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xiane...this week has been just a wee bit crazy.
I suppose I should start at the beginning...
Mom and I has scheduled the Big Move to happen on Sunday, so Friday and Saturday were spent packing things [and Friday was also spent being nervously sick]... Saturday we packed up the car, as the wind slowly increased in velocity and we struggled to beat the storm we knew was coming. We had to put together the "travel bubble" [Clamshell Of Doom] for the top of Mom's jeep, and attach the crossbars to her vehicle before we could mount the shell on top of the beast. Mom's pretty short and her jeep is tall, so that was a challenge already... then add winds that were starting to build in gusts of 30 - 40 MPH. Needless to say, we looked ridiculous... but we did it, and managed to get the cars stuffed full of stuff. We were able to take all but three bins - mostly I left books and a bin of herbs that I can pick up at a later date. There was a small bookshelf that I still want and some plastic drawers, but they'll wait too. We were just happy to get everything packed in before we blew away.
Obviously we were pooped at this point, so we started making dinner and trying to relax. It was dark, maybe around 6:30, and we could hear the wind beating up the house and trees. Suddenly there was a groaning sound, like something tearing away from something else, and a bit of a crash. We were like "WTF?!" and I ran outside in the dark back yard to look around. At first Mom thought it was just some tools that had fallen over... but I turned and through the darkness realized that... there was something not quite right about our shed... namely that it was now standing on it's head.
O_o
Our neighbors came running out to see what happened/make sure we were okay, and I laughingly explained that we were but if they wanted our shed, now was the time to claim it! The thing is at least 30 years old and made of corrugated-style metal, so as the wind howled, it shook and made that distinctive metal "wibbling" that thin metal sheets make when you shake them. Fortunately, the wind had also shoved it up against one of our trees, so it didn't seem too inclined to travel any farther. Mom's been worried about it all week, but my take was...our neighbors know about it and know that we're out of town, so I think they'll keep an eye on it for us. Besides, there really wasn't anything else we could do!
We woke up nice and early - okay, I'm lying. It was early but it sure wasn't nice - and got ourselves out the door at 8am to hit the road, moving some neighbor's errant Xmoose tree that had blown down the street in the middle of the night away from Mom's car before we left. After a pit stop at 7-11 for coffee and a bottle of water, we let the wind blow us down the road to I-95 and toward the beginning of my new life.
Driving was mostly pleasant, except that the wind was *so* bad that I had to keep two hands on the wheel to keep my car from drifting everywhere. [Just so you know, I adore my Jeep Liberty, but they wobble a lot in high winds. It takes a lot of concentration to keep them straight in those conditions.] Mom followed me as we drove over the highways, stopping only twice - once in Richmond, to get lunch and refuel, and once at a lovely truckstop called Bill's Gas, where Mom was called a "young lady," much to her glee. By the time we pulled into Shelby at 5pm, my shoulders and arms were tired from having to be at attention for so long. My back ached enough to consider getting a lumbar pillow for any extended driving in the future.
We pulled up to my new apartment, which I was about to see for the first time, and were greeted by
Mr. Tigglebottom and his two roommates from college, Big and Little Josh. They quickly jumped to start unloading the cars, directed by my Mom [never one to hesitate to give directions, hee.], and had everything out of both in very short order. It was so wonderful to not have to unload everything myself!
The apartment is *lovely!* Rob did a fantastic job of picking a place - it is in a fairly small complex along one of the main roads, but enough out of town that there isn't constant traffic. I think there are eight buildings all together, each with four sets of quads; two sets on the second floor, two on the first - so basically we have three neighboring apartments on our landing. The apartment itself is damn roomy for a couple just starting out. We have a decent sized living room, flanked by a kitchen [seperated from the LR by a bar] and a dining area. There's a laundry station at the end of the DR that closes behind doors; Rob's parents bought us our own washer and dryer to put there, so we don't have to share the facilities the complex provides.
Somewhat across from the DR is the first bedroom; it is smallish, but with a nice window and a HUGE closet. The closets here all come with organization systems, and that's *amazing * to me. Lots and lots of shelves in 'em!
