Blue Christmas

This is my favorite Christmas song.  Ever.  And it has to be this version.  Not that I hate the versions with words or anything.  I just adore this one.

I was listening to it in the car on the way home today, and I had this feeling of longing for Christmases gone by.  Not that I've ever ridden in a sleigh pulled by a horse through the snow or anything.  This song just makes me think of all the past Christmases I've had, and here I am in this new place where I know very few people, and I'm going to be here celebrating Christmas.  Our first Christmas away from both of our families.

In a way it's exciting to decide what traditions we're going to start in our own family, but it's going to be so weird.  Will it even feel like Christmas?  Or will it just feel like another day except that we opened presents in the morning and made some food?  And this weather (which I really do love) is not getting me in the Christmas spirit at all.  Aren't Christmases supposed to be cold?  I love being able to wear shorts, but it's really hurting my Christmas mentality.

I actually feel kind of lost because I don't even know what we're doing for Christmas yet.  Usually my day is filled with family obligations, but what happens when all your family is far away?  What do you do then?

I guess if all else fails, the theaters are open on Christmas Day, right?

Chili Powder? On Fruit? Whaaa?

This past Saturday, I took my kids to a children's activity at my church. For lunch, they provided pizza, chips, and oranges.  I saw that they had this bottle of stuff that looked like some sort of sauce or powder on one of the tables, and I assumed it was for the pizza.  You can imagine my surprise when I saw the girls at my table putting it on their oranges.  These girls were in their teens, and as far as I know, have always lived in Laredo. The conversation went something like this:

Me: "Um... what is that?"
Them: "Chile Powder."  *in their minds: "Uh, Duh?"*
Me: "And you're putting it on an ORANGE?"
Them: "Uh, yeah."

The whole time they're looking at me kinda like, "You're an idiot," because EVERYBODY was putting it on their oranges.

The bottle looked like this:

It says you can put it on oranges, pineapple, watermelon, you name it!  I was intrigued...  I grabbed that bottle and put some on my orange.

My Verdict:  DELICIOUS!

It's not at all what I expected.  It was kinda sweet and actually made the orange taste good.  I ended up eating all my oranges, and my kids' oranges, and some other kid's that left his on his plate.  And today when I went grocery shopping, I bought some and had my husband try it.  Now, he likes it, too.  YUM!

Also, on that same day, I bit into what I thought was a plain potato chip, but it was NOT!  Once I got over the shock of it not being plain, I actually liked it.  I'm pretty sure it was Lime flavored.  Never had that before I moved down here.  I bought some Limon flavored chips today in hopes that they would be the same ones.

I'm really loving trying new food.  We bought a bunch of Mexican candy to try.  Maybe my next post will be about how that is.  Wish me luck!

Is It Really Thanksgiving?

In my mind, I know it's Thanksgiving in two days.  I know this.  Do I feel like it's Thanksgiving in two days?  No, I don't.  My brain is having a hard time wrapping it's head around the fact that it's still warm outside.  Because in my life experience, Thanksgiving = Cold Weather.  That's just the way it's always been.  And now we have highs in the 80's, and my brain is trying to process that, and here's what it comes up with: it's still summer.

This is also causing problems with my Christmas shopping.  I've barely even thought about it because it's still warm, and so my Christmas shopping radar isn't going off.  Usually, when it starts getting colder, then I know, "Hey, I better start my shopping!  Christmas will be here soon!"  Nope, it's not happening.  And I keep telling my brain, "IT'S ALMOST CHRISTMAS! BUY PRESENTS!"  But then the summer-ish heat hits me and melts all those wintery thoughts away.

HEB is helping me out some with all their Christmas music.  Generally, I don't approve of Christmas music before Thanksgiving, but I think this year I need it.  It's a good reminder that it's COMING whether the weather thinks so or not!

My Love for H.E. Butts

Before I moved here, I was a Wal-Mart gal.  Sure, I would go to little grocery stores if I HAD to, but I did most of my grocery shopping at Wally World.  It was just so convenient!  Especially with little children.  The less stops I have to make the better!  And Wal-Mart has pretty much everything I could ever want or need.

