new quirks

Our new place definitely has its benefits. We could barely walk past the boxes stacked in our old place and now they are all neatly stacked in the corners of their respective rooms. I haven't seen kitty litter on the rug in a few days now and I won't have to with the basement as kitty central. So far the biggest quirk we are getting used to is our smoke alarm going off from the steam in the bathrooms. I don't know what sort of super power this thing has, but I had been in the shower for less than a minute (the bathroom mirror hadn't even fogged up yet) and it went off. Sleepy J had his wake up call for the day as he fanned at it. We also have an inactive alarm system that we don't really plan to hook up, but it still beeps everytime you walk in the door or open a window. Other than those noises the neighborhood is nearly silent. All you can hear are birds and the occasional distant lawnmower. It can't compare to our city spot with the traffic all the time.
The kitties are adjusting. Sophie can make it up and down the stairs now. Here is her graceful patter on camera:

I think more than signing the mortgage, more than decisions about which furniture to buy, and more than whether to stay in New England, my biggest overwhelmed feeling came from visiting the lawnmower section at Home Depot a few days ago. They have six different models of what looks to be the same mower with the price increasing incrementally by $30. We left to go reasearch online because we knew so little. We have a fair sized yard, which J is mowing as I write this. He's about a quarter through the front lawn and it's been over 15 minutes. I think this may be a new workout routine for him. I captured this momentous occasion on camera:

keys turned in

We turned in our old keys to our landlord today to our cleaned out and far-too-spacious-looking-when-empty apartment. J is the absolute iron soldier of the three flights of stairs (technically three and a half). He really took on the bulk of the work as this pregnant clumsy lady continued to work all day. The old apartment didn't look like we or anyone else had ever lived in it. I was dropped off and picked up at work today, which I could really get used to! It won't be that much trouble to get back in a car during the week.

kitties move in

We finally closed on our house yesterday! I didn't get a chance to get a photo with the sold sign before they snatched the sign, but it made me blink a bit when we drove past the other day. My eyes were wide open when we signed those mortgage statements. The moving day for the other folks was not so easy (I think they ended up takin over 10 hours to get out), but we were able to get some stuff over there. I think we took four trips total with odds and ends. Then the last trip we took two very loud protesting cats on the short car ride. After introducing them to the basement litter box, they scurried around. Peanut stalks low to the ground as if she is hiding in tall grass. Sophie runs around and then quickly back into what was the dreaded cat carrier she was head butting to get out of a second ago. They both settled in a bit, but were still spooked by the silence I bet. In our calm little neighborhood you can't even tell that the window is open, very different from our city living. We've decided we won't miss our little apartment, but I will definitely miss my quick walk commute. I'm off to take my last walk to work.

high school flashbacks

Somehow this post was drafted and never posted - oops!

My high school reunion was better than expected, but I suppose my expectations were pretty low. J came with me to Ohio because we had two for one air tickets from our bank. He really only attended the first reunion night, but it was fun for him to see my family all excited for the new baby on the way and to talk in the Bobby voice for the Henrich girls.

Friday I convinced my mom to come with me to visit the school. They had class visits with some of the same teachers I had not-so-long ago. They also had the auditorium stage set up with Mimosas-Memories-Manicures. It was schmancy, yet strange. I did get a nice manicure and a new memory of that stage (better yet than my one line role in that pseudo-modern-day shakespeare play and dance concert I embarrassed myself in high school.

The Friday event was at the House of Blues and just downstairs J was excited about the band playing, but we were ushered to the Foundation Room upstairs. It was full of swanky velvet which was nice to lounge on as the night became longer and we were all finished hugging. I swear I hugged people I'd never hugged before. There were over half of us there in a graduating class of 47. Three of us where pregnant (one due in Sept and one the same week I am in Nov). I really connected again with a good art class friend that is due with her first baby in Sept. Sometimes you don't realize how much you miss people.

Saturday was back to the school for lunchtime traditions. They had the turkey tetrazini and buckeye peanut butter balls that we all remember, but somehow they tasted better. They had the cottage cheese and italian dressing I remember. Our class broke the rules and pushed our two tables together, always stretching the rules. In some sort of scheme, we managed to win the class chamapagne award for the most participation in the annual campaign. Although I think some people only donated $1. We took our class photo, then somehow we all wandered up to the new senior room to reminisce. It just so happened that someone planted our yearbook on the table, so we reviewed our superlatives and where are they now... oh geez, those were embarrassing then, but worse now. Mine said something about marrying Carl and becoming the new headmasters of HB - ew.

Sunday was good-ol-family time with the annual (or is it biannual now?) Gib-a-thon that had just begun. It was a quick trip, and I miss everyone already!

comfy

We just got back from Arizona last night. I am officially in withdraw from seeing my family and friends. I forgot how nice it is to have friends that know each other and are just so comfortable to hang out with... aah, I wish I could squish the states together or just convince them all to move here. The whole gang visited two grad ceremonies: J's ultra fast-we-just-want-this-to-be-over ceremony versus Liz's slooow-we-just-want-to-do-this-right ceremony. It was too bad the mentalities weren't reversed because J's hooding was speedy and there wasn't any one announcing his dissertation title. This was what he talked about weeks in advance with a snicker. His title which has irony that doesn't make it as cocky as it sounds if you read it - but instead makes it funny - is "The Best Moral Theory Ever: The Merits and Methodology of Moral Theorizing". It's not actually a moral theory so that's where the funny comes in. At least now it is published for the blog world to snicker at - maybe. It was so, so generous of all of you that hosted us for parties, pieces of pie, and pizza nuggets. We thank you from the bottom of our hot little hearts. We know that Pip will be comfy in his/her very first tshirt - go wildcats!

For highlights of the height of graduation robe fashions for 2007:visit here

neglectful

uh oh, i slipped and neglected my snapshots blog! I promise it does not mean that life has been boring. It's just been consumed by thoughts of babies, and slower weekends recovering from buuusy weeks and preparing for our big move. We are in AZ this weekend and OH the weekend after, then the next weekend is Brown's graduation/reunion weekend (dumb idea to schedule them at the same time!) and we are moving! Our apartment is already full of boxes in piles that can't be tucked away because there is no where to tuck them. The cats like the new perches, but they don't know what is going on - which leads to Sophie overeating and Peanut wanting extra cuddles. My RISD classes were an insane idea hatched when I had all the time in the world. I'm working on my final projects that are nothing like exams but I am feeling it a bit. I'll be glad when they are finished although I love the people in my classes.

100s of photos from england

Yea tons of photos from England to burn time in a
boring day Yea!

London:
http://www.flickr.com/gp/94324507@N00/9Q566K

Oxford:
http://www.flickr.com/gp/94324507@N00/185Sj7