What am I Doing Up?

It's 1:30am as I sit here in my Houston apartment thinking "What am I still doing up at this hour?"

The first problem is I have an awful lot on my mind, and on my plate, these days. The second is that I have gotten my days and nights swapped around again and can't seem to go back the other way. Because I really like working alone, and find that I can generally get so much more accomplished that way, I often choose to work nights and sleep days. It causes a few problems for me, however, like the fact that I can't get clarifications or questions answered when I need them, or the fact that I can never find a decent parking spot at the apartment complex if I come in after 7pm, etc. This morning I will try to go to bed before 3am and be at work by 7am (don't worry...I slept a LOT earlier this evening).

I have more schedule craziness to come over the next few weeks. I have tried to become more active in some of the associations that I belong to, like the PMI and the AITP, so I attend meetings each month and special presentations that come up. Also, I have been attending some other events that are for personal enhancement, education and enjoyment. This includes an upcoming (Jan 31) event to hear Maya Angelou speak, a "Project Management Best Practices" conference, and the birthday part of a long-time friend (typically an event I would avoid, but something I'm going to attend because I think it will do me some good.) And finally, I am trying to get ready to take an extensive exam for my PMP (Project Management Professional) certification, so I'm spending Saturdays in an all-day class and try to study between 1 and 3 hours each day on the topic.

But the biggest upcoming event, and the one I am most looking forward to, is Leo coming home on the 29th. It seems like he's been gone SO LONG this time, and I am so thrilled that he will be home in less than a week!

We've been working on several projects on the house that I am almost ready to share, but I'm saving the updates as a surprise for Leo, so I guess you guys will have to wait to find out more as well. [Be sure and check back at the end of the month. Once Leo's home and has seen everything, I'll be posting updates, photos, and more.]

The family all seems to be doing well, although I haven't seen any of them in a while. Still, the girls call on a regular basis, I get the occasionally email from my 8-year-old granddaughter (do you know how COOL that is!?!), and I see Jess [my bil] and Grace a couple of times each week.

I am in for a change soon as we've decided to give up the Houston apartment for a while. I have been trying to work more from home and less from Houston (with only minor success) and I have less need for the apartment than I have in a while. I'm going to alternate between staying at my sis' house and taking advantage of some of the cheaper hotels in the city. I'm not particularly demanding when it comes to hotels; if they are clean, have a bed and have a shower, I'm good. At this point it's hard to say whether giving up the apartment will save or cost me money in the long run...we'll just have to wait and see.

Ah...I see that it's now 2am and I have a little more studying to do before hitting the hay. I'm currently focusing on Project Management Processes, something I understand pretty well in general, but need to get the specifics down a little better in my mind in preparation for the exam. I would like to be working on something a little more entertaining, like learning more about Photoshop, programming a little in XML, or playing around a bit more in the newest version of Visual Studio. But...all that will have to wait. First things first. And right now that means one more chapter in my book, a quick shower, and a couple of hours of sleep before it all starts again. Nightey night all!

New Grandchild on the Way!!!

Yup...big announcement, right? Rachael (our youngest) and Lee have four lovely, lively children now. At 8, Madison is a real sweetie and often runs herd over the others. Red-headed Mason is 5, a sweet-natured boy and tons of fun to be around. Kaya is 4, stepdaughter to Rachael but definitely part of the family. She is petite and sweet and we adore her as well. Zoe is the newest at 8 months. She'll only be 16 months old when she has to make way for the new baby, but I'm sure they'll handle it all just fine.

The family held off making the announcement until they got settled into their new place--they didn't want everyone to worry. You see, they lost their home in the hurricane, and have been living in a travel trailer in her dad's yard ever since. Last week they got moved into a very nice brand new 5-bedroom/3-bath double-wide, and the kids are just going crazy over all the room. So, new home, new baby, new adventures ahead for the entire family.

Madison is going to take a little trip soon and go live with her Aunt Becca and Uncle Shannon for the rest of the school year. She views it as a big adventure, Rebecca and Shannon are so looking forward to it all, and it will give Rachael and Lee a bit of a break as they get through the next few months and all the changes that are in store.

Everyone is healthy and happy, and life is good for our clan. Can't wait to see what other excitement occurs in 2009!

Leo Keeping in Touch

Every day between 1¹and 12pm, I watch my mailbox closely. That's usually when Leo gets a minute free and drops me a line. I sometimes find out about the weather, sometimes about the work progress, and occasionally about some mischief that he's been involved in. But I ALWAYS find out how much he misses me and how he longs to be home again. So, I stay up a little late and wait on his message. It's important to me.

Happy New Year!

As the US prepares for the ball to drop in a couple of hours, other parts of the world have already been-there-done-that. Weird, don't you think?

I am celebrating New Year's alone in Houston. Splurged by going out to Whataburger and eating the first burger I've had in more than 3 months. It was SO good! I thought I would be lonely/sappy tonight, but that's not really the case. Leo has been in touch every day since he's been gone, and that makes all the difference. [Note: He sends everyone a big New Year's hug today!]

I've read so many messages and articles about people ready for this year to be over, but I have to say that for Leo and I, 2008 has been a very good year. We accomplished several things this year, and had some good luck as well:

• I earned my Master of Science degree from the University of Texas at Austin
• We added another grandchild (Zoe) to our growing collection
• The girls all seem to be healthy and happy
• Leo got a job that is helping us finish the house
• Gas prices are down, our savings are holding steady, and we are not losing ground financially
• I had a goal of losing 50 lbs by the end of the year and I lost 55

What more could we ask? As I said, 2008 has been a very good year for us and we are looking forward to more fun in 2009.

We do have some goals/expectations for 2009 that I will share here. I don't believe that sharing them is going to "jinx" them in any way...they are real, honest expectations:

• We expect Leo to retire [again] before the end of the year and become a real home-body
• I expect to lose another 75 lbs.
• We expect to finish the house and have a big family get-together there next Christmas
• I expect to get into a postgraduate (PhD) program somewhere
• I expect to be an active participant in a new start-up venture
• We expect the year to be fun, family-oriented, comfortable, challenging, and even better than this year

Hmm...I think that about covers it for us.

So here's hoping 2009 turns out to be everything you want it to, and that your efforts are a big part of why that turns out to be true! Stay in touch, keep dropping by here when you are bored, stay faithful and true to yourselves and to the things that you value. All our love...Leo and Bea

New Tech Tool

For those of you who have seen my laptop, you might be tempted to think it's no laptop at all. First, one of the fans in it is broken, so I have to use an external fan pad for cooling. Second, it's got a monster 17" monitor on it along with a full (numeric and all) keyboard, so it is really huge. Third, it weighs a ton. Fourth, I generally set it up with a second monitor running. Fifth, because it is such a huge machine, it has no battery life, so it must always be plugged in. Yes, it is more a portable computer than a laptop.

This week when my sister and I were at Office Depot, I was telling her about how I've been thinking of getting a mini-laptop. When we swung by the display, I saw one that I loved ($1,100) right beside one that really piqued my interest ($349). Interesting. She encouraged me to buy it right then, but I have this "rule" about impulse purchases, so I walked away from it. When I got back to the office, I put in some time researching the machine, finding out what it can and can't do, then I went back and made a purchase.

Yes, I have a brand new $349 computer now, smaller than a standard piece of paper, less than 2.5 lbs., with a minimum of programs loaded on it, but definitely a cool little machine. I am calling it my "meeting machine". It will be the one I grab out of my purse when I'm in a meeting and need to look something up on the internet, fire off a quick email, or take notes. Oh, and after the iPhone incident I definitely worry about cool gadgets, no matter how inexpensive they are; I am learning to walk around with my purse zipped closed!

I'm posting a photo here of my two laptops. The cute little guy on top is a pretty blue color, doesn't have much to it (not even a cd-rom!) but is just the right thing for my "meeting machine". The big boy in back is still my "main man".

Harmattan Has Arrived

As we make last minute preparations for Leo's leaving today, a note from a coworker indicated his trip back into Nigeria may not be as straightforward as before. The harmattan has arrived.

"For a few weeks each year, the shifting winds roil southward out of the Sahara Desert, drying out West Africa's air and darkening its skies with sandy grit. The dusty wind grounds planes, coats palm trees in yellow dust and sends inhabitants accustomed to blustery equatorial weather huddling together against an uncommon nighttime chill." (link to full article).

Leo's friend Barry sent him a note this morning warning that flights have been grounded the last few days as this annual weather phenomenon has begun in earnest. The season for the harmattan to blow lasts about 3 months, according to Leo. Although he has yet to actually experience them, even this man that grew up along the hurricane coast has heard enough to make him wary of what awaits him there.

"The harmattan, which is caused by shifting weather patterns, derives its name from the word for 'tears your breath apart' in the West African language Twi..."

