Just for you dad...

So, my dad said he wanted to see a picture of me in front of the tent. Well, this isn't in front of the tent, but I am holding a big freakin' firework. Does that work dad? haha

Southern Hospitality

there is no typical fireworks customer

We have met many people in our three days of fireworks sales so far. People from all social classes, races, ethnicities and various levels of what I call "cajun-ness". So far, they have all been cordial and polite, besides a jerk that pulled up in a Hummer and bought $30 worth of fireworks and acted like a pompous ass, haha. Overall we've seen several different types of customers.

The "grab and dash" customers. These people might not buy the big ticket items, but they rush into the tent like a whirlwind, grab two or three baskets and fill them full of snappers, snakes, roman candles, cones and small cakes. Besides the time it takes to ring up their orders, we love these people. They have all been really fun, friendly families and most of them end up spending quite a bit because they will come back and fill up baskets several times.

The "big ticket" customers. It doesn't matter what type of vehicle they arrive in, if they walk straight over to the large artillery shell packs or the 500 gram cakes, we know they want the big boom and they are willing to pay a big price. We LOVE these customers as well. Usually, to sweeten the deal and get them to come buy more, we throw in a few free items for them. So far it has worked.

There are more types, but these are the two most prominent ones.

Besides our customers, I have been introduced to Nick, a boy that has helped Jared for the 5 years he has operated a tent in Jackson. Nick is not unlike the young men we see in Kansas, except for the thick Louisiana accent. He pretty much dresses head to toe in Camo, has long stringy hair underneath his hat (I swear there is a mullet under there but Jared disagrees) and he talks about hunting, catching gators with his bare hands and his brother's new wife that he can't stand. You just have to laugh at his far-fetched stories, but he is an all-around nice guy who has definately shown us what "southern hospitality" is all about. On Christmas, he brought us a home-cooked meal including turkey, ham, sweet potatoes, stuffing, rolls and pie. It was awesome! Today he brought us some soup with deer sausage (i've never had deer sausage, but I am sure it is good). And, later this week he said he is going to bring us chili. YUM.

So, while it is a wet, rainy day with little sales, Nick brightens our day with home-cooked Louisiana food and a few stories about catching gators. What else do we need?

Some photos from Louisiana

Here is our tent. It is right off of US-61 Hwy outside of Jackson.

I'll post more pictures later... this internet is sooooo slow.

Merry Christmas everyone!!!

This one is my favorite... you should buy this!

there is an art to selling fireworks... it's called BULL-SHITTING

I have come realize that Jared is a pretty good salesman! He can wheel and deal fireworks extremely well. Probably because he has been doing this job for so long... but it is fun to watch him. I am not quite as versed in the product as he is, although I have surprised myself at just how much I DO know about fireworks.

Besides watching Jared sell today, it has been a pretty easy day - setting up displays and picking up the tent. I even got to shower at a truck stop for the first time! YIPEEE!!!!! Actually it wasn't too bad... better than some hotels I have stayed in! haha. But it was sooo nice to get a hot shower, do my hair and look pretty. Then I battled the Wal-Mart in Zachary to get a few things. WOW... I forgot how crazy it is before Christmas... it was sooooo busy! And, I have got the camper cleaned up and it is actually not to bad! Our air mattress is even surprisingly comfortable!

So, things have been easy today... but we haven't even came close to busy yet. Jared said on the 31st we will be lucky to even look up from our registers! I can handle that... I worked retail... I know what that is like. What I can't handle is all the physical labor, haha, not used to that with my "desk" job! And you know what? Jared isn't giving me any slack either! He makes me work hard :) Oh well, it is good for me!

The adventure has officially begun

hard work never killed anyone, but I'd rather not do it

So, I made it to Jackson, La. without any issues. I was actually quite surprised that I was able to drive 12 hours straight through to get here. It freaked my mom out! But, I did it!

But, I have come to find out in the last 12 hours that driving here was the EASY part (even though I found myself in a few questionable convenience stores on the way).

We arrive at our location just in time to unload a Ryder FULL of product. (NOTE: Jared told me that by the time I arrived in Louisiana the tent would already be set up) YEAH RIGHT! He had to help with other locations, so ours wasn't even close being ready.

I had mentally prepared myself for this journey. I knew it would be hard work and it would test me. And I knew that it would be an experience that I would never forget. But when I cut my finger on a box knife opening the first box of Snappers, got the car stuck in rocks and walking into our camper that smelled from the last people that used it... I started to wonder if I would survive this trip to Louisiana. :) Jared started to wonder too! But, I worked hard all afternoon setting up displays and I have to say... they look damn good!

But, my spirits are high and I can't wait to get everything set up and start making money!

Boom, Bang, Crackle... I'm off to Louisiana

i just want to wish everyone a happy and safe Christmas and New Years

I will be leaving tomorrow to meet up with Jared in Louisiana to begin our fireworks adventure.
I am taking a computer with me and will try to get an internet connection, but who knows if that will be successful. :) So you may, or may not hear something out of me for a while, but if I can get on here I will try to post some pictures and let you know how everything is going.

So, goodbye for now...

