Technology.

Today I'd like to rant about technology. Which is kind of ironic, since this is a blog, but whatever. People are so sucked into technology, and it is the most annoying thing ever. When I think about being a kid, I think about running around outside all day. Climbing trees or playing in the dirt. If I wanted to talk to my friend, I'd walk or ride my bike over to their house, not text them from across the street. Everyone is so addicted to all this new technology. Everyone is addicted to "social" media, which is a dumb name, because it just makes you less social in real life. Social media is one of those things you love to hate. I like it to keep in touch with my family and friends all over the country. But when I read through my facebook feed, its usually just people finding something to complain about to the world, or writing things that should be kept behind closed doors. People writing about their "problems". If you complained about some of those things to your grandparents, they would probably smack you, because that is NOT a problem... But something about it just sucks us in. Why do we care so much about "What is on everyone's mind"? Think about how many times a day you check your facebook. Especially now that is right at your fingertips on your cell phone. Which brings me to my next point.

Cell phones. Hate 'em. Is having a cell phone convenient? Sure. Is it nice being able to shoot someone a text when you have a quick question? Sure. But is it really necessary to have these little computers with us at all times? Do we have to be so connected to the world? There is literally an app for everything. Need to find the nearest gas station? There's an app for that. Need to check the score of the game? There's an app for that. Feel like throwing birds at boxes? There's an app for that. And don't even get me started on Siri. A virtual friend for when you lose all your real friends because you're always on your phone! That is my biggest pet peeve. When you're hanging out with someone and they are constantly on their phone. To the point where you're trying to have a conversation face to face with them, and you keep being interrupted because they are having a conversation with someone else through texting. Insulting? I think so. This is not the life I want for my kids. I know 11 year olds with better cell phones than me. I didn't get a cell phone until I could drive, and that was so I could call my mom to tell her where I was. A 10 year old does not need to be texting their friends. What do they possibly have to text about? Nothing.

My kids will be playing outside and using their imaginations. Everyone's brains are going to turn to mush. Nobody is even going to know how to write anymore, just typing. Kindergartner's are using iPads. I don't even know how to use an iPad. And divorce rates are so much higher than they've ever been. I do blame technology for that. People have so many different ways to sneak around and talk to people. It's so pathetic. Come on people, let's get back to talking in person, and getting out from behind your computer screen. Get off the couch and get outside. I know I'm just ranting, but I just absolutely hate technology. And it's only going to get worse... But that's just life.

My Life Exactly.

Dear America,

I’m pretty sure you don’t know me although you’re probably convinced that you do. You’ve seen me (or someone like me) on the news, in the paper or on a Lifetime tv show. You might have witnessed our tearful airport good-bye or clapped at our reunion. You might spot me by my bumper sticker, license plate or “Red T-shirt on Friday”. It might be my accent or longing for Dunkin Donuts that gives away the fact that I’m not from around here. Another military wife.

I’m not just another military wife though. Actually, none of us are. There are things you don’t know about us. Things that you can’t see in twenty seconds on the news or find in a front page photo. There are things that are hidden in the tearful goodbyes and forgotten in the sweet hellos. I am more than a bumper sticker, a red t-shirt, a northeast accent and a longing for good coffee. We all are and really, I just want you to see that.

We are called the silent ranks but it’s never said why we are silent. I’m here to tell you it’s because we are waiting. We are holding our breath. It’s easy to be silent when you’re afraid to exhale. We wait…on letters, phone calls, emails and homecomings. But there’s more. We wait on training schedules, new commanders, duty rosters and dates for the field. We wait for leave approval and four-day weekends. We wait for dinner or else someone has to eat it cold. We wait for orders, Transportation, dates, and housing. We sometimes have to wait on Christmas, birthday and anniversary celebrations. We wait for phone calls that will always come at the worst possible moments and require you to give up a perfectly wonderful Saturday evening. We wait to see what last-minute changes will happen because we all know there will be some. We wait on life filled with uncertainty. We don’t usually see it that way though. To us, we are loving a soldier and couldn’t imagine life any other way.

