Oh bother...

I've been lazy.

Well, at least as far as blogging is concerned. I can honestly say I had a lazy-free summer. It went by entirely too quickly, in my opinion. Maybe I'm just used to college-level summers, where you are free as soon as you get out of your last final in the early days of June, and don't amble back into a classroom until the very end of September.

Well, those days are long gone. I was definitely in a classroom on the second day of September, doing battle with a bulletin board (why are those things so darn difficult?!) and cutting out little stars, hearts, sharks, and dinosaurs from card stock for nametags.

To be honest, though, I don't know what I would even do with an extra month of summer; we crammed so many things into the 2.5 months I did have. I suppose I would sleep a lot, chase after my energy-riddled kitten, and spend most evenings jamming to the awesome new Beatles game that I had to have (thank goodness for old, deaf neighbors).

Oh, and Netflix. A lot of Netflix. Especially since we would go weeks without seeing some of the movies we got this summer because we weren't in the city at the time.

Anyway, while a part of me is definitely bitter about waking up a little bit after the sun rises and dealing with hormonally charged teenagers soon thereafter, I also feel good about settling into this scary "adult" thing a little more easily than I did last year, and so far, this year is going well for me. I like the teachers I work with, and the best part is that I for half the day, I work almost entirely in Spanish. It's been great to dust off that part of me and get some much-needed practice in. There were a few years there in the middle to high-school age where I almost lost my ability to speak this gorgeous language. I feel like now, I am making up for lost time.

Also in today's news, Google is telling me that this is my 50th blog post, which I think is pretty nifty. I started this as a way to just chronicle my thoughts and experiences as I left CollegeLand and headed into the "real world" whatever that means. It has been a lot of fun, but I think I will start talking about other, more serious issues soon. Before, something would get me either really amped, or really infuriated and I'd be afraid to talk about it because I was sure I'd get a comment saying, "you're the dumbest person ever; cancel your blog immediately before my eyes start bleeding from reading your ignorance."

Frankly, now that I think about it, this is my blog, made just so I could say whatever I wanted, ignorant or otherwise. If you guys are ever at odds over something I say, please tell me; I love debating issues. If you guys are ever offended, by all means, click away from my blog.

Don't worry; I'm not going to get super serious on all 4 of you. There will still be plenty of posts about my crazy life, tweenager wrangling days, and new to the blog, crazy stories about my seriously ADHD kitten, Newton.

And of course, there will be pictures like this one to just make your day:

Sunburnt lips while camping, August. Angelina Jolie, eat your freakin' heart out.

And they call them the "dog days of summer"...?

I think they need to seriously think about redoing that term...I've never seen a dog sleep quite like Newton can!

Newton.

I was going to do a blog about our new place (which rocks, by the way) but decided instead to do one about Newton, a kitten we are kitten-sitting for a week.

We were a bit apprehensive about taking him in at first because I have a pretty significant cat allergy. By pretty significant, I mean that I get hives the size of Alaska and sneeze my frontal lobe out every time I am near a feline. I wasn't always allergic, but ever since I went off to college, it was bestowed on me. Phooey, I say.

But, alas, his cuteness won me over, and I decided that living off of Benadryl for a week would be worth it. I missed having a cat around.

Anyway, here are some pictures of the little guy.






Also, I took some video of him playing with the laser pointer. I think they are pretty entertaining. When he's awake, he's more or less non-stop. I can only write this now because he's sleeping, otherwise he'd be on top of my laptop, attacking the keys.

An apartment cleaned, a lesson learned

It's not often that one has an epiphany while cleaning an oven.

But, it happened to me.

See, I was really anxious before we moved. Suddenly, I couldn't remember why we were moving. After our roommate moved out, our apartment felt huge again, and I could not fathom living anywhere else.

I cried a ton on my birthday, because each time I saw our mountain of boxes, I didn't want to leave. I cried when we came to the new apartment because it felt so different than our home. I didn't sleep at all the night before we moved, and I felt sick and miserable about leaving.

But anyway, the truck was packed, and on what felt like the hottest day in the history of the world, we moved out of our little tree house.



I kept wandering around the new place, feeling like I was just on vacation and would promptly be returning home, while Evan, totally enamored with the in-unit washer/dryer, promptly did four loads of laundry and went about unpacking boxes while I moped.

The next day, we trooped over to the old apartment to clean it. I was nervous, because I just knew that I'd be overcome with homesickness and never want to leave it again.


But, as I dusted, vacuumed, scrubbed and washed this old apartment, I suddenly saw it just as it was: an old, empty apartment. There was nothing in those old rooms that made it feel like home. I didn't feel overcome with homesickness because this place was so obviously not my home. It was an old, (very dusty) apartment that I had lived in once.

I had just a little bit of time to think about this, because the next day, we headed up to Portland to celebrate the Fourth with my family. And here, I was home. I was home because I was with my family, and with people I loved.

And a few days after that, we came home to Corvallis. Again, I was home because I was with a person I care so very much about.

Most of you probably know this, but it took me a good hour of cleaning out our old oven and vacuuming corners with dust cougars to realize that it's not a place that makes a home, or the furniture in it: it's the people that make it home. One doesn't go home after a long day thinking, "I am going home to a great, Craftsman-era bungalow with great built-ins and wood detail," they think, "I am going home to my family."

