We have been so LAME!

So sorry for the LACK of postings!!!!! The main reason I stopped posting was that my camera broke!  I don't know why, but it seems weird for me to post without pictures, but I am going to anyway.  I will just have to add some of our new place after this weekend.  I will update in List fashion.....

1. We LOVE our new place!!  It is big, beautiful, clean, has a pretty pool, and CLOSE to my work!  My only complaint so far has been out slightly loud neighbors who like to watch their TV or play video games loud, but they usually stop at 10 pm... which is sadly PAST my bedtime.
2. I REALLY like my job!!  I will not use the word love simply because there are days, students, meetings, and grading that keeps me from using this word.  However, there are also other students, fellow teachers, and teachable moments that make me very much enjoy how I spend most of my time.

My school actually was on the local news last night as a segment for "How Cool is your School" and a bunch of my kids were on there for chorus and robotics club- Click Here to Watch!

3. We enjoyed coming home for Labor Day and seeing precious Jack Henry and all of the family, but were not happy to return home with Jack's cold.
4. I am addicted to Fantasy Football. Sunday has always been my favorite day of the week, but now it is really really my favorite day.  Yummy coffee and strawberry toast, watching football and doing work, cooking dinner and watching HBO.  Ahhhhh, nice.

5. I had a blast celebrating my new friend Rebecca's 30th birthday in downtown Savannah, which included wining, dining, and dancing at all of our new favorite spots.  We were only stopped from a late night swim in the hotel pool by locked doors.  It was fun to know that turning 30 only means that you can have MORE fun with LESS drama than your twenties.  I look forward to my celebration in June.
6. We have been tossing around the idea of adopting a puppy. 

7. We have also been tossing around the idea of starting a family. (Such light things we toss).

8. We are both thrilled to be sleeping with the windows open.....finally.
9. We are STOKED that Megan and Sean are visiting up Oct. 8-10 for Pirate's Fest.  We are excited to show off our new home and area, and to catch up with some friends!

10. We are also super excited to celebrate Jason's birthday with his parent's Oct. 22-24. 
11. We are tossing around the idea of coming home for Halloween instead of waiting for Thanksgiving.
12. We are very excited to be attending our first SEC game in Athens, GA on Nov. 6th when we go with our friends Rebecca and Jenn to watch Georgia play.

I think that is everything!  We promise to post pictures of the apartment and our events soon.
Come visit up and you will get to see Savannah, Old Town Bluffton, and Hilton Head Island!

Officially moved... AGAIN!

We are officially moved in to our new place in Hardeeville, SC.  Jenny had her first short commute this morning, and I am anxious to find out how it felt not having to drive for an hour to get to and from work.  My commute will come soon, I will be leaving here at 2:00 and seeing how long it will take me to get in.  We had movers help us this time.  I could not have handled moving out all of our stuff and moving into a third floor apartment unless I had a crew of 10 helping me.  I had enough trouble moving us in going up 1 flight of stairs in Georgetown with Charles, Mom, Jenny, Terry, and Connie.  It was definitely worth the price this time.  They got to our place at 9:15 on Friday and were done at 2:00.  That left us only the unpacking and the cleaning of the old place, which would have taken us a lot longer without the help of great cleaners Connie and Terry.

The new place already feels like home.  We have done a lot of unpacking already.  The kitchen is done and our bedroom is close.  I have hung curtains in our room and we have started putting things on the walls throughout the house.  We still have a lot of unpacking and re-arranging to do, but we feel settled pretty well already.  This new place is huge!  It is two bedrooms like the last place we were in, but we now have two bathrooms (which means decorating another bathroom and cleaning another bathroom).  But where our other place was 800 square feet, this one is 1200!  And there are 9 foot ceilings.  So we are adding 400 square feet of space and 4400 cubic feet of volume.  And I can definitely feel it.  Unfortunately our camera is broken right now, so we can't show pictures right now.  But as soon as we are able, we will be taking some and posting for everyone to see.  That way everyone can see the before pictures (our place in Georgetown) and the after pictures (our place in Hardeeville).  We can't wait to have people come visit us here and relax in our big apartment with us!

