3 Things Meme

I've been tagged by the notorious Wizeup.

3 Smells I love:
1. baby lotion
2. fresh baked bread
3. pumpkin pie

3 Smells I hate:
1. stinky alleys
2. burnt coffee
3. fish heated up in the microwave at work

3 Jobs that I have had in my life:
1. Marketing Manager
2. Media/Marketing Specialist
3. Project Controls Specialist

3 Movies I could watch over and over:
1. Our wedding video to tease Steve about how nervous he looked
2. Much Ado About Nothing
3. Christmas Vacation

3 Fond Memories
1. Falling in love with Lexi at the hospital
2. Steve completely surprising me with the marriage proposal
3. Family get togethers

3 Jobs I would love to have:
1. Foreign Service
2. Travel Journalist
3. SAHM

3 Places I have lived
1. Katy, Texas
2. Melbourne, Florida
3. Doha, Qatar

3 Things I like to do:
1. play with Lexi
2. blog
3. walk on the beach with Steve & Lexi

3 Of my favorite foods
1. almost anything with ranch dressing on it
2. pasta
3. fresh baked bread (sucker for carbs)

3 Places I would like to be right now
1. on a Caribbean Island
2. Europe
3. basically on vacation almost anywhere

3 Websites I visit daily:
1. the blogs listed on the right under connecting with
2. bank of america
3. hotmail

3 Things that make me cry
1. difficult deaths
2. stories about people hurting kids
3. crappy parallel parking spots (just not much for crying)

See Paige, you had no faith in me, but the day is far from over...

Unpacking? - Never!

Yesterday, we did the final clean up and removal of the rest of our junk from the house. Steve felt a little sentimental because that was our first home and the first place Lexi ever lived. I was just glad that we were done moving. I guess I was also annoyed because the title company said we had an open permit, which we supposedly had taken care of back in June. I had to call the county to have them fix their records, which turned into explaining the whole story several times to each person I was transferred to. I am ready for that all to be over with.

When we got home last night, I was still not in the mood to unpack the kitchen supplies and I realized that it is a good excuse to check out another fine eating establishment in our area. I must thank Amy for recommending Fratelli La Bufala. Steve had pizza and I had calzone and they both were amazing. Who wants to unpack and cook when there are so many local places to eat? Perhaps, I can stretch out this avoidance of unpacking until the weekend or more. Amy has also recommended Clarke's and so we must try it. It is only right to explore the area and become a local rather quickly, right? Surely, I can come up with at least 365 of these reasons/excuses. Like today, we are closing on the house & should celebrate that.

Tags: Unpacking, eating out, SOBE

Rainy Mishaps

Last night when I got home from work, we decided to head out for dinner at the Big Pink. For some reason, we have never been there, but have seen it many times on tv. They are one of the few places for SOBE residents and reporters to hang out during hurricanes. They also make deliveries in pink Volkswagen Bugs. It is a place that you just can't miss.

As we were crossing the street to go in, we felt a few rain drops so we decided to sit inside. I wondered for a second if we should just head home now because the weather might get worse and we were several blocks from home. Since our food and kitchen items are still packed, we stayed. The food was surprisingly great, much better than the crappy TGI Fridays we had the night before (I'm still not sure why we even went there).

About 10 minutes before we were ready to go, Lexi fell asleep in my arms and I noticed the rain had subsided. We quickly paid, packed up everything (baby stuff & left-overs), and headed out. The rain was light at first, but got worse with each block. By the time we got a block away from the apartment, it was pouring. We were all wet.

We finally got under the cover of the front stoop and Steve began searching for the keys. They weren't in his pocket, they weren't in the diaper bag, they weren't in the stroller, and I didn't have them. He started to get really frustrated and ticked off. Right then, a guy came out of the building and we were able to go into the lobby. I handed Lexi to Steve and looked through the bag and stroller again. I looked at Steve and could tell that he was having nightmarish visions about what we were going to do and how we were going to spend the night (he got the extra potent worry gene from his mom).

It was one of those rare moments when neither of us brought our cell phones or we would have called the restaurant to see if the keys were there. There was no other option, but to go back out in the rain. I told him I would go look in my car because we had them when we got Lexi's stroller out. No luck. I came back and told him I was going to run to the restaurant since I was already dripping wet. During the walk there, I wasn't as nervous as I probably should have been. I walked in and a group of guys were sitting at our table. I asked the waitress, but she hadn't seen them. I walked over to where we had parked the stroller & saw them sitting on the floor where nobody would have looked. I realized right then, that if we had our cell phones we would have been told the keys weren't there. We would have given up on that idea. So, this was a little bit of good luck on a bad luck night.