*Insert trip to Texas to find a house*

We saw HEBs everywhere and very few Wal-Marts.  We asked our agent if HEB was any good, and she said its prices were comparable to Wal-Mart's.  I thought to myself, "Okay, whatever.  I'm still gonna go to Wal-Mart."

*Insert move to Texas*

We moved into a house that was about 8 minutes from HEB Plus and 20 minutes from the Wal-Mart Super Center.  As much as I wanted to go to Wal-Mart (mostly because I knew where everything was there and had no idea where anything was in HEB), it was just so much easier to go to HEB Plus.  I was really against it at first and so frustrated with how it was set up.

But then... oh, but then... I started to see all the wonders that are HEB Plus.  Here are all the reasons I am now in love with HEB Plus... in fun bulleted form, even!

1. They have a person at every check-out line whose job it is to bag your groceries AND put them in your cart for you.  I know this doesn't sound huge, but it is.  It was so stressful to me to wrangle kids (WHY do they put so much stuff right by the register?! seriously!), put all my groceries on the belt, immediately go to start putting the bags in the cart because the checker is getting impatient with me for not doing so already, and then somehow paying in the midst of all this madness.  Not so at HEB!  They'll even help you take your groceries to your car if you want.  Now, that's service!
2. Buddy Bucks.  I recently found out that my kids can ask for Buddy Bucks which are fake dollar bills at every check-out line.  They can use those Buddy Bucks on this machine near the exit that spins a wheel with numbers on it.  They hit a button to make it stop, and then they get a sticker with that number on it.  They can save up those points in a little booklet and earn prizes!  Free prizes for my kids?  Heck yes!
3. Their carts have places for TWO kids to sit in the front.  TWO!  That means there is more room for my groceries in the cart!  Of course, HEB still hasn't figured out a way to keep them from fighting while sitting next to each other yet.  Could you get to work on that please, HEB? :)
4. They also have a little basket in the back of the cart for things you don't want to get smashed.  Genius!
5. They have carts that look like cars!  My son who loves anything race car related adores those carts.  And even though I look like a dufus pushing that massive thing around, it makes him happy, and a happy kid makes a happy shopping trip.
6. Coupons!  There are coupons EVERYWHERE!  There are coupons for buy this item, get this totally unrelated item FREE!  There are coupons for $*insert amount here* off.  There are coupons for everything.  Perhaps those items would really be that price anyway, but when I see that coupon, I'm like, OH! COUPON! I WANT THAT!  Good marketing job, HEB.  
7. Balloons.  What little kid doesn't love ballons?  HEB gives them to kids just for being there.  For most kids this would be awesome, but it usually just causes a riot with my two fighting over balloons... but it's a good, fun idea in theory.
8. It has a local feel.  Since HEB is only in Texas, it still feels like a down home grocery store.  
9. Their prices are about the same, if not the same, as Wal-Mart's.  
10. The B stands for Butts.  That's just funny, and I can support funny.  :)

So, yeah, maybe I just gave a whole lot of PR for HEB, but they deserve it.  It's a good place to shop, and for other's who are new here and are still a little frustrated with not knowing where anything is... give it some time, and maybe you'll be a H.E. Butts lover, too.  :)  (That is a terrible slogan.)

Post-Halloweeeeeen!

I hope everyone had a happy Halloween!  I know we did!

Tuesday, I took the kids to the Laredo Public Library for their storytime Halloween party.  They loved it.  They got to dress up and hear Halloween stories and trick or treat around the building and dance, dance, dance.  Here's a few pictures of them having a ball.

Evan and his friend.  We didn't even plan this!  How cool is that?

Lauren was excited to get her treats.

The kids were ready for some trick or treating.

Mmmm... candy is so much better when you get it all over your face.

There were a TON of kids there!

