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Good Stuff

Thu, 05 Jul 2007 14:01:17 GMT

Guess who else got a promotion?! ME!!! YAY! I am now a "Project Manager II" instead of a "Project Manager I". Basically, I do the exact same thing, but they pay me more! That is the best promotion EVER! LoL

Also, my uncle Clay, Dad and Joe all worked on our landscaping last weekend and it looks GREAT! They got asked 3 times for their card by neighbors...LoL. Here are pictures:

Quick Update

Mon, 25 Jun 2007 17:58:11 GMT

So much has been going on lately!!!! Joe got a promotion (and a very nice raise) which is great because he has been working really hard and deserves it. They haven't finalized his title yet (even though his raise is already effective) but I imagine it will be Manager of Cost Accounting. He gets a chance at a really nice bonus now that he is manager level too, which is AWESOME!

My mom, dad and uncle (who is a landscaper in Houston) are coming in this weekend to help with our landscaping. We donated our 2 trees in the front yard to a couple with 2 kids who can't afford landscaping. They came by and got them on Saturday. We are going to put Bradford Pear trees in their place. I am excited! We will have the prettiest house on the block! And I LOVE gardening. Not to mention, I could use some SUN! LoL

Other than that, it is just work, work work. Joe has decided that he wants to get a 2008 Nissan Altima Coupe for his car. (The SUV he is driving now is technically MY car). We will probably get it later this year. We could afford it now, but with the house and the other new car, I hate spending so much money at once! YIKES!

Back to work I go....

Second Love

Tue, 05 Jun 2007 20:57:18 GMT

It's true...I have a second love (next to Joe). Photography. I love photography. There, I said it! Last weekend I photographed my friend Jacqie's wedding (this weekend I will be photographing at a co-workers wedding for fun). It has been a while since I have gotten my camera out (due to moving and rain), but it felt so liberating to be a photographer again. (No, I wasn't their ACTUAL photographer...I was just the amateur!) In fact, their photographer asked for my number and told me she would give me a call when she does a wedding up near Allen because she would love to have me as her assistant photographer. Now, I did inform her that I was VERY much an amateur, but she didn't seem to mind. How cool would that be?!

Unfortunately, (as it is with all of my hobbies) photography is pretty expensive when you get into it. I already have over $1500 of things I want (which is a pretty short list, I have to say). But, most of all, I want my $450 external flash. Someday, I will get it. But for now, I will just have to wish it was mine. After all, I have spent enough money lately on massages and a maid. Not to mention we will have a patio cover built probably this coming weekend (cedar posts, shingles to match our house...the whole 9 yards). So, I guess my photography accessories can wait another few months.... (I'm already spoiled enough for now!)

Here are a few of my (unedited) photos. I still need to learn how to master photoshop so my photography will look more like I am a professional.

From ALX to DDD

Mon, 21 May 2007 21:54:35 GMT

Well, for those who don't know already...the local sorority I helped found on UTD campus back in February of 2003 is now colonizing into a chapter of Tri-Delta! I am so thrilled to soon be an official alumnus of DDD, and also so proud of my sisters for working hard on going national!

ALX will always be a part of me, and I am so excited that DDD will be in my future!

http://www.deltadeltadelta.org/news/TriDelta_inNews/UTD_Extension.asp

One Month Later...

Tue, 15 May 2007 17:54:20 GMT

Well, time to bring all of my (2) avid readers up to speed! A LOT has been going on lately, so we have been keeping busy. Shortly after we moved into our house, we got our new doggie! We love her so much! She is seriously the best dog EVER! She rarely barks or whines. She likes to play, but if you want to relax she will lay down beside you instead. She loves EVERYONE...and everyone seems to love her as well. My mother-in-law is trying to get us to switch dogs with her! Mimi and the cats are now out in the house together. The situation is getting better day-by-day. Mimi just wants to play with them SO BADLY, but I think she is learning that they don't want to play with her. There is still the occasional hissing, but overall I have been really pleased with all of their behavior. They even all slept in the same room with Joe and I while we watched TV the other day!!!! (I was excited!)

I have stumbled along probably the 5th best deal EVER recently. I organized a massage discount program for my work through a local massage place I go to. For $212 each, all of the participants are getting 1 YEAR of UNLIMITED 1 hour MASSAGES!!!! That's right! I am going every Tuesday night now, and it is heaven. Lisa, my massage therapist, is the best thing that has happened to me since Joe!

Speaking of being spoiled, I am getting a maid too!!! It is HARD work keeping an almost 2700 sq. ft. house clean. I worked out a cost analysis for Joe (my cost accountant husband). It showed that even if I ONLY spent 2 hours a week cleaning (though it is more like 7 hours!), it is MUCH more cost effective to hire a maid every other week. So, he relented (after much persuading) and I get a maid every other week now!!! I am hoping to have my house cleaned for the first time next week. It will be nice to only have to do "maintenance cleaning" myself. No bathtubs, showers, toilets, mopping or dusting for me!!! (Well, unless we are having company over.) WOOHOOO!!!