Missing Savannah Already

It is weird to think that we are already packing up our little apartment in Savannah.  We are only moving 20 miles north to Hardeeville, SC but in some ways I will feel less connected to Savannah and I am sad!  I think we will still come in on weekends for dinner and fun outings and I am of course going to keep up with my 2 bookclubs, but I will no longer be able to go walking at Lake Mayer Park with Rebecca during the week or shop at the nearby mall or get my haircut downtown. 
On a positive note, I really do like the town we are moving to.  Our address will be Hardeeville, but if you spit you could reach Sun City and Bluffton SC.  Both of these small towns sit right on the water and are before the bridges that reach Hilton Head Island.  They are much smaller than Savannah (which is smaller than Greensboro!) so I feel like I keep going down in town size.  It is the type of place where you only have one movie theatre option and you are lucky if it has stadium seating.  I will probably also start running into some of my students which I have always tried to avoid, but it sure beats the hour commute.  However, everything in Bluffton is new with nice grocery stores like Publix, nice eateries, and thank goodness there is still a Target, Barnes and Noble, and a brand spanking new Wally World. 
Overall however, I am still in love with Savannah.  We are coming up on my favoritee time of year down here (and yes, I do know because Jason moved down here LAST October!).  Summer lingers here well into October but the humidity lessens and you can wear dresses or jeans and a short-sleeved top well into "fall."   Our new apartment that we move into on Sept. 10th will have a screened porch that we can not wait to use! The nights are especially comfortable outside and I am getting very excited for all of the festivals on River Street.  We are missing a big one this Labor Day weekend to come home, but we are looking forward to Oktoberfest, PirateFest, and officially going to our first UGA game in Athens in November with our friends Rebecca and Jenn. 
I honestly can not believe how easily we settled into our new city and jobs.  Last year was so hard with Jason and I being 5 hours apart and we couldn't wait to be back together and really start a married life together.  Well, it has been almost 2 and half months and it has been both extremely trying and exciting!  Many people say that moving to a new city as a married couple strengthens you because you have to rely on each other so much and I do think that it is true.... but maybe it is because Jason works second shift and I work first that we have also had to rely on ourselves.  We have each made our own friends and really found happiness in our careers and interests outside of our relationship as well.  I won't say that I don't eagerly await the weekends so I can spend time with my hubby, but I am very thrilled with the new people I have met here in Savannah and how much fun I can have even when Jason is at work!!
I am very happy we have signed a year's lease at Courtney Bend apartments and as much as I would love to move back to NC, I actually hope we do not have to break this lease before next September. 

Rainy Days

Well it does not feel like Fall is creeping in yet in the Savannah-Hilton Head area, but I can tell the seasons are changing because it is raining more and it is getting darker earlier.  I can not wait for cooler weather!
This past weekend Jason and I tried to go to our home opener football game but it got stormed out :(  We did however meet up at the "Hurricane Bar" with another new teacher Heather and her husband for a few drinks at the marina on the island before heading over the Gene and Nancy's to stay for the night.  Saturday Jason and I spent the day at the beach on Hilton Head and we LOVED their public access, especially compared to Tybee Island in Savannah.  HH was less crowded and had much nicer facilities such as showers and bathrooms (and parking!).  For those of you who do not know much about HHI, it was only developed in the 1960's by a man who wanted to create a community that could exist with nature.  The original community was called Sea Pines and then neighborhoods spread from there.  Because of his original vision, HHI has very strict building codes.  There are no neon signs, billboards, or any bright paint colors.  As Gene says it takes an act of Congress to cut down a tree limb.  The entire island is very wooded with tons of birds, animals and bike paths (oh, and golf courses!).  You will be driving along and then--- "oops, I think I just passed the grocery store!"  You can not see anything from the roads because of the trees.  The beach itself was wide and had clean water but very few waves so it felt more like a lake than an ocean.  But it is a very nice beach with far fewer rescues like Tybee!

Classes are still going good this week and I am already approaching Thursday!  Today was picture day and of course I forgot, so I will be featured in the yearbook this year rocking a ponytail. SWEET.

I have my other bookclub this Friday and the featured book is called The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls.  It is a memoir about a woman who grew up in poverty because her parents chose to roam from place to place in the west instead of providing for their children.  It is painful to still watch as the children adore their parents despite the wrongful things they do to them and the amazing ways they can survive and find food.  I have found the book so far and enjoyable to read because Walls simply tells the stories- she doesn't give emotional commentary.  It is also interesting to see the development between the siblings and how they will all turn into successful productive adults in big cities like New York while their parents are still homeless in the same city.  It really is a fascinating and heartbreaking story.  It has made me enter my classrooms with a little different attitude because I now wonder how many of my students feed themselves or live without basic amenities like AC, heat, or even indoor plumbing.  Worse than those lack of physical conditions, the children in the book also lacked emotional care, which I definitely see everyday.  Sometimes I wish people would just not have children when they can not be responsible enough to care for them. 

