snowday*

Greetings from the frozen tundra!
Haha! Ok... I realize it's not that bad, but it IS pretty darn cold!
Cold enough for both Jordan and I to have the day off due to store/school closings.
And for us both to have acquired a strange case of the sniffles since we've been inside Bread Co.

I made some delicious Cinna-bon muffins for a late desert last night and they made for an equally delicious breakfast this morning. After tending to my very hungry and very cold kitten ( our apartment has hard wood floors and no matter what we do it drops to about 55 degrees every night) I bundled up and watched the news with my cup of juice and muffins. Jordan woke up this morning to my insanely funny boss calling:
"Only essential personnel are required to come on base today, and we are definately NOT essential!! So tell Danielle not to worry about coming in today."

Haha! I love Debby. She's in her 60's and she's my size, but she was born and raised in East St. Louis and she is tough as nails! She's also unbelievably funny. She isn't bad mouthed or anything, but she IS terribly blunt and sarcastic. She's already adopted me, invited Jordan and I out for her family's annual bbq, and EXPECTS our attendance, marked my birthday AND Jordan's on her personal calendar, measured me to knit me a scarf, and leaves just enough coffee and creamer in the fridge everyday for me to have a cup when I get to work. I've also made a habit of getting to work a half an hour early just to hang out with her and talk to her because I enjoy her company so much.

"That being said"... (as Debby always says) work has been going well. I had one bad day, last Saturday where I got so overwhelmed that I had a panic attack and cried in front of everyone in the store. But, Debby came to the rescue and helped me figure everything out. She told me later that working there is basically "baptism by fire" and that every person that has ever worked there (including her) has broken down crying at least once, which made me feel a million times better. Since then things have rolled along pretty nicely. The store is slow, which has been good for learning, and for catching up on some good reading, and getting to know all the people that work around me. I've actually gotten fairly good at all of the different repairs that we have to do, and the difficult stuff isn't too intimidating anymore.

Debby has also been extremely kind and she found a place for me to help out over Valentine's Day and make some extra money whenever I'm needed. So, starting next week I'll be helping out our friend Mary. She's the manager of the flower shop across the plaza from us, and she has breast cancer. She's starting her radiation therapy this week and I was so excited to be able to help her. One of my greatest passions in my teen and adult life has been supporting breast cancer awareness and prevention, helping to support clinics and survivors, as well as honor everyone who has been touched by this form of cancer. For the last nine years I've run and volunteered for the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation here in St. Louis, and over the last week Mary and I have been able to share tons of stories from the different events that we've attended through the years. Mary is a really great, soft spoken lady and if you could spare a prayer, she'll be needing a lot of strength, hope, and inner peace to get through this week and the next few weeks. I'm really excited to get to know her and help out in the flower shop. It's been a far away dream of mine to work in and maybe one day own my own flower shop, and these next few weeks will give me the chance to figure out if it is something that I really want to pursue.

Even though the weather outside is crummy, I'm really happy to have the day off with Jordan. We don't have days off together very often, especially unplanned. AND Jordan got me the best present ever for a day like today: super cute rain boots!!! I didn't own anything but canvas shoes and ballet flats... and that is NOT conducive to having warm or dry feet in this icky weather. And, due to the fact that we still don't have any kind of health insurance... shoes with tread are going to be a good thing... everyone that knows me knows how accident prone I am. Haha!


I love them! and they will also go to good use in other seasons when it's raining and I don't want to ruin my good shoes! Woo!! (I'm really excited about this-- in case you can't tell. I haven't owned rain boots since I lived in England, and it's bringing back very fond memories)

Today made me realize something else that I hadn't really thought about for a while. While we don't own a couch, cable or internet, or a full set of matching "anythings", we are very blessed to have two working cars. While we were driving to Bread Co. today there were A LOT of people standing outside in the sleet, in snow up to their ankles, walking or waiting for a bus... and I wanted to buy hot coffee for all of them and give them a ride. It really stinks to have to endure weather like that day in and day out, and I'm thankful that we have the things we do. That we are both able to get to and from work everyday really is a blessing, and I feel awful that I take it for granted sometimes.

So, here we sit. Bread Company music blaring in our ears, with a dozen strangers all bundled up having a warm meal. It's one of the things that I love the most about living in this city. We have such a diverse population here and it's fun to experience. Whether it's the table next to you or the Ethiopian restaurant down the street, there is always something new to see, someone new to smile at and something new to learn.

Even if we never touch, or have a real conversation, even if I never see them again they were a part of my life today, and I got to smile at them. That's enough to warm up any cold winter night*