Relationship Marketing

I love good customer service. Actually, it's not good customer service that I love, it's exceptional customer service that I love. I lobby hard for it at work. I know what impact it can have when businesses go above and beyond and what happens if they do just what is expected. let me share with you a recent example.

I want to give a shout out to the Chase Bank at 6200 Bee Cave. It's not my normal branch but I happen to go there twice this week and both times received excellent customer service.

What was it that made them stand out?

Every single person working there, even if they were behind their desk in the cubicle, made a point to smile and say hi when I came in and they all wished me a good day when I left. The teller acknowledged that he'll be right with me as he was finishing up with the person at the drive thru window and then apologized for the wait as if I had to wait forever (the wait was really only a minute). They also waived the $5 service fee for my transaction.

A genuine smile and good manners go a long way. And the waived service fee, that was the icing on the cake.

What is the long term result of this experience? Well, I'm telling all of you, posted about it on Facebook, and I'll be making a point to visit that branch more because they make me feel good and brighten my day. I'm even pondering whether they benefit in having me switch branches.

Going above and beyond what's expected...that's what counts.

Here to Stay

Sheldon was finally able to find a job and move to Austin to be with us permanently. We've missed him terribly during the 8.75 months of being apart. Now it's time to really start this crazy new adventure of ours...together.

Texas has some interesting street names.

Convict Hill (and this is the street our church Stake Centre building is on)
Slaughter Lane
Nameless Road
Kickapoo Road (Aidan's personal favourite)
Fast Fox Drive (which is just off of Slow Turtle Cove)

Extreme Couponing

On a recent grocery run, I was pretty proud of myself for finding so many deals. 

What Grows in Texas?

My mom recently asked me what the gardens were like in Texas. What do people grow here? I did not inherit my mother's love of gardening so I haven't really paid attention until now. I snapped a few shots of what we see in our "garden". 

Earlier in the spring, I noticed some pretty blue wild flowers growing beside the highway. Ok to tell you the truth, I didn't really notice them until I saw people on multiple occasions taking family photos amongst them. I learned quickly that they were Texas bluebonnets. And here I initially mistook the state flower, the pride of Texas, as a bunch of flowery weeds on the side of the highway. Like I said, I didn't inherit my mother's love of gardening.

Movies in the Park

hurray for free movies in the park

picnic dinner

movie snacks

 

Because it's hot in Texas

To keep the high school football players hydrated, they have this huge contraption for them to drink from.

It was so hot at an outdoor banquet that they brought out huge fans in an attempt to keep us cool.

Cinco de Mayo

Happy 17th

SXSW

One of the things Austin is famous for is South by Southwest (SXSW). It's a huge conference/festival of music, movies, and technology. Passes are expensive but if you research things out, you can take part in a lot of free things they offer, like a free show at Whole Foods' rooftop with Pentatonix, the best acapella group IMHO. Not only did we enjoy hearing them sing (the sound on the video I took didn't turn out very well because I was too close to the speakers), we got our photo taken with them too!

When in Texas...

Families are Forever

This is what life is all about.

San Antonio Temple

BBQ

Texas is big on BBQ. Ribs, pork, sausages, you name it. While Sheldon was visiting in March, I took him to Franklin BBQ. This place is only open for lunch but there's a line up 2-3 hours down the block before they even open, even on a weekday. It was worth the wait. The critics and reviews definitely got this one right.

Coach Aidan

Aidan's has been teaching his little cousin Caeleb how to throw and catch a football. 

Looks like he's been teaching him how to celebrate a touchdown too...in slow motion.

Avenue Barbershop

Today I took the boys to Avenue Barbershop on South Congress Avenue to get their hair cut. Think ol' school vintage barbershop where they only take walk-ins and cash. They even use shaving cream and a straight razor on the neck to closely shave the nape of your neck and finish it off with a warm towel. These guys are perfectionists and I think it's well worth the 1.5 hour wait on a Saturday.

Driving in Austin

After driving in Austin for two months, I've come to two conclusions:

1. Austinites don't know how to drive.
2. The roads are set up poorly in Austin.

I have never seen so many car accidents along the highway or even the number of cars flipped into the ditch. And everyone here has warned me that nobody knows how to drive in the rain, let alone if the roads ever get icy. I know how to drive in the rain, ice, and snow but it's the other drivers I'm worried about. Austin is on the edge of hill country which means there are parts of the city where the roads are filled with hills and curves. I haven't witnessed any rainy day vs hill driving accidents yet but I shudder to think what those look like. When I was driving through the state of Texas, electronic billboards would list the number of fatal motor vehicle deaths there have been this year vs the number of deaths a year ago. I've even seen billboards that remind drivers not to drink and drive. Obviously these are things that Texans and Austinites need reminders of.

I don't know who planned the roads and how they connect to the many highways throughout the city but logic tells me that crossing three lanes of traffic immediately after you merge off a highway so you can turn at the intersection just a few hundred feet away isn't very safe. You know what else isn't very safe? Centre turning lanes that traffic from both directions are supposed to use. Also, what's the purpose of going through every increment of 5 in the speed limits throughout the city? I can drive down one road and the speed limit changes from 60 miles per hour to 45 to 40 to 20 then back up to 45 and 60 all within 10 minutes of driving. Or you can drive down a highway and it changes between 60, 65, and 70 frequently. I think Austin city planners just did this so they can reap the money in speeding tickets. In Ottawa, the speed limits were usually 60 km/hr, 80, or 100. I've only seen a few speed traps in Austin but maybe that's because all the cops are busy managing all the car accidents on the roads.

One thing where I'm undecided whether it  is good or bad thing yet but it's something I'm having a hard time getting used to is driving on the roads that run beside highways. When you're approaching an intersection, a new left lane appears and it's used like a u-turn lane that goes under the highway so you can whip around and drive in the opposite direction on the other side of the highway. I find myself getting into this lane a lot without meaning to drive in the opposite direction. I just want to drive down the cross street.

Connor has been 16 for almost a year now and we've procrastinated in letting him get his driver's license for reasons related to time and money (I want him to get driving lessons so he doesn't pick up my bad driving habits or Sheldon's). Now that we've moved to Austin, I'm scared to let him learn how to drive here. 

Heart of Texas Regatta

Connor rowing in a quad.

Connor's cheering section.

How I kept warm in the 5 degree C mornings yet I still got a sunburned nose by the end of the regatta.

Connor stroke seat in an 8+

Taking matters into my own hands. Now THIS is how you make a poutine.

Farmers Market

If you told yourself that it wasn't really poutine, it was quite good, even at 10am on a Saturday morning. I bought some cheese curds from one of the vendors so hopefully I can re-create the real thing.