Waiting for Quinn to get home... and I find surveys theraputic.
sometimes i just need: A hug
somtimes i want: To not be
somtimes i like to: Sing when nobody is around.
sometimes all it takes: Is an apology
somtimes i picture: The way my mom looked when she died... when I am sitting alone, or even when I look at other people I see their faces like that.
sometimes i wish: Life were easier.
sometimes i find: Leaves in the house.
sometimes i take: Pictures of things.
sometimes i look: Like a total dork
sometimes i hate: The people in my life. But I usually get over it.
sometimes it’s nice: To have a nice hot cup of herbal tea.
sometimes it hurts: When people think the worst of you.
sometimes it makes me happy: To drive my new car.
sometimes it’s sad: When things are quiet and I have time to reflect.
sometimes i listen: To show tunes!
sometimes i sleep: Right in the middle of the bed.
sometimes i like to watch: A Suze Orman marathon.
sometimes i feel: Very confident like I can overcome anything.
sometimes i rant: When I get frustrated at being stuck in Washington all alone with no idea when I'll be out.
sometimes i never: Want to go to work again.
sometimes i really: Want some peace and quiet.
When I’m ...
sad, i want: A hug
happy, i need: Not too much.
mad, i wish: I could control my temper better.
overjoyed, i find: It hard to stop smiling.
indifferent, i like to: Think about something else.
content, i never: Have a worry.
frustrated, all it takes: Is a chill pill.
If...
you saw your best friend on one side of the road, but you also saw one of your close family members on the other side, and they were both in serious danger, who would you go to help first? Family, for sure. Family comes first.
you had the choice of going back in time to or go forward in time to see the future, which would you choose? The future. That way I could see whether or not I actually end up happy, and if I don't I could at least try to fix it.
jesus was standing right infront of you, what would you say to him? I would probably say hi. Then I'd ask if he cut my mom a break even though she used to make fun of him and everyone who believed in him. Then I'd probably apologize for being a punk the majority of the time.
Sunday, November 16, 2008
Well I think I did pretty well on my test! Considering it was on power and politics, and where I work, it should have been a slam dunk. Lol. And now another survey...
1. how are you? Kind of sore, a little sad, and craving ice cream cake.
2. who was the last person you hugged? Quinn, though he got all upset about it.
3. look to your left, what do you see? A drum set. To my right is Bunny.
4. where do you like to be the most? In bed.
5. whats your fave film? Too hard to narrow down to one.
6. what does the last person you commented on myspace mean to you? Oh my gosh, I don't even know who last commented on Myspace.
7. what did you last laugh about? I can't remember. I don't think I've laughed today.
8. where was your default took? Beth's house.
9. whats the first thing you look for in a girl/guy? Character and confidence.
10. if your still in school, whats your fave lesson? I'm loving history. I also like my training class but that's just because the teacher is so awesome.
11. what do you work as / want to work as? Sales, but I would love to do something else.
12. do you play video games? if so, which is your fave game? Not so much. I do play a bit of Star Wars. Oh, I really like Grand Theft Auto, too.
13. who never fails to make you laugh? Quinn
14. what are you listening to right now? The buzz of the monitor.
15. who did you last have a sleepover with? I have no clue! Probably Jeff when he came to visit? Though don't take that as anything other than he slept here because he was visiting! Though we did stay up late talking and watch lots of movies :)
16. i bet you miss someone, who?! the person I always miss, even though I am MAD at them.
17. are you happy with your life right now? Not really, no.
18. why did you last get upset? Because somebody accused me of lying and I try very hard not to lie, and was definitely NOT lying in this particular case.
19. who was the last person you texted? Quinn, trying to get his diva butt over to the neighbor's for his birthday party.
20. who do you live with? My brother.
21. do you like living with them? Usually.
22. whats your mood right now on myspace? None.
24. did you realise that there was no 23? Nope!
25. what does your profile song mean to you? I just really like it, but it doesn't mean a thing.
26. who did you last shout at and why? Probably my brother, but I can't remember why.
