in me.

I think that being a camp counselor is somehow in my blood - created and quietly snuck into my DNA.
I don't know if either of my parents were ever camp counselors but somehow they passed that one on...

I am all packed and headed to camp for 4 days. I am super excited - mostly because I am not really responsible for anything. I told them that I would lead things and help as I am needed but I didn't have to plan, get ready, go to the wek-long training - I just get to sit back and enjoy little Girl Scouts as they have fun at camp. It is about 6:45 in the morning and K (from work) and I are driving about 4 hours to Johnson City to attend Camp Sky-Wa-Mo (hopefully at the end of this week I might be able to tell you what it means!).
It is the first time I have been to camp since I got married but not the longest I have been away from Chad...my week-long hiking trips are longer and typically with limited cell-phone reception so I am hoping for a bit better this week.
It is so sappy how much I miss him when I am gone - I love the part of the day when we just hang out at home, "debrief" the day, talk, eat dinner together - the simple being together stuff. I wish he was a Girl Scout and could go with me! :) But not really...
See you in a few days - be back on Wednesday night!

not in this house.

Don't mess with Texas...er, I mean Tennessee.

We had our alarm system installed at the house today. Let's just say we are the safest house on the street...atleast, I like to think so.
Too bad we will probably set the thing off multiple times before we figure out how to really use it.
And too bad Chad was the only one home to pick the alarm code...I will never remember it.
It is pretty cool - we got the smoke/fire detector installed as well with monitoring for that too. Not only will it respond if there is smoke in the house but it will also respond if the temperature goes up too many degrees too quickly. Whoa. High-tech.
So, that said, don't try to break in our house. If the dog doesn't eat you first, the cat gets dibs.
I get thirds.
And the cops will come clean up what is left.

Washing clothes and packing tomorrow. Hanging with my sweetie and running a few last errands.
Oh, and did I mention that we are sleeping in? Oh yes. 8am is sweet (We're that lame.)

dear me.

Sweat.
That basically describes my day.
From 8:30 this morning until about 1:30 I was at a day camp in the swelter.
It was so hot and humid (90's by 9am) that The Swelter accurately describes it.

And why did I volunteer to go to camp next week?
Oh right...because I love to go to camp.
Worth. It.

Bought new shorts and a cheap-o (but surprisingly not really cheap!) bathing suit at Walmart today - which I will promptly return tomorrow. The bathing suit - not the shorts. Let's just say it wasn't what I would call flattering. Not that many bathing suits are these days on me but enough said. I will keep looking for a few days or maybe just wear my favorite one every day. Works for me.

Made a good dinner - baked chicken tenders with pecan breading, green beans, homemade mashed potatoes, super-fresh corn on the cob, and sliced tomatoes. Good summer food. Now I really want ice cream but it would un-do the evening walk that I just sweated through.

Looking forward to my upcoming schedule:
-2 half days of work surrounded by day camp (and tomorow is tye-dye day!!)
-1 day off with Chad to pack and hang out
-4 days of camp
- 1 full day of work (that includes the ever-entertaining monthly all staff meeting) - followed by...
-10 days off in a row (including those weekends) with a trip to Columbus to help paint and a couple of days in Biloxi with my parents.

It's a beautiful thing.

home sweet home.

When I got home today from being gone 48 hours in Knoxville, I told Chad that I was so happy to be home that I might not leave again.
For about 4 days.
Before I leave again for another 4 days to go to camp next week (which I am, admittedly, really really looking forward to!)
I already miss my bed.

Home tonight and happy.
With my sweetie.

good weekend.

Every time a weekend comes and I am home on a Saturday - not working retail - I am thankful. I am thankful that I am home with my sweetie, working on the house, doing whatever I want to do - not on my feet for 8 or 9 hours straight.
I love my current job - I am thankful for my last job - but I am really, really thankful for the one I have now.

We are at home this weekend...lovely.
Spend last night with W (5 year old nephew) at Riverbend. It was about 95 degrees outside with about 1,492% humidity so we sweated ourselves soaking wet but had a blast. He rode the kiddie rides and then one big one with Uncle Chad (that didn't go that fast anyway...), ate a hotdog, and then had Dippin' Dots for the first time (you know - the tiny balls of ice cream deliciousness!). He kept asking where the icecream was - he thought the little balls were some kind of topping and he would put his fingers in and dig around trying to find the rest of the icecream. It was pretty amusing. We then met the rest of the family for dinner and then headed home to go to bed early...no complaints there!

