life lately:

Hello all!

We just passed our four-week mark here. Hard to believe that it's only been that long...so much has happened since we left our sweet city in the South.

Things are slowly becoming "normal" here in Texas...a new normal, that is. I've gone back to work, we've met a few folks, and we finally got a car!

Let's talk about the most exciting things first: scarf weather arrived! For about a day, and then it went back to the mid-90s. But I definitely took advantage of that one day.

I don't have friends yet (*whimper*) so I decided to let all my online friends know about my fashion sense.

Next, we've been anxiously awaiting the opening of San Antonio's first Trader Joe's, and the day finally arrived! It strangely felt a bit like home walking through there. They are also putting in a Zoe's Kitchen right next door...it was a day of heaven-sent discoveries.

Seriously, pumpkin trees?? Greatest plant ever.

Since we've been down to one car for the past month, I've been cooped up at home while Travis is working. Thankfully, I had a couple of DIY projects to complete, including repainting a travesty of a project I did about a year ago. I attempted to make my own chalk paint using baking soda, and it was definitely a Pinterest fail. The baking soda seemed to make the paint retain moisture, and it was only a few months before the paint started peeling and changing colors. So I sanded it down and made another batch of chalk paint, this time using this great recipe I found at Lowe's. It worked fantastically well, so I did two pieces!

The bottom one just needs new knobs, preferably from World Market.
Productivity makes me happy happy!

Next up: the car search. After a time of looking around, we decided to go the good ol' Dave Ramsey route: Find a very used car and pay cash. Build wealth. Get a better car later. (Not sure if he said that last part, but that's our plan.) That made things a lot more interesting. Trav spent hours searching Craig's list for an ad that was actually worth our time. None of the choices were too pretty, but we just wanted a car that wouldn't break down on the interstate. The first option led us to a guy who calls himself "Redneck Willy." Turns out, that's his stage name. He's a "comedian." Seriously, see if you can find him on YouTube. We didn't end up purchasing from him, and it bummed me out just a little because I really wanted to try to capture the scene of Travis meeting Redneck Willy. Ah well.

Then we found the ugliest car in the history of ever--a "murdered out" black Mustang with Cobra accessories. (Maybe some of you know what I mean--I try to only repeat what Travis tells me about cars, because I know next to nothing.) It was painted flat black, and all the light cases had been painted black as well. Why? To not be seen at night. Obviously. Guys, it was ugly as sin. Travis loves Mustangs, and he even thought it was hideous. Thankfully, we didn't go with that one either.

Finally, we met a lovely man named Enrique who had fixed up a '93 Thunderbird (yes, you read that right) for his granddaughter, who decided she wanted a pickup truck instead. The price was right, and the engine was brand new. Without further adieu, I introduce you to our newest family member:

The second ugliest car on earth! Don't worry, it smells worse than it looks.

We're truly thankful for this car. And for the ability to change out the carpet...and the steering wheel...and probably the seats, too. But we have a second car, and we didn't break the bank. These are very, very good things.

We're considering names for this new addition...any ideas?

And finally, times are always fun (and weird) when two humans have no other humans for company and must rely on the cat for entertainment. I leave you with this picture of weirdness. It sure made us smile.

Love and miss you all!