Today is my second to last day of work. It is so strange. My coworker took me out to lunch today and gave me a few little gifts and a really nice card. I'm going to miss her a lot, but this job.. well I'm looking forward to being done with it. I feel bad for my boss because the girl he hired, who I was supposed to train today, ended up backing out because her previous job offered her a raise so she wouldn't leave. So now hes stuck with no assistant, and even once he finds one they wont have me here to train them in person. Hes asked me to train over the phone, which I said I would do.. but I don't think I'll be much help.
We sold our couch to Donna's friend today. Very sad day. I loved that couch. I had imagined that couch for years and then had it built. I wanted it forever :( We now have a mattress andddd now much else left in our apartment. Boxes, crap to get thrown away, and a little more to pack, but that's it.
We are so looking forward to going (coming?) home, but I think the reason we aren't more sad than we are is because it doesn't feel real yet. At least for me it only feels like we're going home for a visit. Imagining myself being able to call Kristen and hang out with her whenever I want.. doesn't seem possible. Imagining myself sitting on my couch watching TV with my mom.. I just can't. But those are the kinds of things I am most excited to be able to do again. I'm sure it'll feel very normal and we will be very happy, but I also think maybe a small part of me will feel like it belongs here just as much as it belongs at home. I can't even fathom not being able to go to Mitchell and Donna's for dinner. The fact that that used to be normal (not being able to do that) seems so distant to me now. Keira and Kyla are a part of my every day life.. and shouldn't they stay that way?? Too weird.
Also, I learned today that Filene's Basement does a running of the brides in DC on April 29th. Guess where I'll be then??? Even if I don't get my dress then, I have to go. Even if Zach and I aren't technically engaged yet.. I have to go. But we will be, because now that I know what the ring looks like.. I want it :)
So anyways, our plans for our remaining time here... I work again a little tomorrow. We will obviously be spending all of our free time with Mitchell and Donna and the girls. And eating at Noah's bagels and maybe some more Midori sushi to ease the pain of having to say goodbye to those delicious places. Sunday they are having an Oscar party, so we're going to that.. and then we leave early early early Monday morning.
I texted Kristen this morning saying I'd be home in 130-140 hours (and that I knew I was a nerd for saying that). So now that's -7 hours. And even less until we actually say ta-ta to LA.
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Winding Down
Today is the last Tuesday that Zach and I will be living in LA. Weirdddd.
Just a few little tidbits..
I am training the new girl on Thursday and Friday, so today and tomorrow are supposed to be short days. I got here today around 9:15, my boss called and said he would be in a 11. He got here at 1. He was on the phone until 2:30. I was on the phone paying a bill til 3:00. I finally got to talk to him after that, but after about 3 minutes his son who lives in Israel called so they are now on the phone, and will be for a while I'm sure. And there's stuff to do before I leave today. This is longer than many of my normal days have been here. Ugh.
Zach and I went to the jewelry district yesterday. That is all I have to say about that.. for now.
I called Mark, one of my bosses at CCF, Sunday evening. He called back this morning and we talked for quite a while, and he said I could come back there to work! I was so happy. I was kind of nervous about it because apparently there is a shortage of hours there right now. I loved that job though, so I'm glad I left on such good terms and will be able to go back. When we moved to California, I knew I would be sad if I never got to work there again. Now I don't have to be sad :)
We sold most of our furniture this weekend. Somebody PLEASE tell me what the heck people do without TV. The guy buying the chaise asked if we were selling anything else, Zach mentioned the TV. I didn't even know we were definitely selling it. Anyways, the guy bought it, and now we have no TV for our last week here. While waiting for the guy to pick up the bedroom furniture last night I asked Zach if he wanted to play Scrabble and he didn't. We just stood there, and I said, what else are we gonna do all night? just stare at each other. That was pretty much our only option...
We are deciding which day to leave.. whether or not we stay for an Oscar party on Sunday. It'll be a last minute decision.
Boss is off the phone so.. That's all.
Just a few little tidbits..
I am training the new girl on Thursday and Friday, so today and tomorrow are supposed to be short days. I got here today around 9:15, my boss called and said he would be in a 11. He got here at 1. He was on the phone until 2:30. I was on the phone paying a bill til 3:00. I finally got to talk to him after that, but after about 3 minutes his son who lives in Israel called so they are now on the phone, and will be for a while I'm sure. And there's stuff to do before I leave today. This is longer than many of my normal days have been here. Ugh.
Zach and I went to the jewelry district yesterday. That is all I have to say about that.. for now.
I called Mark, one of my bosses at CCF, Sunday evening. He called back this morning and we talked for quite a while, and he said I could come back there to work! I was so happy. I was kind of nervous about it because apparently there is a shortage of hours there right now. I loved that job though, so I'm glad I left on such good terms and will be able to go back. When we moved to California, I knew I would be sad if I never got to work there again. Now I don't have to be sad :)
We sold most of our furniture this weekend. Somebody PLEASE tell me what the heck people do without TV. The guy buying the chaise asked if we were selling anything else, Zach mentioned the TV. I didn't even know we were definitely selling it. Anyways, the guy bought it, and now we have no TV for our last week here. While waiting for the guy to pick up the bedroom furniture last night I asked Zach if he wanted to play Scrabble and he didn't. We just stood there, and I said, what else are we gonna do all night? just stare at each other. That was pretty much our only option...
