La Petite Chic

Holly

I've wrote about her here and here and here.  I've been known to cry in parking lots over encounters with look-a-like dogs, including one that actually lives in our old neighborhood.  I think I frightened her owner when I ran over to the two of them exclaiming, "Oh my god, that is Holly reincarnated!"  (The dog didn't mind the affectionate belly rubs, though). 

Clearly, I'm not over losing Holly, even now, two years later.  My eyes still well up with tears at the mention of her name and I often send Jon links to shelter dogs with any trace of husky or german shephard in their blood in the hope of finding another Holly.

The truth is, though, there will never be another Holly.  There will never be another stubborn, blue eyed/brown eyed, bird catching, spaghetti loving, brave (except when it came to thunderstorms), good natured, yellow squeaky ball chasing hound quite like her. 

I think I'll forever miss her.

"I have sometimes thought of the final cause of dogs having such short lives and I am quite satisfied it is in compassion to the human race; for if we suffer so much in losing a dog after an acquaintance of ten or twelve years, what would it be if they were to live double that time?" 
-Sir Walter Scott-

Reason #9,106 Why I Love Him

As I mentioned on Twitter yesterday, just like that we are (not) homeowners.  It is so much easier to be on the seller's end of the table at closing.  It's more wham, bam, thank you, ma'am and less sign, here and here and here.  That doesn't mean that it wasn't painful, because oh boy, was it ever painful handing over that check, but nonetheless it is done and over and I'm once again a road warrior.

Which brings me to the reason I fell in love with Jon all over again yesterday.  I noticed a random cd sitting on the console in my car yesterday while sitting in traffic.  It was a Rascal Flatts cd and I thought, "Oh, I'll just pop that in and escape from the endless drone of afternoon radio shows."  Then I noticed there was already a cd in my stereo.  I popped it out and it was a cd entitled "Songs for Katie". 

Yes, folks, Jon made me a mix tape!  Well, a mix cd but I prefer the term mix tape.  He knew how much I have been dreading this commute so he put together a cd of some of my favorite songs, songs that remind me of him, our songs and songs that are commute appropriate.  I drove home with the biggest grin on my face.

Some of the tracks include, "Can't Help Falling in Love" - UB40 (our original wedding song), "No Tears" - Scarface (from the hilarious scene in the beginning of Office Space), "Pussy Control" - Prince (one of my favorites), "Move, Bitch" - Ludacris (in homage to my aggressive driving), "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go" - Wham (I always give my sleepy-doo a smooch before I leave), "Would You Go With Me?" - Josh Turner (one of our songs) and "Better Together" - Jack Johnson (a song that reminds me of him). 

Le sigh.  It totally made my commute a lot less dreadful.  Gosh, I love him!

What I'll Miss...

As promised, here is a picture of me and our sweet set-up from Sunday night.  Forgive the shiny forehead and the general messiness.

 

I'll miss our first little home together; the home that we bought just before our wedding and the home where we created our own family and own traditions.

I won't miss the shared walls, the noisy upstairs neighbor and the one sink in the tiny bathroom.

I'll miss walking to work and being able to come home for lunch to walk Lola.

I won't miss dodging traffic and cars who don't seem to know what a crosswalk is and I won't miss using my lunch break to clean our house and do laundry.

I'll miss being just a mile away from what are arguably two of the best malls on the East Coast.  Banana Republic Petites, J.Crew, Sephora, Bloomingdales, Old Navy, H&M, Gap, Neiman Marcus, Anthropologie, Ann Taylor Loft, Saks Fifth Avenue, Williams-Sonoma just to name a few. 

I won't miss the dent it's made on my wallet.

I'll miss our proximity to our nation's capital, just 15 miles away, and everything it has to offer in terms of enterntainment, culture, history and dining.

I won't miss the D.C. traffic nor the bad drivers, though I will be driving around in it for a bit more.

I'll miss the wonderful neighbors we met and our other fabulous friends who live just moments away.

I won't miss the creepy neighbor who stares and stalks and lingers and won't stop friend requesting me on Facebook.

I'll miss being able to buy wine and beer in the grocery store.

Err, there's not much about that one that I won't miss! 

