I Have Been Slacking

Im really slacking at blogging. Im sorry. I think its because life here isn’t QUITE as exciting as London. And I have more to do here. Im gone from 6:50-4:45pm everyday and when I get home I crash, do chores and crash into bed. Phew!

Im officially older! 25 years old.. An entire quarter of a century. Holla. I know its really weird but I FEEL older. Not in a bad way. I think its because Im back out of my parents’ house and am getting used to real life on my own again. And my ankle has been aching lately… I didn’t think I was old enough to have old college injuries to haunt me. I thought that was at least in my 40’s! Anyways Im more sentimental then I have been for any of my other birthdays. Grateful for where I have been, and pumped to see where I am going.

This transition has been the easiest one that I have lived through. Rome was close to being just as easy (everything was handed to us though and set up when we got there so I don’t count it) London was far harder than this. Funny thing is when something sucks I just think back to that moment that Im sititng on my bed (not on the comforter of course) in tears trying to convince my parents to let me come home and they just told me no…. everything seems better than that moment. (ok sitting on the curb in Sicily was a little rough too) I think everyone should be required to have a passport to come down here. Its like a different country. Everything about it is different (ok well except that everyone speaks English (almost), they drive on the correct side of the street, and use dollars) But its been the easiest. I have one night of panicking… that is a record. One night and I have been content ever since. Life is good. Finally.

Everyone keeps asking how the job is going. First I took a training on how to pivot a table in excel… and I only get the basics. Hahaha :) Its not my dream job… but its not horrible. Its paying me well, giving me benefits, and got me out of Ashville. I did get assigned to a new project and I read the description and have no idea what it is at all. Haha. My training is next Thursday on the 8^th.

Im in LOVE with the weather. Its been in the high 80’s all week. I am living in dresses and sunglasses. Not a bad thing at all. I did burn my face on the sunglasses. Learned a lesson yesterday… I left them in my glove compartment and after work I grabbed them and put them on. Yeah… I burnt my face and nose. It hurt like you know where. I now bring them inside.

Nothing uber embarrassing has happened to me. I am in the process of eating a DQ blizzard cake by myself… and Im loving not sharing!

The commute is getting better… there are just 2 spots that are still rough because Lucy is a standard and I have to go from a complete stop to going across 3 lanes of traffic within 60 yards. Its rough every morning.

Ok that’s it for the day! I have football practice tonight that I am sure I will make a fool of myself. Football is big down here and I haven’t played since the Powder Puff game senior year during Homecoming… its been awhile. We shall see if I can catch a football.

Miss you all!

I forgot!

Sorry everyone! I wrote this on Friday and then forgot to post! Ill write another one for the weekend tonight!

I have a bunch of random things for yall today. (that’s me attempting to be more Texan) TGIF. The day is going really well which is a nice change! Before I tell you all my tales, I need to add to my barefoot story from yesterday. I woke up this morning with a throbbing in my right foot. Argh. I stumble into the bathroom , flip on the light, completely blind myself, inspect my foot and there were not one but TWO thorns in my foot. Yeah… really never going barefoot in this state again.

The cows were loitering around the driveway when I left this morning. It took everything in me to drive slowly so I wouldn’t scare them. They all stared at me with that blank stare again. At least I didn’t do anything stupid today as I was leaving!

Work.. I rocked it although I had to ask a million questions. I think there have been 10 emails, endless pings, and 2 phone calls to between the two of us today. So maybe not rocking it… but I don’t THINK im messing everything up. I see that as a bonus. My shuffle on my ipod is rocking it today. Just one great song after another. The bad part about this is that I was caught playing my air-guitar which is very embarrassing. I don’t think I have sang anything aloud though so that is very VERY good. (for everyone well-being!)

I am starting to like getting dressed for work. Its nice to have to wear nice clothes. Im still not used to the heels though. I think I clomp around the halls but… I haven’t fallen or stumbled (yet. I am waiting for it) While schools attempt to teach us to cook, sew and type, they should add in how to walk in heels portion. At least that would be useful in the future. It is so fun to go shopping for nice clothes that I am actually going to wear. SO FUN! I want my entire closet to be JCrew… totally. (actually I want it to be Kate Spade, but Im attempting to be somewhat realistic)

Im am doing so well this week not trying to badge into the bathroom. So proud. The next hurdle with the bathroom is mastering the sinks. Im not sure if Im the Sears Tower in heels, or the sink was designed to be level with one’s knees, but I literally cannot wash my hands without giving myself a shower. It starts out ok when I turn on the hot water, then it gets too hot so I turn on the cold too which ups the water pressure and sprays all over me. The sad part is that I do the same thing every freaking time and expect different results. (that is the definition of crazy right?) Argh.

