Tex

Another picture of my truck! Obsessive? Yes! But I don't care. I love it! I spent a couple of hours yesterday washing it and drying it off and by-golley, I almost needed a step ladder to get the job done. I'll probably need one or get a friend to help at least when I wax it.

So as you can see by the title, I've decided to name him TEX!!!!!! My friends Sarah J and Shiney both suggested it and it only took me just over 1,000 miles of driving to decide that it fit! I hope everyone had a great weekend and wish y'all the best for this coming week! I'm heading down south a few hours for a customer research event that will last the week.

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I Made It

As most would assume, I made it safe and sound this go down to Georgia. My truck ran like a dream and I'm LOVING IT!!!!! Again, I do not recommend crashing your car if you are thinking about buying a new one. Still taking suggestions for names though. I'm still thinking a boy's name and now the options are down to Bruce, Brutus and Baxter. It is just a hard decision to make - I want it to be a tough name, but still unique and classy at the same time.

So far I've been trying to stay out of trouble. There is a pretty good group of younger employees down here so I've been out with some of them already and went to a hockey game with some of the product support people. I also have enjoyed running around my complex and just exploring. I LOVE my apartment. The shopping part of it was frustrating, but it is a gorgous complex and I have lots of space. My furniture looks great in it and I've had fun decorating it. Still need to go curtain shopping, but it definitely feels like home :) I have also made the decision to not get cable or internet in my apartment. You calling me crazy? Maybe I am. Here is my reasoning:
1- Save some money (especially since I'm making truck payments and also higher insurance).
2 - I have a smart phone so I can some basic internet tasks on there and the clubhouse to my complex has free WiFi and I can get into there 24/7 if need be. Also, with the smartphone - I've been listening to a lot of Pandora for background noise.
3 - I have plenty of books and craft materials to keep me busy.
4 - It is just peaceful.
5 - I wanted to make my college roommate, Kathleen Paola, proud of me :)
6 - If I want to watch a game or something, it forces me to be more social

I've definitely hit the ground running with my job. It has been a lot to learn, really fast! I'm so grateful for my previous Deere knowledge and experiences or I would be totally lost. I like the challenge and the fast-pace work style at a factory though or at least that is the way it is down here. The team is super supportive and I can't complain when a morning is spent learning how to drive tractors in order to get them ready for shipping to a show or something. Yes, I'm still learning how to drive lol! The smaller ones are super easy, but as they get bigger, they become a lot more complicated.

Well, that's my update for now - I'll work on some pics and all coming up. I'm checking out a church in the morning so I'm hoping to meet some new friends :)

Oh and since my sister-in-law gave me a shout out the other day - I want to do the same for her. Check out her really cute blog http://theartisticallychallengedcrafter.blogspot.com/.
Have a wonderful Saturday (its pouring here, but at least it isn't snow)!
Britt

Ps - the font I'm going to blog in while I'm down here is "Georgia." Seems appropiate? :)

RIP Gerdy

So in order to tell everyone what happened, I figured I'd post the story up here instead of retelling it over and over again. I would love to put this behind me and focus on the positives that came out of the situation which would be my AMAZING NEW TRUCK!!!!!!

Disclaimer - Miraculously, everyone walked away without a scratch. Tuesday morning, I was about two hours south of Lexington after staying the night in Wilmore, KY with my bro and sister-in-law when the wreck happened. As most of you  know, I was heading down to Augusta, GA for my new job with Deere. 

The actual wreck is pretty much a blur to me because when my car started going out of control, I closed my eyes and was just bracing for some sort of impact. I was traveling about 75 mph on Interstate 75 when I braked to slow down because I was approaching a car in the far left-hand lane. 75 was three lanes where I was at. As best as I can remember, my back end felt like it slipped from underneath me to the right and I tried to swerve back and started over-correcting, which is totally easy to do even if you are a Nascar driver. At that point I starting spinning towards the right. Again, I was in the left-hand lane and crossed two lanes while spinning. There was a thud somewhere in there and I could tell when I hit the ditch and then a second or so later, my car finally came to a stop. 

