The Boys' Favorite New Spot

Sorry posting's been so light lately. We are a week and a half into the new semester at Shepherd and I've been going non-stop. This semester, service obligations (department and university-wide) threaten to drown me, but I have no desire to dwell on that. For now, how about a quick picture of Bing and Wes in their new favorite spot--the house's front window?

New house: visit with the family

As I mentioned below, Christian and his kids were my first houseguests and Erin and Eric visited as well on this past Sunday. Some pictures from that day, most of which I've left uncropped to give you a good view of the yard and the neighborhood.

Kelsie, complete with J-Lo glasses, at the Shepherdstown Farmers Market.

Aidan at Home Depot, where Christian helped me pick out a lawn mower. He encouraged me to pick out a self-propelled model (but not a ride-on, despite what my nephew would have wanted) and even did the lawn for the first time himself.

Erin and Eric on the back deck. Behind them, you can see the door that leads into the large living rooom/dining room (it's one long room that can serve as both).

Even though it was hotter than heck outside, we played a bit of wiffleball outside. Here's Erin at the bat.

Aidan and Kelsie. It is very hard to get my brother's kids to make normal faces in pictures, especially both of them in the same shot.

Wonder where they get it? Here's Christian at the grill. He's standing in the fenced-in patio in the backyard. You walk down the deck and onto this patio.

More wiffleball. This is the backyard sort of facing the side street.

Did I mention it was hot? Look at how red Aidan's face is!

More pictures to come later...

New house: photo shoot and a backyard visitor

It's been very busy here around here lately, with family visiting from out of town and prep work for Monday (first day of classes). But I do have some photos to share. My brother Christian, my niece Kelsie, and my nephew Aidan got here last Saturday. Then Erin and Eric came for a visit and cookout on Sunday. One of Erin's birthday gifts to me was a really pretty wooden frame that she said I should put a picture of me and the house in. That, of course, required a photo shoot. So here you go...


The classic "It's All Mine!" pose.

Thumbs up, baby!

Okay...I was just getting silly here.

I really like this one.

So those are some views of the front yard. This evening, though, I had reason to get some film of the backyard (or at least the wooded area behind my backyard). On Sunday, we saw two deer in the trees, but I wasn't able to get my camera. Today, though, I was luckier.

First view of the new house...

...courtesy of Bing's antics in the kitchen.

So people are asking for pictures of the new house--a very sweet and understandable request. However, I don't feel like it is quite ready for a photo session yet. But I can offer the video below, which in addition to showing off Bing's crazy acrobatic feats, also gives you a first view of the kitchen.

Some background: on Saturday, I heard Bing yelling in the kitchen. He does this when he is excited and wants you to notice him, I think. So I go in there thinking he's on the fridge, but instead, I find he's someplace even higher.

I still don't know how he got up there. Did he go from the fridge to the top of the cabinets, then leap over the sink to the top of the rest of the cabinets? Also, about 40/45 seconds in, you can hear Wesley asking for some attention, too. (And yes, this video is even more evidence that he does not know his name.)

What's new?

Well, unpacking is still going on--and going quite well. I am scheduled (because, yes, I write a daily schedule for myself) to finish up today. Well, except for hanging stuff on walls. I need some time to plan that out.

But, as noted below, I am also packing--that is, packing up my office at school. It's sort of depressing to do, but I keep reminding myself that there is a good reason: that shiny new office. One problem: said shiny new office is totally not ready and no one can tell when it will be ready. Blame the bats, who put construction about two weeks behind schedule.

Anyway, in the meantime, I am working on my fall syllabi (I can't believe they aren't done yet--I usually have them done well before now) and getting back into a somewhat normal routine. I've got tons and tons of links and things saved up to post, but can't devote time to them right now (see paragraph one, re: daily schedule). But for now, how about a cool video? (Via Andrew Sullivan.)



Does that look like fun?

Home!

You know what's an awesome feeling? Waking up in your new house. And being an official Shepherdstownian (sp?).

The move went very well yesterday. If you are moving somewhere in this area, I highly recommend Rockwell's Moving and Storage. They sent over a four man crew who got everything packed and unpacked in less than two hours. Amazing. (Of course, I probably helped a bit by knocking off a decent chunk of time with my own full-car trips the day before.)

After they were gone, it was back to the old apartment to pick up the boys, who were locked in the bathroom. First, I did about 90 minutes worth of cleaning there. Then back to the house with cats in tow. I let them out to explore--which they did very slowly and tentatively at first--as I ate a quick lunch.

Then back to the apartment again to finish cleaning. I had to shampoo the carpets, wash the vinyl floors, etc. At this point I was already so tired (having slept less than 2 hours on Wednesday night after spending all that day loading and unloading my car) that it took every ounce of strength to haul that Rug Doctor up and down the stairs. I considered coming back today (Friday) to finish it all up, since I had until 5:00 today to get out. I didn't want to do that, since I had a 9:30 meeting with my department chair today and the cable guy coming between 2 and 5 (love those 3-hour windows), but I just didn't think I could get everything done before the landlady left at 5:00 on Thursday.