My commute is getting better…. I guess. Now the problem is that I am getting somewhat more comfy so Im not paying attention to the exits. I haven’t missed one yet, but one of these days Im not going to be able to cross 15 lanes of traffic in ¼ of a mile to get it. Not good. And Im really tired of going 60 and then everyone SLAMMING on their brakes. Goodness… and Im not patient when I get cut of. No one down here uses their horn so I try not to, but last night I was just too mad. Oh well… I have NY plates. I do what I want…

Real Life is Kicking My Butt.... and I dislike Cows

Sorry that is has been awhile again... I dont even know when I wrote last. Tuesday maybe?? So sorry! Life has been boring, relaxing, crazy, and busy all at once! Phew!

Work has been work. Honestly. I am still doing the same thing and being easily distracted. My row is pretty cool and I decorated my cube. its not so bleak and dismal but now it looks like my life has exploded on the three walls. And I find myself staring at the ones of Rome, Lake Como, and HWS and taking trips down memory lane. Its not good.

A few random stories....

First... real life is kicking my bum. I have been out of practice apparently because I have had some rough moments. I went shopping after work today (that story is coming up next) and I come home at 7ish or so, tired and HUNGRY. I plop down at the island and decide what Im having for dinner... then I remember that I was supposed to stop at the store on the way home because on Monday after the package debacle I had forgotten meat. OMG. I had nothing to eat. Fail at being an adult. I dug out dino shaped chicken nuggets and fries.

Also apparently I still need parental supervision. A few time now I have come home and shoved a dozen oreo cookies in my mouth while I was making dinner. Then when dinner is ready, Im not hungry. Wow. Classic stupid move.

So as I mentioned I stopped at the mall after work today. I didnt REALLY need to, but I feel like I have 7 outfits for work and I just keep rotating them. Gone are the days of leggings and slippers in the office and suddenly me wearing a dress is normal and not a sign that I am out of clothes because I havent done my laundry. (Oh I am out of clothes btw. Dont remember the last time I did laundry) Ok anyways I went to the mall. Just a quick little pat on my back I went to JCrew and didnt buy anything (there was an adorable dress there though. It took willpower) and I didnt go into Coach but just drooled from the window! The BIG pat on the back is... I walked in and OUT of the Lego store WITHOUT buying anything. Yes. You all read that correctly. The reason.... I wanted the Death Star, R2D2, Tower Bridge and the Paris cafe. All well over my budget. So I was awesome and didnt get anything. I rocked not spending money today. I do happen to get into awkward conversations with people. The guy who works there comes up to me and says:

"Welcome to the Lego Store. Who are you shopping for today!" -him
"Thanks. Oh its for me" -me
<Insert Blank stare>
"Oh ok... ummm... what are you looking for" -him
"Oh idk. Just looking around thanks" -me
"So are you a builder???!!!" -him
"ummm... I make the sets" -me
"Whoa cool. What collections do you have??" -him
and this is where we have an indepth discussion about legos and the hobbit.

Ok its late and Im a granny so I need to go to bed, but there is one more story that everyone will appreciate because apparently everyone thinks my misery is hilarious. I learned a lesson today. It sucked. So... the weather rocks down here. Rocks. And I LOVE going barefoot. Its fun and summer-like. Every Thursday I take the recycling down the hill to the street and today I was in such a "its  beautiful day" mood that I decided to leave the crocs behind and go barefoot. I grabbed the overflowing (thats key) container of recyclables and headed down the hill. It was apparent pretty quickly that this was a really stupid idea. Was was even more stupid is that I kept walking. I was a 1/4 of the way down the hill and I decided to go for it. I look up from the road and notice all of the creepy cows hanging out on both sides of the driveway. Argh. So im dropping things repeatably out of the green tub of recyclables. Then my feet really start hurting so I get a BRILLIANT idea to head over to the grass to walk on it. So Texas grass isnt WNY grass. Instead of the nice, green, lush grass it was mean, pointy, sharp grass. So Im saying bad words and trying to hobble back on the driveway. The cows just stare....Argh. So Im back to walking down on the road part and I see a great big stone. Oh thank goodness! At least one step wont be painful. I leap on to it was one foot and..... it was not a rock. Nope. Not at all. Its a cow patty of poo. Seriously?? By this point Im sweating and seething. There are an abundance of cows who are all watching my plight with great interest.

