Road Trip

So Thursday night, *B* and I were aimlessly wandering around the county.  We had everything ready for our Indiana road trip, but we weren't planning to leave until very, very early Friday morning.  *B* got impatient, so we decided, against our better judgment, to leave Thursday night and switch off driving for the 11 hour trip.

We left at 8 pm.  We both had worked a full day and were sufficiently tired when we left.  *B* drove first, and let me sleep for a good hour and a half.  Long story short, with five or six rest stops, we got to the Indiana border at 4 am.

I had thought about this problem, but didn't really take it in.  We can't check into our hotel until 2 pm.  It's 4 am and we have only 3 more hours to drive.  We're big fans of checking states off of our lists, so we decided to check out Michigan on the way.  Rather than taking the toll road, we took a little parallel road across the whole of Michigan.  (Toll roads, by the way, cost us $40 each way.  It's insane what one has to do to cut an hour and a half of driving off the trip.)  Route 12 through Michigan was very pretty, though, and there was rather nice architecture on the way.  By the time we got out of Michigan, it was about 8 am.  We had been driving for 12 hours on very little sleep.

So, we decided, we're very close to Chicago, we should hit Illinois while we're here.  We drove forever on our way around Lake Michigan.  We learned a few things:

1)  Most of the towns on Lake Michigan are dead or dying.
2)  There's a nuclear power plant in a national seashore.

3)  There are some rather scary areas on Route 12.  We drove and drove until we hit Chicago.  It was not this Chicago:

It was this Chicago:

It was dirty, scary, and congested.  I saw a car fire.  I will never go back to Southside Chicago again.

After fleeing the city, it was 11am, and we decided to plead with the woman at the hotel for mercy.  Thankfully, they let us check in early.  We both passed out.  We had driven 15 hours (including stops) across six states - we deserved a bit of a break.

The next day, a good friend of mine got married.  *B* officiated, and it was lovely.  It was a Renaissance wedding, so everyone was dressed up.  The ceremony was held in a field in an orchard, and the reception was in a gorgeous old barn.  With the exception of watching my ex slobbering all over the girl he left me for over the course of the 6 hour party, it was a good time.

The next morning, we woke up at 3 am Indiana time to go home.  Again, we switched off, but I did not get nearly as much sleep.  The one time I slept in the car, I had nightmares that I was falling and couldn't slow down.  It might have been that I was traveling at 70 mph.  Who knows.  We got home at 6 pm our time, so we drove (and stopped) for 13 hours.  Much better that time around.  Either way, I'm pooped.  Today is the first day of school, and I nearly fell asleep the whole way to work.  But more on that later.

The best part of driving to Indiana rather than flying: *B* read me The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams while I drove almost the whole way home.  He even did voices to some extent.  It was awesome!

The Upside

My face hurts.  A lot.  I couldn't breathe at some points tonight.  I coughed so much this evening that I tasted blood. 

Why, might you ask?   I had dinner with friends from high school tonight.  I smiled so much that my jaw aches.  I laughed so hard that I snorted and couldn't breathe for what seemed like forever.  I also laughed so hard that I choked and coughed and coughed and coughed.

I love my friends :o)

Wow...

Things have been REALLY crazy. Last week was Camden. I got one day with *B* between Saturday evening and Sunday morning, then we had family stuff to attend to for Father's Day. On Monday, I started one of my summer jobs. At 6 am, before I walked out the door, Hailey ripped the fur off of Evie's tail. It was a huge lump of fur. And my baby is little. My friend, who originally owned Hailey, picked her up until she can be placed in another home. At the same time, another friend (from Oklahoma), showed up at my door. See, I knew she was coming here for the week, but I sort of kind of forgot that she was staying HERE for the week. On my couch. And she brought her fiance. Whoops. Oh well, we enjoy the company. This weekend, we're going on a camping trip, then Monday through Wednesday I'm going to a conference. I can't promise any posts for the week, but I'll try.

Fresh Air is the Cure

I went up north this weekend. I feel so much more relaxed now.

