Background Story: How I Got To Texas

I'm starting this blog at 21 weeks 6 days pregnant. In order to fully understand my story we have to go back, way back, all the way back to last year. (Hope everyone is picking up on the sarcasm)

May of 2009

Jay and I had just started dating. He was my knight in shining armor who flew all the way from Texas to take me on a date to Washington, DC. I was living in Virginia. Massage Therapist by day, Dominion Derby All Star by night. I skated under the name "Mayham N. Cheese" (number 102% because I'm extra cheesy). Jay came to my derby practices and we ran away to DC and Annapolis, MD to explore the east coast. His visit flew by and before we knew it, it was time for him to go back to TX. Back to talking on the phone everynight until I fell asleep.

This carried on for several months. Jay would fly out to VA for a week or more as often as he could. He came to as many derby bouts as he could manage. He even wore an "I love Cheese" shirt to a few of them.

But after three or four visits there was talk of it being "my turn". I owed him. I owed him a month to be exact.

When I found out I couldn't fly my faithful companion, Mugsy, out to Texas with me, I decided it would have to be a roadtrip because I refused to leave her for an entire month. And besides, who doesn't love roadtrips?

September of 2009

The stars aligned. Work was slowing down, my lease was running up, and after Regionals I could get away from derby for a month without missing too much. It worked out perfect. Jay flew out to North Carolina to watch us get our asses handed to us at regional tournament. For three days we got served beating after beating. It was probably the most fun I've had in three days in my entire life.

After that Jay and I drove back to VA to pack for my month long visit. My lease was up so I had to get my stuff out of there before I left. I didn't have much. I was renting a room from a guy who lived by the beach. It was fully furnished and he supplied all the kitchen essentials. So I had my massage table, my computer, my clothes, and my dog. I stored my massage chair and my bike with my parents along with some art and my dresser and the rest fit neatly in my Honda Element. Off we went on our roadtrip with Mugsy squeezed neatly behind the driver's seat.

We only had one scare in the 3 day road trip. Mugsy ate the soap I brought with us. We just knew she was going to get sick in the car on the last day of the trip. Luckily we made it to TX without incident.

October of 2009

Oh crap. I think I like Texas. Mugsy certainly liked Texas, with it's wide open spaces and roaming cattle. Now I have a choice to make. If I go back to VA, I have to drive for 3 days and find all new living arrangements. If I stay in TX, I have to find a job. Jay didn't help at all. He was going to be supportive no matter what I decided. If I go back to VA, I see my boyfriend maybe once a month but most likely less. Plane tickets aren't cheap. If I stay in TX, I get to sleep next to him everynight and wake up next to him everyday. I get to help him build his house (now our house) and enjoy his cooking and see him smile. It beat the pants off of waiting for him to log on to Gmail so we could play Scrabble online while I lived in VA. Texas won.

It wasn't an easy decision to completely walk away from my derby family. I was just getting started with my home team. Barely a year in to training and just starting to show signs of improvement. The nearest derby team I could try out for here is an hour and a half away. Staying in TX meant giving up derby for awhile.

November of 2009

I was granted a massage license from the TX board and now free and able to work. Not much work in the immediate area. Marble Falls and Horseshoe Bay had a few ridiculously priced spas that I applied for. Summer is the peak season, November isn't exactly a "hiring" month for massage therapists. Only one spa called me for an interview. I went in for the interview and was told "if a client asks for Deep Tissue they generally don't know what they're talking about and just use more pressure". When I asked if I were allowed to practice my Medical Massage, which I am trained in and have been practicing in VA for 4 years, was told "no. Absolutely not. You can't diagnose anyone. So no." The final straw came to scheduling. I would have to work "on call" every weekend. Oh and "on call" meant sitting in their breakroom waiting for walk ins only. Want to guess how many walk ins they get in winter? None.

So it was decided for me. I was going to have to open my own practice. It took a few weeks of research to find a location and get everything started. More on this in my next entry.