Thursday, June 30, 2011
Zion National Park
We spent the day today at Zion National Park! It was beautiful!!! I would say more, but I think the pictures speak for themselves. Take a look ....
Cedar City Complications
Today marks the one week anniversary of my residency here in Cedar City, Utah. The rose colored glasses have come off and the true nature of this small town has emerged, unfortunately. I have been at the mercy of several workers because I had hoped to have them do some work around my house. What I have found, however, are people that do not return your phone calls, people that overcharge you for things when they see you have a BMW, and people who believe that because you are a single woman, you can't do anything yourself. Here's some things I have had to deal with and my responses to them:
1. The County Trash People: All of my things would not fit into my newly recovered polycart (I mean, I just moved in, obviously I will have a lot of trash). They left everything that was not in the polycart. I'm calling them tomorrow and making them come back. We'll see how that goes.
2. The Electrician: The electrician came over and stated he could hook a tv up in my bathroom. He said he would be over Tuesday afternoon. He never did. Not only that, he never returned my phone call! Listen, Mr. Electrician, you must change your voice mail message ... you do NOT return every phone call. I've decided i'm taking my tv to school since I have cable in my office. I suspect he decided not to come over when I stated I wanted to know the price prior to him completing the work.
3. The Post Office: I did receive my key. However, it was completed the next day, but nobody called me back to tell me the key was there, after I was told they would call me when it was ready.
4. Bresnan Cable Burier: I am pretty sure it is not a good idea to put a cable next to the electricity cable ... but then again, it's not my job to know. Pretty sure it is your job. And yes, I know it's hot, and i'm sorry they don't pay you enough (both things were mentioned to my mom to message back to me by the digger man), but really, it isn't my problem.
And, last but NOT least ....
5. The Landscaper: It's funny how people tell you how quickly they can get started on a job and then once they have your money, they suddenly keep putting you off and not showing up to do the work. My grass was supposed to be in on Friday. They haven't shown up to work after every day showing up to my house promising me they would be there the following day. But, today, was the last straw. 8am came and went. No landscaper. More importantly, no phone call. So, naturally, I called them. No answer. He called back, but didn't leave a message. When I arrived home and found that no work was done and no explanation, I called him ... told him I was stopping payment on my check and that his services were no longer needed. Of course, he called me back several times, each time with a new excuse. He stated he would start on Tuesday. That would be one week after he stated it would be completed. No thank you, I will do it myself and save myself $680.
I don't feel that I am being unreasonable, but I have been put to the side and taken advantage of too many times. All I want is a little communication. All I want is for people to do what they say they are going to do. I suppose I am not making any friends in this small town, but I am tired of people not doing what they say they are doing. Therefore, I made an example out of the landscaper. Cedar City, you will not be taking advantage of me anymore.
In other news, I have amazing neighbors. One of my neighbors is a retired flight attendant with American Airlines. This is her summer house. She brought me the most amazing flowers. She also informed me that the devil birds are about to have babies and when they leave the nest, she is removing it so they don't come back next year. So long, devil birds!
1. The County Trash People: All of my things would not fit into my newly recovered polycart (I mean, I just moved in, obviously I will have a lot of trash). They left everything that was not in the polycart. I'm calling them tomorrow and making them come back. We'll see how that goes.
2. The Electrician: The electrician came over and stated he could hook a tv up in my bathroom. He said he would be over Tuesday afternoon. He never did. Not only that, he never returned my phone call! Listen, Mr. Electrician, you must change your voice mail message ... you do NOT return every phone call. I've decided i'm taking my tv to school since I have cable in my office. I suspect he decided not to come over when I stated I wanted to know the price prior to him completing the work.
3. The Post Office: I did receive my key. However, it was completed the next day, but nobody called me back to tell me the key was there, after I was told they would call me when it was ready.
4. Bresnan Cable Burier: I am pretty sure it is not a good idea to put a cable next to the electricity cable ... but then again, it's not my job to know. Pretty sure it is your job. And yes, I know it's hot, and i'm sorry they don't pay you enough (both things were mentioned to my mom to message back to me by the digger man), but really, it isn't my problem.
And, last but NOT least ....