I am off to spend my first Christmas

and New Years with Jared!

YIPEEEE!

Appreciate Life

i received this on e-mail today and thought i would share it with everyone

Paul Harvey writes…
We tried so hard to make things better for our kids that we made them worse. For my grandchildren, I'd like better.

I'd really like for them to know about hand me down clothes and homemade ice cream and leftover meat loaf sandwiches. I really would.

I hope you learn humility by being humiliated, and that you learn honesty by being cheated. I hope you learn to make your own bed and mow the lawn and wash the car. And I really hope nobody gives you a brand new car when you are sixteen.

It will be good if at least one time you can see puppies born and your old dog put to sleep.

I hope you get a black eye fighting for something you believe in.

I hope you have to share a bedroom with your younger brother/sister. And it's all right if you have to draw a line down the middle of the room, but when he wants to crawl under the covers with you because he's scared, I hope you let him.

When you want to see a movie and your little brother/sister wants to tag along, I hope you'll let him/her.

I hope you have to walk uphill to school with your friends and that you live in a town where you can do it safely.

On rainy days when you have to catch a ride, I hope you don't ask your driver to drop you two blocks away so you won't be seen riding with someone as uncool as your Mom.

If you want a slingshot, I hope your Dad teaches you how to make one instead of buying one.
I hope you learn to dig in the dirt and read books.

When you learn to use computers, I hope you also learn to add and subtract in your head.

I hope you get teased by your friends when you have your first crush on a boy\girl, and when you talk back to your mother that you learn what ivory soap tastes like.

May you skin your knee climbing a mountain, burn your hand on a stove and stick your tongue on a frozen flagpole.

I don't care if you try a beer once, but I hope you don't like it.. And if a friend offers you dope or a joint, I hope you realize he is not your friend.

I sure hope you make time to sit on a porch with your Grandma/Grandpa and go fishing with your Uncle.

May you feel sorrow at a funeral and joy during the holidays.

I hope your mother punishes you when you throw a baseball through your neighbor's window and that she hugs you and kisses you at Hannukah/Christmas time when you give her a plaster mold of your hand.

These things I wish for you - tough times and disappointment, hard work and happiness. To me, it's the only way to appreciate life.

Written with a pen. Sealed with a kiss. I'm here for you. And if I die before you do, I'll go to heaven and wait for you.

Merry Christmas everyone!

R-E-S-P-E-C-T

what happened to kids respecting their elders?

This is going to seem like a strange blog after the one yesterday about wanting to have children, but I just trained over 200 students today in grades 5-12 and I am worn out, tired and a little bitchy. God Bless the teachers in this world because I couldn't do what they do everyday.

I really enjoy working with youth. I usually learn some new, hip phrases to use with my old, not-so-hip friends. I usually have a great time watching their eyes light up when something just clicks and they have that "Ah ha" moment. And I am just so envious of their energy levels, their zest for life and their resiliency.

But one thing I am not so impressed with is the lack of respect for others and how cruel and mean kids can be.

It might help you to understand if you knew what it is I do when I work with youth. One of the programs I work with at Greenbush is our bullying prevention program. We go into schools and teach students about bullying -- how to prevent it, how to stand up for yourself and how to defend someone who is being bullied. In addition we talk a lot about the seriousness of school violence.

I have to admit, we have a pretty awesome program we do with kids. It is very interactive, fun and challenging. But the biggest challenge we have is just getting the students to respect us and respect others around them. Don't get me wrong, it is not all of them, but we've experienced many trainings where we leave the school saying, "did that really happen, did they really say that?" For example, one time I had a few 5th graders that would not participate in a group activity. I asked them to get into groups and these students just sat there and did not go to any group. I asked them to please join a group. They did not move. I asked them again. STILL no movement. I, once again said, "You need to participate and join a group please". The response I got, "We don't want to, this is so stupid. You can't make us do anything" RESPECT! Then, in another instance we were having a really good time with an activity in a group of 5-8th graders. I asked them if they were having a good time. One student in the front row said, "No, you are annoying me." RESPECT!

I could go on and on but I will spare you the details. My point is, what has happened to respect? I don't remember students being as bad when I was young? Maybe they were and I just didn't notice. Either way, it is fairly common for me to come home from work, tell Jared about my day and say, "OUR children will NOT act like that." Jared is scared that I will be so strict with our kids that I will drive them to be rebelleous, haha. I hope I don't do that, I hope I can be fair and provide consistent discipline. But most of all, I want to raise respectful, caring, and giving children that will think about how their actions may hurt someone before they do it. But in this crazy world, this will take alot of work.

Doctor, doctor... I got the FEVER!

i've got the baby fever

About three years ago, everyone I knew was getting married. Now all of them are starting families and everytime I see or hold one of those precious babies my heart sinks in my chest and flutters like a million butterflies. It feels like being excited, nervous, amazed, scared and in love all at the same time.

At first when I would feel this way it would go away for a while and I would say to myself, "I'm just not ready yet." But, for the past couple of weeks that feeling has not gone away. Maybe it's because my boss just had her sweet baby girl Makenna 4 weeks ago, or that two sets of our friends came home over Thanksgiving with their new additions to the family, or that I hear stories of parenthood all day long from co-workers and friends.

