I am not getting any better at this...

Hi Friends!

The past little while as been absolutely FREEZING! I am currently all bundled up and waiting for the snow to start. A HUGE storm is heading our way!

I head home, yes Florida will always be home to me, on Tuesday!!!!! I cannot WAIT:)))))) When I moved up here I never imagined that it would be so long before I got to see my family. Words can honestly not explain how excited that I am.

Before I can head home I have quite the to do list though... My room is FAR from clean, I think half of my wardrobe is dirty, which mean that packing has hardly entered my mind, and of course I have barely put a dent into my Christmas shopping. Thankfully though I have my priorities straight, there is Christmas baking to be done! Yummy!

Wish me luck, send me love, and keep me in your prayers.

Walking in a Winter Wonderland

Ladies and Gentleman we have snow!

We got our first actual snow (that stuck) last night! I swear it was like something out of Hallmark movie. I was heading to my friends Kate and Trish's house, driving in the snow for the very first time, and You're a Mean One Mr. Grinch. I cannot even explain to you how excited I was!

This morning I got up extra early so that I could go outside to play before it began to melt. I love love love how the world has changed colors!

Here are a few pictures that I snapped this morning.

Wow...

Hi Long Lost Friends!

I cannot believe that it has been over a month since I last posted. Oops! Sorry!!!!!

Things around here have pretty low key. We have had a few house guest (I am still waiting for my first!) and our amazing Halloween party! Other than that the last few weeks have consisted of trying not to get sick, which was unsuccessful, and now trying to get over being sick.

Our Halloween party was SO much fun!!!! I think everyone had a really good time:) Sadly I did not have my camera all weekend; silly me left it at work. It was a true team effort and it would not have been such a success had we not had some really amazing help! Thanks everyone:)

H1N1 swept through preschool. Luckily I was able to avoid that nasty business, I did however mange to pick up a pretty nasty cough. It seems as though everyone is on the mend and I am sure that a four day weekend will do wonders!

I am really looking forward to Thanksgiving! We are playing host; one of my new favorite past times.

I promise to try to update more often!

Wish me luck, send me love, and keep me in your prayers!

xoxo

48 Orchard Street

Finally the high anticipated photos of my humble abode:) Please keep in mind that it is still a work in progress; there is NOTHING on the wall (which drives me nuts). I LOVE this apartment :)

View from across the street. We are the door on the left. We have the entire upper floor.

The Office... I stay out of here, it is kinda scary!

Kitchen! This is the view from the dining room. I love the black and white tile and it was already painted red. Perfection!

Dinning room, view from the living room. We got a great deal on the table. I think this blank wall drives me the crasiest, minus the ones in my room.

Our bathroom was redone right before we moved in, it is so pretty!

My room! I LOVE it. I am thinking about painting. When we moved in I was too overwhelmed to even consider it.

Who would have thought I would get closet space like this in Boston?! I is amazing!

My "big girl" bedding:)) Kayla and Brett are going to work on raising my bed a little higher off the ground, right now I am practically on the floor.

My favorite thing about my room... HUGE picture window!

The view from my window to our pretty sweet back yard. Just behind the back fence is the commuter rail line that I have managed to become blissfully unaware of.

Well that is it for now. They are not the greatest pictures of all time, but I think that you get a pretty good layout of the place. Once we finally get some pictures on the walls I will try to update again. Come and see it in person!!!!!

Wish me luck, send me love, and keep me in your prayers!

Checking In...

Hello Everyone!

I hope that you are all doing well! It has been a while since I have posted so I am going to try to share the highlights of the past few weeks; bear with me, it might not be my most well written post :)

I feel like so much as happened! The most exciting thing being that my car, affectionally know as LaHonda, is finally here! A huge thanks goes out to Mom and Dad for all of their help in the very long and frustrating process of auto shipping! LaHonda has been up here for a few weeks now and has made me a much more pleasant person to be around. Having her up here as cut my commute down by over an hour! There was defiantly an adjustment period to the Boston way of driving; I had to learn to me a much more aggressive driver. Massachusetts drivers are know up here as "Massholes." Trust me when I say that the name fits! Haha!