5. The Landscaper: It's funny how people tell you how quickly they can get started on a job and then once they have your money, they suddenly keep putting you off and not showing up to do the work. My grass was supposed to be in on Friday. They haven't shown up to work after every day showing up to my house promising me they would be there the following day. But, today, was the last straw. 8am came and went. No landscaper. More importantly, no phone call. So, naturally, I called them. No answer. He called back, but didn't leave a message. When I arrived home and found that no work was done and no explanation, I called him ... told him I was stopping payment on my check and that his services were no longer needed. Of course, he called me back several times, each time with a new excuse. He stated he would start on Tuesday. That would be one week after he stated it would be completed. No thank you, I will do it myself and save myself $680.
I don't feel that I am being unreasonable, but I have been put to the side and taken advantage of too many times. All I want is a little communication. All I want is for people to do what they say they are going to do. I suppose I am not making any friends in this small town, but I am tired of people not doing what they say they are doing. Therefore, I made an example out of the landscaper. Cedar City, you will not be taking advantage of me anymore.
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Battle Wounds and Feathered Enemies
The morning started abruptly when Allied arrived 30 minutes early ... but hey, early is better than late, right? I didn't write a blog because I wasn't feeling the best last night. As most of you know, I do not handle change very well. It seemed to all come to a head yesterday. So what this means is I had a bad stomach ache. It's been on and off all day today, but I didn't let that stop me. Norman, Mom, and I kicked butt and got all of the living room boxes and kitchen boxes put away. The foyer is officially complete! We even had time for cookies and steak dinner! We couldn't grill out, unfortunately, because we were on a High Wind Watch ... if you think Oklahoma was windy, I've never felt anything as strong as this wind was today. Of course, what would moving be without some battle wounds. And for those that know me, you know that I probably received a lot. I managed to not run into any walls, however I have a purple pinkie finger (pinched it when putting up a TV in mom's room) and I have a black and blue knee from running into the bed. We will see what I can manage to hurt tomorrow. :-)
I had the most amazing driver that drove my stuff to Utah. In fact, I found out that some friends of mine that are moving to Idaho ... their stuff was on my truck too! So that was really cool. In fact, I have decided if I ever move again, I am requesting him as a driver. He's amazing!! We even got the rock all planted!
The rugs that I got the amazing price on were actually cut wrong. Luckily, they fixed the problem and they look great!!! One of them is in the foyer, which is the only room that is complete at this time. Tomorrow, i'm taking a significant amount of boxes to the school office and i'm going to show Norman around SUU. I'm going to complete the paperwork for my keys and hopefully get those soon. Speaking of keys ... I should be getting my mail key tomorrow (yay!!).
I am not sure if I have mentioned this before, but my backyard is landscaped Vegas style, which is rocks. We were going to take the rocks out ourselves, but I ended up just biting the bullet and pay to have them removed and sod put in. Not all of them will be removed, but 11 feet of sod on each side of the pavers will be sod. Callie just isn't feeling the rocks. But you know what she is feeling? My bed!! She's so happy to be off of the air mattress! I don't recall my bed being this comfortable, but I know I will be sleeping well tonight!!
As I have mentioned in past posts, I have some nasty birds that have taken up residence in a tree in my neighbors yard. Anytime I get close to that tree, he hovers, and last night, dive bombed my head. The evil beast came inches within my head. Let's just say i've seen Alfred Hitchcock's, "Birds," and i'm well aware of the craziness that can occur. Turns out there is a nest. My landscaper told me they have even attacked his dog. They better not try to attack my Callie or I will have to show it who's boss! Game on, my feathered friend, Game on. P.S. I will win.I feel so lucky to have my mom and one of my best friends here to help me to move in. But, as everything was emptied into the house, I couldn't help but feel a little sad. And, I'm not really sure why. Don't get me wrong, I am so excited to be here. But, I think it's one of those situations where you plan and plan for something and when it is all over, it is just a little sad. And, it could be lack of sleep. I didn't feel well last night and so I didn't feel well. I have an amazing amount of faith and I look forward to the upcoming year.
Sunday, June 26, 2011
The Stars Are Big And Bright ... in Utah!
