Dallas Updates....

Well, my 3 day house-searching marathon has come to an end and I do not have a house lined up yet. While I understand my expectations of finding a house, making an offer and having it accepted in 3 days was a little unrealistic, I'm still disappointed. However, I did find a house I REALLY like and I put in an offer just before rushing off to the airport to come home. It's a short-sale, so the house is almost in foreclosure with the current owner, so I put in a low offer and we'll see if they'll take it to get it off their hands so the bank doesn't have to put it into foreclosure and deal with it. If they accept it, then I'll be a homeowner very soon....if not, I'm back to the drawing board when I go down there for good around the 14th of March.

The trip down to Dallas this time was emotionally draining, mentally challenging and very stressful because I put so much pressure on myself to accomplish this 'house' conquest. But I have to believe that this will all work out in the end and that I'll have a place to call home sometime soon. It's very daunting to try and do this all at once, but people do this every day and they don't end up in a straight jacket, so I'm sure I can do it!!

I also had another milestone - I sent and received my first text messages ever!! I know that might sound ridiculous to most of the folks reading this, but I have had just a Nextel work phone for the last 3.5 years and it didn't have all the bells and whistles on the plan (no texting, no camera phone, etc.). This is so much fun!!!!!

Restoring faith in the human spirit

Well, I think my faith in the human race has been restored...While hurrying through the Dallas airport, I caught a short glimpse of what it means to be an American. In my haste, I looked over to my left to see a young man in full military camo shaking hands with a 55-ish civilian man and I noticed that the man was slipping the military soldier some cash and I heard him thank the young soldier for his service to our country. The soldier looked surprised, but immediately had a look of honor and gratitude in his eyes and in a split second, the stranger disappeared back into the crowd of people. I caught up with the gentleman and asked if he knew the soldier and he said no. I told him that what he did was wonderful and I was lucky enough to see that exchange. He brushed it off and said something to the effect of 'it's just what you do to show respect". Agh! I almost burst into tears - there is still honor and respect in this country! Kindness is still alive and well! Hurray!

ALERT!! SECURITY BREACH AT THE AIRPORT!!

I had a crazy adventure at the Detroit airport today - I was minding my own business, following all procedures to get through security (liquids separated in quart-size bag, shoes off, laptop out, jewelry off, jacket off, allowing female TSA employee to pat me down because I was wearing a sweatshirt that could've been hiding weapons, drugs and other contraband) and everything was going great - I was ahead of schedule and even had time to grab Quizno's for lunch before my plane was supposed to board. So I got lunch, went to my gate and sat down to eat. Mid-sandwich, the security alarms go off and they announce that there was a security breach in the airport and that all planes at gates had to de-plane, all passengers in the gates, concourses, bathrooms, restaurants, etc. had to leave the area immediately and go back through the security process. So everything turned kind of chaotic since the planes were emptying back into the concourse and the area was flooded with irritated and worried people. We were all herded back to the check in area of the airport and got in a line that one man estimated to be about 300 yards as of where we were in line - it was circled around the inside of the airport 3 layers deep. Apparently the metal detectors at the security checkpoints weren't actually detecting metal and so in the name of national security, they had to evacuate EVERYONE. The bomb-sniffing dogs were out in full force (they were so cute!) and had to sweep every single plane at the gates and then had to sweep all of the concourses. They were busy pups!! So they waited a while and fixed the metal detector and then started the security process for about 3 hours worth of flights. AGH! But I was in line with 4 retired school principals that were flying to Tampa to see the Detroit Tigers at training camp. They were so much fun that we almost forgot we were really annoyed. Eventually, we all got through the security checkpoint and on our flights - only took off 1.5 hours late - not bad for how long the lines were! Everything went great after that.

For ONCE in my life, I would like to compliment the TSA employees for stepping up to the plate and rushing TONS of people through the security checkpoing while still maintaining order and checking bags and people thoroughly. Kudos!

