Exciting Times

As July is winding down, I’m struggling to keep up with all the news I want to share here.

Who knew July would be so exciting? I knew about the family visit in advance, but there are two pretty cool things I didn’t know about much ahead of time.

First, my town was in the spotlight on Friday, July 20th. In a big way. The FOX affiliate in Washington is doing a series of “Zip Trips” this summer, featuring locales that are close enough to DC for residents to zip out and back in a day.

It was a huge deal for the town. LOTS of free publicity. The Old Town merchants came out in force, opening their shopping, putting on special displays, doing demonstrations, offering samples, etc.

It was like a mini, impromptu street fair, and it was all accomplished with about a week’s noticed. Residents came out in droves to show their support, too. The Fox5 crew said it was the biggest turnout they’d ever seen for a ZipTrip segment. Yes, Warrenton is just as awesome as I have repeatedly proclaimed it to be.

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A good number of residents came out to show their support.

 

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Merchants and town officials rolled out the proverbial welcome mat.

 

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Angie and Kelly Ann at the Quilts of Honor East table.

 

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Local artist Palmer Smith painting the scene.

 

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Merchants had special displays and demonstrations to tout their wares.

 

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Decoupage at The Empty Nest

 

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Great Harvest was packed to the gills with people.

 

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A live segment.

We looked pretty darn good in the news, if I do say so myself.

Merchants and residents alike did an amazing job supporting the town. And Fox5 did very well to capture it all and show everyone what a fun place this is to live, work, and play.

Here’s a link to the story and videos on the Fox5 web site.

As for the second bit of news…

I am currently unemployed. My previous job had been wearing on me for quite some time. So, while off on my solo adventure back in late-June, with lots of time to think about stuff like job satisfaction, among other things, I decided it was time for a change.

As it happens, a woman I’d met in 2005 had reached out to me back in May about coming to work for her at her current employer. Initially, I said I wasn’t interested. But she was persistent. So, after my return, I started really exploring the opportunity and ultimately decided it would be a better fit for me.

Tuesday, July 21, was my last day at the old firm (Texas company). I would’ve liked to take some time off between postings, especially since my new company has a policy that you can’t take vacation for the first six months, but they need me pretty badly. I start my new job (Maryland company) on Monday, July 27.

I’m trying to cram as much fun in as possible between now and Monday. Which means I’m behind on blog reading, commenting, and writing again. Sorry, y’all. I love you, I really do. And I truly appreciate the fact that you take time to read my posts AND leave comments.

I’ll try to catch up soon. I’ll actually be in Rockville, Maryland most of next week for training, so should have plenty of down time in the evenings. Until then, I’ve got places to go, things to see, etc.

I am very excited about my new work adventure, but have to squeeze some fun in while I can. Keep your eyes on those Instagram pics. If you’re not on Instagram, you can follow at the bottom of my home page, if you’re so inclined.

12 Replies to “Exciting Times”

  1. Congratulations on the new job. Hopefully it’ll live up to all expectations. (I’m I the “working is overrated” camp) And I enjoyed learning a bit more of your town, thank you for the link.

    1. Thanks, Richard. I’m in the working is overrated camp, too, but we have to pay for the motorcycle and travel habit, you know? Not to mention fine food and beer. 🙂

  2. Hey, congrats on the exciting changes, ToadMama!

    That is a fun little snippet about your town. Wikipedia states that Warrenton’s population is just shy of 10k:. Though that would be a few too many to know personally, I get the impression that it’s still the kind of place where many folks know each others’ names… Is that an accurate impression?

    1. Yes, Ryan, that’s the right impression. Many people do know each other’s names, and are familiar with each other either personally or through a mutual friend/acquaintance. Since I walk the dogs through town every night, quite a few people know me by sight. At least when I am with the dogs. LOL. It’s the perfect size, really.

    1. Thanks, Karen. Warrenton is really a lovely place to live. And there are TONS of great roads in close proximity. You’d enjoy it. And you would have a good tour guide, too.

  3. Wow, congratulations and best of fortunes in your new employment. I hope it’s easier on your mind and soul.

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