The New Bed

Well soon after my recovery from throwing up all afternoon Megan insisted that we had to buy a “new” bed. I did not realize that that meant that we had to cut the plastic off ourselves ie not a new to me bed. After we got the bed home and put all together with sheets we laid down to enjoy it..Then I looked over at Megan and she had started to cry. I was racking my brain of what I could have done while asking if everything was alright. She said she was crying because this was our first purchase together as an engaged couple. I had to do to everything in my power not to laugh out loud. Then I got to thinking….the only thing about the “we” was she was there when the money left my account….. That’s a joke. Well we have an exciting week ahead of us. This coming weekend we are going to Dallas and going to the Texas State Fair. Maybe I can get Megan to take some pictures of the new crib and get the uploaded!

Fall Break in Abilene.

Update #1: I was able to get on an earlier flight to Abilene from Dallas this morning, so I didn't have to people-watch in the airport for 4 hours.

Update #2: When I talked to Aaron from Dallas, he told me he thought he was getting a migraine because his head was starting to hurt.

Update #3: I arrive in Abilene greeted by my ghostly white fiancee who can hardly open his eyes and glares from everyone who had just heard him throwing his guts up in the airport (tiniest airport in the world, mind you).

Update #4: We cancelled our plans of eating at my favorite barbeque place (Sharon's) and our plans at finding a bed. Or matress. Or blanket for the couch. However, I wasn't able to cancel my belly from starving because I hadn't eaten anything all morning in anticipation of Sharon's, so we went through the drive-thru at Taco Bueno (possibly an up-scale Taco Bell?). As we approach the menu, Aaron gets really sick again so I hurried and just ordered the first thing I read.

Update #5: We are at the home-sweet-home apartment which is a million times better than the old one, but currently just a little empty. Aaron is in-between throwing up and laying down in the closet (darkest place), and I have sat down to my lunch, forgetting that I ordered the first thing I read that had no description (chicken combo). Two flour tortillas with chicken inside. It looks like the insides of a taco for me folks.

Anyone who hasn't seen the lovely engagement photos: http://www.sbphotos/clients event name: 0910mae

Almost time to move in....

Well I move into my new apartment in next Friday and as of right now I have a couch and a loveseat, 4 plates and silverware, 1 skillet and a large pot for my new home away from home. My TV should be here next week. I hope to have a bed by the time I move in but no real way of telling if that will happen or not….I am coming home tomorrow and am excited about that. Looking back maybe I should have not planned a trip home the weekend before I move when I have nothing to move into a new apartment….Oh well I will figure it out and I hope I have it figured out before Megan comes to visit on the 11th if not she will be sleeping on the loveseat (she is shorter than me…)

My New Home Away From Home.

Well after looking at about 8 different apartment complexes and 4 different 1 bedroom houses, I have found a place to live. I have to say if was stressing me at first. I was trying to find some place that I could get out of a lease if needed, and of course no one wants to let you out of a lease. After all my looking I got was settled on a place called “The Reserve” It’s a little more pricey than some of the places. I figure after 2 years in Mimosa with 8 guys I should get a nice place to live.

My next issue I have to deal with is the fact that I have nothing to furnish a house with. Right now I am in the process of searching craigslist and the classifieds looking for everything to furnish my apartment. When I say everything I really do mean everything…..couch, TV bed dresser lamps coffee table…yeah the whole 9 yards. If anyone happens to come across a good deal on a TV let me know! I did find some dishes and a few odd and ends for a kitchen. My big dilemma is that I will be getting hitched in May and everything I have Megan will prob hate and make me throw it all away. I figured out a long time ago that what I think is good stuff Megan thinks that belongs in the trash…..

One good thing is I have time I don’t move into my new apartment till Oct 9. Bad thing is that If I were to find a couch or something I would have to find someplace to store it till I move in….Oh well I guess this is the pleasure of being a traveling man.

House Hunting

Well it’s been a while since I have gotten around to posting anything. Work has been busy and has taken up most of my time. When I do have time I just like to be lazy and not even think. I found out a couple weeks ago that I am getting kicked out of the company apartment. So the past few weeks I have been looking for a place to live. I have not been looking hardcore about it because I have till the end of the month. I am trying to figure out a balance between cheap and safe.. ha ha I don’t really care how nice the place if because stuff like that does not bother me, but I figure that I need a place that when I go home for the weekend I don’t have to lock everything of value at work. Another issue I am having is that I do not own anything to furnish an apartment with so everything I need I am going to have to buy. I figure after labor day all of the outside lawn furniture will be on sale….It will be like I am camping at the lake all the time! Other than that nothing really is new in Abilene.

I guess my only real NEW news is that I have bitten the bullet and gotten engaged. I don’t have any pictures. Megan is the picture handler in the relationship so talk to her about that.

