One WHOLE YEAR....

Oh my,  That means I probably have to change the title of the blog again......

We have officially lived in Kentucky for One whole year.
I'll admit that looking back, it has been rather exciting - doing all these new things and trying to make friends here and connect with the ones back in Michigan.

New experiences - Caves.  I love the BIG caves with the tours and all the campy stuff associated.  I haven't really gotten Tom too interested, but Mom and I did a good job of hitting most of them when her and I came down by ourselves.     I love going to Fundraisers at the Lost River Cave.  It feels a bit glamorous.

Kayaking - sure we paddled in Michigan and did White Water in West Virginia, but I have to tell you - it is very different looking at the blue holes, and the hill sides, and the caves, and the cow farms.  We upgraded our Kayaks and built a darn trailer to haul all our stuff around.  I'd say we went from occasional water folk, to full on outdoorsy even..
  I can not wait for the over night trip in Mammoth Cave Park on the Green River.

Community College - I LOVE IT.  I really enjoy working there.  The students are fascinating and the people I work with are really great. I look forward to continuing to work there.  (I have a fall schedule already. :~)

It's a College Town - Okay, we don't go downtown where the kids hang out. But once in a while we go somewhere and it is VERY obvious that we live in a town with a TON of 20 somethings.  It helps me feel young. HA

The weather - I should not brag.  We moved down here the right year....  I'm sorry all my Michigan friends and family-  You can keep all that snow....

Friends coming here to visit.  That means YOU!!!!!  
We have had a great time having visitors.  You are welcome to visit.  We might even take you Kayaking.  LOL

It has been an interesting year. I'm so glad we took this chance and tried living somewhere new.  Life is too short to sit in one place for too long.  For all the faults you could find here, there are plenty going on in Michigan too.  Just need to take where you are and work with it.  I am working this place as well as I can.!!!

I think the Dogs like it here too.  LOL
Hugs, I miss you all.

My office.....

Today has become - "I'm Lazy and just posting a picture of my office."

I will gladly say I stole this from Jenny - The Bloggess.

Of course it doesn't look that clean now, except I haven't figured out what I am going to put on the walls around it yet.  This is a corner of my bedroom.  I don't get a full office, Tom does, which is fine by me.  I am next to my bathroom and just 5 steps from my bed and a chair to read in.

I have some pictures I can put on the walls, but I haven't set a bunch of them out to see what really should go where. I do think I need some shelves over my desk to put some books.  Or need them in the opposite corner over the reading chair.  Too many options and only 2 years to live here???  It's been 5 Months here so far???  How crazy is that.

I thought I would add this also, as it's the most work we have done in one room of this house.  That wall was TOOOOO boring.  And the tub looked weird sitting in the corner so alone. We added a couple of shelves that we picked up a long time ago and got the picture.  Now, you can dream that you are on vacation in the tub.  Works for me.

Nostalgia

As I find myself in Michigan today, many thoughts were running through my head as I got ready to go out and meet the world.

As I was musing over how awesome it is that George Takei has become such a big hit now, even more so than when he was on Star Trek.  And there is one HUGE reason for that - FACEBOOK.

I know, it seems soooo very weird that an actor that I would see maybe once every few years when they finally started making moves in the 80's, is now bigger than ever in his golden years.

Think about it.  What did he do between the 60's when they made the original Tv Show and the 80's?Being that was more than 10 years.

Ok, I know - go buy one of his books and he will tell me.  I plan to, just haven't gotten around to it yet.

But now, 20 years after the 80's and BOOM!!  With a little help from Facebook and the Star Trek Movie franchise getting a BIG smash in the new version, George is Back.  Along with Lenord Nemoy actually being in the movie, and William Shatner managing to keep his career afloat with commercials and sit coms - our friends are back and better than ever.

I really wish my dad was around to see all this.  That is the crux of today's thoughts.  My dad would have LOVED Facebook, once he realized that he could see George and others almost everyday.  I'm sure the idea of watching what other people do all day would have bored him to tears, but he enjoyed Puns and George is full of those, and he enjoyed reveling in those great moments we share with each other on Facebook now.

