In July 2006 we met in Clarksville to sign the papers on the store and a parking lot size piece of land. To our surprise the land was originally part of the M D Wright Plantation. Our piece had been considerably whittled down in size but we were much to excited to turn back now. The clerk smiled and told us she remembered stopping at the store and getting a Coke while she was looking at land along the river.
We drove to pick up my parents who were as excited as we were and went to look at what we now owed payments on.
Moma said where's the building? I remember a big step here.
Daddy just paced one side to the next avoiding all the trash and rat droppings as best he could. He paused to pick up an iron object and ask if I knew what that was? I said no and he said it's a nut cracker. And I said you can have it if you want, so he claimed his prize. We drove them home to Paris where we talked about all the possibilities and none of the realities until we had to leave.
On the way home my husband and I talked about where the money for the payments would come from in an already stretched budget. I said I would give up my 99 Rodeo, selling it to our son Michael so the payments would be diverted into the store. We thought it would cover the payments and give a bit toward the fixing up process. We also agreed to stay on this budget and give one weekend a month as well as vacation money and time to fixing it up. Remember this plan as the real deal unfolds heh heh.
Something should be said for my little husband. He is a good man. He is tolerant of most of my hairbrain ideas. He has a bit of a temper and can be riled if cornered but usually good natured and especially delights in spoiling me. I sometimes think I don't deserve him but then he has some wild fit and I remember why God put us together. He is well educated and highly technical working in the computer field. At this point, we do not know how that translates to refurbishing a store in this rural community. His nick name at work relates to a squirrel like rodent because he can find answers to problems others do not see. In July 2006 we thought this might be an asset.
We tried to focus on the first immediate problem. Not sure what that was we brainstormed for two hours driving home and decided we needed to get the trash out of the store and the weeds and grass cut. This sounded like a job with help from OUR FOUR SONS. We always knew we had five children for some reason:0)