We are deciding which day to leave.. whether or not we stay for an Oscar party on Sunday. It'll be a last minute decision.
Boss is off the phone so.. That's all.
Saturday, February 19, 2011
Productivity and Karma
Today I feel so productive its ridiculous. Good thing its been rainy and Zach and I did absolutely nothing last night, because I needed all my concentration and reasons to stay indoors today. We woke up and started packing. Didn't get it all done, but did another good portion. Then we came to Mitch and Donna's and Donna and I installed wainscoting in their laundry room. Then we transformed a little alley of wires, insulation and a ton of dust into a great little play room for the girls. We hung fabric everywhere and filled it with stuffed animals. It has this secret little door to it from their bedroom, but it had never really been opened except by utility people before. They were so surprised and so happy. Now I've just made cookies with the girls and we're watching the NBA All-Star whatever it is.
Yesterday (Friday) was a crazy day for Zach.. his now ex-boss (Thursday was his last day) and her boyfriend had a big dramatic problem that the boyfriend called Zach over to deal with it, instead of dealing with it himself. I hate this guy, who is the owner of the Corvette that got broken in to and who expected Zach to pay his insurance deductible for him. Every single person we've spoken to, including my coworker who works for a law practice that focuses on accidents and insurance said hes a scum bag for trying to make Zach pay for it. Karma, Karma, Karma. I believe his boss is now single, and that the Corvette owner is now the ex-boyfriend. He's yelled at my twice (literally yelled) while I was in the middle of agreeing with him or telling him some helpful information from my coworker who knows the ins and outs of the business (he told me she was wrong, laughable). I won't go into the rest of it.. but I hope nothing nice for him.
Oh and my boss hired someone yesterday, so that's a huge weight off my shoulders, because I know I'll be able to leave next week guilt-free.
Yesterday (Friday) was a crazy day for Zach.. his now ex-boss (Thursday was his last day) and her boyfriend had a big dramatic problem that the boyfriend called Zach over to deal with it, instead of dealing with it himself. I hate this guy, who is the owner of the Corvette that got broken in to and who expected Zach to pay his insurance deductible for him. Every single person we've spoken to, including my coworker who works for a law practice that focuses on accidents and insurance said hes a scum bag for trying to make Zach pay for it. Karma, Karma, Karma. I believe his boss is now single, and that the Corvette owner is now the ex-boyfriend. He's yelled at my twice (literally yelled) while I was in the middle of agreeing with him or telling him some helpful information from my coworker who knows the ins and outs of the business (he told me she was wrong, laughable). I won't go into the rest of it.. but I hope nothing nice for him.
Oh and my boss hired someone yesterday, so that's a huge weight off my shoulders, because I know I'll be able to leave next week guilt-free.
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Clearing Things Up
Okay, so it turns out between a little post on Kristen's Facebook and this blog there has been some excitement/confusion about my life. Understandable, my life is confusing and changes daily. But to set the record straight...
Zach and I have always said, since high school, that after we both graduated college we would get married. Obviously things have gone a little differently for him, school wise, but it would have been around now had things gone that way anyways. Then, since getting back together last September we kind of knew that was it, we were done with all of the questioning and we were either in it forever or we would have to break up again and be done with each other forever. Since moving out here and living together, away from our parents and friends, we've also known that it was coming pretty soon. We had been discussing it, but then once Zach decided on the military path we knew it was more imminent. We now have a reason for the marriage/wedding to be now as opposed to some random time in the future.
So, hes been considering the military since probably early December, and at that point the idea of getting engaged and married was still very stressful for me, and probably him too. I mentioned it briefly to my mom in a phone call at some point, probably closer to January, but wasn't even willing to talk about it too much at that point. Over time we got more comfortable and excited with it, and we've talked about it more. My parents are now fully aware of the situation. Well, my mom is.. my dad thinks I'm still 21 apparently so he might think I'm too young, I'm not clear on whats going on there lol. Zach's mom and probably a fair amount of his family knows, depending on who she has mentioned it to. I recently, within the past few weeks, told Kristen, Bird and Caitlin. Oh and Isabella has known for quite some time because shes out here visiting and she is going through the same process.
Anyways, it seems the cat is now out of the bag. We weren't trying to hide it, just waiting til it was official because that would (I guess?) make it easier to take about about bring up. Kristen and I said something about the venue being in Charleston potentially, because Zach will hopefully be going to school there. I have also mentioned it in these blogs, but since Facebook changed its layout there isn't really a link to this blog, so most people aren't seeing it. Well between the two I got a storm of Facebook comments, messages, chats and text messages in the past oh 18 hours. I appreciate all of the comments and questions, but I figured I would put out what we have figured out so far on here.
