Are big and bright!!!
Don't you just love that part of the Pee Wee's Playhouse?
I haven't tried that yet, but I have migrated west to the great state of Texas. Yes, the Jensen family is moving to Texas. After three fun filled years in Florida I have accepted a promotion with Alliance Seating and Mobility to Regional Sales Manager that requires that I move to the Lonestar State.
I have been in the New Braunfels, TX area for 3 weeks now and Stacy and the rest of the family will follow at the end of the year. I will be flying back to Orlando every other week or so until we complete the move.
I am staying in a vacation cottage in the little town of Gruene, TX right outside the thriving metropolis of New Braunfels. My little house has a large sitting room with a kitchennette including a full refrigerator and a dishwasher. I have a nice bedroom and bathroom and a walk in closet. The kitchen lets me cook my own meals so I don't have to eat road food all the time and I can maintain my healthy diet. As rustic as a cottage with a full cow hide mounted on the wall sounds, I still have high speed wireless internet available. I also have my very own BBQ available should I discover an urge to grill a meal.
Work has been exciting. Now that I am working at the headquarters I am able to hob nob with the leadership at the company instead of driving around the state of Florida spending more time listening to books on tape than actually talking to real people. Since the division I work for is only one year old within the company, there is a big focus on growth and organization. Since I am the first person to be hired as a Sales Manager for this division and the first person at headquarters with any field experience I have become the default person to get answers from. So I am invited to meetings all day every day and sit in and give my opinion on all kinds of topics regarding aspects of the business that are sometimes not even remotely related to the work that I am experienced in. The amazing thing is that not only do people listen to my answers, they actually come back and ask me more questions later.
While I am working on glamorous business projects, Stacy and the kids are back in Florida barely surviving. At least that is what Stacy claims. I flew home last weekend to watch the Primary program at church and take care of a few things on the to do list around the house. Despite Stacy claiming that the family is just barely surviving, they appear to be doing quite well. I didn't see a single fly buzzing around the distended bellies of my children while I was there.
The Primary program turned out as good as Primary Programs can be. Alayna had a number of shining moments. Alayna sat up on the stand with the rest of her class for the whole meeting. When the sacrament bread was passed to her, she refused to eat the wheat bread. Her teacher prompted her to take a piece but she refused. Her teacher kept telling her to take the bread but Alayna refused three times before the Deacon moved along. I have to admit, I didn't see this happening. The story was relayed to me by the Young Men's President. He was quite proud of how she stood her ground and was aware of how to keep herself healthy. He almost felt the need to step in and come to Alayna's aid, but she was able to get her point across on her own. While all of that was going on, I was wrestling with Cavell in the pews.
Alayna started the program off with a bang. She sang the first two lines of I Am A Child of God as a solo. She also had a couple of speaking parts through the rest of the program. It is easy to swell one's chest when you realize that your daughter is the only kid any where near her age group that can memorize and articulate her part so the entire congregation can understand her words. There are High Councilmen that I wish could articulate as well as Alayna.
While home, we also attended the Church Fall Fling. Alayna went dressed as Belle from Beauty and The Beast. Cavell went as a chicken. Stacy found some cute dress up clothes at the thrift shop and brought them home in time for Halloween. A Disney Princess is an easy thing for Alayna to pull off. Princesshood is more of a state of mind for Alayna than just putting on a dress. She pulled it off with style. Cavell didn't really like his chicken outfit, but he left it mostly on. The little costume was actually designed for a dog to wear. Despite a few extra holes, we made the costume work and it even looked kind of cute. Luckily, Cavell is very patient with his parents.
Despite an exciting weekend with my family, I have only heard woeful tales of survival again since my departure. The woeful tales describe trips to the park, play dates with friends, workouts at the gym, and continued good health. What a horrible environment I have left my family in. I am so glad that they will be joining me in Texas soon. Our small little family will certainly prosper in such a wonderful location.
Just remember, EVERYTHING is bigger in Texas.
