Today was Kevin's first 12 hour day at work. I thought it would be a very long day without him, and while it hasn't been as long as I thought it might be, it has had it's moments. For example, I went to Costco to pick up a perscription and a few groceries. I was standing in line for them to check my receipt on the way out. I had just walked up to the guy when the bottom of my box fell through and all my groceries fell on the floor. Nobody helped me. Everyone stepped around or over me and my things and went on. Then, on the way home, I stopped by Trader Joes to pick up a few more things. I managed to escape the store without incident, but I had just climbed the stairs to my apartment when the bottom of my bag fell out and a gallon of milk rolled ALL THE WAY BACK DOWN THE STAIRS. The only shred of good news is that my milk traveled a whole story down without breaking. It's bent so weirdly I don't know how we'll pour it, but it's drinkable. I think that's the only thing that kept me from screaming and throwing the rest of my groceries after it.
I still have three hours before Kevin comes home, so I think I will go the library and try very carefully to avoid disaster.
Thursday, July 13, 2006
Wednesday, July 12, 2006
Our dining table, which I finished painting today. The eating area really isn't as washed out as this picture makes it look - I think the white looks alright. Now the only furniture we ahve left to get are a baker's rack for the kitchin (desperately needed) and our TV cabinet we picked out at Ikea (but still won't see for another month...). Still,the apartment is starting to look a little better, I think. Now if I could just get a particular boy to start putting things away when he's done with them instead of throwing them down on the space I JUST CLEANED, we'd really be in business. (I don't know how he always finds the spot I spent all day getting clean BUT HE ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS DOES).
Kevin all ready for his first day at the hospital - he was happy to be out of the orientation classrooms and into the real workplace. Doesn't he look cute in scrubs? I made sure he had his wedding ring on before I took him to work!
Tuesday, July 11, 2006
It's Kevin's second day of work and I'm already learning to enjoy the time apart. I love being with him, but it's also kind of nice to have some time to get things done and shut the windows if I want to without turning on the AC (Kevin would choose death over a warm apartment, even if it means freezing out his wife). I've found that I'm remarkably more productive without a cute new husband hanging around to distract me.
Yesterday, after taking care of some things around the house, I went down to the public library and explored. I got a library card and checked out a couple of books, along with a movie I've been wanting to see for a while. I felt like I could have spent the whole day in that huge beautiful building. As it was, I spent most of the afternoon there.
This morning, I dropped Kevin off at work so I could have the car to run some errands. I went to Home Depot and bought some paint and primer for the dining table, my new project. I also went to the Bank of America and took care of some business there that I've been putting off since we got here. I spent the rest of the morning trying to figure out how in the world we are supposed to register our car here. It took me over an hour to figure it all out. I'm growing to love Connecticut - they've got a lot of good laws (it's illegal to talk on your cell phone while you drive). But they've also got a lot of stupid laws - for example, you have to pay several hundred dollars and do several weeks of work to get your car registered! UGH.
The good news about this afternoon is that the repairman came and fixed a couple of things around the apartment - we can close our windows now! This makes having air conditioning much more convienent. I also primed the table so it's all ready to be painted tomorrow. I was hoping to have some more time to read my new library book, but it's almost time to pick Kevin up from work and then I'd like to spend a little time with him before he hits the books. He's been studying very hard for his boards. I'm proud of him for working so hard, but I also miss talking to him and playing cards with him. It turns out he has to take his test sooner than he thought, so he has spent almost every minute he's not sleeping or working taking practice tests and reading his old books. By August 1st, however, he'll have taken his test and I'll have my husband back! In the meantime, I have lots of time to explore the city, get chores done, and turn this apartment into a proper home.
Yesterday, after taking care of some things around the house, I went down to the public library and explored. I got a library card and checked out a couple of books, along with a movie I've been wanting to see for a while. I felt like I could have spent the whole day in that huge beautiful building. As it was, I spent most of the afternoon there.
