Evan and Jesica Ruth Eastman

[Insert apology about lack of blogging here.]

Evan and I have settled in a fab routine now that we are working college grads with student loans to pay off and fantastic vacations to dream about.

When we moved to Texas, we made an effort to limit our television time. I mean, we are in Texas. Land of the Big Sky! Sweaty summers! And a pool less than 500 yards from our front door! Life could not get any sweeter. That is until fall came. And Weather! And Rain! And I realized that news channels broadcasting to the DFW metroplex can legally say “golf ball” and “hail” in the same sentence.

[Insert any sidebar comment about how I over-exaggerate here.]

So after the 40 days and 40 nights of not seeing sunshine, Evan and I sanctioned a TV night! Every Thursday is our night to stay up late and watch all of our shows and eat pizza and drink rootbeer and kick off the weekend.

Below is a list of shows we are watching this season (in order of importance):

1. Glee–Amazing, love the songs and the drama. It appeals to my high school theatre self. I am actually sad at the end of each episode because the anticipation is over.

2. Modern Family–Two words: Al Bundy.

3. The Office–Pam, Jim, Stanley. Love them all.

4. 30 Rock–I love me some Liz Lemon. Tina Fey is a genius.

5. Flash Forward–Creepy and predictable. I hate shows that are smarter than me.

6. House–He gets a shorter haircut and ups his hottness factor.

What are you guys watching this season?

Life tends to get in the way of blogging, and that is really sad because I have exhilarating and interesting things to write about. If only I could find the time.

This weekend was a special one. Evan’s Dad, Alan, and his lovely wife Vickie came for a quick visit and brought with them Grandma Eastman. If there is one thing to remember about Grandma Eastman, it is this: she wore a fur vest at my wedding. AND TOTALLY ROCKED THE LOOK.

It was a whirlwind trip, which are always the best, and we enjoyed playing host to a city so new to us. At one point during the weekend, we were driving into downtown Ft. Worth and Evan was pointing out each of the buildings that make up the skyline and I felt at home.

I also get that feeling when I can find a Target without Mapquest.

Another observation to note: people in Texas tend to talk in elevators, rather than stare at their shoes or phones in a desperate attempt to look too busy to be bothered with conversation. It is most peculiar. Once I was on a plane leaving from Hartford and while the plane boarded, I watched the woman sitting next to me. She hammered on her laptop and answered voicemail and ate soup. SOUP, I TELL YOU. I think about that lady a lot and while I admire her tenacity and expertise at multi-tasking, I feel bad for her. She missed out on a great convo with yours truly.

Currently, I am battling the swine flu. It’s not officially swine flu–but I read the symptoms–which means I have it. Evan keeps coming into the bedroom to bug me  put me to bed because 20 minutes ago I drank a slew of TheraFlu and at any moment I will collapse into a dreamless sleep.

Until then.

This afternoon Evan and I walked to Sportsclips, a hair salon specifically geared towards men and boys. The salon is really cute, it is all sports themed out. The hairstylists dress in referee t-shirts, there are stadium seats in the waiting room (as well as a big screen television) and where the hair cutting actually happens looks like the inside of a locker room. Super cute. Or as Evan would say, manly. 

So I am sitting on these stadium seats with the other wives and mothers watching Shadwell Travers Stakes at Saratoga on ESPN. I am getting really into it, listening to the stories of the jockeys and the amazing horses. Evan finishes his haircut but I refuse to leave. I want to watch the horse race. So all the horses line up and I tell Evan that my money is on Summer Bird. 

Evan is like, okay, whatever. Brushing me off like I don’t know anything.

At this point, the ladies working at Sportsclips ask me if everything is okay. Sure, I say. I am just watching the race. 

The shotgun goes off and Summer Bird does what he historically does best. He comes out from behind and wins.

There I am cheering at the results of a horse race in the middle of a hair salon. In Texas. And suddenly the world seems a little bit brighter.

If I earned a quarter for every time Evan’s Friday night flight home was delayed/cancelled/rescheduled/late/annoyingly late,  I would be a very rich woman. Luckily this time, he was only an hour off-schedule.

We celebrated by going to Central Market, the most amazing grocery store I have found in the mid-west. I mean, let’s face it, we all can’t shop at Dean & Deluca.

We splurged on (are you ready for this Dad?) free trade, organic, gluten free, caffine free handcrafted rootbeer. At $ 2.50 a bottle, pay day never tasted so sweet. Happy Friday.

I have started this post almost a dozen times, but I am afraid I do not have anything tantalizing or steamy to report. So I am just going to stream some random thoughts together.

1. It feels like my ankle is broken. I am positive it is not however I pulled something while exercising. Why don’t Ace Bandages come in cute/exotic/sexy colors and designs?

2. Evan is in Denver this week and I cannot wait until he comes home. I am so excited to see him that I bought him a surprise. I will give you a hint: it starts with a “paper” and ends with a “shredder”. I have a feeling he might be disappointed. 

3. Watched an amazing film last night. Blindsight. Rent it, Netflix it. It will change your life.

4. I am searching for some new music. Any suggestions?

Slowly it is beginning to feel like home.

