And Your Total Comes to Zero Dollars

I was off today so I went over to Dunkin Donuts to make good on their offer to correct their previous over-charge.  The manager was very pleasant and he tried to pay me back for my entire order.  I took the $2 they owed me and put the rest in the tip jar.  He then insisted I take a free coffee and donut.  The last thing I wanted to do was make him unhappy so I obliged...

While I was out, I got a Facebook notification that Chic Fil A had a free Facebook promotion:  between 3 and 4 PM, mention the promo and get a free large order of waffle fries.  So I pulled in and asked for them.  They said the promo was for free chicken nuggets.  Even better!  It was funny, after they told me it was nuggets, they said, "Your total comes to zero dollars.  Please pull around."  When I pulled up to the window, I asked what happened to the waffle fries promo.  The kid said there were two promos going on and asked if I wanted the fries too!  Why surely I do!  But wait - there's more:  when I got home, they gave me TWO orders of chicken nuggets AND the large waffle fries! 

I would make some sort of "Free at last..." comment due to today being MLK day but someone will probably get offended...

Doh! Nuts!

The other day I pulled up to Dunkin Donuts and ordered a large coffee and two donuts.  I had a coupon for the two donuts - two for $0.99.  So I went to the window and gave the girl my coupon and a gift card (that had like $4.65 left on it).  She told me I still owed her money!  What?!  I tried to explain that it made no sense that a cup of coffee with two donuts should cost more than 5 bucks AND I had a coupon!  I might as well have been asking for technical support for a computer if you know what I mean...  I finally gave up and paid the money and went on my way.  My receipt showed two things - the girl had added $0.99 for the donuts instead of subtracting it and there was an invite for me to fill out a customer service survey.  Fill it out I did!  That afternoon I got a nice call and email from the store manager and he is going to make it all right. 

More important than all of that, Ashleigh got another acceptance letter.  This one from the University of Delaware nursing program.  We hear only 100 people get into the program every year.  She is still set on Stevenson but it is nice to have a choice.  Today I filled out the financial aid application and found out the hard way that there is a difference between fasfa.COM and fasfa.GOV.  One is the real Federal Financial Aid online program and the other is an identical site that charges you to apply...  So after getting to the end of the application that comes with a fee, I recognized the error of my ways and had to do it all over again (for free).

Off this Monday.  We may have a little Patriots watching party over here tomorrow night.

Hard Work DOES Pay Off

Today we got a GREAT letter from the University where Ashleigh is going to school in the fall.  They looked at her GPA (4.1), class ranking (top 10%), difficulty of her high school classes and standardized test scores.  Without even applying, they awarded her the top amount of the Dean's Scholarship!  That is the second highest scholarship available and is worth $10,000 PER YEAR!  Pretty darn impressive!

Somehow This Is My Fault

First and most importantly, Ashleigh is fine and no one got hurt.  Now, for the rest of the story...  We woke up at 6 AM to about an inch of snow or as I said, "a heavy frost."  (You can see how much is on the driveway.)  Lucie wanted me to drive the kids to school but I said no - the 6 mile drive has a max speed limit of 30, Ashleigh's car is 4 wheel drive all the time, and she needs to learn to drive in it before she goes to college next year.  So off they went.  About 20 minutes later we get the call:  "I've been in an accident."  And quick as you can say, "I told ya so!" it is my fault.  ha ha  Lucie was pretty clear, several times, that she or I should have driven them to school.  Um, no.  She's gotta learn.  There was barely any snow (it had stopped) and we can't keep her in her crib all of her life.  (That went over pretty well as you can imagine!)  Ashleigh picked the hilliest route to school (instead of the slower, well-traveled one) and hit a slippery spot.  She got spun around and then someone hit her.  Right behind the driver's side rear door.  Probably doing about 10-15 miles an hour.  There are some scrapes and the bumper is dented.  She was going very slow as was the other driver.  The police came out and did a report and all was fine.  Lucie wanted to go right over there but the last thing needed at an accident scene is another car and an excited Colombian!  Elliott gave us updates on the phone throughout.  Fortunately, Ashleigh's boyfriend's grandfather runs a body shop...  In a way it was a good thing to get it out of the way now - it was an accident and cars are replaceable and that is why we have insurance.  Next time it happens, and it will happen, she will know what to do and it will be fine.  Ashleigh was OK to drive back (get back on that horse I said.  Another popular comment for the morning...).  I would have driven Lucie over to drive her home if she was too shook up.  But she was OK.  Anyway, she and Elliott came home and didn't go to school.  Despite them saying they didn't get hurt, I have to wonder if they didn't hit their heads - both of them cleaned up their rooms for the rest of the day without being told!

We got a little more snow overnight but nothing major.  I have the waffle maker warming up right now and will make breakfast, then take down the outside Christmas lights.  Next we take on the family room...

Gung Hay Fat Choy

Every morning I get a "Fact of the Day" on my Blackberry.  This morning's was, "Gong Hay Fat Choy."  Well everyone knows that is not the proper Cantonese spelling - it's GUNG Hay Fat Choy!  And if you know that, then of course you know that means Wishing You A Prosperous New Year.  Someone needs to be checking the Fact Checkers...

Last night we went to the church pot luck dinner and Lucie oversaw the younger kids while they played on these giant inflatables.  She was done around 9 when the older kids (including mine) took over.  We went and hung out with some friends, then went back to our house.  A&E invited the brothers and sisters of Ashleigh's boyfriend over so we watched the ball drop and a bunch of no-talents grope themselves and flop around on stage with their auto-tuners making up for their lack of singing ability.  ha ha  Geez, how old do I sound...?

They left just before 2 AM.  No big plans today.  It's supposed to rain.  I sure hope so.  My salty white car used to be blue.