Long overdue pictures

I know, pictures of my nights out are long, long overdue. So, without further ado, here are some pictures of my knitting night farewell.







And my other farewell.

Where ya been?

OK, it has been well over a week since I last blogged. I've been busy, really. I can't really say what I've been doing because the time is just a haze, but I do know that it went by very quickly. I started the new job last week and I think I'm going to like it. I'm not really getting eased into the job but I think it is better that way. I am going to learn a ton and felt like a student at times last week since, well, I was a student 9 years ago!

On Saturday, I went to the hair salon to exchange some face wash that I got and then spent some time in the afternoon taking pictures for the This Is Knit's World Wide Knitting in Public Day Scavenger Hunt. It was fun but tiring riding around on public transport getting the pictures since John had the car. He was playing golf. We then went to the pub to celebrate a friend's birthday. (Note the size of the beer and sangria that John is holding)

We are also getting the house settled in. We went and got bookcases this weekend and John put them together so now we can start putting books away and getting rid of some of the clutter. Slowly, slowly putting things away and getting settled...

How does it feel?

People on both sides of the "pond" (and even random strangers for that matter) keep asking me things like, "Are you happy to be back," and "how does it feel to be back?" Well, I really don't know how to respond to this because it feels, well, weird! I mean, I am enjoying reconnecting with people that I haven't seen in a while but I also miss my friends in Dublin and we aren't settled here yet.

Actually, to be honest, I feel drained. I am really enjoying this time off work. I am doing a bit of house related stuff every day but just vegging as well. I know that I need that. There is a part of me that doesn't want to start work next week. I could use some more time off. Yet, I am bored, too. Not really sure how that works and I need to get back to work and get into a routine so that I can feel more "normal."

The other main piece of it feeling weird to be back is that our place doesn't feel like "home." I feel like I am in someone else's house because we don't have many things yet (like pictures on the walls). We are still setting up. I am sure that soon it will feel like home. I'm curious to see how long it takes for this house to feel like "home" because it is easily at least twice the size of anywhere that we have lived before (and about 3 times the size of our apartment in Dublin). It is in a nice neighborhood but it is suburban. We are off a main road but there aren't shops or restaurants within walking distance. At least the train is within VERY easy distance and they have made this one more frequent so it is pretty easy to get places via public transport.

The other reason that it feels strange is because we haven't seen our friends that much. Since we aren't leaving in a week, we have time to reconnect and see people when they are free and aren't on this manic "must see people" schedule. That meant that during my first week back, I only saw people a couple times. It was great to reconnect with them but lonely at night when I was sitting in this empty house eating on the stairs because we didn't have any furniture yet. (Don't worry, it wasn't that lonely and I was too tired to socialize much anyway).

What did you do last week?

So, I have been back home for 10 days. They have been 10 long days! Yesterday, John looked around our house and asked me what I did last week since there didn't seem to be much done. So, here is how I have spent my last 10 days:

1. Sleeping! Last week, I just did not have energy to do much (other than go to Target). I have been absolutely exhausted. J assures me that this is normal (for moving country and changing jobs with the type of job we have) as she was wrecked when she moved from Ireland as well.
2. Shopping! We got rid of most of our stuff in Ireland and we did have some in storage but we have been acquiring things like crazy. Most big things we are acquiring used which is nice since it is better quality than we would have paid for new and then we aren't adding as much to the mass consumerism...
   
3. Laundry
4. Cleaning

Here is a general idea of what I accomplished:

• Tuesday (day after arrival): Got new mobile phones for both of us since our Irish ones don't work here (well, we can receive texts/calls but not send). I also got 2 pairs of shoes since I didn't have any work shoes. Really, I didn't. I donated or threw them away because they were worn or not so comfortable or just too big or heavy to bring back with me. After dinner with friends, I picked up the car we are buying from friends.
  