NOT so Home Sweet Abilene

Found out this morning that Abilene will be my home for the next 12 months! To me this is not bad news at all. At least I now know that I will be here for a long haul so I can get comfortable here. Megan was super excited that she would be able to come back to this wonderful place and visit me! I was told that if another job comes up that there would be a possibility that I would be placed on that job and out of Abilene. I am going to stay in the company apartment for now. I see no need to make another trip home to bring back furniture so I will just keep on living in a place that is nothing even close to home. I was told that they hope to keep me in the southeast for any job that I might be on. They want to keep me as close to home as possible. For now I will have to settle in and get used to the Texas life. I really do not recommend coming down here for a visit…there is nothing to do just ask Megan. Give me some advance notice and I will meet you some place more exciting. If anything changes I will let you know.

Addendum

Megan informed me this morning that it had been “forever” since my past post. Which is not really true but whatever. As I am sure you all have read, Megan and I had a wonderful weekend in and around Abilene. Just a few items to note from Megan’s include in her wonderful account of the trip.

Believe it or not Megan had redneck in her. Megan may seem classy and sophisticated but take her somewhere there are games to play with tickets and it all comes back to her. Not only did we blow 20 bucks at this type place Megan would not let me play a game unless it gave out tickets! If there was any way to cheat and get more tickets Megan was doing it. For example: Standing by the ski-ball on the end to drop your ball into the 1,000,000 points hole. Yeah, she was that person you see cheating and you want to do it yourself but think you will get caught. What can I say I had a fun doing it with her. And the only reason that Megan gave our tickets to the kid was because there were not airheads, blowpops, or spider rings at the prize booth! All in all it was a great time and worth every penny.

Megan did do the super sweet thing for me by cleaning my whole apartment. (to her standards) What she failed to tell you is that I had already pre-cleaned it before she got there. But my cleaning job was not up to Megan’s unreasonable high standards. I just hate to think if she had seen the place before I cleaned it…. When I got home Friday Megan had already cleaned the whole place. She had to go buy at least 15-20 self timer air fresheners along with at least 10 of the manual jobs. I think I have a wonder natural odor but Megan begs to differ. She calls it my “Skanky’ Stank”. Agree to disagree right?


During out trip to Albany, TX Megan wrote about buying a book. She failed to tell you this….. Megan is a sucker for children’s books. She loves them and thinks she has to buy them all the time. She probably has just as many or more than any of my sisters who have avg 2.75 children. (come on Rachel you are bring the average down!) While browsing the local book store in Albany, Megan came across the book Goodnight Cowboy it’s just like the book Goodnight Moon but with a cowboy. Just a little 15 page hardback children’s book. Megan wanted to buy the book, so me being the 2007, 2008 and 2009 winner of the World’s Greatest Boyfriend Award, I told Megan I would buy the book for her. As the woman rang up the book I saw that the amount I owed an unbelievable $17.76!! I turned and looked at Megan and she had a look on her face that said “Please don’t say anything. Please just pay the woman and we can leave” So to keep my streak alive I handed over the cash and we were on our way. Under different circumstances I would have kindly told the woman that I would not buy that book at that unreasonable price. At least now we have a bit of Albany to keep with us forever.

All in all we had a wonderful weekend. Megan’s favorite thing about the whole weekend was Sharon’s BBQ and Taco Beuno. We ate at both them twice!

Now that my fun weekend is over I have to wait 3 more weeks before I get to have any fun again. Lucky for me I made it through one weekend already. Only 2 more to go!

This past weekend I went to the Buffalo Gap Flea Market. I will say that they come out of the wood works for this event. I saw at least two women in a bikini top walking around and more than I care to count kids running around in just a diaper. Other than that I did not I really did not do anything worth writing about.

Looking forward now to Max’s wedding on Aug. 8. ( I will be home the 7th)

Work has been much better staying busy putting together an inventory system to manage valves, instrumentation, and large equipment. Exciting I know.
I miss you all and hope to see everyone soon!

My (Megan) Visit to Abilene (and Albany--Home of the Hereford)

Just a fair warning before I begin—though my grammar and punctuation will fare better than Aaron’s (though he has been impressing us all lately), I do not remember details very well and am the worst storyteller in the world. Sorry so long!

Thursday:
Thanks to everyone who volunteered to take me to the airport—my mom still wasn’t able to drive and my dad was supposed to be on dayshift, but he took off and wanted to take me to the airport. Strange, I know. He unloaded my bags, made sure I got to the line, and was even still parked outside once I called him after I got through security. Last time dad dropped me off at the airport he got a parking ticket…he then searched the airport for the security who gave it to him, probably called him words that won’t be written here and told them he worked in security and knows more about things than they do (that’s his best line), and of course he got out of that $10 ticket. That’s the way he tells the story anyway…I see it likely that dad recognized the name who gave him the ticket as someone selling _____ that called into trading time yesterday, the deal goes down, and the guy takes off the ticket price. Who knows really.

So I make to Dallas with a layover for a couple of hours. I had a dozen cookies in my carry on bag from Ham-n-Goody’s because Aaron had been talking about them forever so I wanted to surprise him with them. Only 1 “pinch” was gone from one lemon cookie (my dad on the drive to the airport). But it was 5:00 and there were so many airport fast food places calling my name, but I knew Aaron was taking us to dinner as soon as I got to Abilene so I had to resist. I won the battle against the greasy French fries but lost against a pinch of that lemon cookie. Best thing I’ve ever had.

