The AFTER Christmas cooldown

Christmas in Pennsylvania was great, though we did not have a WHITE Christmas, imagine how much snow we would have gotten if the INCH of rain had been snow! Oh my! Joe tells me that the ratio is one inch of rain equals 10 inches of snow, so we would have had quite a lot!
Whitney got quite a few toys from Mommy and Daddy, Grammy, and Pappy, Aunts Kim and Lisa, and Grandma! She loved opening every present and even thought it would be fun to open other people's presents too. Santa managed to find us at Grammy's and also left a stash at our house....that sneaky little elf! Whitney got some money from Joe's dad and Judie, so we took her shopping to pick out a couple of more much needed toys. She chose a Disney Princess talking kitchen (originally $70, we got it for $35!), a Disney Princess cool heat oven (it makes some weird cupcake like things, but she likes it), a train set, and some bath toys. Whitney had a great time picking things out, which was fun for us too.

Blaine had a good Christmas too, though I miss him a lot. I have talked to him a lot this week and, of course, on his birthday! I cannot believe that I have a 12 year old child....does not seem possible, yet it is true. I tried to get him on a plane up here, but his dad just could not work it out with me....It also costs $100 each way for a child to be escorted by the airline and the fee has to be paid at the airport and forms filled out, etc...So, when he comes up for a long stay, we will definitely have to do that. He said he got enough money and gift cards to get his own Wii, but he decided to get something else...good thing because he would NEVER be able to find a Wii! Joe and I were going to make that our Christmas present to each other, but they are sold out everywhere! Blaine is spending a few days with my mom over the break and he goes back to school on Monday.

Whitney will be starting daycare on Monday. She is excited about it, as are we. She has been playing us to death! We love her, but sometimes we need some time away! You know there is no one to play with her but us, so she is taking full advantage! :)
All kidding aside, it has been great to be able to spend time with her over the break and have her help me with cooking and cleaning up and also playing with her dolls, pet shop, playdoh, coloring, etc..........

Work for Joe starts on Friday and for me on Monday. We will soon be getting back into a regular routine....so wish us luck as we move into the NEW YEAR! Talk to you all soon!

Today is a SNOW day! We have had snow and sleet and rain since this morning. My office closed today because of the weather, so that was a blessing that I did not have to drive in it. I am getting used to the roads around here and don't need my directions to get to work and back anymore!
We have gotten lots of Christmas cards! Thanks SO much for everyone keeping in touch! It really means a lot.
An update: Joe got a job! He is going to be working for Portrait Innovations! He is excited about doing something different and fun, plus we can get free pictures! He will start in January...so now we are hunting for a daycare.
Whitney is excited about Christmas...Joe and Whitney put up the tree while I was at work yesterday. When I got home and settled we put on some ornaments. She was putting them all in the same spot! It is a little crooked, but that is OK, at least we have one.
We are just enjoying being home together today. If we can, we will let Whitney play in the snow later but it may be mostly ice on top.
Hope you all are doing well!

SNOW!

Well, I am totally initiated into the whole driving in the snow experience and I'd say I am over it! I had to drive all the way home today in the snow and it was dark....probably would have been easier in the daylight! No getting out early...at least they prep the roads real good up here. It is still snowing...we have about 2 inches and it is still coming down, but is supposed to turn to rain later tonight into the morning as it warms up, so I may be delayed in the morning going to work.
Today was another good day at work....most of the day I was still going through the training course online, but this afternoon all the consultants got together for staff development. We have to work together and develop plans that align with different standards...so I got to show my stuff a little and be part of the process.
Joe's interview went OK. He was late because he couldn't find the place and had to call me for directions... when he got there Whitney did not behave and he had to redirect her a few times, but overall he thinks it went OK. Things happen for a reason, so we will be hopeful.
If there is still snow in the morning, Whitney may get to play in it and we will post pictures then!
We hope you all are doing well!
Michelle

We are here!

Well, we made it to Pennsylvania in one piece! It snowed off and on the whole drive up last Saturday, but it was nice. Whitney wanted to ride with Grammy and Pappy, so I drove behind them and they were behind Joe in the truck and trailer (with his car on it). We had a nice and mostly uneventful drive except for the snow. I drove almost the whole way, but chickened out with about two hours to go b/c I was worried about the snow and visibility...it was dark too. I guess we will call that my initiation to driving in the snow. We had about an inch that night and it really hasn't snowed except for flurries since then. It has definitely been cold and cloudy most of the week.
We had a lot of friends and family help us unload once we got here, so that was REALLY nice! I was starting to get overwhelmed when I could no longer manuveur around the piles of boxes, but it is much more manageable now and we have mostly gotten everything either unpacked or put out of the way to be stored. :)
I had my first day of work today! It went really well. The drive was not bad...about 30 minutes, but I need to find an alternate out of town b/c the road I went down today was really winding and not good to drive at night. When I got to work this morning, they all came out to meet me...(it was a FIRE drill!) But then I stopped by HR and payroll and then got my computer and settled in. I already have a training that I am scheduled to attend next month and one that I have a hand in presenting in January and February! I will also start working with a colleague on assessing students' Assistive Technology needs as early as Thursday! So, I am busy already...that is good though. Everyone is really nice and seem really helpful and more importantly, they are glad to have me there!
OH, forgot to mention, when I got back to my car at the end of the day, the battery was dead! I left my lights on, so I had to call ONSTAR for roadside assistance. At least they were quick and I didn't have to wait too long.
One last thing...Joe has a job interview tomorrow...think about him and pray he does well and that things go as God has planned.
Love you all and miss you!
Michelle

