Moving Out and Up

I survived my first week of work. Actually, I more than survived - I flourished. I really did love it. Let's back up a bit though, shall we?

Wednesday was my last day of work. I wore a fun, new, work-inappropriate dress from Francesca's:

I spent most of the day writing instructions for my replacement, whom they have yet to hire. Around 3, we all pretty much stopped working and started getting ready for our little shindig. My co-workers gave me these beautiful roses they coined as "Vera Bradley roses" because of the pattern that reminded them of all my Vera Bradley accessories. We made sangria and my boss bought my two favorite wines - Kim Crawford sauvignon blanc and Cupcake sauvignon blanc. A few colleagues came over and we ate and drank and chatted. When it was just our department and spouses left, my boss gave me a hug and said she wanted to leave before me or else she'd be an emotional wreck watching me leave. It's nice to feel so loved and appreciated at work. A few of us stayed till about 7 or so, and then I met some friends at a bar for dinner and more drinks. I think I finally got home around midnight.

I spent Thursday and Friday just enjoying some time off. I unplugged as much as I could and slowly began packing, which I did the bulk of on Saturday.

Sunday was tough for me. I had packed up my car on Saturday night save a few bags, but I woke up with a pit in my stomach knowing in a few hours, I'd have to leave Rags until the weekend. About two weeks ago, something changed in his behavior. He stopped letting my dad take him for walks if I was home, and started following me everywhere, even into the bathroom. I think it was mostly because I was recovering from surgery and spending more time in bed, but also because I was packing up boxes and he knew what that meant. I cried like a baby when I kissed him goodbye and said what I say every morning before work, "I'll see you later baby!" He cried and scratched at the door which he very rarely does - he knew.

I cried again as I drove away, again on the phone with my mom on the highway, and a few more times on the the 90-minute drive to Woburn. I knew I'd see him Friday night, but I cried because I felt bad for him. He was confused and scared. But I know it'll be a good change for both of us when we finally have our own (almost) space again.

Unpacking was uneventful, aside from being ungodly hot. I didn't even really unpack. I hung up my hangers in Julia's spare closet and put my toothbrush in the bathroom. I'm basically living out of boxes, bags, and suitcases until August 1. It's just not worth the work to unpack and then do it all again in three weeks.

Having Juls and Donny as "roommates" is nothing new since I've stayed with them so often. But Julia's cooking is top notch and I feel like a houseguest since she just does her thing in the kitchen while Donny and I drool over the smells and then devour the end results. Kitty has taken a liking to me and now doesn't mind me sharing her space. Buster is a lovebug as always, and is getting better about stealing my food off the plate while I'm eating. When I'm sitting on the couch, we're about the same height so if I were him, I'd try to steal my food, too!

I do look forward to being in my condo as of August 1, but it's more likely that I won't sleep there until the 3rd or 4th. As of right now, I'm sitting on my bed in Longmeadow. I got back here last night to spend the weekend with Rags. He was SO happy to see me, and has hardly left my side. Dad and I went out to breakfast this morning (I was up before him - that happens about twice a year) and Rags freaked out when we left, but he is happily dozing about 8 inches away from me right now.

More about the job and commute next time!

Successful Saturday

I'd say yesterday was pretty successful. I woke up at 6 a.m., was on the road by 7:30 a.m., and in Woburn looking at a condo at 9 a.m. The condo is owned by a guy named Frank. He's 33, works in marketing, and is renting out one of the bedrooms. The house is literally 1.8 miles from Julia and Donny. He's cool with Rags, and since he works out of the house most days, he even said he'd be happy to let Rags out when I'm at work all day. The condo is immaculate - he keeps it really clean and is surprisingly good at decorating for a guy. There are three levels - upstairs where the bedrooms and a full bath are, downstairs where the living room, kitchen, dining room, and a half bathroom are, and a fully finished basement where the washer and dryer are. The yard is enormous and since this is part of a condo association, they take care of all the maintenance, including snow removal. Score!

After visiting the Woburn condo, we went in search of bridesmaid dresses. After trying on probably two dozen dresses, one big disappointment when the dress we all fell in love with turned out to be discontinued and thus not available, we finally said yes to a dress. It was actually not at all what we thought we wanted but Juls loves it and it looks great on our bodies and - the most important part - it comes in the colors Juls wants! We got it at Bella Bridesmaid on Newbury Street in Boston. I can't say enough about Britt, the owner. She didn't mind that we were late, sweaty, and smelly. The dress we chose was her idea, and we are so grateful that she thought to bring it out.

We need to order (i.e., pay for) the dresses by July 15 in order to have them by the end of November. Britt gave us a 10% discount so that helped a lot. Now we need to figure out how to "dress them up." The dress is elegant as is, made from chiffon, but Juls wants some sparkle so we'll either need to add a belt or just some beading. That's the fun part!

After a short picnic on Boston Common, we went and looked at another potential place for me. The apartment was cute but small and in a really rough-looking part of Boston known as Mission Hill, but it was really close to Roxbury. And my potential roommate admitted she smoked pot and that her boyfriend was "around a lot." No thanks.

In the car on the way home, my mind was made up. I talked to both of my parents and made my final decision. The only negative is that the condo isn't available until August 1 (his current roommate is a 22-year-old girl who is moving out to "grow up and be on her own") but my job starts July 15. Julia and Donny have graciously offered me "my bedroom" in their house for those two weeks. This means I can't bring Rags - he's a jerk to Buster - but it will give me flexibility with my schedule so I can get adjusted at work, go out for drinks afterward, and not worry about rushing home to Rags. I'll come back to Longmeadow on the weekends to spend time with him.

So, without further ado, here's my new home.

Exterior:

    Upstairs:
   

Downstairs:

Basement: