Movin' On Up

I was initially hired on at Pier One as a seasonal "limited" time employee - meaning that I'm not supposed to work more than 20 hours a week.

When I spoke to my Manager on the phone before my interview she said that she was only hiring for temporary seasonal employees but that it didn't mean I couldn't stay on after the holidays. I told her that I "fully intend to kick ass" which she liked.

I have worked five or six shifts in the last ten days and a couple of days ago the regional manager was in the store to check things out. Apparently I made a good impression on her and she and my direct manager both are interested in training me to be a sales leader and in charge of the logistics of unloading the truck deliveries. They also have given me more than 20 hours this week, one shift is part of a display/visuals seminar tonight from 6pm to midnight.

I am REALLY excited about this, for several reasons. As the GM at the pet store I feel like the things I excelled at most were cleaning up the displays and general appearance of the store - in an organized way AND organizing projects.

Logistics, organization and visual style are things I am pretty natural at, so it's actually fun for me to "have to" reorganize an entire display.

Our Pier One store apparently was pretty disorganized before my manager arrived and she has been having to clean up in many ways. It's exciting and fun for me to be in on this level of turning things around. I feel like I always do better in a situation where there is a goal and a significant amount of pressure to succeed.

All of this can only benefit me in our dream to eventually own and run our own pet store.

As for working during the holiday season? I love it. The one exception is that the muzak loop at the store has what I believe is a Miley Cyrus rendition of "Holly Jolly Christmas", and it's HORRENDOUS.

Black Friday

Our dinner turned out fabulously, we will be posting pics and some recipes over on Are You Gonna Eat That? - our new food blog.







Buster got to enjoy some Thanksgiving dinner, and he was quite happy about it. Even the cats got a tiny bit of potatoes, stuffing, turkey and gravy - although they didn't really eat much besides the turkey and potatoes (and I'm sure that's because the potatoes were loaded with butter, goat cheese and sour cream).

We spent the evening watching TV, napping, snacking on leftovers and surfing the internet.

When I picked up a shift on Wednesday afternoon, my boss asked me to work today from 11am to 3pm. With that in mind I set the alarm clock for 9:30am and went to sleep around 2am.

At 8am my phone rang and it was my boss. Apparently I was actually scheduled for an 8am to Noon shift and she had given me the wrong schedule. She asked if I could come in right away and I complied.

I raced through my ablutions and managed to get to the store by about 8:40am.

For "Black Friday" it really wasn't bad at all. I helped a few people find some things, cashed several people out and did some unpacking of freight in the stock room - then it was time to go home!

I ate some more mashed potatoes and gravy and then took a several-hour nap.

Scott started on a batch of hot sauce this afternoon and I've been working my way through mass amounts of laundry.

Thanksgiving Dinner?

In honor of one of the cooking-est days of the year, Scott and I have started a cooking blog together!

You can find it HERE.

Happy Thanksgiving!

A Big Task

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving Day (US).

Today is/was Wednesday.

Today I worked a four-hour shift at Pier One mostly putting together furniture. I'm enjoying my job there and hoping to work hard enough that they decide to hire me as a full time employee and put me on salary.

Yesterday Amy, Carrie and I spent the day in Aiken, SC. My first order of business was getting two very important letters mailed; one to our former landlord requesting all of our money back since they did not send us anything in writing within thirty days that they were intending to keep some of it, and the second to a former renter that still owes me $750. I'm hoping it will scare him enough to just come up with the money right away.

After that was taken care of we went into the downtown historic area and spent a little time in some of the galleries and shops. In an art gallery we saw an entire exhibit of paintings of places in Key West! It made me even more Key-West-sick than I have been lately (which is quite).

Once we were done window shopping we continued to Hitchcock Woods to hike and take pictures. Some of the paths were more sand than dirt so our legs got quite a workout. As we were arriving there was a group of fox-hunters coming out of the woods. The horses AND dogs were beautiful, and I admired the outfits of the riders as I am more used to seeing western saddles and dress than the english version.

As it started to get colder and a little darker we made our way back to the car and then on to Moe's, a wonderful mexican grill fast food joint. As I had eaten a sandwich right after my business at the Post Office, I wasn't as hungry, so I contented myself with a big bowl of guacamole, fresh chips and an icy Cherry Coke.

Finally full (and warm!) we were off to the Hobby Lobby, which I had never experienced before. For those in the northwest it's similar to a Craft Warehouse only even BIGGER if you can believe that! The selection is just incredible. We had a great time just browsing through everything and I spent a little of what little cash I had to buy two 8x10 frames for a couple of our wedding pictures.

Carrie took a lot of pictures of ornaments and Amy trying various ones on her head while I marveled at everything around me. Once we pulled ourselves away from Hobby Lobby we went to Lowes, where we acquired ten 50-lb bags of gravel that Amy and Carrie are putting down in the back yard (it WAS all mulch, but the dogs keep digging it up). Our final stop was Kroger where the girls stocked up on groceries and by the time we left the parking lot I was well packed into the back seat!

