Half of the month down, half to go! :)

I have had an eventful last few weeks and am not sure exactly where to start on this one...Okay....I am usually never sure where to start. I will start with the bad and work my way up!

A few weeks ago I came home from work and noticed that Alex's eyes were extremely cloudy. I asked Chris what he thought about it and he said, "You know, now that you say that, they were like that yesterday..." :/  We called the vet that night and they were pretty sure I could just bring him in the next day.  I made an appointment for 2:00 and loaded him in to his new carrier...

I think it might be a little small....what do you think? ;)

He cried all the way to the vet, but did not make a peep once we arrived.  They were astonished to take the lid off (the only reasonable way to get him out) and find what was underneath.  They tried to find every kind way to let me know that my cat was just SO beautiful and SO......overweight.  They placed him on the scale and he weighed in at 19 lbs. YIKES! About 4-5 lbs over his "ideal" weight.  (No surprise to the Rodriguez's). While the doctor left to go read up on what Alex might have, he jumped down and tried to find a good safe spot.

..which just so happened to be under a chair in the corner.

I think he's thinking, "Surely if I cant see them, they can't see me!" ;)

She came back in and just couldn't quite figure out what might be troubling him, but she was concerned about the cloudiness.  She suggested a steroid shot and an antibiotic shot as opposed to a diagnostics check that would cost the same and might not get us any further in exactly what was wrong.  I gave her the go ahead on the shots (double of each because of his weight...cha ching$$$$$), and then we went on our way...

but not before purchasing a prescription cat food to help him lose some of his weight. :)  He is adjusting to only eating twice a day, and only a half a cup at each serving.  He wasn't too thrilled about his new food, but quickly obliged when he realized that was all he would get.  His eyes cleared up the very next day and we were so very thankful! We just love our little man! He brings so much joy to our household.

The next event is that of our friend's Kyle and Kristin.  I was at the grocery store grabbing some meat to cook for dinner and I got a call from Chelsea saying that K & K's house had been broken into that day! She said she was bringing dinner to them and going to help clean up, so I put the meat away, asked Chris to heat up some left-overs, and headed over with Chelsea. Most of their electronics were taken (except for Kyle's Mac) and their home was destroyed.  Broken doors, glass, and every drawer completely emptied of its contents. And then to get fingerprints, they had to dust, which left black charcoal dust on the cabinets and even some on the carpets. :(

 This is where their tv and wii once were........

After a little while of talking about the situation and cleaning, we were able to sqeeze out several laughs.  Below are the girls putting away some of their clothing that was thrown around the room.

Note: Objects in the picture are smaller than they appear ;)

The Basham's are doing fine and are just thankful that they were not at home when the incident occured.  They are working with police to find out more details and getting things squared away with home owners insurance.

On Friday I had to work in Jonesboro and while leaving to come back to Little Rock around 4:30 I came to a light that I probably could've gone through, but played the safe route.  A few seconds later I see something squirming in the road and cars swirving not to hit a little kitten.  I immediately screamed and covered my eyes because I couldnt bear to see it get hit.  I looked over to the car next to me and motioned for the guy to get out and get the kitten.  I rolled my window down and he brought her to my window. I  thought she was really bad hurt, but didn't see blood and I asked him to put her in.  I then headed back to Little Rock with her in the passenger seat floorboard the whole time. She was so scared.

I got her home and called my neighbor who has TONS of animals at her house and asked if she would help me give her a bath to get the flea's off.  She was over here in about 3 minutes and took care of everything for me.  Brought the shampoo and spray that I needed and cleaned her so well! Twice! And then we realized she was barely hurt at all. She had one little pad on her foot that seemed to be cut, but it eventually got a scab and I think will heal up just fine. Over the next few days we had to decide if we would keep her or find a good home for her. 

