April, May, June, July...

Okay. So, I’m getting ready for a big change and things have been changing all along and I haven’t even updated you past March and here it is August. So, I’m going to have to give you the quick version to catch you all up so I can get to where I’m going next.

April 2008- Still in Houston. Moved to nicer hotel without construction. Love the shopping. Best shopping ever. Shopping on Westheimer near the fabulous Galleria Bought way too much stuff, even a big silver belt buckle with a lone star that says 'Texas'. Love it.

Went to an Astro’s game...

Saw Barbara Bush. Or that's what some season ticket holder in front of us told us. "See that lady on the other side of the stadium with white hair?" We totally believed him.

Went country dancing at the Big Texas Dance Hall & Saloon with Barbie and Jennifer and Jennifer's mom Had some guys who looked pretty normal (none wore really tight pants or huge belt buckles) show me the two-step and the half-step and some other kind of step that I couldn't do now if I wanted to.

Editorial Review for Big Texas Dance Hall & Saloon- by Joshua Hinsdale (from citysearch.com)

Despite the strip-mall exterior, it's "Always a big time at Big Texas!" With plenty of cacti, rustic wood and pioneer-town memorabilia, the unique decor provides ample visual entertainment (as if the roaming people weren't enough). The dance floor fills up fast on weekends. A separate area with pool tables keeps the two-step challenged entertained, as does live music most Thursday nights.

My mom flew out to see me for a few days because I found out I was being sent to Pennsylvania and I wanted her to see Houston before I left. We went to a crawfish festival and didn't eat any crawfish. We couldn't stand to pull their little heads and legs off, but we listened to music and soaked in the Texas atmoshpere. She went to the museums while I was at work and we had a different Texas culinary experience every night. She loved it and it was fun to have her there. I flew back to Cali with Mom.

May 2008- Had to fly home to change my Houston summer wardrobe to a Pennsylvania summer wardrobe only I flew into Buffalo, NY the 1^st week in May and it was not summer at all. We were in southern New York and northern Pennsylvania. I had to buy warmer clothes and a jacket and a hat and closed toed shoes. It still was below freezing some nights and we were lucky to break 70 degrees on most days. I asked a local when it started to feel like summer and he said about Fourth of July. It was cold and rainy and depressing. It was beautiful country, but it didn't feel like summer. Pretty green rolling hills.
To top it off I had Scott calling me from our palm treed backyard telling me what a beautiful day it was in Sacramento as he floated in our pool. My new home was in this shabby little town and my backyard did not have palm trees. View from my hotel of the local auto detail shop
There was not much lazy sunbathing going on where I was. One guy we talked to laughed when we told him we were looking forward to going to the lake later in the season and laying out to catch some rays. He said we'd freeze out butts off even in the middle of July. We did have a Wal-mart just 10 minutes from the hotel though! Of course, the only kind of entertainment in the town was going to Wal-mart. But I was in a good place for my job right in the middle of East Coast oil and gas country.Pennsylvania oil refinery

I have to say it wasn't totally awful because I met and worked with some great people, which made summertime away from California bearable. (Kristen, "Mike", and Me)
(Other cool people that need honorable mentions, Bill, Jackie, Wes, Steve, and Sylvia, because I don't have pics of them and they helped make my on-the-road time a lot more fun and I'd tell you all about them, but I'm trying to keep this a brief update :-)

A couple more highlights from PA.-

When I was flying into Buffalo I noticed all the houses were shaped like boxes. As I drove through to northern Pa, I saw more of the same. I wished I'd stopped to take some more pictures because I thought it was strange. The small houses looked like monopoly houses. The big houses had 2 stories and maybe a square little attached garage. The apartment buildings looked like monopoly hotels. Square little 2 story monopoly house.