But then I saw that my landlady was (for some reason) staying in the office later than she usually does and I used that as motivation to get it all done. So I did. I was like Popeye full of spinach, if Popeye full of spinach was also a whiny, bitchy, tired girl who was basically crawling up the stairs as she vacuumed them. I don't even want to think about what I looked like (a sweaty mess) when I finally stumbled into her office to hand in the keys. Here's a hint, though: she said, "How's it going over there? About as much fun as a funeral, right?"

I also look like I am a beating victim--bruises all over my arms and legs from boxes and whatever. Lovely stuff. I can't help it: moving is like a full-contact sport for me.

But...it's all worth it because A) I am officially done with the old apartment and B) now comes the really fun part: unpacking. (And I mean that--I like unpacking.)

Oh, and Bing and Wesley are doing great. Right now they are kind of like little stalkers, following me from room to room (or at least floor to floor), but they are also having fun--chasing each other around, playing, sleeping, eating, etc. It's like they are their regular old selves, but just a bit excited and hyper-aware. But I think they love their new house already.

Closed!

Closing went well today. The whole thing took less than an hour and was actually kind of fun. I was moving stuff into the new house by 12:00. Four absolutely packed carloads, some more packing, and a decent amount of cleaning later, I am WIPED out! Let me take a moment to sing the praises of my Mazda 3 hatchback, which can fit a ton of stuff into it once I put the seats down.

Anyway, the movers come tomorrow morning to do the rest--all the furniture and heavy lifting (books, etc). But already, I've made progress settling in and making the place feel like home.

Tonight, one last night in the old apartment. And then on we go! Thanks for all your well-wishes. I've got awesome friends.

New Home, Same Old Spot

Some of you may remember Bing's 15 minutes of fame, when a picture of him relaxing in the bathroom sink was featured in the SPCA of the Triad's newsletter. The photo below confirms my long-standing suspicion about how adaptable my boys are. New house--our third home in the last 12 months? Who cares so long as there's food in the bowl, toys to play with, someone to spend time with (umm, that would be me!), and a sink to chill out in. Plus, this house has STAIRS!!! In fact, Bing and Wes adjusted to being here in WV so well and so quickly, this post feels like old news already. Maybe I am feeling the significance of having been here for just over a month. Regardless, I am glad they are happy and healthy. Having them around makes everything so much easier.*


*Cheesy post, I know!

Home Sweet Home

The move went well and the boys and I are all settled in Martinsburg, WV. We moved on Friday, using Always Reliable Moving. I highly recommend them--very friendly, fast, and affordable. It took me a bit longer to get unpacked than it has in the past, but things are finally done (for now). I promised some folks I would post pictures of the new place, so here they are. Indulge me as I lead you on a virtual tour! Oh--and to make it even more fun, you can play "Spot Bing and Wesley!" They managed to work their way into several pictures.



Here's the outside view. The apartment is a duplex, with the kitchen, living room, dining area and a half bath downstairs, and two bedrooms and a full bath upstairs.



Here's the view looking in from the front door. To your immediate left is the kitchen. In front of you on the right are the doors that lead to where the washer and dryer are. Ahead on your left is a door to a large storage area under the stairs. Ahead just a bit more on your left is the door to the half bath. Directly in front of you is the dining area and living room.



If you walk in the front door and turn to your right, this the view of the kitchen you would see. The cabinet space is pretty spacious and user friendly.



Another view of the kitchen, this time from the dining area. You can see that the kitchen has a kind of unusual "L" shape, but it works just fine.



A view of the dining room, from the living room looking in. The closet you can see in front of you is a coat closet, where I've also stashed the vacuum.



From the dining room, looking into the living room. You can see the door that open to the back patio. My living room here is a bit smaller than in my two previous apartments. The biggest drawback is that my very comfy chair has to be next to the TV (as you'll see below), which means no TV watching from the big chair.



Turning to your left a bit, another view of the living room. (Notice the comfy chair's position).



A final view of the living room. This is the wall opposite the TV and comfy chair.



This is the back patio. I've still got some things to hang up out here (plant hooks, windchimes), but it's a nice little space.



View from the patio looking out on a pretty tree where I'll hang my bird feeder.



Heading back inside, on our way upstairs. Here's a view from the living room looking towards the hallway. Again, you can see the coat closet right in front of you, the half bath and the storage closet on your right.



Here's a view looking up the stairs. Can I just tell you tell you how much Bing and Wesley and love having stairs? They chase each other up and down them and then do laps around the kitchen.



At the top of the stairs, standing in the office doorway. Ahead is the linen closet. To your right is the bathroom and straight ahead is the bedroom.



The first view of the office (sorry about the lighting). The office is a nice space, with two windows and a spacious closet.



If you are standing in the office against the wall with the windows, this would be the view in front of you. Yes, I still have that old $30 K-mart desk and $5 UNCG surplus chair. Now that I am settled, I will begin to shop in earnest for a real desk!



Another view of the office. My office has become my catch-all room, filled with various knick-knacks and kitschy things. That makes it fun, in my opinion.



A final view of the office. In front of you is the door to the closet.



A shot of the bathroom, which feels just a bit inappropriate to me. Oh well.



The bedroom. This would be looking to your right after you walk in the room. The closet is on your right.



The bedroom, the view opposite the bed.



One last view of the bedroom, standing in the doorway looking straight ahead.

Here endeth our tour. Hope you enjoyed it.