And so it is.
I haven't decided whether to delete this or just let it exist for awhile. But either way, my LJ days are over. I just don't have the time or energy anymore.
Take care <3
Take care <3
Only Wednesday...
Things I have learned about house shopping so far:
1. No matter how big your budget, the grass is always greener...the kitchen always nicer...the bedrooms always bigger. No matter if you can spend $200,000 or $400,000 or $1.2 million, there will always be nicer homes out there than yours. Tis the sad truth.
2. Always have 20% to put down. Mortgage insurance is to be avoided at all costs. You CAN get a house with little to no money down. But you will pay at least $100/month ON TOP OF your mortgage.
3. Get thyself preapproved. Some sellers won't even meet with non-approved buyers. Whip out that preapproval letter and let them know...GAME ON.
4. Location, location, location....equals good schools. You may be able to score a nice house and big yard but make sure you're not sacrificing it for subpar schools. You probably don't want your kid going to a school where 97% of other schools in your state score higher on standardized tests.
5. You will inevitably have someone in your social circle that will tirelessly try to convince you to buy bigger, buy more expensive. SHUT THEM DOWN. Just because they're house-poor doesn't mean you want to be too.
6. House hunting, like life, is full of heartbreak. You WILL get houses snapped up from under you. You WILL visit a house after seeing the pictures online and be crushed by the reality of it. You WILL have moments when you doubt you and your perfect match will meet. Pick up your crushed little heart and get back to those MLS sites! Soldier on!
7. People do some damn stupid things with their homes. From pinning up a dollar bill on the ceiling of their bedroom, to tacky chandeliers, to letting their lives' largest investment go to shambles, people will do things that make no sense to you. Observe, judge where appropriate, and move on.
8. When shopping with a partner, you will not always agree. He might value a garage (whyyyyy though I do not know) while you want a nice remodeled kitchen ('cause I'm not f'ing cooking in a goddamn dump that is why)....such things must be addressed. No one is right, no one is wrong.
9. Get a good realtor. Not a friend of a friend who also likes your favorite band omg. Pick someone who specializes in the areas you're interested in looking at and who has appropriate credentials. Someone who listens to you and answers your questions and makes themselves available to you. Someone who totally looks like they could take on any other realtor if it comes to a bidding war. No fear, man.
10. Be realistic. We all want that mansion with an infinity pool and a bowling alley and a unicorn farm but it just ain't going to happen for all of us. Some of us end up in transitional ranchers in SuburbiaLand. You wouldn't go inquiring about the Hope Diamond if all you can afford is Kay Jewelers. So stick to open houses that you could realistically own and afford. Don't tempt yourself.
1. No matter how big your budget, the grass is always greener...the kitchen always nicer...the bedrooms always bigger. No matter if you can spend $200,000 or $400,000 or $1.2 million, there will always be nicer homes out there than yours. Tis the sad truth.
2. Always have 20% to put down. Mortgage insurance is to be avoided at all costs. You CAN get a house with little to no money down. But you will pay at least $100/month ON TOP OF your mortgage.
3. Get thyself preapproved. Some sellers won't even meet with non-approved buyers. Whip out that preapproval letter and let them know...GAME ON.
4. Location, location, location....equals good schools. You may be able to score a nice house and big yard but make sure you're not sacrificing it for subpar schools. You probably don't want your kid going to a school where 97% of other schools in your state score higher on standardized tests.
5. You will inevitably have someone in your social circle that will tirelessly try to convince you to buy bigger, buy more expensive. SHUT THEM DOWN. Just because they're house-poor doesn't mean you want to be too.
6. House hunting, like life, is full of heartbreak. You WILL get houses snapped up from under you. You WILL visit a house after seeing the pictures online and be crushed by the reality of it. You WILL have moments when you doubt you and your perfect match will meet. Pick up your crushed little heart and get back to those MLS sites! Soldier on!
7. People do some damn stupid things with their homes. From pinning up a dollar bill on the ceiling of their bedroom, to tacky chandeliers, to letting their lives' largest investment go to shambles, people will do things that make no sense to you. Observe, judge where appropriate, and move on.