I decided to post pictures on facebook to see if someone really wanted her.  If they did, then I would send her to another loving home, and if not, we would keep her and all adjust to a 2 cat household.  She was such a sweetie! Loved to cuddle and play and was just so bold.  Jumped off the bed, couch, counter.....pretty much whatever, she didn't care.  And she was not too terribly afraid of Alex either.  We decided not to name her so that we would not get attached in case someone wanted her.  Within 3 days of posting the pictures on facebook, she was picked up by a girl from our hometown.  She had been looking for a calico kitten and fell in love with her pictures! She contacted me this morning and was at my house at 7:30 to pick her up.  She had already been to the store to get kitten food and kitty litter! She was ready! It was bittersweet, but we know a better time will come for us to get the perfect kitten.  Chris is about to have a break and I am going to be SO busy with work, that it just didn't seem fair to me for him to have to look after a little kitten while I was at work.  We are just happy that she was rescued and found a good home...even if it was 2 hours away! ;)

And lastly! :) Woo. I am fading quickly...it is now 1:45 a.m. Chelsea took some Christmas pictures of us the Saturday before last (hours before I became sick for an entire week)! She picked us up at 10 a.m. and we headed to downtown little rock. What a fun time we had.  I am so thankful for a friend that takes 2 hours out of her day to take such precious pictures of us, and for a husband who takes 2 hours out of his day because he knows how much it means to me! :) I am blessed.

We are so ecstatic about adding new pictures to our collection. I was able to do my Christmas cards and drop them in the mail this morning. :) I love checking things off of my to-do list. Next up..Chistmas Shopping!

I am working like crazy the next few weeks and spending much needed time with family and friends! I will post again in the next couple of weeks.

I hope you like picture updates! :)

So a few of the girls came over so we could test out Mrs. Houk's Frosted Pumpkin Bars Wednesday night! They were a huge success! We went to dinner with our boys to the Flying Fish first. That was pretty interesting because we picked the table next to the men's restoom! That was a big mistake. Then we headed home to break out the ingredients and get started! We had a few setbacks....but a "little" outdated flour and a few minutes working with sifter and we were good to go! :)

Hanna...gettin' a little crazy with the mixer!

Chelsea had to use a makeshift apron for Hanna because she was making a mess!

Trying to get the right amount on each pan....it needed to look "thinnish" :)

They are in the oven and we are ready for them to come out.....

They are all ready to go in my handy little carrier that my mom got me for our wedding! Can't believe I havent used it yet! ;) You can check out Chelsea's blog for the full recipe! But I would HALF the recipe if I were you! They make a TON!! :)

I finally got to bed around 1:00 a.m......I had to stay up late to ice them after the girls left!  I got about 8 hours of sleep and was well rested for our 3 meals that we had to eat on Thanksgiving! Or should I say "got" to eat on Thanksgiving! We are soooo blessed. I love having so much family to see. 

Having a place to go is home,
Having someone to love is family,
Having both is a blessing.


Here are pics from a couple of our stops! ;) I didn't get any at the last house because I could barely move at that point! But, our first stop was Chris' granny on his mother's side, then off to my sister's house for my family gathering (and a little Wii action), and then back to Chris' parents house for the grand finale! :) All three meals were phenomenal I must say!

At our house before we left...

Me and my Momma! She was hanging on to our every word all day to get ideas for Christmas gifts! ;)

Chris and his Granny! Aka "Superwoman" We just LOVE her!

Playing the Wii......I'm up to bat and serious as a heart attack! I hit 2 homeruns! :)  I also managed to hit the ceiling fan with the remote while trying to spike a volleyball! Haha! I had no idea it could not sense me jumping, so it was pointless! :)

Momma and Chris going at it in the boxing ring! Chris got KNOCKED out! Haha.

Kathy is teaching me how to hoola hoop!

Giving it a shot! My husband is probably hiding his head in the couch somewhere! Lol.

My favorite little brother, Russell!

And my favorite sister, Kathy! Love her.

And I can't forget Devin! She's my....well I'm sure you can guess.....favorite niece!

Haha, I am sure glad I only have one of all of the above because it would be so hard to choose! I love them to pieces.  I was missing my nephew Haydn though! I hope to see him over Christmas! Same with my brother and sister in law!  Things are just never the same without you guys here! See you over Christmas!

