The BIG day is drawing near!!

Well our big day is getting closer, today our very first delivery came, and I was both excited and scared to death about it.  I'm excited that the day is coming that we will open and then I am scared to death that I have forgotten something.  Then add fuel to the fire, found out tonight that next week (the week we would like to open) there is a tournament here in town...I DID NOT order supplies that would serve more people than what I was expecting...so we will just have to work with what we will have and if we run out, well I am not sure what we will do then.  But I guess it will all work out.

So many people are looking forward to us opening, I hope they won't be disappointed.  I think that is my biggest worry, I don't want to dissappoint anyone but I know that you can't please everyone all of the time.  All I want is to have good customer service, get the food out in a timely manner and everyone leave happy and full!  Our paper here in town published that we would open on Monday January 3rd, well that was a goal....so the pressure is on to get open for Monday...I sure hope we can do it, but if not then we will open when we open.  That is really all I can say on that, but I would rather open late and everything be ready than open and then have to close to fix something.  However, I was just thinking, we have to have the health inspector come out before we can open, so I am thinking it would be in the middle of the week or later in the week before we open.  But we will see.

I know this post is close to the last one, but since we are trying to open I didn't know when I would be able to post my next blog....I hope if you are reading this and live in the area that you will come out and see us when we are open!  Love to see everyone there...I just ask that when you come out to eat just be patient that we are all learning the ropes and trying to do a good job and get eveyone's order right so you may have to wait a little longer for your food.  And your order is prepared when you order it, it will not be waiting on you to order it, so it will be fresh and hot!

Hope to see you there!

The coming new year

This time of the year I start to look back and remember what has gone on in our lives and see if there were some things I would do different.  This year has been the biggest one since Curtis and I were married.  Our lives have changed drastically.  We went from living in the mountains, having chickens, cats, dogs and seeing deer everyday to the flat lands of Oklahoma where dust, cotton, wheat and cows are the main things to see.  The life we had in February of 2010 was going to work, coming home gathering eggs and making sure that all of our animals were warm, and trying to get over the stress of our jobs that was killing us.  Now, well things are different, and I have yet to decide that if the stress level is better or worse.  Our main struggle now, is getting The Dairy Freeze up and going.  It certainly has taken much longer than we thought and sooo much more money than we thought too.  We should in the next week see a big improvement on the place.  So by January 3rd we should open or be a day or two away from opening.  THEN we will see if we have made the right decision.  Would I do it all over again? Hmm well the verdect is out on that...but I know for sure that if we had known how much work and having to buy new or almost new equipment maybe we would have thought about it a little more.  But...here we are and we will make the best out of it.  What is the saying...if God gives you lemons, make lemonade?  I hope ours is sweet! :o)

This year has been long in a way, since April when we found out we were moving to Alabama, I had surgery in May, moved in June and then moved again in August, then losing our Puddy Cat in November.  I can safely say this has been by far the most intresting year I think I have ever had.  But one thing I can say, and I don't think there are many couples that can say this, but not one time have we had any cross words about anything during this whole thing.  Sure, there were times that I thought Curtis had lost his mind (I was not alone in this thought) with ALL the tile and how it all had to be straight and just right.  But in the end, ALL of that tile has been a good thing, it will be easier to clean and just easier to maintain.  I will say this, that I do think we have lost our mind by doing this, I mean what saine people are going to quit their jobs in THIS economy to open a resturant?  Really...who would do this?  Who would go from having steady income to NO income for 6 months or better?  Crazy people that is who...but if I had to be crazy I am glad I have Curtis there to be crazy with me.  We will soon be married 11 years, yesterday December 19, 1999 is when Curtis asked me out, that is a day I will never forget and I am so very thankful he did, to think that if he hadn't had asked me out where in the world would I be and what would I be doing?  I know exactly what I would be doing and where I would be, I would have turned into an old bitter person thinking life had passed her by and how unfair it all was.  But, instead I have had the time of my life moving all over the country and visiting many many cities to now, trying our hand at owning a small resturant in a small Oklahoma town. 

So, come join us in a few weeks down at The Dairy Freeze where good people and good food meet!

Coming along just fine.....

