Not to be Outdone....

Joe was feeling left out. Even though I blogged about his job, it just wasn't enough. So, to appease my beloved, here is his very own 'car blog'...

Because Joe got a new job, the kids started bringing up all the promises that he'd made when he was without a job...."Dad, can I have a (fill in the blank)?" "Sure, when I get a job!" "Dad, can we go to (fill in the blank)?" "Sure, when I get a job!" Most of the time his thought was 'by the time I get a job, they will have forgotten all about this!' But my kids have long term memories. (short term, like 'take out the trash' is a whole other story!) So, one of his promises was to Jacob. "Jacob, when I get a job, I'll sell you my truck." True to his word, Jacob is now the proud owner of a 1997 Toyota Tacoma. Which leaves Joe where? Without a vehicle! What to do?? (...Here it comes)....."Honey, now that Jacob has the truck, what will I drive??" "Well, gosh, you could drive the blue car. (a '99 Escort)". "No, that won't work, what if Mary suddenly decides to get a job and needs the blue car?" "Well, gee, I guess we're just going to have to get you a new vehicle." (You don't suppose that was his plan all along, do you?)

Off we go on Monday, car shopping. Camry? no. Kia? no. Ford? Heck, no! After spending all day in the (extremely) hot sun, driving cars that had been sitting out in the (extrememly) hot sun all day, and were therefore approaching the core temperature of the Earth, he finally found his 'new' car. Drumroll, please.......

(Disclaimer: the following is a (potentially) paid, commercial announcement. Potentially paid because if anyone goes to Simpsonville Chevrolet and buys a car from them, using our name as a reference, we get a check for $100. I you buy from them, I'll split the hundred with you!)

A 2006 Chevrolet Cobalt!!!

Here is Joe with the Sales Manager, Jim Goss, cementing the deal:

And here is our salesman, Kynn Tribble, who not only sells cars, he also does windows!!

This truly was the least painful car transaction I've ever taken part in (aside from the oven temperature cars we drove in all day!) The people at Simpsonville Chevy were pleasant, and fun to deal with. Jim Goss even drew a little smiley face on his 'counter offer' to us!

So, there you have it. Joe's very own car blog, a shameless plug for Simpsonville Chevrolet, and another blog for your reading pleasure! I hope you have been sufficiently entertained.

A Job for Joe!!

Well, it's happened! Joe got a job!! After 18 months of uncertainty, 2 months of unemployment, countless resumes sent, dozens of phone calls, interviews in Kansas City, Atlanta, Charlotte, Boston, Columbia, and more places than I can name (mostly because I can't remember them all!), Joe has been offered and has accepted a job in Macon, GA.

Details:
-It is a kaolin company (ka·o·lin: –noun: a fine white clay used in the manufacture of porcelain.)
-His first day is July 28th.
-We (the kids and I) will be staying put for now...maybe until Sam and Peter finish High School.

If I left anything out, let me know and I'll try to fill in the blanks. For now, we will be busy getting Joe ready to go (just as soon as he gets back from Youth Conference!)

"Life is either a daring adventure or nothing. Security does not exist in nature, nor do the children of men as a whole experience it." --Helen Keller

"An adventure is only an inconvenience rightly considered. An inconvenience is an adventure wrongly considered." --G. K. Chesterton

Week One and the 'Honey-Do' List.....

We've (I've) survived week one of Joe's unemployment. I have to say that the yard is starting to look pretty good! And while I am envisioning having the ultimate 'summer of the honey-do list', Sam, Peter and Mary are ready for their Dad to get a job!
Mary is used to having the computer to herself. Oh, I get on here and there for 5-10 minutes at a time to check e-mail, see if my books have come in at the library, or 'blog', but most of the time the computer is hers. She blogs, twitters, chats, surfs, e-mails, IM's, etc., and having Dad home all day is really cutting into her computer time. Now Joe is on, checking e-mail, sending out resumes, catching up on the news, searching job sites. Poor Mary is going through 'computer withdrawal'.
As for Sam and Peter...well, let's just say that they feel like they've just finished a week of 'Saturdays'. They've done more yard work this week than they have in the last two months. Usually, yard work is reserved for Saturdays, when Dad is home. With Joe home full-time, every day is Saturday. The boys have mowed, raked, spread pine straw, burned wood, cut wood, stacked wood and dis-assembled the trampoline. (It got a hole in it after the boys decided it would be fun to put a lawn chair on it, have Peter sit on it, and see how high they could bounce him. It was fun until the leg of the chair broke off and the jagged edge ripped through the fabric!)
So while I look forward to a productive summer with Joe painting, cleaning, and finishing long-forgotten projects, the kids are really hoping that he goes back to work soon!