So this has been my second weekend in the Burg living on my own. It was a fun one! Before I begin I have a few updates for you readers out there - first, my Comcast wireless router has still not came in!! UGH!! and second, Hurricane Irene has come and gone and really did almost no damage in my area. I heard a bit of her wrath late last night but other than that we ended up with a very beautiful Sunday here!
So the first part of my weekend was spent in Washington, DC with my sorority sister Emily. She is an amazing inspirational confident woman who is also a terrific hostess!! I had such a great time Em!! I started on my short drive on Friday afternoon. The drive itself was an experience. I had such a feeling of independence when I was driving. It was kinda like the feeling I had when I first rode on an airplane without my parents. I felt completely on my own and in charge. It wasn't even scary! The drive is also very beautiful! A few times I tried taking pictures on my phone but it was a) slightly dangerous and b) the pics weren't turning out well. It did get a little difficult driving once I was in the city. Emily explained it so well - Everyone in DC is from somewhere else so everyone has different driving rules and habits. Put all that together and it just doesn't work well! Not to mention I could see the Washington Monument and I kept wanting to stare! I got goosebumps knowing I was so near such an incredible place.
Almost as soon as I got to the condo Emily is living in we jumped right into "doing DC stuff!" We walked to the Metro and I got a 24 hour metro pass. With Emily leading the way I felt like such a city girl! We were on our way to see the brand new Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial. It was opening weekend! (They had to cancel the dedication due to weather but over 30,000 people were coming for it! How lucky that I got to be there!) It took us awhile to find it because there is no signage up for it yet but on our way we got to walk down the whole Mall (which doesn't have any shops. It's just green space. Why is it called a Mall anyway? Em and I had a guy stop and ask us about it. We didn't have an answer for him!) So I got to walk by the WW2 Memorial, Abraham Lincoln, Washington Monument (which cracked during the earthquake and is now closed to the public! Crazy! They had it all blocked off and guarded.), the Korean War Monument, and finally ended up at MLK. You walk through the huge "mountain of despair" and once through it see the "rock of hope" where a large statue of MLK is engraved in the other side. Surrounding it all are quotes from different speeches he gave. It is such a good reminder that his amazing man didn't just have one dream he had so many. Lots of my favorite quotes were from a Norway speech. He was on his game there!! I was so happy I got to see it and witness others around me who this meant so much to. I heard it looks very beautiful in the evening when it is lit up but all of the monuments are majestic then!
After the monument we walked back around the Basin on our way home. It was such a great little expedition! When we got back to the condo to get ready for dinner I felt a little weak and queasy but rested and had a glass of water then felt much better. Emily had me choose from two different restaurants that only have a few selected locations. And ohmigosh! It was a hard choice! Both menus were fantastic! We ended up choosing a place called MatchBox that only has locations around DC. The one we went to was in Chinatown! Fun! It has fire baked pizzas and of course, I noticed the scallops on the menu! I was really excited until I hit a tiny speed bump. After getting off the metro and waiting for a table to be ready I started to not feel well. I felt terrible. And poor Emily, I was awful company as well! I ended up snagging a bar stool while we waiting and concentrated on taking deep breaths. I needed something to settle my stomach. Dearest reader, you won't believe this, I got motion sick on the metro!! ((This is so crazy because the last time my family came to DC all of us (and by all of us I mean me and mom) got sick on the plane and then getting on the metro right after made us sick again for our first night in the city!)) Well ladies and gentlemen, some things never change. I was motion sick. As soon as we sat down I ordered a Sprite, handed Emily my purse, and then ran to the restroom. I couldn't even look at the menu without the words spinning on me. Luckily no one else was in there! (Sorry to get a bit graphic on you all but..) After vomiting anything that was left in my stomach, dry heaving a few times, washing my face and hands, gargling water, and popping in a quick mint I felt so much better!! It was like night and day. After getting sick I was like a different person! I drank down my Sprite (which has never tasted better in my entire life), laughed it off, and then dove into the menu! There were so many choices but I didn't want something too heavy since we would have ride on the metro again. Emily and I split a large pizza with fresh crushed tomatoes, mozzarella cheese, basil strips, and a sprinkle of sea salt. It was delicious! It was so flavorful and salty - just what I like! If I went back I think I would have a hard time ordering anything else. Their dessert looked lovely as well but I was full and we were going out to meet some of Emily's new friends. (She met them in a KD Alumna chapter so they were all KD's too!)
Back on the metro again we came up with some strategies to help me not get sick:
1) Look straight ahead while sitting in the direction the tram is going.
2) Focus on something like the window pane divider (not the people in the car in front of you.)
3) Don't nod your head and look over to make eye contact during conversation.
4) Take deep breaths.
They worked! I didn't get sick! I did however order a martini that had vodka, triple sec, orange juice, pineapple juice, and sweet and sour mix. Lots and lots of acidic flavors! My throat was already raw from my stomach acid and this combined with that was painful! Emily so wonderfully just told the waitress that "it didn't taste good and to please take it off our check." Ah, I love her! I was about to waste a $12 martini and she so beautifully saved the day! (And that is how much all of the drinks at that place cost so no, I just don't have expensive tendencies :) After the group split up Emily and I walked around the area and ended up sitting by a fountain talking and people watching. It was such a nice evening! AND - no rain at all!!
