Purple Rain

No, this isn't me. Not because I don't look good for my age, but mostly because I haven't made any girlfriends to sit by the pool with.

It's the end of July. I have access to a swimming pool for 24 more days, but El Nino won't cooperate. It's raining buckets here and has been for weeks!

I'm not one to douse myself in baby oil and sizzle by the pool, but an occasional afternoon magazine-reading stint is nice. Nope. Nada. Rain! And when it's not raining, it's thinking about raining.


This looks a little like the second coming, but you get the idea. Cloudy, humid and mostly going to rain.

Did you know there are reportedly more than 700 songs with rain in the title? Here are a few of the most popular:
Purple Rain (Prince)
November Rain (G&R)
She's My Kind of Rain (Tim McGraw)
Songs About Rain (Gary Allen)
Rainy Night In Georgia
Kentucky Rain
Here Comes That Rainy Day Feeling Again
Blue Eyes Crying In The Rain (Willie Nelson)
Singing In The Rain
Here Comes The Rain Again

You can find a huge list here: http://bit.ly/5zfFf

So bring on the rain!

Patience is a virtue

We got our dream house! After much finagling, walking away, looking at more houses and then coming back to this one, it's ours! Or it will be August 23. We feel so fortunate. Here are a bunch of photos.

This is Grace's backyard. There's real grass! Although, we'll see how long that lasts. And there is a place for a patio set and grill. I can see lots of evenings out here.

This is the front side that shows the wrap-around balcony and porch. The balcony is off the master bedroom, and Chris has already dubbed it his morning coffee/newspaper spot.
For all our guests, this is your upstairs bathroom.
This is the master bathroom, and I can't wait to put a little stool under that cut-away part and do my makeup there in the morning. I don't know why, but I've always wanted a little place like that. The door you can see in the mirror is a little toilet room, next to the shower, which you can also see in the mirror, and past the vanities is a huge walk-in closet. Chris and I will share this, but it's so big, especially compared to what we're used to, we are not complaining!
This is the upstairs balcony off the master and it wraps around a little to the left.
They have a king-size bed and two bedside tables on this wall in the master. Can't really tell a lot, but it's a good size space. That door leads to the balcony.

This is the kitchen, and there's a great little seating area from where the photo is taken. Perfect for a little bistro table and chair. They have a couch and a table there now. You can also see into the dining area and the living room. I love the dark hardwood floors! The laundry room and a half bath are down the right hallway, and the door to the back/side yard is right where the photographer is standing.
This is another shot of the kitchen.
Living room. The front door is to the right.
Living room from other side. This door leads to the porch.
Our new house!

A New Look!

So I visited Areta's blog today and saw how stinkin' cute it is! She found a great web site that allows you to choose a great background, and although I think Areta got one of the cutest, I'm working on making one my own.

Let me know what you think, and I'm going to continue to grow the design. Thanks, Areta!

Have You Heard

Chris is a dog person.

He loves Grace, and only brought home Porter to please me.

Cats are funny in the way they find people and win them over. Case in point...

I'm just saying that this is my husband and this is my cat...they may be in love. I'm just saying...

These boots are made for walking

And that's just what they'll do!

So the people who live in our house won't sell. At least they won't sell for anything less than more than we want to spend. So we're walking away. We love that house, but not to go into a lifetime of debt over. Hello, people? Buyers' market!

Our search continues...onward and upward....may the force be with you...and all of that.

Our sweet Myra (realtor. read the previous post people!) is taking us for another round of home tours this Saturday.

We will concur this beat that is the housing market and we will slay it with our mighty negotiations!

P.S. for those of you who never got past the photo. They are Lucchese boots. Arkansas Lucchese boots. Find them here.

Does Countering a Counter Equal a Positive?

We've countered the sellers' counter offer, and we're again waiting. In the meantime, here are some anecdotes to pass the time.



I love the Marx Foods Blog, they are listed on the right as one of my favorites or click the image above. They blog about cooking techniques and unique foods, and they are constantly giving away amazing foods. Like AMAZING food. All you have to do it leave them a comment, and they randomly choose one. I hope I win the Kobe burgers because at my house-to-be there is a yard where Chris' grill can live and hence the need for the burgers!

In other news, I had a stranger cut my hair. No, not one of the many of the streets here, but a gay Cuban. I have never had anyone cut my hair but Patrick in Little Rock, but hey, it's time to live a little. So my Cuban owns a salon on Front St., and I pass it every day. It has a pretty chandelier, hip chairs and a nice logo. That's all I needed to know. I plopped right down, and he went to work. I discovered that not everyone cuts hair the same. I know this isn't a revelation to most of you, but I'm new here. He cut part of it dry and part wet, and he thinned it out without using the razor. I'm not a fan of the razor. Anyway, it was a delightful hour with my new Cuban, and at the end, I received a new haircut, which I like, and I paid him $35. I don't think I've paid so little for a full haircut since 1997. Thanks, Memphis!

The Waiting Game

Yesterday, we made an offer on a house here on the island! No, it's not the one pictured above, but it's lovely all the same. We've received a counter offer, and now we're trying to figure out how much a house really costs. How much cash in-hand? How much insurance? How much taxes? What do you pay when? When will the government give us some money back? We're going through every possible cost before we make a counter offer.

Wouldn't it be nice if the sticker price were the real price? $2 should be $2, but not in real estate. Thankfully we have a wonderful Realtor who is patiently walking us step-by-step.

Thanks, Myra!!!

Hey Weekend, I remember you!

I haven't really experienced a weekend since I've changed jobs. When you don't work, everyday is a weekend!

This is really my first Friday to enjoy the weekend, and really, I'm enjoying looking back at the week.

I worked my first full week at Valeo, and I'm really excited about my managerial opportunities. I'm also learning tons about internet marketing. It's really fascinating. I'm learning so much about things I don't know, but also have lots to add with customer relationships and account managing. I think it will be a great fit for me. If you have a business and need internet presence, give me a call!