NewHallowThanksMas 2016!

It's impossible to prepare for a deployment. When you or someone you love gets the news that they will be gone for a significant amount of time, it's natural to start thinking about all the moments that you are going to be spending apart. 

When my wonderfully large group of friends received the news that we wouldn't be together for the Holidays, we spent about five minutes being sad before collectively coming to the realization that there was no reason why we couldn't still celebrate. It was crunch time, we had about three weeks before the next batch of our loved ones were peacing out. (Unfortunately, we weren't quite brilliant enough to come up with this idea before the first couple of people took off, but now we'll be more prepared next time!)

NEWHALLOWTHANKSMAS

This was our brilliant idea!! We decided to combine all of our favorite holidays so that we could still make our 2016 Holiday memories! 

All the ladies got together a couple days before the big day to quickly make a list for decor and food. We didn't get too much...we knew we'd probably end up with a TON of leftovers, at the same time, we wanted to cover everyone's favorite holiday dishes. 

We had a deep-fried turkey, ham, mashed potatoes & gravy, sweet potato casserole, green bean casserole, cranberries, apple pie, pumpkin pie, caramel apple dip, sangria and apple cider! 

On the day of NewHallowThanksMas, a bunch of us showed up early to decorate the house. The hallway and bathroom were decorated for Halloween, Thanksgiving dinner would take place in the dining room, the white elephant gift exchange for Christmas would take place in the living room, as would the New Years countdown and toast.. let's be honest..who takes their tree down before New Years? 

Everyone showed up between 4 and 5, we had a Halloween cocktail hour..or two...with appetizers and drinks. We also had amazing photo frames made by my sister-in-law that would help us document each Holiday! Everyone showed up in a Halloween costume and when the turkey was done deep-frying, we donned our favorite football jerseys or Thanksgiving themed attire, and sat down at the table for a FEAST! 

Our feast was...amazing. We all attempted to go around the table saying what we were all thankful for...but I think the turkey started taking over and we all were quickly slipping into a food coma. 

Ever-determined to make it to Christmas, we caught a second wind, cleared the table, refreshed our drinks, and started blasting the Christmas music! 

Around 8:30, we gathered around the Christmas tree, passed out cards to determine order, and started the white elephant gift exchange. Presents were set to a $20 budget and ranged from a very popular rainbow unicorn mug and a stuffed sloth, to toilet golf, a fart machine, lava lamp, and a baby doll.  

We sat in the living room acting like we were kids on Christmas morning who had just opened up the gift they had asked Santa and attempted to be nice all year long for. Then we attempted to fill whatever crevice we had left in our stomachs with apple pie and pumpkin pie. I took a mental picture of everyone holding onto their new toys, wiping pie crumbs off their faces and realized I'd remember that moment forever. Christmas is my all-time favorite holiday and it hurt a little to know that we, like so many other families, would be separated from our loved ones this holiday season. 

Not gonna lie....we didn't make it to midnight. But 10:00 is still impressive...right? We poured the Martinelli's cider into plastic champagne flutes, passed out New Years goodies, and started the countdown. As I sat on the ground, counting down to our fake midnight, I looked around the room at my friends, my family, and I felt so incredibly thankful to have been a part of such an important event. I don't think any of us actually realized how much we needed this night until that moment. 

Deployments are already so difficult. The person who goes has to leave behind a piece of their heart and adjust to literally a new world for a while. And the people left behind have to take on the responsibilities of their loved one and simultaneously keep going about their lives, hoping and praying that the time will go by quickly until they are reunited. NewHallowThanksMas may sound ridiculous to a lot of people, but we needed it. Halloween is here, which means the Holiday Season is officially upon us -  but I don't see this upcoming season as a bunch of holidays that I'm going to miss celebrating with my dude. Nope! We were just ahead of the game and celebrated in August. 

Gender Reveal Party: Baby Oda

My very dear childhood friend Tamra, and her husband Matt are expecting a baby and today was the big reveal!! The last two weeks have been torture! I've had the responsibility and the honor of knowing the gender of Baby Oda and I couldn't wait to finally share my knowledge with the world!! Tamra's mom, Kim, and I were brainstorming reveal ideas and a scene from Princess Diaries popped into my head, (Mia and her mother throwing darts at paint filled balloons on a canvas) 

I was beyond pleased with how everything turned out, but more importantly than that, the Oda's will have a special momento to put up in Jaxon Christopher Oda's nursery from this special day! 