27. are you normally a happy person? Depends. I am pretty happy but when I get down I get really, really down.
28. what was the last thing you went to see in the movies and with who? I am pretty sure the last movie I saw was with Jeff's mom and we saw 27 Dresses.
29. whats your fave food? Thai.
30. are you in love? Yeah.
31. do you remember how you was 3 years ago? Wow, that was poor grammar!
32. if so, does it make you cringe? Yes, poor grammar always makes me cringe.
33. if you could be with someone right now, who would it be? My mom.
34. do you have any blogs on your myspace? Yes, but I evolved to my very own extra special blog.
35. whats your fave thing in your room? My antique wardrobe.
36. is this quiz boring you? A little bit... and probably my readers, as well.
37. if you had one wish, what would you wish for? To be 20 again, with all the opportunities I have and the ability to know what I know now. I'd get myself to a much different place at 30 and then start living life spontaneously!
38. when was the last time you lied? I actually don't remember.
39. are your lips chapped? Nope. Lip gloss.
40. any last words? Ice cream cake. Now.
1. how are you? Kind of sore, a little sad, and craving ice cream cake.
2. who was the last person you hugged? Quinn, though he got all upset about it.
3. look to your left, what do you see? A drum set. To my right is Bunny.
4. where do you like to be the most? In bed.
5. whats your fave film? Too hard to narrow down to one.
6. what does the last person you commented on myspace mean to you? Oh my gosh, I don't even know who last commented on Myspace.
7. what did you last laugh about? I can't remember. I don't think I've laughed today.
8. where was your default took? Beth's house.
9. whats the first thing you look for in a girl/guy? Character and confidence.
10. if your still in school, whats your fave lesson? I'm loving history. I also like my training class but that's just because the teacher is so awesome.
11. what do you work as / want to work as? Sales, but I would love to do something else.
12. do you play video games? if so, which is your fave game? Not so much. I do play a bit of Star Wars. Oh, I really like Grand Theft Auto, too.
13. who never fails to make you laugh? Quinn
14. what are you listening to right now? The buzz of the monitor.
15. who did you last have a sleepover with? I have no clue! Probably Jeff when he came to visit? Though don't take that as anything other than he slept here because he was visiting! Though we did stay up late talking and watch lots of movies :)
16. i bet you miss someone, who?! the person I always miss, even though I am MAD at them.
17. are you happy with your life right now? Not really, no.
18. why did you last get upset? Because somebody accused me of lying and I try very hard not to lie, and was definitely NOT lying in this particular case.
19. who was the last person you texted? Quinn, trying to get his diva butt over to the neighbor's for his birthday party.
20. who do you live with? My brother.
21. do you like living with them? Usually.
22. whats your mood right now on myspace? None.
24. did you realise that there was no 23? Nope!
25. what does your profile song mean to you? I just really like it, but it doesn't mean a thing.
26. who did you last shout at and why? Probably my brother, but I can't remember why.
27. are you normally a happy person? Depends. I am pretty happy but when I get down I get really, really down.
28. what was the last thing you went to see in the movies and with who? I am pretty sure the last movie I saw was with Jeff's mom and we saw 27 Dresses.
29. whats your fave food? Thai.
30. are you in love? Yeah.
31. do you remember how you was 3 years ago? Wow, that was poor grammar!
32. if so, does it make you cringe? Yes, poor grammar always makes me cringe.
33. if you could be with someone right now, who would it be? My mom.
34. do you have any blogs on your myspace? Yes, but I evolved to my very own extra special blog.
35. whats your fave thing in your room? My antique wardrobe.
36. is this quiz boring you? A little bit... and probably my readers, as well.
37. if you had one wish, what would you wish for? To be 20 again, with all the opportunities I have and the ability to know what I know now. I'd get myself to a much different place at 30 and then start living life spontaneously!
38. when was the last time you lied? I actually don't remember.
39. are your lips chapped? Nope. Lip gloss.
40. any last words? Ice cream cake. Now.
