Report Card

All work and no play makes Jack (or E.) a dull boy (girl).

Remember this? This was written by a very dull and worn out E. But amazingly enough, E. was decisive (yes, it happens sometimes) and left school to move across the country.

Did living in VA help E. learn how to play again? Mmm, I'd say so!

And I think she accomplished some of these things, too.

So, E., here you go: A+.

(But you still have to learn not to live just for A's.)

Home!

California Home:

-Big windows
-A backyard full of citrus trees! (Does anyone want any oranges?)
-Two-pronged outlets. Adapters adapters adapters! :)
-Waking up to find two cats sleeping on your tummy.
-Your mom welcoming you home by buying little glass jars filled with creamy custard from the Asian bakery. (Your mom knows your dessert preferences well. Oh yes, and she knows of your fondness for little glass jars.)
-Family! 

Well, California, here's to another year of living here and learning to delight in all you have to offer. (Including smog and traffic.) ... (And fine dining, farmer's markets, and a host of musical opportunities!)

Country Roads...

...will take me home.

Hello road trip.

Good-bye, Virginia! Can you believe I lived here for a semester? Thanks for being so good to me. Thanks for all of the lovely Autumn colours, and for lots of snow on Christmas so we could go sledding. I will miss your greenery and fresh air. I will miss my housemate, H.! She is the best!

But don't worry. I still have to post about the snow. And I suppose I should also write myself some sort of report card/general conclusion to this semester-long adventure.

So I'll be back.

Please keep me and A. in your prayers this week. Road trips are long and tiring (in addition to fun and...well..fun, right?). Please pray for good weather, safety, healthy bodies, and general cheer and car-riding jollity.

VA Adventure log will be continued once I reach CA!

Cheers!

Oh Happy Day!

A Jolly Monday is brought to you by: 

-An unexpected paycheck. (!!)

-An impromptu visit to Anthropologie with H. and S.

and

-These

 Source

Some women splurge on shoes. I splurge on pajama pants. This is what I get for having a bum knee. Never could manage those heels or unsupported ballet flats. Oh well. I sure can manage flannel loungers. Especially flannel loungers in Matryoshka doll print. !!!

I bought my jammies, and it was a happy day.

Plus, H., S. and I ate cupcakes. I will find buttery sucrose laden cakies wherever I go.

Are You Sitting Down?

No, I'm not pregnant. But I am sitting down, and so is everyone else in my family. Why is this so significant? Well, because we've been on our feet moving for the past several days. You know, the kind of moving that involves transferring all of our belongings from one house to another house. (And maybe the kind of moving that necessitates a giant "House Purge" from all spices, baking mixes, and Asian cooking liquids that have been around for 15+ years. Yeah. ...It was icky, but I feel liberated.)

Think Little House on the Prairie, except with a blue minivan replacing the covered wagon. Also, Costco pizza instead of corn dodgers and bacon. I'll always associate pizza and hot dogs with moving.

Moving is tough work. Packing and loading boxes mirrors a clumsy ballet routine. Grand Plié to lift a load, twirl twirl twirl to avoid hitting your sister, who is also carrying a full load, and another plié to lower the load. I am no dancer. 

Thankfully, we picked a Non-Thunderstorm week to move, and I am happy to say that everything was successfully transferred from House #1 to House #2. Or should I call it House #7? (Or House #9 if you include dorms and my Virginia house.) 

Like I said, moving is tough work. And in the past, moving was always bitter work for my family. Tension grew, tempers flared, and everyone was wary of one another. This time was different. Our family came together, literally, and labored together for days and days until we had to be out of the house. We were exhausted and stressed, but nobody yelled. In fact, there was a lot of laughing. Um, there might have been a lot of singing and dancing, too. Maybe all that Costco Pizza helped us stay sane. Or maybe it was Sam and my Aunt, who helped move heavy boxes, brought us food, and drove several loads of "schtuff" to the new house. Or maybe it was all the above combined with the knowledge that all really shall be most well. 

I used to quote that phrase during stressful times like finals or juries. However, moving, and all the circumstances leading to our move,  forced me to really consider what I was quoting. Everyone in my family had to trust that the source of ultimate peace and happiness transcended any material house. As we backed out of our driveway for the last time, my sister reminded me that everything we own is a gift from God. I do not think God gets angry and takes away our things just to spite us or "teach us a lesson". Those "things" were never ours to begin with. Maybe what feels like God's anger is really our own pain upon realizing that we sought happiness in the wrong place. I don't really know. 


But I do know that all has been well thus far. We have a place to live and loads of citrus trees in our yard. We still have our cats. The sun still rises every morning. Trader Joe's still sells Salsa Authentica. (WHEW.) 


I'm glad to be here. And I'll do my best to be glad to be "there", wherever the next "there" might be. 


For now, I should just say:

It's good to finally meet you, Little Brown House! 

(No, not "Welcome Baby Darling!")