Proud mama

Lexi and Maddie are still finding their way, with kind of an Israel/Palestine level of comfort with each other.

Typically, Maddie hangs out in the bathroom and closet, while Lexi spends time in her Cookie Monster bed (which is clearly made for a smaller dog, but I thought it was adorable, hee). Not a lot of cohabitating.

BUT! Today! Both pets. On one bed. At the same time. Glad I had my camera...this may never happen again.

A very, very, very fine house

We closed, barely. We've been moving and unpacking and making dozens of trips to Walmart, and I am seriously exhausted. But, we have a house! More details later. In the meantime, here's a picture of my sweet new puppy, Lexi. Maddie is not amused by the dog at all, but J and I love her.

OMG we almost have a house!

We have walls and tile and countertops and cabinets.....not very much left to do to finish this house up. Next week should be little stuff, like light switches and ceiling fans. Then we need flooring and landscaping, and we're pretty much done!

Here is the kitchen:




The little dark spots are metal accent pieces. Here's a closeup:

And the house is BLUE. I'm not sure if I love it, so we may repaint. I don't know....it kind of grows on me every time we're out there. Strikes me as very coastal, very Carolinas. We're still missing shutters, porch railing and a front door. And a sidewalk. And grass. Minor details.

Back on track

Progress! The copper is back, insulation is in, walls are complete, and we now have stonework and trim done.

Next week the cabinets should go in, the exterior should get painted, and the tile work should start.

Copper thieves and hot neighbors

By yesterday, we were supposed to have all the insulation and drywall up, and the cabinets would be almost ready to be installed. When we visited, however, nothing had happened. It seems that while waiting for the City of Dallas to inspect our electrical and plumbing systems, some enterprising citizens drove up in the middle of the night and stripped all of the copper out of our house. They also stole 36 windows from another house. So, we're actually delayed a little bit. All of the electrical has to be re-done, and re-inspected, THEN we'll get walls.

In happier news, we have various new neighbors moving in. Most interestingly, a college women's soccer team will be living about a block away. Some nice parents bought a house for their daughter and teammates to move into. Should be interesting....

Not too many changes this weekend. The roof is on, and we picked the color blue we want the siding to be painted. The rock is on order, so it might be up by next weekend.

In more interesting news, while we were outside, a GORGEOUS flock of birds flew in formation into our neighborhood and landed in the yard of the house across the street from us. They were just stunning - we watched them for a while. They looked kind of coastal, maybe like a crane?

Ideas?

Technology of the Future (Robin is easily impressed)

Today we got a roof and the rest of our windows. Also, some siding. Pretty much all that's left to do on the outside is paint the siding and put on the rock, which I think is happening next week. Everywhere that doesn't have siding on it is going to be rock (both chimneys and the bottom couple of feet of the house).


The front still needs a little siding and some shingles - I forgive them for stopping work because there was some serious lightning this afternoon in Dallas. I would not want to be the guy on top of a house on top of a hill holding a hammer and nails in a lightning storm.

Notice all of these pictures are taken drive-by style from our car? J thought we would freak out the workers if we walked up and took pictures. I think they were more freaked out by the weirdos in the SUV who kept driving by with a paparazzo camera hanging out the window.

We also met with the guy who handles our wiring for security, speakers, internet, cable, etc, etc. I'm very impressed with how fancy our house's wiring will be. The neighborhood gets Verizon Fios, which is apparently some super swanky cable and internet. And somehow I have the ability to choose on a whim if I want our phone jacks to be internet jacks, and vice versa. I don't understand how they can be both and can switch back and forth, but whatever. I am technologically slow, so I'm hoping J caught all the details of this. There's a big master wiring center and I can control which switches do what and what speakers are connected to what TV and whatnot from the box. Again, hoping J caught the details of all that....it seemed very futuristic. OH! And the best part - we can record a show in one room and watch it from any of the other rooms, or pause a show in one room, and pick it up on any other TV. What smart person invented this?