The next morning we headed out for some market shopping and brunch. I have a new found love for farmer's markets and this one was no different! It was slightly sprinkling but that didn't stop us! At this market you can taste some of the fresh fruit and veggies that the sellers have samples of. It was so yummy! Emily has a regular farmer she normally buys from but I figured since I was a visitor I could still have a few tastes of the other farmer's crops! Another lady there hand sews lots of different bags, keychains, wallets, purses, etc. in tons of different fun and bright prints! I loved her items! I wanted so many different things but settled on a tan and green wristlet. That will certainly be my regular stop at the DC farmer's market. There was a man there who was selling freshwater pearl jewelry as well. He was putting together the pieces sitting right there. Since my "everyday" earrings broke while I was moving in and my mom has them at home I looked for a replacement pair. I found some lovely light pink pearl studs for - get this - $5!! I love them!
We also walked through Eastern Market which has lots of different shops, but these are permanently placed. There was a bakery, butcher, fishmonger (isn't that what a fish butcher is called?), fresh pasta shop, cheese, olives, and even things in between! So fun! We also wanted to go to the flea market which was nearby but the rain by then had caused people to close up. Didn't stop us though! Next we went to brunch and both had very yummy meals. The oatmeal I got could have been made by Paula Dean herself it was so creamy and buttery and delicious. Afterwards we also stopped a gelato place and tried a sample there. The guy working was from Cincinnati! I love meeting people from home.
While Emily's condo was very nice she was only planning on staying there temporarily. I happened to be lucky enough to go with her to see her new apartment that she'll move into in September! Her landlady is sweet as a button. The neighborhood is safe and she is in walking distance of a park, corner shop, church, the farmer's market, and of course, the metro! She won't have a car later this fall and I do hope she is able to visit Hburg before then! Thanks so much for having me, Emily! I loved being with you!
So I was for sure that DC would be the highlight of my weekend but I had a wonderful spiritually experience this morning at church and I just feel the need to share it. It starts off with waking up too late to make it to my normal mass time. Luckily I remembered that the student group on campus starts up hosting mass again today. I quickly got ready and rushed to get there! When I walked in there were students standing around saying "good morning" and "welcome to mass!" They were so obviously so happy! Father stopped me inside and introduced himself as Father Jim and then asked my name. He also asked if I was new to the area and gave me a very warm welcome. Mass was taking place in a large room in a house near campus. It is called the CCM House (Catholic Campus Ministries). Some students were wearing tshirts that said "Why go Greek when you can go Roman?" on the back of them. I thought it was a cute idea. (Although, I think you can do both!) The whole room filled up and Father had to ask everyone to scoot to one side to make room. What a flourishing community! (It wasn't even a holiday and we had to squish!) Students led the entire ministry - lectors, ushers, musical instruments, singing, Eucharistic ministers. Father Jim was so enthusiastic as well. He spoke about how he has dedicated his life to being a priest for young people and the past three months he has had no people, no congregation. It was evident how filled with joy he was to be able to do what he loved to do again. He also gave out his cell phone number because he is committed to being there for students 24/7. I also found out that the house where mass was held has a meeting room upstairs, a student lounge (with computers, couches, tables, big screen TV, Wii, Netflicks), and a Blessed Sacrament chapel. The house is opened from about 8:00 AM to 10:00 PM. When I heard I could visit the chapel during any of those times tears came to eyes. Being able to spend quiet time with the Lord is what I needed throughout my senior year and I had been hoping to continue it. It was like the Holy Spirit had led me to this mass so I could see and learn about the community right at the very beginning. Father also mentioned how during his office hours he is also available for confession (or by appointment or the scheduled time of course.) There is also a Mary Garden fenced off in the backyard for student prayer use as well.
I am just in awe of this faith community. I have never seen anything like it before. The CCM is also a student organization on campus so they have an executive board of members who are in charge of different committees. They have Women's and Men's group and bible study once a week. They have a group rosary and service at the soup kitchen once a week as well. There are three weekday masses (Monday, Wednesday, Thursday) plus three masses every Sunday. (Father said that on the weekday masses they have about 40 people there - and these are students! How wonderful! The Sunday mass I thought was crowded in the house but one of the evening mass times is offered in a conference room on campus because it has such a large congregation.) On Friday's they have social get togethers. I know that I would like to take part in some of their activities but this is mainly undergraduate students who are participating. I just want to be careful what I decide to attend or not. Either way, attending such a vibrant mass and knowing the Blessed Sacrament is available makes me feel very blessed. Here is another example of when I was touched by being there. At the end of mass Father stood on the back porch to say hello/good bye to everyone. No one walked around to leave quickly. Every person waited in line to shake hands with or hug Father. He knew their names! And if he didn't he was asking and then introducing new comers to others. I was so happy to be able to tell him how inspired I was after hearing about their ministry there. It was certainly a wonderful way to start off my week! (One of the songs we sang was a Dana song. Does anyone in my family remember when we went to her concert in Cincinnati? The words to the song came back to me so quickly. I must have heard it a lot in my past!)
