New house "during"

Ok, so I'm posting, before, during and after. The before is already here somewhere, the day we actually received the keys to the new house. These are during pics, it looks like a disaster but we're getting there, PATIENCE YAGO, PATIENCE!!!!

Snowing in Houston, 2008

So wait wait, the Houston - Baltimore story continues. So Joanne and Kenny asked us to stay with the for a few days and that night we decided, ok, we'd stay. Once I got to bed I started thinking, for whatever reason, that we should continue and get home. Just a feeling, we need to get home so we left. Well, thank God for "that feeling". We left and arrived in Houston at around 4P and for the first time in a very long time, it started to snow. Alfredo and I were at the storage unit, unloading the car and truck because we had to return everything that nite. I ran to the liquor store and bought some warming liquid and continued unpacking. It was pretty cold and it started to snow harder, it was sooooooo much fun. Then Cecy stopped by and we went to dinner these are the pics we took, too much fun!!!!

Joanne and Kenny Strausbaugh

So......Alfredo and I are on our way to Houston from Baltimore and we are going through Louisiana and just outside of New Orleans. It's about 7P and we were driving on the outskirts of New Orleans and I see the name of a place I know.....MANDEVILLE and I say to Alfredo, OMG honey, Joanne and Gunny (aka Kenny). You see my family always heard about Joanne and GUNNY, that's when he was still in the Marine Corps. So my brother says, dude, let's pull over and at least call them. So I give my brother my cell and he calls and Joanne answers. He says, "Joanne, this is Alfredo, Diana's brother" which sent my poor Joanne into a few second panic mode. She thought something had happened to me, but then he explains where we are and they told us where to wait and to go have dinner. So we parked at the Wal-Mart and went to my favorite restaurant in the whole world......Outback Steakhouse, and for a little while we reminisced then we decided to spend the nite. So we went to the house and just caught up. I'm proud to say that my beautiful Joanne is a cancer survivor, so say YAY for Joanne, the girl is a fighter, hell, she's a former MARINE, nothing more to say there. Enjoy a few picks of my lifelong friends.

Alfredo and I meet little Isaac Mehaffie our littlest great-nephew

Sadly, my brother Alfredo got laid off from Joseph A. Bank Clothiers so he decided to move back to Houston, which was the best thing that could happen. So I flew up to Baltimore to drive to Houston. We had a 24ft truck and the 14 ft trailer with his car on it and I drove, it was wayyyyyy fun. Alfredo says I should quit my job and become a truck driver, hmmm, not a bad idea.....NOT. Anywho we decided to drive from Baltimore to Greensboro, NC and spend the nite with Suzie and the children then go see our beautiful niece Raquel, her wonderful husband Luke and meet our little great-nephew Isaac for the first time. He was only a few weeks old but soooooo yummy.

Las Vegas 2008

I finally made it to Las Vegas and I always promised myself, if I ever made it, only one place I'd stay, yup.....THE BELLAGIO!! I went with my bestest, goodest most wonderfullest friend and I had the best time. We walked our legs to death and saw lots, drank, ate and just had the best time. We went to see "The Jubilee" show, pretty cool and absolutely amazing and we sat right at the stage wall, it was a blast. Went to the "The Phantom of the Opera", wow and had an amazing meal at The Venetian Hotel, The Aquaknox. I have to say it was the most INCREDIBLE, UNBELIEVABLE AND ABSOLUTE PERFECT meal in my entire life, UNFORGETTABLE!!! The weather was delicious, the hotel was off the charts and everything was just.....PERFECT. If you ever go, stay at the Bellagio and get yourself a view of the dancing waters, that was so awesome. Enjoy the pics!!!

THE HOUSE IS DONE!!!

The dream has come true, I can't believe it, on Friday 09 Jan 09 I went to do the first walk through and the house looks amazing and it's ready!!! I should close on Friday 16 Jan 09. If not then, it will be on 23 Jan 09 (my 47th birthday) now wouldn't that be the most amazing gift I could receive!! However, I'm certain it will be 16 Jan 09. As in the Latino culture, "mi casa es tu casa" in English, "my home is your home". So, that being said, if you want to come visit your home and you're flying in, Hobby is closest to the house, but if it's an international flight, Intercontinental and I'll be your personal chauffuer. If you're driving in, call me and I'll guide you. I pray to see you all come visit and just hang out. I know you'll enjoy your time here. God is good and merciful and I'm eternally grateful for all God has provided in my life. The only thing I can ask for is a "life partner", that would make the fairy tale PERFECT. But for now I have this amazing new partner in my life "HOME" and that's more than I can ask for.

My trip to San Antonio

My friend Gerardo, whom I met in Riyadh, invited me to visit him and his family so I could see our friends that we also met in Riyadh, Koby and Joe, I just couldn't pass up the opportunity. On Saturday we went out and got home at 0400 hrs, wow, haven't done that in a while. Then Sunday G had a cook out at his house so we could watch the Cowboys - Eagles game, WOW, THAT WAS PAINFUL TO WATCH AND TO REMEMBER, but oh well. I got to meet G's family, that was so much fun. I also got to meet Koby and Joe's family, that was great. Then on Monday we went to the Alamodome to watch the Missouri / Northwestern college game, it was awesome and I had a great time. Thanks G and Jen, I had a blast.