Anywho- almost another weekend!  We are collecting boxes for our next move to Jasper County, SC.  I guess we will have to get new driver licenses and I will have to rename the blog to the Smiths Take on the GA/SC State Line. Ha.

The Joys of Teaching

Well I have been gone for too long!!  Sorry for the blogging drought- I am pretty sure I have lost all of my readers out there... but it has been a rough two weeks!  I officially had my first week in my new job with teacher workdays and then I had my first week with students as a teacher at Hilton Head Island High School.  Besides the few near complete break downs and going to bed at 845 and waking up at 5 am, it has actually been a pretty positive 2 weeks- I will start with the good...

Things I Love about my new job!
-I have excellent technology in my classroom! they even gave me a laptop unlike my last school where I took my own every day
-I have all my students year round (this can also be bad- see below)
-I work with very smart and professional people who take their jobs seriously
-I have a new work friend named Heather- she teaches SPED
-My room is cold and not musty!
-I am not in charge of textbooks- Praise the Lord!
-Our school colors are UNC blue and navy
-My AP students already know things such has all of the US Wars and who MLK, Tubman, the Grimke Sisters, and the Mayans are- and they use words like bias, perspective, and "culturally sensitive" (and they are only in 10th grade)
-My students wear uniforms

Things I am Learning to Love about my New Job (Staying Positive Here)

-I commute over an hour each way
-I cannot make my own copies- EVER- I have to submit them and wait til the next day, and I am pretty sure I will be over my limit by October, so please buy me reams of paper for Xmas
-I have my students ALL YEAR LONG (oh, 4th block)
-I have a floater in my room during my planning
-I still do not have an email account, log in, or am on payroll after week 2
-There is not really a teacher work room or area to congregate
-Getting supplies is like squeezing water out of a cactus
-I have a new prep- it is like being a 1st year all over again
-I have the 4th block bad boys on B days (thank god we rotate days)

So there you have it!  I survived the first week!!! I accidentally made fun of a boy because he told me his name was Storm and I thought he was joking, and then I had the class during the fire drill who were taking their shirts off and running around like a bunch of crazy kids, but...... I haven't quit yet! (or gotten fired!).

Luckily for Jason (ha) he was on first shift both weeks, so he got to tuck me in at 8 o'clock each night and make sure I had a lunch packed for the next day.  What a great husband he is to marry a teacher, because it is not a normal career choice.  We get exhausted and cranky and we really don't want to talk about anything by the end of the day.  And we cry alot during the first week of school!  But next week is the second week so it is all up hill!

Tonight Jason is meeting me for our first home football game and then we are staying the night with Gene and Nancy.  Gene is my Aunt Sarah's brother who lives here on the island and has been great to me and Jason helping us find a new place to live and give us directions all of the time.  Tomorrow we plan to explore the island and hit the beaches to compare them to Tybee Island!
More posts will come!

Dear Truckers...

Dear Male Truckers,

I would like to tell you how much it irritates me and ruins my trip on I-95 when you honk at me, flash your lights at me, speed up to ride next to me, ride my tail, or make obscene gestures at me.  I do NOT think your truck is sexy and I will NOT flash you a boob or pull over and make out with you.  Why do you think that my middle finger means that you should continue such behavior? Why do you think that I like being pestered?  The I-95 highway is NOT a 2nd grade playground so please keep you eyes off my sunroof and on the road!

Sincerely,
A Pissy '98 White Honda Accord

Cel-e-Brate AGAIN!

Well I am just going to make you wait until the end to find out why!!
We had a great weekend visiting with friends and family at the beach!  Jason had off Thursday and Friday so we packed our bags and headed north along Highway 17 and met up with Megan and Sean in Mrytle Beach.  We stayed at their very nice 2 bedroom condo with an awesome balcony.  Sometimes I forget how nice it is to watch the waves at night or watch a storm roll through- (we saw an awesome storm on Thursday night!).  We went out to dinner at Hamburger Joe's, the boys had too many drinks, we buzzed shopped at the Bargain (such treasures they have!),and then we played cards late into the night.  The next day we were able to spend it at the beach and play cornhole, swim, and relax.  It was great to catch up and spend time together!!

