He had an interview with First South Farm Credit Monday morning and they offered. That's right... on the spot! He called me on my lunch break, and I was shocked/proud/excited/grateful (after I asked "WHAT'D YOU SAY?!?")! I hung up the phone and got a little teary. The Lord has been so faithful. He'll start as a credit analyst and work his way up. The company mentioned transferring him in 2 years ... and there's an office in Zachary, Louisiana :) As Mr. Cash would say,
I'M GOIN' TO JACKSON!!!
That afternoon we celebrated 2 new jobs! Daniel's and our friend, Crawford Baird. Crawford will be working at Georgia Pacific in Hattiesburg. We had a great week, to say the least. Daniel and I could now stop guessing where we'd be in January. With him taking 21 hours, school is demanding. He has been on the phone with possible jobs since August. It's so relaxing to know where we'll be/ I'll deliver. AND... we can return to FIRST PRESBYTERIAN! We are so thankful. Monday night we sat down and just talked about how the Lord has provided. Daniel and I were in awe of how He has taken care of us. Thank you for all of your thoughts and prayers! WE. ARE. THRILLED.
great day!
haha, they were excited.
Tyler Ellis and Crawford Baird
So, the search for a house is on! If you have any information, let us know! Daniel's job will be at the Renaissance in Ridgeland, MS. I don't want to be too far from him, but I know traffic will be bad in any direction. We'll start going to a doctor in Jackson after Thanksgiving. I'll hopefully deliver at Baptist on February 1st!
Just for giggles... baby girl is a CUCUMBER! She's approximately 15 inches and 2.2 pounds. I'm growing overnight. I can feel it. We're so ready to see what she looks like :)
This weekend was perfect. Well, I didn't get to see ALL of my family, but it was relaxing.
Daniel and I left early Thursday morning for an interview in Bay Springs, Mississippi. After waiting 3 hours in a town of 2,000 I was ready to go. The interview went well. Then, we headed to Brookhaven and finally CLINTON.
suited up
boredom as Daniel interviewed for 3 hours
I was itching to see the "Clinton 12" sign (or the longest 12 miles of your life). Thursday was a great day on the road. It has been awhile since we have been to Clinton and I couldn't wait one second longer. Blanche greeted us at the door - after running from the neighbors, of course. After unloading the car, Daniel and I finally relaxed. There were all types of fall decorations around - really felt like home. Mom got in from Jill's swearing in with a treat... stuffed crabs! Did I mention how much I love Louisiana's food? DELICIOUS. And for the next 2 nights we had mom's famous corn and crab soup (whipping cream, half and half, whole milk... nothing healthy). THAT was worth the traveling. Daniel (Crawford and Tyler) and I are still eating on it. Thanks, Jacki!
home!
"feed me"
fire...
"like butta"
Jill and mom at the Supreme Court after her swearing in
Friday I mom treated me to a highlight- my favorite thing to do. It was nice to wake up in Clinton on a Friday... almost wanted to put my Silliman uniform on and head to high school (not). Then, we headed to Zachary for lunch with my sweet grandmother, June. She took us to lunch at my favorite restaurant, Cafe Pheonecia (Greek and Lebanese). Perfect! Daniel and I stayed and chatted with her for a good while. We enjoy talking about the mountains, Asheville and gardening. My dad told me earlier to take advantage of those times, because when they're gone, they're gone. I wish family was closer so we could spend more time with our loved ones. Praise the Lord for technology (communication)! After lunch, Daniel and I ran errands in Baton Rouge then went to the Savoys! Hill (my step-brother) and his wife have 3 kids (2 were in the wedding). I miss them so much! They reminded me on Friday how fast time flies. The boys were just babies. We really enjoyed catching up with Hill, Regan and the kids. That night we went home to soup, a fire and friends. Ahhhhhh......
Mary Hill, Jackson and Colden (or Colden and Jackson)
1 of the 2 pots of goodness
Watch. It will give you chills.
Saturday was a blast! We started our morning off in Baton Rouge for the LSU/Auburn game. Parking, leaving and eating was not a problem. We had a few tricks Betsy told us. It was so nice to tailgate and not be rushed. I loved seeing everyone at the Clinton tailgate! Yeah, it was a little weird that I had a protruding stomach, but I'm over it. Everyone was excited, and I honestly didn't think it was awkward. The game was wonderful!! LSU beat Auburn... bad. I looked down at my feet in the 3rd quarter and they were so swollen. I asked Daniel to look at them, and we left soon after that. I'm pretty sure the score was 41-3 when we headed out. I am impressed with LSU and can't wait for the Alabama game. That night we went to Jackson, LA for Talmadge's (uncle) election party. He's running for Sheriff (for his 234th term) and this campaign got a little heated. We won't go into that, but he got 46% of the vote requiring a run-off in mid-November. Everyone vote! The party was so enjoyable - lots of Clintonians!
