Sick and tired and crazy

It would figure...the biggest week of the year....we're finally leaving NYC....and I'm sick. Like really sick; fever, cough, zero energy!! I did manage to accomplish the following: applied for 2 jobs, found the book to read for graduation, sorted through pictures on Snapfish for graduation, and started to take things down off the walls....and then I started coughing, couldn't stop, and took a very long rest!! We are officially approved for our apt, and we have to pick up our keys Saturday, by 4pm!! There's nothing like frantically starting the newest chapter in our lives...right?! It'll all be ok...right?! YIKES!!!

Apt hunting

We were in Worcester, MA yesterday to look for a place to live. It had to be easy, right?! I mean come on, if we could find a place in Staten Freakin Island, we could find a place here. It turned out to be just as easy, but a little more stressful.

We came to MA with a few numbers, an email from a friend, and the computer. Adam had only been here for his interview, and I had never been. It reminds me of Toledo a little bit. A few nice areas, a few not so nice areas, some fantastic parks (most better than Toledo's) and a downtown (Toledo's downtown is way better though.) We picked up a paper, drove around and come to find out....most people don't want dogs in their rentals in this town. Thankfully a friend of a friend suggested a community called Plantation Ridge.

It's a fairly new, pretty typical apartment complex, except that they are super dog friendly! You do have to pay extra per month for your dogs, but they have a giant dog run, and walking trails on their property for heaven's sake!!! It's pretty fantastic! So we go in talk to the sweetest leasing agent and they happen to have one apt. available on the first floor, it's a 2 bedroom, and they are running a move in special! YAY! We take a look and it's great...much bigger than what we have now (though a shoebox is bigger than what we have now!), a little on the hotel-ish side, but all in all a good choice.

So we put down a deposit (a ridiculously small deposit compared to New York standards...it is truly insane what one goes through in NY...thank God we're leaving!) We start filling out the application and find out that to be approved by Adam's income alone we are 1% shy of what they require! One stupid point!!! So we have to be approved with my income too, which is fine, but I dont' have a job yet. The lady says they will go off of my current job, and we'll be fine....but it still makes me nervous. Nonetheless we gave her the money, signed the lease, and said a prayer! Thankfully the lease becomes null and void if they don't approve us, and we get our money back. That's all fine in dandy, but then we'll be stuck again and have to come looking for something else. The leasing agent was so sweet and reassured us that we'll be fine....I certainly hope so!

So we still need some positive energy to help us get through this! Keep your fingers crossed everyone that I will either find a job before then (highly unlikely) or they'll just approve us because they want our business and because we rock:) TIA!

Things I learned today in the bathrrom...

..it's not a good idea to keep your phone in your back pocket. My phone nose dived it into the toilet at work today. It ended up being ok thanks to some rice, and quick thinking. I of course fished it out of the clean water ASAP (the only other thing I would go in for would be my wedding ring:), dried it off as best I could, and let it sit on the register at work. Then I got a tip from the infant room ladies:

Put your phone in a bowl, pour some uncooked rice over it, and let it sit. The rice sucks the moisture out of the phone and presto! Phone works again, and it's 90% back to normal.

This tip comes straight from a mom whose son puts her phone in water on a fairly regular basis, therefore I trust the source! This probably would have helped many drunken college students, myself and my PT included, back in our college days when more than one toilet tried to eat our phones:) I guess it's better to learn the trick now, than to never learn it at all!

Quote of the Day

"On the last day of the world, I would want to plant a tree."

-From Place, by W.S. Merwin

Big News...

It's official...Adam and I are moving to Massachusetts! Adam is now a Forester for the Commonwealth of MA!

We have no idea where we will be living as of yet, but probably somewhere in Central Ma. This is something we have been planning and working towards for a long time now. We are just not New Yorkers. We have had so much fun here...and I will miss my friends and especially my students, but it's time for us to settle down in a place that feels more like us. Everyone around us is having a baby, or buying a house, and while we aren't in the first category...we long to be in the second. We cannot buy a house in this area, nor do we want to. We are, however, excited about the opportunity to do so in Mass. As of now, we are going to rent for a year to save money, and then (hopefully) buy our dream house!!!

And I suddenly just realized...as I stop to look around my apt. through tears, ....I HATE PACKING:(

Happy Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day to all of the mommies out there...especially our favorites!



Erin's mom Lisa, and Adam's mom Kelly at our wedding

Erin's sister Joy with baby Sam

More Nature Today!!

Adam and I went to the Deleware Water Gap National Recreation Area in New Jersey today. It's just 1.5 hours away from the city, and so beautiful!! We hiked over 7 miles, half of that on the AT (Appalachian Trail) to a gorgeous 41 acre pond. We saw frogs, birds, fish, and snakes....yes, snakes! I saw my first rattlesnake today...a timber rattlesnake to be exact. I didn't even know they were native to this area! It was huge...not anaconda huge, but a good 3 feet long, with quite a few rattles. (Fun fact: did you know rattlesnakes grow one new rattle each time they molt!!) I watched from afar, but Adam got this picture, without the rattle, but you get the idea...so cool!

Backyard Birds

On Saturday Adam and I went to Target to pick up some goodies for our nephew Sam, and while we were there, we also picked up bird seed for the little birds in our backyard. They were so happy to see the feeder full once again. I also put out a special treat for them...peanut butter bread with seed. I sat in the window and watched them (and the pregnant squirrel!!) happily hop around the yard, scarfing down everything in a matter of hours!

When we first moved here I was sure that I wouldn't be able to enjoy any bird watching because it was the city....there aren't any birds here. I almost didn't put our feeder in the backyard, but Adam insisted and I'm so glad I did. While I don't have the same types of birds as I did in MI, I do have a nice mix. Here is a list of the types of birds (so far) that have stopped by our feeder:

1. Sparrows (many cheeky lil devils!)
2. House Finches
3. Doves
4. Blue Jays
5. Cardinals (a nesting pair, and a young male)
6. Chickadees
7. Gray Catbird
8. Northern Mockingbird

The last 2 are my favorites! The Mockingbirds are so funny, the picture above is one. They have a really long tail, and they jump around and have the loudest song! We think they might be nesting in our chimney, as we do see them on the roof a lot. The catbird just showed up yesterday and left her mark on Adam's shovel...I'm sure he's very happy to have her visiting our feeder:) There is also a small woodpecker in the neighborhood, but it hasn't stopped by to visit us. It's dinner time, and the feeder is full once again...but for how long?!

Beautiful Things

I picked these up at the Farmer's Market on my way home from work Friday evening. They smell amazing and remind me of my childhood home!

And the results of the IRF penny drive are...

The Preschool Class at Smarter Toddler is happy to announce that our first penny drive to benefit the International Rhino Foundation brought in $66.31!!!! We had such a wonderful week learning about money, rhino's, and how to take care of the Earth. Our families, friends, and teachers were amazing, and we could not have done it with out them. This amount "will enable Indonesia’s Sumatran Rhino Sanctuary to provide five days of food, medicine and care for one Sumatran rhino" and more! We hope that everyone out there will follow our lead and help a cause that they feel passionate about...pay it forward!!! To learn more about the IRF please visit their website.

We are the future, and if we can do it...so can YOU!

TGIF

Thank God It's Friday!

Getting the car fixed...going to a party...hoping the Red Sox can win at least one against TB!

Impatiently waiting....oh the life:)