• Wednesday: Got the cable and internet set up. After this, I got a bed. After this, I went to Target and got loads of stuff for the house (think garbage cans, garbage bags, laundry soap, etc). I then met up with friends for coffee and unpacked some of the stuff and watched silly cable.
• Thursday: I don't really remember Thursday. Oh wait, that is the day that I drove out to my new job to see where I'll be working. That took a long time! I meant to go to Ikea but didn't get that far.
  
• Friday: I got a few clothes from Kohls (I don't have many work clothes left, either) and visited a friend of mine. It was so nice to see her and her daughter and reconnect with people.
• Saturday: This was a wonderful day! I had a day at the spa and got pampered and a lot of stress relief. After my spa day, I had more energy than I had in a while. I also picked up John's favorite chair from a friend's who had it in his condo. After that, his brother brought a van full of our stuff to me! Happy days, stuff from storage. It felt like Christmas because I had no idea what John had put into storage since I had moved before him. We didn't get our couch or TV but that should happen this weekend.
• Sunday: went to many stores trying to buy a Nintendo Wii for John. I was unsuccessful. I intended to make him cookies but that is a different story with a different post...
• Sunday: John came home!!!!!! His flight was 2 hours late but he made is safely and we had frozen pizza for dinner since he was exhausted.
• Monday: Checked Craig's list for furniture and responded to many, many ads looking for 2 dressers and some bookcases. Also went to a thrift store and found some decent dining room chairs and a TV/plant stand thing that has been put to good use. We also put together the dining room coffee tables (legs had been removed for storage) and unpacked a bunch of the plastic bins full of stuff and washed loads of dishes. I was wishing for that dish washer...
• Tuesday: Unpacked more, got a dresser and filled it. John worked from home. I also got to go see the Sex and the City movie with a friend of mine. :) I had missed my girlie movie partner.
  
• Wednesday: went to Target again, Home Depot, and the pet store (twice) to get general home/pet stuff. We then went to the electronics store to look at printers and TVs and found ones we liked. We wrote down numbers to check reviews (both got decent reviews but are cheaper elsewhere). We then went and got a bookcase and had dinner with two of John's friends. Stopped at the grocery store at 9:15. :)
  
• Thursday (today): got a dresser (pretty close in color to the other one we got) and I filled it with John's clothes. John worked from home. I played online and made cookies.

So, that is how I have spent my last week and a half. Somewhere in there, I also got keys made for John and got a kitty lounger thing and two scratching posts. Tomorrow I get to go on "mission get stuff from sister."

Goodbyes

During May, I had a couple leaving Dos and "goodbyes." It was very hard to say goodbye to everyone, partly because I just don't do goodbye. They are too sad! Anyway, Aileen decided that we should have a bit of a party at a Knit Night on her birthday so we had a bit of a party, knitting style. :) It was a lot of fun and pictures can be found on Yvvone's blog as well.


And I got some pressies. :) Aileen and Laura got me some lovely Newbridge Silver earrings and pendant. I have looked at this set many times and never taken the plunge so I'm quite happy with them. They are surprisingly hard to take pictures of. :( I also got a beautiful skein of handpainted yarn from Elana and Lisa. They also gave me some hand made stitch markers, all purple of course. Aileen also gave me some pretty sock yarn. Yeah, small things that are easy to pack and more yarn! :) Not that I "need" more yarn.

The Friday before I left, I also had a work do. We went to an Indian restaurant for dinner and then the Porterhouse (of course) for drinks. It was great fun. They also gave me a very generous pressie of some Waterford Crystal martini glasses (purple of course) that I have loved since I first saw them three years ago and a Galway Crystal bowl. They are getting shipped so I haven't actually gotten them yet...

**There will be pictures but they are on John's camera and he is still in Ireland!

moving

Yesterday, I left Dublin. I woke up early to get ready to go to the airport. John went with me to help me take care of things. We got there about 4 hours before my flight but weren't able to check in until 3 1/2 hours before. So, John went on to work and I waited until I could check in. I waited in the line, got myself checked in and was told that I had to go wait in another line to pay the cats' fares. The guy at the counter was really nice and helpful though and he seemed to feel bad at how much the airline charged for the cats.