I finally got to go to my first Red Sox game. It was a lot of fun, but I have to say, I was a little underwhelmed with the Green Monster. The stadium is beautiful and you can really feel the history and tradition as soon as you step inside. I loved singing Take Me Out to the Ball Game during the 7th inning and was so excited to sing Sweet Caroline during the 8th, but Mother Nature thought better of subjecting the public to my singing twice and decided to open up the sky before we got the chance. Apparently I got a true Red Sox experience because the game was rained out and I was soaked to the bone.

I also got to go to my first away game for Florida State ever and the only game I will get to see this year. The game did not bring us the outcome we were hoping for, but it brought Daddy up here, so I was still a happy girl. Kayla and my new friend Sweta went to the game with me. Rest assured that I decked them out in Seminole gear. We had a really good time despite the crummy weather and the even crummier performance by my boys.

It was so great to see Daddy! We didn't get to spend as much time together as I would have liked, but he came over for brunch on Sunday and got to see my new place. I think he approved, but if he had his way I would be back home in Tally and not 1,300 miles away. That being said, I know he is very proud of me:)))

I know that I promised to put pictures of the new place up weeks ago (sorry Grandmother!), I have no excuses... Sorry, I am a slacker! But I have Monday off (for Columbus Day... Mass uses any and very reason to have a day off) and taking and posting pictures is on the top of my to do list! Keep on me to make sure that I get it done!

Wish me luck, send me love, and keep me in your prayers <3

All Smilies:)

Hello Everyone!

I wanted to share what I great and much needed Saturday I had! After my super long and not so great week it was just want I needed:)

I got to sleep in this morning, which was fantastic! Then after a fabulous breakfast of hash browns and cheesy eggs (Thanks Brett!), we cleaned up the house a bit. I must say that the place is really coming together and does not have the "post-college" cheap feel that we are trying really hard to avoid.

After getting cleaned up Kayla and I head to Davis Square; it took us three weeks, but we finally went exploring. While walking around I got a call from Amber saying that, through no fault of her own, she was not going to be able to get more suitable clothes in the mail to me today. That coupled with the fact that today is Harry-man's birthday party, something that I have NEVER missed, threatened to ruin what was a splendid day so far. Lucky for me, while I was talking to Amber, Kayla sprang into action and got directions to a cupcake place I have been dying to try since I came up here in July. I thought we were headed to the bank, she is so sneaky! I was so excited that any thought I had about having a pity party for myself was erased! I have to say that Kick Ass Cupcakes lived up to its name and the 3 month wait!!! We are talking better than Cake Shop people! With cupcakes in hand, we set out for more exploring before heading home.

We spent the rest of the afternoon running a few errands. We went to a store called the Christmas Tree Shops. I am trying to save my pennies (moving is REALLY expensive), but I could not help myself when I found some really cute Halloween bowls, but at only $4 I decided I could splurge:) I also got some great picture frames for my room. My walls are still very bare, thus the reason that I have not posted any pictures, plus I am still waiting for my bedding to arrive.

Kay and I got home just in time to throw some dinner together (we debated on just having cupcakes, but our need for actual food got the better of us) and settled in to watch the Noles play (currently we are kicking BYU out of their number 7 ranking! Wahoo!!).

All in all today was a very good low key and just what the doctor ordered:)

Thanks for all of the luck, love, and prayers:)))

Man oh man...

Well I must say that I am looking forward to this week being over. Whitney, my roomie who is teaching in Korea, and I made a promise to post to our blogs three times this week. Much to everyone's shock I am sure, I have been slacking. I have found that it is much easier to post when I have good news to share. This week has not provided much of that. In an effort to keep things real and honest... this week kicked my butt. I cannot even tell you what the underlying cause of my rotten week is, but tomorrow is Friday and who doesn't love the end of the work week and the beginning of the weekend?

