This 30 day challenge is tough - but not too tough for me! I am on day 3 of the whole30 along with morning gym workouts. I am only doing low impact. I figure it was more than what I was doing before and I need to make it enjoyable. I joined a gym that allows me to pretend like I am at a spa. Day 1 I walked on the treadmill and then sat in the steam room. Day two was 45 minutes in the pool followed by sauna and steamroom. Today was a light walk, 25 reps on each ab machine and then some agility and stretching - followed by the steamroom. Tomorrow I think I will do the treadmill again and then hit the spa...and of course the steamroom. It is easy for me to go early in the morning. Then I can get ready there. It makes me feel like I am justifying the monthly cost - I use their towels, soap, lotion, q-tips, mouthwash, blowdryr, electricity and water. And I can taylor my workout to pretty much anything. This weekend I am going to try out the yoga class - maybe even a kickboxing class.
Kirk is working in Dallas and had to test today for the underwater welding job coming up. He will find out in the next couple of days if he could come home until the job goes out. I sure hope he does - I miss him so much when he is gone!
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Monday, June 27, 2011
A year has passed
I believe my lasts posts were returning home from Dubai, getting married and moving to Sugar Land. A lot has happened since that time. I am hoping to now be able to keep up with the monthly activities on here.
October 2010 I was asked to interview for a pipeline company in Houston. I did not want the position since Kirk could go anywhere and I would follow. After talking it over with Kirk, we decided I should go on the interview for practice. It turns out I really liked the company...and they really liked me. Since both Kirk and I had been out of work for 4 months, when the offer came in the very next day I accepted it. I was the new Senior HR Administrator (the only HR person for the entire company).
The house we were living in...well...we found out we were not really supposed to be living there. It was a nightmare. At a glance, we were squatters. We had permission from the wrong person to be there. On top of that, the house was essentially a tear down house. It needed to be demolished and rebuilt. It was infested with mold and cockroaches and there was mice droppings everywhere (although I never saw a rodent). With my allergies, that house made me very sick. Right before we moved out the neighbor told us that a man was killed in the living room of the house and they were not sure if it was murder or a suicide. Ugh....
Luckily, the owners were very nice and were pleased with all of the work we had done on it. They allowed us to stay a few weeks longer after they found out we were there so that we could find a place to live. With the new job, we moved into an apartment. It did not take long for my health to improve.
Kirk took a freelance job in Virginia. We were hoping that it would work out and we could move to the East Coast. However, it turned out to be work Kirk didn't like. He then worked for a local company here in Houston for a few months. It helped pay the bills but again it was not a good fit for us.
This month, Kirk finally found a company and a position that he really likes. He is back to doing what he loves and will be learning some new welding techniques (underwater of course). They are keeping him very busy and I don't get to see him much. The time we spend together is precious and we are inseparable when he is home (other than me going to work). His next job goes out around July 15th and he will be gone for at least 45 days.
Last week we bought a "new" car! With Kirk working out of the Dallas office, one car was no longer feasible. He took the 2001 Jeep since it would be sitting in a yard when he is offshore. I got the 2008 Ford Edge. We went shopping and I had actually picked out another car. The Edge was parked right next to it and I really liked it. Once I sat in it, well....it was sold.
This past weekend, we met a group of friends for the annual river trip on the Guadalupe River near Austin. We had people from Houston, Austin and Dallas attend. It was a great time with some great people! We all chipped in on groceries and took turns making "our specialties". I found two recipes that I consider keepers for me to start making. In fact I made one last night and I will be making the other in the near future!
It has been almost 9 months working for my new company and it has been a roller coaster. It has it's ups and downs. Right now is a down turn with no foreseeable work ahead. Luckily, I have a pretty steady position. I enjoy what I do and I enjoy the employees even more. I have made some great friends!
Today I started a personal 30 day challenge. I joined Lifetime gym with my first workout this morning at 6:00 am. I am also on a restricted diet - cutting out sugar (accept for 2 servings of fruit), dairy, grains, potatoes, rice, pasta, etc. I can have meat and veggies only with a bit of fruit in the morning. Today was not tough, but the next few days ahead will be. Oh, and I really enjoy this gym! I worked out on the treadmill, stretched and then sat is the steam room before hitting the shower. They supply everything but a toothbrush, toothpaste and makeup. It made working out seem like a spa day. I actually can't wait to work out again tomorrow! I weigh in at my heaviest ever - 160 pounds. I am hoping to be in shape for my 20 year high-school reunion at the end of August!