Jase and I took off Friday evening and headed north to the beautiful Emerald Isle.  We got to visit with Audrey and Charles that night as we waited for H.C. and Kristen to get there.  We were all too pooped to get ice cream that night, but we did go Sat. night.  We had a beautiful long day at the beach on Saturday with sandwiches and watermelon and peaches and great conversation.  Jason and I couldn't get over how beautiful the water looked and how refreshing it felt after spending the summer down here at Tybee in the brown hot water.  We never wanted to leave!  We had Audrey's yummy lasagna and H.C.'s fresh veggies for dinner before riding our bikes up to the Sweet Spot for some ice cream. (I had Raspberry Rocky Road).  We went for a nice long bike ride that night along the sound side before my butt got too sore and then headed back.  Sunday we ran into some rain, but that didn't stop us from hitting the beach with our tent before dinner and then everyone heading back home!  It was a great trip and I really wish we didn't live 6 hours away from the beach house now.  Sad!

And now for the good news!  I got a call on Friday of last week while at the beach from the department head at Hilton Head High School requesting an interview for a teaching position.  Some of you may remember that this is the same school that called me for an interview the week before my honeymoon and I ran out and got clothes for it and then they cancelled while I was in Mexico because their district would not release them funds to hire anyone out of district.  Well apparently last Thursday they finally got approval to hire again and they were on a whirlwind to get me in there before school starts for teachers next week on Monday Aug. 9.  So I had my interview on today (Tuesday) and this afternoon the principal called and offered me the position!  I will be teaching all US History which is a dream come true, and 4 of the 6 classes are AP US History which is advanced students.  Of course there are negatives in that the only reason they are bringing in someone from the outside is because they expect their scores to go up so that is mucho pressure on me.  Also, from what I got from the interview, there are some very "involved" (aka PESKY) parents at this school.  I mean, it is Hilton Head- the richest community in the area.  I am moving from a school where the largest club was Future Farmers of America to a school that has a CREW and Lacrosse team.... can I handle this?  So I might be up against some parents when little Johnny and Sally bring home a B instead of an A.  Also, because it is an advanced school with an IB program, the AP US course is offered in the 10th grade year and I have never taught Sophomores.  There is a BIG difference between 10th and 11th grade year (I mean 11th graders can like, drive--- geez), so I am nervous about whether these kids will be mature enough and academically ready for tough ole J.Smith's class.  I didn't earn my past scores by being sweet and fluffy.  So there you have it!  I am officially a SeaHawk starting Monday!!  I am so excited to have a job, paycheck, and something to work at during the week I could jump up and down over and over..... or maybe just go have a margarita!

Check out the school here-

Hilton Head Island High School

Cheesy Craft Night

Well tonight my Adventure Book Club got together for our adventure concerning the Pretty in Plaid Book we read last month.  See, each month someone picks a book and then after we discuss it, they have to design an adventure about the book that we do together.  Last month we read a book about Savannah so in September when it is cooler (ha.) we are going on a tour with the author of the book.  For this book, we had a hard time coming up with an adventure because the book was a memoir.  So the girl who chose it decided that we would have a girl's night with wine to make cheesy crafts because a favorite part of the book was the author's description of her Girl Scout Days making cheesy crafts like ornaments out of toliet paper rolls or coin purses and pot holders.  Who needs these things right?? Well, when you give a bunch of women a little wine and get them talking 90 miles and hour and then put a bunch of paint in front of them you just won't believe what they will create and how theraputic it all can really be.  We had a great time painting little figurines terribly (I made a lion for Jason- roarrr), and making homemade picture frames, and wine coasters out of felt, and even braiding those pieces of plastic into key chains (remember those??).  It was a night that Jen Lancaster (author) would have been proud of!  We told embarassing stories from middle and high school (yes, I told me one about the horses) and we talked about boys (men?) and our families, money, and life all while painting away.  Some of us even ended up painting the table cloth and ourselves.
Here are my Labor of Loves..........

Notice Rebecca's amazing treasures and our messy workspace.  And for the record, those pearls I'm wearing are only because we were supposed to dress up preppy like the book- they are not a new fashion statement I am trying to make.