Tomorrow I have my first graduate school course! I'm excited! I'm nervous about parking in the morning for my staff meeting though. This will be my first time on campus with lots of students. I'm planning on getting there very early! I'm looking forward to processing my thoughts and letting everyone know how things go this week! I do have homework for my Wednesday and Thursday classes. I need to read an article and write a poem about myself. The poem is a model from a Kentucky author and I have written (even taught people how to write them) many of them in the past. Every time I write one it describes a different part of me. Maybe I'll post the one I wrote for this class for all of you?
xoxo
Sunday, August 28, 2011
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
Book sales, earthquakes, Comcast, oh my!!
First off, I want to thank everyone who was concerned about my safety right after the earthquake today. How crazy, right?! I was in a workshop at a day long conference at JMU when it happened. As the projector started to swing and the walls began to shake everyone from California jumped up and ran out of the door. They didn't even say anything to anyone! The noises got worse and the shaking became more violent. It was like a stampede was running across the floor above us and it felt like the roof would cave in at any moment. Someone then shouted "It's just the construction on campus!" I knew one thing was for sure - that eerie feeling, deep foundational sound, and time-is-standing-still sensation was definitely not construction! Almost right after that alarms went off and we evacuated the building. Since then we have learned the epicenter was near Mineral, VA which is only about 70 miles away from Harrisonburg (Thanks Google Maps!) and the strength of the quake was rated around a 5.8 on the Richter scale. I was texting my friend who lives in Washington, DC and she got off work the rest of the day! My apartment complex asked everyone to check their apartments for smells of gas. It is very exciting to talk about now but it was very scary when it happened!! My dad just told me that he felt it in Cincinnati too! (Awww, the fault lines are connecting us :) Luckily, so far it has seemed to cause no serious damage or harm at any location. Let's pray the settling aftershock doesn't either!
As for the rest of this post, let me get started with the negative comments I have about Comcast and then end on much more positive things.
Comcast Timeline: Supporting evidence as to why they suck
- August 9th: a wireless internet router was ordered for me. The cost of my package would be $70 a month.
- August 13th: my internet and cable were installed. The service man had no package installation that matched what I had ordered. I just took what he could do.
- August 14th-18th: Still no wireless router. Therefore, I do all my online work by sitting on one tiny corner of my couch.
- August 19th: I called customer service to get an update on the router. Apparently, the order for my installation overrode the order for my router in the system so it never got processed. Great. We re-order a router and I find out the actual cost of my package is now $40. I don't get it but great! What a discount!
- August 23rd: Still no router. I once again call customer service. They have no record of a router being ordered - EVER! Not the first or the second time soooo third time is a charm right?! This time I have a confirmation number but the router is not expected until 5 days from now. Let's see if that really happens. Idiots. I don't even know who to complain to or request that the router be free or something because I am dealing with customer service!
See, I alluded to the annoyingness last post... Anyway, to counter that one negative experience I have three positive ones!!
1) On Sunday evening, with a sweet girl from my program and her boyfriend, I ventured to the Green Valley Book Fair which has 500,000 bargain books at 60-90% off retail value!! It was like a huge warehouse Barnes and Noble set up but the books are cheap!! I bought 1 children's sticker book (for Claire and Sarah), 2 cook books, 5 fiction books, 2 books for David, and 1 spiritual meditation book (that equals 11 books if you weren't counting) for less that $40!!! It was amazing!! We went there around 4:30 and didn't leave until 7:00 when they closed. The fair opens 6 times througout the year for two weeks at a time constantly adding and changing the book selection. They even have books on tape, calendars, and clearance sections! It was very very cool!
2) Yesterday, Monday, I was able to meet with the supervisor of my assistantship for the first time. She was so nice and organized and sweet and relaxed! I really liked talking with her and can't wait to dive into some work! She explained some of what I would be doing such as: co-teaching a psychology course, facilitating and leading programs, supervising peer mentors, and other things around the office! Today I had to attend a workshop, like I mentioned earlier, but tomorrow at 9:00 AM I go back to work! Yay!!! My schedule will also be very flexible since I will be working with students in the evenings during the week. This means I will probably be able to take some Friday's off to help with the drive on my weekends home!!
3) Speaking of weekends... I have this Friday off and nothing planned for Saturday so I talked to Emily (a sorority sister who moved to Washington, DC after graduation). I am going to visit her in DC for the weekend!!! I am so excited!!! She texted me today asking all kinds of questions about what I wanted to do and what I like to eat! It will just be nice being able to be with someone from home and see another part of the country by taking advantage of where I am geographically. If I was in Florence it would take about 10 hours to drive there. From Harrisonburg it is only going to take me about 2 hours! Piece of cake! I know she will be a wonderful hostess but I am just looking forward to catching up and spending some time with her :)
I'm going to have to start putting together a list of things to do when people come and visit me - and I hope you all know you are more than welcome to!!! So far I know I have a great farmer's market, book fair, and hiking near by. Of course we could arrange tickets to a JMU Duke's football game and visit all kinds of cool shops and bars in historic downtown.... haha or there is always the quilt museum!!
Thanks for reading this and keeping up with my life. Words can't describe how much I miss everyone at home. I have been thinking about my sisters and friends at NKU too. Make it a wonderful semester! And just like I said on facebook the other day - There really is something special about being united at a university for the same purpose at the same time with all kinds of different people. The college community is one with many opportunities for growth and excitement. I hope you all take advantage!! I'm feeling pretty lucky that if things go as planned I'll get to experience that specialness for a very long time :)
As for the rest of this post, let me get started with the negative comments I have about Comcast and then end on much more positive things.