Jared shares my feelings about having a family, but he wants to wait a little longer until things are more stable in our life. HA! If we wait until then I will probably be in a nursing home! I can definately see his point of view. But if we wait until we are ready, we will never be ready.

When it comes right down to it, there is only one thing that is really holding us back - our very busy jobs. Not only do we work full-time jobs, but both our occupations require an extensive amount of travel. Which would not be an issue if we had family around to help us with our kiddos. I see how much all my friends and co-workers rely on their families for help and support even if they do not have jobs that require travel. Even my friends that have chosen the wonderful role of a stay-at-home mom need the help and support of their families once in a while. We have chosen to live away from our parents and we are happy where we are at the time, but moving closer to our family is a thought that has crossed our minds. How do we make this work with our parents living 2 or more hours away? How do we both keep our full-time jobs and find someone to watch our children if we have to go away overnight?

These questions stress me out! We ARE fully aware how much a child will change our lives, how much we will have to sacrifice and how hard it will be for us to learn and adjust to having a little one, but it is difficult for us to imagine how our life would work without our families. Of course, if we were rich the answer to that question would be easy, haha.

I don't think the baby fever will go away anytime soon, but maybe the fears and worries I have will subside in the near future. Let's all hope anyway. :)

A great Christmas movie!

Jared and I absolutely love this movie, as I am sure many of you do as well. This is one of my favorite scenes so watch a clip and have a laugh.

Holiday Traditions

i was thinking a lot the other day about holiday traditions

Mostly because Jared and I were heading to his annual "Birk Family Christmas Dinner" when we found out it was cancelled due to impending weather. This dinner has been a tradition in his family for years. It has grown so large that most of the time Jared doesn't even know everyone that attends! As you can imagine, this is a typical family gathering filled with food, dessert, kiddos running everywhere, grandma's giving kisses and pinching cheeks and, of course, a visit from "Santa" for all the kids.

This is a tradition that is new to me and yet very exciting. My family always got together for holidays, but my family is much smaller and our traditions are diferent. But boy, did we know how to have a good Christmas!

My dad's side of the family always had more of the traditions than my mom's side. My MamMaw knew the importance of getting the family together for a home cooked meal, gifts and the "Family Portraits" in front of the fireplace. I can still hear her Oklahoma drawl hollering out from the kitchen, "Ok everybody, it's time for the family portraits, everybody needs to get ready, we've got to do our family portraits." My MamMaw is a little spit-fire... not someone you want to mess with. If you can imagine a loud-mouthed, small framed, red-haired Okie who has a temper to match... that's her. But, gosh... we just love her that way. Every year she would holler out to get the family lined up for portraits and you could hear the moans and groans from everyone. I remember one Christmas when my sister was trying to get in every picture. It was hilarious... she had to have been maybe 3 or 4 years old. They would get ready to snap a photo and Alicia would just come and stand right in front and stare at the camera with candy in her hand and a ponytail full of curls on top of her head. She was so cute though, no one could even yell at her, haha.

My parents had their own semi-traditions with us girls. Each morning when we got up the fireplace doors would still be open and there would be a half-eaten cookie on the plate we left for santa. My dad, he is just so clever, he would say to us "Look at that... Santa was in such a hurry he only ate half his cookies and he didn't even have a chance to shut the doors" We thought it was fascinating when we were little.... now I just think my dad had too much time on his hands to think all that up! haha. But either way, Alicia and I just knew Santa was real and it made Christmas such a special time.

On my mom's side of the family I had a grand ole time with my cousins. We were all pretty close in age and we just had a blast together. I remember singing Christmas songs with them and laughing when Kellie didn't know the right words to Silent Night... "Round yon Virgigen (instead of Virgin)". I don't know how to spell it because it isn't a word but boy was it funny when she said it.

These traditions and memories hold a special place in my heart and this is why Jared and I want to start our own traditions when we have a family. This year we decided to fill each other's stockings with fun, non-expensive items that we think each other would like. It is a fun idea and one that we can continue year after year. Another one I really want to do with our kids someday is singing Christmas Carols. I'm sure I will think of more ways to bring new traditions and memories into our small family, but this is a good start.

Merry Christmas everyone!

Gearing up for my first trip to Louisiana

i am a little nervous

The route I mapped out on Google from Kansas to Louisiana includes a lot of bridges over large bodies of water... swampy water. I have had a fear of bridges collapsing WAY before the Minneapolis bridge disaster. Sailboat Bridge in Grove is enough to make my heart beat speed up. Plus, who the hell knows what's in that swampy water.... yuck!

Not only do I dislike driving over water, but I also dislike driving at night, driving in unknown places and driving on extremely busy highways.

So, you ask, how the heck am I gonna drive 12 hours all by myself to sell fireworks with Jared over Christmas Break? Lots of coffee, music, and happy thoughts. At least, that's what I am hoping will work!

But, once I get there is when the real adventure begins... fireworks, a camper, a port-a-potty, showering at a truck stop and LOTS of Cajuns!

Wish me luck!