New phone, CHECK.....House, (crickets chirping).....

Well, there are new developments in my transition to Texas.....I got a new Verizon cell phone and it's RED! That shouldn't surprise anyone who knows me. It's a great new little phone and now I can officially receive and send text messages (I couldn't before because I had a Nextel work phone and it was a pretty stripped down plan with no texting). Soooooooo, very soon I will be sending my very first text message of my life! I don't know how to do it yet, but I'll learn quickly.

So the next task I need to conquer while I'm down here in Dallas is to FIND A HOME!! My real estate agent, Teresa, and I will be hitting the streets looking for a house that I will buy and officially become a homeowner for the first time. Maggie isn't here with me, so I'll have to trust that I know what she would like (a fenced in backyard and lots of carpet so she can run and have traction!). I'm also looking for a kitchen that has a sprayer sink faucet so I can give my little orange dog a bath in the kitchen sink like I do in Toledo! We'll see - this process should be more exciting, but I'm just too busy being scared like a deer in headlights about this whole home buying process! I know that later on I'll be kicking myself for not enjoying this exciting experience more.........

And a big shout-out to my fabulous friend Colleen who drove me to the airport once again - you're awesome, Dessler!! And also a huge thank you to my wonderful friend Holly who is watching my little Maggie-poo for the millionth time!

The stars at night are big and bright.....

DEEP IN THE HEART OF TEXAS!! Giddy up - I just got a job in Dallas and I start on St. Patty's Day!!!! Thank you to all of you who gave me encouragement that this day would actually arrive! I have wanted to live in the Lone Star State for 6 years and it's finally happening. My mind is a whirlwind of ideas, emotions, tasks, worries, and many other things. I am super super excited, but will miss my Toledo friends immensely when I leave. However, that gives all my northern friends (MN & OH) a warm place to visit in the winter. :) As soon as I buy a house and get my guest room set up, any and all are welcome to come and spend some time here.

PS - Anyone who visits has to ride the longhorn steer that I rode in Fort Worth. You'll really take the bull by the horns (and man, they are LONG horns up close!)

The waiting is the hardest part

So on my last jaunt to Dallas, I was "tenatively" and "informally" offered a great job with a great company with great benefits in a great area of Dallas (Irving). They have to wait until March 1st to see how profits are for the year are so far before making the final decision to create this position or not. It's looking good, but I never realized how long 3 weeks really are! My life will completely change and I will begin a totally new chapter if this position is indeed created and I accept the offer! I don't want to get ahead of myself and assume it will all happen as planned, because anyone who knows me knows that I get very worked up about something and then if it doesn't happen, I am terribly disappointed. I have a bunch of boxes in my house that I stare at every day and wonder if I should fill them with my possessions or wait until I get the confirmation on the job before getting ahead of myself.

Any advice for the waiting?????? I still have 2 more weeks to be in suspense and it's making me crazy!!!!

Ramblin' Man

What is the deal with men who TALK INCESSANTLY and RAMBLE ON & ON & ON & ON and think that you actually want to hear the meaningless nonesense that they are bragging about??? Maybe they don't have bad intentions, but the arrogance that is pouring out of them is tremendously annoying. Lately, I feel like a lot of the guys that I have met or talked to lately just want to talk about themselves all day long and it's making me crazy.

I have read in dating books or books about the communication styles of men and women that on a first date a lot of women walk away from the date thinking "What an arrogant jerk - all he did was talk about himself the entire time!" and the guy walked away thinking that she didn't have much to say. Apparently the 'real story' is that men feel that on a first date, they need to 'sell themselves' as if it's an advertisement for themselves or a job interview. But women take it as an arrogant, conceited jerk who isn't interested in anything but themselves. OK, fine - a misunderstanding because of the fact that men and women think/communicate differently. But after that initial "get to know you" phase, shouldn't that non-stop rambling wear off?!?!?!?