If you would like to know how I put this reveal together....read on!! It was super easy! 

Supplies you will need: 

-A sheet of wood 

(mine was about 3/4 of an inch thick, 16" wide and 24" long)

-1 package of black party balloons (I used 8 balloons)

-1 bottle of white craft paint

-4 bottles of colored craft paint (water based)

-1 sponge paint brush

-1 bottle of water 

-4 plastic cups

-throwing darts 

-1 disposable tarp/plastic painting sheet

Since the wood I used was from scraps in my garage, I cut it down to the size I wanted, not too big, no too small, and not too heavy that it couldn't be mounted on the wall. 

I figured I could use the second board as a sign so I painted both of them white. I practiced with the size of the balloons and how much paint I should put in them. found that the perfect ratio was 3 tablespoons of paint mixed with two teaspoons of water, you want the paint to be watery enough to go through the funnel but still thick enough to splatter and stick to the board. 

After I poured the paint in, I blew the balloon up to about 7 or 8 inches tall, you need enough pressure or the balloon won't pop and splatter the paint. 

I didn't fill the balloons with paint until the morning of the reveal to keep it from deflating and losing pressure. I did paint a sign on the other piece of wood though! 

To pop the balloons, stand about 10 feet away from the board. Fortunately, Matt and Tamra are a pretty good aim and they popped a balloon on the first throw! You can use throwing darts, I brought them a blow gun too because I stink at throwing darts. 

This was such a fun way to reveal to them that they are expecting a little boy! We can't wait to meet you Jaxon Christopher Oda! 

5 Tips From Your Server

Do you ever wonder why you're supposed to tip when you eat out? I mean, your server is already getting an hourly wage so why should you give them extra when they're already getting paid?

I always wondered why. Don't get me wrong, I have never been a bad tipper; from an early age I was instructed to double the tax and that was the tip I'd leave. But I would still wonder...and if my strawberry lemonade wasn't promptly refilled I would mentally talk smack about how crappy my waiter/waitress was.

Now that I work in a restaurant, I have seen the light!

I'm not going to claim to know everything about the ins and outs of a restaurant. I've only been working in one for about a month and a half. But I tell ya, I had mad respect for people who have been serving for a lengthy amount of time. It takes an immense about of patience and attentiveness to be an efficient waitress and even when I'm able to scrounge up enough I don't always get a good tip. I've only been serving for three weeks and already I have come across unruly groups of people who test my patience. I swear I haven't done anything obscene to anyones food but thoughts of spit water and sneeze muffins have briefly flitted through my brain.

I know a lot of you are probably like the post-waitress Bry, unaware of what to do or how to act in a restaurant. Or maybe you THINK you do know how to act. Maybe you go in to eat and feel entitled to great service, a constantly full glass of iced tea, and fresh bread before you even crack open the menu. Well sit back, relax, and pay close attention. Here are 5 tips for you, the customer.

1. Busy Restaurant? Don't ask to switch to a booth

If the restaurant isn't busy, by all means, ask if you can slide into that booth on the other side of the aisle. The hostess will gladly move your menus and silverware to that table. But for the love of Pete, if there is a 30 minute wait and you're being led to a table but see an open booth over yonder, don't ask to sit in that booth instead. There is a reason you're being led to the table!

Servers have to take turns getting their sections seated. That way, they can devote the right amount of time and focus to each of their tables. That booth you want over there is in the section of a server who recently got a 10 person party, he just took their drink orders and will be in the kitchen for three minutes loading up all the drinks and sending the alcoholic drink orders to the bar. He won't be able to greet you for a while. And of course to a hangry customer, three minutes is really ten; you're gonna get all hyphy because you haven't been greeted after waiting 30 minutes for your table and you're going to take it out on your poor server who was just doing his job. So please, don't ask for a booth.

It isn't because the cute hostess who led you to your table has a vendetta against you, it's because she is following a carefully planned and outlined board. You can sit and eat at a table, most folks do on a daily basis. If you don't want to worry about the wait or what kind of seat to eat from, just call ahead and order take out!

