Getting Ready for our Plus One

Our Plus One is just around the corner!  It's hard to believe that any day now our two-person family will become a family of three.  Sometimes it seems like just yesterday that Rob and I were graduating high school together.  Yes, we've been together that long!  We made it through the throes of high school, the life-changing experience of college, graduating college during a recession, getting married, moving 10 hours away from our family, buying our first home, promotions at work, and numerous DIY projects.  We've officially been married for five years!  What a five years it has been.  Now, we're getting ready to embark on our next big journey... becoming parents.

When I sit and think about it, it's really scary!  How do you take care of a helpless human being?  Better yet, how does this helpless human being travel through the body and come out kicking and screaming?  Haven't made it to that part yet, but women seem to do it all the time, so I suppose it will all work out just fine.  How do you teach that love is patient and love is kind?  How do you show your baby that doing the right thing is not always the easy road?  How do do you explain that the road he is travelling will constantly split, make ninety degree turns, go up and down, hit a few dead ends and move so fast you don't realize how far you have traveled until you look back?  The world is a very scary place.. how do you protect your baby but offer freedom to grow and become independent at the same time?  There are a bazillion things I don't know.  And I hate not knowing the answer.  That's just not me.  Or well, I don 't know a lot of things, but I know how to find the answers.  In this case, there's no finding the answers... no book to tell you just what to do on any given day.  It's having faith.  It's giving it all you've got even on the bad days and hoping that one day, your baby will realize what all you've done for him and he will be the man God intended for him to be.

I know this journey for me and Rob is going to be bumpy, full of sleepless nights, joy, laughter, tears, bruises, but most importantly, I know it's going to be filled with love.  Below, you will see a picture of an elephant sitting in the never been used crib.  To most of you, it will just be this sweet looking elephant.  But, that's not what it symbolizes to me.

This is the elephant that Robert picked out for our baby boy.  It's not even from a fancy place.  It's from Ikea.  But, he snatched it up one day and wouldn't let anyone else carry it.  In fact, I'm pretty sure he used his own separate checkout lane to buy it.  I could be wrong though, but the point I'm trying to get across here is that Robert was very protective of his elephant for baby.  To this day, he goes in and checks on the elephant in the nursery.  He spent several minutes deciding the right place for the elephant to sit... should it sit on shelf.. or maybe the top railing of the crib.. the floor?  Once it was decided, he spent his time making sure the elephant sits just right.  (Yes, we know guys, the elephant cannot stay in the crib once baby is born, but for now, it's the place Rob has chosen).  Literally, every time we go into the nursery (sometimes, we just walk in and stare) and he re-adjusts the elephant and gives him a little pat or light rub.  When I see Rob with this elephant, I know how much he is going to love our sweet baby.  This elephant is his gift to his son and he wants it to be just perfect.  I love this.  Just seeing him this way over a stuffed elephant will bring tears to my eyes.  (Okay, maybe its just the extra hormones, but its precious nonetheless).

There is one thing that I have never doubted and it is how great a dad Robert is going to be.  There is one constant in my life and it is Robert.  He loves me with everything he has and I can tell he is going to love our baby boy with all that he is.  This gives me such hope and joy, just knowing this.  I can't wait to see him hold his son for the very first time.  That will be one moment that I hope I can remember for the rest of my life.  Just please Rob, don't pass out during the delivery!

As far as material items go, it looks like we are all set for our baby boy to arrive.  We've worked so hard to pull everything together.  We've done everything together. We've stenciled a wall, we've painted/stenciled a dresser, we've had the gosh darn laser leveler out for hours on end to get everything straight as an arrow on the wall.  We've assembled Ikea spice racks and turned them into book shelves (or, I'm afraid a climbing wall once he is old enough to walk/climb).  We assembled the crib (thanks to all of our previous Ikea experience, the crib only took us about 15 minutes to assemble--though it did not come from Ikea!), assembled a diaper changing table, painted said diaper changing table and then installed drawers in it.  We're all set for his arrival.  We've got what seems to be diapers and wipes galore (but I'm quite positive, will only last us approximately 1 week in all actuality).  I officially have a stack of baby wash clothes about 50 deep in the bathroom.  We've got the cutest hooded towels, too.  I've got loads of burp cloths, receiving blankets, and swaddle cloths.  All we need is the baby.