Looks like a real house!

So here's the front of the house. It was exciting to walk through the front door of something that actually bears a resemblance to our final house! Yay!


Here's the back of the house. The four upstairs windows are the gameroom, which will basically be a J's man cave. Many happy hours of Guitar Hero will be played here. Just below the game room is the patio. On the right is the fireplace. This would be an ideal place for cigar smoking, if anyone were so inclined.

Wednesday we meet with the guy who does all the wiring for speakers, internet, security system, etc. This is going so fast!

A Bad Housing Market Makes for Quick Construction

So with the housing market being all weird, there are bunches of guys ready and willing to work. In the span of 48 hours, our house went from concrete slab to this:

Still a lot of framing to do, but the first floor is basically done and the upstairs is underway. Oh, and somebody took the time to pour us a ghetto little sidewalk. I'm impressed.

Here's the house from a little further away. Obviously, big chunks of roof are missing. Still, great progress for two days.

Did I mention that T.D. Jake's mega-church is near the neighborhood? And is somehow involved in the development? And apparently choose all the street names? We live on Patience Boulevard. There's also Kingdom Drive, Prayer Way, Truth Drive, Samaritan Road, you get the idea. I think we lucked out with Patience. Doesn't scream "I am affiliated with a televangelist."

Our view from the second floor. As a small town girl, I appreciate the open space:

Foundation!

So this is what the inside of a foundation looks like. Lots of trash bag covered piles of dirt and cables. Not too pretty, but it apparently gets the job done.

Then, big trucks full of concrete show up....
You end up with this! How exciting. We have a foundation. This makes my commitment to our mortgage lender seem much more real. And kind of scary.

Obligatory carving into the concrete...

And obligatory cutesy photo of obligatory carving into concrete:)

Apparently we are very into earth tones...

We're building a house! More details to the right in the handy links, and I'm sure you'll be seeing many, many pictures over the next few months.


Mom, as promised, here are pictures of the materials we're using:
The first picture is kitchen stuff...white cabinets, granite, small tiles and accent pieces for the backsplash...

Same story, second verse, but you can also see the wood floors.

Obligatory pic of our empty lot. Can you tell which half of my family is a sharp dresser? Can you tell which half is still wearing a sweatshirt from college?

Finally, bathroom stuff. The big tile goes pretty much everywhere in the master bath, and the little accent strip goes in the shower. There's also a coordinating floor tile thing (technical term) that you can see here: http://www.daltileproducts.com/large_items.cfm?itemID=1939&itemtype=1

We have a date!!! (Maybe)

Last weekend JW and I went to Galveston to look for reception places. The only place that kind of worked was a resort hotel, the Galvez. Beautiful property, nice people, and apparently we came just in time to witness the aftermath of The Bachelor's wedding. Which Bachelor? We're not sure. I don't know if the concierge was trying to be discrete, or seriously didn't know the guy's name (likely the later), but you heard it here first, folks....one of the Bachelor's got married to a girl he met on a blind date Saturday night at the Galvez with 220 guests and an ocean view. And apparently some privacy. Take that Trista!!!

So, after much thinking, we've decided to have the wedding in Dallas, hopefully on August 25th. Everyone mark your calendars!!! This will be set in stone by tax day (and one lucky reader's birthday!).

Here's the info, as we know it:

CHURCH: Highland Park United Methodist Church. Hopefully, there is a picture of the chapel somewhere on here.

RECEPTION: Aldredge House (www.aldredgehouse.net). This place is cool because they basically hand over the keys to the house for the night. Tucker, I have some audiovisual assignments for you.

And that is all. G'night!

Gettin Hitched (Heidi, this is for you)

When last we spoke, I had just moved a few hundred miles away from my then-boyfriend JW for a new job. Fast forward a few months, and he has now moved to Dallas and we are engaged (take that, ex-boss)!