As soon as I made it to Abilene, I brought out the box of cookies to surprise him, even though he had guessed what I was bringing the day before. He saw the half of the lemon cookie gone, so he ate the other 2 ½ lemon cookies before I could even think about it. He said it was a sacrifice for my sake. Ha.

Our first stop was the famous “Sharon’s Barbeque”…a-maz-ing. I’ve had quite a few meals from Buddy’s BBQ in my day being as it’s my dad’s idea of a nice sit down restaurant (6th grade chubby, tomboy Megan still hates him for that). This place looked like a Buddy’s but was on a whole different level. So good. And all gluten-free! So good that I made Aaron take me back on Sunday. =) (For some reason my dad keeps coming up but when I called and told him about this barbeque place, he asked me to bring him home a souvenir…too bad my flight home is at 6:40am).

We made it back to Aaron’s apartment…I’m going to try not to say much about it because I could go on and on. It was pretty bad. Not all of it was Aaron’s fault. I will say that he bought some new sheets for his bed after I asked him where the ones he was sleeping on came from or if they were clean and something else about mites… He washed his new sheets first because I told him that would help them to not be so stiff. Now there are some crusty spots of laundry detergent and fabric softener on them. I’m not complaining because he actually knew to use “that clear stuff and the blue stuff”.

Friday:
I got up early with Aaron to take him to work so I wouldn’t be stuck in the apartment all morning. (I even made him breakfast—thanks to some wonderful cookware from Jeff). Side note—every dish I tried to use was dirty. Even the ones in the cabinet that Aaron said were clean. I learned that he just likes to run water over things and put them straight into their place. I learned that the crusty stuff on the spoons was peanut butter, on the forks was probably eggs, and the knives must be some kind of meat he had cooked. It took me a long time to wash every single thing in his apartment. And he got mad at me for washing the skillet on the stove because apparently it works better after you cook a few things in it and never clean it off. So after I dropped Aaron off at work I proceeded to Wal-Mart. Aaron had told me he had no cleaning supplies—he figured the place had been cleaned before he moved in. I’m not so sure it had been. I bought the necessary items. And a few Aaron thought were not necessary…especially when he threw the air fresheners on his balcony. I got a dish drain which he told me was useless because he just rinsed and put up, an air freshener that goes off every couple of hours…you know the rest of that story, 6 plastic glasses…he was furious that I threw away all the plastic bottles and Styrofoam cups he had been collecting as fine china, dish towels…he said his bath towel usually ends up in the kitchen and he just used that (this was true because when I did laundry I found 3 there…I was glad I washed everything in the kitchen already), the little smelly things that hang on the toilet bowls…these warranted my favorite quote of the weekend: every time we would walk in the door he would say, “My apartment smells like a toilet bowl.”, and to ease my mind a little bit, I bought myself some rubber gloves to do the cleaning. When I actually started cleaning and opening cabinets, I found tons of cleaning supplies that Aaron had no clue about (“Why would I ever need to open the cabinet underneath the sink?!?” was a direct quote I believe). Those brown and yellow streaks in his toilet are permanent I’m fairly certain. There is no vacuum or broom. I swept/mopped his kitchen with my rubber gloves. I could go on, but I think I’ll stop now. As for the laundry—except for a few towels and socks, I’m pretty sure it hasn’t been attempted since he was on expenses and took it to have it done. I washed, dried, ironed (I even creased the legs of those blasted pants!), and hung up everything in his apartment (and mated the 523 random socks he had washed and thrown on the spare bed—5 of which I found were mates to my socks at home that made me believe that the washer really can eat your socks). Hopefully he will be relocated before he runs out. I digress….

I finished cleaning in time to go pick up Aaron from work. I will say I am glad those windows are so tinted in his truck because I felt like I needed Wranglers, a hat, Texas state belt buckle, and boots to be driving that thing around town. After lunch Aaron took me to Prime Time (aka Celebration Station) to play some ‘ticket games’. I know that’s the most redneck thing in the world, but I love it. I should probably never go to Vegas…and there’s a reason you don’t gamble or play ‘ticket games’ with real money…because I never really think it’s real when I slide those cards to play a game! Anyways, $20 later Aaron and I had about 500 tickets. Instead of taking the whoopee cushion, we opted for giving our card full of tickets to a little boy who was extremely excited…well worth the money, plus I got to put all those tickets into the counter and see how many I got! Friday was a great day…Aaron even found an old timey theater that was playing Casablanca that night (my fav)!! We had dinner at a really cool place downtown then immediately had popcorn and coke at the movie. I failed to mention that neither of us have ever eaten out this much ever. Aaron didn’t want me to cook in his kitchen and fuss about things. All weekend Aaron reminded me in many ways that his stomach was “torn up”.

Saturday:
Our adventures began very early. Since I fall asleep at about 9:00pm every night, I’m a pretty early riser…7:30 on a Saturday morning is pretty normal. I love the mornings, especially when the afternoons are 105 degrees here. After gas station coffee and coke, we were off…and for some reason our first stop was Wal-Mart (a different one than the one I had gone too). Nothing else is open at 8:30 and we needed inspiration for an adventure. Plus, I had seen an ad for all the school supplies on sale and I love looking at it all. From Wal-Mart you could see tons of windmills down the road—that was all the inspiration we needed.

