Waiting for Signatures

Well, "the form" Andy needs signed is all ready to go. His boss got the budget info she needed, so now Andy just needs it signed by a couple of people. After that, it gets submitted and the train starts moving. According to Andy's boss, once the process is going, it's pretty intense. As I mentioned before, we will be assigned a point person from the HR group, who will coordinate all aspects of the relocation. I am hoping to be in touch with this person as well. As soon as we are able, we will be matched with a Realtor in Houston, and I can't wait to get feedback from a real, live person about the areas we have narrowed down. Andy and I will go for a visit sans toddler coming up in April or early May. We still really like the area of Cinco Ranch. I imagine it is where we'll end up. The amenities are wonderful: neighborhood pools, a splash pad, greenbelt trails, family events, social gatherings, a golf club, YMCA, library...the list goes on and on. We are also looking at Grand Lakes, but we need more info about it (that's where the Realtor will come in handy). What is appealing about these master-planned communities is the easy lifestyle and family-friendly activities. We are going to need that because we don't know anyone.

The actual town we are looking at is called Katy. It has grown considerably in the last 15 years thanks to the expanding Energy Corridor in West Houston. Katy is now home to a beautiful new branch of Memorial Hermann Hospital, a new mall, new Y, and so forth. Opportunity exists out there for all of these organizations. (Actually, the Y was funded by Ken Lay, of the now defunct Enron. He had to ask for the $$ back, so it's no long the "Ken Lay Y.") In addition, there are a couple of branches of Houston Community College, so I am looking at joining on as an adjunct instructor in their English and Composition departments.

So, that's the latest and greatest. Stay tuned for further updates!

Tag! I'm It

Michelle, my friend and former co-worker, has tagged me. She is so hip. Apparently, when another blogger tags you, you have to share seven items about yourself. I am guessing no strangers out in the blogosphere actually read my boring musings about moving to Texas, but one never knows. In the name of being a good sport (and so as not to upset my friend, who can get a little feisty), here are my seven:

1. I think I am addicted to the Internet. Actually, Andy would confirm that I am, in fact, addicted. Maybe it's because I am lonely, maybe I am seeking a connection to the outside world, or maybe I am just a weirdo, but I do spend too much time blogging, reading email, checking on friends' baby websites, searching homes in Houston, and reading my Mommy Gossip message boards. I have noticed that I spend a lot more time online than I did when I was teaching. I guess it's due to the fact that I no longer have 130 essays hanging over my head. Really, though, I do think that being a stay-at-home-mom/domestic engineer is quite isolating. Contrast that with being with 130 teenagers all day and you've got a very different lifestyle.

2. I sometimes wish I would have chosen a career involving animals. I don't really have the science in me to be a vet, but I wish I did. Or, sometimes I wish I was Cesar Milan, the "Dog Whisperer." I could train therapy dogs and work in a hospital. There is nothing that upsets me more than reading about animals in distress. I know it's awful to say, but I have often have more sympathy for animals than I do for people.

3. I can't stand when people misuse the word "peruse." It means "to examine carefully" but people often use it to mean "skim" or "browse." You would think that an English teacher would have lists and lists of grammar/usage pet peeves. I don't, really. But, yeah, the "peruse" thing bugs me. Oh, and switching around "less" and "fewer" is also annoying. One more: when people insist on putting punctuation outside of quotation marks. See my first and second sentence? The period goes INSIDE.

4. There's nothing better than a choreographed routine. I love them all--commercials, movie scenes--you name it. The opening scene of Austin Powers (check out the link)? Hysterical. The Little Dancing Man on You Tube? Weird, but funny. Do you watch 30 Rock? I am talking about "midnight Train to Georgia" with Tracey Morgan and crew. Check it out here.

5. I hate olives. I guess that doesn't really need an explanation, other than it's the one food I don't like. (I'm not a picky eater.)

6. I want to live in Vermont. I have no idea why. Maybe it's the image I have in my head: fall leaves, maple syrup, stone houses. Did I mention that I have never been to Vermont? Imagine if Andy had informed me that we were being relocated to Vermont. What would the blog be called then? "From Lincoln to Green Mountain State..." Um, not as catchy.

