The Walker Blog

Paisley Party Tour and more!

Posted by Steve and Cat Walker | Summer Fun | 2:49 PM

Jewel

Steve singing

Julianne Hough

Brad Paisley and Jewel

The Walkers

Brad Paisley

Chuck Wicks

The Burt's Bees VIP Box

Goodness it's been a while since we last blogged!! What have we been doing??? Well, we know we have loyal fans that tune in regularly to hear all about our life here in NC (lol), sorry to make you all wait so long!!

As the pictures show, we went to the TWC Music Pavilion at Walnut Creek (like a DTE Energy Center/Pine Knob in Michigan) for a fantastic concert back on Saturday, July 19th. Steve stumbled upon some free VIP tickets to see Brad Paisley, Jewel, Chuck Wicks and Julianne Hough and he couldn't wait to tell Cathy. We were super excited to go because we both love Brad Paisley and Jewel. Neither of us had heard of Chuck Wicks or Julianne Hough, but we enjoyed their time on the state none-the-less.

Cathy has started a new school year and has a challenging class so far. We're hoping that everyone just needed a track out to get their heads straight (Cathy included) and that when she goes back in August, it's all good. She is still teaching 4th grade and is still really happy at her school. She was asked to present to the teachers twice (on United Streaming) and she was nervous but really excited to have the opportunity to share her knowledge with others. She still receives emails each day from teachers all over the United States about her website and we're thinking about how to channel that positivity into a productive future. You wouldn't believe the emails that she gets... it's really amazing.

Steve is still loving Burt's and is really starting to make some wonderful changes for the company. He's respected and definitely regarded as someone who knows his stuff! He put together something called "Dumpster Day" and to his surprise, he was featured two different times on the "official" video that was made of Dumpster Day. If you'd like to view the video, send us an email and we can send you the link so you can watch him. :)

We both were super excited to set a new record for ourselves. We've been married longer to each other than to anyone else!! July 8th we celebrated our second anniversary. We're more in love today than ever before and it's awesome to have found each other in such a huge world. What are the odds?

This weekend we're going to a surprise birthday party for someone that Steve works with. It's a pig-roast (hopefully a real one) and we'll blog again with pictures.

We're getting excited for our trip home in September. We'll be leaving NC on Saturday the 6th and driving ALL DAY to Michigan. We'll be spending Saturday the 6th through Wednesday the 10th in Michigan with Cathy's family. Her brother Dave and his wife and three kids are going to be there as well so it'll be a great visit with them. Then we're heading to Indianapolis to visit Steve's dad and SueAnn. We'll be staying with them from Wednesday through Sunday and then driving back home Sunday morning. We'll be going to the Kenny Chesney concert with them on Saturday the 13th. It's the last stop for his tour and should be a ton of fun!!!

Talk to you soon!

The Walkers

4th of July Weekend

Posted by Steve and Cat Walker | back to school, end of the year, Holidays | 4:59 PM

This weekend we celebrated the fourth of July by going to see Hancock. It was a really good movie! Not realistic at all, but very entertaining. We give it two thumbs up!

Cathy finished her last day of school last week. She was very sad on the last day of school because she really loved her class this year. It's safe to say that they loved her as much as she loved them, and we're both grateful that she's had such a wonderful first year teaching in North Carolina.

She's been really stressed at work. She went into work this whole last week, Monday through Friday and tried to get everything ready for the first day, but she had to bring things home this weekend to work on. Even with all that, she's still not done and has to go in early tomorrow to get completely ready for the kids.

She's going to have a challenging year this year. She has 15 boys and 8 girls, only 5 that are identified as Academically Gifted (the other teacher has 13) and she has 4 CCR kids (special education). One of her boys, isn't special ed, but requires a BIP (Behavior Intervention Plan) and she has to keep track of his behavior for every minute of the day. She has to meet with a special team every two weeks to discuss his behavior. She also has a girl that's diabetic and wears a pump.

It's going to be interesting!! Steve is doing well at Burt's. He was really excited to be featured in their "Dumpster Day" video that was professionally made. If you're interested in viewing the video, let us know and we'll send you the link to view it. It's pretty impressive!!

Friday night we were entertained with the jack-asses on our street. They had like 50+ people over for a party and were drinking and being THEM, well, it got dark and they decided to light some fireworks. We're surprised that no one was injured because they were drunk and lighting explosives, and not really paying attention to each other. It was amusing. The only bad thing was that our house is now covered with the cardboard and paper that came off the fireworks when they exploded.

Satuday we went to see Hancock, and before we went to the movies we had lunch at Jack Astor's. We had a very delicious lunch!! After the movie we went to Office Depot so Cathy could get some school supplies, then we went to Jo-Ann's for stuff for Warm Fuzzies (things that Cathy makes her kids) and the to the Dollar Tree for some back to school treats for bags that Cathy gives her kids. Then we did our grocery shopping and came home. We watched Bee Movie this morning and now we're about to watch the latest episode of Intervention.