Isn't it gorgeous?

They had a super-cute baby goat.

They had a not-so-super-cute black snake in the grass.

There were piglets with mama pig.

Look at how precious!

Run piggy, run!

Hello there, Mr. Mule.

These guys were running all over the place.

Doobie the Doberman was looking at me because I was holding a piece of smoked pork.

This big guy is an Anatolian called Damian. He. Is. ENORMOUS!

Whether it was rude or not, I brought food for our family friends. They were very appreciative, and it made me feel good to help out. In some respects, I know that the people up there don't have a lot, but given the pictures above, I think they have way more than I do. They have gorgeous land, fresh air, and animals galore. So what if they can't afford an iPod, a new computer, or cable TV?

The party was very nice. People seemed to have a good time. We camped outside, which was fun. I woke up to the sounds of roosters crowing, dogs barking, and wild turkeys gobbling. But once I saw *B*, we realized we both had little green specks all over our faces. The floor is flaking because the tent is so old, and you can see daylight through it. We need a new tent. But we'll deal with that as we can. For now, we're going to try to seal the floor to get at least one more use out of it this summer.

Leaving Home

It seems like *B* and I really haven't been able to leave home on the weekends in a long time. Sure, we go to the store or visit my parents, but we haven't made any trips. This weekend, someone up north is having a graduation party, so we're going and camping out in their yard. I'm excited! It should be fun. The place we're going, people live off the land. The hostess's house used to be an old hunting cabin that her mother transformed. They raise chickens and goats. The people we know there genuinely use it up, wear it out, make do, or do without.

On a slightly related note, I've been turning something over in my mind and beating myself up over it. When we go to the party, we will see family friends there. They do not do very well for themselves. For example, last time I went, their electricity was cut off (but in their state, I was told that means they only get 10% of available power) so they had to turn the fridge off to cook something on the stove. I asked their daughter, who does not live out here, what they like to eat so I could bring them up a box of food. Once I had sent it, I realized that she might be offended that I'm offering food to her parents. Was this rude or inappropriate?

Breathe In, Breathe Out

Another weekend flew by. I keep hoping for some rest and relaxation, but none this way comes.

Friday night, I stayed at school, went out to dinner with some co-workers, worked at Freshman registration, then came home and my brother crashed on our couch. That seems like years ago.

Saturday morning, my brother and I did the SATs until 1 pm. At that point, I went with *B* to celebrate his mom's birthday at Carrabba's with some of their family. We went back to their house for an hour, then we picked Casey up at the airport to spend the night (again, on our couch).

This morning, I made the three of us homemade chocolate chip waffles. Casey and I went down to the bridal store and tried on bridesmaid's dresses. Thankfully, we found her maid-of-honor dress for my wedding. I then dropped her off with her family, then flew home to go to dinner with my family in honor of my brother getting into an honor society in college. That was where things got interesting (ugly). My brother and his girlfriend got in a fight, so he didn't get there early enough to save a table. We waited 45 minutes to be seated. Then, my grandmother complained at me because I couldn't call her back quickly enough after researching a computer problem she was having. I got over that for the most part. Then the bill came. My grandparents and my dad had a fight - not a disagreement - a loud, nasty fight about whether my grandparents were allowed to pay for their portion. My dad was trying to be nice and take all of us out to dinner. My grandparents wouldn't hear of it. The entire meal was totally ruined. No one talked to each other after that, and we left in short order.

Now, it's 8:30 pm, and I'm utterly drained. Tomorrow starts at 5:30 am. I hope I'm ready for it.

The Thaw

It's funny, but the title of this post relates very well to two very unrelated topics.

