#84 - Mr. Horton, DR - what do I call him?!

Yesterday we got an in-person visit from the founder of our company - Mr. D.R. Horton himself! We knew he was in town looking at land deals and it was rumored that he may come into our office (so we made sure to dress especially nice and clean up our spaces) but it was very exciting when he walked down the hall and made it a point to introduce himself to everyone individually. I have to admit I was star struck. We hang a picture of him with the "builder's story" in every sales office we open. His name is on our business cards. Heck, it's on our building/doormats/company van! He was a very nice man and I'm glad I got to meet him in person and am proud to be working for this great company.

Sidenote: Lorine (who I went to high school with - we both worked at the movie theater, too) is a D.R. Horton sales agent in Minnesota!

#83 - EXTREME Home Makeover

Here is my old "one butt kitchen" (as my aunt calls it).
Before I closed escrow, the water heater was enclosed in drywall so my realtor told me they'd cut a hole in it and I could install a vent - needless to say I was shocked to walk into my kitchen and find this!

Here is my kitchen today - still needs some work (I have to paint the ceiling, put on outlet covers and pick up my stainless steel range and figure out if I need to install a vent over the stove top; not sure what the codes are but I'll find out!). Bonus of working for a home builder is we get furniture and appliances cheap if they aren't purchased by the homeowner who buys our model homes - that's where I'm getting my range but it's currently out in Palm Desert...I'll get it soon!

Here's the corner where the open water heater use to be. The water heater was moved to the left and a cabinet was built around it with a vent on top and on bottom. This odd area was left where a cabinet couldn't be built (the door wouldn't have anywhere to swing) so I made the most of it after a trip to IKEA with some innovative storage options.

#82 - Threading vs. Waxing vs. Laser

It's the plight of every person who has unwanted hair - how do I get rid of it? I've been getting my eyebrows waxed for year but all that tugging on the skin can't be good...and if they have to re-do an area it seems to take some skin off leaving a red, tender spot. I've looked into laser hair removal but when done on the face it can cause hair to grow in patches on other areas of the face...no thanks! So I've been threading:
Here is an actual picture of someone having it done. It does hurt more than waxing (which is quick) but it seems to last longer and is cheaper (eyebrows and upper lip = $10). Most of all it amazes me how accurate they can get with just a piece of string! Best part is when it's over you get cool aloe applied and a temple/scalp massage.

#81 - Bingo!

Last night I joined Heather P. for a fun night playing bingo! She won $300 on a side game (called Shamrock - the side games are endless but quick and PAY $$$). Her friend, Dave, was along and would have won a game of bingo (a $250 pay out) but didn't see that he had the bingo until it was too late; someone else had already one and you can only win when the last ball played is the one that makes you the winner (learned that last night!). I...didn't win but came really close and had fun! Plus, they had a roach coach outside for most of the night which provided me the best bean burrito possibly ever.

#80 - Picnik.com

Here's a fun photo edit I did this morning on Picnik.com (recommended by our corporate IT department)! It only took a couple of minutes and it was fun. All of the edits I did were free but if you want to be a member it's only $2.08/mo. and the options are really endless.
Here's the before photo -

#79 - It's a dog's life.

Here are Tobey and Lola in the front seat of my car on the way to Petco yesterday for a toenail trim (look at those long nails!). They were so cute, just hopped in the car and laid down, up for any road trip I was going to take them on. Both love Petco because of all the great things to smell (other dogs!) but don't like being around other dogs which is sometimes embarassing... Relaxing afternoon running errands with my two co-pilots. :)

#78 - Santa Barbara

Suzanne Rogers returned to the west coast (from DC) and is living in Santa Barbara = ROAD TRIP!! Went up to see her last weekend and enjoy the 65 degree cool, coastal weather. Here is Suzanne, me and Marissa (her and Tony came up, too!) in Solvang - Scandanavian town about a 40 min. drive from SB.
We stayed at Suzanne's 2 bedroom, 2 bath beautiful apartment. Lots of college (grad and undergrad) students live there; reminded us of how we use to par-tay til all hours of the night and day AND how we can't hang like that anymore - which we all agreed was a good thing.