A survey to pass the time
I am having a melancholy night (I love that word) and sitting here waiting with Cosmo ON my feet for my Organizational Behavior test to open up. I had to leave the biirthday parrty for a test :( Anyway, a survey...
57 Girl Confessions
1. Is it cute when guys kiss you on your forehead? I am pretty sure the only guy who has ever kissed me on the forehead was a canine.
2. A big poofy dress or a short party dress? Short, definitely.
3. What would you do if you received a long love letter? Read it.
4. Group dates or single dates? Depends.
5. Do you hate it when guys act different around their friends? Absolutely. They act retarded!
6. Are diamonds a girl’s best friend? I've never had a friend named Diamond. Isn't that a stripper name?
7. Is your hair up or down today? Up in a pony tail.
8. Do you straighten your hair? Every day I have time to!
9. Favorite mascara? The long last waterproof stuff, but I really don't wear mascara that often.
10. Do you get your nails done? Maybe once every 3 or 4 years.
11. Small or large purses? Medium.
12. In your purse, what are your must haves? Lip gloss, wallet, cell phone, car keys.
13. Jeans or sweats? Sweats around the house, but jeans in public... usually.
14. Do you wear clothes/shoes/jewelry that’s uncomfortable? Never. Except tights. Everyone wears tights and hose here and it's awful.
15. Do you text message a lot? At least a hundred a day.
16. What would you do if you got pregnant? At the moment, be extremely confused.
17. What’s your favorite color? Lime green!
18. Heels or flats? Heels. My legs are too short for flats.
19. Did you ever cry during a romantic movie? Not at romantic movies ever. I always cry at kid/parent or dog movies, though.
20. Would you ever leave the house without make-up on? I do that all the time.
21. Walmart or Target? Walmart. If I have to endure either, Walmart has better prices.
22. Do you wear collared shirts? Heck no.
23. Do you like preppy boys? A little bit.
24. Do you think lip gloss is the best!? Absolutely. Color and moisture all in one.
25. Do you own any big sunglasses? No, but I really want some.
26. How long does it take you to get ready in the morning? An hour-ish.
27. Do you like to wear band-aids? Not really, unless they are fun ones.
28. Do you like skater boys? I totally did in my 20s.
29. Do you often wish there was something you could change? Yeah.
30. Gold or silver? Silver, or gold and silver together.
31. Do you like to receive flowers? Love to!
32. Do you like surfer boys? Never really met any surfer boys, they're mostly in Cali.
33. Do you dress up for the holidays? I like to, but rarely have the chance.
34. Do you like to wear dresseses? Yes. They're complete idiots! And they take everything literally. Love them, but they drive me nuts sometimes.
36. In the last 48 hours have you hung out with a guy? 3 of them.
37. Would you date a guy shorter than you? I think I have.
38. Do you like to hold hands? Yes.
39. What is the youngest you would date? 21. Though if I was seriously dating a 21 year old I would have to actually listen to him talk, so that's out. 27, I guess :)
40. What is the oldest you would date? 39. Could not cross that threshold into 40.
41. What do you notice when you first meet a guy? Confidence.
42. Is it hott when guys sweat? Ew. No.
43. What is the best feature in a guy? Smile or eyes.
44. Do you like making eye contact? Of course.
46. Would you kill for chocolate? Right now, yes.
47. Did you ever spend all day/night getting pretty for a guy? Sadly, yes.
48. On a scale from 1-10 how fun is shopping? Depends on my mood and how much extra money I have.
49. Do you freak out if you miss your favorite show? YES!
50. Do you yell a lot? Sometimes.
51. Do you wear sweatpants/pajamas to school/work? No, but I wear them to the store.
52. Have you ever dressed unlike yourself to impress a guy? Yeah... again, in my 20s.
53. Do you write a lot of mushy love poems? Never. I hate poetry.
54. What makeup could you not live w/ out? Bare Essentials foundation.
55. Do you fall in love easily? No
56. Do you have cramps? No, I just took 1000mg of pain reliever.
57. Do you think you have the bestest friend ever? I have all the bestest friends.
57 Girl Confessions
1. Is it cute when guys kiss you on your forehead? I am pretty sure the only guy who has ever kissed me on the forehead was a canine.