2. Tip when you take-out

This is another one I didn't know about. I didn't realize how much work went into a take-out shift. The person you talk to you when you order your food does wwaayyy more than just take your order.

When I worked my first take-away shift (my restaurant calls it take-away instead of take-out) I was overwhelmed. There is typically only one person working in take-away. One person to take your call, put in your order, go into the kitchen, box up your food in a way that will keep everything fresh and prevent it from getting soggy, add all the extra sauces, toppings, and sides, toss in some free bread and butter, bring it back to take-away, spot the correct car outside, bring out your food, and take your payment. Maybe that doesn't sound like too much, and it isn't overwhelming if it's just one customer. But what about when there are five people on hold waiting to place an order, three orders up in the kitchen and four cars waiting outside???

I know we live in an impatient world, we all hate waiting. But be patient when it comes to ordering out, it isn't McDonalds, your food won't always be ready the second you drive up to the window. And add a little tip when you're ordering take-away from a restaurant. It doesn't need to be a whole 15-20%, but there is a lot of work going into preparing your food and making sure it's exactly what you wanted. If you're willing to drop an extra fifty cents into a "Thanks A Latte'" bowl at Starbucks for your $5 cup of coffee, then it wouldn't be too much to take that extra step and give a couple bucks to the person taking care of your take-away order. I promise, they appreciate it, and they earned it.

3. Don't ask for bread the second you sit down

I know you feel entitled to the bread. But hold your horses, you'll get it. There is a process for everything. Typically your server will ask you if you would like some bread after they take your food order. Here, this is the usual order:

1. What would you like to drink?
2. Would you like to start off with any appetizers? 
3. Are you ready to order? Yes? Awesome.
4. Would you like some bread while you're waiting for your food?

See? The bread will happen. Be patient! I know you want to stuff your face with free carbohydrates but there is a process...I'm just trying to prevent you all from asking stupid questions and pissing off your server. Give them some credit, they aren't trying to punish you by keeping you from your bread. 

Most restaurants don't bring bread out until your soup or salad, and there is typically a restriction to how many pieces of bread and butter they can bring out at once. Please refrain from throwing a BF (b**** fit) if they tell you that they can't bring out a fourth serving of bread and butter, no one should be loading up on that many carbs anyways...even if you're running a marathon the following day. 

4. Remember you only have one server

When it's busy, 8 times out of 10, the person delivering your food isn't going to be the server that greeted you, took your order, brought you your drinks and said "If there's anything you need, just let me know." It's going to be a food runner, another server who has a wee bit of down time to run trays of food out to tables.  

That being said, they will ask you, "Is there anything else you need?" Psst....they ask that to be polite, they're really hoping you'll say "No! Everything looks fantastic!" I mean, if your salad needs a little more dressing or your steak needs some A1, you can let them know and they'll promptly get it for you. But please remember, they are not your server! They have their own tables to attend to. So, if you need another coke, or you want to order some mashed potatoes because your friend did and those potatoes are looking mighty fine, wait until your server walks by or comes to check on you, because they will! And they will gladly get you some spuds or a refill. 

5. Never stiff your server

If you have the same mentality that post-serving Bry had where you don't realize why you must tip your server in the first place. Here is where I'll explain why you most certainly should. 

I got my paycheck yesterday...no, that doesn't mean "YAY! I get to go shopping now!" When I get my paycheck stub, I don't rip it open in excitement to see what all my hard work has earned me in the last two weeks. I set it aside and mentally prepare myself. When I finally, begrudgingly open the envelope, I one-eye peek at it...then wince. Yesterday I got paid a whoppin' $158.64. No, my finger did not slip on the keyboard. 

My tips get taxed, and those taxes get taken out of our bi-weekly paychecks. At the end of every shift, before we are allowed to clock out, we servers must claim our tips, there is a minimum percentage of our total sales of the day that we have to claim. Did you know that if a customer doesn't tip a server, the server still has to tip out the hostess, busboy, and bartender? So technically, your server just paid to serve your table. 

I looked up the standard for tipping and as always google came through for me. 