I am writing on my upgraded air mattress. Mom finally gave up her queen sized air mattress after reading yesterday's blog about the crowded situation that was unfolding in my bedroom with the dogs. So I still have two dogs, but much more room to roam around.
We got two rooms painted, the back guest bedroom and my office. We worked really hard! It looks amazing. I am very excited to get rid of some of this brown! I have brown carpet, brown walls, AND a brown ceiling. I am all for brown, but it was a bit much.
We went to St. George to pick up Norman at 6pm, and the temperature was 104. It was 86 in Cedar. We stopped by In and Out burger so mom could pay up on the bet she lost. I love those burgers and I am so lucky to have one so close. I'm really glad it's not in Cedar though. Too many In and Out burgers could equal a larger back side ... and that probably wouldn't be good. :-)
We took a fantastic cool evening walk around the hood. I absolutely love my rural setting. I never thought I would be so happy to get out of the city. We have horses, cows, and the highway that my neighborhood is off of is a designated livestock trail. That would explain the cow and horse poop on the side of the road.
It was a long day full of work and I am exhausted. However, when I let the dogs out to go to the bathroom and I stepped outside, not only was it cool, but I looked up ... and, for the first time in years, I saw stars. LOTS of stars. And, they looked so close!!! It was so beautiful!!!! I'm going to make a point to go outside every night and look at them. Okay, maybe not during the months of November through the first of June (because I would probably freeze to death), but all the other months, for sure.
We got two rooms painted, the back guest bedroom and my office. We worked really hard! It looks amazing. I am very excited to get rid of some of this brown! I have brown carpet, brown walls, AND a brown ceiling. I am all for brown, but it was a bit much.We went to St. George to pick up Norman at 6pm, and the temperature was 104. It was 86 in Cedar. We stopped by In and Out burger so mom could pay up on the bet she lost. I love those burgers and I am so lucky to have one so close. I'm really glad it's not in Cedar though. Too many In and Out burgers could equal a larger back side ... and that probably wouldn't be good. :-)
We took a fantastic cool evening walk around the hood. I absolutely love my rural setting. I never thought I would be so happy to get out of the city. We have horses, cows, and the highway that my neighborhood is off of is a designated livestock trail. That would explain the cow and horse poop on the side of the road.
It was a long day full of work and I am exhausted. However, when I let the dogs out to go to the bathroom and I stepped outside, not only was it cool, but I looked up ... and, for the first time in years, I saw stars. LOTS of stars. And, they looked so close!!! It was so beautiful!!!! I'm going to make a point to go outside every night and look at them. Okay, maybe not during the months of November through the first of June (because I would probably freeze to death), but all the other months, for sure.
Saturday, June 25, 2011
Greetings From My Air Mattress!
First, before I go into the happenings of today, I would like to extend a very heartfelt congratulations to Mr. and MRS. Jeremy Harrison!!! I very much wish I could have been in Chico today. I'm so happy for them and wish them the best in their new life together!!
Today was another great day. I am growing quite accustomed to my air mattress ... Callie, on the other hand, is not. You see, she feels the need to sleep on the air mattress with me. Which would be fine if it were a big mattress, but it is only a twin. She's not big, but big enough to be an inconvenience. And, Jack Attack wants to be next to her, so that means two dogs and a person on a twin air mattress. Picture it. Yeah, I am excited to get my bed! :-)
Today began with a complimentary movie, Cars 2. Now, I was not overly impressed with the movie, but definitely impressed with the turnout! It was my first real community event! It was a lot of fun!! After that, we headed down to the center of town where Groove Fest and the Arts Festival was going on. I got some really cool new stuff for my house including a sunflower made out of metal! I now have a little bit of Kansas in my backyard. Then we thought we would head over to the local furniture store, Rocky Mountain Furniture. I picked up a twin mattress for $75 for the daybed when it gets here for my fourth bedroom. They were super nice and I felt it was a good deal! Then ... we headed to St. George.
