No longer AWOL

Well hello there, strangers!

It's been a busy, busy few weeks for me. Brief (okay, it'll probably be fairly lengthy) recap...

My last day at school was June 10th. Yeehaw!

Had my final "interview" with my new Superintendent on Monday the 15th and was officially offered the position. Even filled out some payroll paperwork. That evening I met up with an old college buddy for the first fitting of my ninth bridesmaid dress.

Tuesday the 16th I looked at 13 homes up for sale in the new town. My mind was a jumbled mess before it was all said and done. The top two contenders were the first (a koi pond in the back yard!) and last (the street I always wanted to live on!) of our three-hour tour. Came home that night to discover there were two birds in my house. Birds. In. My. House. Luckily I was able to shoo one out (I think I even said, "Shoo!" more than once) and the other I was able to scoop up in a plastic bag and release outside. They couldn't have been there long because I found only a couple of dribbles of bird poo. Sadly, the next day I saw Wilbur munching on something that looked an awful lot like that baby birdie. :(

On the 17th a local realtor came to take a look at Loraine and we came up with a general game plan. Selling as-is with an inspection done beforehand so buyers know what to expect. Although I won't make as much money as I had hoped, I'll still make a profit and I won't have to start any projects. But she did recommend I clear my fencline of the jungle that has overtaken it. Gulp.

On the 18th I had my annual check up and the good doctor told me she was concerned about my enlarged thyroid. Had blood taken and tested (second year in a row) but all levels are normal. She still recommends that I see my primary care physician about it. Still on my to-do list.

On Friday my mom, stepsister, and nephew showed up and we loaded two truck beds with boxes and tubs and random bits of furniture and took it to storage in the new town. Including one terribly tacky headboard I cannot wait to funkify. Hope it turns out as great as I'm imagining it. Pictures to come.

Last Saturday I went to a baby shower for an old friend, cleared out the rest of my office at school, and then prepared to tackle my overgrown, weed-infested, outta control ivy piece of property. My mom showed up that evening followed shortly by my stepfather, stepsister, and nephew. We made some serious progress in just a couple of hours. My mom decided to stay overnight so she could get started again first thing in the morning. After a couple of margaritas she decided it would be a great idea to paint the floor of the front porch. So at around 10PM on Saturday night my mom and I did it. What is sad is that I always envisioned it to be such a daunting task so I kept putting it off. But now, eight years later and just before I move away, I have a front porch that is one consistent color and it took us all of an hour, start to finish. Go figure.

On Sunday we completed clearing the fenceline and other yard stuff and then hauled six truckloads to the Greenwaste Dump with Chris's help. Yes. Six truckloads. I know. Wow. Now if just anyone walked up to my yard and looked around they'd think there was still a lot left to be desired. But I wish I had a before pic to show you, folks, it's a million times better!

On Monday my friend Mindy came over to help me clean because the realtor was due back on Tuesday for a home inspection and a staging appointment later in the day. Laurie, my realtor, surprised me by telling me she wanted to show Loraine to a prospective buyer the next day. She's not even on the market yet! But this guy is looking to buy in the neighborhood and can make a CASH offer and even though there's a lot more work to do on my house than he's looking for, there is huge potential here. When the stager came by at 2PM she basically said my furniture placement and decorating skills were great (yes, I tried to pat myself on my back). I just needed to clean, dust, and declutter a bit. Gulp. If you know me at all, you know that cleaning, dusting, and decluttering are things I know nothing of. At least Mindy was around again to help out!

Sure enough, my realtor brought the prospective buyer over yesterday and he's really interested. A little skeptical about the scope of work left to be done but definitely interested. They're coming back tomorrow with a contractor who'll provide him with some estimates. Keep your fingers crossed, ladies and gentleman. Wouldn't it be spectacular if Loraine sold without even being on the market? This little old lady (the house, not my realtor -- she's actually quite young) never ceases to amaze me. I also enjoyed a belated Father's Day lunch with my dad. He's a difficult man to shop for so when I find something he likes he receives it over and over and over. I think this is the third (if not fourth) year of same cologne. It's okay, he says he loves it!

Today I scootered my way over to mom's house and we had a garage sale. Not too shabby for something we basically just threw together. We closed it down at 1:00 when the driveway was no longer shaded by the trees. We'll see what tomorrow brings. Mostly I'm just trying to get rid of stuff. Isn't it crazy how much crap you can accumulate as the years go on?

I'm headed down to Texas this weekend to hang with old college roomies and hopefully catch my breath for a day or two. Should be back to my alphabet on Sunday. I know Frankie's dying to know if he has a cameo in the Fs.

