It hasn't even been 2 months, and I'm posting again! What whaaaat?! Just a quick update.
So, Huey and I decided to start looking into buying a house. I emailed a loan officer, she told us to apply online, and then we set up an in-person meeting for the following Monday. Good news and bad news. Good news: Huey has EXCELLENT credit. Bad news: I have 0. As in none. Nada. Zip. Because I was taught to always pay cash for everything. :) Since Huey's school loans are so much, his income alone isn't enough to qualify us for a home loan. BUT, we were told if we had my income, we should be approved pretty quickly. So, how to get my income to count? Build up my credit. So for the first time in my 27yr life, I applied for a credit card. Was told that Capitol One and American Express report the fastest, so we went with Capitol One. Card should be here in another week or so. Once I build up my credit (hopefully in a few short months), we will finish the application process and start looking for a house! I am SO ready to be out of here.
We just got our "friendly reminder" on our door today, that it's time to renew our lease. But, for the first time in almost 6 years, our rent is going up. Yuck. I asked the assistant manager why, and she said because of the new management company. Apparently they don't believe in keeping people's rent the same, even if those same people have been living here, and paying their rent on time for years. So we have three options. A 12 month lease for $638/per month. Or a 7 month lease for $704/per month. OR month-to-month for a whopping $1037/per month. NO WAY IN HECK are we going month-to-month! That's more than the mortgage payment we'd be looking at! I can't believe anyone would pay that much for this place! I mean, if things were fixed immediately, and there weren't cracks all over the place, and our doors opened and shut properly, and the A/C units actually kept our apartments cool during the summer, then MAYBE. For a 2 bedroom. But the way things are now? and for a 1 bedroom? Yeah, right. Our current rent is $579. And has been since we moved in. We haven't figured out what we're doing yet, but probably the 7 month lease, even though it's more, so we can be out of here sooner, and be less likely to have to break our lease. Ugh.
So, that's a quick update on the Hooks'. School starting means people getting back from vacation, and lessons picking up again. Not to where I was before summer started, but slowly getting there!
Saturday, August 10, 2013
Tuesday, July 23, 2013
Summer!
It seems the only way I will "keep up" on this blog is if I get reminders from my friend (Biddle, that's YOU)! :)
Hm, it's Summer here in Texas. Which means it is hot. And humid. And miserable. Actually, it's been a fairly "mild" summer thus far. I've even been able to open my windows for a total of 3 days this month! I have NEVER been able to open windows during the month of July since moving to Texas 12 1/2 years ago. I have lost 11 students this summer for various reasons. Moving, quitting, and some who just took the summer off. Hopefully with school starting in a few weeks, those who took a break will actually be back. :) On the one hand, it's no fun losing that income. On the other hand, it's a much lighter schedule, and easier to reschedule if we go out of town!
Huey is still working at Cavalli's Pizzeria.
Back in June, I was driving to Plano when I saw this field of amazing, BRIGHT yellow! It was a field of Sunflowers. And they were gorgeous! There were two fields on my way into Plano, and I knew I had to get some pictures with my new camera! So on one of Huey's off days, we drove down to the closest one, and got off the freeway to take pictures. We weren't the only ones who had that idea! There were quite a few people and there really wasn't anywhere to park. My handsome hubby is clever though, and was determined to help me get my pictures! He found a side road no one had gone on, and I was able to get some excellent pictures, that I'm very happy with!
Also in June, was my violin recital. I played two pieces, both of which my mom was awesome enough to accompany me for. My aunt Denise and cousin Lindsey, grandma J., aunt Debbie, and sister Eden all came to support me and hear me play! I hadn't seen Lindsey in YEARS, and she and her husband were visiting and celebrating their little girl's first birthday here. It was so great to see her, and have her come!
Here's one of my pieces: (It's blurry because Eden said the camera turned off and she didn't have time to focus before I started.)
Ave Maria
For the 4th of July, we went to visit Huey's parents. Since they live outside city limits, we got to set off fireworks! Huey was like a kid in a candy store when we went to buy the fireworks. Dang those things are expensive! I think the biggest package was $1000! We got some smaller ones, and they were fun enough.
We were also able to go shooting. Twice. I hadn't shot my gun in over a year, so it was nice to finally be able to shoot it again!
