Butter popcorn, Coca-Cola, and Dawson's Creek Season 5...What else could a girl want on a Saturday night.

Complete work week two.  Check.  Scrap ice off car for 45 minutes. Check. Wear multiple layers of clothes everyday to keep from freezing.  Check. Spend a lonely Saturday night alone. Check.  

 As you can see it has been a very productive week for me. The week started out as normally as any sub-freezing climate. Snow started falling Tuesday afternoon. The weather report said it was just going to get worse over the next couple of days. Everyone scurried home after work on Tuesday. I, like any good southerner, stopped by Kroger to buy milk and bread on the way home. Good thing I did, because I didn't end up working Wednesday so I enjoyed a nice bowl of cereal with my previously mentioned milk. It was great that I had the day off because I got a lot of stuff done around the apartment. 

 The rest of the week went by without much drama. I haven't done anything this weekend other than sit around my apartment. I told all of you that I was going to get to know all the fun, artsy and eclectic things about this town. I am still going to, but I'm just going to wait for it to get a little warmer. I ventured out a little this morning and despite my 3 layers of clothing, I just couldn't endure the 9 degree weather.  I'm biding my time and waiting for spring. Soon it will be watch out Columbus, here I come.  

Snowed in

I thought it wouldn't happen, but it did. Our clinical director called and canceled all our patients today due to the incredible ice/snow storm that came through last night. Meaning, I had the day off.  I woke up this morning at 6 and looked out the window. It was snowy, but I didn't think it was any worse than any other day. I thought that up here snow is snow and you scrape the road and go on. Apparently, I was mistaken. When there is solely snow on the roads, it is relatively easy to clear with scrapers/salt. When there is a layer of ice under the snow, it becomes a wee more complicated. My boss called as I was getting ready to tell me that we did not have to be in until 9:30 this morning. I was super excited about the hour and a half of extra sleep I was going to get so I laid back down. Feeling refreshed I woke back up at 8 and started getting ready again. At 8:30 I received a call saying that we did not have to go in at all today. 

Whereas I was excited about not having to get out and drive in the terrible snow and ice, I really like my job and didn't have anything else to do today.  To avoid the wrenched ping of loneliness, I decided I would keep myself busy and have a productive day. I did just that. Undoubtedly, the first thing I did was make a list of all the things I was going to get finished by the end of the day. Amazingly enough I had everything crossed off my list by 6:30pm. I finished unpacking all my boxes, I cleaned everything within reach, and I decorated my apartment. Feeling accomplished, I set off for the gym to get in a good workout. A wonderful benefit of being home in the middle of the day is being available when your boyfriend, who is halfway around the world, has time to call and chat. With my work schedule and us being 8 hours apart, it has become exceedingly difficulty to find time that we are both awake and available. I was thankful for the time we spent chatting and our wonderful conversation. All in all I have thoroughly enjoyed my day off. Even though there is 8-10 inches of snow on the ground, I am sure I will back at the office tomorrow.    

 

 

OH...IO

I made it through the first week of work. Things were a bit hectic. I know it will take some time to get used to, but so far it’s going well. Everyone I work with is nice and always helpful. I have gotten some great advice on restaurants and fun places to go. The only problem is that it is so cold I do not want to go out if I don't have to! Things were pretty cold the first of the week, but actually warmed up to the freezing point on Thursday. I never thought I would be so excited about 32 degrees, but I was. The rest of the week was cold, but not snowy until today. Today I thought I would go out and explore the town, maybe do some shopping. Those plans lasted about as long as it took me to get up, look out the window and see snow falling. 

Hopefully I will get out and have some better stories next week. This week I mostly went to work and came home.  I did however get out the past two nights and met some new people. My very helpful neighbor offered me an extra ticket to the Craig Morgan concert.  It was a lot of fun. It was a very small venue and he was very personable with the crowd which makes the concert that much better. Overall I was very impressed with his performance. Not only is he a great recording artist but also a great performer.  I have great pictures, but unfortunately I can not seem to find my camera. I am hoping it slipped under my seat or something in the car. I experienced the comradery of Ohioans. Apparently people will randomly scream out "OH" and every single person within ear shot will respond with "IO." Sadly it took me a few moments to put the two together and understand the concept. On more than one occasion this week I have commented to someone and they have just looked at me puzzled for a moment.  After contemplating, they usually respond with something like, "Wow, you're from the south, huh." It's been fun. 

My boss invited me to her house for dinner last night. That was a lot of fun. She is not that much older than me so we have a lot in common. She has been married for a few years and has a very cute dog. I have spent most of today unpacking more boxes and trying to organize my closet. I hope that the more I unpack the more at home I feel. It is coming together slowly but surely. 

 So I expect some emails from you guys. You know what is going on with me, but I need stories from home. What's going on down there?  

Hospitality stretches north....

So far this week has been a turnaround from last week. I have been trying to unpack and set everything up. Several people told me that one difference between the south and the north is southern hospitality.  So far everyone (except the mover) has been friendly. One of my neighbors came over today and helped me set up my wireless router and put together a bookshelf.  It was greatly appreciated! Although I have come to think of myself as an independent person in the past few years, I always knew that I relied on other people for certain things. What I have learned about myself in the short time that I have been here is that I am not as independent as I once thought. No doubt living up here by myself will force me to become more independent. It's the small things that I never think about when dad is around to do it for me. I am realizing how much I really appreciated my parents taking care of me and helping me with things over the years. 

The first two days on the job have been good. Getting used to new people and procedures is a little taxing, but I am being patient and letting things come with time. I love the job. I work with a lot of really nice people. The client population is exactly who I want to be working with and I am enjoying the specialty field of voice. I am slowly getting my office together. Here are some pics. 

