BOUT DAY!!!

Some might know that I'm on a local Roller Derby team here in Killeen, but a whole lot more probably don't.  Back in January of this year, dear husband and I went on a Starbucks date.  On their community board was a flyer for the Femme Fatale Roller Dolls, saying that they were having new girl try outs.  I found them on Facebook, showed up to a new girl night on a Wednesday in February, and have been with the team ever since. I became team secretary this summer, have been a part of both home bouts, and 2 away bouts, the most recent one being yesterday in San Angelo against the San Angelo Roller Girls.  They're an AWESOME team!!

First Home Bout Poster featuring yours truly

This is the poster for the first home bout we had.  That's me, Disciplinarian, on the left, and teammate Amanda - or Girlnade if you're on the track ;)  Amanda is an AMAZING photographer and has her own business.  She took Reagan's 3 year pictures, and they were pure perfection. 
Our posters were designed by another talented teammate, Mae Needabeer.  She has a degree in marketing which is why she knows how to sell a bout! She just so happens to be a fabulous makeup artist as well, and through her connections in that field was able to coordinate team pictures - like the ones on the bout poster.  Everyone's pictures turned out great, and we were able to put a team picture together from everyone's individual poses, a la America's Next Top Model.

Cat eyes, booty shorts, fishnets...it must be bout day!

Lots of people think that roller derby is elbowing, throwing punches, and fishnets.  This isn't so much the case...except for the fishnets part.  I never dreamed I'd have so many pairs and varieties or styles!  And socks??  When they're all clean, I can barely shut the drawer!  Stripes, argyle, skulls, sloths, plaid, rainbows and clouds...I could go on, but I think you get the picture.  I've got LOTS of fishnets and socks.  Derby is a real sport.  We condition, we practice, we take hits, we give hits, we get hurt, we heal, and we play hard.  Our team is a non-profit, so we also fund-raise and donate money to HARP of Killeen ISD.  HARP stands for Homeless Awareness and Response Program, and is a wonderful system in place to help displaced families, unaccompanied youth, and families with school-aged children in shelters.  The whole point of the program is to help these kids have some sort of stability in school when other aspects of their life might be a bit chaotic and unstable. Our team has given over $1200 to HARP so far, and we don't plan on slowing down next season!

Thrift Shop Sally + Disciplinarian = Derby Wife Love

  Hang around derby girls a while and you might hear the term "derby wife."  A derby wife is your partner in crime on the team.  Your wing [wo]man.  The one you call at 11 PM, bawling your eyes out, after you've just had the worst mash-up/bout experience of your life where you got hit by a girl so hard, you would have rather been hit by a Mack truck.  (That so happens to be a true story, and even though she was already asleep for the night, she answered the call and listened to me the whole time.)  That's what a derby wife is, and this is my derby wife, Thrift Shop Sally.  The first time we met, there was definitely some tension.  I wasn't sure if I liked her, and I'm pretty sure she probably hated me - I have that effect on people...it's so weird.  But once they get to know me, I instantly win them over with my awesome charm, personality, and sense of humor.  The first time we hung out, we almost got into a fight...kind of.  At least the people sitting at our table thought we were about to fight, which was pretty hilarious.  We found out just how similarly weird and crafty we were, and have been goof-ball buds ever since.    

Two things you cannot survive derby without: a supportive family, and duct tape.  Lots and lots of duct tape.  It's so important for your family to be on board with your new-found love for derby because of all the hours you spend away from them.  Practices, bouts, fundraisers, meet-and-greets, team meetings...and the list goes on and on.  My Dear Husband has been an AMAZING support for me, and has even helped the kids make posters to take to my bouts.  He rocks.

Duct tape, Derby, Donnie...a few of my favorite things!