October 2010 I was asked to interview for a pipeline company in Houston. I did not want the position since Kirk could go anywhere and I would follow. After talking it over with Kirk, we decided I should go on the interview for practice. It turns out I really liked the company...and they really liked me. Since both Kirk and I had been out of work for 4 months, when the offer came in the very next day I accepted it. I was the new Senior HR Administrator (the only HR person for the entire company).
The house we were living in...well...we found out we were not really supposed to be living there. It was a nightmare. At a glance, we were squatters. We had permission from the wrong person to be there. On top of that, the house was essentially a tear down house. It needed to be demolished and rebuilt. It was infested with mold and cockroaches and there was mice droppings everywhere (although I never saw a rodent). With my allergies, that house made me very sick. Right before we moved out the neighbor told us that a man was killed in the living room of the house and they were not sure if it was murder or a suicide. Ugh....
Luckily, the owners were very nice and were pleased with all of the work we had done on it. They allowed us to stay a few weeks longer after they found out we were there so that we could find a place to live. With the new job, we moved into an apartment. It did not take long for my health to improve.
Kirk took a freelance job in Virginia. We were hoping that it would work out and we could move to the East Coast. However, it turned out to be work Kirk didn't like. He then worked for a local company here in Houston for a few months. It helped pay the bills but again it was not a good fit for us.
This month, Kirk finally found a company and a position that he really likes. He is back to doing what he loves and will be learning some new welding techniques (underwater of course). They are keeping him very busy and I don't get to see him much. The time we spend together is precious and we are inseparable when he is home (other than me going to work). His next job goes out around July 15th and he will be gone for at least 45 days.
Last week we bought a "new" car! With Kirk working out of the Dallas office, one car was no longer feasible. He took the 2001 Jeep since it would be sitting in a yard when he is offshore. I got the 2008 Ford Edge. We went shopping and I had actually picked out another car. The Edge was parked right next to it and I really liked it. Once I sat in it, well....it was sold.
This past weekend, we met a group of friends for the annual river trip on the Guadalupe River near Austin. We had people from Houston, Austin and Dallas attend. It was a great time with some great people! We all chipped in on groceries and took turns making "our specialties". I found two recipes that I consider keepers for me to start making. In fact I made one last night and I will be making the other in the near future!
It has been almost 9 months working for my new company and it has been a roller coaster. It has it's ups and downs. Right now is a down turn with no foreseeable work ahead. Luckily, I have a pretty steady position. I enjoy what I do and I enjoy the employees even more. I have made some great friends!
Today I started a personal 30 day challenge. I joined Lifetime gym with my first workout this morning at 6:00 am. I am also on a restricted diet - cutting out sugar (accept for 2 servings of fruit), dairy, grains, potatoes, rice, pasta, etc. I can have meat and veggies only with a bit of fruit in the morning. Today was not tough, but the next few days ahead will be. Oh, and I really enjoy this gym! I worked out on the treadmill, stretched and then sat is the steam room before hitting the shower. They supply everything but a toothbrush, toothpaste and makeup. It made working out seem like a spa day. I actually can't wait to work out again tomorrow! I weigh in at my heaviest ever - 160 pounds. I am hoping to be in shape for my 20 year high-school reunion at the end of August!
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Moving on over to the SW side!
Back to Sugar Land we went literally a day after we got married. Our situation where we were was not good for us and needed a place quickly. Of course, with both of us out of work, the only cash flow is out of the bank and not in to the bank. So this put us in a very tough spot. Where to go... ugh it seemed like a nightmare in the making.
I called my friend Lance, who was also my realtor. He was holding on to my washer, dryer and fridge. He had been trying to sell it while I was gone but had no luck. He mentioned putting them in a garage sale. I called him to let him know it was okay to do that since we were getting in a tough spot and did not want to have too much to travel with. Lance had them stored in his parents house- which was empty. He had the place on the market for quite some time with no offers. He made us a deal we could not refuse. He needed someone to move in to the house to make it look lived in and also help clean it up. The house is paid for so there would be no rent, but we would have to take over the utilities and also spend the time helping to paint, landscape and clean. We took the offer and have been living here for going on three weeks now.
The house is one that needs a lot of TLC. It is an older house located in Sugar Land. It has three bedrooms, two full baths, a small kitchen and breakfast nook as well as a living room. There is also an add on in the back of the house that is perfect for a game room. While we had Kirks pool table, we decided not to put it up since we were not sure how long we would be here. The house included a fridge, love seat and two chairs.
The house is about 2000 sq ft. We don't have a lot to fill it, but at least it looks lived in! Kirk moved the washer and dryer in to the laundry room. The dryer plug needs to be changed since it does not fit our dryer - which means we are stuck for now drying our clothes outside on a makeshift line across the back fence. It is kind of comical and we joke all the time that we are "living in a van down by the river".
Our first week was spent cleaning, taring down wallpaper, trimming trees, fighting cockroaches and filling in holes. It was quite a chore, but the place actually cleaned up really nice. Our second week was spent on our honeymoon in Roatan, Honduras so the place sat empty. This is our third week and we already have a plan. We cleaned again the first day since we had set off bug bombs before we left. Now it is time for laundry, wall texturing and painting. Kirk is planning on doing some much needed landscaping. We are trying to give it as much curb appeal as possible. Yet we don't want to do too much either because we don't really know what Lance wants done and also, whoever buys this place will need to do some major remodeling. This place is a contractors dream!
Of course the job hunt continues on a daily basis. Kirk is more than ready to go back offshore and start diving. I am still holding off to see where his career takes us. I would hate to get a job here and then have to quit because we end up moving to another State or possibly another Country. Once we do figure out where we will end up next, our first priority is getting our kiddos (dogs) back home with us. Boy do we miss them!
Next post will be about our honeymoon!
I called my friend Lance, who was also my realtor. He was holding on to my washer, dryer and fridge. He had been trying to sell it while I was gone but had no luck. He mentioned putting them in a garage sale. I called him to let him know it was okay to do that since we were getting in a tough spot and did not want to have too much to travel with. Lance had them stored in his parents house- which was empty. He had the place on the market for quite some time with no offers. He made us a deal we could not refuse. He needed someone to move in to the house to make it look lived in and also help clean it up. The house is paid for so there would be no rent, but we would have to take over the utilities and also spend the time helping to paint, landscape and clean. We took the offer and have been living here for going on three weeks now.
The house is one that needs a lot of TLC. It is an older house located in Sugar Land. It has three bedrooms, two full baths, a small kitchen and breakfast nook as well as a living room. There is also an add on in the back of the house that is perfect for a game room. While we had Kirks pool table, we decided not to put it up since we were not sure how long we would be here. The house included a fridge, love seat and two chairs.
The house is about 2000 sq ft. We don't have a lot to fill it, but at least it looks lived in! Kirk moved the washer and dryer in to the laundry room. The dryer plug needs to be changed since it does not fit our dryer - which means we are stuck for now drying our clothes outside on a makeshift line across the back fence. It is kind of comical and we joke all the time that we are "living in a van down by the river".
Our first week was spent cleaning, taring down wallpaper, trimming trees, fighting cockroaches and filling in holes. It was quite a chore, but the place actually cleaned up really nice. Our second week was spent on our honeymoon in Roatan, Honduras so the place sat empty. This is our third week and we already have a plan. We cleaned again the first day since we had set off bug bombs before we left. Now it is time for laundry, wall texturing and painting. Kirk is planning on doing some much needed landscaping. We are trying to give it as much curb appeal as possible. Yet we don't want to do too much either because we don't really know what Lance wants done and also, whoever buys this place will need to do some major remodeling. This place is a contractors dream!
Of course the job hunt continues on a daily basis. Kirk is more than ready to go back offshore and start diving. I am still holding off to see where his career takes us. I would hate to get a job here and then have to quit because we end up moving to another State or possibly another Country. Once we do figure out where we will end up next, our first priority is getting our kiddos (dogs) back home with us. Boy do we miss them!
Next post will be about our honeymoon!
Sunday, July 18, 2010
July 9, 2010 - Our Wedding
Kirk and I finally tied the knot on July 9,2010. It was a simple yet beautiful ceremony. You all know that we had planned on getting married on July 20th, so...what happened?
Well, lets see...what didn't happen! Our original plan was to marry in Greece. We had the perfect plan. All fell through when we found out that it was just a play wedding and not the real thing. In order to actually marry there we would have had to jump through too many obstacles. About that time, the company Kirk works for was slow, so he decided to come to Dubai a month earlier than planned. It was all working to our favor and the plan changed to marry in Dubai and then honeymoon in Greece as well as a week in Dubai.
Just after Kirk arrived, we found that it would be even harder to marry in Dubai then Greece. Since Kirk had been divorced, they wanted us to wait a minimum of 8 weeks to get the divorce approved and then our upcoming wedding approved. Then, we both had to JOIN a church. The law in Dubai is that you cannot "shack up" without serious punishment and jail time. So, Kirk went and stayed in a hotel. At that point, things were getting too complicated to get married outside the US. So our next plan was to fly to New York and marry there. Simple, easy and fun.
