Kind of a BLAH day yesterday. Manny wasn't feeling too good yesterday, and when he got home, he still wasn't feeling too hot. We ended up going out - hopping on the highway, and picking an exit. We went to a restaurant that we hadn't ever been to. It was called ZIO's Italian Grille. It was SUCH a neat place! It has an old kind of "warehouse" feeling with aging yellow walls, and pots and pans and garlic hanging everywhere. Manny had baked ziti and I had chicken vodka! I finally tried a Bellini, too - it's frozen peach nectar, champagne, and white wine in a really tall skinny glass - it was DELICIOUS. Then we drove around for a while - just looking around, listening to music and talking. When we got home, we cleaned out the cat box, and then hit the hay early.

Today, after work, we're going to the Planetarium - I'm so excited!

So, I went to the movies yesterday. The Sorceror's Apprentice, really wasn't as great as I thought it would be, but it was a distraction, thank the Lord! Then, I found out that there is a Michael's just around the corner, so I went and got a papercutter and some plain paper for scrapbooking. On my way back to the apartment, Justin called and said that he had a horrible day, and that if it was cool with me, he was gonna come by to hang out. So, Justin came over and we talked and watched TV until Manny came home. While the two of them watched Top Gear on BBC, I started scrapbooking. I really enjoyed doing that again!

Manny and I had plans for Saturday because his manager had given him the day off, but we found out that he was going to have to work for a couple hours in the morning. Then we found out this morning that he was asked to work at another branch and we couldn't do anything on Saturday.

So, he told me to go online and figure out what will be going on this weekend in Houston. So, off I go to plan a weekend! Yay!

Yesterday was truly just a lovely day...Going to see the Sorceror's Apprentice today after Manny leaves for work...tired of laundry and tidying up already-tidy things!

Early Anniversary Dinner

Well, last night I was feeling culinarily (no, I don't really think that's a word) adventurous. So, I told Manny that we would have an Italian Night. He didn't know I was going to go all out to make it special. He had been home for a very late lunch (2pm) and had told me that he wouldn't want dinner until about 8. So, I went to the grocery and liquor store - the dessert I was making required Marsala wine, and when I got home, I started right in on the Zabaglione - an Italian egg custard with strawberries. However, I started at 4:30 and after making a complete MESS of the kitchen and the zabaglione (I needed a double boiler, but had tried to fudge it with a pot and a bowl), I cleaned up at 6, threw the zabaglione in the freezer (where it doesn't belong) and chopped the tomatoes, basil, and garlic for the bruschetta. Well, everything was back in its proper place and clean by the time Manny got home, so he had no idea that the kitchen had been the summation of WWI, WWII, Korea, and Vietnam all together!So, once he got home, I snuck into the closet, got out the brass candlesticks Uncle Rick had given me when I moved, and the green and gold silky fabric Daddy brought back from Morocco, and set the table (after I had relegated Manny to the bedroom). It looked like this:

We're pretty low on serving dishes here. Actually, we have none, so I did my best to set a pretty table with what I had. The dishes that Lucy gave us really matched perfectly with the green "tablecloth", and a pie plate

and a candy dish did the rest. I folded paper towels like I used to when I worked at the Green Olive, and I didn't have taper candles, so I put tiny little glass votives on top of the candlesticks. I gotta say, I was impressed with myself! I turned on my "Mediterranean Nights" CD on my computer, and led him out into the living room eyes closed. When he opened his eyes, he just said "Wow, sweetie! This is so nice!" We sat down and looked at each other and our apartment in the candlelight, and he said, "We've got a really nice place. We really do. Thank you for this. I've never had anyone make me a meal this nice." I told him that it was an early 10-month anniversary dinner. It looked like this:

It was so nice to sit down at OUR table for the first time in OUR apartment and have a really nice dinner. The zabaglione LOOKED and TASTED nice, but I forgot to take a picture because I considered it a flop since it wasn't the right consistency.

OH! And Manny found me a video game I'm good at - it's a racing game. YAY!

Oh, yeah...

