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Well, because Myles is busy and I have time, I am here to give everyone a LONG OVERDUE update on our doings. We had a very long and tiring move – total of 31 hours actually traveling in the vehicles, not including time spent stopped to eat, fill up with gas, and sleep. The trip started at about 6:30 on Wednesday morning, and we arrived on Friday around 1:00. Talk about exhausting! Here’s the overview from beginning to end:

Loading the truck. This went better than I expected, though it wasn’t without minor snags. Big thanks to Melody, who came by on Monday and helped me with the packing. She pretty much packed my entire kitchen by herself while I worked on other things… and I really appreciate that because I hate packing breakables like cups… it takes way too long.

Then on Tuesday Mom, Michael and Garrett drove out from Templeton and helped us load things up… Mom was awesome and kept everything moving while we all lifted, carried and loaded. She even cleaned things up and vacuumed for me, so by the time everything was in the truck, the apartment was clean, too! Thanks, Mom! Michael helped Myles load a lot of the heavy stuff, which was great because I wouldn’t have been able to help him… I just didn’t have the strength So big thanks to Michael for making the trip out, we couldn’t have done it without you! Garrett was in charge of the smaller items and packed up boxes in the living room, and I also enjoyed sitting next to him at dinner when everything was done. It was good to see you, little bro.

David and Tracie came by later in the day, and not a second too soon, because we were all getting really tired and had encountered a small issue – the truck was full and we still had stuff to pack! Minor problem. But David is really a Tetris Master in disguise, because he did what I thought couldn’t be done… he pulled some things out and repacked some things here and there, and somehow, amazingly… got everything into the truck! Awesome. Tracie helped with the Tetris-mastery and the last-minute packing and carrying, and slowly we were able to get… everything… finally… out of the house and into the truck! It was such a strange feeling when the door closed… we had finally completed a very monumental task, and we did it together. Then a fun dinner and some tearful goodbyes… it was hard to see everyone go. Love you all, and thank you!

The 1200-mile drive. As mentioned before, this took a while. Myles drove the truck with the Volvo on a trailer, and I drove the Honda behind. After a little effort where we had to re-pack the Volvo in order to fit 2 disassembled bicycles that didn’t make it into the truck, we left on Wednesday at 6:30 with one of the nicest sunrises I’ve seen (at least in the Central Valley) coming up over Fresno. A quick stop for coffee at Dutch Brothers and we were off! It wasn’t very long before we realized that the truck/trailer combination was very unstable. U-Haul wasn’t kidding when they told us the speed limit was 45 mph. Myles got onto the freeway and at about 60 the trailer started rocking back and forth in a menacing way. Then he hit 65 and it began to shake harder – the trailer was physically pulling the back of the U-Haul, and instead of balancing they were actually working against each other. It reminded me of the Galloping Gertie bridge collapse. Very scary. Myles got the truck back under control, but wasn’t able to drive it much faster than 50 mph without danger. So slowly it was!

We drove east through CA and then took the I-15 northeast up to Las Vegas. It was a mind-numbing drive through the desert… nothing to see out there. Then we hit traffic on I-15… some accident had us at practically a standstill for hours. We had some hand radios with us, and used those to chat with each other. I wonder if anyone else was on the channel listening? I also chatted a bit on the phone and text-messaged with people… it kept me going. By the time we got to Las Vegas I was exhausted, and the traffic was stop-and-go again through town, so we decided to just stop. We got a room at the Holiday Inn and went out for some dinner. We drove down the strip for fun… wow! But we didn’t so any sight-seeing… too tired.

Next morning it was a quick stop for breakfast and coffee and then we were off again! We drove briefly through Arizona and then into Utah, up the I-15 to the I-70 East. What a beautiful drive! The red rocks were gorgeous. One of the only times we stopped. Unfortunately, this was also when our picture-taking stopped… we had been taking pictures like mad and the battery ran down. We realized too late that we had forgotten to leave out the battery charger for the camera… so we took pictures of red rocks until the camera could go no more. We continued all the way through Utah and into Grand Junction, Colorado where we stayed for one more night.

The last leg of our trip took us up over the mountains through Vail Pass. How gorgeous, how gorgeous!! I spent more time looking around me then I did looking at the road! The altitude at the peak of the pass was over 10,000 feet and I could feel it. The air felt thin and I felt like I wasn’t getting enough air. The mountains were beautiful, and there were these beautiful little towns just dotted throughout the passes, and many ski parks. I can’t wait until this winter, when I can go skiing! We drove along the Colorado River for a while, which was beautiful and had signs warning of Bighorn sheep crossing. There were no sheep to be seen, but we did see people rafting down the river and a hang glider flying down from one of the mountain-tops. Very neat!