The snow is FINALLY melting. It rained yesterday and we lost at least 6 inches of snow. I can now see out of my front window. If we had to or wanted to, we could get out our back deck now. And, most exciting of all, I can see grass! It feels like forever since I've seen dirt and grass. Thank God it's over. Well.... not quite. We're supposed to get a foot of snow Thursday :o)

And on a totally unrelated note, my ex contacted me after 2 years of not speaking to me. We had coffee on Monday to catch up, and we attended a memorial birthday party for a friend's brother who had passed on (he would have been 30). There were no ulterior motives, he just felt bad that he didn't keep up a friendship. By the end of our relationship, we were much more like friends than anything else anyway. While it was a bit weird, I am glad that I got the chance to keep up on his family. After all, I did know them for seven years of my life. I practically grew up with them. While I still strongly dislike his girlfriend (for many, many GOOD reasons), I'm pleased to have breached a gap. This way, things will not be as awkward at a mutual friend's wedding this August when my fiance is the minister and my ex is a groomsman. The biggest thing I've learned over the past two days - I'm a very lucky lady to have such a wonderful fiance and I wouldn't trade him for the world.

Oh So Delicious!

*B* and I were bit by the Food-Network-convinces-you-to-go-gourmet bug today. We had planned on making a chicken dinner for friends today anyway. But after watching a few shows, we stepped it up. I made a roast chicken, standard recipe with a little lemon and thyme added in. We're having parsley-ed potatoes (a standard from my childhood, which explains the weird name) and asparagus. We started Italian bread, but it turns out that we miscounted by an hour and it will be done late. The exciting part, however, is the lemon-poppy scones with lemon butter. Adapted from a few different recipes, I think it's safe to say we made it our own.

First, we made lemon butter. It was so easy! We just put the zest of 2 lemons, 4 tbsp of honey, and 1 pint of whipping cream into my kitchen aid. We whipped it way past whipped cream and ended up with the butter and oh-so-delicious flavored buttermilk. The buttermilk, we used in the scone recipe.

For the scones, I mixed 2 cups of flower with 2 tbsp baking powder, 2 tbsp sugar, 1/2 tsp baking soda and 1/2 tsp of salt. I cut in 1/4 cup of butter until crumbly. Then I mixed together 2/3 cup of our buttermilk and 1 egg. I poured that in with 1 tsp lemon zest and 1 tbsp of poppy seeds. After mixing with a fork, I turned it onto a floured board and made it into a round. This is what it looks like just before baking:


It's got a little bit of turbinado sugar on top, and the wedges are scored. I baked it at 425 degrees for a little more than 15 minutes. Mmmm, so good.

The original recipe came from cooks.com. Doesn't it look good?

The chicken (and especially the gravy) turned out amazing! It was a recipe from Ina Garten on the Food Network. The carrots were roasted under the chicken. I took everything from the bottom of the pan, minus the carrots, and made the most delicious gravy I've ever had.

Oh so good! Yum!

It was so nice to be with friends. I was amazed that they stayed for four hours with no real lull in the conversation. I could see this being a bi-weekly kind of thing. Food really does bring people together.

A Beautiful Sound

Evie is getting better. She has an upper respiratory infection. I have to give her amoxicillin twice a day for a while. We did find out, however, that petsmart was wrong about her age. She's five months, not three. Not that I love her any less, but I have less kitten time with her now.

After just about a week of quarantining the cats, I'm currently listening to the pitter-patter of eight little feet. Wicket chases Evie up the stairs, then somehow Evie ends up chasing Wicket down the stairs. While we won't go anywhere without separating them, they seem to be okay together while we're here. We only let them out together for a little while. Wicket's still scared of her and hisses at first, but overall we're doing just fine.

We had a lovely little New Year's party. There were only nine of us, but I enjoyed it immensely. My friend from high school confirmed that *B* will be performing his wedding ceremony! I'm very excited. *B* has only performed one other ceremony, and that was for his sister's wedding a few years ago. It does mean, however, that we have to get up airfare and hotel to get to Indiana for a weekend. It's two months after *B*'s best friend's wedding, too. I guess I'm getting to that age :o) I'm hoping that I'll be able to post news about me in that respect, but I don't know when that'll happen. Right now, I'm just hoping and praying that it'll be soon. As Billy Crystal said in When Harry Met Sally, "...when you realize you want to spend the rest of your life with somebody, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible."