I forgot to mention that tomorrow, we'll have been together for 10 months!

Salvation Army...

So, under the direction of Aunt Toni, I set out to various thrift stores around Houston to look for kitchen needs - wire cooling racks, proper measuring cups and spoons, a bundt pan, a good frying pan, etc...I actually found a set of 3 cooling racks for $3.00 at the Salvation Army, and I got a Bundt Pan and measuring cups for 99 cents each!

Then, I went to Big Lots - I could've gotten into some real trouble there - I was walking around the kitchen section and I found - CORNINGWARE FRENCH WHITE BAKING/CASSEROLE DISHES FOR $59.99! But, I called my mom and asked her what she thought of the price (not that we have that to spend right now, but to write down for when we do have the money in case they still have it). She suggested I just buy the pieces seperately - get the pieces I want, and I see the reasoning in it. In the set, I would have gotten like 4 little souffle dishes, and I don't need those. God knows after watching "Sabrina" (the old one with Audrey Hepburn, I'm terrified of souffles! (I still remember the nasty little French chef in the movie leaning over and up on his tippy-toes to peer into Audrey's souffle dish, and then when he couldn't find a souffle, he just kinda cut his eyes at her like, "Why are ju in ma class, ju seely leetle Amuricen!?") But, I did get a frying pan, measuring cups, some dish towels, and some other stuff for the house - like laundry detergent, etc.

So, it was not a wasted journey. Manny actually beat me home, but while he was on the computer in the bedroom, I made his favorite food - Arroz con Salchichas y Maiz (Rice with Vienna Sausage and Corn). Making anything that a man's mama makes is ALWAYS nerve-wracking, but he said that it came out great (I don't really like it, so I had Disney Princess Spaghetti-O's.), so YAY!

I think the next thing we're going to have to talk about is sharing rights to the TV. Every night, we watch his shows, or things he wants to watch. There may be nothing on, but he'll flick through the channels and find something. Not that I don't enjoy his shows, but I think there should be some sharing in there. He said we'd watch one of my movies on Saturday night (past), and he laid down and fell asleep within 20 minutes of it starting - he didn't even try to watch it! I, who am a big chicken and who doesn't enjoy movies with senseless violence, watched The Crazies with him - at night - in the dark! I think that merits some feigned interest in what I like, don't you!? Well, we'll have to talk about that later.

Love you all!

Lydia

Oh, and HAPPY BIRTHDAY LUCY! (Manny's mom!) Love you bunches!

FINALLY!

Well, we finally cleaned up the apartment! The house doesn't have any boxes sitting around, the pictures are all hung up, and I feel like I can sort of breathe better. I tried making up a recipe for porkchops (Aunt Toni helped me). I made them with rosemary and garlic and then breaded them. I don't know what's wrong with Manny's pans, but EVERYTHING STICKS! It drives both of us crazy. But, either way, it turned out pretty well, and I've brainstormed how to improve it! Manny liked it a lot, so. YAY!

I wanted to post some of the sunset pictures from outside the apartment and from Outriggers the other night for your enjoyment. Well, ENJOY!

WHY AM I SUCH A KLUTZ SINCE I MET HIM!?

So, when Manny got out of work he was really tired. I was all ready to cook dinner, and just chill out...what we've been doing pretty much since I moved here. But, he's had a really long and difficult week and he said, "Let's just go somewhere." One of his last customers of the day was a woman who just lost her husband of many years to lung cancer last month. She looked at Manny and just said "I miss my best friend...I miss my husband." If he hadn't already been tired, he would have been exhausted emotionally by her. He came home and told me about it and almost cried.

So, we got into the car and drove down to the Gulf (only about 30 minutes away from us) in Kemah and Seabrook. While we were down there, Manny said, "Honey, would you like to have seafood for dinner?" It ended up that we went on an "adventure" and ate at this little out of the way place under the bridge into Kemah called "Outriggers." The food was delicious...we had grilled shrimp in garlic butter, and dirty cajun rice, and steamed vegetables. I even had a Margarita! (It was delicious!) I thanked him again and again, and he said, "Sweetie, we both needed to get out. No...YOU needed to get out." He's so thoughtful.

