A New Jounrey

 I'm home today after my first week on the road with my new job. I was at a vendor show for the weekend then headed to eastern NC to see some stores. I am loving this new job! The people are amazing, kind and smart and professional. My bosses name is also Tracy, so ironic. Its a great job and I keep pinching myself, it's still all a bit surreal to me that this job came about the way it did.

Leonard is a company with a solid foundation and a great heritage of quality.  They make storage buildings, chicken coops, horse trailers, cargo trailers and they have retail stores that sell truck accessories and install truck covers and racks. They were recently acquired by an investment group that wants to see them succeed. All factors for making my job so easy. The hard part is where to start. Their retail stores are a complete mess, dated and unorganized and there is no retail plan whatsoever. I'm here to bring them into the 21st century.

Right now I am just visiting stores to acclimate to the company and get to know everyone. Next week I will be traveling to Virginia for the week. First, a home show, then visiting stores. I have come full circle, this is how I started my career so many years ago. I got this!

 I have done many many trade shows during my career. I have been to furniture markets, gift markets, outdoor retailer shows, apparel shows, even shoe conventions. But I have never been to a truck accessory show! This one was crazy. There is a whole world out there I know nothing about. It was really fun. I have this new appreciation for a tricked out pick up truck. Who knew!

My goal is to bring a new brand identity to these retail stores and reach out to a new demographic. They are completely missing the female market and I am easily a model for that customer. There is a lot to do, but no one has a deadline and everyone is just giving me the tools I need to be successful.

I hardly even want to say this, for fear the dream will end and I will wake up, or a sink hole will swallow this place. But...... while I was in Wilmington last week, Gerry found a house, called me hyperventilating and then made an offer on it.  I totally trust his judgement, we have been through this so many times before, we know each other pretty well when it comes to buying a house. The owner accepted our offer and now we wait for the loan to process...... holding our breath and hoping for this to all come true.

Around here, the market is insane. A house will barely come onto the market before it gets snatched up. You have to move quickly, there is no thinking about it. Houses are selling above asking price if they are good ones. That's why we have made offers lately on houses that might not have been exactly perfect, but beggars can't be choosers sometimes. Our house has sold and we have until April 26 to move on. Fingers crossed this all comes together without a snag.

2016 is sure shaping up to be a better year than 2015. I think 2015 will have to go down and the worst year of my life. Wesley's moving was the most painful thing I have ever endured and then the frustration of finding and losing houses and not being compensated fairly at work all took its toll.

The day we accepted an offer on our house a package arrived from India. One of our monk friends, Tashi had sent each of us a gift. A silk tapestry weaving for Gerry and prayer scarves for me and Wesley. And then I got the job offer, and then we found this house. Being blessed by a monk certainly  has its rewards! When I think its safe I will post more about the house, right now I am just waiting to see if this is really happening :) If it is, I will see this guy every day from my driveway. Heaven.....