Robert and I pretty much do everything together.  We have always been this way.  Even since high school, we prefer to be homebodies and spend our time in each other's company.  That's probably not always a good thing, but we literally just love doing things together.  I ride along in the golf cart when he wants to golf.  He comes shopping with me, no complaints, ever.  He just sits with me when I want to read a book.  It's just what we do.  Some of my biggest fear when getting ready for our baby will be that, that will change.  Our focus will be our newborn child.  I know there will be days where I will be glad that Robert came home from work, but it won't be because we can curl up on the couch together.. it will be so that he can give baby a bath or change a diaper and I can have a few moments of peace.  Of course, there's nothing wrong with those moments or days, but I want to make sure that we stick together.  That our son sees what its like to truly be a family.  That he always sees how much his mom and dad love each other.  So, that when he meets the girl of his dreams, he will know what it means to court her and be the man she needs him to be.

All in all, we're as ready is as ready can be!  Rob's so sweet now.. correction, he is always sweet, but he's even more attentive than usual.  He rubs my back without complaint and he cooks me dinner even if he gets home after me.  He says now, every time I call him or text him, he gets really nervous.. I could be calling because I'm in labor!  So, here's to us and our new adventure, together.  When Rob and Jess become Rob & Jess, plus one.

1, 2, Home.

 This weekend we got to set the house hunting aside and get on a plane to Arkansas.  We left Friday night and came back Monday afternoon.  So, it was an uber quick trip home, but... I got the flights for $59 so it was hard to pass up.

We went to celebrate my sister, Kirstie's birthday, my dad's birthday, and see Kirstie and Travis do their thing out on the track.  Ironically enough, we didn't get to see Kirstie's birthday.  She jumped Friday at 4 PM and our flight didn't even leave on Friday until 7 PM.  So, we missed her.  But she did place 6th which is pretty good.

We did get to see Travis run his races on Saturday though.  He did very well, too.  I know not his personal best, but nothing to be ashamed about that's for sure.  We spent all day Saturday at the track.  Kirstie down loaded this app on Kate's iPad (she got one for Christmas, too) so that we could record videos and then watch them back in slow motion.  So, picture us holding up the iPad and then replaying it back in slow motion. I'm sure we were a hoot to our surrounding spectators.  

Here is a picture of us spectators.  (The lady on the far left is Travis' mom, Gretchen).

 

We also went to PF Changs at night to celebrate Kirstie's birthday. Way too good of food, I tell ya.  Sunday, I had breakfast with my Michelle where we got to catch up after not seeing each other for probably like 6 months or something like that.  We also got to see Kathleen, Robert's grandparents' the Maguires, and Grandma Joan and Jordan.  We also went bowling where Travis bowled a 200.  It was definitely a great game.

Kate even managed to set the pace for the Ladies on the second game where she got her own PR (personal record)! I think she bowled like a 150 or something like that.  Trust me when I say, she freaking rocked.  The rest of us bowled so-so.  Dad and Rob also did a good job with each of them coming close to the 200 mark.  I can't remember who it was that got 4 strikes in a row!  Mega-stars, I tell ya.

Me, Trav, Kirk and Rob also played a few games of ping pong in my parent's garage (nice weather).  It was an intense game.. kirstie even almost busted it on the garage floor.  We played two people where you would pop in and pop out.  It was intense (at least for me)!  It turns out Rob, I think, was the weakest link because he liked to do the "fancy" stuff and the ball usually never hit the table.  (P.S. Should also never play on teams with your significant other... it never turns out well).

Our Sunday night ended with a fajita dinner, watching Shaun White win the X-games, and playing a game of Logo.  If you're really into brand names, you need to check this game out.  It won't disappoint you and keep you entertained for hours.  

Rob and I came home Monday with no real exciting news to report.  My only comment is, I guess my apartment is dirty because one of the first things Rob did was grab the swiffer and begin dusting.  He's so anal retentive!  So, I guess I'll be cleaning the apartment this weekend as you know its bad when Rob gets the swiffer... not to mention he got the swiffer when he was tired from traveling. See what I have to deal with?

Anyways, hope you have a great week.  I'll be cleaning this upcoming weekend (oh, what fun!) and maybe some house hunting and then watching the super bowl (of which I have no favorite).

 

Happy Thanksgiving, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

So, I've definitely been just a tad bit lazy.  Sorry guys. I definitely did not blog about Thanksgiving and its getting past time that I blog about Christmas, too.  Because, well, this being New Year's Eve and all... 2011 is just about over.

Something else you should know... I'm writing this on my iPad.  It took me almost 3 months of convincing to convince Robert he should buy me one.  I had to sell my old iPod touch and Robert's old iPhone 3G as well as take back my Christmas present that Robert bought me (more on that later... you'll discover why I took it back, but there's a funny story to go with it. )

So, lets keep it simple with Thanksgiving.  Robert and I headed to Canyon Lake for a few days.  We pretty much had beautiful weather the whole weekend were there.  We definitely had some great food.  We missed seeing our cousins Dena, Jake and Ann but had a lot of fun hanging out with Julia and Jane, the rest of the Atzenhoffer/Hunt clan. We played some Wii, went shopping in Greune and, of course, watched some Aggie & Arkansas football.  You know how the football games ended.. badly, so we won't keep talking about those.