Now on to the duct tape.  We put it on everything!  We tape the front of our skates to protect the leather from all those knee falls and 180 degree turns.  We tape chord to the floor to outline our track.  We tape our elbow and knee pads back together until we can get to the skate shop and get replacements.  Now that there are so many designs and styles, your duct tape can be an extension of your personality.  I've had pink and white zebra stripe tape, Avengers tape, and Pickle tape (it said, "what's your dill?"  haha.  get it?).  A teammate, Domestic Violate-Her, let me borrow the TMNT tape before yesterday's bout.  I looked down and noticed that "Donnie" was on both skates so I took advantage of an Instagram opportunity.  Donnie just happens to be Dear Husband's name - would this be the derby equivalent of a soldier naming his rifle?  If so, pay no mind to the other turtle names on my skate...Donnie is the only one that matters.

Viper Kiss, me, and Cajun Tree Shaka up against the SARG

 Here's a picture from the first jam of yesterday's bout - before the hard hits, hard falls, hurt tailbone, and sore back.  I love my team.  We had a tough season, but we learned a lot and grew so much!  I'm super excited about next season!  We've got seven home bouts scheduled, tons of ideas for events and fundraisers, and lots of new girls chomping at the bits for their chance to see an official bout from on the track.  2014 will be a great year for the FFRD!

Challenge Day 16: in which I no longer want to eat my office supplies

Day 16 and I'm 9 lbs down.    I don't feel like I'm starving all the time.  I'm not looking at my pencils and post-it notes with hungry eyes anymore.  Go ahead, sing the song...I'll wait...
This is nothing to sneeze at.  It's kind of a big deal for me.  It's been hard work, with LOTS of practice in will power and self-control, thanks to the fact that my dear hubby doesn't seem to have either one of those things.  ;)  Do you know how hard it is to come home hungry only to find 2 Papa John's pizza boxes on the stove, and not dive in?  That's okay, no good deed goes unpunished, and since no one put the leftovers away that night, they sat out and had to be thrown out the next day.  HA!  Now NO ONE can eat the pizza!!  Fast forward a week and there's a Freddy's Frozen Custard burger box on the counter...really?  Then he's eating the ice cream on the couch RIGHT NEXT TO ME and says, "wanna bite?"  "nope. (that was a lie...I did want a bite, I just SAID I didn't)"  "come one, one bite won't kill you!" 
One bite might not have killed me, but I already know that if I had allowed myself to give in - not on my cheat night, 'cause really, you SHOULD allow yourself a break every week - it would have changed my whole attitude.  One bite turns into one soda, which turns into another soda, which turns into a #5-Super-Sized-plus-Mac-Sauce-Dr-Pepper-&-Sweet-&-Sour-Sauce-for-my-fries every week or so.  I made a joke on a Facebook thread a week or so ago that soda was my "gateway drug."  It's true though.  I'm fortunate enough to never have had a serious addiction to drugs or alcohol, but I would liken it to offering a glass of wine to a recovering alcoholic.  (Which reminds me of an Elvis Duran Morning Show Phone Tap I heard the other morning where they were pretending to be a Whiskey company wanting to sell to someone's dad who was a recovering alcoholic...and boy did he get MAD!!!!)  People in Drug/Alcohol rehab aren't supposed to hang out in bars or around people who drink because it's super stressful to be tempted so blatantly - and people who are trying to adopt healthy eating habits aren't supposed to surround themselves with unhealthy choices.  Makes sense, right? 
And speaking of temptations, I was invited to go out to lunch with our department for a Boss' Day celebration yesterday.  The restaurant of choice was Razzoo's Cajun Cafe.  If you've never heard of/been to Razzoo's, you're missing out.  It's a fun, lively atmosphere of lights, zydeco, Cracker Barrel-meets-the swamp type decor on the walls and ceilings, and fried food.  Deep. Fried. Food.  Which is usually served with some kind of yummy, starchy side like corn on the cob, rice, slaw, or Cajun seasoned French Fries.  There are 2 salads on the menu.  Two.  One's a Caesar salad, the other a Garden Salad topped with cheese, bacon, egg, and fried onions.  I've eaten at Razzoo's several times since it's opened in Harker Heights, and I have never once ordered the "Rabbit Food."  Why go to a Cajun restaurant and NOT get a shrimp po' boy?  or fried catfish?  or gumbo?  or etouffee?  It just doesn't seem right!  Well, yesterday was a different story.  I knew I'd have a challenge on my hands.  My cheat day was the night before, so I had to stay on track.  So while everyone ordered the grilled chicken etouffee and the popcorn shrimp, I ordered a garden salad.  With no cheese.  And no bacon.  And no fried onions.  And if you read my first challenge-related post, you also know that I nixed the cucumbers, and ordered my balsamic vinaigrette on the side.  I did opt for the addition of blackened chicken on top, just so my salad wasn't so miserable looking and dull.  I'm glad I did.  I ate my salad...probably a little faster than I should have...but the point is that I survived lunch when I thought for sure it was going to be impossible.    
You always have temptations.  As I type this I'm surrounded by temptation in the form of my son's band fundraiser chocolate bars I'm trying to sell for him.  Am I tempted to see how much I could stuff in my mouth with one bite?  Possibly.  Am I tempted to test their title of "World's Finest" chocolate?  Who wouldn't be???  I mean, come on..."World's Finest?"  That just begs to be tested!!  I posted this on Monday and it's true.  There are always temptations, but there are also always choices. 