When we left Cedar, it was 84 degrees. When we arrived in St. George (43 miles to the South) it was 103. Vastly different climates. They even have palm trees! It was nice to feel the heat, but even nicer to get back to Cedar. We were on a mission to find the airport since I will be picking Norman up from there tomorrow (YAY!!!!). We first went to the old airport since that is where the GPS said it was. It was a beautiful location on the top of a bluff. The picture here is from the airfield. However, we quickly found out that it was no longer working since a plane was on its side. So we found out where the real airport was. WAY out behind St. George. It was way out of the way, but amazingly beautiful. Watch out Oklahoma, Norman may never leave to come back!
After we found the airport, we stopped by Ashley Furniture on the way back home. If you have not tried Ashley before, you definitely should. A lot of my furniture has come from there, and it is amazing quality at an amazing price. I needed a new bed frame for awhile and I had wanted a sleigh bed, but not wanting to pay $1,000 for it. I ended up paying $500 for the bed and end table. And, since they had to order it (it won't be here for two to two and a half weeks), they didn't make me pay $50 for shipping! Did I want to spend that much money? No. But, I loved it.
Once back in the land of reasonable temperatures, we stopped by wal-mart to get some plants that were 50% off. I have planted strawberries, onions, and carrots. I am going back tomorrow to get some tomatoes. I also planted Stargazer Lillies ... something that i've never seen able to be grown in Oklahoma or Kansas. I got a bunch of others and managed to fill up three gigantic planter boxes and three gigantic pots. I'll post some pictures tomorrow. By the time I got all of them planted, I ran out of daylight to take a photo.
While planting outside, I have noticed the oddest birds I have ever seen. They are yellow and they hover over you and chirp at you. It was disturbing at first (mainly because I feared them pooping on my head), but now I kind of like them. Callie, on the other hand, has decided she would like to eat one. We'll see how that goes for her.
All in all, it was another beautiful perfect day. I still just stand and stare out of my window. I will never get tired of seeing mountains. I still can't believe I live in such a wonderful place. Every day is like a vacation. I better head to bed ... with my windows open!!
Today was another great day. I am growing quite accustomed to my air mattress ... Callie, on the other hand, is not. You see, she feels the need to sleep on the air mattress with me. Which would be fine if it were a big mattress, but it is only a twin. She's not big, but big enough to be an inconvenience. And, Jack Attack wants to be next to her, so that means two dogs and a person on a twin air mattress. Picture it. Yeah, I am excited to get my bed! :-)Today began with a complimentary movie, Cars 2. Now, I was not overly impressed with the movie, but definitely impressed with the turnout! It was my first real community event! It was a lot of fun!! After that, we headed down to the center of town where Groove Fest and the Arts Festival was going on. I got some really cool new stuff for my house including a sunflower made out of metal! I now have a little bit of Kansas in my backyard. Then we thought we would head over to the local furniture store, Rocky Mountain Furniture. I picked up a twin mattress for $75 for the daybed when it gets here for my fourth bedroom. They were super nice and I felt it was a good deal! Then ... we headed to St. George.
When we left Cedar, it was 84 degrees. When we arrived in St. George (43 miles to the South) it was 103. Vastly different climates. They even have palm trees! It was nice to feel the heat, but even nicer to get back to Cedar. We were on a mission to find the airport since I will be picking Norman up from there tomorrow (YAY!!!!). We first went to the old airport since that is where the GPS said it was. It was a beautiful location on the top of a bluff. The picture here is from the airfield. However, we quickly found out that it was no longer working since a plane was on its side. So we found out where the real airport was. WAY out behind St. George. It was way out of the way, but amazingly beautiful. Watch out Oklahoma, Norman may never leave to come back!
After we found the airport, we stopped by Ashley Furniture on the way back home. If you have not tried Ashley before, you definitely should. A lot of my furniture has come from there, and it is amazing quality at an amazing price. I needed a new bed frame for awhile and I had wanted a sleigh bed, but not wanting to pay $1,000 for it. I ended up paying $500 for the bed and end table. And, since they had to order it (it won't be here for two to two and a half weeks), they didn't make me pay $50 for shipping! Did I want to spend that much money? No. But, I loved it.