That night, once we got home, he just looked at me, held my face in his hands, and said "You're so beautiful. I love you. "

In the meantime, however, when we were leaving the apartment complex, we got the mail. I opened the big iron-cast door, and slammed the unusually extended hasp into my mouth. I was never a klutz till I met him. It swelled, but fortunately, because of my full lips, it didn't really show, but it looks like I've got a nice bloodblister now. AAAAAAAAARGH! I was gonna put a picture of it up, but it's too yucky. Manny's afraid people will think he beats me!

Not too much to report - - -

So, I honestly don't have much to report...nothing really happening around here...doing laundry...putting things away...that's about it. I'm sorting through "junk boxes", and making sure I put things where they belong. I vacuumed this morning, I'm cooking Chicken with Cashew nuts tonight - hope it turns out good!

I'm starting to miss Manny when he's at work...but then, when I've really got nothing to do, of course my mind strays to him, so I read, or write letters...That's really all I have to say.

DATE NIGHT ON SATURDAY!!!

Weeeeellll...

Well, it is another pretty day here in Houston. The sun is shining, and though I've not stepped a toe outside my door, I'm sure it's steamy! Manny didn't go in 'till late this morning, so we watched the end of Psych - a show we started to watch last night but were too tired to finish. :) (We're such old people!)

We played about 8 rounds of Uno last night...he beat me fair and square the first 3 times, but then I beat him three times in a row. "Can you please keep your cards where I can see them? It's unsettling because the next thing I know, you've got one card, you've made me pick up 4 and you win!!!" (He's very competitive, so of course, I rubbed my wins in his face.)

There are still a lot of boxes here and I really hope that I can get him to go through a few of them this week. The thing is that we put a lot of our "sometimes used" stuff out on the patio, and once we finished bringing everything over, we realized that some of the stuff in the patio closet belongs somewhere else. The thing is that I can't really do much about that because most of the stuff in the patio closet and sitting around the house that needs to get put away is his. So...we'll see. But, I'll be honest. The boxes are starting to drive me nuts. I mean, I stay at home and now, do nothing, really, because I can't tidy up without his executive decision! So, that's that. I think I'm gonna go to the office and drop off the check for the water bill in a few. I'm also gonna run down to the Walgreen's. I need some things.

Not much to say today. I hope that we get to put some of this stuff away! Or at least, that Manny hangs some pictures! We'll see. I can't post pictures of the new place unless we put stuff away and things look nice!!!

Fasten your seatbelts, it's gonna be a long one! :)

So, yes, it has been 6 days since I last wrote on this blog, but at least, I did not let a WEEK go by! The last thing I wrote was that we signed the lease early, and a good thing it was, too! We needed that extra day to move! Manny and I both hurt physically from all the strain and the rush...

I suppose I'll start my story on Thursday...I know that I carried some things over to the new apartment, but for the life of me, I don't remember what they were. When Manny got home, he helped me carry kitchen stuff (pots, pans, etc...over) and bless his heart, even though he didn't want to and it meant he had to go searching for a hammer and a nail (he only has a rubber mallet) he hung up our first picture:

So, Friday we still carried more stuff over...still don't remember what it was...we did carry the TV over...we were ATTACKED by mosquitoes, and Manny ended up straining his elbow, but he was all right in a couple of days.

Saturday morning dawned a little too early for me, but the movers arrived at around 9:30. Manny got back with breakfast and the men, Mark and Chuck, had already started moving stuff out of the bedroom. The apartment looked a mess before they came, but they were really awesome guys. For being such skinny men, they surely got that stuff out of the old apartment and into the new one as fast as all get out! It took them three hours to get almost everything into the new apartment...the only things they didn't get were the bedroom closet (SOOOOO many clothes) and the stuff on the patio. The Comcast lady came that same day and I got quite a few boxes unpacked before Manny got home. That night I was still unpacking at 11:30! Everything seems to fit really nicely in the apartment - I will post those pictures soon.