Texas Antiques Week, Road March Feet, 120 Day Challenge on-the-road, and a Migraine: autobiographical

This is going to be an interesting (and long) post.  I've got a lot of ground to cover, since a lot has happened in the past few days.
I'll start with my progress in the 120 day challenge. In case you missed my previous post, read it here.  I've been told it's funny, and I'm not gonna lie, I have to agree.  Anyway, day one was Tuesday, October 1st.  It went okay, but I think my body was just in shock. "Um...Jess?  You're a meat eater...you love loaded baked potatoes...you eat pizza, and Little Debbie snacks, and drink sweet tea, and COFFEE!!  Why hasn't any of these things touched your lips yet?!?!?!?"  Day 2 was really tough.  I didn't have the energy to get out of bed, and I REALLY wanted to use a sick day - but I didn't.  I stuck it out.  Made my breakfast shake, packed lunch and snacks, and a water jug (sans cucumber, thankyouverymuch) and set of to work.  The morning was uneventful, but around 11am I felt so hungry that I wanted to eat my office supplies.  I wonder if Post-It notes are gluten free... I was told that this was a part of my body detoxing and getting used to smaller meals/snacks throughout the day.  Also, I knew I had to hit the water jug a little harder.  Day 3 was MUCH better.  I woke up feeling rested, I drank lots of water, and did pretty well throughout the work day.  But enough about that...

Antiques Week Loot - round 1

Last weekend a friend of mine and I went to Round Top and Warrenton, TX for Texas Antiques Week.  Even that title doesn't do it justice.  It's not just a week anymore, it's about 3 weeks.  It was a last minute trip, but we had a blast.  She made out like a bandit - got some AWESOME stuff, including a really neat entry-way table made out of the bottom cast iron part of an old Singer sewing machine table.  She got a steal of a deal on that one.  I got a few odds and ends (see above), some replacement Fiesta Ware, and some spindles for building more shutter tables...which reminds me, I'll have to blog about that when I have time...which doesn't seem like anytime soon...but I digress.  There was one piece that I regretted not buying.  Like REALLY regretted not buying.  It was a piece of furniture I had trouble describing even.  It was like a half shelf, half desk...and it had CURVED GLASS!!  I didn't buy it because I didn't want to blow my budget that early in the day, and I just kept waiting for something perfect to jump out at me, but it never happened.  Other than that, the experience was good.  Overwhelming, but good.  There are SO MANY BOOTHS - it's no wonder it's now about 3 weeks long!!  We covered as much ground as we could in a full Saturday, which included stopping in at the Junk Gypsy World Headquarters!!  I saw Amie and Jolie there, but was too starstruck to say hi or ask for a picture with them.  Plus, it was their second day open and everyone looked pretty busy.  I might have gotten my Pilot stuck in the mud in their pasture parking lot, and Jolie's husband, might have had to push me out...but I'll never tell.
Leaving for the day, I was pretty sure I'd be making another trip out...and I knew I'd be looking for the "piece that got away."
Fast Forward to this morning.  6am to be exact.  My alarm is going off, letting me know that it's time to get up and get outta town!!  After making myself a breakfast shake and packing plenty of challenge-approved food and snacks to take with me, I was on the road at 7.

