My Dog is a seat stealer.

School is back in. The city isn't currently hiring planners. I might take a 5th semester of classes. If I can stand it I am going into economic planning.

Well Hello There...(this post is months old)

Our road trip was amazing and I will post pictures sometime. They are on the slow computer. We went to Newport, RI, then Acadia National Park in Maine, then up to Burlington, Vermont, then we came back through the Adirondacks on our way home. I loved Maine. I could have camped there for another week if there were showers. Also, I probably just need to move to Vermont and the Adirondacks were gorgeous. I really need a mountain/lake home.

My internship is going well.

I finished my first pottery class and I actually made some pots and glazed them. I didn't make the large pot in the background, I just glazed it. All of my pots are very small and uneven, but it was so much fun. I can't wait to take a class next summer.

And finally, the house. We still haven't painted, but we are getting close to picking out colors. Our new couches finally arrived and I am so glad we like them.

I really need to sit on a beach somewhere for a couple of days. I hope Maine and Rhode Island cut it. I guess we could always stop in Cape Cod or something.

I Wonder...

How Nick would feel about a Purple Kitchen?

Uhgg!

You know when one of your friends comes into town on a Tuesday night and takes you out to dinner and drinks and you decide to have 2 yummy martinis with dinner and 2 beers after dinner. And you wake up the next morning with the worst hangover, but you have to go to work because it's your last week and you have a lot of work to finish.

Yup, I think I am officially old. I have lost my tolerance for alcohol or finally developed my mother's alcohol tolerance.

Nick and I had a good weekend with his parents. This is my last week, hopefully ever, of being a Fiscal Technician. I'm trying to get my desk cleaned up and my files organized, as well as finish writing my job manual. Nick and I are going to Raliegh next week for a Jack Johnson concert and then I start my internship the next day. Then we head off on our road trip to Acadia National Park in Maine. The current plan is to camp until we can't stand it and then find hotels on the way home. I got tired of planning the trip so I just quit. It will work out, or it won't. Either way, it will be fun. As soon as we get back, I start school. I'm really looking forward to it. I decided to take 4 classes next semester, so I hope I don't make myself crazy. 3 is full-time, but my internship is only 2 to 2.5 days a week. I guess this is the beginning of non-stop busy.

Country Roads...

Take me home. I have a confession to make. Nick will probably kill me for this, but we all know he is a sentimental, caring guy. Otherwise, I wouldn't have married him. When Nick and I were struggling through our year of living in the flatest place on earth, Texas, we would listen to "Country Roads" by John Denver over and over again and get a bit misty. Texas was and is, nothing like home. Up until that point, we thought we could make it anywhere. That we would have good jobs and a nice house and each other and we would find friends and things to do and we would just be happy. But we found that Texas just couldn't offer us the things we needed. We love hiking and camping, and in Texas, at least our portion of the state, hiking was really a walk, in the sun, surrounded by flatness and camping was relegated to the 3 weeks that were spring or fall. Too bad if we had other plans on those weekends, cause if you blink you miss the good seasons. Winter was cold and the summer, well, our first summer, there were over 40 days over 100 degrees. We learned very quickly why all of our neighbors hired lawn crews to mow their tiny patch of earth. So, when we decided that we had had our fill of Texas, we set up some standards to find our next home city. Probably on a spreadsheet, no wait, Nick made us a decision matrix. If you have a hard decision to make, talk to Nick.

So, we decided to move within driving distance of our friends and family and we wanted to be near the beach and very near the mountains, but in a mid-size city with no traffic and plenty of job opportunities. However, the first time we came to Richmond to check it out, I saw trees lining the highways and I said, "I am home." In Plano everything was the same shade of tan and in Dallas, everything was concrete. Both not for us.

I still think we are so lucky to have found Richmond. It reminds us both of home, but on a slightly larger scale and we always have something to do. Virginia is serious about their festivals, especially alcohol festivals. There are tons of cute non-chain restaurants, some in the middle of neighborhoods. It's an artsy area and they have managed to preserve the river with some wonderful parks. And this place is chock-full of history and the residents appreciate that. They are always rehabbing old buildings and the city has a wonderful charm. Also, I found my true calling here, Urban Planning. And can we talk about traffic. There is none. An impatient person's dream. Sorry mom and dad and mom-in-law and dad-in-law, but I think we are here for good.

Oh, and Richmond, you can pay me anytime for this wonderful endorsement.

