So. I'm sorry? I made some lists...

I haven't written in almost a MONTH. a month. Sheesh. (But I was kinda busy. Not an excuse, I know. But I'm going to try and parlay it for one. 'Kay? Good.)

Also, my camera is on the fritz. Circling the drain. Headed south. That is, I've no pictures of our new abode as of yet. And I don't think you would want to see anyway because there's still boxes everywhere and pictures leaning against walls and a general disarray that lends no beauty to photographs. Unless it's like hipster messy. You know, like when artists are featured on a blog and they are trying to come across as so cool they don't even care if their bed is unmade? Yeah. It's not even like that.

Since the earlier part of May, aka the alleged date of my last post, we've done a lot of things. Even things before then that I didn't blog about. Like go see Noah graduate and get commissioned as an officer in the Navy. That was at the end of April. I didn't even tell you! Shoot. It was awesome. I loved America before, but boy do I love her now. Brought a tear to my eye. And I'm so proud of my big brother. So proud.

And then we moved. A week-long logistical extravaganza, you might say, that ended in sunny Charleston, SC. Since that day, Andrew has set a date for his master's defense and his start date at WMI. I've started full time at the hospital. (Hooray!) We've joined and plugged in to St. Andrew's City Church (total awesomeness). I helped throw a supercute (if I do say so myself) baby shower for Summer in Hendersonville. We celebrated two years of marriage (woot!). We're on the waiting list for a puppy (be. still. my. heart.) We've been to the beach, grilled out, gone for long walks, watched movies, hung out with friends, and generally enjoyed summertime and togetherness. It's been so good. This is the life.  One evening after dinner we were just chatting and cleaning up and really came to the realization of how good we have it. We have it so good. Thank you, Jesus. Thank you and Amen.

So now. Here's the goal over the next few weeks.
1. Finish the house. Maybe not like tooootally finish, but hang the rest of the pictures and get organized. You know. A house that's a home is never really finished, right?
2. Go to the beach 100 million times. This one's priority.
3. Paint some furniture. Pretty excited about this one.
4. Rest and enjoy life with my love.

It's a pretty good list. Not too lofty, but a few goals that need motivation and motion behind them. I've got a few other goals for the summer though, including but not limited to:
1. Purchasing a beach cruiser.
2. Obtaining some new furniture. I've got a list. It's a long one. Probably won't get it all this summer, but maybe a few pieces.
3. Couch to 5k.
4. Fishing
5. Make one of the more complicated homemade ice cream recipes with our ice cream maker.
6. Sew new throw pillows with some leftover fabric. Recycling. Ah.
7. Read books that make me smarter. But also that I enjoy.
8. Write a new song. Haven't done this in a while, but I think I'd like to give it a shot.
9. Beg, borrow, steal or buy a new camera. Hopefully not steal. That would be trouble.
10. Make more trips to GoodWill. Simplify is a good word to think on.
11. Keep up with blogging! YES!

Like I said, not limited to. And since I'm the editor of this list I can, of course, edit things out. Or in. :) I like being editor.

So there you have it. A small summary, but hopefully has y'all up to speed. Two things before I go:
1. I'm obsessed with Pinterest.
2. Congratulations and best wishes to Zach and Cristin on their engagement!!! Love you guys and can't wait to celebrate with y'all!

Arrivederci!

Walk it out

A Springtime walk and some scenes from my favorite route in Chapel Hill.

A view up the road from our house.

Standing on the corner looking towards campus/UNC Hospitals. The cranes are helping build a new Dental school building. Gorgeous blue sky!

A house with heaps of potential, but coed residents keep it in a constant state of junkiness. Boo.

Another house with loads of potential.

Beautiful blooms!

From gloom to green in a few short weeks.

A little NC dogwood for you.

The Jimmy Dean Dome. (haha ;) )

Uphill. A.k.a. buns and thighs.

More potential.

The weirdest architectural design ever. It's scowling at me.

Azaleas!

I have to tell you, it feels good to sit and take a breath! The last few weeks have been a whirlwind and the next few weeks are not looking to slow down either. We went to Rhode Island to see my brother, Noah, graduate from the Navy's Officer Candidate School (Delta Company ROOLZ.) And we went to Hendersonville for Easters. And then I got a horrible cold. And we worked and drove and packed and drove and packed some more. Our time of residence in Chapel Hill is coming to a close and just when we want to slow down and take it all in, everything goes to warp speed and it's over before we know it. Ain't that the truth? Pray for us in this time of transition, pleaseandthankyou.

Also, was the Royal Wedding not spectacular?! I loved it! AND my wonderful husband got up at 4am with me to watch it live so that I would not be oo-ing and ah-ing alone. What a peach. :)

Keep Your Hands Off My Doritos.

What a perfect day to have the sniffles, if the sniffles must prevail. Chilly, windy and overcast, sprinkles of rain here and there.

I want to bake, but my hiney says, please. do not.

I want to read, but I just finished my latest novel, Little Bee.