Yikes! A wind called tears your breath apart? I'm guessing that's quite a wind! I'll be sure and post an update from Leo if/when I get one after he arrives.

I'm posting a few additional links here to articles I found interesting or engaging while researching the harmattan:

• The Long Harmattan Season - an often interesting blog from a Nigerian national journalist
• Scenes of Africa and Arabia - some absolutely beautiful photography from the other side of the globe
• Harmattan Haze - an article about stranded flights on Christmas Day at the airport where Leo is headed

Well, our packing continues and we are both doing a good job of keeping the tears back. I'll cry after I drop him off at the airport, I'm sure. I mean...that's now a part of my regular routine!

The Best and the Worst

It's been an incredible week, full of incredibly good times. Today, however, I'm in a poopy sad mood as we prepare for Leo's imminent departure. He leaves on Saturday.

Last Friday, Leo and I drove the 190 miles to Liberty to pick up 3 of the grandkids. We left there and drove 225 miles to Jarrell so the kids could go spend some time with their Aunt Becca and Uncle Shannon. When we discussed it later, Leo and I both agreed that the extra mileage was well worth it...we had an absolute BLAST spending time with the 3 oldest grandchildren!

Once we arrived in Jarrell, the girls were all hyped up about promises to go ice skating. [Mason kept insisting that he was going to stay home and drink hot chocolate with Uncle Shannon!] When we finally got to the right place, got the skates all laced up and the girls ready to get out on the ice (Leo and I decided to sit this little adventure out!) we had so much fun watching them try to get their bearings. Kaya is such a petite little thing, she started off without much trouble at all. Madison had a bit more trouble getting started, but was not intimidated by the ice at all. We were only there a short while before the guys showed up [long story that one] and Uncle Shannon and Mason joined the girls on the ice. By the end of the evening all the kids were whizzing about with confidence. Oh, we had so much fun! I hope this is going to be an annual tradition!

After we got back to Jarrell, Rachael, Lee and Zoe showed up. We had a lot of fun playing around a bit, but the kids were worn out enough to get to bed at a reasonable time. When morning came, after a big breakfast and some more fun and games, the kids were ready to open presents. Mom made them pick out a present and open them one at a time while the others watched. I wasn't so sure this was a good idea until about the 3rd present. Then I noticed that the kids were working together, making nice comments about each others' gifts, and taking the time to participate fully in the festivities. That's when I realized Rachael had picked the perfect method for the morning.

Later in the afternoon we all packed up and drove a few miles down the road to Dean and Andrea's place in Walburg. Andrea did a WONDERFUL job preparing for our annual Christmas gathering. We were missing our oldest, Michelle, as well as my youngest brother and his family, but had a great time anyway. Next year the celebration is going to be at my house, and I am REALLY looking forward to it!

The rest of the week was spent working on the house. I worked [from home] while the other work was going on, but it was really nice to see Leo EVERY DAY for a week. That just NEVER happens any more! The guys finished up a good portion of the ceiling before I had to order extra materials. The ceiling is a wood product from Armstrong. It was a bit of a risk since I have never actually seen the material installed in a home, but we have decided we LOVE it. Now if we can just make it "work" with all the other elements.

The absolute biggest change, however, is the flooring going in. We have it installed in the guest bedroom now and in over half of the library. When the guys come back on January 5th, they will be installing it in the master bedroom, will finish the ceilings and the library. I am hoping that by the time Leo gets home in February, there will be a LOT of good changes to the house.

I am so NOT ready for him to go this time. I thought it would get better, that it would be easier as time went by, but I was wrong. The more fun times we spend together, the harder it is to let him go. I just don't know how long we are going to be able to keep this up. Right now our goal is to have it all come to an end before next Christmas.

I hope everyone had as much Christmas fun as we did today. We just hung out with Jess, Grace, and Jess' sister Barbara. We put puzzles together, ate a lot of really good food, and spent a wonderful day enjoying each others' company. Next year will be my turn to host the festivities and I am sure we are going to have a blast, but we are going to do it in MY kitchen in 2009. Happy holidays, Merry Christmas, and best wishes to you and yours for a happy and prosperous 2009!

Finished Pouting...Moving On

In case you are wondering why I've been "silent" on the blog for a while I will admit now that it is [mainly] because I've been POUTING. My beloved iPhone was stolen from me while attending a conference in Houston. Man, I really LOVED that thing! While I was not that surprised when Leo's phone was stolen from him in the wilds of Nigeria (yes, I know that is a remark dripping with prejudice and American ignorance), I just could not believe mine was taken on an evening when we were in a "controlled" environment, celebrating the holidays, and enjoying watching the snowfall outside the window. I mean, it was a perfect Christmas time outing and it was spoiled by the fact that someone wanted to take something of mine for their very own.

And here's the oddest thing of all...the value of the phone to the thief is less than $200, while the impact to me is well over $500. You see, if you buy a new phone at ATT it costs $199. To activate all the fancy features on it costs $20/month. But to replace a stolen one is impossible...ATT is not at all interested in helping with that. They will not sell me a $199 phone, they will not sell me an "unsubsidized" phone ($599) to replace it. I can start all over, I think, by canceling my old contract ($175) and starting all over with a new iPhone ($199) but am not quite ready for that yet. So you see, the value to the thief was very little compared to the cost to me. THAT'S the part that angers me most.

But, I'm over it now. It's done. It's over. I'm ready to move on. Perhaps I'll have another phone of some kind activated by next week and will once again be "available" by phone. Off the record, however, I'm actually enjoying the phone-free world for these few interim weeks. :-)

Home Safe and Sound

Yes, Leo made it home safe and sound and I couldn't be happier! I have 3 days off with him before I go back to work, but I'm guessing we're just going to lounge around a bit and relax. If it's not too windy out, we might even get a chance to put a couple of lines in the water and try for some delicious trout or flounder.

While he was gone, I ordered some materials for a friend of his who pastors a large congregation there in Nigeria. In return for my helping out, I got a very nice "package" as a gift. I am absolutely thrilled to get a traditional African dress! I couldn't wait to try it on! I fear that the gift far outweighed the favor, but I love it so much, there is just no way I'm going to turn a gift like this down. Leo got a beautiful outfit as well and tried it on. We were both so very pleased. Hopefully I'll get a photo of the two of us together posted soon. Until then, hope you enjoy this one of me. Headed to bed now, but will sleep peacefully and have sweet dreams I know!

Leo's Flight Map - 10:09 AM

Garage Full of Flooring

My flooring arrived today, and there is a LOT of it. I just HAD to break open a box and take a look. You know how it is. You buy something after seeing photos on the internet, and a 4x4 panel of it in the store. I mean, how does that let you know what you are buying? So, Jess and I took one carton and laid some pieces out on the floor for a look-see. All I can say is "Wow!"

The floor we chose is NOT for everyone. As a matter of fact, I'm guessing that only a handful of people are even interested in the product we bought. It is engineered wood, but has enough surface thickness to allow for several sandings if necessary. It is VERY dark and has a lot of graining in it. It is a product that I would not have been interested in even a few years ago, although I would have conceded the fact that it is beautiful. But for our quirky, wacky, crazy home here on the water (I think the experts call our style "eclectic"), I think it is PERFECT! Here is a shot of the flooring we laid out from my iPhone. Remember to click on the image to see it in a larger version. Yippee! I'm guessing by late February I'll actually have floors down in my house!

BPV is Back...ARGGGHH!

I'm so excited that Leo will be home in little more than 24 hours! What I'm NOT excited about is that a mild case of my BPV returned in the night. Yuk! For those who don't know, BPV is Benign Positional Vertigo and is a lot more annoying than it is painful or dangerous. My first bout with it some 4 or 5 years ago was really bad. I experienced nausea, nystagmus (a weird sensation that Leo likes to call "evil eyes"), and it lasted more than 2 weeks. Since then, the bouts have been much less severe, lasting only a few days, and not accompanied by the "strange" symptoms.

In my case, when it flares up it generally means that when I lay down wrong (usually with my right ear on the pillow), things begin to spin. This often happens in my sleep and is a very rude awakening! When I am standing, a swift turn of my head can set it off, but I generally move a lot more carefully and have learned to minimize this. And in general, I just feel a little "off" for a few days. Then...magically [or sometimes after a lot of silly head exercises] it goes away and stays away for another year or so. Not really a big deal anymore, but still quite ANNOYING!

The good news is that I am at home in Port Lavaca today. Crazy spinning symptoms are a lot more easily managed at home than when I am on the road. I'm home today because (note: I have kept this a secret from Leo, but since he does not have internet access...again...there is no problem here) I am expecting delivery of our new wood floors! Yippee! On the down side, our contractors did not make NEARLY the progress I was expecting, so we are still WEEKS away from being ready to start laying floors. Still...it is VERY EXCITING.