8. When shopping with a partner, you will not always agree. He might value a garage (whyyyyy though I do not know) while you want a nice remodeled kitchen ('cause I'm not f'ing cooking in a goddamn dump that is why)....such things must be addressed. No one is right, no one is wrong.
9. Get a good realtor. Not a friend of a friend who also likes your favorite band omg. Pick someone who specializes in the areas you're interested in looking at and who has appropriate credentials. Someone who listens to you and answers your questions and makes themselves available to you. Someone who totally looks like they could take on any other realtor if it comes to a bidding war. No fear, man.
10. Be realistic. We all want that mansion with an infinity pool and a bowling alley and a unicorn farm but it just ain't going to happen for all of us. Some of us end up in transitional ranchers in SuburbiaLand. You wouldn't go inquiring about the Hope Diamond if all you can afford is Kay Jewelers. So stick to open houses that you could realistically own and afford. Don't tempt yourself.
It's practically Christmas. Apparently.
1. I need the weather to make up its mind. We get one windows-down, balmy day and then the next it's cold enough to see your breath. My sinuses can't take much more.
2. I am addicted to Torchwood. I've watched almost the whole series (4 seasons) in 2 weeks.
3. I am officially getting married on November 8, 2014, ya'll are the first to know! I haven't even asked my friends to be bridesmaids yet lol.
4. My parents are being awesome (so far!) about wedding costs. I actually had dinner the other night with my mom AND my dad - I can't even remember the last time the three of us were to together like that. It was nice. But...kind of sad in a way? IDK.
5. Christmas music. <3 It's almost time.
6. I'm only working on Monday next week, yayyyyy! I have so much vacation time I need to use, it's ridiculous. It's not that we get a ton of time off, it's more that I work overtime every week so when I take a day off I only need to use about two hours (if that) of PTO as opposed to 7.5...and all that extra time has added up and I have over a week of time I need to use up by the end of the calendar year. Oops.
7. I'm going to a Baltimore Ravens game in a couple weeks (PLEASE let it be one of those balmy days!) and I have been looking for a hoodie for forever. I need to fit in, you know.
8. I haven't signed up for WW yet. I will but...I'm not ready to commit yet lol.
9. I bought brown boots! I ordered some from Zappos and apparently I had a $169 credit from boots I ordered last year but didn't keep? IDK. I'm so good at keeping up with this stuff lol.
10. I accidentally locked Marisol out of the apartment the other night. Good news, we now know she wouldn't run away being outside...she cried and scratched at the door to be let back in lol. And before you think I am a horrible kitty mother, she snuck out when I came into the dark apartment one night (damn daylight savings) and she was only out there for maybe 5 minutes. I almost had a heart attack when I realized what happened.
11. Thanksgiving. I am having two in two days. I'd rather have tacos honestly.
I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday with loved ones. <3
2. I am addicted to Torchwood. I've watched almost the whole series (4 seasons) in 2 weeks.
3. I am officially getting married on November 8, 2014, ya'll are the first to know! I haven't even asked my friends to be bridesmaids yet lol.
4. My parents are being awesome (so far!) about wedding costs. I actually had dinner the other night with my mom AND my dad - I can't even remember the last time the three of us were to together like that. It was nice. But...kind of sad in a way? IDK.
5. Christmas music. <3 It's almost time.
6. I'm only working on Monday next week, yayyyyy! I have so much vacation time I need to use, it's ridiculous. It's not that we get a ton of time off, it's more that I work overtime every week so when I take a day off I only need to use about two hours (if that) of PTO as opposed to 7.5...and all that extra time has added up and I have over a week of time I need to use up by the end of the calendar year. Oops.
7. I'm going to a Baltimore Ravens game in a couple weeks (PLEASE let it be one of those balmy days!) and I have been looking for a hoodie for forever. I need to fit in, you know.
8. I haven't signed up for WW yet. I will but...I'm not ready to commit yet lol.
9. I bought brown boots! I ordered some from Zappos and apparently I had a $169 credit from boots I ordered last year but didn't keep? IDK. I'm so good at keeping up with this stuff lol.