2. A big poofy dress or a short party dress? Short, definitely.
3. What would you do if you received a long love letter? Read it.
4. Group dates or single dates? Depends.
5. Do you hate it when guys act different around their friends? Absolutely. They act retarded!
6. Are diamonds a girl’s best friend? I've never had a friend named Diamond. Isn't that a stripper name?
7. Is your hair up or down today? Up in a pony tail.
8. Do you straighten your hair? Every day I have time to!
9. Favorite mascara? The long last waterproof stuff, but I really don't wear mascara that often.
10. Do you get your nails done? Maybe once every 3 or 4 years.
11. Small or large purses? Medium.
12. In your purse, what are your must haves? Lip gloss, wallet, cell phone, car keys.
13. Jeans or sweats? Sweats around the house, but jeans in public... usually.
14. Do you wear clothes/shoes/jewelry that’s uncomfortable? Never. Except tights. Everyone wears tights and hose here and it's awful.
15. Do you text message a lot? At least a hundred a day.
16. What would you do if you got pregnant? At the moment, be extremely confused.
17. What’s your favorite color? Lime green!
18. Heels or flats? Heels. My legs are too short for flats.
19. Did you ever cry during a romantic movie? Not at romantic movies ever. I always cry at kid/parent or dog movies, though.
20. Would you ever leave the house without make-up on? I do that all the time.
21. Walmart or Target? Walmart. If I have to endure either, Walmart has better prices.
22. Do you wear collared shirts? Heck no.
23. Do you like preppy boys? A little bit.
24. Do you think lip gloss is the best!? Absolutely. Color and moisture all in one.
25. Do you own any big sunglasses? No, but I really want some.
26. How long does it take you to get ready in the morning? An hour-ish.
27. Do you like to wear band-aids? Not really, unless they are fun ones.
28. Do you like skater boys? I totally did in my 20s.
29. Do you often wish there was something you could change? Yeah.
30. Gold or silver? Silver, or gold and silver together.
31. Do you like to receive flowers? Love to!
32. Do you like surfer boys? Never really met any surfer boys, they're mostly in Cali.
33. Do you dress up for the holidays? I like to, but rarely have the chance.
34. Do you like to wear dresseses? Yes. They're complete idiots! And they take everything literally. Love them, but they drive me nuts sometimes.
36. In the last 48 hours have you hung out with a guy? 3 of them.
37. Would you date a guy shorter than you? I think I have.
38. Do you like to hold hands? Yes.
39. What is the youngest you would date? 21. Though if I was seriously dating a 21 year old I would have to actually listen to him talk, so that's out. 27, I guess :)
40. What is the oldest you would date? 39. Could not cross that threshold into 40.
41. What do you notice when you first meet a guy? Confidence.
42. Is it hott when guys sweat? Ew. No.
43. What is the best feature in a guy? Smile or eyes.
44. Do you like making eye contact? Of course.
46. Would you kill for chocolate? Right now, yes.
47. Did you ever spend all day/night getting pretty for a guy? Sadly, yes.
48. On a scale from 1-10 how fun is shopping? Depends on my mood and how much extra money I have.
49. Do you freak out if you miss your favorite show? YES!
50. Do you yell a lot? Sometimes.
51. Do you wear sweatpants/pajamas to school/work? No, but I wear them to the store.
52. Have you ever dressed unlike yourself to impress a guy? Yeah... again, in my 20s.
53. Do you write a lot of mushy love poems? Never. I hate poetry.
54. What makeup could you not live w/ out? Bare Essentials foundation.
55. Do you fall in love easily? No
56. Do you have cramps? No, I just took 1000mg of pain reliever.
57. Do you think you have the bestest friend ever? I have all the bestest friends.
Saturday, November 15, 2008
Updates
Today is a sunny day... but COLD... so here I am blogging instead of finishing the last bits of paint on the outside of the house. I'll have to go out soon and do it.