Comcast Timeline: Supporting evidence as to why they suck
- August 9th: a wireless internet router was ordered for me. The cost of my package would be $70 a month.
- August 13th: my internet and cable were installed. The service man had no package installation that matched what I had ordered. I just took what he could do.
- August 14th-18th: Still no wireless router. Therefore, I do all my online work by sitting on one tiny corner of my couch.
- August 19th: I called customer service to get an update on the router. Apparently, the order for my installation overrode the order for my router in the system so it never got processed. Great. We re-order a router and I find out the actual cost of my package is now $40. I don't get it but great! What a discount!
- August 23rd: Still no router. I once again call customer service. They have no record of a router being ordered - EVER! Not the first or the second time soooo third time is a charm right?! This time I have a confirmation number but the router is not expected until 5 days from now. Let's see if that really happens. Idiots. I don't even know who to complain to or request that the router be free or something because I am dealing with customer service!
See, I alluded to the annoyingness last post... Anyway, to counter that one negative experience I have three positive ones!!
1) On Sunday evening, with a sweet girl from my program and her boyfriend, I ventured to the Green Valley Book Fair which has 500,000 bargain books at 60-90% off retail value!! It was like a huge warehouse Barnes and Noble set up but the books are cheap!! I bought 1 children's sticker book (for Claire and Sarah), 2 cook books, 5 fiction books, 2 books for David, and 1 spiritual meditation book (that equals 11 books if you weren't counting) for less that $40!!! It was amazing!! We went there around 4:30 and didn't leave until 7:00 when they closed. The fair opens 6 times througout the year for two weeks at a time constantly adding and changing the book selection. They even have books on tape, calendars, and clearance sections! It was very very cool!
2) Yesterday, Monday, I was able to meet with the supervisor of my assistantship for the first time. She was so nice and organized and sweet and relaxed! I really liked talking with her and can't wait to dive into some work! She explained some of what I would be doing such as: co-teaching a psychology course, facilitating and leading programs, supervising peer mentors, and other things around the office! Today I had to attend a workshop, like I mentioned earlier, but tomorrow at 9:00 AM I go back to work! Yay!!! My schedule will also be very flexible since I will be working with students in the evenings during the week. This means I will probably be able to take some Friday's off to help with the drive on my weekends home!!
3) Speaking of weekends... I have this Friday off and nothing planned for Saturday so I talked to Emily (a sorority sister who moved to Washington, DC after graduation). I am going to visit her in DC for the weekend!!! I am so excited!!! She texted me today asking all kinds of questions about what I wanted to do and what I like to eat! It will just be nice being able to be with someone from home and see another part of the country by taking advantage of where I am geographically. If I was in Florence it would take about 10 hours to drive there. From Harrisonburg it is only going to take me about 2 hours! Piece of cake! I know she will be a wonderful hostess but I am just looking forward to catching up and spending some time with her :)
I'm going to have to start putting together a list of things to do when people come and visit me - and I hope you all know you are more than welcome to!!! So far I know I have a great farmer's market, book fair, and hiking near by. Of course we could arrange tickets to a JMU Duke's football game and visit all kinds of cool shops and bars in historic downtown.... haha or there is always the quilt museum!!
Thanks for reading this and keeping up with my life. Words can't describe how much I miss everyone at home. I have been thinking about my sisters and friends at NKU too. Make it a wonderful semester! And just like I said on facebook the other day - There really is something special about being united at a university for the same purpose at the same time with all kinds of different people. The college community is one with many opportunities for growth and excitement. I hope you all take advantage!! I'm feeling pretty lucky that if things go as planned I'll get to experience that specialness for a very long time :)
Saturday, August 20, 2011
Just call me a local :)
So I was planning on blogging today about the difficulties of cooking for one, which as annoying as that might be, I have way more fun things to talk about so get ready for some excitement rather than my kitchen drama (I'll save that for my momma, but seriously, I do complain to her about it all the time!)
Last night I went out with some people in my program. Almost everyone was there minus the people working in res life. I'm looking forward to them being able to hang out once school really kicks off. We started at a really chill cool bar/restaurant that recently remodeled its basement so it's like a cozy loft (except downstairs not upstairs.) They had a good drink special and the bartender tried out some new drinks on our group too so it was fun! A newspaper was there and started taking pictures so maybe I'll have my Harrisonburg newspaper camio this week! I enjoyed talking with everyone there but we needed a tad bit more excitement so we moved to another bar that has lots of dancing! Everyone else got on the dance floor right away! At first it was weird being there without David so I watched drinks and purses. But as I was sitting there some creepy people started coming around so I got up and danced too. It was fun moving around and laughing with new friends. We didn't get back until about 2:00 AM!! I can't even remember the last time I was up that late!