I've decided that The Dairy Freeze has it's own agenda.  We thought in the begining that we would open in October, then in October we thought November then we thought for sure we would open in December.  But it will be January 3rd granted that nothing goes wrong.  So January 3rd will be the day.  I am excited about it and nervous I have no idea what to expect or how things will work out.  Curtis says I over think EVERYTHING...but I just want to be prepared in my mind that if this happens, I will do that and if that happens I will do this.  This week in our paper here in Grandfield our ad will come out that we are accepting applications, so I am sure that will be intresting.   I know one question that I will ask during the interview but I will let you know what it is next week, don't want potential employees getting a scoop before hand.  But I will let you know how all that goes...if I survive!

Here are some pictures of the work we have been doing these last few weeks...

 This is our new steel back door...it is really nice....

The fountain room is finally finished with the tile...see the tile up at the top....I think that tile is really nice, and it will make the place look good. 

The Coke truck came yesterday and delivered our coke products which I for one was very happy about.

Things are moving pretty good and we have a steady stream of vistors looking and seeing how we are progressing.  But slowly and surely we are making headway, and January 3rd will be here before we know it.

What doesn't kill you will only make you stronger....or so they say.

When I started my blog way back in July which seems like so long ago, I did it for therapy to vent my frustrations and worries, well as time as gone by and I have some readers, I am a little afraid to vent now.   But the last week has really pushed me over my limit.  Today all I have wanted to do is cry and I wonder what in the world we have done. The delays and things not working out has really just done me in this week.  I don't know if this feeling is normal for what we are doing or not.  But I really wish that we had the money to hire people to finish what we need to finish so we can open. 90% of all the things that need to be done I have NO idea how to do it or where to start.  I have been working on the business end, working up the menu, getting an order ready and then figuring out the prices that will be charged and deciding on how many people to hire and how much to pay them. We need to open...because that nest egg we had has really been depleted and we are seeing straw at the bottom of the nest.  So we NEED to open!  But with the water lines needing to be run and the tile STILL needs to be finished and a new back door needed.  ALL the cleaning that will go on not to mention all the washing of the utensils and work tables it just will be a struggle to get there.  I don't know....but it was a leap of faith and so we must believe we can make it to the other side without fear of failing.

Well all my venting and my self induced pitty party has not made me feel any better and I am sorry that you are reading it maybe I should just delete it and write "Everything is great" and maybe like magic it will be.  But I don't live in the make believe world so I know that won't work.  The only thing I can do is hope that the new week will bring great progress and things will turn around and we can open on December 1st.  Then by January 1st we will know if we have made the right decision.  So keep us in your thoughts and prayers and should you not have anything to do, and would like to come down and help out a little it will be greatly appreciated. And should you not be able to stop by, just honk as you pass The Dairy Freeze.

Putting one foot in front of the other and we will get there....

Waiting on the gas company has really been a blessing.  It has allowed us to get other things done, and also to go and get more equipment.  We still lack 2 things and we will be done.  For about 2 weeks I have been working on our menu and the pricing.  That has been a big job for me, trying to figure out how much of everything  we will need and then figuring out how much to charge for it.  It has been tough but I think I have it done except for a few things here and there.  We are planning to make brownies and marshmallows so of course we had to hunt for vanilla...think I have found it!  I am ready to be open and see how well we do.  Another thing I am excited about is that our little town is getting a newspaper again!  So there are 2 things in Grandfield people are excited about, the town has been without a newspaper for a while and now people can stay up to date on what is going on in and around Grandfield.  The Dairy Freeze is sponsoring the Birthday and Anniversary page and then we will have an ad too.

Going into our 13th week of renovating The Dairy Freeze we hope to accomplish: grouting the wall tile, getting the air conditioner vent installed, installing the water lines and finishing the bathroom.  Sounds like a lot to do, but I think it can be done.  Then maybe the next week we will get the floors mopped and cleaned, then start moving in some equipment and then receiving our first BIG order of supplies and getting organized! 

I think that is about it for now, so keep your fingers crossed that we get that done.

Well it is 12:31am and I am still awake.  Been putting together receipts for the past month and making sure we have them all!  That doesn't sound very hard, but when you start doing it, it is a big job!  I am missing one or two, but since me or Curtis doesn't ever throw anything away, I am sure we have it, somewhere!  LOL oh well it will turn up.

The gas company came by today and thought maybe tomorrow or the next day they would be out here putting in our new gas line....NOT!  They said it could take up to 3 weeks to come and put it in....so needless to say we were bummed about that, but it will all be good.  That will give us time to get the inside finished and equipment moved in and placed where we want it and start getting things ordered such as food and supplies too.  I am hoping in the next week or so we can get the outside painted, it sure is looking bad.  But once that new paint is on the outside and our little arrow is up, it will be a new place!  I am excited about that little arrow, no-one remembers it working, so to get it working will be great!

