What a difference a YEAR makes...

To say I'm a blogging slacker is an understatement. It's not that I've had nothing to write about (believe me, I have), it's just that life has been so hectic lately that it's hard to find time to sit down and summarize it all. So here's my lowly attempt to cover the last years worth of events.

1. Savannah Birthday trip

Last September, I decided that years of not doing anything for my birthday were over and that it was finally time to do something memorable (Jeremy didn't agree, but we'll get to that in a minute). So, some friends and I planned a trip to the GORGEOUS city of Savannah, GA. My friends Bryan and Ben flew into Raleigh from Washington, DC and Colorado. The three of us made the 5 hour journey to Savannah to meet Zac and Shannon who were coming in from Alabama.

This could be a stand alone post and probably should have been. We went to a piano bar, had cigars on the river, did our best Forrest Gump impression, visited Tybee Island, fed alligators and talked to parrots. It was an absolute blast and one of the best birthday celebrations I've ever had thanks to a group of great friends.

1st night on the river

On River Street in front of the bridge.

Eating at the crab shack after visiting Tybee Island.

2. I'm dropping the "O"

That sounds kind of cold. It wasn't meant to be. After the whole birthday trip (and a long time before, really), I knew there was something wrong in my marriage. I'm not going to delve in too deeply here, but we decided right after I came back that we should probably go our separate ways. At first it was very mutual, then it wasn't, and now (9-10 months later) I think we're on good terms. Jeremy is a fantastic person. He's funny, incredibly intelligent, and a very hard worker. There are some negatives that I won't list because it's not necessary. He's perfect for someone, just not me.

3. Gaining a Zo

Moving on to more positive things, back in October I got a new puppy. I had no intention of getting a dog. While visiting my friends Ward and Lisa, I met Ward's cousins, Dennis and Nicole, who breed dogs. Now before you flip out, I DID NOT BUY a dog. Repeat: I DID NOT BUY a dog. We were simply sitting around discussing animals and I was telling them about Tobey, my maltipoo that passed away and literally broke my heart. No, really...it hasn't worked right since. That's when Dennis said that he had a little schoodle (schnauzer/poodle mix) that had lost one of her legs and he would be willing to give her away but only to a good home. Of course I had to go see her. That was it...game over.

These are old pictures, but she's my baby girl and has completely captured my <3.

4. Moving on to better things

There are lots of good things on the horizon. Without going into a lot of detail (I don't want to jinx any of it), I have an interview Friday for a job that I think I might actually be able to enjoy and there's a chance that I'll be selling my house. Well, not exactly. I'll be leasing it to someone who has the intention of buying it. That's what I'm hoping anyway.

One very positive addition to my life has been the new guy in it. His name is Clint and I'll tell you about him later. Just know that he makes me incredibly happy. So anyway, cross your fingers and say a little prayer for me that everything will work out for the best. I'm not going to necessarily pray for what I want, I'm going to pray that whatever will improve my life happens.

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The transition...

And so begins day two of the great transitional vacation. Not much of a vacation if you consider doing nothing but housework a vacation. I'm so jealous of the people who stay at home all day. Well, sort of.

The problem with housework is that I have ADD. I have a hard time finishing one project before noticing that something else needs to be done and leaving to go do it. Make sense? No, doesn't to me either. Let me explain. I had every intention of making a list of things that needed to be taken care of and I didn't even get around to making a list. I went outside to water the garden (15 min. tops). It was then that I noticed some vines sticking out of my hedges. I was only going to trim a few vines! What ended up happening was a 30 minute knock-down, drag-out with some overgrown weeds that needed to be put in their place. Anyway...while putting up the hedge trimmers, I was grossed out by walking into a spider web (nobody looks cool after walking in a spider web) and decided that all them had to die. This led me to my front porch (eventually) where the exterior of my house grossed me out even more. Cannot believe I let it get that dirty.

After making the problem worse (and more apparent) by trying to sweep the dirt off the wall with the broom I was using to exterminate spider webs, I was forced to get the scrub brush, dish detergent, and hose. Two hours later, the front of my house is incredibly clean and oddly enough, lemon-y fresh!

It was around this time that I realized I hadn't done ANYTHING to clean the interior of the house. Sucks because that was my initial intention. Sooooo, after Jeremy got home, we took a break then he mowed the back yard while I tackled the mildew-breeding ground that is my bathroom. It may not be lemon-y fresh, but I'm a pretty big fan of clorox scent too.

All this stuff obviously needed to be done at some point anyway. It's all accelerated by the fact that my friends, Mike and Steph, are coming down from Virginia today.

