If you ask my dad why they opened Sandy's, he would say, "For us. For our family, so we could have a good family life." It might sound funny to say hotdogs equal family life, but it was true.
In 1979, Dad had worked with Eckerd Drugs for years. He loved it, and was promoted several times. However, he'd also moved with each promotion: From Alabama to Tennessee; from Tennessee to South Carolina; and from South Carolina to North Carolina...almost. With me in Kindergarten and Leslie in sixth grade, another move sounded difficult. And while Mom and Dad had no trouble tackling difficult situations, they didn't want us to tackle any unnecessary ones.
For a year, my dad drove to Asheville on Sunday night, worked there all week, and drove home Friday to be with us for the weekend. My mom handled everything at home. It must have been hard. I say that now, because I'm a mother. At the time, I don't remember life being much different. Maybe we went through the Burger King drive thru more often, but maybe not. We all loved BK Lounge on a normal year.
We were just settling into life in Columbia. Quail Valley was new, and we lived next door to a family from an exotic destination called Kentucky. For years, I truly thought the Lotts were from The North. I mean, technically Kentucky is "up on the map." They would invite me over to their front porch so they could hear me talk in my Alabama accent. And boy, did I. So obviously, things were going great in our melting pot.
Eventually, it was time to move to NC or make a change. I imagine my parents had many discussions about what to do. I wonder what Mom thought when he said, "What if we trade this stable position for selling hotdogs?" I guess I could call her right now and ask her. It's 6:15am, so I'm sure we are all awake and three cups of coffee in, so stay tuned for the answer in part two.