Treasure!

One of the positive effects of my parents moving back into their house and not having access to all of their closets and cabinets (because we're using them) is that it is forcing them (and me) to go through boxes of old keepsakes and miscellany and take loads of stuff to Goodwill.  Yesterday I went through a box of random stuff from bathroom cabinets and I discovered treasure from the 1990s!

First, my old Caboodle!

Aren't I am awesome photographer?  Look at those vibrant yellow-y colors!

But seriously, my Caboodle!  But what could be inside?

Wait for it....

MY CRIMPER!!!  AHHHHH!!!

Let me clarify, my hot pink Sizzle crimper.  Sizzle?  No one would call a heated styling tool "sizzle" in 2011.  Luckily we learned that sizzling is not exactly the key to healthy hair. 

As much as I wanted to keep these artifacts for my future museum of 90s memorabilia, they have been donated to an Oklahoma City Goodwill.  If you're in the area and in the market for a vintage crimper or Caboodle storage system, I can point you in the direction of a clutch find.

Off the face of the earth

I feel a little bit like I've fallen off the face of the earth.  I'm not really answering phone calls and we don't have internet at the house yet so it's hard to get online.  Why am I not answering phone calls?  Because right now I am Debbie Downer and realized my conversations were going like this:

Friend: How's the job hunting going?
Me: Eh, it's not, it's really frustrating, I don't know what to do.
Friend: How's the house going?
Me: Eh, we painted but we had to put all our stuff in storage and we don't have much space and it's also frustrating.
Friend: Did your parents move in?
Me: Yeah, it's crowded, I don't know....sigh...

See?  Total bummer.  I work REALLY hard at having a good attitude but it takes a lot of energy and while I can have a good attitude, I can't pretend that it's AMAZING! 

It is not amazing.  We live in a house with my entire family.  We don't have our things.  We don't have much privacy.  It's hot.  I can't find a dream job.  Even though it's temporary, it feels like forever and like I am completely sucking at life.

See why I don't answer the phone unless I am in a genuinely good mood?

Some things have happened.  I got a job.  And then I quit the job before I started.  Why, you might ask, did I do such a thing?  It was a decent job with low pay sitting at a desk all day surrounded by people who already know me.  So a fine place holder but not exactly something to propel me into the future.  So I quit.  And almost instantly starting making new connections. 

What, you ask?

I met with  a professor for whom I am going to be doing to volunteer research assisting and who encouraged me to start taking classes now.

I got another interview for a part-time job with an arts organization.

I met with a principal of a small school for students in substance abuse recovery and I am going to help them develop a music program.

More exciting than office work, right?  Right.

And S loves his job which makes me really, really happy.

Maybe I'll return to earth soon.

Progress?

A few days ago the dining room looked like this:

Now it looks like this: 

Progress?  Maybe?

We've made three trips to our (wait for it...) STORAGE UNIT!  We got a storage unit!  I don't know why this is so exciting.  All it means is that we're living with my parents and don't have enough room for our stuff.  We have so little room that we are going to completely fill a 10x10 storage unit.  But we get a gate code and a keys to a super duper lock and, after watching Storage Hunters, I am so curious what's going on with our next door neighbors!  Who knew self storage would be so exciting?

Can you tell there's not a whole lot going on in my days right now?

Everything has to be out of the dining room by Saturday because the parents are movin' in!  Here we go...

The place where we live

The place where we live in OKC is the house that my parents own.  It has two parts: one built in the 1960s and one added on in the late 1970s.  The 1960s part is small with fun (but damaged) hardwood floors that we discovered under ugly carpet.  The 1970s section includes a giant living room with the master suite, laundry room, and what used to be a hot tub room before the (flat) roof caved in so now it's a hot tub patio. 

We live in the 1960s part of the house.  We have a bedroom and the "small living room" (bedroom with the couch and TV in it).  Here's a little bit of what we encountered during our first few days in the house.  We have big plans to help my parents update each room!

 the extra room/guest room

 the bedroom after carpet removal

the "small living room" before drapery removal

i'm sure those custom drapes were expensive back in the day

the pink bathoom, we've already helped it a bit

the big living room

the other side of the big living room

i'm obsessed with the wallpaper in the laundry room!

the kitchen needs a lot of love

and an island

goodbye old drapes!  hello white panels!

and the couch and the tv and a chair

and some tables and a bench and some artwork

and some paint samples for the future "small YELLOW living room"!

Back to Atlanta for a minute

We didn't love Atlanta, that's no secret.  It wasn't the best fit for us and we were more relieved than sad to leave.  But there are a few things that we'll miss.

We'll miss the RESTAURANTS!  We were completely spoiled living in Decatur and near midtown.  I don't think I'll ever be able to eat at a Chili's again.  We will miss having first-rate inexpensive local restaurants at our doorstep.

I'll miss this view from our bedroom window, the view that made me feel like I lived in the woods.

I'll miss the cheap fabric store that looked for sketch but where I could find treasures for $1 a yard.

We'll miss the hills and trees and our walking trails and being so close to the mountains and the beach.

We'll miss walking Buddy or going for a walk/run an actually seeing other people doing the same thing.

And we'll miss the friends that we made.  We did meet some neat people.

16 hours later...

Last Monday we moved.  It took 16 hours of driving, me in my car, S in the budget truck.  I stared at this for 16 hours...

And Buddy look like this...

Except when he looked like this...

My favorite billboard was the one announcing Judgment Day on May 21st.  Complete with a Bible guarantee!

Since I was taking these pictures on July 11th, do I get my money back? 

And now we're in Oklahoma City.  After a week we've torn up carpet, rearranged several rooms, chosen paint colors, traveled to Tulsa for a wedding, and S got a job.  It's challenging to move into a space where someone is already living.  My brother lives in my parent's house and will live there until October.  But here's the kicker: my parents are moving back into their house also!  Next week! 

What?

Yes, we're living with my brother and my parents in one house.  It's a rather long story to explain how this all came to be, but we are looking on the bright side and it's not forever and...it is what it is.    

Trending now

Moving.  Job searching.  Packing.  Demolition.  That's what's trending now in the B.S. household and the B.S. future household in Oklahoma.

Atlanta:

 Yes, I packed Buddy.

Oklahoma City:

S got to realize his dream.  Isn't it magical?

Just a few days until the big moving-into-the-unknown day!

Buddy vs. the bunny

Vision on the floor

If random hairs (from my head!) on the bathroom floor gross you out, please look away.

But if they don't, then look what I saw on the floor this morning!

Do you see the treble clef?  It's not exactly the Virgin Mary but I was excited enough to take a picture of it!

Did anything on your floor speak to you today?