It's hard to believe that things have changed so fast. I met JW ten months ago today. In ten short months, things have changed completely. New job, new city, new relationship, new family. I'm going to have a new NAME soon. Holy cow. Weird.

He proposed on December 29th, and I was TOTALLY surprised. We'd been talking about it, but I just didn't see it coming at all on that particular day. He was very sneaky about it, even involving my family and Mother Nature. A story for another day. Maybe I'll let JW tell it.

So, in the three months we've been engaged, we've managed to plan a lot of small details, but absolutely cannot decide on a date or venue. Or city. At least we've narrowed it down to Texas.

Here are the options:

GALVESTON - JW's parents live there, and are members of a beautiful church. Unfortunately, we can't find a place to have a reception. We're still working on it.

DALLAS - We found a great place to have a reception, but can't find a church. You see my frustration....

MY HOMETOWN - We could have the wedding at my parent's farm, but it would involve a tent outdoors, which depending on the weather would either be (1) gorgeous, or (2) disaster. With my luck, disaster.

More to come later...

Where to begin, where to begin?!?!!?

So when most people decide to get a new job, it goes something like this: interview, get hired, give notice, maybe have a nice little last-day-of-work lunch, leave.

Not so much here. Mine went like this:

1. Interview: So I had the first interview I mentioned earlier. That went well. Then, I was asked back for a second interview. I gave notice of my "doctor's appointment" and prepared to go. After running into attorneys at the airport last time, I was much, much smarter. So, I scheduled to fly at weird hours when absolutely no attorney should be at the airport.

2. Flight: And of course, I ran into FREAKING ANOTHER ATTORNEY at the airport. A jerky one. And he informed me that he fully intended to head straight back to the office and tattle on me. Hell.

3. The Next Day: My boss, in a very snarky meeting, informed me that he knew I had been interviewing, and while I was not officially fired, he would start interviewing for my replacement and I was encouraged to get out quickly. Super. Have I mentioned that my boss and I have been locked in sort of a passive-agressive hatred for the past year?

4. The Offer: So thank GOD I actually got the offer. That was a fun day, getting to tell my boss I was (1) leaving, haha; (2) making tons more dough; and (3) going to a kick-ass law firm. I think he was truly shocked, since he thinks I am something less than worthless.

5. The Notice: I gave a week and a half notice. That was all I could stomach. And I was (somewhat) diligent. I came to work at my regular time, and left around 5:30. Not awful. And I actually was attempting to wrap up my cases. All the while, my boss was secretly planning...

6. The Preemptive Strike: So I was sitting in my office yesterday at 5:00 when BAM!!! In slipped my boss, shut the door, and freaking FIRED me. Seriously. I only have a week left, and the dude FIRED me. My computer was suddenly locked, and I was given three boxes and the HR guy came and supervised me until I left?! What the hell?

7. Parting Shots: While I was packing, he also managed to sneak in his opinions that (1) I had somehow tricked my new firm into hiring me, because they are way out of my league; and (2) my boyfriend and I will not survive the long-distance thing, and will break up in the next couple of months. Mmm, ok. Thanks, man. I'll miss you, too.

So, there you have it. He got his moment of Little Man Power, but I get an extra week off, paid. I think I won. HA! So, here I sit at home on a work day, watching the Today show, with no plans other than to go lay by my pool and read a book. I suddenly feel much happier. And I owe it all to my boss. Mazel tov!!

On Hold

Oh, you guys. The triathlon class. Oh, the triathlon class. So, I was all ready to sign up for the class, and have already registered for two triathlons, when I got a call about a great job in Dallas. So, I flew up last Wednesday to interview, and am basically waiting on pins and needles to see if I get it. If not, I'll start this class late. If yes, I'm hoping to get into a similar class in Dallas.

So, please continue to hold. Hopefully this is all settled soon...

Updates aplenty

Yes, yes. Stop the ranting and raving and semi-mean emails and thinly-veiled threats. I am back!!! Posting!! Updating!! Catching you up on the mundane excitement that is my life. Hoooty Hoo!!!