I was cracking up at the end during the "dance party" because they were playing a version of "I've got a feeling" by Black Eyed Peas that said "I've got a feeling that this book's gonna be a good book to read."  Oooh, librarians...  you're so clever.  :)

Saturday night we went to our church's Trunk or Treat.  It turned out really awesome.  We had a chili cook-off which was delicious.  We had carnival games set up for the kids to play, and then we had the trunk or treat in the parking lot afterwards.  The kids got SO much candy.  And, yes, I have more pictures.  :)

This was the booth I was in charge of--Mummy Wrap.  Give kids a butt load of toilet paper, and you have a booth!  Who knew?

These steps were obviously more fun than the games.  Kids are so weird.

Evan racking up the candy!

This is Evan and his cousin.  And this time it was planned.  Do you know how hard it is to get a good picture of Mario and Luigi?  They are so busy these days.

I had a costume, too, but it wasn't nearly as cute as my kids'.  I was an angel.  I mean, I'm that every day, anyway, so I might as well make it official, right?  :)  My husband didn't dress up because he's a goober.  (Love you, sweetie.)

We were planning on going Trick or Treating Sunday night, but we decided that our kids aren't really old enough to care, they had gotten tons of candy at the Trunk or Treat, and we were pooped.  So we didn't.  Yeah, we're poopers.  But oh well.  We had a good Halloween anyway!

The Loves and Hates of Laredo

This is one of the best things about living down here:

Look at that beautiful sunset!  I don't know how many times I've just stood and watched them out my window.  I saw this one when we were leaving Lowe's the other night.  Did I get some weird stares for taking pictures in the Lowe's doorway?  Yes.  Yes, I did.  Do I care?  Not in the least.  :)

On the completely opposite end of the spectrum of things I do not love about living here... I was talking to my neighbor today, and she said they've found a gazillion scorpions in their HOUSE!   THEIR HOUSE, PEOPLE!  (okay, she really said like 7 or 8, but in Johanna terms, that means a gazillion.)  She also said they've found rattlesnakes in their yard.

WHAT THE CRAP?!  I thought all I had to worry about were tarantulas which are bad enough, and then I find out this?!

I solemnly swear that if I find any of the previously mentioned creatures that I will grab my kids and leave my house immediately.  *shudder*

Okay, I need to calm down.  I'm looking at the sunset picture and breathing deeply.  Whew.  Better.

Scary creatures, please stay away from my home.  And I'll continue to enjoy the pretty sunsets.  Thanks.

Halloweeeeeen!

I'm kinda jealous of everybody else in my neighborhood b/c they all have really cool Halloween decorations.  I got out my Halloween decorations, and they are severely lacking.  I got most of mine from my mom's stash of decorations from when I was a kid.  I love, love them b/c there are so many happy memories with them.  The problem is, they're all indoor decorations.  I HAD some outdoor decorations but when we had our things in storage in my Dad's barn in Alabama, mice (or ROUSes) had eaten them or pooped on them.  I threw those things away.  Obviously.

So now all I have in my yard is a lonely pumpkin windsock...  but it's pretty cute.  And it made my kids giddy with excitement that WE had Halloween decorations, too.  I'm glad they're not old enough to realize how lame they are.

I really love Halloween.  I can't wait to see my kids all dressed up in their costumes.  I'm hoping that my son won't be deathly afraid of the houses with decorations like he was last year when we went trick or treating.  He's going to be Mario, but I haven't decided on a costume for my daughter yet.  Ideas?  Anybody?

And what about me?  What should I be?

This is one of my favorite years of costumes for our family:

My son was Quail Man.  My husband was a UPS guy.  I was pregnant, so I dressed up as a redneck with a beer gut.  Good times, good times.

I'm wondering what Halloween will be like for us here in Laredo.  Hotter than in north Alabama, probably.   I'll be sure to post about it after it happens--complete with pictures of our rockin' costumes, whatever they may be.

Happy Early Halloween!!

