I have been thinking about starting a blog for some time now, but never really had the chance to do it. I've never been the kind of person to keep a diary or anything like that, but i think it is something that i will enjoy reading in the future when i'm old and gray! Maybe i'll laugh at how small minded i currently am (not that i think i'm small minded but i'll be wiser then, won't i?). Anyhow, i don't even know how to log on to this crap, it never asked me for a password... hmmm, i'll figure it out later.My name is Ana Stratis, i'm half Panamanian and half Greek. I'm proud of my culture and not afraid to say that i'm starting my own! I'm married to the love of my life Yanni who is also Greek. We own a restaurant together, it's alot of work. I never, in my life, thought that i would own a restaurant but opportunity came o'knockin and here i am today. On January 19th i completed what has been the toughest year of my life. My first year in the restaurant business! Ups and downs and ups again. If i survived that, i am doing something right. Most restaurants don't last their first year and YES, WE DID IT!!! I know it's only the 27th today, but our sales so far (compared to last year) have doubled, so that, in my book, is exceptional. My husband and I have been through thick and thin and i'm confident that we are solid and will overcome any obstacles that life puts in our way. Enough of the restaurant, i don't want to bore anyone with the restaurant stuff, or do i???Today i woke up at 5am to be at the restaurant and 6am, i would say bright and early but it was dark and FREEZING! I hate the cold weather, it's just to cold, we don't really need winter, it's pointless, it kills everything, it should be spring and fall all the time anyway! We get all we need in the spring and the fall, rain, shine, heat, breeze, perfectible! Anyway, i've decided that i like the morning shift after all! Before, Yanni used to come and open up the restaurant, then go home and sleep around 11:30 and i would come in for the lunch rush. How i despise the lunch rush. I would stay till closing. Now that i came in-in the morning, it's my turn to go home and rest and Yanni will come in for the lunch rush, I'll be back at 4 for the fish fry tonight. The only thing that worries me is that Yanni wont help out in the kitchen for the lunch rush and lunch will be timely to get out! Who knows... He's not here yet (11:49) He can sleep for days. I left him alone one weekend (before the restaurant days) and he slept straight through it! What a waste of time!On another note, I have 2 houses, one in Miami and one here. My brother has a house here too but i don't think he's going to move over here. So my idea of swapping houses has inspired him. I'll give him my Miami house and he'll give me his house over here (my Miami house is worth 90K more than his) and i'll sell the one i'm living in and buy this perfect house that i found the other day. I have until may to sell my house, but seeing how properties are so expensive right now, no one can afford to buy, so i think i'll list my house cheaper than what it was appraised for and sell before everyone else does, just so that i get what i really want. I know it's not the best thing to do considering the fact that people should sell for more money so that property value goes up, but i found my dream home!!! I don't want to wait!!! I know that i'll be losing alot of money but right now, i'm just wanting a nice place that i can call my HOME and don't have the time to wait for more money. The right thing to do though is swap houses with my brother, i would be helping him out alot eventhough i could sell the house for 320K!!! Brother, money, brother, money, I'd like to stick with brother!!! It wasn't even an option for me. i do have a "for sale" sign posted though because my neighbors are also selling and they are asking 309K so i figured if i ask 320K theirs will sell first and then there is NO WAY i could get less that 300K for mine if i do need to sell!!! Was i rambling?Anyway, i want to go home right now but i can't just leave. People always tell me "you're the boss, you can do whatever you want" (obviously the people who tell me this have never been owners of any kind of business) but i can't leave, i feel like this place turns to shit when i'm not in it. I am not comfortable if i'm not here and i worry too much. I hate that shit! I'll go out of town for 2 days and i hold myself back from calling! I don't want to be a pest, i think things like "what if they are busy and i'm calling and taking away time from customers?" Eh, whatever! One thing i've learned but am still having a hard time coping with is that you can't make everybody happy, NO MATTER how PERFECT something is... Some people just like and live to complain! I have another site
www.myspace.com/anulita it has pics of the restaurant and some of my friends are on there... So yeah, i think this is enough for today, maybe i'll write tonight when i get back... Who am i kidding, tonight is the fish fry and i'll be on the grill till at least 8:30pm. Ugh, fish!The kitchen is callin, Yanni isn't here yet.... We'll see what happens, talk to ya'll soon...
