Exhaustion and Keys

Well, we got the keys for the new place yesterday. The apartment was just as huge and beautiful as I remember it. Even more so, actually for a couple of reasons. 1) It's empty and painted, 2) It's OURS. We will hopefully be moving some stuff in here and there over the next week. The movers come in ONE WEEK. One week to get all my crap boxed, labled and ready to fly. YAY!! So exciting.....I can't wait until we spend our first night there. We both think it will take awhile for it to sink in that it's ours. Probably the first time one of us comes home and the other is already there and we yell, "Honey, I'm home." At that point, we'll probably scream, run to each other and just start laughing.

This is so awesome. I LOVE the start of something wonderful.....

The Infamous Weekend

So, mom and dad came up this weekend to give me their truck (to help with the move) and meet Steve. How did it go???

FABULOUS!

Within 24 hours, they refered to him as a future in-law twice. Dad made a wonderful comment: "I actually slept really well last night, for the first time in a long time. I think it was Steve that made me sleep well." HUGE, I tell you! They were instantly in love with him and they understand now why I am the way I am because of him. Just a magical weekend.

We get the keys for the new place on Tuesday. Not just any Tuesday, however. We get them on Summer Solstice. One of my favorite holidays!

Signs, signs, everywhere are signs.....

Now, the final test will be when Steve meets HRH Olivia in Texas next month. Of course, he will pass with flying colors (she's a very observant four year old). My aunt will see her husband Max in Steve (which mom commented on and I noticed right away when we first got together). Max will see himself in Steve and they will let their nerd/dork flags fly high the whole time, I'm sure. Mamaw will love him because he is sweet and respectful and treats me well. And mom and dad are already sold. Yep, it's all good.

Finally.

Awesome Freakin' Day!

Ever have one of those days where everything goes exactly as you want them? Well, that didn't quite happen, but it was so damn close we don't even care!

Today, Steve and I set out to do some finalizing of things that needed to be, um, finalized. This is our only day off together until Saturday, which will be filled with a murder mystery and my folks being in town. We checked out and rented a storage space, paid off some things that needed IMMEDIATE attention or dire consequences would take place, roamed around Best Buy and enjoyed the free air conditioning, did some other random things that needed attention and, for the first time in weeks, enjoyed a day together with no stress. We just ENJOYED each other, being around each other, being productive and the stress was the lowest it's been in a month. A LARGE part of that is due to an angel being there for us when we needed it. Thank you, angel.

I think I have an idea as to how to deal with the metric crapload of boxes I have in my place now. But that is boring to anyone but me, so I'll skip those details.

Steve gets to meet mom and dad on Friday (if he gets his schedule at work switched). I'm sooo super excited. They already adore him and I know they will love him. He is super excited too. Good times are a comin'. Finally.

I haven't said this with any certainty since my grades came in......all is well. All will BE well. We are going to be okay. Better than that. We are invincible. Together, there is nothing that can happen that we can't take down and make our bitch. We love that. We love each other. Truly and simply.

And on that note, *sigh*, I can breathe again. Thank GOD. Thank god.

Ah, the joys of summer

Titty sweat. Two words that sum up summer lovin'. I hate it.

The last few days have been soooo hot and humid. Thankfully I have an air conditioner and I put it in my bedroom. KittenFatCat loves it, but is afraid of the sound a bit. She sleeps on the END of the bed, close enough to feel the cool air, but far enough away as to not be threatened by it. Crazy cat.

I have lived in Chicago long enough to have it feel like home...in fact, it IS my home now. However, there are moments when I realize I'm living in CHICAGO and coming from a small southern Indiana town, that is HUGE. Today contained two of those moments.
Moment #1..Steve and I went to Costco to buy packing tape because we ran out, and leaving Costco was a PERFECT view of the Hancock building. It was amazing and just Chicago.
Moment #2..driving down LSD tonight with the windows down, boxes flapping in the backseat (thank god we get shipments of stock every day now at work) and the smell of the lake. The smell of the lake on a hot night is so amazing to me.

