The Texas Mama

We are moving AGAIN. That’s right. After being in our home, which still feels brand new, for a whopping SIXTEEN months we are moving again.  I counted last week, and this will be my 17th home. Seven of those are in the past 6 years- since we’ve been married. And my dad wasn’t in the military. Neither is my husband.

Jeremy has, however, been making a longish commute every day since last spring when he started managing someone else’s shop instead of his own.  So we’ve decided to move to be closer to the new job. This is fine, because we used to live just down the street from there and we love the area anyways. The area is really an up and coming area- the Target is nearly done and EVERYTHING! Do you pronounce Target by its French pronounciation? You must. Tarsssshay!

Moving is a horrible, horrible thing. I tried to have a garage sale this past weekend. TRIED. It was freaking COLD (well, for Texas it was) and it rained the entire day before. The husband decided he didnt’ want to do it. A friend that was going to do the garage sale with me decided not to. So I canceled. Anyone want a bunch of my old crap fabulous items that are lightly used and some brand new with the tags still on and everything?

Due to a little road trip we made Sunday, I was stuck in a huge lifted deisel truck that makes you down right nausous when you ride in it and try to eat. With Jeremy and Hali. That means listening to the combined sounds of a Dora the Explorer DVD and old time “classic” country music. As a result, two days later I still have a song about underage drinking stuck in my head- “make you wanna say ‘HIIIIDY- HO!’… burns your tummy, don’t ya know…”

Moving involves a LOT more than packing up your stuff and moving it, ya know. There are nail holes and scratches on the walls to be fixed so we get our deposit back. You have to switch all your utilities, change your address with everyone, have your mail forwarded just in case, and set up all the necessaries for the new house.

And I swear, if I get stuck on the phone with one more person with such a strong Indian accent that I can barely understand them at best, I will lose it. I am already THIS close. Woe be unto you who move, for you will inherit the stress of it all. If I hadn’t lost so much hair last summer and if I wasn’t so vain, I would be pulling my hair out.  Well, that and OUCH! Plus, that takes time, and I don’t really have time to stand around and scream as I pull out my long stands.

Cell phone rings. It’s Jeremy:

Charli: HIIII!!!!!

Jeremy: Hey, Honey! Good morning!

Charli: Morning! What’s goin’ on?!

Jeremy: not much… hey I need you to do something for me

Charli: I figured!

Jeremy: how?

Charli: well, you called me, didn’t you?!

Jeremy: yaaa, but…

Charli: oh, sorry. I mean, you called me and it wasn’t at night to tell me you were on your way home so I figured that you wanted me to do something for you.

Jeremy: heeeeyyy!

Charli: so what do you need me to do?

Jeremy: I need you to take some of the cash-

Charli: there’s cash? Cash? Where’s the cash?

Jeremy: You know there’s cash!

Charli: no, I didn’t! If I had known…. well, where is it?

Jeremy: you know where it is

Charli: noooo…

Jeremy: its ***(sorry, but I am so not about to reveal our top secret hiding spot)

Charli: oh, ya. Well, if only I had known that there was cash just laying around, I’d have… uh….bought something….

Jeremy: what? bought what?

Charli: mmmm…. I don’t know.

Jeremy: please go put a thousand of it in our checking account today

Charli: mmmkay

Jeremy: like before 2:00

Charli: alllllriiiiiiight. Guess that means we might have to get out of our pajamas…oh, wait- I can go through the drive through downtown! It’s so coooold, I don’t wanna get out of the car, so that works! (* I just seriously didn’t want to have to get out of my sweat pants and bundle up and risk actually getting cold. It’s southern Texas- I shouldn’t have to get cold, like EVER.)

Jeremy: ah, well, I’m busy, so please just get that done soon

Charli: k! bye!

*** Love you and mushiness that I will spare you followed.



Sometimes I feel that my husband only calls me during the day if he wants something! Also, I hope he recognizes how nice I am- there was plenty of cash hiding in the house and after having been told about it, I DIDN’T SPEND IT! How nice am I? Talk about a frugal wife!

To add to the story, upon arriving at the bank, they took forever. That would be because apparently, one of the one hundred dollar bills was counterfeit! It was peeling apart and everything. The branch manager held it up to the window to showed me. It was that obvious. I was slightly embarrased that I had not noticed it when I counted out the money at home. Twice.

SO of course I freaked out a little, called Jeremy, and told him what was going on. I decided that I needed to go home and get the rest of the cash (that we received from the sale of a truck Jeremy had bought and sold in less than an hour) from the same guy, just to make sure there wasn’t any more.  There wasn’t. So, someone owes us one hundred dollars! I have to say it was extra stressful, because just a few hours before this happened, the guy who gave us the cash and works for my husband was fired!

So much for my first experience with counterfeit money! I swear, even the simplest of tasks becomes an ordeal around here lately!

1. What did you do in 2007 that you’d never done before?
-I lost 35 pounds. Except for right after I had Hali and I lost my pregnancy weight, I’ve never really managed to stick with a diet/exercise plan long enough/effectively enough to actually lose weight.
-I started sewing all KINDS of things- stuff for the house, clothes, purses, bags, etc.
-I became the owner of a Cadillac- I’d never even driven one before.
-I dyed my hair strawberry blond in May. Then black in October. Then deep brown highlights over the black in December. I’ve ALWAYS been blond before this year!