Office Desk

 

Office sink

 

View from window

  

One disastrous week down

Well the week went from bad to worse.  It was snowing when I got here on Sunday and it turned out to be the worst winter weather of the year. Each day the temperature, like the snow, continuously fell. After fighting with the moving company everyday this week my furniture was finally delivered last night around 6pm. The movers were rude and complained the entire time they were working and then, they asked for a tip. Seriously. They asked! HA!  Mom, Dad and I spent the rest of the night arranging furniture and unpacking boxes. We have all the furniture out but only got through about half of the boxes before we all crashed at midnight. The alarm went off about 4 and a half hours later. I drove Mom and Dad to the airport for their 6am flight. I got back to my apartment around 6:20 and crawled back into bed under the electric blanket to thaw myself from the -10 degree weather.  A few minutes later the phone rings. They missed their flight. Just exactly what we needed to top off the week. All I could do is laugh. There is no other solution. Apparently Air Tran changed the time of the flight, but failed to post the change to the website. When we checked online this morning the "real time flight" information said "6:15am on time." Needless to say that statement is only one of the fallacies that we have believed over the course of the week. They were put on stand-by for the 4pm flight. I went back and picked them up and we all napped for a few hours before we continued unpacking. We had a great lunch at Olive Garden before trekking back to the airport.    

A highlight of the week was visiting my office. I took Mom and Dad to the hospital on Thursday. I am excited about starting to work. My office desk isn't in yet, but my phone and computer were already there. I got to meet my secretary who handles all my scheduling and billing. I will try to post pictures of the office soon. This is the hospital where my office is. 

 

 Even though I haven't been able to feel my feet since I arrived due to what I am sure is pre-hypothermia, I am fascinated with the snow. I can't seem to stop taking pictures. Here are some snapshots from the last few days.  

My apartment complex  

      

Me playing in the snow

The road

Since Mom and Dad have left this is the first night I will be alone in the new apartment.  I will be spending the rest of the weekend unpacking boxes and putting my apartment together. I start work on Monday.I'm sure I will have a lot to share. 

To freeze or not to freeze.........

Well I definitely can't say that this is the best week of my life. It seems that everyday something else goes wrong, but I am trying to stay positive and look for the silver lining. It seems that the moving company doesn't have to abide by their own policies and can kidnap any one's belongings and hold them for ransom. I have spent several days now on the phone with them and the complaint department of the Better Business Bureau.  It is still snowing off and on. There has been a pretty consistent 2-3 inches of snow on the ground since my arrival. Tomorrow's forecast is 70% chance of snow and a wind chill factor of -11 degrees. 

Amidst the troublesome week, I did receive a very special surprise that brightened my day. Thank you John! I love you!

   

I want to say thank you to all of my friends who have sent me encouraging words this week.  You are all highly regarded and greatly appreciated. I feel very lucky to have each and every one of you. 

  

Settled in

After another 4 hour drive we finally arrived in a snowy Columbus around 3pm.  I uploaded a few photos. Hopefully my furniture and other belongings will be delivered tomorrow. It hasn't stopped snowing since we got here. According to the news we are going to get another couple inches throughout the night. The high on Friday is 11! Yes that is Fahrenheit. If I live through the weather, I will keep you updated. 

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood.......

There hasn't been a time in my life when I couldn't find a Frost that was perfect for the occasion.  It is strange to think how one person has provided so much comfort to millions of people just by writing down their thoughts. To get through these hard but exciting times I have also turned to my favorite play list for comfort (which mostly includes the lyrical genius of James Morrison and Micheal Buble).  

I officially started my journey north today. The past two days have been full of tears and goodbyes. As some of you know, I have always made a point of saying "goodnight...but not goodbye," but I have caught myself using the valediction freely over the past week.  As usual, the phrase "what if.." is consistently running through my head. Which in turn leads me to use goodbye, in pain, just in case.

Mom and Dad helped pack up Libby this afternoon and we pulled out of the driveway at 4:30. I have the most wonderful family and friends which makes it particularly difficult to say goodbye. All of my mom's brothers and sisters met me for brunch this morning. Unfortunately my sister couldn't make it, but made an extra effort to come by my parents house before we left which I greatly appreciated. (Love ya Min!) 

Libby was so full we barely had room to sit in her (see pics). Fortunately, I don't remember much of this first half of the trip due to the intake of soporific motions sickness medication that I had to ingest in order to keep all of my food in my body. I wrapped up in my comforter, folded my long legs into the backseat and settled in for the journey.     

      

     

I stayed awake long enough to see the Tennessee state line. Mom and Dad woke me up to eat supper when we arrived in Knoxville. After we crossed the Kentucky state line we decided to try to get to Lexington before we stopped. What we did not anticipate was the astounding amount of rain and dense fog.  We fell about 80 miles short of our goal and ended up stopping in Corbin, KY for the night.   

    

I wanted to give everyone an update before bed. We will continue the journey tomorrow, hopefully after a hot breakfast and some Starbucks hot chocolate. I will post pics of my new home soon. In the mean time, everyone say a prayer for the Yanks! (heehee)

Columbus, Ohio here I come.

It is exactly one week until I move. I am a bundle of nerves and excitement. I am looking forward to my new position at the hospital and all the new things I will learn at the voice center, but I dread the lonely nights and uneventful weekends. Hopefully, soon I will become more acquainted with the town and have at least a few new adventures to write about.  

My mom and dad are driving up with me Sunday of next week. They are staying the week to help me unpack and get everything in order. I start working on January 19^th as long as all my paperwork is processed properly.

In order to keep everyone up to date on what is going on in Columbus I have decided to create this blog. I will miss all of you dearly, but hope to hear from everyone regularly. I will post some pictures of the new place as soon as I get settled.  

Until then…..