Hot Fun in the Summertime

Well Jase has covered our exciting Sunday of Bengay and cooking, so I'll stick to Fridy and Saturday....
I had my second book club meeting (Bound to Please) on Friday night at a precious coffee shop downtown called Gallery Espresso.  We met and discussed the novels Savannah Blues and A Wrinkle in Time (we always do one nostaligic read).  This group was bigger than the other one and a little more on task with actually talking about the book.  It was mostly young professional women and a big group of us went to dinner afterwards at a restaurant called Cha Bella.  This place had wonderful food, drinks, and atmosphere and of course was WAY out of my budget.  Who thought book club was going to break my bank?  I was the un-employed girl ordering an appetizer and side salad (both still great) but I did break down an order their Peach Mohito (with fresh squeezed juice!).  We had a great time and I enjoyed the company.  I got good advice on other places to go and eat in town and am excited about our next book!
Saturday Jase and I went to Tybee with his work buddy Jhosue (say Josh) and Viviana.  We had great breezes, waves, and even hawked a free umbrella from Vivy's friend who works there on the island. 

Josh is from Venezuela and Viviana is from Columbia so Jason and I are trying to practice our Spanish... and not too well :)  After the beach, Jason and I went back to Josh's house for showers and grilled burgers (and a free Salsa lesson) before heading out downtown.  We went to a Tapas bar called Jazz'd which has excelled drinks, Tapas, and live music.  The music this weekend was R&B and Soul and it would have had any one of you tapping your feet or shaking your thang. 

At Jazz'd we met my friend Rebecca from my book clubs and her friends Hannah and Marc.  After some yummy tapas and drinks we relocated to the Rooftop at the Bohemian Hotel downtown on the river.  Perfect view of the river, yummy drinks like Key Lime Pie and Pear Tree, and great fun and conversation.  We closed the bar at 2am and then walked around City Market listening to music spilling out of the bars that rock on til 3am.  It is also weird that you can get a to go cup and walk around with your drinks from bar to bar.  A really neat experience and Savannah is a fun place with neat bars to enjoy.

You can't tell, but my drink here is actually glowing in the dark... and no, we didn't write on these balloons, just found them from a party and had fun with them.... Josh found himself a girlfriend-- haha.

All in all it was a great time and though we stayed out too late, it was a fun weekend out!

Sunday Rituals

Hello one and all!! I am sure everyone has been checking all week wondering, "When the heck is Jason gonna post again? I love reading what he has to say. He has such amazing insight on the troubles of modern humanity in his blurbs in this Blog." I am here to tell all of you the good news... I am here to blog again!

I kind of limited myself with the title of the blog, but it already has it's title and I'm not changing it. So you do not get to hear my perspective of the weekend, or even the week past. I am here to talk only about one thing: our Sunday Rituals. As everyone very well knows, we always do the Sunday crossword together over coffee. Alas and alack, today was not our day. After partying late into the night Saturday (which is something I cannot speak of because this blog is about Sunday, remember?) I was awakened by my dear wife at 8:00 because her back hurt and she couldn't relax enough to sleep--I blame dancing and standing around at bars all night. I went to CVS shortly thereafter--being the galant gentleman I am--to get my beautiful, darling wife some Bengay to help soothe her muscle pain. I got back, gave her a sensual Bengay, methol-smelling massage, and we went to lay back down and I slept in until 1:00! I can't remember the last time that happened.

By then, our day was ruined and it was too late to go to breakfast and have coffee and do the crossword. So we started coupon clipping. Those of you fortunate enough to have a Kroger nearby, let me tell you something cool about them. If you have a Kroger Plus card, you can sign up online and load coupons onto your Plus card from the website. Then, when you go to the store and check out, you get the discount and don't have to carry the pesky pieces of paper with you! Thanks to this and Kroger's amazing 10 for $10 sales, we saved a total of $14 when we went shopping. I was very impressed. I'm sure we can get better, and we have some learning to do... but, hey, you can't ask for a better feeling than saving $14 for your first time ever!