I love that I get to know when my Friends kids do something amazing.  I know I won't be there for most of the things that happen, but I get to KNOW about them.  Heck I even get to see some of them.  

So, I know some people think, why in the world would I move away, Hey a job is a job and you have to take what you can get.  Plus, I think Tom and I both needed something new to do and look at.  I was going stir crazy with the politics and the job situation here in Mich.   Not that it doesn't look bleak and weird in Kentucky sometimes, but at least it is new.

So, wake up, enjoy your day and think of what thing or device your family members would have thought as completely awesome today.  My dad would have LOVED a Kindle or Nook - book Hog all the way-  and I think he would have got a kick out of Facebook.

Curtains

I know. So exciting.
It's ok. We finally bought a few rods. Nothing fancy, but not the cheapest things at the store.
Thankfully my mother had a million windows in her last house. She gave me the bulk of them and they are finally being put to use. I found one that's a little short. Hoping another in the box can take its place.

I'm hoping the curtains will help with the echoes. It can get a bit loud.

Here's s couple pictures.

Surprise New ........

This has been one of the most agonizing weeks I have had in a long time.

You'd think moving and the stress on the dogs and leaving my friends would top it off, but that is just the underlying back ground noise. I've embraced that change and am pretty good with it, I freaked out over that a few weeks ago.

After getting here and driving that whole way, Friday last week Tom and I drove all around town in my car looking for a desk and shelving units and all that other jazz we need for the house.  We had just finished and were heading home when a bunch of lights in the dashboard went off.  I didn't panic but my stomached dropped and the dread started creeping up on me.

Some of you may remember last fall when the car spent about 3 weeks at the dealership trying to figure out what the heck was wrong with it.  All the same lights were a part of this issue.  They drove my car for at least 500 + miles trying to figure it out and it just seemed crazy that with all the diagnostics they can do, the problem was stumping them.    They finally changed out a sensor and figured that was the deal.

I have tried to do right by this car, it is a diesel and the reason I got it was the 40+ one way drive to work each day. Well, I lost that job and still I tried not to just do little driving around town, because I knew the car needed trips on the freeway to make it happy.

Well, the car is out of warranty at this point.  Yes, I really did drive it that much in the year and 7 months that I have owned it.  We waited several days after Fridays light fantastic and took it to the dealership on Wednesday - yesterday.  We dropped it off and told them the sad story and went on our way to Costco for our first trip to the store in Nashville.

Of course the same type of problems came up in the car.  They decided to DRIVE it again to try and get the Particle Filter system to work out its issue.  Yup, put another 100+ miles on my car and it wasn't going to work. I knew that before they even called me about it.

After shopping Tom and I wandered back to the dealership.  We talked to a extended warranty person and of course I'm too far out to get it.  They then said talk to the sales manager- he asked what we thought we owed and it told us what she is worth.  I was kind of surprised, I know they lose a lot of worth when you drive them off the lot, but it wasn't all that horrible.

We looked around and we even looked at other wagons, and thought about just wandering around to see what they had.  Tom pointed to the Golf and said, what about that.  It looks open in the back.  We wondered outside in the 80 degree heat (didn't feel that bad - lol) and looked at the car.

It is shaped just like the wagon, has the same front end and almost all the same stuff in the passenger compartment, just not as long and a regular gas engine.

We test drove it and well, its now sitting in the driveway.

I felt sick leaving my beautiful white VW Jetta wagon TDI behind.  I still feel sick.  I waited a whole year for that car.  I tried really had to pay off the Civic so I could get a new car, and I even made a little money selling the Civic.   And here I am dumping my first amazing new car.

We could not see paying for a gazillion repairs on a car that obviously has some kind of problem that they were calling Germany to try and figure out.  The guy from repair came to find us as we were debating getting the new car, and he said the magic words - we'll have to hang on to the car and we're not sure how long we'll have it.

Tom starts work on Monday, I'd be without a car and without a loaner. (or have to get a rental) - Sure it's not a big deal right this moment, but what happens when I need to go to a job interview.  We only know our one neighbor here in KY and I don't do well without a car anyway.  And we would have to start paying for the repairs on that car. I did not want to even start contemplating it.

