Memphis Bound.....I wish!

Have you ever been to Memphis? We haven't......yet, but it is on our top list of destinations for the next trip.



Long story of why.....but short story of why we'll definitely make it. You see, back in my former life with my former husband, we had these great friends Greg and Cathy whom we did EVERYTHING with. Well 30 years later, Greg and Cathy have divorced and Mike and Debbie have divorced. Well thanks to the magic of Facebook, Greg and Debbie have rekindled friendship. Greg is living in Memphis with his new wife. He is now playing in a band on the weekends. By the way, when they hit the "big time" just remember where you saw this plug!




So now Paul and I want to go to Memphis to hear his band, talk old times, and visit a brand new city that we've never been to! So what is there to do in Memphis....well here's my small bucket list:

Graceland. Not that I've ever been a big Elvis fan....but I really think you have to visit here when you are in Memphis.



Also hear that there might be a casino or two along the Mississippi river. Don't know for a fact, but might just need some further investigation. But, I guess one of the biggest attractions in Memphis is the famous Beale Street.



Now I'm really excited and can't wait to go. Things are getting better at new store, sales are up and employee morale is better. Hopefully we'll be able to take this long needed mini vacation to our next destination.....Memphis!!

P.S. We also really want to go to St. Louis---so my next travel post will be the highlights of this next fabulous city we want to visit!

Darn varmits!!

Okay....I know that regionally we all suffer from some kind of annoying little varmits. In the desert southwest, we have to deal with rabbits, javelinas, etc. In the north it's probably moose, deer, and whatever. Well in Texas....we have to deal with RACOONS! I have to admit when I first moved here...I was excited to see squirrels grazing in my yard, possum running along the forest lines, and the most popular Texas animal of them all.....the Armadillo. In fact, I loved it when I got to see a racoon and a skunk...because growing up in Arizona....you hardly ever saw these animals.

But now that I am a homeowner whose house rests along the edge of an undeveloped forest area.....those dang racoons are certainly a pest! Every single morning our trash is turned upside down and the selective treats of the neighborhood racoons are scattered about our yard. I have found that if you have leftover bread, rolls, or pizza crusts in your trash that this is a racoons FAVORITE meal. I've tried putting the lids on tight, putting bunjee cords on the cans, and even resorting to putting a brick on top of the can.....but it does no good. Those little varmits are way too smart and can still figure out a way to get into my cans.

Oh well....I give up and I'll just pick up their little garbage each day. Meanwhile...here's evidence of one of their little late night rendevous into my trash cans.




P.S. Don't bother zooming into what pizza boxes were in my trash. We were trying out the local competition (Pizza Hut) and it was the NASTIEST pizza I ever had. Should have ordered PIZZA ZONE!

P.S.S. Could you kindly leave your comments so that I know you are reading these silly ramblings. Sometimes I think I'm only speaking to myself!!

The life of a Pizza Diva

Now I suppose that everyone always wonders what it's like to be a pizza diva. Well, as glamorous as this title sounds -- I'm about to give you the inside scoop.

NEVER spend the time to give your hair that perfect coif.....because this is what you'll be wearing. By the end of the night -- your hair will be mashed and you'll have just wasted all your time and efforts. Actually, by the end of a busy night -- you won't even care what your hair looks like anyways!



Save your money and don't purchase designer clothes. Because along with shorts or jeans and a pair of COMFORTABLE tennis shoes......this will pretty much be your wardrobe. The nice thing is that the blue shirt matches anything!



Save your time and money and don't even bother getting a manicure. The cheese we use on the pizzas is diced and if your nails aren't ground down to the tips of your fingers - you'll be constantly picking at the tiny pieces of cheese that gets stuck under your nails. Also, the health department regulations don't allow painted fingernails when you work in food preparation areas.

Hope you like cornmeal and flour....because every night when you come home it will be stuck to your clothes, your shoes, your arms, and you might even find some in your hair.



