Where to Begin?

On Thursday I drove to Frisco. I had requested an early check in at
the hotel. My room was ready when I got there close to 1 PM. It took
six hours to drive from Beaumont. There were several areas of road
construction and one bad wreck that slowed traffic. I had driven
straight through from Beaumont without stopping. This is a dumb thing
to do. It was very hot and windy when I arrived in Frisco, but it was
not nearly as humid as is typical of Beaumont. After I left my bag at
the hotel, I rushed to the storage facility in Frisco where I had
reserved a unit. The lady who is in charge of the place told me she
moved back to Texas after losing her house to Andrew in Florida so she
fully understood my desire to leave the Gulf Coast. After I was all
signed up so they can bill my credit card each month without me being
there, I moved my six boxes of crystal and figurines into the storage
unit. I locked the door and left.

By then I was feeling rather faint from the lack of food. I rushed to
the Ikea store which has a cafeteria type restaurant and got my lunch.
I called my construction superintendent to let him know my next stop
was Frisco Lakes. He told me he had a 3:30 meeting. We needed to have
our pre-construction meeting and pre-drywall walk through. I hurriedly
finished my lunch and rushed out to Frisco Lakes. This is the first
time I had seen the place since March. A tremendous amount of
development has taken place. I did not know how to find my house.
Chuck came to the sales office and picked me up and took me to my
house. He said he had read his email wrong and his meeting was not
until the next day so we were not so pressed for time. Everything
seemed to be in order in the house. We checked the location of phone
and cable wiring. We could not find the cable in the front bedroom,
but Chuck said he would look into it. We then went back to the sales
office. I was getting light-headed and seeing spots in front of my
eyes. The heat and going so long without food were not a good
combination. When we got back to the sales office, my sales associate
offered me some lemonade. That really helped revive me. Chuck and I
went into the conference room and went over the presentation that is
normally given at the pre-construction meeting. I had missed out
because my pre-construction meeting was done over the phone.

I got two pieces of information. Chuck said my house is scheduled for
completion on August 28 with closing on August 31. He also had a sheet
of frequently asked questions. It said that Comcast would not be able
to provide service when the first homes are completed. I am paniced. I
can't live without my high-speed internet acess and TV. I do not want
to sign a contract that most DSL providers require. I want to be able
to get Comcast as soon as it is available. Chuck also said I would
have to get my electric service from Coserve. Parts of Frisco are not
yet deregulated. All my planning to get Gexa and Aadvantage miles was
for naught.

After the meeting. I drove back to my house. I had the maze of streets
figured out and was able to find my way home. I then went back to the
hotel. Every evening the hotel has a manager's reception. There is
enough food served that I am able to skip dinner. I then went to my
room and collapsed.

The next morning I headed back out to Frisco Lakes. I took more pictures
of my house. I have a nice little access out to the sidewalk that
leads to the amenity center. They are putting in very attractive
street lamps, and there is one at the edge of my yard. Frisco is under
very severe watering restrictions. Del Webb has dug wells and is
watering the golf course and several of the common areas with the well
water. They have signs all around that states it is well water and
approved by the City of Frisco.

I then met with one of the ladies that supplies blinds and shutters. I
was very impressed with her and her presentation. She is the one that
was recommended on the Frisco-Online forum. On Saturday I met with
another woman that claims to have supplied shutters when they were
part of the contract to Pulte home buyers. This woman was completely
different than the first. I do not want to do business with her.

At 5 PM the first Frisco Lakes town meeting was held. For the first
time I began to meet my new neighbors. The Frisco Lakes lifestyle
director told about plans for a temporary park and wanted to know what
the homeowners would like to see in the park. A lively discussion that
ranged beyond the park followed. I felt good about the discussion. I
think I am going to have some very astute neighbors who will look
after our interests.

After the meeting we killed time until the wine and cheese social. I
met several very interesting people. There was one lady who also was
originally from the Kansas City area. Most of the people who are
buying into Frisco Lakes are from the Dallas area but some are coming
from other areas of the country. My sales associate told me about a
lady who lived near Lake Pontchartrain in New Orleans who lost her
house to Katrina. She is buying into Frisco Lakes,

I told a few people about my blog, and they promised to take a look.

Saturday morning I explored more of the area. On Friday I saw Main
Street. It looks like a typical Texas small town. Not all of Frisco is
the fine new homes and shopping centers that I had seen on my previous
visits. I was unable to get signed up for a safe deposit box at either
of the branches of my bank that I visited. The banking center manager
at one location said its seems that people hold the 5X10 boxes for
life. I thought back about how I got my box in Beaumont. I got it when
the branch opened and have held it ever since.

I went to the Ethan Allen store to see if they could recommend someone
to set up my clock after the move. The receptionist was very
efficient. She pulled out a notebook that listed their services and
gave me the name of their clock man. She said if any of my furniture
is damaged in the move, they have a very good refinisher. I then
talked with a decorator about my window coverings. The Ethan Allen
store handles Hunter Douglas window coverings. After talking with some
of my neighbors I began to wonder if the plantation shutters will fall
within my budget and decided I should explore some alternatives. The
Ethan Allen design consultant is going to go out to Frisco Lakes and
come up with a proposal. I was very impressed with her, too.

I ran around to Home Depot, Target, Lowes, Sears and J. C. Penney's.
The parking lot at Stonebriar Mall was very full on Saturday
afternoon, but the streets around the mall were not clogged with
traffic. I stay away from Parkdale Mall on Saturdays because of the
congestion. It appears that things have been well planned in Frisco.

I left Frisco at 6:45 AM Sunday morning. I did it again. I drove
straight through without stopping. I got in a few patches of light
rain, but there were no major problems. The road workers take the day
off on Sunday so the traffic was not hindered. I was back home a
little after noon. It rained through the night and Beaumont is now
under a flash flood watch. I wish I could send some of the rain to
Frisco. It does not seem possible that 300 miles makes such a big
difference.