I'm getting really discouraged about the house not selling and kind of wish I had taken the lowball offer I got on the first day. I know it's only been listed a week and a half, but seriously! I want it gone! People came to look last weekend, but nothing lined up for this weekend so far.
Rainy season is starting to set in and I am getting DEPRESSED. I've always been a much happier person when I'm away from home, and sometimes wondered if it was just the ability to ignore the reality of my stressful life when I am far away. That probably is a little bit of it, but I am also suspecting the weather. Overcast skies, walking through puddles. Yuck. I remember being a kid and having fits after coming in from playing outside because the water had soaked through my tennis shoes and my socks were wet, and my feet were cold, and I would beg my mom to move somewhere sunny.
My favorite girls, Lucy and Bunny are sitting here at my feet. Lucy seems to be much better aside form her mild psychosis. I always find her huddled on the bricks next to the porch trying to stay out of the rain, so maybe it gets to her, too! Bunny is feisty as ever. Lily had a "baby" (for those non-dog people a baby is a stuffed toy) the other day and Bunny grabbed one end of it, and tugged with all her might while bouncing backwards on 3 legs to get it away from Lily. Not only did she get it away, she knocked Lily down. Bunny actually owns Lily now. The big, dumb, gawky red puppy follows Bunny around all day, falls at her feet, rolls over on her back, and licks Bunny's chin. It's very cute and submissive, but very odd.
Luis the car went away, and I am now the not so proud owner of an 07 Ford Focus. Let me just clarify, I am NEVER shopping alone for a car again. First, even though I got Luis checked out at a mechanic for a pre-purchase inspection, things went wrong veeeeeeeeery quickly. I could not even register Luis, because in order to register a car in Washington you must pass emissions. Well, emissions will not pass a car if its check engine light is out. Who looks for a check engine light to be out?!?! I sat on the check engine light for a little bit because I have been way too busy working on the house to deal with cars. Then when I was driving my cousin home last weekend the car died. As in just stopped running as I was driving down the road. It started back up again after several minutes, but it was a terrifying "coast" over to the shoulder and I totally freaked out. So I decided to get a new car. Possibly not the wisest decision. I really wanted to sell Luis before moving to Houston and then buy something newer there (and let Jeff help me deal with the haggling) but this stopping in the middle of the road thing was scary. Not to mention just another chunk of money to throw into my 150k mile car. If it was just me driving I wouldn't care very much, but I need something safe to drive Quinn around in. We do mostly freeway driving, so the stopping thing is potentially very dangerous. Anyway, I ended up getting another Focus. It's a used 07 with 33k miles. White (yuck) and automatic (yuck). And I have car payments (yuck). I got a grand off of the kbb suggested retail price and I got a decent-ish trade on the death trap. I hated taking a hit on the car in trade, but I don't think it is fair to sell a crappy car to someone private party. That's apparently what someone did to me, and I don't think it was very nice! Overall I did pretty well, the payments are affordable, and I have a car that moves when I push the gas pedal down, and has no mechanical defects. I guess I should be grateful to have a nice looking car that runs. I just wish instead of trying to be frugal and buy private party I had taken my insurance money from the accident and used it as a down payment at a dealership, because that's where I ended up anyway. Expensive lesson. I also wish I could have held out another month or two because now I have to figure out a way to get it to Houston. Since I have to rent something BIG to drive the dogs, the Focus will have to get there some other way. Anyone want to raod trip with me? :)
Quinn's birthday is tomorrow, and I cannot believe he will be 16! It's crazy. I used to say I couldn't wait for him to be through with 15, and the waiting has paid off. He's a much nicer person now, and over a lot of his drama. He's very realistic now (I knew the brain would eventually rule over the angry hormonal teenage stuff) and he is really excited to move to Houston. Though I could have smacked him the other day when he said he wishes I had put my foot down and moved a year ago, because our lives would have been much easier. Arg!! This year he got a drum set for his birthday. I gave it to him a few days early because it was becoming a definite need. He's been taking drum lessons, and he is REALLY good! I'm so impressed. I also love watching him, because it's the first thing I've seem him really love. He reminds me of when I used to play the violin, and I could sit for hours because I loved it so much. It's great to have music around the house, again, too.
