goodbye, taco bell

I will leave further details later but I thought everyone would like to hear my good news:

I put my 2 week notice in today, and my boss called me this afternoon to discuss it...well, basically to tell me that my resignation was "acknowledged" and "accepted".

Know what?? I feel pretty good tonight!

ha!

WOW...can you see the similarity????

10 years = tenure?

Last week, I called my boss and told him that I really needed to work in a store closer to home. I explained that I was gone for too many hours a day and that I wanted to be closer so that I had more time to spend with Elijah (and Adam of course, but the baby-baby needs me...). I told him that I had really given this north side drive a try and it was just wearing on me. Plus, there were/are some "in-store issues" that were making work difficult, one of which was that the store manager...Tom M...was scheduling me for an 11am to 9pm shift. C'mon! Even though I got out of work on Sunday by 7pm, by the time I got home shortly after 8, Adam had already had to put a very fussy Elijah to bed. I went to bed Sunday night feeling very defeated...by my job. Tom C (my boss) said to call him Monday...yesterday...and he would see what he could work out for me. So I patiently waited.

Now, yesterday was a particularly tough day at work. It was really busy and it was VERY warm and humid. Working in a hot kitchen on a humid day makes everyone's nerves a little short. I am not proud to say that my nerves were about shot at 10am! To make matters worse, Tom M doesn't have a CLUE how to properly deploy his staff...he had people working positions that they had never worked in the middle of a crazy rush. People who go to fast food restaurants during lunch time USUALLY have a time constraint...they are on lunch break and need to get back to work. It was taking me and my side of the line an average of 5 minutes PER ORDER to get people their food. Standard for the dining room is 1.5 minutes or less. I was embarrassed and irritated. Customers were understanding but obviously a little irritated as well. Long story short, I directed some rather harsh comments at Tom M and ended up just feeling like crap. In walks my boss...Tom C.

Once lunch was over, Tom C and I had a chance to talk about my situation. I again reiterated that this was taking its toll on me...and that I NEEDED to be closer to home. Tom C asked me what I had for suggestions. Know what I said? "How about I work here a couple days a week and the other 2-3 days I can work in a store that isn't an hour away?" I offered to be their slave 2-3 days a week. Here's what I was told:

"Sandy, we need to first put people where we need them. You're needed here...the store's numbers have improved significantly since you've been here. Second, we need to put people in stores where their salary can be supported. Third, there just aren't any openings closer to your home."

Grrrrrrrrrrrrrr...

But then the light...

"What if we let you work a 40 hour week instead of 50? You could either work 5, 8-hour days or 4, 10-hour days? You'd still have the drive but you'd have more time at home?"

I thought a moment. 4, 10-hour days would still suck but it would mean 3 days home with baby-baby! I didn't even get to respond...

"However, you would only get paid for 40 hours."

Here's where the title comes in...QSR became a company in 1997. I worked for Taco Bell Corporate prior to that time. In 1997, I decided to stay at the store I was at and work for QSR. That means I have worked for this company since its beginning. 10 years...I should have TENURE. And they can't even bend a little for me. I've bent over backwards for this company. I moved my entire life to NEVADA IOWA, for crying out loud! I am currently spending 12-13 hours a day away from my infant and my husband. And you're going to tell me that after 10 years of nothing but DEDICATED service, you can't keep me on my normal salary for a few months? If I work 40 hours, I would still spend 8 hours driving for a 4-day work week, or 10 hours driving for a 5-day work week...48 to 50 hours. I would really like to insert an very evil word in here right now but I'm using better judgment. Whatever...I'm hurt and angry. These are not healthy emotions. And on top of all that, I'm a little scared about what I'm going to do for work now. BUT, I'm completely at peace with the fact that I know where I stand with QSR. Tenured? If this is the way QSR treats its tenured employees, I guess I really don't want it.....

Pictures from F1 - Indianapolis

Crazy baby! (And crazy dad too!)



























Please excuse the fact that this picture of my face was taken from quite a poor angle...my face looks like it's squash-shaped or something!! Point is Adam and I should have used more sunscreen!!