Once back in the land of reasonable temperatures, we stopped by wal-mart to get some plants that were 50% off. I have planted strawberries, onions, and carrots. I am going back tomorrow to get some tomatoes. I also planted Stargazer Lillies ... something that i've never seen able to be grown in Oklahoma or Kansas. I got a bunch of others and managed to fill up three gigantic planter boxes and three gigantic pots. I'll post some pictures tomorrow. By the time I got all of them planted, I ran out of daylight to take a photo.
While planting outside, I have noticed the oddest birds I have ever seen. They are yellow and they hover over you and chirp at you. It was disturbing at first (mainly because I feared them pooping on my head), but now I kind of like them. Callie, on the other hand, has decided she would like to eat one. We'll see how that goes for her.
All in all, it was another beautiful perfect day. I still just stand and stare out of my window. I will never get tired of seeing mountains. I still can't believe I live in such a wonderful place. Every day is like a vacation. I better head to bed ... with my windows open!!
Friday, June 24, 2011
We have arrived!!!
Well, 19 hours of driving later, and a very long day of loading the moving truck, we are finally here! So, let's start at the beginning ... the load in day:I had an awesome going away party the night before load in. It was great to see all of my friends before I left ... Gina even traveled all the way from Ithaca! I still can't believe its been four years. So, because the party went late into the night, I started load in day with about 5 hours of sleep. For those that know me, they know that I cannot have anything less than 8 hours if you want me to make any kind of sense the following day.
Load in didn't get off to a great start. Allied was late. Once they arrived, they seem unprepared and were generally sketchy individuals. Man was I wrong! They were awesome!! They wrapped my things better than North American did when they moved me to Norman. In addition, they sang! I've never had movers so happy to move in 100 degree heat. And with that, my stuff was gone.The 19 hour drive (split into two days) was just as miserable as it sounds. The last 30 minutes of the drive was the most challenging. We went through the mountain on 14 that dumped us right into Cedar. Very twisty and very steep grades. In fact, i'm not sure trucks are allowed on that highway. I was so excited to finally be home!! The house is more beautiful than I had originally imagined. Of course, there have been some "inconveniences."
1. In order to get my mail key to retrieve my mail that is sitting in a locked box, it will take up to 4 business days. I completed the paperwork and am now waiting.
2. The relocation company didn't winterize the sprinkler system, therefore it was not working. So, I called some very real bull riding cowboys that landscape on the side to come and check it out. The pipe had burst. They fixed it for free!
3. The front yard grass is pretty much dead. I'm not sure I can recover it. I am giving it until Wednesday until I have the cowboys rip it up and put new sod in.
4. Allied is now trying to make me pay top dollar for the move even though I did not take a refrigerator or couch. I'm dealing with them on Monday.
5. My beloved Great Dane has been adopted. It's on the to do list to find a new dog next week.
However, with all the inconveniences, I am still extremely happy to be here. All of the stress and anxiety I felt while in the state of Oklahoma has lifted and passed. I'm telling you, there is something about that state that is negative. It's such a relaxed town here. I'm loving every minute of it, and can't wait to head to Cars 2 tomorrow with my complimentary movie passes ... ReMax Velocity is having a customer appreciation day at the movies! Should be fun!!
Sunday, June 19, 2011
Oklahoma is OK!
I finally broke down and went to the doctor today ... looks like I have a raging sinus and ear infection. Apparently, the last infection never left. So, good thing I went, i'm thinking an infection paired with altitude probably wouldn't be a good combination. 
The last of the packing got done today, the oven and microwave and dishwasher is cleaned, and the sheets came off of all of the beds. The last boxes were packed. Movers arrive on Tuesday morning at 8am to load up. We still don't have an answer for when the stuff is scheduled to arrive in Utah, sometime between the 25th and the 1st. Let's hope it's closer to the 25th. I keep thinking about the beautiful home that I own, and if it wasn't for the pictures, I probably wouldn't remember the house! I've maybe spent 20 minutes total in the house. So, i'm so excited to get my keys and get to see my house that I own!
We took what will most likely be one of the last, if not the last, walk around the lake. Even though it was 102 when we walked around the lake, I couldn't help but look at the baby ducks and turtles and think I will miss this. I thought, you know what? Oklahoma is OK ...
