--tap-tap-tap--

*Ahem* ... Is this thing on?

What's this? She's back? No... this must be a mistake. And yet...

I know, I know. I've been silent as of late, and I swear there are good reasons!

Good reason #1: The Laptop
Excuses, excuses - but this one's a doozy. I literally just got my laptop back from the manufacturer. Apparently my motherboard was melting AC adapters at a fairly rapid rate (not to mention my harddrive and the battery) so they sent it in to get the whole schebang replaced. I'm officially on the "buy an extended warranty on your day-to-day electronics" bandwagon... But whatever you do - make sure you remember to have them replace the part your laptop melted in the first place so you don't have to try and get it shipped to you after the fact. Twice. Then a third time when they finally get your correct address.

Good reason #2: The Trip
What's that you say? Wasn't it forever and a day ago that you went to Colorado? Well... yeah. It was a month ago now, and no. I still don't have pictures. Actually - I'll be honest. I haven't missed them since I haven't had a laptop to not post them on, but now that I have it back I'll be pestering Nel to get me the pictures soon.

Good reason #3: The Apartment
Who would've thought that moving, going on vacation, coming back, and then supporting pre-flight operations, flight operations, and post-flight recovery would be such a bad idea? I swear - the apartment is one solid day's (that'd be tomorrow's) work away from being picture perfect and ready to display for all on the web to see. The pillows are sown (thanks Ann!), the furniture is in (thanks guys!), the painting is complete, and all that's left is a good old fashioned cleaning (the worst part).

Good reason #4: The Flight
See... I'm not certified yet. So working the flight shouldn't be as stressful for me, right? Almost right. While no - it's not my immediate neck on the line when the Space Station threatens to come crashing down around our heads, it certainly puts everyone in the hot seat to help as much as possible in coming up with solutions. Did I do a lot? Not compared to the ridiculously talented group of people I work with, but I'd like to think I did my small, uncertified part. I helped certify procedures that had never been run before... I helped replan and rework the flight on a day to day basis (and by that I mean I helped the people who were actually doing it check their work)... and I tried to stay out from underfoot as much as possible.

Overall, the past couple of weeks have been madness and I was glad for a nice relaxing day to recover. I appreciate all of the support everyone has given over the last few stressful weeks, and I promise - after the scrub down this apartment is getting tomorrow, you will all see why I was so excited to be moving in!

(And man... I might have to get upset. My laptop is feeling awfully warm already...)

Voting Time (part Deux)

Okay, so the late great sofa debate was a success! I got the good feedback I was looking for and also got the most comments yet... :)

Next vote: Erin's Birthday Present (for herself)
Option 1: iPod ... the big kind.

I'm thinking about something like this:


Option 2: Pots and Pans ... the nice kind.

I have one of these pots and I l-o-v-e LOVE it!

Option 3: A new car ... the pretty kind.

Am I ready to take the plunge yet?

And the Winner Is...

It's official. I went out and got my couch last weekend and I decided to go with the Petrie. It will be delivered a week from Thursday. Now I'm looking for the fabric I'll use as the accents in my living room/dining room.

Most of my stuff has been moved out and the official moving date is next Saturday! Woo!

Voting time...

I'm pretty sure I've asked just about every one of you out there for an opinion, but I need some help! I've narrowed down my likely couch selections to 4 varieties - and here they are in no particular order:

The Rochelle

The Cannes

The Grace

The Petrie

Now keep in mind, those colors are not exactly what I would select. I'm looking for a creamy white or very light tan. I want to keep it light and neutral. Though I'm starting to fall for the Silvery color that is on the Cannes... If you click the link to each sofa, you'll see that each couch except the Grace has the same fabric - and therefore color options. For those three I'm leaning to either Natural or Silver Sage. The Grace couch is it's own nightmare that I would get in the light celery or oatmeal color.

I'm pretty much in love with all of the above - but I think I've picked my favorite. Can you?

I found it!!

It's perfect. Well... maybe not perfect, but it's perfect for now. I have decided upon a nice little 1 bedroom, 1 bathroom apartment in Seven Palms. If you select the "Floor Plans" option, I'm in the Belize floor plan.

Its a little smaller (the kitchen is a little smaller, the bedroom is a little smaller, and the bathroom doesn't have the big tub), but for the price I can't go wrong. I can still have room for Thanksgiving dinner! Which yes - I've already claimed it amongst my friends. And depending on family plans, Christmas may be there too. :) We'll see. Heaven knows that Dana has a point - what else will I do with all of those Christmas decorations???

And besides ... this way I can buy an expandable dining room table and have hosts (okay, like 8 maybe) of people over for a dinner party which I have been itching to have since I learned that I can fake it with lamb and make it passable. :-P

But I'm super duper excited to be setting out all on my own for the first time in Houston and I'm even more excited to go FURNITURE SHOPPING!! That is quite possibly even more exciting than deciding on a place...

Stay tuned for more Erin Home Updates - I promise. You should be almost a third as excited as I am. It's worth it.