Zach and I found "the ring" most likely and now we are going through the steps of when we will buy it and stuff. It's amazing, so obviously we'll be getting officially (if you want to use that word) engaged shortly after... because, well, I want to wear it. We will be home very, very soon, so when we know hes about to enlist, or shortly after, we will go to the Courthouse and get married on paper so everything is squared away on that end. Initially I figured just the two of us would deal with it, because its just a Courthouse, but a few people have mentioned coming, and I actually love that idea. So I'm currently thinking the Leesburg Courthouse.. not just because its close (you can go anywhere in the state) but its also beautiful, and then going out to have lunch with whoever is in the area and we're close with and they want to. Very casual and probably not a huge group, but that may change since both of us have family in the area and our best friends.
Then in September of this year, depending on this military stuff, or maybe not til May-Sept 2010 we will have the actual wedding. If we do it in Charleston, I think I've found the venue. It's gorgeous and exactly what I'm looking for - which is somewhere casual but still nice, where it'll feel like a nice weekend getaway instead of just a 4 hour wedding. So now its just time to plan (dresses, colors, food, etc.) and actually get engaged/fill in people who haven't been so they don't feel like I intentionally didn't tell them but did tell other people. That certainly isn't the case - I haven't told very many people who haven't straight up asked me about it.
Zach and I have always said, since high school, that after we both graduated college we would get married. Obviously things have gone a little differently for him, school wise, but it would have been around now had things gone that way anyways. Then, since getting back together last September we kind of knew that was it, we were done with all of the questioning and we were either in it forever or we would have to break up again and be done with each other forever. Since moving out here and living together, away from our parents and friends, we've also known that it was coming pretty soon. We had been discussing it, but then once Zach decided on the military path we knew it was more imminent. We now have a reason for the marriage/wedding to be now as opposed to some random time in the future.
So, hes been considering the military since probably early December, and at that point the idea of getting engaged and married was still very stressful for me, and probably him too. I mentioned it briefly to my mom in a phone call at some point, probably closer to January, but wasn't even willing to talk about it too much at that point. Over time we got more comfortable and excited with it, and we've talked about it more. My parents are now fully aware of the situation. Well, my mom is.. my dad thinks I'm still 21 apparently so he might think I'm too young, I'm not clear on whats going on there lol. Zach's mom and probably a fair amount of his family knows, depending on who she has mentioned it to. I recently, within the past few weeks, told Kristen, Bird and Caitlin. Oh and Isabella has known for quite some time because shes out here visiting and she is going through the same process.
Anyways, it seems the cat is now out of the bag. We weren't trying to hide it, just waiting til it was official because that would (I guess?) make it easier to take about about bring up. Kristen and I said something about the venue being in Charleston potentially, because Zach will hopefully be going to school there. I have also mentioned it in these blogs, but since Facebook changed its layout there isn't really a link to this blog, so most people aren't seeing it. Well between the two I got a storm of Facebook comments, messages, chats and text messages in the past oh 18 hours. I appreciate all of the comments and questions, but I figured I would put out what we have figured out so far on here.
Zach and I found "the ring" most likely and now we are going through the steps of when we will buy it and stuff. It's amazing, so obviously we'll be getting officially (if you want to use that word) engaged shortly after... because, well, I want to wear it. We will be home very, very soon, so when we know hes about to enlist, or shortly after, we will go to the Courthouse and get married on paper so everything is squared away on that end. Initially I figured just the two of us would deal with it, because its just a Courthouse, but a few people have mentioned coming, and I actually love that idea. So I'm currently thinking the Leesburg Courthouse.. not just because its close (you can go anywhere in the state) but its also beautiful, and then going out to have lunch with whoever is in the area and we're close with and they want to. Very casual and probably not a huge group, but that may change since both of us have family in the area and our best friends.
Then in September of this year, depending on this military stuff, or maybe not til May-Sept 2010 we will have the actual wedding. If we do it in Charleston, I think I've found the venue. It's gorgeous and exactly what I'm looking for - which is somewhere casual but still nice, where it'll feel like a nice weekend getaway instead of just a 4 hour wedding. So now its just time to plan (dresses, colors, food, etc.) and actually get engaged/fill in people who haven't been so they don't feel like I intentionally didn't tell them but did tell other people. That certainly isn't the case - I haven't told very many people who haven't straight up asked me about it.
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Valentine's Day
So yesterday was Valentines Day. It isn't really a holiday I get into, I'm not girly enough probably, but it ended up being a great day anyways. I had made chocolate covered fruit for my coworker who is so good to me, and I know she loves chocolate covered oranges and bananas. She never lets on to what she likes, so when she let this one slip I knew I had to act. So it felt good to surprise her.
Then she gave me a thing of Godiva truffles, which I'm still working on and Godiva is just so good. I thought this was the end of my V-day because I made Zach promise not to get me anything (with death as a punishment).. but then as I'm not the phone with my mom and Edible Arrangement of chocolate covered strawberries from Kristen shows up. Totally made my day, I couldn't believe it.