I decided to join a gym a few days ago. It's $30 a month (less than normal because I'm a teacher). I had been putting it off because of the expense, but I realized my health is worth more than $30 a month. This place is open 24-7, is less than a mile away, and has brand new equipment. I went for the first time yesterday. I was so excited to get back into it that I spent almost two hours there. I loved it so much. Now, though, I hurt SO BAD. I'm going back tomorrow for some light cardio. If I don't, I'm not sure if I'll ever go back :o) *B*'s aunt gave me a cute padded journal that looked like a sweatshirt. This is a journal something like it:

My access card fits just in the pocket, and I can keep track of what I'm doing. I like keeping data on my progress. When I first got it, I was thankful but ambivalent, though now it seems like it perfectly fits my needs.

Once I get into the habit of going to the gym, then I'll work on eating better. This year will be a much more relaxed endeavor than the usual "lose a bunch of weight" campaign. I want to be healthy. If that means I end up losing weight, great. If not, at least I'll be fit. Maybe, as if by osmosis, *B* will follow suit. Not that I'd ever critique his physique, his family's history of health problems is cause for concern. And anyway, he's the one that pushes vegetables all the time. Maybe now I'll actually listen to him :o)

An Overview of My Break - In Reverse

Happy birthday to me!!! I turned 24 today at 5:30 pm. Woo hoo! For lunch/dinner, my parents and my brother took me to Carabba's. It was sooo good. I like their chicken marsala a lot.

This morning Michelle and Bill took *B* and me out to breakfast at a really awesome cafe called Blue Moon in the city. *B* had Cap'n Crunch French Toast (omgosh) and I had a great omelet.

*B* had promised me a planned party on the day before my birthday. I was a little disappointed when it didn't happen. He got caught up and didn't invite anyone. But his friends Dan and Laura came over and we chowed down on leftovers - turkey korma with samosas using the leftover turkey and mashed potatoes. The boys even polished off the trifle *B* made for dessert on Thanksgiving.

Speaking of Thanksgiving, it went really well. Unfortunately, my camera died and I couldn't find the battery charger. But I took pictures with my mom's camera. I'll post them as soon as she sends them to me. We had ten people total, and a 21 pound turkey. There was stuffing, mashed potatoes, sweet potato casserole, green bean casserole, peas, and sauerkraut. For dessert, there was pumpkin pie, pumpkin gingerbread trifle, chocolate pie, and apple crisp. We still have a full pan of apple crisp, turkey, some peas, sweet potatoes, and curried potatoes, but everything else is gone. My dad and his parents got on well. I'm glad to see their year long feud has at least taken a hiatus. Right after everyone left, *B* and I pulled out Christmas boxes and started watching DVDs and decorate. I love the holidays! I can't believe it's almost Christmas!

Before that, my mom and I painted my upstairs bathroom. It looks so good! It needs one more coat, which will probably be done during the Christmas break. Again, as soon as I find my charger, I'll post pictures.

One of my first activities once the break started was to go out and buy a whole heaping cart full of food during the holiday sales. I swore it would cost me $200, but I got out of there just shy of $80. I am well on my way to stocking a good, healthy pantry!

I'm also through a book and a half in my nine days of vacation. I had bought but never read Lady Chatterley's Lover by D. H. Lawrence a number of years ago. I finally pulled it out and read the darned thing. I ended up really liking it! I bought The Reader by Bernhard Schlink, thinking that I love Kate Winslet and every movie she's been in, and I've found it lacking. It's not great, but not awful. It's a shame - I read Little Children by Tom Perrotta and found it engulfing. Not so much this time. I also own, but have not read, Revolutionary Road by Richard Yates. That will probably be my next book. I have asked for Look at the Birdie by Kurt Vonnegut and Wishin' and Hopin' by Wally Lamb for Christmas. Vonnegut's book was published posthumously, and Lamb's books are amazing, but few and far between.

I hope everyone out there had a good, relaxing holiday!