This morning, I dropped Kevin off at work so I could have the car to run some errands. I went to Home Depot and bought some paint and primer for the dining table, my new project. I also went to the Bank of America and took care of some business there that I've been putting off since we got here. I spent the rest of the morning trying to figure out how in the world we are supposed to register our car here. It took me over an hour to figure it all out. I'm growing to love Connecticut - they've got a lot of good laws (it's illegal to talk on your cell phone while you drive). But they've also got a lot of stupid laws - for example, you have to pay several hundred dollars and do several weeks of work to get your car registered! UGH.
The good news about this afternoon is that the repairman came and fixed a couple of things around the apartment - we can close our windows now! This makes having air conditioning much more convienent. I also primed the table so it's all ready to be painted tomorrow. I was hoping to have some more time to read my new library book, but it's almost time to pick Kevin up from work and then I'd like to spend a little time with him before he hits the books. He's been studying very hard for his boards. I'm proud of him for working so hard, but I also miss talking to him and playing cards with him. It turns out he has to take his test sooner than he thought, so he has spent almost every minute he's not sleeping or working taking practice tests and reading his old books. By August 1st, however, he'll have taken his test and I'll have my husband back! In the meantime, I have lots of time to explore the city, get chores done, and turn this apartment into a proper home.
Monday, July 10, 2006
Update
This morning, I cleared all but one of the boxes out of our bedroom, so I snapped a photo of our bed to show off. I forgot to mention earlier that a few days ago, I planted a little herb garden that we keep by the window in the main room. It's already showing some green! Well, the thyme and basil are showing some green! It's happened much sooner than I anticipated and I'm so excited! Pretty soon I'll just walk across the room when I need some fresh herbs.
This is the whole herb garden the day I planted it.
This is my thyme. It's growing the most of the five; therefore, I love it the most.
My bedroom. Isn't it pretty? Doesn't it look like a real grown up's bedroom?
This is the whole herb garden the day I planted it.
This is my thyme. It's growing the most of the five; therefore, I love it the most.
My bedroom. Isn't it pretty? Doesn't it look like a real grown up's bedroom?
Sunday, July 09, 2006
Weekend
It's been our first weekend here that wasn't spent half awake unloading boxes and trying desperately to find a mattress at a reasonable price so our achy, weary bodies could finally get a real night's sleep. Needless to say, compared with the last one, this weekend was awesome.
Friday, Betsey came up for a visit. That night we walked around downtown and finally settled down at an irish pub, where they had a live band in the front and a DJ in the back. We sat in the middle of the two, which was really confusing. We each had one drink and then decided it was probably time to move on. We walked around some more and thought about grabbing a drink somewhere else, but every bar in New Haven has a cover charge. Maybe it's because I'm from the midwest, but I refused to pay another cover. So we went next door and had some awesome late night pizza. It may have been the best pizza I've ever had.
Saturday, Kevin and I woke up early (we always wake up early) and walked down to the farmer's market (Betsey was at the apartment working on a paper that was due yesterday). It was much further away than we anticipated. I really thought I might lose a leg, or maybe a foot at least, before we made it. The good news is that it was worth the walk. It was a great market, with several local venders selling everything from fresh herbs to fresh goat cheese to fresh pastries. We bought some squash and zucchini, green beans and garlic. We also bought two pastries to fortify ourselves for the walk back. They were pretty amazing, and reminded us both of the patries in Italy. Later that day, after we'd fully recovered from the walk, we went to lunch downtown with a friend of Betsey's from school. After we got back, we went to see the second "Pirates" movie, which wasn't as good as the first, but was still worth going to. There were a couple parts that were pretty gross and one part that was really frustrating. Both were made more so by the teenage girls sitting next to us screaming, "Oh my god!! Oh my god!!" and then text messaging all their friends. After the movie, we walked a couple of blocks to this place that's supposed to have great pizza. We're trying to taste all the different pizza restaurants so we can decide for ourselves which place is the best (there's a lot of controversy about it in New Haven). The pizza we had at the place called BAR was pretty good - they had a unique flavor (mashed potatoes and bacon) which was interesting but not nearly as good as their classic pepporoni.