Camping, Camping, Camping

It's all I can think about. Nick and I haven't had any time to plan our road trip since we have also been getting our new house unpacked and ready, so we have decided to drive to Acadia National Park in Maine, set up camp there, and just enjoy ourselves. We will probably stop in Block Island, Rhode Island on the way. We do plan on car camping in Acadia, which some campers turn their noses up at, but I don't care. I enjoy it. I have an airbed and a propane stove and it is still nothing like staying at home. We actually have to entertain ourselves and we can't clean the house or paint the bathroom. Camping gives me a chance to unwind and forget about the little things that get me worked up. Also, I thrive off of the energy of the campground. I love all of the families sitting around their campfires and spending time together. I also love indoor plumbing.

I'm trying to get the final boxes unpacked. We have too much stuff and not enough sunstantial furniture to store it. I never want another object in my life. Now, clothes and shoes that's a different story.

Is This a Sign?

I had another dream last night that I had a baby. I have these a lot. I haven't had the baby bug since 2002 and I thought my body was done with wanting children, but here it goes again. I'm not listening by the way. I'm way too busy. And starving. I hear that isn't good for the baby. Anyway, I always wake up from these dreams all excited to have a baby. My dream last night took a strange turn though, my baby turned into a cat and kept running away and I would have to chase it down and carry it home clawing and screaming and I couldn't understand why it didn't want to live with me. Kind of symbolic of what happens to real children huh? It was a sweet baby that I wanted then it went through it's terrible two's and became a cat, the most hated pet ever, then it became a teenager and ran away and I couldn't figure out what I was doing wrong.

I was just telling Nick that since 1997, I haven't had a year as hard as 2008. I was trying to tell him that this year has been hard and trying, not awful like 1997, but now, due to some events I just can't talk about yet, 2008 has been, hard, trying, and awful. I am stuck in this strange limbo of depression due to the pain of losing so many loved ones and being utterly happy with my life and accomplishments. At least, Nick and I have each other through all of this and that is the best support we could hope for. We are looking forward to our upcoming vacation and we hope it is completely uneventful. I know this sounds weird, but I almost feel like the grinch after his heart has grown. I know I shouldn't worry so much about others, but I am so empathetic that I think it is starting to affect me. I need to quit shouldering everyone else's burdens, but I can't. I care. And I worry.

License Plate

I just got my new SC plates. I like them except for the Clemson colors. Who thought that would be ok? You may be asking yourself why I still get SC plates after living in NC, TX and now VA. My father gave me my car as a gift in college and has never asked for it back, good thing. VA has car inspections, what a pain in the ass. I have been putting off buying a car for as long as possble to avoid inspections (and car payments), but I do plan on recycling my car when I get out of grad school and giving it to my sister. Gotta love the Honda Civic though. It's 8 years old with only 60,000 miles and zero problems. I will miss it and my SC plates at that point. I kind of feel like I am hanging on to my roots. Is that silly?

P.S. Did you ever name your car? Mine is RoShonda the Honda Squivic.

Last Post Today

Don't you hate it when you are just too busy to squeeze in a Willie Nelson concert or three? He'll be in VA and MD next week, but with quitting my job and such, I just can't take the time off.

Decisions, Decisions

Nick and I are really trying to get rid of junk and pair down to the stuff we actually need. The more stuff we have, the more stuff we have to take care of. We have moved tons so you think that would help. Unfortunately, fortunately, in the past we have always had packers, so we have missed our opportunities to get rid of junk. But, this past move was all us, so we went through all of our stuff. We took a whole car-load over to Goodwill and we fell a lot better about our stuff at the moment. Here is a pick of Nick at our old townhouse comparing can openers. Which one do you think we kept?

This is why my windows are so dirty

So, maybe the other reason is that I don't really believe in cleaning windows. Look at how her nose is squished up there. She is also ruining what will soon be Carolyn's couch in order to get up there.

Hey Today Show...

The name of your show is the Today Show, not the Guess What Happened Last Year Show. This morning on the Today Show we learned that the 80's are back in fashion. I could have told you that last year, or maybe the year before. The 80's are old news.

I'll be There for You

These 4 words and a contraction I swear to you.

One of Mom's Projects

I wanted to put some pillows in my window seats that the cats would sleep on and I asked my mom to sew some pillow cases for them. I chose terry cloth because if you have a cat you know how much they love to sleep on towels. I can't tell you how many times I have used a new towel only to discover that a cat had used it first. Being wet and covered in cat hair is not fun. Hmmm, maybe that's why they hate being wet. That is Spidey enjoying her new bed. It is in my bathroom next to my vanity table and she also enjoys watching me groom, it's something she knows a lot about.

Mmmm! Orange Julius

I haven't had an Orange Julius since they left Columbia Mall after the shooting. Do y'all remember that? It took so long for my parents to let me go back to Columbia Mall. I had an Orange Passion from Tropical Smoothie this morning and from what I remember it is pretty much the same. It will have to do anyway, since the nearest Orange Julius in is Waldorf, MD, 80 miles away.