We saw a sign that said “Albany 31 miles” near the windmills. On the handy dandy Storm, I googled said town to see if there was anything interesting to do there. The Chamber of Commerce website is deceiving. After a very flat, very straight 31 mile road, we made it to Albany. The welcome sign was hand painted and read “Welcome to Albany, Home of the Hereford”. We passed a non-operating gas station that I’m pretty sure was the inspiration for the ones in the Cars movie. We then recognized that many things were non-operating in this town. We parked on “Main Street” and started walking around to places we thought were shops and little places to eat. None of which were open on a Saturday afternoon. One building said it had books and information so we went inside to a bookstore that was surprisingly open. (The information part of the sign we learned was only from the woman working there who spoke about 2 words per minute—most of the information about how mistreated George Bush is, especially after the hard time he had fixin all Clinton’s mistakes…imagine how long this info took). I always feel really guilty walking in a store that I don’t really want to be in and then walking right out…and I could see this town need the economic stimulation. I found a cute Texas children’s book and couldn’t leave without it. (Aaron will be gifting it to the boys as a souvenir). The owners of the store (not the woman working there) we learned pretty much own the whole town. Personal friends of George Bush and worked to get him elected we were told. I doubt they lived in Albany very long. Being as there was no information to get about the town apparently, the lady gave us a newspaper (funniest thing I have ever seen) and told us they just got a Mex-ee-can place down the street. (I later saw the ad for said Mexican place in the newspaper—it had name of restaurant and clip art of a man with a gun and a huntin’ dog in the center and clip art in a circular formation around the man of: a deer, a rabbit, a duck, another deer, and some kind of bird. As much as Aaron likes Mexican, I had to tell him no. I was very apprehensive about the ad in relation to their food selections). The place we did choose to eat at, I dare say, could not have been any better. Aaron was all excited about some authentic food at a ‘hole in the wall’ place…we found it. The Eagle’s Nest. We walk in and of course the one waitress and two men dining stare at us…Aaron said we looked too high dollar. Not to be rude, but I think Aaron’s worst would look high dollar…yes the “Oak Ridge Police Department” shirt even. Our waitress had about 4 front teeth missing. And had on a shirt that said something about Texas girls…There was no way we could walk out. I knew nothing on the menu was going to be safe from the deep fryer that you could smell when you walked in (and I could smell til we made it home to change). We ordered and hoped for the best. When our waitress walked over to the refrigerator (smaller than most people’s home fridge) and got our ice and water from the door, we knew there was no hope. After peeling back layers of breading and grease, I found enough chicken to eat to make it look like I ate my food. I would say this was the worst $20 ever spent, but they probably needed it. Not much else happened on our trip to Albany. We did read in the paper that the COUNTY population was about the size of Clinton Middle and High school (roughly 3,300) and they had 1 full time law enforcement (whom we dined with at the Eagle’s Nest). The advertisements in this newspaper/guide were the best. Aaron and I found an ad (with photo) for a Bed & Breakfast (mind you, the picture was of a small brick house with what looked like a garage apartment): “Private Bath, Private Sun Porch, Honeymoon Suite with (oh yes) a 2 person heart-shaped jetted tub, and pet friendly.” Let me know if you guys need the phone number for reservations—credit cards are accepted and gift cards are available. I have nothing more to say about the little town of Albany—it made for some great memories.

The lovely Eagle's Nest Apparently everything in Albany is "historic"

Dinner at Perini Ranch that night—excellent. Such a cool place for a restaurant (not literally cool because it was not air conditioned). But awesome nonetheless. I think this was the main reason Aaron wanted me to come visit—he hadn’t eaten there since Mitchell moved, and he refuses to eat by himself. The Armadillo at Perini...we didn't do any cool self-timer pictures here.

Aaron wanted to go to the drive in that night, but it didn’t start until, naturally, 9:30 when it gets dark. Guess who was asleep before it got dark outside…
I realize this is a problem. Any ideas, please let me know.

Sunday and Monday:
The rest of the trip we were lazy. Or shall I say lazier than the first two days. I think Aaron had shown me all the town of Abilene had to offer. We did watch all 5 Harry Potter movies, in preparation for the 6th coming out on Wednesday. Umm….this was all Aaron’s idea. Ok, not really. Oh, and I got some new cowboy boots!! I kept asking Aaron if he liked them or if they looked goofy and he told me, “I know you’re only gonna wear them with those dresses, and yeah, I’m gonna make fun of you. It’s goofy.” They’re good quality and I doubt I’ll wear them out, so when the tight jeans and cowboy boots look comes back in style (my uncle Lynn and all of Abilene will tell you it never went out), I’ll be ready. See, I’m just saving money for the future already! Aaron loves the way my brain works.

It will be sad to leave Abilene (as I am writing this while Aaron is at work all day today). I hate that Aaron has to live here by himself, but he’ll be happy I’m gone no longer to “mess up his routines” or to encourage eating out so much and getting his stomach all “tore up”. Only 3 more weeks til home again!

I love you (and Taco Bueno) and thank you for a fun weekend in Abilene. You are the best/dirtiest boyfriend in the whole world. I’m kidding about that dirty part, it was way better than I imagined.

