I have arrived!
Yes, that's right, I am officially moved into St. Louis! It's been the wildest week ever, but I am so happy to be here. Casey gets here tomorrow (hopefully!) and then Amy next weekend. I am so glad we decided to stagger the move-in dates, because I think all three of us trying to do this at once could have been an overwhelming mess. As it is, I'll be pretty much completely settled by the time Casey gets here, and then between the two of we should have all of his things settled so we can help Amy, who is bringing pretty much everything for the living room and kitchen as well as her own things. Lots to do, but spacing it out this way makes it all much more manageable.
My mom and grandmother came out to help me move. I don't think I can even get into all the pre-move RTSF-closing sentimal stuff, because saying goodbye to Riverside and Jody and Ron and all those great people was much harder than I had anticipated. The moment when it all hit me was at the closing ceremony when Jody, Ron, and a company member light candles and recite Puck's "Our revels now are ended" speech from Midsummer, and just having Jody catch my eye a bit in the middle of the "These are actors..." line made me well right up. It had been a long day, between getting all the last-minute packing done, getting the U-Haul with Mom and Grandma and then filling it, working the show, and then that last little moment just sent me right over the edge. In a good way, though. After the closing party I went back to the apartment, did the cleaning that my bedroom and bathroom needed, and went to pick Casey up at the Cedar Rapids airport after his week in Colorado with Amy! After not seeing him all week, it was nice to have some company that night and catch up with him in the car ride home. And even though we didn't get back until 1:30 in the morning or so, he was sweet enough to get up when my folks arrived at 8 AM to help hitch the trailer back onto my mom's SUV.
After a blissfully non-eventful drive from Iowa, we arrived in St. Louis! The following took place (because lists are a much more economical form of writing that narrative):
1. Meeting all the friendly, helpful staff at Del Coronado
2. Moving in!
3. A really nice dinner at the steakhouse connected to the hotel and casino where my grandmother was staying
4. Buying lots of lamps, as the aparmtent has very little overhead lighting
5. A good mother-daughter talk at 2 in the morning
6. My first day of work! And many subsequent days of work thereafter! (My job really requires its own entry)
7. Saying goodbye to Mom and Grandma
8. Assembling lots of furniture that they generously bought for me, including a computer desk, a bookcase, and a screen for Amy's study
9. Meeting some of our cool neighbors who live down the hall
10. Organizing my brains out
11. Loving this new bedspread that my mom got me, which makes me feel like such an adult
12. Monologue practice in the big, empty living room
13. Learning the St. Louis radio stations
14. A wonderful phone conversation with Arielle
15. DARK KNIGHT AT MIDNIGHT! SO VERY VERY GOOD!
16. Getting a SLPL library card
17. Setting up a cable/internet account
18. Realizing how happy I am living in a city again
Not a bad list. Today I want to get a decent haircut, which means finding somewhere to do that, and then maybe going out tonight and checking out the nightlife. I want to be well rested to help Casey tomorrow, but I'd like to see what St. Louis is like after dark. All in all, I'm thrilled to be here, and I can't wait to get Casey and Amy settled in. Excitement!