Things were already bad for me with my job, so Greece was put on the back burner since we were not sure where we would end up in a month or two. That month or two turned in to a week - Only a week after Kirks arrival, we were back on a plane heading to Houston. Now both of us were unemployed. Not a good thing to start our lives together. However, we were just so happy to be with and have each other it really did not seem that bad.
We had already paid the travel agent our down payment for Greece and could not reclaim it. Our wedding and honeymoon was still on, but now on a major budget. The idea was to find a place that we could just use the down payment and nothing else. Our next idea took us to PA since Kirks family is there and they wanted to throw us a party. And of course they all wanted to meet me. The problem was, we could not figure out a way to use our down payment for that other than the plane tickets. And it would not have been much of a honeymoon for us.
Then my sister thought of going on a cruise. That was the perfect idea! We started looking around and found one that left out of Houston/Galveston.
New obstacle - our travel agent does not do cruises. Discouraged, we decided to bring a little happiness and went down to get our marriage license. We were really excited about it. The license was good for 30 day with a three day waiting period. They gave us a list of Justice of the Peace to choose from. All but one seemed too far away.
By now I was getting discouraged. Our beautiful Greek wedding was turning in to a fly by at the court house - most likely in jeans. I made Kirk promise me a regular wedding when we get back on our feet in a year.
I called the Justice of the Peace and she had an opening that Friday. Since we did not know what direction our lives would turn by next week we had to take it. To our delight, she does her ceremonies at a little garden in League City. The thought of a quaint garden wedding thrilled us since we did not have to hammer down the isle of the court house. I decided to wear one of the two wedding dresses I picked out. The one that was for the evening dinner was perfect for the event. We called a few friends to come join us. The day was almost perfect - it was too hot and a few of our friends were already pretty "toasty" (from the alcohol, not the sun).
Below are some pictures for you - we married at 6:00 in the evening in the 7th month on the 9th day in 10th year of 2000. Pretty cool! All we are missing is the 8! - of course that is just me being a dork!
Well, lets see...what didn't happen! Our original plan was to marry in Greece. We had the perfect plan. All fell through when we found out that it was just a play wedding and not the real thing. In order to actually marry there we would have had to jump through too many obstacles. About that time, the company Kirk works for was slow, so he decided to come to Dubai a month earlier than planned. It was all working to our favor and the plan changed to marry in Dubai and then honeymoon in Greece as well as a week in Dubai.
Just after Kirk arrived, we found that it would be even harder to marry in Dubai then Greece. Since Kirk had been divorced, they wanted us to wait a minimum of 8 weeks to get the divorce approved and then our upcoming wedding approved. Then, we both had to JOIN a church. The law in Dubai is that you cannot "shack up" without serious punishment and jail time. So, Kirk went and stayed in a hotel. At that point, things were getting too complicated to get married outside the US. So our next plan was to fly to New York and marry there. Simple, easy and fun.
Things were already bad for me with my job, so Greece was put on the back burner since we were not sure where we would end up in a month or two. That month or two turned in to a week - Only a week after Kirks arrival, we were back on a plane heading to Houston. Now both of us were unemployed. Not a good thing to start our lives together. However, we were just so happy to be with and have each other it really did not seem that bad.
We had already paid the travel agent our down payment for Greece and could not reclaim it. Our wedding and honeymoon was still on, but now on a major budget. The idea was to find a place that we could just use the down payment and nothing else. Our next idea took us to PA since Kirks family is there and they wanted to throw us a party. And of course they all wanted to meet me. The problem was, we could not figure out a way to use our down payment for that other than the plane tickets. And it would not have been much of a honeymoon for us.
Then my sister thought of going on a cruise. That was the perfect idea! We started looking around and found one that left out of Houston/Galveston.
New obstacle - our travel agent does not do cruises. Discouraged, we decided to bring a little happiness and went down to get our marriage license. We were really excited about it. The license was good for 30 day with a three day waiting period. They gave us a list of Justice of the Peace to choose from. All but one seemed too far away.
By now I was getting discouraged. Our beautiful Greek wedding was turning in to a fly by at the court house - most likely in jeans. I made Kirk promise me a regular wedding when we get back on our feet in a year.
