It was near the end of summer when we made our way back to Birmingham, and I found myself seeking employment in the Birmingham area.  I remember scouring the classifieds looking for opportunities, and I found myself interviewing with Fogelman Properties for a position as a leasing agent for a large apartment/townhome complex in Birmingham (Inverness).  I was described as overqualified, but it seemed to be the best option available at that time, included a nice break on rent, and offered the hours I was hoping to find.  It was the first step in getting both of us on regular day jobs.  

I was told by those who hired me that I would be placed into a management position within 30 days because of my management background, but as sure the sun rises, those people resigned and went to work for Colonial Properties before any such thing happened.  And wouldn't you know that the incoming management already had ideas of who would be doing what, and I was no part of that plan.  So a leasing agent I would be for the nine months that I would be employed here.

While the job wasn't terribly fulfilling, I must admit that I enjoyed the people I worked with on a daily basis.  Some of us clicked better than others, and there were only two people (out of 12 or so) that I just assume fell off the edge of the earth.  As for the rest of them, it was a pleasure.  The compensation wasn't anything too fantastic, but the break in rent justified the pay cut I had taken from being a general manager in the movie business.  We had a pretty decent townhouse that was nice and roomy, and to only be paying $200 a month, you couldn't hardly beat it.  

The strongest memories I have about Fogelman are the people I worked with, the bond that many of us/them had, the fact that people enjoyed one another's company and had fun while we were at work.  

I had a number of miscellaneous roles while I was there, in addition to leasing agent.  I had some additional administrative responsibilities because of my computer savvy.  And eventually, I was also tasked with being the bond compliance officer, which had to do with managing the figures, as it pertained to lower-income families and such.  

Working at an apartment complex like this was sort of like living in a reality show.  We would get the calls from the gossipy neighbors, complaints about people walking around their apartments naked with the blinds open, and so on.  It always made for fun conversation in the office, and that's one of the things that sticks with me most strongly today.  

During these nine months here, I probably have more personal memories than professional ones, because, after all, Blake was born during my time here.  I also took a second job at KMart during the evenings once Tina entered her third trimester.  We knew that she would be out of work for a few weeks, so we needed to build up our savings.  Tina would end up taking a second job, as well, working at a shoe store at the Galleria for my uncle Bill.  Talk about doing her share...I told her she shouldn't do it, but she said that if I was going to work two jobs, so was she.  End of story.    I would work in Electronics for about three months up until right before Blake was born.  Not the most interesting job in the world, but the KMart was right up the street from the apartments, and it was some extra money that definitely helped out while Tina was on maternity leave.

I would remain at Hunters Pointe (Fogelman) until the end of May 1998, when I made the mistake of thinking that our financial situation was putting a strain on our marriage.  I started looking for greater financial opportunities at that time and would ultimately decide that the automotive business (aka car dealership sales) would be cure to all our problems.  It would end up being the nail in the coffin, as it would turn out, but the silver lining would be the positive impact it would eventually have on my career.