Erin…

 

Erin is growing and so is her vocabulary.  She still have trouble saying “V’s” and they often come out at “B’s” but it’s super cute.  She comes up with the best lines and I just stare at her in disbelief sometimes.  She picks up on everything and repeats things all the time.  She loves to make people laugh so if she says something funny she will repeat it about 3 times. 

Sample conversation:

Me:  Erin what do you want for breakfast?

Erin:  Momma, you’ve asked me that 3 times.  I’m trying to watch Peppa.You’re very frustrating me.

It was all I could do not to crack up.

 

Here’s one between her and Tommy:

Tommy:  Erin are you going to be good at Gram and Pawpaw’s?

Erin:  Why do you have to be so romatic?

She meant to say dramatic but it came out romatic.  How cute is that!

 

Here’s another:

Me:  Erin, do you want to try this.  It’s really good.

Erin:  No way, that’s bescusting (disgusting).

 

Erin keeps us in stitches.  I consider myself and Tommy to be funny people so it’s nice to see that our senses of humor were passed down to Erin.  She really is funny and she is very, very romatic and very frustrates me a lot!  But 4 has been a very fun age and I look forward to 5.

I’ll Take That in Pink Please…

 

On my job I have to wear men’s carpenter’s pants.  Most of them are khaki or brown.  I bought them at Walmart in the men’s section because the ones in the women’s section hit me like Capri pants.  It’s bad enough having to wear carpenter’s pants to work, I’ll be danged if I’ll wear high water ones.  I buy them at Walmart because they get stained and ripped very easily on roofs.  I didn’t want to ruin any of my good jeans and I didn’t want to invest a bunch in the name brand ones.

I also wear SF polo's on the job.  At least they are the women’s cut ones and don’t totally look like boy’s shirts but I feel really funny in my work “uniform”.  Add my roof boots or tennis shoes to it and I look like a dude with a long ponytail.  Speaking of my hair… I have to put it up when I’m out there because if I wear it down it blows in my face when I’m on the roof.  Add all of this to my overall look and it’s just stunning.

To make myself feel better, I have found a pink tool belt and a pink toolbox.  I use them and love them.  I strap on my pink tool belt to hold my pitch gauge, roof chalk, camera, tape measure, pink clipboard and pencils.  I use the toolbox if I have to go inside a house.  My customers have all seemed to get a kick out of it and the guys on my team and my trainer just laugh at me. 

My thought is that if I have to dress like a boy I can at least accessorize like a girl!  So, I wear my pink.  Now, if I could just find a good heavy duty tape measure in pink…

My Job in a Man’s World…

 

Job update.  It’s going really well.  I’m totally getting the computer program that we use.  I’m still slow because sketching something on a computer is totally different but I get it.  The speed will come with repetition and learning short cuts.  I wanted to learn the long way before I cheat with the short cuts.  I want to be able to do this right, then make my own short cuts.

I had a really steep roof on Tuesday.  I talked one of my teammates into going with me.  He’s like a mountain goat on roofs.  A 12/12 is the steepest slope and this house had them.  He walked the ridge of the 12/12s and took pictures for me.  The back of the house was 7/12 and that’s the steepest I’ve been on.  I think I’m getting my roof legs under me.  I was nervous but did okay.  It became easier the longer I was up there.

It’s funny because anything over about a 6/12 steepness will make your calves really hurt.  My butt and calves are going to rock by the time summer comes.  It’s crazy.  You can still feel the burn even after you’re off the roof and driving away!  It’s the angle of your feet on the roof.  It’s steep so you’re holding on and climbing with your legs.  We’re usually up there about 30 to 45 minutes so by the time you get down, you really know you’ve been up there and gotten a leg workout in.

The scariest part of the appointment was when the roofer fell off his ladder and flat on his back on the concrete patio.  It was super scary.  I had forgotten my roof boots in the van so I was about half way to the car when I heard a terrible racket and a scream.  I ran back over there to make sure it wasn’t my buddy.  When I rounded the corner the roofer was on the patio flat on his back like he was making a snow angel.  The ladder was down and it barely missed a glass patio table set.

I asked him if he was okay or needed an ambulance and he told me he was okay and that he just needed a minute.  To his credit, he got back up and moved the ladder to the grass and climbed it again.  I got my roof boots and changed my drawers and climbed up there too.  I was super nervous after that but I sucked it up and climbed.