Today we are working at the house...we just finished making a huge batch of soap. Lemon scented...it is so fresh smelling and leaves you so squeaky clean! It's great! Chad is working in the yard and I am trying to get stuff put away inside. I am realizing we have a significant lack in storage space - we are going to need to build that garage as quickly as possible! Going tonight to a friend's house to grill and drink adult beverages. They can see the downtown fireworks a la Riverbend from their front yard so we are avoiding the traffic and enjoying them from there.
Great weekend of fun!

crackberry.

Sorry it has been so quiet around here.
I tried to update from my Blackberry but Blogger wasn't feeling it at the time.
We will have internet soon - hopefully within a few days. Our phone service was turned on today and internet should come shortly.
We've been siphoning off the neighbors when the signal is strong enough (notice I did not say steal...if they don't password protect their signal it is not my fault) but you have to sit in a particular place in a particular room to just get one bar of wireless signal so it has been few and far between.
And I'm not going to blog from work.
I like my job too much for that

Hopefully I will soon be back to my regular blogging.
And house setting up.
And arranging.
And cleaning.
And mailing change of address card...they are funky. And fun. (At least I think they are...I think Chad thinks they are stupid.)
Amen.

be. very. jealous.

I did a couple of things at the house over the past few days that have somehow made it feel exponentially more like home. I finally opened, cleaned, and started arranging things in my favorite piece of furniture.

This is an awesome secretary that was my great-grandmother's and then my great-uncle had it in his townhouse in Alexandria, VA. before he passed away. I begged for it and my wish was granted. My wonderful uncle carefully wrapped it and brought it down to GA where it has been living in my parent's garage waiting for me to get a house I could put it in! I am honored to have something that has been passed down for so long - I have to believe that my grandmother would have wanted me to have it and love it like I am sure she did.

I am already filling it with things I love...like some of my mom's art and my favorite children's books and glass vases.
Next on the list...drumroll please...
we are finally putting up my Christmas present that I have been saving for this moment.
Per a suggestion from my sister, my mom got me this for Christmas after I blogged about how much I wanted it in my house.
And I have the perfect pumpkin orange wall in my kitchen to put it on.


It posed more of a challenge than I anticipated but I have a patient and wonderful husband who carefully helped me do it (while I took pictures of him - don't tell).

The finished product on my kitchen walls.

Perfection.

Took a lot of squeegie (?sp) action but I think it looks great!

So yes, be jealous.

too short.

A sad thing happened to our family yesterday...

Chad's sister Ann's husband passed away - sort of unexpectedly. I guess he is my brother-in-law-in-law? I'm not sure how it works but either way, he was family.

He has been sick for a while but a sudden downturn yesterday morning leaves us missing a part of our family.

He leaves behind Ann and a 5 year old son, W.

Please keep them in your prayers as they grieve, grow, and learn to move on.

guest post!

The pictures of mom and dad's house are up!
And I guest posted them on her blog.
Ok, I hacked her blog.
Don't tell.
Check them out: A Cup of Stone Soup.

and the last picture is a doozy.
Look if you dare!

from one side to the other.

I feel like we are endlessly moving boxes from one side of town to the other.

So at least, this weekend, we will be moving stuff from one state to another. We are headed to Columbus this weekend to pick stuff up from my parents house and bring it to our house. I don't think I had a clue about how much stuff my mom was saving for me and now I am tempted to say a dirty word.

Or two.

Or just call Goodwill and have them come get all of it.

That might be easier.

Either way, I am super excited about my parents new-ish house.

And seeing two of my bests.

It is going to be a good weekend.

I will probably take pictures of my parent's house and post them on her blog but I will link to it here so you can see it too!

breathe in...breathe out.

It has been a long week, and it is only Wednesday.
Our office is closed this week but we still have to be there (we just don't have to answer the phone all day). We did an inventory of the shop yesterday, we will spend the whole day in team building and training today, all day tomorrow in Knoxville with everyone from the whole council, and Friday we are supposed to clean. Awesome.
Friday afternoon Chad and I are going to C-town to see my parents (so excited!!) and their newly renovated house (double excited!) and some of our friends (triple excited!) and get the rest of my furniture and belongings at my folks house (not excited.) I will share pictures of their made-new abode because I think you might not recognize it!
I think we will take a break from moving stuff from one side of town to the other tonight and go to a $1 movie. I think we deserve (and need) the break more than you know!