Work is crazy-busy for me right now, just like I expected. I have a TON of projects needing my attention in various stages of completion. I'll try to list some of them here to give you an idea:

• Job Safety Analysis (JSA) tool - 4 to 8 hours more
• Brookhollow Preventive Maintenance (PM) database rollover - 16 to 24 hours more
• Friendswood PM database rollover - 6 to 8 hours more
• URC PM database rollover - 24 to 48 hours more
• Interim Data Warehouse (IDW) database rollover - >40 hours more
• URC Campus Improvement documentation - 40 hours more
• GREF Measures spreadsheet updates - 36 to 48 hours more

If you are keeping up with the hours you can see that I've run out of time since all but two of these (IDW and GREF Measures) need to be finished by the end of the year. The two outstanding items need to be finished by January 15. Hmm...looks like my plans to spend most of December with Leo have been derailed a bit. Oh well. C'est la vie!

Happy Birthday (Nov. 26) Leo!!!

Leo and I have been married for almost 20 years now, and although we generally don't make a big deal about birthdays or other holidays, this is the FIRST TIME we've been apart for one of our birthdays. I don't like it. I don't like it at all. In retribution (although it is not Leo's fault) I am going to share some things that I know about Leo with you all. :-)

Leo was born on November 26, 1948 in the hospital in Harlingen, Texas. His mother was 42 at the time, and his father was 53. He was the 2nd surviving child in a LONG line of pregnancies and his arrival (and survival) was much hoped for by his parents. Leo's mother had a condition known [back in the day] as an "Rh negative factor". The first child survived (typical for the condition) but a dozen or more during the intervening years were carried almost full-term then lost to complications caused by the condition. By the time Leo was born, doctors had begun giving blood transfusions to save the newborns. Today, the condition is handled by simple medication given to the mother. At Leo's much anticipated birth, he was given his father's first name, but also a middle name (so he is not a "Junior") and was born Leonardo Enrique Amaya.

With a sister some 13 years older than he was, Leo was "mothered" by the two women in his family as he grew up. While he loved these women fiercely, it is when he talks about his father that he speaks with deep love and admiration. Leo adored his papa.

Leo grew up in a small frame house in San Benito, just across the street from the church his family attended. His family spoke Spanish at home and Leo did not learn to speak English until he began attending school in 1954. This is actually surprising since he has only a slight accent and many people do not even recognize his Mexican heritage in his speech or looks. Leo's father was a barber in the town, easily remembered still by many of Leo's age because of his nature and the fact that he had lost a leg as a child. According to Leo, his father and an older brother had taken some sheep to town to be sold when they were young, living in northern Mexico. The boys heard what they thought were firecrackers and went to investigate. It turned out to be a fire-fight between Pancho Villa's rebel forces and the local authorities, and young Leonardo was hit in the leg. A local doctor amputated the leg and Leo claims that his father always told the story pointing out how worried he was that his parents would be angry that the boys took so long in returning home.

Leo attended parochial school until High School, then attended San Benito High School, graduating in 1966. (Note: It was just a few months after his graduation that I started the first grade in Pasadena, Texas.) After graduation, he took some college courses at Texas Southmost College in Brownsville, but found that he was not really interested in attending any more school and chose to go to work instead.

I didn't become part of Leo's story until he was nearly 40, but boy have we made up for all we missed together. He is the love of my life, my soul-mate, and the man that I depend on and adore. With little more than a week left before he comes home to me, I am nearly beside myself with anticipation. We are not always the loving couple it sounds like here as we are both opinionated and stubborn enough to fuss and fight on a regular basis. But we are firmly attached at the heart and have shared so much together that even a few days apart gets us "off-kilter". I can't wait for my sweetheart to get home to me!

Happy Birthday Leo!!!

50 Down, 3000 to Go

Rebecca came to work for me this weekend, and we really had a good time. We actually tackled 2 projects, 1) cleaning/organizing the pantry, and 2) finishing the guest bath. Okay, I know it's only 50 square feet of work down and 3,000 more to go, but hey...it's a start!

Check out the finished product on the guest bath. Remember, when you come to visit, this will be your bath! :-) Anyway, we also accomplished some planning and scheming, decided on some furniture choices (guest room) for down the road, and looked into LOTS of options for different parts of the house. I'm not getting ahead of myself here; I definitely expect the house to take another full year to complete. But it does feel good to start chipping away at the piles of rubble and make some parts of the house actually complete. So much fun ahead! Next weekend's plans? Boxing, labeling, and stacking. Ooohh. What fun!

Prayers Requested

Like Leo, I hesitate to even post this information, but I think it is important to share with friends and family. Besides, I am hoping your prayers will work to keep Leo and his co-workers safe.

Yesterday, Leo's facility was under attack. No one on his side of the battle was hurt, although it is believed there were casualties on the other side since two of the 10 attack boats were sunk. Leo loves his work, feels very safe there, and worries much more about my safety in Houston than his in Nigeria (to put some perspective on it all). Still, it will be nice to know that you are all praying for his safety and for peace in the area.

Instead of trying to describe the events to you, I'm going to post some links below so you can read about them yourselves.

JTF Repels Attack on Chevron's Escravos Facility

Nigerian army repel gunmen at Escravos oil terminal (reuters)

Nigerian Army Repel Gunmen at Escravos Oil Terminal (rigzone.com)

P.S. Leo's Birthday

Just wanted to remind everyone that Leo's 60th birthday is coming up. On November 26, he will celebrate in Nigeria with his friends. When he gets home on December 5, he and I will have another celebration as well. In our emails, we both agree that missing Thanksgiving together will be harder than the birthday thing, but at least we have Christmas.

There is one caveat, however. Things have gotten a little rough in his neck of the woods and plans to leave the country are never a sure thing but more of a chancy attempt. We are hoping for the best as I miss him so very much.

Anyway, to wish Leo a happy birthday, feel free to send him an email at the following: leo dot h dot amaya at gmail dot com. (Sorry for spelling it out that way, but putting an actual email link in a blog is like handing out your address to every spam-bot on the internet. We're trying to fool the bots here!)

Thorough House Cleaning Coming Up

Two weeks until my sweetheart comes home and the house is an absolute wreck. Well, that's really to be expected considering all the construction that's been going on there. I had hoped to have wood floors in before he got home, but the delivery has been postponed (back order) until mid-December. They wanted to know if I wanted to pick a different one. "Are you crazy? It took us WEEKS to settle on that one! No way we're going to start over!!"

So, my daughter Rebecca is going to head my direction on Friday and give me a hand trying to get the place in order. We had so much fun visiting last Saturday that I am GREATLY looking forward to her visit, even if it is so we can get a lot of work done. I expect that it will take several weekends to get the job accomplished, but that's okay...we can handle it.

I hear from Leo every couple of days, via email, although I haven't heard his voice in WEEKS. He claims that the phone reception over there is poor but I think he is often too worn out at the end of the day to spend time trying to get a phone call in. It's okay though. As long as I get news from him SOME way or another, I'm good.

We are at the "hump" now with a few more days behind than in front of us. It seems like such a long time since he left, so much has been going on. I believe that our original game plan of doing this for 3 years in order to REALLY get ahead may be squashed after the first term (1 year) is over. He likes the work, I like the money, but neither of us likes the separation. Six visits to Nigeria and I'll be ready for him to give it up. I can make enough of a living for us after that!

My New iPhone

Believe it or not, I have had very little interest in the iPhone since it came out. Although I do like tech toys, I generally don't like to get them just because everyone else is. The iPhone is loved by many people because of the fact that they can enjoy tunes and videos on it as well as making phone calls. Well, I have no desire to listen to music or watch videos on my telephone, so I've been skipping over the iPhone.

Last week I went to the ATT store to look at the Blackberry Bold. I have loved Blackberrys for a long time, and I really wanted this sleek new phone. I was startled to learn the price for it is currently $349. Yikes! That's a lot more than I was hoping to pay. So, I looked around. When I took a look at the iPhone and tried out a few of the commands, it didn't take me long to decide to take this "second place" offering for $199. Well, it turns out that the things I can do on my iPhone other than listen to music and watch videos makes this machine really cool. The best thing of all for me is getting my email and being able to read it on my screen. Although my Blackberry was [admittedly] an old machine, I was still surprised at the clarity of the iPhone screen. Anyway, I won't bore you with further details (unless you ask) but I will admit that I was wrong to shy away from the iPhone. This is definitely a nice addition to my geeky product arsenal.

Thought I'd share a couple of photos I took on the phone:

This is the first image I took. It looks quite grainy when viewed in a large image but on my iPhone screen, it looks really decent. I took this from the parking lot that I use when I'm working downtown.

I took this photo of the moon rising over the water from my back porch when I got home that night. Again, it is not a perfect shot, but it is not bad for something I just whip out of my pocket, and point and shoot.