Sunrise over Salado

 My first stop was La Bahia, the set-up in Carmine, TX, where my dream piece was...and it was still there!!  I talked the lady down $95 on it, handed her the cash, and it was MINE!!  I could have just gone home after that, but of course I didn't.  A whole day with your husband's blessing to shop without kids?  Um, yeah, I'll be cherishing every minute! 
My round 2 of Antiques Week was pretty different than round one.  I was flying through vendor booths to cover as much ground as I could.  I went through Round Top and hit up a few places I had missed the previous weekend.  I stopped back in to the JG world headquarters, but this time I got pictures with Amie and Jolie, and even spotted a Duck Dynasty wife (Jep's wife, Jessica) at the store!  I was supposed to be meeting up with a friend in Warrenton so that I could stay the night and shop again in the morning without having to sleep in my car...which was a thought I had entertained.  She would text me with some description of where she was like, "I'm eating a taco across from tents with tricked out colorful furniture" (mmm...that sounds yummy.  I guess I'll have to pretend this carrot and hummus is a taco...) and I would start walking in the direction I thought she could be in.  Every time she sent a text, I would start walking in another direction.  After walking about 8 miles - not even joking, I really wish I had worn a pedometer - I gave up trying to find her.  I was hot, I was sunburned, I was dehydrated, I had a migraine, my feet hurt, and I was D-U-N done!  I called Dear Husband to let him know I wouldn't be staying the night, and headed back to our neck of the woods - to shower, change, and unload everything I bought!! 
He had a hot bubble bath waiting for me - I love that man!  He also noticed that my feet had taken a beating from all the walking.  I think his exact words were, "Dang! You got road march feet!"  If he meant blisters on the bottom of both heels, then yup, that was me.
Bath: check!  Clean clothes: check!  Ice water: check!  Time to unload the SUV!!  Let's see what round two did for me:

Antiques Week - round 2

Awesome Dia De Los Muertos jewelry

 The earrings and ring I got from a little boutique type store in Warrenton.  Everything was on sale, which is one of the perks of shopping the last weekend of Antiques Week!  The ring was 20% off and the earrings were 50% off!  I'm ready for November 2! 

My Junk Gypsy loot!

 "Honey Hush" shirt, and a few stickers from the JG World Headquarters! 

 Cool metal letter S - it's even got a place in the back to attach a light :)  I think I'll keep it rusty.














                                                                                          Fireplace piece.  Holds firewood and 4 tools hook on the back!  Got it for $10!!

 More spindles and Fiesta ware! (Two more dinner plates and a casserole dish)

 I've gotta name this thing, because I don't know what to call it.  It's a cabinet, but has a desk fold out, and a drawer...
Maybe I should have asked the lady I bought it from what the heck it was.  Anyway, here it is in all it's glory!!!

 Curved glass detail.  Such a cool piece!!

Bird detail on the top of the desk? cabinet?  What is it??











Well, this girl is tired!  There are about 240 new miles on my car, a few dollars less in my bank account, about 1,000,000,000 calories burned from walking, and a bed calling my name!!! 

