Coming Together

So we went to Dallas this weekend to see if we could tie up all the loose ends and get everything set for the big move in a few weeks. We really wanted to purchase a small home, because it is a less expensive monthly payment than a rental. Unfortunately, I will not qualify for a loan because I will be paid on a commission. So we found a little tiny rental. It is cute and in a nice neighborhood. It will be even cuter after we add some nice paint and personal touches. There are other upgrades I would like to add, like tile in the bathrooms, but we'll have to see if Corey has any time to do so. It is dirt cheap for the area, so we cannot complain. Hopefully we will be able to save all the money we would've spent on nicer housing and put that toward future housing or business expenses. Things seem to be lining up nicely for my job. Again, it is just kind of a leap of faith. It is different than being guaranteed a set salary. But capitalism allows a much greater income potential than does a set salary. We'll just hope and pray that it pans out.

It was weird celebrating my birthday away from friends and family. Corey was extremely sweet and patient as we drove from one end of Dallas to the other looking for a restaraunt without a 3 hour wait. We settled on Cheesecake Factory. Mmmmm.....Godiva chocolate cheesecake never lets me down! I gave Corey a hard time about not bringing my present. He said that with not checking baggage, there was not enough room in the carry-ons. (There are lots of things that don't take up much space-- keys to a new Lexus, gift certificates, plane tickets to Italy, to name a few!) I guess it's my fault for being so cheap. I have trained him too well!! (Though I doubt he'll make that mistake again!) At least he got me this nice hotel room at the Hyatt.

To be fair, he changed all of Zach's diapers the entire day, which was nice. Poor Zach has been sick for awhile now. He rarely gets ill, but when he does, he makes it count. He's had a fever between 101 and 103 for 3-4 nights now. He has some kind of respiratory infection/sinus infection. He's been as sweet and snuggly as can be, though.

I just had to mention that the other morning in the hotel room, Corey and I were waiting for Zach to wake up after a long, feverish night. We are not usually present when he arises in his bedroom at home, and we usually just go get him when we hear him crying to get out. So we were surprised when, after a few moments of thrashing in the bed, he popped up into sitting position, blinked his eyes, and wide-awake, said, "Huh?", just like he'd been in the middle of the conversation with us. You had to be there, but it was hilarious to Corey and me.

It's Rented!

We just signed a contract with a nice little family to rent out our house for the next year. They are about our age, the wife is an RN, the husband works from home doing loan modifications, etc, and they have 3 cute kids, ages 2, 4 and 6. I hope everything works out with this. It is really hard to let someone take resposibility for one of our most prized and expensive possessions. I really hope they take good care of it.

We will be sad to leave. It is such a wonderful, warm place. We brought our little Zachary home to it, celebrated holidays, and have made countless other memories within these walls. There is nothing to compare this location and view to in Dallas. We will be visiting Dallas next week to look for housing there. Now all I need is my job contract...