I get the recyclables out and see my neighbor. He looks at me with astonishment and says "honey.. dont you have shoes on??" Really. REALLY?? It took all of my willpower to be nice and say that I was being stupid and Im fine thanks. I close the gate and look back up the hill... I swear that the driveway has gotten longer and that there are more cows there to enjoy the show. I have never been in so much pain before. (well at least my feet) Oh my. I felt like the quiet stares of the cows was like I was in the dream that you dont wear clothes to high school and everyone is staring at you. So I talked to them... told them that I like them as hamburgers and I dont appreciate them all coming out for the show. I got blank stares. Argh. I hate them. I wish humans rode cows because that would have solved my problem. It took me ages to walk back up and I get in the house and smell chicken nuggets.. crap. They were all crunchy because I left them in too long. I cant even cook chicken nuggets. GAH. So... long story short, wear shoes in Texas and everything that I do that is embarrassing (alarm etc) is witnessed by at least one cow. (oh and since I mentioned it... the alarm is kicking my bum. Cant figure out why it just keeps beeping and I was trying to disarm it and I ended up setting it instead and it freaked out because all areas were secured except for the part that I was moving in. Argh.

Ok  Im so tired. Ill add the stocking story tomorrow (if i have time.) Im going out to dinner with the family tomorrow for my 4th (or is it 5th??) annual 21st bday. Should be fun!

I miss you all

A Manic Monday

Sorry I missed yesterday. My Monday was a MANIC MONDAY!! Work was rough. I had a conference call with the manager and he was really nice, but he wanted lots of stuff that we haven’t been doing so we had to look at everything again. SO much fun.  So work was hectic and then I had a rough night that ended really well!

 

I haven’t been receiving my packages from my mom and lego.com (only the best website to get some things from!) Anyways I really wanted my stuff (candy and legos. Honestly who wouldn’t!) I stopped home at 4:50 to look in the driveway…. Nothing. ARGH! I put the post office address into my gps (yup can only go to work and back without it) and headed off. As I was pulling out I thought “hmmm… I should check the mail. Eh no. I have to make it to the post office and the packages don’t fix in the box anyways” (this thought will be important later) I drive the few miles to the post office. The highway was a little backed up but nothing too horrible. I get there and STAND IN LINE FOR 35 MINUTES. I thought that was a European thing?? I don’t know why everyone makes fun of the DMV when the Post Office was that bad. At least we get chairs at the DMV. (at least we do in good old Jamestown) So I stand, and stand, and stand. One of the guys was freaking out at the counter about the price of insuring his package. I was so annoyed that I ALMOST said something and asked if he goes to CHQ in the summer. Argh I hate people who are rude. Anyways… I get up to the window and this very friendly woman said that my stuff wasn’t there and I should have gotten it because most carriers deliver it even if it has a different name on it. Hmmm. Ok… so what a girl to do? Wait a few days was my answer. Awesome.

 

So I leave the post office slightly grumpy (ok more than slightly) and head to Walmart because I want cheap Peeps and am prepared to fight children for them. I get there and… NO PEEPS. Seriously? No Easter stuff at all. Wow ok. I grab some things that I needed (such as baby carrots) and head home feeling like the package and peep gods hate me. I make pizza (when I say make I mean shove a frozen one in the oven) in my misery and realize that I have to bring the garbage down. ARGH. Im so lazy at this point. I decide that since I have to hike down the hill, Ill check the mail since Im halfway there. I grab my keys and trek down, put out the garbage. I get to the mailbox…. Open it.. and inside is a pink slip of paper. Really??? I turn it over and it says “dear customer, I left you the key to Box 3 again as you have packages”. OMG. That stupid key has been sitting there ALL WEEK LONG. Im not kidding. I didn’t know what it was. I look down and there is a bigger mailbox that says “3” on it. No… this is not happening. I open it and LO AND BEHOLD THERE ARE 3 PACKAGES. I was angry, embarrassed and happy all at once. I yank them out and then try to get the key back out of the keyhold. I tried, and tried, and tried. My finger hurt, and my legs were falling asleep (from sitting on them) and this man comes across the street and says “you know that once you put the key in it doesn’t come back out right?? The mail carrier has to get it”. Oh great. I laugh and say no. He asks how long I would have tried before I gave up. Yeah… it was funny but even more embarrassing. He was really nice and welcomed me to the neighborhood (since I was obviously new) What a fiasco.

