Day 91

Today...we had our first real 'house-hunting' day...We went in about 7 houses in 4 different neighborhoods...you know...

They all start to run together after awhile...

New Construction...Old Construction...

Big Yard...Small Yard...

The funny thing was...I think Janet and I both liked the last house we went into...But...there's plenty more to see...

The boys hung out with Grammy and PawPaw...and even the lure of a bag full of jellybeans couldn't keep Dean awake...

Day 90

Can you believe it...Basically 3 months...

Crazy...

Time flies when you abandon your family...move 800 miles away...and start a new career...

Congrats to Senor' Gomez and Michelle...Welcoming a new little tamale into the world...

Baby Isabella Gomez....

Born June 26th, 2008...She weighed 6 pounds 1 ounce...and was 17.5 inches long...

Welcome to the world of Fatherhood my good friend...Felicitaciones y ibuena suerte!

Oh...and I told Janet to give You guys one of those little baby size jars of Vaseline...for when Isabela gets to 'fightin' age...

Days 87, 88 and 89

Sort of a hum drum...rest of the week...

Nothing too spectacular going on up in these parts...It rains alot more than I remember that's for sure...

Last night our townhouse neighbors decided to start playing the piano at around 11:30...which was odd...

Janet changed her phone number today...so if you need to reach her...She's officially a 225'er...

We went and looked at some houses today....just drove around...and pulled the papers out from the real estate sign boxes mostly...

We did get to see this one...which I've mentioned before....See Day 9...It's still available for sale...It's WAY out of our price range....but the word is that the bank has been making payments for several months....and may be ready to just unload it...It's been on the market for 9 months...

Oh...While we were driving around...I was trying to explain to Janet where a particular house was...Realizing that it would be awesome...to tell our family and friends...those same directions...

"Past the 6 Trailers you make a right...when you get to the big pile of garbage...and the rusted out RV make a left...when the pavement turns to dirt...that's our driveway...Welcome HOME!"

Day 86

I've got nothing good today...

so..

Here's another picture from the Jim Henson exhibit at the Louisiana Science Museum place...

Day 85

I've realized something today...

Exactly 84 days into my tenure as a government employee...

I no longer just desire to smell coffee when I rent a hotel room...

It seems...as though....when you are a government employee....you may have 2 vices that everyone else has...

You smoke...Which is just stupid...

or You drink coffee...

Not sure what really happened though...I've always hated HOT liquid...

Soup...Tea...Coffee...I never REALLY liked Hot chocolate all that much...

But whenever I was staying in a hotel room...I'd fire up the free coffee maker and smell up the room with Folgers instant crystals....It was a nice little free potpourri...

But now...I find myself....sitting in meetings...surrounding by coffee drinkers..and I realize...that if I don't get a cup...I might fall asleep....because....generally speaking...most meetings...can be kinda boring...

Today...I was sitting in my plush digs...and someone started to brew a fresh pot...the aroma drifted in....and I got a hankering for a hunk of cheese...(coffee)

Day 84

Nothing Stupendously Fantastic going on today...

I listed some of my extra figures on ebay this weekend...

This pair...in particular...are stupid expensive...Hoping to recoup so of those previous purchases....

We looked at some more houses this weekend too...It's crazy how many houses we can't afford...that we REALLY like...

This one is in the community where we are renting...

Day 83

As....I'm sure....you can probably imagine...

We are living out of boxes...so to speak...

Boxes in the house...in the garage...in the warehouse where most of our other stuff is stored...

and...well...there are still some day-to-day things that we are missing...

Janet asked me to see if I could go find some today...

Needless to say....all I did was take pictures of the pile...

It's about 18' x 18' and about 6' high...

It's like trying to find an iron in a GIANT cardboard haystack...

Day 82

So we rented this movie tonight...and I think it may be the EXACT opposite of the 2 movies we saw last weekend...

I'm pretty sure I'm still a man...but...only because the lead actor was King Leonidas from 300....

Day 81

How can you tell if your house has some sort of water leak?

If there are no physical signs of a leak...I think the first sign is an unexpected high water bill...-check-

I think the second sign is when one of your neighbors calls you and tells you that water is streaming out of your yard and into the street...-check-

Thankfully...our wonderful ex-neighbors also saw fit to head over and shut the water off for us...I guess somehow...the water main was leaking and just decided to break...up near the house...so....no damage to the house...just lots of wasted water...and...another bill...post residence...for the family to have to foot...

Home ownership is fun...especially from 750 miles away...

Day 80

Good News today people...

I got an email from the Property Mnagement Company...and they found a potential tenant for our Casselberry home...

They just want us to pay to have the inside of the house painted....I guess they don't have our fine sense of taste when it comes to interior decorating...

Needless to say...we are stoked...and hopeful that this phase of the move may be moving on....

I'll let you know if anything changes...but...they want to be in by July 1st....and Oak Park Readers...the renters have a child...no word yet on their age....

Day 79

so....Last Friday...I'm having breakfast with the Parish President and some other folks...and he makes a crack...that I must be having too many food meetings...Cause I'm starting to put on the pounds...

and...

This past Father's day...Janet's mom...made a comment to her that it looks like I may have put on some weight...

I was convinced...that it was just the loss of hair, making my head look bigger...therefore...making me look plump...

Guess not...

I stood on the scale...tonight....a new high...158....and climbing...

I'm porkin up...

I'll be at light heavy weight in no time.... 

See Day 7...

Day 78

Got another box of muppets in the mail today...

Very exciting...I'm up to about 56 different pieces...

I'm hoping that when we finally get ourselves a new house...and I can set myself up another man-cave...that I can build a display area for the new collection...

I know what you're thinking...

"Boy...I wish I had all those..."

and there's a new tie for second place in visits...India...

