We had a great time in Vegas -- especially since the trip was paid for by Matt's company! We ate TONS (literally) of food and discovered that blackjack is pretty entertaining.

Favorite Restaurant: Hofbrauhaus, Las Vegas (Claims to be the only American restaurant licensed by Munich, but the one in Cincinnati had a better atmosphere!)
Favorite Buffet: Aladdin (Very tasty)
Worst Food: Sherwood Forrest (bland and overpriced)
Shows we saw: Hairspray (loved it), Mama Mia (entertaining, but not excellent)
Where we stayed: The Excalibur (nice room, castle motif)
Biggest Win: $40 on the "Wheel of Fortune" (dumb luck)
Biggest Moment of Fame: Matt was on the local news being interviewed about the newest world record in motorcycle jumping, which we watched happen at Caesar's Palace

Vegas '06

Matt found a friend at the Venetian who loved to hear stories about the computer convention. This guy was a great pal, he never yawned or looked around the room while Matt talked about wireless range and connectivity issues...

While in Vegas, Matt auditioned for Cabaret...

Which is the Real Man and which is the WAX MAN???

"Trevi Fountain" a la The Venetian

Bellagio Garden

Venetian

Our little disposable camera didn't do so well at picking up the backgrounds of where we were! Our digital camera is packed away, so we had to resort to the disposable.

Interop, Las Vegas

We're headed out on Monday to VEGAS, Babay! Matt's got an IT conference and we're making a vacation of it. We'll be gone Monday - Friday!

Ciao Bellas!

Update!

Ok, so I"m really slow at updating! I get it :) haha. It would help if I had internet at home right now, but our computer is packed away nicely until JUNE 1st WHEN WE SHOULD CLOSE ON OUR NEW HOUSE. Allison, you're right, I should be a realtor! HA. SO the next month I'll be getting the mortgage secured, coordinating the inspections, appraisals, home insurance, etc. FUN FUN. It's good I don't have a job right now :) I've actually taken the GRE and have talked with the dean of the education program at College of the Southwest in Hobbs, and it looks like I can get a masters and be certified to teach in about a year. That's the plan for now! I'll keep you posted.

The new house is out in "the country" which means well water and a septic tank. The house is actually in a neighborhood, but each house has over an acre, so it's called "the country!" Get this: Our house actually has a CORRAL. No lie. Matt's going to make Molly run in circles inside the corral. He wants to be the "Beagle Whisperer." Love it. Love y'all. Ciao for now.

HOUSE

We just accepted an offer on our house in LEXINGTON! This is great timing....! Now we'll be able to start looking for a house in Andrews and start really getting settled in. YIPPPEEE.

Apt

We decided to take an apt in Andrews, which is great because Matt's drive will only be 45 minutes. I spent the better part of last week driving around and talking to realtors, leasing agents, etc. and there were all of 3 available apts within a 2 hour drive between Big Spring, TX and Hobbs, NM - unreal! I seriously can't believe the lack of apts out here!

The best option ended up being in Andrews - which is also the safest/nicest of the 3 options so that was a good thing. We have rented a "corporate" apt, which means it is fully furnished and we won't have to unpack ANYTHING (except our clothes). That's great because the movers delivered our stuff to Dean's house and it is literally jam packed floor to ceiling in both his living and dining rooms!! The lease is for 3 months, so we are really hoping our house sells w/in three months so that we can find a more permanent place out here!

Here's the kicker - the apt doesn't allow pets. :*(
As you all know, this is devastating for me! I'm going to miss Molly like crazy! Dean's offered to take care of her until we find a house, so I am really grateful for that. I told Molly she was going to stay at camp until we could come get her :*(

So... bittersweet. I'm REALLY glad that we are going to cut down Matt's drive time though. That's the most important thing at this point! I'll keep you posted although it will be awhile before I post any pics since my camera docking station is packed away somewhere!

Ciao Peeps.

Mmm, the Land of Homemade Tortillas

I'm posting from the public library in Big Spring, TX (Matt's hometown). They give you a 1 hour time limit (I currently have 17 minutes left). The computer automatically shuts down after 61 minutes (even if no one is waiting)! HA - so this post may be short ;)

We left KY on Friday night and made it to Dallas Saturday afternoon. We spent the night with my parents and then finished up the drive to Big Spring on Sunday. We're staying with Matt's dad until we find some temporary housing. You wouldn't think that would be such a big deal, but real estate offices have literally laughed in our faces when we told them we were looking for something to rent until our house in KY sold. One lady said, "Honey, our town's been full for 5 years." Niiiiiicce. So it looks like our only option is going to be to rent an apt in Odessa and for Matt to drive an hour to work until we get a house. We found an ADORABLE town called Andrews, TX that is like a little gem in the middle of the desert. It's got really cute houses and a nice grocery store (these things are a welcome and pleasant surprise since we didn't know what to expect)! Andrews has an awesome school system and even has a movie theater! YIPPEE! So the goal is to buy a house there once ours sells in KY and then it will cut down on Matt's commute.

Things we love about West Texas:
1. HOMEMADE TORTILLAS
2. CHEAP FAJITAS (we're talking $4.99 for a massive amount of awesome fajitas)
3. AWESOME BREAKFAST BURRITOS
4. AFFORABLE THEATER - Midland Theater!
5. TUMBLEWEEDS - So cool
6. DID I MENTION THAT WE LOVE CHEAP MEXICAN FOOD???

Things we don't so much love about West Texas:
1. STICKERS - We forgot about these little Texas gems. Molly went out and was covered on all 4 paws with stickers. Poor little puppy!
2. SNAKES - Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
3. LIZARDS - Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
4. DUST IN YOUR TEETH IF YOU MAKE THE MISTAKE OF OPENING YOUR MOUTH OUTSIDE :)

We're glad to be back though. Will keep you posted next time I can convince the library to let me have a hour of computer time :)

3 days 'till we're Texans again!

We've been busy busy busy packing! Actually, Matt is much busier than I am since he is still 1. Working 2. A full time student 3. Trying to pack 4. Giving sermons. It's been a crazy last few weeks!

Thank you, Brooke, for helping us pack!!!

The Flehartys Are Moving to Texas!

Yes, it is official - we are crazy! We just bought a house and both have jobs in KY, but we just can't pass up this opportunity! We're moving back to the Lone Star State! Matt's going to be working in IT in the oil industry and I'm not sure exactly what I'm going to do just yet -- I'll keep you posted. The plan is to move mid-March and look for an apt on a month-to-month basis until we get our houses sold here and I find a job. Once we have those two minor details worked out, we'll look for a house in West Texas. Matt's company is taking care of the relocation so we'll be fine in the interim (whew).

We hope to find a small church in West Texas similar to our church here. We really really like our church here and are sad to leave, but know that there will be a place for us in in Texas.

We're nuts, but we'll be in Tejas soon!!!!

Study

The newly painted "terra cotta" (not burnt orange, though my Longhorn hubby disagrees) walls in our study. We haven't moved much furniture to the new house yet. We're really s-l-o-w! We're trying to get all the walls/trim/doors/shelves painted before we move everything over. I'll try to post progress along the way.

Our New (Green) Dining Room!

Another view of our green dining room! Matt was leary when I said "green," but we like the finished project. We found these awesome oil paintings at a starving artists' sale the other day.

Molly - up to her knees in snow!

Molly running out of the picture before I could take it! Having fun in the snow.