 

I carried my golden packages up the hill and ripped them open. Yay for Easter candy and legos. The best part…. There were peeps! I was so happy except for the fact I wasted 2 hours of the my life between the post office and wal-mart.

 

That was my day in a nutshell. Only me…

Easter Weekend

Sorry I havent written in awhile. Friday night was busy, and Saturday I was incredibly lazy (Ill be honest) and today was busy! Lets start with Friday...

I dont remember anything fun happening. Work was incredibly boring.. and no one was there because it was Good Friday. I mean boring. My job isnt the most riveting.  But I lived and booked it out of there right when I was able to. WooHoo. I did purchase tickets to NYC on my break. Cant wait to go! I was driving home from work and got a text from my aunt who said that I was invited to dinner with my uncles parents. So I ran home and changed and walked down the to other house on the ranch. Dinner was really good! The homemade ribs were amazing! Then we all worked on a puzzle.. and I got my bum handed to me in dominoes. I dont get it at all. Kirsten (my cousin) and I were so lost. Trumps, bidding and count.... what?? I was so lost and couldnt play without them telling me what to do.

Saturday was the first day in forever... i mean forever.. that I havent had anything at all to do. It was so awesome. I read, watched tv, took a million walks (more on that in a minute) AND took a nap! Crazy i know!  It was an epic day! So my million walks... I am expecting 2 packages... one from my mom which said was delivered on Wed (and I never got) and then 1 that I had ordered. Well at 1:11 I received an email saying that mine had been delivered.. I walked down and it wasnt there. I walked down at least 6 times. My packages are in the bermuda triangle.

Today was uber fun! I slept in and made it to my aunt/uncles house at 11am! We went out to brunch and came back to the house to change for our walk. It was SUCH a long walk... like 7-8 miles but it was so fun. We went down the riverwalk and got ice cream! On the way home we stopped to see the art fair that was set up and there were some really cool things. I just didnt have $300 for the one I wanted! We walked back home and I headed back here to shower, eat dinner and watch a movie. Now Im just waiting for bed! Im tired!!

Im sorry this is pretty boring post. Im tired and am boring! I hope everyone had a great Easter!

Almost Friday!

I really don’t have much to tell today. The day did start with my chatting with a cow… but besides that it was pretty normal! I was running on time (ok that’s not normal) and I was walking out the door and I realized that I am supposed to be turning on the alarm when I leave. Crap. So with my gps, phone, ipod, and a pair of heels in my hand I attempted to conquer the alarm. It said “ready” so I stopped opened the door, and then turned to enter the code. I entered it and it starts BLARING. Omg. I read the screen in a panic and it says door ajar… Oh how dumb! I just did that so I close the door and it says “armed”. Crap. Now Im standing in the house with the alarm on and the door is closed. Ok… So I sprint out the door. Haha great move number two. After listening to it beep I decided to chuck my crap on the porch floor and I poked my head in and put the code in again. Now it says armed and it stopped blaring. Phew. I think Im good. I pull my head out of the door, swear because my keys are somewhere on the floor…. Lock the door, saying choice words to the door/alarm and look to my left and there is a cow there staring at me with its blank face. I stare at it and it just blinks once and continues staring at me like Im crazy. So I tell it that I had no idea what I was doing and maybe it should try to figure it out! It just swished its tail and strutted away. And that’s when I sat down on the step and just laughed. My mornings need to be calmer.

Work is annoying and boring. I want to stand up in the sea of cubes and just scream at the top of my lungs. Its so SO quiet. I just want to sprint around yelling. I wont promise!

I didn’t try to badge into the potty today! Life is looking up!

Im becoming a lot calmer on my drive home so I think about things in between random bouts of roadrage. And something I ask myself everyday is “When does 410 West become 410 East.” 410 is the inner loop that goes around the city and it’s a circle, so at some point you stop heading West, and start to head East, but when? And when do the signs change? And technically you go North and South too in a circle.  I wish someone would tell me and solve my problem.

Guess who found the Lego Store? This girl!! Im going on Friday next weekend to celebrate becoming old. Im excited. Its really easy to get to and I drove by it yesterday. Yeah for LEGOS!

One of the girls at work (who is really nice! So nice that she eats lunch with me!) gave me Texas shaped tortilla chips! Literally. They are shaped like the state of Texas. I think Texas believes that they are cooler than they are. She also gave me a Texas cut-off-your-crust-cutters.