I took this one on Saturday when my daughter Rebecca and I spent some time looking at good ideas at Ikea. Since Leo couldn't be there with us, I snapped off a few pictures of things I am interested in for the house. This photo shows a computer work station positioned right up against a storage unit which makes a lot of sense to me. This is the kind of setup I would find really workable in my office. I hope Leo likes it as well since the more I think about it, the more I like it.

This last shot shows a set of bookcases that I'm thinking of as well. The nice thing about these is that they have glass doors on the front of them which keeps things a bit "tucked away". I also like the way that the units are lit from the front and am seriously thinking of mounting a light source over the door on each of them.

Anyway, just thought I would share how my new little addition to my tech-toy family is already contributing to my play time!

Home from Austin

Drove home this chilly morning and found a beautiful day waiting for me back in Port Lavaca. I had a WONDERFUL weekend spending time with my daughter Rebecca on Saturday. We went window-shopping together ALL DAY long (something unusual for both of us) and really had a lot of fun chatting, scheming, planning, and just spending time together. Now I need to schedule some of the same "together time" with the other two girls!

I have a project that needs to be done by morning, so I may be working through the night. It's one of those where I've worked through the coding in my mind, but haven't typed it in on the computer yet. There is always the risk that I can't create what I see in my mind, but I really think it's doable. I really did want to pop in a minute though and say hello. Hope you are all having a beautiful weekend as well!

Cool Weather Has Arrived

I hate it when a busy week comes along and I don't have time to post anything. It just means that when I finally get the time, I really don't know what to post. I mean, do I try to catch everyone up on everything or do I just hit the highlights. Gee...can I even REMEMBER the highlights!?

The week was good as far as Leo is concerned. He had a couple of chances to interface with me (quick emails back and forth) one night, so it was almost like he was back in town. I hope he "needs" me again sometime soon as I need that kind of interaction to stay in touch and feel connected.

On Friday morning, about 8am, Jess called to tell me the big 10-point buck was out in the yard feeding. Although we seem him on a relatively regular basis, seeing him come out in the bright daylight with people still milling around is a bit unusual. The buck was there for a while, so we all got a good look at him. (What a beautiful animal!) Once he was bored with the feeding at Jess' house, he decided to stroll across to the neighbor's. Jess got on the phone again and called Judy to tell her and Bro. David to take a look as well. When he passed the information on to Judy he tells me she got really tickled about the whole thing. The source of her amusement? She said, "David's been down at the deer blind since before sun up looking for this guy, and here he comes strolling through the yard!!"

[Jess took this photo from his kitchen window!]

I still don't have a computer hooked up at my new office in Houston. This means that I have to drive back downtown, to another site, and use one in a common area there. What it really means is that I am not able to stay as "connected" with projects as I like. I'm really hoping that computer shows up on Monday...I REALLY need to put some time in on a couple of difficult projects! That has also thrown a "kink" in my plan of working hard through the month of November in order to take off most of December when Leo is home. I am just not sure this is possible any more. Still, I'll do the best I can.

I am looking forward to spending a nice, quiet Thanksgiving with Jess and Grace (and I'm hoping Jess' sister Barbara will come as well). For Christmas, we will be headed to the Austin area to gather at the home of my older brother and his girlfriend. We never actually schedule this holiday gathering ON Christmas since there are so many other family commitments. It also serves to spread out the gift-receiving for the little ones giving them time to enjoy things a bit more.

I hope you are all well and will be able to spend quality time with your families and friends over the holidays. We still have a goal of hosting SEVERAL holiday get togethers in December 2009 as we are still hoping to have a "finished" house to show off. When the time comes, you'll definitely be hearing from me. Of course, I want you ALL to come for a visit!!

Another Weekend...Gone

I've got my last load of washing ready to go in now, have prepared my food for the whole week and packed the truck with all my "goodies". It's time for me to head back to Houston and it feels like I didn't even get a weekend.

Tomorrow night my sis and I are going to the University of Houston to listen to a lecture. The speaker is Thomas L. Friedman, author of The World is Flat and The Lexus and the Olive Tree, two books that I THOROUGHLY enjoyed. He is speaking about his latest book, Hot, Flat and Crowded which is not really one of my favorite topics. I'm one of those who thinks a little too much has been made of the global warming trend. Still, I disagreed to a great extent with him on other books, but found myself coming around to his way of thinking in the end, so I'm really curious how I will view this latest work. I am quite excited about seeing him in person.

I have a lot of work waiting for me in Houston as the end of the year always generates work for me. I am going to try my best to squeeze 2 months worth of work into 1 as I want to take as much of December off as I can to be with Leo. I picked up a new project as well, so it should be a hectic 4 weeks!

On Friday I head to Austin to attend another presentation along with a cocktail reception and dinner. The topic of this one is "What It Takes to Get Funding" and is part of the Alumni Conference series from UT. I'm hoping to see some of my old classmates there, so I'm really looking forward to it as well. I'll spend the night with my daughter Rebecca, then head home late on Saturday. It should be a fun weekend.

I continue to get the occasional update from Leo, but it is always short and sweet. He's doing fine, but the "new hire" honeymoon is over and he is really being put to work. I don't worry about his safety as he is in a very secure location but would still like to hear from him on a regular basis. While separation may make the "heart grow fonder", it's a heck of a way for a married couple to live!

Well, now that everyone is all caught up on my latest goings on, perhaps you'll drop in a comment or send me an email and let me know what you are up to!

Leo Has Internet Access!

Yes, that's right. In the crazy world of Nigerian plant start-ups, the powers that be have seen fit to provide Leo with a way to keep in touch. Now, I wouldn't start thinking of sending a bunch of emails to him if I were you as having access is not quite the same as having TIME to access it. But still, don't be surprised if you find a random email from Leo all the way from Nigeria.

I had a really long and eventful week in Houston, so I'm ready for a restful weekend. I will definitely post again soon, but just wanted to send a shout out so people will know I am home, life is good, and Leo and I are "connected" again. Yippee!!

Change of Venue

I was slightly disappointed to find that the voting for my precinct had been moved from the County Barn (my absolute FAVORITE place to vote!) to the K.C. hall. Still, two sweet little old ladies and four cardboard voting slots were still the voting method, so the casting of my quaint rural vote was still a good experience. I have avoided all television coverage of the election (definitely no longer "unbiased"!!) contenting myself instead to read up on candidate speeches and legislative records. Today I exercised my right to vote and tomorrow I will convince myself to support the new president.

I talked to Leo at 3am while he was in Germany. I spoke to him again about 6pm while he was in Nigeria getting ready for a little sleep. He has one more flight in the morning (his morning) then will be back at work. I will drive back into Houston and get all set up for the rest of my week as well.

I'm starting at a new location tomorrow and looking forward to it. I don't think I have a computer there yet, but I'll be able to get some work done anyway, I'm sure. I'll hang out there until Friday, swing by Danbury to catch the nephew's football game, and be home by midnight on Friday night. Only a few more months of "toughing it out" I think, then we'll be making so much progress on the house, it will feel like a real home. I still think it will take until next Christmas to get everything done that we're wanting to do, but a LOT of the looks of the house are changing already. I'm still holding out hope that the floors will go in before Leo gets home as that will make an INCREDIBLE difference in the look and feel of the house. After 15 years of walking on CONCRETE, wood floors are going to be the ultimate luxury!

I can see that I can only get 5 hours of sleep in tonight, so I guess I better hit the hay. Hope everyone is doing fine and that you are ALL making plans to come see us in the next 12 months. We can't WAIT to have visitors in our home and not be embarrassed about it!!!

Traveling Again

Well, he's well on his way now. According to the flight tracker, Leo is well past Newfoundland and still has another 4 hours to go before arriving in Frankfurt. We left home at 10:45 this morning and drove to Houston. We enjoyed a leisurely lunch at Chili's, near the airport, then I pulled up and dropped him off at about 2:45. From there I headed to the apartment to pay the rent and pick up some cables. I talked to Leo from there since he was still waiting on his 4:30 flight to leave. After that I drove to my sis' house and visited with her a bit, then back home to Port Lavaca. It was a long day for me, and a long drive, but NOTHING like the trip Leo is taking. I definitely got the short end of the stick on this one.

Of course, I miss him already and wish he was back home, but I guess that's really silly since he's only been gone a few hours. He's promised to call from Frankfurt, so I'll sleep with the phone by my side tonight. Although he was not ready to leave me yet, he was actually looking a bit forward to getting back on the job, seeing all his new friends, and getting back to work. His schedule keeps him really busy, and I'm thinking that makes the time pass more quickly. Now I can start counting down to December 3 when I can pick him up at the airport once again. I'm REALLY looking forward to a very FUN December...if I can just make it through this dreary November!!!