I love this picture of the boys!



Baby-baby only got a little sun...just a little pink on the cheeks!

home sweet home

We are back home! YAY! Don't get me wrong...I had a great time in Indianapolis and vacationing is always nice but I am certainly glad to be home! Even in our apartment which has NO air conditioning and was about 88 degrees when we got home at 10pm last night! I love home!

So we went to the Formula 1 race on Sunday...we got up as soon as Elijah woke up and started to get ready. Left the hotel at just before 9am to drive to the Indianapolis Speedway. Traffic was crazy but Adam thought maybe we could take a shortcut. Let me say this...every time my Dad used to say "shortcut" it meant my Mom got upset cuz we got lost or something. But it worked out OK for us...we got near the track and took a side road to get to our parking area. Then began our rather lengthy walk to the track. No problem really...Elijah was great in his stroller and it was still just WARM, not hot. A cute baby is really great to take with you...everyone was telling us that he was the cutest Formula 1 fan yet! We got to the gate and had our bags checked and started to head to our "seats". This is where it got ugly for a while....

I was only able to afford general admission tickets for us this weekend. Elijah was free and it was not too expensive for Adam and I. Reserved seating would have meant over paying over $100 each of THREE tickets. HAH! I don't think so! But general admission meant that in order to get good seats we had to get to track early and walk...and walk...and walk some more. And this isn't sidewalk walking...it's walking on the grass...on a slope...with an umbrella stroller. I really just wanted to be "good" about it all...but after we'd been walking, in the grass, on a slope and with a stroller, for about 20 minutes, I got a little irritated. It hurts your legs to walk on an incline! And it was getting warm! But eventually we found a good spot to "sit" and set up our blanket and stuff. Elijah napped for a while, then woke up and ate, and then played, and then it got interesting. It was getting warm and I noticed that Elijah was sweating pretty bad. I decided to take him for a walk and look for shade. We found it...with two other mothers with babies! We hung out under the trees for awhile and then decided to go find Adam.

My super awesome husband was busy setting up the gazebo shade maker for us! After some trouble with that blowing in the wind, getting a bent pole and me "Girl Scout Rigging" the pole so it wouldn't bend more, Elijah and I camped out in the shade for awhile. He was SO tired but just wouldn't sleep. Can't blame him....all the excitement and all. But he had fun...we took him out to see the race cars for awhile and then he and I would sit in the shade for awhile. It was fun...

So the race ended and we started the long walk back to the car, which was scalding hot when we got there! We all sat in the front seat by the AC vents and took pictures of our sunburn! Then we started home...

First we got lost in Northeast Indy...the cops would only let us drive on certain streets and we ended up WAY too far northeast from where we needed to be. Then there was the traffic...OMG! It was bumper to bumper forever. Then the crazy Indiana tolls...waiting in bumper to bumper traffic to pay 15 cents and 50 cents. It was insane. And Elijah now likes the car as long we're moving...so he HATED sitting still and screamed. We finally crossed over into Illinois and I told Adam to just get off the Interstate and I would get into the back seat with the baby. Know where we exited? 70-something street in SOUTH CHICAGO! For those who don't know, South Chicago is the WORST part of Chicago. It was crazy...stoplights that never turned green and just very rough looking neighborhoods. We eventually found the interstate again, found an on-ramp and started home. Then it got easy.................driving with the windows down and enjoying smooth moving traffic. It was smooth sailing from there.

We got home at just after 10pm and Elijah was NOT happy. He had been in a car all day in bad traffic was just over tired. He nursed and went to sleep...no fussing at all. Just laid down and passed out...and slept until about 8am this morning! Holy Cats! My poor baby-baby was tired! Now it's noon on Monday and he's taking a nap. Poor little guy! He's got just a little sunburn on his cheeks and he is wiped out! We're gonna wait til he wakes up and take his Daddy some lunch at work. Then we're gonna chill all day cuz it's like 90 degrees already. Yikes...

So that's our trip home in a nutshell......either Adam or I will post more pics when we can!

Goodbye, old store!