Good News/Bad News

Good News: I bought an AWESOME desk at a thrift store last night
Bad News: I cracked the windshield trying to stuff it into my car

Good News: I'm going to take the new job
Bad News: Everyone at work already seems to know about it

Good News: I will be celebrating my birthday with dear friends and tasty beverages tomorrow
Bad News: I will be 34

Good News: Olive the Cat is scheduled to be spayed on June 15th
Bad News: I suspect that Olive the Cat is pregnant again

Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life - E

So much for weekly posting...

E

Elephant - I can remember a trip to the zoo where I got to ride on an elephant with my dad. So big and tall. Lumbering slowy in a big circle. And elephants just seem like kind animals. It's their eyes, I think. So big. So blinky. Long lashes. Except now that I think about it maybe it was a camel I rode on. With my stepmother?

English Bulldog - I want one. Brindle with white spots. And I shall call her Stella. Or maybe Lola.

Ephemera - this is one of my favorite words. It just rolls off the tongue..."ephemera." Go ahead, try it. And the definition! "transitory written and printed matter not intended to be retained or preserved"...basically it's just old paper stuff. Discarded photos, cards, tickets, advertising, bingo cards, etc. Perfect for all sorts of crafts. And it's collectible!

Eric - my brother. One of my favorite guys. Quite the guy. Double majored in finance and marketing. Ended up in China teaching English. Currently in seminary. Wow. A man of few words. But the words are witty.

Ethan - my nephew. Another one of my favorite guys. He is an engineer at heart. From the time he was two he was spinning anything he could get his hands on...coins, buttons, tops, etc. Then it was assembling Hot Wheels tracks into monster race courses. Now he's moved on to K'nex. An engineer, I tell ya. Mark my words...

Extravaganza - I cannot help but say this word in my head in a booming car salesman's voice. Everytime I write it or see it it's an ex-TRAVA-ganza!!!!!

Two Words...

First Monday. In Canton. With my spud bud. Does life get any better than this?! Can't wait to experience Canton and take a break from my icky job and even ickier decisions to make. Anthropologie, IKEA, and The Cloverleaf are all in our future. And I get to hang with my awesome aunt and uncle, maybe take a dip in their pool, maybe feast at Joe T's. The possibilities are endless...

Decisions, Decisions!

If you've ever been out to eat with me you know how much of an ordeal it can be. I can narrow it down to two or three choices but then I hem and haw. I don't want to pick the wrong thing! And even though I go to the same places over and over again, the decision-making process doesn't get any easier. I usually end up giving my choices to the server and having him/her choose for me. Although I know the dinner decision will not make or break my life course, it seems SO important at that moment. So imagine how difficult it would be for me to have to choose between two boys (that's another post in and of itself. Let's move on.)...or two jobs...or two towns. Yowza!

Pros about Staying: my house, my family, life in the big city, my spud bud Val, bunko, scooter chicks, Pepper's Grill.

Pros about Going: job happiness (what's the phrase I'm looking for?), my dear friends, dinner club, life in a small town, better gas mileage, a fresh start, Billy Boy's (mmm).

Cons about Staying: my house (hot in the summer, cold in the winter. And oh-so-many projects!), hating my job more and more every day (next year would only be worse), the commute is starting to wear on me too.

Cons about Going: dating is hard enough in a big city (are there even any men in the little town?!), I'd miss my sweet nephew Ethan so much, what if I don't sell/rent out my house (financial destruction = self implosion)?

Anything I'm leaving out? Feel free to comment. I think I can hold 'em off a day or two.

At times like these I wish I had a Magic 8 Ball...

Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life - D

D

Dave Matthews Band - I am in love. Enough said.

Dill Pickles - I love, love, love me some dill pickles! Not sweet pickles, not bread and butter pickles. Dill pickles. Ah...when I was a kid I'd go to my grandparents' house after school and I'd scoop out some of Mamarj's homemade pickles and eat them with ranch dressing (I was a visionary, I tell ya!). Not much has changed over the years. When I go to Mazzio's and hit the salad bar I load up on their perfectly chopped bite-size pickles and ranch. Mmmmm...I think I'm salivating a bit here. And you know you have great friends when you're at lunch and they offer up their own pickle just because of the sheer joy it gives you. Thanks, Steph!