Story Time at the Library

Since I found out about it, I've been taking my kids to story time at the Laredo Public Library.  The full schedule for all events is on their website, but we go to Toddler Tuesdays and Pre-School Thursdays.  Both of them are at 10:30am.

It's been so fun to watch my kids participate in story time there.  The ladies that read the stories are really fantastic.  They can get the kids to listen and participate in a way that seems like magic.  I wish I could get my kids to be quiet like they can...  How do they do it?!

On both Tuesdays and Thursdays they start the story time with a song.  They give all the kids instruments and let them play.  Boy, does it get loud!  Not my usual interpretation of a quiet library, but the kids love it!  After they're done with the song, the kids put the instruments up.  I've been amazed that my kids have not once cried because they couldn't keep the instrument.  Incredible.

Either day is great for your kid to go.  If your child is not the right age, they're not going to turn you away.  I mean, that would just be rude.  :)  Toddler Tuesdays is obviously geared to a much younger audience.  The reading part is shorter, there are more songs, and the craft is simpler.  It's also a lot more crowded.  Pre-School Thursdays has more reading, less songs, and a more difficult craft.  But my kids, 3 & 1, love both of the days, so either one will work for your child.

Actually, my 1 year old just likes to run around and pull books off the shelf and climb behind computer desks or any other place she's not supposed to be.  Yeah, that's my kid--the one you're wondering why the parent can't get some control over her.  :)

Seriously, though, my kids adore story time.  Also, BONUS!!  Your kids can get their own library card complete with a picture!  I can't tell you how excited my little boy is to carry around his very own library card.  Shoot, I'm excited for him, too!  It's so adorable seeing his little face on the card.  Soon it will be his face on a driver's license... *sigh*

So, yeah, if you've got small children at home, bring them to the library!  I'll probably be there, too, so come chat me up.  I could use a friend or two.  :)

Registering Your Car and Getting Your License in Laredo--Learn from MY horrible experience

We had put it off long enough.  I HAD to get my Texas driver's license because we needed to give our bank our new address, so we could order checks to pay bills, and we could ONLY do that by showing them a driver's license with the new address on it.  I dreaded doing it because I had heard what a pain in the butt it is.  Luckily, my sister-in-law had already done it and was able to fill me in.  I'm grateful for her sacrifice because I imagine that yesterday would've been much more frustrating without her help.  I'm also grateful that she and my other sister-in-law watched my kids for me while I did it because... well, it was just ridiculous what all I had to do and adding kids into the mix would've been pure... heck.  :)

I started out that day confident that I had everything I needed and would be back by lunch time.  Instead I left at around 10am and didn't get back until after 3pm.  *sigh*

I don't know if I want to go into full detail about what all happened that day because it's just plain ridiculous.  What I DO want to do, however, is help out all you other new people by telling you EXACTLY what you need to do to ultimately get your license here in Laredo.  I don't know if the process is the same in all of Texas, but I would assume it is.

So here ya go, in an easy-to-read bulleted form--how to get your freakin' license in Laredo if you've moved from out-of-state.  Oh, and I should mention that this is how you do it if you own a car.  If you don't own a car, I think the process is different, but we didn't do it that way.

Registering Your Car

• FIRST STEP:  Important!  Get your car insurance changed over to Texas insurance.
• You can't do anything else until you do, so do this as soon as you can
• Get your car inspected
• Items needed: Proof of insurance, license, approx $15
• List of Inspection Stations in Laredo
• Make sure there are NO flaws or alterations on your inspection report.  (I had to go back to the inspection station because they wouldn't accept my inspection report at the DMV. Learn from me!  Double check!)
• Don't go if it's raining or has been raining.  They'll tell you they can't do it.  (Happened to me.)
• Get your tags and title
• Items needed: car title, proof of insurance, inspection report, license, cash or local checks, change for parking meters
• If you don't have a local bank, be SURE to bring cash.  (I had to leave to go to the bank and get cash. )  Our mini-van cost around $170 to give you a rough estimate of what you'll need.
• Go to the Webb County Tax Assessor's office - 1110 Victoria St, Laredo, TX 78042-8128
• If you want to add a spouse to your title, they must sign the paperwork, too!  Either bring them with you or pick up the form and go have them sign it.
• TIP:  Go in the morning.  It was much less crowded and hardly a wait when I was there early.  By the time I finally had everything I needed, it was after lunch, and the wait was really long.
• TIP: If you're not sure where to go, there should be some guys in red shirts walking around that can direct you.  