Wander down the hall and you'll find the first bathroom [on the right!] - which is full-sized and really nice! - then at the end of the hall is the main bedroom. That has a window, a door to the covered patio [yay! plant space!], and a separate bathroom. Attached to the bathroom is a WALK IN CLOSET. O_O
Yeah, this place is way roomy.
Right now there are still boxes and boxes of stuff and trash everywhere. We're caught in the process of buying everything that we need and finding places for it. I had pretty much nothing for an apartment, as I left most of it behind for Stu when I moved - he needed it and I didn't have room nor need at the time anyway. To me, it seems pretty amazing to have so many new things all at once. I've never been rich, so this is kinda like a dream - to have a new laundry room AND a vacuum, new dishes AND a microwave... and my dear friends have been so wonderful and generous with their gifts! We thank you all so much, you're amazing. I promise to take many pictures.
Tuesday Mom came over and helped me hang clothes while we waited for the cable guy. Of course, she filled the entire closet up with my clothes... it looks like the pit of darkness when you walk in and see only blackness relieved by occasional purple ;) We have cable and internet through Time-Warner, which is pretty much the only choice here. They use Roadrunner for their digital cable; so far it seems okay, though for some reason we couldn't get the ethernet to work with my computer and had to run it USB. Really weird! Haven't had an issue at all, though, so I'm not complaining. Tonight we might pick up a router so that we can get Rob's computer up, too. Of course, we also need a desk for him. [and a couch. And a BED. and... yeah. Furniture.]
Wednesday was the Big Day, of course. We were scheduled to meet at 11am at the Courthouse to do the deed, and of course Rob and I were rushing to get ready up until we absolutely had to leave. Mom showed up around 10:30 and I was still drying my hair! We still managed to get there right on time, to be greeted by Rob's family and the Joshes, plus Rob's high school roommate, Michael.
[yes, I know. Only my Mom there for me. I wasn't planning on having anyone there other than family, but this was important to Rob, I'd never met Michael before this, and the Joshes came down and helped us considerably, so I was okay with it. I wish thatKristyne or Wendy or Aurora could have been there, too.]
Rob's Mom [Beki] had a BEAUTIFUL bouquet for me, all white roses and purple irises, with some statice [sp?] and greenery to fill it, and a boutonnière for Rob with some of the same. I was becoming somewhat embarrassed by being the center of attention; this feeling would grow throughout the day until after our lunch "banquet." We trooped downstairs and found the Magistrate's office, passing by all sorts of scruffy and glaring people who I assume were there for court. [classy!]
We were finally admitted to the Magistrate's Office - and when I say office, I mean it. We gathered around a desk and two chairs awkwardly, with just enough room for the party! The Magistrate was a nice lady; she fille dout our paperwork, took our money, asked us if we were ready, then rolled through the ceremony in about 10 minutes flat. There were a lot of "thees" and "thys" and a brief struggle to get my ring over my knuckle, then a kiss and it was over and we were married! O_O
We stumbled out and then were photographed to death by my Mom. I was light-headed and overwhelmed by how fast everything was, but I'll tell you true... I'm *really* glad we went for the no-fuss ceremony. I don't think I could have handled a really big wedding. I felt so awkward to be in the spotlight like that. The feeling lingered as we trooped over to the fancy lunch that Rob's family had arranged for the Wedding Party, over at the town's swank restaurant, Five East.
Rob and I had conspired with his Mom to make some favours for the party that we gathered from Adagio Teas - everyone got a Luminous Cup and some Dragonwell teabags to go with it, all swathed in lavendar tulle. Beki also made some beautiful announcement cards to go with the place settings. There was a super prix fixe menu with some delicious choices - a three course meal that left us all stuffed.
The rest of the night sorta passed in a blur. There was some group game-playing form the guys, some chatting between Beki and I while I knitted [yes, I knitted on my wedding day!], then a dinner of NC-style barbeque with everyone, before I took Mom back to her hotel and said goodbye... possibly one of the weirdest and saddest moments of my life* - and drove back home to spend the rest of the night cuddled up blissfully withboyfriend husband.
