I’m leaving town for three days today. I’ll be back on Sunday. This is a much needed respite after the stress of the last two weeks and I’m looking forward to kicking back and taking it easy. Guess I need to get packed, huh?

I have some errands to get done this morning before I hit the road so I best get to it. Oh and I’m taking baby boy to school this morning so it’s about time for him to get up too. LOTS to do today before I can enjoy that drive and get to the relaxing part of the program.

Ya’ll have a fantastic weekend!

My days are all running together in one big blur. I guess that figures since I’ve been going 100 mph for the last few weeks.

Went out to the house tonight for another look and to sign some paperwork. The house used to be a rental - it’s very obvious - but after another look around I can see it needs a facelift. And you know what? I’m so ready to roll up my sleeves and get to work on it. Just trying to decide what to tackle first. It needs fresh paint throughout and that’s something I want to do as soon as possible. I have already made one decorating decision. The room that’s my office has no door so I’ve decided to hang door beads and they’re going to look like this:

Is this so awesome or what? And since I’m really into the Celtic stuff, I thought it’d be great to have in my doorway. I already have two Celtic crosses that will go on the wall in the office. The picture is a little small but you can see the product here.

Of course, my child is probably going to drive me insane with them, but I don’t care. They’re wooden and they’re really rather inexpensive. I found them online and I can’t wait to get them ordered and delivered.

I had the ex come out and take a look at the house, too, since I trust him and I know he’ll tell me the truth. Realtor Extraordinaire is going to shop some inspections for me tomorrow and get me a good deal.

By the time I left the house, I was beat. I had another busy day at the office. It hit me hard and heavy too. I got home, ate dinner, and then started packing. Then I caught my neighbor outside and we chatted for a good hour or so. It tends to happen that way - we both like to talk.

The packing is going well but I’m running out of boxes. I have a lot of sh*t! The kitchen is mostly done. The bookshelves are done. The desk is nearly done. The closet is nearly done. What I’m probably going to have to do it is take some boxes to the house, unpack them and then bring them back and pack them. Either that or find more. Thursday night I’m packing up my mother’s china which makes me very nervous. I don’t want to have to pack it and then move it but it HAS to be done and I will be absolutely heartbroken if anything happens to it. Luckily, I have some really nice thick durable boxes. Hopefully that will help.

And this is a total rambly post so I’m going to close now. I’m off work Friday and the kiddo is spending the night with me and I’m taking him to school Friday morning. I’m looking forward to a long weekend.

Okay. So… they accepted my offer on the house. WOOHOO! I can’t tell you what a relief it was to finally get it done. A weight has been lifted off my shoulders. It’s a cute little house but there are some things I want to do to it. That will all come in time! It’s a 3/2/1 with an oversized 1 car garage. And the name of the street? Sunrise. Isn’t that so totally cute?

It needs updated appliances and since I was planning on getting a new dishwasher, might as well get the stove and just get it over with.

I close next Friday the 22nd.

Today was super busy at work. I feel like I ran my legs off. Can I just say I am so happy at work? I love my job. For the first time in my entire working career - I actually LOVE my job. I’m excited about the future and I have a terrific boss who can see the potential in people and is willing to take them and say, “Here. Go. Prosper.” It totally rocks. She’s the best boss EVER. And I’m not just saying that to be nice. It’s the god’s honest truth.

I packed some boxes last night. I still have a long way to go. Next week I’m going to get after it hot and heavy. Anyway, since I was restless but tired, I figured it was a good time to just get my hair done. I went to the store and bought a box of color and did it myself. Not bad for $5.00. It so needed it and I was sick at looking at the gray. Yes. I have gray hair. Damn, I’m old.

Oh and have I mentioned I have the bestest realtor ever? (incorrect grammar intentional) I told her I was going to buy her a drink when this was done and over with. We’re going to have happy hour. And once I get moved and start to get settled I’m going to plan that housewarming party. I just wish November 1 wasn’t smack in the middle of the week.

Which reminds me… I need to go design some invitations!

Oh and HEY! It’s hump day! WOOHOO!

(Was this the randomest post ever?)

Well… went out with my realtor last night and looked at about six houses. Turns out the first one I looked at was the best out of the group and I’ll be making an offer today! WOO!