• Waiter/Waitress:
• 15% for adequate service
• 20% for very good service
• No less than 10% for poor service
• Bartender:
• 15%-20% of the tab
• minimum of 50 cents per soft drink
• minimum of $1 per alcoholic drink of beer or wine
• minimum of $2 for mixed alcoholic drink

Remember that when you go out to eat, you're paying extra for the service. If you don't want to pay for the service, then go to a fast food joint or eat at home and serve yourself. We are part of a society that feels entitled to the best of everything, and our society can provide that; but not for free. If you want extra, you're going to have to pay for extra. 

Although I don't want to work in a restaurant forever, I'm glad that I have the opportunity to expand my area of expertise. No, I am by no means an expert in the restaurant business; but i have come to the realization that I have been under-appreciating the food service industry. That being said, I hope that I have been able to change your opinion about tipping and proper restaurant behavior. If I have changed it for the better, please come in and ask to sit in my section! If I haven't...go ahead and come in anyways but ask to sit in Monica's section. 

My Five Struggles As A Post Graduate

I find it ironic that my last post was of "on the verge of graduating college Bry" pondering the question "what am I going to do with my life?" Well Bry from last year, you have done a whole lot...but at the same time...you are no closer to answering that question.

However, here are 5 things that you have learned in your year and a half of attempting to "Find Yourself." Well....I think it's more accurate to label this as the "The Five Struggles I Have Encountered As a Post Graduate" 

1. I Want to Travel....But I'm Broke

Anyone else feel me on this one?? I have all these wild dreams of standing at the peak of Machu Picchu screaming at the top of my lungs, (very much like Layton Meester did at the end of "Monte Carlo") or visiting Stratford Upon Avon to see if I can soak up some literary inspiration from Shakespeare's home, or horseback riding across the Scottish Highlands, or making snow angels in the Swedish Alps! But what 24 year old can afford to do that??...at least my day to day concerns are grown up issues: bills, gas, taking care of my pup and food.
But really, how am I supposed to enjoy my youth and travel while simultaneously being responsible for all the remedial monetary demands of standard living?

2. Post Grad is Lonely

I miss my college friends. Don't get me wrong...I LOVE my two friends from high school that I still get to see when we have the time to get together outside of our busy schedules...okay fine...their busy schedules.
I took for granted how social college allows you to be. I saw my best friends every day, even when we were up to our neck in school work, jobs and internships. Location really is everything. I still make time to see a few of my college friends but we don't see each other nearly as long or as often as I would like too, and a lot of that time is spent catching one another up on our lives.

I know that this is how the story goes, we've graduated. My college roomies and I have either moved, married, or are in pursuit of a masters degree. It sucks accepting that this is another phase of life. But I've found myself willingly wallowing in my solitude or wistfully reminiscing while flipping through my college photo albums on Facebook.

It was an immensely depressing moment when I discovered that my parents have a more poppin' social life than I do.

3. Post Grad is Boring..But I'm Okay With That...Sometimes  

I'm not lying, more often than not I find myself sitting on the couch watching something on Netflix and hollering "make good choices!" to my parents as they walk out the door to one of their many weekly activities.

Contrary to the exciting life I let my Instagram followers believe that I lead, I'm a homebody. I'll sit here and complain about how boring I am but honestly, I'd rather stay at home in my pajamas and binge watch Netflix instead of having to put an effort into my appearance and go out to the bars to spend money I don't have, shout to be heard over the loud music, and be out of commission the next day.

In truth, the high point of the day is taking Chief, my boxer pup, out for a walk. If I'm feeling extra adventurous, we'll walk around the neighborhood instead of the park! Party.

For the nights that I really want to get out of the house, I'll go line dancing with my friends Nicole and Sam. Sometimes, we'll stay out past midnight!
I do occasionally branch out...I'm part of a city co-ed softball team...I've only gone to one game but hey, I'm on the permanent roster!
I also attempted to go to trivia night with Nicole once....it was fun, but we left feeling pretty defeated, and stupid. Our team tied for last place.

4. I Really Like to Shop

I know this struggle is directly causing struggle #1. But it's true. I really enjoy shopping. I've gotten a lot better at convincing myself that I don't need another pair of sandals, or another purse. But the "I do need another" side of me is pretty darn convincing at times too.
I've managed to not make as many impulsive purchases in the past few months...but winter is coming...which means I'll be cold, and I LOVE scarves and coats and boots. This also means that Holiday Season is swiftly approaching, which means that I'll have to buy presents for my family, and when I'm out shopping for them I tend to feel really generous and often come to the conclusion that I deserve to buy something for myself since I'm being so generous and selfless in buying for other people.

