A Simple Monday

I don't write very much about my day-to-day life. Mostly because it kind of bores me, and so I can only imagine that it would bore everyone else even more. But today had some pretty good things. 


My friend J. is up from Australia, and K. and I got to go shopping with her. Sometimes, I feel like I have no style, especially when I walk around the mall. But every once in a while, I come across a window display that looks truly heinous, and I know I'll never look that awful. 


Then, this afternoon, we went swimming. It's been so hot here, that a dip in the pool feels amazing. We bought pool toys, which makes everything twice as fun. 


This evening I made (MADE! With my own two hands!) roasted red pepper pasta. Seriously, my favourite thing in the world. But it takes forever, and it makes my hands look like I dipped them in iodine. 


The package that I sent away for finally arrived. I bought myself and early birthday present, from The Body Shop, of course.  


Now as I sit here, I smell like flowers, and I can smell dinner simmering. I'm tired from being busy all day. 

I think I'll finish the night with a round of Gilmore Girls and a Dr. Pepper. Italian soda style. 

Sunday Thoughts

If I lived in a big city, I would go to souvenir shops all the time and buy little replicas of famous monuments. Then I would decorate my home with my growing collection. 

If I lived above ground, I would buy long gauzy curtains and always have my windows open. 

But, because I live in neither of those places, I keep repeating....

Our House, Is a Very Very Very Fine House

There's a chocolate cake on the stove, cooling, and waiting to be frosted. 


There is a whole cabinet in the kitchen waiting to be reorganized. 


There's a living room that needs to be straightened. 


Pictures to hang. 


A dresser to clean and set up in the bedroom. 


Laundry to do. 


But the feeling that this is our space now,  it is filled with our things, it it where we live, is a feeling that I didn't think would come around so soon.  It is cozy. I like it here. 

Four Years Ago

I was in London four years ago. By this time in July, we'd been all through Ireland, and had settled ourselves in the city.  


By this point, I'd already managed to get kind of lost trying to find the Old Vic theatre, and found an awesome bookshop instead. Ashley and I had also managed to work out just how to ride the Underground. 


I'd been shopping at an English market. And had pastries from the Queen's grocery store. 


I'd been late to class {probably twice} 


I'd been to Oxford, where I heard a lecture about the creation and upkeep of the Oxford English Dictionary. 


I'd only been in the city for 4 days at this point, so I hadn't seen very many places or done very many things. 

But already, it had captured my heart.  I long to go back. 

Happy Monday!

There's some more work to be done before this place really starts to feel like home. I'm trying to muster up some energy. I wish I had Loralei to sing me songs. 

And then I found this. And it is awesome. One of my favourite scenes. Really. 

Is That My Voice?

I just reread all of my previous July posts. Only the July posts.  I wanted a reminder of what I've been doing in the past. It's fun to look back and see where I've been and how I've been functioning. Sometimes I function better than others. 


A year ago, I was panicked about moving and excited to get married.  The year before that was me, realizing I'd made a mistake. And the year before that? I was just goofing around, being young and silly and writing it out for the world to see. 


Sometimes I feel lightyears away from the person I was when I started this blog. And then I read old posts where I've complained about things that I still complain about, and I read old posts where I can look back and see that I've grown, and I can read old posts and just marvel at my ability to be utterly ridiculous sometimes. 


Going back and reading some old posts has been kind of awesome. Sure, I've changed a little. But I think I'm starting to find my voice. Is that something that you can say about yourself? Or is that something a critic has to say about your work? 


P.S. I don't know what it is about where I'm sitting, but my computer keeps turning the screen brightness up and down. It's starting to make me dizzy. 


P.P.S. Perhaps I should do a "best of" section. I've got some pretty decent posts.  Honestly, more people should read this blog. I'm amazing. 

A Moving Post, Day 293745

Okay, I admit, it hasn't been that many days. But I feel like has. I am worn out, tired, and frustrated.  Last Saturday, we went and got the keys to the new apartment, and brought over two loads {even though we weren't technically supposed to move in until Sunday, so said the previous rentors, even though we had discussed moving in earlier, such as Wednesday}.  Luke's parents came down with their truck, to bring us some furniture, as well as move our bigger things. Having them come and help took a load off my mind. 


So on Sunday, with our helpful friends, we moved the rest of our things. I'm pretty sure we had about 6 carloads of stuff. Where did all this stuff come from? I am so confused. We had a small apartment, and not a lot of places to put things. But as we were packing, there just kept being more and more stuff. 


Once things were moved out {mostly}, I left Luke to be in charge of the moving shenanigans, and turned my attention to cleaning. Perhaps it's because I've been dealing with BYU cleaning checks for the last 6 years, but MAN, did I leave that house in good condition. Sink scrubbed out, oven cleaned, shower wiped down. I even did the baseboards!   And by me, I mean me, with a little LOT of help from K. and M. I couldn't have done it without them. 


At this point, things are moved out, and things are mostly clean. So I head over to the "new" apartment. Let me paint a picture for you. 


It's muggy and hot, because the carpets were cleaned the day before, and hadn't dried yet, plus the air conditioner wasn't on. There are boxes everywhere. One corner of the living room has been stripped down to drywall, and there's a large hole, exposing the brick wall that this room was built around. Why? Because there's a leak, and the best way to find a leak is to put a hole in the wall. {UPDATE: we think it's because the sprinkler system is leaking. There's only water in our house when the sprinklers are going} . Besides all that, the people who moved out didn't clean a blessed thing. Nope. Goo on the front of the stove. Stuff still in the garburator. The bathroom sink crusted over with ... I don't even know. 


There are plus sides to living here, I promise. We are close to campus, downtown, friends, and the library. There are about 10 restaurants within walking distance. It's much larger than our previous place, for the same rent. And I'll find more positives. For now, when things are in boxes, and I'm cleaning other people's mess, I'm gonna be a little frustrated. 


The point of this post was to let you know that we're here in the new house, we have unpacked our dishes, and hung things up in the closet. We're here to stay. For a little while longer, at least.