I made Jon pose for a picture with me in front of our door this morning.  I plan to take a picture in front of every home we own for the rest of our lives because I'm sappy like that.

Bookmark

The move on Saturday went perfectly according to plan and the weather was as beautiful as predicted.  We had just enough room in the van for all of our furniture and boxes and everything seems to have survived the journey unscathed.  I've been hording paper boxes from work for at least a month now because they really are the perfect moving box.  They're big enough and sturdy enough to hold quite a bit of your stuff, yet, they're not so big that you can overpack them, making them too heavy and hard to handle.  Plus, they stack so nicely and neatly!  They made for easy loading.

Our neighbor, Chris, helped us on the Virginia end of the move and my cousin, Michael, helped us on the Maryland end and, let me tell you, having those guys around to give Jon a hand with the heavy, bulky stuff was so appreciated.  I really don't recall having an easier move, ever.  We managed to fit all of our furniture on my parent's first floor, which was a huge relief to not have to lug couches and tables and televisions up and down the stairs.  We even set the study up as a "man room" for Jon with our comfy couch and huge t.v.  Jon is a very happy boy.

Did I mention that we're still living in our condo until Thursday?  We want to avoid the commute for as long as possible so we're basically squatting in our place.  We're sleeping on an air mattress in the bedroom and have camping chairs set up in the living room, with our hamper serving as a makeshift table.  Our only source of entertainment is my laptop, on which we've been watching movies from RedBox and shows from Hulu.  On Sunday night, we got takeout for the very last time from our favorite Chinese restaurant and set up shop in the living room with a bottle of wine.  It's actually kind of romantic and I think we'll look back on this week fondly.  Jon took a picture of me drinking my wine out of a solo cup (classy!) so I'll be sure to post it here.

Other then that, we are all set for closing on Thursday.  We have an enormous check ready to pay the difference at closing and everything else looks good!   This experience is just a bookmark between the pages of our life and before we know it, we'll be able to start a new chapter in a new home and we'll be better and stronger for it.

The Other Side of Wedded Bliss

SCENE
It's about 5:45 PM and I'm in the kitchen, knee deep in boxes and bubble wrap, after coming home from a long day at work.

JONATHAN
(calling to check in from lovely, sunny Arizona)
Hey hon, whatcha up to?

KATIE
Not much, just packing.

JONATHAN
Still?????

KATIE
(Head explodes)

Oh, Jonny, that one will come back to haunt you, my dear :) 

On a brighter note, I don't think we could have asked for a more perfect moving day forecast:

Saturday, Apr 18

High: 78 °F RealFeel®: 75 °F

Sunshine mixing with some clouds; breezy, warm and pleasant; a beautiful start to the weekend.

 

It's about time spring decided to grace us with her presence!

Packed and Ready

It's incredibly strange to pack up our dishes, our linens, our pictures, our life without a clearly defined date of when we'll see those things again.  It's not like a normal move where you pack your things only to unpack them a few days later in your new home.  We'll be at my parent's house for at least 6 months, so for now all I can do is label every box accurately (and anally) in an effort to make the unpacking as easy as possible once we're in our new home.  As my co-worker so brightly put it, "It's going to be like Christmas!" when we finally do unpack.

Jon is out of town on business this week so it's up to me to get our condo packed up in time for our move on Saturday.  Thankfully, there's really not too much left to pack because we've been slowly taking things up to my parent's house since we've known we're moving.  It's really just our kitchen and bedroom, although those rooms tend to be the hardest to pack as you pretty much use those items up until the very end.

I'm excited to get this chapter in our life started and I feel like it's just the beginning of good things to come.  Unfortunately, I will be facing a 50 mile commute (each way), as I learned on Sunday that I didn't get the job in Baltimore.  However, I was very encouraged by a phone call I received yesterday from my recruiter.  She called to let me know that though I didn't get this position (they selected someone who had an extensive background in event planning), the hiring manager said that I had a great interview and an impressive background and they would love to find me another position in the organization.  While I'm disappointed, I'm happy to know that they consider me a good candidate and want me to join their team in some capacity. 

We'll see what happens.