I don't have too much time right now because my poor Sadie lady has a vet appointment at 4:15... but I just got word that my poor, little ol' Taco Bell was bulldozed today. First, SOMEONE was supposed to notify me! I wanted video footage. Idiots. But oh well...I have other things to think about I suppose...

One of my assistants happens to live close by and went by to get some pictures, which she sent me on my cellphone. Sorry the quality is so poor but they're still good pictures.


Still some walls standing. Must be dining room because of the colors...




If you look closely, you can see chair backs! Too cool...



And my favorite of the bunch:

You can't really read it but that orange piece of paper was a sign made by me because the booth was broken...it reads : "PLEASE do not sit on this!". I'm amused...

So it's fantastically real now...wait, let's make that Fan-TACO-tastic! That is it for that store. Wow...............*sigh*

pics

Baby likes his carrots!

Hi Baby-Baby!


He's such a little ham..."Go ahead, take my picture!"










This picture looks like ADAM!

And so does this next one....















This is the bamboo we got from Caitlin's wedding...Hello Beautiful Bamboo!

Why, Finny Finn...you're face is so big!






Much better shot here...he was hunting birds, I think!













Hi Super Cute Baby!

mental health day

I'm skipping work today. Well, sort of. I really don't know if I can keep this up for the summer. Since my store is closed, I have to work where the company feels they "can use me best"...ha! I guess I should sort of feel thankful...they put me in our newest store...yeah, which just so happens to be on the north side of Milwaukee and not in a very good area. I guess some guy pulled a knife on the tellers at a bank nearby...bunch of muggings...etc. Nice store, ghetto neighborhood. And it's like 30-some miles from our apartment. And it requires traveling one of two interstates, both of which are super packed and busy. There's construction all over and these two routes are the two that everybody and their brother takes. So I worked 8am to 5pm yesterday. Due to driving during both rush hours, it took me ONE AND A HALF HOURS to get there yesterday morning...and it also took me ONE AND A HALF HOURS to get home last night. So I dropped Elijah off at my mom's house at 7am, and I got home last night at just before 7pm. 12 hours...it made me very sad. And the manager at this store and my boss want me to work mid-shifts...which for a salaried manager means working 10am to 8pm. OK, whatever...that would mean I'd have to leave by 8:30-ish in the morning and I wouldn't be home until after 9pm. So for 5 days out of the week I wouldn't get to see my baby when he's awake. I want to cry just thinking about it.

So I called in today...worked one day and called in. I feel like a wimp. But I need some time to think (I think I once heard this called "taking a mental health day"!). And pray. We need for me to work right now. But the more I think about it, the more I realize that we don't need for me to work on the north side of Milwaukee and be gone 12 hours a day. And I find it rather irritating that QSR even thinks this would be a good idea for me, my husband and our 6 1/2 month old baby.

So I'm thinking.................................................

Grilled Taco BBQ Chicken

3	tablespoons taco seasoning mix (I use Old El Paso but I’m sure any will do)
1	teaspoon dried oregano leaves
4	boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 1 1/4 lb)
2	tablespoons olive or vegetable oil
2/3	cup barbecue sauce
1/2	cup chili sauce
1	teaspoon ground cumin

	Heat closed medium-size contact grill for 5 minutes. In shallow bowl, mix taco seasoning mix and oregano. Brush chicken with oil; coat with taco seasoning mixture. Place chicken on grill. Close grill. Grill 4 to 6 minutes or until juice of chicken is clear when center of thickest part is cut (170°F).
	Meanwhile, in 1-quart saucepan, heat barbecue sauce, chili sauce and cumin to boiling over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally. Serve sauce with chicken.
Oven Directions: Heat oven to 375°F. Line shallow baking pan with foil or spray with cooking spray. Place coated chicken in pan. Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until juice of chicken is clear when center of thickest part is cut (170°F).

