who doesn’t like that phrase when it relates to their particular situation? =)

my friend Mike (who hasn’t posted in his blog since Thanksgiving) went to Las Vegas with friend Elayne for a business trip last week. they took my laptop so they could do a short power point presentation on our company and what we could do for the folks attending the convention. this laptop had been given to me by friend Steve. for free. =) it was old, kinda clunky, slow, and the usb ports and battery didn’t work. I loved it, though – it represented freedom, choice of computing location, and had been VERY handy to have around.

well. friends Mike and Elayne took a cab from the airport to their hotel, the first day they were in Vegas, and Mike left his bag (which contained, among other things that were really important to him, my laptop) in the cab. needless to say, that bag never reappeared.

turns out that he can claim that bag and everything in it with his homeowner’s insurance (this homeowner’s insurance must be a wonderful thing – I’m gonna have to look into it when we buy a house). he said he’s gonna get money for the laptop. so, he’s replacing it with that money by buying me a much, much better one on ebay – one that is a lot faster, with more storage, a usb port that works, and a battery that holds a charge. =)

Steve, thanks for giving me that laptop. I’m sorry it got lost. but… rest in the knowledge that you gave me (by the transitive property, right Dave?) an even better one. =) and Mike, thanks for taking care of me.

it was a sad, sad thing, but it had to be done.

the grand am is now my car only in memory. a brief moment of silence, please…

okay. good enough. Mike used some modeling epoxy, glued the driver’s side mirror back onto the car, and we drove it in to Honda West with my folks in tow. they gave us way more than than the grand am was worth. we drove away with a 2001 Accord EX – it’s beautiful. pictures soon.

things I like about my “new” car:

• it only has 2 doors
• it has a moonroof
• it has a 6-disc changer AND a tape player
• it’s a manual transmission
• it’s got a lot of kick in the lower gears
• the windows roll all the way up
• the sideview mirrors are attached to the car
• it’s black
• it’s got an armrest I can reach while driving
• it’s got electronic driver’s seat controls
• it’s got a car alarm
• the horn isn’t wussy
• it smells new
• it’s the first thing David and I own together

saw Oklahoma! at IU with Shawn last night. =) it was a great show – I was most impressed by their ability to maintain that slow south-central drawl, even while singing! I felt the most incredible urge to speak like that for the next week.

saw a picture of Shawn’s mystery girl, but won’t tell David about her until he makes his move. lemme ’splain… Dave and Shawn have been playing a game of chess via email (for years, probably), and it’s been Dave’s turn for three months, says Shawn.

tonight Dave’s coming down after his softball practice. similar to what Chalupa posted earlier, dishes have piled up in our apartment (though I haven’t actually eaten there but once in over a week) as well. since I haven’t seen my roomie in days and probably won’t see her until very late tonight as she’s on her way to bed, I’m gonna suck it up and go on an apartment-wide, toilet-cleaning, carpet-vacuuming, furniture-dusting cleaning spree myself. my folks are coming this weekend, so that’s an excuse, but really, I just HATE living in yuck and mess. it’s really starting to bother me.

some people are neat freaks. some people are just messy. I’m one of those folks who adapts to whomever they live with. when I roomed with Skew and Carrie Lenz, our dorm room was a disaster ALWAYS. when Annie Mahannie moved in, Skew’s part of the room remained messy, but I gravitated toward Anne’s side – picking up after myself and containing the overflow from Skew’s closet. (I love you, Skew!) then I lived alone with Anne, and our apartment was generally very neat and clean. when I first moved in with Beth, I was still in neat freak mode, but over the two years we’ve spent together, things have gotten out of hand and messy again. not that I want to rush out of living with Beth – on the contrary – but I’m looking forward to living with Dave – he’s a neat freak. =) I’m especially ready to have an always-clean kitchen.

it’s amazing how, when one set of friends seems to pull away and, in that sense, let you down, another group will step up and let you know they still care.

it’s been a rough couple of weeks. that’s why I wasn’t posting… I couldn’t really think of many things to say that weren’t me blabbing about how I was wallowing in self-pity. =) how sad was I?!

the turnaround: a call from my mother. =) I love how she can always make the world look brighter.

and, straight out of the blue, I got *five* emails, one today and four yesterday, from old friends (Sandy, who was like a second mother to me, her daughter Becky who was a one-time best-ever friend of mine, and three close girlfriends – Kristen, Sarah and Angela). each email was just sent a little note telling me that they loved me and chatting about life a little, but that was exactly what I needed. it makes things seem less like an end and more like a move. does that make sense?