Well I think I'll try to go to bed and get some sleep, maybe our dogs won't bark too much tonight!  Keep your fingers crossed!  Good night!

Getting very close...

We are getting very close to opening!  We are excited that it is almost time.  I think this must be what it is like to be waiting on a baby to be born.  You decide you want to have one, then you work really hard getting the room ready and buy all the things you think you will need and then you wait till he/she decides it is time to make an entrance.  But the hard part is that you don't know when it will happen. But I've been assured by some that has helped people in this business that all of this is normal..just when you think you will open something comes along and delays your opening day.  I just hope people won't get tired of waiting on us and think we won't open, but we just want to make sure it is done and done right, so that way we won't have to stop and fix something or have to change something right in the middle of everything.  So if you are reading this and thinking we won't EVER open....we will, it is just taking time, and remember we started from scratch with having to go down to the the studs and the block walls. 

Today the people are here running our gas line and getting that all ready, then the fire suppression people will be here to hook up our vent-a-hood.  Once that is done, and the tile is finished on the walls we will be bringing in our equipment that we have bought, buy the supplies and food THEN we can open!  Tell you the truth I am excited but scared...never have worked in fast food myself I have NO idea what to expect.  Other than when I worked as a bank teller in a VERY busy drive in, all I can do is wait on one person at a time and smile...so that is my game plan we will see how that goes. So..if anyone has any pointers for me...just send me a message or comment below any and all pointers will be greatly appreciated!

A rainy day...

Today we have gotten some rain.  Rain we needed badly, it was so dry the creek beds were nothing but sand and the farmer's were needing to get the wheat planted.  Living in Grandfield has been a learning experience for me to some degree.  Everyone asks me if I like it here, well of course I like it, my Curtis is here and his family is here.  They only things I miss are my friends and I miss our chickens.  Chickens are very therapeutic, if you have never had any you need to get at least 3 or 4.   They just peck and scratch and chase bugs and lay eggs.  If you are lucky and get some that have a good personality then you will really enjoy them, and they aren't as dirty as some think.  Yes you have to clean the pen and change out the hay in the nests but other than that they are clean and neat.  It has been real interesting learning about all of his family and seeing how Curtis and his brother's are so much alike. Trying to learn every one's name has been a challenge too.  I will remember the face but I just can't seem to remember any one's name!  It will all come I suppose.

What I've enjoyed watching is the cotton gin next door...I want to go over there so bad to watch it and see what is done to know how a puff of cotton can be transformed into material to make clothes and other things.  The cotton comes in from the field in HUGE blocks of cotton and they sit on wire,  something like chicken wire and is then pulled up on a truck and taken over to the gin.  Now...if that was me trying to load that cotton on a truck that cotton would go everywhere!  But it doesn't...somehow?!?

Today the tile on the walls are going up, and Curtis has started the bathroom, it is looking nice.  At least Curtis isn't on the floor on his hands and knees!  Hopefully, this will go faster than the floor.  We will see.

Well I will go back to working on the menu and see how far I will get on that.  Hope everyone has a good day, and a great weekend!

 

On the floor...

Thought my days of crawling were over with when I learned to walk....umm no not so when you are laying tile and doing grout.  The tile is down except for a few pieces here and there, which need to be cut.  That may be done today, however we had a snag today, when we received a call that the company with the stainless steel was back to finish.  So all floor work has come to a halt until they are done.  So when they are done and the grout is done, things should speed up and we should have all the equipment soon. I'd say about 90% of our equipment is going to be brand new and under waranty.  I am glad we have just about all new equipment that way we won't have to worry about it breaking down right away and if it does then it will be under waranty.

Well guess it is back to work, I think they are finished....everyone have a good day...hope to see you soon at The Dairy Freeze!

Shouldn't be too long now. . .

This week we have almost completed the tile in the kitchen and in the fountain room.  Except for around the edge, that should be done this weekend.  We now have water to the building a brand new line from meter to inside the building.  I sure can't wait to get the bathroom put back together and have running water.  You never know how much you use water until you don't have it.  Curtis' cousin that has a business next door sure has saved our life letting us use some of his water. 