After paying for the cats' fares, I then went back to the counter, got my ticket and then the guy accompanied me to get the cat carriers scanned. That got done and then I waited for the next guy to come and collect the cats. Then I went through security and just patiently waited. Overall, I am glad that I got there early because I didn't have to rush to get anything and had a decent amount of time waiting but not so painfully long.

Eventually, we board the plane and I was only 2 rows out of first class!!! The seats were a bit more spacious and we got served first. It was nice but made me really want first class. :) It also meant that I got to get off the plane sooner (which is why I think the guy in Dublin put me there so it would be easier for me to collect the monsters). So, I ask in the arrival airport where to collect the cats. I was told one side of the baggage area. An hour after arrival and still no cats, I asked another person. Nope, there are two special baggage areas and I had to go to the other one. Normally, this wouldn't be an issue. However, I had two large bags with me on a cart and needed a second cart for the casts. Also, this is a major airport so the baggage reclaim is at least twice the size of Dublin's. So, there I was, pushing one full cart and pulling an empty one trying to navigate a full baggage area where no one paid attention to someone coming their way. I was very happy that I didn't actually hit anyone (but Tiffin's crate did fall off the cart after I had collected her).

The kitties were "waiting" for me in this far away special baggage area. Then, I had to go back across the baggage area again to get them cleared from the government. I rang that bell and waited. No answer. Rang again. Still no answer. Waited some more. Rang a third time. Still no answer. Then I decided to go to customs and ask them. They thought the public health people went home since it was a holiday and told me which area of check out to go to to leave the airport. While trying to get to that area, I got flagged by a different customs person and got to have all my baggage inspected! So, they then asked about the cats and managed to get the health and safety person to look at my paperwork.

So, about an hour and a half after landing, I was finally able to call J to ask her to come get me! Luckily she was on her way and I only had to wait about 5-10 minutes for her! And she had a milkshake for me! We packed up her car to the brim (pictures will follow) and headed to the new humble abode.

J had set up her memory foam mattress into a bed for me and had gotten some basic cat supplies. She then went to the grocery store and the pizza place to get us takeout! After eating, she went home and I tried to sleep...

So much to do, so little time

I used to move about every year to 18 months. I used it as an opportunity to get a better apartment and go through a lot of my stuff. We've been here three years. Three wonderful years but we've collected SO much stuff. I keep finding stuff. I think I have gone through something, but stuff migrates back. We have donated about 6 bags of stuff (mostly clothes) to charity shops.

Anyway, we have made out "to do" lists and checked them twice. However, we keep thinking of things to do before and after we leave. I know it will all get done. I just have to stop and breathe. And knit. With people. At least today I got a lot done and got to check about 5 things off my "to do" list.

Progress

So, it is slightly less than 5 months before the wedding and 2 weeks before our move.  Although the "to do" list is still quite long, we got a few things done recently.  First, today I got my wedding band!  And I love it.  It is exactly what I thought I wanted even before we got engaged and it looks wonderful with my engagement ring.  I really want to wear it now but I have to wait.  John's ring should be done before we move as well.  :)  Hurray, one less thing to worry about.  We have also chosen our invitations and will be able to get them printed after we have an address.  And I found my veil.  All small but necessary things.  :)

We have also made progress on the moving front.  I have sold a bunch of our stuff.  We still have more to sell but it is coming together, or rather emptying out.  :)  We shipped some books home this weekend and went through more stuff and donated yet more stuff.  We just have to keep going through things and getting rid of stuff.  I really don't know how we accumulated so much stuff, and some of it moved with us last time.  Tomorrow I call the airline and book the cats onto my flight.  So much preparation and so little time to knit...