Monday, May 29, 2006
The end of vacation
First of all, thanks for all the congratulations :) You guys are great, and I wish I could have told you all the big news in person. I'll be sure to keep you updated!
The last few days of my "summer vacation" have gone pretty well. Ed and I went up to see my grandparents in Maryland yesterday - my parents and a lot of the extended family were in town for the weekend - and we got to make the announcement to them. My grandfather, true to form, immediately had a good comeback...
Me: "Ed and I are engaged."
Granddaddy: "To who?"
But it was all very fun, and my dad even managed to have a bottle of champagne on hand for a toast.
Today my parents came by to see our new place, and Ed and I took them around Reston a bit before they had to leave for the airport. Then we spent the afternoon doing more setting-up-the-apartment stuff. (Note to self and anybody else who's interested: Going to Home Depot on Memorial Day is a really bad idea.) Later on we went to the pool in our complex, which just opened up a few days ago. Apparently it's really the social center of the neighborhood; we've seen people out there swimming and sunbathing pretty much the entire time it's been open. We sat over there and read for a while, and did end up chatting with some of our new neighbors.
Anyway, I should be off to bed before too long. Tomorrow is the big day - my first day of work! I'm feeling pretty good about it. I've definitely been hanging around doing nothing for long enough; it will be good to get back into a routine, and I'm excited about starting something new. Also, my fiancé is cooking me a nice dinner tomorrow night to celebrate.
Today what makes me happy is getting to say "my fiancé" in the previous sentence. Yes, I'm still pretty giddy about this. :)
The last few days of my "summer vacation" have gone pretty well. Ed and I went up to see my grandparents in Maryland yesterday - my parents and a lot of the extended family were in town for the weekend - and we got to make the announcement to them. My grandfather, true to form, immediately had a good comeback...
Me: "Ed and I are engaged."
Granddaddy: "To who?"
But it was all very fun, and my dad even managed to have a bottle of champagne on hand for a toast.
Today my parents came by to see our new place, and Ed and I took them around Reston a bit before they had to leave for the airport. Then we spent the afternoon doing more setting-up-the-apartment stuff. (Note to self and anybody else who's interested: Going to Home Depot on Memorial Day is a really bad idea.) Later on we went to the pool in our complex, which just opened up a few days ago. Apparently it's really the social center of the neighborhood; we've seen people out there swimming and sunbathing pretty much the entire time it's been open. We sat over there and read for a while, and did end up chatting with some of our new neighbors.
Anyway, I should be off to bed before too long. Tomorrow is the big day - my first day of work! I'm feeling pretty good about it. I've definitely been hanging around doing nothing for long enough; it will be good to get back into a routine, and I'm excited about starting something new. Also, my fiancé is cooking me a nice dinner tomorrow night to celebrate.
Today what makes me happy is getting to say "my fiancé" in the previous sentence. Yes, I'm still pretty giddy about this. :)
Friday, May 26, 2006
Big news!
It's been an insane couple of weeks. I can hardly believe that I graduated from UNC less than two weeks ago - so much has happened since. Ed and I finished moving into the new place in Reston. We're mostly unpacked and starting to find our way around town; we found a possible gym, a possible church, and most of the important stores. We had a great vacation in New York City, saw Wicked on Broadway - which was incredible, by the way - and ate lots of great food. We stopped in Philadelphia on the way back and saw the sights there. I'm really enjoying living in the north; these places are all so close by. It's only 4 or 5 hours to New York (depending on traffic) which is close enough to go for the weekend!
But none of the above is the big news, because I haven't told you yet about the best part of the New York trip. Ed and I got engaged! :) Now that we're both done with grad school and not long distance any more, we decided it was the right time. We haven't set a date yet - we have enough to deal with right now, with new jobs and everything - but it's very exciting. :)
I think you know now what makes me happy today!
But none of the above is the big news, because I haven't told you yet about the best part of the New York trip. Ed and I got engaged! :) Now that we're both done with grad school and not long distance any more, we decided it was the right time. We haven't set a date yet - we have enough to deal with right now, with new jobs and everything - but it's very exciting. :)
I think you know now what makes me happy today!
Wednesday, May 17, 2006
Moving towards the real world
Oof - what a whirlwind few days it has been! Here's the short version:
My 24th birthday was on Saturday. My parents were in town for the weekend, and Ed and his mom drove down for the day as well, so it was a party! I gave them the walking tour of campus and downtown, and we went out for a big late lunch at the Carolina Brewery. I got a fun new toy from my parents - a navigation system for my car. This may be a comment on my complete inability to find my way around, but it's very useful considering I'm moving to a new town!
Of course, I graduated from Carolina on Sunday! I went to the big ceremony in the morning, which was fun. The graduate students were down on the field, and there weren't very many of us, so I actually felt like I wasn't just one of the herd. The ceremony went smoothly - everything was a bit chaotic, but it was very well organized chaos. I liked W&M's better though. I guess these things are mostly for the undergrads. The departmental ceremony was in the afternoon, and it seemed a lot more relevant. There were a few brief speeches, we all got our fake diplomas, and the PhD students had their advisors talk about their research. The reception afterwards was crowded and pretty crazy, so we left before too long. But it's official now - I have my Master's degree!
