Bob, Larry and Firetrucks, oh my!

Jimmy took the kids out to Sherman, Texas today because a bookstore would have the VeggieTales there for the kids to meet. I heard they stood in line for a while for the photo opportunity. But the kids had fun.  Next they got to climb up into a firetruck and take pictures in the parking lot. Tomorrow their going bowling.

in line at the bookstore.

Reminds me of Allan's fireman phase from age 1-3

Codi's birthday present

My coworker/friend Codi loves Cinderella, so for her birthday today, I did a watercolor painting.

Lots of "new" going on for us. All good things... just LOTS of new.

1) First but not most important: Today I was training two more new girls at the store. There are officially more married employees than single girls.  We've taken the majority.

2) We have a new plan about where to move. Jimmy and I took all of last Monday, riding around visiting different trailer parks and apartments. We have it narrowed down to one apartment complex that we'd like to live in, if the govt. housing doesn't kick in before we have to move in October. The apartments are very nice, a mile from my work and less than a mile from the freeway (how Jimmy gets to his new job).

3) Jimmy began his NEW JOB today! He likes it. When he got to work, the company told him to gas up on the company credit card. They also plan to set him up with a cellphone and a new Toll Tag. He drove from Carrolton to Garland, TX twice today, while working, delivering packages of different sizes. He was pretty hot & sweaty, but likes the job and all the perks. He also learned he's gonna have a long weekend off from work for Labor Day. :)

4) Allan started school for the FIRST TIME ever! He's super excited. We took him to Target and let him pick out a backpack... Star Wars, of course. When we asked Allan what he learned on his first day of school, he replied "To sit still and be quiet."  So, evidently his teacher is a miracle worker, if she really got Allan to sit still.

I walked the kids to school (since Jimmy leaves for work at 6:30 am) and met his teacher, Mrs.Fagan, who it turns out is one of my customers from the store. Mrs.Fagan saw me working tonight in the mall and came over to tell me that Allan had a great first day and that she could tell sitting still was taking a lot of self-control from him.

Allan was very proud of his new Star Wars backpack. I packed him a sandwich lunch today, because I wasn't sure if his Free-lunch application had been processed. I checked at the school, he's all set for Free lunch and breakfast for the rest of the school year. Elaine's still on the program as well.

A family of Professional Thieves in the store today

1st, this hispanic VERY heavy lady walks in, to browse. Moments later, a young guy, also hispanic, is asking me about contact lenses we sell (the display is at the front register counter). Third, 20-ish girl asked me to help her with "Legwarmer tights" 30 feet away from the registers. (I assume, she was reading the large signs on the wall  as though it was one thing... she's clearly not a dancer).

I told the girl, I'd call out someone to help her because I was "already helping the gentleman". (She wanted me to leave the registers unsupervised!!) She looked panicked and said not to call for more help, that she needed ME to help her. I said, I'd call a girl who works the dance department.
My coworker, Ashley came immediately out, from the back of the store, and talked to the young girl at length about tights (fabric of each, differences...). 

The older browsing lady was joined by her hubby at some point while I was balancing talking to the young guy and calling out help for the girl, making a total of 4 customers in the store. 

I couldn't see where the woman was, but the older man was on our "Around the world" aisle looking at a sheik costume. I assumed his wife was further down the same aisle, out of my sight.

The young guy I was talking to, had like run out of questions about the contacts. And started to repeat himself. (red flag) I maintained standing near the registers, where I could both talk to him and see the older man. I never left the registers, since he was acting fishy.

Then the older lady re-appeared, chased by Rick!!! 

Moments before: From watching security camera footage, we learned the very second Ashley walked out of the back room, the older lady went into the back and straight upstairs to Rick's office! 

His office is a crow's nest, looking over the entire store. There is an office, inside the larger office, where Rick keeps his desks. Rick was in his inner office, with the door only open a crack. 

The lady couldn't see Rick, sitting at his computer. She reached in the room and grabbed the bank-deposit bag off of his desk. He turned from the computer and said, "Hey, what are you doing!?!?!" 

She dropped the bag and said she was up there to talk about applying for a job (said in perfect English). She quickly exited down the stairs. 

Then near the front counter she and her hubby both started trying to talk to me near the front counter in something similar to Spanish (maybe Portuguese?). This confused me, because she had already been talking in perfect English. Us distract, the young guy and girl ran off to the parking lot. 

Then the older couple RAN out to the parking lot...the young ones had already started the get-away car. Rick chased them. I grabbed my digital camera, then chased too, but they drove away BACKWARDS peeling-out of the mall parking lot completely backwards the entire way until the main road!!!! They didn't want Rick to get their license plate. 

Long story short (too late) nothing was stolen, but we definately saw professional thieves at work here. They divided up, trying to distract each of us. Rick was glad I refused to leave the register area, and had called out assistance. The mall security saw sketches I drew of the thieves faces. There is camera footage, that will be turned in to the police, but since the cameras are from above, my sketches helped. :)

Jimmy got the job!

Jim's college roommate, Andy, has a friend who was looking for a new employee. Andy got Jimmy and this friend in contact with each other. The next day, Jimmy had a sit down interview in Carrolton. That was Monday. Today (Friday) Jimmy got a call that he got the job. He's very excited.


Jimmy is gonna be working in his brother's neighborhood in Carrolton, at a plastics company. This company was spending too much paying for independent couriers (like Fed Ex) to deliver multiple times each day. So they decided to outfit a company truck with a GPS system and hire their own on-staff courier to make deliveries all day. Jimmy will work 8-5pm, Mon - Friday, with an hour lunch break. He'll earn about the same as I earn now. We're gonna take him to the thrift store for a couple polo shirts that will fit him, so he'll look appropriate.


Jimmy's job starts on the kids' first day of school, in two weeks. I'll walk the kids to school. Robert will drive me to work in the middle of the day and then Robert is gonna pick-up the kids from school and stay with them until Jimmy gets home at 6pm. I've been working lots of 10am-7pm shifts, so the timing to get me home should work out. Robert stepping up to help is a real blessing. Robert's selling grass-fed beef again, but otherwise has lots of free time.  If we get to move inside incorporated Denton (not North of town), I may start riding a bus to the mall. Right now, there's just no buses in our area. 


There are after-school programs at each Denton elementary, keeping each child at the school until 6pm. We're gonna apply for scholarships to that. The tuition is like $200 per month, per kid, plus registration fees.


I evened out Allan's haircut this week, to be ready for school. No more mohawk. Today was the elementary school registration. Allan's all enrolled for Kindergarten. I hate that Jimmy wont be there in the morning to see Allan off for his first day of school ever; just me. But his new job is going to be such a blessing that it's gonna be worth it. 


According to the online charts for our county, with Jim's estimated income, we will still qualify for food stamps and Medicaid. We still meet the basic requirement for Housing, but may not still be considered in dire need.


p.s. My brother plans to visit us for Labor Day weekend. He's gonna be on active duty beginning in the fall, so he wants to see the kids before he's gone for a year.