So, out front I have a 2012 Black Golf w/  2.5 liter engine.  It has the newer radio, with Iphone hook up and  a sunroof.  The back opens like the wagon and has fold down seats and all that jazz for the dogs.
I should be thrilled- I have a Brand New Car, but it's not the car I wanted to start with.  It doesn't even get the gas millage I wanted, but - I won't be driving 40+ miles one way for work.  I hope to be driving like 5 miles one way for work.

It's depressing and amazing all in one fell swoop.  Well, I have a ton of work to do on the house.  Here's a couple pictures and we'll see how much I like the new car.  Thanks

Kentucky!!!!!

I can hardly believe it has happened.

I'm sitting in our new house relaxing in Bowling Green, KY.
The last few months went by in a blur of packing, running with friends and trying to see as many people as possible.
Tom was beginning to wonder If he would ever see me again; for most of February I was off running with Deedra and who ever else appeared. I'd come home for a few days, pack more stuff and run right back out the door.
The last few weeks were spent agonizing over the amount of stuff we needed to get rid of and what I really needed to keep.
Thanks to everyone who took tables, chairs, desks, dishes, bookcases and misc everything else. We still brought too much. We have a couple pieces of furniture that really do not match anything else and should probably be rehomed.
I really have to thank Minion for the hours and hours of help getting the house ready to go. Without her help, I think I would have sat in the corner and cried. Her being a neutral party in the packing process helped me be able to get rid of things much easier.

I'm still marveling at the new house. It's weird having the kitchen and the TV in the same space, I'll have to get used to that. Our bedroom is way bigger than the one In Wixom - I have a chair and a bookshelf in there now and it looks like my computer is going in there as well.

Moving was a bit exciting. I can not believe how happy I am that I did not have to schlep those boxes on and off a truck. The truck driver was amazing. He'd been on the road 6 weeks and was heading home after my load. His packing ability was amazing. I should have taken pictures. Boxes right up to the ceiling of the truck. Then the plastic bin pile in front of that and the Tetris / Jenga master ability with the furniture. I thought I was pretty good at packing. Not compared to him.
I may have learned something A & T, so I hope I can come help you.

The funny thing is - the house in Wixom has never looked better. Carpets are clean, most of the walls are painted. The kitchen looks like we made an effort to update some. The storage space in that house is Crazy!!!! No really- I had soooo many spaces to go through looking through all my junk from 12 years in one place. Plus many things from 2 previous moves where we threw stuff in boxes to move across town. I'm sorry - finding a cell phone from the early 90's was the kicker. I figured I'd find 4-H stuff, but that cell phone. Toooo funny.

I admit that I got really overwhelmed that last week and then Mother Nature decided to kick me in the teeth 4 days before the move. I was not very welcoming of any mishaps those last few days. Thanks to everyone who stopped by, it was great to see you even if it was only a hour or so.

I could go on and on.

The dogs you ask? They are better now. They were rather upset that last week. I must have yelled at Cody one too many times because one night he insisted on sleeping next to my side of the bed. The dogs DO NOT sleep in our room- a nod to my allergies- and their snoring- he said nope I'm sleeping right here and would not go. I felt bad and went to find him a bed. Such a softy.

It was just me and them on the drive down and they were really good. I knew Cody would be good, but I wasn't sure Brando could do a whole day in the car- with only enough room to lay in his bed. Well- I think the tight space helped. Especially when I moved his bed out of the sun- oops. I stopped 5 or 6 times and took them out to stretch their legs a bit. Offered them water and they drank. Cookies on one stop and food on another. They really were troopers.

The only time they got upset was when I got upset at the house. I found it really dirty- and just about boiled over. I had to get back in the car and get some cleaning supplies. They knew I was NOT happy. Once I got somewhere clean enough to crash- it was ok.
We've taken them for walks in the morning and its like Disney land every day with all the new smells and scenery. I think they are adjusting pretty well. They were very happy when Tom showed up and all their furniture magically appeared
The empty house was weird for me and them.

Monday the Internet is installed and I can't wait. Only having my phone for access is getting a little tough to do.
I have more dinosaur stuff. Learned a cool trick on the drive down. Stayed tuned tomorrow. :-)