Say Goodbye to TEXAS

We left Lubbock, aka the greasy spoon, Saturday at around 6pm... I was still on the clock, that was interesting... Brian wanted me to work all the next week too, he couldn't do his job, the techs jobs, and my job... don't blame him, plus I needed the extra cash! :)

Our trip back was fun! and thankfully I didn't have to drive once, honestly I'm an ok driver, but I hate to drive! I feel much safer when Jeff drives, I live in luxury in the passenger seat! (oh the adventures that passenger seat has had this summer.... Giving service to an elderly woman who in return peed in the seat, at first we thought it was just wet because of sweat, and then a rep from the APX office, whom we will not name, had an "accident" in his pants in the middle of nowhere while out knocking none-the-less, and Jeff had to give him a ride to get cleaned up!
The Adventures of Urine and Pooh!) haha.

Our journey back, we wanted it to feel like an adventure, so we tried to find those odd things like, "the biggest yarn ball in the world!" but unfortunately I don't think they have those kinds of things from TX to UT, maybe in Kansas or someplace like that... so we did our best to just keep our camera ready for whatever was in store for us this trip...

Leaving TX and Arriving in New Mexico

the Four Corners

(can you believe we had to pay $6 to go see concrete? dumb reservations!)

After leaving the Four Corners we ran into (not literally) a wild ass.
Jeff here is trying to feed it an apple, first he takes a bite, then reaches out his hand for it to smell it and know that it isn't poisonous. :)

Lake Powell
(I had never been here before, I thought the lake was more like Bear Lake, not like the Zion and Narrows!) I had to go to the bathroom and there were no public toilets anywhere, so I squatted in between a crevice of rocks... interesting and breezy!

then went to Goblin Valley, by far the coolest natural landmark I've ever seen! it seriously looks like goblins crawling out of the earth!

I took the liberty of enhancing the colors to show you just how freakin amazing our time was here!

Last place we ate before the Big Move! ...............................................................

~Buffalo Wild Wings~

Located in Lubbock TX, stays open till 4am. One night, one of our last nights, I was craving hot wings bad... and thankfully this place satisfied my craving! By far the one of the best hot wings Jeff and I have ever had! This restaurant had 14 flavors--

Sweet BBQ- Satisfyingly Sweet
Terriyaki- Terrifically Tasty
Mild- High Flavor Low Heat
Parmesan Garlic
Medium- Comfortable Hot
Honey BBQ- Sweet Sassy Sauce
Spicy Garlic
Asian Zing- Chili Pepper Soy and Ginger Sauce
Caribbean Jerk- Exotic Delicious Sauce
Hot BBQ- Rich BBQ Sauce with a touch of Heat
Hot- Delicious Flavor Exhilarating Heat
Mango Habenaro- Feel the Burn Savor the Sweet
Wild- Big Flavor Blistering Heat
Blazin- Keep away from eyes, pets, children: the hottest flavor they've got!

We taste tested Asian Zing, Caribbean Jerk, Hot BBQ, Hot, Wild, and Blazin...
We ate Hot BBQ and Wild... so tasty, and yet so HOT!

Oh man, Jeff was just downing them... and I never knew he liked hot wings as much as I did.

eek... the heat was painful, it was so bad it made my hair turn even redder and same as my nails!

PHAT!

I went on a search for pictures depicting Lubbock, the town we just moved to yesterday, and this is what was number one on the search results. I'm not quite sure what it means, but I have a pretty good idea. Since I've been here, I sure have seen a lot of "big" people, them Texans sure aren't joking when they say, "everything in Texas is big!" hence greasy spoon!

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We went to Rudy's BBQ last night for dinner. Not saying that the food was greasy, in fact it wasn't at all, it was very delicious! and Jeff nor I ate at all with silverware. Also the ambiance of the place was very picnic table setup- no plates, no silverware, everyone gathers around a table and eats. yummy, my kind of eating.

I'd say it was the best brisket I ever had, but it was the only brisket I ever had, however, the ribs- EXCELLENT!!!!