I opened my eyes and I was facing towards the northwest with the back of my car down in the ditch. I looked across to what I thought was the bottom of a semi but the semi turned out to be the bottom of a 5th-wheel camper. The truck that was pulling it was facing north and the only thing that kept it from flipping is that it was up against a guardrail. In the process of me spinning across traffic, I hit them somehow just back behind their driver side back wheel, which basically jack-knifed them.

The other couple GOT OUT of their truck and were WALKING too. I couldn't believe it! I kept myself calm to the point that the cop couldn't believe that this was my first accident. The best thing that the cop could come up with was that my back left tire blew and that is why it started acting all "squirelly" (that was his word) on me.

So not only did I figure out how to manage all the insurance information and figure out the rental for a few days and just what to do - I had all the moving stuff to deal with as well. Nothing really broke inside my car besides a couple of vases and my house plants were all toppled over. A body shop guy came over to the impound and told me it was pretty much totaled which was reaffirmed by the insurance guy today as I was sitting in the Dodge dealership buying my new TRUCK!!!!!

I wasn't too far away from Lexington, so Ben and Eva came and got me so I could recover a bit and get things ironed out and I was out truck shopping less than 10 hours after I totaled Gerdy. It was a lot to process, but I wanted to get some closure to all this and be done with it.

I have been researching trucks for awhile and was going to buy one in about 6 months when I could save up for a bit longer. This truck had all the features I wanted and the dealership gave me a great deal! I was willing to settle on some of my wants, but I found pretty much what I wanted with the basics being black and lots of chrome! My favorite color really is chrome :) So, I'm going to try this again, and head out down to Augusta in the morning :) Wish me luck!

I also had damage on the back right door by the wheel and a big crack in my back bumper on the left side. The tow-truck guy thought that my back wheels were bent and then also I'm pretty sure my radiator got busted too because I remember a hissing noise when I got out of the seat and there was some steam rolling off of my right front tire when it was being pulled up on the truck.

RIP Gerdy - you've been a great car.

Hello ___________ I'm taking suggestions on a new name for this bad boy!!!!

I've always wanted to take a pic like this :)

Dodge Ram 1500 Big Horn - 5.7L Hemi - Quad Cab

Next Chapter

And I'm off again on yet another adventure! A southern adventure this time though y'all! 

Daddy helped me load the car tonight and tomorrow morning I'll be on my way to Augusta, GA for my next rotation with John Deere working mainly with the 5000 series, but also doing some other projects with the smaller tractors.

So I realize it has been two months since I last posted anything. My bad. Here's a quick recap:

- I left straight from homecoming to Sarasota, Florida for three weeks where I worked a training event and had a BLAST!!!

- Spent two weeks in Mannheim, Germany for a customer fly-in for 6000 series customers. This was obviously a phenomenal experience, especially right before Christmas with all the decorations :)

- My cousin Jonathan married my KC friend Miss Alina. I was so happy for them and the wedding was beautiful in a refurbished barn.

- Did my final report out for my last rotation and it went super awesome - I even juggled as an illustration. I guess I'll do anything for an applause?!?!

- Enjoyed some downtime around the holidays and spending it with the family back in Indiana and had an epic New Years as it served as a Purdue friend reunion in Chicago!!! 

Yep, that's about the just of what's been up with me! Pretty boring actually :P

Boys can be nice - if they want

So I got to go home (Purdue home), as an alumni this time, for homecoming and had quite the experience. Saw lots of great friends, went to an incredible Lee Brice and Luke Bryan concert that was extremely entertaining (with some unexpected twists), had great seats to watch my Boilers upset a ranked team and went to a Women of Wesley event that got crashed by the boys.
Now the story behind this is due to FaceBook always switching things up, my friend Erica had to make the event off of the general Wesley Foundation group page which accidently invited all the boys as well. This obviously couldn't happen because this movie night had some business to it as the women began planning for their WOW holiday dinner which is always top secret from the boys. So they were uninvited and I guess some feelings got hurt. Since the location and time had been disclosed, we were an easy target for this ambush. But we were all pleasantly surprised when it came in this fashion rather than a silly, immature prank. I love it and miss it when these boys go just a little bit out of their way to make us girls feel special! Well done boys, well done!