I called the Justice of the Peace and she had an opening that Friday. Since we did not know what direction our lives would turn by next week we had to take it. To our delight, she does her ceremonies at a little garden in League City. The thought of a quaint garden wedding thrilled us since we did not have to hammer down the isle of the court house. I decided to wear one of the two wedding dresses I picked out. The one that was for the evening dinner was perfect for the event. We called a few friends to come join us. The day was almost perfect - it was too hot and a few of our friends were already pretty "toasty" (from the alcohol, not the sun).
Below are some pictures for you - we married at 6:00 in the evening in the 7th month on the 9th day in 10th year of 2000. Pretty cool! All we are missing is the 8! - of course that is just me being a dork!
Now it is off to Roatan, Honduras for our honeymoon!
Saturday, July 3, 2010
June and beginning of July
Excuse the small caps on some of my sentences. I am using Kirks computer and it does not do caps on some letters.
A week after Kirk arrived we had some problems and had to return home. Too much to go in to now and not sure that I really want to relive it at this time. maybe sometime in the future. Lets just say it was an eye opener for us both and we have some tough times ahead of us now. I was returned to my home office and will soon be joining the unemployment line, along with the millions of others across this country.
even with everything that has happened and what we are experiencing now, we are in high spirits. while it is stressful, we are both trying to be very positive and know that the future hold some amazing things for us. I told Kirk before that we we can just get through this together then we know we will be stronger together and last a lifetime. So far that has held true and we become closer each day. I did not think that was possible as we were already meant to be together, but it is. what a wonderful feeling. Also to have someone stick by me in this turmoil and support me - well....that just speaks volumes of his love for me - and my love for him.
So now we are back in Houston for a bit. we are still planning our wedding since we already have it paid for, but the plans seem to change on a daily basis. we can't get a refund so we are going to go for it, but as cheaply as possible. Later on in life we will have what we need and be able to travel then. The wedding went from Greece to New York. we would still love to have it in NY but funds are limited and we would not be able to do all the things we want to there. Now it is looking like a possible cruise out of Galveston and then up to Pennsylvania to meet his family. Here it is almost a year since we started dating again and I have not even met his family. Seems strange to have not had the pleasure of meeting them before i make them my family for life. But I guess that does not matter since Kirk is the most important part of my life. I know that I will love them and hope that they love me too.
Kirk gave up everything for me to come to Dubai. Now it is my turn to return the favor. Our goal is let him find his dream job and I will go with him wherever that takes us. If he is able to get a job overseas, then I have my choice of where to live in the US. If he gets a job in the States, then I will join him there. my career is very general so I am able to get a job anywhere, while his is very specialized. we need to go where his work takes us. And I think it is time for me to change my career and finally do something that makes me happy. Time to start soul searching. Someday, our plans are to buy a piece of property and raise animals. we talk about having a kennel and also a horse boarding stables. we also want a few cattle - but we have mixed ideas on that. I want pets, he wants beef - if you get my drift. right now it is a dream that will hopefully come true in the not so far future. we are playing the lotto now ; )
As far as a stable place to live, well that has yet to be seen. we are staying at one of his friends houses right now but that will end in less than a week. It is too unstable here and not a good environment for us. And unfortunately it is one of those times when you learn who yours friends really are. we have had a few offers from family to help get us back on our feet. Looks like within a month we will be taking someone up on that offer. For now, we have a friend that has offered us a house to stay in for free. It is empty and on the market but has not sold. He believes it has a better chance of selling if there is someone living in it. Of course we would pay the utilities. It would also give us time to put everything large that we still own here up for sale. Our new car - which I will tell you about next - does not have a tow hitch and it would be too hard on the transmission to haul anything across country. we have a 4 year old fridge, brand new washer and dryer, chemistry table, new pool table, etc. Craigslist here we come!
we have been back a week exactly yesterday. Our first goal was to buy a used car so that we were not relying on anyone to tote us around. After 3 days of searching we were about to give up and buy the lemon that seemed to be the best deal out of everything we saw. I can't believe how people trash their vehicles around here and how much they want for them. we were starting to think that we would have to finance a newer vehicle. Just before we put in an offer for a 2000 Jeep Laredo that was beat to heck, we decided to look at just one more Jeep. we were both so discouraged by this time, it couldn't hurt to just take another hour to look at another pile of junk. The minute we saw the 2001 Jeep Cherokee Sport we knew we had made the right choice to wait and before even test driving it we were ready to call the other dealership and tell them no thanks. It is hunter green and in very good shape with 104,000 miles on it. The interior was so clean and in great shape - it looked almost brand new inside. The outside has a few dings and scratches, but that is to be expected of a 10 year old car. It drives great too! even has a brand new a/c unit.