Last weekend we went to an auction in Ft. Worth.  It was an entire resturant full of stuff!  Boy did we do good!  We bought a 4ft Wolf griddle and it was only 2 or 3 years old...I was talking to a lady that had worked there for 15 years and she was there to buy a few things too, but we were talking and when I told her we were opening up a little place she started telling me what worked and what didn't and what only worked part of the time.  She told me the griddle was a couple of years old and worked well, and she told me about a few other things too.  So we came home with a griddle, a work station that has a pot rack attached, some stainless steel pans and lids, and a cash register (which is smarter than I am) and Curtis bought a bar rail (brass)  it is nice, I would like to put it here somewhere, but right now I don't have a clue where to put it.  Also, we came home with a wooden keg...may put a plant on it.  Who knows!  We had a good time there. 

Hopefully we will paint the outside soon and also get the tile up for the kitchen and fountain room.  It is coming along pretty good....maybe by mid November we will open.  So keep your finger's crossed.

Our Biggest Day so far....

Today has been the biggest days for us!  The vent-a-hood was installed today!  It is very BIG and it really didn't take them very long to get it installed for as big as it is.  Now, just to get the tile finished and a few other things bought and we will be just about ready to open.

As you can see it is really really big.  But we are sure proud of it!  Now I think it will all fall inot place and go much faster.  We hope to open the first week of November...but we will see. 

We are still working on the tile floor and Curtis is doing a wonderful job at it!  The lines are pretty straight and he hasn't gotten off the mark too much.  But for his first tile job, I think he is doing great!  I am the tile girl..I mix the tile and then take them to him, so that way he doesn't have to get up and down too much.  Next after the floor is the walls, we are still debating about tiling up the entire wall or just do half the wall.  Curtis wants the whold wall done, and me to save time I just want half the wall done.  We may have to flip a coin to decide which way it is going to be. 

That is about all there is to report, but the vent-a-hood was a MAJOR thing...it is the biggest and the most expensive thing so far.  Hope you like the pictures, let me know what you think.

Tile tile and more tile....

We have started laying tile...boy let me tell ya it is hard work!  Having to measure and make sure you have it right, and then start laying it and getting those little spacers in just right...boy you should have heard all of the cussing going on!!! But it is all good, we have a little over half the room done, and I can't wait for it all to be done!  When we empty a box of tile it is a good feeling...but then I make the mistake of looking over at the pallet that has the boxes of tile on it and it sure looks like we have a long way to go.  But one by one we will get it done.

 
This weeks is very exciting, the vent-a-hood will be coming in!  So we are getting things lined up for the gas to be brought into the building and then laying the tile, it is moving along pretty good.  Last week we joined The Oklahoma Resturant Association, and got set up on Hartland which is a credit card company.  We will take credit cards and debit cards.  We hope to be able to offer gift cards...but we will see.

I think that is about it for right now....time to go and lay more tile!

So Close yet so far....

Today I have been thinking how close we are to being open, but it seems like we are still so far away from it.  I am hoping that we will start laying tile this weekend.  We have picked out some pretty white tile for the staff restroom and a blue tile for the accent.  It will be nice and clean....the floor tile is what has me concerned...there is SO MUCH of it...seems like there are a million pieces of tile!!  But it will be all so pretty when it is done...I'll take some pictures and get them on here so everyone can see it!

This week we put up the metal ceiling, boy is it pretty!  You can see the before and after...except now we have the lights in, and at night it is NICE!  It didn't take too long for it to go up either!  Of course Tony was there so it made it so much easier! Later on, I think we would like to do the ceiling in the dinning room...so it will all match but we will wait on that for now.

Some great news we have, the company that makes the ice machine that we have, will look at it and referbish it for a lot less than a new ice machine will cost and it makes more ice than the new one we were looking at!  So that will save some money there which is a good thing!

I am still just awwed at how much help we have had...I never knew that people and family could pulled together and work as hard as they have.  It is just wonderful!

Well I think that is all for now....we are getting closer but again it seems like it will take forever!  Remember if you drive by honk or stop by we would love to see you!

Way the wind blows....

The wind has been blowing here for a couple of days, but today it seems to be worse than yesterday.  But that is part of living in Oklahoma, in a few days it will be cooler and the wind will dye down for a while. 