120 Day Challenge Day One: in which I stare at my cucumber water

A few weeks ago, I saw a shout out on FB calling any women who had at least 30 pounds to lose to join a 120 day challenge, which would include recipes, grocery lists, tips, and encouragement.  I thought about the latest numbers on the scale and did the math.  According to the dreaded BMI chart, I did have "at least" 30 pounds to lose, so I signed up. 
I ordered my Alkaline shake powder and waited...then the shopping list was posted.  I've gotta admit, there were things on there I couldn't pronounce (Quinoa, by the way is pronounced "Keen-wa?"), and even stuff I had never heard of before.  Tahini?  Turmeric? Coconut Yogurt?  Where would I even find that stuff?  Let's face it, Killeen/Harker Heights isn't exactly the hub of all things organic and healthy.  The nearest Whole Foods is in Austin.  Sure, there's a Natural Grocers in Temple, but that's like, ALL THE WAY IN TEMPLE!!!  Who wants to drive 20 miles to shop for groceries when there's a perfectly good HEB down the road?  Hmmm...maybe this whole "laziness" thing is why I have "at least" 30 pounds to lose in the first place.  But I digress...
I had a really bad morning yesterday.  Like, stressful, silent-cry-at-your-desk type morning.  It's pretty common for me to project that mood onto whatever situations I happen to be in.  Example: If I'm having a bad day on a derby practice day, I usually convince myself that I want to quit.  I've never liked derby.  I'm too old for that, and the coach is a jerk anyway.  Of course when I go to practice, I always figure out that those weren't really my thoughts - well, maybe the coach can be a jerk - it was just my bad mood affecting how and what I thought about everything.  That being said, I honestly thought about backing out of this 120 day challenge yesterday.  Who wants to start ALL OVER with their grocery shopping, especially when you know you're ultimately going to be the only one on this crazy diet?  Groceries for a family of 6 isn't cheap, and throw in the words "organic" a few times on that list and you need to sell plasma or extra kidneys to foot the bill!  And who has time to cook, like, 3 meals a day?  We've got football, and dance, and football, and choir, and football, and full time jobs!  And FOOTBALL!!!  I can't cook breakfast for myself every morning - I can barely remember to do my hair before I walk out the door!  (true story)

To add insult to injury, turns out that I can't read, and the challenge was supposed to start YESTERDAY!!  Not October 1st as I had originally thought!  (I don't even want to think about all the mini-candy wrappers that the janitor had to empty out of my trash can last night.)  I hadn't gone shopping for the free-range-organic-cancer-free eggs!  I didn't have almond "dairy-will-probably-kill-you-or-give-you-cancer" milk!!  Oh dear God, don't let kale be on that list...
Fast forward to 8pm.  Our Growth Group was over for the night - which by the way, had met at a local burger joint instead of our normal host home, and I had a Rocky Road milkshake that was pretty darn good - and I knew there was only one thing left to do: Go grocery shopping.
I have never been more sad to shop in my life.  I'm pretty sure that people passing me by thought for sure my dog had just died.  I was literally on the verge of tears the entire time I was searching for fresh cilantro and gluten free pizza crust.  I bought cucumber for Pete's sake!  I HATE cucumber!!  Whose great idea was this???  Oh yeah.  Mine. 
I searched and read labels for about an hour by myself, which was probably a lot better than my dear husband coming with me and sneaking empty-calorie-GMO-laden-cancer-wafers (you might know them as Oreos) in the cart.  I came home and started to put my sad depressing healthy food away.    This is when it got really interesting.  My dear husband decided to laugh help put away the groceries and the looks on his face were priceless.  I mean, the man can barely pick celery out of a veggie line-up, so artichoke hearts aren't exactly on his radar either.  He asked how and when I was going to prep everything (see?  He knows me!).  I told him I was gonna do it then.  He asked what I was planning on eating for lunch.
"Probably something easy like apples and nut butter."
*Guffaws* "Nut butter?!?!?  That sounds like something I have to wash off after the gym!"
Needless to say, that did NOT make today's lunch menu...
Breakfast, lunch, and dinner was prepped last night. *pats self on the back*
Dear husband got me up this morning so that I could make my alkaline breakfast shake.  It was pretty yummy, I must say.  I was even excited about lunch...until I started eating it.  I've had salads before, but they're usually paired with some kind of dressing.  About 1/4 of the way through it, I decided I could eat around the fresh cilantro...and the romaine lettuce...and the baby spinach.  So basically I had an avocado and a tomato for lunch.  That's not exactly upsetting to me.  I love those two fruits!  Now I'm sitting and staring at my water jug.  That's right.  Staring.  I can't bring myself to drink.  You see, in an effort to branch out and embrace different things, I bought 2 cucumbers last night.  You have to know how much I hate cucumbers to know what a big deal this is for me.  Even as I type this, I'm making that face you make when you walk into the bathroom after someone has just let loose.  You know the face...you're probably making it right now, aren't you?  Uh huh - THAT face!  
Cucumbers are supposed to aid in detoxing the body.  They're supposed to be really good for you.  I happen to like them in their pickled state...which is not so good for you (again, "at least" 30 pounds to lose).  So in an effort to "help" my body and my progress, I sliced about half a cucumber (still making the face as I type that word!), sliced 2 limes, and grabbed some fresh mint from my garden.  I think I've taken 2 sips in the 8 hours I've had it.  I can't do it.  I grab it, I set it right back down. 
Okay I just took a drink....*full body shiver*...I don't know if I can do that again. 
I signed up for 4 months of change, healthy eating and exercise.  I've birthed 4 children!  I've finished a triathlon!  I PLAY ROLLER DERBY...and a cucumber is going to end me!  This is going to be a LONG 4 months. 

