Veronica, Author at The At Home Couple

Starbucks, Metal and the Open Road.

This past weekend, Eli and I, along with two very good friends, embarked on a four day adventure from Toronto to Asheville, North Carolina. We were visiting some friends, and most people found that bizarre; including the guard at the border. Admittedly, thirteen hours is a long drive to spend two days, but we live on the edge. We had our share of obstacles, especially with the detour off the interstate, but sometimes veering off the beaten path is the most interesting part of the journey. And the weekend was most definitely interesting . . . ffff ….

Road-trips are a great way to travel and experience new and exciting places. The great thing about traveling by car is that the journey becomes just as much a part of the trip as the destination. The time flew by because we had fun and a wicked soundtrack. Driving through different states or provinces provides a different perspective, and is definitely more intimate than say, flying. We were able to experience some of the people and places we passed through. (ps. loving the southern accent all over again.) Although there is a downside and that would be the cramped quarters or being frozen to death every time someone put the window down.

I have to say that I am in love with Asheville. What a great town! Surrounded by nature, with the appeal of a small intimate town, but the amenities of a city. We had such a good time there, I think there may be plans for a summer-time trip. 🙂 Here are some pictures of the journey . . .

I will admit that Metallica greatly enhanced the soundtrack to the weekend.

You would think coming from the land of ice and snow that we would have anticipated the weather.

Idyllic surroundings perfect for stirring up the Christmas mood.

Some kind of power plant in Kentucky . . . I just like how this one turned out.

Great statue. — Great piece in the park in Asheville.

Eli and I. — We don't get decent pictures to often, so this one is a keeper.

It was really great to escape for a few days. Life has been hectic . . . and it still is. Hope everyone is coping with the hustle and bustle of the season, Merry Christmas and/or Happy Holiday!

Veronica

No Thanks to Toronto’s Crystal Bath

Hi all! I hope that all of you who were celebrating Thanksgiving this weekend had a fantastic time! There is nothing better than spending time with family and loved ones, while stuffing your bellies with great food.

Although most of you were giving thanks this past Friday, mine was spent dealing with an unbelievable headache! I have never in my life experienced such poor customer service . . .

As some of you may or may not know, I am a starving Interior Designer by trade. My current project is a bathroom remodel that I am doing in my childhood home. (I will post pictures as soon as it is complete.) The supplier for the floor and vanity is a company located in east end Toronto, called Crystal Bath, located at 2839 Kingston Rd. I can’t even tell you why things went sour, but what happened on Friday when we went to pick up our product, was surreal.

The owners of the company, at some point, decided that we were “difficult” customers, and took the route of treating us like criminals. When I asked where all the animosity was coming from, I was told that we asked too many questions. I have worked in the customer service industry for my entire working career, and I have NEVER penalized a customer for “asking too many questions.” Isn’t that the whole point of customer service? Especially when the customer is paying over $ 4000 for their product?

The owner took the initial measurements for the vanity, which was wrong, as she took them before the bathroom was even demolished. So to avoid them being built at the wrong size, I called to correct her. When our floor was going down, not only was the installer unprofessional by hitting on me, but he did a lazy job of installing the tile. We have a very talented general contractor in our family, and even he said that the installer/company took the shortcut in installing the floor. The threshold they sent was the most insignificant piece of marble I have ever seen, and when they were questioned about it, informed us that we had laid down the incorrect sub-floor. But where was the information from them regarding the proper preparation for the floor? There was none. There were no specifications for anything. They made no attempt at communicating with us about what was required on their end for the floor to go down correctly. I have worked in the flooring industry, and we ALWAYS provided the customer with such information and specifics to avoid these problems. But apparantly, it was our fault.

The kicker was picking up our vanity on Friday. Not only did they refuse delivery, forcing us to take time out of our day, rent a truck and drive from the west end of the city to the east end, but they didn’t even communicate the final payment method. All of a sudden our cheque wasn’t good enough anymore and she needed either a certified cheque, credit card or cash. At this point we are in Scarborough with a rented truck and they won’t take our payment. When we told her that a credit card was out of the question, she insulted us by insinuating that we didn’t have the money to pay and that our credit card was “antique”. The tension could be cut with a knife, and in an attempt to be diplomatic and open the dialogue to get to the source of the issue, I asked her what the problem was. She ROLLED HER EYES AT ME, and basically told me that I know nothing because I worked for IKEA. In addition, she interuppted me, yelled at me and spoke right over me, I couldn’t get a word in edge wise. She spoke to me as though I were 12 years old. I have never been so insulted as a customer, but also as a person. Not only do I have more design education then her, but I have had other work experience than IKEA. Let’s not even get into the fact that IKEA is a world reknowned company that makes more money when they’re closed than her dinky operation . . .