The menu you order by pounds... crazy

The kitchen had these huge ovens in the back, I'm sure they're big enough a large person could fit inside them, where do they get their meat from???

And this is the tray in which you get your food!

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Lubbock, TX

We are staying at the TownePlace by Marriott for the next 2-3 weeks. It wouldn't be fair to compare it to the Residence Inn, where we were staying before, because we were definitely pampered. It is as though our room was made for a midget. all the counters are not even three feet high, the bathtub is normal until you get inside- it is raised. and the bed is a big twin. I can't complain too much because apparently we are living in luxury compared to where the Technicians are living, it is so ghetto they are thinking of installing an alarm system in their apt. for the time being! eek.

This does not really show the minitureness of what we are dealing with, however you know how tall Jeff and I are, we are seriously going to have some back injuries by the end of the summer. Everything in TX is not Large! Our kitchen is mini.. a mini sink, dishwasher, fridge, stove, countertop, etc! Jeff looks like a giant standing in the kitchen.

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FOOD FOR THOUGHT........

I don't know who eric "badlands" booker is, but he should not be eating that burger... he is already fat! I swear, every restaurant in America wants to kill Americans and anyone else who eats... the portions are ridiculous... and you wonder why 1/2 of the population is obese!

Also, why is he wearing a helmet? is he also retarded? I guess that's not a politically correct statement, but hey this is my blog!

Puzzle

We bought a 1,000 piece puzzle from Walmart before we left Austin, so as soon as we moved here to Abilene, we started working on it. At first it was something we both did and I was forbidden to work on it when he was at work, but because Abilene is so small and boring, the puzzle would never get done if I didn't get to work on it alone. So last night was we finished it together, we seriously were on a role... it was a lot of fun. Everytime Jeff got a piece in he was cheering, did you hear me cheering? no way, it was a team effort, but Jeff is so competitive that he'll make even a puzzle a competition!

oh and it glows in the dark! Even though only at certain angles you can kind of see the glow from the white clouds and the snow... it really does glow in the dark!
Can you see it?

San Angelo

San Angelo has frequently been listed as one of "Best Places for Business and Careers" by Forbes Magazine, peaking at 28th in 2002 as one of "The Best Small Towns". As of 2009 the unemployment rate was 5.6%. The city is 1hr 46 min south of Abilene. This means that he leaves at 1pm everyday except for Saturday and doesn't get back till 11:30pm or so. Yesterday the office spent the entire day getting licensed to work in San Angelo. Jeff surprised me by getting home around 8pm, when I was not expecting him for another hour or two. Some of the guys from the office after getting back into town went out in Abilene to go sell, Jeff would have but he didn't have any area to go to, he ran out a few days ago.

Work Random

Our experience here over the summer is very different from one another, meaning Jeff is at work all day, while I am at home- either in an apt or a hotel- trying to stay busy...

Our schedule:
9:30am- 10:30-we wake up, eat, get dressed, pillow talk, etc

12:00pm - He goes to his APX meeting, where I go along to collect PSA's (which are the agreements that the customers signed to get an alarm system) from all the sales reps

12:30pm - Jeff comes back from his meeting (this meeting is for all the sales reps, who record their numbers the prior day and set a goal for that day, of how many they'll sell)

1-1:40pm - we eat lunch together

(but now he is working in San Angelo, which is an hour and a half away, and now he leaves for his meeting at 1pm then leaves shortly after that.)

2:00pm- Jeff leaves to go out knocking

9:30-11:30pm - sometime between these times, he will come home, it depends on how far away they are working, how many guys they have to pick up, and if their guys are ready to go when the driver is ready to go

After Jeff gets home we eat (usually I cook- only on a few occasions do we go out to eat), relax by going to the pool/hot tub or watch a movie. An insight to our personal life, we could totally live out of our bed, it is our favorite place to be; whether to sleep, snuggle, play, watch movies, talk (pillow talk), stare and wonder how lucky we each are, whatever the case may be, it is by far our most used piece of furniture that we absolutely LOVE!

