Various and Sundry:

It's strange living in a big, unattached house for the first time since I graduated from high school. Throughout the last 11 years, I've only ever lived in a place where I share at least one wall (or a ceiling) with at least one other person. Apartments, duplexes, basements, etc. I catch myself turning down the television from time to time because I don't want the neighbors to hear. Then I remember!

I got to go on a $4500 shopping spree the other day in Thomasville in order to use all of the credit we had built up through wedding gifts. What fun! The only problem was that all of that money was just in two stores. What I could have done with it had it just been in my bank account!! Then again, probably for the best that it wasn't... it would've been tragically wasted on something as mundane as the mortgage or the water bill.

I'm hearing of sad goings-on at my former church in Athens, so my heart goes out to you all still there or connected.

I stopped in Pelham to see my 1-year-old niece (shout out to Anna Claire! What up girlfriend!) on my way back to Macon after the shopping spree day. She was in a very hyper mood and figured out (while I was there, apparently) that if she spun around really quickly she'd get dizzy and fall and make all of us laugh. It provided at least a half hour of solidly hilarious entertainment before I had to get back on the road. Love me some Anna Claire.

Cal got a boat as a wedding gift from his best friend, and he asked me to come with him on his maiden voyage. It was my first experience fishing with anything other than a cane pole off of a dock, and it was great fun. We caught lots of bass and brim. He fried some of them up the other night.

We've decided that the most annoying question for newlyweds is "How's married life?" I hope I never ask another person this question for the rest of my life. What are you supposed to say? "Well, he elbowed me in the side 5 times last night, and I kicked him in the groin by accident." Right. This most annoying question falls close on the heels of the engaged one: So how are the wedding plans coming?

Married life, though, really and truly is grand. I keep waiting for the bomb to drop that folks keep telling me about. You know, the whole "the first year is the hardest year you'll face" thing. When does that first year start? We're both loving life. It's nice, especially, to have someone with whom to share your totally weird dream when you first wake up right before you forget it. That way, when you want to tell your friend about it later but it's gone from your head, you have someone to remind you.

My sister Beth has officially moved to Boston. You know what that means? That's right. A free place to stay. Hurray for Beth and her brilliance that got her to Harvard Med!

Cal and I went to St. Simons for a few days after the wedding. As we were packing up to come home that Monday morning, a friend from work called to offer us a couple more nights for free in her condo down there. Talk about an abrupt change in moods! We used the extra day to visit Cumberland Island.





Hmmm. What else?

The title block on this template isn't working for some reason, so this post may not have a title and it won't be my fault.

I am totally and completely obsessed with all these house-flipping shows on television. I didn't have cable at my old place, so TLC, HGTV, A&E, etc, are all novelties once again. My favorite is the "Real Deal" show (now called "The Real Estate Pros", I think) that comes on TLC on Saturday nights at 9. Cal and I watched 3 or 4 in a row Sunday night. There was some marathon thing on or something. Quite enjoyable.

We don't have enough cabinet space for all of our new china. I'm going to some antique places today to see if I can find a china cabinet. When did I get so old that the thought of owning a china cabinet could be so appealing?

Our furniture meshed quite well in this old house of Cal's. He's a little concerned over the amount of cat paraphernalia that I brought with me. He also doesn't like it when I hang pictures on the walls, but as long as I do it while he's gone to work, everything's okay. It makes him nervous to hear the hammering and know that it means that holes are being punctured in his sheetrock. He likes the finished product, though, or is at least sweet enough to say that he does.

We head out to Colorado for our true honeymoon next Thursday. I'm totally excited. Cal rented a cabin on the top of a mountain somewhere west of Denver, and we'll have a car and everything. No set plans except for white water rafting one day (I'll probably fall out, hit my head on a rock, and die, but that's okay) and a Rockies game the night before we fly back home. We'll be there for a week.

I've been talking in my sleep a lot lately. It didn't matter when I was single, but now it's pretty embarrassing. At least I haven't said anything too incriminating. One night, I was dreaming that we had to reenact the wedding for some reason, but we were already married. Someone noted that we were sharing a bed, and I said "It's okay, we're married." Out loud.

I have to go to the DMV, the Social Security office, and the car tag/registration place to change my name this week. I was going to go today, but I looked online and noted that the web sites warned of extreme busy-ness on Tuesday, so I've opted to go tomorrow or Thursday instead. Phew! An excuse to procrastinate on that business a little longer.

I have approximately 57 thank-you notes left to write. I've written 136.

Nicholas the Cat enjoys his new digs. He is not allowed inside, but he often stays on the deck right outside of our tv/sitting room where we are for most of the time that we're home. If we go out on the deck, he's there waiting. If we go out the front door, he's there waiting. The only thing that I can figure is that he sits up under the house and listens to our footsteps to know which way we'll be coming out. He seems happy.

I get eaten up with mosquitos every time I walk outside. Last night I was on the front porch for about 1 minute and got 6 new bites on my arms and legs. Cal got none, as usual. I told him that it's because I don't have any hair on my legs to discourage the bites. That's the only thing I can figure.

School starts in a month and I am SO not ready. I haven't read a single one of the books that I'm supposed to be teaching to the Sophomores. Do they still make Cliff notes?


HARRY POTTER!