Next time you see me, or someone just like me, notice me. And softly remind me to stop holding my breath. It might be the first time I’ve remembered to exhale all day.

Signed, An Army Wife ♥

Who I am.

Everyone is always talking about "what nationality they are" and I never know what to say because I have no idea. I just tell people that I am "Appalachian American" (which is a fancy way to say redneck, for all you city people.) I did a little research and pretty much came up with nothing. My dreaded maiden name was Earl, which I did find is English, but I pretty much figured that much. But what is more interesting is what I found out about my first name.

Whenever I have a job that requires me to wear a name tag, it obviously says McKenzie, my first name. I can't tell you the amount of comments I get on it. "Is that your first name?" "That's a boy's name!" "That's only a last name, not a first name" and so many others. And my favorite, whenever I was being announced for sports or anything it was always "Earl McKenzie" Seriously people, who in their right mind names their DAUGHER Earl? Nobody, that's who.

Anyways, so I was looking up what McKenzie actually meant, and this is what I found.

-The name “McKenzie” is of Scottish origin and it means “Son of the Handsome One”. It’s a name commonly given to boys.
-Son of Kenneth" is the Irish version of the name McKenzie.
-The true Scottish version of "McKenzie" means fair one (as in light colored skin), gentle, soft speaking.

Now I know where the comments come from. Well they got the "whitey" part right. I do have naturally light colored skin. As for the gentle and soft speaking, I guess my mom didn't do her research. I'm a bit of a loud mouth :D

But aside from all the weird comments, and that nobody can spell it right to save their life, I really do love my name. I like that it is unique and different. And I like having a name that not very many other people do (that I know of). Thank god my mom didn't give me a boring name like... Taylor. Ugh, Idk what I would do with that name ;)

I guess from that point of view, I turned out to be everything I wasn't supposed to be. Which is kind of like my life. Sometimes I feel like a walking contradiction, but I'm okay with that, because that's just life :)

College? Maybe not..

Well its been almost 2 months since my last blog. Nothing very interesting has happened to me I guess. But this deserves a post :)


On Tuesday, my mom, sister and I got up at 5am, and drove to Eastern Michigan University, where my sister will be going to college in the fall. She had an orientation that day, so I thought it would be fun to tag along, and see what the whole college thing is about. I was excited to get a tour of the campus, and buy some cute EMU shirts, and just see how college life is. But what we did, was the exact opposite of that. Taylor was separated from us right when we got there to get her ID, and register for classes and all that fun stuff. And what did we get to do? Sit in a big room with all the other parents, and listen to lectures, and look at powerpoints. They wanted us to do this from 9-3! By 11:30, I seriously couldn't stand it anymore. On our lunch break, I told my mom we were playing hooky. So we left the room and just ventured around campus, and sat in the food court and people watched. I can't even sit in a class about college, let alone an actual college lecture. I just don't have the attention span for that. Which brings me to my next point.

Pretty much established that I will probably never go to college. I just dont think school is my thing. Never has been. I just have no desire to learn crap I'll probably never use. And I'm okay with that. I think there are things I could do without college. Maybe. I dont want to regret it later, but then again I dont want to waste my time and money going to school. My brain hasnt had to learn in so long that I'm not sure it remembers how. For instance tonight my mom said, I can see you being an entrepreneur, and  my response was, what the heck is that? I just had to google how to spell entrepreneur. Come on now. Not college material. I never cared to learn in high school. I just took all easy classes. I just felt like it was pointless. And here's why. In my every day life, in the four years since I've graduated high school, when have I had to find the volume of a cylinder? When have I had to use that stupid chart that we had to memorize about tan, sin and cos that Mr. Post caught me cheating on and put a sad face on my paper? When have I ever had to relate the Great Gatsby to my real life? When have I had to know anything about biology? When have I ever even had to use cursive for God's sake? Hmm, never. And I probably never will. Some people become doctors, some become rocket scientists, some become english professors, and good for them. We need people out there that do that. But we also need people to do other jobs like day care providers, cake decorators, that sort of stuff. I feel like those are things I can see myself doing. I would much rather be teaching something to a kid, or playing with modeling chocolate than memorizing formulas and charts. I know a lot of people won't agree with me. But thats just life :)

Minimum Wage Living.