As we pulled into Amy's driveway Scott called, wondering if I was ever coming back... I assured him that I would be on my way shortly.



Scott and I are planning to cook Thanksgiving dinner for just the two of us (and the animals). I had invited several friends and family members from near states but they all had previous plans, so it will just be us.



Our Menu:
Turkey (Scott is making this and he and Buster will eat it. I may try a bite if it smells good.)
Stuffing (We are each making some, winging our own recipes. Mine is sourdough & mushroom.)
Salad (just a plain old green leaf lettuce and whatever veggies are on hand)
Mashed Potatoes (with goat cheese, cream cheese, sour cream, chives and butter)
Gravy (my uncle's recipe in which there is white wine and mushrooms and a few other things)
Pumpkin Cheesecake (it just went in the oven)

We're watching various tv shows thanks to our Comcast dvr and I'm pausing them to cook now and then.

Life Grinds Slowly Back Into Gear

I started orientation at Pier One today.

I was scheduled to have an interview there at 2pm on Friday. Yesterday at about 4pm I realized that it WAS FRIDAY.

I should have deduced that it was Friday because I watched CSI the night before, wished a friend happy birthday only to have him tell me "thanks, but it was yesterday", but it took looking at the TV Guide website telling me it was Friday to figure it out.

Fortunately my interviewer was understanding and when I called to assure her that I am NOT a total flake, she told me to come in for the interview right away.

It's nice to be working again, although it makes me very store-sick for the pet store in Key West.

This afternoon Scott and I planned out our Thanksgiving Day meal and then went to the grocery store to stock up, first having dinner at a Thai restaurant next door to Publix.

During dinner we talked about ideas for a poor-economy Christmas and came up with some rather good ones, I think.

I got started tonight on one of the major projects, I would say I'm about one-fifth of the way done with it and haven't spent a dime. I'm hoping that the recipient thinks it's as kickass as I do... if someone made this present for ME I would LOVE it.

The other highlight of the evening was when Scott discovered that it's a bad idea to feed The Stink from the couch. This results in her constantly wanting up to see if there's more and then wanting down to look for it herself.

A Little bit of Martha...

This is the Martha Stewart version:


It is done with weatherproof paper and tape and hung on an outside door.

I liked the look of the idea, and goodness knows I love to be crafty, so I started digging through my Christmas bins to see what I could come up with.

While in Key West, the only store that had reasonably priced Christmas decorations was K-Mart, and so I chose items in the silver and purple vein both years.

Since I can't afford to buy all new Christmas decorations this year, I'm going to go with what I collected in Key West, so I figured a silver and purple wreath would coordinate nicely.

I had plenty of silver stuff, but not as much purple. Carrie and I ended up taking a trip to Dollar General, Target and Michaels looking for purple wrapping paper, which apparently is so Last Year.

I made do with some pieces of purple scrapbooking paper instead and then came home and wrapped a bunch of small boxes - some from Michaels but most were either empty gum display boxes I got at Food Lion or cream cheese boxes from my fridge.

Carrie helped by wrapping the base in silver paper and putting in her two cents about which boxes should be where.

We were very pleased with the final product...

Photo Therapy

It always makes me feel better to have some sort of artistic outlet.

Carrie and I took another photo/walking tour of downtown Augusta today and got some fun shots.

Sketchy and Hopeful

I'm thinking that I may not want to work at WS. I picked up the paperwork on Thursday last week and they had mentioned then that there was no rush because the company that owns the mall is declaring bankruptcy.

You would think that if they are volunteering this information to applicants, that they would also tell the employees. You know, so they can look for other jobs if it turns out that the store is going to close.

When I handed in my paperwork to "June", I mentioned that because of the "situation" with the mall I was still looking for other positions. She asked me "what situation." I filled her in.

I don't know that I want to be employed at a place that keeps their employees in the dark about whether they will have a job next month.

I have also realized that if I actually wish to get a job in retail this holiday season, I will have to suck it up and work evenings. Scott and I were hoping that I could work days so we could have our evenings together, but I have a feeling that if I want any response at all I'm going to have to be available for the prime shopping hours, which makes sense.

I stopped by Pier One this afternoon to let them know that I AM available in the evenings, and I changed it on my application at Bed, Bath and Beyond as well. I discussed being available with the manager at Michaels when I handed in that application.

Since we were nearly out of wet dog food (Buster is a spoiled old man) I stopped at PetsMart and talked with the manager there. I mentioned that I had applied online before we moved but hadn't heard anything, and referenced my year plus experience as the GM at the pet store in Key West. He said he'd check out my info and get back to me if he can scrape any hours together.

Once I got home I realized that it was PetCo I had applied to online and not PetsMart, so I hastily remedied that situation and gave the manager a call to let him know that he will find my info later today.