We had SUCH a great break and I am so thankful to be in a job that I am not dreading going back to on Monday! Ahhh! That feels so good! I'm happy to be back to work tomorrow! Just a few more weeks and we will be ready for Christmas! I won't get much of a break because that's when retail gets the craziest! But, that's okay. Like I told my mom....I taught school for 3 years, I can do ANYTHING for a couple of months! ;)

Kris called and invited us over to watch the Razorback game on Saturday night. His mom had told us a while back that he would be in town over Thanksgiving and we needed to come hang out but we wanted to give them their family time.  We know his schedule has been so crazy.  But, he called to extend the offer once again.  So we ate a yummy dinner at the Grissom's around 4:30 and hung out for a bit and then headed to the Allen Casa. It was great to see everybody and for he and Katy to just be at home for a little while.  It's hard to not feel "at home" at Kim Allen's house! ;) Despite the Razorback's loss, we were all smiles.

And last, but certainly not least...I got to see my best friend, Anna, while she was in for the holiday! She and Tim were so gracious to bring another couple home for Thanksgiving and it was fun just getting to hang out and chat for a bit!  She even brought me a birthday present!! I got some new "sweater" boots and I LOVE them! They could not be more perfect. She always knows what to get me.  We kind of have a rule of thumb.....if we would like it, we know the other probably will too, so we usually just buy 2! :) Thanks so much for my gifts! I loved them all! Looking forward to your next visit and our next breakfast! Love you!

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving as well! Christmas......here we come!!!!! I will get more pictures with the in-laws next time, too!

Thanksgiving Blessings

Last week's wednesday night dinner rotation was at Chelsea and Del's house and it was their first time to host it. We all brought food, but let me tell you....the Slonekers went ABOVE AND BEYOND to make sure that we all had a great time together. When we got there Chelsea had baked pumpkin bread, pumpkin bread with chocolate chips, and amish friendship bread. One for every couple to take home! I know the girl had to be up all night! And they were so delicious that Chris and I snuck (is that a word?) out with two loaves! ;)

Chelsea decided to come up with a Thanksgiving Poem from our dinner and it could not be more perfect. I had to share it with you all! Enjoy! :)

"Twas 3 Weeks Before Thanksgiving"

Twas 3 weeks before Thanksgiving, when all through the house

The main lady was stirring, in her pretty white blouse.

The apron was hung around her neck with great care

In hopes that her "family" would soon be there.

The "family" arrived to the smell of sweet bread

While visions of fried-turkey danced in their head.

The table was set with home-y decor,

That would bring back memories of Thanksgiving's before.

When the casseroles were revealed, there arose such a clatter.

I thought the neighbors would come see what was the matter

But low-and-behold it was the sound of ready plates,

knowing that we were all about to gain a little bit of weight.

Del and Kyle carved the turkey with care,

Because they knew the wishbone had to be somewhere.

Even though we're little early for this wonderful feast,

We were ready to dine on that succulent beast! (Ha!)

Once we were nestled all snug in our chairs

we bowed our head for our Thanksgiving prayer.

We gave thanks for all that we'd been given in life

especially for us girls...that we'd be a good wife.

Us girls love these guys with all of our hearts

because they are just such goofy sweethearts.

Yes, I know from this picture you'd say,

"Are they really going to be my physician someday?"

But, if I can assure you of just one thing,

they will love you with any ailment you bring.

Oh, Family Dinner, you are the BEST,

but it is now time for us to rest.

We will cherish your friendship all the days of our life,

Thank you so much for letting Christ's light shine so bright!

The End

p.s. Please excuse the random spacing (or lack of :), I tried to fix it about 6 times and it kept going back! So I gave up on that!

November just might be my favorite month!

I really can't believe today is November 1st, but I am so excited about it! My birthday is in only a few short weeks (actually less than 2), and Thanksgiving is right around the corner! I just love it. Good... wonderful food.... not prepared by me! Haha. :) Actually, I am thinking about making a pumpkin cake this year. I was supposed to "try it out" this weekend and just never did. Maybe next weekend. I am looking forward to having a DEFINITE day off for Chris and I both! I will be working like crazy after that though because the Christmas crowd comes in full force. At least we hope they will. :) I am looking forward to getting off my rear and buzzing around to help people find just what they need for the holidays! I hope that my team leaders will have their staff bright eyed and bushy tailed that morning (around 5 or 6 usually). I am hoping to get a decent night's rest and go in a little later because I know once I go in, it'll be a while before I can leave again! ;) But it's a lot of fun when we all get to work together!

