Greetings from Austin

We'll, we've been here about a month now and things are going pretty well, especially now that the weather finally cooled off. Zoey took to the move like a pro, and only occasionally asks to go to "mommy's house." I don't really know if she really understands it when I tell her that we now live in "the NEW telephone room." But she likes it here. (She calls it the "telephone room," I think, because she was used to staying in moTEL rooms when we came to visit daddy, and called them "telephone rooms." So this apartment became "the NEW telephone room." That's how she says it, emphasis, long vowel sound, on "NEW.") It's a pretty small place, but pretty quiet, clean, with nice carpeting, a dishwasher and disposal--which I love having--and a washer and dryer. It's a big complex, and sometimes louder than I'd like thanks to the family of 6 or so across the hall that's become the hangout for many of the complex elementary-school kids. I mean, I think the hall (actually a breezeway) has become the hangout. I swear there's always about 6-8 kids out there playing. Oh well. Too bad they're all too old for Zoey.

We've made some friends here, too. Trey answered a craigslist ad and met a guy who moved here with his girlfriend-now wife from the bay area earlier this year. They are both very cool people. Trey even married them a few weeks ago (the pick above is from the laid back stealth wedding ceremony atop Mt. Bonnell). Zoey also met a pair of siblings who lived above us for a few months. They've sinced moved into their new house, but they promised to invite us over for a playdate once they get settled. I haven't yet hooked up with any of my Austin friends, but that'll happen soon enough. Things are looking pretty positive for us.

And it looks like we're going to close on the sale of our house before the end of the month! Maybe even before the end of this week, but I'm not going to celebrate that until all the papers are signed and we have that tiny little check in our hands. Yes, we will probably get a little check. Getting the house ready has been such a stressor for me, as I've had to do it all myself, but it's been worth it. The house looked great, and we had a fair number of interested parties. It's gone way better than I'd hoped.

Zoey started school today. I actually wrote an entry earlier this morning, when I was still very anxious and a bit weepy about this new chapter in her life. But I lost it in the blink of an eye trying to allow popups to this site. Oh well. I'm feeling much better now, as she's so far done pretty well (I've had a few phone calls with the director, who's given me updates.) She had a mini-meltdown mid-morning, when she finally looked up from playing to realize I wasn't around. Then they fed her lunch and well, the kid likes to eat. The real surprise was when I called around 1 pm and found out that she was actually napping along with the rest of the class. I'm going to pick her up soon. And of course, we'll see how Wednesday goes (she's just M-W-F for now).

Anyway, things are pretty good. Plus, the Astros beat the Braves.

Hope everyone is doing well.