Thats really all that is new! Im pretty boring. I cant wait to eat dinner (sarcasm). I bought delectable looking jalapeno cheddar sausages. "How yummy" I thought.. Meaty and cheesy with a hint of spice. Who can say no to that! WELL... i took a bite and almost died. It was HOT with a hint of cheese and no meat! I have two more nights of them. TWO. Good grief.

Ok thats it! Have a good night everyone!

A Random Bunch of Tidbits

I am happy to report that I got out of bed and landed on my two feet this morning and not my face! Woohoo! Off to a great start! (minus getting out of bed late. I think it because of the fear of leaping of the cliff)

I got to work (and back) without my gps this morning!!! Woo! I had no choice... but I want to give myself credit anyways! I forgot my gps had died (remember yestedays post?) and it wouldnt even turn on until I had gotten off the highway and was on my last road to work. Then it sat and didnt charge for 8 hours while I was at work... and it wouldnt turn on again! So I rocked my commute today. It helps that I can turn on my ipod now when I drive down here. When Im bored sitting in traffic I crank up "let it go" (not the one from Frozen. Well it is the song, but not that annoying voice. It is Demi Lovato singing it) and in my head I sound like her when I belt it out! :) Oh Luke Bryan's song Play it Again is good, along with Carolina (Parmalee). I rock out to those too!

My day at work... Tedious and boring but I was busy the entire time... if that makes sense! We have ync at work (i think I have mentioned it before) and it distracts me. I cant chat and work. Its either I work, or I chat. Not both! Well one of my fellow new peoples pinged me (messaged me) and we were talking about Captain America. Somehow we were debating who would win a fight. The Hulk or Superman. Apparently my life is more like the Big Bang Theory than I care to admit! My money is on Superman. Oh and we debated who is cooler... Batman (eww) or Superman, discussed how no one really likes Spiderman, and how lame AquaMan is. It passed the time!

Also there was a training session I had to do... it was all about how everyone needs to focus strengths and not their weaknesses at work. Ummm..... this entire job is a weakness for me! So that was so encouraging!

The absolute worst thing about work is.... wait for it... I have to TUCK IN MY SHIRT. Are you kidding me??? I HATE it. No I ABHOR it. I feel so constrained and its so unflattering! Everyday as Im walking out the door I rip my shirt out of pants. The only thing is I do this when I exit the first set of doors, not when I get to the second and final set so the security guard sees me do this everyday. I always remember that I should wait a few more seconds AFTER I rip it out and then notice that he is chuckling. Sometimes I wish I had more class....

So since I work at the federal branch of the company we have to badge in and out of every room. The bathroom has a handicapped button on the wall on the side of the door. It is the same size as the little panel that we have to badge in on. Well I attempt to badge in on the handicap button and wait for it to beep to let me in. I usually catch on after my first to the bathroom, but its awkward if someone sees you do it! (Which always seem to happen to me!)

On a random note... we need to use "Cordially" more in everyday life. I received an email that ended with cordially and it rocks. Im going to bring it back in style. Oh and I am already sick of "yall" and I am NOT a ma'am. Argh.

Ok off to do dishes and other lame adult real life things so I can treat myself to an ice cream bar when I have done everything on my list! :)

Miss you all! (Especially my Wed. crew at CHQ. I thought of snacks today on my way to work and miss them. And the witty company!!)

Whoa... Real Life

My lower body is terribly sore. When I say sore I mean shooting pain that make me wince. I think its a combo of wearing heels everyday to work for 8.5 hours per day, and getting my bum handed to me on that 4 mile walk. Why am I sharing this info? Its all relevant I promise... I was worried about how my day would go when I got up this morning. My alarm went off, I dragged myself into an upright position and then proceeded to face plant onto the floor... and I mean face plant. My bed is 15 feet off of the floor. When I wake up in the morning I basically start my day by leaping off a cliff to get out of bed. Well this morning I 1. Forgot. and 2. Was in so much pain in the lower half of my body that when my legs were forced to hold up my body weight they... well... didnt!That was the start of my day.

After the jolt awake and laying on the floor for a minute thinking "that did not just happen" I got up, got dressed and got out of the door basically on time! I didnt make coffee this morning. I cant figure out how to get a liquid that doesnt taste like dirt to come out of the coffee maker (you think Im joking.. but it literally tastes like dirt) I got to work in a jiffy and settled down at my cube for 8 hours of training....