Talk to you soon!

The Walkers

What A Weekend!!

Posted by Steve and Cat Walker | Bulls Game, Hollerin' Contest, Our Weekend | 9:26 PM

What a wonderful weekend!! We were so busy doing things all over this great state of ours! On Saturday we drove down to Spivey's Corner, NC to attend the 40th Annual National Hollerin' Contest. It was very interesting! Cathy got to see Tony Peacock and cheer for him. He came in 3rd place, but he did great! There were more than 12 people in the men's contest and even someone that came down from Virginia!

After the contest ended, we drove home and on the way, Steve had a bright idea to stop at a local place called "Ron's Barn." Yeah... we should have known by the name what it would be like, but in the back of our minds we kinda had hoped that we found a hidden gem. When we walked in, there was a musty smell to the place, but there were lots of people and it seemed like everyone was happy. It couldn't be that bad right?

Well... to the left was a cafeteria-style line that was rather short. In front of it, there were a few tables. We were taken immediately to our seats and our drink order was taken. Cathy ordered a Coke and Steve had a water. The waitress brought out some hush-puppies and then said, "Help yourselves." Not a good sign... we both anticipated a menu and dreaded the idea of the cafeteria-style line. There were people at the table RIGHT (yes, we were on top of another table) next to us and they got up to go get some chow.

We thought that maybe we were in for a treat when the one man raved about the food. How can you mess up apple sauce? Well, you can and they did. They even messed up Coke. It was by far the most disgusting meal that either of us has ever ingested.

Now, you're probably thinking that we learned our lesson right? Wrong. We decided to order dessert. BECAUSE the man at the table next to use was going on and on about the banana pudding. We decided to get the banana pudding and chocolate pie. Cathy thought both were absolutely GROSS but Steve kind of enjoyed the chocolate pie.

So, at the end of the night, we spent more than $20 for dinner that was disgusting. Cathy enjoyed the corn and Steve enjoyed the pie and green beans. The rest... well, that's another story.

Sunday night we went to a Durham Bulls game with Cathy's 4th graders. She's going to blog about it on her blog, so be on the look out for that if you're interested in reading about the game.

:)
The Walkers

One Year!!

Posted by Steve and Cat Walker | Anniversary | 8:46 PM

We've been in North Carolina for a year already!! Can you believe it? It's gone by so fast! Steve celebrated his one year anniversary with Burt's today. He didn't get any recognition at work, but Cathy sent him a congratulatory email and text that made his day. :)

Cathy has survived the EOGs for this year. She has learned a lot from giving these tests.

First... regardless of how many HOURS she spends reviewing and giving test-taking tips... it's all thrown out the window when the test is in front of their faces.
Second... for some kids, being the first one done is like a secret victory. Even if the test takes the average child 60 minutes and they've finished in 20.
Third... there are a lot of things on the EOG that Cathy didn't spend enough time teaching to her kids!! :(
Fourth... Everyone from kids to teachers stresses out about these tests!!
Fifth... sitting/wandering the room for four hours a day is excruciating. It'd be better to be taking the test than to be monitoring the test.

Cathy doens't know how her kids did yet (she's very nervous about it and scared that they all bombed it) and hopefully will know by Friday. Keep her in your prayers!!

We're excited to spend this weekend at home doing nothing. It's Father's Day and both of our father's are out of state, so we'll be chilling out together.

Next weekend we're going to the Hollerin' Festival with Katie (a girl that Cathy works with) and maybe her parents and then on Sunday we're meeting Cathy's kids and parents at the Bulls game. Should be fun!!

We'll write again soon...

The Walkers

Not Even Summer Yet...

Posted by Steve and Cat Walker | | 10:33 PM

Well... it's not even summer yet but it sure is hot! This week we have had temperatures reach over 100 degrees!

On Friday, Steve attended the second annual Burt's Bees Culture Day. You might remember the post from last year that talked about it. We had just moved down here, and that Friday was his first Friday at Burt's. He got the drum and they all played the drums to find their rhythm as a company. Burt made an appearance. Well... not this year. This year, they went to Hope Crossing, (Aa"green" community) which is a Habitat for Humanity of Durham community of homes. This last week was a "Building Blitz" across the US and for the Durham area, they built ten homes in five days. To make their impact, the Burt's Bees employees went for the day and built a playground.

Steve had a great time and really felt great giving back to the community. It was a VERY hot day though. There were several groups of people that left before 10:30 am, and through it all, Steve stayed and worked hard. He was among 15 that were able to stay through the whole day and help clean up at the end. The temperature on Friday was over 100, but Steve was able to stay hydrated and able to stay cool. He was really proud of the work that he did and can't wait to volunteer in September with the Burt's group. Cathy plans on volunteering with him. The home that Burt's will be working on this fall is extra special because it will be the home given to a fellow employee at Burt's.

