Last week of "vacation"

Well, it's been busy and it's been fun, but my months of unemployment will officially end Monday morning as I start my new job in Dallas. I am excited to get into a routine again and I know Mike is excited for me to be earning a paycheck as well. It is a little bittersweet knowing I can't just go hang out with family, take random road trips, or shop or sleep in until whenever I want, like I have the past few months. However, I definitely needed the break and I believe I've caught up on all the sleep lost in the past few years, so new job "here I come."

I am also happy to be almost starting my 2nd tri-mester by the time I start the new job. I am 12 weeks this week and this past week I have already started feeling much more energized and haven't felt queasy in quite some time so I am definitely ready for the next few months ahead. I have another Dr's appointment on Friday so you will get an update on that next week.

This weekend I enjoyed a lovely shower for one of my best friends, Mariann Weathers in Fort Worth. It was great to see all the wonderful gifts she got for her son, Logan who is expected in mid-September. It was also the first time I had seen her since she first found out that she was pregnant and hadn't shared the news with us yet. I have been following her pregnancy through her blog, but was very excited to finally see her in person. I am planning a little weekend to visit her at the end of August in Tyler, TX so I am very excited about that!!

Not so happy news, Mike was in his first car accident on Friday. Luckily it was fairly minor and he was just fine. His car was pretty sad looking, but it's just a possession and obviously his safety comes first. So, I took the car to Sterling for the Allstate estimate on damage today and looks like it will be around $2,000. Our deductible is typically $500, but because we had good driving/accident forgiveness in our policy and hadn't had an accident, we are only going to have to pay $100 for the damages and the rest is covered. We are very thankful for car insurance!! In fact, they also include a rental car while the car is in the shop being repaired which will start next week and they said to plan it to last 5 business days. Regardless, we are ready for it to get fixed and happy it won't cost an arm and a leg. I really have been so happy with Allstate and our coverage so far. So, if anyone out there doesn't have home or auto insurance or is looking to change I would be happy to refer you to the office our policies are out of. The lady I speak with is named Cathy and she is always so helpful and explains everything to me which is great! Enough of my insurance plug...

This weekend we plan to clean the house and get the yard ready in preparation for a couples shower that we are throwing my friend Meg McLaughlin and her fiance' Derek Kretschmer next weekend on Aug. 1st. We are also going to visit the Campbells in Plano for swimming and dinner on Saturday. Then it's off to work on Monday for me and starting Mike and my carpool to Dallas. Other than that, decorating is still slowly continuing in the house and I finally have the half bathroom almost completed with hand towels, a new rug, soap dispenser, trash can, & Kleenex cover. Now I just need some kind of art work for the walls that will match my chocolate brown and gold/khaki color scheme. Mom has also almost completed the draperies that she is making for our master bedroom. The fabric that we chose is so beautiful and I can't wait to see them hanging up. More pictures soon with the completed projects. Have a great week!!