It's crazy how invincible I think I am sometimes. Usually I deny this, but the honest-to-God truth is...I always assume I'll be fine, everything will work out, and nothing bad will ever happen to me. Let's just say I had a healthy dose of reality handed to me this past week, and I needed it. It never hurts to be reminded that life can be challenging. All is well, but I really had to stop and think about the curve balls, bumps in the road...all that stuff. This also applies to some close friends of mine who are going through tough times. I wish them nothing but the best, and am touched they called on me in a time of need. You know who you are.
The countdown has really started now - in a month I'll be on another coast. My humble abode (ie, one room in a 3.5 bedroom house) is slowly starting to come apart. I sold a lot of my furniture upon moving here from Denver, but certainly have more than one should travel around with. In an effort to become "travel-sized," I somehow managed to convince my parents to allow me to keep a lot of my stuff in their house for an undetermined amount of time. The trade-off was going through and parting with a lot of my crap in their attic. Those who know me well could tell anyone how much of a pack rat I am, and that this "payment" was probably painful (it was). Around Christmas, I spent a whole weekend going through middle school and high school notes, cards, stuffed animals, and every single corsage and bouquet of roses I ever received. About 97% of that stuff was finally tossed...may it rest in peace. Good times.
Anyway, I headed back up to Wilmington this weekend to deliver yet another load to Casa de Richardson. It's always sooo nice to be home. This is mostly because I become a sloth on the couch and eat a ridiculous amount of comfort food. I also started the tricky process of becoming a North Carolina resident, as I will be claiming my parents' house as my permanent address for traveling purposes. This whole process turned out to be kind of a pain. But I can now (FINALLY) say that I am "from" NC. Why not? I've never been able to give a straight answer to this question before. I'm just going to stick to it this time.
Yesterday was Superbowl Sunday. Usually I am off drinking and eating a lot at some party, celebrating a great American tradition while at the same time feeling blue about the end of another football season. Yet due to certain circumstances this year, I cooked up a pot of chili, and chilled up in the FROG with Pete and Jan with a few Buds to watch the game. I think it's the first time all three of us have watched an entire football game together - and what a game it was! Dave was right: "Turns out not where, but who you're with that really matters."
I have six shifts at work left. All "exit" paperwork has been completed. It's all happening a lot faster than I realized. There are so many people I want to spend one-on-one time with, so many delicious Charleston restaurants I still want to try...and more packing, sorting, and planning to do. Guess that's the way it goes. In the blink of an eye, it all starts coming to an end.
Or is it a beginning?
Top Ten of the Week (1/26-2/2)
1. Got PIVs into two scrawny little babies on the first try - this is huge, you might not understand.
2. Managed to check off a TON of things on my To-Do list.
3. Spent some time in Myrtle with Barry, Ann, Pat, Paul, Nicole, and Caroline.
4. Got an NC driver's license! HA!
5. Watched Dark Night. On Sami. It was awesome.
6. Made asparagus risotto with scallops. It was amazing.
7. Downloaded and enjoyed the "Smart People" soundtrack.
8. Caught up with LilBill on the phone - she always puts a smile on my face.
9. Laughed and got goofy with Mom and Dad.
10. Finally saw Slumdog Millionaire. Highly recommend it.
