My mistake, you're not a serial killer after all

Recently, I was filling up our company Mercedes-Benz with gas in preparation for an airport transfer. I was standing at the pump waiting, when a guy in a black truck pulled up to the pump on the opposite side of mine. I quickly noticed that this wife-beater-wearing, inked-up guy was staring in my direction. Not just the normal quick-glance-to-see-who-is around-you, but long, hard stares.

I started to feel really uncomfortable. It was getting close to dark. I was alone. I left the pump briefly and grabbed my keys out of my purse on the passenger's seat, just in case I needed to push the panic button. Then he started to walk in my direction. My thumb was hovering over the panic button, ready to push at any second. But he kept walking and went inside to pay the cashier.

He came back (a little too quickly), staring my way the whole time. Then, when he was closest to me, he said, "That's a really nice car you have there."

"Oh," I said, "thanks!" and gave him a smile.

Then I felt REALLY foolish. He was staring at the CAR the whole time, not me.

Was I being paranoid? Probably.

Was I stereotyping this poor guy whose many tatts probably included an "I love Mom" tattoo? Perhaps.

I mean, you can't blame the guy, it IS a beautiful car ...

In fact, I get A LOT of compliments on this car. From drive-thru bank tellers to random people at gas stations who might also be serial killers. I always just smile and say "thanks," but I kind of WANT to say, "We only own it because it's a company car. We're not rich, just regular middle-class folks like you. Plus, we bought it used and got a really good deal on it." But I keep my mouth shut, because if I unloaded all of that on a stranger, they would surely look at me like I was crazy.

Nevertheless, I often feel that others are stereotyping me as a rich you-know-what when they see me driving this car. Just like I stereotyped the creepy guy at the gas station who ended up being nice. Hmmm, interesting!

Giveaway Update

Remember a few months ago when I won the first giveaway that I had ever entered? Jessica was offering free postcards courtesy of UPrinting.com. Well I promised that I would let you guys know what I came up with so ...

... ta-da!! What do you think? It scanned a little grainy, and got cut off on one side, but the actual product looks really great. We liked them so much that we ordered A LOT more, plus another postcard design that features only The Party Bus for the college crowd.

I'm clueless when it comes to Photoshop. This was all done in Publisher, so it was pretty simple to design. Before my next order, I think I'll put thin black borders around the top three photos to make it look better. That's the only thing that bothers me.

I can't say enough good things about UPrinting.com. Their prices are fantastic, the turn-around time is fast and the ordering process is easy. We've ordered so much from them since, that we've received six 16x20 canvas prints absolutely free. Can't wait to get them stretched and hung in the office. Thanks again Jessica and UPrinting.com!

Bulk Buying

We recently got a Sam's Club membership, mainly for the limo business. My first shopping trip was pretty overwhelming ... that place is HUGE. My dad always used to shop there when we were growing up, but I had never been inside one myself. He used to come home with everything from a 50-pack of snack-sized chip bags to enough toilet paper to last us six months. We don't have that much storage space in our normal-sized house, so at first I wasn't sure if bulk buying was for us. But I was pleasantly surprised. Not everything is ginormous and there are quite a few good deals to be had. They even have one of my favorite wines for $3 cheaper than at HEB. Here is my most recent purchase:

A giant bag of Craisins. Leyla is there to emphasize how big this bag really is! And we will definitely eat all these before they go bad. I put them in my homemade granola, so we go through quite a bit. So exciting ... yea for saving money!

Jessica over at This, That and My Blog is hosting some great giveaways! I'm shooting for the 100 free brochures from UPrinting.com. We really need some new brochures for Skyline that show updated pics of the Party Bus, so if I don't win, I'll probably still order from them anyway! I'm also crossing my fingers for the 100 free postcards. Don't you think they'd make great handouts to advertise our limo Christmas Light Tours? I get extra entries for each giveaway for posting this, so wish me luck!

Wordless Wednesday

A Weekend of Birthdays

Kent's 35th birthday was on Friday, which was perfect, because he now has Friday's off from work (he now works Monday-Thursday, usually 6:30 a.m. - 5 p.m. w/ a 30-min. lunch). We had planned on a sushi dinner with friends, so we headed over to their house around 7 p.m. Little did Kent know that I had arranged for one of our limos to pick us all up! I couldn't think of one single time in the last 18 months since we started our business that Kent actually got to sit IN THE BACK of a limo and just enjoy himself. We've taken limos out a few times for family surprises and get-togethers, but Kent was always the one doing the driving! He was super surprised, and we all enjoyed a bottle of champagne on the way to A-Tan Sushi Bar in N.B.

After dinner it was off to Liberty Bistro for dessert and drinks, where Kent had his all-time favorite dessert, Pot de Crème.

Saturday night was my mom's birthday. The whole fam headed over to McAdoo's in N.B. for some delicious seafood.

The birthday girl!

Yes, there is a story behind this strangely cropped photo. Some members of our party were feeling a bit self-conscious after their large meal, and I was told that I must crop the photo in the appropriate place before posting. :)


It was a great weekend!

Kent and I have been slaving over our Party Bus for the last two weeks. This past week was torture. Late, LATE nights of laying tile and adding extras to the bus. We were sore and sleep deprived, but we are very pleased with the final product! And the reservations are coming in, so that makes it that much more satisfying. This past weekend I was finally able to play catch-up with laundry, cleaning and cooking. Everything house related had taken a far backseat. Poor Kent told me yesterday that he had to use a hand towel to dry off after his shower the other day, because we were out of clean bath towels! (we have separate bathrooms, so I didn't realize!) Yeah, that's pretty bad! But things are getting back to normal now, and I've finally had the chance to do some fall/Halloween decorating. I LOVE this time of year. Crisp autumn air puts me in such a good mood. Another thing that makes this time of year my favorite is that it's Wurstfest season! I'm so looking forward to the delicious German food, fun and music that is Wurstfest ... just a couple more weeks!

New Blog!

I've now started a blog for Skyline! It's skylinelimo.blogspot.com. Come on over and say hi! Jessica over at This, That & Your Blog is going to do her thing and spice it up for me in the weeks to come ... can't wait! Whew, TWO blogs to keep up with now ... I've got my work cut out for me!