Getting your Driver's License

• Items needed - Registration, proof of insurance, driver's license, birth certificate, social security card, $25 cash or local check
• Go to the Texas Department of Public Safety - 1901 Bob Bullock Loop, Laredo, TX 78043-9771
• TIP: Double check the information on your temporary licence before you leave because they can mess it up
• TIP: Make sure you look nice because no one wants an ugly driver's license picture.  :)

I hope this helps at least one person avoid the frustrating day that I had.  Oh, and I have one more tip... listen to some calming music while in the car because I know I sure needed it.  I suggest Brahm's Waltz in A Flat Major... ah, so calming.  :)

Oh, and P.S. to Texas... why are the temporary licenses a 8.5 x 11 sheet of paper?  How am I supposed to fit that in my wallet?  But I guess as my sister said "Everything IS bigger in Texas."  But if you're going to make it that big why not, as my sister-in-law suggested, make it in the SHAPE of Texas?  That would be infinitely more awesome, and I would proudly carry that thing around.  :)

What the WHAT?!

I'm sad that I've been unable to find this here in Laredo:

Where, oh, where is my Cajun smoked sausage?  *sigh*

And why is Alabama the only place that loves Grapico?  It's good... I SWEAR!  :)

But you guys HAVE got me on the Apple Soda.  I mean, that stuff ROCKS!  Why they don't sell it anywhere else is beyond me... It's weird how they sell completely different things in different areas of the country.  For instance, I had no idea there were so many different types of tortillas.  There were like, two brands that you could buy in Alabama, and here they have their own aisle because there are so many.

The weather is getting beyond perfect here.  I'm loving the cooler temperatures.  I had a little picnic in my driveway with the kids today, and even mowed my grass with a push mower without breaking much of a sweat.  Amazing.  I hope it sticks around.  I really enjoy not being stinky and sweaty.  :)

In other "Johanna is Crazy" news, I had 4 kids spend the night with me last Friday.  Yes, that would be 6 kids total if you add my two in there. The next day after they left, I found this:

He must've had a rough time with all those kids.  :)

Oh, dear... I just went to get my son for dinner and saw he had turned the sprinkler on.  I should go... 

Sick of Being Sick

I'm convinced that my little girl Lauren can only stay well for like 2 days before she catches something else.  When we moved here, she had a throat infection.  We FINALLY got rid of that, and then got a snotty nose.  We FINALLY got rid of that, and now she's got some sort of stomach bug.  Yesterday, she vomited twice and had a really high fever.  I think it's probably for one of these reasons:

1) She likes to put everything she finds in her mouth

2) She thinks it's fun to chew on the shopping cart at the store even though I continuously tell her NO!

3) She's so darn cute that everyone touches her when we're out in public.  :)

So, sorry, folks.  When she's feeling better, I'll be able to go out and about and explore, but for now I'm stuck at home.  The upside is that I finished rereading Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix yesterday.  So I can't tell you anything about Laredo, but I can tell you loads about Hogwarts.  :)

Good news is that she's feeling better today!  Yay!  I hate seeing my little ones sick.  It just breaks my heart.  Hopefully, the rest of us won't catch whatever it was.  Keep your fingers crossed!

Happy Mexican Independence Day!

I guess I never really thought about it before, but I didnt' realize that Mexico had an Independence Day, too.  I always thought it had something to do with Cinco de Mayo, but that's apparently not the case.  It's celebrated on the 16th of September.  I just read all about it here.  