Pallet Obsession

If you haven't heard of or experienced the pure joy of Pinterest, get out from under your rock and go explore!!  One of the things I've become VERY interested in (read "obsessed with") is using pallet wood for various projects.  I've seen swings, chairs, frames, play houses, all kinds of furniture, decor, TONS of stuff - all out of pallets!!  I knew that I needed in on this, so I started scoping out dumpsters and curb sides for any of these wooden treasures.  I was able to find several, take them home, and start taking them apart.  Let me tell you, it's harder than you think.  Pallets are constructed to stay together, so everything from the wood - most pallets are made of oak, a very hard wood- to the nails, which are almost like half-screw, half-nail, are working together to make sure you CAN'T take them apart.  Lots of my boards split while  I was trying to deconstruct, but I was able to salvage most of them for my lumber collection. 
I knew that I needed to find a really neat idea for my first project, so I searched on my favorite website - Pinterest, of course! - until I found something that caught my eye.  It was plans for an outdoor loveseat, and it looked easy enough to construct.  Here is the blog tutorial for it. 
I decided to jump in head first and get started!  Any time you work with pallet wood, you need to sand, sand, sand!  I used 3 different grits of sandpaper: 60, 150, and 350.  The 60 grit got the initial rough surface down, the 150 grit smoothed it all out, and the 350 grit, which is a finishing grit, made the boards super smooth, like paper!  With all that sanding, two things happened: 1. I got covered in dust.  And I mean covered - head to toe! 2. My sander decided to stop working on my very last go-round with the 350 grit, so I had to finish sanding my boards by hand.  I wasn't too upset - it could have been worse!

I was able to finish the bottom portion of the loveseat in one night, and I can't wait to finish it!  I'll be sure and add updated pictures of the finished product.  This is going to look amazing on my back patio!!

Dinner is Served!