getting married is going to be tough. not the wedding, or being with David – those things are going to be amazing. the hard part is going to be adjusting my relationships… because I’m engaged to David, there’s a little bit of pulling away that *has* to happen – our lives are merging, which means that mine necessarily has to be more about him than it ever has been. I’m okay with that change, ready to make it and probably am starting to. what I’m not okay with is other people adjusting like that, pulling away from *me*. that hurts, and leaves me hurting and raw…

so when my mother and these old friends, from whom I’ve felt disconnected for a good while now, all just took the time to say hello, I realized that things don’t have to end. they haven’t with these five old friends, even after all these years of being apart. they don’t have to with my close friends now, either. yes, things have to change, but things don’t have to end.

and re-realizing that has made all the difference between today and these past few weeks. I feel free. =)

I remembered, appropriately enough, that when I was in Girl Scouts as a kid, we sang a cheesy song that went like this:

make new friends but keep the old
one is silver and the other’s gold
a circle’s round and has no end
that’s how long I want to be your friend

life is meant to be tough
full of obstacles that slow us down
forcing us to stay look and see

to climb is the reason we were born
to conquer the hills we have yet to

without an incline
our journey would be just a dull walk

- rosie

Dave says “it can be an emotional experience, but it can also be an intellectual experience where you connect with God and express praise and adoration. it’s anything that lets God know how much you value him (and why).”

thoughts?

no, not talking about joysticks. although… I was wondering last night if I set up a paypal account, would people donate a dollar here, a dollar there to buy me a playstation2? probably not, I decided.

I’ve borrowed Dave’s car for the week. you know how they tell you the best way to learn something is to *do* it? this week I’ve been “sink or swim”-ing. it’s been fun.

I can now:

• reverse (on level ground)
• start smoothly from a stop (if I have time to think)
• start smoothly on an incline (if no one’s cussing at me)
• shift gears smoothly (most of the time)

I discovered yesterday that I’m not ready for reversing slowly from a parking spot when the car’s at an angle and I can’t see anything because there’s a huge van beside of me and there’s a concrete sign in front of me. I have learned to choose my parking spots a little more carefully than I do with my automatic.

but… good news. I successfully navigated stop and go traffic on a hilly road and a drive through today. =)

it’s possible, folks.

Dave and I took the weekend and went up to U-town. stayed with Steve and Rachel (thanks, guys!) and got to see Chalupa in the process. it was a good weekend.

we spent Saturday driving around – I was learning to drive stick, so it was… interesting… at least. turns out there’s nothing in Upland to be had save some student apartments. not bad, but small – small kitchens, small bathrooms… I’m used to a much bigger space now, after living in my apartment for 2 years. so we kept looking.

we drove down to Matthews, since it’s right on the interstate and I’m going to be commuting… but we turned right back around and drove back. =) I know I said I’d be okay not living in the city, but I did NOT say I’d be fine on a farm.

so, on a tip from Chalupa (to whom we’ll forever be grateful), we drove toward Gas City, to a new apartment complex that’s been built since we graduated. the place is BRAND NEW (which I can’t get over, because most of the apartments in the city are old and starting to show their age) and there’s so much space! big parking lot, big recreation center, big mailboxes, you name it. =)

pulling into the parking spot, I told Dave I thought rent would be astronomical… it was beautiful and NEW. =) but we went in anyway – couldn’t hurt to check it out. we talked with a lady there who explained it was section 42 housing. neither of us knew what that was – turns out, if you make less than 30% of the area’s mean income, you qualify to live in this complex. the cutoff was higher what I made alone, but with Dave’s income, we don’t qualify.

“no problem,” says the lady – “come back when Dave stops working for the summer.” technically, he’ll be unemployed and we’ll be living only on my salary, which makes that cutoff! it doesn’t matter how much we make once we’re approved – it’s just for the initial approval. so, Dave’s going to call her as soon as he finishes teaching in a couple of weeks and we’re going to see if we will have a place to live.

the apartment she showed us was perfect – large feeling and airy, lots of windows, thick carpet, washer/dryer hookups, diswasher, garbage disposal, balcony, etc., etc., etc. I loved it, and wanted to stop looking right away.

so… we’ll see. in a couple of weeks, we may have a new address!

blogger NEVER posts files correctly. when, o when, will they get their act together?

it’s been a good week – I’ve actually had work to do and have been tempted several days to stay late (which is good for the checkbook). it’s a nice change of pace from the last few weeks, for sure!

we ordered our invitations today (I hope the text doesn’t turn out pink!) – we should be getting them in the mail soon. and we should be addressing them soon. we need to get on it and start gathering addresses. so… if you read this and I haven’t already asked you for your address, email it to me! I’m scared to death I’m going to leave someone important off my list on accident.

and, because I’m sending out invitations soon, I’m working on a website (nothing fancy) that will have wedding details. it’s an easy way to list hotels in the area, post the itinerary, give directions, show maps, etc. for out-of-towners. I decided to have some fun with it. =) I have a deadline so I might actually follow through on this project! (we added the url to the invitations rather than including maps and things in the actual invitation).