We're still here!

It's been so long since last we wrote...and a lot has happened. Starting with Halloween week, we'll move ahead. Our moms came to visit and gave us a good boost in spirits and motivation. In one day they built shelves and COMPLETELY organized our garage. Talk about amazing!!! They also decorated for fall and helped hand out candy. Yes, they covered themselves with sheets and scared the kids that came by, which was a blast.

November brought wonderful surprises as many of our friends learned of pregnancies, including my sister getting ready for #3! Though I would love for my children to be close in age with Jo's and our friends' children, I'm still not sure about the parenting thing. We're getting lapped at the speed of light, but not willing to rush anything.

October was a record high $$ month for Walker at work-he made more than Panama City, which has been open for years. November was slower (expected around the holidays) but he was assigned a new boss. He now reports to a guy in Jackson, who seems to be really nice and helpful. This has helped decrease stress a megaton.

The kids aren't cutting any slack at school, so I'm on my toes and learning lots. There have been discouraging days, but moments of total enjoyment, so I stay balanced. I'm having to brush up on astronomy right now-I'll be ready to teach it next time around :).

Walker and I should have a new niece by the end of the week, and are thrilled to get to see her this weekend. Here's a pic from Alison and Michael's shower a little while back...with some of the best ladies in America.

For all the history buffs, this weekend marked the first time Walker has helped me decorate for Christmas. We turned our columns into candy canes and hung wreaths in the windows. Simple, yet festive.
Enough for now? I think so. Looking forward to bowl season.

still here...

Since the last post, Walker held a grand opening at his yard. Joy coordinated most of it and came to town to help make it happen. It was a huge success, including a lengthy newspaper article the day before and tv news appearance the evening after. Execs came in from Chicago and the senator sent a rep for the ribbon cutting. Hopefully it will lead to plenty of new business as he has 2 trucks ready to go.

The 8th graders and I have been learning a lot...I have some amazing students this year that I wish you could meet. Without a doubt, this is more challenging than anything I have ever done. Today we learned a song about atoms and went carolling to other classes.

We've been struggling a little bit (a lot) with our move and being away from friends, which is why we haven't been calling you guys. It may not make sense, but we'd rather talk to you guys when we're upbeat and positive. While we stick with the decision to move, it's not easy.

Yesterday marked the two year anniversary of Katrina, as most of you heard on the news. There were other victims we were worrying about yesterday, though, as I learned that the mother of one of my students was shot and killed in her home. Through students we learned that there was a history of domestic violence with the alleged perpetrator, who is the father of 3 out of 5 children in the home. The incident occurred in the middle of the night while the children were there. Please keep them in your thoughts and prayers.

Students start Friday! Talk about nervous! Luckily Walker's family was able to come visit and help us relax and get some things done around here. Walker continues to work extremely hard and is on his first fishing trip with customers right now. We'll go to the lake for the first time in a while this weekend-we've heard vines have over taken the house. Please keep in touch!

Back to the grind...

We were able to go to Savannah for our friends Mary and Scott's wedding, then stop and see the Cohens and Kennedys in Tallahassee. If you haven't met Molly yet, you will be amazed by her beauty and luscious lips! The next weekend we got to hang with Stew and Sue, then the Serotskys (Ella is off the charts in height!) It was a great end to a short summer...as I headed back to work yesterday (nerves really kicking in!) Luckily we'll see Walker's family this weekend, and in case you haven't heard, we're getting a niece!

Walker is still struggling with HR stuff-1 of his 4 guys is definitely quitting and 1 is talking about it. It leaves him with the original 2, which are awesome guys and really hard workers. Today was the first inventory and I'm waiting for Walk to come home and debrief (it's almost 7pm). We absolutely appreciate your continued support as we work through this transition (I can't think of a better word...)

Luckily...

You can get gas, booze and hardwoods in one convenient location!

It's been pretty quiet aroud here since our last post. I think Walker would spend the night at the yard if they had a bed and shower. I've been demanding he come home at a decent hour so he can relax and unwind before he has to turn around and go back. The vice prez of his region came this week and was impressed with what's going on. Next week he'll get his 2nd boom truck and be able to take on more business. As of right now, he's keeping the truck he has really busy. It definitely looks like he'll make money this month!

I've cleaned and unpacked my classroom and am starting to get excited about the year (though really nervous, too.) It'll definitely be different from Lanier...

Or neighbors, John and Patsy are ultra awesome and we've hung out with them quite a bit. I was actually over there in the pool yesterday when Walker called-he took me to dinner at the new Hard Rock Casino with the finance manager of his company. Dinner on the company is always way fun! We're headed to Savannah for a wedding by way of Tallahassee tonight. We finally get to meet little Molly Mae!

A word from Walker (finally!)