I guess it's time to feed the dogs, start up the crockpot, and go paint a bit. A shower might be good, too.
I'm getting really discouraged about the house not selling and kind of wish I had taken the lowball offer I got on the first day. I know it's only been listed a week and a half, but seriously! I want it gone! People came to look last weekend, but nothing lined up for this weekend so far.
Rainy season is starting to set in and I am getting DEPRESSED. I've always been a much happier person when I'm away from home, and sometimes wondered if it was just the ability to ignore the reality of my stressful life when I am far away. That probably is a little bit of it, but I am also suspecting the weather. Overcast skies, walking through puddles. Yuck. I remember being a kid and having fits after coming in from playing outside because the water had soaked through my tennis shoes and my socks were wet, and my feet were cold, and I would beg my mom to move somewhere sunny.
My favorite girls, Lucy and Bunny are sitting here at my feet. Lucy seems to be much better aside form her mild psychosis. I always find her huddled on the bricks next to the porch trying to stay out of the rain, so maybe it gets to her, too! Bunny is feisty as ever. Lily had a "baby" (for those non-dog people a baby is a stuffed toy) the other day and Bunny grabbed one end of it, and tugged with all her might while bouncing backwards on 3 legs to get it away from Lily. Not only did she get it away, she knocked Lily down. Bunny actually owns Lily now. The big, dumb, gawky red puppy follows Bunny around all day, falls at her feet, rolls over on her back, and licks Bunny's chin. It's very cute and submissive, but very odd.
Luis the car went away, and I am now the not so proud owner of an 07 Ford Focus. Let me just clarify, I am NEVER shopping alone for a car again. First, even though I got Luis checked out at a mechanic for a pre-purchase inspection, things went wrong veeeeeeeeery quickly. I could not even register Luis, because in order to register a car in Washington you must pass emissions. Well, emissions will not pass a car if its check engine light is out. Who looks for a check engine light to be out?!?! I sat on the check engine light for a little bit because I have been way too busy working on the house to deal with cars. Then when I was driving my cousin home last weekend the car died. As in just stopped running as I was driving down the road. It started back up again after several minutes, but it was a terrifying "coast" over to the shoulder and I totally freaked out. So I decided to get a new car. Possibly not the wisest decision. I really wanted to sell Luis before moving to Houston and then buy something newer there (and let Jeff help me deal with the haggling) but this stopping in the middle of the road thing was scary. Not to mention just another chunk of money to throw into my 150k mile car. If it was just me driving I wouldn't care very much, but I need something safe to drive Quinn around in. We do mostly freeway driving, so the stopping thing is potentially very dangerous. Anyway, I ended up getting another Focus. It's a used 07 with 33k miles. White (yuck) and automatic (yuck). And I have car payments (yuck). I got a grand off of the kbb suggested retail price and I got a decent-ish trade on the death trap. I hated taking a hit on the car in trade, but I don't think it is fair to sell a crappy car to someone private party. That's apparently what someone did to me, and I don't think it was very nice! Overall I did pretty well, the payments are affordable, and I have a car that moves when I push the gas pedal down, and has no mechanical defects. I guess I should be grateful to have a nice looking car that runs. I just wish instead of trying to be frugal and buy private party I had taken my insurance money from the accident and used it as a down payment at a dealership, because that's where I ended up anyway. Expensive lesson. I also wish I could have held out another month or two because now I have to figure out a way to get it to Houston. Since I have to rent something BIG to drive the dogs, the Focus will have to get there some other way. Anyone want to raod trip with me? :)
Quinn's birthday is tomorrow, and I cannot believe he will be 16! It's crazy. I used to say I couldn't wait for him to be through with 15, and the waiting has paid off. He's a much nicer person now, and over a lot of his drama. He's very realistic now (I knew the brain would eventually rule over the angry hormonal teenage stuff) and he is really excited to move to Houston. Though I could have smacked him the other day when he said he wishes I had put my foot down and moved a year ago, because our lives would have been much easier. Arg!! This year he got a drum set for his birthday. I gave it to him a few days early because it was becoming a definite need. He's been taking drum lessons, and he is REALLY good! I'm so impressed. I also love watching him, because it's the first thing I've seem him really love. He reminds me of when I used to play the violin, and I could sit for hours because I loved it so much. It's great to have music around the house, again, too.