2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
I’ve been making it a point to not really make New Year’s Resolutions lately. I take the beginning of the year to really think about my life and what I can reasonably change that I feel needs changing. But, I am so pleased with this past year, that I believe I am going to make a few resolutions this year, which I will have to write about later.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?

A friend of mine had a baby girl this summer.

4. Did anyone close to you die?

Yes. Jeremy’s grandma, Janette, passed away back in March, I believe.

5. What countries did you visit?

I didn’t travel farther than the beach this past year.

6. What would you like to have in 2008 that you lacked in 2007?

I would like to have a pair of size 8 jeans that fit me, because that’s what size I plan on being in 2008!

7.What dates from 2007 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?

I’m not so good with dates, but some general dates/events are:
Jeremy’s grandma’s funeral in March
Hali throwing out the last of her bottles in March
My family coming down to visit me in May/June
Losing weight in May/June
Hali’s first ballet classes in October
Hali potty training in October

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?

Definitely losing 35 pounds

9. What was your biggest failure?

there are some sort of personal spiritual issues that I would have liked to have made more progress on and if anything I have done worse in 2007 than the year before

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?

Sure, we had some colds and flu and things like that, I think I pulled/twisted my knee, ankle, and foot a few times, but nothing serious.

11. What was the best thing you bought?

My sewing machine. Without a doubt. And we even bought a Cadillac this year. That’s how much I love that sewing machine.

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?

Well, as I think it would be too pompous to say “ME!” I will say that I really REALLY appreciate how great my parents were about us not coming up to see them for Christmas as we had planned. I know they were extremely disappointed (as was I) but they were so nice about it.

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?

Gosh. I’d rather not say, it seems kind of mean, but I think I should just put it out there- I will feel a lot better for the therapeutic qualities that it offers:
It’s the same person, year after year- my mother-in-law. You’d think I would be used to it by now, and for the most part I am, but when she continues to hurt people I love (mainly her own son- poor hubby!) it just makes me sick.

14. Where did most of your money go?

Honestly? Into a failed business. We closed the shop down back in March, I believe, but we lost a lot for several months before that.

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?

Losing 35 pounds. I couldn’t believe it at the time. I was just so proud of myself! I honestly just did not believe that I was strong enough to do it. I get giddy every time I think about it!

16. What song will always remind you of 2007?

I think there are a few:
Dora the Explorer theme song
anything by Maroon 5 (Hali has discovered her love of that band this year)
Hey There Delilah (again, Hali loved it and was constantly singing it for several months there)
anything by Johnny Cash
anything by Jack Johnson
I Got it From My Mama (my mom thinks the ‘9 times out of 10 she ugly like her mama part waaaay too much)
Will You Go With Me by Josh Turner

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:? a) happier or sadder? b) thinner or fatter? c) richer or poorer?

Happier, Thinner and Richer. WHOOHOOO!

18. What do you wish you’d done more of?

I wish that I had improved spiritually

19. What do you wish you’d done less of?

waiting

20. How did you spend Christmas?

Christmas morning opening presents with Hali and Jeremy, watching Hali enjoy all her new gifts, enjoying time together as a little family- just the three of us, stressing over Jeremy’s parents behavior, then off to their house for dinner and the boredom of waiting until we could leave, go home, relax and have fun.

21. Did you fall in love in 2007?

No new loves, just renewed love.

22. What was your favorite TV program?

Well, we didn’t even get tv until May of this past year, so I would say that I really enjoy a few all considering:
Dancing With The Stars
LOST
Pushing Daises
Private Practice

23. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t’t hate this time last year?

uhhh…no?

24. What was the best book you read?

The Last Harry Potter- Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows. This may sound lame, but I am a huge fan, and this book was very exciting to me- I’d been looking forward to it for YEARS. I read quite a few other good books in 2007, but I couldn’t even begin to list them all here.

25. What was your greatest musical discovery?

Jack Johnson
Josh Turner
Joshua Radi

26. What did you want and get?

A sewing machine. A potty trained daughter.

27. What did you want and not get?

I wanted to see my family in Idaho, but at least they came here for a few days.

28. What was your favorite film of this year?

Nacho Libre- I don’t think it came out in 2007, but that’s when I first watched it and it is FREAKING HILARIOUS!

29. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?

I turned 24 on the 24th. Jeremy took me to Applebee’s and then to Kirkland’s for a present.

30. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?

Moving back to Idaho (because Jeremy was able to get a good job there- impossible, I know)!

31. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2007?

Baby doll shirts rock! Tunic length shirts are so great!

32. What kept you sane?

Blogging, snuggling with Hali, sewing, talking to my mom on the phone, having a car for most of the year, reading other blogs, internet gazing, book reading, and other nocturnal activities that we shall not mention…

33. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?

Gosh, I really can’t chose between Britney, Paris, or Lindsey… HA-HA-FREAKING-HA! I’m not so much with the celebrities and stuff, though I do idolize Martha Stewart a little. Not so much idolize as like to pretend that I am soon to be discovered as the “next Martha” really, though…

34. What political issue stirred you the most?

Illegal immigration, which is a HUGE problem here in Texas.

35. Who did you miss?

My family. It’s so hard being so far from them.

36. Who was the best new person you met?

I did make several new internet friends in the blogging community!

37. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2007.

Believe in yourself!

38. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.

“Don’t. Stop. BELIEEEEVIN’!”