On Sunday morning, we went right over to the old apartment and started cleaning - we went out and bought a new vacuum with a BIG DISCOUNT - YAAAAAY! (It's a DYSON!) We emptied the closets and the kitchen - almost everything...and rented a Rug Doctor to clean the carpet. I was totally exhausted half-way through the day, but I kept going - Manny, bless his heart, came out and pulled my head down onto his shoulder and said, "Breathe, Baby. I know you're tired. I know you just want to be done with this, but we can do it. We're a team, and we're gonna get this done." He made himself crazy carrying things down three flights

of stairs, across a complex and up another flight of stairs just so that there wouldn't be much for me to do the next day. We were both exhausted. That night, we went out and bought some things for the house...mainly a new bathroom set - trash can, bath mat, shower curtain and liner, etc. It's really pretty! Cream colored with a pretty design and woven into the fabric, and a pretty ribbon sewn around the edges - it's navy and it reminds me of Morocco! YAY! Manny was so tired, and so was I, but he went out anyway. "What Baby wants, Baby gets," he said as we drove home. I wanted to hang up the clothes that we had brought over, but Manny said, "It's my only day off. Just sit on the sofa and watch TV with me." So, I did.

Finally, on Monday, I finished cleaning the old apartment and turned in the keys! We were finally home. That night, Manny bought us Red Lobster to celebrate. Here's the sweaty, but very happily moved couple:

WHY IS HE SO CUTE WHEN HE'S SWEATY AND TIRED!?!?!?

Yesterday, Tuesday, I went to the grocery store and got stuff to kind of "stock up" the pantry. It's starting to feel more like home all the time...pictures are being hung, and the pantries are stocked - like a home - not a bachelor pad.

So, I think that's the complete recounting of what's been going on. (In an extreme nutshell, of course. So, that's that.)

More tomorrow? :) Love, y'all!

NEW POST COMING, I PROMISE! LIFE HAS BEEN INSANE - 4 DAYS OF MOVING!

Pens and Keys

If I could make little singing signs, I'd put them here cuz: Weeeeee're signing the lease todaaaaaaay, and we're geeetting the keeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeys!

I slept horribly last night...I must have pulled a muscle in my leg because it was throbbing all night and kept waking me up...I finally took a hot bath and took some ibuprofen at around 6:30, and then when Manny woke up, said goodbye to him and followed his directions to go back to sleep. At 10:30, though, I got a call from Manny telling me that he got the go-ahead from the leasing office for us to sign and start moving today. I'm so utterly excited! Even if I only get to put some pictures out, or unpack some things for the kitchen, I'll be pleased. Manny said that I shouldn't move a lot of stuff because it's very hot out already. "But Manny," I said. "But Lydia," he interrupted, " You don't wanna die, do you, Lydia? I don't want you to die." So we'll put a little in the apartment tonight...just to save ourselves from heatstroke!

So, our wishes came true. It's going to be a lovely, laid-back move. And it's our first new home. I even know exactly what I'm making for dinner our first night there (Saturday). Mama's beef stew - it's my favorite food that she makes...and yes, it is a splurge, but gollee, it's so delicious, I think it's the perfect "celebration dinner" for our new place.

I'M SO EXCITED!

A Chilling Day

Didn't do all that much today...I'm trying to get through a day without turning on the air. I'm hoping that I will be okay with just the fan. So far, so good!

I just packed up Manny's gaming shelf...all of his Xbox and Playstation games and DVDs. It took 2 boxes and a tote bag...We're gonna try to close on Thursday so that I can spend that day moving little things in and getting things kind of set up...you know, the kitchen...hanging pictures, putting stuff in the closet. That way we'd have very little left to do on the weekend. I really hope that works out...It would give me stuff to do tomorrow...I could put pictures out...books on our BUILT-IN BOOKSHELVES!!! (Can you tell I'm excited about them?) I might even get shelf paper! I could just unpack so many boxes...that would be such a relief!