Joe, me, my sister and my brother-in-law just got back from a WONDERFUL 5 night cruise to the Caribbean last week. It was nice to be able to relax after a tough 2 weeks of moving in and unpacking! We went to Cozumel and Progresso, Yucatan. We all got a little sunburnt but it relieved so much stress. It was Joe & I's Happy Early Anniversary Cruise! Yes, that's right, we will have been married for a YEAR in 1 month and 2 days! I can hardly believe it has already been a year. What a whirlwind of a year it has been too! From new jobs to a new apartment and then a new house. A new dog, new maid....! WOW! We are really blessed!

My Uncle Clay is coming into town with my mom in about a month to help with our landscaping. He is a landscaper in Houston and can get wholesale prices on everything. Look out "Yard of the Month"...here I come!!! Haha

Well, back to work I go...

CLOSING TIME!

Sun, 15 Apr 2007 21:08:53 GMT

That's right, we are closing on our house this Tuesday!!!! We are so excited! (And definitely ready to be out of an apartment.) Well, can't write much because we are still packing. I will write more in a week or two when we get all settled in!

Here are some recent pictures of the house and kitchen (I LOVE the kitchen)!!

This is the house minus our pretty door (this is just a construction door).

This is our pretty door (but picture it with a handle set.)

Can You Say: Shopping Spree?

Mon, 09 Apr 2007 17:23:36 GMT

Joe and I went this past weekend to get everything bought for the house. That way, it can be delivered on time!

I feel rich and broke all at the same time! Rich because we get all this cool new stuff, but broke because it makes me sad to debit that much from our account within the course of 2 days. Of course, it will be nothing compared to down payment and closing costs! LoL Here is what we ended up with:

1. Stainless steel fridge (actually, it just LOOKS like stainless steel but can hold magnets and is MUCH easier to keep clean.) Best of both worlds!

2. Dining table w/ 6 chairs

3. China Cabinet

4. Microfiber sectional for game room

5. Coffee table for game room

6. Couch and loveseat for formal living room

7. Lawnmower

8. Weed eater

9. Washer/Dryer

10. Doggie bed (it is on order.)

11. Doggie gate (it is extra tall since she is tall, and it has a small door for the kitties to go through). This is to keep Mimi out of the cat food/litter and to give the cats a place to hide if they feel they want to.

12. All the paint we will need (yes, that is 14 gallons of paint for the interior...yikes!)

I am so excited! We have everything being delivered on Friday and Saturday (20th and 21st). We still are unsure of our closing date. There was a small leak in the house (some idiot put a nail through a water pipe), so that had to be fixed which pushed everything out. The latest they said we could close would be Thursday the 19th but we are still hoping to close Monday the 16th (as originally planned). Keep your fingers crossed!!!

House Update

Tue, 03 Apr 2007 15:45:05 GMT

Well, the bricking is done. The landscaping is done (with the sod all put in). The light fixtures, heating, etc. are done. We even got carpet yesterday! All that is left is finishing the paint, building the fence and touch-ups. We have our walk-through on Monday and I am so excited!!! Our closing date is scheduled for April 16th. Look for us to have an open house sometime in late May. YAY!!!

Oh, and we are going to Mimi's foster parent's house tomorrow to walk her! I am so excited!

I will post new pictures of us with Mimi and the house soon!

Love This Song!

Thu, 29 Mar 2007 15:54:57 GMT

"One Good Love" - Rascall Flatts

One good love
Erases all the bitter tears on an empty dance hall
All those lonely nights when she never called
It just don't seem so tragic after all
With one good love

One good love
And daddy's hands were strong and fair
And a momma understands because she's been there
And all mistakes were just because they cared so much
With one good love

[Chorus]
One good love
You bless all my memories
You soften the fall of my tears
And in my arms you're more than enough
You're one good love

Hey you're one good love
Yeah, you're one good love

[Repeat Chorus]

One good love
And born again means more than pass the plate and bow your head
Yes, you bury what needs burying, you raise it from the dead
The very best, you heal the brokeness, give grace to everyone
With one good love

Yeah, oh, one good love
Hey, hey, one good love
Yeah, I'll give you one good love
Oh, give me one good love now, love yeah
ooooooo yeah
Lord, I feel born again, yeah
You got to give me one good love now
One good love

Our New Car!!!

Tue, 27 Mar 2007 03:15:14 GMT

Joe and I were going to wait until this summer, but Chevy has a REALLY good deal on the Equinox. Since we get employee pricing (thanks Joe's daddy!), the only way our price can get any better is with rebates. They had more rebates this month than they have in about 8 months (trust me, we have looked). So, we got it! It is a brand new Equinox with all sorts of good features (i.e. leather seats, heated seats, remote start, etc.)

Isn't it pretty?!

QOTD: "With a little luck this ol' truck will get me home today. With a little more I'll still have this job tomorrow. Weather man says a wet weekend he just might be right, but rain or shine you'll be mine tonight. That's all I need to know. In a world where most things come and go. I'll always have you to hold, and that's all I need to know." ~Kenny Chessney