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- If I were shoes, I would be these shoes

- Yet another thing that I am going to attempt to sew

- I am super excited to be signing up for a membership here

- One day soon I’ll be a student here (if they ever get around to transferring my credits)

I seem to remember hearing a Brad Paisley song that made me want to write a post.  But I forget about what or which song.  Sometimes it is beyond me why I blog.  But blog I will!!  Or maybe I’ll just show you a picture.

This is the stretch of I-81 I drive Monday through Friday.  It’s a very nice drive.

The unpacking is coming along  quite nicely.  Dan has been doing stuff during the day and I did some stuff this weekend so I could say I helped, too.  We can finally walk through the front room.  The kitchen is done, unless I find yet another surprise box of kitchen items.  Bookshelves and media stuff are where they’ll go.  Couches and dressers and beds are where they will go.  Dan ordered a new desk for his office (to go with the snazzy new desk chair he purchased recently) the other day with a Tuesday delivery date.  I just got an excited text from him that it’s in Louisville.  All of my craft/office nook stuff is in the correct area I just need to spend a couple of hours sorting out where it all fits.  Our new mattress got delivered this morning.  (Oh to sleep on a real bed.  I can hardly wait.)  The only thing left is a dining room table.  Neither of us had one and we now have the space for one.  We’re exploring our options, but we probably won’t buy one until next month.  I think both of our bank accounts need a little time to recover from the shock they are in. 

Not much, but some stuff has been going on besides “moving stuff.”  Saturday we got out of the house and went to Blacksburg’s Steppin’ Out.  It was fun and crowded and we got some sun.  Next weekend we’re going to head down to Floyd.  There’s a fabric shop I want to check out.  Also, I’ve heard so much about Floyd that I have to go see it for myself.  I told you not much, but it’s stuff that gets us out and about so that’s worth something.

The platter is round and white and has a pretty kind of lime/sage green mix line circling it and it says “A Grateful Plateful.”  This morning, I was thinking that “ugh, I really don’t want to be at work, I want to be home doing stuff and unpacking!!”  I then stomped my feet and held my breath like I was 5 years old.  Not so much that last part, but you get my point. 

I am busy, busy at work which I am loving because 1) I am all about making a list of things to be done, and 2) knocking out said list.  And I am busy, busy at home… or at least I will be when I’m not there to just shower and sleep. 

Dan is holding down the fort and handling stuff that needs handling.   I’m at work, working.  I feel like a bad partner.  Also, in some ways, I am jealous of his time at home.  Not in a “I wish I didn’t have to work” way, just in a ”is it the weekend yet so I can spend some uninterrupted time unpacking and sorting stuff out?!” 

So where does the cherry platter come into this?  Here:  I was thinking all these things and then ”A Grateful Plateful” popped into my head.  That’s exactly it.  I am grateful I have so much to do at work and I enjoy doing it and I am grateful that I have a home that needs unpacking and sorting.  A grateful plateful.  So, no more tantrums, just gratefulness that I have things to do at home and work.  Also, grateful that I have someone to help with the home stuff.  Bonus!!  A grateful plateful. 

That platter is in one of those boxes to be unpacked.  Once I find it, I’m finding a home for it in our home. 

{This probably doesn’t make sense to anyone else, I know.  Welcome to Nicole Land!}

{a picture of the box madness}

Now beings the unpacking.  More on that later.

I went to my neighborhood Target my first night as a new resident of Christiansburg.  I had to pick up bottled water (the Target brand was on sale for $2.99 for 24 bottles!!) and milk (which I forgot to get) and stuff.  One of the things I picked up while looking around the store was this nighshirt.  I have since fallen in love with it and need more.  It’s as comfy as it looks and I don’t feel sloppy in it like I do t-shirts.  It’s sold out on the internets, but totally in stores.

{picture of a slender chick modeling the best nightshirt ever}

I started my new job on July 1st.  All is well there.  I am learning the ropes and today I even got an engraved nameplate installed on my door.  They can’t fire me now.  Or something.

The first couple of weeks in Southwest Virginia were spent at hotels and motels and I finally could not inspect another room for cleanliness and watch the same 15 channels.  So now I am staying at the lovely home of the boyfriend’s mom and step dad.  They are super nice for letting me crash in their home.  It’s clean, it smells normal (unlike the aforementioned hotels and motels) and I don’t have to do a room check for things that may creep me out in the middle of the night.  This is a good thing because it is getting me used to the drive I will have to make when we move to Christiansburg.  And the early wake up time, which, actually, is not going as bad as I thought it would.  Granted this is me waking up alone and there’s no warm boyfriend to stay snuggled up with so, yeah, getting up in the morning is pretty easy right now.  We’ll see how it goes come next month when we are reunited.