Heh, he had to go to work today.
I get to buy groceries and try and make some sense out of this apartment. Maybe look for furniture, too.
So there you go. That was my Glorious Wedding. :D
* When Mom left, it was like being reintroduced to adulthood all over again. This past year + some has been really great for the relationship between Mom and I. We repaired and rebuilt so much... so it is really difficult to know that we'll be so far away from each other again. I worry about her, definitely... but I intend to make sure that we stay close from now on, especially without my Stepdad to ruin things between us. No secrets now, no unspoken words. I feel like I've been given more gifts from life than I could ever deserve... I promise not to squander them.
I suppose I should start at the beginning...
Mom and I has scheduled the Big Move to happen on Sunday, so Friday and Saturday were spent packing things [and Friday was also spent being nervously sick]... Saturday we packed up the car, as the wind slowly increased in velocity and we struggled to beat the storm we knew was coming. We had to put together the "travel bubble" [Clamshell Of Doom] for the top of Mom's jeep, and attach the crossbars to her vehicle before we could mount the shell on top of the beast. Mom's pretty short and her jeep is tall, so that was a challenge already... then add winds that were starting to build in gusts of 30 - 40 MPH. Needless to say, we looked ridiculous... but we did it, and managed to get the cars stuffed full of stuff. We were able to take all but three bins - mostly I left books and a bin of herbs that I can pick up at a later date. There was a small bookshelf that I still want and some plastic drawers, but they'll wait too. We were just happy to get everything packed in before we blew away.
Obviously we were pooped at this point, so we started making dinner and trying to relax. It was dark, maybe around 6:30, and we could hear the wind beating up the house and trees. Suddenly there was a groaning sound, like something tearing away from something else, and a bit of a crash. We were like "WTF?!" and I ran outside in the dark back yard to look around. At first Mom thought it was just some tools that had fallen over... but I turned and through the darkness realized that... there was something not quite right about our shed... namely that it was now standing on it's head.
O_o
Our neighbors came running out to see what happened/make sure we were okay, and I laughingly explained that we were but if they wanted our shed, now was the time to claim it! The thing is at least 30 years old and made of corrugated-style metal, so as the wind howled, it shook and made that distinctive metal "wibbling" that thin metal sheets make when you shake them. Fortunately, the wind had also shoved it up against one of our trees, so it didn't seem too inclined to travel any farther. Mom's been worried about it all week, but my take was...our neighbors know about it and know that we're out of town, so I think they'll keep an eye on it for us. Besides, there really wasn't anything else we could do!
We woke up nice and early - okay, I'm lying. It was early but it sure wasn't nice - and got ourselves out the door at 8am to hit the road, moving some neighbor's errant Xmoose tree that had blown down the street in the middle of the night away from Mom's car before we left. After a pit stop at 7-11 for coffee and a bottle of water, we let the wind blow us down the road to I-95 and toward the beginning of my new life.
Driving was mostly pleasant, except that the wind was *so* bad that I had to keep two hands on the wheel to keep my car from drifting everywhere. [Just so you know, I adore my Jeep Liberty, but they wobble a lot in high winds. It takes a lot of concentration to keep them straight in those conditions.] Mom followed me as we drove over the highways, stopping only twice - once in Richmond, to get lunch and refuel, and once at a lovely truckstop called Bill's Gas, where Mom was called a "young lady," much to her glee. By the time we pulled into Shelby at 5pm, my shoulders and arms were tired from having to be at attention for so long. My back ached enough to consider getting a lumbar pillow for any extended driving in the future.
We pulled up to my new apartment, which I was about to see for the first time, and were greeted by
Mr. Tigglebottom and his two roommates from college, Big and Little Josh. They quickly jumped to start unloading the cars, directed by my Mom [never one to hesitate to give directions, hee.], and had everything out of both in very short order. It was so wonderful to not have to unload everything myself!The apartment is *lovely!* Rob did a fantastic job of picking a place - it is in a fairly small complex along one of the main roads, but enough out of town that there isn't constant traffic. I think there are eight buildings all together, each with four sets of quads; two sets on the second floor, two on the first - so basically we have three neighboring apartments on our landing. The apartment itself is damn roomy for a couple just starting out. We have a decent sized living room, flanked by a kitchen [seperated from the LR by a bar] and a dining area. There's a laundry station at the end of the DR that closes behind doors; Rob's parents bought us our own washer and dryer to put there, so we don't have to share the facilities the complex provides.