Dogs - I've always loved dogs and have almost always had them growing up and as a grown up. They're so cute. And sweet. And so loving. Even if you've had a rotten day and don't spend as much time as you should with them, they're there with those big understanding eyes and a wagging tail. Just hoping they can do something, anything, just to make it better for you. Also, I collect porcelain dog figurines. Of the vintage variety and not so much of the dollar store variety. I have just gone room by room and counted 20 of them. In bookcases, under cloches, on pedestals. They're everywhere! Just as they should be.

Drinking - Except for the occassional stolen swig of schnapps from my dad's kitchen when a friend spent the night or a random sip of beer (with some adult's permission) or the accidental glass of champagne I got at my stepaunt's wedding reception (I honestly thought it was a punch fountain! And I only took the one sip.). I really never drank alcholic beverages until I turned 21. Even then, as a student at a faith-based college, I rarely did. After college I loosened up a bit but I was never going to be mistaken for a party girl. Not until the last couple of years have I ever really experienced being intoxicated. And thankfully (knock on wood) I have yet to experience a hangover or sleeping next to a toilet. It's not a goal I have. And drinking is just too dang expensive to make a habit out of it.

Driving - Ugh. Driving is one of my least favorite things. I spend at least an hour a day in my car on my way to and from both jobs and various errands. I feel trapped. And I get angry. Yes, I suppose the term "road rage" could be used to describe me. And I'm not so great at it, to tell you the truth. I've backed into my fair share of parked vehicles. As much as I dislike driving I did, however, plan and execute a long road trip a couple of years back. I traveled to FL to pick up my best friend, meandering through towns of interest and stopping to visit friends along the way. Once I got to her, we headed to New Orleans together and then continued on to TX. I actually really enjoyed that trip, even the 8-hour legs on any given day. I don't think there was much road rage on that trip, even in the places I was unfamiliar with. Wonder what the difference is. Hmmm...

Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life - C

C

Cat, as in "That Darned Cat!" - I've snuck into my neighbors' overgrown yard FIVE times now to open a window and let my cat out. Her entrance has been barricaded more than once but nothing seems to stop her. Five times! I think it's time Olive finds herself a new home. And, no, I'm not referring to my neighbors' creepy abandoned home.

Concerts - I love, love, love live music. The first concert I ever went to was Michael W. Smith in the 9th grade. Although my music tastes have changed quite a bit since then my love of the concert experience has not. In the last couple of years I've had the pleasure of seeing Dave Matthews Band (2x, with and without Tim Reynolds!), U2, Sarah MacLaughlin, Indigo Girls (2x), Rufus Wainwright, Ben Folds, Coldplay (2x), Cat Power, Gnarls Barkley, The Flaming Lips, Damien Rice, Feist, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Eli Young Band, James Blunt, Sheryl Crow, New Kids on the Block, Shiny Toy Guns, The All-American Rejects, and (most recently) Matt Costa.

Crafts - I need to make more time for me to unleash my creative side. I'm drawn to all types of crafts and am in awe of those of my friends who excel in one area or another. Val and her quilts, Kristin and her purses, Adrian and her photography, Ashley and her painting, etc. And now that my eyes have been opened to the world of bloggers, I'm inspired each and every day by someone new. I would love to delve into a particular area (maybe mixed media collage?) and find out I had some talent in that area.

Crushes - I've been making a lot of lists these days while at my second job. I'm sure many of these lists will become their own posts in the future, but since this one is "brought to you by the letter C" I thought I'd include a chronological list of my crushes here. I wish that the intensity of school age crushes would stay with you on into adulthood. It would make the whole dating over the age of 30 thing much more fun. But probably a bit more dangerous. Hmmm...here goes:
4th grade - Kelsey H. and Jay B.
5th grade - Kelly L. (he moved away that year)
6th grade - John S. I remember he sat behind me and over one row in our reading class. I checked the clock above his head at least 15 times a class period just to get one more glimpse of him.
7th grade - Marcus M. and Ed K.
8th grade -Michael M. and Mike H.
9th grade - James W. and Phil G. This particular crush lasted until...
Junior year (college) - Mike C.
Senior year (college) - Michael F.
Post-college - Jon W. and (much further down the road) Chris B.
As with most crushes, the majority of my feelings for these boys were unrequited. I dated only three of them. And I've had relationships since, but there's still nothing like that feeling of butterflies aflutter in the pit of your stomach when you anticipate running into your crush in the hall between classes or whenever/wherever you might see him. My palms would start to sweat and I'd begin to hyperventilate. As much as I hoped they speak to me I equally hoped they wouldn't because I was absolutely sure that nothing intelligible or intelligent would escape my lips. Ah, the good ol' days.