Driving it home though, the check engine light came on. we are not worried about it but before we make any long hauls across the country we are going to take it to have the engine fully checked and also have the tires replaced. It will need a little tlc, but both of us take really good care of our vehicles so we don't mind. we just want something that we can rely on and know that it will get us where we want to go. we are both very comfortable with our first large purchase together....and we were able to get a great deal on it with cash down and no payments.
Oh - yesterday we found out that our hunter green Jeep used to be red! A few scratches on the front grill revealed her true color!
I have some pictures from our last day in Dubai that I will put up later.
This blog now will become our blog for all of the adventures to come...including all the trials of being unemployed.
A week after Kirk arrived we had some problems and had to return home. Too much to go in to now and not sure that I really want to relive it at this time. maybe sometime in the future. Lets just say it was an eye opener for us both and we have some tough times ahead of us now. I was returned to my home office and will soon be joining the unemployment line, along with the millions of others across this country.
even with everything that has happened and what we are experiencing now, we are in high spirits. while it is stressful, we are both trying to be very positive and know that the future hold some amazing things for us. I told Kirk before that we we can just get through this together then we know we will be stronger together and last a lifetime. So far that has held true and we become closer each day. I did not think that was possible as we were already meant to be together, but it is. what a wonderful feeling. Also to have someone stick by me in this turmoil and support me - well....that just speaks volumes of his love for me - and my love for him.
So now we are back in Houston for a bit. we are still planning our wedding since we already have it paid for, but the plans seem to change on a daily basis. we can't get a refund so we are going to go for it, but as cheaply as possible. Later on in life we will have what we need and be able to travel then. The wedding went from Greece to New York. we would still love to have it in NY but funds are limited and we would not be able to do all the things we want to there. Now it is looking like a possible cruise out of Galveston and then up to Pennsylvania to meet his family. Here it is almost a year since we started dating again and I have not even met his family. Seems strange to have not had the pleasure of meeting them before i make them my family for life. But I guess that does not matter since Kirk is the most important part of my life. I know that I will love them and hope that they love me too.
Kirk gave up everything for me to come to Dubai. Now it is my turn to return the favor. Our goal is let him find his dream job and I will go with him wherever that takes us. If he is able to get a job overseas, then I have my choice of where to live in the US. If he gets a job in the States, then I will join him there. my career is very general so I am able to get a job anywhere, while his is very specialized. we need to go where his work takes us. And I think it is time for me to change my career and finally do something that makes me happy. Time to start soul searching. Someday, our plans are to buy a piece of property and raise animals. we talk about having a kennel and also a horse boarding stables. we also want a few cattle - but we have mixed ideas on that. I want pets, he wants beef - if you get my drift. right now it is a dream that will hopefully come true in the not so far future. we are playing the lotto now ; )
As far as a stable place to live, well that has yet to be seen. we are staying at one of his friends houses right now but that will end in less than a week. It is too unstable here and not a good environment for us. And unfortunately it is one of those times when you learn who yours friends really are. we have had a few offers from family to help get us back on our feet. Looks like within a month we will be taking someone up on that offer. For now, we have a friend that has offered us a house to stay in for free. It is empty and on the market but has not sold. He believes it has a better chance of selling if there is someone living in it. Of course we would pay the utilities. It would also give us time to put everything large that we still own here up for sale. Our new car - which I will tell you about next - does not have a tow hitch and it would be too hard on the transmission to haul anything across country. we have a 4 year old fridge, brand new washer and dryer, chemistry table, new pool table, etc. Craigslist here we come!
we have been back a week exactly yesterday. Our first goal was to buy a used car so that we were not relying on anyone to tote us around. After 3 days of searching we were about to give up and buy the lemon that seemed to be the best deal out of everything we saw. I can't believe how people trash their vehicles around here and how much they want for them. we were starting to think that we would have to finance a newer vehicle. Just before we put in an offer for a 2000 Jeep Laredo that was beat to heck, we decided to look at just one more Jeep. we were both so discouraged by this time, it couldn't hurt to just take another hour to look at another pile of junk. The minute we saw the 2001 Jeep Cherokee Sport we knew we had made the right choice to wait and before even test driving it we were ready to call the other dealership and tell them no thanks. It is hunter green and in very good shape with 104,000 miles on it. The interior was so clean and in great shape - it looked almost brand new inside. The outside has a few dings and scratches, but that is to be expected of a 10 year old car. It drives great too! even has a brand new a/c unit.