So here I am, holding my purse, keys and a half-melted mint chocolate chip ice cream cone from a certain deliciously desirable dairy store watching Casey, our dog, poop. It is dark, and I cautiously tread the long grass to find the land mine. Ever so carefully I pick up the dog poop while holding the keys and now my phone (because that thing has been going off all day)  and nearly die when my ice cream cone takes a nose dive into the lawn.

THAT people has been my life since we moved to our new place. Twice a day we take the dog down the two flights of stairs and pick up his poop. It kinda sucks.

It wasn’t always like this.

We used to have a doggie door and lived in blissful peace because our dog was housebroken and he let himself out as if to say “Please excuse me, I need to use the loo.”

When we first adopted Casey from the humane society, Evan and I had no idea what were thinking. I know. What a horrible thing to say right? How could you say that about your cute dog? All I have to say is, I know people who say that about THEIR CHILDREN.

The first thing Casey did when we brought him home in 2006 was jump onto the foot of our bed and took a 4 hour nap. That should have been a sign of what would come. Throughout the first year of living with us, the shaggy terrier mix chewed through everything including my $200 Franklin Covey purse, my kitchen wall, two loaves of bread, numerous towels and blankets and carpet. Evan and I would chalk up all of these disasters as merely tests of our character and moved past them quickly. Other than the fact that he liked to destroy our belongings while we were at work, Casey was a good dog. I even found it amiable when he followed me around our teeny tiny house.

Don’t get me wrong. I totally love my dog. I am glad he is so comfortable in my house, but quite frankly I am ready to start charging rent.

We are slowly growing apart, like an 8th grade relationship doomed to fail, we are getting on each other’s nerves. Evan is in Denver on business this week which has only amplified our frustration with each other.

Our day starts off with a morning walk, picking up his poop and then daily feeding and watering. Most days, I do not mind carrying out this small responsibility. When we return from our walk, the battle of wills begin.

You should know that at this point in my blog post that Casey follows me everywhere I go in the house. If I am doing laundry, he is following me back and forth from bedrooms to laundry room. It is just one of the Certain Facts of Life that Casey will be no more than 5 feet behind me. ALWAYS.

So I take showers in the mornings (like I hope most of you do, unless you are a night person to which I say, God Speed). Every day, after I just picked up HIS FECES, he looks up at me like I am being such an inconvenience taking a shower. “Because, you know the Golden Rule, must I get off the foot of your bed and lay on the cold tile AT THIS HOUR?” he says.

Whether it is taking or a shower or doing chores, he acts as if he signed a contractual agreement and risks losing his wife and kids if the physical distance between us exceeds a yardstick length.

That dog. That incorrigible dog.

Last weekend, I took a spontaneous trip to Salt Lake City to see a friend and meet her new fiance. I was only there two days, so I apologize to all those friends and family members I did not have a chance to visit.

My father-in-law Alan was gracious enough to pick me up from the airport and take me to lunch. IN. THE. MOUNTAINS.  Those of you from the Midwest, you know what this means. TREES. CLIFFS. WATERFALLS. It filled my soul to be surrounded by so much beauty and cool air (at the summit it topped 70 degrees). The trip made me anxious to go camping. I know, right? We will blame that lapse of judgement on the overwhelming smell of pine.

When we decided to move to Texas, people had a lot to say about the great state.

WHAT THE GENERAL PUBLIC KNOWS ABOUT TEXAS:

1. It is hot.

2. An aunt’s cousin twice removed/college roommate used to live in Texas. Undoubtedly, they ask where exactly you will live, and you name a suburb and they won’t know where it is. 

3. Houston, Austin and Dallas are pretty much the same thing.

Now that we have settled into a nice routine, Evan and I have been exploring our new city and I have been busy making rash judgements.

AN ABBREVIATED LIST OF JESICA’S RASH JUDGEMENTS:

1. It is hot, but not unbearable.

2. I haven’t run into anyone I know/heard of. It is a weird to walk into a store and know for certain that everyone is a stranger. Furthermore, there are more suburbs and towns that bleed into each other that most of the time, I don’t know where I am.

3. I am planning a trip to Austin, just to compare and contrast.

The house is quiet now. My sister-in-law K and her two adorable children M & E came to visit last week and yesterday they left. Their spontaneous visit lifted my soul and really made our apartment feel like a home. My 5-year-old niece E love for animals–especially “puppies and kitties”– is contagious. She is daring and spunky likes to walk up to strangers and start a conversation. I love that about her. My 7-year-old and nephew M has a special place in my heart too. He is a Star Wars expert and could win awards for his Darth Vader impressions. He is gentle, wise and witty. One day twenty years from now, some girl is going to fall madly in love because of his words.

My sis-in-law K is amazing and is so easy to talk to. We enjoyed many long chats and shopping adventures during the week. It was awesome.

On the morning they left,  I made beignets for breakfast. I piled the powdered sugar high. I am sure K hated that sugar crash. Here’s to adding ‘Aunt’ to my resume.