The Walker Blog: 2007

The end of 2007

Posted by Steve and Cat Walker | | 1:30 PM

Sorry that it's been so long since we've blogged!! We're not sure where the time goes, but it definitely goes and then it's been a month and we're behind!!

The last time we wrote it was the day after Thanksgiving and Steve's dad had just arrived for a visit. He stayed with us through Monday and then drove back to Indiana.

We went to the Burt's Bees Christmas party on the 9th of December. To use the word "interesting" would not express how different the party actually was. They held it at a museum and then it was open for exploration. They had several "stations" set up throughout the museum with food. We went to the butterfly house and had some cocoa. Though, we were quite disappointed because the invitation said there would be a hot cocoa bar... and it was just a big thermos thingy filled with generic cocoa. We also went on the train ride... oh so fun! LOL At the museum we weren't sure how it all worked, so we assumed the food in the general area was all that they had to eat. We stuffed ourselves with meatballs and other "junk" and then decided to go explore and as we went around the corner and into a new area of the museum, we saw a carving station with beef and ham, a big salad bar and a potato bar. To say we were disappointed would be a huge understatement.

Cathy got to meet Tom (Steve's boss) and wasn't too impressed with him. He was rather arrogant... which is comical because he always uses the word arrogant to describe Steve. He was "Joe Cool" and had a bunch of punks hanging around and laughing at all his lame-ass jokes. Cathy told Steve that he reminded her of the "cool guy" that everyone wants to be friends with.

At the end of the party they had an awards presentation that we stayed for. The CEO said that there were multiple people nominated and he wasn't going to announce all their names, but he'd let everyone know who was nominated for each award via email. Steve didn't get an award (he didn't expect to), but to his surprise, he was nominated and received a certificate and a $25 gift card to Harris Teeter.

Cathy finished the 2007 year on the 21st. She had her holiday party on the 20th and came home with a ton of gift cards and special presents from her 4th graders. The parents took up a collection and bought her a $150 gift card to the spa... for her to go and relax after all her hard work teaching. She also got some cute handmade gifts. We went to dinner on the 20th with Lisa and Katie (Cathy's coworkers) and had pizza at Mama Mia.

Cathy's principal has announced that she's leaving Oak Grove. She'll be opening a new school in Wake County and February 1st will be her last day. She asked people to consider coming with her to the new school, but Cathy most definitely will not be joining her. Cathy was very happy to hear the news. She likes her principal and came to Oak Grove because of her, but has had some issues with her. It'll be a good change for someone new to come in February.

We flew to Indiana on the 21st. Our flight was very delayed and we didn't get into Indianapolis until after 11:30 pm. By the time we got back to Steve's dad's it was after 1am. We stayed with his dad and Sue Ann Saturday and then got up Sunday and drove up to Michigan to visit Mitch and Jess. Cathy had wanted to arrange a visit with Beckie (she was home from Arizona) but the timing didn't work out for us. We stayed Sunday with Mitch and Jess and then got up Monday and had breakfast at Bob Evan's before leaving to drive to Westland.

We arrived in Westland around 10:30 at Cathy's parent's house and then we went Christmas shopping. It's been a tradition for years that on Christmas Eve, Cathy goes shopping with her dad and brother to shop for her mom. It was really important to Cathy that she be able to continue this tradition this year, so we made sure to get there on time. We went to the mall and then headed all over hell and half of Georgia to find a Nintendo-DS for her mom. We finally found one at Costco and then while we were there, there was a guy buying a Wii. Cathy's dad really wants one. We headed back to the mall to have lunch with her mom at Olga's and then we finished our shopping. We dropped off Cathy's dad and then we headed to two different Costcos to see if we could find a Wii for her dad. Unfortunately, no one had any.

We checked into our hotel and then headed back over to her parent's house for dinner. We had pizza and watched The Polar Express. We left and went to the hotel for the night. Christmas morning, we had breakfast at the hotel and then headed back to her parent's to open presents. Scott gave Cathy the Simpson's movie and then Cathy's dad gave Steve the Simpson's movie. It was funny. Steve also got a bottle of Maker's Mark and then the rest of our gifts were sent to NC so we got them when we returned home.

We went to Fr. Terry's for Christmas dinner. It was nice seeing his sister and then Mary Breeding and Francine (family friends) were there too. When we were done with dinner, Cathy's mom joined us to go see a movie at Emagine. We saw Juno (very cute). After the movie we dropped off Cathy's mom and then headed back to the hotel.

We packed up our stuff and headed back over to Cathy's parents on Wednesday and we went "day-after-Christmas-shopping." Another holiday tradition of the Ghrist family. They go shopping the day after Christmas and everyone can get one gift that they didn't get from Santa. Before we went shopping we met for lunch at BD's Mongolian BBQ. It was sooooo good. We hadn't had Mongolian BBQ since May!!! Scott came with Gunnar (his friend Emily's son) and then we headed to Target. Steve got the new Jason Aldean CD and Cathy got a wireless transmitter thingy for her iPod and some pens.

We said our goodbyes and then drove back to Indiana. We met everyone at a place called Joe's for some pizza. It was the out of town get together for everyone coming in for the wedding from out of town.

After eating pizza at Joe's, we drove back to the farm and stayed the night in the barn.

We got up Thursday and started running errands with Steve's dad. We went to the country club to pay for the reception, we went to the tuxedo place and picked up 11 tuxedos for the wedding party, and then we went to the hotel. We stayed at the hotel for a bit then drove to the rehearsal. It was easy-peasy and then they had the rehearsal dinner. Steve's dad gave him a John Deere pocket watch as the best man gift (it

even makes a tractor sound). Then we went to the Silver Dollar Lounge for the bachelor party (yes, Cathy came too). We watched football and then had some beer and then drove back to the hotel (Steve was the DD).

Friday morning we got up and met Steve's dad for breakfast in the restaurant in the hotel. He was getting more and more nervous and could barely eat. We went back to the room and had some time to read Harry Potter. We ended up going to Bob Evan's for lunch before we had to get ready to leave for the wedding. Cathy's parents arrived at the hotel around 2:15 and that's about the time that Steve and his dad left for the church. They were supposed to be at the church around 3:00 for pictures. Cathy and her parents arrived at the church around 3:30.

