Friday Fun

TGIF!

This week has been a little bit crazy with the move and work getting busy again, but I'm happy to report that things feel really calm today. The weather has been beautiful (a little fall like but bright and sunny). This morning I took the cats to the vet. It was quite the adventure with all of the hissing and crying (the cats--not me). But we are done with that for another year.

Speaking of the cats...as you know I've been staying with my friend Cristina for the past few days. The first night I was there I settled the cats upstairs in my room and came down to watch some TV with Tim and Cristina. Little Sam was asleep upstairs in his room. All of a sudden we heard Sam say "Daddy, why is there a cat in my room?" over the baby monitor. He didn't sound freaked out--he was just wondering why she was there. It was so funny!

In other news, I tried a new mascara (I had a coupon and there was a sale so I spent all of $2 on this). Rimmel Glam'eyes. I really like this one. I feel like it's a good formula and doesn't clump up. I would say it's worth it (even at full price). Plus, it's pink and black. Enjoyable all around.
I guess I've officially caught you up on my life for the last few days. In honor of my good mood this Friday, I'll leave you with a cute cartoon that hangs on my bulletin board at work (one of my students gave it to me a few years ago). Enjoy! Have a great Friday!

Phase 1

Last night was the big night to load the truck up with all of my worldly belongings and transport it to the garage of my new apartment. It went very quickly and smoothly. Thanks to Jared, Liz, Cristina and my Dad for being awesome and helping me out. I am so relieved that this part is over. Now it's just a matter of waiting until Monday or Tuesday to get into the new place. I'm going to be staying with Cristina until then. That will be fun to be there and to challenge her to a game of rummy. I actually have a room on campus to use too. Just in case I need it. This is a very busy time for me at work so this isn't the most ideal time to move, but I'm just trying to stay positive and think of how fun it's going to be when I get to decorate a new place. I think I'm going to look for a cute cafe table set for my new deck this weekend. I should be able to find one on sale at this time of the year. Yay!

I'd also like to read the Time Traveler's Wife this week. I've had this book for years and just never really got to reading it. So now that's been made into a movie--I need to get on board. After finally getting through the Twilight series (I wasn't a big fan), I hope to really like this book.
For now I better get back to doing some real work. Have a good one!

Support Team

It's Monday and I'm at work. I'm actually pretty happy to be here this morning because there are no cardboard boxes to look at here. I maintained my motivation to pack on Saturday and Sunday. And I'm happy to say that I'm just about done. I just have to do the kitchen and bathroom tonight. Yay! I think being organized makes packing so much easier. I don't have a lot of clutter to sort through because I don't like clutter. Now I just have to work out a few logistics with a truck and help and I'll be all set.

Here is my support team as I packed through the weekend....

Sadie found a nice place to nap. She looks real stressed doesn't she?

And Gracie decided that the computer was safe from being put in a box.

Wondering what the heck is going on....Oh the fun they will have when they check out the new place next week...

Happy Monday!

Packing Up

First, let me show you my new ring. I got it last weekend and I'm pretty much in love with it. I love big cocktail rings. I've been looking for something like this for a while so I was glad that I found it. Accessories always make me happy. Today I'm working on packing up my apartment for my move this week. I have a confession to make.

For the past 5 years I've lived here and there have been many times that I cursed the layout of the place and hated that I lived in a residence hall apartment (the upside is that it's rent free). I have said on more than a handful of occasions that I dreamed of the day that I would move out into a bigger place. One that had a private entrance and my own parking spot. One that had enough storage that I could store my seasonal decorations. One that had an extra bedroom for a craft room/office. But now that's it's upon me, I feel a little sad. And I know that sounds silly because I'm only moving 5 minutes away and I'm not changing jobs or moving to a new town. I think it's because once I move out of here, I have to develop a new routine. A new normal.
Yes, it'll be exciting to decorate my new place and to have my first party there and to sit on the deck after work. I'm looking forward to all of those things. It's just closing the chapter on this normal that I've had for 5 years. As much as I've complained about living on campus, or how small and annoying my bathroom is, or about how I have NO storage space, I realize that I'll miss the little things about this place. It's not about the physical space, I think it's about what's happened in the 5 years that I've lived here. I turned 30 here. I got Gracie and Sadie here. Countless other milestones happened here. This has been my home. And it's been a great home (despite the lack of storage for my handbags). I'll miss it. I'll miss the sounds that I've become used to (students talking in the hall, the maintenance staff vacuuming in the morning, the students moving furniture above me at odd hours).