10. I accidentally locked Marisol out of the apartment the other night. Good news, we now know she wouldn't run away being outside...she cried and scratched at the door to be let back in lol. And before you think I am a horrible kitty mother, she snuck out when I came into the dark apartment one night (damn daylight savings) and she was only out there for maybe 5 minutes. I almost had a heart attack when I realized what happened.
11. Thanksgiving. I am having two in two days. I'd rather have tacos honestly.
I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday with loved ones. <3
Gym time hurts.
-I did a class called "Butts & Guts" on Wednesday and omg I'm still sore! I hadn't realized how apparently weak and untoned I am, sadness. I did a step class on Saturday which was a lot of fun. I've done step before but it was years and years ago (I was probably like, 16) but as soon as it started, it all came back to me so that was exciting. I'm aiming for 3 days a week, 65 minutes each time. We shall see!
-Going to the beach in a couple weeks, yay! I haven't been to the beach this year except for going to Florida so I'm excited.
-Those little, round EOS lip balms...I'm addicted I think. They smell so good!
-Still trying to figure out how to discretely catnap little gray kitten from downstairs.
-I need to win the lottery or something. ASAP.
-Recording the VMAs tonight. Only for 'N Sync. Totally fast forwarding through Miley Cyrus, Selena Gomez, Justin Bieber and anyone with the last name Kardashian. Yep.
-Going to the beach in a couple weeks, yay! I haven't been to the beach this year except for going to Florida so I'm excited.
-Those little, round EOS lip balms...I'm addicted I think. They smell so good!
-Still trying to figure out how to discretely catnap little gray kitten from downstairs.
-I need to win the lottery or something. ASAP.
-Recording the VMAs tonight. Only for 'N Sync. Totally fast forwarding through Miley Cyrus, Selena Gomez, Justin Bieber and anyone with the last name Kardashian. Yep.
Not even a little bit.
I went to the gym this evening and did 65 minutes of cardio, about 5 miles and 400+ calories burned.
And then I went to Cold Stone Creamery and had a "like it" size cup of Peanut Butter Cup Perfection.
It was heavenly. I don't even feel a little bit guilty. I wanted it and by god nothing was going to stand in my way.
Just wanted to share. :)
And then I went to Cold Stone Creamery and had a "like it" size cup of Peanut Butter Cup Perfection.
It was heavenly. I don't even feel a little bit guilty. I wanted it and by god nothing was going to stand in my way.
Just wanted to share. :)
C'mon fall!
I can't believe it's almost September. That's just crazy.
For the past couple weeks I've gone to the gym at least three times a week. Yay! I'm just hoping I can keep it up. I've been trying to eat better and overall that's going okay. Why must unhealthy food taste so good though? :( I guess I'm trying to lose weight for the wedding...thinking about trying on wedding dresses makes me want to hyperventilate lol.
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I'm excited for the end of the year, lots going on! I kind of never paid attention to how much vacation/sick leave I have at work and it turns out I had 18 days left, and with carrying over 5 days that left me with 13 days I need to use up before the end of the year. Absolutely no problem. :) I don't do weeks off really unless I'm actually going somewhere so I pretty much have off one day every other week for the rest of the year. Places/things in place to do, in no kind of order:
1. Martinsville race
2. Richmond race (unless it rains...I will do a rain-delayed race if we've travelled to be there but if I have the option to stay warm and dry in my apartment, you better believe I'm not going out lol)
3. Pumpkin picking/corn maze (somewhere where the corn maze is big!)
4. Ravens home game (in DECEMBER...obviously not my idea but I am willing to brave it if it gets me a foam finger and a cute hoodie)
5. Altria Day at Kings Dominion
6. Christmas Town at Busch Gardens (I'm determined to make it there one year!)
7. Gaylord Hotel and ICE (probably in January)
8. Charles Town
9. Virginia Beach (just for the day)
10. State Fair
There's this little gray kitten/teenage cat that hangs around the apartment complex and omg I want to cat-nap him. I'm pretty sure he's been taken in by the first floor people but he lays around the stairs close to me and today, sure enough, there he was when I got home from work. We chatted (he's a talker) and I fed him some cat food (because I am weak) and while he was chowing down I snuck in a quick pet! It was brief and fleeting and probably more of a pat that a pet but still. I had the door ajar to the apartment and Marisol stuck her head out and watched the kitten for a little while. Didn't hiss or growl or anything so I took that as a good sign. Not that I'll be getting another cat or anything...