Tears Tomorrow

It was so wonderful having Leo home for a few weeks, but it has come to an end. I will take him to the airport tomorrow, and he will be in Germany by Tuesday morning. Although I keep telling myself it will be better if I don't cry tomorrow, there's no way for me to know what will happen. For those of you who don't know me well, the truth is, I'm not much of a crier. Sad movies don't do it for me, fear and anxiety don't drive me to tears, but embarrassingly, I have no control over the tears that show up when I'm angry. Occasionally, something patriotic or touching (like Leo's story of how some of the security guards pray together at shift change) will take me there as well. But my hubby leaving town for a bit? Sheesh...what's there to cry about! I cried like a baby when he left last time.

Work is continuing at a hectic pace for me, so it's not like I'm going to have a lot of time to be "lonely". I have plans to visit my mom, visit my daughters, take care of a lot of odds-and-ends, and earn my PMP (Project Management Professional) certification while he's gone, so perhaps the time will pass quickly. I was also hoping to get new wood floors installed throughout the house before Leo returns in December, but it looks like there will be no break on the shipping. I'm guessing he'll be long home before it shows up ready for installation.

Still, we had a really nice month together. Leo spent a lot of time visiting with Jess this week, and enjoyed it all thoroughly. We sat in the dark late Friday night and watched the deer feeding in the yard. The way we have it set up, we can observe them really close up although they can't see us. The biggest herd was last night, when I saw 10 does and fawns in a group. They are really beautiful creatures. I'm guessing last week's visits from the bigger bucks won't be repeated. I doubt those beauties will make it through the first weeks of hunting season.

The picture I'm sharing with you is one I took earlier in the week. I was walking down to the pier when I noticed this large flock of pelicans flying overhead. Wow! Don't forget to click on the photo to see it in a larger version. [Note: We have a bit of a joke about carrying cameras to the pier. It always means we are expecting the fishing to be so good we'll want to take pictures, but just like the proverbial rain that comes when you wash your vehicle, we almost NEVER have good luck when we bring the cameras along! So, a nice shot of a pelican flock on a beautiful day is like a concession prize.]

Busy Bea

It's nearly midnight and I am so tired, but it's been so long since I posted an update, I just HAD to post a few words. Life is good and things are going well, but I am working hard which is really typical for this time of year with me. I wanted so badly to take off this week and spend it with Leo since he will be leaving on Monday, but it was not to be. I have to be in Houston from Wednesday through Friday.

It's a chilly night outside, but warm and comfy in here. We've been watching the deer every day and night for the past couple of weeks. Now that the "season" is here, we even have a couple of nice bucks that show up and show off for us. I cannot tell you how nice it is to wake up in the morning to see the deer feeding outside. It has been so very beautiful. The guys have had some nice luck with fishing as well, so I've been dining in style on fresh trout on a regular basis!

I'm sorry I don't have more to share, but I need to get a bit of sleep now. I will try to catch up on news with you all as soon as I get a chance, but for now, it's nightey-night!

Getting Ready to Start on the House Again

No, really. I mean, this time we are really going to get to work on the house and I'm expecting us to make some real progress. The biggest question is, how long will the money hold out?

Leo got in touch with the brother of a close friend who was in a good spot to take over on some construction work. He and his helper came by to meet us yesterday. We were impressed. The guy was not a braggart, but talked to us in a very matter-of-fact way. He asked the right questions, took my comments in stride (um...unlike Leo, I can sometimes be hard on contractors) and let us know that he is ready and willing to start tackling both the unfinished items AND those that have to be reworked a bit. So...he starts on Monday.

With only one of Leo's paychecks to work with, we are not exactly flush with cash. When we found out that the wood flooring we were set on has been discontinued, we had to go back to the drawing board and start again. It turns out we both really like an exotic wood that is not a subtle as our original choice. But best of all, when we priced it, it turns out to be 40% lower in price than the first one. Perhaps we can make our money stretch a bit after all!

So, we're headed to Houston this afternoon, hope to make our nephew's football game this evening, make some more selections (tile, hardware, etc.) tomorrow, and be home by Saturday morning. I'm trying not to get excited about having something OTHER than the concrete we've lived on for 10 years under foot, but it's difficult. I mean, come on...it could happen. We just might get started on the house and keep working on it until it is complete. And when we get there, you are ALL invited to the housewarming party of the year! My estimated completion date? Um...December 2009. Yup. That's my best guess!

Proof!!

Ever since Leo's been home, he's been telling such wonderful stories about his adventures in Nigeria, and all points between. He has a real respect for the "nationals" he's come in contact with and has made several close friends among the "expats" as well. Although my emotions have swung both ways when it comes to the issue of letting him return to Nigeria, I am very much comforted by the fact that he is surrounded by people that are taking good care of him and by people that he considers "friends". We'll see when November 3 rolls around, however. Saying it's alright for him to go again and watching him get on that airplane are two entirely different things!

I did want to provide some PROOF that Leo and I actually do live together on occasion, so as we were headed out the door on our way to church this morning, I made him stop and take a photo with me. (He's a really good-looking bald-headed man, don't you think?!?)

Baby's Home!!!

He looks good, seems to be healthy and happy, and doesn't have to leave again until November 6. I keep calling out from my office, "You still there?" which I'm sure is annoying him. I have to go in to work in Houston on Tuesday, and at the moment, I'm wondering if I can handle the 8 hours of separation! :-) Yup...my baby's home!!!

Headed to Germany

Although I couldn't find a flight tracker to show Leo's flight from Lagos to Frankfurt, I'm relatively sure he's on his way there now. He should be landing there sometime before morning. After a nice little wait (4-1/2 hours or so) he'll take off again and be headed our way. If you want to track his flight from Germany, just go to FlightExplorer and track flight number LH440. When you look at the map below on that site, the line in the image below will start showing purple as his flight progresses. Remember to click on the image below to see it in a larger size.

Leo at the Airport

Just got a text message from Leo telling me he got his passport and is waiting at the airport in Lagos!! He followed up by telling me that a strike is starting in Escravos, and that last time (seems it happens a LOT) it shut the airport down. I'm guessing that since he's already made it from Escravos to Lagos, he's almost home free.

While I'm thinking of taking a little nap so I can go to work in the middle of the night and be out by noon tomorrow, I'm guessing Leo is NOT looking forward to the next 26 hours. He is stuck at the airport in Lagos for the next 5, will then board a flight for Germany and land in Frankfurt by morning, have to spend a 5 hour layover there, then board the long flight for home. His flight is supposed to arrive in Houston tomorrow at 1:35pm. I can't wait!!!

On Pins and Needles

Sorry my posts are so few and far between these days, but I've really got a lot [of projects] on my plate at the moment. It's so bad that when I drove to church yesterday and walked up to the door, I looked at my watch and realized the service was just about to END, not BEGIN!

Although I get the occasional phone call from Leo, it is generally not as often or as long as I would like. He is on the schedule to come home on THURSDAY, YIPPEE!! However, there is still that problem of the Visa and Passport still being in the hands of the officials. No passport/visa, no trip home. I am definitely on pins and needles about the whole thing.

Work is going fine, although still a bit overwhelming. I am trying my best to get to a good stopping place before Leo gets home. I'm planning on being off Thursday through Monday, but am hoping I can stretch it out even more since I know that Leo and I are going to want to make up for lost time by spending as much time as we can together.

Believe it or not, I'm getting ready now to head to bed. I should get up a bit past midnight and head into work then. The building is quiet, I am able to work effectively, and can also turn on some music to work by. I have a "game plan" all laid out for the two projects I am targeting, then should be home and ready for breakfast by 9am or so. Yes, I know...it's a crazy life, but somebody's got to do it!

Waiting on Leo

Tomorrow is our 19th wedding anniversary and I'm already bummed to be spending it alone. I'm in Houston, at least for today and tomorrow. I'd like to go home after that, but I'm guessing I won't get to. For some reason, it makes my clients feel better when I'm in Houston. Go figure!

Leo has a flight scheduled for October 6th, but he tells me that it's going to be changed. Two things have to happen in order for him to come home: 1) his relief has to show up, and 2) his visa has to be returned to him from the Nigerian government. He just got word that his relief has been delayed a couple of days, and there is no word at all on where his visa is. So, we are currently in limbo. I've promised him that our anniversary celebration will wait until he gets back, but now I'm hoping that we won't have to celebrate it at the same time as his birthday (November 26)!

Jess and Grace are leaving for New Mexico tomorrow, and that bums me too. Almost every day that I'm home, Jess and I spend time down at the pier fishing. We talk about all kinds of things like Leo, family, weather, and we sometimes plan and scheme as well. Sometimes we just sit and enjoy the beautiful weather. Jess always outfishes me, but that's no big deal...I enjoy the fishing whether I catch anything or not. I already can't wait for them to get home, but especially now that Leo's return is so uncertain.