Regardless of where I am, if I am with family, with people I love, then I am home. Right now, home is right here in this quiet corner of Corvallis with Evan. I know that now, and I couldn't be happier.

Plus, the in-unit laundry is pretty rockin'.

Packing up and movin' on out!

So, it is final. We are headed out of this wonderfully ancient apartment and moving 3.3 miles down the road to a better one here in Corvallis.

For posterity's sake, here are the things I will miss:

• Having not one, but two parking spaces assigned to us, and not having to pay a ridiculous amount for it.
• The trees all around our apartment. Since we live on the third floor, it is a little like living in a tree house, and I just loved looking out of the windows and seeing a forest of green.
  
• Having the coolest manager ever. Steve is awesome. I am pretty sure he can hear me singing at full volume in the shower because our bathroom shares a wall with his apartment, but he has never mentioned it, or given me the stink-eye after I belt out The Killer's "Mr. Brightside" fifty times a week.
  
• Being super close to downtown. I love taking walks to the waterfront and dinking around all the little bookstores and shops without having to worry about parallel parking (aka me crashing into an expensive car while trying)
  
• The windows this place has. Seriously, we don't ever need to turn a light on in the summer. Or winter, for that matter. Natural light just tends to stream in.
  
• This is probably more applicable to Evan, but the kitchen here is pretty awesome. I have been able to appreciate it when I go in there to get a glass of water or make toast. Ev really likes having a really giant island he can do his (or all,) cooking done.
  
• The office. We are actually moving to a slightly smaller place, and I will miss the size of our office here. We could comfortably fit a bookcase, two desks, and a couch in our office and still have room to spare. I wrote all my final papers, letters, and journal entries in here because it was always relaxing to be in that space. I crammed for tests, cried over the grades I received on tests, and had some of the best conversations with Evan in that room.
• Just the comfort I feel here. This was our first apartment together, and we've had millions of moments here that built up and made it feel like home. There is a part of me that is scared to leave this place, because even with it's flaws, it is perfect to me.

And, to ease the fear of moving, here are the things I won't miss:

• Drunken college students walked below our balcony every Thursday, Friday, and Saturday night.
  
• The Big Brother-esque street light that shines directly into our dining room
  
• Kitchen cabinets that are crooked and roughly the same color as Snuffulufagus
• Yellow, faux marble countertops.
  
• Having to do our laundry in a dungeon next to where they keep the Dumpster.
  
• A shower door that seemingly hates to stay on the track, especially right at the moment the water gets cold and you have shampoo in your eye.
  
• The stairs to our third floor apartment here are so steep and treacherous that one must almost hire a Sherpa to help ascend. All (and I mean all) of our friends (and most of our parents) have tripped or fallen going up or down those stairs.
  
• Being half a block from the fire and police station. I sleep through all sirens now, which I fear is a disadvantage in trying to survive. If they go by during the day, however, I can tell the difference between a cop car, ambulance, or fire engine just by listening to the stupid siren.
  

All in all, it has been a wonderful two years here, and while I will miss it and always look back on our first big Couple Adventure with fond memories, I think this move will be good for us and bring on a whole new slew of moments. The next blog entry from me will probably be from our new home! 'Till then, take care, and blog yourselves so I have something to read when I take a break from packing!

June 2009

Please excuse my absence, I've been trying to stay sane with everything June has had me up to.


First, I had to keep my students entertained until the last day, which was a feat unto itself. The 8th had been checked out since the 1st of June, and I all but had to juggle textbooks for them to pay attention. When the last day finally came, I realized that I would definitely miss those kids, especially the ones that I had forged a connection with. I told one that I was planning on going to his high school graduation, and when I said that, he looked at me, and said, "do you really think I'll make it there?"

I said, "of course you will!" And his eyes teared up and he said, "okay teacher, I will see you there!"

I hate to sound cliche, but it's moments like that that seem to evaporate all the bad days. It has been such a great year, and I have learned so much. I don't think those kids realize how much they have taught me about patience, compassion, commitment, humor, and love. I owe them a lot, and will miss them next year.

My 8th graders

Good luck with everything, guys!

Also in the last few weeks, we've decided on a new apartment here in Corvallis, and are planning to move on my birthday, July 1st. It is going to be a big move for us, but I think we're ready. Also, we get to choose paint colors, and being the gigantic HGTV freak that I am, I am totally excited about that.

Finally, but most importantly, Evan graduated from Oregon State University on the 13th, with two degrees! One in Education and one in History, plus a teaching license. It was exciting to sit and watch him culminate these last five years of school. He has worked hard, and I could not be more proud of him! It's funny to think that we met as college freshmen, and are still together and facing new experiences as graduates. I can't wait to see what new adventures Life takes us on!

Evan in the sea of graduates

Apparently, OSU has a song that Alumni are supposed to know

Me with the new alum!

Congrats, Ev!

sing it to me, Ray

I love Ray Lamontagne, (evidenced by my going and buying all three of his albums because I couldn't stand to leave one behind) and I especially like this cover he did of Gnarls Barkley's "Crazy". I know, I know. I too, got so sick of that song during the summer of 2007 that I felt nauseous when it came on the radio, but Ray (we are on a first name basis; he just doesn't know it) puts a really great spin on it, and I can listen to it over and over, dramamine free.