Going up to DC/MD tomorrow to visit friends, I should try and get to bed early (read: before 2am) since I need to be up and on the road no later than 8:30am, sighhhhhh.
For the past couple weeks I've gone to the gym at least three times a week. Yay! I'm just hoping I can keep it up. I've been trying to eat better and overall that's going okay. Why must unhealthy food taste so good though? :( I guess I'm trying to lose weight for the wedding...thinking about trying on wedding dresses makes me want to hyperventilate lol.
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I'm excited for the end of the year, lots going on! I kind of never paid attention to how much vacation/sick leave I have at work and it turns out I had 18 days left, and with carrying over 5 days that left me with 13 days I need to use up before the end of the year. Absolutely no problem. :) I don't do weeks off really unless I'm actually going somewhere so I pretty much have off one day every other week for the rest of the year. Places/things in place to do, in no kind of order:
1. Martinsville race
2. Richmond race (unless it rains...I will do a rain-delayed race if we've travelled to be there but if I have the option to stay warm and dry in my apartment, you better believe I'm not going out lol)
3. Pumpkin picking/corn maze (somewhere where the corn maze is big!)
4. Ravens home game (in DECEMBER...obviously not my idea but I am willing to brave it if it gets me a foam finger and a cute hoodie)
5. Altria Day at Kings Dominion
6. Christmas Town at Busch Gardens (I'm determined to make it there one year!)
7. Gaylord Hotel and ICE (probably in January)
8. Charles Town
9. Virginia Beach (just for the day)
10. State Fair
There's this little gray kitten/teenage cat that hangs around the apartment complex and omg I want to cat-nap him. I'm pretty sure he's been taken in by the first floor people but he lays around the stairs close to me and today, sure enough, there he was when I got home from work. We chatted (he's a talker) and I fed him some cat food (because I am weak) and while he was chowing down I snuck in a quick pet! It was brief and fleeting and probably more of a pat that a pet but still. I had the door ajar to the apartment and Marisol stuck her head out and watched the kitten for a little while. Didn't hiss or growl or anything so I took that as a good sign. Not that I'll be getting another cat or anything...
Going up to DC/MD tomorrow to visit friends, I should try and get to bed early (read: before 2am) since I need to be up and on the road no later than 8:30am, sighhhhhh.
Sunshine and pina coladas.
I've been sick ever since we got back from Florida, I think it's just a summer cold but I'm so ready for it to go away, ugh.
I also got SO SUNBURNED, it's ridiculous. My whole face peeled, I looked like a burn victim lol. Now it's just my chest but I'll take that over my face any day.
St. Pete Beach was so much fun! We went to the beach, went to an aquarium, went shopping, drank lots and lots of pina coladas and blue hawaiians lol, listened to live bands and went to a restaurant on the top floor of a hotel that spins slowly so you get a view of the whole area while you eat.
We went to the Seminole Hard Rock Casino in Tampa. It was cool but they don't allow live roulette, only virtual "slot" roulette so that sucked. Slots usually hate me but I won $130 on $20 at a 5 cent slot so they cut me some slack lol. Chris lost a ton of money but luckily (for my heart) didn't tell me about it until he won it all back plus some. It was fun but Charles Town is better.
Daytona was pretty awesome, it's so big! Obviously no excitement for who won but the fireworks were good. It was a little weird there was no music though...I like to hear some Bruce Springsteen or Lee Greenwood with my fireworks. :) Best thing about Daytona was that we were out of the parking lot by 12:30am! I was afraid we'd be there for forever and I had to pee so bad, it would not have been pretty lol.
I have yet to unpack...I hate unpacking...I'm literally sitting here staring at my suitcase, which has my just-washed bathing suits folded on top of it...where of course Marisol is curled up, getting her fur all over everything lol. One of our friends got his suitcase lost on the trip back though so I guess I can't complain (he did get it back the same day though!). We almost missed our flight back home, only because the line to check in/check your bags took two hours to get through.