I really miss the store in Key West. I miss the people and the animals and just WORKING.

Turn Around

Fortunately, my bank did indeed catch the error before I was up on Friday morning. That was a big load off of my mind.

I was also able to pay the mortgage payment online, which was another time and energy saver.

Saturday evening I went application hunting just in case the Williams Sonoma job falls through. I completed a Pier One app there in-store and brought home apps for Michaels and Bed, Bath & Beyond.

I would very much enjoy Pier One or Michaels, and I'm feeling really good about Pier One.

Tonight I joined Carrie and Amy at the theater to see "Quantom of Solace", the latest 007 movie. I have to say I really enjoyed it.

Once I got home I cleaned the entire kitchen, set the counter with two place settings, and made Scott's lunch for tomorrow. I've also been hanging pictures on the walls and getting clothes hung up in the closet, in addition to clearing space in the garage so I can park my car in it.

Right now Scott is trying to fix the kitchen table.

I feel better in general about things.

Tomorrow I'm planning to collect sticks and leaves and lay them out in the garage to dry so I can hot glue them together into wreaths, finish filling out the applications and deliver them and my Williams Sonoma paperwork.

When Life Gets You Down...

Today I deposited a $2000 check into my checking account, in person, at a bank.

When I got home and went online to schedule some online bill pay stuff, it shows that the teller credited me $200.

Today I also went in to Williams Sonoma (I received a voicemail on the 6th that they want to hire me) to do "paperwork."

When I got there they handed me a packed and told me to fill it out and bring it back "whenever" because the company that owns the mall is declaring bankruptcy. SERIOUSLY?

Our Florida landlord legally has fifteen days to refund our deposit and last month's rent. He legally has thirty days to notify us in writing if he intends to claim any of the deposit.

Our Florida landlord is currently in Nicuragua with no phone and no power.

Auntie ReesePie

This is my new nephew. He's our first one. He is the first grandbaby for all of his grandparents.

Scotty is very proud.

The baby's name is Jackson.

He complied with our plans and arrived about 36 hours after we arrived in Seattle to see him.

Travelling

Scott and I are heading to Seattle early tomorrow morning.

Actually, since the plane leaves out of Atlanta at 7:15am we are just staying up and leaving for Atlanta around 3am.

Carrie is house/animal sitting while we're gone.

I had my interview today at Williams Sonoma. It was a group interview, which was odd. I'll either get a phone call or a "thanks but no thanks" card in the mail sometime in the next two weeks.

In the meantime we're heading across the country to welcome a new nephew into the world.

Voting Day

No, I didn't.

I watched a House marathon instead.

And got my Georgia driver's license.

And don't try to get all politicky with me, I won't discuss it.

I said Good Day!

Scarves and Boots!

Moving to Georgia during this time of year has been fabulous. I have been able to immediately start wearing some of my favorite parts of my wardrobe... sweaters, scarves and boots!

Even Buster has a new winter jacket and a new sweater for Christmas.

And yes, we dressed him as a skunk for Halloween. He loved it.

Beautiful Day for a Picnic

Amy and Carrie and I spent the day together - meeting first at a cafe in downtown Augusta for Coffee, then we drove out to the New Savannah Lock and Dam (not actually IN Savannah) for a picnic lunch on a dock. Then we all came back to our house and Scott and I handed out candy on the front porch to all the neighborhood kids.

Buster was in a skunk costume and Stinkerbell was (briefly) dressed as a pumpkin. Those pics will come tomorrow... but here's some from today.

On The Hunt

I had an adventurous day yesterday.

A friend since high-school lives about 40 minutes away in Aiken, SC and we've been hanging out a bit. It's good for both of us to have a friend out here where we know so few people.

Yesterday we went to the Augusta Mall where I collected eight job applications. As I was gathering one from Williams Sonoma the manager took my name and number and called me right away to schedule an interview next Wednesday at 2pm.

I got a blister on my finger filling out the rest of them last night.

After our job hunt, we went "downtown" Augusta and took pictures.

Traveling Zoo

Thirteen hours according to Google maps is really more like 16 or 17 in a Honda pulling a 4x6 U-Haul trailer.

We departed Key West at about 7pm on Saturday (a week ago) and made a few stops... one for gas, another stop on Big Pine at Rob's Island Grill for the best gardenburger in the Keys.

We made it to our approximate halfway point - a Clarion motel in Titusville, Florida at about 4am Sunday morning. It took us about a half hour to get all the critters and their stuff in the room and then we went to bed. We put the big baby gate up across the bathroom/sink/closet area and put Stinkerbell's house under the sink, with the cat litter box in the bathroom itself.

We managed to get all the animals fed and once we went to bed everyone pretty much quieted down and went to sleep.

Scott got up around 1pm and I got up around 1:30pm and we loaded up and headed north. We stopped for gas and food somewhere near Jacksonville I think...