Great Weekend

So far, this has been a great weekend. I stressed about my assignment to teach a lesson to a class full of teachers yesterday, but I got through it okay. Because I was the first to go, and I got my other work done early, I have no work due until December 5th. Woo hoo!

In the middle of my lesson, my phone rang. This really threw me off because I swore I had forgotten it at home. Regardless, it was *B*'s mom. Her friend backed out of a play last minute, and so she offered me the ticket! I went with *B*'s mom, his aunt, and a family friend to see the Wizard of Oz on stage. I ran down after class and we had a great lunch (mmm, crabcakes), then skipped back into the city to go see the play. It was very well done, I am pleased to say. I had a really good time, and I'm glad that I went, despite my initial reluctance.

Today, my brother's coming over to help me fix some little things on my car, then *M* and her boyfriend are coming over. We always have a great time with them. I'm thinking we'll do late lunch/early dinner out in town here, then dessert at our place. What to make?? I've got a lot of things to do before they get here: bedroom, office, bathroom, living room, and kitchen all need to be tidied and swept/vacuumed. I'm off to clean!

You May Wish to Settle in for a While - It's a Loooong Story.

I am one of a group of girls who all grew up together. We were all in the smart kids reading group when we were little or in honors classes together in high school when we met. To explain what's going on, one needs back story.

*K* - Dropped out of college and messed around job wise for a while. Got married after dating for a few months and after suffering two miscarriages. She now has one healthy baby girl and one girl (supposedly) on the way. She lives with her husband in her parents' basement. I have never liked her husband, but am trying very hard to get over that. Neither of them have a full time job, but they both work.

*M* - Went to a well-known university for Business, met a great guy (who *B* and I have a couple crush on), and bought a house with him. They will definitely get married, but are not in a rush. Not in the job of her dreams, but is living well.

*K2 - ME* I am the youngest of the group, but as of the end of this month, we'll all be 24 years old. I dated a guy for seven years, and everyone (including I) thought we were going to get married. We even went ring shopping at one point. While dating him, I went to a tiny college and got a degree in Physics. I went to grad school at a good university with my boyfriend where he dumped me. I met *B* and was in a much happier relationship, but dropped out of grad school because I hated the work. This is my second year teaching high school, and obviously, we just bought a house. We can't afford to get engaged/married right now, and I have to suck it up and deal with it for the moment.

There is more back story with the other two girls in the group, but the three of us keep in contact the most.

When *K* met her husband, she changed. Not just a little bit, but A LOT. She used to be an intelligent, confident woman with whom I could hold a conversation. Not anymore. If you are not a member of the "Mommy/Wifey" club, she seems uninterested. She appears to have no other interests than her daughter or having more children. It annoys me to no end that she professes to be very religious (first Lutheran, now Catholic because her husband is), but doesn't/didn't lead a religious life. I can deal with it if you tell it like it is, but I have a hard time accepting hypocrisy.

The thing that bothers me most is that I have worked really hard to get what I want by doing things properly. I know that you can argue me on that fact because we bought a house before marriage. But here is what I mean:

1. I am careful not to bring children into this world out of wedlock. I'm a firm believer in this. I feel awful that she had to endure miscarriages. I'm sure there are few greater losses in one's life. But they wouldn't have happened if she was preventing them. You can't claim not to use birth control due to religious beliefs when those same beliefs don't permit pre-marital sex.
   
2. I've been with my boyfriend for a substantial amount of time. Such a time period lessens the chance of finding out they're a complete creep (which, IMHO, her husband is).
3. I will have a stable place to live before having children. Short of an unexpected crisis, we will be set with a home.
4. We will have a stable financial situation with which we can support ourselves and our children. Short of an unexpected crisis, we will be financially stable.

I have done things to ensure that I am not creating a burden on anyone around me. I am being responsible.

I've pretty much gotten over the fact that I was "supposed to" be the first one to get married in our group. I know there's no such thing in life as "supposed to," but all those involved, even tangentially, thought my ex and I would be the first. Whenever I'm around *K*, I feel like she's sticking it in my face that she is where I want to be as far as marriage and possibly children. She even told me once that I'm jealous because she has a family. I have kept my lips zipped - this was an unprovoked comment.

