i've been so bad at this...

these last few weeks have been so busy...between a promotion at work (promotion=longer hours), a trip to california, my bff coming in town (for only 48 hours :[ ) and preparation for my upcoming surgeries, something had to fall by the wayside...and unfortunately it was el blog-o :[

so...

here is my attempt to make it better. first of all, here's what's been going on, in case you're curious :]

1. promotion: some of you know, and others of you may not, but i have been working for the same restaurant company for 6 and a half years. what started out as a cashier and frycook job at 17 (a way to work through college) ended up becoming a career. i have been blessed to be a part of such a wonderful company and operation for many years and have had so many exciting opportunities through them. Raising Cane's is a place where we work hard *and* have fun. oh-so much fun :] here's proof:

i love my store. lovelovelovelove

pigtail day!!

brad, or as he's known around these parts: bradimus prime...gearing up to be egged by the crewmembers :]

we made all the guys wear this at one point i believe :]

defending my chubby bunny champion title at the annual easter egg hunt :]

these mustaches make an appearance somewhere in the store almost daily :]

well, are ya?

walrus, anyone?

Cane, our namesake :]

i started out as a crewmember, working at the base level, but quickly worked my way up and into the elite group of trainers belonging to the NRO team (new restaurant opening) with them, i traveled the country as part of this training team opening new locations all over. at the age of 20, i was promoted to the corporate office after 3 years in the field, where i planned corporate events (parties and conferences), helped to develop new training programs and materials, helped as part of a focus team researching and developing new menu items, contributed to the first few drafts of the company's very first operations manual, and continued to travel as a part of the new restaurant opening team training new managers and crew (my first love)

a little over a year and a half into my stint at the Restaurant Support Office, i started getting that itch...you know the one...where you realize that what you were doing before this great "opportunity" was much more fulfilling. i started thinking about moving back into operations (the actual restaurant field, rather than an office) i started looking into management options, and decided that i wanted to eventually manage one of our locations on my own. i moved back into OPS as a shift manager and worked my tail off for the last year and a half perfecting my management style and incorporating my admin skills into the mix and have finally been promoted to Operations Manager of Raising Cane's #63 :] and this girl couldn't be happier.

but just as any overly ambitious person does, i realize i can't just settle with this. now that i'm here, i want the next step. my journey to this step is over, but it begins a new one...a journey to something greater! and i'm totally ready for the challenge :]

2. "if you're going to san francisco...be sure to wear some flowers in your hair" a month ago, i tagged along with my parents and sister to the beautiful san francisco. let me tell you, it was amazing! i'm still working on getting all the photos rounded up, including two whole rolls of fish eye photos! but here are a few that i do have...

3. for those of you who have been reading along for a while, you might remember a post about moving my very best friend to kentucky back in march. brittany and i have been friends since the ages of 2 and 3, and we have always lived in the same town. we even moved away to college together! this was her first trip back home since the move, and even though she was only in town for a very short 48 hours, we made the most of it and had so much fun! of course, i left my camera, so i have to wait for her to send me photos to share :] so instead, here are some of my recent favorites of us...

4. lastly, the scariest thing happening in my life right now...surgery. :/ it's really not that serious, and it's totally outpatient, however that doesn't make my anxiety level any lower. i've never been under the knife and as the date moves closer (nov 10) i'm freaking out more and more inside. the procedures are supposed to be simple. they will be cutting a slit in the carpal tendon under the palm of my right hand to give my median nerve room to breath. the nerve is currently being suffocated by a tissue growth on my tendon and if left like it is, i could lose the use of my hand. the other procedure is on the ulna nerve in my right arm. the nerve generally runs along the outside of your upper arm, wraps around your elbow and continues down the outside of your forearm down to your hand. they will be moving this nerve to the inside of my arm to reduce stress on it. this is the nerve that makes you feel all numb and tingly when you hit your funny bone. well, imagine having that sensation almost 24/7...that's what i've been dealing with for a while, so yep, it's time to fix that bad boy. the conditions that caused both of these situations are really not that serious, but for someone as young as i am it's pretty rare. my orthopedic specialist laughed and asked me, "are you sure you're not 45? you never see these conditions, especially this advanced, in someone your age." haha...my mom's theory is right...maybe i really do have the body of an old woman!

one more thing before i leave you...we had our first cold snap this weekend, and it's about dang time! it's the middle of october and these mid to upper 80 degree temperatures were beginning to dampen my fall spirit. well, mother nature decided to throw me a bone and gave us all here in south louisiana one glorious weekend of lows in the 40's and highs in the 60's. unfortunately, it all goes away tomorrow :/ it's like the strike of midnight in cinderella...poof! gone. but the three days we were able to enjoy were so worth it. and in honor of this fall weather weekend (and as an "i'm sorry for not blogging in almost a whole month), i will be giving away one of my autumn mini album kits!

just leave a comment with your favorite cool weather article of clothing and i will pick a winner during photobooth friday! (maybe another video??? :] ) entries will be closed friday morning at 10 am central.

love you all!

emjay