My girls and I talk almost every day via telephone, so it's not like I'm totally out of touch with everyone. And I often spend Friday nights with my sis at my oldest nephew's football games. I'm hanging in there and really doing okay, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't miss my hubby and want him home with me.

So here's hoping that things go well and my sweetie will be home with me before another 2 weeks are up. If you are anywhere in the vacinity of my house and hear a bunch of whooping and hollering, you'll know that he's on his way home. Until then, well, I'll just hold down the fort as best I can.

P.S. For anyone who is wondering about why Leo won't answer your email, it's because he can't. He can't even read it yet. The project he is on gives him very VERY limited access to communication methods. I'm sure he'll get around to answering you when he gets home!

Trip to Houston

Last night I had to make a run to my apartment in Houston to clean it up and get it ready for a friend to use. I cannot really describe how strange the trip was, but I'm going to try. I stopped by my sister's house on the way to drop off a cd for my nephew. Most of the trip was uneventful and I saw little evidence of a storm of any kind until I was 30 miles from her house.

Even the places that were hit really hard could not be described as "total destruction" but rather as "random" or "spotty" destruction. I saw a place that sells those inexpensive little metal garden sheds in Alvin. Of the 20 or so set up on their lot, 80% of them had no visible damage while the rest looked like they had been hit by a freight train. Seeing a perfect line of electrical poles with one in the center snapped off in the middle was another example. Of course, I did see places where pole after pole was laying on the ground or on the road. However, most of this was what I saw today. Yesterday involved a nightmare of a different kind.

By the time I left Sis' house it was just starting to get dark. No problem. But when I got to Alvin, I found no electricity anywhere. Do you know how weird it is to drive into a familiar place and find no street lights, no working traffic lights? Again, I thought it was no big deal at first, just follow the rules and treat every traffic light as if it is a 4-way stop. Well, that's a lot easier said than done. I've driven that route a good number of times and I still missed a couple of intersections. Thankfully, no one was coming the other way. I just couldn't see the intersections coming in the dark! Then a couple of times I stopped at intersections only to realize that they were new, and the lights weren't yet working. I got a nice little honk at one of these to let me know my mistake.

I got closer and closer to the apartment, and still could see no one with electricity. I thought for sure my trip had been wasted and I would have to head back to sis' house. But when I came up to I-45, I could see that although the stores were without power and the traffic lights were without power, my apartment complex was lit up. Yippee!

It was a long hard day getting things cleaned up and packed up, but I got a LOT of help from my two nephews!! I also made sure I left in early afternoon to get home at a reasonable time. I just can't begin to describe all the sights I saw along the way, but you'll have to trust me when I say I saw things I wish I never had. Things are really tough out there and I am SO THANKFUL that I am a casual observer rather than an active participant. I feel for all of you that have to deal with it right now! You are definitely in my thoughts and prayers!!

Heading Back to Houston

Man, am I dreading this trip! But someone I know is in a real need of some place to stay for a couple of months. Their home sustained extensive damage during the storm. And since I can work some from home, and don't have to be in Houston every day, I offered up my apartment to them. Now, I have to go back and clean up the mess in order to turn it over to them.

While I haven't been able to find out anything specific about the complex (I just realized I must not be very "neighborly"!), I did find a couple of postings from individuals stating they did not receive any damage. The really big question is whether or not there is power.

So, I'm loaded up with gasoline and water, bringing some food with me, and am headed back to Houston. If I find the apartment without power, I'll turn around and head back to my sis' house in Danbury, some 40 miles away. Her home still has power, although I learned this morning that most of the town there still does not.

This cool weather is such a BLESSING after the disaster...that's for sure. I'll be sure and post an update of what I see on my trip, but hopefully I'll be home again by tomorrow night, ready to set up my home office a bit and get back to work.

P.S. Please keep my youngest, Rachael, and her family in your thoughts and prayers. She is trying to work, keep a 4 month old, 5 year old, and 8 year old while her husband is working in West Texas for the next couple of weeks. She is staying at her dad's house, where a generator gives them a few comforts, but the place is full of other "refugees" and it is really hard on them all. I'm hoping she decides to send the kids to her sister's house in Austin since it looks like they will be without power for the next few months. Gas lines are long, they can't get enough water (important for the baby!), and it's difficult for the kids to be cooped up and not go anywhere. If I lived in a finished house, I'd bring them to my place for a bit. But my place is in no condition for children. Anyway, thanks for your prayers.

Can't Return to the City Yet

I've tried several ways of checking to see if I could/should return to Houston yet and finally found the answer (posted at ABC13.com):

Residents of Webster are not advised to return
Residents of Webster are not advised to return to the City at this time. Damage Assessment will take place as soon as possible to determine when citizens may safely return to the area. The City of Webster is without power. City crews are attempting to restore utilities. Do not attempt to travel around the City as roads may be barricaded or impassable. Some roads have debris and crews need to clear the rights-of-way. The entire Police Department Patrol Units are patrolling and safeguarding the community.

I guess I'll try again tomorrow.

This morning was absolutely BEAUTIFUL here on the bay! When I went to Walmart to buy a $58 microwave, everyone seemed to be in a cheery mood. Our first cool front has arrived (not sweater weather...just a break from the heat!) and we avoided the storm here, so people are feeling good. When I got back to the house, I startled a young fawn in the yard. She was a large youngster but still had her spots. Yes, this morning was beautiful.

Although I did get to talk to Leo for a few minutes this morning, our call was cut short and I was really disappointed. He also told me that he might stay an extra week in order to work an overlap with his relief. I did NOT want to hear this, but I totally understand. I mean, these guys have never even met yet. So imagine trying to work a job, handoff tasks, and takeover tasks from someone you rarely interact with (via email) and have never even met. Yes, disappointed but understanding...that's me.

Daily Routine

It looks like Leo and I have established a daily routine of sorts. I sleep with my cell phone on the bed next to me knowing that Leo will call between 5:30 and 6:30 am and we'll talk. The connection is good, as we can hear each other clearly, but there is a bit of a delay in the communication (think of CNN as they talk to their reporters in Baghdad).

I've found out that although Leo is disappointed to not be in a Training Coordinator role, he has nothing but good things to tell me about his new friends and co-workers. He assures me that security on the site is incredibly high, so he never worries about anything happening to him. (He did tell me there was a kidnapping of 2 Canadians in Lagos yesterday, but they were out on the town and not taking suggested precautions.) The living conditions are okay, the food is really good, and he LOVES the daily laundry service! We both regret that his time on the computer is very limited and he can only dash off quick emails once or twice a day. I'm not sure I could live without the internet! :-)

This thing we are doing is difficult, even more than I thought it would be. I am someone who has always been quite comfortable alone, requiring little interaction with people and enjoying it all the more because it happens relatively infrequently. Leo on the other hand THRIVES on personal interaction. So in that respect, we are both getting what we want out of the deal. I have lots of alone time, and he has lots of time with interesting people from around the world.

But up until now, when I wanted to see Leo, all I had to do was call him up and we'd be back together in a matter of hours. Now, I just wait every morning for a phone call, and watch every evening for a short email. I hate to say it, but I'm thinking that the original plan of 3 years of this is just not doable. Not doable at all. We'll have to see, won't we.

Final Ike Report

Marek Lane Neighborhood, Six Mile Texas

• Wind damage: 0
• Rainfall: 0"
• Storm surge: 1-2 feet
• Trees/limbs lost: 0
• Hours without electricity: 0
• Current conditions: Hot, sunny, and breezy
• Overall: Neighbors...come on back! I'm lonely here!

Family

• Rob and Donna: Have no word about their home in Texas City yet. Some areas were heavily damaged while others were not. There is still no electricity there so it might be a while before they can go home and check it out.
• Ginger: Sis and the boys are going to stay out of town for a while. Brother-in-law Wade rode out the storm and reported that while they did lose power and some of their trees, the house did not sustain any damage.
• Rachael: Rae and her family are still at her dad's and not out of the woods, but the last rain bands should be clearing out in the next hour or two. The kids slept through the storm which was a really good thing. Trees are down, the roof is leaking, and electricity is out. However, they have access to a generator (a big one) so should have generated power soon. The last worry is really how high the water will rise along the Trinity River. No one has been able to go by her mobile home to see if it's okay, but neighbors are reporting no damage so perhaps this will be true of their place as well.
• Michelle: Shell was finally able to get the rest of her family packed up and headed to Dallas. No word on how their neighborhood fared, but LaPorte is without electricity and is now under a curfew with residents not being allowed in or out, so it may be a while before they know about damage.

