Momma's Visit

Mom visited in October for a weekend - which, by the way, was entirely too short. The good news is, my family will be heading north for Christmas though!

Mom and I are travel partners. Dad's company does much of its training out of Holland, so over the past 10 years, Mom and I have gone to Europe with him three times. He goes to class, we go sightseeing.

So, in true Mom and Kim fashion, and because I've yet to see any of the touristy stuff in Louisville, we went to Churhill Downs while she was here.

We also had a backyard fire in our new firepit, made smores and generally had a fabulous time.

Miss you Momma! Love you so much.


On our way from Lexington! Welcome to Kentucky Momma.
Having lunch at Churchill Downs.



My beautiful Momma.



I couldn't even get half the length of the track in my panoramic.
This is a retired racehorse that won over $1 million dollars. And, this is his "companion" mini horse that goes with him everywhere... hmm....
In the Derby Museum "trying on" Derby hats. Does it look like it's on my head??

Me and the Derby Winner. No big deal.
Apparently I'm a natural, just a foot too tall.


Josh putting together our new firepit. Thanks dear!
Momma planting my tulips. Thanks Momma!








Mom went with me to Lowes and I finally got a flag and flagpole for my flag holder! Happy fall!
Playin with Abby on her last morning.
See you soon!

Josh, Kim & Abby

Oh, hello. Come on in!

Finally took pictures of our home. Join me for a tour, won't you?

Front door into our family room.

Yes, that's Grey's on the tv.

Looking down the hallway from the family room.
Guest room!!!!!!! So proud of this. The whole thing is from Wal-Mart. Bedframe, headboard, comforter, pillow and wall unit. YES.
Guest bath/only shower we have.
Our room.
The shelf has all our wedding stuff on it. All the sticks/containers are from our wedding. And the lantern - that's from our wedding too.Our engagement picture that was displayed at the wedding, and more sticks.
Heading into the kitchen from the hallway.



Y'all come back now, ya hear!

Josh, Kim & Abby

Loo-uh-vull

I hate feeling like an outsider.

I hate not knowing my way around, where the nearest Target is, which mall is OK to go to, when the "Derby" is, or what aisle the peanut butter is on in the Kroger (that's the Northerner's version of Publix).

I've lived in two places my whole life. Orlando, and two hours north of Orlando.

I was one of the few who could answer that age-old question "where are you from" with a smirk and "here" as a response.

Now, I'm not from here. Im not even from close-to-here.

So, I've been trying my best to lesson the obvious-ness of being a Louisville outsider.

I've found a good way to accomplish this goal is to pronounce the name of this city like the locals do.

Louisville is loo-uh-vull.

However, when I wear my Gator t-shirt and drive around in my Rav4 with my Gator license plates, I think it kind of defeats my purpose.

My next goal is to learn local terminology.

Here was my first lesson:
We have what's called "Shotgun" suites in the hotel. They are basically like Embassy Suites' suites, where the rooms are long and straight, and you can see from the door to the window through the hallway.

They are called "shotgun" in reference to "shotgun" houses, which apparently are houses that are long and narrow, where you can see from the front door clear to the back door of the house. These are mostly located in the East End (east side of the Louisville metro area) with zero lot lines all in a row squished together.

We don't have these where I come from. I'm pretty sure my face said "why are you talking about firearms to me?" when they told me the name of our suites.

Clearly, I have a long way to go.

However, I would like to let you know that the nearest Target is up the street on Outerloop, Oxmoor and Mall St. Matthews are both ok, Derby is in May, and peanut butter is on aisle 4 in Kroger.

Still an outsider, but I'm working on it.

Love,
Josh, Kim & Abby

What NOT to do

As a follow-up to my "I got a new job" post... here's a little lesson for anyone applying for jobs.

I sent out a handful of resume's, but only one hotel called my references, which is the hotel I got the job at.

I always include my references with my resume so they don't have to ask me for them. They're on a separate piece of paper as my resume.

I include my boss from two hotels ago, my boss from my last hotel, and my personal reference (Robyn's step-mom Melissa, who's known me since I was 8).

It's good to be proactive, you see. New bosses appreciate that sort of thing.

Unless, of course, you list your husband's phone number as your boss's.

Which I did.

