Wednesday, April 6, 2011

This is My Life

As it turns out, buying a house is a lot of work!  So much work that I simply haven't made time to blog.  Also, my puppy walks all over my keyboard whenever I get it out, which makes me not want to even try to open my computer most nights.

Spring Break
Oh, how I needed Spring Break.  I had a mountain of papers to grade on top of getting paperwork finalized on the house.  Though I could've used another week off, I am grateful for the time I had.

On Monday of that week, Harper went to the groomer.  I was unaware that it isn't like a human haircut where you go in, get cut, and leave.  Instead, you drop off the dog, wait for several hours, and then go pick him/her up when they call you.  It was nice to have her out for awhile, because it gave me some time to clean the apartment.

On Tuesday, I went to the dentist.  I decided it was finally time to break down and find a dentist in Lincoln rather than going back to my hometown every time I needed a check-up.  I found Cherry Hill Dentistry through a teeth whitening Groupon, and I couldn't have had a better experience.  Dr. Tanya and staff were excellent!  That said, I just love going to the dentist in general.  I've never had a cavity or any need for awful drilling, so I always just walk away with clean teeth.  I was surprised to not only walk away with a dental care kit (standard toothbrush, floss, etc.), but one of these:


An electric toothbrush!  With a charger and everything!  Granted, it's not the fanciest of models, but it retails for about $40.  I have great insurance, which doesn't have me pay a dime for a dental check-up, so I view this as a very profitable visit.

On Wednesday, I realized that I needed to kick it into grading high-gear if I was going to get everything done before 3rd quarter grades came out.  So, I decided to take Harper to Camp Bow Wow, Lincoln's premier doggy day care.  It is quite the business plan, let me tell you.  The staff was awesome, and as I filled out paperwork in the lobby, I made small talk with other dog owners, who all assured me that my dog was in good hands.  Even so, I nearly cried as I drove away.  I can now empathize with parents who have to take their child to daycare for the first time... absolutely heartbreaking.  My favorite feature of Camp Bow Wow is the camper cams, which allows you to watch online as your dog plays.  I picked her up at around dinner time, when they presented me with a digital picture of Harper playing with another dog named Frank.  Also, they fill out a D-Tails sheet to let you know about your dog's day.  Harper loved it (I think), and she was exhausted when we got home, which allowed me to get even more work done.

I had a haircut on Thursday and an eye appointment on Friday.  I took Harper back to Camp Bow Wow both of these days to allow me to get work done at school.  It was money well-spent, as I was able to get most of my grading done.


March Madness
I don't follow college basketball at all.  I don't fill out a bracket.  I simply do not care.  But, when some friends asked me to go to a local establishment to watch the Final Four, I agreed.  I didn't watch one minute of the game, but I did have a good time catching up with friends.  Afterward, we went to Red Mango, Lincoln's newest frozen yogurt place.  I am generally underwhelmed with the taste of the yogurt... if given the choice between Red Mango and Coldstone, I'd pick Coldstone in a heartbeat.  If given the choice between Red Mango and nothing at all, I'd take nothing at all.  But it was fun to be with friends and take pictures of them:






Packing
Ugh.  I loathe packing.  During college, I got pretty good at it.  I moved ten times in four years (being an RA during the school year and a summer conferences assistant).  After college, the move to my apartment was just as simple as the other dorm-to-dorm moves because I bought all my furniture new, so the furniture stores delivered everything and set it up.  Since moving in, I have acquired much more stuff, which is making this move a bit more tricky.

I have the best friends in the world.  So many of them have offered to help me move, which, in my opinion, is the worst kind of work you can sign yourself up for.  I've had to start turning people away because I know there just won't be room for everybody who has offered to help.  Too many movers is a good problem to have, I suppose.  In addition to moving, my dear friend Ashley came over last night to help me pack my kitchen.  By that time, I had already finished packing the living room.




None of this packing was easy with this little monster running around:


Poor Harper doesn't know what to think about all of this.  She does, however, enjoy chewing on the boxes and attempting to get her paws on the newspapers I've been using to wrap the breakables.

I hate the feeling of emptiness that packing creates - nothing hanging on the walls, nothing on the shelves, the lack of color.  It reminds me of the last few days of school when the classroom gradually starts to empty itself of color and decorations.  I always get such a sinking feeling when I realize that another year of school has gone by.  And I have a similar feeling as I prepare to move out of this apartment.  I never intended this to be a long-term living arrangement, but in the short time I've lived here, I really have enjoyed it.  I had just gotten to know all of my neighbors and had just gotten to a place where I felt like I had everything that I needed and wanted.

I'm still not confident that buying a house was the right decision, but now that everything is packed up and ready to go, my feelings of stress have finally been replaced by feelings of excitement.  And ready or not, I'll be picking up my keys in fewer that 48 hours.  I am really looking forward to having a place to call my own.

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