The Day David Rang the Bell

On Sunday December 13th, David and I flew to Atlanta for David's final interview.  When we arrived at Chick-fil-A's Corporate Office the next day, I was a nervous wreck.  It must have shown because everyone I talked to told me to relax.   The road to this moment has been pretty crazy and challenging at times.  There have been several potential opportunities, many interviews in Atlanta and Tulsa, and lots of prayer for guidance, wisdom and peace.  All of David's hard work has been leading up to this day.  

I quickly and quietly snagged this picture of David waiting on the blue couch.  I must say...that's one good lookin' operator right there in the suit.

At the end of all the interviews, the selection consultant asked me pin David's new name tag to his jacket.  My hands were shaking and my eyes were watering at this point.  All of David's hard work, long hours, and determination were paid off at that moment.  The big moment we have been waiting for.... David was selected to be the owner/operator at the Chick-fil-A at South Park Mall in Moline, IL.  

Then it was time for David to ring the bell! All newly selected operators ring this bell and staff from home office come around to congratulate him/her.  David's powerful bell ringing was too much for me so I backed off and let him have the pleasure.  

The last stop was signing this board.  These are all the signatures of selected operators in 2015. David was one of the last ones of the year.  

Overall it was an awesome day, full of nerves for me mixed with lots of excitement.  This means the Interim Manager program and traveling chapter of our lives is coming to an end and an entire new operator chapter is beginning.  We are thrilled to be moving to the Quad Cities, and look forward to serving delicious Chick-fil-A sandwiches to the people in Moline.    

Assignment #6

We have been living in Tulsa, OK for three month now.  If I had one word to describe Tulsa it would be...HOT!!!  One night it was still 100 degrees at 7pm.  We are experiencing a current cold front right now where its only in the upper 70s in the day.  I love the warm sunshine but even I am hot here!

David's assignment is at the Tulsa Promenade Mall.  The awesome team is rockin' and rollin' serving guest delicious chicken sandwiches!  It has been a joy getting to know and working with   everyone here.

On August 5th, a brand spankin' new Chick-fil-A opened across the street from the mall.  With the new restaurant, there were five Grand Opening Supervisors (GOS) in town for about eight weeks.  Their role is similar to David's in that they also travel all over the US.  However, they work with grand openings and David works at established restaurants.  David and I have enjoyed spending time with the GOSs, their wives and the operator of the new restaurant and his family.  It was so nice to have new CFA friends in the area! Sadly they have all moved on to new assignments.

I'm a little behind on updates, so here are some fun things we have done since coming to Tulsa.

Our hotel is located on top of a hill that over looks Tulsa in a town called Broken Arrow.  It's a beautiful view from the front of the hotel, and we have seen some amazing sunsets.  On the Fourth of July we saw the whole town of Tulsa light up with fireworks.  While they weren't high, it was a spectacular sight.  Our room actually faces the back of the hotel and we could see the local fireworks in Broken Arrow from our couch!  We watched two great shows in our PJs! Happy Birthday America!

We have found a church to attend while in Tulsa, and one hot Sunday afternoon we watched Big Hero 6 on the church lawn.  Dinner at some local food trucks, friends, and a movie is great night even in the heat!

Wanting and Waiting

I'm writing this post for me to read again and again, but I thought it might be helpful for someone else too.

There are so many unknowns in our life right now.  I am constantly imagining what the future might look like.  A house, kids, family and friends around my table.  I want to not be living in a hotel.  I want my pharmacy job back.  I want, I want, I want.  As I wallow in what I don't have and covet the lives of my friends on Facebook, I realize there is a deeper issue at hand.  I am not content with the life God has given me right now.  I'm telling God that what I have is not enough.

And let's not forget how impatience I am at waiting for our "real life to begin."  Waiting for Chick-fil-A to call...waiting to start a family...I'm not so good at waiting.

Here is what I have decided to constantly remind myself...daily...hourly...every minute!