Driving it home though, the check engine light came on. we are not worried about it but before we make any long hauls across the country we are going to take it to have the engine fully checked and also have the tires replaced. It will need a little tlc, but both of us take really good care of our vehicles so we don't mind. we just want something that we can rely on and know that it will get us where we want to go. we are both very comfortable with our first large purchase together....and we were able to get a great deal on it with cash down and no payments.
Oh - yesterday we found out that our hunter green Jeep used to be red! A few scratches on the front grill revealed her true color!
I have some pictures from our last day in Dubai that I will put up later.
This blog now will become our blog for all of the adventures to come...including all the trials of being unemployed.
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Kirk in June
Kirk arrived 24 hours ago. I can't even begin to tell you how happy I am to have him here. Of course, our plans have changed significantly in the past month on what we are going to do. We are now planing a July wedding in New York City. Right now it will be at the City Hall, but we have some other things we are thinking about too.
New York is an easy flight in and out for us. We were having a hard time getting married outside the US so we are happy to head closer to home just to make sure we are legal in Dubai. Since we are trying to do the right thing, Kirk is living in a hotel right now for the next month. He will not move in to the apartment until we are married. This will cost us extra money, but it will keep us out of trouble and out of Jail. They say there are a lot of couples living here that are not married, but I just don't want to take that chance. Plus we enforce the laws and company policy on our employees - I need to stand by what I say to others and abide by the same. We get to spend a little bit of time together each day and that is much better than not seeing each other at all. I am happy to have him here!
When I picked him up from the airport yesterday I went to go touch his arm because I was so excited to see him. In the UAE it is offensive for a man to touch a woman in any way in public. And if we showed any kind of affection for each other we could be arrested and thrown in jail for 3 months. We have to watch ourselves really well here. I am so used to holding his hand and being close to him. Once we got in to his hotel room to drop off his stuff, he burried me in his arms and we just hugged for what seemed like hours. It was such a nice feeling.
Kirk will get a bit more acclimated here and get over his jet lag before he starts job hunting. He will start aggressively on Monday. Until then, we will spend what time we can together. It has been almost 4 months since we had seen each other. It is almost like we are starting to date all over again. I am glad I get to experience that again with him.
A couple of days before Kirk arrived I received another care package from my mom. It contained my big pink fuzzy blanket, my pillow, hair dye and some shirts I bought online. I slept on my pillow for the second time and boy did I miss it! That is the best pillow EVER!!!!
Working the night shift is so different. I am the only one in the office for most of my 12 hour shift. So it is quiet and I get a lot done. However, it is also so very boring. On nights when it is slow I feel like I am going to fall asleep. I drink a lot of tea or coffee to keep myself awake. I also try to pace out my work load so that I don't have to worry about too many long breaks that would tempt me to wander over to the comfy couch and doze off. I don't plan on ever sleeping on my shift but I know the others before me and the others at the other locations do. I think there should be two people on this shift in each location to hold each person accountable for staying awake! Ahhh but two people means half the work load and way too much time on my hands! I will stick to just one of me thank you!
New York is an easy flight in and out for us. We were having a hard time getting married outside the US so we are happy to head closer to home just to make sure we are legal in Dubai. Since we are trying to do the right thing, Kirk is living in a hotel right now for the next month. He will not move in to the apartment until we are married. This will cost us extra money, but it will keep us out of trouble and out of Jail. They say there are a lot of couples living here that are not married, but I just don't want to take that chance. Plus we enforce the laws and company policy on our employees - I need to stand by what I say to others and abide by the same. We get to spend a little bit of time together each day and that is much better than not seeing each other at all. I am happy to have him here!
When I picked him up from the airport yesterday I went to go touch his arm because I was so excited to see him. In the UAE it is offensive for a man to touch a woman in any way in public. And if we showed any kind of affection for each other we could be arrested and thrown in jail for 3 months. We have to watch ourselves really well here. I am so used to holding his hand and being close to him. Once we got in to his hotel room to drop off his stuff, he burried me in his arms and we just hugged for what seemed like hours. It was such a nice feeling.
Kirk will get a bit more acclimated here and get over his jet lag before he starts job hunting. He will start aggressively on Monday. Until then, we will spend what time we can together. It has been almost 4 months since we had seen each other. It is almost like we are starting to date all over again. I am glad I get to experience that again with him.
