Fire Phil the Groundhog

I haven't blogged much lately. Not much going on in this cold, cold, Texas winter. I would officially like to fire Phil the groundhog. I am not enjoying our extra 6 weeks of cold weather. I'm ready to put the top down on my car and play golf. I had a sad moment today. I opened the passenger door to put some stuff in the front seat and I saw a golf towel and a cute pair of my flip flops in the back seat. Oh, how I miss Texas summers.


My renters put this cute Texas star above my garage in Frisco. They also put a new lamp on the front porch and cute chairs out front. I wish I would have thought of the star. Sigh.

So Hayley has almost quit Aveda hair school twice now, but then she calls hours later all excited about something at school.  She has been exhausted, but her frantic, crying phone calls are wearing me out. She has been working 39 hours a week and going to school 33 hours a week and to top it off, she got strep throat last week. And even though the clinic was right down the street from her apartment, she asked me to take her. I'm glad I could help. It's funny how 19-year olds turn 10 when they are sick....much like sick men. I took her to the doctor, picked her up some lunch, waited to pick up her prescriptions while we browsed the As-Seen-On-TV-aisle, and sent her home to bed.

She is very headstrong and wants to support herself; however, I have finally convinced her to cut her hours and let me help her out. School is only 12 months and we are almost a month down. So she took me up on the offer and will cut her hours starting in March back to 21 hours a week. I meant take Sundays off. I didn't mean cut her hours in half. Oh well, we will manage. Here she is with her lavendar hair. This was two weeks ago. This week she is blonde again.

So this coming Saturday, I'm going to be her model at school. Model doesn't mean you are gorgeous. In this case, it means that you are the only person to agree to put your hair into the hands of a student. I get a hand massage, shampoo with head massage, conditioner and then I get my hair blow dryed and styled. She was also able to buy me some new Aveda products at 50% off. Yippee. She said she also learned how to use a round brush to make your hair soft. Bring it on!

So Madi cheered her last ever Colt game, but that also means that graduation and new things are coming her way soon. These are exciting times for our girls. We love these girls of ours, but they also make us quite crazy at times. I guess that is just part of it. I'm sure we drive them crazy too.

Hayley's Quote of the Day

Hayley has only been moved out for three weeks, but she already seems more mature. Yesterday, she called to tell me that she had made her first grown-up executive decision. My mind was racing as I was pondering what important decision she had made. I don't know why I wasted brain cells on this. She made the decision to take her umbrella with her and the great decision paid off because it was raining when she got off work. 

I would think the fact that she went apartment shopping on her own and picked out her own apartment might have been more of an executive decision than the umbrella, but that's just me.

Hayley had the day off so she met me for sushi lunch. She was talking about some kids that her friend at work is trying to help out and how immature they were. Her quote of the day "If you are old enough to be tried as an adult, you are old enough to act like an adult". Well said.

She has been without cable and Internet for three weeks which is why she spent eight hours with us watching her tablet this past weekend. Nick felt bad for her and he ordered Internet for her and added it to his bill. Today, a package showed up at her apartment complex addressed to Nicholas with her address and this confused the mail room guys. Hayley told them that it was for her because "Nick had bought her the Internet". She was so excited when she called me. She told me she's not going to leave her apartment all weekend long. Unfortunately, for her, while the wireless modem is working, AT&T said the Internet will not be activated until 8pm tonight. She decided to nap until 8pm.

I'm currently a landlord again. It's always a crapshoot, but Joel Olsteen told me this week to change my mindset from the skinny goat to the fat cow....or something like that. Anyway, I think he meant expect more and have a positive attitude, so yeah that.

My neighbors are used to seeing Zena,my Rottie/Lab mix, in the yard. As of next week, they will be seeing Zepplin, a Collie/Lab mix, in the yard.

Almost Back to Normal and Broke Toilets

December was a super busy month. I traded cars. Hayley got moved out to her new apartment. I moved to Arlington. I did all my Xmas shopping on the 23rd. Found a handy man to fix up my house and got it listed for lease, and then followed all this up with a golf trip to Pensacola.  So back to 'real life' now.

Things found in an Exxon truck stop.