After I left work I came up to see the girls, as always, and that actually ended up breaking my heart. Keira got flowers from a boy at school (shes in 1st grade..) and Kyla was legitimately heartbroken that she didn't get a gift. Sure, she got the cards and candy the whole class gets, but she knew there was a difference and didn't know why no boys wanted to give her flowers. Usually when kids their age cry, its not really heartfelt, but this was. She was crushed. It killed me. I wanted Zach to bring both of them flowers, but he was on the motorcycle. Don't even want to know how it'll be in middle and high school...
Then she gave me a thing of Godiva truffles, which I'm still working on and Godiva is just so good. I thought this was the end of my V-day because I made Zach promise not to get me anything (with death as a punishment).. but then as I'm not the phone with my mom and Edible Arrangement of chocolate covered strawberries from Kristen shows up. Totally made my day, I couldn't believe it.
After I left work I came up to see the girls, as always, and that actually ended up breaking my heart. Keira got flowers from a boy at school (shes in 1st grade..) and Kyla was legitimately heartbroken that she didn't get a gift. Sure, she got the cards and candy the whole class gets, but she knew there was a difference and didn't know why no boys wanted to give her flowers. Usually when kids their age cry, its not really heartfelt, but this was. She was crushed. It killed me. I wanted Zach to bring both of them flowers, but he was on the motorcycle. Don't even want to know how it'll be in middle and high school...
Sunday, February 13, 2011
Rubiks Cubes and a Corvette
Few stories from this weekend:
1) Zach and I were sharing a car on Friday so he could exercise with the dog and we could go straight from my work to the jewelry district. I went outside to wait for him on the sidewalk, just like I usually do. I see a loud Corvette go by, don't think anything of it, until the thing flips around and parks in front of me. I slowly turn to give the guy an annoyed look, because I hate random people trying to talk to me, until I see Zach is the driver's seat. I then proceeded to just stare at him for a few moments despite the fact that hes essentially in the middle of the road. I was so confused. The thing is kind of fun, but I didn't love it. It was a great surprise, which is what Zach intended (its his bosses boyfriends car), and you can feel every bump in these terrible LA roads. Zach had a blast.. untillllll... He woke up this morning and found that someone had cut through the roof and stolen the radio. Seriously, everything bad happens to him. If it can happen and its terrible, its going to happen to him. I felt so bad for him. He went to the police station and filed a report, and finally got a hold of the owner. The owner was pretty understanding, but doesn't want to file an insurance claim, so hopefully he doesn't think that Zach's going to pay for the entire thing to get fixed just because he isn't filing a claim. He wanted Zach to buy the car, which is why he kept asking Zach to borrow it, but I'm hoping Zach doesn't. I don't like Corvettes, especially this one now.
2) The jewelry district was awesomeeee. We knew we would only have time to go to one store before we went, and I'm glad we went to the one we did. I love the ring we found there, and I feel like he gave us a great education and a great price. We went to the mall afterward and saw some other rings, and even though they were only a little less expensive they were MUCH worse diamonds... like pretty much yellow. Beautiful settings at the mall too, but I want a better quality diamond even if it means a little more money. We will be going back to a couple other stores in the jewelry district, but this is certainly a huge front runner.
3) Yesterday Zach and I went with Layne (Corvette owner) to his son's Rubik's cube competition. Funniest thing I've ever been to. His son is actually really cool and extremely normal (especially compared to these super nerdy Cal Tech kids) and hes even started his own website to sell Rubik's cube things despite only being 16. Supposedly hes making really good money off of it. The other kids at the competition call him Justin Beiber, which I loved. It was truly a fascinating experience.
4) Keira and I (and Kyla a little bit) just made some chocolate covered fruit in my fondue thing. She and I rarely do things together like this, so it was a great bonding experience. My coworker, Frances, is always so nice to me; she is one of the kindest people I have ever met and she loves to surprise me with lunches, tea lattes and pastries. She is so hard to buy anything for (and she is SO fast at getting the bill at restaurants, its unfair) but last week she mentioned that she loves the chocolate covered oranges and bananas at edible arrangements while she was ordering for her cousin. Being that Valentines Day is tomorrow I decided to make her both of those, and of course some strawberries for myself :). I bought a ton of fruit so we've been snacking the whole time, and I certainly made enough to eat some myself.
Anyways, Zach and I are more excited by the day to get home. This Corvette getting broken into made it that much worse. Zach doesn't want to be in our apartment for even another night, and he won't be bringing his motorcycle back there at all. I also found out my grandparents aren't coming out here until April, so I'm just going to fly out with them then. So glad February is a short month, we'll be back soooon.