When I'm with *M* and her boyfriend, it is the polar opposite. We have a great time, everything goes well. We like each other's company. But they live at least 45 minutes from us. *M* is very grounding, and makes me feel good about where I am in life, even if I still long to be engaged. At least we've started out life well.

Tonight was *K*'s daughter's first birthday party. Both *M* and I were invited to the party, but *M* couldn't make it. Whenever I go to gatherings with *K*, I feel a tension-not reciprocated, but within myself. I stood around for two hours by myself tonight while everyone focused on the baby and *K*'s impending second one (due in March). I am not self-absorbed. Of course I understand it's the baby's day and her's by default. But *K* spent all her time talking to other mothers about what the baby was probably thinking or if she was messing her diaper rather than anything of substance. I tried talking to other random people there, but they were all her parents' age. Even when talking to *K* alone, she just stops listening or talking and stares at or plays with her daughter in the middle of a conversation. It's like talking to a brick wall.

It's not that I can't deal with not being first to hit a major milestone - *M* got a house first and I was/am really happy for her. Whenever *M* has something happen in her life, I'm generally really excited for her. But with *K*, it just digs in a little harder, like somehow her success is directly to my perceived failure in life.

Here are the big questions:

1. Why does *K*'s personal/family situation bother me so much?
2. Why do I get so tense around *K* in general?
3. Why can't I deal with people who get so absorbed into babies and motherhood at the expense of everything else?
   

Aside from the fact that I now feel like I'm a big whining baby, any thoughts?

Need to Get Out of this Rut

This morning, I got some of my homework back from my teacher, and I did really poorly. She offered the opportunity to redo it, but I was very upset nonetheless. The assignments we've been given have nothing to do with what we're learning in class. The first assignment was to write about a lab we've done in the past. Our second assignment was to send in a form with our previous classes and our GPA. We get graded on how good our GPA was in college! So if you're a changed person, too bad. I decided not to go to Ren Fest today because of the class. On the way home, I got stuck in traffic, not moving for one whole hour. It took me two hours to make a 45 minute drive.

That all being said, I need to learn to be less negative. I'm frustrated by the class, but it's my fault for not being more careful with my assignments. I was annoyed by the traffic, but at least I wasn't the one whose car was obliterated. I've been in a cycle of unhappiness and illness, sloth and gluttony. I've been eating (for the most part) total crap, I feel tired and unmotivated to do anything, I get depressed, I eat more junk, I feel worse, I get more depressed. I'm not sure what is causing which. But I've got to change something. I went to a party tonight because I said I'd be there, but I only stayed two hours, and really didn't have a whole lot of fun.

There are things I need to do to feel less anxious: get my assignments done, finish grading, clean the house. *B* cleaned the kitchen for the most part today, so some of my duties are out of the way. I need to put laundry away, vacuum, mop, and organize. I have three assignments due ASAP because they need to be redone or were supposed to be turned in today. All my grading is at school, so I can't do that this weekend.

Tomorrow is the last day of Ren Fest, so I should go, but I honestly don't feel like it. *B* really wants to go though, so I'll go. I'm to the point where I'm hoping that I get sick so that I can stay home from school. Sad, isn't it?

Any ideas on getting out of this rut I'm in? I'll take all suggestions. I'm dreading the week ahead already, and the weekend isn't even over. How can a girl get some rejuvenation and peace of mind?

Good Times, and Not So Good Times

We had a lot of people come to the party last night. Over the course of 6 hours, 22 people came over, which is a lot for any of my parties. Everything started very well, and all was happy. One little event threw me off for the rest of the night, but I recovered fairly well by the end. This morning, however, I'm still heartbroken.