Well we changed our mind about the floor...so we have been trying many things to get the paper off of the floor...sounds simple enough, you would think.  However, this has been the toughest part of the whole thing.  As of right now, there isn't too much left, but it is being VERY VERY stubborn.  At this point, we walk around the paper that is left like it is a pit of snakes, we just circle it and look down at it like at any time it will just pop off the floor.  We pour hot water on it and let it sit, then scrape, pour more hot water and scrape.  I think I do that in my sleep.  But it is tough stuff!  I have even called someone at Armstrong Flooring to ask if there is anything to remove it with.  But as of yet, no return phone call. 

Today I am tired, my shoulders are sore and my hands hurt and I just have the "I don't want to's" today.  But we have to keep moving on.  I'll get to rest one day...maybe! 

The people came and measured for our vent-a-hood, so we were excited about that because that is a huge part of the kitchen, next will be the floor and ceilings.  I will try to put more pictures up in a few days, to show the progress we are making.  Mean time I will get back to scraping that floor.....everyone have a good evening!

So..

So..

It has been a while since I have posted, we have been very busy with The Dairy Freeze. Getting it all done takes more work than I thought. The last couple of weeks we have gotten most of the electric done, and some sheetrock up. We are waiting on the people with the metal for the ceiling and then we will put the tile down on the floor. When we took up the old floor it left the paper backing and the old glue from 1960 on the concrete. So, some said it had to come up and some said "no just leave it" it will be fine. But after 2 weeks of scrapping and spending money on solvents we have decided to take our chances and put the tile over it. With any luck and prayers it won't come up.

This weekend we will be painting the office and painting the outside...the outside will be Root Beer (which I think is fitting for the type of business it is), I just can't wait to see it all done!!

So many people are excited about The Dairy Freeze and so many people have helped us do all that has gotten done, we are so very grateful to all of those that have helped us. We just can't wait to get it open!

It doesn't take much to excite me....

Ok, I told ya'll that we were going to an acution on Sunday...well we just got back, and we had good luck at the aution. We got up at the crack of dawn and headed to Garland TX to the auction, our nephew Bryson wanted to go and he was up and ready when we got to his house. So off we went. We got there and went in and it was a warehouse full of resturant equipment AND there wasn't too many people there... I thought YEAH!!! Maybe we will get the stuff we want real cheap... We went around looking at all the wonderful equipment and marking on our sheet what items we would like to bid on. There was a brand new Royal stove, NEVER been used along beside it was 2 NEW Royal deep fryers NEVER been used either. So we marked them on our sheet. As the bidding got closer to those items, I got nervous or really disappointed, because those few people just happen to bring their entire piggy bank with them...I thought well there goes any hopes of the stove and/or the deep friers. But luck was on our side, and we were able to get the stove, I was so happy I wanted to shout YIIPPIE, but I didn't. It is really a nice stove, I can't wait till it is hooked up and we can see what it can do! Next items the deep fryers, I thought ok if we only get one I'll be happy. Remember those piggy banks the other people brought with them...well you guessed it, they broke them open to buy those deep fryers. We didn't get the deep fryers, but that is alright, we will find some soon enough.

We ended up with THE stove, a microwave, table, french fry maker, a small freezer, some utensils and a couple other things. Now, I really can't wait for the tile, and vent a hood to be installed, THEN we can put THE stove in!!! Just can't wait! See it only takes something small to make me happy!!!

Goodnight hope everyone has a great week! Oh! We go to Oklahoma City to the Food Expo this week...NOW that is going to be fun! AND we had 2 shirts made that says The Dairy Freeze Grandfield Ok with an ice-cream cone in the middle...I'll take a picture of them and post them later this week!

You never know....

You never know what you will find until you knock down that wall...

The last several days at The Dairy Freeze has been exciting. Sheetrock has been going up and insulation has been put it and our tile for the floor will be here next week. All the while that has been going on there was a secret being played out in the back of the lot....it looked like a water puddle that is left after a rain or when someone has dumped a bucket full of water out. Well Curtis asked me how long that puddle had been there and I looked and said I don't know, but it was smaller while ago! So you guessed it...it was a water leak. Not a big one, thankgoodness but never the less all worked stopped and was moved over to that sneaky little leak.

This Sunday we are going to head over to Garland Tx to an auction that sells new equipment with a warranty. There are 2 deep friers that we want to look at and hopefully buy. I hope there is some more equipment there as well. Yesterday the health inspector came buy (on our request) so that we would know if we were headed in the right direction. He liked what he saw and told a few things we needed to know. He is one person I want to keep happy!

Well better get back to work....hope everyone has had a good weekend!

Plugging a long....