1) Zach and I were sharing a car on Friday so he could exercise with the dog and we could go straight from my work to the jewelry district. I went outside to wait for him on the sidewalk, just like I usually do. I see a loud Corvette go by, don't think anything of it, until the thing flips around and parks in front of me. I slowly turn to give the guy an annoyed look, because I hate random people trying to talk to me, until I see Zach is the driver's seat. I then proceeded to just stare at him for a few moments despite the fact that hes essentially in the middle of the road. I was so confused. The thing is kind of fun, but I didn't love it. It was a great surprise, which is what Zach intended (its his bosses boyfriends car), and you can feel every bump in these terrible LA roads. Zach had a blast.. untillllll... He woke up this morning and found that someone had cut through the roof and stolen the radio. Seriously, everything bad happens to him. If it can happen and its terrible, its going to happen to him. I felt so bad for him. He went to the police station and filed a report, and finally got a hold of the owner. The owner was pretty understanding, but doesn't want to file an insurance claim, so hopefully he doesn't think that Zach's going to pay for the entire thing to get fixed just because he isn't filing a claim. He wanted Zach to buy the car, which is why he kept asking Zach to borrow it, but I'm hoping Zach doesn't. I don't like Corvettes, especially this one now.
2) The jewelry district was awesomeeee. We knew we would only have time to go to one store before we went, and I'm glad we went to the one we did. I love the ring we found there, and I feel like he gave us a great education and a great price. We went to the mall afterward and saw some other rings, and even though they were only a little less expensive they were MUCH worse diamonds... like pretty much yellow. Beautiful settings at the mall too, but I want a better quality diamond even if it means a little more money. We will be going back to a couple other stores in the jewelry district, but this is certainly a huge front runner.
3) Yesterday Zach and I went with Layne (Corvette owner) to his son's Rubik's cube competition. Funniest thing I've ever been to. His son is actually really cool and extremely normal (especially compared to these super nerdy Cal Tech kids) and hes even started his own website to sell Rubik's cube things despite only being 16. Supposedly hes making really good money off of it. The other kids at the competition call him Justin Beiber, which I loved. It was truly a fascinating experience.
4) Keira and I (and Kyla a little bit) just made some chocolate covered fruit in my fondue thing. She and I rarely do things together like this, so it was a great bonding experience. My coworker, Frances, is always so nice to me; she is one of the kindest people I have ever met and she loves to surprise me with lunches, tea lattes and pastries. She is so hard to buy anything for (and she is SO fast at getting the bill at restaurants, its unfair) but last week she mentioned that she loves the chocolate covered oranges and bananas at edible arrangements while she was ordering for her cousin. Being that Valentines Day is tomorrow I decided to make her both of those, and of course some strawberries for myself :). I bought a ton of fruit so we've been snacking the whole time, and I certainly made enough to eat some myself.
Anyways, Zach and I are more excited by the day to get home. This Corvette getting broken into made it that much worse. Zach doesn't want to be in our apartment for even another night, and he won't be bringing his motorcycle back there at all. I also found out my grandparents aren't coming out here until April, so I'm just going to fly out with them then. So glad February is a short month, we'll be back soooon.
Friday, February 11, 2011
Random/Unnecessary thoughts and updates
I'm bored at work so here are things that have been on my mind lately. Sorry if any of these are a repeat (to the three? people who read this). This is primarily because I am bored at work and am sick of staring at the nothingness that is Facebook to fill my time.
1) I hate people who drive in Southern California. Or I just hate driving in Southern California. Well, sometimes its amazing because the scenery is SICK, or because you get to see things I thought people only saw in movies (crazy crackheads or cross-dressing prostitutes dancing on the streets), or even because you see places you've seen in movies. But the traffic here makes you go insane. I was already insane because of traffic. Then I got here and it was worse. My 5 mile ride to work takes 45 minutes, almost all the time. Occasionally it'll be a little shorter, occasionally it can be much longer. Technically that's not bad.. because I don't even have to go on a highway! Just an average road. Too many cars in SoCal.
2) I'm sure some people are going to think Zach and I are crazzzzyyyyy for coming home. We aren't. Yes, you're right, LA is incredibly awesome and so much fun. Yes, we've had a great time here and I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world. But there is a reason for our madness. I'll skip over the obvious things like how grossly expensive it is to rent here, or the traffic previously mentioned, or how much I miss my family and friends. But Zach's going to be in a boot camp for 2 months and then intense schooling for over a year and a half. That's two years where hes pretty stuck in a location away from home. Two years where he can't take a vacation or go visit his family. I don't blame him for wanting to go home as early as possible before he enlists so he can be as ready as possible for this. Because I certainly couldn't live across the country from my family and then go 2 years with hardly being able to see them, and I know he can't either. Hopefully this explanation makes our plan and reasons for coming home clear - Zach got into (or so it seems so far..) this great and advanced program in the Navy that's a huge opportunity for him, so we're coming home until he starts the program and then we'll move again, that time to Charleston.
(I put this in caps because, like I said, I'm sure people whom I care very little about will have negative opinions).
3) I have changed so much out here. I don't know if it will be obvious to everyone/anyone, and I don't even know if all of it is obvious to me. But living here has made a huge difference in my life and who I am, and I think the same goes for Zach. This, too, is for more than just the obvious reasons. For example, seeing Keira and Kyla every day and being around their friends so much makes us very different people. When children are in your life you realize what is really important. Being cool and going to the clubs and seeking drama are so incredibly boring when you have people you love so much in your life. That I kind of knew already, of course, but its a little different now.