At 8am I get an email saying that I need to be on a call at 10am. I hate talking on the phone so I was not at all stoked. I get on the call at 10 and listen while a ton of info get chucked at me. Thankfully after the call by boss calls me to her desk and I get a personal lesson because Miss. Art History doenst understand sharepoint and technical business documents. I was relieved though when I realized that she was giving me a document library to organize. She said instead of art, I was cataloging documents. It was boring, but not so bad at the same time. Work actually flew by today!

My commute home went really well! I was so proud of myself that I got to my last exit, looked down and realized that my gps had died!!! I can get to work and back without the gps!! WOO!!! I was so pumped that I really got adventurous and went to Walmart on my way home... WITHOUT MY GPS!

Walmart.... I hate it. But down here in the area that I am at there arent any horrible people. It is bigger than ours at home though and arranged differently so I got lost. Oh bad story... so I was standing near the socks looking for more nice stockings to wear to work, and I asked myself "I wonder where the beauty section is..." and the old lady next to me gave me directions... apparently I asked the question aloud. (or she can read minds) It took me a full 10 seconds to realize that she was talking to me. Not good. Then I hit 4 people with my stupid laptop. Apparently San Antonio is #1 place in the USA for petty crime and stealing from cars so we HAVE to bring our work laptops into the store with us. Its such a pain. Its heavy, and awkward and hurts my shoulder... so I swing it around and whack people with it. That was embarrassing. THEN (it gets better) I am walking down the main aisle towards the checkout and I remember that I wanted the magneitc plastic 4x6 picture holders for my office cube. I scanned the ceiling for the "home" sign and saw it was all the way down at the end. (figured they would be in with the photo frames like they are at home) I think "is it worth it??" anda guy walking by says "if you arent sure I wouldnt walk that far". OMG!!! Twice in one day! I need to be more aware of how loud I am muttering. Its just embarrassing!

I came home and did all sorts of chores. Blah to real life. I still have an email to write, laundry to fold, and a shower to take!I did get some reading in though tonight!

Off to accomplish more things!

P.S Heard it snowed up there.. sorry! If it makes you feel better I had to throw a zip-up over my sleeveless shirt tonight! :)

Never Been So Bored

Mondays. Thou art a heartless you-know-what. I love when the alarm goes off and you are wide awake, but instead of getting up you still lay there and the next thing you know you should have gotten up 5 minutes ago and now you are late. That was my morning. It didnt help that I was having a "what to wear" day and everything I came up with that was remotely acceptable was sitting in a dirty, stinky heap in my laundry basket. I thought of Laurie today because everyone said how nice I looked at work and it was only because I hadnt done laundry so my dress was the only thing clean.

My commute to work wasnt too great this morning because I left late. The closer to 7 that you leave, the worse the traffic gets. I havent mentioned my commute before this... I hated it the for the first 3 days. Absolutely hated it and swore I wasnt going anywhere in this town except for work because I didnt want to drive. I am fine now. I am comfy driving and even have decided to take the risk and put on my ipod on my drive in and out!!

My day at work was riveting. They really shouldnt give someone with attention problems an id badge on one of those retractable lanyard things.  I think I spent 8 hours pulling it out as far it it could possibly go, and then letting it go to zip back up in the coil. I think the people in my row hate me! I spent 8 hours taking CBT's on excel... and I still dont know what Im doing which is slightly problematic.

After my day at work I decided to be productive and go to the grocery store... Slightly a bad idea. First of all Im in heels. Apparently I am not classy and able to walk through a store in heels. I was stomping through the aisles and clutching my clutch which I was using at a cart. Then I stopped to get two potatoes for the week, You know that moment int sitcoms that the character picks up an orange and the entire pyramid falls to the floor, spilling oranges everywhere??? That was me... but with potatoes. I literally picked up 1 potato and ten start sliding towards me in a landslide. I trying to catch them, but somehow missed every single one. In 3 seconds, 12 potatoes landed on the floor as I look like a spaz trying (but failing) to catch them. So embarrassing. I left HEB plus (which is the size of Ashville btw) with $92 of groceries. I dont know how that happened. Well the National Geographic and the two boxes of ice cream drumsticks did not help. Im set on groceries forever. Seriously.