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Blue Like Jazz

So I borrowed the book Blue Like Jazz by Donald Miller from Purdue's Wesley Foundation at the end of the semester last year and I will be returning it this weekend after finally reading it. I actually have two chapters left that I have to get read on the plane tomorrow night on my way back to Purdue for homecoming this weekend.

It is a really, really good book that I think anybody who claims to be a Christain should at least take a peek at. It basically focuses on what Christian spirituality looks like compared to organized religion in a very funny, non-judgemental, witty and personal way through the author's life. My mom picked it up when she was out here this last weekend and was almost half way through it before they left for Indiana again.

It can make you uncomfortable as he tackels the major issues of worship, love, romance, community and money. How do these different areas reflect in a spiritual context and what has 'the church' morphed them into? And I don't mean like morphed in a bad context, just how have our human interpretations of the Bible or religious traditions made them to be today? He never points fingers or says one way is the right way, just that you have to find what clicks for you. Which is something I have always thought and said about individuals claiming one demonination over another is that you have to do what is right for your own faith journey, walk, path, relationship or whatever you want to call it with God while not judging others. Overall searching and seeking a pure truth.

Ok - that's my plug for this book. I'm eager to read the last few chapters and see how he wraps it up :) But go borrow, check-out, buy or download it! Definitely a great book - an entertaining and thought-provoking read!

PS - I googled it to find a picture of the book and apparently it has been made into a movie! Huh? Looks like I'll have to add that to my list of movies to see :)

Night y'all!

"Little Bit of Life"

Who doesn't love some Craig Morgan? Well, since it has been forever since I've blogged, I thought I'd catch everyone up in small installments and try to go in sequential order.

As many of you know, my grandmother wasn't doing well and passed away August 24th. Her last three weeks were spent either in ICU or hospice and were not very pretty. My mom and dad were visiting her up to three times a day during that time. She was ready to go and it was a relief that she finally passed peacefully.

Death is a part of life, but it still hurts as our "human" side misses the loss. My brother, Ben, actually officiated the service and his whole theme was explaining why we mourn so much because death wasn't part of God's original plan. I was so proud of him that he used this difficult moment to minister and teach to our family and friends. I couldn't believe what a great job he did! Grandma asked specifically for Ben to officiate the service and I know she was very proud!

Thanks for everything Grandma, I love you and will miss you!

Martha L. Cassiday

Dec. 25, 1918 - Aug. 24, 2011

ANDERSON, Ind. — Martha L. Cassiday, 92, of Anderson, passed away Aug. 24, 2011, at Saint John’s Medical Center  in Anderson.

She was born Dec. 25, 1918, to the late William and Elizabeth Reeves in Rush County.

She retired from the Farmers Home Administration of Henry County and was  active in NARFE and the Southdale Tower Cabinet. She was a member of Wilkinson Church of Christ and more recently attended First United Methodist Church of Anderson.

Survivors include a daughter, Ruth Anne (Curt) Pittinger of Richmond; a son, Richard (Dorinda) Cassiday of Anderson; grandchildren, Timothy Pittinger, Tina Landis, Benjamin (Eva) Cassiday and Brittania Cassiday; four great-grandchildren; two sisters, Mary Ruth Strain and Dorcus Canary; and several nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her husband, James Raymond Cassiday; and sister, Katherine Bombaugh.

Services officiated by Benjamin Cassiday will be at 10 a.m. Saturday at Condo and Son Funeral Home, Wilkinson. Burial will follow in Center Cemetery near Mays in Rush County.

Visitation will be from 4 to 8 p.m. Friday at the funeral home.