Just An Idea? Houston, Texas- Here We Come??

For months now, Rob & I have been discussing the idea of moving our lives, and the business to Houston, Texas. We've been thinking, plotting and planning every chance we get. Lucy seems to be adapting well to the idea- I think she looks pretty good in a cowgirl hat.

We've both taken a trip there (on two separate occasions of course- we're like the president and the vice president- we very rarely travel on the same plane- just in case the plane goes down! I'm just kidding- we don't have enough people working for us for both of us to leave town at the same time! Although, we're working on that really big problem.) Each of us spent at least 3 days there driving around, talking to the locals and checking out the competition. (I of course checked out the local steak houses just to make sure that we won't starve and found the closest mall to be sure that I'll have a great place to shop!)

I did a lot of research on other parts of the country before we settled on Houston. Of course, we considered places in the south like Atlanta- but the housing market there is really in the toilet, and since the housing situation is directly tied to what we do, we had to rule out Atlanta. We both love the beauty of Tennessee, but the economic climate there just doesn't offer what Houston does.

We discussed it a lot, and came up with a long list of qualifications as to what we would be requiring in a new location. I'll share with ya all (See, I'm gonna fit in too!) the top qualifications that a city had to have in order for us to consider gracing that city with our tax dollars:

1. The climate: (This was huge...) We're looking for sunshine, and lots of it. We don't mind rain once in a while, but for days and days at a time- well- that we can do with out. And while we understand that snow or ice may oftentimes fall from the sky, we need to live someplace where that doesn't go on for months, and months, and months at a time. We don't want to live somewhere that even 4 wheel drive is not adequate enough to get your vehicle out of the driveway!
2. The economy: As business owners, it's very important that we relocate the business to an area that's growing and thriving, an area where housing values are not in the toilet, and everyone is not living on credit that doesn't exist any more and it would be great if some of those people had jobs and an appreciation for solid wood furniture.
3. A little bit of water would be nice. We love our boat and we really enjoy kayaking too!
4. It has to be far enough away (at least 500 miles) so that certain people who like to interfere in a very negative way in our lives, can't just jump in their car and wreak havoc as the mood strikes them.

Sports teams aren't an issue (Neither one of us will missing living in a city where people are so gaga over the football team that nothing else goes on when the team is playing)- Rob is a Raiders fan, and I am a Saints fan. Neither San Francisco (while being amazingly beautiful) or New Orleans (with it's phenomenal hurricanes and floods) offered any of the other things that we were looking for, so as much as I would love to park my little hind end in the stadium for every Saints home game- that's not going to happen. One definite plus of Texas in relation to the Saints is that it's not that long of a flight from Houston to New Orleans... Hang on guys, here I come!

We could care less about the traffic- after having lived in San Diego for 5 years, and planning and routing my life around rush hours- and making sure that I had peed before I left the house and not had anything to drink for at least 2 hours prior to leaving the house, just in case I got stuck in traffic for 3 hours (which took up at total of about 8 hours every day), I am sure that I can adjust to Houston traffic. The only thing about the traffic out there that concerns us that there seems to be only two methods of driving in Houston- race track fast- and milk truck slow. That could present a lot of complications for both Rob & I who prefer race track fast!

Obviously, there are some complications to our idea. It's not like we don't have ties here in Pittsburgh. Both of our families are here, we own homes here, and we have 2 stores here. And unfortunately, we've got a lot of STUFF and this isn't the best market to be liquidating STUFF in.

As of right now, Rob is planning on going out to Houston, leaving me here to run the funny farm, I mean the stores, for 6 months as a trial run. If things go well in Houston (Sugarland, to be exact), we'll phase everything out in Pittsburgh. That's the only part of this plan that scares the crap out of me. I'm wondering how the heck I'm going to manage this empire while he's gone, and we've never been apart that long... I'm glad I'll have little Lucy to keep me company!

Speaking of Lucy, she decided to take a swim in the swamp last night, AGAIN. (Can I just mention one more time how sick I am of that damn swamp?) When she appeared at the door, she was dirtier than she's ever been. No idea how she accomplished this, I just know that I had one hell of a time cleaning that little darling up! She must have laid down in there and stayed there for a couple of minutes, because the mud was clumped all across her chest and stomach.

Her Daddy was chilling on the couch when she appeared at the door, and I suggested that maybe he would like to go outside and clean her up- seeing as how he thinks that the swamp is such a great occupier of time for Lucy. He said he didn't want to. Imagine that.

I had to change my clothes to go outside and clean Lucy up. I had white pants on, and there was no way that I was going out that door with those pants on.

I hosed Lucy down, which took about 10 minutes, and the mud just poured off of her. She still wasn't clean when I was done and neither was I, so I was forced to give the little boxer baby a bath.

The bath was great! We had a lot of fun, of course, now my bathroom is covered in mud, I had to scrub the kitchen floor this morning, and the shirt I was wearing is ruined- but at least Lucy is clean! She seemed thrilled to be in the tub and had all kinds of kicks and giggles out of playing in Mummy's tub. And for once, she didn't even mind being wet, she just curled up on the sleeping bag (which was on the living room floor because she and I had to sleep down there on Tuesday night because she wouldn't settle down and she was driving her Daddy nuts), and made herself comfortable! You go little boxer!

And once Lucy was settled in, her human went over to the couch and snuggled up right next to Daddy, smelling like a swamp baby! It's amazing, but he was surprised that I smelled like the swamp.