I will enter His gates with thanksgiving in my heart.

This Thanksgiving, as I reflect on the year, I am and continue to be, in no particular order, thankful for:

• God's enduring grace, unfailing love, and utter lack of dependence;
  
• Parents who would do anything because they love me;
  
• Customers who are patient and kind, despite tough times;
  
• Sunshine, rain, and nostalgia for snow;
  
• Starbucks -- the company, all its people, and my store;
  
• Doing things I've only ever talked about;
  
• Growth -- in my definition of success, my confidence, and my understanding of myself;
• Forgetting the date of what would have been six years;
  
• The kittens who give me love, entertainment, and frustration every day;
  
• And being at a place in life where I don't have anything I need to say to anyone. Except, "thank you."
  

And, always, much more.

Make them wonder what you've got.

Do you notice the difference a smile makes? Dour faces light up with any grin. On my way out of Wal-mart yesterday afternoon, I passed an especially unpleasant-looking "greeter," posted at the exit. I thought twice but flashed a toothy smile and said, "Have a great day." The change was immediate and impressive, like a lightbulb flicked on with the recognition. She grinned, returned the salutation, and stood a little. As I walked across the parking lot, I took a moment to learn the lesson -- we never know another's situation but judge them every moment based on our own expectation. God has another idea about how we should treat each other. We should notice each other. We should love on each other. And a smile, that fits into His plan. It will brighten your day and someone else's.

But if push comes to shove, and you need an instant pick-me-up, watch this
(Kudos to Jake for spreading the hilarity):

Trust me, you want to watch this video!

Way down yonder in New Orleans.

Welcome to November, folks! I'm so glad it's chilled and rainy outside -- no complaints here (well, I could do without the drizzles that only smudge dirt around on my car ....). Friday afternoon, I spent a little time in downtown Fresno and couldn't believe how pretty it was. You know the people who tell you not to live south of Shaw and to avoid downtown at all costs? I am of their ranks no longer. Our downtown is clean, diverse, and interesting. Have you ever really looked at our skyline? I hadn't, but it's beautiful. Maybe not as tall or wide as those of larger cities but full of interesting buildings and trees. There are so many trees in downtown! I've been halfheartedly thinking about moving out of north Fresno, but now my mind is made up. I want to live somewhere with personality and life, and the paved stucco world of north of Shaw doesn't fit that bill.

Wow, end diatribe. Has everyone had a good month? Mine's been great. The two biggest things: 1) I'm transferring to another store; and 2) I went to New Orleans. Let's dive in.

1) This Saturday, I will officially take over as store manager at Starbucks @ Riverpark II. I am super-excited about this for several reasons.

1. I was hired at the original Riverpark store (Riverpark I) over six years ago. This is a move home for me, and I can't wait to reconnect with old regulars I haven't seen in ages.
2. Riverpark II is a cafe-only store, which means it has no drive-thru. While a drive-thru has its perks and I enjoy it as much as the next gal, cafe-only is my preference. It always for a singular focus and purpose; no one has to make a choice about which set of customers is more important. It also allows for more interaction with all customer and, because there are two bars side-by-side, baristas get to work together on bar -- my favorite thing to do at Starbucks.
   
3. The change means more responsibility for me in a few ways. The newer store is busier than my current store. It employs more partners (employees). Most exciting (and daunting) of all, it was built and designed as a flagship store. A flagship store is designed to be the premiere store in a given area and to replicate and represent the experience one might have in our first store at Seattle's Pike Place Market. That's a lot of pressure and a lot of visibility, but I can't wait to get started. We have a lot of work to do to be ready to meet those expectations, and I can't get ahead of myself with big plans.
4. But I do have plans! Art shows, storytime hours, evening concerts -- fun ways to connect with our community and highlight our beautiful stores. All in due time.

2) Starbucks holds an annual Leadership Conference in Seattle, but for various reasons, there hasn't been one in three years. This year, it was important to commit to our Transformational change and ensure that all 10,000 North American store managers, field leadership, and senior leadership came together to learn and grow together. While it would have been great to honor our history and regroup in Seattle, leadership made the decision to hold the conference in New Orleans, and I'm so glad they did. We had an amazing time enjoying the city, experiencing its people, and working in the community. While the five days I was gone were exhausting (I've slept at least nine hours every night this weekend -- delicious), the time was wellspent and well worth it. Let me share some highlights:

Cool architecture around the French Quarter.




Antique gun store Dad would like.


Door across the street from our hotel, and Fresno-State-marching-band-esque sign.


Hotel -- Pere Renaissance Marquette, outside and in.




Bourbon Street. To imagine the full experience, picture five or six more blocks of this, full of partying people.


Starbucks donated over 50,000 hours of community service during our three-day conference. Us easily-sunburned peeps got to stay at the convention center and paint artwork to be displayed at local schools ruined by Katrina. While I was disappointed not the have the opportunity to go out into the city, we met a teacher from one of the schools and had a great conversation with her about how the educational system has been, and continues to be affected by the storm.

Jodi, Julie, and Tricia hard at work.


The community came to us via a local marching band!


Works of art -- Keith, Erica, a joint collaboration with Rose. It took all three of us to finish the third picture.


10,000 people eating lunch in the Superdome. We were right on the 50-yard line!


Arena for General Session. With Howard Shultz!


And Project Red! And Bono!


New Orleans was a wonderful experience. I got to have my first beignet (and hopefully not my last), rediscover a love of crawfish, visit with Cleveland peeps, better get to my fellow District 482 managers (whom I've missed hecka much weekend), visit a beautiful city, and reignite a passion for the company I love. Now it's time to dive into a new store and an exciting holiday. Hope you're as happy as I am.