Hello from South Carolina

Merry Christmas everyone! I apologize for not updating this after we moved to SC. I think I avoided updating this at all costs because it was really rough when we got here. We moved down here on September 28, 2009 and spent the next 11 weeks in a hotel. Yes it was as fun as it sounds! 2 adults and 2 dogs (90 lbs each) crammed in a hotel room. It was not even like you could enjoy it and sleep in on the weekends because inevitably someone would burn their waffle in the waffle maker in the lobby. One morning in particular 6 fire trucks showed up for burnt waffle and yes we all had to evacuate. I just wanted to run up there and say 'come on people, if you smell something burning wouldn't you have the sense to unplug it? Or tell somebody....SOMETHING before the fire alarm goes off?' Ugh, nobody here seems to think that far, they move so slowly, but I will get to that in a minute. I think we are about spent as far as staying at hotels goes. I think anytime we go on vacation we will need to rent a place from here on.

We are still getting adjusted to Southern life. People move A LOT slower down here, not only driving, but they do not get excited about pressing issues (septic tank backing up, over charging your credit card by $1,200.00, putting you on a 5th floor room when you specifically asked for 1st floor). All of this of course makes me feel like I am talking to a brick wall. Also since we moved down here we lost our house that we had built. It was a huge mess with KEYSTONE and I would not use them nor recommend them to anyone. They accepted another contract on the home we built and basically nixed our deal to sell it to the other interested buyer. Not only did they nix our deal but they refuse to return us the thousands we invested with their company. Yes - we were off to a great start here in the South. I applied for hundreds of jobs here and with applying for so many, if I did hear back from them it was weeks later and I forgot which ones I had applied for. Finally I got a position at Mike's work (will I ever remember to call it MY work?). I would love to say I am an Assistant Buyer for Kenneth Cole or Ralph Lauren (like Rachel was on Friends) but I am really an Assistant Buyer for a vending machine company and I order the parts for 2 particular assembly lines. So far so good, the guys I work with are pretty level headed and have common sense. I don't work directly with a lot of women so lets see how long we can avoid the drama.

We are also having culture shock with not having much to do on the weekends. Recently we went to Hopeland Gardens to see their Christmas lights display, that was fun & free! But for the most part it seems that these country folks are just fine sitting on their front porch, in their rocking chairs, eating their boiled peanuts and watching cars go by. I will say that while we deeply miss our family that is 750 miles away, we have started to form a new family here. Some of our neighbors moved with the company from the STL area, so we are going through similar issues at the same time. Also, Mike got involved with the local Marine Corps League down here and they have pretty much adopted us. Those guys have been great! We are by far one of the youngest couples in the group but none the less they have welcomed us with open arms.

It has not all been bad though and I have to remember that. Since the deal with Keystone fell through we found a beautiful house to rent. The landlord has responded quickly (he is from the North though) to the septic tank issue we have had, we have great neighbors and I like my job. We have been getting a little better adjusted since we have a place to ourselves now. But still when I have a bad day I just want to load up the Jeep and move back to STL. Mike's obligated for the next 21 months and our rental is for the next 24 months. We will definitely have to reevaluate things around that time. For now we just have to make the best of it. Maybe when it warms up and we can just pack up and head to the beach for the weekend I will feel a little differently. We will also be excited to have family and friends come visit!

Well I feel much better after putting it all out there. A lot of people keep asking how we like the South and this pretty much sums it up.

If you want to take a guided tour on our new house, Mike has taken a video. He balances the camera much more steadily than I, so you should not feel queasy on his tour. Also, we are now accepting reservations for Chateau Keen. Make your reservation today, slots are filling up quickly!