We tried to eat everything in the fridge that could go bad before we left and now we don't quite have enough money for a full grocery store run so we've been surviving on take out and cheese balls and rocket pops lol. We had Buffalo Wild Wings tonight and I guess I'll be having my leftover ones for breakfast tomorrow. :) I am going to go to Kroger this weekend though...I have this insane craving for cereal (Cheerios to be exact) which I haven't had since roughly 1997.
I'm going to go to the movies with my mom this weekend, she really wants to see World War Z (IDK) so I said I'd go with her. Otherwise it will hopefully be a nice quiet weekend. I want to just chill and watch 7th Heaven and Wipeout. :)
I also got SO SUNBURNED, it's ridiculous. My whole face peeled, I looked like a burn victim lol. Now it's just my chest but I'll take that over my face any day.
St. Pete Beach was so much fun! We went to the beach, went to an aquarium, went shopping, drank lots and lots of pina coladas and blue hawaiians lol, listened to live bands and went to a restaurant on the top floor of a hotel that spins slowly so you get a view of the whole area while you eat.
We went to the Seminole Hard Rock Casino in Tampa. It was cool but they don't allow live roulette, only virtual "slot" roulette so that sucked. Slots usually hate me but I won $130 on $20 at a 5 cent slot so they cut me some slack lol. Chris lost a ton of money but luckily (for my heart) didn't tell me about it until he won it all back plus some. It was fun but Charles Town is better.
Daytona was pretty awesome, it's so big! Obviously no excitement for who won but the fireworks were good. It was a little weird there was no music though...I like to hear some Bruce Springsteen or Lee Greenwood with my fireworks. :) Best thing about Daytona was that we were out of the parking lot by 12:30am! I was afraid we'd be there for forever and I had to pee so bad, it would not have been pretty lol.
I have yet to unpack...I hate unpacking...I'm literally sitting here staring at my suitcase, which has my just-washed bathing suits folded on top of it...where of course Marisol is curled up, getting her fur all over everything lol. One of our friends got his suitcase lost on the trip back though so I guess I can't complain (he did get it back the same day though!). We almost missed our flight back home, only because the line to check in/check your bags took two hours to get through.
We tried to eat everything in the fridge that could go bad before we left and now we don't quite have enough money for a full grocery store run so we've been surviving on take out and cheese balls and rocket pops lol. We had Buffalo Wild Wings tonight and I guess I'll be having my leftover ones for breakfast tomorrow. :) I am going to go to Kroger this weekend though...I have this insane craving for cereal (Cheerios to be exact) which I haven't had since roughly 1997.
I'm going to go to the movies with my mom this weekend, she really wants to see World War Z (IDK) so I said I'd go with her. Otherwise it will hopefully be a nice quiet weekend. I want to just chill and watch 7th Heaven and Wipeout. :)
I went through the whole day today thinking it was Monday.
1. I'm apparently going to Darlington next weekend. Down and back in one day...that right there is love, my friends lol. I almost froze to death at RIR last weekend and did you know they serve no hot chocolate or coffee or anything besides beer/wine/mixed drinks, water, soda, Gatorade or lemonade? So wrong.
2. I realize I'm28 29 but I really, really want to go to Build-A-Bear and...build me a bear lol. You're never too old, right?!? NGL, I've even researched it some online. I need a little niece or cousin to drag there, or an awesome friend to tag along with me. Hmm.
3. I think I'm gonna cut my hair! It's long long long, I can't remember the last time I got it cut...maybe...a year and a half ago? Or two years even? Anyways, summer is coming and I do not want to die of heat stroke from my hair. I'm not going Demi Moore GI Jane short but maybe 6 inches off? IDK, we shall see.
Photo Survey time! :) ( Collapse )
2. I realize I'm
3. I think I'm gonna cut my hair! It's long long long, I can't remember the last time I got it cut...maybe...a year and a half ago? Or two years even? Anyways, summer is coming and I do not want to die of heat stroke from my hair. I'm not going Demi Moore GI Jane short but maybe 6 inches off? IDK, we shall see.