They day after got back from visiting Huey's parents, was family dinner night and karaoke at the assisted living facility my Grandpa lives at. So I went with my fam. And sang karaoke. And enjoyed watching my grandpa get out there and "dance" in his wheelchair! It was so much fun!
The Wobble
And to finish off this post: my awesome cousin Ashley gave me purple highlights:
Hm, it's Summer here in Texas. Which means it is hot. And humid. And miserable. Actually, it's been a fairly "mild" summer thus far. I've even been able to open my windows for a total of 3 days this month! I have NEVER been able to open windows during the month of July since moving to Texas 12 1/2 years ago. I have lost 11 students this summer for various reasons. Moving, quitting, and some who just took the summer off. Hopefully with school starting in a few weeks, those who took a break will actually be back. :) On the one hand, it's no fun losing that income. On the other hand, it's a much lighter schedule, and easier to reschedule if we go out of town!
Huey is still working at Cavalli's Pizzeria.
Back in June, I was driving to Plano when I saw this field of amazing, BRIGHT yellow! It was a field of Sunflowers. And they were gorgeous! There were two fields on my way into Plano, and I knew I had to get some pictures with my new camera! So on one of Huey's off days, we drove down to the closest one, and got off the freeway to take pictures. We weren't the only ones who had that idea! There were quite a few people and there really wasn't anywhere to park. My handsome hubby is clever though, and was determined to help me get my pictures! He found a side road no one had gone on, and I was able to get some excellent pictures, that I'm very happy with!
Also in June, was my violin recital. I played two pieces, both of which my mom was awesome enough to accompany me for. My aunt Denise and cousin Lindsey, grandma J., aunt Debbie, and sister Eden all came to support me and hear me play! I hadn't seen Lindsey in YEARS, and she and her husband were visiting and celebrating their little girl's first birthday here. It was so great to see her, and have her come!
Here's one of my pieces: (It's blurry because Eden said the camera turned off and she didn't have time to focus before I started.)
Ave Maria
For the 4th of July, we went to visit Huey's parents. Since they live outside city limits, we got to set off fireworks! Huey was like a kid in a candy store when we went to buy the fireworks. Dang those things are expensive! I think the biggest package was $1000! We got some smaller ones, and they were fun enough.
We were also able to go shooting. Twice. I hadn't shot my gun in over a year, so it was nice to finally be able to shoot it again!
Huey with his fireworks
Like father, like son
Huey sighting in!
Me sighting in. And using this gun for the first time. :)
My patriotic nails
Mike, Donna, and Huey
Me and Huey
Unfortunately, Huey had to be back to work Friday morning at 9am, so we were only able to stay for the 3rd and 4th. We got back between 1am-2am on Friday morning. Poor Huey was exhausted! Well, I was too, but I didn't have to work that day. O:-)
Oooh, we also bought a brand new sofa and love seat! This is our first ever BRAND SPANKIN' NEW couch. And FIRST love seat!
The Wobble
And to finish off this post: my awesome cousin Ashley gave me purple highlights:
Tuesday, March 12, 2013
So much for New Year resolutions...
Um, so as a friend recently pointed out, I haven't posted in over a year. And one of my resolutions was to post at least once a month. Obviously THAT didn't happen. As for my other resolution? Let's just say it was about as successful as my blog resolution. :)
So, what happened in 2012? Well, the world DIDN'T end.
Huey started work at Cavalli Pizzeria. It's a family owned, authentic Italian pizza place that also serves other stuff, like tapas (small plates). It's pretty good. Huey helps to come up with many of their weekend specials. He started off as a line cook, and is now Sous Chef.
I reached 28 students. I LOVE my job! Planning recitals is stressful for me, but definitely worth it!
Huey and I were called to be primary teachers. We started off with the 5-6yr olds. Then there were a bunch of boundary changes, and we were "moved" from 3rd ward to 2nd ward. We went right back to primary, this time teaching the 6-7yr olds. In January we got to "advance" with our class, so now we get to help prepare them for baptism! We have 4 boys and 1 girl in our class, and I think we have the best class in Primary! Our primary is tiny. We have about 20-25 kids that regularly come. That's our whole primary.