I ran back to the apartment to find Steve nervously waiting on the front porch with Lexi. I held up the keys like we had won the lottery.

Tags: lost keys, rainy night, SOBE, Big Pink

How We Met

Five years ago today, I was working for an engineering company that was developing the island of Cococay for Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines. The project manager was horrible at paperwork and running the office so things on the island were not going as well as they should. The company asked me to move there to put it in order. I think they asked me because I was single and one of the few people in the company crazy enough to go. Everyone knew it would not be a walk in the park, especially since I would be living in a construction trailer and there were VERY few women living on the island. My need for change and adventure can drive me to make insane decisions. I'm glad I met Steve, but a portion of the experience is nightmare worthy thanks to the horrible company I was working for.

I had been there 2 days, when a construction team came. I drove the mule down to the dock to pick them up and they were all surprised to see a non-Bahamian blonde chic on the island. I gave them a tour of the island and took them to their new home (also a construction trailer). One of the guys in that team was my future hubby, Steve. We were friends for the next 5 months and started dating when we came back to the States.

Today is significant not only because it is the anniversary of when we met, but because it is his mother's birthday. The fact that we met on her birthday and we got married the day after my father's birthday suddenly seems so strange given that they both died this year. We could ponder the meaning of all of this or simply choose to celebrate life. Perhaps that will come next weekend, when we finish moving a few more things, cleaning the house, and unpacking boxes.

Tags: life, meeting mr right, cococay

Funny Photo & Finally Friday

This is actually a funny photo. I usually just post silly or cute ones of Lexi. Her hair is finally long enough to get messy when she takes a wild nap. That is what I call a true milestone to celebrate.

As everyone knows, IT IS FRIDAY! Although we will be packing, moving and cleaning at a frantic pace this weekend (once again I have procrastinated), I feel the joy of Friday today. I have been thinking about the positive and negative aspects of this move. Overall, I love that we will be making a change because that sparks my interest. It will also be nice to become more familiar with a different area of Miami. Ok, so I would rather move away from Miami, but I am stuck here for a while so I might as well talk myself into being thrilled about moving to the beach.

Here are the things I am looking forward to:

• Living in an area that is pedestrian friendly
• Being close to parks, the beach, shops, and cafes
• Very short commute for Steve
• Driving across the MacArthur Causeway everyday (one of the best views in Miami)
• Having no yard work
• Being completely debt free
• Being able to hoard lots of money for future dreams

Things I am not looking forward to:

• Hurricane evacuations - I can no longer wish for small hurricanes to give me a day off of work because it will mean we have to find a place to stay
• Parallel Parking on the street instead of the garage at our house, especially when it is rainy
• Giving up large capacity washer and dryer for small ones
• Memorial Day weekend and the Rap Fest/Urban Beach Party
• Being out of range of my favorite radio station from the Keys

In general, I choose to believe that life on SOBE will be livelier, that I'll see my husband more (because it will not take him FOREVER to get home), and that Lexi will like being outside more. I also might actually get to meet Amy since she lives south of 5th too. Then again, I never ever ever ever run into anyone.

Tags: Moving to SOBE, view from MacArthur Causeway, Finally Friday

Feeeeeeding My Addiction

A very friendly fellow blogger was kind enough to allow me to change the design of her site (Here in Panama ). **I have mentioned that this has become an addiction for me, right?** She simply asked me how to do something & I practially begged her to let me try a new design. Yes, I need to start a Bloggers Anonymous. My addiction to blogging is consuming me! I admit it.

Her name is Christy and she is an American living in Panama (which is pretty similar to Miami). I check her site out practically everyday. She has great stories about life, traveling, and a very cute baby. Go check out her site for the stories. You already know she is nice. She actually let me mess with her blog, even though I am sure she knows I'm crazy...

Tags: Here in Panama, blog designs, cute baby

Drama Momma

The weird ones came and picked up their furniture, but there is no drama to report. The pajama lady didn't even show up. Her niece came with 4 guys. Actually, two of them were about 13 years old. They cleared out our house and we now have an echo.