I'm sure everyone has also been on the edge of their seats wondering which recipe Jenny was going to pick out of everyone's great suggestions (and by the way, Charles, both of us HATE tomatoes). She chose...(drum-roll) NONE of the ideas, and instead found her own. After fighting over counter space where I could clean chicken and tear lettuce while Jenny chopped vegetables (yes, Connie, chopped them herself), breaded chicken, made rice, and baked, one of the best meals I have had in a while emerged. Super Crunchy Chicken (I'm not calling it that, that the actual name of the recipe) and Cheesy Rice 'N Tomatoes was quite the combo, and who knew Kraft had such good recipes? Great job on a successful dinner, Jenny.

I need to learn to be concise here... I think a glass of wine at dinner doesn't help that for me. Until next time (which I'm sure will be about a week)...

Jason's Video

A great video about Sodexo that features Jason and the managers her works with- you get to see what he does and how he feels about it- a neat glimpse into his job-

Cel-e-brate Come On!

I need you all to get out your champagne glasses! I got my first job offer! And while it is only part time and probably will not even pay the electric bill..... it IS a JOB OFFER!! And even better, it is still in my field.  I have been offered an adjunct professer position at Savannah Tech Community College.  I will be teaching US History 2111, which is US History from Colonization to Reconstruction.  I am excited to finally have community college on my resume (and the title professor!).  I got this opportunity actually through one of Jason's employees who cleans for him at night and works in the History Department at day at Savannah Tech as a Secretary.  She told him that if it goes well the Dean said they might offer me more classes in the Spring.  So there is pressure riding on the position but hopefully opportunity!  Now I just need another job to actually pay my bills and that can be flexible in case more opportunities come my way.  Bounty Hunter? Baker? BabySitter?  We shall see!?

I am drinking a glass of bubbly alone and I wish some of you could be here to celebrate!  I am already sweating profusely btw also. Geesh it is hot.  Wish my new job could afford me some more AC!

Today was another milestone in taking on GA- me and Jase went to the DMV and both got our GA Driver Licenses!

After the lines and worrying that I was going to fail the eye exam because I forgot my glasses, I passed! GA prints you a paper ID for 30 days until the plastic one comes in the mail so I did have a little trouble getting my champagne at the Food Lion tonight but I made them accept it.  Hope we don't have any trouble at the bars on Sat. night!  Another qualm I have with the GA ID is that they MAKE you put your WEIGHT on the front of the ID!!!  Now I would have LIED some more if I knew it was going to be in big numbers on the FRONT- now every person who ID's me is going to know my weight?? Talk about a complex- every time I drop 5 pounds I swear I'm going to get a new ID, I don't care HOW MUCH the replacement fee is.  Hope you guys can't see mine in the picture!!

Love you all- and so far no one has any dinner ideas besides Sarah!!

Hot Hot Hot!

Well, we got our first AC Bill this week and to cool our small apartment for 16 days it cost $98.00!  And we keep the thermostat on 75.  Needless to say I have not raised it up to a comfy 80 and sitting practically naked while typing this. (just kidding- kinda).  Jason asked people at work and he says this is pretty normal, that people pay almost $200 a month for electric because the power company charge more in the summer. YAY! 
Can't wait until the fall (in Feb!)
We are getting excited about traveling to the beach next week for a long weekend.  We have not been to EI at the beach house all summer despite having our wedding there so that will be nice, especially to use our beach bikes and eat at the Sweet Spot and swim in a clear ocean.
I applied for 14 jobs today.  Teller jobs and Call Center jobs with BB&T, Bank of America, and Georgia Heritage Federal Credit Union.  (Suntrust last week never called and Wachovia has no openings.)  I also applied for another job in customer service at Memorial Health and then I applied for 5 jobs at St. Joseph's/Candler Hospital in Patient Registation and Unit Secretaries.  We will see!?
I really thought I had a lead at Groves High School here in Savannah (the only History opening) because I got an email from a principal, but when I responded back she has never gotten back to schedule an interview.  Months of this and I still have not had one interview.  I swear if they just meet me and this awesome new haircut I have, I can sell them into giving me a job!  I wish I had the vampire power of glamouring, then I could surely have a job!  I already have a good tan!
Anywho- so this week I am taking votes on what I should cook for Sunday night dinner?  It is my turn and I need something budget friendly and easy on the cooking skills- Suggestions?

Mrs. Smith

Well after sitting in the Social Security office for about an hour.... it is official! I am now Mrs. Smith!  I tried to also go get a new Georgia ID but their DMV is closed on Mondays (wonder if they are hiring?).  Couldn't have been a more perfect day to change my name because today is Jason and I's first monthaversiary.  When I came home he surprised me with a card and...