I had to.
Heidi-Ho
Bennett Smith
tailgating
Daniel on the hunt for Mike VI
what will soon be swollen feet
Geaux Tigers!
Thank you, Judy and Lonny!
ready for Talmadge's party
Andy Gayle
All but Jaye Marley married into our family, "bless your heart"... well, not the big black man either.
internet down, waiting on precincts
The Winery in Jackson, Louisiana
Bennett Bunch and Talmadge Bunch
Sunday we ate homemade grits (of course) and drove to Crystal Springs to see Daniel's family. Jonelle had a Sunday spread waiting on us! It was delicious as always. Mr. Danny also fried squirrel - gross. He and Daniel ate it, but baby girl Sims told me not to. Yes, we have this intuition thing down pat. Sunday lunch was perfect, then I headed to Starkville with Mae Slay. Daniel had an interview this morning... meaning, I stayed by myself without calling the police! I did sleep with the lamp on, but who doesn't do that? I was so proud of myself.
Ah, THE WEEKEND WAS NEEDED! I enjoy work, but it was nice to have 2 days off. Daniel is currently studying for a test, duh. School is taking over.
Truth Tuesday: I had never eaten Poppy Seed Chicken until I moved to Mississippi. I remember (freshman year), Mrs. Dale Allred used to send it back with Sally Beth. It was delicious! I made my first on Monday night. Thanks for the easy recipe, Stephen and Rachel!
Poppy Seed Chicken
Rotisserie chicken
8 oz. sour cream
can of cream of celery
cream of mushroom
(combine)
top:
1 stick of butter
sleve of ritz crackers
2 tablespoons of poppyseed
bake at 325 for 30 minutes
So easy! I didn't say it was healthy.
Dessert: QUICK! I had croissants in the refrigerator so I topped them with peanut butter and semi-sweet chocolate chips. Yummy after dinner snack... with milk, of course!
Now this is rather hysterical. I read earlier that our little girl is the size of a 1/2 gallon of milk. When it got time to eat our dessert, I realized "she" was sitting in our refrigerator. Daniel posed with "her" to make it more real. In 15 weeks when she's crying at 2 A.M., he'll be wishing we were back in Starkville with home cooked meals and 1/2 a gallon of milk.
Hahaha, I married a sensitive man... and a cover stealer.
Last thought, I LOVE THE COLD WEATHER. Forty degrees is music to a pregnant woman's ear. The windows are open and Daniel is celebrating a friend's new job. I'm absolutely exhausted (don't know why).
This weekend has been filled with friends and family in Starkville, Mississippi! There will be more to come on weekend activities.
someone was craving a pickle after the game... sympathy.
As for now... baby girl Sims is an EGGPLANT! We're making progress. She's really growing. This morning Daniel and I were getting ready for church, and I said, "I guess everyone will know I'm pregnant now (wore a stretchy dress)." He looked at me and said, "OH YEAH!" Being a newly married woman, I just looked at him for a good 10 seconds. You know what came out of my mouth next, "That's not what I wanted you to say. You think I'm fat?" Men will never know what a woman is thinking... never. I will say he's learning.
(photo by: seriousseats.com)
I don't like eggplant, so no recipe or reminiscing on this post. It's a texture thing.
nothing fits!
As for little girl, she still loves to kick. She's now a whopping 9 inches and 1.7 pounds (so my app says). "Team Sims" endured the heat at the football game and now ready for a 3 day work week! That's right. Daniel has interviews Thursday morning so we're all loading up and heading south. We're not sure what the Lord has in-store for January, but hopefully Daniel will have a job by next week. If not, we'll still continue to pray and trust that the Lord is faithful.
Also, I came across this YouTube video of Tony Dungy (former NFL head coach). Since it's Sunday and my plans for Sunday usually include church, lunch and football... let's incorporate Mr. Dungy. It's a video talking about his struggles with the NFL and to always put yourself second. He's now a correspondent for NFL football and ministers to young troubled men. When Dungy was head coach in Tampa his 18 year old son committed suicide. He went on to write a book (Quiet Strength) about how God pulled he and his family through that terrible time. He was also the first African American to win a Super Bowl. I know it's 8 minutes, but watch it. It can relate to all of our lives.
Keep my step-father, Henry Andrews, in your prayers. He had a heart-attack on Saturday night- doing great!
