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Ok, so I decided a few weeks ago that I am not going to buy a house here in Tuscaloosa afterall. At least not yet. Again, let me reiterate that I am very happy here for the most part. I love my job, get along great with my boss and co-worker(s), and love the church that I am involved with. However, sometimes, despite it being a college town, I get extremely bored. Both personally and professionally. Moreso the latter than the former.

I was talking to my boss that week. We were sort of discussing my bi-annual evaluation. I scored great in everything. So I went and negotiated myself a 13% raise starting in January :-) With that being said, my boss is very happy here too. He's got a wife and two great kids. Neither he nor I think he will be transferring out anywhere else anytime soon. I am content to keep doing what I am doing, and rake in a good raise lol. I just don't know for how long. Probably twenty-four out of twenty-five days, my job is not a challenge. I have the occasional day where I get frustrated, but I have been blessed with an awesome crew of guys, and have them all trained to where the sort pretty well runs itself. Just for fun, every so often, I will put everyone in an area where they haven't worked in a while just to keep them fresh on everything. All in all it's a great situation to be in, no doubt. However there is that little part of me that yearns for a new challenge every now and then. I know...most people would kill to have a (usually) easy job that they are compensated pretty well for. Basically, I don't know how long I will be able to resist the urge and the pulling by the regional staffers to transfer off to a bigger building that is, in FedEx terms, "on fire" (as in, about to burn to the ground). One thing that I am looking forward to is that we are getting an extension on the building this fall which is going to be (a) a new experience for me and (b) going to create a whole new set of problems in and of itself. This extension is going to create new load positions and make packages actually flow backwards in one part of the building. My boss in Atlanta said that the last building they did this in..the manager got so frustrated that he up and quit! It actually excites me because it is going to be a new challenge to tackle. Maybe it'll keep me from getting bored for a while and keep me energized! :) If so, maybe in another year or so I'll get a house...but for now..the timing isn't right. Plus I was going to buy the house for all the wrong reasons too. What it boils down to, I was going to buy a house just so that if/when I transfer, I could sell it and make money. I am not a money driven person, so I don't know what came over me, but thank God, I (with His help of course) realized that doing something selfishly is wrong.

I did however, go make a "lavish" purchase! I went last week and bought a 2009 Toyota Camry. This car is sweet! My Cavalier still runs well, but it is getting up there in milage and I don't trust American cars after 100,000 miles. I am going to sell it to Justin, my nephew. He just graduated high school, and is about to start college. He currently drives an old, huge pick-up truck that averages about twelve miles a gallon. I asked him if he wanted to buy my car, and he jumped at the chance. I will sell it to him cheaper than I should, but hey...he's my boy and I love him. He was also needing a job, so I had him go and apply at the FedEx where I started out. I made some calls and helped him get an interview and he got the job. All in all, things are going great for him right now!

I am now the only family member in Alabama. My sister and niece from Birmingham moved recently. She's found a really good job and is near more family that can help her with Addison. I was sad to see them leave but know that it's for the best. She is already much, much happier where she is and seems to be adjusting well. She is going back to church and has said that moving is what God wanted her to do. I am going to miss being able to drive an hour and see them, but their happiness is ultimately what matters. That and being nearer to family to help with Addi. It takes a village sometimes.

I'll end this with a serious prayer request. My cousin, Amanda, was killed Friday. She had a heart attack while driving and ended up having an accident. She was only twenty-six years old. She had fought weight issues all of her life and was trying to overcome them. Please pray for her immediate family. She was married and had a little boy who is only five years old. Please keep them in your prayers. She also left behind her parents, a sister, her grandmother, and numerous other relatives. Please just say a special prayer for her son, Marshall. He is such a sweet and smart little boy, who will now grow up without his mother. Pray that God takes good care of him.

~Greg~