Wonder how long before I kill this plant?  Hopefully I can make it last!! Jason even gave me instructions on how to water and take care of the beautiful orchid.  I have such an amazing husband who takes care of me and is understanding of the rollercoaster I have been on since we moved.  I feel that the designers on HGTV would very much approve of this accent orchid- good work Jase!

We worked hard on cleaning up a bit yesterday so here are a couple of pics of our dining room now that we have unpacked a bit (please note all the wedding gifts on display):

Still needs a little more decorating, but it is coming together!

On Mondays the pool is also closed (as is the public library) so I feel like I am limited in my option of activities.  I did bunches of reading today and have started a new series that I really like.  The book is called One for the Money and it is by Janet Evanovich.  It is about a girl who is out of a job and money and turns to her cousin Vinnie and ends up becoming a bounty hunter.  I can relate to her situation and the book is a riot to far.  Let's hope I am not hunting down criminals by September!!

Another Week!

I will do this post in chronological order (and list form because I LOVE lists) because I have too much to update and I don't want to do multiple posts...
1. Book Club: I met some very nice girls and found that it was great to have adult female conversations! Some are transplants like me and some are much more acquainted with the area.  I look forward to our future meetings, and hanging out with some of the girls in settings other than Book Club!
2. Job Search: No real updates.... Posted for a teaching job in Jasper, SC but haven't heard anything back.  Got a no from Books a Million and one Publix grocery store in town.
3. TRUE BLOOD: as a present Jason ordered HBO which includes on demand so now I am almost up to date on my most favorite show and book series! Almost the happiest news of my week!
4. Tybee Island: We had another beach day this weekend and of course had fun people watching.  This time instead of precious children running around we were given a wonderful redneck family who had some umbrella trouble.  But as seen in the pictures below, they devised a brillant way of rigging the umbrella through the cupholder of their chair before securing it by tying it with their shoe to their chair- (or you could just have gramps hold it)...why didn't WE think of this last week!?!

Another bit of Tybee Adventure was the number of rescues we got to see!  Now nothing will ever compare to Lifeguard Luke from last summer, but honestly we were almost scared to go into the water.  We saw 4 saves within the first 45 mins of our arrival.  And then spent the rest of our afternoon watching the reality TV show Tybee Rescue.  The waves were pretty intense (and jellies) as were the rip currents.  We only braved the water once and I came out without my hairband, hairtie, and a whole bunch more sand in my bathing suit.

Where are the lifeguards?? Oh, saving someone!

5. Date Night!: So for our date night we picked our favorite (Mexican) and decided on a place called Carlitos that people from Jason's work had suggested.  As you can see from Jason's picture the food was very good.  After dinner we went to another place for dessert called Lulu's Chocolate Bar which serves handmade cakes, brownies, truffles, cheesecakes, etc. as well as specialty martinis and other drinks.  One piece of chocolate cake with strawberry buttercream icing, Irish coffee, and champagne and we were some VERY happy customers!  I know where we will be taking some visitors!!!

6. Humidity:  Lastly, we have finally captured what happens every time Jason walks in and out of our apartment or an air conditioned place- his glasses fog up (my sunglasses do too).  Even at 10 pm at night, the humidity is still laying on think like a wet blanket! Gotta love Savannah!

HGTV and me

Ok, well I managed to get through my rough spot yesterday with some wine and an episode of SYTYCD.  For you amatures out there that would be "So you think you can dance!" (must say this with an Australian accent like host Cat Deeley).  That show always makes me cry at least once per episode- and I'm not even kidding.  Last night they did a piece on children trying to help their parents through an illness and it was danced to the Coldplay song "Fix You"- total weeper. Watch here:
So after some wine and hummus I was feeling much better about my life in general.
I exercised today which also usually helps my mood and then I tried desperately to organize our second bedroom which really is piled with plastic containers filled with our winter clothes and shoes, plus all of the desk essentials like hole punchers and staplers that we can not seem to part with.  At least now I can see the floor in there so visitors are free to come and use our fancy new air mattress! 
Now I am doing my usual afternoon routine of HGTV and blogging.  I can not get enough of HGTV.  I love watching other people shop for houses I can not afford and am obsessed with watching people rennovate rooms and outdoor spaces with budgets that are outrageous! (Even design on a dime is at least $1000.00).  However I can not stop watching!  My dream is to be on the show one day!  Me and Jason laugh about what they would say about our color scheme and design approach... we call it "Hand me down chic."  But hey, at least it is all functional!
Tonight is my first book club meeting to talk about Jen Lancaster's Pretty in Plaid (love love loved it).  I am excited to go but also nervous because it will be the first humans I will be talking with besides Jason and the Food Lion clerk in about 2 weeks.  Will they like me?  Will I get sloshed on one glass of wine and chatter like a blubbering idiot?  Maybe one of them can get me a job!
Well I am off to shower and pick out my new outfit for bookclub- such an exciting life I lead!

