. . . some gave all

Boxes, Boxes, and MORE Boxes!

What a whirlwind couple of weeks! I've been busy, but it's been fun. . . well, as much fun as packing can be. :-) On my apartment hunt a few weeks ago, I found a cute one that would be ready when I was ready to move. It's a in a huge apartment complex, and it's a little closer to work - a wonderful thing when it comes to the morning commute back home after a long night at work! The weird thing is I can't remember much about the inside. I looked at seven or eight different apartments that day, and then I picked this one. I know the layout because I have the paper that the leasing agent gave me, but that's about it. So, I'm PUMPED about getting the keys on Wednesday so I can go have another look at my new home!! :-) Over the next two weeks, I'll be moving some of my more precious things into the new place and putting them away where they can't get hurt by movers & furniture. Then, I'll have some movers come move everything else the last week of May. I'm very excited, but I still have a bit to do. My kitchen, for example, still needs to be packed . . . YIKES! The best part of this move is that I've been making myself clean out stuff. I found a couple of boxes the other day that I'd never even unpacked when I moved in here. Hmmm . . . perhaps I don't need that stuff as much as I'd once thought. It's been good for me to go through & get rid of a bunch of stuff that I'm tired of storing for that "day when I might possibly think I need/want it again". (For all of my pack-rat buddies, you know what I'm talking about!)

But, it's not been all work & no play . . .

Two weekends ago, we celebrated my mom's birthday. She & dad drove in to Dallas from Tyler, and my sister & I met them there. We saw a great play at the Dallas Contemporary Theater called "The Cemetery Club." It sounds a bit sad/odd/depressing, but it was really funny. If you have the opportunity (and you like live theater), I'd highly recommend this play! We all stayed over at a hotel, and had a nice big breakfast that Saturday morning. It was great to visit with them for a while. Who knew that I'd see so little of them even when I'm living just a couple hours away?!? Sometimes I guess I just lose control of my schedule and let time slip away. I need to work on this! (My dad took the pictures that weekend, so I don't have any fun family pictures to share right now.)

Last week, I went to visit my first college roommate up in Virginia. She had her 3rd little angel in December, and Aunt Jenn had not yet met her! This was simply unacceptable!! :-) I had scheduled my nights to work so that I had a long stretch of time off just for this trip. It was a very short & fast trip, but it was wonderful! I got to play Candy Land & Lucky Ducks until I couldn't stand anymore! :) E wasn't too sure about me when I first got there. He's 3 and didn't really remember me, but he eventually warmed up. We played with puzzles & cuddled on the couch while watching TV. Good times! S & I had some color time Tuesday night. That was so much fun! I haven't colored in years, and now I'm wondering why I haven't!! It's something I still really enjoy doing. (might have to rearrange some things in my life to make more time for crayons!) :-) We looked through books to find pictures for me to color, and then she picked a picture she could color for me. Priceless memories! After coloring, we all went up to their room for story time before everyone went to bed. And, then there's D . . . the newest. As I'm sure you can tell by my line of work, I have a special place in my heart for babies! She is so adorable!! At 4 1/2 months, I had a great time making her smile & trying to get a giggle from her. Turns out that her brother & sister are the masters at this trick! And what a precious thing to observe - the three of them playing together. I could go on & on, but I won't. =) My friend there is one of my closest friends. It was completely a "God thing" how we met & became roommates. A&M had run out of dorm rooms my freshman year, so I went to the Off Campus Aggies office to look for a roommate or roommate/apartment combo. She had done the same thing being a graduate student & not wanting to live on campus. We each ended up pulling the same girl's name from the file, but she already had found a roommate. So, she gave Camille my name & number. I like to think of it as God handpicking my first college roommate for me. He knew exactly what I needed! It was wonderful to get to visit with her again this past week.

I guess it's back to the real world for me now. (Or at least as real as my world ever gets) :-) For all of the mothers out there, I hope you had a terrific day yesterday! I'm off to pack some more boxes. YIPPEE!!!!