Anybody have an opinion on rambling men and why they constantly talk instead of asking questions once in a while?

Jon & Kate Plus 8 - IN PERSON!

Well, for anyone who reads this blog in northwest Ohio, I am making a trek to Defiance next Saturday, Feb. 23rd to see Jon & Kate Plus 8 (Well, I'm not sure about the "Plus 8" part at this particular appearance) at a church doing a speaking engagement!!!! Woo hoo!!

If you want to go with me, let me know!

My favorite winter activity

So, I had the chance to practice my favorite winter activity today on my friend's Jeep Liberty - kicking the big chunks of snow/ice/dirt/etc. off cars, you know, the stuff that accumulates behind the tires and hardens. For whatever reason, I LOVE doing this and when I walk past cars in parking lots that have great ones, I have to really fight the urge to kick strangers' cars! But I saw a particularily GREAT one on my friend's Jeep this morning and I could NOT resist it and had the joy of starting my day kicking the snow/ice off!!!

Anybody else love doing this?????

PS - there is actually a word in the urban dictionary for this phenomenon - snard!
http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=snard

MORE Dallas adventures

Well, I made it down to the Lone Star state in one piece, but barely. Well, that's a little extreme (but I'm known for that). I had to fly through Houston to get to Dallas/Fort Worth, which is fine, but when I got on the plane in Houston bound for Dallas, they said that Dallas was having storms and there was a "ground block" and no planes could land, so they wouldn't let us take off. We proceeded to literally sit on the runway for 2 HOURS waiting for the 'all clear' from Dallas. Eventually, we took off and made it there safely.

Now, for those that know me on a daily basis, you know that I am obsessed with seeing cars with Texas plates in Ohio - I see it as a sign of my impending move to Texas and I get very excited. So you can imagine how exciting it is for me to be down here driving a rental car with Texas plates, right? Well, the last time I was here, it was thrilling to drive a "Texas car" and I enjoyed it immensely. I was looking for the same thrill this time - especially after all the chaos with the flights. So I check in, get my luggage and take the shuttle to the rental car place. They give me a silver Ford Focus -great, everything is going well. I throw my stuff in the car and head onto the freeway toward the hotel. It wasn't until I reached the hotel and unloaded the car that I realized that I was driving a car with FLORIDA PLATES!!!!!!!! Agh! To a 'normal' person, this would be no big deal and they would move on, but for me it was horrifying! But I'll recover.......

PS - I miss my little Maggie!!!

Dating Adventures

Well, I'm going on a tour of Texas next week (well, not really a 'tour') - flying to Dallas on Tuesday until Friday, then flying down to see my Mom in Harlingen on Friday until Monday. Woo hoo!! South Padre Island, here I come!

However, while I'm in Dallas and meeting with recruiters, I will also be going on a first date with a guy I met online and we've been talking on the phone quite extensively for about 3 weeks. We'll see - maybe he'll be just the cowboy for me - wish me luck!

SCAM ARTISTS SUCK!

OK, so I almost got screwed over by a "recruiter" in the Dallas area yesterday and stuff like that makes me lose faith in the human race! That jack*ss wasted 40 minutes of daytime cell phone time and talked and talked and talked about how he was going to help me get down to Dallas and make really good money in this new job he was going to find.....and then he dropped the bomb.....I had to pay him $3,170 for his services!!!!!!! And when I picked myself off the floor, he was so kind to say that I could defer it for a year - what a gentleman. And then when I called him on that and said that I bet there would be interest charges, he fumbled around and basically lied to me. I said I wouldn't be interested and then he got nasty and started pressuring me and telling me he was the only one who was going to get me down there with a great job. I told him I would think about it and call him if I was interested (I wasn't going to lower myself to his level and say what I REALLY thought of him).

Well, then I went on the internet and Googled his company and his name - there were fraud and scam warnings all over the internet about the company and HIM specifically!!! AGH!!!!!! Situations like this can really make a person like me jaded. DAMN.