Today, Betsey and I are headed back to the theatre, where every Sunday they play a classic movie while serving mimosas. Today, it's an Affair to Remember, one of my all time favorite movies. Betsey's in for a treat because although she loves Cary Grant, she's never seen it. I'm really looking forward to seeing it in a theatre.
Friday, Betsey came up for a visit. That night we walked around downtown and finally settled down at an irish pub, where they had a live band in the front and a DJ in the back. We sat in the middle of the two, which was really confusing. We each had one drink and then decided it was probably time to move on. We walked around some more and thought about grabbing a drink somewhere else, but every bar in New Haven has a cover charge. Maybe it's because I'm from the midwest, but I refused to pay another cover. So we went next door and had some awesome late night pizza. It may have been the best pizza I've ever had.
Saturday, Kevin and I woke up early (we always wake up early) and walked down to the farmer's market (Betsey was at the apartment working on a paper that was due yesterday). It was much further away than we anticipated. I really thought I might lose a leg, or maybe a foot at least, before we made it. The good news is that it was worth the walk. It was a great market, with several local venders selling everything from fresh herbs to fresh goat cheese to fresh pastries. We bought some squash and zucchini, green beans and garlic. We also bought two pastries to fortify ourselves for the walk back. They were pretty amazing, and reminded us both of the patries in Italy. Later that day, after we'd fully recovered from the walk, we went to lunch downtown with a friend of Betsey's from school. After we got back, we went to see the second "Pirates" movie, which wasn't as good as the first, but was still worth going to. There were a couple parts that were pretty gross and one part that was really frustrating. Both were made more so by the teenage girls sitting next to us screaming, "Oh my god!! Oh my god!!" and then text messaging all their friends. After the movie, we walked a couple of blocks to this place that's supposed to have great pizza. We're trying to taste all the different pizza restaurants so we can decide for ourselves which place is the best (there's a lot of controversy about it in New Haven). The pizza we had at the place called BAR was pretty good - they had a unique flavor (mashed potatoes and bacon) which was interesting but not nearly as good as their classic pepporoni.
Today, Betsey and I are headed back to the theatre, where every Sunday they play a classic movie while serving mimosas. Today, it's an Affair to Remember, one of my all time favorite movies. Betsey's in for a treat because although she loves Cary Grant, she's never seen it. I'm really looking forward to seeing it in a theatre.
Thursday, July 06, 2006
The Inside
We got it cleaned up a little, so I thought I'd post a few pictures of the interior. It's still got a long way to go, but it's getting there...
A Few Pictures
This is the best I can do on pictures. The first one is of the Yale Peabody Meusem (where the dinasaurs are!). It's a perfect example of what most ot the buildings on campus look like. The last two are the outside of our apartment complex. Once the inside looks a little less like a tornado hit it, I'll post some of pictures of our apartment. I've been so tired lately that even when we go around town I haven't been taking pictures. Kevin's made fun of me because for the first three days we were here I didn't take a single picture! Hopefully I'll get a little of my camera gusto back once we get better settled in so I can show you all what a gorgeous area we've moved to.
Tuesday, July 04, 2006
Holiday
There's so, so much to do, but Kevin ordered me to take a day off from working. It's hard to sit around when there are still sticky spots to be cleaned and boxes to be unpacked, but I'm trying really hard to do it. I'm so tired and sore from the long weekend of moving furniture and shopping and cleaning that I know my body desperately needs the rest. I never knew I could hurt so many places at once!
