Ba-Bam! Here's An Update.

Alright, so I am beginning to think that I probably should not include a qualifier at the beginning of my posts anymore. If they're late, they're late, and I'm just taking up space explaining why. To put it simply, I've been busy and plain forgot about my blog for a couple weeks.

Ok, so here is a (very) consolidated review of the last two months. I believe I left off with the bike ride. It was awesome. We spent two days in the Blue Ridge Parkway, which was coincidentally the most difficult and enjoyable part of the trip, in my opinion. The views were incredible and we hit some amazing downhill stretches too. The remaining three days were spent on mostly secondary backroads, in counties that you probably have not heard about, like Iredell, Alexander, and Davie. The weather was favorable, and it was very refreshing to "get away from it all." I should add, however, that I was ready to be back by the end of the trip. It was tough work at times, but overall quite fun and a great time spent with everyone.

That weekend, I returned to Chapel Hill to see Ashley, who had recently returned from Europe, and the rest of my buddies who had moved in since I went up there the week prior. It was a fantastic time, and I enjoyed my last "weekend of freedom" before starting my job that Wednesday. That's right, my job. I know, it is a little strange to think that I am employed in a Monday through Friday, nine to five job, but I am. Over the past two months, I have learned quite a bit - about effective communication as well as financial advising and general investing information. In the beginning, it was quite tedious. I have a wonderful employer, but my job responsibilities were frustrating and boring.

I am essentially a telemarketer, calling prospective clients and inviting them to our office for a second review of their portfolios. Making phone calls for over six hours a day definitely requires a break-in period, but things were complicated due to our list of numbers. The man who sent them did not do a very good job in screening the probable income level of respondents, and so I wound up calling folks who were largely not qualified. One girl even asked me, "what are investments?" It makes for a funny story looking back, but at the time, it was pretty discouraging.

Things perked up some, though, when I asked my employer, Mr. Tom, if I could try a few alternative marketing approaches. He was very open to my ideas, and so I spent several days contacting local attorneys and accountants, asking if they would be willing to place our literature in their offices. Fifteen said, "yes," which I thought was a good number. Also, I contacted multiple retirement homes in our community to inquire about arranging informational seminars on investing for their residents. In fact, we delivered our first seminar yesterday, and have a second scheduled for next week. Seven residents attended, and we received some good feedback and interest. Finally, I am now working with a new call list. I told Mr. Tom that I was fairly sure we could create a better list than the one we were currently working with, and so I spent a couple of days on Google Maps identifying streets in affluent neighborhoods in our surrounding area. Afterwards, I went to the library and accessed a reverse telephone directory, which listed numbers by street address. I have been using this new list for about a week now, and can definitely tell our respondents are generally more qualified.

Some highlights of the past several weeks include: going on a weekend retreat to Caroline's house on Lake Norman, celebrating six months of dating Ashley, Dad's birthday weekend in Hickory, trips to the state fair, a visit with Ashley's family, and repeated, sometimes spontaneous, trips up to Chapel Hill (let's face it, I've been going up there as much as I can).

Oh, and some more details about the situation with Sam. The past six months have been very difficult for him and our family. Legal stuff, anger, frustration, and bewilderment threatened to dominate the atmosphere at times. This past Monday brought a sense of closure, but things are still difficult. As with many things in life, you can read all you want about certain troubles, but until they actually occur in your life, you simply can't understand what it's like. God has certainly used all of this for good, but things are still difficult. Fortunately, I know that He is always there, and I am so thankful for all of the incredible experiences I have been able to have over the last two months. I'm pumped up for what's going to happen next!