I had everyone but Scott in the Honda with me, the cats' litter box in the trunk with the back seats down and Buster in the passenger seat. The cats and Stinkerbell got to run free.

Chou likes to ride in the floorspace up front and since there was a bunch of stuff and bedding in the passenger side floorspace, he chose mine. Fortunately he stayed out from under the pedals and didn't mind if I shoved him back with my feet when he encroached on my space.

Minx was a little bit everywhere, mostly starting to yell about five or six hours into both days. At that point I put on my ipod and was able to tune her out.

Maui split his time snuggling with Buster and sitting in the cat bed in the back seat.

Stinkerbell was either asleep in the front seat with Buster and Maui or in her bed (sometimes underneath it). She managed not to bite anyone, which is usually her modus operandi when in close proximity to the other animals. The picture on the left shows Buster, Stinker, Maui (right above Stinker's tail) and Chou (on the right - in my armpit) all in the front seat which lasted about ten minutes. Then I kicked the cats and skunk out so Buster wasn't so cramped.


Won-Ton initially was on the dash, with two of the feet of his travel tank on a "non-slip" pad that is meant for cell phones and such. After two incidences of the tank flying off the dash and dumping water everywhere (the second time requiring me to pull over, call Scott and have him bring a bottle of Evian to refill the container) I took the handle off the container and rigged it with a bungee cord to hang from my rear-view mirror. Sounds silly, but he was safe for the rest of the trip (when Buster wasn't trying to drink him).

The drive on Sunday was a lot easier. We had both had at least eight hours of sleep and were a lot less anxious about what time we were going to arrive.

Fortunately the realtor that helped us find and lease the house only lives about fifteen minutes from the new place and was willing to meet us when we arrived at about 10:15pm to let us in. He knew we weren't going to have water or power until Monday, but he was able to turn our water on at the curb and his wife sent a bunch of her candles over so we could see enough to get our mattress and the animals in the house.

Monday morning the power came on around 10am and the water heater made quick work of heating up enough water for about a five minute shower. Once presentable we drove to the bottom of our subdivision and had lunch at a Mexican restaurant in the strip mall there. We found a Food Lion and bought a few necessities before heading back to the house for a walk-through with the realtor.

Tuesday Scott managed to get a Georgia driver's license and we took a trip to Bed, Bath & Beyond, followed by dinner at Macaroni Grill.

Wednesday Scott went to work for the first time at his new job and Comcast came to hook up our DVR and internet. After he came home we went to Lowes and then Red Robin for dinner. (We don't have wireless yet and the ethernet cable isn't working for my computer, so I have to pirate Scott's when he's not using it.)

Thursday my friend Carrie (from high school) came over from Aiken, SC and we spent the day together, having breakfast (around 1pm) at IHOP and then a quick trip to Home Depot. I looked for herbs and vegetables to grow at the house but I'm guessing it's past season for them this far north because there was NOTHING edible in the nursery there. I bought three Hostas instead.

Friday I slept in and then did some unpacking and organizing and moving furniture around. Once Scott got home we went to Publix and did the REAL grocery shopping.

Today we had Apple turnovers for breakfast (something my family did every Saturday morning for awhile when I was young) and then spent the day alternately unpacking and watching TV and feeding animals and ourselves. I made a batch of Potato Cheese Soup with a few fat-lowering modifications. It's not quite the same since I am mysteriously out of Paprika and I used 1% milk instead of half and half, but it was still good and filling.

Just Peachy

We're here in Georgia and getting settled in.

The house is beautiful.

I've taken lots of pictures - most of our two-day trip up from Key West, but they are on my computer which for some reason is not connecting to the internet.

So in the meantime I will just say that I'm planning some great posts and have some fun pictures to go with them.

Most importantly: We're safe! Everyone loves the house, the dog and cats (including the "fourth") are having fun exploring and hiding behind boxes.

The movers brought our stuff yesterday morning at 8am and we've been unpacking ever since. I've got most of the kitchen put away and we're working on the bedrooms and living areas.

Comcast came today to hook up our digital cable and wireless internet. The cable works. The internet only works via an ethernet cable to Scott's computer. We tried plugging it into mine and that doesn't even work.

I'm going to attempt to solve the problem tomorrow when my brain cells are fresh.

Getting Out of Dodge Key West

The packer/movers left with all our stuff yesterday around 4pm. We started cleaning the house and organizing the remainder of our things and then got tired and hungry.

We decided to spend a couple of hours downtown as a last hurrah for our friends that wanted to say goodbye, with the added bonus of getting out of the house for a little while.

We ate dinner at The Rum Barrel and about 15 of our friends came and/or stopped by to see us and say goodbye.

We got home around 10:30pm and went to bed. Or tried to anyway.