I realized last night, that I was so occupied with the drama the weird women were causing that I completely forgot to mention the strangest thing that happened on Sunday. Another woman pulled up to our garage sale in a little Honda. When she got out, we could tell that she had just come from church. She had a black floral dress on and high heels. She sifted though some clothes and asked about the microwave.

She began chatting with one of my friends who stopped by and was holding Lexi. She asked if Lexi was her daughter and she said no. Then, the lady proceeded to announce in a very loud voice that she had an abortion 4 months ago. She said she has 4 kids already and didn't need another one. What do you say to a stranger that has just announced something like that? The answer was nothing. We all froze. She didn't skip a beat though, because right at that moment she saw what she really wanted... the best pair of hooker shoes your money can buy.

I was given them as a gag gift about 5 years ago. They were red with a thick band around the ankle and 4" spiked metal heels. They came out of the Victoria Secret Catalog. I got them for Christmas from an 80+ year old rich man that was working on a development project with me. He told me that I work too much and I need to live it up more. I think they were over $50 and had never been worn, but Ms. Announce the Abortion got them for a mere $5 and will probably be wearing them to church next Sunday.

Tags: Victorias Secret, drama momma, garage sale

Move is On!

We got the letter today. It looks like this weekend we will officially become South Beach Residents. I can hardly believe it. Thanks to all of you for your finger crossing & well wishes. Good vibes always come in handy.

Tags: South Beach Residents, SOBE, moving

Closer to What???

For the past week, the Daily Review (a Miami paper that focuses on the law and real estate) has had numerous front page articles about the housing market. Of course, all of them were dismal. Yesterday, the clip above was in the paper. All this makes me want the sell to go through even more.

Yesterday was the official day that we were supposed to get the letter that I can't stop talking about (buyer's proof of financing). I called our realtor around noon, after my husband called me. Of course, my husband is dieing to know when they will give it to us too. Our realtor called the buyer's mortgage broker who said they would have the letter tomorrow, which is now today. She also wanted to know if we could close this week. What??? They want us to be moved out right after they provide the letter? As it is, it would have been smarter for us to wait to put a deposit down on an apartment until after they provided us the letter. I just told her that we will be happy to close next week like our contract states.

What can I do? Life marches on. I am hoping for the least stressful way, which still involves packing and moving. Oh & I can't forget another visit from the garage sale weirdos who showed up last night in a little vehicle stuffed full with 15 kids to pick up the furniture. Needless to say, it is still sitting in our house so they will be coming back to create more drama.

Tags: Daily Business Review, house for sale, housing market

Welcoming all kinds of Weirdos

We were sitting in our driveway when her Escalade swerved in. She stumbled out wearing silk pjs and closing her top, but not before exposing her sagging chest. She turned to shout at the million kids in her car to stay there. She frantically shuffled around glancing at our items for sale while clutching her purse, probably trying to hide the fact that her buttons were missing. I told her that we have furniture inside if she was interested. She nodded that she wanted to go in, so I asked Steve to handle it. I was taking care of Lexi and helping some other buyers. They were in there for about 2 minutes when she comes rushing out practically yelling that she would be right back with her niece who just moved into an apartment and would be buying everything we had.

We didn't see them again until they knocked on our door 6 hours later. This time she was wearing a short black wig and clothes. Steve didn't even recognize her until I told him she was the pajama lady. Once again, their car was full of about a million kids. Her niece gave us cash for our living room set and then she said she would be right back with a big red truck. We haven't seen her since. I hope she comes and takes it all quickly, but part of me is dreading the ruckus that they will cause with their noisy ways. I just hope they don't show up after Lexi is asleep.

The garage sale was very successful. There were many odd characters besides this lady (including a crackhead woman on the bike), but that is to be expected when you live a few blocks away from the hood. This weekend, we met more of our neighbors than we had in the year and a half we lived there. The ones from our little subdivision were all very nice. I guess we should have had a garage sale when we moved in. They all mentioned that we are lucky our house sold, because many have been on the market longer without any bites. The more I hear and read about the market, the more I hope this sales goes through.

We only have a 2 big items left and a few people said they would be back during the week to buy them. No real commitments, but I can always have a little sale next Saturday. Plus, I put the items on craigslist. Now, we just have to pack the rest & cross our fingers that everything goes well with the buyer's financing.

Tags: garage sale, house for sale, neighbors