Thursday, November 21, 2013

Adventures in the Life of Amanda and Jim

I am alive!  We have had a crazy few weeks and have a few more days of craziness.

First of all, we had a wonderful, wonderful time in Atlanta.  The wedding and rehearsal dinner we attended were both beautiful and so much fun.  We stayed at a lovely hotel that had a tv in the bathroom.  Oh la la.  Our hotel was connected to fitness club so I was even able to go to a hard core yoga class on Saturday morning.  (Women were doing hand stands while I stayed in child's pose.)  While Jim was busy doing wedding things, I brunched with a few ladies and went on a lovely walk.  Our only obstacle was that on the drive home we had to stop in Paducah, Kentucky when we heard the tornado sirens from the highway.  Just a half hour delay while we took shelter in a fire station.  It's a good thing we did, because the tornado did hit very close to where we were.  Luckily we did not have to take shelter in the drainage ditch as Jim had advised. 

And in other news: we are moving again!  In a few years, I'll be able to say to Jim, remember 2013 when we moved three times?!  The cigarette smell is too much for me to handle, so we're packing it all up and doing it again.  Our landlord has been very nice and found us another 2 bed/ 2 bath condo in town.  Hopefully we can rid our belongings of carcinogens once we move on Saturday.  After this, according to Jim, we are going to buy a one level wheel chair accessible home and die there. 

Sunday, November 10, 2013

Bean Dip

Have you ever made Giada's White Bean Dip?  I made this dip in about five minutes after work on Friday as I was invited to sub in a game of Bunco.  This dip is one of the easiest and tastiest (and maybe healthiest?) dips I have ever made.  And when I searched for the recipe just now, I found she also makes the same dip but with curry powder.  That's on my list, as I generally love all things curried.  I actually whipped up another batch tonight to have in the fridge for a snack with pita chips. 

Did you know we are driving to Atlanta on Thursday/ Friday?  Yep, 12 hours of driving to what looks to be a super fun wedding.  Today I wondered how many hours of car time Jim and I have logged together since May.  We're driven from Oregon to Illinois, Illinois to Ohio, and now Illinois to Georgia.  Yikes.

Saturday, November 9, 2013

Moved In

Well, friends, we officially moved out of the parents house!  Although I miss them dearly, we are settling in nicely to our new condo.  It is a nice, spacious two bedroom/ two bath unit with a one car garage.  It has been lovely to be reunited with our belongings after having them in storage for five months. 

Like all good things, there is, of course, a catch: the elderly woman below us chain smokes in her unit and the smell is seeping in to our lives.  (What's a little lung cancer?)

We are trying to work hard to get rid of the smell.  The suggestions have ranged from cups of vinegar everywhere to illegal activities.  (I guess I should say that I will not be breaking the law.  Don't worry, Jim.)  Jim spent all day wiping the walls down with vinegar water. 

And my mind has also created the scenario that involves the woman falling asleep with a ciggie in her hand and burning our entire building down.  Needless to say, Trooper does not stay home alone much. 

But I will end on a positive note: it is a nice condo and I love living in Sycamore.  And I am married to a resourceful man that I love dearly and we are parents to the best puppy in the world.