This journey may be hard, but I have SO MUCH TO BE THANKFUL FOR!  New friends we never would have met except in the IM program.  The cool places we have seen.  Eight months we lived at the beach.  The fun adventures on the road.  This wonderful company that has provided for us.  No house to worry about or fix.  No kids waking me up in the wee hours.  And so much more.  

I don't want to just be thankful for the gifts, but I want to be thankful for the giver himself.  Thankful for a God that is loving and caring.  Mighty.  A defender of the weak.  Righteous and holy.  Thankful that Jesus died on the cross to save me.  

This discontentment and impatience ultimately lead me to Jesus.  I was not created for this world.  I was created to sit and worship at the feet of Jesus.  That day is coming and that is why I will rejoice in these hard times.  Jesus' death on the cross has made a way for me to be reunited with God. I put my hope in him and look forward to the day of no more wanting and no more waiting.  I'll be with my heavenly Father and OH THE JOY THAT WILL BE!

My Get Away to Europe

Our friends Adam and Stephanie moved to Germany with their kids in January, so when flights went on sale and I had some free time, I made the jump over the pond.  I want to share all my pictures and all my stories from my trip to Berlin, but I figured that would take awhile and you probably wouldn't read it all. Therefore, I will stick with four big highlights because picking three was not possible.  

1.  The old buildings and monuments were awesome.  There is so much history in Berlin and it was cool to see it in person.  The family and I took a boat ride down the Spree River to see some of the important and historical buildings of Berlin. While the weather was chilly, it was a great way to see a lots of the city.  Another day, Steph and I spent a few hours sightseeing while Adam watched the kids.  Over my entire trip I saw the Berlin Parliament building, the world clock, the TV tower, Brandenburg Gate, Checkpoint Charlie, and the Berlin Wall.  Now I need to read up on all the history of Berlin.  

2.  I would highly recommend 36 hours in Prague.  Stephanie, her friend Rosie and I took a 4.5 hour train to Prague on Friday morning and returned to Berlin Saturday night. Prague was absolutely amazing with its architecture, historic buildings, cobblestone streets, and the largest ancient castle in the world. The highlights of Prague were spontaneously renting a paddle boat to see the city, eating trdelnik (a circular pastry covered with cinnamon and sugar) and touring the castle.  Saturday morning we made the uphill trek to see the castle.  There are so many buildings and courtyards and things to see on the castle grounds.  We bought a $10 ticket that allowed us to visit St. Vitus Cathedral, the old royal palace, and the Golden Lane.  The Cathedral of St. Vitus is breathtaking with its stained glassed windows and it's hard to describe its beauty and grandeur.  The old royal palace contains handwritten books of Prague history that are hundreds of years old.  Along the golden lane are small shops with handcrafted souvenirs.  The cathedral, the architecture, the old town square - it's still crazy that I saw these beautiful places in person.    

And when you visit Prague, I recommend you stay at this Airbnb.  Sweet Helen is one of a few Christians in Prague! Its amazing how God orchestrates meeting people in unexpected ways and places.   As I was brushing my teeth Friday night, Helen and I started talking.  Come to find out, she has lived in Atlanta and RALEIGH, NC! Seriously only God could bring us together! She attended a church close to where we used to live.  Helen opened up to us about some struggles in her life, so we prayed with her before we left.  So Amazing!!    

3.  While I'm not a fan of bikes or heavy city traffic, I thoroughly enjoyed our bike ride to the Tiergarten. Stephanie, Rosie and I maneuvered our way through cars, college students, and parking lots. I am thankful Berlin has a dedicated red bike lane otherwise I would have been freaking out next to the cars.  Saw some cool stuff along the way.  Thanks Steph and Rosie for the tour and thanks Adam for taking the subway so I could use your bike!

One funny story.  There is a place called Mustafa's, and it's known for the best doner kebab in Berlin.  Doner kebab is a Turkish dish made from meat roasted vertically usually served as street food   Steph and I stopped by one evening to grab a quick dinner. When we arrived at the little building we got in a line of about 60ish people. Thinking it would go fast, we waited in line and chatted. An hour later we had moved about half way. Two hours later we were touching the building. While in line, we slowly watch as all the meat was disappearing.  Panic was starting to set in - we had waited 2 hours for this and there is no more meat!  At the window we watched as they replaced the old chunk of meat with a new one. And it was going to take 30 minutes for the meat to cook. After 2 hours of waiting, what's 30 more minutes. So we waited. We met some nice Austrian people behind us in line and we got a good laugh and story out of it. Now the sandwich and wrap were delicious! Would I wait 2.5 hours again...probably not. 