It has been a few days since I've posted anything...The Dairy Freeze sure is coming along on the inside. We sure have had a lot of help so a lot has been done, the electric is almost in, and some sheet rock has been put up. The bathroom was tore out and a new one is going in, the floor is tore out in the kitchen, fountain room and the storage room. Boy! That was a lot of work I tell ya! But in a couple of weeks we will get the new vent a hood measured for and about 3 weeks from then it will be installed. During that time we will have a new tile floor put in the kitchen and fountain room..it will all look so nice...I can't wait!

One thing about all of this is the support that our family and the people of Granfield have shown us. People come by to look and talk, and I like when they talk about when they would come in years ago and get ice cream or a hamburger. I like the stories where adults would talk about when they were little could fit through the rails standing next to their parents while they were ordering their food.

This all has been such a learning experience for me, I have enjoyed every minute of it. I haven't been down there in a couple of days, due to getting a cold. But just as soon as I am able to breath the dust again I will be down there. I just can't wait to get it opened and start serving hamburgers and ice cream...did I mention it will be hand dipped ice cream???

Well I am sure I have left something out, but I'll post it next time....if you can, come down and see us, we are there most evening till 7 or 8 or later. If you can't stop...just honk on your way by!!

Electric....is a good thing

Today has been so very hot here, it's a day that you just want to sit under the air conditioner and have a large glass of iced tea. But...The Dairy Freeze will not wait. Yesterday we tore out sheet rock to expose the wires, and yep you guessed it...they needed to go. So with our list in hand we trekked off to Lowe's and got the stuff that we needed to re-wire the place. This evening the guys are up there with the electrician installing it. I can't wait to get the new sheet rock up and painted, then we will install the tile floor that we are putting in. It sure is going to look great when we get it done! It is a slow process, but it will be well worth the wait! Come by and see us!

Aggrivation!!!

Yesterday for me was not the best, but I know all of my days can't be rosey. However, the BIGGEST pet pi eve I have is when someone says they are going to be there and then they aren't, and haven't taken the time to clue other people in what is going on that drives me CRAZY! Even a phone call would have been nice, since WE drove 2 hours one way to meet with this person!!! Grrrr So, now we wait for him to call...as of yet he has not. But besides that we did find a tile place that the lady told us what we really needed for The Dairy Freeze and was really helpful in telling us the different types of tile and what would be good for what part of The Dairy Freeze. And for us the price wasn't too bad either, so that kinda made up for the other guy dropping the ball on us.

Today's agenda is to get more sheet rock down to get ready for the new electric to be installed. These are baby steps, but I still am ready to be ready to open! As I have the feeling just about everyone in town is ready too! As long as we move forward we will get there...it is the backward steps we want to avoid if we can. Thanks for letting me vent about yesterday...it will all be good in the end. Have a great day!! Come by and see the progress if you can....

The picture above is of Curtis on the day we bought The Dairy Freeze......that was a good day!

What a Day!!

What a wonderful day we had today!!! Went and signed the papers on The Dairy Freeze and then the work began!!! Boy was it a mess!!! I mean a MESS!!! But we started moving everything out and getting it cleaned up! We had the electrician there and he is going to re-wire it so we will be nice and safe! Then the Whittington's came over and helped move all of the stuff out, and YUCK all the grease and all the dust and stuff that we found! We threw all the old paper stuff away and kept only the cooking utensils. I'll wash them in a big bucket of soap and then run them through a very hot dishwasher to get them nice and clean! Funny how you go from wanting it clean to you want it ALL done tomorrow!!! I just laughed at myself for wanting that, but man, I am ready for it to be all nice and clean and ready to feed everyone! Seems like the whole town really wants The Dairy Freeze back, and we have had a ton of requests for this and that. We will start off small and then work up to having several things. Like I said I am now ready for it to be all done! It will get there.... Thanks Brandon, Billy Don, Dina, Pat, Bo, Doyle, Lou Ann, Billy Clark !!

Tomorrow is The Big Day!!

Well the big day is finally here, we met with the owner and we are to meet him tomorrow at 10am to sign papers and write him a check. THEN we will officially be the owners of The Dairy Freeze!! We have a lot of work to do on the place, but once it is clean out we can then see what works and what doesn't. At this point anything that works will be a bonus. We are hoping it will only take a couple of months to get it up and going. But we will see. People in town are very excited and ready for it to be open. I wish we could serve everything everyone has asked for but at the time being we are keeping it simple until we have a good routine and things worked out then we will add some things and maybe even a breakfast. But we will take it slow and easy at the begininng.