The rest of my night was busy with chores but it would put you to sleep if I went into detail. I did meet the neighbors while I was putting out the garbage. I didnt see them in the yard and the guy said hello and I jumped a foot and a half. Not kidding. They are such a sweet couple. Im happy that I met them! We chatted for a bit and they said that if I ever needed anything to just stop by. Ill try not to go sprinting down the hill to their house at night when then house creaks! This house is creepy when it is windy. Im not a huge be at home in the dark alone type of girl. London was fine because I could barely turn around in my flat, but this is a lot of house. I have to keep telling myself that Im ok. From 9-bedtime is a bit creepy.

Ok well Im off to shower and finish my laundry! Ill try to keep up with my blog now that I have started and caught up! I miss you all! Especially my CHQ crew! I miss Wednesday treat days!

Missing everyone,
Anna

My 1st Week

When I first decided to start this blog I wasnt really thinking.... in London I wrote whatever I wanted to. Literally. No filter. Here I cant do that. I am working for a respectable company and cant bash it like I did Christie's (NOT that I want to! I love the company already!) So Im not sure what this blog will be about. It may be even more boring than I thought it will. Just a warning that I cant go into much detail about work.

My first week at work went much better than new things normally go for me! It was chill and pretty non-stressful. Orientation started at 8am the first day. I found work alright (after getting off the highway one exit too soon and ending up "in the ghetto". Thank goodness for gps systems) and walked into the building. I filled out forms and got my picture taken. I am the not so proud owner of the worst work badge picture in the history of work badges. I should have asked if I was allowed to smile. That was one thing that in hindsight may have helped. After being given the hideous snapshot of my face, we all went into a room and sat at our nametags. We sat in there for the next 2 and a 1/2 days. Really not much to tell you guys. We saw presentations, met people and ate free food. That is it. There are 7 of us in my New Joiners group and all of them are from Texas and 5 of them went to UTSA (The University of Texas at San Antonio). And they all love the Spurs and football. I really fit in...

Actually everyone at work is really nice and so willing to help. I am doing so well and being social. We have this thing called Lync that we use to keep in touch in the office (its basically a cool version of AOL IM) and I chat away. I am also already on a flag football team and a softball team. Im rocking being social.

Wednesday we got out work laptops (yup I have a laptop just for work!) and got released to our cubicles. Oh my goodness that was depressing. I have  tiny litte stark white cube in a sea of cubes. Im not kidding when I say a sea of cubes. I desperately need to decorate!

The rest of Wed, Thursday and Friday I did CBTs (computer based training) That is one thing that is uber annoying at work.. everything is an acronym. Everything. I am on the Project Control Services group. I am not ok with that acronym! For all of you that know me... you know how much I LOVED my years learning nothing at Panama Central School. Well it keeps following me everywhere... I see PCS everyday and cant separate Panama Central School from Project Control Services. I cringe everytime.

This weekend was busy, busy, busy! I woke up Saturday and mowed the lawn. Oh my do I need to gain some muscle. Not only couldnt I start the silly thing, it was a PUSH mower and I was out of shape! I have never mowed a lawn with a push mower in my life. I literally had to throw my body at it to make it move. I have bruises on my hips from it and blisters on my poor thumbs. It was such a great workout! Phew!

After I mowed from 9-11am I then cleaned the pool, showered and took a quick nap before my family came at 1 to help me move from the creepy room at the back of the house to the safer feeling room in the middle.That took 4 hours!!! Then my aunt and uncle were really nice and took me to see Captain America 2. Complete with popcorn! :) then I came home at 930 and crashed into bed. Phew!

Sunday I slept in until 9:30 and then was picked up at 10 to go to Costco. I dont have a membership so I have to go with my aunt to get cheap berries! Then I was home alone from 11-3 and I headed out to go to their house in town for a walk and dinner. Oh my goodness I got my bum handed to me on that walk. I knew it was going to be a speed walk, but I wasnt expecting it to be so long. It was probably 4 miles and an hour or so long. I was dead at the end. I had to jog to keep up with my aunt. Kudos to her! She owned me.

After dinner I headed back here to do some stuff around the house and headed to bed early.


Lets do another post for Monday....

The journey from NY -> Texas

Ok.... time to get real about blogging! So sorry that I have been slacking. Ill give you a quick overview on each day then Ill tell some tells of Texas....

So I am sitting here looking out on a sprawling Texan ranch. No lie. (I almost choked on my dinner one night when the cows went by because I wasnt expecting any living beings to be around me... and I was a wee bit jumpy on my 1st nights in this house...) anyways I cant believe it was just over a week ago when Mom and I pulled in here tired, a little loopy and with a bruised bum. I guess I shouldnt speak for mom's bum, but mine felt like it was black and blue!