Photo Survey time! :) ( Collapse )
29 years young.
I'm 29 today! Craziness. If I'm lucky enough to live to 90, basically a THIRD of my life has passed. I definitely don't feel like I've been around THAT long lol.
And oh hey, I got engaged last Tuesday! :D ( Collapse )
Before all the proposing though we went through an...issue. See, he's technically allergic to cats. Of which I have two. And basically it came down to whether or not, if it was needed for his allergies and overall health, would I be willing to give them away (to my mom). Just about tore me UP. They're my babies. When I adopted them from the SPCA I made a commitment to take care of them for life. And they haven't done anything wrong to deserve having their lives turned upside down and have to become 100% outdoor kitties and live with two other cats and a dog. It was not good. Luckily for me, my mom did agree to take them in at all. And I did agree to it because I do love him and I want him to feel healthy and be able to breathe and all that stuff (lol) but I was in bad shape for a couple days and I sent him home to his parents so I could think (he was also really sick and got even sicker at his parents' and had to go to Patient First and I felt guilty I wasn't there with him but afterwards he told me it wouldn't have done me any good to be there anyways so that made me feel better). But just yesterday he told me that he'd wanted to try and keep them and just both of us work harder to keep the apartments clean (read: danderless) because he knew how much they meant to me and that, yes, he loved them too and would miss them. So yayyyyyyy! I did agree that if we ever got a house, they'd become outdoor kitties. Which I am okay with, especially since I would be there 24/7 to transition them into it. We're seriously thinking we will move into my mom's house, either when she decides to move into a condo (with less upkeep for her you know) or, God forbid, something happens to her. I never wanted to live in Ashland as a single person but for a family it is a nice place to live. She lives at the end of a caul-de-sac and the house is mostly hardwood floors (good for his allergies) with a screened in porch for Marisol and Avery and a fenced in backyard for Macy the pug, his dog.
ANYWAYS. On Friday we left for Lexington, VA where my aunt lives and has a cabin loft. It's so nice, I had never been there, but it's like a bed & breakfast suite! Full kitchen, full bath, satellite tv, we were in heaven lol. We actually weren't there a lot in the end. On Saturday we got up, talked with my aunt and uncle a bit, got lunch, shopped in town, visited my grandma, put flowers on my grandfather's grave, went to Natural Bridge Caverns, visited Natural Bridge and hiked some of the nature trail, grabbed dinner and saw the movie Lincoln at a drive-in movie theater (his first time at one). On Sunday we got up, said goodbye to my aunt and uncle, got some lunch and went to the Virginia Safari Park - I had heard of it but never been but he had read online about it and was really psyched about going. If you ever go to Western Virginia, definitely go! It's a lot of fun, lots of animals and they're literally RIGHT THERE. I petted a zebra, camel (one and two hump), buffalo, llama and a bunch of other animals. Ostriches are mean though! :( It reminded me of Jurassic Park lol, acre after acre of land and you drive a 3-mile path and the animals are just roaming free and come up to your car and stick their heads in, wanting some of the feed you can buy buckets of. I was leery of it at first, because I don't like locally-run "zoos" where the animals look depressed and dirty in little cages. But these guys were all over the place. The cheetahs and tigers were in fenced in areas (obvs lol) but they looked happy and clean so that seemed okay.
Not sure what I'll be doing for my birthday today besides not working (yay!). I'm off through Wednesday so I'm quite excited. :) For dinner tonight we're having 5 Guys...I have been no carb/very low carbing it for about a month now but I'm breaking loose for one meal today. Chris got me a gift card to Bed Bath & Beyond and two charms for my Pandora bracelet (plus all the stuff we did in Lexington) so we're just chilling today. Well technically he's sleeping since he just got off work at 7am today lol. I'm getting together with my mom in a bit, probably will have Mexican for lunch and then maybe do some window shopping or something. I am, without a doubt, the brokest I have ever been in my life right now. Like, I probably had some money when I was 11 years old lol.