By this time we were very tired, and still moving slowly. My stamina and patience was reaching its end. But it got better as we came into Denver, because I knew we were almost there. A brief and frustrating bit of traffic slowed us down outside of Denver, then finally we headed north and made it to Fort Collins. Boy was I happy to arrive!

Home sweet home. We arrived at around 1:00 and Sean came to help us unpack. I met our neighbor and her dog, and she was very relieved to find out that I was moving in with my husband and not a bunch of roommates. The unpacking went very well… I carried the light stuff and Sean and Myles carried the heavy stuff. I was very glad Sean was there, because I would not have been able to handle the heavy stuff with Myles. Thanks, Sean! It only took a few hours, and after we were done we went to Oldtown for some much needed dinner and relaxation.

I think that overall, the trip went very well. I know that we’ve promised pictures to everybody, but that darn charger still hasn’t shown up. Myles is working and I’m at home unpacking. I know that it will turn up soon, and then we’ll have pics for everyone to see! I know this was a long post, but I wanted give everyone the details. I’ll let Myles have the blog back for a while, and if he doesn’t post again, I’ll write more.

-Kim

Yes, I’m still here!

and I’m married! YAY!

I just had to share a little bit of wisdom that was shared with me today…

“Diapers and Politicians are very similar- they both need to be changed often, and for the same reason.”

hehe…

So married life is good, but more things have happened than I can post now, because I have to get back to work.

I haven’t blogged in forever, but I don’t really think anyone reads this, anyways. I am very, very, very, very busy. I never ever want to get married again. (and I told this to Myles, he know’s this is the only marriage he’s gonna get) hehe! I’ve been overwhelmed with things to do, things to think about, things to plan, and I am so tired of it. I’m ready, already! Let’s get married! It will be 2 weeks from this saturday. We are slowly hammering out all the little details for the ceremony and reception, our honeymoon’s been booked, and we’re making some progress on the barn, too! My family is busy getting the house ready for the reception with landscaping and table rentals and food, and my mind is officially full of details, literally. Don’t ask me to do anything, I won’t remember to do it. Don’t ask me to make any decisions, I don’t have the mental or emotional energy for it. Just tell me where I have to be next, and what I’m supposed to be doing. Don’t bog me down with details. I just can’t handle it right now.

So that’s my life, at the moment- feeling overwhelmed by details. But I’m still managing to have fun, and I still love Myles more than anything. He’s the reason I’m going through all this, after all. Love is a strange thing. But I have the rest of my life to figure it out.

I always seem to want to blog when I have about 2 minutes left on my lunch break. Today is no different. So all I really have time to tell you about is that I’m really busy. That’s all. Oh and I love Myles. That just about sums up my life right now!

I did something dumb today. But I’m too embarrased to talk about it. If I don’t come back later and delete this it will be a wonder…

I’m starting to wonder about some of the people I help here at work. Take, for example, Mr. Can’t Please Me and Mrs. How Much

The tale of Mr. Can’t Please Me

Mr. C- I bought these glasses 3 months ago, and I want my money back.

Lowly Optician- What’s wrong with them, sir?

Mr. C- They don’t get dark in the car.

Lowly Optician- That’s because the lenses are activated by UV, and UV can’t get through the windshield.

Mr. C- My last pair got dark…

Lowly Optician- Your last pair was made out of glass, sir. You decided to buy these because they were made of plastic and wouldn’t be as heavy.

Mr. C- Well, I don’t like them anymore.

Lowly Optician- I’m sorry you don’t like them, Mr. C. I can re-make the lenses for you in the glass material that you do like, at no charge to you.

Mr. C- Then they’d be just like my last pair.

Lowly Optician- Yes, they would be. They would be the same material.

Mr. C- I don’t want them to be the same as my last pair.

-awkward pause-

Lowly Optician- Well, sir, if you don’t want them to be made in plastic, and don’t want the glass material you liked from before, would you like me to make them into just clear glasses?

Mr. C- No.

Lowly Optician- Then maybe you’d like them to be made into dark glasses, they would be a very nice pair of sunglasses….?

Mr. C- No.

Lowly Optician- Mr. C., you bought these glasses and they are yours now. No one else can use them, because they were specifically made to your prescription. If you don’t like them the way they are, and none of my suggestions are acceptable, what would you like me to do?

Mr. C- I don’t know.

-more awkward silence-

The tale of Mrs. How Much

Mrs. H- May I try on that pair of glasses?

Lowly Optician- Certainly, here you are. What do you think?

Mrs. H- Oh, they are lighter than what I’m looking for.

Lowly Optician- Lighter… you mean the color is too light?

Mrs. H- No, I want something that’s heavier on my nose than this.

-awkward silence-

Mrs. H- How much are the glasses in your office?

