And...the rest of the story....

I think my calendar is wrong...

I missed a day this week, where did yesterday go?

I guess I shouldn't promise "tomorrow" unless I

have the post ready to go.

*Geesh*

Its been a weird few days. My sister and niece went

back home to Arizona on Thursday.

Jill, Jessica and me on the way to the Airport
(much to my decorating dismay we added a tv to the living room...)

Fun in Aunt Jodi's tub!

My son (my only one at home) went to

Whidbey Island to spend a week with his besties.

My husband is at work...

and I have slept til nearly 10AM 

each morning!

I think its the lull of the fan and quiet house.

Time to get with it girl!!

TODAYS LIST:

*write this post

*sew the summer slipcovers for the couch throw pillows

(before FALL arrives, ha ha)

*Remember to eat the right things 

(Hubby and I are on day 2 of Phase One

of the South Beach Diet!!

Long overdue......)

*Hmmm, do I dare add painting something to the list??

<FOCUS>

So, now after 4 eggs and 1 cup of coffee I am fueled up....

********************************

The REST of the story...

(continued from Sunday)

After leaving Wisconsin,

my daughter, Janelle, and I drove ALL

the way to Pennsylvania! 

I think it was like 14 hours,

$60 in tolls, 2 anxiety attacks in the tunnels

and a lot of potty breaks.

One of MANY toll booths

Anxiety attack about to happen...

Pennsylvania!

Once there, we got her settled into her

new home. I stayed with our

really good friends. I wish I would have taken

pictures of my friends GORGEOUS house!

She has such a beautiful home.

**Almost as beautiful as her heart **

Diane, (a very tired) me, Geri

After a few wonderful warm days of visiting there,

I went to Virginia with my friend Diane.

On the way, we stopped at 

LUCKETTS!


Here are some photo's from other vendors in the store

I was so happy to finally see

Miss Mustard Seed's

space.

Marion is now in the process of moving inside the building.

I am so happy for her, she's VERY talented

and was a huge inspiration to me when

I was considering the blog thing.

She also lives in the same town where my daughter

is now living.

As you may remember, I went from Virginia to

Arkansas as my step father underwent

open heart surgery.

He is doing well now, praise God!

The days prior to the surgery we did some reminiscing by

going to my old stomping grounds.

After graduating from High School in Arizona in *ummm*

the mid eighties *gulp*

I moved to Arkansas to be near my father and his new wife, Karen.

I lived on the 3rd floor of this amazing old building in the

heart of old town Rogers, AR.

My apartment was the top corner (The cross wasn't there then)

Looking up at my old apartment

The doorway in from the street

The stairs up to our apartment. Sometimes this was a little
scary. One time a guy climbed through the window to the roof
and was spying on my friend Laurie!

I loved the Coca-Cola mural on the side of the building.

It was recently restored.

There was a working bakery on one side of the street, 

so every morning I woke to the smell of fresh bread!

The streets are brick, there were office buildings on the first floor.

Across the street the old movie theater was a antique mall.

The DAISY B.B. gun museum is on that street now,

and the old theater is a theater again.

There were only 4 apartments in the building.

I lived in the 3rd floor facing the street, my best friend, Stephanie, lived

across the hall way and our other best friend, Laurie,

lived on the 2nd floor below us. There was also

a "really old" (probably my age now, ha ha)

 man that lived below me.

Some of my very best memories are from that time!

SO.MUCH.FUN...and D.R.A.M.A.

I worked at THE BANK of Bentonville as

the switchboard operator. 

I started as a bank teller, but let me back up a little.

Actually, I was a waitress at Kings Pizza when I first moved there.

A TERRIBLE waitress!

One day I was waiting on a table with

the bank president and bank officers.

I spilled a soda on one of them.

I was offered a job at the bank on the spot.

I'm not sure if it was because I was a terrible waitress

or I just handled it well, ha ha.

Flash forward (a few weeks)...I am now a 18 year old bank teller,

hardly a clue what Im doing, and my first customer

approaches the window.

I should have known by the dead silence that fell upon

the teller line....

Me:  Good morning sir, may I help you?

Sir:  Good morning, I would like to cash this check please.

Me: Ok, may I please see your I.D.

*Gasps among the other tellers*

Hands me his drivers liscense.....

Me:  Ummm, Ohhhh, Mr. (SAM) Walton. I am so sorry,

this is my first day on my own.....stutter.

Mr. Walton:  Thank you for treating me like a regular guy.

Then he went in to talk to the bank President. I thought I was fired for sure.

But they called me in and praised me.  *whew* (I was a terrible teller too,

but a good talker, so they "promoted" me to switchboard operator...I loved it!)

I made $210 every 2 weeks and my rent was $190 month!

I lived there until Stephanie and I went on a big

adventure and moved to Jacksonville Beach, FL  a few years later.

(That's where I met my husband, but that's entirely another story!)

Now that Walmart has become so big and Mr. Walton has passed away, Its fun to remember how our lives crossed for just a brief moment.

My step mother's mom worked for the

5 & Dime Store on the Bentonville town square

before it became the Walmart we know today.

Now there is a really neat museum in that building!

Another place we stopped by is Susie -Q!

It has been there FOREVER.

My grandpa took me there when I was 9 years old.

I love their Cherry Lime-aide! Soooo good.

We also went by the Veterans Cemetery so I could see my dad's
Memorial Headstone. This was very special.

During my stay, my moms brother Uncle Don and Aunt Donna came over to visit.

Their daughter, my cousin, Angie was visiting
from Kansas City. She and I are like two peas in a pod.
We always have a great laugh. She has a beautiful family.

I spent most of the time with Mom and Ron at the hospital and at their home.

I enjoyed helping mom around the house
 and planting flowers for her.

I also went out to visit my stepmom, Karen, and step siblings

Stacy and Traci.

I had not been back to the "family farm" since my dad passed

away in 2007. It was bitter sweet, and very healing.

Karen took me out to the family homestead in Pea Ridge. We took

pictures of the old family cemetery and the original old house

that my grandparents lived in when they were first

married.

The hundreds of acres that have not been

touched since the Civil War are now plotted and for sale for

development. Life moves on...

I wish I had the money to buy it all and restore the house to its

original glory. Oh, it was spectacular.

After 2 weeks there, I headed back to my family in Washington.

Its always fun to go back to where you came from,

but really there is no place like HOME!

What was it like when you moved from home for the first time?

I'd love to hear your story!

xoxoxo

Jodi