There are hills, and there are valleys. Can't have one without the other.
Thanks everyone for your kind comments and condolences over the past few days. It's been a whopper of a week, and on top of the stress already underlying everything, I've been a walking train wreck. I think I arbitrarily broke into tears at least four times yesterday. At about 11 pm (I usually go to bed around 9) I finally felt like I could call Chris just to talk to someone. I'm glad I did; it helped get a lot off my chest and sent me off to probably the soundest sleep I've had in a week.
There still isn't any news on my dad, which I'm hoping is a good thing. And I did talk to my mom just a tiny bit about Flash yesterday. Granted, my mom has an incredible ability to remain calm and rational in only the most stressful of situations--I still can't believe the even, unaffected tone with which she told me my grandpa had passed away, because I know that's not what she was feeling--but it helped to be reassured that there was nothing else we or anyone could have done for him and it was just his time to go.
I took that photo from my previous post, made a few prints of it, and bought some frames: one for my parents, one for my brother, and one for me. There's a really nice photo of our old springer spaniel, Kody, sitting on the mantle at home, and I thought that there should be one up there of Flash as well. It'll be the first photo I put up in my new apartment.
Finally, on to the GOOD news. The papers are signed, the keys are in hand, and the little studio is all mine! I moved my first load in this morning. It was a bit of a shock again going in there and seeing just how little space I have to work with for all of my stuff, but after taking some measurements and brainstorming for awhile, I think it's going to be a cute, cozy place when all is said and done. The renovations are gorgeous. List of brand new items that, according to the manager, are the best you'll find in the entire complex:
So yeah, feeling better than ever about the new place. I'm going back after work to give all the surfaces a thorough wipe-down to get rid of the remaining construction dust, and by the end of the day will hopefully have a more-or-less completed kitchen and bathroom setup. Tomorrow will be closets, which leaves the big furniture and boxes for Saturday, arranging for Sunday, and decorating for the day I'm taking off on Monday. Cleaning of the old place will fall arbitrarily in there as well. By Monday night, with any luck, I'll be ready to sleep in the new place.
What a roller coaster of a week, friends. I'm glad I have you all to keep me balanced.
There still isn't any news on my dad, which I'm hoping is a good thing. And I did talk to my mom just a tiny bit about Flash yesterday. Granted, my mom has an incredible ability to remain calm and rational in only the most stressful of situations--I still can't believe the even, unaffected tone with which she told me my grandpa had passed away, because I know that's not what she was feeling--but it helped to be reassured that there was nothing else we or anyone could have done for him and it was just his time to go.
I took that photo from my previous post, made a few prints of it, and bought some frames: one for my parents, one for my brother, and one for me. There's a really nice photo of our old springer spaniel, Kody, sitting on the mantle at home, and I thought that there should be one up there of Flash as well. It'll be the first photo I put up in my new apartment.
Finally, on to the GOOD news. The papers are signed, the keys are in hand, and the little studio is all mine! I moved my first load in this morning. It was a bit of a shock again going in there and seeing just how little space I have to work with for all of my stuff, but after taking some measurements and brainstorming for awhile, I think it's going to be a cute, cozy place when all is said and done. The renovations are gorgeous. List of brand new items that, according to the manager, are the best you'll find in the entire complex:
- Carpet. By the look of it, better quality and better installation than the stuff in the current place, which was also new when we moved in.
- Entry, kitchen, and bathroom flooring. It's wood, kids, not vinyl. I'm falling all over myself at my luck there.
- Countertop, which is kind of a granite-ish red/brown that fits perfectly with the red color scheme I'm pursuing. Already, after having only put down the red rug, it jives.
- Kitchen appliances. Oh my goodness, the fridge is so sparkly and beautiful! And I don't know what it is about the range, but it's adorable.
- Bath and tile. Icky bathroom spots and rust and stains are always my most loathed features of apartments, so the fact that I don't have ANY of that is. . . I can't even say. Gorgeous.
- Kitchen/bathroom sinks and toilet. Ditto to above.
- Light fixtures. I wish the ceiling fan could be in the larger room rather than the small room, but even so, it's very nice. The lighting in the bathroom is also far superior to what I have now.
So yeah, feeling better than ever about the new place. I'm going back after work to give all the surfaces a thorough wipe-down to get rid of the remaining construction dust, and by the end of the day will hopefully have a more-or-less completed kitchen and bathroom setup. Tomorrow will be closets, which leaves the big furniture and boxes for Saturday, arranging for Sunday, and decorating for the day I'm taking off on Monday. Cleaning of the old place will fall arbitrarily in there as well. By Monday night, with any luck, I'll be ready to sleep in the new place.
What a roller coaster of a week, friends. I'm glad I have you all to keep me balanced.