A couple of days before Kirk arrived I received another care package from my mom. It contained my big pink fuzzy blanket, my pillow, hair dye and some shirts I bought online. I slept on my pillow for the second time and boy did I miss it! That is the best pillow EVER!!!!
Working the night shift is so different. I am the only one in the office for most of my 12 hour shift. So it is quiet and I get a lot done. However, it is also so very boring. On nights when it is slow I feel like I am going to fall asleep. I drink a lot of tea or coffee to keep myself awake. I also try to pace out my work load so that I don't have to worry about too many long breaks that would tempt me to wander over to the comfy couch and doze off. I don't plan on ever sleeping on my shift but I know the others before me and the others at the other locations do. I think there should be two people on this shift in each location to hold each person accountable for staying awake! Ahhh but two people means half the work load and way too much time on my hands! I will stick to just one of me thank you!
Monday, June 7, 2010
Too many lessons
The past few weeks have been very tough for me. I have had to learn some hard lessons and really had to humble myself. I hit 10 years with the company I work for yet it seems that the past few months I have been working for a different company. The two divisions are NOT the same - in any aspect except the main name. If I could, I would go back to the other division in a heart beat. But I am here so I need to make the best of it.
I have given up (willingly) my previous duties and I will now be working in a different capacity. I say willingly because I am relieved to be out from under it - but it was actually taken from me. I am sure glad they did because I was drowning and couldn't keep up. It is bitter sweet. I now have to concentrate and do my best in my new role. This new role will bring me to working nights for a while. I will pretty much be back on USA time.
My biggest and bestest care package will be heading my way in less than 10 days. Kirk is coming to live with me here! He leaves Jun 15 and will arrive Jun 16 in the evening. I am so excited and it will take a lot of the stress off my shoulders. I can finally relax and know that everything will be alright. As long as we have each other to lean on, life will be grand. I am incredibly grateful that he is willing to give up everything to be with me. I will return the favor once my year here is up.
Since Kirk is coming out early, we will be married as soon as possible. We have decided to give up Greece for now as it is just not financially smart for us to spend that kind of money right now. Plus Greece is in much turmoil and looks like a civil war may break out soon. We are going to look in to going to Thailand for a week and then spend the rest of our vacation here in Dubai or in the surrounding areas. Of course all is up in the air right now and I will know more once he gets out here and we can plan a little better.
Kirks main priority, besides come here with me, will be to find a job. He is looking at working in Asia and making Dubai his home base. We will see what all pans out once he can spend some time looking around here and putting his resume in. His job is one that is very specialized and in high demand so it should be very easy for him to find something.
Tonight I had some free time so I actually got out to see some sites. I went over to the Irish Village for Dinner. There are several restaurants that surround the Dubai tennis stadium. It was very peaceful and I settled on Sushi. It was okay, but I really enjoyed the relaxing atmosphere. Next time I go, I will take some pictures.
I have given up (willingly) my previous duties and I will now be working in a different capacity. I say willingly because I am relieved to be out from under it - but it was actually taken from me. I am sure glad they did because I was drowning and couldn't keep up. It is bitter sweet. I now have to concentrate and do my best in my new role. This new role will bring me to working nights for a while. I will pretty much be back on USA time.
My biggest and bestest care package will be heading my way in less than 10 days. Kirk is coming to live with me here! He leaves Jun 15 and will arrive Jun 16 in the evening. I am so excited and it will take a lot of the stress off my shoulders. I can finally relax and know that everything will be alright. As long as we have each other to lean on, life will be grand. I am incredibly grateful that he is willing to give up everything to be with me. I will return the favor once my year here is up.
Since Kirk is coming out early, we will be married as soon as possible. We have decided to give up Greece for now as it is just not financially smart for us to spend that kind of money right now. Plus Greece is in much turmoil and looks like a civil war may break out soon. We are going to look in to going to Thailand for a week and then spend the rest of our vacation here in Dubai or in the surrounding areas. Of course all is up in the air right now and I will know more once he gets out here and we can plan a little better.
Kirks main priority, besides come here with me, will be to find a job. He is looking at working in Asia and making Dubai his home base. We will see what all pans out once he can spend some time looking around here and putting his resume in. His job is one that is very specialized and in high demand so it should be very easy for him to find something.
Tonight I had some free time so I actually got out to see some sites. I went over to the Irish Village for Dinner. There are several restaurants that surround the Dubai tennis stadium. It was very peaceful and I settled on Sushi. It was okay, but I really enjoyed the relaxing atmosphere. Next time I go, I will take some pictures.
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