Defeated...

So this will not be my most cheerful blog post yet, but it is supposed to be about what is going on in my life right?? Well apparently I am not even able to get a job at Starbucks which was supposed to be my back-up plan.  I filled out my online application earlier this week because they said they were hiring at certain locations nearby, and then personally drove around to all the locations to put a face to my name.  Didn't help.  I also got email notifications that people "more qualified" than me were hired at the Marriott front desk job and at the hospital as a SECRETARY.  I also never got a call back for my application as a teller with Suntrust (did I mention I have 5 years of teller experience?)
Ok, I'll get off my high horse in a minute, but how are so many darn people more qualified than me?  Did they major in latte making and the checking out of keys?  I could have sworn that actually completeing college was supposed to be a good thing AND years of professional experience (especially in customer service and a retail setting) would help me get a job.  It is very hard to look into the eyes of the 17 year old with a tongue ring at Starbucks and hear her say "we are just not hiring right now."  It was hard enough to even consider applying for some of these jobs after years of working to where I was in my career a month ago.  Earning a Masters and then working very very long hours to become an AP teacher was hard and I very much earned the pay I got.... I have finally accepted that there are no teaching jobs, but I never dreamed it would be this hard just to find employment. 
My office lady at my apartment complex is my new headhunter and she connected me with a teacher in the complex at a nearby high school who (duh!) told me there were no openings.  She did tell me to fill out a sub application though (another duh).  Being a sub won't get me benefits however.
She also told me the other hospital was not hiring registrars or biller collectors (super) but that she would keep an ear out for hotel jobs (which apparently I am not qualified for). 
I have gotten a little stir crazy recently because I really do like to interact with people and feel like I am doing something meaningful with me time.  So I decided to volunteer at a local museum.  Well, it turns out they take their volunteering pretty serious around here and because I missed the first July Wednesday morning training (there are 4 four hour sessions and a test!), I can not train to be a volunteer until October now. Another Super.  I guess this is just not my week here in the SAV.  And I know you will be tempted to tell me it will all work out and that something will "come" my way.... but if I hear that again I might yell so be careful of what you comment! Love and hugs! and I promise to be more cheerful next time...

Our Church

Well Jason and I had our first "church" in Savannah.  For those of you who don't know, for church recently Jason and I have been getting some type of coffee and then doing the crossword puzzle together.  We enjoy the break from work and fast-paced life to think over crossword clues and enjoy the time together.  Sometimes we do the puzzle in bed and other times we do the puzzle in places like Barnes and Noble or parks.  This Sunday we got coffee at a neat local coffee shop called the Sentinal Bean at Forsyth Park.  This park is the largest in the city of Savannah and boasts the huge fountain that is so famous in the book and movie of "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil."  So after our coffee (and Espresso coffee cake and warmed up strawberry scone) we took a tour of Forsyth park to see the beautiful trees, row houses, and of course THE fountain.

We then decided that we HAD to walk all the way down Bull St. to eat some ice cream at Bull St. Ice cream shop, but after 20 mins of walking, they were closed.... bummer.  By now we are both sweating literally out of our eyeballs and wondering how anyone ever looks nice in Savannah.  However, Jason was so pleased that along the way we ran into a Segue (sp?) tour...

I don't think I could ever feel cool touring a city like that.  I was also pleased because we finally ran into the pretty church that I always see from a distance while driving around downtown but never seem to find while driving around.

After walking back to our car I was so happy to find some air conditioning!! We drove home and hit the pool for a while before it started storming.  As for our eventful Sunday evening, we made turkey dogs and mac and cheese and watched TV while Jason ironed.  Ain't life great! Oh, and we almost, almost! finished the crossword later that night before falling asleep in bed. Maybe one weekend we will finish one?