Aren't they adorable? They're from Vegas, but Mike has some sort of military contract job in VA and Steph is visiting, so they're going to visit us. I'm so excited. We had soooo much fun when Mike and Brian came down in January, but it's going to be even better with a little more estrogen in the house. And since I don't want them to think we're icky slobs, major cleaning needs to be done. Wow...that makes it sound like I'm an icky slob when I don't have people over. That came out wrong...You know what I mean though. I have a level of controlled chaos in my home. This doesn't mean I have to subject anyone else to my chaos. People could get hurt :)

Well, back to cleaning. Interior this time, Jewel. INTERIOR.

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I've got sunshiiiiiinnnnneeee...

Can life get any better? I submit that it cannot!

Yesterday, I posted about starting an etsy store, so here's a preview:

Can't wait to do have more stuff to add to it. I've even got Jeremy in on it. I told him I was going to teach him one of the following: photography, sewing, crocheting, graphic design, or painting. Then I just decided that teaching him to crochet would be easier than anything involving the computer or artistic skill. And he went for it! I know, I was shocked too. His first crochet lesson is Sunday when he's finished with his online classes. One of which he finished last night :)

Yesterday I went in to discuss benefits and sign my life over to my new employers. They said they were excited for me to join them, but it can't compare to my excitement! I'm gonna have a huge office, my own department, a ton of creative freedom, and they're even willing to buy a new Mac for me to use! (For the record, I'm NOT a PC) The increased pay isn't too shabby either!

Another part of the process was doing a drug test. I know, luckily I kicked my cocaine habit months ago ;) Anyway, I just want to point out that there is nothing more uncomfortable than handing a complete stranger a cup of warm urine. AWKWARD!

As I was typing this, I also got some FANTASTIC news! When I put in my two weeks notice, I proposed to my supervisor that I could do what I do now from home. That way they won't be in a bind to find someone else quickly and it keeps my grandma happy (it was pretty obvious she didn't want me to quit...she also says that she's gonna pray that I don't sell my house so that I don't move further away, but that's a whole different post.) What else does this mean? Extra moolah! Never complain about that.

Speaking of extra jobs, I have another photo session this afternoon with Levi. Seriously, this kid is cute as hades. He's the little boy featured on the right side of my header. Flippin' adorable. He just turned a year old and it's time for more photos! I'll post some when they're complete...or done at all. Hopefully the weather will hold out and we'll find a good spot in Greenville.

So, if you can't tell. Life is grand right now :) I'm a happy girl!

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Let's just start over...

I want to be perfectly clear...I hate my furniture. I HATE it. There are certain pieces that I like, but even they need work. All of our stuff is an accumulation of pieces we've collected over the years that we've been married. I've never been able to go out and buy all the stuff I wanted all at once. It's going to happen one day. I swear it! I'm going to have a yard sale one day, but instead of putting items in the yard, I'm going to let people walk through and make offers on anything they see. That's how much I hate it all.

And another thing...I want to completely rip out the disgusting (and I mean disgusting) carpet in the former office and bedroom. Thank you previous owners for leaving us with a pile of crap. Everyone may comment about how pretty this house was when you had it, but I know what it is REALLY like. Polish a turd and it's still a turd.

Here's why I'm growing increasingly pissed off as I think about this. This is what we moved into:

1. No insulation—What?! Are you kidding? It doesn't help that you lied to us about how much you spend on gas and heating this house in the winter time, but the fact that paid $15,000 to renovate the kitchen instead of paying $800 to insulate the floors blows my mind. Priorities, people. Priorities.

2. Paint job—Horrendous (seriously! Did you run out of paint in the living room, or did you honestly think a 2 inch gap of white between the molding and the wall color looked good?) Not everyone may like the colors I've chosen, but at least they can't complain about the paint not covering.

3. Giant cracks in the plaster—look, I know this house is somewhere around 110 years old, but really people, finding a giant hole in the dining room on the day I move in does not make a happy Jewel.)

4. Carpet—*vomit* do I really need to mention the carpet again? It's the reason the doors on those rooms stay shut until we can find the time to refinish the floors. Thank God the rest of the house is hardwood.

5. Electrical work—Who puts a breaker box BEHIND a refrigerator that's framed by cabinets? Morons. Not to mention it's against code. It's an enormous pain in the butt to pull that mammoth of a fridge out any time there's an issue. I'll say it again....Morons.

I will give you this. You had really pretty furniture that covered up most of these problems. Unfortunately, I can't afford to buy new furniture right now because our money goes into fixing all this crap. So again....Thanks.

Don't get me wrong, with all of its problems, I still love this house. I like the layout, the renovated kitchen IS nice, and it's incredibly spacious. But putting make-up on a warthog doesn't make it pretty. And now thanks to this horrible experience, I doubt we will be purchasing another home for a while. I think my husband is committed to being a life long renter.

