Soccer Mania!

The soccer season is in full swing again!! Mini Me is having a great time this year playing for the Copperheads. She's one of the older kids on the team (grades 1 & 2), so she's a lot more confident. It's so much fun to watch her!

Last year was her first year playing soccer. She was very timid around the ball...didn't wanna get kicked, didn't wanna get dirty, didn't wanna run much.

This year, she has blossomed into a little superstar! Her favorite position is goalie, and she doesn't let ANYTHING get past her! She digs her knees down in the dirt to stop the ball. She even asked if it was OK to dive for the ball if she needs to. Who is this child?!

When she's running the ball up and down the field, she is right there in the middle of everyone, fighting for control. She's learning to work with her team, to pass the ball to get it to the goal.

I am so proud of her!!

Here are some great action shots:







She's already telling me that she wants to play soccer forever. It really seems to give her a sense of confidence that she just hasn't found with almost 5 years of dance. Don't get me wrong...she's not giving up dance anytime soon! Soccer is only a nine or ten week program. Dance is a nine month commitment. Plus, she gets a trophy this year in dance...and that is worth more than gold to an (almost) eight year old!

Update on the J.I.T.B. Fiasco...

OK quick update: I called the local restaurant this morning and spoke with the manager on duty. I asked if he was aware of an incident on his property last night. Of course he was not. I explained that I needed the name of the employee involved, and the name of the supervisor who stood by and did nothing. He provided all of the info I asked for...I think he was completely dumbfounded that this had occurred.

Later, I spoke with the rep at the corporate office. She took a detailed statement from me and apologized profusely for what happened. She said they will order an internal investigation and review the surveillance tapes from the drive thru and parking area. She said she would get back with me once they have more information.

Then, I kid you not...she offered to compensate me with "a few coupons for free combo meals" for my troubles. Seriously.

I'm sure this is their canned response, but come on! I would expect the free combo meals routine for bad food, or a wrong order. But physical confrontation by an employee representing their company?? I think not.

SO she asked..."what do you want Jack In The Box to do to make this right for you?"

I told her I would talk to my husband and call her back.

I should mention that the first thing Mini-Me said when I picked her up from school was "Mommy, I wanted to call you today. I still feel scared." (This is after last night, when I put her to bed and she got up a few minutes later to say "I don't feel like going out to eat much anymore. It makes me scared.")

I talked to my co-workers today, and I think my biggest fear is that this baffoon's behavior is going to somehow warp the way my little girl views the world. It's one of those events that can shape your perceptions. What will this do to her?

More updates later....

Verbal Assault at Jack-In-The-Box!

I know we all have horrible fast-food experiences, but I had to share this one. It's by far the scariest situation I have been in (I know, I practically live under a rock). I will never EVER eat at this restaurant again.

We went through the drive thru at Jack-In-The-Box tonight, but it took us a minute to figure out what we wanted because of new menu items. The employee was rude, was mumbling all of his replies and questions (requiring us to ask him to repeat himself at least twice after EACH response), and was basically being a jerk. We tolerated his attitude for a while (it was late and we were hungry).

We had a coupon for a free shake with the purchase of the new Sirloin Burger, so we told the guy we wanted to use it. (Initially, we asked if the free shake would apply with the purchase of a combo. I'm not sure what his reply was, because he sounded like he had marbles in his mouth when he spoke.) He said "I'll get it at the window." Now, I understand that he'll get the coupon at the window. But now that they have these handy-dandy screens that show you everything you ordered, we could see that he didn't ring it up. So again we mentioned that we wanted to add the shake to the order...an Oreo one (there are different flavors, you know). He continued to argue that he didn't need to know that. Finally, we just said "forget it, you're being a jerk" and asked him to cancel the order. As we pulled forward, he yelled "f*** you" into the intercom.

When we rounded the corner to leave, there was another vehicle in front of us at the window blocking the exit. There was also a vehicle behind us, so we were trapped. The drive thru guy saw us coming, and took off running out of the restaurant into the parking lot. He came around the corner and started screaming at us, yelling profanity and threatening us. By this time, I was calling 911 (not sure why...it was my natural reaction, given that Mini-Me was in the back seat)...so most of the "conversation" between them was a blur. I know that he called Hubby the "n-word," which was sort of amusing.

You would think that a manager-type person would have recognized what was going on and controlled the situation, right? Uhhh wrong. We saw at least two other employees in the restaurant, one of whom came over to the drive-thru window to either assist the customer in front of us, or get a better view of his homeboy in the parking lot. No one even attempted to control this guy.

After (what seemed like) several minutes of arguing, the vehicle in front of us finally pulled away, and we were able to leave. I was terrified and shaking, and Mini-Me was sobbing in the back seat. I'm not sure what I thought the guy was going to do...and Hubby keeps telling me he wouldn't have done anything...but I guess you just never know. Now my biggest concern is that he wrote my license plate number down.

I've already written a letter to their corporate office, and I will continue to call and/or write until I get a response.

What is wrong with people? What is happening in the world in which we live? How can this happen in my sleepy town, 6 blocks from my house?! How do I comfort my sobbing, terrified child when I don't feel the least bit comfortable with it myself? How do I protect her from this madness?