For the last 5 years, after every shift I've worked, when I was leaving, my bosses would always say "Thank you." I never understood why they were thanking me, I mean I was getting paid to be there. But after being with the same company for so long, I now understand and I value it. They are just trying to say thanks for showing up and doing a good job. They're letting me know that what I do is appreciated. But beyond my actual managers, that is as far as it goes. The "CEO's" or the "Presidents" of the company could care less.

When a place gets complimented on good service, who gets the credit? The President. After all, he's the one that makes sure all goes well, right? I'll answer that, NO. It is the servers, the cooks, the dishwashers, they are the ones that make the place run. It is the people busting our butts to make sure that everyone gets fed, and that the order is right, and that every need for the guest is met, because we want them to be satisfied. When they ask for the most pain in the butt requests, we just smile and say "No problem!" And then as soon as we are in the kitchen doors, we gripe and complain about it, but that's beside the point.

The point is, we always just feel like pawns in the "CEO's" game. We are just another minimum wage worker busting our butt to buy him another vacation home or fancy car. If you have bad service, you don't get business, and if you don't get business, well then you're out of luck my friend. So why not take the time to thank the people that keep you in business. Is it that hard? A simple thank you would do. I'm not saying I wouldn't turn down a bonus, or a raise or anything but a thank you would be nice. Just to know that you're appreciated would be great. I have been with my company for almost 5 years now, working through the winter, and being a full time employee (but not technically, because then they'd have to give me benefits, God forbid) and I would bet my little paycheck that the CEO of my company doesn't even know my name. That bothers me.

When I own my business someday, my employees are going to have it made. I want to get to know the people who work for me. I want to know their families. I want them to feel like they are an asset to the company they work for, and most of all I want them to feel appreciated. I want to be able to give them raises when they deserve them, do special things for holidays, and give Christmas bonuses. To even afford to do these things for my employees, I will have to have a successful business. But I feel like you need the right mindset for that, which I believe I have, as well as good business skills, which I'm working on. Even now that I somewhat have a small business, I try to always make sure my clients, and my supporters know that they are so appreciated, because a business is nothing without clients. I guess this is my promise to never make my employees feel like they are just little workers, putting money in my pocket. So when I look back and read this someday, I will remember the way I felt and will make sure that nobody that works for me feels that way. Because feeling unappreciated is not a good feeling. But as for right now, I'm just a pawn trying to pay my own bills on my minimum wage salary, and that's just life.

Jersey Shore and Cake.

Last time I checked, today was Thursday. Not Jerzday. Who are these people that think they can change the days of the week? Anyways, today is Thursday and I am blogging, not watching Jersey Shore, like the rest of the people on my facebook newsfeed. I can not stand that show. I have only seen it one time and I'm pretty sure I lost some brain cells. It makes me sick that those people are rich and famous, and for what? Ummmm, nothing. Getting wasted, fighting and having sex on national TV. Great role models America. Now I'm not saying I don't love my share of trash TV, but Jersey Shore is something I can not stand. End Rant.

So in other news, I made a cake today. A prettttty sweet one, I might add. (Picture to come soon on facebook) And I think I have finally come to the conclusion that I want to open a bakery someday. I think about it a lot, and I just could never decide, but I think my mind is made up. I feel like I have a talent, and if I don't use it, I would be wasting it. It's just so scary to think about starting my own business. I mean technically, I already have my own small business, just run out of my house, but having a building with lots of orders every week, from people I don't know, SCARY!! The financial risk is the scariest part for me, but you know what they say. "Forget the risk, and take the fall. If it's what you want, it's worth it all." Well, let's hope so. I mean, I still have a couple years before we will be stable enough with our living situation, but I'm just happy that my mind is finally made up. This is a big step for me. I can't wait until I am making enough money to pay someone else to do the tedious prep work and wash my dishes!