OK, let's see...

1. Danskin and Robin: The Danskin tri was Sunday. I didn't do it. However, I did get to see one of my best friends, Jenni, for the first time in a YEAR. A whole year!!! And the last time we saw each other, we were all crazy from law school. In fact every other time we've seen each other, we were crazy from law school, since we in fact met in law school. So if you think about it, this weekend was basically the first time we met. When not crazy. Hmm.

2. Danskin and Jenni: My friend Jen flew in from the godforsaken tundra, and DID finish the Danskin in spectacular fashion, enduring multiple flat tires and hellish heat and other dreaded traumas, but still finishing victorious. Hooray, Jen!!

3. My Rib: Is dandy. I'm hardly even aware of it. The weeks off, while incredibly piss-poor timing, were exactly what I needed. All better.

4. My triathlon class: Is OVER!!! Can you believe it's been 18 weeks?!?!? Me, not so much. It has gone shockingly fast. Sunday was the last day, then we had a nice cookout, which was weird cause no one was wearing swimsuits or other Spandex clothing, and we all smelled good and our hair was brushed. We barely recognized each other.

So somewhere out there, I'm sure (because I'm all vain like that) one of you just screamed in your office, "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The class is over?!?!?!?!?! Does this mean the blog is ending? Does this mean Robin will never finish an actual triathlon? What will I read while I'm pretending to work?"

Rest easy, folks. May I present to you....

****************Drumroll*****************

.....TRIATHLON CLASS PART DEUX!!!

That's right, 18 more weeks of triathlon excitement, brought to you courtesy of ye ole blog, which shall forge on.

My motivation for continuing the class is multipart:

1. I like those people. Bunches.
2. I recently purchased an ASSLOAD of athletic equipment, a bike, a huge bag of swim gear, etc, etc, etc, and that little investment is NOT going to waste.
3. I still want to finish a triathlon.

And on that last note, may I bring you the most traumatizing part of this little story. The three tri's I signed up for were all so nice. Classy. Cute names. Cute shirts. All respectable.

But those races, my friends, are gone. The next race coming up soon, my SOLE OPTION, is this little gem:

Jeff and Brede's INTERGALACTIC Triathlon

Not a joke. Set your tasers to stun folks, I'm swimming with the dorks. I have the option of registering with either my age group, or with the Vulcans. THE VULCANS. The Vulcans are women who weigh more than 150 pounds, which is apparently a fatty in triathlete world. I'm going to roll out some shocking news now: I do in fact weigh more than 150 pounds. And the idea of being the top Vulcan is a little too irresistable to pass up, so I think I'm in. (Incidentally, men who weigh more than 200 pounds are, of course, called Klingons.)

I cannot wait to see this t-shirt.

Down to the wire

Silverlake was a bust, and Capital of Texas Tri was a no-go, so I'm down to my third and last option: Danskin.

Screw this one up, and the title "triathlete" goes out the window. Instead, I'm just that girl who exercises a lot. Not as cool.

And yes, yesterday was my birthday. I am officially 29 and holding. So, thanks to all who called or emailed, and if you forgot, just consider it a preemptive strike for when I forget your birthdays next time. No worries:)

Good news, I'm lucid

So, my hormones are all calmed down and the adrenaline has drained from my body, and I'm back to regular, lucid, non-ranting Robin. With a rib issue.

I did actually take a nap Sunday, and by mid-afternoon I absolutely could not stand my own melodrama, so I got over it.

Still bummed? Yes. But, it was just one of those weird things, an accident, and not at all the end of the world.

I think the rib is bruised, not broken. I feel kind of achy all over, and every time I laugh or sneeze, I regret it. Otherwise, all is well. The race this weekend is off, but I'm still going to drive to Austin and cheer for the people in my class. It's almost as exciting to watch them succeed as to do it myself, you know? I feel like we're a team.