So I'm packing up some boxes this weekend with a lot of mixed feelings. I'll put stuff into boxes here knowing where they belonged in this space and when I unpack, I know they won't look the same. Because it'll be time to see those things in a new way. In the new normal. In the next chapter of my life.

Family Matters

This weekend was a very busy one. My family was here from NC for my grandfather's committal service. It was a lovely service and it was especially nice because my grandparent's pastor and friend from when they lived up here was able to officiate the service. It was very sweet and there were many family members that were able to make it. I like hearing how fond of him people were. I feel like I got to hear some great stories about him the last few weeks that I hadn't ever heard before. It was nice to celebrate his life.

I've actually thought a lot about family in the last few months. (Not that I don't usually think of these things) but since I've seen some of my family for the first time in years, I have been thinking about how important it is to have family involved in your life. We moved a lot when I was growing up and didn't really live near either side of the family. So seeing aunts/uncles/cousins wasn't a regular occurrence for me. After being down in NC a few times this year, I finally realized how much I want to establish relationships with my cousins and aunts/uncles in my adult life. It's important to have people that share that common bond of grandparents and stories that happened before we were born. I know that I live pretty far from most of them but I want to make a better effort to get to know them more. I've always been envious of the really close knit extended families because it's so comforting to share a history with other people. Besides that, I really like my family. I am very lucky that way.

While the fam was here, I got some pictures of them. Because, well, you know how I love to take pictures...

Here is my cousin Hillary and her boyfriend Jeshua. He'd never been to a Friendly's before so this was his first experience.

My Dad and I after the service on Sunday. Wow--it was hot yesterday! Dad, Grandma and Aunt Karen sitting on the porch

Grandma and three of her grandkids (my brother Joe, Hillary and I)
And my favorite shot of the day--my Dad and his Mom looking at each other sweetly. Awww.

I hope you are all having a very happy Monday!

Nada.

I returned to work for real this week. Meaning I had to actually work more than 2 consecutive days. Whoa. Crazy right? Actually, it was nice to begin to get back into my schedule again. It's sad to think that the summer is almost over for me. The students return the first week of September. So there is A LOT to get done before they return. So this means I've been kind of boring. I spent last weekend getting organized and this week I've done nothing but go to work and try to get some stuff off my summer to-do list done. So that's why the lack of posts.

I did frame my poster from the DMB concert. I hung it in my office. This is hardly newsworthy but I really like it and wanted to share it with you. (see, it really is a slow news week)

I AM excited about my new apartment. I will be moving in at the end of the month but I will have to be out of my current apartment next weekend so I'm going to store my stuff in the garage at my new place and I'll move in the 31st/1st. I didn't really share much about it before, so here's the run down: 2 bedrooms, 2 baths, good sized kitchen, dining room, small back deck, enclosed front porch. It's going to be good. I am really looking forward to moving in and getting settled. It's nice to not feel stress about finding a place anymore. Now I just feel excited and can't wait to get in there. Soon enough. I also want to plan a really fun house warming party. If you have any ideas about that, please let me know. I know there will be much champagne provided to all guests. :)

Another random picture from this week. This is Gracie laying on the shorts I had JUST put on the bed while I was getting the shirt out of the drawer. I swear if I lay an article of clothing down she just has to lay on it immediately. I wonder why. Maybe she really does think I need her hair on all my clothes. hmmm. And she looks pretty pleased with herself doesn't she?
Tonight I'm kind of relaxing at home watching Entourage Season 5 from Netflix. Tomorrow my NC family is coming up for my Grandfather's committal service on Sunday. My grandma, aunt, cousin and her boyfriend are staying with me so it'll be nice to have them here. I'm taking the day off to do some errands and stuff. I mean, I've worked 4 days this week. I wouldn't want to overdo it.

Have a great night and enjoy your Friday!

Get the Pulse

I have to tell you all about my new favorite beauty product (well, this week anyway). Maybelline Pulse Perfection. I saw the commercial and was intrigued. Then I saw the display while in Walmart and decided that I had to have it. Most of you know how I feel about makeup in general, but I I really adore mascara (it's right up there with nail polish and lip gloss)

The verdict so far: I like it. A lot. I takes a minute to get used to but after you've adjusted to the sound and feel of the vibrating brush, it really does work. It's about $12 and I think it's worth the money. But then again, I'm the kind of person that these companies are looking for when they market products. Also known as a sucker. ha ha.
Have you tried this? Is so, what do you think?

That's my frivolous Friday tidbit for you. Now I'm off to enjoy a relaxing weekend. No big plans yet. I'm just looking forward to being able to be at home to catch up on things around here. Oh, and daydreaming about how to decorate my new apartment.

