Traffic Report

There are giant thunderstorms rolling into Ft. Worth as we speak, so naturally people driving. freak. out. And when I say they are 'rolling in' that means they aren't here yet, meaning everyone decided to freak out about the measly 40mph winds and the looming prospect of a storm.



I say measly because when your from West TX, 40 mph winds is a nice day. In the DFW they put out wind advisories and tell everyone to hold on to their babies and their panties and take cover.

Needless to say, traffic sucked.

I've decided to look on the bright side of this crap situation and point out the.....

Good things about traffic

1) I take a not so convenient but different route out of downtown and the cool factor of downtown Ft.Worth never ceases to amaze me.

2) I get more time to jam in my car. and I looove jammin in my car. I wish I could say I unashamedly sing and dance, but I don't, instead I shamedly (??) sing whenever I'm not passing anyone. And maybe make little dancing hands under the steering wheel where people can't see me (they can probably see me).
-Because ya know, I might just see the person in the car next to me again and they are going to judge me for singing in my car....

What I should be more concerned about is the guy at my apartment complex that saw me taking this of myself.....



3) Having gas in my tank and not being in a hurry to get anywhere

So there it is....me, being positive.

Take note, it doesn't happen often.

Pick one.

In case your wondering why I never write anything on here, I like to wait several months between each of my posts, I feel like it keeps the suspense going for the 3 people that might actually read this blog.

Anyway...

Through-out the day I continuously think of awesome things to blog about but I never actually do, until today. I just thought this conversation was too epic not to share....(and honestly, Shelby and I could be the only ones who think its funny)

Actual texts between the husband and myself:

Last night...

Haley: Can we get a 3-legged cat named Billy Bob? Oooor a hairless Chinese crested mix puppy?

(I was bored and looking at animals on Craigslist)

For you viewing pleasure, Billy Bob the cat:



And for even more viewing pleasure, Gargoyle. The very hairless Chinese crested mix puppy:



Adorable right?! I mean, how could you possibly choose between the two? A cat with 3 legs or a hairless dog. Maybe we should get them both!

Needless to say, Shelby never answered my text, until our conversation today....

Haley: Can I get a $35 car detailing coupon?

Shelby: No.

Shelby: We have no money.

Haley: Babe, it's either that or Billy Bob the cat...you choose.

Haley: Babe, I think I need that desk and those barstools from Craigslist

(Don't tell me these aren't awesome...because they are)



Shelby: One chair costs $100! I choose Billy Bob.

Haley: But he's old and will probably die soon...barstools last forever!

Shelby: Barstools can't love you back like a 3-legged cat.

Haley: This conversation is awesome.

So maybe I'm the only one who thinks this conversation was great. Although, if you don't, you are probably lame...I'm just sayin.

High Risin'

So I have yet to talk about my new job (that's not so new anymore) at a fancy pants corporate office. I spent 1 year in the store in Lubbock but around 6 months of being there I decided I wanted to pursue a position at the home office. Shelby and I decided we were going to move to Ft. Worth whether I got a job or not (yes, we are super responsible)but just days before we moved I got a call from HR letting me know that I got the job in Store Operations. God has some pretty sweet timing! So for the sake of bragging, here is the sweet building I get to work in everyday...(except today, it's my day off)



Please ignore that fact that this picture
was taken through my car window.




This was my first day at work and
I clearly overestimated the amount of time
it would take to get there.
I was close to 45 minutes early.

So obviously there was nothing else to do except take pictures of my 'nervous face'.
Ignore the weird angle, I had to hold my camera so the guy sitting
in his car next to me wouldn't see me taking pictures of myself
and think I was weird.

The not so humble abode.

Our apartment is finally, somewhat finished. At least the part we've taken pictures of and decided to share. We think it's awesome, because it is. And, when I say 'we', I'm referring to Shelby and myself because he contributed a lot and not just to the hanging, building man stuff but to the design concept as well. Once we finally figured out exactly what our style was it was pretty easy. However, I feel like our timing to post pictures of our apartment was bad, with Pinterest on the rise I feel like everyone assumes that you got all your ideas from it. Well, we didn't. In fact none of them came from it and I told Shelby that I would be thoroughly offended if someone asked me if they did. So don't.

Basically our entire apartment is DIY and that's no exaggeration.

 Yes, those are pallets on the wall. I'm so obsessed with pallets it's getting ridiculous.

Curtains: Pier 1 (shout out) 

I loved their vintage 70's feel when I first saw them and waited and waited to buy them and when I finally did and hung them behind our tv stand (old apartment), I didn't like them very much. But, now with the contrast of our black table in front, I love them!

Table: Pier 1 (shout out again) but I added white geometric trim to it.

Chairs: Grandma's house. Literally. I'm not the biggest fan, but when I painted them black and added stripes I decided they were great...and free. (Notice only one chair has stripes. Yeah, I have issues finishing projects)

 Shelves: Cheap-o wall brackets from Lowes with our books stacked on top as well as random vintage finds we have come across.