*Shimmery music and picture as flashback starts*
My dad has not spoken to his parents in about a year and a half. He says that they did things to him when he was younger (punishing him twice for things he had done, giving him no choice in how he lived his life while he was a child) and that they are nasty people (they can be very critical and hypocritical). They pushed him too far on Mother's Day in 2008 when he tried to bridge the gap, and they started complaining about him.
*End flashback*

I invited my grandparents because we still talk and get along, and because they had never seen my apartment when I lived there, so I figured they should see my house. I invited my dad because I wanted him there. When he saw my grandparents, he ran downstairs for a good 10-15 minutes. I went down to keep him company after a while, and he chided me for inviting both of them, and said he should have been told so that he wouldn't have come to the party. After they went outside, he left for the night. Subsequently, I went downstairs and cried for a good 5 minutes with *B* and my mom.

Here's my problem/question: Is it my job to arrange custody? What is he going to do at my wedding? The birth of my children? Christenings? Childrens' birthdays? My grandparents have a right to see their family, and I have very limited time to spend with just them.

How do I rectify this with my dad? Since he and my mom split, we've had a much better relationship. I was so hurt when he left yesterday. If I try to tell him this in person, he will dominate the conversation.

Beyond that, I reconnected with some friends I had in high school. It's good to have local friends again. We're planning on hanging out much more from now on. They even asked *B* to preside at their wedding. They got me up to speed about what's been going on in my ex's life. It's nice to know how he's doing.

We had a TON of food, though I was SO worried about how much food there'd be. We had everything from chili to crab dip and crab cakes to taco dips and more. A good time seemed to be had by the vast majority of those who came here.

At the end of the night, we lit a fire in this tiny, tiny fire pit we have. It was great to just sit around and talk. I loved it.

Today, I'm actually excited to write tons of thank you notes. That will be the second thing I do - right after I clean!

House, Hoarders, Ren Fest, and Other Thoughts

We've got 4 days until we move. I've got to call the electric company tomorrow morning to ensure we've got power our first day there. It's awesome to have off of work Friday, which means I only have three days of work left this week. We haven't heard officially that EVERYTHING is signed off, but we're pretty close.

I'm watching the show "Hoarders" right now. It's amazing to me. In one section, the hoarder is getting really upset about the process of getting rid ofher stuff. She has had a number of break downs about random stuff. Someone cleaned the trash off her bathroom floor, and she freaked out. The other section, the hoarder is very good about wanting to get rid of stuff, but her mom is complaining about how slow she's going. She's at least trying, and what she's doing is behavior modification that will prevent her from hoarding again. I feel so bad for them, it must be so hard.

I've got Ren Fest pics! We took *B*'s sister and nephew and my brother with us on Saturday and had a good time. Just to clarify - we know his nephew looks like a girl. The boy's shirt and kilt were a tad too big on him. Below: nephew, *B* and me!, *B*'s sister. Not pictured: my brother who was a party pooper and didn't dress up.

That. Was. Amazing!

It has been an amazing 24 hours in the food world. For dinner, aside from too much pizza, I had AMAZING cantaloupe. It was the best cantaloupe I've ever had in my entire life. We went to the farmer's market with a friend of mine the other day, and got a ton of fresh, local, organic produce. I've heard arguments for and against organic produce, but when it's as cheap as it was, I figure it doesn't hurt to cut down on chemicals.

Last night, in honor of Michelle's birthday, we got manicures and went restaurant hopping downtown. It was the first time I've had a manicure in over two years. We considered pedicures, but the boys were waiting for us. Given that it was SO inexpensive ($15 for a full on manicure), I will definitely visit that place when I'm ready to give up on my students. I would get a pedicure next time though.

After getting our nails done, we met the boys at The Brewer's Art. Upstairs, the place is really fancy, very classy. Downstairs, it's dungeon-like, with original brick arches, black and red walls, and little lighting. But above all, they had the best salad I've ever had. It had grilled peaches, spiced pecans, chevre cheese, butter lettuce, and Maker's Mark vinaigrette. And above all, it was around $7 for that gorgeous meal. Then we went to Midtown Yacht Club (not a yacht club) and had an ENORMOUS plate of nachos. Finally, we walked TWO miles to get to a really fancy restaurant called Roy's right on the harbor. I had a mai tai (SO much sugar) and chocolate souffle. Oh so delicious. I wish I had pictures.