This morning the sun crept in my room bright and early. I am so happy I got up and didn't waste the day away!! I decided to drive downtown and check out the Farmer's Market. Oh my gosh!!! It was soooo cool!! Definitely a must go to place when friends and family come in town! They have lots and lots of vendors with so many different options. Just to name a few items that were being sold: vegetables and fruits of all kinds, soap, honey, lotion, herbal tea, coffee, bread, doughnuts, eggs, chicken, beef, jewelry, photography, hand sewn clothes, soups, cheeses... it was crazy!! I loved walking around admiring the produce and taking in all of the fresh smells. I bought a doughnut which was amazing!! The outside was crispy and sweet and the inside was soft and doughy - best doughnut I have ever had in my life. Hands down! It was so good!! I listened to a banjo/guitar band that was there for a little bit while I ate my yummy treat and then decided to walk down to the library and return my books. On the way I saw two people I knew!! One of them was "the coffee man" from my apartment and another was a guy from my program. I know people here!! Yay!! I walked back to the market after dropping on my books and bought a variety pack of cherry tomatoes that caught my eye. They are so beautiful in color and I can tell I won't be able to stop eating them! There are yellow, red, orange, and black cherry tomatoes in the bunch. I'm really looking forward to going back in a couple weeks when David is visiting. What a fun day so far!!!
Oh yes, one last thing to tell all of you - In my previous post I talked about The Hobbit below me... well, she wrote me a note and slid it under my door last night! How sweet! This is what it said, "I hope I did not seem unkind. I know moving can be very stressful. If you ever need anything you can knock on my door - right below you! Welcome!!" I was very touched by the gesture! I did have a moment of panic that she was reading what I was writing about her but in the card she called me "Mandy." I think it would be rather difficult to find me, especially online, if you were searching for a Mandy.
All my love and thanks to those who have been praying for me. God is listening to your prayers! I am having a wonderful day and am feeling so good about my decision to be here. Until next time ya'll - I'll be out enjoying the beautiful view of the Bluestone Mountains poolside.
Last night I went out with some people in my program. Almost everyone was there minus the people working in res life. I'm looking forward to them being able to hang out once school really kicks off. We started at a really chill cool bar/restaurant that recently remodeled its basement so it's like a cozy loft (except downstairs not upstairs.) They had a good drink special and the bartender tried out some new drinks on our group too so it was fun! A newspaper was there and started taking pictures so maybe I'll have my Harrisonburg newspaper camio this week! I enjoyed talking with everyone there but we needed a tad bit more excitement so we moved to another bar that has lots of dancing! Everyone else got on the dance floor right away! At first it was weird being there without David so I watched drinks and purses. But as I was sitting there some creepy people started coming around so I got up and danced too. It was fun moving around and laughing with new friends. We didn't get back until about 2:00 AM!! I can't even remember the last time I was up that late!
This morning the sun crept in my room bright and early. I am so happy I got up and didn't waste the day away!! I decided to drive downtown and check out the Farmer's Market. Oh my gosh!!! It was soooo cool!! Definitely a must go to place when friends and family come in town! They have lots and lots of vendors with so many different options. Just to name a few items that were being sold: vegetables and fruits of all kinds, soap, honey, lotion, herbal tea, coffee, bread, doughnuts, eggs, chicken, beef, jewelry, photography, hand sewn clothes, soups, cheeses... it was crazy!! I loved walking around admiring the produce and taking in all of the fresh smells. I bought a doughnut which was amazing!! The outside was crispy and sweet and the inside was soft and doughy - best doughnut I have ever had in my life. Hands down! It was so good!! I listened to a banjo/guitar band that was there for a little bit while I ate my yummy treat and then decided to walk down to the library and return my books. On the way I saw two people I knew!! One of them was "the coffee man" from my apartment and another was a guy from my program. I know people here!! Yay!! I walked back to the market after dropping on my books and bought a variety pack of cherry tomatoes that caught my eye. They are so beautiful in color and I can tell I won't be able to stop eating them! There are yellow, red, orange, and black cherry tomatoes in the bunch. I'm really looking forward to going back in a couple weeks when David is visiting. What a fun day so far!!!
Oh yes, one last thing to tell all of you - In my previous post I talked about The Hobbit below me... well, she wrote me a note and slid it under my door last night! How sweet! This is what it said, "I hope I did not seem unkind. I know moving can be very stressful. If you ever need anything you can knock on my door - right below you! Welcome!!" I was very touched by the gesture! I did have a moment of panic that she was reading what I was writing about her but in the card she called me "Mandy." I think it would be rather difficult to find me, especially online, if you were searching for a Mandy.
All my love and thanks to those who have been praying for me. God is listening to your prayers! I am having a wonderful day and am feeling so good about my decision to be here. Until next time ya'll - I'll be out enjoying the beautiful view of the Bluestone Mountains poolside.
Friday, August 19, 2011
The Unfortunate Mishaps of Living Alone
I have lived in my new apartment for almost a week now. In that time frame I have learned a thing or two. The first is - laugh at yourself! In the right light, these things are actually a tad bit funny. And my second lesson has been - learn to love leftovers. I'll get into that one a little later so first things first...