Me, my mom and my sisters also went a did a little Black Friday shopping at midnight.  Or well, we tried to do some black Friday shopping.  Kate wanted a TV from Wal-Mart so we went there first and, well, they were already sold out before they actually went on sale.  Imagine that.  So we left and headed to the San Marcos Outlet Mall... with what seemed like the rest of the State of Texas.  The place was packed... I did nab a good parking spot though.  But the lines to check out were pretty much really long.  We made a few purchases at J.Crew and Ann Taylor.... but as I was telling my mom, I'm not sure how comfortable I feel picking out my Christmas presents at 1 AM.  And when we got to Ralph Lauren, the line to check out was 45 minutes long.  No thank you.

I'm not sure what we were thinking...we don't generally like shopping with crowds and waiting in lines... why on earth would we be able to tolerate it when we're friggin tired??  Yeah, so we left and went home to sleep.

Another random incident that happened on the night of the Aggie/Texas game (Thanksgiving Day).  A man in the condo across the parking lot from ours died.  He apparently had a seizure of some sort and ended up dying.  It put a real damper on our night.  I still feel immensely sorry for that family, definitely not a way you want to spend your Thanksgiving.  Made me really thankful for my family, that's for sure.

So... anyways.. onward to Christmas...

These are the cupcakes that Kate made for Christmas!

Robert and I headed to Arkansas on the night of December 22nd.  We pulled in around midnight and drove home on December 28th.  So, a pretty long trip.  Just kind of stinks that you have to spend two full days of that just traveling.  Alas, that's what you gotta do.

I had so much fun at home.  I love spending quality time with my sisters and my mom and dad.  We also got to see Mema & Pepa who stayed with us for a few days as well.  We spent a whole day baking and icing cookies like we did last year. We went to the Fayetteville Square to look at pizza and got to eat at our favorite pizza place... Guido's.

We tried a new icing trick for our sugar cookies called Royal Icing.  We made it ourselves.  It was definitely a little bit messy and kind of hard word.  We had to outline our cookies and then "flood" the cookie  with icing to fill it.  We had to use like actual icing bags you buy at the store (advanced, I know.).  Of course, I was in-charge of flooding the cooking which means your icing is so runny that it just pours out of the bag and fills the cooking.  I might have forgotten to roll up the top of my bag though and had icing pouring out of both ends.  Straight down my arm and hand.  So, that was amusing.  None of those cookies made the cookie plate, but they did taste really good.

Me, Rob, Kate and Kirstie played Act Your Wage by Dave Ramsey one afternoon, as well.  It's a game kind of like Life and Monopoly mixed together.  You draw life cards so you know your annual salary and fixed expenses as well as how many kids you have.  Then, you draw three debt cards and you go around the board any pay your expenses and receive your weekly pay.  There are other good/bad surprises thrown in through out the board.  The first to get out of debt, wins the game.  I know, I know... doesn't sound that exciting.  But, it really was pretty fun.  I won the game (go figure, I know).  It is definitely a good game to work in money management and teaching you how to pay your bills and live off what you have. 

Sadly (or maybe happily), I forsee Rob and I playing this game on our own because we are addicted to money management and now that we have our finances in order, we need more challenges!  Hahaha.  Believe me, I know what you're thinking right now.

So.. moving forward.  We had the traditional mexican dinner on Christmas Eve  (tamales, Chili and Tortilla Soup) and got to see the Johnson Family.  We also went to a candlelight service at Fellowship Bible Church.  Is it only me, but I get insanely nervous when we start lighting the candle.  All I can picture is the church bursting into flames.  It did not, however.

Christmas Day we spent the first part with my family opening Christmas presents where Rob and I got some clothes, a knife set (which we needed badly!), a piece to our Christmas Village, and some other assortments of awesome goodies.  We also had the traditional Christmas lunch with Ham and Turkey and all the sides as well as the pie to go with it.  We also played some Michael Jackson dance game that Kirstie got for Christmas to keep us entertained.

Later, we went over to the Meier's where we got to hang out with Robert's family.  The boys played some pool and the girls stayed in the kitchen.  Dinner was spectacular which included beef tenderloin, wedge salad, potatoes, green beans, sweet potatoes and rolls.  We opened up presents where Robert and I walked away with some new jackets and lots of other goodies.  At both places, of course.. we got some money (which we are incredibly thankful for).

The next day on the 26th, we spent most of the day with Robert's mom, Kathleen and her parents as well as Lori, Ryan and Stacy.  We opened presents and played Trash Train where Robert's grandma Lorene beat the pants off the rest of us.  We also went back to the Meier's where we helped Christine with her new iPhone and iPad and syncing between the iCloud. 

