The Bookstore

When I called to wish my parents a happy Thanksgiving yesterday I was informed I had not updated my blog in ages. Feels like just yesterday. Time has been slipping by so quickly I hardly know where in time I exist. The other day I saw a sign telling me to vote no on something on November 4th. I told Jeff, are we voting about something again on November 4th. He looked at me and informed me that I already voted on November 4th it is now the end of November. I looked at him a little puzzled for a moment before I remembered that it is actually the end of November in 2008. Wow, seems like it just turned 2000. Remember when I'm gonna party like it is 1999 was about a long time in the future instead of about a time in the distant past.

Life here in Mississippi is going well. Lily is still sick. She is on her second course of antibiotics, this one seems to be working. Mandy is still deciding about college, a local friend of mine went to the college Mandy is thinking of attending and gave me about a thousand reasons Mandy should go away to college. We were volunteering at the school and all the moms who had gone away to college and one mom who had a child away at college now piped in. I was able to take all this information home to Mandy and I think I have convinced her to try it for at least a semester. While the college is only an hour to an hour and a half away she is worried about things like her braces. How will she go the orthodontist? I reminded her that due to her weird under bite we had to pick an orthodontist that is almost an hour from our house and we make it there every month. Come to think of it she might be closer at the college. She didn't seem reassured. I will lose the only baby sitter Lily has ever had.

Jeff retires from the military in four years. He has during his time in the service earned an associates degree, a bachelor's degree and a masters degree. Seems that he would be prepared for the transition to a civilian life. However, it is hard to find a job. He searches and searches for jobs relating to his degree in this area and so far has been disappointed. We are trying to come up with a plan for the future, to begin to plan for his retirement. How will be pay our mortgage? Will we stay here in Mississippi or move elsewhere for a job? Do we want to be near family or do we wish to stay here? Even the question of do we wish to try and get another overseas assignment, just one more before Jeff retires. All these questions swirl in our minds. We are gypsies after all and the thought of staying in one place forever is a little bit daunting. Even thought we love it here, we love it everywhere - is the adventure really over?

We have been toying with the idea of opening a bookstore. Here where we live there isn't a bookstore. We all drive about 45 minutes or order online. We live in a well educated spot and we feel like a bookstore would do well here. We are also possibly eligible for a small business loan through the VA. We are just thinking about it and trying to do the research to see if it would be profitable. How many books we would have to sell per day to pay the bills etc. But, I have to tell you I really have my hopes up about this. We shall see.

PS. To Kim, it has been so warm here today our house got up to 77 and we considered turning on the a/c due to the humidity. Haven't frozen yet.