The past couple of months have been the most trying and pressure filled of my life. My feet hit the floor at 5 every morning and I usually don't get home until 6 or 7. I have received very little help from my manager. It would be one thing if I was just handling the sales aspect, but that is only a portion of what I have to deal with. One of the most difficult tasks has been trying to find employees. I have a great operations supervisor and one of the best class A drivers and operators I have ever seen. I have to watch every cost and so when I send an applicant for a drug screen and a back ground check, that is a cost. As of now I am one for three. The one I am hiring had a kidnapping charge, but he explained to me that it was because he is black and his girlfriend was white and her parents found out and pressed charges. The other two I did not hire were felony drug charges. I have to balance my inventory to ensure that I do not have too much or too little. The problem with that is I know all the products that I need, but my sales will be so sporadic that I can't just bring in every item that I know that I eventually will need to have on hand. I don't have an accounting clerk, so I have to do most of the month end closing of the books. All of this amounts to an amazing learning opportunity, both mentally and physically (I have to run loads until people are hired). Starting a brand new center from nothing, is an experience that few people get to have. I have had one truck running loads for about 2 weeks, and after closing the books last night my profit margin looked great and I think that in month 2 we might even make money. If I am slow to return emails or calls during the week I apologize, but things are so hectic right now. I appreciate everyone's support and I hope to see you guys really soon.

Things That Go Bump in the Night

Maybe I'm the only one amused by such things, but I love to listen to big bugs fly into our windows at night. We have three windows across the back of the house and the giant mosquitoes outside want to come in really bad. Check out the little guy that tried to take advantage of the situation last night by climbing up the back door. He's about the size of a silver dollar (Carmen, you'd think he was so cute!)

There's a trail in the woods behind our house where the girls and I walk every day. There are two big mud puddles and I noticed a ton of tadpoles swimming around. Watching them grow will keep me occupied a while.

Walker's yard is open! He's working on getting some business, hiring drivers and warehouse, and waiting for furniture and computers. Baby steps...


In the meantime, we arranged the living room furniture (finally). This is the view from the entry hall-the brown thing on the bottom left is our couch and there's about 3 feet to the wall behind it. Our chairs are squared in front of the tv and there's about 4 feet to the wall behind them. That left room to show off the antique roll top desk in front of the windows, which still need treatments.

In case you haven't heard, Walker and I will be aunt and uncle in about 6 months!

Congratulations Alison and Michael!

So DirectTV offers local channels to 95% of the country now! Great, right? Sure, unless you're in the 5% that gets nothing...like we are. We plugged in the rabbit ears to watch the Cavs last night (a disappointment in itself).

I took some inspiration from my multi-tasking queen of a friend, Heather, and cranked up the music today-I have to get these boxes unloaded! Probably the only difference is I turned up the 90's (if you know her, you know what I mean). I started a new pile of boxes, which Reese thought was another bed.

Here's one for the kids: Can you find the animal dozing amidst the mess? Worthless!

Let's be fair-Dixie's had a tough day of defending her flip!

When I get out of the house more I'll have pictures of something besides the dogs!

Making Progress!

Don't worry-we have 2 matching La-Z-Boy chairs so there's no fuss. Walker says I have the better tv view, and I say he got the better bathroom sink...ah compromises!

The stack of boxes is getting taller (thanks, mom, for getting it started), which means we're getting settled, but the house is a mess. We visited the neighborhood pool for the first time Sunday and then took the dogs to the pond. We almost didn't get Dixie back home-she LOVES to swim and they were having so much fun they actually looked trained when a jogger came by!

So we spent most of last night doctoring dogs-I took them to the woods and something peculiar happened to Reese's eye...

Can you see how swollen it is? Dixie ambushed her in the woods, so she must have scratched it. Walker put a cold compress on it after we rinsed. Between that, allergies and ear infections, they're keeping us busy!

Walker has 2 employees now and product on the way. He's getting busier and Joy is helping us with marketing for the grand opening. I saw my classroom fo the first time Monday and will be able to move in soon!

Let me first fill you in on some local wisdom we learned at the Waffle House (we were at one of two non-smoking tables.) Grown man says to 5-6 year old boy, "Ain't you dip or chew yet? You play baseball, don't you? You gotta dip or chew if you play baseball."

Booze and a Big Screen

Our first weekend in the house!

I have accepted a position at Gulfport Central Midde School as an 8th (or 7th) grade science teacher. The populaton of students will be very different from Lanier as this is a Title I school (high number of low income families.) I am thrilled about the opportunity as I have spoken with the principal several times and an 8th grade teacher and they are so nice and laid back. Class size wll only be about 20 students and technology options will be good. I'm not sure if you can see the FEMA trailer park next door...

Walker's yard is still not open, but he has been meeting customers and shipping orders fom Mobile. Graduation was a couple weekends ago at Mercer and it offered closure to 2 years of hard work.

Welcome to our blog! We thought this would be a good way to keep everyone up on the adventures that moving to Mississippi is sure to bring. You might see his and hers versions every now and then as Walker sees things differently than me.

This is from my first weekend visit in Mississippi. I laid out in the parking lot getting sun while we waited for Walker's laundry. You could tell Walker had't used a coin laundry in a long time-he kept running in thinking someone was going to take his clothes. No one did.

I went back this week for spring break (there's no bigger party than the one at the D'Iberville Winngate Inn!) I forgot the camera, but will post new pics soon. I interviewed at Pass Christian Middle School and spent time driving around and shopping.

More to come!