But...life is good. Chris is always telling me to keep things in perspective because I have a tendency to panic about, well, everything lol. But after seeing everything in Boston and Texas go down, we're together, we have all our limbs, a place to live, pets to love and everything else will just work itself out. Somehow. Probably. :)
And oh hey, I got engaged last Tuesday! :D ( Collapse )
Before all the proposing though we went through an...issue. See, he's technically allergic to cats. Of which I have two. And basically it came down to whether or not, if it was needed for his allergies and overall health, would I be willing to give them away (to my mom). Just about tore me UP. They're my babies. When I adopted them from the SPCA I made a commitment to take care of them for life. And they haven't done anything wrong to deserve having their lives turned upside down and have to become 100% outdoor kitties and live with two other cats and a dog. It was not good. Luckily for me, my mom did agree to take them in at all. And I did agree to it because I do love him and I want him to feel healthy and be able to breathe and all that stuff (lol) but I was in bad shape for a couple days and I sent him home to his parents so I could think (he was also really sick and got even sicker at his parents' and had to go to Patient First and I felt guilty I wasn't there with him but afterwards he told me it wouldn't have done me any good to be there anyways so that made me feel better). But just yesterday he told me that he'd wanted to try and keep them and just both of us work harder to keep the apartments clean (read: danderless) because he knew how much they meant to me and that, yes, he loved them too and would miss them. So yayyyyyyy! I did agree that if we ever got a house, they'd become outdoor kitties. Which I am okay with, especially since I would be there 24/7 to transition them into it. We're seriously thinking we will move into my mom's house, either when she decides to move into a condo (with less upkeep for her you know) or, God forbid, something happens to her. I never wanted to live in Ashland as a single person but for a family it is a nice place to live. She lives at the end of a caul-de-sac and the house is mostly hardwood floors (good for his allergies) with a screened in porch for Marisol and Avery and a fenced in backyard for Macy the pug, his dog.
ANYWAYS. On Friday we left for Lexington, VA where my aunt lives and has a cabin loft. It's so nice, I had never been there, but it's like a bed & breakfast suite! Full kitchen, full bath, satellite tv, we were in heaven lol. We actually weren't there a lot in the end. On Saturday we got up, talked with my aunt and uncle a bit, got lunch, shopped in town, visited my grandma, put flowers on my grandfather's grave, went to Natural Bridge Caverns, visited Natural Bridge and hiked some of the nature trail, grabbed dinner and saw the movie Lincoln at a drive-in movie theater (his first time at one). On Sunday we got up, said goodbye to my aunt and uncle, got some lunch and went to the Virginia Safari Park - I had heard of it but never been but he had read online about it and was really psyched about going. If you ever go to Western Virginia, definitely go! It's a lot of fun, lots of animals and they're literally RIGHT THERE. I petted a zebra, camel (one and two hump), buffalo, llama and a bunch of other animals. Ostriches are mean though! :( It reminded me of Jurassic Park lol, acre after acre of land and you drive a 3-mile path and the animals are just roaming free and come up to your car and stick their heads in, wanting some of the feed you can buy buckets of. I was leery of it at first, because I don't like locally-run "zoos" where the animals look depressed and dirty in little cages. But these guys were all over the place. The cheetahs and tigers were in fenced in areas (obvs lol) but they looked happy and clean so that seemed okay.
Not sure what I'll be doing for my birthday today besides not working (yay!). I'm off through Wednesday so I'm quite excited. :) For dinner tonight we're having 5 Guys...I have been no carb/very low carbing it for about a month now but I'm breaking loose for one meal today. Chris got me a gift card to Bed Bath & Beyond and two charms for my Pandora bracelet (plus all the stuff we did in Lexington) so we're just chilling today. Well technically he's sleeping since he just got off work at 7am today lol. I'm getting together with my mom in a bit, probably will have Mexican for lunch and then maybe do some window shopping or something. I am, without a doubt, the brokest I have ever been in my life right now. Like, I probably had some money when I was 11 years old lol.
But...life is good. Chris is always telling me to keep things in perspective because I have a tendency to panic about, well, everything lol. But after seeing everything in Boston and Texas go down, we're together, we have all our limbs, a place to live, pets to love and everything else will just work itself out. Somehow. Probably. :)