I would hate to think that I might have sent you any of my bad vibes, so before I sing out I will tell you that there was a letter waiting for me when I got home tonight from a certain roomie in Korea that put a HUGE smile on my face. I love getting mail and the fact that it was postmarked from the other side of the world made me think, I have people literally all over this world who care about me, so what reason do I really have for a rotten week?

As always... Wish me luck, send me love (lots of it!), and keep me in your prayers.

Overdue... The New Place

Hello long lost friends!

Man how things have changed since my last post. I can now consider myself an official resident of MA. We are moved into our new apartment and in the very long process of getting settled. Our new place is everything we wanted it to be, but with a few surprises... we did not have the best realtor in the world. The best surprise was that we have a driveway! This was quite the discovery because it means that I do not have to register my car, thus saving me quite a bit of cash. The second discovery made me feel like I was on candid camera. I was in my room admiring my nice view of the back yard when I heard what sounded like a semi heading straight for our house. I was a only slightly concerned for my life when the commuter rail came into view… Yes there are carefully hidden train tracks just on the other side of our fence. The upside is that is it only the commuter rail which does not run nearly as often as the subway and is a lot shorter. The final surprise was that our realtor failed to tell the landlord that we has cats, luckily he was cool with Leroy and Oliver.

My room is amazing! I love it so much. I really missed having my own space over these past 6 weeks. Right now it is the neatest room of the house, but this is largely attributed to the fact that I did not have a ton of stuff to put in it just yet. I will let you know if this statement remains true once the rest of my things arrive.

The kitchen is fantastic! We have great storage space and very nice appliances. (Wow that statement made me feel old! Haha!) My favorite part of the kitchen is the black and white checkered tile; it is so retro.

The living/dining room is the biggest work in progress. Right now is it more of a staging/storage space. We had an incredibly hard time getting the couch that Brett bought into the house. A large comfy couch and narrow curved stairway do not play nice together! Kayla and I left Brett and a friend working on it while we went to load up the truck for the 100,000 time and returned to a “couch carcass.” The boys had completely taken the couch apart in order to get it in the house. I wish I had taken pictures because it was quite a sight. Today marked the comeback of our new favorite piece in the house. I love living with carpenters because they can do things like destroying and reassembling couches.

All in all we are ecstatic with #2 Orchard Street.I will post pictures soon, once all the boxes are gone and we get some things up on the walls:)

Love and miss everyone!

Wish me luck, send me love, and keep me in your prayers.

Moving on Up!

Hello!

I thought that I would give you a quick update on what is going on up here in the land of almost fall…

We (Kayla, Brett, and I) are knee deep in moving. Our new place is a complete wreak, but I love it! I am hoping to work miracles tomorrow and get as much done as possible. I have so much I want to share, but it will have to wait until I get settled, but boy do I have some stories to share. I am missing everyone terribly :(

Wish me luck, send me love, and keep me in your prayers <3>

FIRST DAY!

Well it is official… I am a working girl!

And boy oh boy can 3 months off make you rusty! I need to really bone up on my little kid talk; I did not understand half of what was said to me today. I credit my lack of understanding to the outstanding communication skills of my former students (no doubt due to their amazing teacher).

The kids I was with today are all really cute, Head Start programs are designed to serve low to middle class families and kids with disabilities, needless to say that there was never a dull moment in the classroom. There are a few kids with major problems and I found myself really drawn to them. One little girl who began the day by kicking, screaming, and pulling her hair out was glued to my leg smiling by the afternoon.

Now to the most important topic… The Commute! It really was not that bad, I just hate not being in control, who would have thought? This morning I left bright and (two hours) early. Everything went smoothly, but because of the bus schedule I was there a half hour before I needed to be, but that just makes me look good, right? Getting home was a bit trickier. I thought that I would get off at 6:00, turns out the center I am at right now (which will probably change) closes at 5:00; needless to say that I have never been more thankful for my phone equipped with Google Maps. I have already started looking into getting my car up here:) The only thing that I will miss about using public transportation is riding the T across the Charles River. Today just as I was about to kill the two kids setting next to me hitting each other with copies of the Metro, we crossed the bridge. I as listening to my iPod and the Gary Allen song Life Ain’t Always Beautiful came on and a feeling of Zen swept over me that Gondi would have envied.

