Interesting Side Note:

When we left Irving, TX for Marietta, OK, we placed a large amount of our "work" items in storage. This gave me room in the RV to pack items in places I don't normally get to use for storage. The first week in Marietta, I unpacked only the items we would need for 2 or 3 weeks. Now that we are at our new location I unpacked a few more items so that we could be fully setup for the July 4th weekend. Inside one of the cabinets I found a plastic kitchen trash bag, I pulled it out, opened it and found this plant inside. It had been there since we left Irving! No light, no water!!! Now it was almost dead when I placed it there. I forgot all about it. Good thing too because now it's GREEN...it wasn't before. And it's grown a good 1.5 inches!

Clue #4:

Wildlife, birds, nature, and Woody's pets. Woody's pets are excellent. He's got some pink flamingos that follow us everywhere we go. They are easy to handle & practically maintenance free. Today they attracted other birds & a squirrel or two. Notice that we've set up the ladder ball. Sunday during the race we were able to play during race breaks.

CLUE #3:

Yesterday was warm....about 100 degrees. The pictures show what it looks like looking out our front door. Sun shining, water in the stream, people were kayaking earlier. Then in the afternoon, I was on the floor with my head tucked in the corner between the stove & the island. The wind picked up, it rained hard, and then hailed. Ever been in thunderstorm while in an RV. The sound is definitely amplified. Before too long it cleared up enough to take more pictures. Then this morning at 4:05am I awoke to another severe thunderstorm. It ended at about 7am. Now it's partly sunny and warming up, highs expected to reach low 90's.

Clue #2:

On the way here, we stopped at a boot factory. They also had an onsite store where you could buy boots they had made in the factory. We didn't have time to take a tour, but we did do a little shopping! We were both in need of some work boots & shoes. Woody got a great deal on some new OSHA approved boots. I, also, got boots. And, I, also, managed to get a pair of great shoes for work.

GPS is Set and the location is.....

....I'm not telling, just yet. But we'll give you some clues.

Clue # 1: Tonight we're sleeping in the same spot in a different place.

Movin' Out & Movin' On

While we were in Marietta, we stayed at the Red River Ranch RV Park in Thackerville, OK. Very quiet place in the middle of nowhere & everywhere. We were about an hour from Dallas and just a little further from Oklahoma City. The 15 minute drive to work each morning was beautiful, no traffic, and great time to focus on the day. The 15 minute drive home was just right for unwinding. Here is a view of the RV Park.

So it's goodbye to Marietta, OK, and hello, ___________!

Everyone wants to know where are we going next. We are often left wondering the same thing up to the last couple of days before we leave.

It's Time to say Goodbye to Marietta, Ok

I enjoy the postings at the end of the job where we show before & after pictures. We arrived ten days before turn over. Here is view of the building the day we arrived, five days later, & after completion. It's been a pleasure helping finish this project. In McDonald's own words: We're Lovin' It! We were able to meet our deadline because we stayed focused on our goals. Our goals: a satisified customer & potential PROJECT EXCELLENCE. We thank the Cook's, Owner/Operators, and Area Supervisor, Todd Blakely, for welcoming us from the onset. Also, a special thanks to Scott Chaney, Code Enforcement Officer, and the City of Marietta for working with us to achieve our goals.

McDonald's @ Marietta, OK...What a Success!!!

Here are some pics of finishes that were completed before yesterday's Grand Opening.

McDonald's @ Marietta, OK OPENS TODAY

Doors opened at 5am and it hasn't slowed down since. For a small town, the excitement level is off the scale. The crews are working at full speed and every owner, supervisor, crew member, manager & corporate visitor is busy filling their customers orders. The long awaited day has finally arrived. Aside from a few items which we are still waiting to be delivered, our work here is done. Looks like we are a few days away from moving on to our next adventure. Congratulations, McDonald's in Marietta, Oklahoma!

McDonald's Marietta, OK Offers High Technology

Wow! The technology in Marietta is no less than that offered at the Corporate McDonald's in Irving, TX. Wifi is available as well as two tv screens for customer viewing. A third tv monitor at the counter will allow customers to view a slideshow of McDonald's Crew members. A fourth tv monitor in the crew room will allow employees to enjoy their breaks. Each register has a monitor displaying daily specials and popular menu items on a slideshow. Although the McDonald's playground was not designed as part of this McDonald's, they do feature a popular video game machine at one of the booths. Children and adults both can enjoy a variety of video games while they dine in. With all this, the community couldn't begin to imagine the high technology used to from headsets for ordering used by the employees to the security features utilized by management.

