Another first...

I'm all about new experiences. And with the exception of illegal substances, I'll try just about anything once. But last night was a first I just didn't need to have. I was flying home from Colorado, and as I boarded the plane, I didn't feel very good. As the plane started pulling away from the terminal, my mouth started watering. You know when your mouth starts to salivate and it isn't because of food it means one thing... so I grabbed the barf bag and that was it. The man sitting next to me reading the wall street journal was mortified. It probably doesn't help that I looked like a mountain bum in dirty jeans and a flannel shirt, steel toed boots, and hat hair. I must have been a sight. Three people moved so I could have a row to my self. The stewardess brought me some ginger ale and a much bigger barf bag. Which was good, because I yakked again when we were taking off. One trip to the bathroom after the seat belt sign was lifted, and I passed out for the duration of the trip. Vomiting in public was one thing when I was 19 years old, in college, and stumbling out of the bars in Tigerland. Losing my stomach in a confined space with a bunch of business travelers flying from Denver to Dallas is a whole other experience I don't care to have again.

It wasn't in vain though. There was five year old boy sitting two rows ahead of me when I first threw up. Unlike the stares and shady glances from the rest of the passengers, his reaction was "So Cool!" As I was waiting for my luggage last night, his dad walked up to me and told me his son was afraid to fly, it was his first time, and seeing me lose my stomach made his night.

Never again.

Home Sweet... Colorado

I've finally made it out to Colorado for my first introduction to my new areas of responsibility. Our field office is located in Greeley, CO, and I already know I am going to love it here. I lived in Colorado Springs for two months after I graduated from high school before I started at LSU, and have always loved the mountains. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that NoLA is flat, and there aren't any rocks. You drive along the highways here, and see outcroppings. I know- dork! I'm about an hour from Rocky Mountain National Park, and I'm looking forward to making a long weekend trip. With work picking up the flight to get here, it's pretty convenient.

Right now, I'm eating lunch at this awesome dive in town call Randy's. There are four fracs this week, and we've got two drilling rigs. It'll be busy, but so far the people have been great. I can't wait to stand outside in the cold tonight and see stars. I lucked out with the weather. A high is coming through, so the temp will vary between the 30s and 60s all week long.

Happy Monday everyone!

Getting Recs for the First Time

Tonight I went to an informational meeting for the Junior League of Dallas, and I am on cloud 9. I know, some of you are thinking "Junior League? Are you kidding me?" No, I'm not. Ever since I moved to Dallas, I've missed quality girl time. Think about it. I went to an all girls Catholic High School. I lived in my sorority house all through college. I have always had an outlet in my life that kept me involved with other amazing, strong woman. But ever since I've moved to Dallas, I haven't been able to find that niche. I've met some awesome girls here, but I miss the organization, the structure, and the purpose. And I think I've finally found it. The Junior League was actually founded by debutantes in New York City in the early 1900's, who went and volunteered in Hell's Kitchen to try and make a difference. It's now spread to 297 chapters worldwide. My first year won't start until May 2009, so there is some time before we get started, but I'm looking forward to it already. The service projects seem great, I definitely feel comfortable with the women I've met, and like all volunteer work- I'm sure I'll end up feeling like I getting more than I'm giving.

It is kind of like a sorority, except there was no bouncing and clapping, and the key demographics here are age 25-40. Even though I got a bid to join Zeta, I didn't go through rush at LSU because of the stereotype I had for sorority girls. I'm not going to let that happen to me again. So now, for the first time, I'm in the market for recommendations. Junior League recs that is.

It must be love...

Hello from College Station! That's where Layne and I spent a whirlwind day. We were up at 6am to get on the road, and kickoff was for 11:00. Bummer! We met up with some of Layne's best friends from college for our annual football game we catch together. It was great to see everyone again, and I know Layne enjoyed the quality time with his friends.

I realized though the full extent of my love for Layne this weekend. You see, the AnM game was an 11am kickoff. We went out to the bars for a little to hang out with friends, and then we dropped by Jori's and Neil's. They just got married two weeks ago, and we wanted to say hello and deliver their wedding present. Jori is Layne's best friend from high school. We then went to visit Mrs. Carmen and Mr. Wayne for awhile- and although it was short, it was good to just sit down and talk with them for the half hour. Then it was back to Sharon's parents house for chili and cake to celebrate her birthday. Here lies the problem. We had to drive back to Dallas on Saturday night. So it's 7pm when Layne looks a me and says, "Are you ready to get on the road now?" Do you know what happened at 7pm on Saturday night? That's right. LSU kicked off against the South Carolina Gamecocks. So you see... I love him. I love him more than all the french fries and hush puppies in the world, and apparently, he now ranks above LSU Football too.

I know, I know. You can't believe what you're seeing. But that's me, and yes, I was potting plants. I inherited some beautiful pots when Granny passed away, and I love them. It's been a crazy week, and the weekend is going to be even crazier. So in order to calm down and have some relaxation time to myself, I thought I would make some fall arrangements. This is going to be addictive. I can tell.

A few months ago, a group of girlfriends (SWRL Scouts) went to Calloway's Nursery and learned about potting plants. We each did our own, and took it home with us. Mine is now dead, but I thought I would give my green thumb another chance. With Stephen, Layne and I at the house, there is definitely a sense of permanence in my life. And these should last until Thanksgiving time- when it's time to whip out the poinsettia's.

