For those that don't know, Lance has quit his career as a

mortician/funeral director/embalmer/makeup artist, at least temporarily. You see Lance has primarily been doing removals and removals only while we've been here in the Lowcountry. He has worked 12 hour shifts from 9pm - 9am, 7 days a week, with no weekends and no holidays. Can you spell m-i-s-e-r-a-b-l-e???

This has been a problem especially on weekends that we work in the temple because by the time we're through with our temple shift, Lance will have been awake for more than 24 hours and has to work Saturday night, and then is expected to teach on Sundays. The next time he'd get sleep would be after being awake for 48 hours. (I hoped you all followed me on that). So, he approached his boss and said he needs the weekends off. Well his boss had an alternative plan: work 72 hours straight, then one day off, work 72 hours, then one day off, etc, etc. Yeah pretty much suicide. (No pun intended). But there was a perk, his boss was going to give him a raise of $50 per month for the extra 120 hours he'd be working. OUCH! Man that's a huge slap in the face and an absolute insult!! Lance gave him a months notice and quit.

Well that was over two months ago and Lance is now working for Olde Towne Carriage Co. For you out of towners, he drives a horse drawn carriage full of tourists and gives them a tour of downtown while pointing out historical facts. At first Lance was so far out of his comfort zone and felt so awkward, he really didn't like it at all. He doesn't like horses nor will he ever, he's working in the excrutiating heat outside, it isn't in a professional setting, etc. But after a few weeks he's really come to enjoy what he does. He really appreciates the fact that he has learned all the history and gets to be social with actual living humans. :)

This obviously isn't a picture of Lance although I can see where you might confuse him with this guy's bald head as well. Ha ha!

It's amazing to me that we thought we were taking a huge pay cut, relying mostly on tips, but the way and timing this job turned out is nothing less than a little help from above. Lance is making more per hour than he ever would have doing removals for his previous boss, he gets to ride his scooter instead of a big van, he gets to see sunlight, and best of all we get to see each other more than an hour a week. I'll tell you, it has been bliss being able to see Lance everyday. Before, we'd see each other maybe an hour at the most per week. Yes, I was alone A LOT. Yes, it was VERY difficult. No, I don't want to EVER do that again, it was horrible.

Needless to say he enjoys it, I enjoy that he enjoys it, and we get to see each other everyday. He will shortly return to the morbid job that I am so intrigued with and will be a licensed mortician after he finishes school (which is the primary reason for moving back to Twin).