The movers packed the fan we usually have running at night for white noise and without it every sound in our empty concrete house was doubly magnified. Stinkerbell was up and wreaking havoc every way she knows how: climbing onto our mattress, sliding off, getting into stuff that's packed, turning over garbage cans, the full gamut of her chaos repertoire.

Finally around 4:45am I was ready to kill every living thing in the house (including Scott - he snores pretty loud when there's nothing to mask the noise) so I got up and went to Walgreens and bought two box fans, some breathe-right strips and some ear plugs.

It was a good recipe for peace and I managed to sleep from about 5:30am to about 11:00am. Then we figured we'd better get in gear and finish cleaning the house so we can leave.

We've worked pretty hard in the three hours since, and then it started pouring rain right when I was actually starting to load the U-Haul.

And I mean POURING. Deluge. Sheets of Water.

Ridiculous.

I guess with both of us cleaning it will get done faster, right? And then all we'll have to do is wait for the rain to stop. If it doesn't I suppose we can move the BMW out of the carport and back the U-Haul in, then load everything out through the kitchen.

Useless

I'm sitting on our couch. On my right is the dog. On my left is a kennel with the three cats inside.

I'm watching a three-man crew pack up everything I own.

It's very strange to watch all this happening and not really have anything to do! I asked if it would be helpful if I brought things from the kitchen to them and they said no. They're pretty much saying "Stay Out Of The Way!" without actually saying it.

Right now the most useful thing I can do is take the turtle back to the pet store to go into the pond. Even Stinkerbell is in her cage and for once she's not upset about it... she's hiding in her bed.

We were planning to stay at a friend's house tonight on their futon, but all our pillows and blankets have already been packed, in addition to the fan I use for white noise so I can sleep!

I guess it's really happening!

Finally, a Plan!

The moving company called us back this morning and is planning to come on Thursday and pack, and then move on Friday.

We were really hoping to have them here tomorrow or Wednesday, but that is clearly not going to happen, so I guess we'll suck it up.

Also they told Scott to tell me to stop packing - for liability purposes they have to pack everything. So now I'm just trying to organize and clean. That sucks.

I dismantled and hosed out the hamster cage today, Tempura is going to live with my friend Kelle who LOVES animals and has been wanting a hamster every time one comes into the pet store, so I know she will spoil her and take very good care of her.

I just don't like feeling like I'm not doing anything to get our life progressing.

Amazing.

I happened to read about this while looking up Darlene Zschech on Wikipedia (long story as to how I got to her on Wikipedia but anyway...)...

I've always been impressed when American Idol contestants sing a Christian pop or worship song on the show. They are often judged pretty harshly for it, but I give them kudos for doing it at all.

I wondered how it was that I missed this episode and then I realized that it aired two days before our wedding and watching TV was the last thing on my mind right about then...

In any case, I am pleased that it was on the show.

Last Day

It's beginning to get light out on my last day of work in Key West. I'll likely go in on Sunday or Monday and do some computer stuff, but today is my last shift on the floor.

Stinkerbell is sleeping on my lap... when I got out of bed about an hour ago she got up and followed me to the living room.

All the animals are being extra-needy right now - Stinkerbell has never moved so she can't really understand the boxes, but Buster and the cats have experienced boxes before and are getting worried.

Buster tries to come with us anytime we leave the house now, he's afraid of being left behind!

We signed a lease today and faxed it back to the realtor, I'll post pics as soon as there's no way it can fall through. If I've learned nothing else in this recent chapter of life it's that I HAVE to take each day one at a time or I'll lose my freaking mind!

I did find an insurance agent in the area and have transferred our car and renters insurance, once the lease is confirmed I'll go online and transfer Comcast and do our address change.

I've packed a bunch of stuff - mostly clothes and bedding as it's clean. We're probably going to get rid of some stuff before we leave: two tv's we never use, our bed frame (since it's TOTALLY busted now) and all the crappy pots and pans since we've been collecting new ones from Crate & Barrell thanks to wedding gift cards.

I'm REALLY excited about the kitchen in the new house... once you see it you'll understand why!

Stay Calm

more animals

I'm sure that I will jinx the whole thing by talking about it - but I believe we're moving to Georgia. We picked a house tonight (I'll post pics as soon as the lease is signed) and are going to call tomorrow to schedule the movers.

I'm excited - I would love to go home to the northwest, but going anywhere new is cool, too. I'm hoping that we will be more free to travel "home" from Augusta than from Key West, I'd really like to be at my Family Reunion and Family Camping Trip next summer.

Of course, I'm having a hard time sleeping because my brain keeps making lists of things that need to be done before we move or in order to move.

And, there's a bit of added stress because someone is apparently illegal in Georgia.

Taking Action

This morning before I left for work Scott and I decided that if the company in WA doesn't call by the end of the day today, we're going to go ahead and go to GA.

He's picking a house now and getting his paperwork ready.

In the Meantime...