I have a new home, added some new family members, and a new gym. I also named the new car..... Snowflake. The car is white and I test drove it off a big slab of ice so this seems appropriate. Now, I need the weather to cooperate so I can put the top down. 

This weekend, I finally visited Hayley's apartment after 3 weeks of her living there. I'm shocked. It is clean and cute. I can't believe it. She was such a slob when she lived at my house. Figures.

Paradise Grill Polar Plunge 2014

So now back to cooking, focusing on work, and going to the gym. So I move in with Nick and he's had the same washing machine for 15 years. I put in my first load and the machine quits working. So we got a new washing machine for Xmas. Yawn. Well that and a golf trip to Pensacola...woohoo. 

Balcony View at Holiday Inn Resort

So on a new subject of leasing homes. My coworker said she didn't understand how one of her tenants broke a toilet. Well that brought back broke toilet memories.

Toilet 1: So back in 1994 (I remember the year because I was pregnant with Hayley), I wake up and hear water....sounds like a small babbling brook. My ex-step-son was 12 and was visiting. I thought maybe he was peeing in a closet or something by mistake. I guess pregnancy made me looney. Anyway, I got up and went to the bathroom and my feet splash on the floor. I turn on the light and I cannot see where this water is coming from. Finally, I spot what looks like a hair on the back of the commode. All that water from a small hairline crack. I turned off water and sopped it up with towels. Well, that afternoon, I come home from work and notice a shadow on the ceiling above my dining room. Oopsie. Had to file insurance for that one.

Toilet 2: I had just put a pool in at my old house. Obviously a man designed my house...hence the bathroom in the kitchen. However, it was convenient with the pool because you could walk in the back door from the pool right to my kitchen bathroom. So I come in from pool to use the bathroom. This in itself is odd as I often just peed in my own pool. I must have had company that day:)  I went back outside to swim. I come in the house an hour later and my kitchen is flooded. The ceramic had completely broken into pieces around the hinge that holds the toilet to the floor. I did not file insurance, but pulled up all my flooring and stained the concrete a nice terracota color. It looked like the patios of Mexican restaurants. Made me crave margaritas all the time.

Toilet 3: Next house with pool. I had friends over. One of my girlfriend comes in from pool to use the half bath. She slips on the ceramic tile and lands on the toilet and it just breaks into small pieces. That was pretty funny. Caught that one right away so no water damage.

Moving Weekend and New Used Car

Busy, busy week. 

So I literally drove my new convertible off of a huge block of ice to go on a test drive. I also almost put the car sideways on the way out of the parking lot. The sales guy had gone back inside and didn't witness that. I bought the car at Park Place Lexus in Grapevine. Swanky place. I was in and out in a couple of hours. My sales person helped transfer all my junk from one car to the other and even programmed my garage door opener for the new car.

Bye bye Z4, Hello Camaro.

The car was a little more than I wanted to spend, but Nicky negotiated it right down to what I did want to spend. So anyway, I traded one white convertible for another white convertible. My old car looks brown in the picture, but that is from Icemageddon. 

So Friday I ran to McKinney so Hayley could drop off her car at Nissan to see why the check engine light was on. We eat some wings and go back to Frisco. About 10 minutes later, he car is ready, so back to McKinney. Ugh.

Zena going for ride in old car

Then, Saturday its off to Austin to take my big dog, Zena, to live with my ex-husband and son. She is a vicious breed and not allowed at most places and she needs plenty of room. I miss her so much already. So I did round trip. 3.5 hours to get there and 4.5 to get home.

I got stuck in traffic on the way back on 1-35 for an hour in Lorena, Texas. I literally got out of my car on the interstate to stretch my legs and take a short walk. Lots of guys were jumping the median for pee breaks and a few ran into a bar on the side of the interstate....peeing or drinking??? Anyway, I was able to read my new car manual, program my blue tooth, set up hands-free calling, play on Facebook, and Words with Friends...or in my case Words with Strangers, until the wreck was cleared. I almost gnawed my arm off as I was starving, and I was tempted to jump the median too as I was drinking bottled water on the drive.

So Sunday, another big day, Hayley moved to Dallas. We used Wrightway Movers and they did an excellent job. She pretty much moved all the furniture from my house to her new 3rd floor apartment. It only took 2 hours. Wow. She is so excited and her place looks really cute.