This morning, we took a long walk through campus, since we still hadn't seen it. It's beautiful. Beyond beautiful. It's absolutely perfect. There are big green trees and grass and gardens everywhere. Between huge, ornate school buildings are little shops and restaurants that we can't wait to try. There are nice wide sidewalks and crosswalks everywhere, making it easy to walk around downtown. Huge, old money houses line the edges of campus. The whole area is lovely and has a unique historical feel to it. We still haven't come into contact with a single unfriendly individual. We bought a paper from a man on the street and stopped in a bagel shop for a snack. I feel like I'm on the set of a movie and that someone's going to yell "Cut!" at any moment. We'll see if I still feel so captivated come winter. We've had more than one person look at Kevin's Arizona driver liscence and tell us they hope we stay in Connecticut after experiencing a northeast winter!
There's lots to keep us busy until then, though. On Friday nights, they play old movies in the big park on campus. On Saturday, they have free music concerts there. Wednesdays, there's blues music and a farmer's market. They have city sponsered hikes at the 17 New Haven parks, and tonight there will be fireworks over the ocean on Long Wharf Drive. This weekend, our surrogate daughter, Betsey, will be coming up to see our apartment, which is still a bit of a disaster. We found an irish restaurant/pub that we'd like to take her to this weekend. It's designed like one of the many old buildings in Ireland and looks very homey. I'm excited to take a break, maybe have a Guinness and let somebody else cook some greasy fish and chips. It will take my mind off the six million tasks that wait for me at the apartment.
This morning, we took a long walk through campus, since we still hadn't seen it. It's beautiful. Beyond beautiful. It's absolutely perfect. There are big green trees and grass and gardens everywhere. Between huge, ornate school buildings are little shops and restaurants that we can't wait to try. There are nice wide sidewalks and crosswalks everywhere, making it easy to walk around downtown. Huge, old money houses line the edges of campus. The whole area is lovely and has a unique historical feel to it. We still haven't come into contact with a single unfriendly individual. We bought a paper from a man on the street and stopped in a bagel shop for a snack. I feel like I'm on the set of a movie and that someone's going to yell "Cut!" at any moment. We'll see if I still feel so captivated come winter. We've had more than one person look at Kevin's Arizona driver liscence and tell us they hope we stay in Connecticut after experiencing a northeast winter!
There's lots to keep us busy until then, though. On Friday nights, they play old movies in the big park on campus. On Saturday, they have free music concerts there. Wednesdays, there's blues music and a farmer's market. They have city sponsered hikes at the 17 New Haven parks, and tonight there will be fireworks over the ocean on Long Wharf Drive. This weekend, our surrogate daughter, Betsey, will be coming up to see our apartment, which is still a bit of a disaster. We found an irish restaurant/pub that we'd like to take her to this weekend. It's designed like one of the many old buildings in Ireland and looks very homey. I'm excited to take a break, maybe have a Guinness and let somebody else cook some greasy fish and chips. It will take my mind off the six million tasks that wait for me at the apartment.
Monday, July 03, 2006
We're Here!
We made it! It's been a very long and stressful weekend, but I think things are finally starting to calm down, although I think it will be a little while before I can post pictures or anything.
The apartment is perfect for us. I was a little frustrated with it at first becuase it was much smaller than the sample one they showed us online. It was also extremely dirty! But, having scrubbed and scrubbed and scrubbed, it's finally starting to come around. We got a beautiful sleeper sofa, shelves, a computer moniter, and lamps from our neighbors upstairs who were moving to a smaller apartment. We also bought a mattress, which improved our moods a lot. Sleeping on the floor when you're exhausted from moving is not the best way to recover. We spent all of our gift certificates - that was fun! We had six carts from Bed Bath and Beyond - we really got everything we needed! There's still a lot to do, but our apartment is finally starting to feel like home.
I would write more, but Kevin needs to use the computer before he goes to work. Hopefully I'll be able to update soon.