McSmilin' @ McDonald's Marietta, Ok

Doesn't require many words. Here are only three of the 10's of children that came for the Friends & Family McDonald's Reveal. I got the older sister refreshing her brother's drink. I'm not sure she could read, but she was able to give him a quick rundown of his avaiable options. The other child was sitting with a large group of people. She was talking to another girl about the excitement of having a McDonald's now. Woody's worked 14 days without a day off, but the minute we see the turn out, the smiles, the excitement, it's all worth our efforts and hard work.

Marietta McDonald's Hosts Friends & Family Night

Friends & Family of Employees came to try out the first burgers, fries, and Coca-Cola before McDonald's opens the day after tomorrow. The evening was definitely a success. The two hours were filled with a stream of guests coming in non stop. Here are a variety of photos of the employees and their friends & family. Also, in the photos is Ms Cathi with her grandchild and daughter-in-law, First Assistant Matt with his family, and Store Manager Wanda waiting for the doors to open.

Marietta McDonald's Hosts VIP Party

The landscapers have continued to work today to finish all they can before the VIP Party. Inside the tables are being set up for the goodies to be served. The end result was a success. Invited guests were pleased and excited about the restaurant scheduled to open Tuesday of next week. The owners and their team of managers were welcomed by the community. This location will be open 24 hours a day, seven days a week beginning at 5am on June 24, 2008.

McDonald's Deals Arrestingly HOT!

Todd Blakely, McDonald's Area Supervisor, and Linda Johnson, Marietta Chief of Police, are pictured here whle Todd took a little time out for some fun. Woody couldn't pass up the opporturnity for a little fun photo opportunity. No, Police Chief Johnson isn't arresting Mr. Blakely. The Police Chief took time from her busy schedule to come by to check out the new business in town due to open in four days. McDonald's at this location has many specials scheduled for the Grand Opening Week. For a detail of the specials, pick up a local newpaper or stop by this location off I-35 at exit 15 in Marietta, OK. Tomorrow, McDonald's in Marietta will open their doors for invited guests to the VIP Party. That means today is the last day to work on all the major component installation and decorating so that the building is ready for public viewing.

It's Official: McDonald's in Marietta, OK Is Finished

Yesterday, Scott Chaney, Code Officer for the City of Marietta, officially passed us on our final building inspections. Today he brought by the documentation required to officially turn the store over to the owner. It's been a team effort to reach this point.

Although Woody gets the glory of making the official presentation, it's been a Parkway team effort from beginning to end. We'd like to take this time to thank Ted Young, Director; Michael Sawyers, Project Manager; Kenneth Ross, Superintendent; and all our subcontractors. So now, it's a race to finish all finals touches before Grand Opening!

Area Supervisor @ Marietta McDonald's

This is Todd Blakely, a McDonald's Area Supervisor. This smile I can assure you is not just for the purpose of the camera. In fact, he, just like Gary & Cathi, the owner/operators, gets right in the midst of all the work going on. The other picture is Cathi as she arrived today to begin working. It's not micro managing in the least. I am serious they actually get right in it and GET TO WORK. It reminds me of other great leaders that don't ask others to do things they haven't already done themselves. They are very aggressive as they set out to get the building in order for the Grand Opening. Their attitude is very motivating and contagious. Not only are the McDonald's crews working aggressively, but so are the Parkway subs. And most of the crews are all working with the "can do" attitude and it seems every where I turn people are smiling, working, and excited. It's been great to experience these actions today. Woody and I are exhausted but we kept up with the pace. We've been doing a refresher course on the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. So many things we witnessed today reminded us of those habits in action. Excellent day. What a wonderful life to work at Parkway and be privelged to meet so many people and have so many challenges come our way.

Everyone is working at McDonald's

And before it was even 10am the building began filling up with McDonald's crews. They were instructed by First Assistant Matt on the expectations of the Cooks and McDonald's as far as cleaning the building. They were divided into groups and they set out to detail the interior of the building. Meanwhile, subcontractors were still busy making last minute adjustments, completing beverage machines, firing up the equipment, training various managers on the operation of kitchen equipment. Boxes and boxes of items were unpacked. It was almost impossible to take more than four steps without running into someone. The air was definitely filled with excitement.