So, here I sit in the bed: two sweaters, wool blanket, full box of Puffs [plus Lotion], mint tea. Playing on the computer. Do they still have Oregon Trail? I've got a hankerin' to play that game. To ford the river or take the long way around? Let's live on the edge: ford, we shall!

I found this the other day and made it my desktop, and methinks you should do the same. I stumbled across it through Poppytalk, gah--the cuteness. There's just a few blogs out there with cool stuff on them, hm?

Anyone excited about the Soooooper Bowl? or the commercials?? I wonder what gems the corporate marketing think tanks have come up with this year.

Anyhow, alls I'm hoping for is some good dip. None of that sissy Skoal stuff.

Vitamins. With a short 'i', like the British.

Go here. Read. Get a big glass of water. Swallow. Zip those skinny jeans.

Notable Achievements

Instead of posting on all that I haven't accomplished in the last ten or so days, I will post on a few notable things juxtaposed to that blessed and proverbial check mark. Glass half full, mm?

1. Half of the curtains are hung in our apartment. Score. This is an accomplishment because, A] we have cinder block walls on all outside walls (can't nail or screw into them without special equipment) and B] I made two of the curtains myself and I have one pair left to make.

2. Andrew and I paid off half of our credit card yesterday. Cheers to being [almost] debt free!

3. Sometime between the months of August and September I completed 30/30 days of Jillian Michaels' 30 Day Shred. They were not consecutive days because I was one giant hematoma after about a week straight of killer work-outs, but more like every other day with long walks on the "off" days. I lost just a couple of libbies, but I could tell a big difference tone wise. I think the biggest thing for me is monitoring what I put in my mouth. And I like brownies.

4. Today, I did Level 1 on the Shred DVD after not having done it in about a month. It was brutal. And I'm being kind. But I finished. Barely. So, it's an accomplishment in my book.

5. Chubby bunny.

6. It's less than a month 'til my birthday. My Dad's birthday is on Friday. He'll be 35. ;)

7. This list is no longer resembling the list that I set out to make. Oh, well.

8. I started looking for a Christmas card yesterday. Loves it.

9. I love Martha Stewart, but I know there's no way that she freakin' makes all those pies and cakes and decorations and crap. I mean, get real. But, I love her.

10. For the life of me, I wanted to make this list a consistent and congruous catalog of accomplishments, but pretty much the first three are the only legit achievements for today's inventory. But three is a good number. Makes a balanced arrangement. Adds height and dimension and interest.

Yep. Thanks for reading.

I spend time in the gym so I can eat food like this

Strawberry cobbler from PW. You heard me. Strawberry.

Date night self timer attempt #1. We were a little off.

and #2. I like to call our outfits "The Farmer in the Dell". Did you know--a dell, by definition, is a "small wooded valley"? What is that song about anyway? Hi-ho the derry-o? What the heck? Just please go read it. I think my favorite line is, "The cheese stands alone". Definitely.

Anyway, I know I always post pictures of ooey-gooey deliciously sinful and decadent food on here--but we don't eat like that all the time, I promise. It's just that grilled chicken and vegetables aren't really worth rooting through my purse for my camera. And I think you've all seen that familiar plate before. Just close your eyes and imagine. The night we made the cobbler we also made jerk chicken shish kebabs on the barbie--and they were so good and healthy. Yum. The night before that however--for our date--we went to the Cheesecake Factory. And we did have cheesecake. And it was really, really good. Then we went to Barnes and Noble for like four hours. Heaven, I'm in heaven!

Later, alligators!

Mt. Kilimanjaro, among other things

Last weekend, I came to somewhere in the middle of Coleman Boulevard and realized I was on the front end of a 10k foot race to the other side of town. Up until that point, I think my brain was still in my nice, warm bed at my parents' casa. I'm not sure if it was some sort of defense mechanism my body whipped up to make sure I actually got out of bed and crossed the starting line, or the fact that I skipped my morning cup o' joe. Either way, the frigid wind (thank you, March, for being total crap) and the thousands and thousands of natives, transplants, and tourists made for a seriously startling morning. Two miles to the bridge, a half a mile straight up the slant side of Mt. Kilimanjaro, a mile or so running with wobbly legs to the pavement downtown, and a few miles left to the finish line where the Kenyans had been chillin' for an hour or so. There's nothing quite as demoralizing as a well rested African munchin' on Chick-fil-a as you cross the finish line almost on your death bed. But, I finished. And I didn't stop. So, check that off until next year.

So....I have some big news. I don't necessarily have a job yet, but I had an interview at UNC yesterday and my impression was that it went very, very well. The "New Graduate" Clinical Nurse I positions don't orient until July and August, but they asked me to come on as a CST for a few months prior--I'm not sure what that technically stands for, but it's a dual role of unit secretary and nursing assistant. Not at the same time, per se, but a few days a week as a nursing assistant and a few days as a unit secretary. Basically, it's a huge opportunity and I'm taking hold of it with both hands!! It will be challenging, no doubt, but I'm ready for a challenge. Thus far, (aside from job searching) my greatest hurdle has been finding my way around town. I don't want my brain to turn to mush. Bring. it. on.