The last day of our trip was the 27th and we spent it running around in different directions.  Robert hung out with his mom and his grandma and me and my mom went running around.  Headed to Dillard's where I bought a piece to my Christmas Village for like 70% off (woo hoo!) and some new shoes.  We also helped Kathleen deliver a piece of furniture to her house in her office.  Then, we went and admired some chairs that mom is looking to replace "the green chair" with at home.

We also went to the Meier's that night for game night.  We had some Chicken and Gnocchi soup, Chich Tortilla soup and Beef Vegetable soup.  I also got to play with my niece and nephew, Maddison and Tristin.  Those two are growing up so fast.  They are definitely at the playful stage.  Me and Maddy played with make-up and I took the two of them round and 'round the Kitchen in their red wagon.

Little kids have such an imagination.  Little Maddy was having a picnic and eating her carrots and her fruit.  Mommy would have been proud, had those been real food!  The two of them were very cute and made my evening.  The rest of the grown-ups played Sequence where the Green team won both games.

I even got Maddy to give me hugs and kisses when we left (first time ever!).  When I asked for just one more hug, she said "No, that's it Aunt Jess."  So cute!

So anyways, I've yet to tell you the story of when Robert and I exchanged presents which was before we went to Arkansas.  I got him some new kitchen utensils from Williams & Sonoma and a shirt from Banana Republic.  He got me.. wait for it... a hair dryer.  From Neiman Marcus.  Not cheap.  You may ask, well Jessica.. did you ask for a blowdryer?  No, I did not.  A few months ago I had been looking for one because I could tell mine was on its last leg, but just never bought one.

Rob kept this in his head though the whole time.  He said he did all this research and that this blow dryer was going to amazing... I wouldn't even need to straighten my hair afterwards.  Well, I tested it out and I think Robert was a little disappointed that it didn't dry my hair any faster and my hair looked the same like it normally does after I blow dry it.  I still had to use my Chi to straighten it out some more afterwards.  Silly kid.  He did really try hard though, so I know its really the thought that counted.  We decided to take it back though because it was really expensive for hair dryer that does the same thing that all hair dryers do.

So yes, Robert and I have had quite the time and have been incredibly blessed.  I can't believe that year 2011 is almost over.  In just one more day 2012 will be upon us.  Rob and I will have been out of college for 4 years and high school for 8 years.  Can you believe it??  Me either.

I hope you and your family had a great Christmas and have a Happy New Year.  God Bless!

P.S.  I'm going to work on my blogging for 2012, maybe I can keep it more consistent this year around!

 

A Weekend Full of Meier’s

The weekend before Thanksgiving was filled with Meier’s.  Randy & Christine (“R&C”) (Rob’s parents) drove down and Ryan & Stacy (“R&S”) flew down from Colorado Springs.  We hadn’t all been together since last Christmas… so it was quite the reunion.

On Friday night we met up with R&C at Houston’s for some fabulous burgers and catch up chats.  Later that night we ventured out to George Bush airport to pick up R&S.  Smooth sailing at the airport really… no delayed flights or lost luggage. 

In the car, Ryan even asked me to talk about Dave Ramsey and I got to give my Dave Ramsey spiel. I love giving the “debt free” speech and have perfected it to under 5 minutes.  Just ask R&S, I was quick.  The church they go to endorses Dave Ramsey so they’ve heard of him, too.  Why does it seem that every blog I right talks about Dave Ramsey???  Most of my friends seem to be talking about getting, being, or just having been pregnant.  I prefer to talk about Dave Ramsey myself.  J

We headed to Pappa’s Burgers with R&S to meet up with their friend Travis on our way back from the airport.  Since Rob & I and already eaten, we just ordered a milkshake.  Not gonna lie tho… that milkshake might have been one of the best ever.  During this time, we also watched an intense Iowa State, OSU game.  Crazy weird.

We called it quits around 11 or so and headed in for the night.

Saturday, I made R&S cinnamon rolls and Ryan had a bloody nose due to the extreme change to humidity from dryness.  Whoops!  J  It was really, really humid while they were here.  At least 90% on Saturday.  On the bright side, Stace said that she hadn’t had to use lotion as much!! J

We caught the Port of Houston tour of the Ship Channel via boat and got to see some gigantic ships and things on the Houston ship channel.  The tour was free, which made it kind of amazing.  I was kind of hoping to maybe see some historic things, but we didn’t really.  Just really big ships.

For lunch Christine found this place called Azteca’s where we ate Mexican food and then R&C went and did some errands at The Container Store while we took R&S through the classy neighborhoods of River Oaks and Tanglewood.  We reminded them, that no… we would not be living here… but it’s always fun to come and look!!  We came back to the apartment to rest up and watch the first half of the Arkansas game.