Last April, my mom and I got to "drop off" my Grandma Larkin for her mission in SLC! She is serving at the family history library. It was a fun girls trip. My mom drove up with Grandma, and I flew up a few days later to meet them. We spent a bunch of time helping Grandma get all settled in, making sure she had everything she needed, before driving her car back to Texas. (She didn't want to keep her car with her.)\
While we were in Utah, we were able to meet up with some friends we hadn't seen in a long time! One of them, my friend Sarah, has been my friend for almost 20 years! Wow, I feel old saying that. AND I got to see my awesome friend Steven, who used to live in TX!
We also attended the temple in Draper, which was neat, since I hadn't been there before, and it helped me get closer to a goal I had set when I was in YW. I had wanted to attend/visit every temple in the world. It was a more achievable goal back then, before all these smaller temples started popping up! :) Now I would just like to visit as many as I can.
Hmmm, what else happened? Oh yeah, in October our apartment building caught on fire. And no smoke alarms in the entire building went off. I'm just glad I was home! It was a Sunday night, so I was home with Buddy, and Huey was at work. Someone started banging on my neighbor's door, and then my door, and then my neighbors door, and then mine again! At first I wasn't going to answer it. I mean, I was home by myself, it was dark, and someone was banging on my door! I looked out the peephole, and saw the flashing lights of the fire trucks. So I opened the door. The man there said the building was on fire, and everyone needed to evacuate. Um, ok! You know how you get asked, if there was an emergency, what would you take with you? Well, I found out what I would take: My dog, my keys, and my phone. That's it. I didn't even grab my wallet with my ID, or any important papers. It was close to freezing that night, and I didn't even grab some socks and shoes - I put on flip flops because they were quick! Sheesh. It was long, cold night. Thankfully our apartment didn't suffer any damage, because we were on the very end of the building. The fire originated in the apartment 2 apartments over and below us. All we had was a very smelly apartment for a few days. We weren't able to come back home until the Tuesday after the fire, because all electricity and water had been shut off. Oh yeah, that's another thing. A main water line broke the night of the fire.
SO thankful we didn't suffer the worst of it. People in 8 apartments lost their homes that night. Only one guy I wasn't sad to see leave... he had had 8 or 9 people living in his 1 bedroom apartment! And he had been busted for drugs at least twice! So I was thankful he was gone!
That was probably the most "exciting" thing that happened.
In December our complex held another patio decorating contest. We felt sure we would finally win 1st place this year! We did a pretty awesome job with the lights (if I do say so myself!), and we even had them hooked up to a "Lights and Sounds of Christmas" thing, so that they did a little light show coordinated to Christmas songs!
But alas, we did not win 1st. Again. We won 3rd. Again. And I couldn't believe who beat us! We had a light show! And no one else did!
Here's our back porch with the lights...
And I wish I still had pictures of what beat us, but just trust me when I say, it was totally ghetto.
Good thing in December: we went to our first Trans-Siberian Orchestra concert, and it was awesome! We have decided we want to make it a tradition to go every year they come to Dallas!
Okay, that's it for now, hopefully I'll be better about posting in 2013 than I was in 2012.
So, what happened in 2012? Well, the world DIDN'T end.
Huey started work at Cavalli Pizzeria. It's a family owned, authentic Italian pizza place that also serves other stuff, like tapas (small plates). It's pretty good. Huey helps to come up with many of their weekend specials. He started off as a line cook, and is now Sous Chef.
I reached 28 students. I LOVE my job! Planning recitals is stressful for me, but definitely worth it!
Huey and I were called to be primary teachers. We started off with the 5-6yr olds. Then there were a bunch of boundary changes, and we were "moved" from 3rd ward to 2nd ward. We went right back to primary, this time teaching the 6-7yr olds. In January we got to "advance" with our class, so now we get to help prepare them for baptism! We have 4 boys and 1 girl in our class, and I think we have the best class in Primary! Our primary is tiny. We have about 20-25 kids that regularly come. That's our whole primary.
