My eight things and other really big news....

Well I have taken the challenge thrown down by my cousin Kelley which is to tell eight things that are interesting about me. Well I tried my best to narrow it down to just eight because well let's face I am pretty interesting and people do tend to flock to me so here's some of the massive list that I came up with.

1) I am allergic to all dairy. Now that has never stopped me from eating a big bowl of ice cream however most people don't want to be around me a couple hours later as my body converts the dairy from a liquid to a gas......enough said.

2) I really do like me quiet time. Now that is hard with all of the voices that are in my head and my loyal public crying out for more and more of my classic humor but sometimes it is nice to take a good book into the "office" and hide out for a while.

3) I don't like mimes. I don't like to taunted by someone in makeup who can't find their way out of an imaginary box. I especially don't like it when they tease you with their silly hand gestures. I think we should outlaw mimes.

4) My mom is my hero. We kid her a lot about the Mcdonalds as our sole means of nutrition but the reason we did that was that she was working her tale off for at or just above minimum wage to make sure that lights stayed on and we could afford to get from point A to point B. We all turned out okay Kim's a little crazy and Tom needs a trim and well I am me so great job mom and thanks for showing us that with a little hard work, enough blood pressure medicine and just the change from between the cushions we can do anything.

5) I miss winter. Now if you ever repeat that I will call you all liars. Winter is really a great time of year. The snow the hot chocolate the cozy fires all make for great memories. Now if you could just turn it off when you want now that would be great.

6) My favorite snack is a good deli sandwhich. There is nothing better than a great sandwhich with ham, turkey and roast beef on a nice sub roll with mayo, pickels(lots and lots of pickels), onions, banana peppers and a little salt and a little paper. Yummy!!!

7) I really believe I have the best brothers and sister in the whole world. Kim always knows how to make me laugh about things that no one should ever laugh about. Tom under all of that noise has the best heart of anyone I know. I always know that if I need him he will always help out. Then there is my little brother Justin. I don't know Justin as well as Tom and Kim because well he is a little weirder than both of them but what I do know is that during my dad's last few months no one could have done what he did.

8) I don't really know what I do at work most days. While the companies I work for think I do a great job if I really paid attention imagine what I could accomplish. I have been very fotunate that I bluff a good game. I figure I need to really buckle down this time before some one figures it out. So if anyone has a "dummies guide to mortgage banking" I really could use it before July 30th.

Well now that is done on to the bigger news. Kristena is pregnant!!! Just kidding!!! Really I am. Actually we signed the contract on our new digs in the Big D yesterday. Actually the process was quite fast. We decided we did not want to live in corporate housing because well it is corporate housing and we have had nothing but bug infestations, dirty/hairy tubs and rotten floors in corporate housing so Kristena and I decided it would be a great idea if I flew to Dallas and did a mad dash for a house. The realtor assigned by our relocation company picked me up at 7:30 and we were off. I was certain that I already knew which one we were going to buy but if you put lipstick on a pig its still a pig. And the first had great lipstick but it sure was one ugly pig. For any of you about to list your home here are Big John's keys to selling your house:

1)Remove all hair from your drains. Nothing say "YUCK" like one of your back hairs springing out of the tube drain.

2) It does not hurt to wipe the dirt. Take a lysol wipe and remove at least the top 5 layers from the counters.

3) If you use wallpaper make sure that you use the glue on the back. Wallpaper peeling down the wall is not a strong selling point.

4) Pick colors that are not "original" colors. If the Home Depot person asks you
"are you really sure that is the right color?" then maybe you should not make that the accent wall in the main living room.

5) Finally no one wants to see your underwear, used swimming trunks or anything that might be worn directly against your back side.

So needless to say my favorite was a dud and then some. So by the time lunch came and went my enthusiasm was starting to fade. Then like a ray of sunshine there she was in all of her beauty. 3200+ square feet of glory. I called Kristena and she started researching the schools. And I began the negotiating with the builder. We came to the table wrote the contract and boom we got it. Let me give you some of the vital stats:

3260 sq. ft
5 bedrooms plus a study which could be a sixth bedroom. (no crazy ideas mom)
3.5 baths
Covered Patio and Fenced yard
Granite Countertops
Stainless Appliances
Butlers Pantry with walk in pantry
loads of storage
and one of the nicest neighborhoods you can ever imagine.

There are 5 pools, tons of walking trails, a bunch of playgrounds, shopping close by and a great clubhouse. It really is better than we could have imagined. I have attached so new photos of the new place for your viewing pleasure. Each of you are invited to come stay for a bit and see the place.

Well that's it time for dinner. Love to all of you. We are on our way to the Big D on Friday.