Summing up

I was reading some blogs written by the friends that live on my computer and I discovered something called Reverb 10 on my friend Beth's blog. The point of it is they provide you with a word that will allow you to reflect on the past year and they do this every day during December.

I think it's pretty interesting, although I don't think I'm going to do every word they provide (well and I'm starting over a week after the official start anyway). So the first prompt is this:

 One Word. Encapsulate the year 2010 in one word. Explain why you’re choosing that word. Now, imagine it’s one year from today, what would you like the word to be that captures 2011 for you? (Author: Gwen Bell)

I would have to say that word for me is change. With this being the year that I got married, moved (twice - once to South Dakota and now to Pennsylvania), left my job of almost 15 years how could it be anything else?

I think that sometimes people see change as a bad thing, but in my case all of these changes have been wonderful. I adore my husband and can't imagine him not being in my life. Sometimes it feels as if we've been together forever (in a good way!) and I'm amazed that it was merely a year ago we were getting engaged.

Moving to South Dakota was a great experience. It gave me the opportunity to live somewhere completely different than anything I had ever known before. People laugh at "midwest hospitality" but it really does exist and was something Keith and I actually had to get used to when we moved there. People saying hello on the street is a bit disconcerting at first!

And this move to Pennsylvania has been good too. Our apartment isn't perfect (the windows seem to leak cold air! and the floor has some odd bumps) but it is homey and I really do love it!

Leaving my job of almost 15 years was actually a great move. I think that in general I am much less stressed and happier. I had talked on and off for years about finding something new but inertia kept me from doing anything about it. So, yes, change is a good thing.

What would I like my word to be for 2011? I would say happiness. Probably cliched but true.

IKEA ....... Ohhhhh SHINY!!!!

So Sunday we took a trip to IKEA - my first visit ever to an IKEA. As everyone predicted, I LOVED IT!!!

Our first stop was the cafe for Swedish meatballs with lingonberry sauce. OMB so good!!!!! And Keith and I split a piece of chocolate cake that was also really, really good.

We weren't there for lunch however. We were there for FURNITURE! Sitting on lawn chairs gets a bit old after a while. Plus we figured after sitting on the futon from hell for a year we deserved some comfortable living room furniture.

On the plus side, they do have cup holders!

I had been looking online so I knew pretty much what I wanted. The EKTORP line sofa and chair, although we briefly considered the love seat/chaise combo but figured that might be awkward if we had company.

We also needed some bookshelves (is anyone surprised that the book lover and former bookstore owner needed more space for books?), end tables and a coffee table. Well that's what we needed THIS trip - we have a kitchen cart and another storage unit for the bedroom on our wish list.

I enjoyed the showroom and seeing how they have things laid our in room type settings, once we got to the Market Place I was in heaven!!!! Pretty much everything down there was an ooooohhhhhhhhh shiny moment for me and I think Keith must have thought I was on crack the way I was flitting from one thing to the next. I did get a new set of whisks but held off on the new wok!

So once we managed to pull me away from there, we went to the warehouse to pick up our boxes. By the time we were done - three pallet carts full of boxes. There was no way the boxes for the couch, chair and coffee table would fit in the car so we arranged for delivery. I guess there is a plus side to being temporarily unemployed since there was no question I would be home to accept the packages!

Once we got home I got to work on assembling the bookshelves and end tables. Yep I am a goofball and installed the one back panel backwards. Oops! You can't tell so much now that it's filled with books.

Ummm.... oops!

Boxes!

Monday the couch, chair and coffee table were delivered and I started with the chair so I could work my way up to the big stuff. My assistant/supervisor (aka the cat) was not quite as helpful as she thinks she is what with her whole lack of thumbs and all, but we managed to get everything built.

I have to give IKEA credit, their furniture is relatively inexpensive, goes together easily and is comfortable as all get out! I think we made some good choices!

If I had a hammar......

I'd hammar in the morning. I'd hammar all the way to Ottowa.

No I have not lost my mind (OK at least not in the past few seconds, the previous part of my life is subject to interpretation but I digress). Instead it's been pointed out to me by my darling husband that the art of proofreading in major newspapers is going to hell in a hand basket.

Hammar is apparently a tool used to break into cars in mall parking lots in order to steal holiday gifts. I think most people consider that a HAMMER!!!!

Oh and Ottowa is the capital of Canada. I apologize to my Canadian friends for changing the spelling from Ottawa.

I am not sure what this says about the state of journalism today. For the love of Pete, even I run spellcheck on my blog before I hit publish.

Regardless, all of this makes me think of this routine by Taylor Mali. I hope you enjoy it.

Unless You're The Lead Dog - The View Never Changes

View Larger Map

That map is how I've spent most of my week, driving from our old home in Sioux Falls to our new home in Pittsburgh.

Yep, 1089 miles according to Google maps. Started out on Tuesday and got here on Thursday.

And believe me, unless you're the lead dog (or the first car in a mini caravan) the view never changes.

So how do you amuse yourself for 1000 plus miles over the course of 3 days while staring at the back of a Penske truck? There are a few things you can do:

• come up with clever titles for the blog post you are planning to write
• sing very loudly (and badly and off key .... have I mentioned I've had a horrid cough since just before Thanksgiving???) along with the radio and annoy the cat
• thank your stars that you have the Sirius radio in the car
• be fascinated that there is a radio station devoted to alerts for the Herbert Hoover Presidential Museum and Library
• wonder what they have to announce
• be very disappointed when the radio station is nothing but static
• kegel exercises ...... (what ... it was a long drive, it's not like I had anything else to do)
• make strange noises for no reason except to amuse yourself and again annoy the cat
• find it very amusing that Cosmo magazine has a satellite radio station
• can't believe you're actually LISTENING to Cosmo radio
• hurry up and turn on Martha Stewart radio instead
• wonder why you can't manage to stop at ANY turnpike plaza with a Starbucks
• break down and buy a mocha at McDonalds
• regret that purchase pretty quickly
• cough (did I mention the annoying and lingering cough that will not leave?????)
• be amazed that this is the first time you've made the drive from Sioux Falls to Ohio while being awake for the entire trip (or the other way around actually)
• calculate that this is the longest you have ever driven in one day

Now thanks to my lovely husband, all of our boxes are either in the apartment or our new storage locker. Tomorrow I get to start unpacking all of these boxes and figuring out where to put all of our stuff. I'm looking forward to that (and to doing some cleaning here ... no one fall over dead at that one please), these boxes are driving me nuts!!! Oh and as far as the cleaning goes, I don't think the previous tenant did a very good job cleaning (of course I apparently have high standards since our last landlord was amazed by how clean I left the apartment).