Ok, now for my schedule:
It is about the same except when he is in his meeting I am organizing paperwork, matching the PSA's with the SOP's (the PSA's belong to the reps and the SOP's belong to the techs) it is my job to match them up and then send them into HQ both by UPS and email by 3:45pm everyday except saturday--learned that one the hard way... I had entered about 60 matches (aka bundle) into the computer and was awaiting the UPS tracking number, however UPS doesn't pickup here in Abilene on saturdays, so it turns out that I had to redo all of the bundle again on Monday morning along with a few unmatched SOP's. (sorry if this only makes sense to me or others who have worked for APX alarm and actually know what I am talking about)

Then after Jeff leaves to go to work, I try to keep myself busy. It used to be easier when we lived in Round Rock because my work schedule was different, I worked 4:30-8pm M-F and 2.5hrs on Sat. now I work while Jeff is around and am done an hour after he leaves. So the rest of my day really is filled with keeping myself productive.

Productivity:
Breezy, the girl I used to work with in the office has got me working out with her everyday, some days we work out while the boys are in the meeting and sometimes we work out before she starts work at 3:30pm... Our workout consists of walking on an inclined treadmill for 15min, then rotating to the eliptical for 15 min, then going back to the treadmil- but walking backwards for 15min, then for the last 15min we work on our arms using weights, legs- like dips and squats, core/stomach- situps using a giant medicine ball or the yoga core exercise, and/or stretch.

Mostly I have found myself watching HBO and other retarded shows and movies while laying in bed in and out of sleep. My life is becoming quite pathetic, and now that I'm done with school, I really feel like I'm not progressing and I'm turning into a giant goo-mush of sloppy putty brainess... can you tell? - I'm making no sense and I'm making up words. eek.

In some ways I can't wait for the summer to be over, but then I realize that we're going back to Logan, UT and I think, "what the hell am I going to do with myself while Jeff is at school?" I hope I can find a job, and I hope that it has more benefits than just financial. He's got 2 maybe 3, if you count the summer, semesters left of school, and then? then what? He wants to work for someone a few years before he gets his great idea to start his own business... I don't know, I'm a little weary for our future because neither of us are really good at planning... I am, but it drives him nuts, and I don't like to plan for that kind of stuff because stuff happens, life happens, there's no way for me to plan, the way I plan anyway, for whatever might happen or not happen for that matter. (I must sound a bit crazy- It is hard for me to detail plan when you just can't plan for certain things that far in advance. However, I know that whatever happens, happens for a reason, and we will be as prepared as we can for it- the Lord will always be on our side, it is up to us that we stay on His side)

I graduated 7 months ago and I have no idea what I want to do... I never thought that would be me, I had big dreams while in college, but things change when you get married, priorities change, likes and dislikes change, I'm not sure, even though I haven't worked in Interior Design, if I want to be an Interior Designer, since my friend Stu Taylor- the massage therapist, I want to be as well, and frankly I'm quite good at it considering I've had no formal training other than being a ginnie pig for my friend to work on (can't complain about that, I miss it honestly)... but I feel bad that I want to go back to school to study massage when I haven't even given ID a chance. Going to school for Interior Design, especially during some of those retardedly long seminars, I hated it, I just wanted to quit and do something else, but everyone, my family, told me to persevere. And where did it get me?----------

Blessings:
Married! And for that I have no regrets or complaints. however, when it comes to a job and being able to help support my husband until he can get a job/career... I feel jipped. The ID program for "Design Sales and Marketing" was a joke, a made up program for the 'sorry losers who didn't "make" it into Studio' who would have something to do while the studio snobs rubbed it in their faces at every seminar and ID design class! I wish I were one of the program directors to change the course curriculum for the other track...get it into pish posh shape, make it more grandeur than those stupid studio gents that think they are all "that and then some!" Oh I'm not bitter, I'm disappointed with the cards I got dealt and feel bad that I didn't do anything to show for it, I feel like I didn't allow myself to excel or to succeed... that I was an average student, nothing special, and that I've always been average and will always be average. I'm not super amazing at anything! And it is my fault that I am this way.

