Tuesday, April 19, 2016

Four months.... two weeks


Its amazing what can happen in such a short period of time. I haven't seen Wesley in four months, seems like four lifetimes. But really a short time when you consider.... This photo might have been one of the last really happy days I have had in the past four months...... thrift store ugly Christmas sweaters, penguin pj's, Christmas tree twinkling. Could I go back there for one minute and get my life set back right?!

In four short months, Wes went back to California, we got a contract on our house with people that the Devil spawned from hell, we found our dream house, we lost the contract with the demon folk, we may lose our dream house. I have a new job that is pushing me to my very limits, but in an interesting and challenging way. I am so out of my comfort zone it ain't funny!  I work with some of the nicest and most interesting people, my boss is demanding and kinda scary, but fair and kind.

Some days I just look in the mirror and say to myself, "you really don't know what the hell you are doing, do you?" Some days I say, "you are pretty dang smart, girl, you go!"  Some days I cry, today I laughed out loud screaming down Hwy 17 towards Jacksonville, NC.  I was listening to a song on the radio, the only station I could pick up, country 101 or something like that. And this song came on:

Buy Me a Boat
I ain’t rich, but I damn sure wanna be
Working like a dog all day, ain’t working for me
I wish I had a rich uncle that’d kick the bucket
And that I was sitting on a pile like Warren Buffett
I know everybody says
Money can’t buy happiness

But it could buy me a boat, it could buy me a truck to pull it
It could buy me a Yeti 110 iced down with some silver bullets
Yeah, and I know what they say,
Money can’t buy everything
Well, maybe so,
But it could buy me a boat

This song cracked me up. You should check it out. If you saw the people I was with today, you would understand. I was sitting at a table at the Comfort Suites in New Bern enjoying a free breakfast this morning, and a fellow with almost no teeth sat down with me. Long gray hair, a military jacket on, veterans ball cap. He was a Vietnam vet, he liked my boots, you know, the American flag ones I bought with the money my mom gave me for a new dress? He wanted to tell me about how mink oil would care for the leather. He was an old guy, as they say around here, he weren't quite rite.... but very nice and polite as he could be. He told me about his goats, and his donkey, and his mama, and his war time. And then his buddy came up and told me about what he liked for breakfast that they didn't have at this place, a banana sandwich on white bread with mayonnaise and bacon, with the bacon grease poured on it.... he told me it would make you want to slap your mama it was so good.

There was another woman in the area, looking at me in the most peculiar way, like how was I really sitting there with these two and having this odd conversation. I live for moments like this!!   I know NC is looking stupid as anything right now in the news about where we can all pee, but God bless the South anyway. There are some good people here! Where else can you find someone that eats banana mayo bacon grease sandwiches on wonder bread!?

This is military country where I am right now, and every jacked up truck on the road with a warrior from Iraq driving crawled up my ass today. So I turned on the country radio station, rolled the windows down and just went along with it. My life is so surreal right now, I just get up, put on some clothes and see what its gonna do to me today. I'm about delirious from coughing and blowing my nose and trying to breathe, and talking to realtors and lawyers and trying to remodel 57 stores with managers who "don't want my store changed", don't like change..... our stores are run by a bunch of good old southern boys who like whiskey and trucks and go to church on Sunday and say yes ma'm and hold the door for you. They are mistrustful of change. But my daddy was cut from this cloth and I know how to be with these people. My boss sent a group email last week and told them all to ease up on me. He said, "she is one of us, she gets it". No finer compliment could I receive. To be accepted by a mistrustful bunch of southern good old boys will carry you far.....

Well, the point of all of this was really no point at all, I'm just alone in a motel room procrastinating a bunch of computer work I still have to do.  But I will share one last thing. The seller we are dealing with for the elusive log home is one of God's angels, and has agreed to give us two weeks to try and get our house back under contract.  GOD BLESS HER...... we hold our breath and hope and pray someone will hear our plea and come get this house that we need to sell so badly to move on with our lives.

My life has turned upside down in four months, what's two more weeks?.... I might just try one of those banana and bacon sandwiches before long HA!

8 comments:

cookingwithgas said...

Dang it girl! You are one amazing southern, grit eating, cut from the cloth, southern girl.
We're heavy on keeping you and the house in our thoughts.
You go! Just do it!
We're all keeping one step ahead of life.
Love you!
M

Tracey Broome said...

I am a southern girl, that is for sure!
Love you too, the prayers seem to be holding me up and moving us forward, tell that sister in law to keep 'em coming!

smartcat said...

Toes crossed for you!

Tracey Broome said...

Thanks, I am hopeful, doors have not completely shut just yet!!!

Michèle Hastings said...

This is prime selling time! You guys will get it done. Sending good energy your way.

Dennis Allen said...

Been hoping for this to work out all winter. I'll keep hoping. As a parent of two distant children I know what you are going through on the kid front. I guess we really don't want them living in the basement. I think the Good Ol' Boys are probably just that but they won't trust change until they trust you.

Vicki said...

I read this in awe..... you are amazing!

Wish I could give you a hug xx

Anonymous said...

Love the good ol' boy stories…I know these kind of folk, too. Crossing my fingers & toes that two weeks will work some magic for you. (& Ha! You did buy yourself a boat!)