How I Work It

I typically use my looks to my advantage when there is something I want.

I'm sorry did I just hear laughing?

I know for most ladies that may mean "accidentally" dropping something on the floor to distract or a well timed hip movement with each step but we all know that's not the kind of looks I have. My "looks" go hand in hand with my ability to get into high school football games on a student ticket.

Over the years I have learned the only way for me to combat my overly-aggressive/must-win energy is to just play stupid. That paired with the fact that I look like the other professional's daughter doesn't make it hard to swallow that I'm just a naive young girl who has no idea what she's doing. It's how I got the oil rig to stop drilling for an hour in Oklahoma. It's how I get people on the other side of my real estate deals to give my clients a break.

I knew that sometimes it works in my favor, but this week I took a negotiating class and turns out Smart/Stupid is apparently a proven negotiating technique. With the right personality on the other side of your deal it'll mean they want to help you out rather than beat you into the ground. So even if you don't look 18, swallow your pride and play dumb a little more often and you never know where it will get you.

Perspective

The internet is a funny, funny thing. This is going to take a bit of thought but try to track with me.

No seriously, you might need to turn off your music for this one.

I introduced a friend to a blog I loved. That same friend has a great blog and is excellent at her trade. Eventually my friend ended up meeting the person who's blog I love. Because I love that blog and just knew they would be good friends I was all star struck and giddy about the meeting. However, my friend is so amazing that the person from the blog I love was all star struck of meeting my friend.

When I was talking to my friend about it she said. "The internet is so weird it makes people appear more special than they are." My comment back "No way - the internet just lets more people see how awesome and special we all really are"

Back in Tennessee for Now

What is up with this winter?

One light dusting is our typical winter and right now I'm looking out at our yard covered in snow for the 4th time. It's so funny because the rest of the Nashville is hating it and Joshua is all excited and giddy. I think spending 2 months of winter in south Texas where you can wear short sleeves once a week makes enduring the 23 degrees more bearable.

So here's the short form update. Joshua has been in Nashville since the beginning of February. All the horses are sold. When he left Texas the house was under contract. Today the contract fell apart and so we still own a ranch in south Texas that has a garage full of restaurant equipment. There's a short list of people who want to see it and one who says they want to make us an offer so hopefully this time next week we'll be back under contract.

Acclimating back to "real life" has been a little strange. Our life basically stopped on December 2nd and so returning to a world that has continued turning for 2 whole months is a bit startling. We are slowly getting our sea legs back but I'm trying to be okay being just a little shaky for a while. I would like us to be able to just jump back in but if we were going full speed then running into the brick walls we still hit (like contracts falling through) would hurt a lot more.

Almost There

(A few of the items that have vacated the premises during this trip)

As of last Thursday night, I'm back in Texas. Thus far this trip has involved:

moving a bunch of furniture (more than once), selling a saddle, getting carpet installed, having the painting touched up, getting the house clean and staged for potential buyers, showing the house all day Sunday to said buyers, payroll, bills, more bills, selling the tractor, selling the car, a bit of work for one of my clients, selling the hay trailer, cancelling magazine subscriptions, beginning the arduous process of cancelling Dish Network service (which involves climbing up the side of the house to remove a piece of "their" equipment for them, packing it all up, and then PAYING to ship it back to them....don't get me started about how backwards that seems to me)

Oh and I forgot to mention: I also sold the last two horses, and negotiated a deal with a buyer, so the house is unofficially SOLD.

Tomorrow involves moving a bunch of files and you guessed it: furniture, from our old storage unit to a new one. I received a certified letter on Saturday letting us know the storage facility we've been renting since 1997 for file storage and surplus equipment is going to be torn down to make way for a new restaurant, ironic isn't it? Soooo....we have until the end of this month to vacate. I'm really not upset about it, I had a good laugh when I got the letter (you have to laugh at that kind of thing right?).

I'm extremely thankful that by tomorrow night we will have all the horses gone and hopefully have a signed contract on the house.

Me: 18 degrees Him: 65 degrees

Today it's snowing so much I decided not to get out of bed. I'm dressed and working but with snow like this it's just better to be under a quilt.

It has never actually snowed twice in one year since we have lived in Tennessee but here it is folks. Twice in one year and this time it may be over 6 inches (i'll let you know how it really turns out).

The saddest part of the snow is that Joshua isn't here to see it. He drove straight through yesterday and is back in Texas working to get rid of that last philly (female baby horse for you non ranchers) and getting the house on the market. Plus, Monday is pay day at the restaurant so he'll have checks to sign as well.

Since we just got back from Colorado I don't think he's totally torn up about missing the snow but I would enjoy it more if he was here. We could walk to the agriculture center down the street and sled with the kids. Plus we could make a true human size snowman. Maybe I'll do that anyway.

I promise pictures tomorrow if the snow lives up to expectations.

Why Not Take A Vacation?

Joshua and I just returned from visiting friends in Colorado.

Yes, we still own a restaurant in Texas.
Yes, we still have one philly that is all alone trying not to be eaten by coyotes.
Yes, we still have 2 mortgages.
Yes we haven't seen our Nashville clients in 2 months.

You don't think that sounds like the perfect time for a vacation?

This trip was planned months before our life exploded and we were left picking shrapnel from our shins so we had no choice but to lose the money or head to the mountains. Honestly, when you think about it "running for the hills" seems like a very practical response to the level of stress we've been dealing with so we just dwelt on that clique and took our already packed Texas bags to Colorado. Luckily our friends lent us a coat when we arrived.

Quick Side Note: When I arrived at the airport I realized I had been to Denver for work before. How ridiculous is it that when planning this trip I never though "oh I've been to Denver" but the second I stepped foot in the airport I knew I had been here before? Ahhh, I miss all the traveling I got to do with my production work.

It was impossible to fully leave the mess behind and enjoy ourselves but we did our best. Denver is beautiful. The lack of humidity makes the cold bearable and it is so sunny it's hard not to be happy.

We had just the right amount of working, hanging with friends, sitting and although our skiing got cut short I don't know if I could have taken another day of walking around in those boots. Hope you all had a great week too.

What is Happening to Us?

Yes that's a bandana.
Yes those are boots.

Yes that's exactly how I found him when I walked in the kitchen