October has really flown by. Work was great, I got to visit all of my stores and even take a trip to Fayetteville to learn how to do payroll and help take some of the load off of Ashley (my General Manger). She really appreciated it, and I hope to go at least once a month to help because it really seemed to help her day go by more smoothly. Houndstooth is meeting sales goals and we hope to continue in this direction! We have big plans for 2009 totals and hope to make it happen. We have some great teams in place. I hope that your experience at ANY Houndstooth is a good one and if it's not....you just let me know! ;) Customer service is our number one priority. Ashley and I are only a month apart, very young, very ambitious, and very confident that we can make a difference.

So....... every other Wednesday some of our friends get together at each other's houses. We have a rotation for who hosts the dinners. Now that it's every other week, a couple of months go by before the rotation is back to you and you are cooking for 10-14 people. It's fun to prepare it for that time, but also nice to know that you get free dinners every other Wednesday for a couple of months. The last one was at Kristin and Kyle's and we had breakfast for dinner! It was scrumptious! Pancakes, biscuits and gravy (which I had NEVER tasted...by choice I might add), bacon, muffins, scrambled eggs, and fruit! Man......they went all out and we so appreciated it. I can't actually post the picture of Chis and I (standing) because it somewhat resembles a maternity picture. The problem with that is........I am NOT pregnant! Haha. :) We all wore our p.j.'s, which we usually do when we have this type of "dinner". I skipped my usual shower that I take before bed and opted to wash my face, brush my teeth, and go straight to my bed in my p.j.'s! It was quite nice. Our next dinner is at Chelsea and Del's house and we are doing Thanksgiving dinner! This is their first time to host it and we are going to go easy on them and make it a pot luck. It could get pretty pricey purchasing a Thankgiving meal for 10-14! I am so excited though! Here are some pictures from last week!

There have been some ideas thrown around about making a dress code for each dinner. This scares me a bit. They are talking bright colored windsuits. Yes..windsuits! :) This could be interesting. Goodwill, here I come! Us girls have also talked about starting a book club which I would love to do. We shall see. We had one great year of dinners EVERY Wednesday night last year, and I look forward to this years. It's so much fun to eat and fellowship with others going through the same thing. :)

I just booked my flight to visit my sister-in-law in January. Her husband is going out of town for 5 weeks to attend professional umpire school. She is going to be alone for all of this time, so we figured I should come in the middle of it to help pass some of the time! It worked out because I am sure I will be ready to take some leave after our big holiday rush. Even if she has some work to do while I'm there, it will still be a nice little escape for me to finally do some of the reading that I've been wanting to do. And the ticket was the cheapest I have gotten in a while. $246.00 and that inlcudes tax and fees. Very hard to beat, so I'm not even going to try. Glad to have a date in my calendar. Get ready, Portland! Billie Jo and I will be ready to find some post holiday deals........

Well I think that is about all for me tonight! I spent a lot of Saturday night changing my background and by the time I was done I was too tired to post. :) Sunday's might be a good night for me to do my blogging. Hope to have more to say next time. Good night, all. I hope this finds you well.

better late than never???

Well, well, well......we actually meet again. It's been a little over 3 months since my last post. Sad. I had hoped to be doing better, but it turns out that I am putting way too much thought into this whole blogging thing. I like to have something to talk about, but most times I am too exhausted to come up with something clever and worth your time reading. I am trying to remember that this is purely fun and informative. So, I grabbed the laptop and here I am. ;)


Life has been in FULL swing lately. Summer has come to an end and gone are the days of vacations, projects around the house, and weekly breakfasts with the BEST.


Chris and I were able to take some fun "One year pics" with our friend Melissa. She was wonderful despite the hot and humid temperatures. We tried to be the same. Here are a few of my faves. It was fun just to love on each other for a little bit :)



love this one......


i love my man...

on an old abandoned boat we found out in the trees...