For the rest of you—book your trip to Abilene (or Albany) and you too can have these fun adventures in the blistering heat. Save room in your suitcase--don’t bother bringing your running clothes/shoes or a bathing suit. Heat combined with greasy food makes neither of these activities a good idea.

The Joys of Flight

Well going home always feels great. The only way it can be any better is a weekend home at the lake. This past weekend I was able to get off work early Thursday and fly home for the Jenkins 4th of July camping trip. I loved every minute of it. It’s really cool/exciting to see all the grandkids growing up and being wild and crazy children. I am already looking forward to the lake next year. I am thinking next time I will be able to take a few days off to fully enjoy the experience.
Only bad thing about the lake was leaving. I had to leave Saturday night to go run some errands around town. When you don’t live in town it makes it hard to get everything done that you have to do while you are in. Megan and I were in “do work” mode Sunday and all went well till it was time to leave.
As we pulled into the airport the sky broke open and an east Tennessee thunderstorm rolled through. I said to myself that it was going to be a long evening. Little did I know that this evening would last well into the next day…. After having the flight delayed for 20 minutes while sitting in the airport we were able to board the aircraft. Upon boarding we were told that we had to wait for the storm to pass, so we sat. After about 30 minutes of not moving we were told that the weather was clear enough to take off. As we were taking off I looked at my watch and realized that there was no way I was going to make my connecting flight unless it got delayed…..
It did not get delayed….As we landed in Dallas I turned on my phone and looked up my flight to Abilene. Hoping it would be delayed I was disappointed to see that it was already “in transit” After exiting the plane I went to the ticked counter. As anyone who has traveled before knows, the airline is not liable in cases where weather delayed the flight.
After booking a hotel I walked down to the waiting area and waited for the hotel van to come pick me up. When the van got there it was about a 15 minute ride to the hotel. On the way my driver proceeded to tell me that I really need at have at least 2 firearms and enough ammo to make it through a war. As I was, I am sure you are asking “why?” Well according to him Obama just might be the anit-Christ and the end is near. I am not saying I disagree with him too much but it was funny that he knew me for all of 5 minutes before he told me all of this. God bless America.
After spending the night in a crappy hotel I made my flight the next morning. Got to work and tried my best to get through the week.
This weekend well I guess today Megan is coming to Abilene. Not sure what all we are going to do but I am sure I can show her the sights of Abilene. I hope next week I can get her to write about her Texas experience.

I'm Such a Sentimental Blogger...Love, Megan

http://www.rhapsody.com/pat-mcgee-band/general-admission/havent-seen-for-a-while/lyrics.html

Well another weekend in Abilene has come and gone. I am looking forward to spending time back in Tennessee on the lake!

This weekend was nothing exciting by any means. Friday went and played golf but like the last few times I’ve been it was over 100 degrees. This makes playing a little more difficult but not impossible. It’s really amazes me how much better you get playing golf if you play more often not that I am good now just better than I was. After golf got some food and went back to my apartment for the night.

With Friday being exciting as it was I decided to take it easy Saturday. I found a public auction company here in town so I went and hung out at that for a while. It was too hot to stand in the sun and not buy anything so I went for a drive. Just drove around town taking in the sights. Went out to the lake and checked that out. One thing that’s kind of strange is there are not really any houses on the lake. Don’t get me wrong there are a few but nothing like it would back on Norris. After that I just took some turns and ended up on a gravel road then a dirt road and kept going till I found my friend Mr. Longhorn. When that got old I headed home for a night of watching TV.

Sunday was a long day with nothing to do. I was so board that I went had had my car washed then I spent an hour waxing the thing. If you know me slightly you know that is not something I enjoy. The weekend ended with nothing eventful happening. I am ready for the week to be done with so that I may be back in the hills of Tennessee.

Going to be camping at the lake like always give me a call and come on out.

This is just an albino peacock we have at work. Don’t ask me why because I really don’t know..

To: Aaron Love, Megan.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=45ZmLCt7zbY

Little Life Lessons

I am still making it in Texas nothing too exciting going on just work. Work is going along well with nothing to complain about and nothing to boast about so, everything is breaking even. Still no news on where I may be going to next. So for now I will just enjoy the time I have in Texas.

Got to go home again this past weekend and it was great! Got to see all the kids! (Except Cole and Chase) Nathan Reid was getting married and I was in the wedding. No better reason than that to come home. It was a good wedding, I wish them both the best. Saturday I got to go up on Norris Lake with Reddick and Megan. We just relaxed all day at the lake. I miss those lazy summer days. (But not before a wonderful breakfast at my mother’s) Trey’s family has a house boat up there. We went and crashed the party. I got to see Bonnie, Trey’s gardener, she was in prime time like always. Sunday we had the Jenkins tradition of a Father’s Day fish fry. The food was wonderful as always. But like all good things, it had to come to an end. Leaving home was just as hard as the first time, like Megan said “I thought this would get easier” but saying goodbye never is.