I guess it's time to feed the dogs, start up the crockpot, and go paint a bit. A shower might be good, too.
Sunday, November 9, 2008
Finally, a kitchen pic
Here is the kitchen. Ignore the dishes... we had the neighbors over for dinner last night.
Lucy Update
Lucy seems to be doing ok in terms of walking. She seemed to enjoy being on bed rest and is acting freaky now that the x-pen has come down. She's hiding in closets. Last night she came to bed with me and she is being extremely clingy and needy. Something's really not right. She still growls at the other dogs when they get near her. Lily kicked her last night and Lucy growled at her and then crawled up on my pillow and laid as close as she could get. I can't tell if she is being posessive of me, or if she's in bad shape and needs to be close. If she's in pain I wish there was some way for me to know it, or I wish her legs would go out again. One thing is she doesn't seem to get very good traction on the floors anymore. She slips on her back legs sometimes. So I'm assuming it will be a matter of time before they go out again. Sometimes she gets really happy, and she is extremely loving. So until I get a solid message of her being hurt or in pain there's not much I can do about it without second guessing my decision. I really wished that the medicines would clean up whatever was ailing her and she'd go back to normal, fun, happy Lucy again. Hasn't happened, though. I just have a walking, clingy, and sometimes very angry and touchy dog.
For Sale: My House
Well, I finally did it. The house is up for sale. Here are some pictures, in very random order as they finally show up on my email. There would be more, but my stupid email is acting up. It's so empty in here that my typing echos.
It's been on the market 4 days... we've had one offer that was about $10k too low ($20k below my asking price) from an investor, sight unseen. I had my realtor counter and never heard back. Then one other person came to look yesterday. I really hope it sells soon.
And just to clarify why I want to move back to Houston... because everyone asks... here is a list. I'll see how far I can go with all the reasons I love Texas and/or want to be in Texas. I'm leaving Jeff off the list (no offense, Jeff) because people keep coming up to me like I'm some pathetic, girly creature and say "Oh, you miss your boyfriend" and the little feminist inside me gets all grouchy. I think these people have forgotten that I actually moved to Texas before I met Jeff, for several of the reasons I am about to list, and meeting him was just a great result of already being there. So yes, I am moving back and am very excited that Jeff and I are buying a house together... but I'm not moving anywhere I wasn't very happily living already until this whole whateveryouwanttocallit happened to my life a little over a year ago.
#1 and the very most important reason I want to move to Texas is CHEAP HOUSING. Or should I say affordable housing? My mom and I had always dreamed of taking our crazy west coast real estate equity, cashing out, and getting a mini-compoud in Texas to live on with all of our dogs. Two houses, one giant yard for dog fun. Of course now my equity isn't quite what it could have been a couple years ago, but I'm also not looking to buy a compound now, so I'm really no worse off.
The rest, in no particular order:
-The Blue Bell Factory. Or just Brenham in general. Nothing is better than a drive out to Brenham, which is beautiful and starting to get into the hill country, and then going to the Blue Bell Factory for a tour and your $1 heaping scoop of ice cream. Especially when it is super hot outside. Mmmmmm.
-Driving through the grassy knoll by the freeway, or over any other form of median during bad traffic, is completely acceptable and somewhat encouraged. And of course other such crazy antics that go on in Texas. You have to enjoy living with a population that keeps you in stitches all day long. It's good for the soul. There are normal people there, too, just so you guys know.