Saturday, June 18, 2011
Good Food, Good People
The only thing I love more than good food, is good people. And today, I was lucky enough to have both. Mom and Jack Attack made it into town last night with my new Ford, which I have named "the beast." It's so big! Lilly looks like a matchbox car next to it. It's rough, tough, and ready to four wheel drive! Looking forward to doing that when it snows. More Utah related things got accomplished today, but not as much as I had hoped. I am still feeling sick so I have been taking lots of naps. I contacted PAWS to make an appointment to go see Bellini, the great dane I am thinking about adopting. She is adorable!! I can't wait to meet her. At full size, she should be around 130 pounds.
I finally made it to Fung's Kitchen with the Singapore crew, minus November (he was in Arkansas). I love this dish called Beef Hor Fun ... however, it is nearly impossible to find it here in America (it was something I fell in love with while in Singapore). They had it!! It was a great night. I'm going to pack up some more boxes tonight if I can muster up the energy. Not sure why I still don't feel well, but it might be time to see the doctor.
I finally made it to Fung's Kitchen with the Singapore crew, minus November (he was in Arkansas). I love this dish called Beef Hor Fun ... however, it is nearly impossible to find it here in America (it was something I fell in love with while in Singapore). They had it!! It was a great night. I'm going to pack up some more boxes tonight if I can muster up the energy. Not sure why I still don't feel well, but it might be time to see the doctor. Friday, June 17, 2011
Overcharging Life
I'm feeling a little under the weather today, so I am going to make this short. Today was a bit of a challenging day, if only because I didn't feel well. Some kind of virus, i'm sure. Luckily, mom is about two hours away from Norman, OK right now, so good timing, she can take care of me. :-)
Today's main challenge was money, something I think we can all relate to. I still have it, but more and more is continuing to go out the door. Thankfully, the magic number is no longer $500, it's more around $100. Luckily I taught this summer and more is coming in. The main problem I have is with people trying to over charge me for things. For instance, at Target, I went to pick up a prescription. One was ready, and the other one was not. Not really sure why, I called it in last week. But, of course, they tried to charge me the price without insurance. Because of this I had to wait 20 more minutes for something that should have already been done ....
Another example, Did you know that if you want to change your address online the post office charges you $1? I realize it's only a dollar, but I refuse to pay it on principle. Usually, change of address forms are made readily available at your local post office ... but here in Norman, Oklahoma, it makes more sense to have them behind the counter, so you have to wait in a line that is out the door in a building that lacks air conditioning on a day where the high is 104. Yes, that makes complete sense.
My last example is Rose Rock Vet. They tried to overcharge me for Callie's grooming and the most outrageous overcharge of the day? I got charged $26.55 to ask the doctor a question. And when I asked about it? They said, "well, we discounted you from the original $41." Thank you, thank you very much? I didn't even see the doctor ... I got charged that amount for having a 5 minute phone conversation with the doctor. I could call anywhere in the world and i'm pretty sure it would be cheaper than what the doctor charged to call me 5 miles away.
In other news, Callie is looking very cute in her new cut. She's still concerned with all of the boxes, but at least now she feels like helping. She got all of her shots today and her heart worm test came back negative. So, she's ready to head West. With the lows in the 40's, I may have to unpack some of her sweaters! Ahhh, the lows in the 40's in June ... a far cry from what we are currently feeling with our lows in the 80's.
I still feel incredibly blessed to have my fantastic job and new life in Cedar. While there are daily challenges, I feel so lucky to have been hooked into some great individuals in Cedar City. Everybody I have met and have gotten to know brings a new richness to my life. This time next week, I will be in Utah ...
Today's main challenge was money, something I think we can all relate to. I still have it, but more and more is continuing to go out the door. Thankfully, the magic number is no longer $500, it's more around $100. Luckily I taught this summer and more is coming in. The main problem I have is with people trying to over charge me for things. For instance, at Target, I went to pick up a prescription. One was ready, and the other one was not. Not really sure why, I called it in last week. But, of course, they tried to charge me the price without insurance. Because of this I had to wait 20 more minutes for something that should have already been done ....