And then it was time for all the packing I'd been putting off :) Time to move to Virginia! I got a U-Haul yesterday morning, loaded it up with the help of Tim and Julia (you guys are awesome!) and drove it to Williamsburg. At that point, Ed and I realized that we both had more stuff than we thought, and it wasn't all going to fit in the truck. Doh! We managed to get all his furniture in the truck, and he rented a van to carry the boxes. (One of the perks of being 25...) I drove the truck up to Reston early this afternoon, to avoid rush hour traffic. Going through the mixing bowl/Tyson's/etc in a truck was a bit crazy, but I made it all right. And that's where I am now - sitting on the living room floor of our empty apartment with my laptop, stealing wireless from the neighbors. Ed is on his way up with the van, and our next volunteer moving crew is coming over this evening, after they get off work. Then it's finally time for the last round of moving furniture, and the fun part begins - unpacking and setting up our new place!
So that's the latest news from my end. I hope everybody else's summer is starting off well - keep me updated!
Today what makes me happy is climbing all over boxes and furniture in the truck this morning - I felt like a five-year-old climbing trees. Of course, I scraped up my legs pretty well in the process, so now I also look like I've been climbing trees!
My 24th birthday was on Saturday. My parents were in town for the weekend, and Ed and his mom drove down for the day as well, so it was a party! I gave them the walking tour of campus and downtown, and we went out for a big late lunch at the Carolina Brewery. I got a fun new toy from my parents - a navigation system for my car. This may be a comment on my complete inability to find my way around, but it's very useful considering I'm moving to a new town!
Of course, I graduated from Carolina on Sunday! I went to the big ceremony in the morning, which was fun. The graduate students were down on the field, and there weren't very many of us, so I actually felt like I wasn't just one of the herd. The ceremony went smoothly - everything was a bit chaotic, but it was very well organized chaos. I liked W&M's better though. I guess these things are mostly for the undergrads. The departmental ceremony was in the afternoon, and it seemed a lot more relevant. There were a few brief speeches, we all got our fake diplomas, and the PhD students had their advisors talk about their research. The reception afterwards was crowded and pretty crazy, so we left before too long. But it's official now - I have my Master's degree!
And then it was time for all the packing I'd been putting off :) Time to move to Virginia! I got a U-Haul yesterday morning, loaded it up with the help of Tim and Julia (you guys are awesome!) and drove it to Williamsburg. At that point, Ed and I realized that we both had more stuff than we thought, and it wasn't all going to fit in the truck. Doh! We managed to get all his furniture in the truck, and he rented a van to carry the boxes. (One of the perks of being 25...) I drove the truck up to Reston early this afternoon, to avoid rush hour traffic. Going through the mixing bowl/Tyson's/etc in a truck was a bit crazy, but I made it all right. And that's where I am now - sitting on the living room floor of our empty apartment with my laptop, stealing wireless from the neighbors. Ed is on his way up with the van, and our next volunteer moving crew is coming over this evening, after they get off work. Then it's finally time for the last round of moving furniture, and the fun part begins - unpacking and setting up our new place!
So that's the latest news from my end. I hope everybody else's summer is starting off well - keep me updated!
Today what makes me happy is climbing all over boxes and furniture in the truck this morning - I felt like a five-year-old climbing trees. Of course, I scraped up my legs pretty well in the process, so now I also look like I've been climbing trees!
Wednesday, May 10, 2006
Moving and other madness
Yes, I know I haven't posted in forever and ever. Oddly enough, I seem to write in this blog less when I have a lot of free time...maybe that says something about my motivation for doing it in the first place, and how much of it is connected to avoiding work!
Anyway, I won't give a play-by-play of the last few weeks. They've involved (among other things) some pirates, a new apartment, a lot of beer, a lot of food, and a lot of very good friends. I have to make the most of my last days here! And it's still going on - I'm off to Bailey's in a few minutes for yet another party. I just wanted to let everybody know that yes, I'm still alive, don't give up on checking this blog. The last few days have included a lot of "Goodbye, stay in touch!", and Jeff T. pointed out to me today that blogs are one way to do that. (Or, to be more catchy about it, blog-stalking is the new AIM-stalking.) So I will try my best to keep this updated, for those of you who want to know all about my new life in the real world (a.k.a. Virginia). I'm sure I'll be able to find some work I want to avoid!
Today what makes me happy is making friends with waiters, and subsequently having said waiters recommend that you not order a particular dessert. Heehee.
Anyway, I won't give a play-by-play of the last few weeks. They've involved (among other things) some pirates, a new apartment, a lot of beer, a lot of food, and a lot of very good friends. I have to make the most of my last days here! And it's still going on - I'm off to Bailey's in a few minutes for yet another party. I just wanted to let everybody know that yes, I'm still alive, don't give up on checking this blog. The last few days have included a lot of "Goodbye, stay in touch!", and Jeff T. pointed out to me today that blogs are one way to do that. (Or, to be more catchy about it, blog-stalking is the new AIM-stalking.) So I will try my best to keep this updated, for those of you who want to know all about my new life in the real world (a.k.a. Virginia). I'm sure I'll be able to find some work I want to avoid!
Today what makes me happy is making friends with waiters, and subsequently having said waiters recommend that you not order a particular dessert. Heehee.