5. I Still Don't Know What I Want To Be When I Grow Up

In the past year, I've had five jobs. And now, I'm doing something completely different from what I was doing a year ago. Hopefully in another year, I'll be doing something completely different from what I'm doing now.

What I've realized  since graduation is that I still have no idea what I want to do. At the end of my last post in May of 2013, I was crossing my fingers and hoping that I would land the perfect job. Here I am more than a year later and I don't even know what my perfect job is.

I know there are plenty of people sitting in the same boat as me. But what I've discovered is that being in this boat isn't necessarily a bad thing. You can still move forward in a boat. Even though I don't want to be working in a restaurant forever, this job is still serving a purpose. If you have a job and feel as if you'll never get to your "dream job," it looks like it's time for you to grab an oar and start rowing. You won't be in this boat forever as long as you're moving forward. My struggle with not knowing what I want to be when I grow up isn't that I fear I'll never figure it out, it's just my attitude at having to row this stupid boat so I can get to where I need to be, right now I've stopped rowing, I'm looking around at the view, but it's time to start moving again.

Shut Up Bry...These Aren't Real Struggles  

If these are really my only significant complaints, I'd say I'm doing alright. I may not be able to answer the question "What am I going to do with my life?" I may never truly "Find Myself."  So What if I'm bored sometimes, or am concerned about money.

Maybe this is what it means to be an adult.

It's unrealistic to hope that I'll have it "all figured out one day." How boring would that be?

I hope to always be motivated, eternally optimistic, and never complacent.

mmmeeeehhhh

It feels as if life doesn't have a pause or rewind button. As I keep playing this role in life sometimes I look back and wonder how I got here so fast. The past five years of my life have just evaporated. So much has happened, I know I've changed a lot and I don't regret anything that I've done but sometimes I wish life could slow down a little bit, I wish I could pause life for a while so that I was really able to think about my decisions before I made them. That would be cheating though.

I'm getting ready to graduate. As a college graduate, am I really that much more educated than people who chose not to go? I think there are definitely some valuable lessons to be learned in college but I think there are equally valuable lessons to be learned out in the world. College has been a sort of bubble that I feel safe in, something that keeps the world at bay until you're ready to face it. In college I didn't have to have everything figured out, but am I ready for the world?..."what are you doing after you graduate?" That stupid looming question. I DON'T KNOW YET! SHUTUP!! I feel as if I've finally found an inkling of what I want to do...who I want to be when I grow up. I just have to test the waters a bit first.

Graduation aside, I just want to be happy. I feel as if I'm mentally in the same boat as I was in five years ago when I was about to graduate from High School. I saw all these positive little mantras stamped onto graduation gifts: "The Journey Begins" or "Follow Your Heart" all I get from that is basically "Go with the wind, Pocahontas" Sweet. Not so motivating.

Ideally...RIGHT NOW...I would graduate, snag an awesome job that pays me a comfortable amount that allows me to live on my own, get a dog, and impulsively buy myself something once a week. Too much to ask?

HULU AND NETFLIX

I just want to say that with hulu and netflix out there....why do people still pay for cable?? Or dish?? Or HBO...wow I really don't know anything about television. But I find that even when I'm watching TV, I never settle on anything that I actually like to watch...except for reruns of Friends or The Nanny. But there are literally hundreds, maybe thousands of television shows or movies on these websites!! 

I have spent literally all day watching television shows on hulu and netflix, and unlike my parents who have Comcast and have to watch their shows week to week, I was able to lay in my bed and watch 6 episodes of Whitney, 2 episodes of New Girl, 1 episode of Glee, and like 10 episodes of How I Met Your Mother...productive right? I'm not a loser...I actually was productive today. I applied to walk at graduation...and I applied to graduate. Boom. 

With netflix out there, why would we even consider paying for television where we have to sit through five minute commercials? We can either watch episodes upon episodes off of netflix, or we could watch thirty second commercials on hulu the day after a show airs. 

Truth

It's simple really.