So, rest assured I'm fine. Bruised, but not broken. I'll be ready for Danskin.

DNF

Any minute now, results will be posted for the Silverlake Tri, and next to my name it will say DNF. Did Not Finish.

I am so damn disappointed, I can't even explain. Every time I think about that moment where I realized, "There's no way I can finish this race" and made the decision to quit, I start crying again. I'm totally boo-hooing as I type this.

I'm not sure why this race meant so much to me - maybe because it was the first, maybe because it was the one I counted on finishing since it was shortest, I'm not sure. Anyway, I didn't finish, and I feel absolutely demoralized.

Before the race I was totally excited and having fun. I got there early, set up my little station, ran into two attorneys from work and a guy from my training class. My race number was 69, and there is just enough 13-year-old boy in me that I was amused at having that written all over my body in Magic Marker.

Then, we got all lined up for the swimming waves. Men went first, oldest to youngest, then women. So, my age group was the very last group in the water. We cheered every time the starting gun went off, every time a new age group began. As we shuffled forward, we were all getting nervous, but excited.

Finally it was our turn. The entire group gets into the water together, waiting for the gun to start swimming. We were packed fairly close together, and I remember thinking that I wished I were off to the side. But then the gun went off, and we were all swimming, and I was amazed that OH MAN, I am doing a triathlon!

And that's when some girl in front of me gave me a swift kick in my right ribs. Direct hit. Sharp pain. I think I cried out, because all of a sudden I was swallowing a lot of lake water, and my ribs were throbbing.

I'm not sure what made up my mind, maybe the sight of my whole group swimming off without me, but I decided I wasn't quitting without a fight. So I swam. I swam that whole fucking lake, wincing and doggie paddling and backstroking and probably crying, but I did it. I was the very last person out of the water. I know I came out crying and holding my right side, and I remember an EMT asking if I needed help, but I brushed past him and got ready to start biking.

The bike route was two 5-mile loops. I made it around once, five miles, hurting with every breath I took, before I quit. I remember seeing the four-mile mark, and thinking, "Can I do this again? Can I make this lap again? And then do the run? I'm more than halfway, and the hard part is behind me." And then I remember deciding no, and preparing to turn in, and people were cheering for me, yelling, "You're doing great!" and "Almost there!" and I felt like such a fraud, because I knew I wasn't doing great, wasn't even going to finish.

So that is how my race finished...I pulled up to the transition station, and somebody started yelling for the EMT, and an ambulance drove over, and I just remember crying and crying, so mad at that anonymous girl, and so mad at myself for quitting.

Bottom line, it appears I have a broken or fractured rib. Which means that the Capital of Texas tri is probably out too, since it is next weekend.

So, I'm going to feel really, really sorry for myself until maybe 2:00. I'm going to take a shower, and cry, and take a nap, and really wallow in how disappointed I am. After that, feel free to start reminding me how life is about the journey, and I'm a winner because I took the class, and all of that stuff that I know but don't want to focus on yet. Right now, I'm just too damn sad.

Silverlake in the morning!!!

This afternoon at 4:00, I decided to take a little nap. The idea was to grab a few Z's, then go to the gallery opening of a friend of mine, then get ready for the triathlon, and hit the sack by 10:00. I'm supposed to be there ready to go at 5:30 am.

Instead, I went to sleep at 4:00 and woke up at 10:30. Doh.

So, here I am, my giant Nordstrom bag of triathlon stuff packed, stressing over stuff like whether the number should be pinned on the front or back of my shirt, where to put the stickers on my helmet, blah, blah, blah. And now I am wide awake. So, I'm chilling out with a bowl of cereal and a very special Dr. Phil primetime special. This is not exactly how I intended to prepare for the race, but I guess it'll do.

Of COURSE, I will let you all know how it went tomorrow. There are only 400 people in the race, so I anticipate finishing somewhere around 398. Surely there are two people slower than me:)