Happy housewife update

John is back to work now, so for the next month and change I am a stay-at-home housewife (apartment wife?). I hope I am not spoiled by all this free time by the time school starts.

On Saturday we will be moving at last! We have been looking for a bigger and quieter place ever since we got back -- which is a necessity, because we're in a studio apartment right now, which, by the rules of the apartment building, is only big enough for one. I think I agree with the apartment people ... sometimes you just want to live in more than one room all the time.

Well, we found the place. John discovered the listing on Craigslist, called the realtor, and the next thing we knew we were walking through the place. It is a small duplex in a suburb (or as they say here, a "township") north of the city. I liked it when I first saw it. It's quite small -- only a little bigger than our current place -- but it has a front and back yard and a porch. It's on a quiet street, very near where some of our friends live.

When you walk in, you go straight into the tiny living room. It really is extremely small for a living room -- I'm not quite sure where we'll put all of our books yet. If they end up in the kitchen cupboards, I wouldn't be surprised. Because the kitchen is actually rather large, in a long-and-narrow sort of way, and has lots of cabinet space. It also has something I have always dreamed of -- a washer and dryer!

Past the kitchen is the bathroom, long and narrow as well, but recently remodeled and quite nice. Finally there is the bedroom. On the Craigslist post the bedroom was described as "too small for a king-size bed" -- it is also fairly small. It's big enough for our bed, though, and it has a large closet. At the back of the room is the back door leading out into the yard.

I am very excited for the move -- I can't wait! While John is at work I have been packing boxes. I'm discovering that, between the two of us, we have an awful lot of books. All of mine are still in boxes, but his books alone are quite numerous -- and heavy.

On Saturday a couple of friends come up to help us out, and we are going to get out of the ninth floor on this busy street and into our new little nest in its quiet neighborhood. I am so glad!

Photos from everywhere

Let's see, what has happened lately ...?

Well, I got married. I have no complaints on this score. The ceremony was beautiful, and every little detail of it had deep spiritual significance, which the priest explained to us at the rehearsal, so I paid close attention. The reception was tons of fun, too.


Then we spent our honeymoon in my grandma's "cabin" by the lake in the mountains. It was such a kind gift for her to let us use it. While we were there, we didn't get bothered by the outside world at all. This picture shows the view from the back deck.


The mountain in the background of the picture above is 6,000 feet above sea level (not sure what the altitude of the lake is) and the trail up it is considered a very challenging hike. We didn't know this when we started up at nine in the morning, assuming we'd be back in time for lunch. We got to the bottom around four in the afternoon, parched, starving, and extremely sore. We did get a prize, though -- some really amazing views.







We were very happy to reach the top.


When we arrived back in Philadelphia on the Fourth of July, we had a hard time finding an open store to get a carton of milk -- everything was closed, because this city takes Independence Day even more seriously than the rest of the country. We had a beautiful sunset, though.


The following weekend we went to the Jersey Shore with our friend Claire and took home sunburns and some very beautiful pictures.


Soon our jobs will start or re-start, and it'll be back to the daily grind. Meanwhile, though, we've been having a lovely summer.

Life is changed, not ended

Well, here I am at last: married, and in my new home in Philadelphia. So many times over the last few months, I thought this day would never come.

Being married, I discover, is not terribly different (so far). One thing that used to be just a part of my life is gone forever, though, and without regret: missing John. I was beginning to get used to missing him, as if it would always be that way, and suddenly he's here all the time! It's wonderful ... I had almost forgotten a lot of the wonderful things about him, and now it's like the past year apart never even happened.

Later I will post pictures of the wedding. Suffice it to say, it was utterly and completely beautiful in every way. It was also a ton of fun, as everyone who went seemed to agree. There was a lot of laughter, a lot of touching (and funny) toasts, a lot of teasing, a lot of crazy dancing. I felt surrounded by the love of those who were there, and I enjoyed myself too.

Now, we're waiting for our respective jobs to resume (mine starts with the school year, his starts sometime in the next month) and setting our tiny home aright. Two people don't fit very well in a studio apartment -- at least, our stuff doesn't. But we're making room. We move at the end of August.

Meanwhile, there's a lot to do: change my name (quite a project), get the wedding photo album together, write a gazillion thank-you notes (the guests were very generous), get new car insurance (we save a bundle because we're married!), get new health insurance, juggle money between bank accounts and use it to pay bills, and, of course, smile at each other across the tiny room and think, "We're married!"

I also get to cook a real dinner every single night. This is so exciting. Last night I made a Cornish hen stuffed with brown rice. It was really good. Today I make chicken soup out of what's left. I think John would be just as happy with frozen burritos and pretzels, but I enjoy giving him good food anyway.

In sum, I am very, very, very happy. My love to all my readers.

Note: If you are reading this blog backwards, you can continue at Sniffles Predominating.