Sometimes when we're in the car, we like to quiz each other. It's a strange, but fun habit that everyone in my family partakes in. Well, actually, anyone who rides in my car gets to experience a barrage of "Would you rather .... " questions.

Wanna play? It's actually quite simple and a great way to get to know something about another that you may not otherwise have the opportunity to know.

Tonight on our way to our neighborhood Starbucks, my daughter asks me "Would you rather go to a store with great customer service and so-so quality or a store with lousy (or non-existent) customer service and great quality?"

Hmmmm ... I'm thinking this is a really great question. Not just because my daughter thought of it (she is a genius, like her Mother, after all) - but because it brings up an age old debate - Does good customer service bring the customer back?

If you've ever had to make a return to any retail establishment, you know what I mean. What about the clerk who isn't empowered to make the customer's experience the very best?

Ever had to make a return only to be told that it's the store's policy to give the $$ back on the store's gift card? How about the store that hands you a credit receipt and tells you that you need to go upstairs to the Customer Service counter to get your cash?

Good customer service or poor policies?

When I worked for Corporate America - I was literally brainwashed with the importance of good customer service. From the very first interview to my very last day, I was educated on the importance of great service. Customers are always #1. While they may not always be right, certainly the way it's handled is a true testament to the character of the representative and ultimately the company.

The picture above is of "my" Starbucks. Located on the corner of Chandler Blvd/Dobson Rd, this is absolutely the very best Starbucks in Chandler. I have visited other stores in different states - Hawaii, California, Colorado and all over Arizona and feel quite confident in saying that "my" Starbucks is the BEST.

Want to know what sets this particular store apart from the hundreds of others? It's those people in the picture. While I must admit most of the time my iced-tea is just an iced-tea - it's the service that keeps me coming back to this store day after day. And let's be realistic, I actually have three other Starbuck stores within a 1 mile radius of my house. Literally - there's one on every corner.

BUT - this Store - with these people - that's the difference. If I'm up north in Scottsdale and say, I get the wrong drink, but don't realize it until I'm half way home (or sitting in traffic on the freeway). "My" Starbucks will fix the drink by usually giving me a new one - at no charge. This, to me, is good customer service. I know it's makes me one happy (returning) customer.

So - Would you rather have poor customer service and a great quality item or great customer service and so-so quality?

In addition to the absolutely spectacular lake and hiking areas at Fool Hollow Lake Recreation Area here in Show Low, Arizona - I discovered one of the nicest bathrooms in a public area that I have ever seen. E V E R! Don't get me wrong, not all public bathrooms are poorly maintained - oh, who am I kidding - I can't stand public bathrooms. Most of the time, they're gross, disgusting and just want to make me "hold it a little longer".

So - when we came across this great place to take some pictures, we, of course, had to stop by the facilities. WOW - I was shocked. Fool Hollow Lake Recreation Area has the cleanest, most well maintained facilities I have ever seen. I might even venture to say cleaner than my own. (YIKES!).

To make it even better - the buildings each had three separate rooms (not stalls - ROOMS).

• There was the nice, clean bathroom that was completely tiled with a "normal" working toilet and sink with running water.
• The next little room is a private shower room. Same sterile environment and just as beautiful!
• The third room was another facility - for families with young children.

AWESOME! Even my husband commented on the cleanliness. Which is amazing, because just a couple hours prior, we were introduced to "recyling toilets" (Not a pretty thing).

If you're ever out and about any place between Payson and Globe - the trip along Hwy 260 is worth your time. Fool Hollow Lake Rec area has 123 campsites, fishing, hiking, boat ramps, picnic tables and playgrounds. Very family friendly and open 365 days a year! It's scenic, enjoyable ... and obviously, now has great bathrooms!

As our Arizona mornings are cooling, I find myself out of the house rather early on Saturday mornings (say track meet?) .. . Anyways, this week's meet took us to Freestone Park here in Gilbert, Arizona. While waiting for the meet to begin, I strolled around.

Within the 65 acres of this park, I found baseball cages, ramadas, a great little place to take pre-wedding photos, fields a plenty for soccer, baseball and football games, as well as this great little miniature train that goes around the park. Just a really fun place for kids of all ages and for those of us with kids.

Remember, I said I was out early Saturday mornings? Here's a couple of pictures of the sun rising:

See the railroad tracks?

How about now?

Definitely a well kept park that should be the pride of Gilbert. They've done a really fine job of keeping everything clean (which I would think would be difficult with all those ducks). Freestone is located at the corner of Lindsay and Juniper Roads - between Guadalupe and Elliot Roads, Gilbert AZ.

Just a few yards from the back of the Phoenix Zoo, is a wonderful little park called Evelyn Hallman Park - formerly known as Tempe Canal Park. Most of the park is designed with marked trails, but for those of you who love to fish, purchase your Urban Fishing license and plan on spending a day. Coined as one of the "best Urban fishing habitats" this is a definite place of enjoyment for avid fishermen.

Located near McDowell and College Ave, in Tempe, AZ - if you can muster through a bit of construction, this is a great place to get some exercise and enjoy these beautiful Arizona mornings. Just in case you need some proof - check out these great shots taken just last week:

P.S. If you watch very carefully, you'll even be able to spot a big horn sheep on top of the mountain.

I would like to personally announce that we have a wonderful new addition into our A/R family. Please take a few minutes to meet Dru Bloomfield, REALTOR with John Hall & Associates.