That evening, we headed to City Center to walk around, eat dinner and see a comedy show.  We ate at a place called Tuscan Brio Grille which was fabulous.  It was a nice evening so we could sit outside.  The waiter new there were twins at our table, but at the time he came over Ryan was gone to the bathroom so the waiter was trying to figure out who were the twins between me, Robert, and Stacy.  We told him that he would know who the twins were when everyone was at the table.  J

We headed to the comedy club which was very funny.  It was very clean humor, but there were a few too many teenagers in the crowd.  But, it was still really funny.  When asked to describe a Canadian… Ryan volunteered the word ‘Heterogeneous”.  Don’t ask how he came up with that word or even why he came up with that word… but he was awarded the “best suggestion” at the end of the night and the comedy person acting out the word heterogeneous even got his team to guess the right word.  It was very impressive.  All in all, a very hilarious night.

On Sunday we slept in a little and had brunch at this place Chris found in the Height’s called Dharma’s Café.  It was very good food and probably a place that we would go back to.  We then headed out to Houston Zoo, which was very spectacular.  Did you know that you can feed giraffes there??  For $5 you can feed them 3 pieces of lettuce.  Note to self:  bring your own lettuce.  It was a very nice zoo and a lot of it seemed pretty new.  I’m told the African Forest section is about a year old.

We also went up to the Cheesecake Factory at the Woodlands Mall where we were able to meet up with Robert’s sister Jordan who rode down with a friend.  Later, we drove R&S back to the airport for them to catch their flight back home.

It was very nice catching up with everyone and hearing about everyone’s lives.  As you can see, we packed a lot in to a short weekend.  On Monday, I spent the day with Jordan & Christine and their friends at the outlet mall in Cypress and met up with Robert and his dad at the Hard Rock Café.

Phew!  Lots of things to be thankful for this season.  Today, we’re off for one last meal with the Meier’s and then to Canyon Lake to spend the rest of the week with the Hesseltine/Atzenhoffer family.

Woo Pig Sooie... It's not PIG for dinner!

Ahh, yes.  The Arkansas vs A&M game.  Parents vs kids.  Red vs Maroon.  Pig vs Collie.  Old vs Young.   Who will win?  Who will lose?  Well, since I’m writing this after the game, there’s really no suspense.  Arkansas won.  Ok, blog over.  Just kidding!

So, anyways… yes this past weekend was the Arkansas vs A&M football game held at Jerry Jones’ world of Cowboy Stadium.  The place where you forget there is an opponent sitting on the other side because the screen is so huge that you can’t see half the stadium.  Or you watching the big screen and you realize that they are still on replay mode while the real play is actually going on down below.  But, in all fairness, it might just be America’s best stadium.

So, to begin this trek to Dallas we all came from different locations in three different cars.  Kirstie & Trav together in Trav’s truck; mom, dad and Kate in the trusty Suburban; and rob and myself in the Lex.   The plan was for Robert and I to be on the road at exactly 3 PM on Friday.   I got to the apartment and got everything together at about 2:15.  Robert pulls in at 2:30.  On Rob’s way into the garage he calls to say “Hey… grab the Goo Gone.”  (If you don’t know what this is, you need to google it because its very great at removing all things sticky.)  I’m like.. what is this for??  Low and behold I discover that Rob has never put on his new registration sticker.. that we got in JULY.  How is this??  I do not know.  But I guess he decided that since we were going out of town, he better put it on.  (No worries, my Jeep was taken care of already.)  So that was a quick sidebar.

Then, once the goo gone-ing is complete, I also discover that Rob has bought new wiper blades.  He says, “it’s just gonna take a quick 5 mins”…. I’m like seriously Rob… we don’t have time for this, we still have to run by the ATM for some cash.  Plus, not to mention, there isn’t a cloud in the sky and nor is there a forecast for one either.  So, I finally convince Rob to wait on the blades.. we’ve got to hit the road!

And well, hit the road we did.  It was pretty smooth sailing.  We left at 3 and were in Dallas by 6:30 and checked into the hotel by 7.  Pretty speedy… I did not check the speedometer once… I’ll just leave that to Rob as I know he would prefer it.

Rob and I got all checked in and proceeded to go find us some dinner while we wait on the ‘rents and everyone else. 

We have two rooms… 7 people.  Travis lucked out the most because the hotel rooms had double beds and he got to sleep by himself.  Trav shared a room with Robert and I (lucky dog, I know) while everyone else got to listen to Dad snore in the other room.  (Since we’ve been married, Robert (and myself) now refuses to sleep in the same room as Dad because of his snoring… but in all fairness, he did put up with it for 7 years before we were married!)  That man can snore.  It’s really quite disturbing. 