Friday morning  it all started.... I was eager to go at 6:10am. So eager that I forgot to change my shoes from my bright blue crocs into my slightly more classy Sperrys. I was literally driving by Alex's house at 6:16am when I realized that I was wearing the wrong shoes. The trip was off to a great start...

Friday wasnt too bad. Ohio sucked. Crazy stupid drivers and the state is a flat as a pancake. Nothing to see but pouring down rain. I drove the first 3 hours and then we switched. As soon as mom started driving it was sunny! Everything was boring and hunky dory until we reached Cincinnati. Lucy (in case some of you dont know.. thats my car) blinks when she is running low on class. The last bar on the gauge blinks really fast when she really needs gas.. we were in the middle of Cincinnati and she was blinking uber fast. I was attempting to be chill but I was freaking out. As soon as we got out of the city we pulled over to get gas and switch drivers. It was then that we realized that we were in Kentucky!

Kentucky is where everything got a bit crazy. Mom and I started laughing so hard that we were crying thanks to her thinking that there was a really funny looking cow in a field. Turns out it was a donkey. None of you are probably laughing right now.. but we had been up for awhile and we were pumped full of coffee... at the time it was hilarious. Then mom called dad and he wanted to know what my blog name was. I was ok until I had to explain that I had to put "yeehaw" in the web address because "a redhead in texas" was already taken. Again not that runny now, but I was in tears from laughing.

Not much happened through Kentucky. I dont think I saw a horse at all. Disappointing. But it was beautiful. I had a tenancy to make fun of Kentucky, but I wont anymore! It was green and hilly and pretty! Ill just mock Ohio from now on! :)

Tennessee was pretty blah. Lots of huge Pentecostal churches and billboards that said hell was real. Lets just say I was warning about hell more times through my drive through Tennessee then I have been in 24 11/12th years of my life! Oh I did forget... Tennessee was the first place that I got to get out and enjoy the grass! (check out my current facebook pic) We stopped in Jackson Tennessee for the night. The Holiday Inn Express there is really nice. Just in case any of you needed a hotel there. Walking distance to the Taco Bell, really nice receptionist, and a fitness center! Highly recommend!

Saturday morning we were off at 6am again. Mom is a stickler when it comes to traveling! I dont even remember much of Saturday. Just the pain.The shooting pain that radiated from my bum. Oh and mom being completely unhelpful when I was merging onto a highway in Nashville (or Mepmphis. I dont remember which one. All of the cities ran together). We almost died. Arkansas was pretty boring too.. and looked poor. Little Rock was the size of Erie.. I was so disappointed!

We pulled into Aunt Sandy's driveway and forgot to take a "oh my goodness we made it" picture we were so tired. I was in so much pain that I couldnt sit on the couch. I beat my ten year old cousin to bed and just collapsed into bed at 8:30. Not sure I really want to drive that far again.

Ill start a new blog post for the week....

So. Far. Behind!

Howdy Yall!

First and foremost.... sorry Im running so far behind on these posts. Life has been a wee bit crazy the last few days and even when I got a moment to breathe, I was too tired to construct sentences! Secondly... wanted to thank EVERYONE who stalked me and have been so encouraging through everything! I love all of the posts and kind words! Thanks for the support and Im sorry I havent kept up with answering all of you on facebook. Ill work on that too!

Im sorry but Im still going to be behind. I PROMISE to write tons tomorrow!!

Howdy Y'all!

Howdy Y'All! Thanks so much for checking out my blog! Everyone keeps asking me to keep in touch so I have decided to start a blog dedicated to my Texan Adventure. The blog for London seemed to work well so Ill see how my blogging goes this time!

If you have talked to me in the last few weeks, you know how much I have been panicking about this advnture. Since I am the Queen of Indecision and apparently LOVE stress I have made my Official decision on Monday 3/31 and spent Tuesday in denial and started getting stuff ready on Wed. So naturally I am all set to go tomorrow morning. Haha. Katie's room is covered in clothes and suitcases! This is going to be a long night!

Speaking of long.... this roadtrip is going to be quite a roadtrip. I will be a monster by the end. Thankfully mom is making the trek with me. There are strict rules though (that mom isnt aware of yet) which is under no circumstances whatsoever are we listening to Barry Manilow.

So if you are bored and need help sleeping, just hop on my blog at night and that should do the trick!

<3 Anna

P.S I will have to think of something to count!