Seriously though, as unglamorous it is working in the shop -- we have fun working with our staff, being a a sympathetic ear to an employee who has a problem, seeing our customers who have turned into friends, and working our butts off to make sure that our pizza and our service is the BEST that it can be. Our biggest reward is when a first time customer calls back and tells us that they are so glad they found us and that our pizza is the best they've ever had!

New Year Word to Live By

After reading a very insightful blog by a very knowledgeable individual, I have given much thought into what my word of the year would be. I also don't follow resolutions very well, so having a word to "live by" throughout the year seems much easier.

My chosen word will be:



How appropriate that it's printed on a road sign.....as it will be part of my journey for 2010.

Faith to know that the struggles we face are part of our challenge in life and that in the end "it will be alright". Faith to know that when we get to the other side we'll be better parents, employers, spouses, and most importantly....better people.

Faith in myself to know that I am truly blessed, that life isn't perfect, and that every day won't be the way I had it all planned out....but that I still have much to be thankful for.

So onward into 2010.......where I will be full of FAITH!

“I know God will not give me anything I can't handle. I just wish He didn't trust me so much.” ~ Mother Theresa

I am enthusiastic about life!

Originally when I thought about writing this I was going to write about how bad things are and how depressing things are, but then I picked up my Daily Word for the day and it talked about joy.

That immediately stopped me in my tracks and made me rethink a few things. Business at the other store is not so well, the employees there are REALLY negative and expressing themselves loudly, we are second guessing some of our decisions, and we don't seem to have time for anything except working. I had refused to let all this negative get to me.....but then a small part of me opened up today and it all came rushing in and I broke down.

I stopped and read my Daily word and now I feel renewed and ready to fight back. To quote those changing words: "I focus on the joy that underlies my life each day. When I awake, I feel joy. Throughout my day, I give thanks for the people who share my journey. At the end of the day, I am grateful for each experience. I never wait for joy. I choose joy at this very moment.

Enough said :)

A Year in Review

Wow....what an exciting year we've had! Just getting to write it all down and relive it makes me excited all over again. Thanks Marilyn....cause I'm stealing this idea from you.

2009 meant LOTS of traveling for Paul and I (that was until we opened the new store. But more of that later). Traveling is our passion and it's our goal to see all 50 states and travel all over the world. Of course, getting our passports has been on our agenda for two years now and we still haven't gotten around to doing it. But I will state here that my New Years Resolution will be to have my passport by the end of Feb. 2010! Our first adventure was during Easter of this year when we went to Reno and Lake Tahoe. We had beautiful weather the first two days we were there and then left in a snowstorm. Spent some time gambling, sightseeing, and visiting an antique car musueum. We had a great time!



In June we were lucky enough to get to visit Boston. We are big museum nerds and love to visit historical sites and museums. Boston sure did have LOTS of history. We spent a day in Newport, Rhode Island; Cape Cod; and Hyannis Port. What a beautiful place in the summer....because there is no way we'd ever visit it in the winter. We spent two days visiting lots of historical sites in Boston and there was still so much to see. We definitely would love to come back and visit some other time.



In July we had to go back to Orlando to bury Paul's mom. Since this was the place where Paul grew up, we spent lots of time visiting his old hangouts and places where he lived. We did find the time to visit Daytona Beach (since I LOVE the ocean) and had some time to drive around and see the sights. We also had some time to visit Epcot Center.



August was big birthday month for the boys. The baby turned 23 and the oldest turned 27......where did all the years go?



August, September and October consisted of little road trips to Lake Charles, Louisiana for some gambling and "time-out from life" time. We also managed to fit in a trip to Austin, Texas and Galveston, Texas for the same reasons.



In November we made a surprise trip to Tucson, Arizona to surprise the family for Thanksgiving. We had a great time being with everyone and spending time with our family. November also brought us the opening of our second location. We are so proud of this achievement, as we have worked so hard over the last 10 years to make our business a success. This is truly a 24/7 business for us and we are committed to it 100%.



December brought us to two important birthday celebrations: Paul and I!! Thank you honey for such a great year for us. We've had so much fun, stress, hardwork -- but it's all worth it working side by side with you. We are thankful for all we have -- we truly do have a great life!