Somewhat across from the DR is the first bedroom; it is smallish, but with a nice window and a HUGE closet. The closets here all come with organization systems, and that's *amazing * to me. Lots and lots of shelves in 'em!
Wander down the hall and you'll find the first bathroom [on the right!] - which is full-sized and really nice! - then at the end of the hall is the main bedroom. That has a window, a door to the covered patio [yay! plant space!], and a separate bathroom. Attached to the bathroom is a WALK IN CLOSET. O_O
Yeah, this place is way roomy.
Right now there are still boxes and boxes of stuff and trash everywhere. We're caught in the process of buying everything that we need and finding places for it. I had pretty much nothing for an apartment, as I left most of it behind for Stu when I moved - he needed it and I didn't have room nor need at the time anyway. To me, it seems pretty amazing to have so many new things all at once. I've never been rich, so this is kinda like a dream - to have a new laundry room AND a vacuum, new dishes AND a microwave... and my dear friends have been so wonderful and generous with their gifts! We thank you all so much, you're amazing. I promise to take many pictures.
Tuesday Mom came over and helped me hang clothes while we waited for the cable guy. Of course, she filled the entire closet up with my clothes... it looks like the pit of darkness when you walk in and see only blackness relieved by occasional purple ;) We have cable and internet through Time-Warner, which is pretty much the only choice here. They use Roadrunner for their digital cable; so far it seems okay, though for some reason we couldn't get the ethernet to work with my computer and had to run it USB. Really weird! Haven't had an issue at all, though, so I'm not complaining. Tonight we might pick up a router so that we can get Rob's computer up, too. Of course, we also need a desk for him. [and a couch. And a BED. and... yeah. Furniture.]
Wednesday was the Big Day, of course. We were scheduled to meet at 11am at the Courthouse to do the deed, and of course Rob and I were rushing to get ready up until we absolutely had to leave. Mom showed up around 10:30 and I was still drying my hair! We still managed to get there right on time, to be greeted by Rob's family and the Joshes, plus Rob's high school roommate, Michael.
[yes, I know. Only my Mom there for me. I wasn't planning on having anyone there other than family, but this was important to Rob, I'd never met Michael before this, and the Joshes came down and helped us considerably, so I was okay with it. I wish that
Kristyne or Wendy or Aurora could have been there, too.]Rob's Mom [Beki] had a BEAUTIFUL bouquet for me, all white roses and purple irises, with some statice [sp?] and greenery to fill it, and a boutonnière for Rob with some of the same. I was becoming somewhat embarrassed by being the center of attention; this feeling would grow throughout the day until after our lunch "banquet." We trooped downstairs and found the Magistrate's office, passing by all sorts of scruffy and glaring people who I assume were there for court. [classy!]
We were finally admitted to the Magistrate's Office - and when I say office, I mean it. We gathered around a desk and two chairs awkwardly, with just enough room for the party! The Magistrate was a nice lady; she fille dout our paperwork, took our money, asked us if we were ready, then rolled through the ceremony in about 10 minutes flat. There were a lot of "thees" and "thys" and a brief struggle to get my ring over my knuckle, then a kiss and it was over and we were married! O_O
We stumbled out and then were photographed to death by my Mom. I was light-headed and overwhelmed by how fast everything was, but I'll tell you true... I'm *really* glad we went for the no-fuss ceremony. I don't think I could have handled a really big wedding. I felt so awkward to be in the spotlight like that. The feeling lingered as we trooped over to the fancy lunch that Rob's family had arranged for the Wedding Party, over at the town's swank restaurant, Five East.
Rob and I had conspired with his Mom to make some favours for the party that we gathered from Adagio Teas - everyone got a Luminous Cup and some Dragonwell teabags to go with it, all swathed in lavendar tulle. Beki also made some beautiful announcement cards to go with the place settings. There was a super prix fixe menu with some delicious choices - a three course meal that left us all stuffed.
