New Orleans, Louisiana

While Rich stayed home to work and Ryan stayed home to attend summer school, the rest of us headed to Missouri to stay the night at my parents house. Monday morning, we awoke at 5:20 am to head to the airport to pick up our rental van.  It was quite disastrous, but 45 minutes later we were on our way to pick up the rest of the crew (not in the passenger van we originally rented but we survived).  What originally started out as a 30+ crew of family, ended up being 10.  Because of the oil spill scare, our numbers dropped over the months as we were planning out our trip.  We took this exact trip 11 years ago and decided it was time for another one.  I'm so glad our family gets along so well!

Our first day of sight seeing was spent in New Orleans.  The temp was in the high 90's with a heat index of 110.  What a scorcher!  We had yet to experience that type of heat back in Oklahoma.  Every time I would walk out of a store, my camera lens would fog up.  It was miserably hot and oh so humid, but everyone enjoyed themselves none the less with not much complaining.

Lil' guy doing a little sightseeing...

We wanted to ride the trolley, but there were so many things we wanted to do and see.  It was hard to fit it all into one day.

So neat how the street names were "set in stone".  Robbie cheesing it up for the camera.

It started to rain and all these artists took off running for cover.  I thought it was interesting that they just left their art in the rain, not even taking a single canvas with them.

We ate lunch at River's Edge.  It was very good.  See the steam on my lens?

I've always thought New Orleans is one of the prettiest cities I've ever been to.  The exception to that being Mardi Gras.  It's amazing how nasty, stinky, yucky, and dirty that city becomes with the trash lined streets (and balconies).

Robbie posing outside of Jimmy Buffet's Margaritaville.

No trip to New Orleans is ever complete without a stroll through the French Market.

Jackson Square is home to the St. Louis Cathedral.  Established as a parish in 1720, it is the oldest cathedral in continual use in the US.

One last picture to share...

We had a wonderful time exploring a beautiful city.  I'm grateful that I was able to share this experience with my sisters, my mom, and my kids.

One more day to go...

Well, I finally did it.  I turned in my two week's notice before I went on vacation.  Thursday will be my last day of work.  It is so bittersweet for me!  I've been waiting for this day for so long.  Yet when I walked through those doors today, I just wanted to cry!  Throughout the day, I would look around and see things that would make me so sad about finally leaving that place.  Then I would turn the corner and see something that would make me so thankful I'll be gone.  Haha!  It was such a crazy whirlwind of emotions!

I have only had two real jobs in my life.  The first being McDonald's.  I was with them for 5 years before working for Hobby Lobby.  Cheesy, I know.  But that's what I did.  I started working for Hobby Lobby in October 1991 in Springfield, MO.  We were store #32, the first store in Missouri.  At that time, Hobby Lobby was only in three states:  Oklahoma, Texas, and Arkansas.  Since then, we've grown to our current 447 stores in 37 states.  

In an economy where so many are closing their doors, our founder and CEO David Green remains on the Forbes list of wealthiest people for the 5th year in a row.  He is currently #123 on Forbes "400 Richest Americans".  Also, he is currently #316 on Forbes list of "The World's Billionaires".  What makes his story so interesting though is his humble beginnings.  David was the son of a poor preacher who worked at the local 5-and-dime store in high school.  He started making frames in his garage with a $600 loan he took out in 1970.

What is so impressive of David Green is not his rank on a list of wealthy people in this world, but his current work philosophy.  The company has no long-term debt.  David believes the way to good business is to follow biblical principles: "God is the only one who knows the future."  Hobby Lobby plays Christian music in all the stores.  David has delivered over 420 million copies of the Gospel to children in 100 countries through Book of Hope ministry.  I just wanted to share some of his stats with you.

It's not quite 19 years for me because each time I had a child, I took off work for awhile.  When I would go back to work each time, I had to start all over again.  I would lose all my time and seniority.  But that's okay because my kids were worth it.  I just can not even believe I will finally have the title of SAHM!  Right now I have mixed emotions about it because I truly love working for Hobby Lobby yet I truly desire to be available 24/7 to my family.

I'll admit it.  I'm nervous.  I'm anxious.  I'm excited.  I'm starting a new chapter, a new season in my life.  Am I ready for the challenges?  Yep.  I know God will be with me every single step of the way!  I'm grateful for His presence to guide me along this new path.