Tonight's picture was taken in December of 2003. We spent that Christmas in Los Angeles with my parents. In my parent's backyard were wonderful lemon, orange, and grapefruit trees. As you can see, Mattie loved picking and sorting fruit in a basket. It was the real life tasks that Mattie always found engaging.
Quote of the day: Christmas is the spirit of giving without a thought of getting. It is happiness because we see joy in people. It is forgetting self and finding time for others. It is discarding the meaningless and stressing the true values. ~ Thomas S. Monson
Peter and I flew to Ft. Lauderdale today. I am happy to say that the flight was uneventful and we arrived around 1. At which point, we headed to pick up the rental car so we could drive to Miami to pick my parents up at the airport. It seems to me in the last three days, we have spent a lot of time in a car. The rental agency was a show, and NOT a good one. I have never seen a rental lot with FEW to NO cars in it. Yet there were lines of people who had pre-ordered cars and were very disgruntled. By the time we got to Hertz, we could see very upset customers. One family started talking with me, and explained (like us) they had ordered a car months ago, and yet here they were waiting, with no end or options in sight. Since Peter and I had to drive to Miami to pick up my parents, we were motivated to work the problem. Peter literally went around the rental agency's parking lot to assess what cars were available. He then reported back to me that there were cars outside the parameter but it was unclear who the cars were being held for. So at that point, I demanded to speak to a manager, I knew dealing with the attendants on the lot was a waste of time because they weren't the decision makers. I found the manager, Peter pointed out the type of car we pre-arranged and needless to say the manager complied. People who were waiting in line for a hour wanted to know my secret. So I explained to them what they had to do and who they had to interface with. Moral of the story is ALWAYS, ALWAYS ask to speak directly to a manager, regardless of the situation or problem. In every context possible, I have found this to be most effective.
1 comment:
I too, wonder if I love sun & warmth so much whatever am I doing in Virginia. Well, Virginia is a step toward warmth & sun, having grown up in Wisconsin.. Growing up, we had lots more cold longer and the sun shines brighter more often. However, there is nothing like a Wisconsin Fall. The beauty of the Fall compares to the beauty, I find in Virginia n the Spring!
Your description of Hertz brings back many rental times in my life. It is a nightmare of wasted time. I am glad you knew how to speed the process and helped others with your knowledge!!!!
The Mattie bridge is so interesting to know. O.C. Has a drawbridge. I know going forward, while I watch this bridge go up, I will think of Mattie
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