Where to even *begin*?!
What a crazy week!
This past Friday Dan and I went into town to have lunch and start hanging out as it was technically his first day of Spring Break from teaching. We stopped at Hobby Lobby so I could get a couple of supplies for jewelry pieces. Then, because we were so close to some brand-new apartments I'd noticed being built a while ago, I suggested we stop and ask for some information since he'd planned to start apartment hunting over this week. He was rather noncommittal, but we went anyway.
He wound up getting all excited at the size of the place for the price they had set for rent, so we spent the rest of the day driving around and taking tours of the other places on his list. Then we went back to his parents' and sorted out how much each would cost, pros and cons. He'd made up his mind by that evening, much to the shock (and, I should note, a little panic) of his mother. She kept asking him to ask himself if this was "God's timing" or his own, and to keep in mind he needed to set money aside for "another possible important piece of hardware" while looking meaningfully at me. Translation: I don't want my baby boy to move out and I want him to save all his money to buy his girlfriend an engagement ring. Both of us were a little irked.
Saturday we went back to the first place (the new one) and he signed his lease, set his move-in date for Monday. We drove out and visited my aunt and uncle (who couldn't repair my Mustang's headlights, actually), and visited my grandma. I told Grandma I'd help her repot her plants, which have gone crazy, and asked if I could borrow her truck Monday to help Dan move. I also got permission to use my aunt and uncle's trailer. We stopped back in town for lunch and went to Lehnen's to look at furniture. I figured we'd just look so he could get an idea of what he might like, the sizes, and how much it would cost; he wound up buying four pieces: a chair, loveseat, double-sized chair, and entertainment center. They scheduled delivery for Tuesday (which was free!). We came back to my parents' house and hung out a while, then he went home early to start packing.
Sunday evening brought the final packing of the stuff at his parents' house, and an essentials shopping trip at Wal-mart, then Monday morning he called all the utilities and the cable company to get stuff put under his name. The cable company told him they'd be out today (Thursday). He got the keys, we unloaded our cars, then drove out to my extendeds' to get the truck and trailer.
His parents left Monday afternoon before we got the truck for a night getaway, so I called in the reinforcements: my brother-in-law, sister, and my parents. Given my crew--and the fact that we're pros at moving people by now--we had him completely moved into the new place within a matter of hours. It only took two trips with the truck-and-trailer, my brother-in-law's new SUV, and Dan's car (second trip we didn't have the car). My sister and Mom stayed at the apartment and unpacked his kitchen stuff for him and got some things organized. He took us all out for Arni's at about 7:30 (officially the moving started at about 3:30), then he and I went back to the apartment to move things around and unpack him a little in anticipation for Tuesday's furniture delivery.
Tuesday morning brought the furniture (which his parents didn't know about), and the rest of the unpacking, then he called his parents and his grandma (recently widowed) to invite them to dinner. We went grocery shopping, then Mom and I went to Kohl's so she could get him a housewarming gift: a casserole dish since he didn't have one and wanted to make chicken broccoli casserole for his family for dinner.
I wound up half-asleep in the new chair, giving him mumbled directions on how to prepare the casserole--he wanted to do all the cooking himself--and helped him cut and peel apples for fried cinnamon-sugar apples to go with the casserole. His grandma was absolutely delighted to be invited, though his Mom pulled me aside and told me she worried since he'd bought all that stuff that he wouldn't have money to live on. I stood up for him and told her he'd been budgeting for this a long time and had it planned out; just because he doesn't make five-digits in a paycheck like his younger brother doesn't mean he can't buy stuff. By the time she left, she was grudgingly admitting the move was good for him--that he'd needed to. He told me later she'd told him she'd expected him to stay at home until he was married. The first day he was out on his own, she called him several times in rapid succession with things as if she didn't think he could take care of himself.
He got all excited about cooking dinner for his family, and he cooked again for himself tonight, all by himself using Dad and my fettucini recipe and adding chicken. I think he's going to be all right. Though I strongly believe that, had I not pushed him a little to start looking, he wouldn't move out of his parents' at all.
The apartment is huge. Two giant bedrooms, one with an equally large closet, two full baths, and a giant living room. Downside is he's on the ground floor facing the parking lot, but that made moving him in a breeze. He's using both of my bookcases and a hide-a-bed from my Grandma. He had two big bookcases of his own, a broken table with four chairs (jury-rigged), a short bookcase, a three-leg table, his bed, a normal size desk, a giant desk, and a weathered wicker chair. My books (which were in his storage) are now in the smaller bedroom (office) closet. I feel better knowing they're in a better place than storage.
The Chieftans concert last Tuesday was wonderful. Had a blast with Dad.
The warmer weather the last week or so has brought out a ton of new plant growth; I've been taking daily pictures of my flower garden and moved my houseplants outside yesterday for the next week or so to give them better light and warmth.
Been so busy (despite no job) I've only read two books this month...need three more if I'm going to be at 36 for the past three months to keep with my 12-a-month effort to get a chunk of my to-read list down.
Still haven't heard from the job at Dad's place of work. Still haven't heard my starting hours for the greenhouse (due back the 26th if the other job doesn't step in).
Worked a ton on jewelry last week (my blog simplyadornedjewelry.blogspot.com) can attest to that. I have a couple more projects to do this week, if I ever find the time. I have one partially done.
I have plans to help Grandma repot some of her houseplants Monday. Need to plan for that...