The towel that never ends - I bought brand new bath towels for my brand new bathroom! They are lovely. The color scheme in the bathroom is navy, yellow, and white. (I'll post pictures in another blog once I learn how.) I had some free time earlier this week so I decided to wash each set of towels separately so they wouldn't stain one another. First load up was navy - bath towel, hand towel, some washcloths, and kitchen hand towels as well. Let's just say I never got around to washing the yellow. The lint coming off of my bath towel is unbelievable. I could sew up a whole other towel with the fuzz that is everywhere!! I tried to use that towel to dry off and had to take another shower because I couldn't get the lint off of me. I turned into a human lint roller!! My yellow bath rugs are polka dotted navy now. I got out the Swifter to dust the walls covered with navy lint, not just in my bathroom anymore but my whole apartment! This towel has been a nightmare! So I washed and dried it again thinking it would help clear off some of the extra fuzzies. Nope! I've even taken this sucker out of my deck to shake it out. It was like blowing on a navy blue dandelion puff with all the fuzzy particles floating away. If anyone has any suggestions for this issue please let me know. Until then - I have my handy dandy travel size lint roller that I carry around with me now :)
The dullest knife I've ever used - My silverware set came with some butter knives but I needed something a little sharper than that. Target had a set of 4 paring knives for $1.99! Great deal but who knows if they will actually work? I put my faith in Target and bought them anyway. I tried to cut up strawberries with them and it was like I was trying to make strawberry jam. It wasn't slicing at all! It turned into a big mashed up strawberry mess. A waste of $1.99!! I turned to Walmart for the save and bought some middle of the road nice enough knives for about $20. When I got home to use some of those - it was like magic! Slicing my banana with perfect precision! I knew I made the right choice. I tested out my cheap knives a couple more times and still had no luck. It wasn't until I pulled one from the dishwasher that I realized that little guy was sharp!! Ouch!! How could something that hurt me like that not cut up a freaking banana!? And that was when I realized.... I had been using the knife the wrong way. I was trying to cut from the dull side rather than the sharpened side. Duh!!! Now talk about a waste of $20 buying new knives! In the end it was a user error. Idiot!
Neighbors.... The Hobbit - I've only seen three other people that live in my building. The first I met with my family here. She lives directly below me. She's an older lady who basically wanted nothing to do with me. When I introduced myself she mumbled something in her raspy voice and then wandered off. For some reason that earned her the nickname of "the hobbit" from Ben and Dad. I haven't talked to her again since that day but I can hear her talking to the birds when she sits out on her deck. Usually I go inside when that happens because soon to follow is the smell of cigarette smoke. Mostly though, I don't mind all of her bird feeders. I enjoy watching them too so if I even talk to her again I'll probably try to bring that up.
Oscar (the Grouch) - The second neighbor I met was so friendly I've named him Oscar. I had opened the back door of my car at about 8:30 AM and climbed inside to clean off a section of the window so I could attach my JMU parking pass. Looking out the back window as I was doing this I noticed a man pull up in his car right behind me and open his window. When I was finished I stepped out and said, "Hi! Good morning! Can I help you?" I thought maybe he was lost or something... As he glared at me he replied "I'm waiting to park." As I looked around and saw at least 10 other parking spots open very near our walkway I was confused. He then pointed to the very one I was standing in. I don't know, call me crazy.. but really man? Park somewhere else.
My last neighbor doesn't have an official nickname yet but I think of him as "the coffee man." - This gentleman was out taking his cat for a walk in the parking lot the day that I met him. He is in a wheelchair and his cat scurries around him while he wheels a bit. I introduced myself and he invited me to come over for coffee one day. I said that would be nice since I just had to learn how to make coffee when I moved in. He then told me I better come by with some biscuits or doughnuts because that goes best with his coffee. I said it sounds good to me and started to excuse myself when he wanted to make sure I knew he makes the best coffee because he was in the Coast Guard. As soon as I buy some biscuits and go down for coffee I'll let you all know how the rest goes!
I would like to take a second to just say that Comcast internet and cable is a pretty screwed up company! Their commercials are really getting on my nerves too because they are filled with a bunch of BS! I would go into more detail but this blog is getting long enough and the long of the short of it is annoying anyway I look at it! I still need to tell all of you about my single person cooking experiences but I'll save that until next time!
All my love, laughs, and unfortunate mishaps :)
The towel that never ends - I bought brand new bath towels for my brand new bathroom! They are lovely. The color scheme in the bathroom is navy, yellow, and white. (I'll post pictures in another blog once I learn how.) I had some free time earlier this week so I decided to wash each set of towels separately so they wouldn't stain one another. First load up was navy - bath towel, hand towel, some washcloths, and kitchen hand towels as well. Let's just say I never got around to washing the yellow. The lint coming off of my bath towel is unbelievable. I could sew up a whole other towel with the fuzz that is everywhere!! I tried to use that towel to dry off and had to take another shower because I couldn't get the lint off of me. I turned into a human lint roller!! My yellow bath rugs are polka dotted navy now. I got out the Swifter to dust the walls covered with navy lint, not just in my bathroom anymore but my whole apartment! This towel has been a nightmare! So I washed and dried it again thinking it would help clear off some of the extra fuzzies. Nope! I've even taken this sucker out of my deck to shake it out. It was like blowing on a navy blue dandelion puff with all the fuzzy particles floating away. If anyone has any suggestions for this issue please let me know. Until then - I have my handy dandy travel size lint roller that I carry around with me now :)
The dullest knife I've ever used - My silverware set came with some butter knives but I needed something a little sharper than that. Target had a set of 4 paring knives for $1.99! Great deal but who knows if they will actually work? I put my faith in Target and bought them anyway. I tried to cut up strawberries with them and it was like I was trying to make strawberry jam. It wasn't slicing at all! It turned into a big mashed up strawberry mess. A waste of $1.99!! I turned to Walmart for the save and bought some middle of the road nice enough knives for about $20. When I got home to use some of those - it was like magic! Slicing my banana with perfect precision! I knew I made the right choice. I tested out my cheap knives a couple more times and still had no luck. It wasn't until I pulled one from the dishwasher that I realized that little guy was sharp!! Ouch!! How could something that hurt me like that not cut up a freaking banana!? And that was when I realized.... I had been using the knife the wrong way. I was trying to cut from the dull side rather than the sharpened side. Duh!!! Now talk about a waste of $20 buying new knives! In the end it was a user error. Idiot!
