I see a little bit of myself in this succulent garden. Low maintenance, out of the ordinary, likes to be left alone, pleasant to look at, but a little prickly at times.

(Photo is of my husband as a wee lad. If he were a plant, he’d be a succulent, too.)

The Deluxe Succulent Garden is one of the many Green Plants offered at ProFlowers. Delivered happy and healthy to my front door, ProFlowers provided this lovely succulent garden, and it makes me very very happy.

Please see my site policy with any questions.

After six months of residency, it’s time for an update to the things I’ve learned about Texas in my 72 hours of residency.

It’s poignant, I tell ya.

• Real Texans have two responses to non-native Texans slinging around the term “ya’ll” – “Bless your heart” or polite chuckles. Both of which mean “stupid Yankee.”
• Armadillos are not cute like in cartoons. And they don’t run, they hop, which isn’t right.
• Texan manners and hospitality rival the Midwest, but they still drive like assholes.
• When the temperature starts closing in on 100 degrees, everyone wears as little as possible. No matter what their shape or size. People look at me like I’m a cloaked nun because I have some decency.
• Fire ants are the devil.
• Any fuel efficiency I gain by driving a Prius is immediately cancelled out by the presence of one-way service roads. By the time you see your destination from the highway, you’ve passed the exit and need to circle around. If you’re on the east side of the highway and want to go somewhere located south of your current location, you need to circle around. If you’re on the west side of the highway and want to go somewhere located north of your current location, you need to circle round. I’ve been in a constant state of vertigo for the past six months.
• Homeless people in Texas have kickin’ rad tans.
• Bugs, trucks, and soft drinks are definitely bigger in Texas.
• If you live in Austin, you put a UT sticker on you car. Didn’t go to UT? Doesn’t matter. Didn’t graduate high school? Doesn’t matter. Don’t own a car? Doesn’t matter. See a car without a UT sticker? Put one on it.
• Eating BBQ from a gas station is acceptable and encouraged.
• Homeslice Pizza may have opened a second location, but they still aren’t open on Tuesdays, which is all kinds of bullshit.

Update 6-19-10: We’re at the point where all we can do is laugh. And dance. And laugh at the dancing.

A water main broke right outside our front door this morning which means the water has been turned off. Naturally, I have my first job interview in a month this afternoon.

Oh, and my husband’s car needs repaired – something is banging and clanging and we sound like the Clampett’s driving through town.

I couldn’t make this stuff up if I tried.

Update 6-17-10: My grandfather passed away this morning. I won’t be going home for the funeral. Should I even say it’s because we don’t have the money, or is that kind of assumed by now? That’s what I thought.

Update 6-16-10: My husband is a paramedic and is being sent to the Gulf Coast to assist those that are cleaning oil from the beaches. He’ll spend two weeks in Louisiana and one week at home until further notice. He is scheduled to leave the week of BlogHer. Please add “board the dog, airport parking, activate security system, steel-toe boots, and feed husband while he is away” to the list of uses we have for this $2,000 sponsorship.

Thank you all so much for your support. It’s been very touching.

I don’t think I’m deserving of much, but this year? This year I think I deserve a break.

I’m not one for sob stories. I don’t like reading other people’s tales of woe – not because I’m unsympathetic, but because I believe that we all have the power to better ourselves and our situations. So, I certainly don’t like throwing my own pity party, but this year has been hard. Writing this is hard.

Writing this is also our chance to catch a break. My husband and I, both. It’s a glimpse into why I think we deserve a very generous $2,000 Smart ChargHER BlogHer sponsorship courtesy of Energizer and An Island Life and Barefoot Mommies.

Deep breath.

Last January, my husband and I packed up and moved across the country. It wasn’t a decision that was made on a whim. Pros and cons lists were made, jobs were secured, money was saved. It was supposed to be a great adventure. Our chance to make a new city our home.

Instead, it’s been six months of unemployment, disappointment, empty bank accounts, and a strain on our relationship that better couples than us have succumb to.

But, we’re like that damn bunny.

Just when we think we don’t have enough money to make our car payment, an overtime shift is offered. Just when we think we can’t spend another second together in our tiny one bedroom apartment, the weather breaks. Just when we think my roots can’t get any trashier, my parents say to make an appointment for a cut and color – their treat.

We just keep going, and going, and going. Surprising ourselves at times.

Through all of it, I’ve been looking forward to Blogher. It’s been an event on the horizon that’s kept me going – a chance to get away, clear my head, visit with friends and family, and re-Energize.

