It's All Done. Kind of.

It feels like forever since I've had internet, or time to be on the internet, but I'm back.

I think I mentioned it before, but just in case: our internet stopped working for almost a week (for no apparent reason). Then Art's dad came up and fixed it, and it worked for about a day, and then disappeared again. By that point, I stopped caring, because we had a lot packing and moving to do, and it didn't seem worth it to try and have it fixed again.

So yeah. We moved. We moved from a three bedroom duplex to a one bedroom apartment. We had to move all of our stuff, most of Art's brother's stuff, and most of Art's sister's stuff to either: A)Our new place. B)The dump. C)Goodwill. D)Mari's moving truck.

I'm thankful that we could get rid of a lot of stuff (and will probably get rid of more as we unpack and try to figure out where to put it all) but it's still a huge job. And our new place is on the fourth floor. Now, to be fair, the first level is below ground, so we're really only three stories up. Not that it makes a lot of difference when you're hauling box after box after box after box after box down the stairs of your duplex and up the stairs of your apartment.

I'm also thankful that it wasn't too hot outside. When we were moving this time last year, it was the hottest week that western Washington had experienced in a long time.

And while we're on the topic of being thankful, I'm thankful that it's all done! However, I'm quite anxious to get it all set up and make it a home. Which won't be until September, because did I mention we're house sitting? "Timing" is not one of our strengths.

We agreed to house sit for this couple that we know from the gym months and months ago. For the record, I protested. But Art assured me it would be fine. We also thought that we would have a week between moving and house sitting. But we started house sitting Saturday night, and we didn't get the duplex fully emptied until Sunday. That, my friends, is called an overlap. Oops.

I was actually quite upset about it at first, but I've gotten over that. I still can't wait to live in our place, but in the meantime, I like their house. I think the biggest issue is just getting used to using someone else's stuff. Sleeping in their bed (which is, like, four feet off the ground, and I have no idea why). Trying to locate dishes, and towels, and supplies. Taking care of their dog (who is very clingy, but thankfully, not very hyper, and pretty well-behaved).

Speaking of the dog, I should really take her for a walk, but I'm so tired. All that moving last week (so I didn't go to the gym at all) plus how unhealthy we've been eating (because I refused to cook) plus I haven't been sleeping great (I have a hard time sleeping in strange places). So I'm tired, and I haven't been on the internet in forever, and really, I don't need to have an excuse to blog.

Back to the people we're house sitting for, they're in Russia for five weeks, camping on a tiny little uninhabited island above Japan, doing research about the people who used to live there, and how they managed, considering the island is disaster central. It experiences hurricanes and tsunamis on a regular basis, and has an active volcano on it. How this island still exists is a miracle in itself. And then people used to live there? Unreal.

I feel like I had a lot more to say, but I think I'm done. And I should start thinking about getting things ready for tomorrow.

I'm glad to be back, and I hope you all say hi because I've missed everybody, and I just caught up on all of your blogs!

Marriage, and Moving, and Driving

Our internet was down for two days. How sad is it that I feel so disconnected and out-of-sorts when I can't access Facebook or Blogger for two whole days?

Anyway, my father-in-law helped me figure out a temporary work-around, and he's going to call back tonight with (hopefully) a solution. I was going to call Comcast tech support, but Mari said they are not as helpful as dad.

The stupid thing is that we're going to be out of here in 10 days, so I didn't want to call and some dramatic repair, only to cancel our service in a week.

So yeah, we got the keys to our new apartment, and with the help of my friend, I officially started moving on Sunday.

You know what's funny? I remember thinking that last year was so stressful, because we only had a week before we had to be out of our place, and we didn't have something lined up, and then when we did, we packed and moved everything in two days. I've been thinking about how I didn't want to repeat that experience.

But now that we have extra time on our hands? It occurred to me that it kind of makes sense to move everything all at once. I feel like there is so little that can be moved ahead of time. And I don't want to be halfway occupying two places at once.

So this year, I'm stressed because we have so much time, which is what I wanted!! I'm so fickle. Anyway, our friends came over on Sunday, and the guys wanted to play Art's new video game, so Sozan asked me what she could help me with. I answered: I need a strategy! She was so great. She basically took me by the hand, started making suggestions, and before I knew it, we were filling up her car with a bunch of random things, and driving over to the new place!

We only had time for one trip, but it felt SO GOOD to just get started. That was all I needed. I now have a vague plan, and all I can think about at work is what I can pack next (which isn't helping my work so much). And also, here I am blogging when I have some free time, and I really should be getting stuff done.

Also, two more quick updates: yesterday was our two year anniversary. We went out to a really nice seafood restaurant, overlooking the ocean (basically), and I'm sorry I didn't bring my camera. It was gorgeous. We stuffed ourselves silly. It was worth it.

And today I took a driving test and I finally got my Washington driver's license! I'm SOOOO glad that's over with. I can use it as I.D. instead of always pulling out my passport, and I can drive the truck to help move, and it just feels so good to get that out of the way. I told Art it was my anniversary gift to him (because he's been wanting me to get it for a while). So yay! I don't actually have a vehicle that I can drive on a regular basis, but it's a relief to know that I CAN. Legally.

So that's all! I'm going to get off my butt now and start doing some laundry and dishes and packing. I fully expect my next update to come from our new place. I think we'll be quite busy till then.