The wedding started around 4:30 and it was packed. There were people standing in the back because there weren't any additional seats. The wedding was perfect and Steve's dad and Sue Ann were blissfully happy. Steve did a fantastic job as the best man. :)

We drove together to the country club and Cathy's parents followed us over. The reception was beautiful and everything went perfectly. Everyone seemed to have a great time. Steve's best man speech was heart-felt and perfect, and caused quite a few tears. Steve's friend Greta and her husband were there and so were Mitch and Jess. They all sat with Cathy's mom and dad and then we eventually joined them.

We got back to the hotel Friday night and crashed from exhaustion. Saturday morning Steve's dad and Sue Ann had a breakfast for everyone staying at the hotel. We went down and had breakfast with them and then everyone went back to their rooms to get their things for check out.

We headed back to the farm for a luncheon and then a bunch of people came over to watch them open gifts. We weren't able to stay very long because we had a long drive to Indianapolis ahead of us.

Cathy's mom and dad drove us to the airport and then we caught our flight back to North Carolina. We had a very short flight (only an hour and fifteen minutes). Cathy called her friend Katie and she came and picked us up (saving us $60). We got home and dropped our stuff and then headed over to Matthew's house (the boy from Cathy's class that took Ned for us) and picked up Neddy. He was very excited to see us!!

We got home late last night and watched the Patriots cheat their way into the history books (lol). Then we crawled into our bed and slept like babies. There's nothing like your own bed and five cats having a kitty party to celebrate that you've returned home!!

So... that's about it. LOL. We decided to do absolutely nothing today and so far we've done exactly that. Tomorrow Cathy is going to go into work and get some lesson plans done for Wednesday. We don't have anything planned for New Year's eve... but we're more than okay with that.

We hope you and yours had a wonderful Christmas and have an even better New Years!!

:)
The Walkers

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Posted by Steve and Cat Walker | Holidays, Life | 9:58 PM

We survived our first Thanksgiving in North Carolina! It wasn't the same without family... and it made us sad to not have that connection during the holiday. Cathy was especially sad. This was her first Thanksgiving without her parents in 31 years.

We have had a nice week though. Last Saturday, Cathy's dad came for a visit. She was so excited to see her dad and get to show him the house and the area. He came down to Virginia to pick up an engine for the baby Beast (Steve's old Mustang). Since he was only three hours away, he came down and stayed with us from Saturday through Tuesday.

While he was here, he helped Steve build some much needed shelves in the garage. Almost all the boxes are off the floor and put up. Steve thinks he wants to build more, because there's still too much stuff to actually get the cars inside the garage. We went to see Burt's and took a tour inside, and then drove over to Cathy's school and showed her dad where she works.

Steve was off Monday and then Tuesday had to go back to work for the day. We both were off on Wednesday and Cathy met two of her fourth graders at the movies with their parents to see Enchanted. She said she really liked it. Then she went shopping at DSW and got some shoes (like she needed more right?). Anyway, she spent the remainder of the night getting some things made for Thanksgiving. She made the greenbean casserole and then the turtle pumpkin pie. She also brined the turkey...

We got up around 9am yesterday (Thanksgiving) and checked on the turkey. It was still somewhat frozen... so we went into plan B and soaked it in the sink. Fortunately, it was a smaller bird and defrosted with no problems.

We started to watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade but Cathy was really upset about it. She had hoped to watch the Detroit Thanksgiving Day Parade, but it wasn't showing here. There were THREE channels showing the stupid Macy's parade... but not one for the Detroit parade. She ended up turning off the television and listened to music instead.

Cathy had read that oven bags can make a HUGE difference in the juicyness of a turkey, so we went to Wal-Mart to pick some up. We also got some Subway for lunch and then came home.

Our dinner was wonderful. Cathy's turkey was absolutely perfect and she was excited because it was her first turkey. Steve was very impressed ;) We had greenbean casserole, cresent rolls, stuffing, turkey and gravy, Cathy's grandma Ghrist's green salad and then turtle pumpkin pie. It was tasty and we were both pleased with how it all turned out.

Today we slept in and then cleaned up the house for Steve's dad. He arrived around 6:30 tonight. He'll be staying with us for the weekend and Steve is super excited to show his dad around. :)

Enough for now... hope you all had a great Thanksgiving.
The Walkers

Such is Life...

Posted by Steve and Cat Walker | Update on life | 3:37 PM

It's been about two weeks or so since we last wrote... sorry. It's not like anything really MAJOR has been going on, we just lose track of time!!

Cathy is finally tracked out! She was really nervous about tracking out of her classroom for the first time. She's got some really amazing parents though, and all she had to do was ask for some help and they came! She worked late on Wednesday and Thursday and when she came home Thursday night, her room was done! She had to take everything off the walls... and then clean the room for Katie (she's tracking in when Cathy tracks out).

On Friday the 19th (Cathy's last day), we went to Chili's for dinner and then the haunted forest with Katie and her boyfriend Judson, and then Lisa. Katie and Lisa work with Cathy and we're really glad that she has them as friends. There's nothing worse than working somewhere new and not knowing anyone. Fortunately, the two of them have very similar personalities to Cathy and the three of them get along so well.

Anyway, we went to the Silent Forest at Walnut Creek (place we saw Kenny Chesney in August) on Friday night. It was fun... rather expensive ($15 each) and they didn't take anything but cash. We laughed our way through the forest part (not very scary) and then we were led into two different haunted houses. The scariest part was at the end... there was a guy hiding in the port-o-potties!!! He scared Lisa to death!!

We debated doing something more, but the longer we stood there and talked, the later it became. We ended up just all going home. It was fun though! It was the first haunted house that we've been through together! Usually Steve hates them, but he was a big sport this year and decided that it could be fun.

Saturday we didn't do anything but sit around the house and do nothing but relax. We had plans for Saturday night... we met over at Judson's place, and then he and Katie drove us to Lisa's place for a party. Her party was fun. We played flip-cup... it was Walker vs. Walker... and of course Cathy won (wink). Neither of us drank a whole lot, but we had fun. It made us both realize how old we are... we'd rather stay home and chill out watching tv than go out!!

Hopefully we'll be able to start a family soon... and that'll help move us to that next part of our lives. We're ready to expand our family and have some kids. Our neighbors all have kids and the one neighbor, Gary, always laughs and tells us that we got it right by not having kids... he always says this when his boys are crying or fighting. It's funny.

