Blame It On The Rain

Well, without further adieu, I present to you.........Maggie in a raincoat! This is the cute little rain poncho that Allison sent me in the mail right after I moved down here. Maggie pretty much hates it, but I got her to stay in it long enough to take a few pictures. :)

Isn't she just an adorable wiener - thank you, Allison!

OK, this next picture doesn't even need an introduction (at least I don't think so....): SERIOUSLY??

Today, thanks to those wonderful land rigs (natural gas - shale) around here, I just made $3,683 in about 10 minutes. Mineral rights are a big deal down here and it is very common for property owners to sign 'gas leases' - basically giving gas companies the right to use your property underground (WAY underground) to get to shale/oil. I just signed up for the gas lease that is happening in Southeast Arlington right now. It's a 3-year lease and the $3,683 is a signing bonus, then when they are set up and have started drilling in about 2 years, I will get anywhere between $50 and $150 per MONTH just for the use of my little yard (about 1000 feet under it - unbeknownst to me)! And if they don't start drilling in this first 3 years, then they have to re-up and pay another signing bonus and start over! There really aren't any risks - it's basically free money for the use of your yard to run pipes through - at a deep level, so I won't even know they are there! Woo hoo! I think I'm going to get another massage to celebrate! GOD BLESS TEXAS!! Merry Christmas to me!!

Let's See How Far We've Come...

Well, history was made this week (well, in my small world it's history!) - I finally got Texas license plates on my car and today I got a Texas driver's license!!!!! Agh!!! I have wanted this day to come for 6 years and it is finally here!! This is very exciting for me and kind of a rite-of-passage on to my new life away from past hurts and experiences that I would rather not be reminded of. I absolutely love Texas and everything about it (except for the sticky heat - it was about 94 and super muggy today). This heat thing is going to be the death of me if my body doesn't start adjusting soon. Hopefully my immune system is getting stronger again so that I don't have to get cold after cold anymore!

Update on my fabulous electric/cordless lawn mower - IT'S AWESOME and I LOVE IT!! I love it so much that I bought the 'matching' edger/trimmer. It's also electric and cordless and was super easy to setup and I've already used it. They are amazing and I would recommend them to anyone that doesn't want to deal with the maintenance and has a small property.

I continue to explore the area and 'get lost' on purpose - or just take alternate routes to different places so I can find where all the cool stores are.

Confidential to Iris Took - I drove past a fast-food restaurant called Wienerschnitzel and I thought of you and your GAF obsession. When you visit, we can go there and have fun with the German-ness!! Remember when we went to Fritz & Alfredo's? That was the most bizarre experience - chips and salsa, and then some speitzel or whatever that was!! HAHAHA!! Remember the Marienplatz?? It's where the Glockenspiel is - just so you know.

OK, a while back I indicated that there was a condom store near my house - I drove by it a couple days ago on my way to the Walmart with longhorns on it. Anyway, the name of the store is "Condom Sense" - ha ha! Isn't that funny??

Maggie continues to enjoy the warm weather and the doggy door freedom, I am dealing with her thinking she can go poo in the living room right after I leave the house. It's been something that we're dealing with this week and I'm trying to break her of this silly habit. After all, she has full access to the yard at her leisure. I think she's just mad at me for leaving her alone all day - she IS an attention whore.

One exciting thing that is going to happen in June: I'm going to meet a bona-fide-real-cowboy-that-wears-cowboy-jeans-and-a-big-belt-buckle-and-lives-on-a-farm-in-west-Texas-and-has-horses-and-cows-and-wears-a-cowboy-hat-for-it's intended-purpose, not-to-be-trendy-and-who's-kids-call-him-"Daddy"-for-their-whole-life. This unique experience is courtesy of my co-worker Mayce who is this cowboy's daughter. He is "daddy" to her, but he will be Dwight Nanny to me - or we have now dubbed him "D-Nann". Mayce has the THICKEST Texas accent I have ever heard and I could just listen to her talk all day long. When she is frustrated with something, she will say "Cuss and murder!!" - a phrase that is courtesy of her Grandma. Ha ha ha! I CANNOT WAIT to meet good 'ol Dwight!!!

I hope everyone has a great Memorial Day weekend - stay safe and have fun! Miss you all tons!!

Lazy days of summ----oh wait, it's not summer yet!

...but you'd never guess it wasn't summer yet if you were in Dallas on Saturday - it was 94 degrees and very humid. Gross! I feel sorry for Jenna Bush (no matter what you think of her father) because her OUTDOOR wedding was just a couple hours from here and it was soooo hot and sticky. But the weirdest thing is that the next day, Sunday, it was about 75, no humidity and beautiful. The weather here is bizarre - it can swing so much from day to day. Maybe that's why I have had 3 bad colds in 2 months. My immune system is sooooo messed up!

OK, this blog post will be a random mix of weird stuff......

One cool new business that I found recently (thanks to my co-worker Marie) is Massage Envy. It's a franchise brand of massage places that have massage plans that mimic tanning packages, cell phone plans, etc. Basically, you sign up to pay $49/month and you get 1 massage a month and anything beyond that 1 massage is only $39 (1-year contract)! I tried it once and it's a very nice place with soft lighting, relaxing music, clean and private rooms with super soft and comfortable bedding - just like a super fancy salon. My massage was great! I'm thinking of joining, but I'm just going to hold off through the summer and see how my air conditioning bills go. :) Check it out in your city - it was great!!

Random Texas Observations:

1. It is very hard to find lots of low-fat, low-calorie, low-sugar or fat-free food options in the grocery stores. I am going to Kroger here, just like in Ohio, so it's not that the brands or variations don't exist - I bought them in Ohio. I guess Texas people don't care about looking at labels and choosing better options for food....

