately protested and said, “No, way!”, that is not how we work, but he insisted and very graciously took care of us. I stayed downstairs as that is where we like to sit and Mr. Michie headed back up to get our food and they must have rushed us through because by the time he was at the counter our dinner was ready. He thanked the gentleman again who was helping us and we were lucky enough to catch him again on the way out to give our thanks for his fantastic business service, but again, since they are such a busy place we didn’t get the guys name! We wanted it, so we could tell Five Guys what a great job he did.
Now, my husband is British, so I feel I can say this, but you rarely get that kind of service in England. There is no way that if this situation happened elsewhere would they be smiling at us, apologize for any inconvenience and then comp our meal, if anything in another restaurant if this happened they would have said, “Sorry!”, closed the till and told us to go back upstairs to order. It is that great level of service along with the delicious food that Five Guys offers that makes us want to eat there.
So, thank you Five Guys for your wonderful business etiquette something that rarely exists inside of chain corporation these days (you have not forgotten your humble beginnings) and thank you for your delicious cheeseburgers, which made our back to school date night a lot of FUN!
Although, I had been in last week, learning the ropes, this was the first official week back for everyone at my new school. This afternoon we will celebrate with a staff barbeque and then Mr. Michie is coming to meet me and sweep me off to dinner somewhere nice to celebrate the first official school week for both of us.
I still can’t believe that I am working in such a marvelous place, what a lucky girl I am!
Here’s to the weekend!
{Image: It’s Better Than Bad}
As I normally do, I will start school earlier than the students, but this time I will be walking through a different set of gates.
Today is my FIRST DAY of school! I am excited and nervous all in one! Wish me luck, because here I go…
{image: It’s Better Than Bad}
We headed back to school today and it was a real humdinger of a day! Here’s to the beginning of another crazy roller-coaster kinda week!
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Well another date to add to the t-shirt, I/we survived the first day back to school. It was great to see my kids and my colleagues. I was tired, but a good tired.
The highlight of my day was going to Costco after work with a girlfriend. Sad, I know, but Costco brings me a measure of happiness and although we are trying to stay healthy and be good, a pack of red velvet cupcakes just jumped into my cart, I couldn’t believe it, but who am I to make them jump back out again, when they risked their lives leaping from the shelf in the first place? I just let them stay there and enjoy the ride.
We go back to school today and after such a long break, I am not sure I am ready. I just need a few more days in my house, hanging out, reorganizing and listening to good music with my Christmas lights on.
I can’t bear to take my lights down yet, so they will be up a little while longer, it is so nice as the nights close in early to have the den filled with the twinkle and glow of lights, it makes it a happier space.
We have already completed a few reorganizing projects since we have gotten back from the States. We cleaned out the kitchen cabinets and the drawers. We bought some new storage containers to put things in. It is silly, I know, but when I open my drawers now, they just make me happy because everything is in its place. I also de-cluttered one section of my closet and have items to use as dust rags, items to be turned into a sewing project and items that are going to Oxfam.
We tried a new pizza dough recipe Sunday night and it was delicious. I found it on the Annie’s Eats blog and is definitely going in our repertoire of dough recipes. Mr. Michie liked it so much, he cut the crust off a piece, just to eat the crust, he never does that!
I have a few things planned this week, that should make it fly by, but I am already ready for Friday night again, when I can just be with Mr. Michie. I am going to have to wear my pajamas inside out and do a snow dance and pray hard for at least one snow day this term, I am going to need it! Just to have one more day, curled up under blankets with my twinkle lights, Christmas music and a hot chocolate.
{image found here}
Well, it is Thursday today, which means that tomorrow is Friday and we are almost at the weekend. I can’t wait! This week of going back to school has been busy beyond belief, there is so much to do and my to-do list keeps getting longer. But, that is alright, I will get it all accomplished.
This weekend, I am going to attack the rest of the house that I haven’t already attacked and finish unpacking from our Summer trip home. We are still living out of a suitcase, partly because, I am always sad for a little while when I have to leave my family to come home again and partly because we have been so busy doing other things around the house that we haven’t gotten to it yet. But, again, that is alright, we will get it all accomplished.
The one big thing, I hope to get accomplished this weekend is buying some plants for my little garden, it is looking very sad at the moment and my little garden never looks sad. The weather has changed, it is cool in the evenings, hot during the day, it is “Indian Summer” weather. I am hoping to get a couple of flats of fall colored pansies, at the market, as they always look so pretty in the pots and maybe a mum or too, such a happy little plant. It is just a carpet of flowers.
I am ready for fall, I am ready for pumpkins and crunchy leaves and spiced cider and candles lit everywhere and chilly eves and witch’s moons and golden sunsets and the smell of a wood fire permeating the nighttime air. I am ready.
Ready or not! Here we come! Today is the first day back of the new school year and I am already ready for the weekend to start!
Oh, the First of September! Where did you come from? It seems only yesterday I walked out of school with the sun on my back, heading toward vacation and Summer with open arms.
August brought a visit home to see new places, to see my family, a baby shower for my sister, shopping, eating, eating tomatoes that actually tasted like a tomato! August brought, getting to talk to my mom in person instead of skype, getting to see my dad every day. Getting to play with Maisy, the cutest dog in the world!
August brought suntan lotion and heat and skin warmed by the sun as you swam in the pool. August brought one hospital trip for me after a really bad case of food poisoning, where my dad was still my dad, no matter how old I am and held my hand as they tried to start an IV. It brought my first trip to the Wakarusa Dime Store, home of the famous GIANT JELLY BEANS, where my mom and I tasted almost every flavor and I got to see her beautiful smile and laugh.
August brought a road trip from Indiana to Viriginia, where I drove past Upper Sandusky, movie “home” to Doris Day. August brought me having to tell my family goodbye, to watch their beautiful faces as they waved and blew kisses from the other side of the ticket gate. I hate August, I love August. I am so blessed for the time I had, but I am ready to see them again.
School starts on Tuesday and I am not sure I am really ready for it, this time around. I still feel worn out from being sick and flying, but Tuesday will come whether I am ready or not and so this new school year shall begin.
Mr. Michie and I went out yesterday to run a few errands and the sun was out, but it was cool and breezy, the light is changing, Autumn is on her way. It won’t be long before we turn our clocks back and the night creeps in faster and more candles are lit in the cozy cottage behind the racing green door.
(Image Found at Golden Gems)