A Few of My Favorite Things

Lady Amherst and Guinea Feather headband from laurenriddle:

(photo borrowed from Lauren's shop)

I saw this gorgeous headband at a co-worker's birthday party and instantly wanted one for myself. Turns out that her roommate (the one wearing it) got it from her friend in California who just so happens to sell them on Etsy.  I get so many compliments on this headband when I wear it and it's the perfect stylish accessory to tame my still growing out bangs.

Green Bamboo candle from Yankee Candle:

This bamboo scent is so fresh (and so clean, clean) and it's the perfect transition scent from winter to spring.

Felix Ray Coral Tote with Shell at Target:

I begged Jon to buy me this for Easter when I spotted it at Target last weekend.  Lucky for me, he obliged.  I just love coral prints and can't wait to carry this when it gets a little warmer.

Swiss-dot Fontana dress from J.Crew:

I must confess; I already own this dress in navy blue.  I love it so much that I decided to take advantage of J.Crew's extra 30% off sale items deal last week and bought it in aqua as well.  It's perfect for work or play.

Do share...what are some of your new favorite things?

On Pins and Needles

I'm sorry to leave y'all hanging for almost a whole week...I've been spending so much time in front of the computer at work that I hardly feel like turning mine on when I get home!

You guys are seriously the best, though.  I was feeling particularly anxious and fatalistic last Wednesday, but all of your comments helped me to realize and remember that everything is going to be okay.  And as several of you mentioned, now is not the time to freak out.  An interview is just an interview and there is no guarantee that I'll even be offered the position, so why stress out now?

If I do happen to receive a job offer, I'll need to weigh my options and look at the pros and cons of each, as many of you suggested.  Jon (God love him) took the time to work out all of the financials and concluded that we can definitely make it work, so that is one less thing to worry about.

As for the interview?  I think it went really well, but then again it's sometimes hard to gauge if an interviewer is truly enthusiastic about you as a person and potential employee or if they're just really friendly.  She was very up front with me about the number of applicants they've had and the number of interviews she has conducted and has lined up after mine.  This particular institution has been in a hiring freeze for the past year so the department is very lucky to even be able to fill this position.  What that all boils down to is that they have a lot of highly qualified and desirable applicants for just this one position. 

I was told to expect some news either way by the end of this week and I'm really hoping it's good news because the position sounds ideal for me.  It's high exposure and completely different one day to the next and most importantly, I wouldn't be sitting in a cube all day!  The manager seems lovely and I think I could really learn a lot from her.  I've been checking my iPhone fanatically, hoping for an update but I'm guessing I won't hear anything until Friday because the HR department is notoriously slow.  Until then, I'll be sitting on pins and needles, but will be sure to let you all know the outcome.

Things Further Contributing to an Ulcer

So, uh, guess what?  I have a job interview this afternoon.  A job interview for a company I've been applying with since last year.  An interview for a job that I applied for before I even applied for my new job that I just started on Monday.  You know, the one in Virgina, the one right across the street from our condo which will not be ours as of April 23rd, the one in Benefits, the one that is turning out to be more administrative and less about learning new HR skills.

And this job interview?  Is for a job in Baltimore.  A job that would not be a 50 mile commute each way through DC traffic, a job for a university that would give me 100% tuition reimbursement for my Masters, a job in event planning which is something I've always been interested in, a job that is offering significantly less money than what I'm currently making.

What's a girl to do? 

If you're anything like me, said girl would cry and she would fret and she would cling to her husband in the wee hours of the morning because she can't sleep due to her anxiety and the nook in his arms is the only thing that comforts her and the only thing that feels like the right thing to do.  She would work herself up into such a tizzy that she wouldn't feel like eating, wouldn't feel like blogging and wouldn't be able to believe the predicament she is in.

She would try to calm herself down and try to rationalize and try to remember that she hasn't even been offered the job in Baltimore yet so there. is. no. situation., but all fellow anxiety sufferers will know that once your mind gets going, it's hard to to talk it down off that ledge of doubt and fear and delirium.

She would feel incredibly lucky and blessed to find herself in this situation, especially considering the status quo of the job market, but all she keeps thinking about are the what if's, and the proper etiquette and the conversations she'll need to have if things move forward.  She's confided in trusted co-workers and they've all said that she must think of herself first, but she can't help but feel bad already.

Sigh.  What would you do?