We're Moving!

Thomas got the job! Yep, we are home from Illinois...amazingly safe & sound~more on that a little later & yes, we are moving. We will soon be calling Huntley, Illinois our home!

As I think I might have mentioned in a previous post the store is not even built yet, however, while there we took a look at the building site & it is well on its way. The sign out front says "Coming Fall 2008". So, it is likely not far off from being completed.

We don't have a ton of details yet. Thomas got the call to offer him the position on Friday just shortly after noon. It was so neat as he was home on his lunch hour when his cell phone rang. So, we got to get the news together. It was a very special moment.

Thomas has been working towards this career goal for many years now. I am so proud of him!

We really liked the area & are thrilled to be so close to Chicago. There is the neatest train system called the Metra. You just hop on & Chicago, here we come!

While we were there we ate at a Chicago Pizzeria. Wow, now that's some pizza! One piece & done! I was stuffed. However, we were like "This left over pizza is coming home with us for sure!" Luckily we had a cooler with us with water & such for the road, so we refilled that with ice & our pizza made the trip home. It was the best for lunch on Friday for Thomas & I after we returned home.

We think that we we have a few weeks before we have to be there. Thomas has to hire probably at least 400 associates, so he will have a lot to do long before the doors open.

We have a million things to do now. Of course, getting our house on the market being the first. The second is starting the process (which actually we have already done) of finding a home in Illinois. We are also in the process of getting ready for a HUGE moving sale. What an undertaking. We knew the time was drawing near, so that process was already begun as well. Now it will just be a much larger sale than what it might have been if we were not moving.

Well, for the not so fun part of the trip....we had a wreck on the way up there. Really, no kidding. Long story short~I was driving. The front right wheel touched the white line & honest to goodness until the whole thing was over I didn't know what had happened. I couldn't get the car back on the road & when I did the car spun around & went into the other lane (thank goodness there was no oncoming traffic!). Then I attempted to correct back to the other lane & the car was literally skidding sideways down the highway at 55 miles per hour. I was still trying to get the car into the correct lane & straightened out as there was a big drop off on that side, plus I was just waiting to get t-boned by oncoming traffic. Finally, I got it back over but the car was in a tail spin. I couldn't get it turned around & we flew backwards over the shoulder & into the ditch & down into this little field. Thank goodness it wasn't too bad of a drop off! It had rained so the grass was slick-so we slid & we don't know how~but the car didn't roll. If we would have been in our SUV...oh my goodness! We would have turned over no telling how many times! Anyway, I don't know what to say about the whole thing other than it is a miracle that we are okay &...you are not going to believe this, but I drove our car out of that field & other than lots of mud, grass & just overall mess our car seemed okay. We took it to the next Tire & Lube Center & they took the tires off & cleaned all of the muck out of the rims & checked things out. Thomas looked under the car & it looked & ran perfectly. So, we of course called 911 to get a police report just in case we did end up having an insurance claim. We walked down to where the accident started, the place where my tire touched the white line...you know how there is usually additional asphalt poured up to meet the road or at least gravel grated up where the road & the shoulder meet? Well, NOTHING for about a couple hundred yards except for about a six inch drop off & a small gully where rain had washed out a little ditch beside of that. So, my tire probably dropped off the six inches which I couldn't have recovered from anyway at 55 miles per hour & then hit that gully & boom-we were done. So, the Police called the Department of Transportation & made them come immediately with a stat road crew to repair that. He measured our skid marks & took photos. He assured me that other than riding the white line that I did nothing wrong & that anyone that would have had that happen the same thing would have most likely occurred. He said that it had to be fixed immediately as that the next person that came along probably wouldn't be so blessed as to not have any oncoming traffic in the other lane or that they might have went over the other side where there was a big drop off. Thankfully we are fine, (my back & neck wrenched a little, but seem okay now), no one else was injured & the car is fine~so we are just grateful! Really, like my Mom said God just wasn't finished with us yet as that could have been & should have been such a different ending! I mean it was a really bad accident. It lasted a few minutes. It wasn't just boom & over. I mean, the fact that we didn't get hit by oncoming traffic & that we didn't roll over...it is just a miracle. Plus, the fact that we drove out of there. I mean, the car? Who cares? BUT, it is wonderful that it wasn't hurt. Many times after that happened during our trip & even now we have just been so thankful & thinking about where we should have been at that time...laid up in a hospital bed, or in the morgue, or making funeral arrangements for the other...etc. It just is amazing that we are okay.

This week, around Thursday or Friday should be the big day...the day we will find out if Terry is pregnant or not. We are hopeful as always.

Referrals came a lot more quickly than expected, huh ? We just love seeing those babies sweet, sweet faces! Congrats to all who have finally for the first time laid eyes on their baby! Come on big batches & keep them coming quickly, right everyone?

The last couple of weeks have brought a couple of baby showers for my good friend Kristin. First, one that we had for her at work & then one that a friend of her family had for her. They were both great. Kristin, Thomas & I are so happy for you, Matthew & the new little one on the way! Thank you for including me in your showers. I had a good time. Oh & the catering yesterday~YUM! That cake...you weren't kidding about how great it was! So good! It was a nice time! Kristin is due in November about a week before my birthday. I keep telling her that she is going to have to keep that little one cookin' just a little longer so me & the baby can share the same birthday. (Just kidding...I would never wish being nine months pregnant on anyone any longer than absolutely necessary!)

Off to do laundry, finish unpacking from our trip & gather more items up for our moving sale!