I have this idea that I want to capture each year of our marriage with pictures of some sort. I just think it will be fun to look back over the years and see how much we've changed. I LOVE looking at pictures from my childhood and how fun it would be to look back at some from adulthood as well. Pictures are cool things. Just so neat to push a button and capture an exact moment. And most of the time, feelings, too. I just love it. Thank you, Melissa, for working your magic. We are so pleased.

In the another world of pictures, I finally received my custom wedding album that I waited over a year to order. It is absolutely perfect. I want 10 more just in case something happens to it, but that is not possible. They are pretty pricey. I am so blessed that I was able to get even the first one! I'll do my best to keep it safe! ;)

Full time work began for me in the last week of July and it has not stopped since. I am absolutely loving what I am doing and am so thankful that I made the switch from teaching. Everyday is a new and different day of tasks. It keeps me on my toes. I work with some of those most wonderful people and for that I am grateful. They appreciate the work that I do and that is what keeps me going. I love being needed and I love the thankful hearts that come along with it. Sometimes they thank me so much that I have to remind them that it is my job and that I do get a paycheck! ;) I have been referred to as "Heaven in a Honda" and also been told that Houndstooth needs to buy me an RV so that I can travel to all of the stores and work there as much as I do in LR and NLR. Haha.

I feel like we are on the right track and that change is happening. I love to make a difference. I live to make a difference.

With change comes great sacrifice. Chris misses out on home cooked meals most nights of the week, but he has been doing his best to be supportive and understanding of my new schedule. I work when I'm needed. Morning, nights, and occaisonal overnights ;) Just as I had to make adjustments to his studying, he has had to make adjustments to my working. Neither of our endeavors is more important than the other. They both either put food on our table now (or in our to go bags) or will in the future. I thank him for letting me live my life and trusting my decisions. I truly feel like I am doing what's right in this stage of my life. I am happier. Staying up late and waking up later. That alone is enough to make life a little more pleasant. It's 10:30 and I'm not freaking out about not being asleep already! Yay!

A couple of weeks ago, I worked longer than I have ever worked. I think it was about 29 hours in 2 days. Whoa. I was not prepared for that. My little feet were not prepared for that. Me and a couple of other girls that I work with had to stay at the mall until 3 a.m. to finish folding shirts and getting ready for the next days game. I came home and grabbed some pears that Chris had already cut up for me because I was starving. I jumped in bed and crunched away while he slept. I was overtired and could not get right to sleep. All I could think about was how I was going to get through the next day. All night my feet cramped up and ached and I just kept tossing and turning. When the alarm went off and I got in the shower, I just sobbed. I felt like I could barely stand, let alone work another 12 hour day. But somehow, I made it through. We had record sales that day and for some reason that is enough to make you forget about how bad it hurts to stand. We had such a good day and everyone that was there to work had been a Team Leader at some point. The day went off without a hitch. Except for the crazy lady that brought back a long sleeved shirt that hadn't been sold in almost a year. It had a bleached looking hole all the way through the front and back of the shirt. The best part is that she said it came like that!!! Lol. That was funny. The crowd was so large and the last thing we needed was an argument, so we allowed her to exchange it! I bet she had been waiting for a busy day such as this to "hope we won't notice or put up a fight." We win some, we lose some. Below is a picture of the wonderful ladies that made it all happen. It takes a long time to fold that many shirts, but we put our big girl pants on and got to work. Complaining is for the birds and does not change your circumstance.

my friend on facebook said it best, "all smiling faces...what a blessing"

As much as I miss some of my kids from school, I don't miss feeling like I had no control. You do all you can, but because of the school system, some of the kids also do "all they can" but it is most times to the detriment of others. I don't miss that. I will go back. Just not here. Just not now.

Chris and I are on a new budget. It's funny that it started in August of 09 and not January. :) We are saving up because there is a possibility that my position with Houndstooth may not exist after December of this year. Kind of a curve ball, but luckily we have had practice with curve balls before. We plan for the worst and hope and pray for the best. I have come to terms with it because life is too short to be anything but happy. If this position got me out of what I was in....then I will take it. For 5 months, or a year, or whatever God has for me. It has not been fun passing up items that I would've bought in a heartbeat before, but it has been fun watching our savings account grow and having limits. I am still by no means deprived. I am well taken care of.