Last April, my mom and I got to "drop off" my Grandma Larkin for her mission in SLC! She is serving at the family history library. It was a fun girls trip. My mom drove up with Grandma, and I flew up a few days later to meet them. We spent a bunch of time helping Grandma get all settled in, making sure she had everything she needed, before driving her car back to Texas. (She didn't want to keep her car with her.)\
While we were in Utah, we were able to meet up with some friends we hadn't seen in a long time! One of them, my friend Sarah, has been my friend for almost 20 years! Wow, I feel old saying that. AND I got to see my awesome friend Steven, who used to live in TX!
We also attended the temple in Draper, which was neat, since I hadn't been there before, and it helped me get closer to a goal I had set when I was in YW. I had wanted to attend/visit every temple in the world. It was a more achievable goal back then, before all these smaller temples started popping up! :) Now I would just like to visit as many as I can.
Hmmm, what else happened? Oh yeah, in October our apartment building caught on fire. And no smoke alarms in the entire building went off. I'm just glad I was home! It was a Sunday night, so I was home with Buddy, and Huey was at work. Someone started banging on my neighbor's door, and then my door, and then my neighbors door, and then mine again! At first I wasn't going to answer it. I mean, I was home by myself, it was dark, and someone was banging on my door! I looked out the peephole, and saw the flashing lights of the fire trucks. So I opened the door. The man there said the building was on fire, and everyone needed to evacuate. Um, ok! You know how you get asked, if there was an emergency, what would you take with you? Well, I found out what I would take: My dog, my keys, and my phone. That's it. I didn't even grab my wallet with my ID, or any important papers. It was close to freezing that night, and I didn't even grab some socks and shoes - I put on flip flops because they were quick! Sheesh. It was long, cold night. Thankfully our apartment didn't suffer any damage, because we were on the very end of the building. The fire originated in the apartment 2 apartments over and below us. All we had was a very smelly apartment for a few days. We weren't able to come back home until the Tuesday after the fire, because all electricity and water had been shut off. Oh yeah, that's another thing. A main water line broke the night of the fire.
SO thankful we didn't suffer the worst of it. People in 8 apartments lost their homes that night. Only one guy I wasn't sad to see leave... he had had 8 or 9 people living in his 1 bedroom apartment! And he had been busted for drugs at least twice! So I was thankful he was gone!
That was probably the most "exciting" thing that happened.
In December our complex held another patio decorating contest. We felt sure we would finally win 1st place this year! We did a pretty awesome job with the lights (if I do say so myself!), and we even had them hooked up to a "Lights and Sounds of Christmas" thing, so that they did a little light show coordinated to Christmas songs!
But alas, we did not win 1st. Again. We won 3rd. Again. And I couldn't believe who beat us! We had a light show! And no one else did!
Here's our back porch with the lights...
And I wish I still had pictures of what beat us, but just trust me when I say, it was totally ghetto.
Good thing in December: we went to our first Trans-Siberian Orchestra concert, and it was awesome! We have decided we want to make it a tradition to go every year they come to Dallas!
Okay, that's it for now, hopefully I'll be better about posting in 2013 than I was in 2012.
Sunday, January 1, 2012
2012!
Can't believe it's 2012!
One of my new year resolutions is to make at least one blog post a month. :) Also, we joined a gym back in November, and my fitness goal for the year is to go at least 3 times a week. That may not sound like much, but it's a doable goal. And that's what I need: something doable, and not too big to start. Otherwise I get overwhelmed and don't do it!
Happy new year! Let's hope 2012 has many good things in store!
One of my new year resolutions is to make at least one blog post a month. :) Also, we joined a gym back in November, and my fitness goal for the year is to go at least 3 times a week. That may not sound like much, but it's a doable goal. And that's what I need: something doable, and not too big to start. Otherwise I get overwhelmed and don't do it!
Happy new year! Let's hope 2012 has many good things in store!
Saturday, November 12, 2011
Halloween
So I just realized I last posted on Halloween, but didn't post any pictures! We didn't really do "costumes" this year, but we DID buy some AFTER Halloween for 75% off, to use next year!
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| Huey the Blues Brother |
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| My attempt at a side ponytail (with my SHORT hair!) |
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| The back said "I 'heart' Rick Springfield" |
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| Hot Air Balloon I saw while driving with a friend |
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| A Buddy burrito! |
Monday, October 31, 2011
OH
AND I forgot, but I was able to tour the church's Jerusalem movie set in Gershon. Can't post pictures yet, (not until after the first movie(s) come out, but after that, I will definitely post pics! It was very cool. My friend Heathyr's dad and brother both worked on the set.