Our church announced Sunday before last that they were going to be having a celebration of Mexican Independence Day, and everyone was welcome.  I said, heck yeah!  Free Mexican food?!  I'M THERE!!  :)

We got there, and it was SO crowded.  They had to keep bringing out tables because so many people had shown up.  We put our diaper bag down to save us some seats and got in line.  After the loooooong wait, we got back to our table only to find out that we had no seats.  Apparently, a diaper bag means you only need one seat...  *note sarcasm*  We finally found a place to sit, and I was so aggravated at this point that I kinda wanted to leave.  The kids were being whiney and wouldn't eat.  We were super crowded.  I couldn't really mingle because I don't speak Spanish. 

BUT I heard there was going to be dancing afterwards, so I stuck around.  I'm so glad we did!  Once the dinner was over, it started to clear out a bit.  They opened a space in the middle of the gym, and then couples came out in traditional Mexican dress and danced.  It was neat!  See for yourself:

(Sorry for the poor quality.  I forgot my camera, so these are with a phone.)

After the traditional dancing, a band came out to play.  They had a really cool instrument that looked like a cross between a guitar and a harp.  It sounded beautiful!  

They were fantastic.  They were so great, in fact, that my daughter Lauren, and her cousin Londyn couldn't help but dance!  :D

That must've been some wild dancing.  I couldn't even get a picture without them being blurry!

So, we had a really good time, ate some good food, and saw some fun entertainment.  And my kids got to shake their booties.  What more could you ask for?

Happy Independence Day, Mexico!  And thanks for letting us celebrate along with you!  :D

Everything's Texas in Texas

One thing that cracks me up about living in Texas is that...  well, let me just show you an example:


Yes, those are Texas-shaped tortilla chips.  And heck yes I bought them.  :)

You can buy pretty much anything either shaped like Texas or with a picture of Texas on it or with this Texas star:
:
What other state could you do this in?  I'm telling you... NONE!  I've never seen a state so proud of it's shape.  So far I've seen coolers, planters, plates, glasses, serving trays, cheese, and who knows what else all in the shape of Texas.  I love it.  It makes me smile. 

I guess it just goes along with my old saying, "If you got it, flaunt it!"  Work it, Texas!  :)

The Moving Blues

If you've ever moved before, you've probably felt the feelings that I'm feeling right about now.  After the newness of everything wears off, and you get mostly settled in, the moving blues sets in.  I don't know about you, but I start missing my old place, old friends, and get really, really bored.

Because here's the thing... all the things that used to keep you busy in your old place?  Yeah, those are gone.  All the old friends you used to hang out with on the weekends?  Yup, those are gone, too.  So after the busy unpacking and putting things where I like it and all that mess ends, where does that leave me?  Sitting at home wondering what the heck I'm going to do with myself.

It's not that I'm not making friends. I am.  I've started running with some awesome ladies in my neighborhood.  I've gone places with my kids.  I've got my husband's family here to visit with.  It's not all bad.  I just get in slumps where I miss Alabama.  I miss my family back home.  I miss my old friends.  Ya know, the usual.

So that's where I'm at.  I have a more fun post planned for later when I actually get around to uploading some pictures from my phone.  Sorry for the Debbie Downer post, but I figure that's all part of being new to a place, right?  Adjusting and... well, working through the moving blues as best I can.

Sunny Side Up

One thing that I'm still trying to get used to living here is what time the sun goes up and down.  You wouldn't think that it would be that big of a deal, but I'm still not used to it.  We were in the Central Time Zone in Alabama but on the complete opposite side of it, so the sun rises and sets at different times than it does here.  During the summer months, it would start getting light outside a little after 5am, so that when the kids woke up at 6:30am, it didn't seem like that big of a deal.

Not so much here...  My daughter woke up at 6:30 a few mornings ago, and it was still dark!  Shoot, sometimes my kids wake up at 7am, and it's still not fully light outside. When we first moved here, I woke up at 7am thinking that it was going to rain because it was dark.  Nope, the sun was just not fully up yet.  And since I have an unspoken rule at my house that I don't get up before sunrise unless I have to (I mean, really... why would you DO that?!), this is making my morning routine drag out until lunch time.  Not so good.