2 DAYS to go!

We are finishing up ALL the packing and cleaning. Joe's parents are coming down from PA today to help finish the packing and help load the truck on Friday. We found a 2 Bedroom apartment in Richlandtown PA, it is about 25 miles from work, but no more than what I drive now. The apartment is the 2nd floor of a duplex that is only 3 years old and it has a storage shed! The kitchen is really nice and there is a laundry room, etc. There is only one bathroom, but for the lower rent and the storage shed, we were willing to sacrfice the bathroom. We still have a lot of little things to get packed up...clothes, bed linens, Whitney's room, but I am certain that we will get it all done! We are excited about things to come and hope you will continue to support us and keep in touch. We love you all and are so happy to have you in our lives! Next time, I may be writing from PA!

Two weeks to go

It is getting down to the wire....Joe finished work Friday and brought more stuff to fill up the garage! I still have to pack up my office, but hopefully 2-3 boxes will take care of it. We have been packing the house today, kitchen, linens, etc...Whitney has been painting and then painting herself with colored and flavored chapstick...whatever keeps her happy. Right now I am taking a break from all the packing. It can be tiring and very monotonous, but I was in a groove for a while. We ran out of tape, so I need some more.
OH and we had SNOW yesterday morning! One whole inch! Just think what it will be like when we move and there is snow ALL the time :)

So, we had an open house yesterday and it did not live up to expectations. We busted our butts to get the house ready and NO results! The realtor said two agents came by, but the NANNY cam proved him to be a LIAR!!!!! Isn't that against the rules, to lie to a client? Plus he ate 6 cookies, I mean come on! To say the least, we are disappointed...but the next plan of action is TBD. We are leaving in 3 weeks and will probably be keeping a mortgage payment for a while unfortunately..please send your donations to Michelle and Joe Davis at....

Bummer

For the last few days, Joe and I have been going back and forth with Human Resources and NCAE and trying to find out if we are going to get paid for our earned sick days and personal leave days. The short answer is NO! We will not be paid for those days! I have at least 19 days that I have saved, so that is a real bummer! What they do, for all you NC state employees, is hold them for 5 years....after that, if you do not come back to NC and work for the state, they are gone! How nice is that of them? Very frustrating. That could have been a nice payout, but I guess that is what they are trying to avoid. We will get paid for our annual leave at least. Joe is trying to use as many days as he can, but I have a deadline to meet and I have to work up until the week before we move, so being "sick" is not really an option. I can't believe it is only a few more weeks. We have an open house this weekend, so we are hopeful that we will get some interest. Keep us in your thoughts!

Today we had family pictures taken... Amazingly enough, we did not have to wait and our actual photo shoot was done in 30 minutes. Picking out the pictures took a bit longer, but we got some great shots of Blaine and Whitney and the whole family. We have not had a formal picture of either of the kids in a year, so it was time. Whitney did well, though she was trying her fake smile out. There was something about this time that she just couldn't relax, but we were able to get some good pictures.
Only four more weeks until the big move. Things are coming down to the wire and the stress level (at least for me) is rising. We are trying to figure out how to rent a decent place and still stay within our budget considering our house has not sold and Joe does not have a job right away (easy, huh?) Plus, Christmas is in the middle of all that. We will need lots of thoughts and prayers during this time...a buyer for our home, a job for Joe, an affordable place to live. I am sure everything will work out, it is just harad thinking about it all, not to mention the fact that I am stressing over how much we have to pack! Where is my Fairy Godmother?!

Hi everyone! Welcome to the Davis Family Blog! I am sure you will learn everything you ever wanted to know about us and probably more. We are gearing up for our move to Pennsylvania in December! Only one more month in NC! That is exciting and scary. We are definitely looking forward to the new adventure ahead...new job, new city, new friends, etc...but we are cautious about being able to sell our house in NC, find a job for Joe, affordable quality childcare for Whitney, and a decent place to rent. All these things are guaranteed to keep it interesting. Why the move to PA? Well, several reasons...Joe is from PA and has been wanting to get back up there for awhile. I have never lived out of state, but am up for the adventure. Pennsylvania has snow, which is something Joe misses. I will just need to learn how to drive in it, or how to ask my husband to drive me around! :) I have a job in Pennsylvania...I will be working for the school system as a training consultant. It will be similar to what I am doing now, but different in that I will have far LESS on my plate, but still decent money, better benefits, and only 10 months of work instead of 12! That is a big bonus :) We are certain that we will be able to adjust to the changes fairly easily, but we are realistic!