All things given I had a very good first day. Wish me luck, send me love and keep me in your prayers.

Fantastic News!!

I got the call that I have been waiting for today... Quincy Community Action Programs called me today to offer me a teaching position at one of their Head Start programs. I gladly accepted and start on MONDAY! I am very excited and will let you know all about my first day! Thanks for your prayers :)

Life as I know it... For now:)

I thought I would share a little bit of what I see everyday.

This is my little corner of the world, aka the area that I try to contain my mess.

The street view of 197 Green Street.

(We are on the second floor)

This is Harvest. It is a co-op that we should join considering how often we shop there. Sounds weird, but they have the best Feta cheese! Harvest is also home to the elusive s'mores pie that Kayla has been telling be about since I got here, but we have yet to get our hands on one.

The oh so beautiful T entrance to head down town.

The sign says Star Market, but this is actually Shaws, where we do our major grocery shopping. It is attached to a hotel and you have to go up an escalator to get there, it is very strange! It seems so close (only two blocks) until you are loaded down with a week's supply of food.

The view of Green Street:)

I am really enjoying myself up here in Bean Town. All the people that I have met are super nice and have taken pity on the little southern girl who needs friends, haha. I am still job searching, but I think that I might have one in the bag (hopefully I will know soon). We move at the end of this month and I am very excited about our new place, having my own space again, Punk coming up (that is if Mom and Dad will let me have him back), and getting all of my stuff back. Life is good, with a job it will be great! Wish me luck, send me love, and keep me in your prayers:)

My new favorite place...

Saturday Kayla and I set off to explore the Harvard Arboretum. It is by far my new favorite place in Boston. It brought back memories of exploring the area around my grandparents mountain house in North Carolina. We both brought our cameras and got some amazing shots that will do the place a lot more justice than I ever could.

This is one of my favorites. I hate bugs, but thought this was really cool.

This is the new background on my computer.

Even the pictures don't do justice. But it was so nice to be surrounded by so much beauty just a half hour train ride away.

On a side note (and I hope I don't jinx myself), I have another meeting tomorrow with the same company that interviewed with last week:)

Wish me luck, send me love, and keep me in your prayers!

My Boston Survival Guide (so far…)

Today is officially my two-week anniversary in Boston and I thought I would share some of the pearls of wisdom I have already picked up.

Tip 1- Never ever leave the house without an umbrella. The rain waits for no one and in fact is slightly sadistic and likes to sneak up on you at the most inopportune moments.

Tip 2- Always carry sunglasses. This might seem like a contradiction to tip one, but in fact just as quickly as the rain comes it goes. I realize that I come from the Sunshine State, but I swear that the sun shines with more intensity up here.

Tip 3- Become insensitive. It is impossible to walk anywhere without being asked for change by someone or to give money to some sort of organization. Given my current negative income this has actually become slightly easy (I am almost to the point of considering myself a charity case).

Tip 4- When riding the T (Boston’s subway) alone have some sort of entertainment. Be it an iPod and game, my new addiction is Brick Breaker on my Crackberry. Without some sort of distraction you are more likely to stare at some of the very crazy things that you can stumble upon in Mass transit. The other day I saw a dog in a stroller!

Tip 5- Wear comfortable shoes if you do not have a definite plan for the day. My feet have been severely punished because my lack of planning. If you do not have a plan for the day you will be walking much more that you anticipated, trust me! Without a plan (and a desperate need to kill time) walking around the city is you best bet for cheap entertainment, unfortunately on more than one occasion I have been caught without the proper footwear on a cross city trek.

These are the tidbits that I have to share so far. I am sure to discover more secrets to city dwelling as my time in New England increases. Keep them in mind for when you come to visit me☺

Wish me luck, send me love, and keep me in your prayers <3

Procrastination Station

I have a meeting today with Quincy Community Action Programs at 2:00 about their head start. I am really excited to make a business contact and hope that this meeting might turn into a job! It would be a very adult job in my book, because it comes with a 3 hour commute everyday. I spent a lot of time yesterday getting ready and now have about two hours before I need to leave. I still have some other little things I could be doing, but instead I have decided to play on the internet. Wish me luck!