A Glimmer of Hope?

So we went to look at townhouses today. Shock of all shock - we found one we really like IN OUR PRICE RANGE! It's downtown, walking distance from places we like to go. It has a lovely, sloping yard in the back. I'm not going to say much more until we put in an offer. It is, however, within the USDA's district! Woo hoo!

I have been tracking my food without limiting too much what I choose to eat. Because of that, it appears that I'm limiting my food intake. I feel good that I haven't been gorging too much. Now the problem is getting more exercise. We'll see how it goes...

Michelle and I will be having a "girl's day" tomorrow, and I'm taking them out for dinner tomorrow night in honor of her recent birthday. We're getting our nails done, which I'm really excited about. *B*'s mom dropped a pamphlet from a local place that is REALLY cheap. She said it was really nice. We've been missing each other's texts, so there aren't any definite plans, but all will fall into place eventually.

I feel so loved! I never knew I had comments on some of my posts! THANK YOU!!!! I feel so encouraged by everyone. The comments also got me to read some of my posts, which motivate me to pick up things I've been slacking on. Momzoo also reignited my quest to find the article on five year journaling - I FOUND IT!!! It was from simpleliving.net, and it's called Creating a Five Year Vision. WOO HOO!!!

Things I'm Going to Do Tonight and Tomorrow (in no particular order):

• Have one heck of a prayer session with the big guy
• Working on the five year stuff
  
• Put laundry away
• Vacuum bedroom and living room
  
• Send info to the new mortgage guy
• Get nails done
• Go out for dinner
  

Things I'm Thankful For (in no particular order):

• Being off of work
• Having a place to crash
• Having a generous family
• Having a great boyfriend
• Having a reliable car
• Life working out in one way or another
• Finding faith that we'll have our own place one day (hopefully soon!)

Night Thoughts

At night, lying in bed when I'm trying to sleep, I have deep thoughts that I want to write about. When I get out of bed to put pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard as the case may be), I don't remember any of it. And here I am, trying to put it all back together.

I feel guilty that I didn't ask my parents if they wanted to get together for July 4th. So instead, I asked my mom to go to church with me Sunday, which is something I haven't done outside of school in literally years. She was surprised, but receptive. I'm going to call my dad tomorrow and swing by his house after my mom and I finish up. *B* and I are meeting up with Michelle and Bill next Friday, and I've asked Kimber if she wants to hang out next Thursday. I'm really trying to reconnect with people I've lost touch with.

I feel like I have no purpose during this time off. During the school year, I have purpose out my ears, but not so much now. I'm slowly whittling away at lesson plans I have to create. But that is a VERY slow process that comes in productive spurts. My classes start up again this Monday, which will actually be a welcome change.

We have 12-14 days until we can move into the house. Being under the two week mark is both very exciting and very scary. We've opened so many boxes, and they will all have to be repacked. If anything will fail, it will be soon. I think that I'm afraid of being told we can't move in again or that I've made huge financial mistakes during this waiting period. I've been saving a lot, but spending a fair amount as well.

So far on our 72 hour kits, we have backpacks, emergency blankets, and utility knives. I'm struggling with finding a good first aid kit. What should it have in it? How much is appropriate? I'll be making a new medicine bag for my purse after we move in. At one point, I had pain killers, benedryl, lactaid, dramamine, band aids, and much more in my purse at any given time. But now that a) we've moved and b) my purse has all but fallen apart, I no longer carry it with me. I'd like to go to the thrift shop to see if I can find a new purse. As for my car kit, I'm sure that I could finish it out really quickly if I shop my belongings, but I've been too lazy to do it. Perhaps tomorrow I can take the five minutes I need to do it. I even have an empty crate in which I can put it all somewhere in this house!

For now, I'm just counting the days and trying to enjoy each one as it comes.