'E': Vintage find in Dallas. Yes, we know the letter 'e' is completely insignificant to us 

Dear Head: Shelby or someone in his fam killed and I painted

Frames: Thrifted and still not filled with pictures

Literally the only thing we have actually purchased new in our living room is the couch and cow hide. We were forced to buy a new couch when our old one wouldn't fit through the door. Although this one wasn't much better. Shelby and I almost divorced each other after trying to get it in. Note to self: don't be cheap. Pay for delivery!

TV Stand: On its way to the trash at my father-in-laws auction house. I saw its potential and now its my favorite thing ever. I just wish I had a 'before' picture!

Side Table: I've blogged about it before, but dad and I built it together.

 I will eventually post pictures of all my before and afters but that could take awhile.

Now I basically live life never content (That's right, I said 'not content') at least when it comes to design, our apartment and all things crafty. I will love it one minute but in the next I'm thinking about how I can make if better or different. So our apartment is constantly changing. But for now, that is what it looks like.

Epic Fail of the day.

Let me just preface this post with a bit of an explanation. I haven't blogged since, oh, forever, and there is ALOT that has gone on since then. 1st off, we've moved. Moved to the good ole' DFW, that's right, we're big time. Maybe that's a small thing to most but the Shelbs and I are pretty much small town all around and we like us some Big Spring (surprising I know) and even more than that we love being close to our families. But we are young, have degrees, and have nothing holding us back so we decided to move.

Initially we decided we were moving whether we had jobs or not but figured we could always transfer with our current jobs if need be. Fortunately enough for me, I was offered a position in my company's Corporate Office...a big awesome high rise right in the middle of down town Fort Worth (seriously...it's way cool). So this is where I've been for the past 2 weeks, trying to adjust to big city life, having a real 8-5 job, traffic, big high rises, confusing down town aaaaand parking garages.....which brings me to....

The Epic Fail of the Day....

So my company actually shares a building with Chesapeake Energy and with that brings many contractors on site for....I have no clue what for...regardless, there is a separate parking lot for just contractors that doesn't require any form of parking sticker, authorization, or ...shade. This is where I've been parking for 2 weeks and my little car has been roasting in the sun. On Tuesday, while eating my sandwich in my car (because I'm lame have no one to eat lunch with yet), I finally remembered to get my license plate # and turn it in so I could get my little sticker and park in the parking garage.

The next morning, I had my sticker and I was psyched to park in the shade. Unfortunately as I got closer I realized how daunting that gate seemed and I wasn't really sure what to do and I might have creepily parked outside for a little bit and watched other people going in to make sure I knew what to do. Fairly confident in my observation skills I pulled out and up to the gate, rolled down my window and pressed the button, but nothing happened, so I pushed it again as well as everything else that closely resembled a button (all the while people are lining up behind me waiting for me to figure it out) and finally security comes on through the little speaker asking if I needed something.

I need to get through the stupid gate!
(I didn't really say that)

They so nicely informed me I need to swipe my super cool key card (which I'm really stoked about and love wearing around) and the gate will open.

Ok, easy enough...swipe, voila, I'm in.

I pull in and see all these parking spots and wonder 'why is no one parking in these spots? It's right by the door! I'm thinking 'Heck to the Yeah this parking spot rocks!' Good job.

Fast forward to lunch, I decide to go fill up my car. It takes me THREE tries to find the level my car is on. Luckily no one saw me walk up the stairs, out the door, back in the door, down the stairs, out another door, back in the door, down some more stairs, out the door and finally! I found it! So obviously irritated at this point I get to my car and realize I forgot to lock it. I quickly did a run down of all things important to me in my car (like my target sunglasses sitting on the dash, 16 bucks....oh yeah!), fortunately everything seemed to be in place. So I pull out and at this point I'm facing in an upward direction, start driving, look to my left, to my right and realize all the arrows are pointing one way and that way takes me up....but I want to go down because that's where the exit is. So I figure I'll just go with it and assume there is some simple way to get down just around the corner.

There isn't.

I go up and up and up and around and around and around and then somewhere around 5 minutes later and thoroughly confused, I finally make it to the stupid exit and fully affirm my hatred for parking garages!

It was then that I realized why no one wants to park in all those super close parking spots, because it's impossible to get out! If you know me, you know I HATE parking garages. I feel the need to duck the whole time I'm driving because, I don't know, somehow those concrete beams aren't going to be high enough for my little car to drive under, so I must overcompensate. And what bad movie have you ever watched that someone Hasn't been killed or mugged in a parking garage? That's right, none!

So I hate them and will continue to do so, but regardless I will still park in the stupid thing because A. I have a sticker and a super cool badge that allows me too and B. my car that looks like a toaster no longer feels like one when I get inside it!

That was crazy long winded....sorry.