My first day

Oh!- I am a little nervous! I have been intending to do this blog business for a year now? Since today I have more items on my to-do list than I have probably ever had in my life, I figure it is a good day to shove the to-do list under the pile of photos that I have to sort and just start this darned blog!

So- what IS on my to-do list you ask?
First, I have to get a car. Yes, as in, buy a new vehicle. ARGH. Not a fun task when you don't think you are going to have to buy a car for a while...I had an awesome Acura MDX which I've had since 2001. My baby, my first new car. My license plate says ZUMAGRL, for Zuma Beach, my favorite beach in LA that I would visit with great frequency during/after school, Summer...when I was in high school. After I moved up to Northern CA, there was no beach anywhere close by, and certainly no beach like Zuma, so I got the license plate to remind myself of it. Problem is- I got it when I was 24, single, and childless. ZUMAGRL fit the bill! Now, I am 32, married, and have THREE kids. Not really a girl, and my Zuma days feel so far behind me I can barely remember them. (this is the truth, I have a terrible memory) So, when I get that new car, I will have to think of a better, more appropriate license plate to have. I love personalized license plates but it is so tricky to find the right one!!! CoxClan? (too tribal, no?) Cox 5? (what if we have more kids???)Coxes? (lame) Cox RE (Real Estate- but how many people will GET that???) AT ANY RATE- you can see why I have not changed my license plate yet- too much thought/effort, and not enough time to properly come up with a good one! So, I still have ZUMAGRL. Well, HAD ZUMAGRL. (boohoo...) OK, enough about ZUMAGRL. Onto WHY I need a new car.

The Short story: Drove up to Tahoe last week for vacation with the kids- the packing took 3 days. I am not exagerrating. ZUMAGRL was packed to the GILLS and our kids could barely move in their carseats. By the time we hit Auburn, California (an hour and a half away) we had already stopped 7-8 times. We stopped in Auburn, on the side of the freeway, so that I could switch spots with my husbannd- I was carsick and needed to drive. In switching seats, my daughter, Samantha, threw a terrible tantrum. Tried to calm her down for 10 minutes, finally get in the car to get going- put my pedal to the metal and the metal goes... down to the ground and the car goes...nowhere. Oh, goodness. To be stuck in Auburn, California with more clothes in our car than in our house, with 1 baby that needs to eat and 2 toddlers that are sick of being in the car. (I swear this IS the short version) So- my transmission is shot. We rent a car (the LAST TRUCK in the local vicinity) and get up to Tahoe after a NINE hour drive. Painful is a very mild way of putting how our voyage felt.

So, I've spent the past 2 days figuring out what SUV I want to get, I haven't given in to getting a mini-van yet, though my husband would be happy to.

On the work front- I received a phone call this morning from the son of an awesome client of mine- he is looking to buy a house, and I am super duper excited to help him, as I've worked with his father and brother and if he is as cool as they are, it should be fun. I just sold a condo that I had on the market in Walnut Creek yesterday, after 10 days on the market- over by the Pleasant Hill BART Station. And I am helping another of my past clients close on a new house either tomorrow or the next day....busy, but very good week. No frustrations on the work front, only good stuff, so...v good way to start the 1st week of the new year.

On the kid front- Sach (my 2.5 year old son) (Real name Sacha, pronounced Sasha, Russian, though we are not, we just really loved the name, and he fits it perfectly) is sick, green boogers and all, lethargic, taking a nap right now. Adam (my nearly 6 month old son) is still sniffly. Samantha seems sniffly still but not sick, just adjusting to going back to preschool after a 2 week hiatus.

Goals for the week: 1. Try to get at least 1 work out in. 2. Find a damned car!!!