And I loved the time with these precious kiddos! I am so thankful for this family and for them opening up there home again for me to visit!

Assignment #5

David and I drove 9ish hours from Tampa to Tuscaloosa, Alabama on May 1st to begin assignment number five at University Mall.  This restaurant is different from anything we have seen.  It is a cook up front Chick-fil-A where all the chicken and fries are cooked, assembled, bagged and handed to customers right behind the front counter.  It's awesome because all the team members know how to everything in the restaurant.  I did not get the pleasure of spending a lot of time with the team, but I do know this is one sweet and cheerful group.  I enjoy the southern charm here.  

There is another Interim Manager and his wife with us in Tuscaloosa.  This picture is in front of the University of Alabama football stadium.  Hannah and I checked out the beautiful campus while our husbands were working hard at the Chick-fil-A.

We have been living at the lovely Fairfield Inn this month.  Bring on the Marriott points!  However, we will not be staying long! The current restaurant will be transitioning to an operator tonight and tomorrow we will be driving to Tulsa, OK!  Here's hoping for no tornados!

  

Goodbye Florida!

David and I said goodbye to St. Petersburg, FL today. While I am extremely sad to leave this wonderful place, I am excited for the next adventure.  I'm still amazed how blessed we were to be living down here for eight months.  The warm winter months, beautiful sunsets on the beach, walks by the bay... so so awesome!  Even better are the people we met and now call friends.  It as been a joy working along side the team at Tyrone Square Mall.  This crew is one unforgettable hard-working group of men and women.  I am so thankful for the opportunity to do life (even for a short time) with everyone we met through Chick-fil-A and those outside of Chick-fil-A.  We felt so loved as we said our goodbyes yesterday, and we will for sure miss all their smiling faces.

 Next Stop... Tuscaloosa, Alabama

Year One - Done

We have reached the one year mark (and a month) of being on the road.  We left Raleigh on Feb 24th, 2014 and David started March 1st as his first assignment.  The past year has absolutely flown by.  Here are some of the highlights...

• Traveled about 3000 miles 
• Lived in 4 different apartments 
• Lived in 3 hotels
• David has been the IM at 3 malls and inside a Kroger
• Shortest stay was in McDonough, Ga for one month
• Longest stay has been St. Petersburg, Fl for 8 months

We have had the pleasure of meeting so many awesome people along the way....other interim managers, their wives and families, people from different countries, cultures, and backgrounds, and so so many great team members and leaders.  We have met some amazing raving fans of Chick-fil-A and have made lots of new friends.

Some other fun things on road include:

• Reuniting with an old roommate
• Watching several MLB baseball games
• Watching the 2014 NCAA Men's Basketball game
• Living in a downtown Charlotte apartment
• Living in beautiful Florida during the winter
• Waking up to a view of the ocean
• Riding on the Chick-fil-A float in the Lakeland Christmas Parade
• Serving on the Chick-fil-A Food Vehicle
• Going to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios
• Enjoying Disney World

Our most recent little fun activity was seeing the Firestone Grand Prix in downtown St. Petersburg.  We walked down to the festivities Sunday morning and saw cars and trucks racing from 9:30am to 6pm.  It was a full day of fast cars!  Now I don't really care about cars or racing, but it was still fun to do something different.  The weather was fantastic...not a cloud in the sky and 70 degrees.    

This past year has been a crazy adventure for sure! Some really exciting moments and great challenges along the way. Our future is in the hands of a mighty, faithful, and good God! We are excited to follow where He leads next. 

