Big Girl Job 2.0

I got a job! YAY! I'm the new Education Event Planner for SkinMedica. I will be responsible for planning their training seminars all over the nation. It's a new position so there is lots of potential and I'm so thrilled. I'm stationed in Houston and will get to do some traveling which is exciting! And the New Boss doesn't scoff when I check a bag! SCORE!

I was really surprised they offered me the job. I'm not always good in interviews; I get nervous and say things I probably shouldn't. For instance, one of the questions they asked me was what 4 words would my previous boss use to describe me and the first word that came to mind was 'strange' so I went with that. Seriously. I started with 'strange'. I then went on to explain why and apparently sold it well because they hired the Strange One. Yay!

So now I have a new commute (SHORTER! Thank you Lord!) to a new office with new responsibilities. And while I have to get used to going to work every day, it'll totally be worth it.

Although I'm not sure Atticus agrees. :)

Until next time......

Adventures in Furniture Refinishing

Since I've had some time, I've taken on some projects around the house. Mom recently gave me a dresser that was no longer needed and I had the perfect spot for it. It's a shorter dresser and in my planning head I thought it would work perfectly for a changing table. (DISCLAIMER: This is for the FUTURE - this is NOT an announcement. This will remain only a dresser for a while! Proceed.) It was old and beat up and needed a face lift. And like with any project I do - it was an adventure.

Daniel handled the sanding and he and his dad repaired a few loose boards. Now I get to paint! The room it's going in to is green with white shelves so I decide to paint the dresser white. I'm usually morally opposed to painting wood but this wasn't an expensive piece and the quality of wood wasn't great. My first day of painting I can't find a paint stirrer anywhere in the house. Of course not - we have EVERYTHING one would need to paint, except a paint stirrer. But I find a Spork - and Sporks are universal so it will work! I get the dresser painted. White. And I go inside to let it dry. When I come back out, a bird has pooped purple stuff all over the top of my white dresser. Lovely.

I decide to move the dresser to the covered porch. I get everything painted and go back inside again. This time the dog comes to the door with a white nose. So I have to head back out and touch up the drawer with the nose print. Everything looks good so I leave it outside over night to try. The next morning I get up and there is a GIANT ROACH slowly dying next to the dresser. Seriously?! Come on! I venture out with a fly swatter in hand, smack the heck out of the offending monster and scoop it up. This is a testament to growth and how much I wanted to finish the dresser. The last time I found a roach in the house, I put a bucket over it and waited for Daniel to get home. See - growth!

I picked out new hardware and the dresser is now complete. And it looks great!

Here's the before:

Here's how it looks now!

Driving Lessons

I'm going to brag on my boys for a little while.

Travis got to come home this weekend for Mother's Day and I'm constantly amazed at how much of a different kid he is now. He's been at Miracle Farms since January and it has made such a difference. He's engaging and HAPPY! He smiles and jokes and converses! It's awesome! He stands taller and seems to have the confidence he lacked. He's not glued to the computer screen and he does things without being asked. And I can't even began to thank the people of Miracle Farms. Travis is getting the male leadership he was missing at home and so much desired. And he's a different kid.

He spent Saturday night at our house because mom had to work and we were taking him back to school. He turned 17 in March but still doesn't have a Driver's License so we thought to kill some time we could let him get behind the wheel. After our movie, we headed to an empty lot and told him to get in the Drivers seat. His face lit up like Christmas and he got behind the wheel. He turned in to man while I wasn't looking. Ouch.

I'm not known for my patience so I took the back seat. ;)

And with careful instruction from my Beloved, Travis got his first driving lesson.

One of things that attracted me to Daniel was his patience. He is a wonderfully patient teacher. He is thorough and efficient and thoughtful. He gave Travis careful instructions and allowed for him to learn. To see him patiently teaching my baby brother how to navigate parking brought tears to my eyes. I married a good man and I'm a very lucky girl.

And I love my boys very much.

Until next time...

On the Road Again

This weekend Daniel and I ventured out on a road trip! Friday we left Atticus with his Grandma and headed north. We left Houston a little later then we intended but made good time. Our first stop was for gas right outside of Huntsville. In trying to get back on 45 with all the construction we ended up on a dead end road. We knew this because there were big signs everywhere reading DEAD END. So we come to one that says Do Not Pass and I (maybe not so calmly) tell Daniel "THAT SIGN SAYS DO NOT PASS!!" And he laughs because he married an alarmist. "Babe, you're not supposed to pass other cars. And that's the funniest thing I've heard all day." It's not my fault I have an overactive imagination and have seen way too many scary movies! Whatever.

After crashing in Corsicana, we got up Saturday and headed for the Gus Engeling Wildlife Management Area to honor the accomplishments of Wes Littrell. Wes died almost a year ago while working on his Small Acreage Demonstration Area project and the Texas Parks and Wildlife honored his memory by naming the completed project after him. It was nice to learn more about what he was doing and how much he loved it. And it's a comfort to know there is something tangible for his son to see when he's old enough to know.

After the Dedication service, we headed toward Canton for some shopping. It was our first experience with First Monday and let me tell you - it'll probably be the last. There were people EVERYWHERE. And they brought their dogs! I don't get it. Who brings their dogs to a Flea Market? We only lasted about 2 hours and it was only that long because we walked through one building and ended up four buildings over so it took longer to find our car. We spent Saturday night in Forney where we got to see Daniel's friend Stanley.

By Sunday we were ready to head home. We're not cut out for this Road Trip stuff. We didn't sleep at all in either hotel room and couldn't wait to get home. At home we have a Sleep Number bed and before I would tell you I can't tell much difference, but after spending the weekend away from my #30 setting I can say IT'S WORTH IT! It makes ALL the difference!

We're glad we went. We got to see friends and spend some time seeing Texas. But we're happy to be home. While we were getting ready to head home Sunday Daniel said we're not going on any more trips....unless it's Disney. I said "Deal".

Until next time....