Day 2: What you wore today..

What do I do?

I work at a coffee shop. 

The only one of its kind in the province thus far. This will be short-lived as there seem to be many that are going to be popping up all around our little city. 

What do I do?

I get to work with people.

After you work in the food industry for a while you notice that there are certain people who have become addicted *cough* accustomed to the taste of the food your establishment sells. Some become so accustomed to the taste and smell of this certain food that they become what is known to employees as "regulars". You can read a bit about some of them in an older post just down below. 

As of late I have realized that this growing group of regulars, though they may not all know one another, have created a sort of community for those of us who work at our little coffee shop. I like this. It brings a sense of security in what can sometimes be a bit of a stressful profession.

Regulars are those who I see walking down the street though the window and by the time they appear at the till, I can have their order ready. The time saved by doing this gets to be used in catching up from the weekend or the day before.

What do I do?

I get to love people. 

There are a few regulars who I not only know their name, but they now know mine as well. I like feeling like a person instead of the machine behind the counter who dispenses coffee and occasionally a  sweet slice of cheesecake. 

Hearing how their day is going, what they did on the weekend, what is on their heart....isn't this what bartenders say they do? ; )  What a blessing it is when I get over myself and my own worries and focus on someone else and how they are doing. I have been blessed in return. This job has not been my favourite, but there have been moments where the Lord has really shown me there is a reason He wants me there. 

What do I do?

I get to make friends.

I have told a few regulars about my plans to move to Australia in a few months and word has spread. Today one of our sweet regulars came in an gave me advice on where to look for a cheap flight as she waited for her americano. She's been getting more espresso shots than normal...

I could go on. I thought it suited to take a picture of my work uniform for todays photo as I spend so much of my time in it. Anyhow, here it is. Smells of coffee...a smell I have not yet come to love...but have not given up on yet!

Day One - Self Portrait

Photo rut

I've been in a photo rut as of ...well, a long time. Yesterday I was looking around on pinterest and found this little challenge. I thought it would be a good way to start taking pictures again with somewhat of a purpose. So...here it goes!

Weekend at the cabin..

Etch-A-Sketch art!..

An afternoon at Lester Beach

Dinner.

Cooking dessert.

View from the dock. 

Highlights...

Kay, maybe not all these pictures represent significant highlights of my time back in Manitoba, but they are pic's I deem blog worthy and since I haven't been updating this thing that often, here are a ton of em! 

An attempt at capturing lightening.

Fishing with dad..

Opa and two of his great grand kids at the cottage.

Girl's breakfast whilst the guys are off camping for the weekend.

Big bro returned for a wedding. 

Proud "uncle"

Defs a highlight of summer..fresh strawberries! A heart shaped one at that!

An attempt at a new perspective. 

Don' t Cry Over Spilt....Cream?

Today, was just another average day at work..

We had been out of cream for the dispenser for almost a week now and the order had finally come in. This event meant that instead of breaking open multiple creamers per coffee, we could now use our cream dispenser that at the press of a button would dispense the perfect amount of cream into our guest's coffee. (YAY!) With the help of the store manager to lift the heavy bag of cream, I managed to get the machine up and running. I cut the dispenser nozzle open and we were ready for business! ..Aaand along comes a customer wanting cream in her coffee! I pressed the button and there went the perfect amount of cream into her coffee! ...and then some more! Cream started to pour out the the machine and onto the floor! (Oh nooo!) It didn't take long for me to call for help and realize that I had cut the nozzle too short! This meant no more cream in the dispenser. We managed to find a way to use up the cream, but that's a whole other story.

While I was in the process of mopping, wiping, and drying up the cream I managed to get quite a bit of it on my uniform. Soon after, whilst changing the mop, I happened to accidentally allow the new mop to rest against my apron which left a mountain of white mop lint very noticeably all over my freshly washed black apron. Next it was the liquid pre-soak hose that grew a mind of its own and just so happened to spray me; then there was more cream that spilled, and then...well the list goes on. At one point in this day I began to become frustrated at all these things and I started to count in my head how many things had gone 'horribly wrong' in that day. As I listed these things off to myself I began to realize how utterly ridiculous it is for me to allow these tiny non-events to effect how I feel and go about my day. I chuckled to myself and kept on with my day with a different outlook.

You may be thinking "DUH! Life happens, get on with it!", and maybe that's what I should have thought too. But I didn't right away and it took me a while to get to that point. It did however cause me to realize (again) that life is much too short to be allowing these small things to bother me or hinder my attitude and the way I see my day. There is no need to allow some silly spilt cream to mess up my day. It was a much needed reminded this week. Thank-You Lord! His patience with me never ceases to amaze me.

Where's ...Mr. Brown?!??

When I'm not enjoying country cruises, lightening storms, and being amazing at Etch-a-sketch (-ing?), I work at a coffee shop in a neighbouring town. My co-worker and I have decided that the town we work in is very much like Starshollow from the T.V. show Gilmore Girls. The reason we have come to this conclusion is due to all the quirky people who either work with us (including ourselves) or come in for coffee and a bite. Mr. Brown, Margarita Chicken Man, The Muffin Man, Luigi , and Yellow Jacket Staring Lady to name a few. This turns what could be mundane into a whimsical, hilarious place to be. Mr. Brown comes into the shop every week day around opening (6:30am) and leaves just before the lunch rush; he and The Muffin Man have become friends and will now sit at adjoining booths so they can talk while they enjoy their breakfast. On Monday, Mr. Brown's nephew came into the shop and asked my co-worker if she had seen him. The nephew went on to tell her that every once in a while, Mr. Brown will go M.I.A. for a few days and no one will know where he went. This started a whole new mystery with an air of excitement for us behind the counter. Where does Mr. Brown go??