I got a million dollar house claim this week in College Station.  I have one College Station zip code and it happens to be where the very fancy country club golf course is located and it has the steepest roofs in College Station.  I have another teammate going with me.  The insured has an interior leak so I’ll get to go inside the house too.  I get to see how the other half lives.  I’m actually excited about that one.  I’ve never been in a million dollar house/mansion.  The land and homes in College Station are very reasonable and the cost of real estate is not high, so this really is a mansion and not just some random little old house in an expensive market.

I have to give credit to my teammates.  There is one other woman, Angela, on our team and the rest are guys.  She and I started at the same time and are new to roof claims.  Our territories back up to each other and to two of the guys territories.  The guys have been super helpful and have been more than willing to go out with either one of us.  The roof on the million dollar home has all kinds of steepness to it.  12/12s and down to 8/12s.  It will be the steepest I’ve gotten on and I recruited a different teammate to go with me.  I’ll give you a report next week.  I think the gazebo in the back yard will be the only one I’m comfortable on.  It’s a 5/12!!

The rest of my territory is mostly rural.  In fact, I took one of my buddy’s claims the other day outside of Huntsville in Pointblank, TX.  I left my house that morning and drove to Bryan (1 1/2 hours).  I did my first appointment there and then went to Pointblank about 60 miles away.  From there I went home.  All in all it was about a 200 mile round-trip day.  I was super tired when I got home and still had work to finish, but I better get used to it.  Most of my territory is about an hour and half from my house.  I’m getting to know the Bryan/College Station/Navasota area really well.  Let me know if you need A&M gear!  I’m there a couple times a week!!

All for now.  Wish me luck on the million dollar house.  BTW – the owner is as nice as pie.  I need to find out what he used to do.  He’s retired now but seems very down to earth.  Well, as down to earth as a dude living in a million dollar mansion in rural Texas can be.

Scooby Doo Mize…

 

Well, it’s been a year since we adopted Scooby.  At first I didn’t like his name but since he was 4 years old I didn’t want to change it on him.  Scooby has grown on me.  He is a Scooby Doo.  It just fits.

He’s a very sweet little dog with us.  He isn’t as wild as Mae is but will play just as hard.  He’s turned out to be very much my dog.  Erin refers to Mae as her puppy and Scooby as Momma’s puppy.  I say he’s sweet with us because he DOES NOT like strangers.  He hasn’t offered to bite yet, but he sure does bark and carry on when someone comes into the house.  It drives Tommy insane with all the barking.

To show his devotion he sticks close to me at all times.  One day Tommy was telling me a very animated story using his arms and getting a little loud.  Scooby came and stood between us until Tommy was finished.  Not sure what he thought he was going to do, but he was there to protect me from the crazy man.  LOL

Scooby also discovered the squirrels in the backyard a couple of months ago and will spend hours in the backyard running the fence line.  He’s worn a path along the fence.  The one drawback to it is that he doesn’t listen when he’s in Squirrel Mode.  His head completely goes out on him and he zones in on the squirrels.  I can call and call him and he will not come.  He also has a very high pitched bark especially for the squirrels.  Not sure if he thinks he’s calling them but it’s terrible.

All in all I have grown to love Scoobs.  Tommy and Erin could care less about him and I think Tommy really does hate him, but I love him.  After all, he was my birthday present last year!

Party Hearty…

 

It was New Year’s Eve last night and Tommy and I repeated last year’s date.  We had a very early supper at Tommy Bahamas.  It was fantastic as usual. 

We also went to our annual movie.  Yes, I said annual.  We go to the movies very seldom and last year we only made it to the one we saw last NYE.  We went to a newly remodeled old AMC theater.  I think this place was around when Tommy was a kid.  I used to refuse to go there because I thought it should be condemned.  But, AMC bought it and they remodeled.  They put in reclining leather seats and it was a dream.  I can’t imagine going to the movies any other way now.  I took a blanket and relaxed while we watched.

Erin spent the night with my parents and told us she was going to do fireworks without us.  I guess she had their evening planned.

I wrote the Year in Review blog a little late this year.  I try to do it on NYE but I completely forgot to do it this year until it was too late.  We were sitting in the movie theater when I remembered!