Josh and Mark are the only two people I call from memory that have area codes "321" - I was CONSTANTLY dialing the wrong number and would realize mid-way through, or even as it started to ring. Not a problem, just hang up and start over.

You can't do that on a resume.

Luckily, my new boss thought this little incident was hysterical. And, my husband gave me a good review, so it all worked out.

Yes, you're allowed to laugh at me.

Just don't make the same mistake, or the joke's on you. =)

Love,
Josh, Kim & Abby

Welcome to the Hilton Garden Inn Louisville Northeast at The Summit

That's a mouthful, huh?

As I mentioned before, I had an interview the day after we got to Louisville - the day all our stuff was arriving. I had already put off said interview from the previous Friday, so I didn't want to change it again. I just knew this was the job I was supposed to have, and it was super important I make the appointment.

Well, I made it.

And I made the second interview with the Area Director that Thursday.

And I got the job offer that Friday!!

I always knew God would direct me to the right job, but per usual - His timing is never early and never late. It's so hard to trust and not worry, even when he has ALWAYS come through at JUST the right time. When will I ever learn?

So, I am now the Assistant General Manager at the HGI Louisville/Northeast. It's located in The Summit plaza (an outdoor shopping mall with upscale stores like J.Crew and Ann Taylor, but also regular stores like American Eagle and Old Navy) on the northeast side of Louisville.

This is the website:
http://louisvillenortheast.hgi.com/

And this is a pretty picture:

I had emailed several GM's from the Musselman Hotel management company letting them know we were relocating to Louisville and to keep me in mind if they had an opening. The only GM I didn't email... is the one who actually needed someone! My new hotel is quite a bit further than I thought I'd be driving, but SO worth it.

I'm in my second week already and making progress with getting to know everyone and starting projects. This hotel is definitely a challenge for me, especially being the "new girl" both in the hotel and in Louisville. I say a prayer every morning for strength and wisdom as I walk into the building... Phillipians 4:13!!

So now all of you have a place to stay when you come visit.

So, come visit. =)

Love,
Josh, Kim & Abby

The Bluegrass State

When we first got to the rental house, I realized that I couldn't see Abby's feet when she was walking in the backyard. In fact, her feet disappear up to her ankles in the grass.

The grass here in Kentucky is so different than Florida - the roots are about 3 inches think, and they're above ground, with the grass making up about another inch. She literally sinks into it when she walks or lays down.





And it's so soft.

When we're outside playing chase with Abby in the backyard, she'll periodically just all the sudden stop and plop down in the grass, for seemingly no reason. Half her body and face basically disappear into the grass.



I wasn't sure why she did this until I was walking in the grass barefoot one day, and I kind of wanted to plop down in it myself. I'm actually not sure if it's bluegrass we have or not... I tried to research it, but to no avail. Either way, it's awesome.

Love,
Josh, Kim & Abby

I had no idea it was so hard...

...to find a fly swatter.

Here's the story. Our french doors in the kitchen open directly to the backyard, and there's no screened-in room or patio. We got several flies in the kitchen because of this.

Apparently, Abby is afraid of flies.

I know... don't get me started.

However, we didn't know this at first. All we knew was that she would go high-tail it into our bedroom and onto the air mattress (or bed, once we got our stuff) and not budge. Well, unless we coaxed her with a cookie.


We finally figured out what the problem was when she wouldn't eat her bowl, which is right by the back door. She attempted it, but looked up sharply, put her tail between her legs and crouched/crawled out of the kichen. I realized at that point that a fly had buzzed her.

So, the search began for a fly swatter to rememdy this situation, so that our dog would rejoin the family once again.

Three separate employees in Wal-Mart had no idea where the fly swatters were, and sent me back and forth across said Supercenter. I was not a happy customer. A couple more stores... and still nothing.

Then Josh and I went to Bass Pro Shops in Clarksville, Indiana, where I was CERTAIN I'd find a fly swatter. That store is like the Mecca for all things outdoor.

Well, they did have one. But, the salespeople directed me to "novelty gifts" to find it:


Yep. It's a fish tail, with a fish-measuring ruler on the stick. And it's hanging on my kitchen wall, proudly.

We're seriously working fast to fit in with the locals up here in Kentucky, huh?

I'm happy to report that Abby is no longer afraid of the kichen, and is eating her bowls again like the little piggy she is.

Love,
Josh, Kim & Abby