In light of the latest distractions--being out of town and preparing for the interview of a lifetime--our apartment has gone completely to pot. It's gross. I'm embarrassed. I would probably not even crack the door for a delivery man, just implore him to leave his goods on the door mat. The laundry is piled to the ceiling, we've been surviving on pickles, cereal, yogurt, and peanut butter, and the bathroom is giving me the heebie-jeebies. Today, my job is to put on my super-wife cape and welcome my husband home to an apartment rivaling a stepford wife's mansion. It probably (definitely) won't stay that way, but a girl can dream.

Happy last day of March everyone! Don't be fooled tomorrow!

It's a topsy-turvy world, but somebody's got to write about it

I just got back from a jaunt around the neighborhood and it has occurred to me that there's this one nagging thing about taking walks outside that presents itself as a thorn in my be-Niked side: walkers passing walkers.

Bike riders and runners have an unspoken agreement that permits them to yell "LEFT!" whenever they're passing someone, but walkers--no. They've got nothing but an awkward, startling moment when they see someone walking directly beside them. I'm obviously not talking about walkers passing other walkers going in opposite directions--no, that's never a problem. The only issue there is when to make eye contact and how long to hold it, but that's a different blog post for a different day. When one is on a walking path, trying to power through the Reece's cups she ate the previous day (this happened to a friend of mine) and she spies another walker up ahead walking in the same direction, but slightly slower than her briskly stepping self, she is between a rock and a hard place: She can't yell out "LEFT!", completely startling her walking neighbor and then walk awkwardly right next to them for the longest half-second in history, if at a slightly quicker pace. Pretending to be a runner would be a complete farce, if only for the huffing and puffing and clutching her side as she cramps up. It's a lose-lose situation. So, what does she (I) do? Just try to walk as quickly as she possibly can without looking like she has some neurological problem past the other person, saying hello (which totally scares the bejeezus out of most people anyway) and pressing onward. Oh, the perils of suburbia.

Andrew and I have been wanting to start swimming together for exercise, just for a change of scenery and to get back into the greatest sport ever made. Both of UNC's pools are currently under construction, so they've contracted out with two of the local rec departments to allow students to use the pools for free. Yesterday morning, we went to "Homestead Aquatics" to dip our toes in the lap pool and see just how out of shape we really were. First of all, Homestead Aquatics sounds like a place that sells cattle and fish tanks. Secondly, I did not want to put on my cherry-red TYR unitard for everyone to stare at my undulating hind-quarters as I made my way from the locker room to the pool deck. I did make it to the pool alive and relatively unscathed, until I realized that my husband had traded places with Michael Phelps and left me in the dust--er, bubbles. Andrew had this whole plan of "sets" and "drills" and "warm-ups" and all these things that made me just want to sink underwater and have a tea party at the bottom of the pool. At the end of our workout, however, I did feel really good--swimming really is the best exercise there is. We're going to try, try, try to swim at least twice a week, if not three times. And maybe the unitard might not be such a scary thing. Best laid plans of mice and men. We shall see!

In my next blog post (or one coming up) I will be making a nut wreath. Chew on that.

I got lots of pictures in my head--you better not turn off the projector! [hoo!]

Our moving van stuffed like a Thanksgiving turkey!

Dun dun dun...

Empty. Just us.

The grand hall of the front entrance.

Living room complete with couch monkey. ;)
The other side of the living room.

And over to the kitchen/dining area.

Our dining room. The kitchen table is an old library table. It actually had gum underneath it that I had to scrape off when my dad and I were refinishing it. In 50 years, kids in the library are still the same.

The kitchen. Chocolate chip pound cake cooling on the stove. Like I said--had to break in the mixer.

The other side of the kitchen. Mixer resting after a hard day's work.

Delectable beef stew--not exactly a summer dish (we did have to let it cool from it's boiling lava hot to just really hot before we ate it). But we also had to break in the crock pot. So there you go.

Tea time!! If you look closely, you can see Jennigray, Jamie, Danielle and Stephanie.

The bathroom. No cabinet space, hence the baker's rack.

Bookshelf in our room, as well as our iron gym. I may have failed P90X but I can do five pull ups. Beat that, Tony Horton. Wait. He probably can.

Closet. So full. I don't want to talk about it.

The "office".

New bed! No crack! Hooray!

And last but not least, our back porch.

I can't claim that I have any sort of faint idea or CLUE when it comes to putting pictures and captions on this thing. I don't know if it's my awesome Clemson recommended five year old computer, or if it's me. Either way, it's pretty elementary. My apologies. Also, I forgot to add a picture of our epic washroom/storeroom/pantry. We have little to no cabinet space so we had to purchase a ginormo baker's rack to accommodate our food and laundry accoutrements, as well as store all of our storage bins (ain't that a biscuit).

Welp, there's that.