7. I grew up in a town with the best sunsets in the world. Have you seen a sunset in Erie, PA? There is nothing like it. Check out the pics:

The Domino Effect

Andy and his group received an email from their boss yesterday offering a trip to Houston for anyone interested in checking it out. The email also stressed that they want people to move sooner rather than later, so we are thinking that we made a good choice in offering to go. The offer allows the employee and significant other to make a trip that BP will pay for. We are obviously going to take them up on the offer, and, if the paperwork to start our official relo goes through soon, we are really hoping to have a realtor by that point. It will also be interesting to see if we have a say on when in the summer we go. We'd like it to be later in August, if possible.

I can't tell you how much better it feels to have a plan. Even though we have a lot of work ahead of us, it is somehow calming to know there is a goal in sight.

A Bit of News

I finally have a minuscule amount of news. Andy has learned that the form that needs to be send to HR is in the works. Now we're just waiting on his boss to check about some budget info. Once the form is submitted, then the process is in full swing. We'll be paired with a point person from Hewitt (the company BP outsources its HR duties to). This point person will coordinate everything we need, including hooking us up with a Realtor here and in Texas. It will be nice to finally feel like we are accomplishing something. The next decision we will probably have to make is when we want to go; although I am not sure that we have the final say in that. As it looks now, it will be this summer. If it's up to me, I'd like to go no earlier than August. We'll see how it all works out.

One Small Step...

After a long week of waiting until Andy's other boss was back in town, she returned to the office yesterday, which means his two bosses went to lunch and discussed Andy's situation. Unfortunately, Andy had to leave the office early to go to class, so he never got a chance to check in to see how the conversation went. We are assuming that the next step involves his boss putting in a formal request to HR, which will allow us to get this process officially started. What is frustrating about the relocation is that you really have to play by the company's rules in order to reap all the benefits. You can't talk to a Realtor or make trips to your new location until you've been assigned a point person from HR, who coordinates all the details. Ahh...gotta love the red tape. Andy has also learned that he has a meeting in Houston in April, so we are planning on making it a house-hunting trip. I can tag along and tour some of these areas. Plus, we are hoping by then that we are underway with the "official" process, so we'll be able to be working with a Realtor there.

Making Progress...

Yesterday Andy talked to one of his bosses about us "volunteering" to go to Houston. So the first step is done, and next week he'll talk to another boss (one who is actually more of a boss to him) when she returns from London. We hope that this means the ball is rolling.

Also, one of the guys who lives in Katy and works for BP in Houston was in the office yesterday. He brought Andy a bunch of folders with house plans from many builders in Cinco Ranch and Seven Meadows. This is good news for me because it means I have more fun stuff to read and research!

Dreading our Applebee's Future

Most weekends, we go out to dinner at our favorite family restaurant here in Chicago: The Port. We first discovered The Port (short for "Southport City Saloon") when we were first dating when I'd drive from Ann Arbor to Chicago for weekend visits. Being a block from Andy's first apartment on Southport, we went to their brunches and visited the beer garden on a few occasions. The Port is the coziest, least pretentious place I know in our neighborhood. It offers comfort food with a German flair (although the chef, Jose, is Mexican so they also have great guacamole and nachos), and the servers are so nice. They know us by name, and, Sal, the bus boy, LOVES Henry. The Port holds a special place in our hearts for a few reasons. We went there one week before I had Henry for a yummy Oktoberfest meal, we went there for our first family dinner when Henry was a few weeks old (and took turns swinging him around in his car seat so he'd fall asleep), and we continue to visit regularly because we never feel like they get annoyed with our 16-month-old. In short, we love it, and it's definitely one place we'll really miss when we move. We keep envisioning endless strip malls filled with Applebees, Chilis, etc. and it makes us cringe. The Port is what all those places strive to create, at which they fail miserably. The Port doesn't need "flair," memorabilia from local points of "Americana," or even a chic Chicago menu--It offers something beyond that, something that can't be reproduced, something we will miss dearly.