Since there's few things in my life at the moment I CAN control, I got bored and decided to cut and color my hair.

Granted, the light and color effects on these pictures make it look like I'm pasty white in the "after" pic, but I'm not...


I've really missed having dark red hair, so I decided to go back to it for awhile. Now if only I could force a decision in where we're moving to!

Packing and Waiting

Right now we don't know where we're going.

The company in Washington had a phone interview with Scott yesterday and the next step is for them to call him back and ask him to fly out for an interview in person.

We will continue with plans to move to Augusta until the company in Washington makes it clear whether they want to bring him on or not.

I'm just sorting and packing and organizing.

I'm Going to Lose My Mind

Today is Scott's last day of work here in Key West. We are narrowing down places to live in Georgia and have only 13 days before we are planning to leave.

Today the company in Bingen, WA emailed Scott and asked him to call for an interview.

I feel like my emotions have been run through a cement mixer and splatted out onto the road.

If that wasn't enough to make me just sit down and cry, last night my bosses told me they are pregnant. She is 36 and has been off birth control for about six months.

I'm 32 and have been off birth control for TWO YEARS.

I can honestly say this is the first time since we've been "trying" that having a friend tell me they are pregnant has bothered me at all.

I'm sure it's because I have so many other things to deal with right now, but I'm really having a hard time not being actively jealous.

Too Much Head Noise

It's 3:07am.

I tried to go to bed twice so far - starting around 10:30pm... I only have two more work days until I have four days off, then another 6 days on and that's it - we're gone!

Thanks to my fabulous in-laws, I'll be joining Scott on a trip to Seattle in November to (hopefully) meet our new nephew (if he cooperates with our schedule of course).

My mind keeps making lists of things to do and organize and pack... overwhelming.

Our immediate goal is to secure somewhere to live in the new town, there's a few possibilities lined up. Our favorite so far isn't available until the 21st of October and we'd like to be moved in before that, so we may have to go with something else.

My next goal once we have a new address is to work on new employment! I know it will be much easier once I'm actually in town and can walk in somewhere and convince them to hire me based solely on my brilliance.

Ha.

Packing Up

Things are far enough underway that I feel it is safe to announce our decision...

We ARE moving to Augusta, Georgia (unless we don't for some reason).

Right now we're planning to move around October 15th, we began showing our house here today and a rep from a moving company came to check out the house to see how much to charge Scott's company to move us.

We're trying to find someone to move in here as soon as possible so we don't lose our last month's rent.

Scott has been working very hard the last two days on cleaning the house while I have been working at the pet store. His last official day at work here in Key West will be this Tuesday.

My last day at the pet store will probably be the 12th or 13th and then we are anticipating having the movers take everything on the 15th.

Scott will take Buster, Tempura, Won-Ton and Zim in the BMW and I will take the three cats and Stinkerbell in the Honda. Should be an interesting 13 hour drive... Scott suggested that he and I and Buster go ahead and have Maui drive the other cats and the skunk.

I Give Up

I'm not blogging until our decision is final. Georgia is back in the running.

Gah.

No Georgia.

As soon as we thought we were sure about something, it changed.

Originally we were told that if we took the position in Georgia, we'd make at least what we are making now and have a lower cost of living - giving us the ability to save up a significant amount of money.

The official offer came in today at quite a bit less than what we are making in Key West to account for the lower cost of living in Georgia. Basically we wouldn't get anywhere financially and would have about the same amount of money.

In my opinion that's just not worth it. We've decided that the only reason to move from Key West is either to get ahead financially (and by a lot, not just a little) or to move HOME.

So, we're going to take the offer from the new company in Key West and work on the Washington/Oregon opportunities, and take them as soon as they are something that is worth our packing up and moving.

If you are in the Portland/Vancouver or Columbia Gorge area and think you know of a good job for me, let me know!

What Comes Next

I am watching Unwrapped on Food Network.

I'm not really paying attention though, I'm more mentally wrapped up in not knowing where I'm going to live a month from now.

Recently another option besides Augusta came up, and then today "Company C" gave Scott an offer to stay that is pretty good.

But now we've gotten our hearts ready to leave Key West.

The "mystery" option could put us close to home on the west coast, but likely wouldn't pay anything near Augusta or Key West. But it would be close to home.

Close enough to go to church every week at the place we love. Close enough to visit our ailing grandparents on a regular basis. Close enough to see our nephew (due in November) and all our friends' kids grow up.

This is a very hard place to be, emotionally.

I'm good at just picking up and leaving, I made the decision to move to Key West from Vancouver, WA in about a week.

I'm not good at not knowing what the plan is.

Home Cookin'

I made a very tasty meal a couple of nights ago without any recipes...

Reese's Vegetarian Stuffed Bell Peppers

2 parts water to 1 part rice (I made two cups of rice tonight and it was about four times what I needed for two peppers): Put the water in the pan, add a package of taco seasoning and bring to a boil. Add the rice, cover, turn burner off and let cook for a half hour.