Breezes, Gusts, but No Rain Yet

I was surprised to be woken up at 5:30 by a phone call from Leo. I could not believe that I was able to sleep through the night with everything that's going on. However, when I walked to the back door and stepped outside, here's what I found:

I won't be able to see well for another hour, but as far as I can see, it looks like a typical gusty day here on the coast. There is one exception, however, and because of all of our windows facing east-northeast, it's a good one. Strangely, the wind is coming out of the west. Living on the bay, this is a phenomenon that almost NEVER happens. What it means is that the high water is being pushed back out, so at the moment, it is back down to what amounts to a slightly high tide for us. In other words, still, even now as parts east of us are getting POUNDED, Six Mile is doing just fine! The day's not over, but I'm hoping that our luck continues.

Now, back to Leo. It was SOOOO GOOD to hear from him, but the message was WAY too short. He's still feeling a little overwhelmed by everything that's in his lap, but he's committed to sticking it out. He reports that the team he is on is GREAT and that they are knowledgeable and competent. While being a Training Coordinator was well within his comfort zone, the job they have him doing at the moment seems to worry him a bit. But listen...I know this man. And although he's concerned that he won't be an effective team player, I know better. As soon as he figures out exactly what they want from him, he'll be competent to deliver with FLYING COLORS!

Listen, nothing to worry about, I'm sure, but I'm starting to hear some "booms" outside. While it could be Formosa (they've been flaring for the past couple of days), it might be some weather coming in. So, I'm going to sign off, take a look, and see if I can figure it out.

Don't worry about me...I'm doing fine here!

Last Posting

While Galveston is getting pounded, it is actually a beautiful night here. It is cloudy, but the moon peeks through on a regular basis, and the wind is not bad at all...at least not yet. I try not to watch too much coverage on tv, but have to check in now and then. So many of my friends, family, and co-workers are in the direct path of the storm, and I really worry about them. As for myself, here's what I expect.

From watching the radar images, I expect to start getting substantial winds here in 2-3 hours. I think that I will lose my tv and internet signals, but if I'm lucky, I won't lose electricity. I'm guessing that tomorrow will be a hard day and that I won't be able to "do" much but watch and wait. I think that my problems will all be over by tomorrow evening, however. If I don't lose electricity, I'll consider myself very lucky. I can't imagine that the water is going to get much higher here and I am SO hoping that prediction is right. Finally, I'm guessing that I might get a couple of hours' sleep in before the action starts, so I'm headed to bed soon.

Stay safe out there...hope to post again in the morning.

Quick Update

I just got a phone call from Michelle to tell me that she, Melissa, mom, etc. are headed out now. They're headed to Dallas for the weekend. Since they live in LaPorte, an area sure to receive heavy damage, I'm so relieved to find they were able to get out of town.

As for me...I'm doing the famous "shelter-in-place" thing. My only worry was about having enough food to last the weekend, but a peek into Jessie's pantry a few minutes ago told me I have absolutely nothing to worry about! Lot's of wonderful canned goodies!

I thought I should get out and take a short drive to see how things are holding up. The boat ramp and park are totally inaccessible now, but there is no water over the Six Mile road. The wind is out of the north, or north northeast, which is a really good thing for us. As the storm tries to push the water into the bay, the wind is fighting to push it right back out again. I've been watching the birds all day for signs of flight from the area, but other than a few shore birds enjoying the high water levels, I haven't seen anything out of the ordinary. I've only seen a couple of the big brown pelicans come through, but they were just fishing in the higher-than-normal waters, not fleeing the storm.

I really thought I was the only one left even in the extended neighborhood (past Park Road), but my short drive let me know there are still others here as well. Jess called to tell me where my old shotgun and shells are, so I'll be sleeping with it by the bed tonight. It's been a long time since I've fired it, but I won't have any trouble with it, I'm absolutely sure.

If I lose electricity (I shouldn't!) you'll know it since the postings will stop coming. But until then, I'll try to post frequently so everyone can stay in touch through the storm. Time now for a few phone calls and a news update. Be back soon.

Guns, Locks, Visitors and Storms

The front bushes were FULL of butterflies, moths, bees, and other lovely insects when I took this yesterday.

I rested very well last night, although I was late going to sleep. However, for the first time in a long time (perhaps the first time every) I locked all the doors before going to bed. Oh, I also made sure the pistol is next to the bed. I hate thinking about using such a thing on another human, but man, do I love my house. I'm also wondering if high water won't bring more snakes and other critters my direction and I want to be able to fend them off.

Please Ike...don't take the pier!

I walked down to the pier at about 9am. The water there is as high as I've ever seen it. Although the pier was designed, built and is used most often by Jessie, the first section with the bench was completed near Mother's Day, so I always brag that it was my Mother's Day present. Anyway, I would really, really hate to lose the pier.

While I was at the pier, someone drove up to the house. They were in a suburban and I didn't recognize the vehicle, but I'm not very observant about such things. I was deciding whether to be nervous about it, especially thinking I'm one of the few people still here in a 1-2 mile radius, but whoever it was rolled down the window and waved at me, so I'm assuming it was a neighbor. I headed back up the hill, but they were gone when I got back. Guess I'll never know.

View back up to the house from the end of the pier.

I'm still getting suggestions to leave the area, but I just can't see why. We are NOT going to get the worst of the storm, and to tell you the truth, leaving means spending money that I'd rather not spend. Leo won't be paid for more than a month, and I've been struggling along lately, having to pay Uncle Sam and some others that took more than their share of what I make. So, unless something changes in a really drastic way, I just don't see a reason to leave.

NOTE: Remember to click on any image to see it in a larger format.

Leo Update

That stinker is way too busy to do anything more than send me a brief, "Hi. How are you? Well, gotta go now" letter each morning. Wish I didn't understand so I could be angry. As it is, mostly I know I can't complain since I totally understand and THAT frustrates me! :-)

Ike Update

Light breeze out of the north, no increase in water level, some clouds to the south, beautiful sunny day. Am worrying about my friends in Houston/Galveston/Freeport areas, and about sis' house, but so far, it appears I might see some heavy rain and a few strong gusts here at home...nothing more.

Before the Storm

The good news for me is that every time the storm path is updated, it moves further and further away from me. The bad news is that it moves toward the areas of Galveston and Houston, and passes directly over my sis' home in Danbury. I continue to believe that I'm not going to get the worst of the storm here.

Although I've begun to see some white caps, and the water level is above normal, nothing very out-of-the-ordinary is happening yet. I'll be safe here until morning, no doubt, but have no clue what I will do at that time. I'll be sure and continue to update as long as I can, but even if I lose electricity, you should be able to watch the "twitter" window at the right and find out what's going on with me as I can use it as long as there is cell phone service.

Video taken from my back porch, Thursday, 4:45pm.

Starting My Run

I've grabbed a few things and am about ready to start heading south, but thought I'd post an update here for the family:

• Rob, Donna and the girls beat the rush and are already at Mom's house. Sounds like a party atmosphere there, so I'm considering that for my tomorrow run.
• Ginger and the boys are in Freer. They may have to head another direction tomorrow, but will be in a much better position to move from there than from Houston. Wade is staying home, I think.
• Rachael and her family are hunkering down at her dad's house. There are several families meeting there and they have a good back-up plan so I'm not worried about her.
• Michelle and Chuck are hunkering down as well. The story (involving her mom and the dog) is funny, but too long to share here. We're hoping for the best for ALL of them.
• Jess and Grace left this morning for New Mexico. I'm assuming they got out okay since they were leaving early. I'll check in with them later today.
• Rebecca and Shannon are north of Austin in an area affectionately known by the locals as "tornado alley". Good thing they have a tornado shelter in the back yard as the storm could easily do damage that far north.
• Leo is in Nigeria, so he's well out of the path. If he's affected by the storm then we'll all be goners!!! I can imagine he thinks we are all overreacting here. :-)
• That leaves Me. I'm heading south now, but don't know if I can get through. My plan is to cross the storm's path to get on the good side of it, then make a decision about whether to run or stay from Port Lavaca after I hear updates in the morning. The run will be MUCH easier from there, and with more options than there would be from here.

Okay...it's not much, I know, but I wanted to post something before I head out. Good luck to EVERYONE!

P.S. I've had TONS of offers of shelter from everyone. Thanks so much for that! It's nice to feel loved!

A Small Update

Leo had time to send me a very short post today, but no phone calls or any other communication. It's okay though. I would have wished for more, but I totally understand. Most often it's me that gets so crazy-busy I don't have time for even quick phone calls with him, so turn about is definitely fair play!

