We're here!!!!

Well, we're here. We've got a roof over our heads, and as of this morning, a working telephone. We've got food in the cabinets, cable tv (soon to be a DVR when the cable guy comes...he's supposed to be here "between 8am & noon." Any bets on when he'll actually show up???) and happy cats (well, as happy as they ever are).

We went out for Ice Cream last night--we left at a little after 8pm, and were back at a little after 8:30pm, with giant monster waffle cones (turtle flavor for Patrick; I got S'Mores)--I think I'm in culture shock. To be able to be out & back in less than 30 minutes is something that we're just not used to. And this included taking a turn into the wrong parking lot (I thought the Ice Cream place was accessible from the Publix parking lot. For future reference--it's not.); waiting our turn at the drive-thru (you don't even have to get out of your car for this wonderful frozen treat...how great is that??? I didn't even have to change out of my pajama pants to go. I may not, next time.); placing our order & then having to revise our order when we were told that they were out of Cherry Vanilla; and then motoring back home. All in time for "Six Feet Under," "Entourage" and "The Comeback." We've had great Middle Eastern food (the hummus & pitas are to die for!!!!); brunch at the Italian Market & Grill; walked around downtown; and we've not even begun to scratch the surface! I'm happy we're here!!

We've begun to get settled in to the apartment; we took another load to the storage unit this weekend (I'm sure there will be more in the weeks to come); it's just hard fitting a 3-bedroom, 2-bath home into a 1-bed/1-bath apartment! But, we're paring down, and we've come to the realization that we have way too much crap. I still have yet to go into the closet to try to figure that mess out. I've got a bin started for clothes that I really need to let go of. It doesn't matter that I bought the Irish Linen shirt for $9.99 at Banana Republic 7 years ago. I don't wear it, and it fits me a little funny. I need to let it go. We've also got 4 dining room chairs for 2 people...and I'm not really sure where we'll put the extras. I'm thinking that we can put them in storage for now, and when people come by & want to actually sit down on something, we can get them out--the storage unit is only 10 minutes away (give or take...). Or, I can just buy a bunch of floor cushions.

I've done the patio up already--I've got birdfeeders out: one with seed, the other with hummingbird sugar water in it; so far--nothing. I hear the birds. I see them. They're just taunting me right now, but I know they'll come. My pots are doing well--the begonia Patrick bought for me before he left is going like gangbusters, as is my voodoo lily (it's a really stunning plant--the stalks are spotted, and they've got funky leaves, and the flower is supposed to smell like rotting meat. Not the most pleasant for the neighbors, granted, but I though it appealed to my sense of humor. * The plant is pollinated by flies that are drawn to rotted meat. Isn't evolution amazing???). The rose Mom & Dad gave me seems to be doing better in the pot, too (sorry, guys--one of the roses didn't make it.). Patrick also bought me a mountain laurel for our anniversary, and it's really enjoying the patio, too. And Mom--the shrubs around the air con unit are Eleagnus shrubs--what is on the side of our Finger Home, with the silvery spotted leaves! I thought that was a good sign.

My car is all fixed--new alternator & battery. I figure in the next couple of days, we'll take Patrick's truck in to get looked at. And speaking of Patrick--he's in Belmont, NC today (headquarters for IDG), and then will be back in Greenville for the rest of the week; then he goes to Cheraw (about 3 hours East of here) for the next 3 weeks or so....The good news is, Cheraw is only about an hour from the beach, so I may motor on up & see him one weekend, and it's still close enough that he'll be able to come home on the weekends, so it's not going to be like it was before we moved. And oh, yeah--I won't be trying to get this house packed up like I did the last time, either. So that'll be a nice change.

I think I may work on getting some pictures hung on the walls today--that always seems to make your place your home. I'd like to post some pictures of the apartment, but I don't think it's quite clean enough for that yet (not that it's dirty...it's just still a bit rough around the edges.). And, if I'm feeling frisky, I can go out & check to see if we have any mail yet. It's a big day for Chauntelle, boys & girls!