I hope you all enjoy your weekend!

Celebrate We Did.

"Hello, how are you doing today?

I hope I find you feeling healthy.

I'm so glad our paths crossed this time today

On our way into the night..."

--Granny by DMB

You know how sometimes things just kind of happen? Well, that's what it's been like for me this week. I have secured an apartment. Finally. It happened yesterday morning. I move in on the 31st. I am thrilled with what I found and have a great landlord! Yay. One stress over with. And this opportunity came to me. My friend Cristina's brother owns a house in town and had an opening so I looked at it on Monday and today I told him yes. Awesome. I'll go into more detail about it later.

Because if that wasn't happy enough...

I had originally planned to attend a Dave Matthews Concert this summer and kind of dragged my feet about getting tickets for the show in Bethel Woods that many of my friends were attending. I guess I was more concentrated on other things (like finding a new place to live) so I didn't get a ticket before they sold out. I was bummed but then other stuff happened and I forgot about it for a bit. But then on Monday, my friend Shannon told me that she actually had an extra ticket. So I did end up going last night. And I am so glad I did. I went with my Oneonta peeps (Jill, Vinny, Alisha, Tony) but met up with Shannon, her husband, her sister and also Courtney and Mark. It was great to be able to be there with all of them! And I definitely needed the night of open skies, great music and good friends. It was a great show and they played my new favorite song--Shake Me Like A Monkey. I was a happy DMB fan!

Me, Shannon and Courtney before the show began. We had great weather.

Bethel Woods was amazing venue. I WILL go back here. Everything was so clean and pretty. They had rental chairs for $5 and the lawn was so soft and nice. Here is the stage from where we were.

The stage after Dave went on.

Courtney, Me and Shannon with Dave in the background. :)
The moon over the stage. I thought it was a cool picture.

And since this blog is a way for me to "scrapbook" my life, I've included the set list from the show.

Wednesday Aug 5 2009 Bethel Woods Center for the Arts Set list:
Proudest Monkey

Satellite
The Maker
Shotgun
Shake Me Like A Monkey
Funny The Way It Is
Lying In The Hands Of God
Louisiana Bayou
You Might Die Trying
Spaceman
Alligator Pie
Seven
Time Bomb
#41
Everyday
Why I Am
You And Me
Two Step
Encore:
Rye Whiskey
Squirm

Tripping Billies

So it's been a crazy few days. I feel very happy and blessed to have such amazing friends in my life and to be able to share the fun times with them. Thanks for a fun night! (edited to add this picture--I stole it from Courtney's blog.)

"Celebrate we will
Because life is short but sweet for certain"

--Two Step by DMB

County Fair Time

Today was my first day back to work. I have to say I was pretty happy to be back. I love being off but I also really like getting back into a routine. Although, I feel like the first day back is all about catching up with people and trying to remember what I had been doing before I left.

After my busy day, a few of us headed to the county fair for the "free night" I always go and watch the Fireman's parade because some of my family is involved in that and then there are fireworks after. Not to mention the fair food and people watching. wow. The people watching is a blog entry all of its own....yikes.

Liz, Jill, Vinny and Jared getting ready for some fair fun.

One of my favorite parts is seeing all of the animals. Love the baby goats!Kind of random--a Kangaroo (with a baby in her pouch)

I'm tired from all the excitement today. I have much to tell about other things in life but I'll wait until after tomorrow.

Do you go to your county fair? What's your favorite part?

OCG

My Grandfather passed away this past week so I've been out of town to NC to attend his memorial service and spend time with my family. He's not been well for some time but it was still shocking to hear the news.

As I got older I learned about what a great man he truly was. I didn't see him as often as I would have liked but I always loved spending time with him. He always seemed to know how to do anything. And he had the kind of quiet humor that I always admired. I could write many things about him but I will share the story that my Aunt Karen shared with me from when my Dad and she were kids:

One Christmas, after all the presents had been opened, my Grandma sighed and when asked what was wrong she explained that she hadn't received the one gift she had really wanted--a leaf for the dining room table--so that they could have more room to eat at the table as a family. She busied herself with making dinner and my Grandfather quietly went down to his shop and came back up a few hours later with a new leaf for the table that fit perfectly.

I share this story because I think this really shows his character. He would do anything to help out his family and to make them happy. He was a wonderful man and I am thankful that I got to be his granddaughter and that he was able to teach my father how to be the great father his is today.

This are examples of the things that he made through the years (the table leaf is sitting next to the horse)