Cathy is getting ready for her fourth graders to take the North Carolina End of Grade exams (EOGs). She is quite nervous about it, but we're hopeful that her kids will do well on the three-day test. They'll be taking the reading test on Monday and then Tuesday and Wednesday will be spent doing math tests. She got her scores back for the state writing test (which has been discontinued for next year) and was excited about the results. Her kids did an amazing job and she was very pleased!! We hope she'll have the same results on the EOGs. She'll find out how they did on the math test this coming Friday, but won't know anything about reading until September/October.

Tomorrow we're going to see Kung Fu Panda with Cathy's fourth graders. Acutally, they're meeting her at the movies. She has about ten or eleven kids and their parents/families coming so it should be fun. The movie looks pretty good and we're sure that the kids will really enjoy it. Cathy has planned a "Meet Mrs. Walker at the Durham Bulls game" in two weeks. You might remember that she always did this in Michigan with the Tigers, and fortunately, we're close to Durham and can do the same down here. She has about fifteen families that have signed up for that event. They'll get to have their name on the big screen. We'll be sure to post pictures of the event.

We're excited to head to Spivey's Corner in two weeks. It's time for the Annual Hollerin' Contest. Cathy is excited to go and cheer for Tony Peacock. He was the writer in residence at her school this year and she was really excited to maybe get to see him compete. The contest is the third Saturday in June. He has won the contest several times!! Click this link to watch a youtube video about the contest and to see Tony Peacock!! (After the guy explains distress hollerin', Tony is the first guy and he's wearing purple.)

The warm weather appears to be sticking around for a while, so send cool thoughts our way!! We hope everyone reading this is doing well. Feel free to drop us a line and say hello!! That's what the comments are there for!! :)

Take care,
The Walkers

The New Indiana Jones Movie

Posted by Steve and Cat Walker | | 11:05 PM

Today we went to see the new Indiana Jones movie. Cathy had wanted to see "The Strangers" but after reading poor review after poor review, we decided to go see the Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. We both really enjoyed it!! It brought back so many good things from the other movies, but was really action-packed and fun.

After going to the movies we went to IHOP for dinner. Cathy had never been to an IHOP so it was a first for her. She wasn't impressed with her dinner (pot-roast, mashed potatoes and veggies) but definitely envied Steve's dinner. He had pancakes and a super cheesy ham and cheese omlette.

Tomorrow, we're going shopping and then Cathy is going to do her newsletter for school. She still has another month of school (yuck). Steve just got home (Thursday) from a trip to Chicago, where he presented sustainability information to the Clorox people (representing Burt's). He had a really nice time and enjoyed the opportunity to network and meet some of the big-wigs of Clorox.

Cathy signed us up for a Triangle Area Couples group through meetup.com. We're excited to get to attend our first event and maybe meet some new friends here in North Carolina!

That's it for now...
:)
The Walkers

Where has the time gone?

Posted by Steve and Cat Walker | Life Update | 6:09 PM

Sorry it's been so long since we last posted something!! Not sure where the time goes, but finally the effort is being made.

Cathy's parents came to visit from May 3rd through the 9th. We had a great visit with them and enjoyed showing them the area. Cathy's dad was here in November, but her mom had not been down yet. It was nice to have them here right before Mother's Day and be able to spend some quality time. They came while Cathy was tracked out, so she got to spend the last week of her track out with them. Steve took a few days off too and it was time well spent.

We went to Wilmington for the day while they were here. We went to lunch and then spent some time at the battleship (USS North Carolina). After the battleship, we drove to Wrightsville Beach and spent some time at the ocean. We had a really nice dinner at a place called The Oceanic. We were able to eat outside (on their pier) and enjoy the surf and sun.

Cathy tracked back into her room on Friday, May 9th... and spent the majority of the night getting her room ready for Monday when her kids came back. She really wasn't excited to go bcak. I guess she was feeling like the year is basically over (in her traditional-calendar mind) but really, she has another month and a half before the year is over. Far from being over. LOL.

Steve is getting ready to go to a conference in Chicago on Tuesday and Wednesday of this next week. He'll be presenting information about Burt's Bees to people of Clorox (to let them know why buying Burt's was such a great investment). :) He's excited. It's been quite some time since he's had to travel for work, so as much as Cathy hates that he's leaving, she's grateful that it's not an all-the-time thing.

This weekeng we're just chillin at home. It's pretty dead around here. Everyone and their brother goes to the beach for the major holidays, which means that the restaurants and shops around here are empty. We went to Carrabbas for dinner last night (a Saturday night) at 6:30 and we were seated immediately. That NEVER happens.

We'll write again soon... hope you and yours are doing well!!

:)
The Walkers