Sunday, October 30, 2011
I can breathe!
Wow. It's been a while. Again. SO, here's what has been happening with the Hooks':
Huey was promoted to Head Chef at work. I think he is doing a GREAT job. He has been very stressed with all the extra responsibility, in part because his sous chef wasn't doing all his responsibilities, so Huey was doing the job of both sous and head chef. Plus, he also had/has some really lame, irresponsible, immature guys working for him. I think as soon as he's able to get some good people in there, his stress will be a little alleviated. He just hired a couple new guys, and I am really hoping they work out well!
Bethany: It has been a very busy couple of months. In August, I flew to Utah for 10 days to attend one of my best friends wedding. It was beautiful. Saw a couple of friends from way back when, whom I haven't seen since we were in girls scouts together! While I was there, I also got to visit with other friends and family. It was nice to get away from the 100+ degree summer we were having. It was in the 90's while I was in Utah, and everyone was complaining about how HOT it was, but it felt good to me! Plus it cooled down at night. The first night there, the windows were open, and everyone was sleeping on top of their blankets. Me? I ended up pulling my socks and sweater out of my suitcase because I was freezing!
Huey was promoted to Head Chef at work. I think he is doing a GREAT job. He has been very stressed with all the extra responsibility, in part because his sous chef wasn't doing all his responsibilities, so Huey was doing the job of both sous and head chef. Plus, he also had/has some really lame, irresponsible, immature guys working for him. I think as soon as he's able to get some good people in there, his stress will be a little alleviated. He just hired a couple new guys, and I am really hoping they work out well!
Bethany: It has been a very busy couple of months. In August, I flew to Utah for 10 days to attend one of my best friends wedding. It was beautiful. Saw a couple of friends from way back when, whom I haven't seen since we were in girls scouts together! While I was there, I also got to visit with other friends and family. It was nice to get away from the 100+ degree summer we were having. It was in the 90's while I was in Utah, and everyone was complaining about how HOT it was, but it felt good to me! Plus it cooled down at night. The first night there, the windows were open, and everyone was sleeping on top of their blankets. Me? I ended up pulling my socks and sweater out of my suitcase because I was freezing!
The bride and groom
The beautiful bride
Me, Mikaelle, Heathyr, Kristin, and Margaret (former G.S. friends!)
Oquirrh Mountain Temple
SLC Temple
Dinner with Jill and Julianne (both served part of their missions in my ward)
Oquirrh Mountain Temple at night!
Me and my gorgeous cousin Cara
Logan Temple
I was able to go back to Utah again at the beginning of October for my other best friends wedding, and I was honored to be a bridesmaid. It was fun! Only had a weekend that time, so I didn't really get to see a bunch of people, but the time I spent there was wonderful. And cold. Very cold. I came from shorts, t-shirts, and flip-flop weather, to wishing I had brought my scarf, gloves, sweater and a hat to go along with my jacket! There was snow on the mountains, and not just on the tops! The wedding was outside at a pretty little park, but because of the weather, the reception had to be moved to the church building.
Mikaelle and her dad
My bridesmaid bouquet
Me!
The cake
Me, Mikaelle, and Heathyr
The groom, and the bride, with her lime green lined converse sneakers!
Snow!
This weekend, we just had our Fall piano recital, and it went really well! I was so proud of my students. I had all but 2 of them there (one out of town, one in a volleyball tournament at the exact same time). Here's a picture of me and (almost) all of my students:
And last but not least, after serving for the last 3 years as primary chorister, as of today, I have been released! Today was my last day in primary, and it went well. Until the kids wanted to give me hugs. Then I got a bit teary-eyed! Things heard when our primary president announced today was my last Sunday:
*gasp*
awwww! (sadly!)
Why are you leaving us?
You can't leave!
Don't leave us! Who will do all your fun games?!
Why can't you stay?
(overheard by a mom in the bathroom): I can't believe they're letting her go! Why are they letting her go? She's the best music leader ever!
And finally, relayed to me by a mom, who's daughter said: Mom, they're letting Sister Hooks go, and I am NOT happy!
It's so nice to be loved!
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