Cathy is going home to Michigan on Thursday. It'll be the first time that she's seen her parents since June... she's super excited to see them! It'll also be the first time that Steve will be home without Cathy. He's been away on business and been without her, but he's never been the one home without her... it's always been her home without him! We're going to miss each other a whole bunch.

While Cathy is home she plans on meeting some friends for dinner and catching up and then she is going to spend the rest of the time with her parents. She is going to the cider mill with her mom and then for sure going to Mongolian BBQ with her parents. She'll be home from Thursday to Tuesday. It's supposed to be really cool here while she's gone (in the 60s).

Okay... we'll write again soon!
:)
The Walkers

It's Been A While...

Posted by Steve and Cat Walker | Life Update | 10:30 AM

Sorry about not posting in a long time!!! We're both doing well and wanted to give an update to how we are, for those of you who actually read this (we bet not many read it).

On Thursday, Cathy's cousin Corey and his girlfriend Heather came by for a visit. Corey is the son of Cathy's mom's sister Margie. Heather has her whole immediate family here (Greenville we think) and they drove down from Michigan to see her brother before leaving for the Navy. While they were here (in NC) they decided to come and see us and we were super excited!! They got here around 5:30 pm and came with FAYGO (three two-liters) and BBQ Better Maid!!! Cathy was SOOOOOOO excited!!!!

We went to the Bass Lake Draft House for dinner and enjoyed having the time to talk to them and hear about what they've been doing. They said that they don't plan on staying in Michigan much longer and they hope to move to NC in about a year or so (Cathy was very excited to hear that).

After dinner we drove back to our house and said our goodbyes. Cathy was so happy to finally see some family (she's been homesick since we've been here) and to know that they cared enough to not only come and see us while down here, but to bring Faygo and Better Maid for Cathy (she had blogged on myspace about all the things she missed about home and they were on the list)... really made us feel good.

On to other news... Steve is still happy with Burt's Bees. He has his days where he loves what he's doing and then there are days when he feels like he was hired to do one thing (something that he was excited about doing) but is actually being asked to do something completely different. He doesn't have the complete "team" experience that he needs to do his job well, but he was told that it takes time. So for now, he continues to give 100% and work hard, no matter what the job is that he's doing.

On Saturday, Steve had to be up at 5 am for a training that he did at 7am. He provided drinks, muffins, cookies, donuts and mini-cupcakes for everyone. Cathy thought it was really thoughtful and when she asked him how the group responded, he said they didn't say anything, but they ate everything.

Cathy had a HUGE all-day field trip on Friday. She was up at 4:45 am getting ready and then left the house by 5:30. Her parents and kids met her at school between 6:00 and 6:30 am and then their bus left for the coast. Cathy's class went with another 4th grade class (the other teacher's name is Lisa and she's one of Cathy's friends at school).

They went to the U.S.S. North Carolina Battleship in Wilmington. The kids watched a movie about the ship and then they were set "free" on the ship to explore. There were many levels and they got to go down through the stairs and see all kinds of neat things. (On Saturday, Cathy was getting some additional pictures for her slide-show and she saw that there are parts of the ship that are haunted!!!!)

After the battleship, they went to the beach at Fort Fisher to have lunch. From there they went to the North Carolina Aquarium at Fort Fisher. The group had a presentation on whales and dolphins and then they were allowed to look around and see all the sea life. Cathy was not too impressed with the aquarium. She said that the aquarium at the Toledo Zoo has more interesting fish than the state aquarium does. Pretty odd considering that this NC aquarium is on the ocean and the closest body of water to Toledo is Lake Erie!!!

From the aquarium they went to the beach again (same place that they ate lunch) and spent about an hour and a half playing on the beach. It started to rain... and rained from about 3:00 all the way to 7:00. The kids got soaked, but they were all told to bring a change of clothes for the ride back (smart thinking).

Cathy's group returned to her school early (they had expected to return by 8:30 and instead arrived at 7:30) and then once the kids were all gone, she and Lisa went to grab dinner and some much needed drinks.

That brings us to today. We're going to go to Outback tonight to celebrate Cathy's birthday (she turned 31 on Tuesday). You'll have to read Cathy's blog to read about her birthday at school.

We'll write again soon...
The Walkers

Bad Week...

Posted by Steve and Cat Walker | Pets and Life | 9:34 PM

The last time we wrote it was Labor Day weekend. That was two weekends ago...

The Sunday of Labor Day weekend we ended up taking Bob (our cat) the the 24-hour animal hospital because she was breathing really fast and had no balance. She wouldn't lay down all the way, she kinda was avoiding her stomach touching the ground. Steve noticed that there was something wrong when she tried to jump on the back of the couch and fell. It caused us to really worry, so we took her to the hospital just to be safe.

The vet at the hospital said she was fine. She didn't see anything abnormal and she said to keep an eye on her. She said it was most likely a cold, so she prescribed some medicine that we had to give her twice a day.

We didn't see any improvement on Monday... or Tuesday... or Wednesday... or for the rest of the week. In fact, she seemed to just get progressively worse. We both had a lot going on and neither of us could take her to the vet until Friday.

Cathy had her first field trip to the North Carolina Legislative Building and the Capitol building in Raleigh on Thursday. She had fun and enjoyed seeing both places, but couldn't take off work.

Steve had important meetings and was not able to get out of work either. The soonest that we could get her in was Friday (the 7th). Steve took her in after work.

At this point, she was not able to even stand up and had NO balance. She was anti-social (very much the opposite of how she normally is) and she wasn't really able to chew. She could lick her food, but not actually chew. We knew there was something REALLY wrong when she refused to eat turkey... which is her all-time favorite thing to eat.

Bob was very weak and not even able to meow. She could still purr, but not meow... she was moaning all the time.

The vet told Steve that he couldn't diagnose anything without blood work, but it was most-likely a Potassium deficiency. He said that with medicine and special food, she'd be able to come through and live a healthy life.

We both kinda assumed that that was the problem. Never in a million years would we have imagined that she had something much worse.

On Monday, the vet called Steve to tell him that the blood work came back and it wasn't good. Instead of being a curable Potassium problem, she had an incurable disease... FIV which is basically the feline form of AIDS. He said that he'd support anything we decided to do, but we really needed to think about Bob's quality of life. Steve sent Cathy an email at work telling her the bad news... and then asked her what she wanted to do. She called him right away (her kids went to lunch)... and together we made the decision to put her down.

Cathy had a conference scheduled for 4:00 that she rescheduled, and came home right after school. We had the vet appointment for 5:00... and as soon as Cathy got home (4:20)... she went to find Bob. Bob was on the floor in our bathroom and was laying in the doorway. She was on her side... and Cathy layed down on the floor and cried and cried and cried. She pet Bobby and listened to her purr. Bob couldn't really move... she was somewhat paralyzed and confined to that spot. Cathy had about thirty minutes alone with Bob and she cried a lot and asked Bob to go on her own. She asked God to take Bob out of her misery and let her die on her own, rather than from something we did to her. Cathy couldn't imagine having to actually be there when the vet put her to sleep forever.

Steve called Cathy at 4:50 to tell her that he was running late and asked her to meet him at the vet. She gathered Bobby one last time and carried her limp body downstairs to her cat carrier. Cathy drove to the vet through tears... and when she got to the vet, Steve was just pulling in. Cathy opened the back door to the Escape and saw Bob's back leg bent (which was weird because she had been so stiff)... and it looked like she was trying to itch a spot on her neck. Cathy scratched the spot for her and Bob's eyes got really big... and then her whole body relaxed and she kinda moved positions.

Steve came to the car and took Bob. We went inside... and the tears started to flow even harder. Neither of us were ready to say goodbye to her. They let us have a minute with her, and as we opened the cat carried to get her out, Steve noticed that she didn't appear to be breathing. Her eyes were still big... but she wasn't breathing. The vet technician checked and said that she couldn't officially confirm anything, but she didn't appear to have a heart-beat. The vet came in and checked, and confirmed that she had in fact passed on.

It was so very sad... but Cathy was releived that she was able to go on her own. She was a great cat... the greatest that Cathy has ever known. Bob was her 21st birthday present and Cathy hand picked her from her litter. She drove home with her and Bob was snuggled up on her chest... and from that moment on they've been inseperable. When Cathy went through her divorce, her ex had all the animals for about a month. It was pure torture for Cathy to be going through the divorce, and not to have her cats. She was able to bring Bob and Haid to her apartment (Cu was her dog that her ex "had to have" and then later got rid of). Bob has been such a sweet kitty... and her life was cut short by a terrible disease. If you ever had the pleasure of meeting Bob... you know how cute she was and what a great personality she had. Cathy and Bob had a very special bond... they would have conversations together (weird right)... and Bob was always by Cathy's side. She would sleep on Cathy's head... right next to her pillow, and occasionally was known to actually eat Cathy's hair. Bob liked to beg for food while Cathy was eating... and Steve would get so mad whenever Cathy gave in. Bob was one of a kind... and missed so much more than words can express. There's a hole in our hearts that can't be filled.

To make things worse, the vet told us that FIV is transferrable through saliva. Our cats all share a feeder and water... and he was very concerned about the other five cats. We immediately began to worry about their lives. It was awful to lose Bob, but there's no way we could stand to lose all six of them.

Steve took Toebe and Tommy on Wednesday to be tested and we got a call Wednesday night saying that they both tested negative. On Friday, Steve took Mindy, Hurmin and Eddie in, and again, all three tested negative.

So the good news is that all five are okay... but we still lost our Bobby. We had her cremated, and Steve was able to bring her home on Friday. It's been an exhausting week of tears for both of us. Just been a really bad week.

Keep us in your prayers...
The Walkers

This is a slide show in memory of Bob... she was the best cat ever.

Labor Day Weekend

Posted by Steve and Cat Walker | Labor Day Weekend 2007 | 7:56 PM

We are excited to have made it to Labor Day weekend. Hopefully the weather here will start to cool off now that we're in September.

Can you believe that we've been here almost 3 months already?

Cathy had her first parent-teacher conferences this last week. She has to schedule them herself on her own time (yes... very crappy), so she had some on Thursday. She didn't get home until after 7pm. I'm telling you... she's going to work herself to death. She's been going in at 7am and coming home at 7pm... she comes home, we eat and then we go to bed. It's starting to kill her. When she goes back on Tuesday she has more conferences on Tuesday (after her Homework Club that she does voluntairly) and then Wednesday and Thursday. She's a hard worker.

Things are going well at Burt's. Steve is happy still and taking each day as it comes. Like any job, he's realizing who to trust and who not to trust and he's learning the in's and out's of the job. He's happy to be there and have a challenge, but it's stressful when he can't completely do his job. He depends on others being on the same team as him when it comes to completing tasks... and for many "teammates" Steve's needs don't come as a priority. With time it'll all get worked out... but for now he gets to bang his head on the wall daily.

We went to a new place Friday night for dinner. There's a hole-in-the-wall place called Andy's (not Cathy's favorite name) that we went to in Holly Springs. They have a 50s diner theme and the best burgers and cheesesteaks! http://www.andyscheesesteaks.com/. After eating dinner there we came home and watched some television.

This is the first Labor Day weekend that Cathy hasn't gone to St. Ignace/Mackinac Island in 20 years. Since she was 10 she and her family went up north to camp. She hasn't missed a year in 20 years... even when her parents drove her twin to Montana for college... she went up north for Labor Day weekend.

So to say she's depressed and sad, is a HUGE understatement. We decided that next year we're going to go up there no matter what we're doing here. So instead of spending this weekend going to the various sites in the UP and going to the Antler's, Soo Locks, Mackinac Island and camping... we're here doing nothing.

HEAVY SIGH....

We'll write again soon.
The Walkers

Another Week Goes By...

Posted by Steve and Cat Walker | | 5:38 PM

This week Cathy went back to work and we were both excited to see her find something to occupy her time! She was glad to get back into her normal routine. It's not good when she has too much time to sit and "think" about all that's going on with moving and whatnot.

Steve is still enjoying his job but has started to realize that there's a LOT for him to do, and only so many hours in the day to complete everything. He's a very driven and motivated person, so when he sees a task to be completed, he works until it's done. He's getting a little frustrated at BBI because he isn't able to find one or two small tasks to be done, he's finding HUGE projects on top of HUGE projects on top of HUGE projects. He's experienced a little bit of overwhelmingness this week.

Cathy had the best day teaching 4th grade this last week. She has really been able to connect with her class and will tell you that there isn't one child in her class that is a behavior problem. They all work well together and she really enjoys going into work each day. She has made some friends at school and it's made going to work each day delightful. She is MUCH happier at Oak Grove than she was at Childs. Even though she did have some great friends at Childs and Lincoln, she just didn't like how her principal ran things... (or didn't run things) and she really did not appreciate the things that some of her teammates did while being paid to teach. As Cathy says, "They wouldn't last ONE DAY down here."

On Friday Cathy got home and we headed into Fuquay for our cheap Mexican... delicious as always. Then we went to DQ for our dessert... we came home and watched some tv, but we were both so tired that we were in bed by 9:45. Yes... we're definitely getting old... Friday night and we're in bed before 10pm.

Today the dryer guys came AGAIN... and AGAIN there was a problem. It's becoming comical how this whole thing is going down. Steve finally called Five On Your Side (the news station's problem-solvers) and we're anxious to see if they contact us and do a story about our Home Despot problems... September will be 3 months since we've been here... and it's taken that long for Home Depot to bring us our dryer.... our NEW dryer that we spent a LOT of money for...

We're going to go to Outback for dinner tonight because Cathy was talking about it with Katie (her coworker) and it got her all hot and bothered... and now we have to do something about it. We've got a 6:30 reservation and she's as happy as could be.

Cathy's mom had surgery last week and she's home and doing well. There's a physical therapist coming in to work with her on mobility and moving around and even though it's painful, she's giving it her all and doing very well! Thanks for all the prayers!!

We're going down under... be back later!
:)
Steve and Cat

Is It September Yet?

Posted by Steve and Cat Walker | | 10:19 PM

It's crazy how busy we're able to get around here.

On Tuesday, Cathy's mom Cathy went into the hospital for her hip-replacement surgery. Everything went well and she's back home now and is ready for the recovery part. It reminded Steve of his mom and all the surgeries that she had. He knows first hand how stressful it is when a parent is in the hospital. We sent her a really nice bouquet of flowers and a balloon... which she absolutely loved.

Nothing of any particular interest has happened this week at BBI. Steve is still settling and if asked to do it all again he would do it in a minute. On Wednesday, Pam Z. was in town on business and we were able to meet her for dinner at Mama Mia in Cary. She used to work with Steve at FM and we always go to her birthday karaoke parties. Anyway, she was in the Durham area and we met her for dinner and it was super nice to see a familiar face and to laugh with her.

Thursday and Friday Cathy went into work... she was technically required to go in and work. She's all prepared and excited to go back on Monday. She said that she missed her kids and will be glad to get back into the routine. She thinks she's really going to like the year round schedule... having three weeks was just about perfect for her. She tracks out again in October and hopes to get to go back to Michigan for a visit.

Last night Cathy went to a coworkers house for a "sleep-over." She wasn't going to go but decided that it'd be good to socialize with people and form better friendships. She came home today and was VERY tired but said that she had a good time. They ordered pizza, drank a little, did Dancing with Darren (he apparently has a video teaching the dance moves for Britney Spears, N'Sync and a few other has-beens). They played SCENE IT on DVD and then watched SHAG (the movie that Cathy and her mom used to always watch together).

Today we went and saw the Simpsons movie. Talk about hilarious!! We laughed and laughed throughout the whole thing. It was very funny and well worth the price to see it. Tomorrow we're planning on going to see HP and the Order of the Phoenix.

Enough for now... it's bed time.
Steve and Cat

Weekend

Posted by Steve and Cat Walker | Our Weekend | 8:14 PM

We had such a great weekend!!

On Friday Cathy went into work to get her paycheck and ended up staying all day (and night) working on things. She had papers to grade and she did some lesson planning. She ended up coming home around 7:00 and we decided to head to Fuquay-Varina for some Mexican for dinner.

We absolutely LOVE this Mexican place. It's called El Mason and it's soooo cheap and soooo good. They have this page of combo meals and just about anything you can think of is put together into a combo for $7.25. We usually both get water so our meal with tip comes to less than $20.00. They give you free chips and salsa that's made from scratch and delicious.

After eating Mexican we have a ritual of heading over to the DQ (Dairy Queen) for some ice cream. Steve always gets a Blizzard and Cathy usually gets their chocolate covered strawberry waffle bowl sundae... but this time she decided to get a banana-split but in a cup instead of the boat. This caused a GREAT amount of confusion because they have a banana-split Blizzard... but Cathy hates Blizzards (unless it's cookies and cream) because she hates things in her ice cream (weird right).

Anyway, she didn't really get a banana-split... she got a sundae with every topping they have dumped in a cup with bananas. She kept raving about how good it was... and they put it in a 44oz cup. It was MASSIVE and only cost $3.50. Yes... we definietly made out.

On Saturday we waited around ALL DAY for the Maytag person to come with our new dryer... yes we have a dryer but we'll have to do a separate blog just about the drama with the dryer. Anyway, they NEVER came. Talk about pissing us off and wasting the entire day.

We ended up going shopping. Cathy had gone to DSW on Thursday and bought $130 worth of shoes (yes... and they were almost ALL sandals). Anyway... the one pair (cute Sketchers) gave her really bad blisters after wearing them on Friday, so we took them back to DSW on Saturday. Cathy was really good about the whole thing... and DSW refunded not only the shoes but the coupon value (she had a $30 coupon).

Then we went to Old Navy and Steve got a TON of new clothes. They had so much on sale!! He got a bunch of dressy shirts, some belts, a jacket and some shorts. He was very happy with his shopping trip!

We also went to Bed Bath & Beyond and bought some things there. On our trip we also hit Target where we bought more things for the house and some other odds and ends.

Because it was getting late, we went to one of our other favorite places to eat, the Bass Lake Draft House. They have pretty good food... it's sometimes over-priced (depending on what you get). We don't eat there very often, but it was pretty good. After dinner we walked to the coffee place and got some ice-cream.

We came home and watched The Brothers Grimm. It was very interesting... nothing like we had expected. It was good... very graphic and violent, but it was entertaining. Not something that we'd need to see again, but it wasn't bad.

Today we slept in. Steve went outside this morning and watered the lawn and talked to our neighbors. After noon we went to Lowe's for grocery shopping. That's about it for today.

We're both hoping that Cathy's mom's hip-replacement surgery goes well this week. She's going into the hospital on Tuesday and then coming home after Friday. We're praying that it's as smooth as possible and her recovery is speedy. We both wish we were home to help her and make her as comfortable as possible... but we're not able to get back. If you're reading this and you do live close to her... PLEASE stop over and see how she's doing.

Keep her in your prayers please!
Signing off..

The Walkers

Pictures from the Kenny Concert

Posted by Steve and Cat Walker | Concert Pictures | 5:24 PM

These are some of our favorite pictures taken at the Kenny Chesney concert on Friday night! Enjoy!

Us before the concert started!

Pat Green (in gray)

Sugarland

Jennifer Nettles of Sugarland (she's awesome)

Kenny's banner

Kenny Chesney

More Kenny

The end of the concert...

"Cackalacky"

Posted by Steve and Cat Walker | | 5:38 PM

"Cackalacky" refers to only North Carolina. NORTH Carolina. North. The Carolina north of South Carolina.

Person1: "Yo dawg, Souf Cackalacky is da SHIT!"
Person2: "I'm sorry, but I am unfamiliar with that which you are speaking, because Cackalacky refers exclusively to the Carolina that borders Virginia."
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We went to the Kenny Chesney concert last night. Pat Green opened and then Sugarland played before Kenny came out. Cathy wore "irresponsible" shoes (flip-flops) that gave her a blister as we were walking from the parking lot. BAD MOVE. The place that the concert was held was VERY similar to DTE Energy Center in Michigan. We had really good seats, we paid more to not sit on the lawn. It was super hot and we were both REALLY thirsty, but we couldn't bring ourselves to pay $4.00 for water or $6.00 for soda.

We used the above word "Cackalacky" because when Jennifer Nettles of Sugarland came out to start their set, she said, "It's good to be here in Raleigh, North Cackalacky." Cathy didn't notice it until Steve played back the video he took of the opening, but Steve definitely noticed it.

The concert was excellent... it's the last bit of entertainment that we're going to have for quite some time. With two house payments and only two more pay checks from MI (Cathy is paid from Lincoln until Septembet)... the time is ticking away to where we're going to be living check to check. Especially since Cathy took quite a pay cut to come teach in NC.

Steve has been enjoying the carpooling. He only drove the Beast to work ONE day last week. In typical Steve fashion, he has an Excel spreadsheet of the data so everyone is driving the same amount and everyone is paying the same for gas. Anyway, he's happy and enjoying the ride into work and back with Christy and Beth.

We have both realized that we're not young anymore, but we're okay with that. We'd rather stay home and watch television or read a book than go out and drink. Last night we didn't get home until after midnight and we were both DEAD. We joked about how tired we were. Cathy commented about how so many at the concert were going to be going to the bar after, and she just can't picture it anymore. There was a time in her past when she probably would have been up for going out... midnight was still early to her! Not anymore... we're done with that and glad!!

We didn't do much today (Saturday)... Steve took a nap earlier in the day, which only made him crankier. He's AWFUL when he takes a nap. If you think he's cranky before a nap, you should see him after a nap. The sleep cycle makes him VERY moody and he's oh-so-pleasant to be around (lol). Cathy has her moments too, but for the most part, she just wakes up disoriented. She isn't cranky and bitchy like Steve is (yes... this is Cathy writing this). HAHAHA.

Well... enough for now. We're sure there will be something more to write this week... or not...

:)
Steve and Cat

Another week has passed...

Posted by Steve and Cat Walker | | 9:51 AM

Well we've survived another week in North Carolina. This week the weather was pretty hot. Everyone keeps telling us to get through July and August and we'll LOVE the temps here. It's a matter of getting through these two EXTREMELY hot months.

There's not a whole lot to report right now. Steve had a good week. He got some free swag on Thursday after a meeting with the CEO and a bunch of other big-wigs. He brought it all home in a Burt's Bees bag and now we've enjoying using the freebies. Cathy especially likes the deep-therapy hair mask... good stuff!!

We cleaned the house yesterday. More drama with the washer and dryer people. They finally came yesterday (after more than a month and a haldf) to stack them and then they didn't have the right equipment to finish the job. Not only have we been patiently been waiting since June... but now they un-sealed the line and we can't use the washer or dryer until they get the right guys to come out and fix it. Steve was so PISSED!!! It was pretty ugly. So now we have to wait for someone to come out and stack them and fix the gas line. They said tomorrow they're going to send someone out, but neither of us will be home. So we don't know when it's going to get done.

Last night Craig and Christine came over for dinner. We had cheeseburgers, cheese dip and chips, potato salad and pasta salad. It was yummy!! They stayed pretty late but it was great to have people to sit outside and laugh with.

That's the latest from us... more to come later!

:)
The Walkers

What Have We Been Doing???

Posted by Steve and Cat Walker | Life | 5:03 PM

Well... it's been a few days or so since we last posted anything on our blog so we figured we better get back on top of it before it becomes too late!!

It's so much easier to blog when you do it regularly, instead of going a week or two and then trying to remember what has happened since the last blog!!

Steve has started car-pooling with two women at work. The one drives a HUGE SUV and wants to save gas and hopefully stop getting so many "odd" looks from the other people at Burt's. They are an environmentally friendly company... so it doesn't exactly look great to have employees driving HUGE gas guzzlers. Steve's not exactly out of the woods either... he drives the Beast and it's not exactly saving the Earth either. So anyway, he is car-pooling. Last week was the first week and it went well. He was a little worried about being constrained with time and each of them having different schedules, but it all worked out.

Steve is REALLY happy at Burt's Bees. When he first started working there in June he took this personality profile thing (very similar to the Meyer's Briggs) and then this last week he got the results. He was very interested to see that the profile pretty much nailed him! Everything it said was right on target. Steve gave Cathy the test to take and hopefully we'll get the results soon. The man that created the test said that it's great to give to your spouse because it'll help relationships and give insight as to parenting. We'll see...

Cathy had her Open House on Thursday. She has been sick since last week, so she wasn't exactly looking forward to staying late to talk to parents while she was sick. She got home on Thursday around 8:15pm. Put in well over 12 hours at work and felt awful. She said it went well though, and she had several parents show.

Cathy enjoys her job so far. Her class is very chatty but very sweet. She likes everyone that she's working with and gets along with everyone. There was one small issue last week with one of the CCR (Cross-Categorical Resource) teachers trying to change her schedule, but Cathy handleded it very well and was able to work it all out.

On Thursday while Cathy was at her Open House, Steve was able to go to Home Depot with a friend that he made down here (his name is Greg and his wife is a friend of Monica-- the person that hired Steve). Greg and Steve went and got a grill and it's AWESOME!!! We're finally able to grill!!! It's been awful having to use our little indoor grill each time we want to have grilled chicken or pork.

We went grocery shopping yesterday and then watched Night at the Museum last night. It was pretty good. Steve spent all morning washing our cars (it was in the low 80s) and exhausted himself (as usual). We spent the remainder of the evening watching television.

This morning we got up and made a yummy breakfast. We had eggs, bacon, hashbrowns, toast and juice. It was great. Then Steve went outside and mowed (it's in the low 80s again today). Cathy has spent the day writing lesson plans and getting her weekly newsletter written.

So... now you know what we've been up to for the last few weeks. We're going to have some dinner... from the grill of course... and then watch tv and head for bed! One more week for Cathy and then she's tracked out!!

:)
The Walkers

Happy Anniversary to Us!!

Posted by Steve and Cat Walker | Anniversary | 1:31 PM

Song: "Satellite" by Dave Matthews Band

Mood: Blissfully Happy & loved more than ever before!

So we made it to our first anniversary!! Not that either of us had any doubts, but it is so wonderful to be married for a year and be as in love (if not more) than we were a year ago today!

We went to Outback for dinner yesterday to celebrate. We had not been there since before leaving Michigan. We had a great evening and decided to go to Target and see what we could buy for the house. We got some things for the bathroom (shelves and stuff) and then came home.

While Steve put together two different shelving things, Cathy decided to take off her acrylic nails. She's had them for more than two years (about two and a half actually) and she LOVES having them, but hates the way people do nails down here. She's had two bad experiences so far. We don't mind paying for them when they're nice and she's had a good experience, but we have a major problem paying money for nails that look awful. So she took them off... and it took like three hours or so.

She had a mild allergic reaction to the remover (store-bought) and her fingers and thumb swelled up. Her hands hurt and are pretty much burned from the acid that was in the remover. Her nailbeds are ruined and look AWFUL and her nails are super sensitive and they hurt. We bought some nail hardener and hopefully it'll work.

This morning we got up and watched some television. We talked about how much change a year can bring. It's amazing because a year ago we would have NEVER believed anyone that said that in a year we'd be in North Carolina leading a new chapter of our life together. Which made us think about what changes will come this year! Who knows what the future brings, but we're certain that a year from now we'll be saying the same thing!!

We're both so happy to have found each other. Last night we talked about how different this 1st Anniversary is compared to the 1st Anniversaries that we both had with our starter marriages. Cathy's first anniversary was spent in Grand Rapids realizing that her marriage was dissolving fast and she could do nothing about it. Her ex had been seeing someone else and it was while they were driving back to town from their weekend away that he told her he had doubts before saying "I do." Not something you want to hear on your first anniversary!! The first anniversary for Cathy was spent crying and feeling helpless.

For Steve, he couldn't really remember what he and Voldemort had done for their anniversary, but he knew it wasn't good. He had been living in Michigan ALONE and was desperate to feel connected to the one person he loved more than anything, and she wasn't there (as usual) for him. He spent his first anniversary questioning himself, her love and their whole situation. His first anniversary was spent feeling helpless and crying about the missing piece of his life and what he do to make things better.

We both have said it from the beginning, but both coming from a divorce has made us stronger partners for each other. We both understand and appreciate where we have both come from. We both know how it feels to give freely of yourself to someone that does nothing with that love. We know the pain of losing love and feeling like we'll be spending the rest of our lives alone. We both know how great it is to have someone love you back and care as deeply about you and you care for them.

Our love is a miracle and a blessing that we both cherish and value more than anything else. We would not be complete without each other in our lives. Today is a day that we remember the love and joy and feeling of relief at knowing that we will never again be alone. We will never again be without love and we will never again be without someone who values what we have to offer.

We'll write again soon! Cathy starts school tomorrow and we're sure she'll have lots and lots to share about that!! We're going to close this post with some pictures from our wedding day a year ago! Enjoy!

Steve and Cathy Walker

Culture Day and more...

Posted by Steve and Cat Walker | Work | 2:53 PM

Well Culture Day has come and gone for Steve and he is now left with a drum and a cold.

Basically, on Wednesday they drove on chartered buses to a remote location (45 minutes on the bus) and arrived to find several tents and one large enclosed tent (like a reception tent). As he got off the bus he heard drumming and everyone walked towards the drumming (inside the tent). There were drums on everyone seats and there was a group there playing drums and they got all the Burt's Bees people to drum with them.

The CEO got up and drummed and gave a "pep-talk" and then Burt arrived. Yes... there's really a Burt and he looks EXACTLY like the guy on their products.

At the end of Culture Day Steve was given his very own drum and on the top it has the Burt's Bees logo. He said that everyone was super excited and revamped. The ENTIRE company was there. People from Canada and Europe were there as well as all the employees at the Durham site.

Cathy went to her Math Trailblazers training on Wednesday and Thursday and loved it! She's so excited just to have a math program to follow. She met a girl named Katie that is new to Oak Grove (4th grade track 4). They had lunch together both days and talked about upcoming stuff. Cathy is excited to have made some new friends!!

On Friday we had to go to Fuquay-Varina to take our driver's exams. Here in NC you have to pass two different tests in order to get a license. You have to pass the sign test and then there's a test on the computer about everything contained in the handbook.

Steve called and made appointments for us (they suggest calling ahead to avoid long lines) and we had a 3:00 and 3:30. We were both pretty nervous about the tests. Different people had told both of us that the tests were hard and if you don't study, you will fail. One person that works with Steve told him that she didn't study and failed it the first time (YIKES)!!

We both got 100% on the sign test and then Cathy got a 100% on the computer test and Steve got an 80%. We both got our pictures taken and walked out of the building with new licenses! They took the Michigan licenses and didn't give them back... but we now have the official NC license!! YAY!!