This past Friday Dan and I went into town to have lunch and start hanging out as it was technically his first day of Spring Break from teaching. We stopped at Hobby Lobby so I could get a couple of supplies for jewelry pieces. Then, because we were so close to some brand-new apartments I'd noticed being built a while ago, I suggested we stop and ask for some information since he'd planned to start apartment hunting over this week. He was rather noncommittal, but we went anyway.
He wound up getting all excited at the size of the place for the price they had set for rent, so we spent the rest of the day driving around and taking tours of the other places on his list. Then we went back to his parents' and sorted out how much each would cost, pros and cons. He'd made up his mind by that evening, much to the shock (and, I should note, a little panic) of his mother. She kept asking him to ask himself if this was "God's timing" or his own, and to keep in mind he needed to set money aside for "another possible important piece of hardware" while looking meaningfully at me. Translation: I don't want my baby boy to move out and I want him to save all his money to buy his girlfriend an engagement ring. Both of us were a little irked.
Saturday we went back to the first place (the new one) and he signed his lease, set his move-in date for Monday. We drove out and visited my aunt and uncle (who couldn't repair my Mustang's headlights, actually), and visited my grandma. I told Grandma I'd help her repot her plants, which have gone crazy, and asked if I could borrow her truck Monday to help Dan move. I also got permission to use my aunt and uncle's trailer. We stopped back in town for lunch and went to Lehnen's to look at furniture. I figured we'd just look so he could get an idea of what he might like, the sizes, and how much it would cost; he wound up buying four pieces: a chair, loveseat, double-sized chair, and entertainment center. They scheduled delivery for Tuesday (which was free!). We came back to my parents' house and hung out a while, then he went home early to start packing.
Sunday evening brought the final packing of the stuff at his parents' house, and an essentials shopping trip at Wal-mart, then Monday morning he called all the utilities and the cable company to get stuff put under his name. The cable company told him they'd be out today (Thursday). He got the keys, we unloaded our cars, then drove out to my extendeds' to get the truck and trailer.
His parents left Monday afternoon before we got the truck for a night getaway, so I called in the reinforcements: my brother-in-law, sister, and my parents. Given my crew--and the fact that we're pros at moving people by now--we had him completely moved into the new place within a matter of hours. It only took two trips with the truck-and-trailer, my brother-in-law's new SUV, and Dan's car (second trip we didn't have the car). My sister and Mom stayed at the apartment and unpacked his kitchen stuff for him and got some things organized. He took us all out for Arni's at about 7:30 (officially the moving started at about 3:30), then he and I went back to the apartment to move things around and unpack him a little in anticipation for Tuesday's furniture delivery.
Tuesday morning brought the furniture (which his parents didn't know about), and the rest of the unpacking, then he called his parents and his grandma (recently widowed) to invite them to dinner. We went grocery shopping, then Mom and I went to Kohl's so she could get him a housewarming gift: a casserole dish since he didn't have one and wanted to make chicken broccoli casserole for his family for dinner.
I wound up half-asleep in the new chair, giving him mumbled directions on how to prepare the casserole--he wanted to do all the cooking himself--and helped him cut and peel apples for fried cinnamon-sugar apples to go with the casserole. His grandma was absolutely delighted to be invited, though his Mom pulled me aside and told me she worried since he'd bought all that stuff that he wouldn't have money to live on. I stood up for him and told her he'd been budgeting for this a long time and had it planned out; just because he doesn't make five-digits in a paycheck like his younger brother doesn't mean he can't buy stuff. By the time she left, she was grudgingly admitting the move was good for him--that he'd needed to. He told me later she'd told him she'd expected him to stay at home until he was married. The first day he was out on his own, she called him several times in rapid succession with things as if she didn't think he could take care of himself.
He got all excited about cooking dinner for his family, and he cooked again for himself tonight, all by himself using Dad and my fettucini recipe and adding chicken. I think he's going to be all right. Though I strongly believe that, had I not pushed him a little to start looking, he wouldn't move out of his parents' at all.
The apartment is huge. Two giant bedrooms, one with an equally large closet, two full baths, and a giant living room. Downside is he's on the ground floor facing the parking lot, but that made moving him in a breeze. He's using both of my bookcases and a hide-a-bed from my Grandma. He had two big bookcases of his own, a broken table with four chairs (jury-rigged), a short bookcase, a three-leg table, his bed, a normal size desk, a giant desk, and a weathered wicker chair. My books (which were in his storage) are now in the smaller bedroom (office) closet. I feel better knowing they're in a better place than storage.
The Chieftans concert last Tuesday was wonderful. Had a blast with Dad.
The warmer weather the last week or so has brought out a ton of new plant growth; I've been taking daily pictures of my flower garden and moved my houseplants outside yesterday for the next week or so to give them better light and warmth.
Been so busy (despite no job) I've only read two books this month...need three more if I'm going to be at 36 for the past three months to keep with my 12-a-month effort to get a chunk of my to-read list down.
Still haven't heard from the job at Dad's place of work. Still haven't heard my starting hours for the greenhouse (due back the 26th if the other job doesn't step in).
Worked a ton on jewelry last week (my blog simplyadornedjewelry.blogspot.com) can attest to that. I have a couple more projects to do this week, if I ever find the time. I have one partially done.
I have plans to help Grandma repot some of her houseplants Monday. Need to plan for that...