4) I already forget what winter feels like at home. I can't begin to imagine being in cold weather. Zach and I were talking about making stops on the way home, then we realized we would have the cats in the car (thatll be fun!) and that if we leave them in there they will freeze immediately because we're cross essentially Antarctica. Every year I'm shocked by how long and cold winter is in DC though, so this isn't that abnormal for me.
5) Back to the coming home thing, I get more excited the more I think about it. You forget what it feels like to be somewhere that feels so comfortable and just right. LA does currently feel like home. It will be weird not living here and having everything we could ever want at our fingertips. However, when we got home for Thanksgiving it just felt so different. It felt like we had gone back to what was normal and what we were supposed to be doing. When I see pictures of my parent's house and hear what they're doing, its very strange not being there. The idea of seeing certain people again is enough to make me want to leave tomorrow because I'm just so excited. The idea of seeing certain other people makes me a little bit crazy and ponder whats wrong with the world.. but we wont go there. But I do know that we will miss living here a ton, especially being able to see my family. The idea that we'll only get to see them maybe twice a year (Hawaii this summer!!) is so odd. Now it's more common for me to see them twice in one day. They need to move east.
6) Tonight Zach and I are going to go to the diamond district. I'm PUMPED. I'm getting more and more excited at the idea of a wedding. Zach's put a lot more effort into the relationship lately, and I've realized I tend to take my stress (which comes in mass quantities) out on him and that he somehow manages to put up with me. So we're doing pretty well. Also, I like to plan, so whenever I have something to plan, I'm happy. Anyways, we've found some great places to look at for the diamonds, and I now know exactly what I want. It all came to me on the ride to work today. I'd seen a bunch of similar stuff but now I know exactly what I want and how I can get it. Muahahahaha.
7) More on said wedding. You can tell I'm really searching for things to entertain myself with here. Before Zach and I were sure we'd do the wedding out here. My mom even liked the idea because it could be just family and close friends, and we'd all get a nice vacation out of it. Now its seeming less likely. I've found this amazing place in Charleston, SC that I think will work, but I'm still looking. No matter what we do I don't think it'll be within an hour of Nova, so people will still have to take a little vacation for it. But hey, the people I really care about will make it, so that's all I care about. This, by the way, is another reason I'm pumped to get home.. I'll have people to plan this with, which makes it so much more fun. Also a reason to be excited for the ring, because I'm not doing any wedding preparations in public without a ring on my finger. Yessss it's all coming together for you now. Oh, and let me note now that Zach plans on doing some romantic proposal, but I'm crossing my fingers he doesn't. Not my style.
Ok I'm gonna stop now. Gotta make some mac n cheese before Zach picks me up for the jewelry shopping (sharing the car today to cut down on commute ;) )
1) I hate people who drive in Southern California. Or I just hate driving in Southern California. Well, sometimes its amazing because the scenery is SICK, or because you get to see things I thought people only saw in movies (crazy crackheads or cross-dressing prostitutes dancing on the streets), or even because you see places you've seen in movies. But the traffic here makes you go insane. I was already insane because of traffic. Then I got here and it was worse. My 5 mile ride to work takes 45 minutes, almost all the time. Occasionally it'll be a little shorter, occasionally it can be much longer. Technically that's not bad.. because I don't even have to go on a highway! Just an average road. Too many cars in SoCal.
2) I'm sure some people are going to think Zach and I are crazzzzyyyyy for coming home. We aren't. Yes, you're right, LA is incredibly awesome and so much fun. Yes, we've had a great time here and I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world. But there is a reason for our madness. I'll skip over the obvious things like how grossly expensive it is to rent here, or the traffic previously mentioned, or how much I miss my family and friends. But Zach's going to be in a boot camp for 2 months and then intense schooling for over a year and a half. That's two years where hes pretty stuck in a location away from home. Two years where he can't take a vacation or go visit his family. I don't blame him for wanting to go home as early as possible before he enlists so he can be as ready as possible for this. Because I certainly couldn't live across the country from my family and then go 2 years with hardly being able to see them, and I know he can't either. Hopefully this explanation makes our plan and reasons for coming home clear - Zach got into (or so it seems so far..) this great and advanced program in the Navy that's a huge opportunity for him, so we're coming home until he starts the program and then we'll move again, that time to Charleston.
(I put this in caps because, like I said, I'm sure people whom I care very little about will have negative opinions).
3) I have changed so much out here. I don't know if it will be obvious to everyone/anyone, and I don't even know if all of it is obvious to me. But living here has made a huge difference in my life and who I am, and I think the same goes for Zach. This, too, is for more than just the obvious reasons. For example, seeing Keira and Kyla every day and being around their friends so much makes us very different people. When children are in your life you realize what is really important. Being cool and going to the clubs and seeking drama are so incredibly boring when you have people you love so much in your life. That I kind of knew already, of course, but its a little different now.
4) I already forget what winter feels like at home. I can't begin to imagine being in cold weather. Zach and I were talking about making stops on the way home, then we realized we would have the cats in the car (thatll be fun!) and that if we leave them in there they will freeze immediately because we're cross essentially Antarctica. Every year I'm shocked by how long and cold winter is in DC though, so this isn't that abnormal for me.