Welcome to the fold Calcutta and Hyderabad...

I wonder if I talk Chocolate and the Manekin Pis if I can attract some Belgian visitors?

Day 77

So...last night...we went crazy!

We went to the Outback for dinner...and then to this new project in Baton Rouge called Perkins Rowe... When the first movie ended it was still early...so we exited the theater and walked right back in to see another movie...

I'd give Iron man a solid 8.5 out of 10...it was a pretty entertaining movie...and I can't wait for the sequel... the Hulk was a little disappointing but still entertaining...I'd give it a 5.5... after hearing some internet rumors we stuck around to see the clip after the credits talking about the potential for a sequel...

Day 76

Today the boys got to go to one of their 2nd Cousin's birthday parties...They had no idea who anybody else was at the party....but...somehow...they managed to have fun...and get all Hot and Sweaty...

This was the American Gladiator floating mushroom with pugel sticks for beating each other inflatable...

Tonight we'll be dropping them off at Grammy and PawPaw's house so we can celebrate our 12 year anniversary...only 13 days late...I think we're gonna go see Iron Man...I'll let you know...

Days 72, 73, 74 & 75

Alright...I admit it...It's easy to be lazy...

It's easy to neglect something that returns very little...

But...I do find myself checking it...daily...to see if I've added anything...and I'm mad at myself for not adding anything...

No major events this week...

Nothing too big going on....getting 'slightly' unpacked...no reason to go the whole shebang...since...hopefully...this is only temporary...

Getting settled in nicely...

Today...after my 11:30 departure from work....we packed up the boys and went to downtown to check out THIS Jim Henson exhibit...

It was pretty cool...the only thing the boys were really interested in were the muppet samples in their big glass cases...

There were museum nazis all over the place preventing you from taking really good photos...so I had to pretend to be using the magical iphone to make a call and then to snap some crummy...blurry pictures...

That is all for now...Tomorrow we have a birthday party to attend...some phone and fax to be installed...and some boxes to be moved around in the warehouse...I know...I know...VERY exciting...

Day 71

So after a long day of Work....
And then a long afternoon of Unloading the Truck and trailer...(Thanks to my Dad, my Dad-in-law, Nick, Richard, Chad, Mitchell and Josh)...
I settled in to watch the Tigers advance to the College World Series...and do a little bloggin...
Well...apparently...my cable got zapped...I was able to watch the game...but the internet was gone...
So...
Here it is...
the day after...

Days 68, 69 & 70

I really dropped the ball....I coulda taken a picture of the guys loading the truck...and there being so much stuff left in the garage that I had to go rent a 12' trailer to pull behind the 27' moving van...

I coulda taken a picture of the dogs...sitting in their crate in the back of the Envoy...smushed between all the stuff I couldn't get to fit elsewhere...

I coulda taken a picture of poor Dean...who got carsick...thrice...Who knew playing the PSP would cause him to get motion sick?

But.....alas...I didn't...all I got is a picture of the 2 angels....asleep on the couch in the new place...

It's not 'home'...but it'll work for now...

Tomorrow will be another long day...work till 2:00 then unloading the truck and trailer...Thankfully...we'll be unloading into a warehouse space...and storing it there...for the time being...

Thanks for all of your help this weekend...

Dave and Tara...you guys are the best...your friendship will be truly missed...and we have been blessed to know you for the past 8 years...or so...

Justin and Lisa...You guys have become part of our extended family...and I will really miss the time we just spent just 'hanging out'...

John and Shannon...even though you're not my brother...I still think of you like a brother...and we'll miss spending time with ya'll too...Honestly...if we could built a ROBOT baby Drew...it would keep the boys occupied for months...

To every one else...Thanks so much for being there when we needed you...and helping us when we needed help...and for making our boys feel Special...I can sincerely say that I felt like you all took that time to not only spend some time making them feel important...but they are richer for the experience that they have shared with you...

When we left Louisiana in 1996...it was pretty scary...we had our moving van...our 2 cars...and each other...The only piece of furniture that we are taking BACK to LA is the piano my grandmother gave us as a wedding present...We've added 2 people...2 dogs....and lots of stuff to the truck...but it doesn't make the move any less scary...We are leaving behind many friends...and many memories...into a place that may be more familiar...but is void of all of our Florida family...

We will miss you...and we will keep in touch...

Take care...and Know that our house will always have an open door...for all of you...

Laissez les bon temps rouler!

Let's all go to Mardi Gras!

Know anyone that wants to rent a house in Casselberry?

Day 67

The last day of single-dom...

The last day of no-family-dom...

Nothing big to report today...

Today wasn't a shave day...but I forgot that I had to be on TV with the Planning and Zoning Commission...When my ugly mug was flashed up on the screen...I realized I looked like a homeless swarthy looking vagrant...Guess I'll need to put up my meeting schedule at the house...so I'll remember when I need to at least 'appear' like I care...

Oh...officially Janet won the geographic guessing game...placing a post in the quote section guessing Argentina....Un-officially Sean E. won with a guess...it was through the email...so...I think I can disqualify that if I want....Take THAT you short-timer!

T minus 0 days...

Days 63, 64, 65 & 66

Gosh...where to begin...

I admit it...I've avoided posting here lately...due to the fear of ridicule...

Here...Look at this...I was gonna post this pic on Sunday...you know what it is?  The new fridge at the townhouse...I went shopping...I cooked dinner (There's leftover Jambalaya in there)...boring...

Monday...and Tuesday...more of the same...

1 more day Wednesday...Then I'm headed back to Orlando to finish packing up...Loading the Truck on Saturday...and Driving up on Sunday...

It's stinkin' HOT here...Today I think it was 93 degrees and about 70% humidity...

Oh...and what the frig...the TV remote stopped working...I have to stand up to change channels....what a rip...