On a brighter note, I finished the elephant yesterday. We've dubbed him Elliot. Original, I know.

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Love it when a plan comes together...

YAY! I'll scream it again...YAY! My interview yesterday was fantastic! Just have to go in on Monday and discuss benefits, salary, etc. with the accountant. Not sure if you can tell, but I'm absolutely stoked about this job and everything it brings.

I'll be working in Kinston again, which I love. Never in a million years would I want to live there, but working there is fantastic thanks to the ease of getting around town and the great selection of local eateries to have lunch. I also will get to travel to Myrtle Beach twice a year for regional conventions (will never complain about that). One of the other wonderful aspects is the amount of creative freedom that comes with it. The owner basically said that she wants a marketing department that can run on its own <----No micro-managing?! Sign me up!

But by far my favorite part of this new venture is...moving back to Goldsboro! We've already picked out the place we would like to relocate, and let me just tell you, it's incredible! I'm including some photos just so you can get an idea of how incredible it is. (To make things perfectly clear, I'm NOT buying another house anytime soon. Not when I can live in a place like this and not have the headache of lawn care, maintenance, etc.)

Just in case you were wondering, I AM in love! These are the newest apartment complexes in Goldsboro and they're gorgeous! It's just an added bonus that they are in a great location that is minutes away from everything, but aren't in the middle of town. I'm so ready to sell my house and start packing. Unfortunately, this is going to be a while down the road. There's a lot to be done to get the house ready for sale, so guess what I'll be doing in my free time for the next several weeks? Oh, and of course my apartment will look EXACTLY like the photos above...lol. That is, obviously, after I sell/throw out every item that we own and buy all new furniture. While that most likely won't happen, there will be a budget set up specifically for home improvements. When Jeremy said that, I fell in love with him all over again :)

Well, enough rambling for now. I'm not even sure if I made a concise thought in any of that up above. Either way, have a fabulous Friday, everyone and enjoy your weekend!

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I'm a lucky girl...

Normally my time is spent venting about various things that annoy me. Today's different though. Today, I want to take this opportunity to express my gratitude for all the wonderful aspects of my life...

Family. Biological and by marriage, my family (for the most part) is fantastic. Words can't express how thankful I am to have Jeremy in my life. Sure, he can be a jerk...a self-professed one, by the way...but he has a supportive and nurturing side that takes my breath away. His talent, hunger for knowledge, and discipline amaze me and make me incredibly jealous simultaneously. His willingness to let me have my way (most of the time) never ceases to surprise me. I'm forever in debt to his family who have been our safety net. Always willing to offer any type of help or support, they are our backbone. No one could ask for better in-laws. While my family situation is more complicated than that of Jeremy's, I'm thankful for everything it's taught me. The rest of my life will be spent in constant gratitude for the last conversation I had with my dad before he died. I only wish it had come sooner. But the people that really should be thanked are my mother and grandparents. Although I wasn't the easiest child in the world to contend with at times, they were always there for me and stood behind the decisions I made. And just ask Jeremy, it's no small task having to deal with me!

Home. As much as I like to complain about the issues of living in a 109 year old house, it's really quite wonderful. I love being able to mold and make it into something that is a reflection of me and makes us feel like we belong. It's much more than a lot of people have. In fact, it's more than I ever thought that I would have. While it's still a work in progress, it's slowly starting to feel more like home.

Opportunities. Everyone knows that this economy...well, sucks. We are extremely fortunate to have jobs that bring in at least enough money to get us by. We're not getting rich by any means, and our bank accounts have been a little heftier, but we're able to pay the bills and be content in the mean time. There are a few prospects on the horizon that hopefully will put us in a better situation, but for now, we're just thankful that we're not on welfare.

There's so many things missing from this list, but I could really go on for days: the sound of a purring cat on my lap, laughing every evening with friends, smell of clean laundry, being able to open the windows and let the spring breeze fill the house, crocheting something new, freshly painted walls, the lighting at dusk, 5:00 on the clock at work, curling up under a blanket with Jeremy while watching a movie, and my personal favorite...having nothing planned to do on a Saturday afternoon but sit at home with my hubby :) Makes me look forward to tomorrow.

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My House

Ok, I'm posting these basically because I wanted to show everyone the "before" photos before I start making some major and minor changes to parts of my house. There's some rooms that have already been done and some will be finished in the VERY distant future. I just took photos from the "right wing" of the house. I guess I didn't feel like cleaning the left wing on the day these photos were taken. Some of the ones I've included for today are: the dining room I never use, the yard that will soon be a lush garden, my favorite room (kitchen), and the living room that needs an accessories overhaul. Keep in mind that my house is 108 years old. I think she carries it pretty well. Anyway, enjoy :)

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