Summer Time!

I figured it's about time to do a real update. And please forgive me if I repeat myself. I have no idea what I've already said, and when I said it. But I'm sure you're ready for a non-all-photos-all-the-time post.

I'm going to start with right now and work my way backwards until I can't remember anymore. This should be fun.

It is HOT over here. And it happened rather suddenly. I've been complaining for quite some time about how un-summer-like it's been around here for May and June and the very beginning of July. Seriously. We've barely been hitting the 70's AT ALL this year. Then all of a sudden this week we're in the 90's. We've got all our windows open, all the time, and I'm sitting here in my bikini.

And I LOVE it. I've been waiting for this. Most Washington natives are not a big fan, because they're used to cooler weather. But this is perfect for me. It's what I'm used to!

Also, I've been waiting to bust out my new cute gym shorts, and I bought the specifically for summer workouts. This heat adds a whole new level of tough.

Work is starting to slow down for my team. We've also shrunk a little, and we're still keeping up with our bin of stuff we have to get through every day. As a Lead, I finally feel I'm able to help my team more because the all the random stuff that I normally deal with is becoming less and less. And if I'm being completely honest, less work means that one of our team members (the crazy lady, as I've dubbed her) will be let go soon. My manager mentioned it to me today, and I said we'll probably be able to do that in a week or so.

I can't remember if I mentioned that we had another incident with her during a team meeting about a month ago. She completely blew up at another coworker, even though she's been told SEVERAL times that her behavior is unacceptable. Although, every time it happens, all she gets is a talking-to, so it's not like there are any consequences to her stepping out of line.

I finally told my manager that I feel uncomfortable around her all the time, and that more than one person says that have to "walk on eggshells" when dealing with her. I even starting having dreams about her. Just her presence raises my blood pressure a little, but she's a hard worker, so I've just put up with it. But I'll be glad when she's gone.

We signed our lease for our new place last Friday! We found a large, one bedroom apartment for a really good price. It's in a great area too. They have a strict noise policy, so I'm happy about that. It's a rather quiet area, despite that fact that it's mere blocks from the mall. The unit has a full size washer/dryer, which is practically unheard of.

The only downside is that my bus route will change, which is fine for the summer, but then they're eliminating that bus come fall. So I may just have to walk all the way to the bus station, which might take me a good 40 minutes. Or I may just have Art drive me to work. Also, the unit is on the third floor (which will suck for moving) but we'll finally have a view! (Our current view is the duplex across from us.)

I'm so excited to move. This place has always felt temporary, and I'm eager to get out of a place that doesn't feel like a home. It will be weird being in an apartment (because I'm spoiled and have never lived in one before), but I think it will be a place where we can stay for at least two years.

I'm also excited to get rid of a lot of stuff. Cleaning and purging; it's what I do best. And of course, I'm glad to have a place to ourselves again. Thankfully, living with Mari has been fairly easy, and a combination of our set up and her schedule has made it possible for us to still have a fair amount of privacy. But it's only right that a young couple has a place of their own.

Art bought a PS3 a while back, and has been busy playing various video games ever since. Don't worry, I'm not a video game widow. And I don't really mind. It gives me a chance to do my own thing in the evenings, or on the weekends. And it hasn't affected his eating habits or sleeping habits, or our time spent together. He's got it under control (so far). :) A guy's gotta have his toys, right?

For me, it just means that I get to spend more time with my favorite t.v. show, Alias. I don't know if any of you remember it or watched it. It first aired in 2001, and went for five seasons. I saw a few episodes here and there, and I REALLY liked it, but I didn't keep up with it, and I never saw how it ended.

I've been trying to catch up with it again by watching episodes online for free, but it can be a frustrating process. It took one entire evening just to find a website where I could watch the Season 2 finale. Once that was over with, I immediately jumped on Amazon.com and ordered Season 3 for myself. I'm willing to pay $8.50 for the convenience of watching episodes on my own terms. And it arrived in the mail today!! So as soon as I hit "publish" on this post, I'm popping in the first disk.

In slightly sadder news, my mom and sister were trying to coordinate a visit out here before we moved (and before we didn't have a spare bedroom to put them in). I didn't realize that my sister was really looking forward to it, so I feel bad that I had to say no. It would just be too stressful with moving, and hosting them at the same time. My mom offered her help, which is great, but it wouldn't be fair to my sister or the kids. We wouldn't get to spend proper time with them, and it wouldn't be much of a vacation, what with Elleah taking care of a toddler and a baby, and Art and I working and trying to pack and move.

Plus, even though work is slowing down, it's not yet slow enough where I can take time off. July is pretty much the worst time to miss work. I'll probably end up taking off a day or two to move, but I wouldn't be able to do more than that.

I miss the kids, but I just keep telling myself that October will eventually be here. We're going out there for Canadian Thanksgiving.

Finally, I'm getting serious about getting my driver's license. I'm going to gather all the documents I need to prove my identity, take the vision test, pay the fees and book an appointment to take the test. I hope to do this before we move. I'm nervous, but Art's been asking me to get it for quite some time, and I've put it off for long enough. I'm making this my anniversary gift to him (it's coming up on the 19th!).

Have a great weekend everyone! I hope your weather is as beautiful as ours. Eat lots of watermelon! (Like I'm doing right now.)