Do you see the mini pumpkins I threw in for some seasonal flair? I know you must be proud of me Mrs. Carmen! The mums are just starting to show color, and there are even little mini peppers in there to give it a little Texas twist. And for those of you from NoLa who remember Granny and Grandpa's garden- can you make out our little friend sitting out on the edge?

I brought a CD player outside and had some relaxing Zen music on in the background. And I enjoyed myself so much, I didn't even mind the clean up that was necessary after. (I tore the patio apart!) It made for a great afternoon activity, and the weather was perfect. Cool, with a slight breeze... I love the fall!

A Wicked Girls Weekend

This past weekend, I flew into Atlanta for a girls weekend. My mom has some amazing relationships, and her friends have daughters who are my age who have been my friends for a lifetime. I met Amy the day she was born in the hospital. I met Heather in our Brownie girl scout group. So my Mom, Aunt Mel, Aunt Leslie, and Heather drove to Atlanta, and picked me up at the airport. We to go meet up with Amy- and the surprise was on me! My friend Jill from high school and Amy's friends from college Becca and Devon were there too. The girls surprised me with a lingerie shower... talk about getting the weekend off to a good start!

While most pictures aren't for the public eye, you can see the laughter on our faces. Heather's gift was... well, Heather like. She was the one who came up with the idea for the shower, and I owe them all a special thank you for spoiling me.

We started to build my bouquet for the rehearsal dinner. Less than 3 months and counting now. I can't wait!

We spent Saturday morning on the porch of a sports bar. I even dressed in red and black to support UGA. Blasphemy, I know... but I wanted to embrace the culture, and it was a good excuse to wear my new dress! So to point everyone out, in the back is Nanny, Aunt Mel, and Mom. In the front is Amy, Heather, and me.

We laughed so hard, my abs still ache today, and it's Thursday!

We danced. Have you noticed that we really didn't care what anyone else thought?

And by the end of Saturday night, well, the picture speaks for itself. We did some damage to the bar tab and ourselves... but it was SO worth it! On Sunday, we got off to a late start, and then spent the day shopping in Atlanta. We had tickets to go see Wicked on Sunday night, and I'll post a picture or two as soon as I get them. This was my third time seeing the Broadway musical, and this was my favorite cast yet. More details to follow soon!

What Have I Gotten Myself Into?

Layne and I just got back to Dallas after an awesome weekend in Bryan/College Station (aka Aggieland, yuck!) with Sabrina and Scott, Christine and Chad and the girls. More to come on that later.

It's getting late on a Sunday night and the house is a mess. We ran out of here on Friday evening after a long week. In an attempt to be organized, we make a list of the things we have to get done tonight before another week began. So we compiled the list of to-do's and then I saw Layne initialing each task with who had to do it. Since when did he become the sole assignor?

This is how it ended up:

Mitzi:
Unpack the Luggage
Wash Dishes from Last Week
Clean off the Island (which is covered from one end to another)
Confirm the meeting to Plan the Neinert's Shower with Four Other Couples
Production Report for Work

Layne:
Open the Mail from Saturday
Pay Bills (and that means clicking the pay bills online button on chase.com)
Call Ben Back to discuss the Bachelor Party

Seriously... what have I gotten myself into?!?

I'm not in Kansas anymore...

(WARING: This is a work update.)

That's right- I'll no longer be spending my time in Kansas anymore. For those of you who didn't know, the past few months I've been working as Central Region Engineer, spending my time in the Texas and Oklahoma Panhandle, as well as southwest Kansas. I've truly enjoyed working with the people- but it hasn't been the easiest experience. To get to the field, it was an hour flight to Amarillo, and then a three hour drive to Liberal, Kansas- four if I had to go to Garden City. Cell phone reception is terrible- which is no fun when you're driving several hundred miles over a few days, nor it is safe. Dinner options are the Dairy Queen or Sonic... night after night. Lunch is from the gas station, or maybe a down home diner if you get lucky and have the time. Entertainment? None. And the motels, yes, motels- are terrible. The ever popular $39.99/night off Highway 64 just didn't do it for me. But that's all okay and in the past now, because as of this afternoon, I GET TO WORK IN THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS!

Can you tell how excited I am? I'll fly from Dallas to Denver, and have a short one hour ride. The field I'll be responsible for is surrounding a town, so living accommodations for the weeks out in the field should be a step up. And I LOVE the mountains. My summer in Colorado Springs seven years ago was amazing. That is God's country. I can see it now- heading up early on a Sunday to catch the Broncos game before work on Monday. Or how about a long weekend skiing tied to a week in the field. It's got promise. :) The only downfall is that I'll have to learn to adjust to snow, and am in desperate need of a serious winter jacket. I may be asking Santa Claus for an electric blanket as well.

On a serious note- this is a great opportunity for me to really develop an operational skill set. I'll be running my own drilling program- 24 hours a day, drilling one well continuously after another. I'll be working with a great engineer is responsible for the North end of the field- so it will be someone to discuss ideas with who is familiar with the asset I'm working. It'll be a big change from what I'm doing now, but I'm looking forward to it and am excited about the new challenge and opportunity. More details (and pictures) to follow.

Anybody have friends living in Denver these days?