I'm trying to eliminate stuff even more than I have up till now...I took 2 boxes to the Goodwill yesterday. I'm sure there's more that I'll be getting rid of over time, but for right now, we're doing good. I think that's all for today. Nothing big in the immediate future!

Keep your fingers crossed for a Thursday closing!

With glitter in his hair

Yes....glitter in his hair...Manny took the "finishing touch" classes for his licensing for his job today and when he got home (to a very sweaty and huffy-puffy me - I had been carrying trash from the patio down three flights of stairs and across a parking lot and back up three flights of stairs many times) he had glitter in his hair. Apparently that was their "celebration" for the licencees...throw glitter on their head. I told him he looked foxy. Tee hee!

Last night I got a call from Sheri inviting me out to lunch today. I drove to their house (about 15 minutes away) and got to hold a very cranky Violet while her mommy made a bottle. Then we got in the car and headed out for lunch. Sheri, who admitted that she's not a coupon-clipper, took me to a place called Las Rosas - a really beautiful Tex-Mex place not far from where they live (and she had a coupon for it so we only paid for one meal!). It was delightful - the food was great, the restaurant was lovely...and I had a really nice time getting to know her. My first girlfriend in Texas!

On the other hand, I have been cahooting with Justin to try and figure out what would be an AWESOME birthday idea for Manny this year - he's turning 30, so it should be a big deal. I got an AMAZING present for him...but I won't tell you what it is, either - not until it's closer!

Thought I was gonna spill the beans, didn't you? Tee hee!

I have him packing up the tv stand and his desk right now. However, considering that he has lived here for 2 years and I DOUBT he's ever performed Spring Cleaning, I am sitting in the living room so as to distance myself from the extreme amounts of dust!

That's that. More tomorrow!

Look! It's the GLITTER MAN!!! ---------------->

(Don't look for the glitter, it's not there!)

Kind of a "blah" day...

So, it's kind of a "blah" day...I woke up with a migraine in the middle of the night and had to go lay on the sofa. I seem to wake up every morning around 3 or 3:30 and find myself very VERY hot. So, I usually get up, turn the air conditioning on...etc. Fortunately, this morning, I turned the thermostat down and then lay on the sofa for about an hour and the headache was gone. After that, I slept quite well...all the way till about 9:45! Amazing...I've not slept that late since I got here!

I made Spandango last night - Aunt Toni's recipe, but it didn't turn out like it has before. I think that it tasted rather tinny - I shouldn't have used whole canned tomatoes - they always taste more like the can than the fruit they are! Anyway...that was a dismal failure, but what the hey. I'm learning.

You know, one of the things I love most about Manny is how we laugh together. I love laughing with him, and so often I find myself having to sneak away from him

for a moment so that I can cry at the heart-wrenching beauty of this man and what he means to me.

Moving day is approaching quickly...Friday we sign the lease on Manny's lunchbreak. Wow! So many things to do! So many new things to experience. I still can't wait for everything to have its place and to hang pictures and such. We walked through the apartment 2 days ago to measure and stuff. The bedroom is about the same size, but the closet is the size of a child's bedroom! The bathroom is huge and has a linen closet - it's not very deep, but will do. The kitchen is bigger, has more counterspace and cabinets, and has TA DA - a pantry! The living room is bigger, and has BUILT-IN BOOKSHELVES! And, because it's better-suited (size wise) to Manny's mostrosity of a sectional sofa, we can actually use the DOOR to the patio instead of the window! YAAAAAAY!!! We even have a dining room! I am so looking forward to "nesting"...picking out curtains, arranging things on shelves, etc...It will be hard to counteract Manny's horribly dark (practically black) furniture, but I think with some well-placed lamps and things, it will look very homey after a time.

Still waiting to hear from school districts...I'm kind of blue today. Maybe I'll find an antique mall or a flea market to wander through. Wish family and friends were here today. I miss you guys. ----------->

SPAIN WON THE WORLD CUP!!! I SCREAMED MY HEAD OFF!!!