Even though I don't have Leo's permission, I'm going to do something different here. I'm going to paste the contents of Leo's message to me for you all to read. There are a few reasons for this. Some of you exchange emails with Leo on a regular basis, so you know about his unique writing style. I couldn't "fake" an email from Leo if my life depended on it, even after all these years, because the style is so unique. He thinks it is a little "rough" when compared to the way I put words on paper, but to me, his unique writing style is something to be admired and enjoyed. So without further adieu, a letter from Leo to me:

 

Hello "Guera", [this translates roughly to "white girl" or "fair one" and is his typical endearment for me]

Well I'm at my desk and it's a "wild" place. I met the gentleman that you did the Logo for and he was VERY complimentary about your work :) I also met a Mr. Joon Eeo(w/HHI) on the bus on the flight that brought me in this a.m. and HE too had heard your name from Tim and it's over in the HHI community:) I just got done talking to Tim and meeting some different (good) folks on this project and the project is about 40% done. The place will be broken down into (5) precommission'n areas and Vendor Support is what I'll be involved with. I got the whirlwind tour from Tim (he's leaving in 15 min's for Houston)....but....I met with another Scottish gentleman who will take me under his wing and I'm supposed to help him tomorrow.

I'm so jet-lagged it ain't funny. I've been to more security offices get'n ID pic's done that it's not even funny. Very high security inside the compound and it's very safe. Okay, going to a meeting right now to meet some more folks.

Sorry about leaving Bro & You with "Ike"...but...hopefully that rascal won't come anywhere's close to our little bit of Heaven.

Love U,
Me :)

Leo has Landed

About 10:30 last night (4:30 AM NIG) Leo called to tell me he was getting ready to be picked up for the last leg of the journey. I got a message from his supervisor about half an hour ago that he just arrived on-site and is going through the [considerable] security check-in process. I'm buried under a mountain of work this morning, but will be sure and update you all later in the day. Things are looking good now, and my count-down to Leo returning has already started!

Trying Not to Worry

The last time I spoke to Leo, he was at Heathrow getting ready to leave London. He sounded fine, although he was obviously tired. I checked the flight data and found that his plane arrived in Lagos early, but that was 5-1/2 hours ago! I can't imagine he's still at the airport, but would have expected a call, email, or text from the hotel. So now, I'm trying not to worry.

I've called his phone several times, but it must be turned off since it goes straight to voice-mail. (I would expect a message if he was "out of range".) Anyway, it's nearly 10pm in Lagos, Nigeria, and I've lost my husband. Sheesh! Here's hoping everything is okay!!!

3am (9am) Call to Leo at Heathrow

Leo assured me that although the British Airways staff, and the food, was really good, the seating was not exactly as pictured. He is one of those that ALWAYS requests a window seat, but his new "Lesson Learned" is that the aisle seat is so much better--you don't have to climb over someone every time you have to go to the bathroom!

He also said that Heathrow is definitely the hub of the world with travelers coming from and going to every part of the world. But the Brits seem to take their cardio seriously as the only way to get around almost everywhere, even if you are lugging 40lbs of computer, books, and emergency supplies, is to walk. Up stairs, down stairs, long distances, inside, outside, LOTS of walking.

He sounds good, says "hi" to all, and assures me that he's fine. Can't seem to figure out how to call me, and is not very good at texting, so he just sends me the latest text that he has on his phone (no matter what it says :-) and I know to call him. Whatever works, right?

He's On His Way

I just checked the Flight Tracker to see that Leo has left the part of the journey that took him over most of the eastern states and through to Canada. The flight just passed over Newfoundland and will be over water for the rest of the trip to London. I'm going to try going back to bed in a bit...my plan is to sleep until midnight, go into work, then get off about the time that Leo will have some free time to talk.

The scene at the airport was nothing like I expected. It took us more than 15 minutes to park and find our way to the right place and about 5 minutes for him to check his suitcase. Next we walked over to the security check-in and the lady said, "Tell him goodbye...this is as far as you go." I got a little peck, and WHOOSH!, he was gone!

Okay, so that was a little abrupt. But hey...there were no tears, no boo-hooing. Just a sweet little goodbye and a couple of phone calls consisting of, "Hey, what are you doing?" and "Nothing. What are you doing?" etc. Silliness I know, but it made us both feel better I think. And I'm guessing the short goodbye saved me from making a fool of myself in the airport.

I'm also guessing that he's having no better luck at sleeping than I am, but I hope I'm wrong. He was already reading his book at the airport (I found out from one of my, um, SEVERAL phone calls) so I'm sure he has plenty of entertainment, even if he can't sleep. As soon as I hear from him, I'll be sure and post something. He should arrive in London around 12:30am (our time, 3 or so hours to go) and will be leaving there at 5:30am. I'm going to try and get some rest now.

T-2

Okay. I was just starting to feel sorry for Leo having to travel 9 hours at night, sit in a yucky old airport for 5 hours, then hop on another long flight. I was almost there. Then I signed on to British Airways to check out the flight amenities. No more feeling sorry for Leo!!

This looks to me like an in-flight hotel room! What was I thinking? I moved from this to a review of the Executive Lounge that he will be "resting" in at Heathrow (London) and finally had to give up. With sleeping areas, spas, massage therapy, meals, and laptop hookups available, what else could he need?

In all fairness, I'm guessing that SOMETHING is going to go wrong, and there will be SOMETHING that doesn't work quite right for him. Perhaps the remote on the 200+ channel video unit will be broken and he will have to actually stand up to change the channel. Perhaps his fully reclining bed will be a bit lumpy. Perhaps the privacy screen that blocks him off from his next-door-neighbor won't function at all. Who knows what could go wrong?

Feel free to check out any of these links if you too want to feel sorry for Leo on his long trip on Monday/Tuesday:

Seating Overview

Airport Lounges

British Airways Flight Training Simulators

T-3

Cried for the first time today. Not a big cry, just a little tearing up, but anyone that knows me should know I'm generally not a crier, so it was a little out of character.

Honestly though, we are still both quite excited. Leo's packed his suitcase several times now, weighing it each time to make sure we don't have to pay for excessive baggage. I actually got some work in this week, and some of it was much needed and long overdue. Also, I found that while I was digging into a database problem, I wasn't thinking about Leo being gone. So I'm feeling like my strategy of working hard while he's gone is going to pay off and keep me out of the "blues".

I am such a crazy workaholic, although I really don't know why. I prefer it when things are slightly on the rushed side, but only when my work seems to be making a difference somewhere. The things I've done that were not widely adopted were only satisfying when there was some kind of personal challenge in them. Otherwise, that kind of work, "busy work", has absolutely no value for me no matter how much I'm getting paid.

Today is beautiful here on the water. While the redfish are plentiful right now, so are the shrimp, so talking those guys into taking our bait is a bit of a tricky thing. Still, if we have any luck at all when we go down to the pier later today, you can bet I'll be posting an update here!

Software: CoolIris

I've been working hard to load Leo's computer up with all of the things he's going to need over the next month, but the program I loaded today is one that is so supercool. It's from a website called CoolIris and is a way cool way to view images that you find in a collection anywhere on the web. The download was quick and painless, and the program was ready to go in minutes. Once we got the hang of getting around in it (the video tour at their website is excellent) we were hooked. Now I'm wanting to go out and take some photos to post so I can see them on the cool video wall! Anyway, just wanted to pass on a cool browser add-in...WAY cool!!

P.S. Please don't point out my overuse of the word "cool". I know I'll regret it in the morning, but tonight, well, I just can't think of any other word to use instead!

T-6

Dang. I'm at work now, but not on the clock since I can't seem to get my mind on this work. I'm tired, I'm grumpy, and I want to go home. However, I have a meeting at 2:15 and another at 3:00, so I guess I'll hang out here and try to make the best of it.

I snapped at Leo last night when trying to show him something on the computer and he snapped back at me, so we both went to bed angry. First thing this morning, he apologized and got us back on track, but this one really was my fault. (I'll have to remember to tell him later.) I guess I'm just in a "snippy" mood all the way around. Now before you guys (especially) start making jokes about "women my age" I'm going to defend myself and say it's stress. My husband is leaving town in 6 days and I'm going to be here all alone. I mean, I have friends and I have family, but Leo is it...he's the one...he's the main thing that keeps me going. So pardon me while I'm feeling a bit abandoned and snip and snap at everyone around me. I'll be okay once he's gone and I begin planning for him to come back.

Gustav was another "miss" for us here on the coast. I am ABSOLUTELY not complaining. As I told one of my Portuguese friends this morning, summer storm watching is part of our life here on the coast, and hurricane watches are a big part of it. We did get a nice little shower yesterday afternoon, and the winds are a bit brisk today, but otherwise, no effects at all. (Yippee!)

I'm still doing a bit of work for the Nigerian project, on the side, which keeps me engaged in what's going on there. I've also started some work on a new joint-venture in Papua New Guinea. I'm hoping that one grows into something that I can be a part of (in a bigger way) too. But right now, I'm still tied down to the income and tasks that keep me stuck here in Houston, so perhaps that's another explanation for my mood. My getting-away-from-it-all husband is getting to do the thing I wanted to do--get out of Dodge. Talk to you soon.