Meanwhile...back at the ranch...

preheat oven to 350

Cut the tops off the bell peppers - about an inch from the top. Discard the stem and dice the rest of the tops.

Saute the diced tops in a pan with half a white onion, also diced and some olive oil. Add in about four cloves of garlic, diced. Once the onions and peppers start to soften, add in a package of Boca burger crumbles and stir occasionally for about another five minutes, then turn the burner to low.

Clean out the bottoms of the bell peppers. Drizzle a little olive oil in the bottom of the peppers and in the bottom of a covered baking dish. Place the bell peppers open side up (covered) into the preheated oven for about fifteen minutes. Take them out of the oven and turn them right side down in the dish, cover again and cook for another fifteen minutes.


After the second fifteen minutes, sprinkle the inside of the peppers with a pinch of kosher salt. Layer spoonfuls of the rice with layers of the burger/peppers mixture. Put back in the oven for about five to ten minutes.

Sprinkle a tiny bit of shredded cheddar on top.

_____________________________________________

Black Bean Quesadillas...

I mixed a can of diced green chilies (drained) in a bowl with about an equal amount of drained canned black beans.

Cover a cookie sheet with tin foil, put a flour tortilla on the pan, sprinkle a thin layer of shredded jack cheese and place in the oven on the bottom rack (still at 350) for about five or ten minutes - until the tortillas start to get crispy and the cheese is melted. Take out of the oven and move from the pan. Lay down new tortillas, another thin layer of cheese then spoon a bit of bean/chili mix on each tortilla and place the first round of tortillas w/ cheese on top. Back in the oven for about five to ten minutes - until the cheese is all melty.

Serve with guac and sour cream.

The Midnight Train

In the last two days a lot has been going on at our house.

We've pretty much decided to move to Augusta, Georgia.

The WHY:
Scott is currently employed by a company whose contract for his job is up October 1st. Instead of going with the new company to keep his job and get less pay, less vacation, no hurricane pay and a host of other non-benefits, he has the opportunity to take a position WITH his current company but in Augusta at at least the same pay rate and benefits.

The WHEN:
Scott will likely go in about two to three weeks, I will probably follow within about three weeks to a month.

The CONS:
I'll be giving up my job at the pet store, which is the job I've enjoyed most anywhere.
We'll miss our friends here in Key West - my coworkers and especially Jenny.
Augusta is not a tropical island.

The PROS:
I've already applied for a real-estate closing assistant job in Augusta, which is basically the same type of thing I was doing in Washington before moving to Key West. If that doesn't come through, there is a general manager position available at a PetCo in Augusta and a few other things that look interesting.
Housing in the area is significantly less expensive than in Key West. We've already been scouting out possibilities and I've found beautiful five-bedroom homes on huge lots for a hundred dollars less per month than we are paying for our two-bedroom here in Key West.
We'd be about a two-hour drive from Atlanta, which is a hub for several airlines thus making it much cheaper to fly anywhere anytime, but more importantly to Portland.
Then there's the conveniences... Target, Red Robin, Trader Joes, Old Navy, and my favorite - Old Spaghetti Factory all within driving distance.

We're hoping to make strong headway on saving up a bunch of money so that when we DO have the opportunity to move to Portland/Vancouver, we have more freedom with what to do once we get there.

The ONLY Reason I Would Like To Have Attended a Public High-School...

This is possibly the coolest thing I've ever seen.

These kids are seriously creative. Some of the detail on the outfits is just incredible.

THESE people should be on Project Runway!

Hurrication

Kelsie asked about the colored lines on the NOAA maps... if you look at the key in the upper right hand corner it shows that the colors correlate to different levels of storm watch/warnings.

Blue is Tropical Storm Warning - which is what we've been experiencing today.

The delivery truck for the pet store came around noon and between my bosses, two boarding staff, Scott and I and another employee an her husband, we got everything unloaded, unboxed and put away within about 2 hours.

Then the bosses took us to lunch at Jack Flats downtown where we enjoyed some good food and drink and trivia games until the power went out... That only lasted for about a half hour and then it came back on.

We experienced a second power outtage for about 20 minutes about an hour ago, but nothing that has caused us discomfort or danger.

The pet store will re-open tomorrow at 10am and Jen told me I can come in at 2pm instead of noon.

HW to TS

We're all the way down to Tropical Storm Warning...

The pet store is getting a scheduled delivery tomorrow so I'll be working and probably drag Scott in to help since most of the kids evacuated.

Staying Put

As you can see... we are now outside the cone and are quickly downgrading from "hurricane watch" to "tropical storm warning".

We're ready to get out if we need to, but right now it doesn't look like we're going to need to.

Family Together

Scott arrived home safe, but almost didn't make it on the plane in Ft. Meyers. We've never changed our drivers licenses and he couldn't prove he is a Key West resident, so they nearly wouldn't issue him a ticket.