The rest of the night sorta passed in a blur. There was some group game-playing form the guys, some chatting between Beki and I while I knitted [yes, I knitted on my wedding day!], then a dinner of NC-style barbeque with everyone, before I took Mom back to her hotel and said goodbye... possibly one of the weirdest and saddest moments of my life* - and drove back home to spend the rest of the night cuddled up blissfully with
Heh, he had to go to work today.
I get to buy groceries and try and make some sense out of this apartment. Maybe look for furniture, too.
So there you go. That was my Glorious Wedding. :D
* When Mom left, it was like being reintroduced to adulthood all over again. This past year + some has been really great for the relationship between Mom and I. We repaired and rebuilt so much... so it is really difficult to know that we'll be so far away from each other again. I worry about her, definitely... but I intend to make sure that we stay close from now on, especially without my Stepdad to ruin things between us. No secrets now, no unspoken words. I feel like I've been given more gifts from life than I could ever deserve... I promise not to squander them.
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no subject
2006-01-19 15:55 (UTC)I was thinking about you! And I've seen several monkey things since I've been here and I immediately think of you. I miss you sooooo much.
no subject
2006-01-19 15:51 (UTC)no subject
2006-01-19 15:56 (UTC)Thank you, Patrick. Rob can't wait to meet you [and all the other Cvillians, though he admits to feeling like he might be overwhelmed by the amountg of people I know! hehee.]
(no subject)
byno subject
2006-01-19 15:52 (UTC)Congratulations Mrs Tigglebottom! :P
xx
no subject
2006-01-19 15:57 (UTC)I promise I was there in spirit!!!!!!
2006-01-19 16:00 (UTC)I'm so completely happy for you and Rob! I wanted to be there, if I hadn't started school now (& were broke enough as is), I'd so have been there!!!!
I love you sooooooo much and I know you'll be extremely happy with Rob :)
I had better get my very own (real if possible!) photo of the happy couple so I can put up somewhere. I was glad I was able to text you yesterday and I couldn't contain expressing my glee and love by atleast posting something on LJ.
You mean the world to me and I treasure our friendship ferociously!
*hugs*
♥ Always!!!
no subject
2006-01-19 16:09 (UTC)xoxo
D & S
no subject
2006-01-19 16:10 (UTC)I am over the moon for you, love.
Congratulations!
2006-01-19 16:21 (UTC)I wish you and Rob blessing as you start your life together.
*big kitty hugs*
no subject
2006-01-19 16:23 (UTC)no subject
2006-01-19 16:35 (UTC)no subject
2006-01-19 16:36 (UTC)Congratulations Mrs. Tigglebottom! :)
no subject
2006-01-19 16:46 (UTC)no subject
2006-01-19 16:52 (UTC)cryptkicker- hell, baltimore- is not the same without you...but knowing that you are carrying on your love and beauty and wonder elsewhere, boosted and supported by your amazing partner, makes all the difference.
no subject
2006-01-19 16:57 (UTC)so much excitement.
no subject
2006-01-19 17:13 (UTC)no subject
2006-01-19 17:21 (UTC)no subject
2006-01-19 17:30 (UTC)You should have put some of those scruffy looking court attendees in your wedding photos. You make up stories about Uncle So-and-so and Aunt Who's-zee-what's-it who stood around glaring the entire day for reasons better left unsaid.
no subject
2006-01-19 17:35 (UTC)My truck was blown all over in those winds too. It takes getting used to.
no subject
2006-01-19 17:37 (UTC)Congratulations
2006-01-19 17:37 (UTC)Marriage.
It's great!
Agent L.
no subject
2006-01-19 17:46 (UTC)--Carolynn
Congratulations!!!
2006-01-19 17:54 (UTC)Can't wait to see the pictures!
no subject
2006-01-19 18:31 (UTC)no subject
2006-01-19 18:48 (UTC);)
no subject
2006-01-19 18:56 (UTC)no subject
2006-01-19 19:02 (UTC)