Dru is a long time Scottsdale resident and an experienced real estate professional. Sure, I could have said REALTOR, again, but I wanted to emphasize that Dru is a true professional. She treats each of her clients fairly and always with respect.

Dru's certainly one of the nicest and most ethical professionals I have ever met (and I'm not just saying that because she's allowed me the honor of staging a couple of her homes). She is a consummate professional - representing both buyer and sellers with service beyond their expectations. Referrals are also treated the same way - seller, buyer and agent. You get only the best from Dru!

She is an active proponent of the active Scottsdale lifestyle and will be a wonderful addition to our A/R community. (Look out Localism - here she comes!).

Thank you for welcoming her. Look for her first blog ... coming soon!

Know a young minded senior who wants to truly enjoy life to the fullest? Then point them to Chandler, Arizona. Need some place to go to enjoy great weather (9 out of 12 months), engage in a cornucopia of activities (from golf to bingo) and meet new friends? Then, Chandler is the face of your new community!

According to MSN's on-line article: "AARP Magazine named Chandler among five of the country's most livable cities in its September/October issue now hitting mailboxes."

...And you just can't argue with AARP.

If you're thinking about relocating or retiring to Chandler, Arizona, be sure to chat with these fine Chandler experts about the opportunities that await you:

Kaushik Sirkar of Call Realty

Karen George of Arizona Home Loans

Here in Phoenix today, we had a terrible accident that occured between two television helicopters. Local Channel 3 and Channel 15 helicopters were covering a car chase below on the streets of Phoenix when they collided. The wreckage landed in Steel Indian School Park, where fortunately no one on the ground was injured.

Sadly, all four people in the choppers did not survive. Each chopper had one pilot and one camerman.

It's a sad day here in Phoenix as we all feel like these professionals are part of our families. We know their wives and children and some details about their lives (like when one of them was in the market for a new car).

Our prayers and deepest sympathies are extended to these families - both personal and professional. They will all be missed.

It's 5am here in Chandler, Arizona and a beautiful 83degrees. We're scheduled for some isolated thunderstorms today, but that's o.k. Nothing is going to dampen my spirits today. Why? Because today is BACK TO SCHOOL for my little angels.

So soon, you ask? Yes!!! Here in Chandler - we're on a "modified year round" schedule. That means, we have a 7-8 week summer (not the 12 that I had growing up). The extra weeks off are taken in October and March. My kids attend school 180 days a year, but TODAY is the first day back!

Do I sound happy?! I am so thrilled that we will be able to return to some kind of normalcy around here. I long for the scheduled days of school and activities. Sure, I put more miles on my car from July - May, but it's all good. I love watching my son play baseball and my girls play or perform, and honestly, I'm looking forward to not hearing those words every parent absolutely abhors "I'm bored." Nope - no more being bored at our house.

At 6:15am, we'll start the rituals. Showers, breakfast, backpacks, carpool. As the PTO Prez of my "little diva's" school, we have a kindergarten tea this morning. I'm thrilled - and you know what? If you ask my kids - I'd bet that they are too!

Family Fun at Chandler's 4th of July Celebration and Fireworks Spectacular

Location: Tumbleweed Park, southwest corner of Germann & McQueen roads.

Tumbleweed Park, 2250 S. McQueen Rd. Chandler, AZ

Admission: FREE, but parking is $5.00

Time: 4pm to 10pm; Gates open at 4 p.m. Fireworks at 9:30 p.m.

What To Do: Activities include a 35-foot water slide, 24-foot rock-climbing wall, dunk tank, and assorted water games and interactive amusements for kids. The Arizona Veteran Rodders Club will have more than 100 classic cars on display There's fFireworks and activities, including live music, classic cars, free kids' carnival, food, and of course, a fabulous display of fireworks. 98.7, my 45 and Fox 10 will also be there. Affinity Productions presents Neon Factor & Full Impact will be performing on the main stage.

Don't Forget About: The Cactus Bike Push, Pull, Peddle Bike Parade will be held at 6 p.m. The participant with the bike that is decorated best will win a children's bike. Free registrations can be done between June 18 and July 3 at any Cactus Bike location, or at the park on July 4 from 4-5:30 p.m. For bike parade details, contact Cactus Bike at (480) 782-5483 (Ocotillo location) or (480) 940-7433 (Ahwatukee location).

What To Bring: Blankets, sunscreen, chairs.

What to Expect: Expect to have a great time with your family and friends. Expect a crowd as there will be a lot of people there.

Hope to see you there!

Chandler AZ Community Blog: Festival & Celebration

After attending yesterday's blogging conference, I came home and put my creativity to work. Sometime while The Phoenix Real Estate Guy (Jay Thompson) was speaking, I decided that my own community needed an on-line forum to communicate. Even after living in the community for over a decade, I still am not able to call the majority of my neighbors by name. Even if there are over 300 of them, I would still like to be able to address them in the local grocery store. Make sense?

So - I implemented the step-by-step directions that Jay gave and voila - my own community has it's very own blog - Festival & Celebration Chandler, AZ. I'm so proud!

To spread the word of our newly created blog, I printed up bookmarks (like the ones Greg Swann distributed at the conference for his Real Estate Webloggging 101) and had my bored-because-its-summer kids deliver them door-to-door (don't worry it was early in the morning before it got hot).

Stop by and comment. Please leave your name, so next time we meet, I can say more than "Hey, Neighbor".