Betcha Didn't Know ...

What makes a great blog for me - well,  it's a blogger that I can relate to- a blog that excites me, teaches me, educates me - makes me feel something,   ... anything!!

For example, some blogs: (go ahead and click on the blog names to go and check them out)

• Keep me connected  to those I love: The Life & Times of a Cupcake Addict
• Some are heartfelt, written with love & emotion:  Sentiments by Sophia 
• And, sometimes they just make me *sigh*:    Soul Aperture
• Some just speak to my passions: The Audubon Magazine
• Still others seem to speak to my heart & soul:  Unwrapped
• And then there are those make me dream & reminisce: The Cotton Wife
• While still others, inspire and motivate me: The Lettered Cottage
• Some are just yummy & full of good things: Bakerella
•  And some, well - just cuz: SeeHere

And then there are those that ... 

• are well written, funny & entertaining; they always bring about a smile, chuckle or nod of understanding: Raising Rascals
  

Raising Rascals is a blog that always makes me smile - the author of this blog is a good writer, very humorous - it's odd that you can feel so connected to a person or family that you have never met and never will.  

It's kinda like watching a sitcom or TV drama with the sound turned off and in still life ...

Anyhoo - Raising Rascal is hosting a 'Betcha Didn't Know"  blog party today (be sure and wander over to her blog to read her entry because it's hysterical) and I decided to participate even though I have never even left a comment on her blog before ...

..... That Costco is the new Nordstroms.

..... What - you didn't know that.  It's true - I'll prove it.

..... How, you ask?

..... Well, we all know (and if you didn't - you do now) that Nordstroms has been built on the reputation that they would take back or exchange anything.  Anything!  Even if it was used & worn (we've all heard the old pantyhose stories).  Even if they didn't sell it, even if it was five years old and broken.

....Anything!

..... Ok, I betcha didn't know how much I  LOVE my (new at Christmas) Keurig Coffee Machine. This is the greatest machine man has e.v.e.r. invented.

.....Love it!  

.... Betcha Didn't Know that life hasn't been the same since I got it, okay so I'm exaggerating a bit but this is true - mornings haven't been the same since I got it. 

.....  I was so worried about the packers & movers not handling it with ' White Kit Gloves' when we moved that I had Mike take it down to our local UPS store and have them hand wrap & pack it so it could be shipped directly to our new apartment.  

..... Safe & Sound.

..... Mike watched them carefully placed it inside a plastic bag and gently encase it in bubble-wrap.  Lots of bubble-wrap.  It was then placed inside a giant box where it was entombed in Styrofoam peanuts. 

..... No Worries, the guy said.  It'll get it there as good as new, he said.  We'll take good care of it.

.....  Well, it arrived at the apartment, as promised and there wasn't a dent or rumple in the box.  I was so excited to see the box, opening it was like opening a big, giant box of wonderful on  Christmas morning.

..... I dug through the peanuts (Betcha didn't know how much I hate those peanuts) cut open all the 75 million layers of bubble-wrap and stopped.  Oh OH - moisture - No.No.NO

.....  The plastic bag - that tightly sealed plastic bag -  (I think you know where this is going) looked like a greenhouse - it was all moist and fogging inside.

..... Who knew that a coffee marker will stay moist, pretty much forever, after it gets used more than once and should never again be 'tightly sealed' inside of plastic bag and then spend a couple of weeks traveling inside a warm truck.

.....  Apparently not me, nor Mike, not even the paid professional who packed it!!!!

..... It tried to make me a cuppa Joe, it really did.  It tried hard but it just couldn't get those gears moving.  It did not sound 'normal' - it sounded sick and maybe even a little rusty. 

..... Betcha Knew that I was not in the mood to begin a year long battle with UPS over who's fault this was so we could get our $160.00 coffee machine replaced.

...... Then Mr. Mike (Betcha Didn't Know how Awesome Mr. Mike is - a genius I tell you!) had the idea to try and return it to where he'd bought it.  We bought it in Seattle not San Diego I said.  He said, Let's give it a try and so we were off to , you guessed it, Costco.

..... So we googled the nearest Costco, drove over with our waterlogged Keurig, Mike plopped it on the counter and said it was no longer working and we needed to return it.  They asked for his Costco card - processed the refund and we went and picked up another one!
..... I'm still not sure this was a legal maneuver.  But then again , No questions were asked, no little white lies were told.
 
..... Kudos to Costco and Kudos to Mike. 

..... So, just in case you didn't know,  Costco was the new Nordstroms!  

I think we are going to buy most of our appliances, technology & gadgets from Costco in the future.

Happy Long Weekend Everyone

ps:  I hope to have a regular phone next week so I can get back in touch!