2. When you drive around the suburbs here, you will see oil rigs - little ones that you might mistake for the center-tall-structure on the Tilt-A-Whirl or some other ride at Six Flags! The first few times I saw them, I honestly thought they were rides of some kind and I thought it was weird, but now I understand. And with gas prices the way they are, I don't understand why gas isn't SUPER cheap here in Texas since there's no transportation costs - we could just pull right up to these rigs and fill up! (Just kidding - I know it's more complicated than that, but a girl can fantasize....)

3. My new public library (Arlington Public Library system) has the most awesome check-out system! It's very techy and my library card actually has a gold square on it, indicating there's some sort of chip in it. When I am finished searching for good Books-on-CD for my commute, I proceed to the check-out area and I pass my card across this square pad (don't even have to scan a bar code!) Then I just pass my books/CDs across the same square pad and it just senses the item, beeps and then shows the item in your list on the screen. It's like the self-checkout at Kroger or Walmart - amazing and wonderful!!!

4. In Arlington, we have 2 garbage days per week - Tuesdays and Fridays. I've never heard of TWO garbage days! My only guess at an explanation is that in the summer it's sooooo hot that you want to get rid of garbage RIGHT AWAY because if it sits in the garage for more than a day, you will actually choke and die of the stench when you go out to your car. YUCK.

Anyway, I have been putting off blogging for the last few days because I have been crabby and frustrated and I didn't want to get on here and just puke my negativity on here. I'm not exactly sure why I'm crabby, but it may be that I'm just very frustrated with not knowing very many people yet and being lonely sometimes. I knew this would be difficult, so it's no shock to me and it certainly won't last too long, but sometimes you just need a hug from a friend or your Mom and that time is right now. Any and all e-hugs are welcome and very much needed and appreciated!! I love and miss you all very much - now come and visit me already!!!

PS - I 'temporarily' installed Maggie's doggy door myself last night and we practiced with treats and the step stools, but much to my dismay when I got home from work today, Maggie had pooped on the floor not 10 feet from the doggy door. Bad wiener dog. Bad wiener dog. She's keeping her distance right now - she knows she was a bad wiener today. Ugh.

PSS - T minus one week until I get my Texas license plates and drivers license!!!! YES!!!!!!!

Today I am going to sing the praises of my new cordless electric lawn mower from Lowe's! It's wonderful - no gas (which is very expensive right now), no oil, no oil changes. You just plug it in to a charger for a few hours, unplug it, mow the yard and then put it back on the charger. It's environmentally friendly and it's only a 24V charger, so it doesn't draw much electricity. The only maintenance you have to do is sharpen/replace the blade every year or so. That's it!! It's got a mulcher insert, so I don't even have to use the bag and mess with all the grass. It also has a one-touch height adjuster, so you don't have to go around to each wheel and monkey with the A-E levels. Woo hoo! I got mine at Lowe's for $399, but it had a $40 rebate, so $359 total. It's all assembled and ready to go in the box - just extend the handle and tighten, put it on the charger for a day and you're ready to mow! It has an electric start key, so no more pulling that annoying cord trying to get the thing to start - just turn the knob and you're in business. If you're thinking about buying a new mower - get an electric one!!!

Fixin' to PASS OUT!

I hope you all know that I am kidding when I say I'm 'fixin' to do ANYTHING! But I am truly exhausted after a whirlwind weekend. Here are the things I accomplished:

1. Set up my lawn mower

2. Mowed the backyard

3. Watered the backyard and sprayed for pests

4. Went to the public library, got a library card and checked out Books-On-CD for my commute

5. Went to Goodwill and dropped off stuff to donate

6. Attended my homeowners association pool-opening party (got my keycard for the pool gate!)

7. Finished decorating the house

8. Vacuumed the house and cleaned the floors

9. Organized the garage

10. Went grocery shopping

11. Watched a documentary on Auschwitz (Beth - it was really depressing, just how I like 'em)

12. Took Maggie to the vet to get her annual shots

Whew - it was a busy weekend, but oh so productive. I love that - efficient. It's just the Type A/left brain in me. So now that I'm all settled, 'real life' can begin! I'm going to try a church next weekend that my co-workers go to and hopefully I will like it. It sounds like it's a lot like Cedar Creek, so that's right up my alley. I am also having Maggie's doggy door installed next Saturday - yay! Tomorrow I am working from home in the afternoon so that I can get my new garage door and garage door opener installed - YES! I'm excited to get my car in the garage since it's tornado/hail season and it's a pain in the rear to put it in the garage manually.

Well, here's the officially unveiling of my house (pics below):

The new master bedroom furniture that I bought down here.

Here's the guest room, just waiting for a guest........

The office.

This last picture is the future home of the much talked about doggy door. I even have the step stool all ready for Maggie. It will be installed on Saturday!

My job still is great and I'm enjoying it. We have a big conference to put on in 2 weeks, so everyone is very busy preparing. Every employee of the company works the conference, so it's all hands on deck. I'll be working in Registration, the Info booth and I will also be selling merch for the band (Lincoln Brewster). It should be a fun time, but long days - but that's something I'm used to! Actually these 3 days will be much shorter than "long" days I've had at SeaGate - so it should be a piece of cake. :)

The next big step in my journey is getting a Texas driver's license and Texas license plates! I have to get my car inspected and prove that I have insurance on the car and then I can go and claim my plates that I have wanted for so long. I am surely going to bring my camera and make a moron of myself, but this is a symbolic moment for me!

Have a great week everyone and put lots of comments on here - I love reading them (I get an email with your comment every time someone leaves one - yay!). As much as I LOVE Texas and I know without a doubt that I made the right decision and I belong here, I'm starting to get a little lonely for familiar faces and good friends!!