The Big Day...is getting closer!

The big day is getting closer...our big day will consist of purchasing The Dairy Freeze and seeing what we have gotten ourselves into. I am nervous and excited at the same time. I am very ready to get started and to get a routine going. I'm not sure what my husband is feeling right now about it all, I think he is just ready to be there and get everything going. Some of our family was down this week, and we really enjoyed them being here. Our nephew stayed behind to make the 13 hour trip with us. So we will have 2 cats, 2 big dogs all of our junk and 3 people....it will be great!

The Support System....a must have!

With any new adventure that you start there must always be a support system. Either your spouse, friends or family members will need to give you moral support. We are very fortunate to have all three! Our friends and family have been very supportive. We have friends that will help out when we get there, either by cleaning or painting or whatever job that needs to be done. Our family has been the top of the line I could never ask for better family than what I have, of course it is no suprise to me that they are so great, I do have a great husband! Our family has been there when we couldn't decide if we wanted to do this and they have been on the phone with me when I was worried about the sanity of my husband and his job. Because some jobs will just drive you crazy to the point that you don't know if you are coming or going.

To all our friends and family thank you so much, you have no idea how much all of your support and encouraging words mean to us. We will never be able to thank you enough!

It's the little things...

Sometimes it's not the battle that you win that makes the day a good day but most of the time it is the small victories that make it good. Today my husband did what most people dream of doing and boast that if they could do it they would in a minute but deep down they know they wouldn't. He quit his job. By quitting his job he has taken control over his life and no longer has to wait for someone to tell him what to do and how to do it. No longer will he work very hard and then at the end of the day still can't get it all done. He no longer puts his life on the line to bring home a paycheck. And I am so very proud of him for having the courage to quit his job and start something brand new!

I am embracing the feeling that I have been feeling for a few days of what must of been what my great great grandmother must have felt when they left Illinois to head for Oklahoma. It is a combination of fear and excitement of the unknown, I'm almost to the point of being giddy about it. The fear in 2010 is; will we get out there and not make a dime and lose all we have? But the excitement is wonder if we will do good and be happier than we have ever been before by slinging burgers? But really the fear and excitement that my great great grandmother had, is no different that what I am feeling now. Back then the fear was of Indians, and starving to death. The excitement was they were going out there to start a new life and live their lives the way they wanted to. So we are one in the same. I'm hoping my great great grandmother will come out in my more as time goes on.

So, I have gotten off the subject and I do that quite regularly. The little things, the one little thing I did today to advance our journey was I set up a meeting with The Oklahoma Restaurant Association. This is a company that will help you get started in the right direction and help you when you need help or advice. I can not wait to meet with them and learn anything they are willing to share to help in our journey. You may think...gee that isn't anything, but for me it was a big step. By taking that step I knew that we had finally decided to do this and start our new life. So see it is the little things that make the day good.....

A new begining...

Today is the day our new life will begin, it is scary and uncertain but I know if we work hard and stay focused it will work. We are about to dive into the uncertain world of owning our own restaurant. Many think we are crazy and many are very happy and very supportive. Your question may be do they know what they are doing?? Well...sort of. Do they know how much work it will take?? Well...sort of. What made them decide to do this crazy idea??? To answer that question let me go back a couple of years....we both have good jobs and the money isn't too bad and we have benefits. But when your job starts to take over your life and you have to do more with less and your best starts to be not good enough, it starts taking a toll. You begin to think there has to be more to life than just going to work and coming home. The more you think about it the more your current job becomes less satisfying. So the idea came up about buying the Dairy Freeze in my husbands hometown. It was a business that had been open for 40+ years and seemed to make a decent living for the owner. Then his health began to fail and he sold the business. A couple of people tried to run it, but for one reason or another it just didn't work as well as they wanted it to. So the original owner ended up back with it, and it has just been sitting there waiting on someone to buy it and return it to what it used to be. This little place is where everyone used to hang out, or run down to buy a coke. It was the first place people would stop that had moved away but came in for the weekend. They would remember The Dairy Freeze as a place they came to as a child, being a teenager and then an adult. When it closed, people were sad to see it go, and wondered who will run The Dairy Freeze now?? Well it has been 3 years since it closed and here we are about to open it back up again! What a journey it will be...so follow our blog and wish us luck, any advise will be greatly appreciated!