Birthday Weekend Celebration

Half marathon, Disney, warm weather, and best friends... I can't think of a better way to celebrate by 30th birthday.  I ran this half marathon two years ago with my friends Amy, Brittany, and Sarah and finished in about 3 hours.  I had been training for this run since November but did not feel as prepared this years.  Sarah and I decided we would stop and take pictures with the Disney Princes along the way, so we were not concerned about how long it would take. 

Sarah and I had to catch the bus to Epcot where the race started at 3:30AM...so so early! Good thing this was so exciting because not much get me out of bed at 3AM.  The race officially started at 5:30 with the first corral.  We were in corral K so I think we started running somewhere around 6AM.  The race starts at Epcot and you run to Magic Kingdom, through Cinderella's Castle, and back to Epcot around the big ball to the finish line.  Here are some pictures we took along the way.  The starting line...entering Magic Kingdom...the sunrise over tomorrowland...the castle...and back to Epcot.  As you can see, the race draws a big crowd.  I think there were over 25,000 people running!  

When we saw the line for the princes was 50 people deep, we decided just to keep running. Ain't got time for that.  We crossed the finish line in 2 and 1/2 hours.  Sarah is the only reason I could finish that fast! She kept our pace and somehow managed to keep up!  I was stunned when I realized it! A new personal record for me! 

We arrived back at the hotel around 10AM.  By that time I had taken over 30,000 steps for the day! I wanted to drive over to the Animal Kingdom Lodge to see the animals on the property, and we decided to eat there.  After lunch we made our way back to our hotel and relaxed by the pool for several hours.  It was so warm and just awesome! For dinner we rode the bus to Downtown Disney to eat at Wolfgang Puck's restaurant.  While there, I met up with a good friend and fellow pharmacist Amanda from Raleigh! 

After an awesome weekend at Disney, we drove back to St. Petersburg Monday for another relaxing day.  Sarah, Brittany, baby Charlie, and I were soaking up some more sunshine on the roof of my apartment building.  

Overall, it was an exciting, relaxing, and amazing weekend.  I love reuniting with these ladies and only wish Amy could have joined us!  I'm already looking forward to next year ladies!!!!

Staying Warm in St. Petersburg

Last week my Facebook newsfeed was full (literally full) of snow pictures from my friends in Kentucky and North Carolina.  And as pretty as some of the pictures were, I am so glad I was not there to experience it.  I am loving soaking up the sun down here in Florida!  David on the other hand is sad to miss out on the cold weather.  I am about 100% sure we will never live in Florida again, so I am going to embrace every ounce of this sunshine this winter!  My parents even surprised us last Thursday with a visit to get away from the cold.

I've been trying to train for a half marathon the past couple of months, and I have found an awesome path in downtown St. Petersburg along the water.  This picture is from the pier looking back at downtown.  

Sunday before last, David surprised me with going to Universal Studios for the day.  I LOVE Harry Potter and have been wanting to go to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal since we moved down here.  It was a really busy day because students were out of school on Monday due to Presidents Day.  Apparently everyone like to go to amusement parks on long weekends.  Even though everywhere we went we had to wait in a line, it was so worth it and so much fun!  Here are some of the highlights!

While we did spend a lot of the day inside The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, we did ride some other rides like Spider-Man, Transformers, and Shrek.

David walking inside Diagon Alley... through the brick wall!

Our very first stop was the Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts ride.  While in line for the ride, you walk through the Gringotts banks and see all the goblins working.  It looks so much like the movie!  

We ate lunch at the Three Broom Sticks.

In front of the Hogwarts Castle on our way to ride Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey.  We discovered the single riders line at this point! While you are not guaranteed to ride with your party, the line is SO much shorter! Lucky for us when it was our turn, the ride needed two people!  This ride was my favorite one of the day.

Oh the Hogwarts Express!!! We rode it from Diagon Alley to Hogsmeade.  It was seriously the coolest attraction! It felt so real as we walked through Kings Cross and onto the train!

We bought ice cream and butterbeer while shopping in Diagon Alley.  The ice cream was delicious but David had to finish my butterbeer.  I didn't really like it.

Overall it was an amazing and busy day! I love spending Sunday with this awesome man!