Friday, June 25, 2010

summer



Having summers off is absolutely wonderful. I love how the days just blend together, and the only decisions to be made are which books to read and what time to get ice cream. Lovely.

I've been at Tim's for the past couple of days. Today we went for a ride by the cranberry bogs in Carver. Then we came home, ate lunch, went swimming, and fell asleep in the hammock. Before I knew it, it was time to go for drinks and dinner with Natalie. It was so nice to catch up and talk about the wedding. Overall, a very good day. Tomorrow is looking like it will be more of the same.

On the wedding front, the date, our Church, and reception site are confirmed. I won't list them here, due to privacy issues. If you'd like, you can email me about it. We've decided on navy and dark pink for the general color scheme. I would like to keep the wedding as local and independent as possible and we've been interested in hiring those recommended by family and friends. I'd like to add some personal touches to the wedding. Etsy, oncewed, and snippet and ink are great for inspiration.

I tried on some J. Crew dresses earlier this week. I will be going with J. Crew for the bridesmaids for a few reasons. My bridesmaids live in various areas of the country and I'd like to make it easier for them. J. Crew has various styles of dresses that are flattering for all body types and at various price points (they have discounts for teachers and grad students, too!). Below are some of the styles that I like:



I also tried on the below wedding dress, which looked terrible on me! It would need serious alterations, but I wasn't a huge fan of the shape or coloring:




For my dress, I'll be looking at independent boutiques in the southeastern Massachusetts area. I think that will be my best bet. I was surprised to find that I liked the strapless and "pouf" dresses!

We are looking for vendors. If anyone has any suggestions, please let me know!



Top photo by Stephanie Congdon Barnes, other photos from J.Crew and greenbride.wordpress.com.

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

I started my classes on Monday. I have Statistics from 9-12 and Anatomy and Physiology 2 from 5-10. It makes for a long day, but I am very fortunate because my instructors are nice and the workload is demanding but manageable. I think I will be okay.

I've been home for nearly two weeks and I am happy. It's nice to be with my family and friends here. I love waking up, having coffee on the deck, and walking to the beach. Yesterday, mom and I went to the boatyard for lobster rolls and then went to the beach for drinks and dessert. I'm very lucky.

Tomorrow I am heading off-Cape to see Tim and Natalie. I'm excited for Thai, hiking, cycling, swimming, and World Cup. Oh, yes, and studying! Ha!

I will post a wedding update soon.

Sunday, June 20, 2010

back



I am back at home. It's nice to visit with my family, see Tim's family, eat great food, drink nice wine, and relax. The move to Philadelphia was relatively uneventful, which was nice. Tim flew down to Maryland, packed the truck, and drove it up to Pennsylvania. I found an apartment with all of the utilities included and I am excited about it. It has a lot of space and an elevator. And free parking, which is apparently hard to find in that particular area (Bryn Mawr/Haverford). One place wanted to charge $100 per month for a parking lot that was off-limits from 9am-5pm. No thanks.

From there, Tim and I drove up to Massachusetts. It was nice to drive together after so many drives alone. We could commiserate about the long trek through Jersey and Connecticut. Ugh.

I am back on the Cape, one of my favorite places in the world. I love being close to the ocean and returning to places that never change. Love it, love it. My classes begin tomorrow and I'm a little nervous but grateful. Also, I will take the long route home and admire all of the old houses in Barnstable. I miss my Maryland friends and hope that they are well!

photo by http://libertycrusader.files.wordpress.com/2008/12/image0221.jpg

Thursday, June 10, 2010

tomorrow

...I will say goodbye to Columbia. I have been here for the past three years and it's hard to go. There comes a point, though, when I am packed up and just ready to leave.

Yesterday was difficult. I said goodbye to the school where I taught for three years and all of the people that are close to me. They made living in Maryland a great experience and I will miss them all so much.

Tim is here to help me move and we will head out tomorrow morning. More from Massachusetts.

Sunday, June 6, 2010

moving on, moving out

 Green couch and coffee table, moving to a new home

 I'm sitting in my apartment--I can't believe this is the last weekend that I will be here! I just got back from the gym and thought the sky looked a little funny. It has been so hot and humid here lately, the type of humidity that dehydrates and exhausts you. I expected a thunderstorm but now we have a tornado watch until 8pm. It doesn't seem that long ago that I was watching the snow fly during the big storms in February.

I did most of my packing yesterday and brought a lot of stuff to Goodwill. Moving is good for me because I purge a lot of stuff. I hate clutter so much--almost to the point where I am obsessed with not buying things because I fear that they will take up space. I've moved so many times (often by myself) in the past eight years that I feel the need to bring as little as possible.

A nice young family just bought the vintage green couch and coffee table. It was a little dicey fitting it in the trailer but they are on their way back to Rockville and I hope that it all ends up in one piece! It's a relief for me, since I don't have to move it to Pennsylvania. I highly doubt that I would be able to fit it in my new place.

Tonight, I'm excited just to relax and get ready for my final week. It's going to be a tough one.

Tuesday, June 1, 2010

scrappy

Things are better. Called the college and I'm in the process of getting things squared away. Slowly making progress on the certification front and hoping that all will go smoothly.

School ends very soon. The students are taking finals and my last day is June 9. I took down my bulletin boards today. It's silly the things that will make you upset--like pulling staples out of corkboard. I know that classroom so well because it's been mostly mine for the past 3+ years. Soon it will be someone else's. We went out as a department for lunch and they brought me a cake. It was really nice. I keep trying not to get upset, but it's hard when the goodbyes are so long.

On the Philadelphia front, I am reserving storage and a moving truck tomorrow. I hope to look at apartments next weekend on the Main Line with Tim. It'll be nice to see him after two weeks apart.
I have to approve my financial aid package tomorrow and get myself psyched up to start something very different in the fall.

In terms of the wedding, my parents are going through the contract for the venue. The Church is secured and Tim and I are planning on scheduling a meeting with the priest in June. I am looking at dresses on Thursday. Our parents are hosting an engagement party on July 10.

Went to Church twice this long weekend to gain some perspective. I liked part of Sunday's reading:

"Not only that, but we even boast of our afflictions,
knowing that affliction produces endurance,
and endurance, proven character,
and proven character, hope,
and hope does not disappoint..."


photo from http://www.winonlyriders.net/thelostforum/cinema/RockyBalboa5.jpg