First winter storm of the year

We dodged a bullet here in Greenville, as we ended up with a bunch of sleet some ice on the trees. People seem to be driving just fine, if slowly. The ice doesn't look so bad, but Jack and I did see a tree down about 3 blocks down the street. Duke and the City of Greenville were already on the case.
Luckily, it fell on the opposite side of the street from the power lines. The only casualty was the bed of this pickup truck.

Saw a crazy guy out there as well.
Our intrepid Mountain Correspondents Mamaw and Papaw report 6 inches of snow in Franklin, pretty but manageable.

I think I'm gonna like this place

Seen last night on the menu of one of our favorite restaurants here (specializing in "New South Cuisine"):
Fresh Fried Pork Rinds with Truffle Sea Salt

Fancy, huh? I didn't have them, but they're on my to-do list.

The Return of Sugar Mama

Today, Rhonda got offered the job she interviewed for with the
Greenville Hospital System. She'll be at the main hospital location, only a 10-minute commute across town. While the last few months "off" (not counting babysitting, decorating, various home repairs, studying for the SC law exam, etc.) were a nice change of pace, she's chomping at the bit to get back to the grind. Her exact start date is TBD, as there's orientation and HR stuff to work out.

We're still firmly in adjustment mode, but it's tough to deny that things have gone pretty darned smoothly over the last few months. The following things happened after we decided to move:
* Rhonda discovered one of her friends/coworkers in Portland went to school with the pharmacy manager at GHS. She was able to make contact with him and sew those seeds back in August.
* I was able to negotiate a transfer of my job to SC (which ensured we were able to buy a house here).
* We were able to buy and sell houses 3000 miles away from each other in less than a week (no small feat "in these economic times").
* Rhonda knocked her interview out of the park and secured herself a new gig.
* Plus the normal coordination of moving, auto transport, utilities setup, etc. Oh, and beginning the process of becoming not exactly parents or guardians, but something more than a regular aunt and uncle.

To those among us who believe in the Big Man Upstairs, it's easy to believe he's had a hand in getting us to this point. At the least, it would seem Lady Luck has been on our side.