My point is that I have never received such horrific customer service and in all my experience, I have never been witness to such appalling customer service. This is the way they run their business. I could not imagine ever treating our customers and clients this way. I could not even imagine treating another human being this way. How is it possible to make it in business by insulting your clients? It makes my blood boil that she thinks this is the way to treat people. It makes me even more angry that there are probably people who have received this kind of treatment and just accepted it. It is not right and they need to know it. I am writing this for all those living in Toronto, avoid Crystal Bath for your bathroom or kitchen renovations. This company does not recognize the investment required to have these projects done and are not sensitive to the needs of their clients. Clearly, in their eyes, there is a fine line between being a valued customer and a criminal.

I apologize if it seems I am ranting, but I had to get this off my chest.

-V

Attracting the Laws of Attraction

law of attraction

Post Internet drama, Elijah and I have been struggling a bit with thinking positively about our current financial situation. We do have work coming in, but trying to catch up with all the bill payments we have missed is a daunting task. Focusing on a plan of action is hard, because we’re trying to do so many things at once. The chaos is terrifying and exhilarating all at the same time. Elijah came to me the other night with a potential movie to watch for the evening, “Beyond the Secret“, a motivational film outlining the steps to benefiting from the Laws of Attraction.

The movie itself was kind of corny, but the concept intrigues me. I’ve heard about the Laws of Attraction before, but never really delved too deeply into the topic. Eli and I are very big believers in the mind/body/spirit connection, so we’ve decided to make a conscious effort to employ the Laws of Attraction. We’ve starting meditating twice a day and focusing on positive outcomes. It hasn’t been easy for me, since I have a tendency to worry and fret. But I must say that I have been pretty good for the past couple of days.

For anyone else (I’m probably the last.) unaware of the theory, it is that the Laws of Attraction are Universal Laws that are based on the energy of the earth and of us as human beings. Basically, by focusing your energy on your desires or dreams, you are manifesting them into reality. But it goes both ways; focusing your energy on negative outcomes or scenarios can attract those as well. By simply knowing what you want, asking the universe for it, visualizing your self with it and allowing change, we can achieve any goal or dream. In terms of science, there are those who don’t believe it is possible for one to transmit their energies, yet others argue the laws of Quantum Physics, which teaches that nothing is fixed, we and everything on this planet are vibrating balls of energy have limitless possibilities.

(This is my basic understanding of Quantum Physics and the Laws of Attraction.)

I figure that because we have a lot to turn around, it is easier to focus on smaller, more attainable goals. Obviously I want to get caught up with our payments, so I envision myself paying the bills and having money left over. Simple and yet such a happy thought . . . sigh. We haven’t noticed any dramatic change so far, but that can be expected since we only started talking about this a couple days ago. (Although Eli did receive a random $25 out of the blue tonight.)

I’m really excited to get my mind and body on the same page, they’ve been at odds with each other for a while now.

There really can’t be any negative outcomes . . .

because I won’t be thinking about them.

Stay Classy,

Veronica

Back on the Ball

It has now been 4 official days of internet service with no interruptions or crashes. This is monumental! It seems that that box of connections at the back of our building was in complete dis-repair; with no cover or protection. There may even have been a family birds living, what seems like, on our line. It would definitely explain the random signal dropping. My condolences go out to the family that we displaced, but there are plenty of actual trees in this neighbourhood. To think that all this time we’ve been calling customer service, all someone needed to do was physically walk to the back of our building. Sometimes I cannot believe that it took 2 months for major internet providers to provide us with the connection we need, especially since we live in the heart of a metropolitan city. We unfortunately took this service for granted. Non the less, it feels so good to know that we’re back on track. I feel like I barely got a taste of working from home and everything went in the shitter.

In hindsight, it may have been a good thing. Sometimes the only way to look at these experiences is as positively as possible. We have DEFINITELY learned some important lessons and are better for it now. But in that time, I can’t even begin to describe the frustration we were feeling. It makes me think back to the post I wrote about Copreneurs and how this was one of those times that could make or break us. Thankfully, we kept our heads on and dealt with it, with minimal tension.

It’s such a different type of stress. At a workplace, the conflict would have been a big mess during the day, but eventually you go home and forget about it for the night, until you have to go back in the morning. But for all of you that work from home and run your own business, you understand the black pit in the stomach and never ending swimming in your head. The stress in 24/7 and there’s nothing you can do but move forward. This is all still so new to me, and I’m not going to lie, we talked about me going out and getting another job.

I’m still holding out.