Venting:
At times I vent; which gets me a little depressed at times, but overall I'm a very motivated and determined individual- just ask my husband! Sure I feel average at times, and feel unsuccessful at how things have unraveled in my life (especially when it comes to finances, schooling-education, Interior Design major) But the honest truth is I am glad it happened the way that it did because I met Jeff, and he makes everything in my life make sense. I know now, based on what I've experienced that some things just aren't for me... like ID- I'm pretty I never want to work in that industry- I don't want to have what it takes to be "successful" in it and I want to be a Mom and spend my days with my husband and future family.

Confidence:
I am exciting! I am fun! I am intelligent, brave, courageous, determined, spontaneous, dependable, independent, virtuous, faithful, interesting, humble, patient, beautiful, sexy, spiritual, intuitive, kind, lovable, and so much more!

so if you actually made it down this far, wow congrats on you... remember when they used to say, "kudos dude"... well, there you have it friend... work, it is what you make of it. It can make you or break you, and I choose for it to make me. :)

I know kind of random, it is 3:00 in the morning and I'm not tired, hence all the talking.

Our Future:
Kids? yes, someday. But I don't want military or boredom to be a reason to get pregnant. Jeff and I don't want to rush into something of this magnitude just because I might get sent overseas, or because we're getting "old", seriously we have time, we JUST got married! :)

This is a really long post... sorry to those of you who are actually reading this- hopefully I wasn't that boring!

Abilene Info

City Overview

As of 2009, Abilene's population is 116,219 people. Since 2000, it has had a population growth of -0.98 percent.

The median home cost in Abilene is $76,030.

Compared to the rest of the country, Abilene's cost of living is 25.77% Lower than the U.S. average.

The unemployment rate in Abilene is 5.00 percent (U.S. avg. is 8.50%). Recent job growth is Positive. Abilene jobs have Increased by 1.20 percent.

On average, there are 243 sunny days per year in Abilene, TX. The July high is around 95 degrees- even until 9 or so pm.

One thing I miss from round rock is the thunder and lightning storms, (it is just way too hot here, even though it is techncially 5 degrees cooler here than there...) It seems as though for a whole week it was raining and lighting. The funny thing is, Breezy, the girl I work with is terrified of thunder, and it was like a roaring lion on steroids, the rumbling vibrated through the buildings and made your heart thud... It was as though the storm was right above our apartment complex, hovering right above our APX office while we were working. It hadn't started raining yet, only dry thunder and lighting... it was so RAD!!!!!!

Abilene

Abilene is 4 hours north west of Round Rock and 3 hrs west of Dallas.

Jeff and I were the first ones to leave RR, we had finished all our packing that morning, I packed while he packed the car (we're getting pretty good at that:) I called the Marriott that we were to be staying at to check the address, I'm glad I did, because the address we had was wrong, it would have taken us to a Jack in the Box down a different road. We left on Sunday July 12, arrived in Abilene around 4pm, checked into the Marriott Residence Inn (nice... it's like a vacation!). It only took us two trips to get everything from our car to our hotel room, which of course was also on the third floor (I say also because in the apt. complex in round rock we were on the 3rd floor... at least we have an elevator here, but as Jeff put it, "I don't feel at home unless I take the stairs" true)

Our room basically looks like this, except we don't have a window near our bed, the floor is red, and all the stone work is a dark forest green. The kitchen comes with a stove, microwave, toaster, full refrigerator, dishwasher, and a table. All the counter tops are a dark forest green granite, the cupboards are a dark cherry, and all the appliances are stainless steel.


Why our stay here has been AWESOME:
1. there's housekeeping
2. there's cable television/HBO
3. internet in the rooms
4. there's a small, uncrowded pool and hot tub
And, I don't have to cook breakfast or dinner
(the hotel offers breakfast every morning and dinner M-F) YEAH!



Just a note, Jeff has done really well since we've been here, just before we left RR the average the office did a day was 15-20 when a normal good day is 30-45. The boys ran out of area, which is why we moved up here to Abilene in the first place, and so far it seems to have been a great move, because we've again been getting in 35-45 a day. so yeah, Jeff so far has gotten just about 1/day, and the last few days- since we've been in Abilene he has gotten in 2/day. :) yeah! I feel good when he feels good

APX Awesomeness!!!