The Menile Collection

So, we woke up this morning and Manny told me to be ready to leave in the space of 15 minutes. It ended up that he took me into the downtown area and to the Menile Collection - a private art collection that is free to the public. As we're short on funds, it was cheap fun since admission is free every day! There was surreal art, contemporary art, classical sculpture, African and Asian sculpture...My favorite was a piece of Egyptian glyph carving...It literally left me speechless considering my childhood fascination with Egyptology. -------------->

We also saw the Rothko Chapel - essentially, a cinder-block octagon with big canvases hung on every wall - painted black. Apparently it's meant to be an interfaith/contemporary structure where everyone can go to pray/meditate, etc...Outside, there's a reflecting pool and a weird sculpture in the middle of it called "Broken Obelisk." It was a wonderful time, and it was so sweet of him to surprise me like that. So, Justin and Sheri and the baby are coming over this afternoon to watch the World Cup. Then...packing, I think.

So much fun!

Job Hunts, Dairy Queen, and New Apartments

So, I went on a job hunt yesterday for summer work. After almost perpetual "Sorry, darlin'. We're not hirin' right now, but we are accepting applications", I finally went to T.G.I. Friday's and they are hiring. So, keep your fingers crossed! I need the job because:

1. The move was very taxing financially.
2. I have car payments coming up and don't want to make my credit card balance any higher.
3. I'M BORED AT HOME WHEN MANNY'S AT WORK!

Now, on to Dairy Queen. Sure, we have Dairy Queen in New Jersey, but not everywhere, and on our travels through Alabama, Manny and I stopped for gas and got treats at Dairy Queen at a truly inappropriately early hour. He got a rootbeer float (I think) and I got the "Blizzard of the Month." Oh my goodness! It was Dairy Queen custard mixed with fresh strawberries and golden Oreos...That could be SOO addictive...So I went to the grocery store and got cherries - a much healthier option than driving 5 miles to buy 4 dollars worth of ice cream.

Now, on to the new apartment...ta DAAAAAAAAAAAAAA! We are moving on the 16th (the little stuff that would be silly to have the movers take) and then the movers and the cable company are coming on the 17th to get us all squared away. Unfortunately, because the District Manager for Manny's job has imposed required 6-day work weeks, he will not be off on Saturday. That means that I'm in control of the movers and the cable guy...NERVE-WRACKING!!! (That's my nerve-wracked face!)

I'm going to the leasing office in just a few minutes to get the key so that Manny and I can walk through on his lunch break and figure out

1. If we have enough space in the apartment for our combined belongings or if we do need to rent a garage.
2. Where everything should go.

So, I'd better dry my hair and walk over to the office...get that key. Can't wait to be in that apartment and have things in their own place! The pile in the corner of the room is getting oppressive - I can't clean anything because there's stuff in the way! Well, that's all for now!

DMV or DPS? What!?!?

Well, I am officially a legal Texan - in every way shape and form...I am inspected, registered, tagged, and licensed. (And my legal residence is here now.) I just have to share some of the things that I've learned about the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles.

• To get a registration, you have to have Texas Liability insurance - your current, out-of-state insurance doesn't cut it.
• You don't go to the DMV to get everything like you do in New Jersey - for your registration, you go to the County Tax Office.

As a rather long aside, let me state that I had to go to the Tax Office 2 times! Knowing what a neurotic list-maker I am, I checked the website to write down everything I needed. I even had Manny double-check it to make sure that I had everything. I get there on Tuesday in the morning, the line is OUT THE DOOR, and while there are 4 service windows, only two of them were functioning. After standing in line for probably an hour, and only moving 4 feet from the door jamb, I was told by a woman handing out forms that I was missing 2 forms and would have to come back later. So, I went back the next day at about 2:30. I walked out at 4:30 in the middle of a torrential rainstorm with my registration and tags!!! But, GEEZ WHAT A HASSLE!