There was a vacation this month.  Pictures can be found on Flickr.  It was great and very needed.  The boyfriend’s dad’s family has taken to renting a house in Chincoteague for a week in the summer.  I was lucky enough to be invited this year.  The house had a pink front door.  Adorbs!  There was surf and sand and the best ice cream ever and very little on the grid activities and shopping and horses and sun and mosquitoes and time with great people (something spending two weeks in hotels and motels seriously lacks) and quite, relaxing time and very little doing of the hair and bathing suits and sunscreen and Scrabble and reading of books and open sunroofs and really good beach bbq and pictures and sea breeze and fish catching and good times.

Sadly, there was also the passing of a grandparent.  Dan got a call that his grandfather passed away.  We left a day early so Dan could get some formal clothes together and head to N.C. for the funeral.

Now Dan is back in Richmond (packing up the apartment) and I am in Southwest Virginia (working and doing nothing).  Hurry up and wait.  That is my motto for the month.

I did get to spend a day with my mom after returning from vacation.  That was really nice.  We shopped, did some computer stuff and had dinner with my dad to celebrate her birthday.  It was a nice dinner and the food was good.  When is the food *not* good at Bonefish?  Srsly.  I enjoyed hanging out with the mother and the father.  Probably won’t see them again for a few months.  They have an RV now so there is talk of them coming out to Southwest Virginia in the fall.

Unfortunately, it all depends on a dog named Willow.  Willow is the dog I picked out at the pound when I was 15 or 16 and declared ”of course I’ll take her with me when I move out!”  Yeah, she stayed with the parents.  Willow is about 13 years old.  About 4 or 5 years ago she had melanomia in her gums.  They operated and got it out and she was fine.  A few months ago it was discovered that she had “a growth” in her bladder.  The growth was getting pretty big, pretty quick so they operated.  Turns out she had/has bladder cancer.  Malignant bladder cancer.  Mom is taking her to an oncologist for follow up.  Poor Willow.  She’s such a good dog and totally does not deserve this.

Dan has been great.  He has taken care of most things involving the townhouse.  His last day of work was July 13th so he has had more time to do such things.  I did call and find out what the procedure is for getting water, sewage and trash service, so there’s that.  Also, he bought us these salt and pepper shakers (probably because I went all girly on him when I saw them while in Chincoteague) and that totally erases all the bad stuff.  Right?

And I want to see Despicable Me.  In fact, the last three movies that I have wanted to see have been cartoons.  Take what you will from that.  I reprogrammed my car stereo with Southwest Virginia radio stations today.  I have yet to memorize any zip codes out here.  I know they start with 2.  That’s about all I got.  All our houseplants are sick and dying, all of a sudden.  One that Dan picked out seriously just ate the dust in the matter of a few weeks.  The stalk turned a dark brown/black, the leaves dried up and dropped off.  I guess it just didn’t like us. 

I’ve regained all the weight I lost last year, that’s been fun to deal with.  It’s a combination of this and that and the other thing and snow (I honestly blame the snow, I was doing just fine until it snowed and there was bacon).  Mostly it’s the too much intake, not enough outtake situation.  I used to walk a couple miles a day and then it got cold.  I’m a summer girl and hate being cold.  Therefore, no couple of miles a day anymore.  It’s like no one ever revoked my All You Can Eat/No Exercise Snow Pass and I’m trying to eat everything before someone remembers to take the pass back. 

This month has also been the most expensive month of my life.  Gas, food, hotels, repeat, more gas, clothes because last year’s summer wardrobe does not fit, and blahdy blahdy blah blah.

I think that might actually be everything.  If you’ve made it this far, thank you and good night.

Meanwhile, this is the fun that has been my life for over two weeks now.  Enjoy!

{this picture does not do justice to the size my lymph nodes have swollen – think goose eggs and golf balls}

{please note that this is not the back of my throat, but mine basically looks just like this}

I’ve also recently had a very swollen uvula.  I found plenty of pictures, but decided to spare you that visual.  For those of you that don’t know what a uvula is, I give you this diagram.

{photo credits: lymphs, back of throat, yawning, throat diagram}

(not really a puppy, but the sweetest, most cuddly dog you will ever meet)

{photo credits: cute puppy #1, cute puppy #2, cute puppy #3, cute puppy #4, Flyer)

{photo credit}