This is downtown Austin...

Jeff and I in the restaurant, we're not posers!

The famous "big bite" pizza and grill is a discovery channel "Top 10 best places to eat"

I shared a "Phat Ass" with Jeff, oh my gosh, it was unbelievable! :)Colby Peterson wanted to take "the challenge" of eating 4 ginormous subs in 1/2 an hour,

to win a free meal and a t-shirtout on the town, a cool mural, that apparently came out blurry.

We'd been living in Round Rock (which is 1/2 hr away) for 2months, and this was only the 2nd time we'd been to Austin the first time we went to go see the bats.

The Congress Bridge over Town Lake houses approximately one and a half million bats in mid-summer. In the spring, the pregnant female makes her way north to roosting sites in the Southwestern United States. They each give birth to a baby and at five weeks of age the pups can fly. Hundreds of people line the bridge at dusk to catch a rare glimpse of the bats as they leave the bridge for their nightly feeding. It may take up to 45 minutes for all the bats to exit. They will consume between 10,000 and 30,000 pounds of insects each night.

APX Office Assistants

This is where the "magic" happens in the office, of course it is the two most lovely Office Assistants who day in and day out keep the office afloat. Breezy Allen and Myself.

This small room is where we do our "bundles" of paperwork, sort and match the PSA's and SOP's, then data entry it into the computer before the system shuts down and you have to start all over. Sometimes it is stressful to do it all alone and still answer the phone and text out to the techs... but really, it is a piece of cake job. :)

And finally these two pictures is where the real Magic happens with the sales reps, this office is where they all get pumped up to go out and work, and where they record their numbers. I've been to a few meetings, they like to shout, clap, and chant their winnings. :) it's fun to be a part of the "magic"!

The RiverWalk

In the Heart of San Antonio, the good ole' RiverWalk... ain't it beautiful?It was indeed beautiful but it was also very very HOT and that word is not even the most descriptive word for what was felt.

The Alamo

Jeff and I drove 1 1/2 hrs from Round Rock to go see this famous settlement We had driven down to go to church in San Antonio, then left a little early to go see the Alamo, we heard the Tour Guide, but didn't understand a word he spoke, he was entertaining, but more to himself I think, he slurred his words, I suppose after saying the same thing over and over day in and day out, I guess it would get kind of boring. So now, even after spending a good 2 hours or more here, I really don't know what the exact purpose of this building. However, I do know that it is one of the oldest Settlements in the US before the TX was even considered a state. Not the best picture in the world, but the sun was glaring in our eyes and my palms were sweating from the sun and it had to be quick.

Fireworks

Happy Independence Day! Texas Heat! 9pm at it was 95 Degrees outside, insano!

Jeff and I out in front of the Dell's Baseball Stadium waiting for the fireworks to go off.
We could see an entire panoramic view of all the nearby firework shows.

Old Settler's Park, 4th of July

Jessica, Tara, Jeff's Sister Amanda or Amber, and I took the kids to Old Settler's Park for the 4th of July Fun... where they got their face painted, ate watermelon, whined about the Hotness

And we all just about melted in the blister sweltering sun of death. I felt bad for Tara cuz she's pregnant!

Round Rock 4th of July Parade

Round Rock 4th of July Parade
Jessica Stewart (Regan George's Wife) and Me at the Parade- seriously we were melting!

This is the Indian Float, as you can tell by their colorful wardrobe, they were happy to be celebrating Independence Day of the United States!

$Diving for Dollars$

Jeff wearing his goggles, he looks like Batman and or Robin.. haha

(: My husband collected enough for us to splurge! :)
Here are the boys diving for Pirate Change! $600 was thrown into the Pool!
Nate Arnell and Colby Peterson both got $51

This is when all the boys dived in the water, all at the same time, I'm sure they plotted where they were going to dive because they watched Jeff Strong throw in the Gold $1 coins.
Here are more photos of the diving for dollars