5) Back to the coming home thing, I get more excited the more I think about it. You forget what it feels like to be somewhere that feels so comfortable and just right. LA does currently feel like home. It will be weird not living here and having everything we could ever want at our fingertips. However, when we got home for Thanksgiving it just felt so different. It felt like we had gone back to what was normal and what we were supposed to be doing. When I see pictures of my parent's house and hear what they're doing, its very strange not being there. The idea of seeing certain people again is enough to make me want to leave tomorrow because I'm just so excited. The idea of seeing certain other people makes me a little bit crazy and ponder whats wrong with the world.. but we wont go there. But I do know that we will miss living here a ton, especially being able to see my family. The idea that we'll only get to see them maybe twice a year (Hawaii this summer!!) is so odd. Now it's more common for me to see them twice in one day. They need to move east.
6) Tonight Zach and I are going to go to the diamond district. I'm PUMPED. I'm getting more and more excited at the idea of a wedding. Zach's put a lot more effort into the relationship lately, and I've realized I tend to take my stress (which comes in mass quantities) out on him and that he somehow manages to put up with me. So we're doing pretty well. Also, I like to plan, so whenever I have something to plan, I'm happy. Anyways, we've found some great places to look at for the diamonds, and I now know exactly what I want. It all came to me on the ride to work today. I'd seen a bunch of similar stuff but now I know exactly what I want and how I can get it. Muahahahaha.
7) More on said wedding. You can tell I'm really searching for things to entertain myself with here. Before Zach and I were sure we'd do the wedding out here. My mom even liked the idea because it could be just family and close friends, and we'd all get a nice vacation out of it. Now its seeming less likely. I've found this amazing place in Charleston, SC that I think will work, but I'm still looking. No matter what we do I don't think it'll be within an hour of Nova, so people will still have to take a little vacation for it. But hey, the people I really care about will make it, so that's all I care about. This, by the way, is another reason I'm pumped to get home.. I'll have people to plan this with, which makes it so much more fun. Also a reason to be excited for the ring, because I'm not doing any wedding preparations in public without a ring on my finger. Yessss it's all coming together for you now. Oh, and let me note now that Zach plans on doing some romantic proposal, but I'm crossing my fingers he doesn't. Not my style.
Ok I'm gonna stop now. Gotta make some mac n cheese before Zach picks me up for the jewelry shopping (sharing the car today to cut down on commute ;) )
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Ch-ch-ch-changessss
Well, Zach and I made a big decision yesterday. In about a month we will be moving home. It came to us to do it soon because I was SOOO sick Monday-Wednesday (he was slightly sick for about 24 hours too) and it just sucked being sick away from home. It also made it so we didn't have to go to our jobs, which we just enjoyed way too much because both of us have been unhappy with our jobs lately.
Telling my boss about it was pretty hard, because I knew he would be disappointed. As mean as he can be sometimes, I know he is a really nice and good guy. We are also pretty darn busy right now, so its not the best timing. But once he heard that Zach was joining the Navy and that we were going to move home until the boot camp and stuff he told me that I was making the right decision. The hardest part will be telling Mitch and Donna. But my mom sounds very excited (and Kristen.. well I THINK she might be too :) )
By the way, this being sick stuff.. the word "sick" doesn't do it justice. I was dying. On my death bed. Writing my will. I have never been so light headed in my life. I couldn't walk 10 feet at times without getting light headed. I was literally glued to my couch all three days. Besides having mono I can't think of the last time I was even close to that sick. The light headedness was the biggest problem for me getting to work and stuff, but the incredible body aches, high fever and lovely sweating that goes along with it, nausea, headaches.. all of it. It was awful.
I think I got this lovely illness from Keira, because Zach and I babysat them this weekend. Mitch and Donna were going to Mammoth to ski with their friends, and the girls were supposed to go but since Keira had been sick a lot of the week and didn't want to go, they ended up asking us to babysit the girls Friday morning. Friday night we just hung out, knowing we had to rest up for our weekend ahead. I cooked the girls' dinners, because I'm a pro. I also made breakfast, including Kyla's sole meal of bacon. I'm so awesome. Saturday morning we went to Chinatown for dim sum and to get the girls toys (the ploy to get them to stay home). We happened to be there on the same day as the Chinese New Year parade. That made it crazy, and unfortunately we didn't get to see the parade because it got sooo packed while we were eating. The girls had a birthday party that night, which was great because that's when death started knocking on my door, this time in the form of a serious headache.
The next day we went to the zoo in the morning. Usually we go to the Santa Barbara zoo, but since it was the day of the Super Bowl we couldn't dedicate a full day to the trip. The LA zoo was better than I expected, and we had a great time. But it was HOT. Like I was concerned the girls were going to get overheated (and that I was going to). Fortunately, ICEE's saved the day. And delicious burritos. We also happened to be there during a special event.. they had put snow in a lot of the cages. Unfortunately we didn't get to see any of the animals playing in the snow, but we did get to see a seal or something sleeping in very weird positions, the walrus's getting treats and medication and feeding time in the gorilla cage. Awesome.