Long over due! My first week :)

I’m Here!

Oh my word, I have so much to share that I do not even know where to begin! I love it already. Everything here is exciting and new, and yes a bit scary!

I did not sleep a bit Thursday night and at 4:40 I finally decided that I might as well get up before my 5:00 alarm. My flight was scheduled to leave 7:30, but of course my fabulous luck my Boston flights kicked in. We sat on the tarmac for an hour before we made our way to ATL; this delay was just long enough for me to miss my connecting flight by mere minutes, don’t you love air travel? Never the less any and all mishaps are totally worth flying into the Logan airport. It is GEORGOUS! If you have the option always go for the window seat.

I had a lot of time with my thoughts during my flights, something that I usually try to avoid. The most overwhelming thought that I kept having was of my house back in Tally. I created my first adult home in Golden Park. The majority of my college memories are from the time that I spent there. The two girls that I shared my home with became so much more than just roommates; they became my first non-relative family. Oh if those walls could talk… I will spare you a very long windy trip down memory lane, but needless to say we really will be friends forever.

Now that I have been sappy… I have to say that I am more excited than I have ever been before!!! I spent a good amount of time on the plane making lists of things that I want to do in Boston and some of the weird little things that I can’t wait for. I will share a few, but you must keep your judgments to a minimum.

Things I want to do:

· Visit Cape cod

· Take a trip to NYC

· Take Madison and Harris Whale Watching

· Go to a Red Sox game

· And of course FIND A JOB

A few of the weird little things that I cannot wait for:

· Actually having a Fall!!!

· Using public transportation

· Having visitors J

· Hot beverages in the winter

· The overall lack of humity

· STARTING A JOB!!

Of course there are a few things that I will miss, friends and family being at the top of the list, but there are a few other little things that I may have taken for granted for 22 years.

· Market Days downtown

· Springtime Tallahassee

· Festival of Lights

· Canopy roads

· Have a car to dance in and be silly

· Walks around Lake Ella

I had originally planed to have posted everything above within a day or two of getting here… Oops! So this will be a multipart post.

I have now been up here for seven days… I LOVE IT!! It would be even more lovable if I could find a job, but that is a work in progress. I am trying to learn my way around up here, but unfortunately I got my mother’s sense of direction. Lucky for me, Kayla is a little low on work right now too, so she has had a lot of free time to babysit me.

Although we are both unemployed right now we have done our best to stay busy. We have already walked all around town, seen seven apartments, and spent a good deal of time enjoying some of the lovely weather that Boston is provided every few days.

The job search is ongoing, keep your fingers crossed for meJ I have applied for a dozen or so jobs and have leads on a few more… I’ll be shouting from the roof tops when/if one comes through so loud that yall might be able to hear me.

More to come later and I promise to try to update more often from now on.

Wish me luck, send me love, and keep me in your prayers!

And so it begins...

I created this blog for a few reasons.

1.) For an easy way for my family and friends to stay a part of my new life in the big city

2.) For a way to, hopefully, help me to remember as much as possible about this crazy new life I am about to start

3.) For yet another reason to play on my computer;)

I will be relocating to Boston (Cambridge if you want to get technical) in just 5 very short days. I cannot begin to explain all of the conflicting emotions that I am feeling. I am more excited than I have ever been for anything else in my life. I am terrified out of my mind that I will fail. I am apprehensive about the new climate (I have only been in snow a handful of times). I am elated to be living with my best friend. But more than anything I am sad to leave everyone I love in Florida.

I am going with high hopes of finding a job, a fabulous apartment and some great new friends. I have the promise of all of these things in Tallahassee, but if you know me at all, you know I am not one to take the easy road or stay in one place too long (Yes, I have lived in Tallahassee ALL my life, but to compensate for this I have traveled the globe. Haha!). Now I am embarking on my biggest adventure to date. Wish me luck, send me love, and keep me in your prayers.