What's more amazing? Steve and I move in three weeks! THREE WEEKS until we start the rest of our lives. While I will miss this apartment and all the memories it holds, I will NOT miss having to shlep our crap from one place to the other, having nights where KittenFatCat is alone (KFC always gives me whatfor the next day) and having nights where we aren't sleeping together. We found out something amazing within the first week of dating....since we realize we have found the other person that makes us complete, we can't sleep when we're not in bed together. I toss and turn, waking up every hour or so, knowing something is missing but not realizing what it is in my sleepy mind until the next morning. He does the same thing. We have found the person we are supposed to be sleeping next to every night, and when we don't, it doesn't feel right. Since we already consider ourselves married (emotionally) it seems weird to sleep without my husband. Wow. To see the word in print brings it all home. AAHH!!! Finally. While we are dealing with some really crappy things right now, we are handling them together. I dont' know what I did in my life to deserve him, but I'm soooo glad I did it......

The Date

So I think it's official....we are moving the wedding to April 23, which is Carri's birthday, of next year. It will be our one year anniversary and it will give us enough time to plan, save up and enjoy our lives together. I'm so excited about living with him and just enjoying our home. For the first time, I am going to have a home that I share with someone else. This apartment is my home, but it's just mine.

I have ants. I hate to kill them, but they are walking over the cayenne pepper, tape and random other things I have placed over their point of entry. They are eating KittenFatCat's food. It's scary.

Oh--just saw a preview for Batman......there was a horse that breathed fire. Awesome.

This was one of the most pointless posts I could have written, except the first part.

I should shower.

I stink.

Quick addition

There is a child in my building that is 'singing' at the top of their lungs,
"Rain, rain, go away
I wanna play
Come again today
Rain rain go away"
on and on. Just that one part. With the 'wrong' words.

The sound of children scream-singing at a rainstorm makes me remember there is something out there, something universal that connects us all. Something that makes us the same yet different. Some 20 years ago, I would sit on my back porch and scream-sing about rain going away and coming again some other day, and while it's a common song, it's just a reminder that this world is huge, but it's so small at the same time. The sky is clearing up, giving the city that creepy yellow-green light that comes after we've just been dumped on hardcore.

The kid is still singing. I am almost crying. Amazing. I've lived through more than two years of thunderstorms at this apartment, and I've heard this child scream-singing for those two years after each one, but there is something about the one today that is really affecting me. Maybe it's because I know my thunderstorms between these walls is limited now. I have a hard time letting go of some things, and this apartment is one of them. Don't get me wrong, I am SO excited about the move and living with Steve and saving money and starting our lives together, but this apartment has some powerful memories tucked in the walls. It's the last home Patty and Ethel knew. It's the place where they were put to sleep with their mommy holding them. It's the bedroom where I found out about Mike, mom crying on the phone in the house with his body in the next room, on the phone with me. It's the first time I have lived by myself for the right reason, the right motive; to become independant and self-aware. It's the home where I first learned I was accepted back to school, where I came after my first rehearsal for Boomstick. The energies in these walls is wonderful and has protected me during some of my hardest life moments. Maybe that's why hearing a child scream-singing through my back door is making me tear up.

It's a very good sadness......

Packing and Raining

Finally, there is a deliciously sweet cold breeze blowing on the back of my neck as I write this. Today has been chocked full of packing, cleaning, chiropractor and sneezing. It's storming something horrible right now and I LOVE it. I love thunderstorms. The louder the better. Give me pitch black skies, give me thunder so loud it makes the foundations crumble and things fall off shelves. Give me lightning that is so bright it temporarily burns my corneas and I have those little white dots when I close my eyes. I love it all. So much awesome energy comes out of a storm, and this one is a doozy. Yes, I said 'doozy'.

Packing is hell. Hell I tell you!!! Even though I went through a HUGE cleaning spree in January, I am still finding things I can give away. That helps. Less to pay movers to lug down three flights and back up three flights. Ah, the Curse of the Third Floor Chicago Living. Mwwuuhahahaha!

I had an amazing discovery over the last two days. I realized the amazing capacity for generosity in humans. There is someone in particular who's selflessness and giving nature astounds me. That person will be guaranteed an EASY, WONDERFUL life next time around, let me tell you. Thank you for offering of yourself so completely. Our jaws dropped, literally, and were hanging there......thank you so much for offering, sweetie.....

Alas, the storm is over and so is my inspiration. I had so much more to say, to think, to do, but I guess I'll just have to make due with some quality time with the KittenFatCat and the smell of cold rain on hot asphalt.