I could have never came to this decision if it wasn't for my number one fan, the most supportive person in the world, my husband. Even back when I made my first cake, that tasted like cornbread, and looked terrible, Corey told me to keep trying. When cakes have me so frustrated that I start to cry, he tells me to take a break and does whatever he can to help me out. And when the kitchen looks like a powdered sugar tornado just ripped through it, he cleans it up so I don't have to. He's been telling me for years that he is going to buy me a bakery someday, because I am so talented. He has pushed me to better myself, and always lets me know how great I am at what I do, and that he will always support me. I don't believe I would be where I am without his support and for that, I thank him.

And to anyone else that has ever ordered a cake, referred someone to me, or even shared my website or page on facebook, I thank you. A business can't survive without customers, and I always want my customers to know how appreciative I am of all of you. I couldn't do what I do without you. I may not always be the best at the business aspect, but I'm working on it and hopefully I'm doing okay. Everything is better with cake, and that's just life :)

Home.

Since I've gotten married, almost 3 years ago, I have moved 6 times. They were all cross-country moves. Every time we get to a new place, we have to search for a new apartment or house that we want to live in for the time being. We have to find a place to call home... Until our next move anyway.

I never know where to refer to as "home". Of course there is my house where I grew up, my favorite house, on Manning Lake Road. I loved that house. Not just the house, but all the memories from my childhood, brought me back there. That was always home to me. Then we moved to a new house that I think I always resented because moving there was the result of our family breaking apart. Which wasn't a bad thing, but I think thats why I secretly didn't like it. After high school, I thought I wanted to move out with roommates for college. HA. Great idea, McKenzie... We all know how far that got me. That's when I got married and the real moving started. A new place every 6 months. I never got too comfortable in one, because I knew it wouldn't be long before we were somewhere else.

And now here I am. Back in Delton for a few months, while I wait out this deployment. I have a house here. I live with my best friend and her family. I have a house where my mom and sister are too, that I stay at once in a while. I also have friends I stay with. But nowhere is "home" to me.

When we move back to El Paso and have our own place, that won't be home either. To me, home is something we are working towards. Home will be the place that Corey and I plant our roots. The place we don't plan on leaving for a long time. The place we can be together, and not have to worry about the Army sending us somewhere new. Home will be the farm we buy out in the country of Michigan somewhere and where we can stay long enough to make it our own. The place where we raise our kids to appreciate everything that they have been blessed with. That will be home. No matter where it is. That day is far away, and I can't wait. But that's just life :)

ELE.

Life is too short. Things happen. People are taken from us. I know it's so cliche, but you just never know if there will be a tomorrow, so you really should embrace today. Live your life by the country song "Love Like Crazy".

"Be a best friend. Tell the truth. Overuse I love you. Go to work. Do your best. Don't outsmart your common sense. Never let your praying knees get lazy. And love like crazy."

Do these things every day to try and better yourself. Especially now that I work with kids a lot more, I feel like morals have changed so much. Everyone needs to stop judging and stop being so mean. Nobody thinks before they say anything these days, they dont think about who they will hurt. Nobody cares. It's terrible. Bullying has gotten so bad, and now at new levels, like cyber bullying. It's just pathetic. What ever happened to respect? Nobody has any respect for anyone or anything, anymore. Everyone is so wrapped up in their own lives. Some kids cry out for help, and some just keep it all inside, but nobody wants to listen. It breaks my heart that there are people out there, not just kids who are so alone, with nobody to talk to, nobody to listen to them. Its taking me forever to write this, because I can't even find words to describe how it makes me feel. Whatever I end up doing in life, I know that I have to work with kids. Kids can just be so helpless and I can't just stand back and watch, and not do anything. Take a few minutes to watch this video that a college student created. It's very inspirational, and it will let you know that somebody out there does love you.

So just take the time to reach out to someone in need. Even if you don't think they are in need, you never know what someone is fighting inside. So just a smile, or a hug. Everybody Love Everybody. Because that's just life :)