Happy New Year to my peeps!

Year in Review… 2014

 

January:

• Pepaw and I celebrated our birthdays with a double party
• We had 2 back to back snow days with no snow
• We adopted Scooby Doo Mize
• Mize/Wiseman Christmas party and we actually took a picture with all the Mizes.  First ever family picture with all of us

February:

• Daddy and I collaborated on another project and made bookshelves for Erin’s room and playroom
• Scooby and Mae eat the gravel from the fireplace so I’m forced to buy a fireplace screen
• We attempt the “Check Mark” approach with Erin – this one doesn’t make it to March
• My post on the Minnie Bathroom we created goes viral on Pinterest
• We book our trip/house in Florida
• Tommy turned 40!!
• Erin sees a pediatric GI specialist

March:

• We took a day and went to the Houston Livestock Rodeo with William
• Erin leads us in our prayers at dinner – Amen – Love Jesus!
• Luke as a Power Ranger b/day party at home
• We spend some Spring Break time in Trinity and Erin catches her first fish
• It’s St. Jude Trike-a-Thon time at school and Erin raised $300 dollars

April:

• We have Easter in the Country with Granny and Pepaw and too much candy
• We go to Minerva with the Ammermans for Easter weekend – Team WAM
• Erin takes Spring school pictures in Pre-K Jr.
• We have a play date with Erin’s BFF Avery and her family

May:

• I start on a sewing endeavor and get a new machine for Mother’s Day
• The WAM Flying Circus heads to Washington for a long weekend minus the men folk. 
• We make it back alive from WA

June:

• Erin has her first dance performance
• Tommy and I celebrate 11 years
• We spend time in San Antonio and the River Camp for our anniversary
• I’m offered my new job as a Weather Claim Specialist but can’t tell anyone
• We celebrate Father’s Day at the River Camp with a fresh fish fry
• William makes me a video to thank me for his bow tie I made him
• Tommy loses 60 pounds and looks fabulous

July:

• We celebrate the 4th of July with the Ammermans and a spectacular fireworks displace courtesy Uncle Matt
• My computer blew up and I bought the new one – obviously from all my blogging
• Scooby discovers the squirrels in the backyard – constantly wanting to go outside
• We go to SeaWorld with the Ammermans and Mizes and Ramseys
• I am finally able to share the news about my new job
• Erin turned 4 and had 3 b/day parties.  One at school, one on her actual birthday and her big party at Pump It Up
• Erin, Luke and Jake have their first weekend all of them together at the Mize Compound in Centerville, just them and Granny and Pepaw
• Granny and Pepaw are still in recovery and the kids have not been back to stay!!
• Erin failed her hearing test at her 4 year visit

August:

• We go with the Mizes to Destin, FL for a week of fun in the sun
• We come home from FL with 2 hermit crabs – Thanks Nanny B
• William turns 3 with a small party at our house
• Erin has her last First Day of School in Pre-K

September:

• To celebrate football season I modify shirts for me and Erin
• We were all set to SeaWorld again and found out they were closed
• Tommy and Josh head to Port Aransas to deep sea fish
• I start my new job
• Erin has a follow up hearing test and fails.  We schedule the surgery to put in new tubes

October:

• Erin has her ear surgery and passes the hearing test
• My new job has me working from home for 3 months of training virtually
• Erin takes her 4 year pictures a little late with our favorite photographers – Hard2Hold Photography – shameless shout out!
• Erin dresses up at Queen Elsa and we trick-or-treat with our neighbors the Zabriskies – Andrew was a hockey player.  They had a blast

November:

• Erin has a hearing test follow up and passes again
• We celebrate Jake’s birthday at a trampoline place
• I went live as a Weather Claim Specialist after 3 months of computer training
• We went to the Country for a Traditional Country Thanksgiving

December:

• I slack on the blog big time
• I spent a week at our Corporate Headquarters in Bloomington, IL learning my job
• I climbed my first roof and wrote and estimate on my first roof claim
• I changed my drawers after climbing said roof for roof claim
• It was a WAM Christmas.  Erin and William dress like elves and Santa comes to visit
• Erin’s Santa gift is a bike and it’s an epic fail

 

Thanks to each and every one of you for your love and friendship over the last year.  I look back at these times and smile.  Thank you for being a part of it and I hope we have a great 2015!