• So, I was prepared to go to the DMV for my license, and I heard that it was ABSOLUTELY NIGHTMARISH from people who live here. So, it turns out that instead of one central office, there are many satellite offices. When you go to renew, you can actually go to the grocery store! (What the HECK!?)
• You don't go to the DMV to get your license...you go to the DPS. (Yeah, that's the Department of Protective Services.)

Fortunately, after some turn-arounds looking for the license place, I got there and was only there for a few minutes!

• They don't issue your actual license at the DPS...they give you a paper...a paper and then they mail it to you withing 30-45 days! Aaaargh!!!

Thus ends my long soliloquoy (how do you spell that again?) about the long and excruciating process of becoming a legal driver in Houston, Texas.

DATE NIGHT TONIGHT!!!

Pyrex dishes & other amazingness

So, I've been in Houston for 6 days total now...and I JUST got over the one-hour difference between Central and Eastern time! Who'd a thunk!? I've been making lists like crazy (like I always do) and I've gotten everything except two items done.

That means that I've:

• Gotten PYREX BAKING DISHES and dishtowels with a Target gift card from friends!
• Opened checking, savings, and IRA accounts.
• Sent paperwork off to previous job to have pension transferred to IRA.
• Applied for new car insurance; cancelled old car insurance.
• Gotten my registration and plates. (More to come on this story later...)
• Gotten my license. (Again...more to come...)
• Updated contact information with all major accounts.
• Gotten new (local) phone number.
• Gotten a Houston Library System library card. (Manny laughed at how excited I was.)
• BEEN ABLE TO GET HOME FROM VARIOUS AND UNFAMILIAR PLACES WITHOUT THE AID OF MY VERIZON NAVIGATOR!!!

And lots of other stuff...that I can't remember because I threw away the lists!

Speaking of Pyrex dishes...I was so excited to make my first big meal in my new 9"x 13" pan...I made my mama's AMAZING Parmesan Chicken...with peas, and applesauce, and warm fluffy biscuits. Now, this is a good home-cooked meal...a good hearty meal........FOR A WHITE GIRL! I slave (and I do mean slave) because I made a few "oopses" in the preparation of the chicken...and what does Manny say? He ambles into the kitchen and looking in the oven and each pot, says, "A

ren't you going to make rice?" Well, I was about to eat my hat! I tried explaining to him that it has to be a Caucasian/Hispanic disconnect. I mean, let me explain to you that I was in the kitchen so long that my feet actually hurt. That is an inordinate amount of time. And what was I doing? I was making delicious food...more than both of us could eat (so that he would have lunch, or I could freeze it for another night) AND I squeezed 12 limes by hand with no juicer...with my hands and a spoon - to make HOMEMADE KEY LIME PIE with a HOMEMADE GRAHAM CRACKER CRUST, and he complains about NO RICE!? Geez!!! :) Well, that's all for now...more tomorrow on the DMV...

Getting to Houston

July 8th, 2010

So, on the 30th of June, the very day after I finished work for the year (Yay for 10-month jobs! Yay for teachers!), I set off on one of the greatest adventures of my life...the drive to my new home and my new life in Houston, Texas. Yes, dear reader, I said DRIVE to Texas. We had looked it up on Google Maps...DON'T TRUST THE INTERNET! GOOGLE LIES! Over three days, driving about 11 hours a day, we got to Houston after an exhausting 32-hour drive. The trip itself was pretty uneventful, and frankly, pretty dull in the way of things to see on the road. We crossed through 10 states - New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, West Virginia, Virginia, Tennessee, Mississippi, Alabama, Louisiana, and Texas. Something you should understand is that I've lived in New Jersey my whole life - except for college - and when we crossed the border into Texas and stopped at the "Welcome Center Rest Stop", I was okay until I sat down outside on a bench with my wonderful Manny (my boyfriend). He put his arm around my shoulder and kissed my forehead...the Texas flag was waving above us in the humid air, and a couple of tears rolled down my cheeks - one that said goodbye to my old life, and one that was excited for my new life in Texas. And somehow...somehow, in that moment, I knew that whatever might come along...it was going to be a beautiful life.