I have figured out that living with no one may bring about some bad habits in me. For starters, I don’t wash a dish till I need a new one. I figure there is no point to have something clean and laying around waiting to be used. Then there is the fact that I counted 8 used glasses on my coffee table this morning. I use the term glasses loosely because there were no cups in my apartment when I moved in. To solve this problem, I use anything that can holds liquids. This includes but is not limited to: measuring cups, used pickle jars (even after being washed I think it taints whatever I am drinking), cups from restaurants, and the container that crystal light comes in. This one has to be my favorite of all my liquid holders is the used coke can. I do this by taking empty coke cans and use a can opener to cut the top off. Not washing dishes has brought about the issue of me just drinking out of the container after I run out of liquid holders I just grab the jug/carton/bottle and drink directly out of it. Yes I realize that this process is not proper or sanitary in any shape form or fashion, but everyone has flaws right? I guess until the point that I have a roommate that it’s safe to say I see no reason to change. (Sorry Megan)

As you would expect I really don’t get any GOOD home cooked meals as often as I used to. Cooking is something else that I am learning to get by with what I got. Megan got me a George Forman Grill and Jeff Bowin gave me some downright nice cookware. The GFG has to be the greatest thing for single men ever. (Thanks again Megan) For the past almost 3 weeks I have eaten pretty much the same thing for every meal. Breakfast: 2 fried eggs and toast with some OJ. Lunch: Sandwich with a different type of deli meat, the same meat for a solid week. Dinner: Either noodles with ground beef with some sort frozen veggies or chicken with frozen veggies. I know exciting right. Shopping Sucks. Going to the Wal-Mart is not something that I have found to be really that relaxing. I go in and don’t know where anything is. I just walk up and down every isle at least twice till I find everything on my list. That is if I have remembered my list, most of the time I don’t. The real bad eating comes when the time to make a trip to the Wal-Mart is coming up. Like yesterday for instance, for breakfast I had a can of tuna with mustard for lunch a piece of chicken on bread with mustard and for dinner chicken again but this time with a half of a sweet potatoes only half because the other half was beginning to rot….So going home and having Mom make me something is, to say the least, a step up.

Having something to look forward to, for me, is the best way to get through the week. Like this week I am looking forward to going home for the 4th of July. Then I will only have to wait 3 day before Megan comes to visit in Abilene. She is going to be blown away with all of the exciting things I have planed or be ticked off because my apartment is a mess there is nothing to eat and I have no clean clothing. I am sure she will love to visit me. Then its 3 weeks till I am home again for Max’s wedding. It’s not that I am really looking forward to the wedding I just want to be home. (Sorry Max) So if anyone wants to visit me the last 2 weeks in July come on down to west Texas and stay a while. No really come on down….


P.S. I love you Megan

Back to Texas

Well I made it back to Texas…..
I got home this weekend and I have to say that it was wonderful to be back home. Got in Thursday night and had to leave Sunday. All in all it was a great trip home. Mom made me a special fried dinner with mashed potatoes AND gravy and biscuits the next morning. That’s the thing about the world outside of the Jenkins family, no one knows how to make biscuits right, I really don’t understand this at all. Not only did I get home cooked meals I got to go on a date with Megan that was way overdue.
The week leading up to the long drive back to Texas I was thinking that I would break the drive up into 2 days. The trip is over 1000 miles so that’s a long haul. Once I got home I realized that there was no way that I was going to leave a day earlier than I had to. So I left Sunday morning at 4:00 am. That’s right AM! Megan and her mom were leaving for the beach at the same time so it made the getting up and gone a little easier…..but not easy. As I sat down in the truck and turned from Megan’s driveway I said to myself “I should have left yesterday…” I had ahead of me a 15 hour drive across Tennessee, Arkansas, and part of Texas. Everything started out just fine till I got just outside of Nashville and realized I had forgotten my work computer at Megan’s.
I almost turned around to go get it but thought it would be a better idea if I had someone overnight it to me. So my mind started ticking Megan…No she was driving to the beach…Mom or Dad…no luck there they too were driving to the beach…Bela?...well its best not to trust Bela with things of the important and time fragile nature…. So the burden fell upon Ryan Reddick’s hands and I will say he came through with flying colors. (Thanks again Reddick) With that ordeal behind me I continued my drive…
I knew I was getting closer to Memphis by the changing of the radio stations…..They began to get darker if you know what I am saying. So at that, I popped in a book on CD. I still have not finished. That book may have been the thing that kept me from crazy. Well that and my dog…
While driving through Arkansas I missed the exit for the Bill Clinton Library and his home

town…. My life is still incomplete…
Work this week has not been too bad I got to start doing something that is actually for my job and not just gofer work. I got to be released from work early on Wednesday due to a tornado that was in the area. Lucky for me I had no where better to go so I stayed at work by myself. God bless Texas.
I unloaded everything from my trip and needed to put my dog. I figured the best place to spend the most time with him was right at my desk at work. Now that he is here with me no one asks me to do stupid pointless things. Probably afraid of him.

I am ready for the weekend and all the excitement it offers. Maybe I will go play some golf. Even better is the fact that I will be home next weekend for Nathan’s wedding.

Had a little trouble making the pictures stay in place...

Wow! Two posts in one week things are really happening in Abilene. Well the week started off pretty good.