Neighbors.... The Hobbit - I've only seen three other people that live in my building. The first I met with my family here. She lives directly below me. She's an older lady who basically wanted nothing to do with me. When I introduced myself she mumbled something in her raspy voice and then wandered off. For some reason that earned her the nickname of "the hobbit" from Ben and Dad. I haven't talked to her again since that day but I can hear her talking to the birds when she sits out on her deck. Usually I go inside when that happens because soon to follow is the smell of cigarette smoke. Mostly though, I don't mind all of her bird feeders. I enjoy watching them too so if I even talk to her again I'll probably try to bring that up.
Oscar (the Grouch) - The second neighbor I met was so friendly I've named him Oscar. I had opened the back door of my car at about 8:30 AM and climbed inside to clean off a section of the window so I could attach my JMU parking pass. Looking out the back window as I was doing this I noticed a man pull up in his car right behind me and open his window. When I was finished I stepped out and said, "Hi! Good morning! Can I help you?" I thought maybe he was lost or something... As he glared at me he replied "I'm waiting to park." As I looked around and saw at least 10 other parking spots open very near our walkway I was confused. He then pointed to the very one I was standing in. I don't know, call me crazy.. but really man? Park somewhere else.
My last neighbor doesn't have an official nickname yet but I think of him as "the coffee man." - This gentleman was out taking his cat for a walk in the parking lot the day that I met him. He is in a wheelchair and his cat scurries around him while he wheels a bit. I introduced myself and he invited me to come over for coffee one day. I said that would be nice since I just had to learn how to make coffee when I moved in. He then told me I better come by with some biscuits or doughnuts because that goes best with his coffee. I said it sounds good to me and started to excuse myself when he wanted to make sure I knew he makes the best coffee because he was in the Coast Guard. As soon as I buy some biscuits and go down for coffee I'll let you all know how the rest goes!
I would like to take a second to just say that Comcast internet and cable is a pretty screwed up company! Their commercials are really getting on my nerves too because they are filled with a bunch of BS! I would go into more detail but this blog is getting long enough and the long of the short of it is annoying anyway I look at it! I still need to tell all of you about my single person cooking experiences but I'll save that until next time!
All my love, laughs, and unfortunate mishaps :)
Monday, August 15, 2011
500 miles, 7 hours, 5 people, 2 cars, 1 major life change
I had to post a little something about the move from Kentucky to Virginia because I think one day it will be such a memorable experience for me and my family. Move in day to the apartment was Friday, August 12th so we wanted to be in H-burg on Thursday so we could have all day on Friday to do move in things. Mom and Dad left Kentucky earlier in the afternoon on Thursday with a car full as I was finishing up packing the other load for my car still! Once David was off work he and Ben started loading up my car (which I was shocked that everything fit!). We started off soon after that and had smooth sailing until we reached the Dry Ridge area. I realized that in my closets at home (almost an hour away by this time) all of my clothes were still hanging nice and neat and forgotten! We had to turn around, unpack some of the car, selectively choose which clothes/shoes could fit, repack the car, and head off for the second time! I couldn't believe I did that! I'm so very lucky that the clothes that didn't make the first cut will be joining my fairly empty apartment closet the next time David comes to visit. Thank you David and Ben for putting up with all of that!
After a night full of driving through construction running only on determination, Arizona iced tea, gummy bears, and snack mix pieces picked up off the floor we pulled into our hotel at 2:00 AM! I was so happy to lay down and rest my tensed up body even if I was sharing a bed with both my mom and dad. Ben and David slept on the pull out couch in the room. That was probably the most comfortable poor Ben was all weekend. He got stuck sleeping on an air mattress with a hole in it once we were in my apartment! The rest of the weekend consisted of shopping for odds and ends, exploring the town, and going out to eat. Everyone was so helpful and I loved having them here with me. We even broke in my apartment with some celebratory champagne from an Ohio vineyard during our Sunday morning brunch.
Of course, saying good bye was really difficult. All of my good bye's were hard and sad (especially the Raap's, Springelmeyer's, and my NKU family) but this one was what I had been dreading. We got through it and as David says to me constantly, "Everything is going to be okay!" Visiting home and having visitors will be all the sweeter when it does happen but during the between time I know I will keep busy still figuring out this new place!