This weekend Cathy has a lot of school-related work to do. She starts on Monday and is getting more and more excited. Steve got a cold from Yola and is now caughing and blowing his nose constantly. Not good :(

Maybe we'll post again tomorrow. If not, we'll try to get back on before the 4th of July. One week from tomorrow is our 1st Anniversary together!!! It's crazy how things change in a year!!

:)
Steve and Cat

The Welcome Wagon Arrived!!

Posted by Steve and Cat Walker | Welcome Wagon | 8:35 PM

Song: "Prove My Love"- Violent Femmes
Mood: Tired

Today was a busy day for both of us. Steve met the new Sustainability Director (came over from Ben & Jerry's), her name is Yola and she is from Vermont. Steve is excited to have finally met her because she's good at the "big picture stuff" and living better with the world stuff... fair trade and human rights organizations; where he's good at compliance and hands-on stuff. He thinks the two of them are going to make a dynamic duo.

Tomorrow is his "Culture Day 2007" and he came home with a shirt that he gets to wear tomorrow. It's hunter green and on the front is says, "I'm Here to Drink the Honey." He's not sure what that slogan means but he's sure that after tomorrow he'll know all about its significance!!

Today Cathy went to the Wake County new teacher induction. It was a whole day of learning about the expectations for teaching the curriculum, the assessments given by the state and all the other important stuff that goes into teaching. She even made a new friend (see Cathy's blog to read more specifics about her day).

When we both were home the Holly Springs Welcome Wagon stopped by to welcome us to the city. We were given pens, magnets, phamplets and all kinds of info about the shops and resources located in Holly Springs and Fuquay-Varina. It was very nice and we were excited to see all that the cities offer!!

After the lady left we had dinner (left-overs) and watched Hell's Kitchen. Then Cathy watched the Age of Love and then we came up here to get some last minute stuff done before bed.

We will write more tomorrow... we know you can't wait to hear about the Culture Day experience for Steve and the math training for Cathy!!!

Have a great night!!
Steve and Cathy

We've Got A Case of the Mondays...

Posted by Steve and Cat Walker | | 1:31 PM

Well, this weekend we did get a lot done. We were able to get more boxes unpacked and now the front entrance is actually clear!! Someone called Steve about moving boxes, so her husband came yesterday to take many off our hands. This definitely helped with the clutter!

We spent time on Saturday cleaning and going through more things. When the garage opens... we both cringe. It's a total mess and stuffed FULL of all the stuff from our basement. We want to go through it all, but it's too hot to do it right now. However, we NEED to get it cleaned out so we can actually park the cars in the garage. Steve said that if we can get rid of the red furniture (that we shouldn't have even brought with us) than it'll make a BIG improvement. We'll see.

Last night Cathy made a tasty dinner! The problem was that she didn't start making dinner until 6:30 and it took almost two hours for the prep and cooking time. She made homemade mac-n-cheese that Steve gave a 8 out of 10 (based on ALL the mac-n-cheese that he's ever tasted). Then she made honey-garlic chicken. Steve gave this a 10! She even made a dipping sauce for the chicken. We didn't finish eating until after 9pm. Anyone that knows us knows that we're usually in bed by 9:30... so we got to bed on a full stomach (we try to be done eating ALL food by 7:30) and it was very late.

Tonight Cathy is making kielbasa, ranch potatoes and a veggie. Steve has been thoroughly enjoying Cathy cooking!! It's been a nice change of pace, since Steve is usually the one to cook. Cathy doesn't mind cooking, but she likes to do things her way and gets very annoyed when Steve tries to tell her how to do things, or takes over. :)

We started putting up pictures and making the house feel more like a home. It's going to take a while before it's complete... but each day gets a little better.

Off the topic... one of the neat things that we've discovered since living in NC is a beverage called Cheerwine. It's like a cherry cola... and Cathy said that it reminds her of Rock-n-Rye Faygo. It's very tasty... and only found here in NC!! When you come for a visit we'll make sure you get to taste some!!

Until next time...

The Walkers

What A Day...

Posted by Steve and Cat Walker | | 3:47 PM

This was just the craziest of days!!! This morning Cathy had her Wake County Orientation in Cary (about 25 minutes away) at 8:30am. This was her first taste of traffic at this time in the morning. She got to the orientation site just on time (she likes to be early to things) and the orientation went well. She got her picture taken for her employee badge and even got to come home with her green card (lol).

The craziness started when she first got to the training. Back in Michigan when she first was offered the job at Oak Grove, a woman named Taffy Moore (yes... her name was Taffy) told Cathy that she needed a physical and negative TB test before she could start working. Taffy told Cathy that she could use something from Michigan from her doctor and just bring it with her. Well... this morning the Wake County lady almost didn't accept it because it wasn't on the official form from Wake County!!

Then... the direct deposit sheet had to be signed by a bank teller at Wachovia... so Cathy had to find a Wachovia and then go back to the training place and give them her completed form.

All was great until Cathy left to come back home. She missed the turn to come south towards our house and ended up getting completely lost and ended up WAAAAYYYY south (Fuquay-Varina) and took about two hours to get home. Needless to say, she was upset and glad to be home!!

Steve had a busy day getting certified in CPR! He had two plant-wide meetings and then a HUGE department one (that he didn't have to sit in on). He got to come home early today (he was home by 3:00!!).

He is excited to see what next Wednesday will be all about. It's the official Burt's Bees "Cultural Day." He's not sure what it means, but he's been told to wear comfortable shoes, shorts and a t-shirt. He was told that he'll be outside for some of it, but mostly inside with the air-conditioning. The purpose is to bring the whole company together. Everyone from the NC facilities and then all the sales people and the Burt's Bees people in Canada and the UK will be coming too!

We're both so glad that it's Friday! We are going to spend the weekend.... surprise, surprise! Unpacking!! We hope to get a lot done and start to get the house to look like a house and not a storage facility!! Maybe we'll even get to hit the pool!!!

Have a great weekend and we'll post more later!
:)
Steve and Cathy

Our First Post :)

Posted by Steve and Cat Walker | First Post | 9:18 PM

We decided to start a blog of all the things that are happening in our lives. Cathy still has her blog that remains all about her (lol) but we wanted to have something about US. This will definitely come in handy once we start a family!!

Make sure you bookmark us and check back periodically and see what we're doing!!

Steve & Cat