Well, friends. I think I may be done for tonight. So much more has happened but once again, I have waited so long to post that it would be too lengthy to include everything. So I hope this will suffice.

"My new path"

I have been fielding a lot of questions about "my new path" in life. The truth is I want to sit down with each and every friend I have and have coffee and explain to them what has been going on in my life. But I know that is not possible. I have been trying to figure out how I am going to tell everyone that I am no longer a school teacher anymore. I am still a teacher, just with COMPLETELY different students. :)


I have taken a position with Houndstooth Clothing Company as their new Regional Manager and Custom Sales Representative. What does this mean and how in the world did this happen, you ask? Well I will share.


Two and half years ago I graduated from UCA with my degree in Family and Consumer Science Education! Yes! I was going to teach and change the world! I graduated in the middle of the year and was sure that I was going to be substituting for the rest of the year until I found a full time position. Over Christmas break (for me, but not for most jr. high/high schools) I searched on the internet and found a job in PCSSD at Fuller Middle School. In big letters it said (FACS-TEMPORARY). I could not believe my eyes. A FACS position. Open right now? I knew I had to call. Talked to a few different people and just like that I had an interview! OMG. Are you serious? I found out exactly what I was going to wear, said some prayers, and showed up. The interview was odd. Not exactly what I expected. But I seemed to breeze right through it. There were no "hard" questions, but there were some good ones. When I was about to leave one of the administrators said, "Well this is going to be a very hard decision for us, but...." and the other administrator said, "What are you talking about....no it's not!" and laughed. She smiled and said, "We weren't expecting you. You are a breath of fresh air." I thanked them and left. They told me they would call either way by the end of the week. I got in the car and called my momma. I remember what she said when I told her what they said at the end. She said, "OUT-STANDING!" And that still makes me smile.

I didn't really understand what the situation was at the school but quickly found out. The principal called me that Sunday and offered me the position. I was ecstatic! "Yes. Yes. Of course. When will I start?" I told him about my friend Jessica's wedding that I was in at the beginning of January, but it didn't matter because that was there Christmas beak anyways. He told me that January 8th would be my first day. They fired the other teacher near the last day before the break.


Let's keep in mind that I am certified to teach 7th through 12th grade. High School was my passion, but hey Middle School was who was hiring and I was all about a "real" job. And boy that's what I got. Lucky for you I will NOT recap all 2 1/2 years (I so should've blogged all that time.) All I can really say is that my eyes were opened to what some public schools can really be like. It was very, very sad. And most days would make me extremely mad. I had good days, but I also had a lot of frustrating days as well. At the end of most days I felt like I didn't get much accomplished. I argued. With 13 and 14 years olds. If I said no, they tried to find 11 different ways to ask the same question. All I could think about what how much kids have changed since I was their age. Most had cell phones. Some had nose rings, tongue rings, lip rings. Cleavage. We had a uniform policy, but it took me a week and an announcement over the loud speaker to discover this. Are you serious? A uniform? The kids are in whatever they want. Whether they got away with it or not depended on the teacher, the administrator, and even the day. I "argued" about everything from tardies, to absences (skipping), attitudes, apathy, prejudice, stereotypes, uniforms, cheating, iPods, no materials, no book, cussing, gangs, fights (in and out of my room), food, yelling, slapping, gossip, drugs, and the list goes on and on. Most of you will say, "Duh, you taught middle school." Although in some ways I could agree, in most ways I couldn't because I could see what went on behind closed doors. The kids didn't have to do what I say because in all reality it didn't matter. Nothing was going to happen to them. Nothing was going to change them. Believe me, I talked until I was blue in the face. I loved these kids, I cared about them. But they barely cared about themselves. And some ONLY cared about themselves. I got very discouraged because in my heart I knew there was nothing I could do to change the attitudes and the lives of most of these kids.