It's starting to get dark sooner at night here, but when we first moved here, it wasn't getting dark until 9pm.  My kids' normal bedtime is 8pm.  You can guess how that goes.  And it's not really their fault.  They go to bed if I tell them to, but it's hard for me to realize it's their bedtime.  I remember one time in particular that my husband said we should get them ready for bed, and I'm like, "Uh, it's not bed time yet."  He asked me what time I thought it was, and I said around 6pm.  Nope.  It was nearly 8pm.  I was waaaaaay off.

So, yeah, still trying to get adjusted here.  I imagine that eventually whenever we move back towards the Alabama way, I'll complain about how bright it is early in the morning, and, honestly, how do people sleep like that?!  :)

No Habla Espanol, but I WANT to!

Seeing as how I don't speak Spanish fluently, (and by that I mean, my Spanish vocabulary is the equivalent of 1 year old) life in Laredo has had it's interesting moments.  For example, I was in Wal-Mart waiting to check out the other day when this lady approached me.  In her hands she had two packages of hot dogs.  She held these up for me to see as if they were a great prize and proceeded to ask me something in Spanish.  I looked at her rather blankly and said sheepishly, "Uh, I don't speak Spanish."  This lady then looked at me with great distress, looked around frantically, and then walked away in sort of a huff.

Those hot dogs must've been pretty darn important.  I just don't know why.  Because I don't speak Spanish.

I have a goal to get back to where I was in college.  I could sort of carry on a conversation with people.  I gave speeches in Spanish.  Now, I can't even understand Plaza Sesamo.  Yeah, I really did watch that to try to learn Spanish.  My kids didn't even care about it.  I'm the one that turned it on.

Seriously, though, I want to be able to communicate with people.  There is this lady I keep running into in my neighborhood that is so sweet, and I can tell she wants to be friends, but she doesn't speak a lick of English.  And since I've already mentioned that my Spanish sucks, you can guess how that relationship is going.  (Psst... It's going poorly.)

My husband speaks Spanish and does every day for his job.  Actually, he spoke Portuguese first, and it kinda turned into him being able to speak Spanish.  He helps me.  He also laughs at me in the process.  A lot.  

I know I'm probably not alone in this.  I guess I better dust off my old school books and hop to it.  I have a feeling I'm going to need it.

Let's Be Friends!

Hello, there!  My name's Johanna, and it looks like we're going to be friends for awhile, so here are some things you may need to know about me in a fun bulleted form.

• I am originally from the great state of Alabama.  Don't laugh.  It is pretty great.  :)
• I've moved 4 times in my lifetime - Green Hill, Alabama, to Birmingham, Alabama, to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, then back to Green Hill, Alabama, and now here in Laredo.
• My biggest move before college was when my parents moved from the bottom of a hill on our land to the top of the hill.
• I'm a small town gal at heart.
• I'm a stay at home mom of two beautiful children, Evan and Lauren.
• I graduated from the University of Alabama at Birmingham in 2005 with a degree in English concentrating in Linguistics with a minor in Psychology.  (Say that 5 times fast!)
• I was only one class away from having a minor in Spanish, but I didn't do it because I didn't want people to think I actually spoke it well.
• My husband just finished college in August with a degree as an Electrical Technician and is now a Plant Manager for a retread tire plant at Southern Tire Mart.  Yeah, I don't really get how those go together, either.
• We're not the only Browns that have moved here. The reason we moved here is my husband, Andrew's brother moved here and offered him a job.  Shortly thereafter, his sister and her husband moved here to work for the same company.  Watch out, Laredo.  The Browns are taking over!  :)
• This isn't the only blog I keep.  If you just can't get enough of me here, be sure to check out my Livejournal.

I think that's all the key points.  Be sure to check back often as my next posts will be all about my adventures in Laredo.  :D