Saying "See You Later"...Part 1

Anyone who knows me well enough knows the one thing that I am going to miss most about leaving Brenham (besides my family & close friends, of course), is my job.  Working for Brenham National Bank for over 3 years has been a great pride & joy of mine.  I love(d) my job.  I have been so lucky and so blessed to work for such an organization as great as Brenham National Bank. Brenham National Bank is a wonderful organization and it was pure pleasure going to work each day!

Friday was my last day at the bank, but for family reasons I had to miss work that day (don't worry, everything turned out fine, thank God).  So today I went to meet the best co-worker and a very, VERY dear friend of mine Alison for lunch, and stopped by the bank afterwards.  First things first - lunch was great!  Alison and I rarely got to go to lunch together because we took lunch at two different times.  But, we'd have drinks dinner with each other as often as we could.  She has been an amazing co-worker and great friend of mine and I'm going to miss working with her so much.  Every morning we'd have our morning talks at work before we started our day, and every afternoon we'd see each other and catch up one last time.  If I ever needed anything I knew I could call Alison and she'd be there no matter what.  She's so strong and so kind and I know we will be forever friends.  Thank you, Alison, for being such a great person, co-worker, and friend to me.  I'm going to miss you so much!! 

After we got back to the bank I went and saw my other dear co-worker Kathy.  Kathy and I worked directly together every day back in Operations for the bank.  Kathy was like a second mother to me.  I could laugh, cry, and complain to Kathy and she was always there.  Everyone LOVES Kathy, and so do I.  As soon as I saw Kathy I started crying.  I'm going to miss her so much too.  I knew that no matter what kind of day I was having, Kathy would be there to pick me up, or let me vent.  Thank you, Kathy, for teaching me so much, and for being so kind.  Your "motherly" advice and care over me these past 3 years will never be forgotten.  I wish everyone could work with just one "Kathy" in their entire careers, because if they could, they would get to see the kind of wonderful person I got to go to work with each day.  I'm going to miss you so much, too, Kathy, but don't worry...I'll email you!

Finally, I'm going to round the day out with a pedicure and dinner with my very best friend of all, Katy Stewart Butler.  Gosh...that's so weird to write and its been almost 2 years since she got married!  Katy and I have been best friends since we were in the 8th grade....so that means we've been best friends for 13 years now.  13 years!!  You're getting old Katyroo.  JUST JOKING!!  Katy and I have literally been through thick and thin together and I cannot imagine my life without her in it.  She's the best friend anyone could have and I'll miss her the most!  The good thing is that she & I can go for weeks without seeing each other, so long as we talk every day on the phone....and we still will!  I'll report later how well our pedicure & dinner date was, as I know it will go great for us :) 

And one last thing, tomorrow my sweetie comes in!!  I've missed him so very much!  He will be here to spend Thanksgiving with my family, and then we will start the journey to Montana this coming weekend!  And, this is what I came home to on Friday afternoon:

He sent me flowers for my last day of work!  He's so thoughful, and I'm so lucky! 

I hope everyone has a great afternoon!  I'm off to see my bestie & get a much needed pedicure :)

A Family Affair

So this post is a little bit late, but better late than never...right?  Wesley and I had a fantastic weekend together spending time with family, and as always the weekend went by way too fast!

I picked up my love from the airport Thursday night and I was so excited to see him!  I met him at baggage claim/passenger pick up area of the airport, and ran as fast as I could and jumped into his arms.  It was wonderful to be in his arms and have him hug me so tight.  Ok so maybe I'm bragging a bit?  Sorry...but he's very special to me and I like talking about him :)

Friday we spent running around town getting last minute things together before the big move.  We had lunch at my favorite Mexican food restaurant in town, Mariachi's, and then went to the grocery store to get things we needed to cook dinner for my parents that night.  We had a lot of fun cooking together and entertaining my parents when they came over to the house.  We all enjoyed amazing "beer can" chicken, sides, and dessert (thank you Pinterest for the dessert recipe).  I had every intention of taking a picture of this delicious chicken before we cut into it, but of course that didn't happen.  *Sigh*  Oh well...I will next time. 

Saturday we cooked a big breakfast together, then started boxing up more things in the house.  We spent a good part of the day going through things, throwing out things, and even making a trip to the city dump to get rid of unwanted things.  Who knew one person could collect so much stuff in one small house?! 

Sunday we went to Wal-Mart and got some of those "Space Bags" for more packing.  We packed the comforters, clothes, and jackets in these things and they compressed down so nicely.  Its amazing how so much stuff can be compressed into such a small area!  I've still got quite a few clothes to pack, but we definitely put a dent in things.  My parents came over that afternoon to say "see you soon" to Wesley, and then the dreaded time came for me to take him back to the airport.  Of course, I cried like a baby.  I cried going in the airport, at the check in counter, at security, and leaving the airport.  And I cried on the way home.  But Wesley is so kind and loving to me.  He always tells me everything is going to be ok, and comforts me when I'm crying.  However, he will be coming back very soon, and I can't wait for him to be here again! 

Until then, though, I must continue packing up boxes.  It was so fun having him here to help me box things up.  It made the process so much easier!  Oh and I must say...my parents came over one night and helped me box things up, too.  They should get recognition as well for helping because they did a lot!  My Dad is an expert packer, and Mom was a lot of help too!