Nutrition Information:

1 Serving: Calories 270 (Calories from Fat 70); Total Fat 8g (Saturated Fat 2g, Trans Fat 0g); Cholesterol 85mg; Sodium 1040mg; Total Carbohydrate 18g (Dietary Fiber 1g, Sugars 10g); Protein 32g

Percent Daily Value*: Vitamin A 6%; Vitamin C 4%; Calcium 4%; Iron 15%

Exchanges: 1 Other Carbohydrate; 0 Vegetable; 4 1/2 Very Lean Meat; 1 Fat

Carbohydrate Choices: 1

We don't have a grill so I used to oven directions and it was still WAY good! I made it one day and Adam asked me to make it again! That was the whole reason for the "woo hoo I can cook!" post! We can't wait until we have a grill so we can make it that way but it is SOOOOO good. If I might make one small suggestion: if you like your food very spicy, just use whatever BBQ and chili sauce you want. I used "Speed Queen Extra Spicy" sauce and let me tell you...it was very spicy. My tongue was on fire and I LOVE spicy food! It can be a little overwhelming so be careful. Otherwise, enjoy! I am trying out a couple new recipes I found on line and I will share any more that I find.

I have to laugh a little...when I lived by myself out in Iowa, I had to call my mom to ask her how long to bake a potato in the oven! I had NO idea how to cook for myself so I just didn't! And when I did, I made enough spaghetti to feed my whole store...yeah, seriously! I would make spaghetti and take at least 3/4 of it to work and make my crew take it home. My my...I have come a long way!

Goodbye, forever!

So, I had to sit in the parking lot of my poor old store today to hand out paychecks to my prior employees. It was actually pretty sad for me...no, I definitely won't miss 90% of my employees. But that old store has some pretty good memories attached to it. I started working at this particular store in 1999 as an assistant manager; my restaurant manager at that time was SO good, saw my potential and trained me to be a restaurant manager as well. After I was there for about 4 months, Dave told me that he would be leaving to pursue other avenues...and asked me if I wanted to be the "Big Cheese"...yeah, he used that phrase. I said definitely, and the ball started rolling. By the beginning of 2000, it was my store to run, and we did AWESOME. The first year was tough, getting a great team assembled, but before I knew it, my efforts had all paid off. We were exceeding company expectations and receiving bonus checks every quarter. It was so amazing. Then, the store was running so well that I got a little bored...and the company asked me to transfer out to Iowa to help with their newly acquired Ames store. Yeah, that's another post in itself but had I said NO, who knows if I would have met Adam! It was just all meant to be.

Long story short, Iowa just wasn't for me (sorry Iowans!) and I asked the company if I could come back....I had heard that my store in Wisconsin had an opening again and wanted so much to return to what was my little Taco Bell family! I came back to a huge mess...the two store managers who had run the store in the 15 months I was gone let the building go to pieces. It's an old store...the building itself is like 30+ years old. But it was just not maintained in my absence. This was in late 2004...the company started seriously talking about rebuilding. I was thrilled...I had always been put in charge of old stores (AMES!!) and was excited at the idea of having a brand new store to call my own. It was put off....and put off.....and still put off. And then, it became a reality...we closed our doors on May 30th...never to open this old store again.

The store will be rebuilt...projected opening date is October 1st, 2007. And guess what? I won't be the "Big Cheese". Adam has a wonderful opportunity to move up in his company, and that will require our relocation to Green Bay, WI. I am really excited about this because it means that I most likely will not have to work full time...still will need to work until we get some things in order (like my car paid off) but I will have so much more time to be a mommy and wife. No more 50 hours work weeks! (or 60 or 70 for that matter...although, I haven't worked 70 hours since I was pregnant...). But this also means I won't get my new store...it was what I wanted from my "Taco Bell career"...and even though I'm OK with it, I'm still a little sad. It's the end of an era for that store...and it's the end of an era for me. I told my boss yesterday that I wouldn't be here in October to open the new store. I'm replaceable...I know this. But ** sigh** it's just strange. I'm OK with it though...just a little nostalgic I guess!

So here's a few more pics of the closing...just for your "enjoyment" I guess!



just a side shot of my little old Taco Bell!


Our old menu board....not too many choices now!


The main dining room...full of boxes on moving day!

So there it is folks...the end of Taco Bell...I'm hoping I'll get some footage when they decide to demolish it, which I'll post for you too!