What sold me on this house was when you walk in the door - there this room directly on the right. No doors just an open doorway. It has this plant ledge around the top of the room and the moment I saw it I thought - that’s my office. It needs updated appliances but the carpet was in good shape as all the flooring. It was well taken care of. Needs color though in all the rooms. But I think I could really get it fixed up cute. Has great curb appeal too.

Anyway, so we’ll see what happens. We’re going to try and push this one through fast. It’s a good thing I have a great team of folks working for me.

I finished up a chapter of NGD yesterday. I have one more to write and then it’s done! Slow going, but I am making progress. I don’t think I’ll hit the 40K mark, but that’s okay too. It was just a goal to get to anyway. So I’m very close to finishing. Then I want to work on Take Me I’m Yours next and get that one done and then the Coffee House Chronicles will be finished.

The next project after that - finish One Knight Only.

That’s the plan anyway.

Not much else to report. I’m just relieved I found something. Let the nail biting begin!

Hey I’m blogging today over at ShoeIQ! Don’t miss it, especially since I talk about a shoe hat.

This weekend is kind of a blur. I didn’t get much done. I just layed around like a slug mostly. Guess you need that every now and then to recharge the old batteries. I did manage to get my ShoeIQ entry done and my newsletter out (PS if you’re a subscriber, then you get a special teaser from A Bend In Time WOOHOO).

I’ve been extremely tired lately. Not sure if it’s from too much activity or not enough activity. I probably should have been packing my butt off this weekend. Instead, I didn’t. I lounged in front of the TV and watched back-to-back episodes of Sex and the City. Oh and then I got the adventure bug and watched Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. There were several moments in that movie that made me laugh. It’s been years since I’ve sat through it and seeing it again gave me the urge to write my own adventure story. I just have to come up with the right concept. Maybe it’ll be another Ransom & Fortune book.

I got some words in on NGD. Not many, but I did get some in. I’m closer but not close enough to being finished.

And as we all know, today is the 5th anniversary of 9/11. Has it really been five years? I remember the day so vividly. My son was a week and a half old and my mother and I watched the entire thing on live television. It was horrid and frightening. I remember holding that tiny infant and trying not to shake with fear. But I wondered … what was to become of us now? And by us I meant the U.S. And no I don’t think I’ll ever forget the day that changed America.

Take a moment today and think about those who died in the twin towers and those who tried to rescue them. Those who risked their lives for others and those who are still doing that today - our men and women fighting to maintain our freedom every single day. I thank them for my freedom and I pray for their safe return to American soil. God bless you all.

I slept until after 9 this morning and it was glorious. Of course, I had to take a sleeping aid last night because, despite my exhaustion, I couldn’t sleep. The brain wouldn’t turn off and it was frustrating.

This morning I struggled out of bed - I’m still tired by the way - and managed to make a grocery list. After unloading my trunk with all the boxes, I headed to the store. I was so happy to find a bag of Giardino’s rye chips! WOOHOO! So after lunch that’s what I had - rye chips and some hard cider. Gosh I love both of those.

Got my newsletter out today too. Now I think I’m going to go work on NGD for a bit. Maybe I can finish it today if I can get going on it. I have the entire day after all.

Had my chapter meeting today and it was great. Lots of energy and there were two fantastic speakers - Cindy Dees and Evelyn Vaughn. They talked about series collaboration and their Madonna Keys series and it was very interesting.

Afterward, we had the quick audit of the chapter accounting books. Took about 10 minutes and I was relieved to see that all was in order. I can’t help it - I’m anal.

Then we headed to B&N for a book signing with Candace Havens. She’s soooo great. And of course we share a love of shoes, so I told her all about ShoeIQ.Com and she’s going to have her website guy link to it. WOOHOO! Got her latest book and had her sign it, too. Met up with some writer girlfriends there and had a blast talking books and other things.

Now I’m home and I’m beat. Since my baby boy spent the night with me - and subsequently hogged the bed - I’m in need of a nap. Which is just what I think I’m going to do!

Happy Saturday, ya’ll.

That seems to be the phrase of the week for me. Don’t worry! Sha. As if. Don’t these people know I’m a Class A worrier? hehe

Okay. So. To recap… yesterday was fabulous, dahling. Fabulous. There were a few glitches and a few technical issues, but I had a contingency plan and everything was fine. I did not panic. I paced the floor, yes. But I did not panic. Very proud of myself for that one. It was because I knew I had a backup waiting in the wings and it turned out I needed that backup and she was right there.

