The Walker Blog

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