However, I have learned that Travis likes to sleep with his room at a crisp 64 degrees.  I’m pretty sure I caught a cold from my hotel room.  BRRRR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!    I now know what it feels like to be an Eskimo and sleep in an Igloo.

The bummer part about the game was the fact that the game was at 11AM.  So, we had to get up at the crack of dawn to head to the game.  We picked up a gazillion donuts and sausage rolls from Kountry Biscuits and tailgated in Lot 4 for about 2 hours.  It was a tad bit chilly, too.  But, overall.. a perfect fall day.

We all went into the game about 45 minutes before it started and found us some seats that didn’t belong to us, but didn’t belong to anyone else either.  (Yes, we had tickets on the corner, but we didn’t like those… so we moved).  Right on the 50 yard line, too.  If you watched the game, you’ll know the first half A&M dominated and the 2^nd half Arkansas pulled out a major comeback.  At around halftime, I was seriously thinking that I needed a nap since I had gotten up so early… but once the 2^nd half started and Arkansas started to strut their stuff, things got a little bit more exciting.  Arkansas ended up pulling it out and Hog calls echoed throughout the stadium all the way out to the parking lot.  So, that puts Arkansas 3-0 on the series.  Maybe next year Ag’s???  I dunno… I can’t root for you now since you’re joining the SEC.  J

Alas, that ended our game and so we then had a late lunch with Trav’s dad and all of us at El Fenix… one of the best Mexican places in Dallas if I do say so myself.  Then, we did a little shopping and got ice cream at Braum’s.

Deciding to get ice cream at Braum’s was a little bit of an ordeal.  We were gonna go to Cheesecake Factory and get dessert… but Rob decided he wanted real food, but there was a 45 minute wait at 9PM at night.  So, then we couldn’t decide where to go and after multiple attempts at trying to make a decision, we ended up at Braum’s.  Trav didn’t eat.  So, I guess majority were happy…. But Kirstie & Trav went to Buffalo Wild Wings way late… so Trav got fed too.  I love Braum’s… not having one in Houston really makes me appreciate Braum’s.

I’ve yet to find a place where you can get good ice cream for like $1.50 or less.  There’s just all these fancy places in Houston where you spend like $6 bucks for a scoop of ice cream and some mix-in.  I’m way over that people.  When we got back from Braum's... Rob decided that would be a good time to do his wiper blades.  Sometimes, I just don't get him.. it was 10:30 at night, cloudless, rainless, and dark.  But, he wanted to do it, so he did it.  We haven't gotten to use them yet tho, so I don't know how they work.

So… that’s pretty much our trip in a nutshell.  We all headed back to our respective places on Sunday after having a nice breakfast at Cracker Barrel.  It was great getting to catch up with my mom and sisters and seeing Dad act like a nincompoop at the game (he was just so excited before the game, he couldn’t contain himself… unfortunately, he was let down by the team).

Next weekend, Rob and I are going to see Dave Ramsey Live!  I’ll be sure to fill you in, because I’m pretty excited!

See my dad's goofy face??  And no, parent's did not wear red.
And, not sure if you can tell, but Dad has an Aggie button on his SEC hat.

Oh, Lord it's hard to be humble when you're an Arkansas Razorback fan!

New Journeys & Hard Decisions

I almost decided not to write a blog about this, but this is a blog about Robert and I's life.. the good, the bad, the ugly... so I decided I go ahead and put it out there as to not alter "real life."

As many of you may or may not know, I resigned my position with my first employer out of college.  I'm on day three of my new job with a new company.  I had worked at my previous company for three solid years as an auditor.  They taught me many things and I had a great three years with them.  This blog in no even will bash my previous employer or anything of that sort.  It should be known that to this day I remain loyal, but my wants and needs have since changed over the past three years.

You all know me... I'm a pretty upbeat person and always try my best at everything I do.  I don't do anything if I know I can't give it 100%.  I'm also definitely respond to positive feedback.  Some people prefer the physical touch, receiving gifts, acts of kindness, and quality time.  I am 100% words of affirmation.  (You may wonder where I pull these things from and its from Gary Chapman's Five Love Languages.  If you aren't sure what your love language is, I highly recommending taking the quiz and reading the book.  You can find more information here:  The Five Love Languages.)

What does that mean I respond to Words of Affirmation??  Well, I'll take it directly from Mr. Chapman himself... "unsolicited compliments mean the world to you. Hearing the words, “I love you,” are important—hearing the reasons behind that love sends your spirits skyward. Insults can leave you shattered and are not easily forgotten."  You can apply that to family and business relationships.  That's just me.  Robert tends more towards the Physical Touch love language (i.e., he wants to hold hands, etc.)