The animals are all very happy to see him, Stinkerbell is back snuggling his leg in her old familiar spot and Buster has been overly attentive as well.

This is the latest 5 day forecast of IKE, which puts us under "hurricane watch" but not "hurricane warning".

Click on the picture to see the whole thing...

We will pack and be ready to go if deemed necessary tomorrow afternoon.

Eveready...

Ike is one fickle dude. Now he has turned a bit northward again..

"T 11 AM EDT...1500 UTC...A HURRICANE WATCH HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR THEFLORIDA KEYS FROM OCEAN REEF SOUTHWARD...INCLUDING THE DRY TORTUGAS." From http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/text/refresh/MIATCPAT4+shtml/071504.shtml

We are planning to be ready to go at any moment and then go as far as we need to.

Not Going, Just Swimming.

If Ike stays on his present course, he will most fiercely attack Cuba and stay out of the Keys, with the exception of a storm surge of up to seven feet.

At this time we are not planning to evacuate anymore, but may go stay at my bosses' house if ours gets too wet.

Scott arrives home tomorrow around 3pm.

Current Plan...

Scott called me this morning and is worried enough to cut his business trip short and come home tomorrow.

This is good in many ways - I miss him, of course, but then I don't have to worry about what to do with his car, he can drive it AND I can pack it full of more stuff.

At this point we will be leaving Monday morning sometime to Punta Gorda which is near Fort Meyers. (See "A" on the map)

In fun news... I've been receiving birthday cards and greetings online starting yesterday, and my bosses took me to a wonderful dinner last night which I intend to describe IN FULL as soon as I'm not doing something else. Like work, or packing, or fleeing for our lives.

Ike Update

Well, as of 8pm on Friday... there is now a mandatory evacuation for the keys for Sunday.

Still planning to go - just not sure when.

Ike

The current 5 day forecast of Hurricane Ike puts it right over the Keys on Wednesday as a Category 3 or higher.

My bosses let me know this morning that they are making plans to evacuate on Tuesday and that I and my zoo are welcome to go with them to a friends' house in Central Florida.

I am mostly ready to roll with the animals, but I need to try and do a little prep at the house so that if there is flooding not everything will be ruined.

I'll update as I can, at the very least I'll phone it in to a friend and have him update my blog for me.

Scott has given me the option of "demanding" that he come home and help, but if he does then his company would want to evac him to NM anyway, so I'd only have his help preparing, not during.

Band-Aids

Three of my fingers are adorned with band-aids.

One for a Sun Conure bite I received on Monday while trying to replenish their food and water.

One for a cardboard-cut (like paper cut but OUCH WORSE!) I ended up with after a large box slid through my hands.

The third I have no idea of the cause, I just know that all three injuries were stinging and irritating me and since I couldn't sleep anyway I decided to neosporin and bandage them.

They feel better now.

Too bad it didn't make me sleepy.

Everyone else in my house is sleeping - even the hamster is snoozing in her UFO instead of running on her wheel. Stinkerbell actually slept with me on the bed for awhile, with her little black and white rump smooshed up against Maui's.

Zim (the turtle) is sleeping under his sun-lamp on a ledge that sticks to the sides of the aquarium via magnets.

Buster is on my bed, Chou is on a cat post, Maui is napping in the corner and Minx is on the guest bed.

Back I go to the room of Snoring Dog.

Wish me luck. Better yet, wish me SLEEP.

Finally Kicked My Own Butt

I don't know if it's that I'm sick of the house smelling like various kinds of animal poo, or if I was tired of eating fast food, but I finally got with the program.

Yesterday I managed to do two loads of laundry, change the sheets on my bed, clean the cat litter box (which Stinkerbell has been pooping in also of late), haul the garbage out to the cans and wrestle the cans to the curb, and work on a craft project I've been trying to get done for weeks.

Today after work I went to TWO grocery stores and stocked up, then within ten minutes of getting home I fed the dog, the skunk, the cats, unloaded the groceries and did a round of dishes.

Day #I Don't Know#, Hurricane Season 2008

Faye was no big deal. Seriously.

This picture was Faye around noon on Monday, August 18th. It was a little heavier later that day, but nothing major. We closed up shop and everyone took naps.

Gustav went past on it's way to Louisiana on Saturday, we had some tornado warnings but it too was not a big deal... it sounded and looked less severe than Faye was.

Hannah looks like it's probably going to head up the east coast and miss us entirely, even though right now it is a Category 4 hurricane.

I took advantage of the decent weather today to wrestle the garbage cans out the gate, although I had to work pretty hard to even get the gate open as the back yard is getting pretty overgrown. I may have to pay a friend to mow it.

I actually started a load of laundry before I went to bed last night, so processing it will just be a matter of getting off the couch. I'm hoping to tackle the litter box this afternoon.