One more thing...I know that I promised pictures from the weekend, but we didn't even take any!  I know...shame on us.  I'll get some this next time for sure!  And I'll be sure to share them with everyone :)

Will You Hurry Up Already?!

I'm sure you're wondering what the blog title is in reference to.  Well...its a few things!  First can I just say that today seemed to drag.....on.....for-ev-er!!  I felt like I had a million things to do at home this evening and the day wouldn't end to allow me to do them.  Ok, so it wasn't a million things, but it was a few that's for sure.  After all, I had to get them done before "Country's Biggest Night" came on TV!  More on that in a minute.

So back to the title...well I'm wanting these next 24 hours to go by so fast because my wonderfully caring, kind and handsome boyfriend comes to see me tomorrow and I can't wait to jump into his arms.  I've missed him so much! Then once he gets here, time can stand....absolutely.....still.  We have such a fun weekend planned with my family.  I'm very excited about it!  Pictures from the weekend will surely follow in the next blog post.

If you will excuse me for one minute...the queen of Country Music is performing and I must watch.

Ok I'm back.  Miranda Lambert just got done singing her new smash hit "Baggage Claim".  Can I just say that I LOVE HER?!  She is so country.  She writes all her own songs and you can relate to her in so many ways through her music.  And, she isn't this thin little thing that conforms to what others think she should look like.  She doesn't care what others think of her body, and that's a wonderful role model for young girls who seem to have so much pressure on them these days to be stick figure thin.  All that aside, this leads me to why I want time to hurry up yet again tonight - so I can find out who the coveted "Entertainer of the Year" award goes to!  Of course, I'd love for my all time favorite country singer George Strait to win, but I'm sure he will be beat out by someone else.  At any rate, this is country music's night to shine and I'm excited to continue to watch to see who wins what!

On a side note - if you haven't heard of a little thing called "Pinterest", you MUST check it out!  I am addicted.  I first heard from my friend Adrienne (www.abtakesca.blogspot.com) and find myself addicted to it now.  They have tons of wonderful recipes, DIY crafts, and so much more!  I've got a few recipes that I'm going to try very soon and will report how they turn out. 

With that said, I'm going back to watch the CMA's and get ready for my sweet guy to come tomorrow :)

And so it begins...

Packing.  Need I say more?  This is what I am doing tonight...

Filling these boxes.  Yes, those are boxes which once housed various brands and types of alcohol, but they are the best boxes to use for moving.  It helps to work with someone who also works for a liquor store part time.  She holds out all the good, sturdy boxes for me and I just go by the store and pick them up from her! 

I haven't moved in a while, so I have sat and pondered where to start packing.  Where do you start?  I came to the conclusion that there is not one certain area which is better than another to start packing; you just have to dive right in.  So, for me, I'm starting in the kitchen with the glass items that I don't use on a regular basis.  From there, I'm not quite sure where I'll move next.  But, I have plenty of boxes to start filling! 

Thank goodness I have reinforcements coming soon (and by that I mean Wesley) to help me move this process along.  Sure I can get stuff done myself, but the bigger stuff I'll need help with.  And, it's always nice to have someone to talk to while doing the mundane task of boxing up your stuff.  However, if there is one light at the end of this tunnel, it's that all this packing is for a good cause! Getting to be with the one that means the most to me is worth all the packing in the world :)

So, now I must go...and pack!

Sunshine to....SNOW?

Texas winters consist of sunshine.  The end. 

Ok, ok so we do have the occasional blustery winds, but rarely do we hit 30 degrees (for the high, not the low), and Heaven forbid its cold enough for actual frozen precip to fall.  *Warning* when this does happen...stay home!  No one down here knows how to drive in that stuff.  It completely throws us in the ditch off balance when trying to complete our normal routines.  So when I looked at the weather forecast this week for Forsyth, Montana (my new soon-to-be home), and I see there is a chance of "frozen precipitation" on Saturday, it causes one to raise an eyebrow.  This is November people!  It doesn't get that cold in Texas, hardly ever, and surely not in November.  But alas, I've come to terms with the thought of actually having a winter season. 

I am sure many of you are wondering how the heck I ended up (or am going to end up) in Montana.  Well, let me give you the short version.

I am 100% Texan at heart.  I was born and raised here and never planned on leaving.  I have experienced much of the scenery that Texas has to offer...from the dust of Lubbock in West Texas, to the beautiful, lush, green rolling hills of the Texas hillcountry in Austin.  I graduated from St. Edward's University in Austin, Texas and moved back home as soon as I could. 

As I'd soon find out, southern charm was running a bit low in Texas (if you know what I mean).  I had all but given up on the thought of "love" when I met my amazingly handsome, hard-working, gentle and kind-hearted, giving and loving boyfriend.  Is it obvious I'm crazy about him?  And as with most good stories, there's always a catch. What is the catch?  He lives in Montana, and I live in Texas. 

After a job opportunity arose, lots of praying, the support of our families, and God on our side, the decision was made that I would relocate to Montana so we could start our lives together.  This blog is all about the adventures to come with the move, the relationship between Wesley and myself, and all the things we will share over the next few weeks, months, and years.  Montana be warned - a little Texas Tornado is about to touch down in that state, and it will never be the same again!

And just to be clear, "Montana may be Paradise, but Texas is Heaven" - That line's for you WD :)

Check back regularly as I continue to update the blog on our adventures of packing, moving, the holidays, our journey on the road, and settling into our new home together in Montana!