And I don’t think it’s too much of a stretch to assume that my husband wouldn’t mind sending me on my merry way for a weekend so that he can lounge around in his underwear and eat mac & cheese straight from the pot.

I worked hard to find a BlogHer sponsor. My friends worked hard to help me find a sponsor. And I found a sponsor! I had a sponsor. A sponsor who has since stopped returning my emails, went back on their word, and caused more disappointment. Vanished. Vamoosed. Disappeared. Never to be seen or heard from again.

I get it. I know there are much bigger obstacles in life. But right now, the obstacles in front of us are daunting and the disappointment is real.

This $2,000 sponsorship from Energizer would be used to pay the credit card bill that I charged my Blogher ticket and airfare to. It will be used to buy dirty water hot-dogs from street vendors all weekend so that the rest of the money can be used to pay next month’s bills – rent, electric, internet, cell phones, car payments, groceries…

I wouldn’t apply for this opportunity if it wasn’t about so much more than Blogher and so much more than just me. It’s about my husband and I. It’s about catching our breath, recharging, and learning to keep going, and going, and going…

If you think that I deserve a shot at this sponsorship, please support my entry by leaving a comment on Energizer’s Facebook page or sending a Tweet…

Please choose @CorrinRenee for the #energizer #blogher sponsorship from @kailani http://bit.ly/8ZcCeP

or

Please choose @CorrinRenee for the #energizer #blogher sponsorship from @barefootmomma http://bit.ly/8ZcCeP

Thank you. Thank you so much.

So, lets talk about the skirt that I got on clearance at Target for $3! Can you believe it? THREE MEASLY DOLLARS!

Fun print, great colors, and piping details – I couldn’t pass it up. Of course, I’m now dying to accessorize, but I pulled together a look for just over $100 – including shoes and bag!

What do you think?

• Target Skirt $19.99 online but check the sales racks!
• Hive and Honey Statement Necklace $58
• Flower Earrings $3.80
• American Apparel Short Sleeve Deep V-Neck $20
• SM Luxe Sandal $49.85 but there are plenty of DSW coupon codes floating around
• GAP Coated Canvas Tote $39.50 but wait for the next GAP sale, they happen weekly

So, what’s in your (imaginary) shopping cart this week? Leave a link to your post or just let me know in the comments!

(I’m leaving out the widget this week – but if more people join in, I’ll bring it back!)

Despite their names, the two do not mix. Let me explain…

Last week, I heard about Tweet for Blood in Austin. I decided it would be the perfect opportunity to cross a goal off of my 40×40 list, so I marked my calendar and made my very first blood donation on Friday.

While donating blood wasn’t my idea of a good time, it went well enough until I had to go and get all Diaphoretic – which I learned is just a fancy medical term for sweating like a whore in church. After a refreshing fruit punch Gatorade complete with bendy straw (Phlebotomists are so thoughtful), I was as good as new and on my merry way – feeling quite smug about having just saved two lives.

A few hours later, I had plans to meet a Twitter friend in person for the very first time at a local hangout on the lake. She and her friend turned out to be just lovely and there was a beautiful view, good conversation, and a Bloody Mary to lighten the mood.

As the sun started to set, I began to feel light-headed. I moved inside to the air conditioning, which didn’t help a damn bit. I knew I was doomed when I could barely keep the conversation going without thinking I’m going to puke in front of my new friends and the restaurant is going to have to compensate all these people for their dinners and I’m never going to be able to show my face on the east side of the city again because I will be the Diaphoretic barf women in the dining room and OH NO I have new jeans on please don’t let it splatter.

I must have looked green, because I asked no one in particular where the bathroom was and a drill sergeant of a woman boomed THIS WAY and whisked me off to a dark corner of the restaurant.

I don’t think I’ve ever been so thankful to see a public toilet in my entire life.

I should mention (or maybe I shouldn’t?) that in addition to the fruit punch Gatorade and Bloody Mary, I had also enjoyed a red velvet cupcake and chips and salsa that afternoon. Notice a theme?

What goes up, must come down (or maybe what goes in, must come out?)…

I was mortified. I apologized to no less than 25 people, including those in the bathroom, the restaurant manager, and my new friends who – bless their hearts – waited in the lobby and even hugged me goodbye knowing full well what had just transpired.

For the record, I’m not a puker. The last time I puked was 2003 when someone had the bright idea to teach me how to play chess using a bottle of Malibu. Yes – an entire bottle.

I haven’t played chess or had a rum and coke since. I will donate blood again. I just won’t chase it with a Bloody Mary.

Lesson learned.