Anyways, so yes... Words of Affirmation is most definitely me.  So, why you may ask did I choose a career as an auditor?  Those two most definitely do not go hand-in-hand.  And you are right... they don't.  Granted, my co-workers definitely made up for that and I always received positive feedback when I needed it most.  But just taking the job itself as an auditor... people hate auditors.  Or if they don't hate them, they most definitely don't want to make their life easier.

As an auditor, the best thing I can do for you is to say "we didn't find anything wrong."  That's it.  The client is paying us to find errors so that the financial statements are "materially correct."  Sure, we issue this other letter where we list suggestions to internal controls and possible effects of future accounting standards.. but in essence, we're there to say.. "yeah, you did it right."  And 9 times out of 10... we find something wrong.  Not always something huge or anything, but just something that you have to bring up or make an adjustment.

Have I said I also hate confrontation?  Well, if not... I most definitely do.  Hhmm... the question of why I became an auditor is becoming more unclear now.  Have you ever tried to tell someone that we found a material error in their books and we're going to have to adjust your net income down for this.  This will also be a material weakness listed in your management letter.  You dont need to know what all that gobble de-goop means that I just said, other than you know that's not going to be an easy conversation to tell someone they did somthing wrong & that person is paying you to tell them that!

It's a rough job.  Put aside all the hours and hardwork, its just at the end of the day its hard for clients to see the added value.  I don't blame them.  Auditors are a necessary evil.  We will always need them and they do serve an important function in ensuring that the financials you are looking at are materially correct and management isn't pulling "one over you." 

I think I should also say that I had really great clients for the most part.  A lot of people get it.  But then, there are a lot of people that don't, too.  And absolutely nobody tries to make your job as easy as possible.  But, if they did.. we'd be out of their hair even faster!  You know everyone you work with at the client isn't going to be overly-friendly and will try to forget you when you leave.  It's hard to work with that knowledge that people you are working for don't necessarily like you.  Completely goes against the "Words of Affirmation" language.

That being said, the stress of the job and the lack of feeling appreciated had just really beaten me down.  When I say lack of feeling appreciated.. I mean by the 'type of job we do'... not 'my co-workers didn't appreciate me.'  I do not want it to be ever said that I didn't like working for my previous company.. because I did.  I just didn't like "being an auditor."  I need to feel like I'm adding value and don't want to feel so sick to my stomach about presenting adjustments and control deficiencies to the CFO & Controller or having some ream at you for no good reason other than "you're making their life a little more difficult."

So, those feelings left me with hard decisions to make.  Do I stick it out... do I leave?  When you work with some great people and bosses, its a really tough decision.  I can assure you most people voted for me to stick it out.  But, ultimately, I had to do what was best for me and Robert and our future.  I didn't like where I was headed, the person I was becoming.. so something had to change.  I know some people won't agree with it and don't understand it... but deep down I know its what I want.  This was most definitely the hardest decision I have made in a very long time.  Robert can attest to the tears and discussions we've had.  (yeah, he didn't cry.. that was all me.)

That's where I am.  I'm moving on to what is a new adventure for an international real estate firm in their SEC Reporting department.  Now, the auditors will get to come to me.  Right now, when I see them in the audit room.. I kind of want to run in there do a little twirl and say.. "oh yeah, that used to be me, but now its definitely not."  But, I haven't... yet.

So here's to new journeys and hard decisions. 

P.S. The first three days have been great.

Ready, Set, BEACH... Part 2!

So, where did I leave off?  Oh, yes… Rob was supposed to bring me back a chocolate shake.

Well, he decided the “ice cream was just not very good, so I just drank it all.  You wouldn’t have liked it anyways.”  So, yeah… no ice cream. 

But, the next day we definitely went on a bicycling adventure.  We started at Big Daddy’s Bicycles where we had the others rent their bikes.  Rob and I brought our own bikes and gear.  Of course, my family did not wear a helmet… but rest assured that Rob and I did.  We then travelled 6 miles east and had to do the 6 miles back to where our car was.

Click here if you want to find out about Highway 30A and their scenic bike path.



Notice Rob and I are the only two with helmets. Tsk, Tsk.

It was a great little ride.  Okay, little might be a bit extreme.  It was a bit warm as we started around 4 o’clock.. but we had to start early so we could make sure we had time to stop and eat dinner and ride back before dark.  It does get dark really early in Destin… I guess it’s because its right there on the edge of the Eastern time zone, but its still in the Central zone.

It was really funny during the renting of the bicycles.  Kate somehow ended up with a bike that had white tires.  Now, who invents a bike that has white tires?  In case they didn’t notice, the road is black.  Not a good mix, I tell ya.  Mom’s on a bike but every so often you’d look up and she’d be zooming down the parking lot going, “I can’t turn!!! Help!”  Kirstie’s tires were flat.  And dad just sits on his bike while drinking his Diet DP.  Kyle & Trav are zooming around on their bikes with this look of “I’m definitely cooler than this, but I’ll just show you how awesome I am instead.” 