I grew bitter. Annoyed. Irritated. Angry. Mean. Sad. Lonely. Careless. I started showing up when the first bell rang and leaving as soon as the last bell rang. I left before the buses. I planned my days off of school around the classes I couldn't stand the most. It was pathetic. I griped and complained non-stop. To teachers, to Chris, to Anna. Pretty much to anyone that would listen. "I can't believe they did that!" "I can't believe they got away with that" "Why would she do that to me?" "I don't want to go to school tomorrow." "I wish this day would hurry up and end." I was not myself and I knew it. I was tired of Monday looming over my head on Sunday. I was in a funk. Did not want the weekend to end (and not in a normal/healthy way). I finally decided (with MUCH thought, talk, and prayer) that I wasn't going to do it anymore. I was NOT going to be THAT teacher that just sat around and hid out (trust me, they are out there) and got my paycheck. They did as little as possible to get by and pretty much just babysat all day. Teaching is a stable job, but if that was "stable", I didn't want any part of it. I was tired of being talked to like dirt by students. Other teachers would take advantage of me. I knew more than I ever needed to know about staff. And I just started feeling burdened by everything and everyone and would avoid conflict at any cost. I just became the friend that listened. And I had way too much going on in this little head. I had many talks with my husband and needed him to know that my happiness was going to have to come first at some point. Can I stay and teach and try to make the most of it even though ALMOST everything is out of my control??? Yes. Of course. But do I HAVE to? Life is too short for this. Hubby gave in and allowed me to go after another option that crept it's way back into my life.........

Back in October we went in to Houndstooth to buy Chris a couple of shirts. I had not had a new one in at least a year or so. This is the company that I worked with for 5 years prior to my teaching career. The service was SO bad that I felt like I owed it to the owner to call him and at least let him know what was going on. A few weeks later I was back part-time being a "Team Leader Consultant". Who would've thought? The owner simply wanted me to work a few hours a week (or however many I chose) helping the managers run their stores better. He wanted me to get it back to "how it used to be." Just at McCain and Park Plaza. I started working about ten hours a week. After school. On the weekends. After church. Whenever I could. I simply loved it and missed it. I took it upon myself to not only work with the leaders, but with the regular employees as well. Had to work from the bottom up. The workers would start saying, "When are you going to work on my shift, you always work with her?" Or they would call me and vent or be excited over how much they sold that day. They would call me and ask me to come help. They would call and apologize for "bugging" me. But little did they know, they weren't bugging me. They were making me feel needed. Appreciated. Valued.

One thing lead to another and my boss and friend Ashley was fighting for me to belong to their business again. They had been without a Regional for some time and had gotten comfortable without another salary to pay out. However, she felt as though I was an asset to the company. She knew that you had to hire for WHO was right, even though sometimes it may not always be the right time. We contemplated, and talked, and talked, and prayed, and negotiated,and talked, and prayed some more. The door was open. We just had to make the decision.

What I love the most is that I am still and will always be a teacher. When Chris and I move in 3 years for his residency, I will try being a SCHOOL teacher again. Maybe high school. Maybe elementary. All I have really learned is that it's about the RELATIONSHIPS. When I become a school teacher again, I hope to know these kids on a different level. A level that they care about what I think. That is what I have been missing. At this point, the world is at my fingertips. For now, I get to teach those 16 and up. ;) For a company I know, love, and trust. And most of all enjoy. I get to travel the state and help out the stores in Fort Smith, Jonesboro, Little Rock, North Little Rock, and Hot Springs. I will travel to Fayetteville for meetings and updates and Razorback games. My goal is to be a help to these people. Not to criticize or point my finger. Just to show up and say, "What can I do?" "What do you need?" "What's been bothering you?" "How can we fix this?" "Great job!" I don't want them to fear my visit, but I do want them to anticipate it. You know.....because they care.

I start the custom sales part of my new job TOMORROW and the Regional part at the end of July. Just in the nick of time.

So, I would like to say that all of my posts will not be this long (I hope), but I have had so many people interested in what's going on in my life. Leaving the "teaching" profession is kind of a big deal. I could think of no better reason than that to start my new blog.

And I also want to add that I do have some friendships that I took with me from Fuller. People that I love and appreciate. For listening to me, for caring, and for giving me their honest opinion even though they didn't want me to leave. I had one email to let me know that even though I may not have felt purposed there, she felt as though my purpose was there for her and other teachers there. I had changed them. That meant a lot.

God is good. All the time. And for that I am grateful.