The apartment is perfect for us. I was a little frustrated with it at first becuase it was much smaller than the sample one they showed us online. It was also extremely dirty! But, having scrubbed and scrubbed and scrubbed, it's finally starting to come around. We got a beautiful sleeper sofa, shelves, a computer moniter, and lamps from our neighbors upstairs who were moving to a smaller apartment. We also bought a mattress, which improved our moods a lot. Sleeping on the floor when you're exhausted from moving is not the best way to recover. We spent all of our gift certificates - that was fun! We had six carts from Bed Bath and Beyond - we really got everything we needed! There's still a lot to do, but our apartment is finally starting to feel like home.
I would write more, but Kevin needs to use the computer before he goes to work. Hopefully I'll be able to update soon.
Tuesday, June 20, 2006
Wednesday, June 14, 2006
Monday, June 05, 2006
Hawaii
Our first week of marraige has been wonderful. We drove down to Arizona and have been staying at his parent's villa. It's so nice to have a little house to ourselves. While we're in town, we've been able to visit with his friends and family. Last Saturday, we had a reception here, which went really well. His uncle Greg catered it and went all out - Italian style. We had lasagna, tortillini, ravioli, tirimasu - everything! We had it here at the house, and Nancy got a bunch of little gerbera daisy plants and decorated the house in red and black - it was so cute! There was a lot of visiting and then later, we played cards until late. I really enjoyed spending time with Kevin's friends and family - they're all so nice (and very loud, but nice!). Lots of people have been sending us pictures from the wedding and some of them have turned out so cute! They make me excited to see the ones Pat took. I put all the good ones in a wedding album and sometimes I like to look through it slowly. The day went by so quickly, I hardly remember it! With the pictures, I can remember more details and I like to sit and sigh like a girly girl about how beautiful everything was.
Tomorrow morning, pretty early, we leave for our official honeymoon. I'm so excited! We're going to Kaui, where we plan to spend a lot of time on the beach, hiking, and snorkeling. I'll post pictures when we come back. I'm pretty sure it's going to be awesome.
Tomorrow morning, pretty early, we leave for our official honeymoon. I'm so excited! We're going to Kaui, where we plan to spend a lot of time on the beach, hiking, and snorkeling. I'll post pictures when we come back. I'm pretty sure it's going to be awesome.
Monday, May 29, 2006
Monday, May 22, 2006
I know I haven't been updating a lot, but life has been a little hectic lately! I graduated from college, moved all my things (and all my boyfriends things!) to my parent's house, and since then I've been trying to get all the wedding stuff ready in time for next Saturday. I can't believe I'll be married in a week! Right now I feel like I'm in this strange limbo. I always kind of feel like a little kid when I stay with my parents, but I've been living on my own for so long that I still feel like an adult. I'm ready to be married, and have my own home, to take care of my husband and have him take care of me. I'm ready to make curtains and buy furniture and cook dinners. It's still weird to me that I will have to wait a whole month after we're married to do those things! I am looking forward to seeing all of Kevin's family and friends in Arizona, and I'm really looking forward to our honeymoon in Hawaii! I know everything will happen very quickly - I can't believe how fast the last two years have flown by.
Last Saturday, three incredible women threw me a beautiful shower. I've never even been to a wedding shower before, much less had one myself, and it was really fun! I'll try to post pictures sometime this week. We finished all the thank you notes last night, and are still organizing gifts - I can't believe the support we've gotten from friends and family. It will make our move to Connecticut so much easier. We actually have silverware that matches now! And color coordinated kitchen supplies!
Michael and Flower moved into their own apartment, and while I think it's really good for them, I still miss having little Miguel around. Luckily, we've been babysitting a lot while they get all settled in, so I haven't had to go a whole day without seeing him yet. Whenever I hold him, though, I think about how far away I'll be later on this summer, and I can't help but wonder how big he'll be the next time I come home.