I love you Kate.



Oh, yeah.. see that look on Trav's face?!  :-)

 At any rate, we get going.  Kirstie and Trav, the track stars, are at the front and Kate makes up the rear.  Poor Kate… she’s just not as athletic as the rest of us… but she does try!  I’m the one that that offers water to everyone because I know if someone faints or gets dehydrated, it will quickly become the biking trip from hell.  So, I make sure we are all drinking something.  I can’t help my dad who would prefer DP to water.  J

See what I mean?  Bike & DP in one hand.

We bike through some rare coastal dune lakes (made up of fresh & salt water) and some really cool coastal communities.  These little communities were very touristy and right on the beach.  Made up of mostly condos and townhouses.   There are also all of these little vendor places out on the street and with loads of bike parking.  This path we were on was completely dedicated to bikes (and walkers).  But it didn’t share the road or anything… it was its own little path that went for 20 miles.   Kate manages to keep up but in the background here her saying the little villages that have names on them in her best British accent.  “Oh, let’s stay in at the Water Hole.”  On a bike… with white tires.  Comical nonetheless.

We checked out the beach and stopped at the Shrimp Shack.  Most people had cocktail shrimp, but I got myself a grilled cheese from a dedicated grilled cheese vendor and Kirstie got her a hot dog from a dedicated hot dog vendor.  Trav also got a sandwich from the grilled cheese vendor, but it wasn’t a grilled cheese… too manly for that!



At the Shrimp Shack along the beach.  This was after the first 6 miles.





Here's the grilled cheese vendor!

Then, we made the long trek back.  I’d have to say we made good time coming back, we didn’t linger as much and we just plain lost site of Kirk and Trav who left the rest of us slow people.  Alas, Barbie & Ken are just too much for us.



Notice:  Trav & Kirk are nowhere to be seen. 



Aren't they cute?



That pretty much summed up that day.  At night, I baked chocolate chip cookies and Kirstie & Trav went and got their Henna tattoo’s.  Sorry Gretchen (Travis’ mom), I think this fake tattoo only gave further steam to him getting a real one! (Side bar:  Since Trav is a Track All-American, its tradition that they get a hog tattoo.)

Kirstie got a fish.

If he gets one for real, it will just be an outline, not filled in.

The next day everyone but mom & dad went jet skiing for an hour.  I’d have to say jet skiing for an hour is a little long in the gulf when you have all that salt water hitting your face.  We had to stop every few minutes to wipe our eyes and dry our faces.  But I will say we saw a school of dolphins!  Is school the appropriate term?  In any event, there were about 8 of them swimming together at a leisurely pace.  Rob and I just stopped for a while and watched the swim.  We were actually so close to one that we could have jumped off and touched it.  But, if you know, I’d never do that.  Animals are okay to look at, but not touch!! 

Yeah, yeah, I know… Flipper is not likely an animal to attack… but if a dolphin ever decided to attach a human, I’d probably be the first human to experience it with my track record of animals.  I don’t really have a track record with fish or mammals in the water, come to think of it.. but I do have this intense story that involves a petting zoo and a goat that has scarred me for life when I was like 6 years old.  Anywho…

The jet skiing adventure was quite nice and we spent the rest of the day sitting out on the beach and picked up a quick game of sand volleyball.  The other team was no good.  Combination of drunkenness, little athletic ability, and the heat did the other team in.  I believe the scores were like 21-11 or something like that. 



Let's kid yourself not, I'm not putting a picture of myself with a life jacket on in this blog.
This was after we finished jet skiing.



Those were our main activities for the rest of the trip.  We made a hog in the sand… it almost looks like one, too.  We realized our project was slightly ambitious a quarter of the way in.  Each couple did cook a meal and they were all fantastic as well.  Many card games and domino’s were played in the evening, too.  Kate and I are learning how to solidly beat Kyle and Rob in spades.   Take that yo!  On our last night there we played a good game of Monopoly where I won, if I do say so myself.  Kyle also broke a chair during monopoly b/c he was so intense into the game!

Overall, it was a really great trip.  Substantially more crowded than last year and a bit hotter too, but definitely just as fun.  I have a great family.  Check out some beach pics we took... I could put up about 10,000 of Barbie & Ken because they are so good looking, but I don't have time for that and this is MY blog, so they will only get a few just like the rest of us.

I love my parents.



Love this picture of Kate & Kyle.



Phew, Rob doesn't look like he's in TOO much pain.

The whole clan!  Again, don't worry about those giants on the left.