Thanks Mom, Dad, Ben, and David! I love you all very much and wish you good luck on all of the new things starting for you back home. I know everyday life without me will be just dreadful ;)
After a night full of driving through construction running only on determination, Arizona iced tea, gummy bears, and snack mix pieces picked up off the floor we pulled into our hotel at 2:00 AM! I was so happy to lay down and rest my tensed up body even if I was sharing a bed with both my mom and dad. Ben and David slept on the pull out couch in the room. That was probably the most comfortable poor Ben was all weekend. He got stuck sleeping on an air mattress with a hole in it once we were in my apartment! The rest of the weekend consisted of shopping for odds and ends, exploring the town, and going out to eat. Everyone was so helpful and I loved having them here with me. We even broke in my apartment with some celebratory champagne from an Ohio vineyard during our Sunday morning brunch.
Of course, saying good bye was really difficult. All of my good bye's were hard and sad (especially the Raap's, Springelmeyer's, and my NKU family) but this one was what I had been dreading. We got through it and as David says to me constantly, "Everything is going to be okay!" Visiting home and having visitors will be all the sweeter when it does happen but during the between time I know I will keep busy still figuring out this new place!
Thanks Mom, Dad, Ben, and David! I love you all very much and wish you good luck on all of the new things starting for you back home. I know everyday life without me will be just dreadful ;)
CSPA Orientation: Part 1
Today was the official start day of earning my Master's in College Student Personnel Administration at James Madison University located in Harrisonburg, Virginia. I had a small get-to-know-each-other orientation with everyone in my year as well as some professors and advisers of the program. When I was back at home and was worried about making friends I said to lots of people, "Hopefully I will like everyone because we all already share the passions and dreams for students in higher education. We have to have some pieces of our personality that click together." And I am so so happy to say now that all of that is true! I loved getting to hear a little bit of every one's stories about their summer and student affairs. I am really really looking forward to making some new friends and sharing this experience with them! Later today I'm going to drive around with some girls in the program to learn the area a little better and then tonight mostly everyone (some people have to work their assistantships later in the evening) are meeting for dinner. With all of these happy, exciting, and positive things happening it makes getting my first parking ticket on campus today seem like an adventure rather than $25 out of my pocket. Haha in a way this is kinda like being a freshman all over again. I have so many things to learn - parking being one of them! (Or maybe I should study up on the public bus system instead!)
Oh yeah, another thing I wanted to mention. The director of the CSPA program said in orientation today, "We can pretty much guarantee that in two years when you are looking for a job no one will ask you what your graduate studies GPA was. They will ask if you have a degree and they will want to know what you learned from the degree but they will not ask for that number." Wow, did this hit home with me or what?! I love getting good grades. I try really really hard for them. I feel that I focus on learning as well but for those of you that know me, grades are important to me! To help me with this adjustment, I would love it if those of you who are reading this will occasionally make sure that I am focusing on the learning experience and am not just after a score. Even if you have to bluntly say "Grades don't matter!!" I'll understand what you mean. Thanks!
Oh yeah, another thing I wanted to mention. The director of the CSPA program said in orientation today, "We can pretty much guarantee that in two years when you are looking for a job no one will ask you what your graduate studies GPA was. They will ask if you have a degree and they will want to know what you learned from the degree but they will not ask for that number." Wow, did this hit home with me or what?! I love getting good grades. I try really really hard for them. I feel that I focus on learning as well but for those of you that know me, grades are important to me! To help me with this adjustment, I would love it if those of you who are reading this will occasionally make sure that I am focusing on the learning experience and am not just after a score. Even if you have to bluntly say "Grades don't matter!!" I'll understand what you mean. Thanks!
25 days ago
This is a little something I wrote last month, when Kentucky was still my current home, and not my old home... get it?.. the name of the blog... My Old Kentucky Home - a little bit of me from then and now rolled into one lovely song/blog title.
I figured today was as good of day as any to begin my blog about life on my own. Twenty five days until move out/in day! If anyone has any title ideas please let me know. (That is weird to say because it means people would be reading this and that is just kinda odd to me. People out there are actually interested in my life! Maybe?) Right now there is way too much to think about so I am not going to dwell on a name just yet. Somewhat fitting since today I am feeling numb and empty about moving away. It’s scary and exciting at the same time and today they seem to cancel each other out.
Today I created my list of things I need to my apartment. I have a living room, bedroom, bathroom, and kitchen to take care of, furnish, and make my own. Talk about overwhelming! I feel like I am starting out with nothing, well, maybe that is because I am! On the bright side, I will have all brand new things. That is a positive! At least I am not crying thinking about vacuums and toaster ovens like I was last week!
This afternoon I was sitting on my back patio reading in the shade. I looked around my back porch and began thinking of things I was going to miss about being away from home, specific things about my back yard – the butterfly bush that somehow stays alive year after year, the multi colored pinwheels my mom bought for a dollar at Target that are never in the same place as the day before, the odd sense of security that comes with having neighbors around. I thought I just wanted to remember all of this, take mental pictures so when I want to see it, no matter where I am I’ll be able to. Then I hit a revelation! Why should I have to remember it? It isn’t going to change!! Why would it? I can come home whenever I want to and my back yard will still be my back yard. That was when it dawned on me: I’m the piece of this equation that is going to change. Maybe that is what bothers me the most. This realization was big enough that I got right to it and began typing. If I am already planning and anticipating being changed by this experience I better remember every detail so I can look back and still love the girl I am now. Hopefully, I’ll just be a much better version of her!
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