Sometimes when I think about how far away I'll be and how many loans we had to take out and how long we have to postpone having children, I start to have second thoughts about going to Yale. But the thing is, I know that I'll end up with a job I love, and I know that Kevin and I will love exploring the east coast. I know that three years isn't too long to wait to have kids and that if Kevin is 38 versus 36 when we start, it won't make that big of a difference. It's just a scary thing, moving to a place I've never seen to start a program I have almost no experience in. I'm so blessed to be able to take my best friend with me. That makes all the difference in the world.
Last Saturday, three incredible women threw me a beautiful shower. I've never even been to a wedding shower before, much less had one myself, and it was really fun! I'll try to post pictures sometime this week. We finished all the thank you notes last night, and are still organizing gifts - I can't believe the support we've gotten from friends and family. It will make our move to Connecticut so much easier. We actually have silverware that matches now! And color coordinated kitchen supplies!
Michael and Flower moved into their own apartment, and while I think it's really good for them, I still miss having little Miguel around. Luckily, we've been babysitting a lot while they get all settled in, so I haven't had to go a whole day without seeing him yet. Whenever I hold him, though, I think about how far away I'll be later on this summer, and I can't help but wonder how big he'll be the next time I come home.
Sometimes when I think about how far away I'll be and how many loans we had to take out and how long we have to postpone having children, I start to have second thoughts about going to Yale. But the thing is, I know that I'll end up with a job I love, and I know that Kevin and I will love exploring the east coast. I know that three years isn't too long to wait to have kids and that if Kevin is 38 versus 36 when we start, it won't make that big of a difference. It's just a scary thing, moving to a place I've never seen to start a program I have almost no experience in. I'm so blessed to be able to take my best friend with me. That makes all the difference in the world.
Monday, May 15, 2006
Home Again
Today is Miguel's one month birthday. No, there has never been a cuter baby. And yes, that is a mohawk.
Friday, May 12, 2006
FINISHED
As of ten minutes ago, I am officially done with undergraduate work. I thought I would be excited and bouncing off the walls like Kevin was when he finished school. But I just feel sad. I had such a wonderful experience at Truman, I feel like I need a little period of mourning for all the good things I found here. I know that I'm going to a new school and I know that I will find good things and good people there to fall in love with. I know that I have this amazing new life ahead of me, and I am blessed with a man that loves me and is suited almost perfectly for me. But I think today, I will cry a little bit and hug my closest friends tight before I begin my great adventure.
Sunday, May 07, 2006
One Last Hurrah
All the seniors...
Here comes the train!!!
Apples to Apples never gets old, especially after a rousing game of Disney Scene It.
Wednesday, May 03, 2006
EMPLOYED
My fiance is officially employed by Yale New Haven Hospital in Connecticut! This is very exciting news because he was able to get the floor and the hours that he wanted. He's working in secondary care, which means that when people get out of ICU, he will take care of them. This means he will get good experience so that he can work in his ideal emergency room or critical care after a year or two. He also got rotating shifts, which means he will work days and nights. Since he'll be working days a lot of the time that means I get to see him! His manager promised him he won't flip-flop a lot, so his sleep schedule shouldn't be too crazy. Life is good. It is so, so good.
Tuesday, May 02, 2006
It's the last week of classes, which means one thing: it's crunch time. There's a lot of stuff to do, but I won't bore you with the details. The important that is this: I'm really happy to be doing it because I'm about to start a new phase of my life, one that I've been looking forward to a long time. In less than four weeks time, I'll be Mrs. Kevin Hove, and I'll be on my way to Connecticut to begin a program I'm really passionate about. How many people are lucky enough to do something they love? These thoughts are helping me fly through the next two weeks with all the errands and projects and tiny nagging details that go along with moving and graduating and getting married.Over to the left is one more reason I'm really excited. Her name is Alexis Renee Hove and I think she may be the prettiest little girl I have ever laid eyes on. Seriously, isn't she gorgeous?
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