They have some regional food that none of the people I know from Texas had ever heard of – a Texas Hot. Nothing but a bland chili dog, but they have entire establishments named for them. I don't understand it.
Texas Hot Diner

I got to see one of the Great Lakes, Lake Erie. It was big and looked like the ocean, but it was, of course, cold and rainy and windy when I was there.
Lake Erie

June 2008- I got to go home at one point and soak up some sun. I wish I'd been able to use my pool and backyard more this summer. I’ve been home a few times. I’ve seen a lot of airports. Minneapolis-StPaulAirport was pretty
I leave stuff behind at hotels a lot because of the luggage and luggage weight restrictions. I hope the housekeepers are enjoying my exercise balls and the clothes that were too big for me. I left some liquor a few times. You know they enjoyed that.

I came back to PA mid-June and it still didn't feel like summer. Pennsylvania Wildlife

We got moved to a town even smaller than the last one. This place was 45 minutes to the nearest Wal-mart. We were only there for a few days and I didn't see much outside my hotel, but I did get pulled over by a Pennsylvania State Trooper for speeding. So I got to experience law enforcement in another state. I had never been on that road before and didn't realize what the speed limit was (I think it was 50 or 55). 'Well, it's not 68', he told me before he wrote me a warning ticket. He was nice.

Shortly after that we were told to go to the Pittsburgh area. We were in that area for just few days before our job was ended and everyone was told to go home, so I only got a couple pictures.
Street in Pittsburgh a cafe we ate at
Oh, I guess I should say everyone else was told to go home. I was told to go to Houston. At least they were keeping me working and, Yay, warm weather in my home away from home. Finally some sunshine I was happy that it felt like a sauna there, but really just wanted to be home.

July 2008- Started off in Houston, then was told they needed me back in Pennsylvania. But, I needed a break and was able to be home just in time for 4^th of July. I got to go to San Francisco with my mom. We took a ferry from Vallejo to the Ferry Terminal Pier, shopped for a little while and then went back.

Bay Bridge Ferry Building

I also got to go to SoCal with Scott. We spent a nice weekend in Ventura. It was beautiful. View from Ventura Hotel
I got to see my fabulous friend, Allison, while Scott went and played golf. Allison, who is a hair stylist, did my hair, which was cool because I looked pretty good for this crazy corporate party Scott had been invited to. I sprained my knee riding a mechanical surfboard. There were also model/stripper/cocktail servers (guys and girls, never actually stripped, but looked like they might), a video game room, psyhics, temporary tattoo artists, a bungee jumping contraption, and other assorted carnival type activities for adults. It was quite an experience. That's the kind of party I'd throw if I had a ton of money.

Then I had to leave :-( So I'm back in SoPen now (not NorCal or SoCal) with Kristen and Wesley and Bill and Jackie and Steve and Sylvia, so it's not so bad. But, wait! Scott calls the other day to tell me that he got an offer for a job in Denver that he couldn’t refuse. He’s taking the job and wants me to move with him to Denver (or at least he wants to move my stuff to Denver since I'm actually living in a hotel in PA). He wants our home to be in Denver. Holy Moly. It was a totally unexpected offer at a totally unexpected time and now I have to figure out, from Pennsylvania, how to move my Sacramento house to Denver in a month. Thank goodness the company Scott is going to work for has a relocation program because otherwise I’d be extremely overwhelmed. They arrange movers to pack and ship everything and they make housing recommendations, but there's still a lot that the relocation helpers can’t do. Thankfully we don’t have a house to sell and a new one to buy. Scott thinks it's going to be a piece of cake and can't figure out why I'm stressing out. I think he's in denial and just excited about his new position. I'm going to have to take a few weeks off work and I think I’m going to have to really look into getting a job around Denver. By the way, I’ve never been to Denver before. I know it gets cold in the winter and it’s a mile high (so the stadium says) and that’s about it. Scott will be permanently there starting August 26^th (maybe in a hotel at first) and I will be there as soon as I can. We haven’t scheduled a mover yet. We don’t know where to live. We’ll be taking a go-see trip in a couple weeks to check things out. It’s pretty exciting, but pretty scary too. I’ve never lived so far from my mom and this is kind of a big step for me and Scott. It’ll be fun to explore a new place together. I hope I’m not in Pennsylvania while he’s exploring our new neighborhood without me. I’ll keep you all updated…