FYI (Roxy...that means for your information)

I enjoy having Chris as a cuddle buddy every night, but I have learned some valuable lessons.

1. Don't let Chris fall asleep on his back because he'll start snoring.

2. If Chris drinks the snoring is basically a guarantee.

Last night I threw out all of my rules and got this as a result. Enjoy!

The Paperback Swap

Check them out!

So I was told about a great service online called the Paperback Swap. All you do is sign up, post books you no longer want, and order books you want to read. The site was developed to promote book sharing rather than excessive spending on brand new books and for other "green" reasons. I've been a member for a couple weeks now, sent out a few books, and already received 3 that I've wanted to read for awhile. Its a great site and all you have to do is pay for postage when you send a book. Check it out and if you join list me as a reference (marissamrkt@gmail.com). Thanks!!!

New Orleans!

We recently celebrated our anniversary and were thrilled to find out we could run over to New Orleans for two nights. We stayed at a hotel in the Garden District which used to be the "American" side of New Orleans when the French/Spanish/Creole citizens ran the show.

The best aspect of our hotel room... the luxury bathroom.

Chris and I standing on the observation deck on top of the hotel. In the back ground is New Orlean's skyline including the Superdome. That is where the survivors of hurricane Katrina stayed.

The observation deck was really nice at night as well, except for the cockroaches that were EVERYWHERE. We thankfully didn't see any inside the building, but Chris stepped on at least 4 while we enjoyed the view for 5 min.

This is the Natchez on the Mississippi River. It was fun to see the river for the first time and to find out that New Orleans is actually an island (who would have guessed, unless you looked at a map). It is surrounded by the river, a lake, and swamp lands.

Us standing in front of a Mardi Gras statue. We tried to stay away from the obvious tourist traps, but got stuck in the Riverwalk shopping complex. It had pamphlets in our hotel talking about how great it was, but it's just a mall.

This was the funniest form of business we stumbled upon in New Orleans. Its predominantly a LAUNDROMAT that also serves as an entertainment source. You can do your laundry while sipping on a beer, eating a burger, and playing a game. If you can read the tiny print, the awning will tell you everything you need to know.

We went on an educational walking tour of the French Quarter. We saw the authentic 1850 house (named for the year it was finished). The original owner was the Baroness Micaela Almonester de Pontalba. She was such a strong female! She was in an arranged marriage to a distant cousin and bore 5 children. Her father-in-law wanted her property so much so he shot her 7 times. She survived and lived to the age of 78 with 2 of the bullets still lodged in her chest! She even gained a legal separation from her husband in the French courts (unheard of at that time). She preserved two blocks of building in the French Quarter known as the Upper and Lower Pontalba Buildings.

An example of the architecture. We learned the difference between wrought vs. cast iron, gallerias vs. balconies, and if it is a veranda. People still live in the apartments on the 2nd and 3rd floors of these building.... that would be a fun experience.

This is one block of the preserved Pontalba buildings.

This is an order of beignets. They are fried square dough covered in powered sugar AKA the French doughnut. They were delicious! We also got to taste some local cuisine at a Gumbo restaurant. Chris got the meat Gumbo and I got a po-boy (delicious sandwich). The look of gumbo scares me... all that unidentifiable meat stewing in rice and broth - YUCK! However, Chris swore it was delicious!

This is some Jazz music we were fortunate enough to enjoy before we left for Houston.

What fills the sunny hours...

Right now I am without a part time job and family/friends nearby. I struggle to fill the hours with productive activity while Chris is at work. I tried to work on the logistics of our move, but found the landlords in Blanding to be ready for rent already. That is something our bank account cannot handle on top of the pricey move coming up. I haven't worked at a paying job since DECEMBER 2009!!! We have faith that the lack of appeal of location will help our chances at finding something that will work. In the mean time I have a long reading/prep list which includes teen novels such as: Stargirl, The Giver, The Outsiders, Call of the Wild, Christmas Carol, and Tom Sawyer. I am making progress on the list while also enjoying some entertaining reads.

Next on my list is to fold this massive pile of laundry (yuck)

and to start filling our banana boxes furnished exclusively by Wal-mart.

A New Face to the Jetta

I have always been extremely blessed when it came to my father's generosity. My car is one such example. I am grateful that my father had the means and the desire to provide a great car for me when I was 17. I remember how much in love I was with the Jetta. It has been a great car. When Chris and I got married we had a patch of minor fixes that drained our meager bank account and we grumbled, but it's lived through several moves including our move to Houston. Without this car we would be HELPLESS! Today, after driving the car downtown to a doctor's appointment, I noticed our Jetta was missing a hubcap. Normally I wouldn't care about such a fickle thing, but my car now looks ghetto! Oh well, what can you do? I will continue to love our ghetto car. We might even start treating it a little better. We currently have 72,000 miles on it and we were informed that at 50,000 we should have replaced the shocks. One day soon my car will get its much deserved shocks, and the Texas heat will no longer piss it off.

Surprisingly I never named the car... any suggestions?

Grateful

I am really grateful right now. If you had talked to me a week ago, I would be shouting another tune. It's crazy how things can switch so quickly. I am grateful that we have a sense of direction in our lives again, that we will be closer to family, and that we'll have health insurance once more. I feel extremely grateful that we are healthy... After receiving great news within the last couple of days, we have also heard about friends who have received devastating news. I feel so much sorrow for these families. Both have little kids... man it makes me want to cry. I am going to try my hardest to be grateful for the blessing in my life. I hope these families will receive good news, and that their loved ones will be fine. I will pray for them and I will thank my Heavenly Father that I have a healthy family.

I Got A JOB!!

I am happy to announce that I am now employed by San Juan School District in Utah. I will be moving from the 4th largest city in the U.S. to a TINY city in Utah. That's right! The Merkets are extremely unconventional...

It really does make me laugh to think about the places we have lived while married. We started dating in Logan, Utah and complained about the size of the valley. Then we moved to Idaho Falls (larger than Logan) and complained about EVERYTHING Idahoan. We had a brief stay in Salt Lake, and I complained about Wal-mart. Finally we risked everything and came to Houston. I tried my best not to complain, but it was a culture shock. After I got over it (when my student teaching was completed) I was able to enjoy Houston and especially Kingwood. I love the greenbelt trails, the plants and greenery, and the people we have met. I was really stressed about finding a job and wasn't having any luck in Houston. That's when I started applying everywhere. I even applied for a small school district in Utah. I never would have guessed that I would find a job and be moving there soon. I am really excited about it and so is Chris. We will be able to settle down for a while and perhaps start a family. That's what I'm going to look forward to... a family.