How is it Valentines Day?

A really pretty sunset in late January.

So I realize my last post was around New Years and now it's 2 days until Valentines Day.  How is this possible?  In the last couple weeks I feel like my head has been spinning like a cartoon character with sensory overload. I guess it started when I got a phone call Mon Jan 28 from Maria telling me that their family's home in Union County had sold and that the house they were having built in Mecklenburg County wouldn't be ready until the summer.  In the interim, they planned to move into the condo (where I was residing). Originally, Maria said they'd move in when the house closed at the end of March.  I could go back home for a few months and then move back in (with roommates) when their other house was ready. I wasn't thrilled at the prospect, but it wasn't terrible.

Taken from the parking lot of the Cypress Retirement Community.

But the next day Maria called me again and left a voice mail on my machine which I picked up as I drove from a blood drive back to work. The voice mail said that they didn't want to switch Matthew (their son's) school zone in the middle of the semester, so they'd need to move into the condo right away.  Could I have all my stuff packed up and moved by that Sunday?  (Which, by the way, was Super Bowl Sunday - five days away).  I was freaking out, to say the least.  Not only had I put in significant time and money into making the place really nice with pictures and paint and decorations, but I had a very busy week planned and had no idea how I'd pack everything in a matter of a few days (with only a couple of free hours per day).  Not only that, but I really didn't want to move back home for so long.

Jan 12 - top of Crowder's Mountain on a 72 degree day with Tim.

I called mom at work in tears.  She reminded me that at least I had somewhere to go.  While I do appreciate the ability to go home, home is much farther from work than the condo, not to mention how hard it is to move back under your parents' roof after being out on your own. Once I returned, to work, I went and told my boss, JC, all about the situation. She suggested emailing some of the women I work with to see if anyone had a spare room available. I did so and also emailed my friend Kherri from silk class. She's 37 and lives in Ballantyne right near the movie theater and my allergist. I've dog sat for her in the past and she has a nice spare room and bath downstairs. I figured it was worth a shot.

at the top of Crowder's

Within 15 minutes, I had three offers from women at work and Kherri had also agreed to the idea of me moving in. After considering each option (factoring distance from work, cost of rent, living situation), I decided moving in with Kherri and her husband Craig and their two dogs (Cooper and Ginger) would be the best option. She is charging me very little and the room is large and nice.  The house is great and big, the dogs are sweet, and she's slightly closer to my work than the condo was.

Birthday cake for Dad at Grandma's Jan. 12

I told her this was a temporary situation until the summer when I can move back into the condo, but many people have suggested that I not go back given the way I was given so little leave notice the first time.  (Which, interestingly enough, was all for nothing because they still haven't moved in there).  So, come summer I will decide if I want to move back in with roommate and a contract, or if I want to rent a spare room from a lady I work with who lives 4 minutes from work in a great area for people my age.  She'd rent me the room for $500 per month all-inclusive, which is very good.  She's also older, so there wouldn't be any drama in the household. So, I'll have to think about that.  Another consideration is saving up for a house.

A few days later, it snowed in Ballantyne.

Anyway, I didn't get the chance to start packing until Thursday night when my mom and friend Brandon came over and helped me get everything off the walls and out of the cupboards. Friday I went to a First Friday Night Dinner party and was unable to do any packing. Saturday morning I had silk class then tap class, then came back and finished packing (with Mom and Dad's help) most of the rest of my things and brought them over to Kherri's before I had to leave to teach Bible Study class to the little kids at church. My friend Jeff and I went to dinner after church then I came home and watched TV in my now nearly empty condo.

Sunday I went to early service then came home and filled up my car one last time.  I headed to Kherri's and tried to get settled in while she prepared for her Super Bowl party.  I joined the party about 4 p.m. and left at 5:45 to attend another friend's Super Bowl party where Tiffany, Mitch and Jeff all met me.  Tiffany and I used the time talking over wedding details (I'm the maid of honor and the wedding is approaching quite quickly this May!).  The guys, of course, were more interested in the game.

And I played in it for the 2 hours it came down.

Every night the following week I got home late due to my commitment and work stuff.  I felt so exhausted and like there was a lot weighing on my shoulders because my new room wasn't done and it was stressing me out. Then on Friday, I left straight from work and picked up Jeff and we went to Tiff's house in Catawba and all jumped into her car and the four of us (Tiff, Mitch, Jeff and me) along with three dogs (Tiffany's two and Jeff's one) drove up to Tiffany's family's mountain house. We spent the weekend there in order to drive to Sugar Mountain on Saturday to go skiing.  I wasn't as good a skier as I remember being in high school - or maybe I just have more fear now - but either way, the easy slopes were the only ones I could do without falling.  Tiff, Mitch and Jeff were snowboarding on the black diamond slopes.  Whenever I tried intermediate courses, I ended up on my butt a good bit of the time. I still enjoyed myself for the most part, but it was a lot of money spent on something that I didn't enjoy as much as I would have liked.  However, the others all had a really great time, which I'm happy about.

The rest of the weekend we spent playing games and hanging out.  I returned to Kherri's house about 8 p.m. Sunday evening with the knowledge that I still had a lot to do.

Mitch, Tiff, Jeff & Lauren - Sugar Mountain.

On Monday after work I stopped by Wal-Mart and got groceries and random other things I needed for my room.  Mom and Dad came over and brought home-made soup for dinner then helped me put together a piece of IKEA furniture I'd picked up on my lunch break the week before.  Then Dad went to work and Mom helped me hang pictures on the walls.  I now finally feel more settled and my room looks very nice. 

For Valentine's Day, I'm going to give blood for the second time! Woohoo!  What's better than a gift of love that saves up to three lives? :)