Another example, Did you know that if you want to change your address online the post office charges you $1? I realize it's only a dollar, but I refuse to pay it on principle. Usually, change of address forms are made readily available at your local post office ... but here in Norman, Oklahoma, it makes more sense to have them behind the counter, so you have to wait in a line that is out the door in a building that lacks air conditioning on a day where the high is 104. Yes, that makes complete sense.
My last example is Rose Rock Vet. They tried to overcharge me for Callie's grooming and the most outrageous overcharge of the day? I got charged $26.55 to ask the doctor a question. And when I asked about it? They said, "well, we discounted you from the original $41." Thank you, thank you very much? I didn't even see the doctor ... I got charged that amount for having a 5 minute phone conversation with the doctor. I could call anywhere in the world and i'm pretty sure it would be cheaper than what the doctor charged to call me 5 miles away.
I still feel incredibly blessed to have my fantastic job and new life in Cedar. While there are daily challenges, I feel so lucky to have been hooked into some great individuals in Cedar City. Everybody I have met and have gotten to know brings a new richness to my life. This time next week, I will be in Utah ...
Thursday, June 16, 2011
It's getting boxy around here!
Today marks the first day that people start arriving for my party! I'm extremely excited to see friends I haven't seen in a long time. Finally me, Dari, Gina, and Brando will all be in the same room at the same time. That hasn't happened in years! Mom arrives with the new Ford Explorer tomorrow. I'm so blessed to be able to have two cars and a beautiful home. It's often hard to remember the good things going on around you when so much crazy is surrounding you. Moving 1100 miles has been, logistically and psychologically speaking, the most difficult thing I have done. However, things have fallen right into place ... leaving me to believe that I am meant to be in Utah.
I'm having a very hard time getting used to the mindset of those in Cedar. For those that are not aware, it is a very small town. For a girl like me, who was raised in the big city of Kansas City, it's hard for me to trust people like they do. I am working on it though. I got to speak to my new pastor at my church in Cedar which really helped me understand. I think once I get used to it, it will be easier. In the meantime, I am sure I have racked up quite the reputation in Cedar ... I may need to do some damage control when I get there. I feel bad to those who I have not trusted wholly (you know who you are), but trust is something I constantly have to work through.
As I sat at Passionberri today with two good friends, I couldn't help but remember all of the good, yet hard times throughout our PhD program. The trials and pains of going through a doctoral program, the passing of my mentor and the chair of our department, and the many friends I have made while I have been here. We as a cohort have been through so much. It's hard to believe I am about to say goodbye. Don't get me wrong, I'm very excited about the new chapter in my life that is beginning. But what will it be like not to walk into my Burton Hall office ... to not have private door conversations ... not being able to just stop by my advisor's office and have a chat about chair colors and lakes vs. ponds ... I think I will even miss the fact that I can hear EVERYTHING that goes on in 205 ... and I'll miss Bob and Tom ... the two ghosts that always made Burton Hall interesting. Four years has gone by so fast ...
I'm having a very hard time getting used to the mindset of those in Cedar. For those that are not aware, it is a very small town. For a girl like me, who was raised in the big city of Kansas City, it's hard for me to trust people like they do. I am working on it though. I got to speak to my new pastor at my church in Cedar which really helped me understand. I think once I get used to it, it will be easier. In the meantime, I am sure I have racked up quite the reputation in Cedar ... I may need to do some damage control when I get there. I feel bad to those who I have not trusted wholly (you know who you are), but trust is something I constantly have to work through. As I sat at Passionberri today with two good friends, I couldn't help but remember all of the good, yet hard times throughout our PhD program. The trials and pains of going through a doctoral program, the passing of my mentor and the chair of our department, and the many friends I have made while I have been here. We as a cohort have been through so much. It's hard to believe I am about to say goodbye. Don't get me wrong, I'm very excited about the new chapter in my life that is beginning. But what will it be like not to walk into my Burton Hall office ... to not have private door conversations ... not being able to just stop by my advisor's office and have a chat about chair colors and lakes vs. ponds ... I think I will even miss the fact that I can hear EVERYTHING that goes on in 205 ... and I'll miss Bob and Tom ... the two ghosts that always made Burton Hall interesting. Four years has gone by so fast ...
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
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