As a mom of 4, it's not often that I can take the time to create or find a big, fancy meal that everyone will enjoy.  In fact, usually it's hard enough to find something quick and easy that everyone enjoys.  But what I found out tonight, it's not about the preparation, it's about the perception!  If the kids get mac-n-cheese and nuggets 2 times a week, of course anything different, like enchiladas, is going to blow their minds - even though enchiladas are relatively easy to make.  And no, my kids don't eat mac-n-cheese and nuggets twice a week, nor do I make enchiladas more than once in a blue moon, even though I just confessed that they're easily prepared...but I digress.
Last month, my husband, my best friend, and I went out to dinner at The Iron Cactus in Austin, Texas.  I was on a health kick, as I usually am, so I ordered a salad.  It turned out to be the best salad I had ever eaten in my life.  It was a bed of raw spinach topped with blueberries, strawberries, grapefruit pieces, orange pieces, candied walnut pieces, goat cheese, grilled chicken, and a citrus vinaigrette.  Absolute heaven!  I knew I would have to eat that salad again!  I don't make many trips to Austin, so last time I went to HEB for some grocery shopping, I picked up a few of the items from that amazingly wonderful salad. 
Well, tonight I decided that it would be salad night for everyone!  It couldn't have worked out better for me because it was one of the easiest meals I have ever prepared, and it was a huge hit!  Since I have a very picky husband, and the babies aren't really into salads yet, so I decided to make this a do-it-yourself buffet style dinner.  Best idea of the day!!  I boiled, cut, and chilled some chicken thighs (breasts or tenders would work as well, but thighs are what we had) and put them on a plate.  The next plate had green apple pieces, sliced strawberries, and grapefruit pieces on it.  I also cut a few pieces of fresh broccoli, had carrot slivers, and pecan pieces out for everyone to pick from.  As a base for the salads, I had a bag of Spinach and Spring Mix, and a bag of Classic Romaine Mix.  I brought out every bottle of salad dressing we own - which is about 7 bottles ranging in everything from Ranch, to French, to Citrus Vinaigrette.
Everyone built their own salads, and every bowl was clean at the end of dinner.  The best part was the fact that the kids thought it was such a cool dinner because they got to build it themselves.  If they didn't want grapefruit in their salad, they didn't have to put any in their bowl.  If they didn't want pecan pieces, they didn't have to pick any out of a pre-made salad.  This is definitely a dinner we will be having again, and often!  Healthy, fun, and it made mom look REALLY cool!! 

This is SO not a good time...

Tonight was not the night for Starbucks to decide that they "didn't want to make a whole pot" of decaf coffee JUST for me.  Especially since I worked for the company for over 3 years and I know for a FACT that they have a "Just Say Yes" policy, which means that if their doors are open, everything on the menu should be available to every customer.  No excuses. 
Yes, I know from experience that it sucks to be 5 minutes away from closing and have a car drive up and order 8 different Frappuccinos at the drive-thru.  Yes, I know that they want to pre-close and just want to save themselves for doing any more dishes or cleaning than they have to.  But I'm the customer - the paying customer, who is helping their stocks do well (which they get for free every year!) - and if I want my $3.30 Non-Fat 6-pump Vanilla Misto to be decaf, you better either take the 4 minutes to brew it, or start a French Press for me!  No, I don't want a decaf Americano, but thank you for asking. 
At this point, I'm literally shaking...not because I'm mad...but because I now have 16 oz worth of caffeine coursing through my veins and it's 2 am. I'm also more annoyed than anything.  Annoyed that people don't follow rules that have been in place for YEARS - and then pretend that you have no idea what you're talking about when you call them on it.  I once had a barista argue with me - ARGUE WITH ME, THE CUSTOMER - over how many shots came in an iced venti drink. (It's 3, by the way; always has been.)  She swore up and down that I was wrong and that they only came with 2 shots.  I just walked away at that point because you can't really argue with an idiot and get anywhere.  Now that I think about it, I should have asked her to get the recipe book out and show me.  I'm sure that would have gone over well...when she was proven to not have a clue what she was talking about.
Well luckily, Donnie was the one that was dealing with the whole decaf vs. caffeinated fiasco, so I only heard about it when he got home.  And thank God I wasn't the one dealing with this whole thing, because tomorrow's headlines might have read: "Killeen woman wanted decaf, Baristas got 'brewed' awakening"  <--- that's the caffeine talking, folks!  Forgive me.
Anyway, I think I'm going to head on over to our friendly neighborhood Starbucks in the morning and speak with the manager about my last few experiences.  I'm going to be as nice and as pleasant as possible, and hopefully he/she doesn't feel like being argumentative...because I would hate to have a "Snapped" moment so early in the morning on a Wednesday.