I still have so many odds and ends at my house. Every day this week, I'm going over to get another car load. I've had my new car since Thursday and have already racked up almost 1000 miles. This must stop. 

So next up, hire a handy man and maids to clean up the Frisco house so I can put it up for lease soon. If were to lie down right now, I'd probably wake up on Wednesday.

Empty Nest and Craps

It's official. Hayley moves out this Sunday. So her first act of living alone...she wants to put up Xmas lights in her apartment. I'm like well....maybe you should turn on electricity and Internet, get some food and supplies... and then think about the Xmas lights. Oh, she also informed me that she is going to fill the freezer with Pizzas and Ben and Jerrys. I told her it was a good thing she is moving to a 3rd-floor walkup. 

Nick and I braved the ice and went to the Gaylord for a Xmas party Friday night. There was an 18 wheeler 2 feet from my window that was going over the cobbletsone ice (new term I learned from the media). It was bouncing and rocking like crazy. I thought it was going to turn over and squish us. 

Not sure why it took us 4 shots to figure out where the camera was. The machine was very fast.....as fast as a knife fight in a phone booth.

Nick had never played craps, so how to teach him? Take our fake $4K to the table and start placing bets and making him roll. Trial by fire, but it worked out well. Nick had some awesome rolls.  I chalk it up to him being a craps virgin. He also made some mighty fine bets. He was so good that the dealer kept telling him to pick up his winnings quicker. True statement. We ended up with $15K after a late night losing streak. Did I mention the stickman tossed not one, but two chips right down the front of my dress? Very talented man. But then again, he also hit me in the eye one time too.  All in all a very fun night. The Gaylord is beautiful, but we were having too much fun to take pictures.

I hope everyone had a safe Icemageddon. I lost a rather large Chinese Empress tree in my backyard, but we were all safe and that's what counts.

Frisco Storm Damage

My Entire Life is Changing Quickly and Don't Put Milk in the Keurig

Hayley is serious about moving out. She even cleaned up her room. She came out with many garbage bags and said she could see her couch in her room again. I'm like "You have a couch in there?" 

The first apartment we checked out was a dive and it was completely 'upgraded'. Well, upgraded obviously means different things to different people. I'm thinking granite counter tops, stainless steel appliances, and hardwoods. Upgraded at this complex meant laminate floors, black appliances, granite-looking formica, and lots of people sitting outside smoking and screaming at others on their cell phones. 

Hayley looked at several more this week. For $450, you live in a neighborhood with drug dealers, gunshots, and lots of car break-ins (according to the reviews). For $600, you live in a moderately better area. I told her I'd gladly contribute $150 a month for a better chance of her staying alive. I guess sushi and manicures are out for a while....well like 12 months.

Before

With recent life changes, I've decided that I need a larger car so that I can transport two golf bags AND luggage so that Nick and I can go on golf trips. Nick's car is large enough, but its not a convertible. Oh and it doesn't help that BMW wants $600 to replace and reprogram a battery. That seems a little excessive to me. Time to go back to American-made while I'm helping Hayley through school.

Hayley is horrified that I would trade-in my car. This coming from the girl who claims she doesn't even like my car. 

Hopefully After

Unfortunately, finding a convertible in Texas is very hard to do. Well, at least, when you are picky about the color, the mileage, and the price. I may be a Longhorn, but I don't want to drive an orange car. 

And while I'm changing everything else in my life, time to put my house up for lease. Don't need to pay for a house in the Frisco Independent School District anymore. I talked to my realtor today and she said the leasing business is really good right now. 

Exciting and different times ahead!!!

So all my Texas friends, time to go buy out the grocery stores. Looks like the possibility of ice. I will be stopping by Beverage World on my way home. Hayley bought several packages of Ramen last night. We can survive a few days. Unfortunately, I cannot use the Keurig to make hot apple cider since Bimbo burned milk in it trying to make hot chocolate and never cleaned it out. The smell is horrible. We ran about 20 cups through it with vinegar and dishwashing soap. My $100 Keurig is now sitting in the garage airing out. I'm not sure it is salvgeable.