I didn’t fall apart. I remained calm. Once I was hooked up to the internet and logged into the meeting, I knew everything was going to be cool. And it was. The meeting went very well. The luncheon was lovely. The projector worked. The conference phone worked. The mic worked. The podium was right where he wanted it. The only hiccup was he jumpd ahead one slide in the presentation and so I was out of order but it was totally cool and it wasn’t my fault, even though I was sweating bullets and it was about 20 degrees in that room. No lie - you could hang meat in there.

Of course since my stomach was in knots and yes I was hungover, I couldn’t each much of anything so I bypassed lunch for bottled water. I heard WebEx was impressive and people thought it was a wonderful tool. Thank goodness it all worked right because I had decided I was just going to jump off the 12th floor of that building and save them the trouble of firing me.

Kidding.

Anyhoo - after the luncheon was over, I hightailed it to our corporate office and set up for Rounds 2, 3 and 4. Yep. I got to do it three more times. I figured there was only one more meeting and I misunderstood. I was rather surprised when I discovered there were in fact three more meetings, but that was okay. Still, I did not panic. I quickly set up the meetings for the other times and sent out the emails. Thank goodness the folks on the other end were good and read their email (some, however, for the earlier meeting did not. I mean, come on - all the instructions are there if they’d just READ. Hello?).

By the end of the day, it was just me and #1. I ran the presentation and the other offices were on teleconference. We finished up after 6 pm and he actually told me thanks and good job.

It was very cool. I’m glad it went okay and I’m glad things turned out okay. I’m also glad that at the end of the day, I know I did a good job and everyone was happy.

Had dinner with my friend and had a glass of wine. It was lovely. Didn’t head out of Big D until well after 8 and then there was freaking traffic. They’re repaving the POS highway and of course I was in bumper to bumper and it took me well over an hour to get home. Scumbags. I finally get off the godforsaken freeway and onto a backroad.

I was happy to be home. Even happier to hear my son’s little voice on the other end of the phone telling me goodnight.

Even more happier to know I have a totally kick-ass book waiting for me to read - Jill Shalvis‘ OUT OF THIS WORLD. Check it out if you get the chance. I was immediately sucked in when I read the first page.

Oh and before I forget… as for the house deal. Yeah, it’s a bust. Totally fell apart. I’ll be homeless in about 22 days if I don’t find something and soon. My Realtor Extraordinaire told me not to worry - she WILL find me something. And I believe that she’ll do everything in her power to make sure of that. I told her on the phone the other night: “I have this effect on people. I’m completely consuming. I will consume your life until we’re done.” She laughed.

She’s so getting an invitation to that housewarming which I plan to coincide with November 1. Samhain, of course, to symbolize my new beginning.

All right, I’m off, ya’ll. It’s FRIDAY and it’s PAY DAY!

:woohoo:

I’m running the first company-wide meeting via webcast today. Am I nervous? You bet. If you’ve seen the movie Working Girl, there’s a part where Tess is walking down the sidewalk to her meeting with Jack and she’s muttering over and over again, “Don’t f up. Don’t f up.” That’s me today.

Wish me luck. heh

Short entry today as I have a busy day. I’ll recap tomorrow.

And last night… I had two martinis and helped polish off a bottle of a very nice red wine with my very cool neighbor. She and I talked all evening. It was so much fun.

Time for me to hit the road. I need :coffee:

You ever have one of those days that when it’s all over, you sit back and think, wow! WTF? That was me yesterday.

It started off like any normal… no, wait. It didn’t. Sweetie Boy spent the night with me so I had to get up earlier than usual, get dressed, and then get him up and ready to go. I was out the door by about 7:15, headed to his grandparents to drop him off. So I got into the office at about 7:45 which is late for me. I’m an early bird. I make the coffee and usually get the first cup.

Anyway, so I hit the ground running and had lots to do that day to get ready for this big company-wide meeting on Thursday. Um, did I mention I’m the host of this webcast? Yeah, totally terrifying. In the meantime, I couldn’t stop thinking I had to get back to PF Chang’s for my freebie lunch. I asked my coworker if she wanted to go and she said yes. By the time mid-morning hit, I was antsy and couldn’t wait another second. Or maybe that was because I’d had three cups of strong coffee?