-Friendly people.
-Southern accents that remind me of my grandma, and for that matter lots of little old ladies with attitude.
-Inexpensive, yet high quality schooling
-A more recent reason is that it will give Quinn the chance to start over, and go to a normal school.
-Listening to country music while driving around in Texas with your windows down and the fresh air hitting you. It's just not the same listening to it while stuck in west coast traffic with rain pouring down around you.
-Palm trees but no southern Californians. Now obviously if you are my friend and are from California I don't mean you. I mean those strange plastic people in LA who buy their body parts, bleach their hair, and knock you down at the mall as though you actually are invisible.
-Job prospects. Make more while everything costs less. Welcome to Texas. Not to come off as as obnoxious on this one, but here's where I'm coming from... being one income, having a 60 mile round trip to work each day, spending about 50 cents more per gallon on gas, seeing the grocery bill double, all while making a lot less per year than you were before, kind of stinks and gets hard. The second I get out there I should be able to find a higher paying job, in a much more interesting field (big city=interesting job opportunities) and live much closer to where I work. All while having cheap housing, less expensive groceries, and gas under $2 per gallon.
-Less stress. Kind of goes hand in hand with the prior one. Working closer to home, having Jeff around also, will be much easier. Quinn spends a good part of his day alone because I work a normal schedule but my commute can be over an hour each way. That's just a sucky way for him to have to live, and I stress about it constantly. I frequently get "talked to" at work because I ask for time off to go to school meetings, the orthodontist, you name it. If you have an orthodontist appointment at 4 and it takes you an hour to get home to pick up the kid, then another half hour to get back down to town where the orthodontist is... you've left work at 2:30. The west coast solution would be living closer to town, but closer to town is either trashy or completely out of my price range.
Ok, I am ranting now. Unloading, if you will. Texas is good, though.
Things I will miss are family and friends. I get to see my family out here more often than I used to and I really like that. Unfortunately, we go in spurts on seeing each other. So I finally had to decide that our spurts will now be called vacations together, because all the other reasons to move are compelling. Honestly, I really never see my friends out here, except Beth who is absolutely wonderful about coming up to visit, and Colleen, who works across the street from me and we have lunch. I love to see my other friends, but if I do it generally means leaving Quinn home later into the evening after work, so it rarely happens unless maybe he is staying the night with a friend or something. I live way too far away to actually meet up with people consistently.
A couple things I don't like about Texas, just to balance my list:
The symphony is a total sell out, because they actually have a video game concert series. I know the logic behind trying to make sure the symphony can attract a new generation and can stay in business. However, if you have to resort to putting a wide screen behind the orchestra with video game clips while they play the video game music... is that a culture worth fighting for?
Rednecks who abandon their dogs when they move out of homes (this is how I got Lucy), run puppy mills, tie their dogs to porches during a hurricane because they think that's, like, a smart idea?... I will stop here because we've all seen the Houston SPCA Animal Cops on Animal Planet. Honestly, it's not the majority of the population. There's just a large enough population that does this to actually make you sick. Let's just say I've never felt the need to go buy a bag of dog food and donate it to the animal shelter here... but there you do things like that and it's apreciated because they are overcrowded, underfunded, and it's a really sad thing. The boarding facility I board with there when I travel keeps room set aside for shelter overflow dogs and they run and play with the rest of the boarders on the acreage. I'm proud to say that Jeff and I have a matching set... Lucky and Lucy are identical white and yellow spotted generic Texas mutts... and both are rescues. Lucky was a stray Jeff picked up in a field and brought him home. I don't remember the whole story because we had just barely met when he got Lucky, but that was part of what made me want to date him. My realtor and I were discussing the dogs and she actually has 2 cats from real estate abandonment. She says it happens on the west coast, too. So maybe I am just being too hard on Texas. I think it's a much bigger problem, there, though.
Well, I was waiting around to get a kitchen pic up, but I will have to add it later because it's not coming through.
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