As Dave and i were finishing up dinner on evening recently, I was casually flipping through a Yankee Candle catalog when I came across a candle named "Wedding Day." Not really expecting any answer from Dave, I asked out loud, "I wonder what Wedding Day smells like?" to which he replied, without missing a beat or even looking up, "Fear." God, I love that man.
Things have been going really well, lately. I have been one three interviews, none of which turned into job offers, but I have really enjoyed the time away from the stress and routine of working a full-time corporate job. No longer am I feeling embarrassed about being let go from a job that I wasn't even very happy with, but didn't realize it until I was forced to give it up. I miss a few of the people I used to work with, but that's it. Time to move on.
Things that I've been doing to occupy my time since involuntarily becoming a house-wife.
1) Remodeling. I am really good at painting! I tore all of the wallpaper off the guest bathroom one day in a very impulsive (and very Chelle-like) move. Afterwards, the dry wall was in rough shape, so Dave put a skim-coat of joint compound on it, but after applying two coats of paint, I decided it still looked rough. So I decided to add sand to the paint! For texture! To cover up all of the dings and uneven spots on the walls (there were a lot) and what do you know? Corporate America had not sucked all of the creativity out of my soul as I had feared! The sand makes a nice subtle texture and adds a little something to a bathroom that has been decorated in a mosh-posh of beach and garden themes.
2) Exercise. Forcing yourself to workout isn't nearly as difficult when you aren't exhausted from working full-time. Who knew? I've been running, walking the dogs, lifting light weights and plan to start the 30 Day Shred program soon. I decided to put it off until after my sister-in-law's visit next week. That way I do not embarrass myself by having to exercise in front of her.
3) Travel. I have been to Florida three (3!) times since May. Once to pet sit for the grandparents for about a week, and twice to help my mom set-up, then immediately dismantle a third grade classroom (long story).
4) Reading. I had forgotten how nice it was to sit and read for a spell. In the past 3 months, I have re-read the entire Harry Potter series. I got confused after seeing the latest movie, so I decided I needed a refresher. I've also been reading a bunch of romance novels that mom keeps sending/giving to me, but I doubt anybody really wants details on those.
I am currently being stared at by three very hungry cats, so I better go start feeding the menagerie. Wishing you and yours a happy Friday and a wonderful weekend!
It smells like fear, but it's not really
Have fuel, will travel
So I'm not sure if you've heard, but Atlanta is running out of gas. Literally. Dave and I didn't do much over the weekend because of the gas crisis. But we were able to completely finish the bedroom renovations and we've moved out of the guest room. I went through all of my clothes and Dave went through a lot of his and we now have four huge trash bags full of donations for the local Goodwill. I am through with keeping clothes that I may someday be able to fit back into or that may come back into style. I am fighting the pack rat gene and so far, I'm winning.
Besides all of the cleaning and organizing I was able to accomplish, this weekend's gas shortage had another positive influence. Twitter's real-time messaging service was elevated to a whole new level when Atlantans started using it to let each other know where to find gas, and even what grades were available, how much the station was charging, and how long one could expect to wait in line at that station. The search tag #atlgas was added to these tweets to make it easier for others in the Metro Atlanta area to find fuel. I think at one time, the #atlgas tag was ranked fourth in the trending topics on Twitter, which at that time, placed it in a position above tweets about the bailout.
Speaking of the bailout, I am ready to hole up in my house and wait for teh storm to be over. The economy is not looking so good and all I can do is hope that our politicians know what they are doing when it comes to this plan to bail out the financial institutions that are failing fast. I also hope that the bailout doesn't allow those responsible for this fiscal mess to walk away scot-free and with millions of dollars of profits in their pockets, especially if the middle class is going to be taxed with providing the 700 billion needed for this bailout. Life can be so unfair sometimes; I hope this isn't one of those times.
But I am going to try and put all of the nation's crises out of my head for the time being, even if I have to play this song over and over in order to accomplish some semblance of inner tranquility. I have a full tank of gas and I'm ready to leave all my troubles behind. Beach vacation with friends, here I come!
On Fall, bathing suits and home improvement
Today is the first day of fall and this morning's chilliness definitely announced the end of summer, like a punch in the gut. It's also officially the second half of my work day and I am so tired and hungry. Maybe I should eat something?