I picked up the phone at 11ish and called the restaurant and asked for him. Yep, he was there and I asked him if he was still going to buy me lunch if I showed up. He said he never forgets a pretty face. HA.

J and I head off to lunch which is about two blocks down and four blocks over. I wore my favorite Guess Sally-T’s and my feet are hurting because of them now (I have two blisters). But it was SO worth it. Anyhoo - so off we go and sure enough, there he is. Ya know, he really is as cute as I remember. Thank goodness. Because it was really dark in the place that night and I was afraid I may be remembering him wrong.

:hehe:

So he seats us in a booth and says he’s going to take care of us. And boy does he. We had the pork dumplings for an appetizer and then he ordered us mongolian beef and ginger chicken. Was it good! Of course, he came by every so often, would sit down next to me and talk to us. I quickly earned the name of “gorgeous” which just totally cracked me up. Men are so funny when they see something they want, aren’t they? I have to admit I liked it. I like a man who sees something he wants and goes after it. Confidence is very appealing.

After we collected our to-go boxes, he offered us dessert. We, of course, declined. But he insists on sending something back with us and a few minutes later he arrives with the biggest slab of chocolate cake I’ve ever seen in my life. Six layers of chocolatey goodness complete with a raspberry puree to drizzle on top and some fresh fruit for garnish. Heaven. I hate him, by the way, for making me take that.

He disappeared then and we didn’t see him again. Got the bill and it was ZERO. He made good on his promise. Oh yeah - and he asked for my phone number. Let’s see - what’s the dating rule on how many days to wait before calling? Three? I can’t remember. Doesn’t really matter because I’m not overly concerned. Of course, I want him to and he’s good looking, but my heart won’t be crushed if he doesn’t call. I simply have too much to think about these days.

Which brings me to this evening. I had an appointment with the realtor and the ex to meet at the house at 6:15 so he could look at the electrical panel. He agreed it needed to be switched out and offered to do it if I would buy all the parts. Since I trust him completely with that, I agreed. I know he’ll do it right and I’ll never have to worry about.

However, he did notice some concerning cracks in the ceiling of one of the bedrooms. A very large crack where the wall and ceiling meet. Now, the inspection report notated the foundation issues but I didn’t really think much of it. I’m in Texas, after all, and a shifting foundation is very normal around these here parts. Plus, we’ve had very dry conditions for the last two summers and I knew the house had been vacant for quite some time. The ex said the cracks in the ceiling and the sloping floor were concerning so we agreed we would have a structural engineer come take a look. All I can do it ask, right?

There’s a very large cottonwood tree in the backyard too and several of the larger limbs hang over the roof. Over that back bedroom. I’m going to ask they get that trimmed too because cottonwood are notoroious for weak roots. I’m afraid the thing will collapse during our first thunderstorm of spring.

As we’re standing in the driveway talking about all of this, the strangest thing happens. This guy drives up and asks how much we’re selling the house for. My realtor tells him we’re actually in a contract and are buying. He wants to know the selling price because he’s selling a house one street over. We tell him. He then offers to show us the house. We all figured what the hell and off we go.

It was the most beautiful renovated house I’ve ever seen. Crown molding, new tile in the foyer and hallway, all new cabinets and granite countertops in the kitchen, lovely back porch with curtains, all new light fixtures, new hardware, new doors, jet tubs, HUGE walk-in closet in master bedroom, fresh paint. And the kicker is - they’re selling the appliances with the house. It’s move-in ready. I was floored.

So… after that little excursion… we were standing outside talking about it and - luckily - we got the seller’s name and number. I think we’re going to sort of feel him out and see what he’ll take for the house. Couldn’t hurt, right? I mean, I am pre-approved for a loan…

I’m telling you, I’m getting more gray hair by the moment. I’m just trying to make it to the end of the month. Because I have 25 days left on my lease and I have to be outta here by the 30th. Can you say freaking out? Can you say crazy person?

Thankfully I’ll have enough to do at work the next few days to keep me super busy so I don’t have to think about it. Much. In the meantime, I’m going to try NOT to think about. But we all know how that goes.

I should also mention the only writing I’m getting done is this blog. Totally sucks. I keep thinking I need more hours in the day. But then again… if I had more time, I’d have more time.

I’m so glad it’s a short week. Oh and did I mention I’m going out of town next weekend? I really am insane…

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