Lowly Optician- Most of the frames we have average about $150, some are more expensive at around $200, and some are less expensive at around $100.

Mrs. H- oh… that’s not really what I was looking for…

Lowly Optician- Were you looking for something more affordable?

Mrs. H- Oh no, I’m looking for something more expensive than that.

I swear. These people are crazy!

The barette sits
On the table, surrounded
By things unknown to it.

A reminder of the past.

Things gone

Feelings ended

The dream that is shattered
Like glass, sparkling
In a thousand gleaming peices.

But the barette sparkles
No more. Tarnished
By neglect, it sits unused.

Like the dark place in my soul.

I have decided that everything is pointless.

And at the moment I don’t give a rat’s butt who reads this, because I don’t care.

I hate secrets

I hate lies

I just want to go away.

I hate pretending everything is fine.

I don’t know how to fix it.

I don’t really feel like trying anymore.

So I’m going to go take my sleeping pills now, and see if maybe tonight I can sleep through the night without feeling like I am going to completely lose it.

And if you’re actually reading this, go find somewhere else to entertain yourselves- I feel like crap and I’m not the most interesting person right now.

This weekend went by way too fast. But I got a lot done, let’s see-

-Cleaned out my car

-Had the car washed

-Worked on getting some of the junk in my future apartment cleaned out

-Had some personal time (yes, that’s something I have to schedule in, and it’s occurence is very much worth listing as one of the accomplishments of my weekend.)

-Did major yard work at my future apartment along with Myles

-Fixed 2 broken boards in my horses’ pasture fence

-Fixed the broken gate in the same pasture

-Set up a new feeding trough for my mare, so it’s easier to feed her grain.

-Cleaned the algae out of both pasture water barrels (yeah I know, it’s a lot of horse stuff. What can I say? They’re my babies!)

-Oh, and I cleaned the water bucket for the goat, too, because he’s cute and he counts.

-Myles and I decided on how we are going to paint our future apartment

-We also agreed on the color scheme and woodwork design

-Picked out pull handles for the cupboards in our future kitchen

-Made an appointment for our first counseling session with our pastor.

Yeah, I think that sums it up for this weekend. Besides that, this week I also managed to decide (along with Myles) on a picture for the invitations that we need to order tomorrow, reserved the hotel room for the first night of our honeymoon (wohoo!), and confirmed that our reservations for the rest of our honeymoon are all finalized. (wohoo!) It’s gonna be so great.

So, did I miss anything? I don’t know. You’ll just all have to wait in breathless anticipation until I manage to actually sit down and blog again. With any luck, it will be some time in the next year or so.

Until then…!

I have five minutes left on my lunch break, but I thought that I might at least try to say something. In my last entry I talked about how sick I felt, but after that it got much worse. I ended up in the urgent care with walking pnemonia. It was awful. I was taking all these medications and coughing all the time. I couldn’t breathe deeply at all, I just took these little shallow breaths and had this weird pain in my chest. So I saw Dr. Mazzone (cool guy, I highly recommend him) and he gave me a million types of medication to take. I had so much cough syrup I actually started getting dependent on the codine.

Great.

>_

I am sick and tired. No, really. I could feel a cold coming on starting maybe about Thursday or so, but today it really hit. I woke up this morning feeling awful, and all I could eat that didn’t make me feel worse was toast. It’s because I’m working so hard and not taking care of myself. I’ve been getting sick a lot more lately, and I’ve shown other signs of Kim-neglect such as mood swings and gaining some weight. I know that those things arent really really huge issues, but they remind me that I need to work hard not just at the office, but at taking care of my life, too. So today I listened to my body and I stayed in bed most of the day. Tomorrow I’m going to find other ways of taking care of myself, like taking breaks at work, and drinking more water. Something I could really use at work is a plant. I know that sounds crazy, but it’s true. I need a plant on my desk. Something not too big, and with nice green leaves that don’t shed or make a lot of mess. I like plants. I think they help me to be calmer during the day. Maybe it’s all the oxygen they produce, or something like that. But either way, my desk needs a plant. One of these days I’m going to get one.

Tomorrow is Valentine’s day. I feel really disappointed, because I was going to celebrate with Myles tonight instead of tomorrow night. We have choir on mondays, so there won’t be time to do anything special tomorrow. But since I was sick, we didn’t get to do anything. I was going to make him dinner, and get a bottle of wine. He’s done special, romantic things like that for me in the past, so I wanted to make something special for him this time. But it didnt’ work out that way. I know he understands, but It doesn’t stop me from feeling disappointed. I’d had it all worked out in my head how I wanted it to be. Believe it or not, but I’m not very good at doing romantic things like that. Myles is the one who’s good at it. He makes me feel so special, and I wanted to do the same for him. Maybe next year, when I’m not coughing and falling asleep every 2 hours.