So, about a month from now I will probably have to start a new blog, because I will no longer be Caroline in Cali.
Telling my boss about it was pretty hard, because I knew he would be disappointed. As mean as he can be sometimes, I know he is a really nice and good guy. We are also pretty darn busy right now, so its not the best timing. But once he heard that Zach was joining the Navy and that we were going to move home until the boot camp and stuff he told me that I was making the right decision. The hardest part will be telling Mitch and Donna. But my mom sounds very excited (and Kristen.. well I THINK she might be too :) )
By the way, this being sick stuff.. the word "sick" doesn't do it justice. I was dying. On my death bed. Writing my will. I have never been so light headed in my life. I couldn't walk 10 feet at times without getting light headed. I was literally glued to my couch all three days. Besides having mono I can't think of the last time I was even close to that sick. The light headedness was the biggest problem for me getting to work and stuff, but the incredible body aches, high fever and lovely sweating that goes along with it, nausea, headaches.. all of it. It was awful.
I think I got this lovely illness from Keira, because Zach and I babysat them this weekend. Mitch and Donna were going to Mammoth to ski with their friends, and the girls were supposed to go but since Keira had been sick a lot of the week and didn't want to go, they ended up asking us to babysit the girls Friday morning. Friday night we just hung out, knowing we had to rest up for our weekend ahead. I cooked the girls' dinners, because I'm a pro. I also made breakfast, including Kyla's sole meal of bacon. I'm so awesome. Saturday morning we went to Chinatown for dim sum and to get the girls toys (the ploy to get them to stay home). We happened to be there on the same day as the Chinese New Year parade. That made it crazy, and unfortunately we didn't get to see the parade because it got sooo packed while we were eating. The girls had a birthday party that night, which was great because that's when death started knocking on my door, this time in the form of a serious headache.
The next day we went to the zoo in the morning. Usually we go to the Santa Barbara zoo, but since it was the day of the Super Bowl we couldn't dedicate a full day to the trip. The LA zoo was better than I expected, and we had a great time. But it was HOT. Like I was concerned the girls were going to get overheated (and that I was going to). Fortunately, ICEE's saved the day. And delicious burritos. We also happened to be there during a special event.. they had put snow in a lot of the cages. Unfortunately we didn't get to see any of the animals playing in the snow, but we did get to see a seal or something sleeping in very weird positions, the walrus's getting treats and medication and feeding time in the gorilla cage. Awesome.
So, about a month from now I will probably have to start a new blog, because I will no longer be Caroline in Cali.
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
A Cold and Stressful Week
1) As I start to write this there is a crazy homeless man walking down the street behind my office screaming weird things and as he rolls his bike and shopping cart. Fun stuff.
Anyways, this week is freezing! I had to wear a winter coat yesterday. The high was 60 degrees, but I swear it felt much colder. The winds have been so strong that they have tipped over some 18 wheelers. I know its beyond freezing in the rest of the country, though, so I shouldn't complain.
Keira had a fever the past few days so Mitchell and I both felt a little icky, but we're both feeling better now fortunately.
That, along with the stress of this Navy stuff put me in a horrible mood yesterday. It was one of those days where I almost left the office and would have never come back. My boss was in a bad mood too, which certainly doesn't help.
The stress came from Zach trying to get into this Nuclear program, which is one of the toughest to get into in the Navy. It is one of only 2 programs that looks at your individualized grades in high school. Unfortunately he had worse grades than he remember for a couple of the years, and we were afraid he wouldn't even be allowed to take the next test because of them. It was very disappointing. Then, last night his recruiter called and said he was able to get a waiver, essentially, and they were letting him take the test today. One of the best phone calls hes ever received. He just got out of the test and feels pretty confident, but we aren't getting our hopes up because we've already gone through a day of being very let down from the grades. So fingers crossed we get a good phone call again tomorrow morning saying that he passed.
When I know more, I'll update!
Anyways, this week is freezing! I had to wear a winter coat yesterday. The high was 60 degrees, but I swear it felt much colder. The winds have been so strong that they have tipped over some 18 wheelers. I know its beyond freezing in the rest of the country, though, so I shouldn't complain.
Keira had a fever the past few days so Mitchell and I both felt a little icky, but we're both feeling better now fortunately.
That, along with the stress of this Navy stuff put me in a horrible mood yesterday. It was one of those days where I almost left the office and would have never come back. My boss was in a bad mood too, which certainly doesn't help.
The stress came from Zach trying to get into this Nuclear program, which is one of the toughest to get into in the Navy. It is one of only 2 programs that looks at your individualized grades in high school. Unfortunately he had worse grades than he remember for a couple of the years, and we were afraid he wouldn't even be allowed to take the next test because of them. It was very disappointing. Then, last night his recruiter called and said he was able to get a waiver, essentially, and they were letting him take the test today. One of the best phone calls hes ever received. He just got out of the test and feels pretty confident, but we aren't getting our hopes up because we've already gone through a day of being very let down from the grades. So fingers crossed we get a good phone call again tomorrow morning saying that he passed.
When I know more, I'll update!
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