Well, it’s a beautiful day in Houston! 73 degrees, breezy and not even humid. I think I will cherish this while it lasts!
I know I’ve been away from the blogisphere for a couple of weeks, so I thought it was about time for some stories of our Texan adventures, thus far. Believe me, we have plenty already. So here we go…
- Since we don’t close on our house until right around Thanksgiving, we’re temporarily shacking up in a barn. Yes, a barn. No, not like Jesus’ manger…more of a large metal building with air conditioning, running water, and the like. Our realtor is amazing and she offered up her family’s barn apartment when she found out we’d have about a month in between homes. It is so nice and it comes complete with this view, where her horses graze daily…
Country livin’…
Don’t be fooled by the outside…
- The only things this place is missing are TV and internet. At first this freaked me out but we’re quickly adjusting. Our evenings have been filled with errands, reading, taking Hazel for joy rides, and red box movies. (Book of Eli—mehh, Crazy Heart–surprisingly good!) Now you might be wondering how I’m getting any work done with no internet. We do have an air card with limited usage on it, so I usually start the day working off of that. Then after lunch is when it gets fun. The first day I headed over to Panera in Cinco Ranch. Internet is down. What? When does that happen?? No problem, I’m right next to the library and I read they have free wifi. Not that day folks! According to the woman I talked to, their internet “broke down”. So it was on to my last resort…McDonald’s. I was pretty skeptical going into the fast food joint, but what a pleasant surprise it was! It was the swankiest Mickey D’s I’ve ever been in and it had a little area for people with computers. Plus, there were men in suits there so I didn’t feel quite so weird! I think McDonald’s might just be my new office for the next couple weeks! Sidenote: I was sending Chris text messages throughout my free wifi search, but he only saw the last one that said, “I guess I’ll try McDonald’s now.” He seriously thought I was doing a food tasting tour of Katy. Hahahaha.
- One of the best parts of living at the barn is our roommate–Alfredo. Imagine an older Pedro from Napolean Dynamite in full cowboy getup…boots, vest, belt buckle, cowboy hat. He’s the real deal, folks! Alfredo has worked for our realtor’s family for 15 years and he lives in a trailer behind the barn. He takes care of the land, the animals, and he can fix just about anything I hear. Plus, he is just so darn cute. So far we’ve only waved at each other, but I have high hopes for an awkward conversation where I break out my senior-year Spanish IV skills. Stay tuned! 🙂
- Hazel met an armadillo. Well, she saw one in the back yard, I scooped her up, sprinted inside, and we both watched the funny little creature out the window. I guess that’s something I’m going to have to get used to. Instead of sweet little rabbits bouncing around our yard we will have these guys…not exactly cute and fluffy!
- They have Texas-shaped pretzels at the grocery store here–I kid you not. I wish I could be like most people and say that’s stupid and over-the-top, but I actually like the psychotic state pride of the Lone Star state. So beware, if you come to visit you might be snacking on the state of Texas!
- We have one car and it doesn’t really fit in around here. In the land of F-250s and Beamers, Chris’ 97 Jeep Grand Cherokee with Illinois plates sticks out like a sore thumb. I pulled into a parking lot the other day and I’m pretty sure our car was the only one there more than 2 years old. But until that baby breathes it’s last breath, that’s just the way it’s going to be. Anyway, back to the point…I have been taking Chris to work every day–all the way downtown. I thought it was going to be terrible driving hour-long trips at the beginning and end of the days, but it’s actually been kind of fun. I now have a much better understanding of HOV lanes, feeder roads and EZ tags. Everything is a little different with the Texas highway systems, that’s for sure. Another thing that’s different is the CRAZY drivers! No one uses blinkers, they cut each other off, and rarely do you see someone going the speed limit. I think Chris was a little worried about me getting on the road the first time, but it turns out I’m just as terrible of a driver, so I fit in perfectly! Now I don’t even have to wave when I cut people off 🙂
- And finally, my last story–actually, it’s just an observation. Not all Texans have accents. How disappointing!!!! I mean, I would at least fake it i I was from here. Southern accents are so cool.
- Okay, one more thing. I’m in love with Taylor Swift’s new album. I have it on repeat all day long as I try to determine which guy each song is about. So far, I’ve pinned the Glee guy, Taylor Lautner, John Mayer (ewwww), and of course, Joe Jonas (time to get over that loser, Taylor. ) If you haven’t bought it yet, DO. You won’t be disappointed!
- And just in case you’ve missed this sweet little face…our little K-State fullback 🙂
Lots of love from Texas!
1. This post made me miss you. A lot.
2. I liked Crazy Heart too! Want to buy some of the music off of the album.
3. That picture of Hazel is hilarious. She looks like a hunky Hank. Minus the pink under her jersey. 🙂
LOL! Will you please get a photo of Alfredo!?!? Oh, and enjoy that weather. It is 50 degrees in KC right now!
Hahaha! Well it sounds like you are adjusting quite well. I can just see you: bright blonde Kansas girl driving around in the jeep, rocking out to Taylor Swift, cutting off rough-and-tumble Texas cowboys… miss you!
Yay- you're a Texan now too!! Coming to see you in December- get ready. I want some Texas pretzels, and if you're lucky, I'll bring Josh's Texas-shaped jalapeno cooker- yeah, that's right.