Things are back on the way up. Elijah’s got tons of work coming in and I’ve even got some design jobs rolling my way. It’s funny how life sometimes make things suck as much as possible and then flips it instantaneously, in my opinion to make us appreciate what we have in our lives. If anything, this past downturn is just the “rock-bottom” chapter in our success story. Look for it on shelves at your favourite bookstore in 2015.

The other silver lining, albeit small, is that I’ve uncovered my love for crafts! It may sound lame to some people, but I bet those people wouldn’t be saying so if they were curled up in a hand knitted blanket of awesomeness!

Here’s my latest project.

I’m definitely not a pro, but these are what my family and friends can expect for Christmas. Not only is it going to save us money, but it has kept me sane during these past few months.

Now that Elijah and I are slowly starting to get back into the routine, I look forward to sharing more of my musings with you. We have a ton of projects on the go, and I can’t wait to share them. Keep you’re eyes peeled, ’cause we’re back and with a whole lot of wind in our sails!

Stay classy,

Veronica

I’m No Longer Jealous, Just Green.

So I’m into week three of working from home. Thankfully I had a couple projects that Elijah sent my way. He’s been keeping me busy. This is the best way to live. Yesterday, because we finally had a nice day in Toronto, Eli and I bought some sandwiches and sat in a park to eat lunch. Then we went on a walk to explore the neighbourhood that I’ve never seen, because that’s what I wanted to do. I started thinking about the past three weeks and the things I didn’t have to do anymore; I don’t have to wake up at 5:30 in the morning anymore, I don’t have to travel for ridiculous amounts of time anymore and I don’t have to spend so much money on food anymore. Now I can do these things when I want to.

On that note, I’ve also realized that all these things that I don’t have to do anymore shrink my personal carbon footprint dramatically. (Well, except waking up so early, more sleep=more energy and that just makes me happy.) The more and more I think about, working from home is such an eco friendly way to live my life, and all I had to do was quit my job.

Eli and I have always talked about being greener and how we are going to live greener in the future. We have plans to build our own home completely off the grid. We’ve done things like only eat organic food, and local and organic fruits and vegetables. We’ve even cut meat and dairy out of our diets for the most part. We deal with Toronto’s horrible transit system, in order to hold off buying a car until we REALLY need one. We compost in our tiny apartment, even though we end up with fruit flies. We are definitely not martyrs, we don’t take part in protests or parades, but we definitely try to do our part.
Now that I’m working from home, I’m not contributing to the wasteful use of paper on a daily basis, or emissions from the bus that I took twice a day, not to mention the time I’ve saved myself. My commute now is from the bedroom to the office. And most importantly I save energy. Because I work by a big window, I have the luxury of beautiful natural light. I control the temperature. If it’s too cold, I just put on a big fat sweater. It’s an awesome feeling to have choice.

I’m still in awe of this new life. Every day I seem to be learning something, and I have always craved that. Living a greener work lifestyle is the perfect complement to the way we are living now, and it’s only going to get better. It makes me wonder, are people who work from home generally more eco friendly than their commuting counterparts? I’ve always been jealous of people who worked from home, little did I know that being green was such a big part of it.

Day One Of Officially Being “athome”

today

Today marks some firsts, my friends.

Today is the first day of my unemployment, and the first day that theathomecouple.com is official. I am now at home!

Truth be told, the reality probably won’t kick in until next week, because I kind of feel like I’m just on vacation. Eli has graciously given me this week to adjust, so I spent the day working through a list of things I want to accomplish around the apartment. Things that have been knawing at me and I just haven’t had the time to do. So I cleaned up the balcony,planted some flowers and worked on a project for my Uncle’s 50th birthday. All this between loads of laundry and dishes. I’m wiped . . .but I feel great.

We have a lot on the go right now, and a lot that we want to work on. We are in the process of launching a new content service called WordBoo.com. And I’m going to be putting together presentation material to market my design services. So hopefully soon I’ll be busy with work stuff, which makes getting all these little chores out of the way all the more important.

Throughout the day today I found myself thinking about what I would have been doing at work if I was there, and thinking a lot about my friends. I had a pretty rough day on Friday because I realized that I wouldn’t see these people anymore. They have helped me through a lot, whether they’re aware of it or not. In the past year and a half I have done so much growing, and each one of them is responsible for helping me through it. I almost started to second guess my decision because I realized that working from home with Eli doesn’t really allow for any other social interaction. But that is just one of the challenges we face. Finding that balance and recognizing when it’s time to be apart.

There will be many other challenges and that is what excites me and motivates me. I need the unknown to keep me moving forward, otherwise I become too comfortable and I get lazy.

But let’s not get ahead of ourselves, this is just day one. And on day one I feel great. I’ve accomplished a lot today and I am so proud of myself for making the commitment and taking that leap. Tomorrow is another day, and I’ll deal with it when it gets here.

Until then,

Veronica