Things are still moving right along down here in Texas. We've been here a little over two weeks now. The weather finally evened out a bit. It tends to get down into the high 60's or low 70's at night with daytime highs in the low to mid 90's. We have had a lot more clouds than we were expecting but that is fine with us. Constant sun can become just as monotonous as constant clouds. We are still learning new things, how to get around, what to do and what to see.

Leah has been at Chuy's for exactly a week and is just about done with their extensive training period. What we thought was a unique diner is actually a nationwide chain with the concomitant rules and regulations, right down to the special non-skid shoes that she will be required to buy. As far as I am concerned, Leah can keep right on training for as long as she needs to. Part of the training is becoming familiarized with the menu and the food that they serve. This means that she gets to bring home a different Tex-Mex dinner every night. The portions are Texan sized so there is plenty for the both of us to share. I love it.

The job front for me cleared up surprisingly quickly. I didn't really have to do much work for it. About a day after I finished sending in my district applications, the assistant principal for special education at Del Valle High School called me and wanted to interview me the following morning. Tuesday I had taken the Science 8-12 certification test and was awaiting my results. Wednesday I received the interview request. Thursday morning was the interview. Part of the Fellows program is designed to train you for the teaching interview. As the program has yet to start, I was quite unprepared for the interview. I showed up a few minutes early and chatted with the secretary who told me that she could see my interviewer walking across the parking lot. When he came in I stood up and we shook hands. I followed him down to his office and he promptly began to tell me the story of why he showed up late. Apparently as he was leaving his house that morning, the school bus had hit and killed a dog. He had done the dirty work of dragging the dog off the road. Then he reflected for a second and said, "Speaking of which, I need to wash my hands." Upon his return from the restroom he remembered that we had shaken hands and suggested that I might also want to wash my hands. Uh....YEAH. That definitely set the mood for the remainder of the interview. He was a nice guy and it went well. The job was mine if I passed the Science 8-12 test and my references checked out. About two hours later I found that I had passed the test and the next day my references had all checked out so that was that. Done deal. Freshman biology inclusion for 2009-2010 at Del Valle High School. The day had already been sweetened for me but the cherry on top was when Marie called and said that she had also landed a job. On the exact same day. We are meant to live in the same place. I do declare.

We have done some more exploration of the areas surrounding our apartment. We've been walking on the greenbelt a few times. It seems that if you resign yourself to the fact that you WILL be dripping with sweat, you'll enjoy yourslf. The inability to escape into the woods was a large concern of mine moving to a city. It turns out that we are closer to the woods here than I ever have been. And it's a deep woods filled with plants and animals of all sorts. Leah has been riding her bike to work almost everyday, which makes me very proud. I've been able to go with her most days. We've got a route planned through Zilker Park so she can make it almost all the way on sidewalks. Marie's boyfriend Ryan and I went mountain biking on the greenbelt on Saturday. Our goal was to ride all the way to the end and we, unknowingly at the time, made it. The very end is a rather steep hill. I had my GPS with me and measured it to be about 300 ft up in 1/3 of a mile. In this heat that was a killer. We got some great exercise and saw a Ferrari show on the way back. Very cool.

Marie and Ryan are also busy moving into their own apartment together. The new one is only about 25 ft from Ryan's old apartment. It made the planning rather simple but a short move = no packing = many trips. Their new digs are much more comfortable than either of their previous residences. The new place has lots of light and it's a loft. We had the two of them over for a special dinner during the middle of their move. Leah made all of her famous Italian food. It was all great. Great food, fine wine and good company made for a pleasant evening.

Our apartment has been filling in nicely. The newest addition is a behemoth of an entertainment center. I drove 30 miles to get it on Sunday and it just barely fit in our trailer. I had to solicit help from Ryan to carry it. Leah had very specific directions to figure out precisely where she wanted it on the first try. My brain says hernia whenever I look at the monster. Ugh. Marie found us a great deal on a TV. The Hampton Inn upgraded to LCD and sold all of their 27 in Zeniths for $40. Awesome.

Leah just cashed in some reward points that we are going to invest at Home Depot. We figure that growing our own basil will probably pay for itself in a short period of time. We have a patio that gets a fair amount of sun each day so we are going to start a planter garden.

Anything beyond this would lead to pointless ramblings, so I will sign off.

Thanks for the return e-mails that we received. We do appreciate it. Especially any pictures from MI that we can get. The Michigan summer is still missed, even in this land of eternal summer.

Hope you're all well.

Love Jay and Leah.