It's Good To Be Home...

Tonight I went to Gunter to see my parent's, sister, nieces and both of my grandmothers. It was nice. I'm much more appreciative of living here in Texas, near my family, after being in Kansas. Granted I was only there for two months, but it's more than I can describe being back.

Today, while at my parent's, my niece Emma had me "chase" her while she was riding a tricycle (it's WAY too small for her by the way, so not much "chasing" going on). Nevertheless, I obliged and followed her to the front of the house, along the sidewalk. She noticed some, I guess, etching(?) in the sidewalk and proceeded to point it out while reciting her ABC's. After she finished, I told her that what she was pointing at was something her mommy and I did when our parent's built that house when the cement was still "wet". I guess that was something I forgot about until Emma pointed it out. You can clearly see..."Kevin '90" in the sidewalk. Emma wondered why her name wasn't there, which is when I came to the realization that that house was built almost 20 years ago, before she ever became the light in her mother's eye...and my family's for that matter. I'm not sure she understood what I was saying, but seeing that part of the sidewalk kinda made me emotional. Suddenly I noticed the age of the place, the bricks don't look the same, the yard doesn't look the same...it looked older. I remember when that house, my "always" home, was built. I remember coming back from vacation that year to see it had been framed, playing hide n seek in it before it was finished out, being outside the garage when I heard Garth Brooks "Friends in Low Places" for the first time (it had just been released shortly before construction...yeah I know). However, I never saw this house as old, until today. I'm just grateful that another generation has the opportunity to see it as...home. I miss Gunter...yeah, I said it.

TWOC: Christmas Shopping

I must admit I'm not very good with the whole shopping thing. As a matter of fact, I'd rather have my fingers removed by a butter knife than go to the mall, but hey, when it comes to Christmas exceptions must be made. There's just something about buying for other people that makes it so much better, ESPECIALLY when I'm buying for those two beautiful girls. So tonight, while in Gunter at my parent's house, I was told that Emma was to go through the toy catalog (I believe it was Target) and tell me what she wants for Christmas. Well, I don't think I got a good grasp of what she really wants because she decided to point to, literally, every toy on every page and exclaim, "I want that...and that....and that....and that!" Needless to say, I would buy her everything in that catalog but, given I'm not some millionaire, it will be scaled down...just a bit.

Ok, getting back to Christmas shopping...only ONCE have I done my shopping last minute and the crowds were enough to ward me off from it for life. People are hysterical and ridiculous when it comes to shopping just before the holidays. However, those people also come across as sane individuals compared to those who do the whole "Black Friday" fiasco. Chaos reigns supreme on that particular date and I would rather be homeless than have to shop on that day. Having worked in retail, I've seen first hand how disgusting people can be. For me, I may have had a better grasp of the situation, I mean some of them were trying to get a good deal on the ONLY thing their child/niece/grandchild wanted that year. Who doesn't want to make a child's Christmas that much brighter? However, resorting to name calling, pushing/shoving, even fighting is uncalled for. To be honest, I'd rather buy everything online than have to deal with people in the stores. It's so much more cozy...imagine if you will, a nice hot cup of coffee (with holiday creamer), listening to Christmas music and buying gifts for the people you love online in the safe, comfortable location that is your home. It's nice. Trust me, do it...you'll thank me later lol.

I'm BAAAA-AAAACK!!!

That's right, I'm finally able to sit down and write a blog post lol. So, let me just tell you all that has occurred in the last week. For starters, everyone knows I moved back to Texas! I'm so happy to be home, it just feels like "home" here. Even the stupid traffic put a small smile on my face this past Monday lol. Now, don't get me wrong, Kansas was ok but let's face it, I only went there for one reason and, well, it wasn't Kansas LOL. Fortunately, the opportunity came up for me to come back and we felt it was the best decision. So Saturday I drove back to Plano, with Hero and Lucy in tow. It was probably the ONE thing I dreaded most. I mean, Hero isn't exactly easy to take in a car, he loves to stand in my lap and look out the window. Although he did really well, I only let him in my lap once per hour lol...spoiled, I know. So anyway, 5 1/2 hour drive done, I boarded them at the hospital and checked into my hotel.

The Hotel
Let me start by saying it was cheap, like super cheap. However, I will NEVER again stay at Homestead Suites in Plano. I knew given the price it would be an experience but hell, it was only for one night. I killed 5 bugs, I suppose housekeeping left the window open and that's how they got in? I'm gonna go with that one. They weren't roaches though, but still. I should have complained or something, perhaps got the room for free but whatever. I just went with it. Got up the next morning (did not sleep under the covers by the way lol) and got things underway to get moved in.

Creekside Homes at Legacy
We lived here for a couple years, so I was not only familiar with the staff but the complex as well. It is very close to my job and they're nice apartments. So that was all a bonus. I fortunately got my lease signed prior to the movers calling, so I had enough time to check out the apartment. Nice, hardwood floors in the kitchen and bathroom. It's not too big but it's a mansion compared to that hotel room. Movers came and went, it was nice to have all the old furniture back even though we got rid of A LOT of stuff, which is nice...means LESS to unpack! It had to wait though, afterall I started work the very next morning.

Back at Work
It was such a relief to be back somewhere familiar, working with people I know, for people I know and with clients I know. It's like I never left, it's comfortable. So, without a hitch, I was back into my routine and it felt good. Hero, however, is not back into the routine. He's had to go to work with me EVERYDAY this week because he can't seem to get used to staying home alone. I can literally hear him SCREAMING from the parking lot! It's frustrating but not unexpected.

New Delivery
Seam decided it was time to buy a washer and dryer, which I agreed with. Afterall, we had been renting them for the last several years, needless to say, with what we'd been paying, we could've ALREADY owned them lol. By the way, I'm well aware of the stupidity in renting them...it's ok. So he scheduled them to be delivered on Tuesday. Let's just say this, I NEVER realized just how complicated a washer and dryer can be to operate. They are front loaders with NUMEROUS cycles, options, buttons, sounds, etc, etc. Nice but I would've been just fine with the plain janes, that's ok though. In addition to the washer & dryer, he also got us a 54" plasma TV and Blu Ray player. So, expensive delivery but very nice. Just wish I wasn't the only one enjoying them at the moment but that will change soon.

So now, I'm back to blogging. I've missed several TWOC posts but hope to get back into it this week. I'm so HAPPY to be back...in more ways than one!