I found out that on Monday that I would be moving into the company apartment. This is really not a bad or good thing really but it does let me know that my time in Abilene is going to be longer than the expected 3 weeks. That’s all good and well with me. I figured out the paycheck comes no matter where I am working plus it could be worst. I mean come on what it I was above the Mason Dixie Line? That would be true punishment. (I say that and the next job I am on is going to be in New York City.) I found out that I will be coming off expenses this week and being put on a per deim. That means no more high dollar steaks. Goodbye wonderful Texas Steaks. Hello 5 dollar foot longs… As bad as it may seem to be stuck in Texas for the summer months I think I may just have to do some exploring in this massive state. I have been talking with a guy from work and he and his wife used to go on weekend trips almost every weekend so he has a few spots for me to go check out.If anyone needs a place to stay while they are in Texas just give me a call I do have an extra bedroom now I am in my apartment. So make the trip to this wonderful red state and visit me or just wait till I come in either way it will be a good time.

Second news bulletin of the week is that I will be home this weekend. Yes that’s right after 3 weeks of work they have decided to let me come home for a brief visit. Well I make it sound that it’s like a reward for doing something great. Truth be told, I am flying home in order to get me car and make the 15 hour drive half way the United States. WhooHoo All kidding aside I think it will be a good road trip. Hopefully I will see everybody this trip if not I will be home in 3 weekends again so all is well. It was pretty exciting new for me to hear I am ready for a weekend with some hills. Hopefully I can get some pictures up before too long.

Just another week in paradise...

Welp made it through another week in Texas. This work week was much better than last. They gave me things to work on. It made things go much better. Highlight of this week had to be getting my first pay stub. (its not a check because I have it directly deposited in my bank account)

I have to say it was a good feeling to see a comma in my paycheck. To tell the truth I never they knew they came with one in it. It was Friday that I realized what all of my work in college was for. It was a good feeling seeing numbers at the end of the week rather than letters.
This week had been a week of firsts my first paycheck, and I did my first load of laundry. Yes folks its true I somehow managed to get my laundry done AND folded. When I say I did the laundry. I mean I took it to the cleaners…..That’s the advantage of being on an expense account. Well I guess I am not quite grown up just yet.… maybe just maybe I will be able to find me a wife that will be willing to do that for me. (that sounds like a girl sport) While it was nice to have my laundry done I had a few issues with the end result. First they did not fold anything right. Second, they must not use the right detergent when washing my clothing because nothing smelled like home. I think next time I need clothing washed I will have them call Mom and see if they can figure out how to do it right.

Exciting news is that I will be home for Nathan Reid wedding June 19th and even better news is that work paid for my ticket home. I am still not sure why they paid for my ticket, but I am happy about it. Only 2 more weeks till I am home again. Can’t wait!

Mitchell left Friday morning so this next week I am on my own. Nothing like eating all meals by myself. So I will have to find someone else from work to eat with dinner with.

With my first pay check I did go and blow a bit of it on the Blackberry Storm and so far I love it. I am defiantly a nerd when it comes gadgets. It really is a cool phone does many things that I will probably never use. It makes for great reading when I have to visit, as Andrew calls it, “the office”.

The weekend as a whole was nothing too exciting went to the movies by myself now that was exciting… other than that and laying out by the pool I really did not do anything. Maybe I will have more exciting stuff next week.

Just another week in paradise...

Welp made it through another week in Texas. This work week was much better than last. They gave me things to work on. It made things go much better. Highlight of this week had to be getting my first pay stub. (its not a check because I have it directly deposited in my bank account)

I have to say it was a good feeling to see a comma in my paycheck. To tell the truth I never they knew they came with one in it. It was Friday that I realized what all of my work in college was for. It was a good feeling seeing numbers at the end of the week rather than letters.
This week had been a week of firsts my first paycheck, and I did my first load of laundry. Yes folks its true I somehow managed to get my laundry done AND folded. When I say I did the laundry. I mean I took it to the cleaners…..That’s the advantage of being on an expense account. Well I guess I am not quite grown up just yet.… maybe just maybe I will be able to find me a wife that will be willing to do that for me. (that sounds like a girl sport) While it was nice to have my laundry done I had a few issues with the end result. First they did not fold anything right. Second, they must not use the right detergent when washing my clothing because nothing smelled like home. I think next time I need clothing washed I will have them call Mom and see if they can figure out how to do it right.

Exciting news is that I will be home for Nathan Reid wedding June 19th and even better news is that work paid for my ticket home. I am still not sure why they paid for my ticket, but I am happy about it. Only 2 more weeks till I am home again. Can’t wait!

Mitchell left Friday morning so this next week I am on my own. Nothing like eating all meals by myself. So I will have to find someone else from work to eat with dinner with.

With my first pay check I did go and blow a bit of it on the Blackberry Storm and so far I love it. I am defiantly a nerd when it comes gadgets. It really is a cool phone does many things that I will probably never use. It makes for great reading when I have to visit, as Andrew calls it, “the office”.

The weekend as a whole was nothing too exciting went to the movies by myself now that was exciting… other than that and laying out by the pool I really did not do anything. Maybe I will have more exciting stuff next week.