I am hoping that a cold front is not scheduled for the first weekend of October. I have my last hurrah of summer beach trip planned and I want to be able to wear my new swimsuit. I made the mistake of trying on swimsuits late last night, since I couldn't sleep anyway, and discovered that most of mine are either too small or make me look like I am trying to be 21 years old all over again. So I got online when I first got to work this morning and bought this one. If it fits. (Please fit.) My size is fluctuating so much lately, that I am having a hard time figuring out what size to buy. I spent all day Saturday going through my clothes and now have 3 big black trash bags full to give to Goodwill. I don't know why I have been hanging on to stuff I used to wear in high school (hello, 10 year reunion that is coming up next year!). I do not think I will ever be that size again, so I was cut throat this weekend and got rid of a lot of things that I used to love. When they still fit.
This weekend was also spent cleaning out our hallway closet and finishing up our master bedroom. Dave installed the baseboards and I applied two coats of polyurethane to them. I painted the closet in that room, too. Now all we need to do is apply one light coat of paint to the entire room and closet and we'll be able to move back in. I can hardly wait until I get to sleep in my king sized bed again. If I get up in the middle of the night for any reason at all, Dave immediately rolls over and claims the entire full-sized guest bed for himself and I have to fight my way back in.
Two Important Updates:
1. My grandma is doing so much better. She's been staying with my mom since she got out of the hospital last week and I know that must be frustrating for both of them. I think she will be moving back into her little cottage very soon and she'll be back to her old tricks, as long as she takes her medication like a good girl.
2. I have kept to my exercising-during-my-lunch-break plan and it is going well. When it is too hot to walk, we have been doing yoga in an empty office using this site. I highly recommend it for people who do not have the time or inclination to go to a yoga studio (like me!) and would prefer to practice on their own time and at their own pace. At $10 a month, it's a very reasonable way to exercise.
Uneasy like Sunday morning.
1. The floor is stained and will be sealed tomorrow, I hope. I am tired of home improvement projects and cannot wait until we can take a break already. Also, I have learned that no project that Dave starts stays within budget. Did you know that polyurethane floor sealant costs $40 per gallon? I didn't either and by the time I picked myself up off the floor and recovered from that dead faint, Dave had already walked away and started cleaning up the rented sander to turn in tomorrow morning. Dave and his improvement projects are going to be the death of me yet. That brings me to...
2. Dave and I have been fighting today. About money. And I am sick and tired of it because it is literally the same fight we always have. I feel like I should say, "wait a minute; let me go find my script." After a lot of yelling, we are at an impasse. Until the next time, that is.
3. My friend, who I was all ready to give another chance after she about blew off our relationship, did not come to visit this weekend like she said she was going to. She did not call or email to say she was or was not coming, therefore I am guessing that she has made the choice I previously described as difficult much easier for me. I wish her the best of luck in all of her future endeavors as I wash my hands of her. Hopefully, she will eventually learn to treat people a little better.
4. I've been busy today with chores. I did the laundry, washed both dogs, cleaned and replaced the screens on all of our windows, straightened the house, and cooked dinner. For the rest of the day day I plan to do nothing more than read a book and drink some of my newly acquired Black Box wine that is both delicious and contains a convenient spout for easier dispensing. It is also vacuum sealed, so will last up to 4 weeks...though I will most likely have consumed it all by then, if my dealings with Dave continue to be as stressful as they were today.
5. I'm going to go and drink more wine now as I count down the minutes until bed time. I sure hope that next week is a lot easier on me than this one has been.
A man and his dog
Dave and Prue are busy working on the floor today. The sanding is almost done and that will leave staining and sealing and then it will be finished. And none too soon, since there is a major hurricane heading toward the Gulf of Mexico and, quite possibly, the panhandle of Florida where a lot of my family lives. We may need to move out of the spare bedroom sooner than we thought. I am hoping to be able to talk my mom and grandmother into coming up here if Hurricane Ike looks like it will be targeting the panhandle and we'll need all the spare room we can get.
So far, today has been busy. We went to Lowe's to rent a sander early this morning only to get it home and have it not work. Figures. So we took it back, along with about $60 worth of sandpaper. Dave actually had to explain that the sander did not work and ask for his money back to the same clerk that had rented it to him. I guess she just assumed that he had sanded his floor really really fast and that he was turning it back in. After an hour. It made me miss those little mom and pop hardware stores where you actually got to talk to someone who knew what they were talking about and also where you could count on good customer service. At Lowe's, you pretty much have to fight for your rights as a customer and service is usually mediocre at best.
So, after returning the broken sander to Lowe's, we went to a privately owned tool rental place where we got really great customer service. And the rental was not only cheaper, but we get to keep it thru Monday even though we are technically renting it for one day because this location is closed on Sundays. We will definitely be renting from there again in the future and I will make it my mission to get Dave to shop at smaller, privately owned hardware stores and not at corporate chains. If we can find any near our house, that is. They seem to be a dying breed and that makes me really sad for the future of this country.