First Weekend In Abilene

Well the weekend started out pretty well. Got off work at noon on Friday relaxed for the afternoon then went to Buffalo Wings for dinner with Mitchell and his brother. Mitchell is a guy I worked with this summer he is a year older than I am. Its a good feeling to be done for work week and have a long weekend to enjoy. Hey even if I am in Texas might as well make the best of it and find some cool things to do.

This week I found out that I may be in Texas a little longer that I first expected. I was told by the higher ups that I will probably be moving into a company apartment. I was also informed that at some point I would need to go back home and drive my car to Abilene. Now that sounds like a fun road trip. To tell the truth I would rather drive my car. The company truck that I have been driving is an old work truck that has a few issues. The steering wheel is covered in duct tape, the seats are all torn up and covered in dust, and the door does not shut properly. There is a constant air flow in the truck that comes from the door at all speeds sounds like the window is cracked. With all that being said if you are in Texas let me know need things to do on the weekend!

Saturday was a good day went to Frontier Texas. Frontier Texas is a walk through history ha ha. Its a museum that covers Texas history 1780 to 1880. If you make your way down to Abilene anytime in your life you should go to Frontier Texas. Its not great fun but it will kill close to 2 hours of your time. It would be a great things for boys to go to because every boy dreams of becoming a cowboy.

Saturday night I may have had the best steak in my life (part of the reason was that it was paid for by the company). Mitchell and I made the trip to the town of Buffalo Gap, population 4200, to visit Perini Ranch. In this small town there is a old cattle ranch that had the great idea to just throw together a restaurant.

When I say "throw together" I mean just that. There was nothing fancy about the place. Mitchell and I sat outside at a picnic table and dirt under our feet. The whole place had the feeling that you had just gotten off the range and were about to have some dinner before you hit the bunk house. The food was great and cook perfectly. Must say that it was a good day in the BIG state of Texas.

Sunday was nothing exciting just a small cook out with Mitchell and his brother. Had some more steak but nothing as good as Perini's. The highlight of Saturday had to be Megan and I figuring out Skype. Skype is a video phone that is free through the internet. Its pretty amazing that its free and so simple. If you have let me know or just give me a call on it sometime.

Monday was my first ever paid holiday! Nothing like not working and getting paid for it. Monday was more of the exciting life in Abilene. Went over to Mitchell's apartment and hung out out at the pool and blinded everyone with ungodly white chest. After getting slightly sun burned we headed to Prime Time Family Entertainment Center. At Prime Time we hit up the batting cages bowled and even played some laser tag. I found out that its a good thing that did not go after a careers in pro baseball in simple terms...... I suck. Bowing on the other hand I am much better still not good but able to play a respectable game. Pretty exciting day for a paid holiday.

I will say that my weekend in Abilene was pretty great got to do some fun things. I had a good time but sure miss the hills of Tennessee.

Greetings from the REPLUBIC of Texas

Well I am half way through my first week of work and I figured i would let everyone know how things were going. Just a little Texas Update.

Sunday was not the greatest day of my life. Megan took me to the airport and I def just had to tell her to leave with out too many words said. As I waited in the security line I was really questioning my my choice to head to Texas. It was a weird feeling fixing to fly away from everyone and everything that I known and loved. I was really wondering what i was doing... I mean come on I can't even wash my own clothing ha ha. But once I got on the flight I started to feel better about everything and no regrets. When I got to Dallas airport the airline had overbooked my flight to Abilene and were looking for people to take a later flight. Knowing that if

I got to Abilene 2 hours earlier all that would mean for me was 2 more hours of doing nothing. Needless to say I took the offer and got $200 in American Airlines dollars. (Megan wanted me to use that night to fly back home.)

Work for the most part has been nothing too exciting bet have met a lot of really nice people. I think that Lauren is going to be a great place to work for once I get settled in. My first night behind the wheel it took me about and hour and a half to get from work to my hotel (normal time is 20 min) I know what you are thinking "He should have taken his GPS, but that's the worst part I had GPS.. What I did not know is that the part of town I was staying in has been built up in the past year so no road or address were in the GPS. Word of advice don't always trust technology.

For the short time I have been in Texas I have come to notice a few things...

I don't think they make mid sized trucks in Texas EVERYONE has at LEAST a F150 or 1500 not TOYota as they call them.

People in Texas think that the University of Texas is the real UT even though I try to explain to them that their orange is a little too dark.

I know OSHA is a good thing and probably saves workers a lot of pain and suffering but having everyone take a 10 hour training session is not the best way to spend your work day. The craft workers kept telling me "it all pays the same" Personally I would rather spend my time doing something useful and productive.

If someone comes to the job site selling burritos out of a trunk of a 1990's Lincoln Towncar you don't get weirded out you fork over your 2 dollars and have one (I have yet to work up the courage to do so) Polish it off with a Mountain Dew and its a good day.

Tennessee roads are WONDERFUL. The roads down here are not kept up to the standards that Tennessee does. The road systems are just not as good as ours. Maybe that's why everyone drives big trucks

All in all I have had a good time so far I will try to keep everyone up to date with my adventures and the real world work life. Hope all is well