Cheep,cheep, cheep, talk a lot, pick a little more

Last week I helped find a new lessee for our apartment. Feeling pretty reluctant to let go of this four-room piece of heaven in Rochester, I strapped on my happy face and gave the tour....to over 9 different sets of people. This place is prime, people.

Anyway, one woman in particular was checking it out for her son to rent. When she heard the reason for our leaving she plowed her way through 20 minutes of opportunities I should take, places I need, NEED to go to and foods that were one-of-a-kind and must-eats while we're there.

I immediately forgot most of her speech as I was thinking in the back of my mind about how soon I needed to leave to catch Chris Hemsworth in Snow White and simultaneously watching the sister and girlfriend give each other "the look" as the mother carried on and on.

BUT

I did remember that she said to utilize our American citizenship while we're there. Go to a USO and see what travel deals they can help us with. She said they went away to Italy for a week, all expenses included for $125/person. Sign me up. I thought being an American could only hurt us while being in Europe, so this was great news!

And also, the tulips. I am already excited about Holland's tulips. But her recollection of fields after fields of them in springtime really boosts my spirits.

AND German Christmas Markets! She said that each town in Germany has one almost every weekend leading up to the big day! I know we'll be home for Christmas (YAY) but the anticipation is always my favorite part of the season anyway so bring on the festivals! (That was a lot of exclamation points...can you tell I love Christmastime. And also that word, Christmastime, it's so beautiful)

Okay, that was a longer post than usual. But if I didn't write those down somewhere, I'd forget all about them. Europe, we're getting ready for you!


(my own photo, 2, 3)

Presents

at 8:23am I got a call from Chris in Portland (5:23am his time)

C: Good morning
Me (K): Good morning, it's early!
C: Two things,
K: Yes, go ahead...
C: One, Happy 10 month anniversary.
K: Aw, you're so sweet! (and so on)
C: And two, I got you a present for it.
K: Okay, what is it?
C: The apartment... :)

...commence excitement from my end... -end scene-

So here it is; the big reveal, money is being wired, contracts signed, and we're in as soon as we arrive in in Leuven in August:

Lucky youuu

It's a two post day. Two posts within a morning actually (!)

Cheer up peeps, there's still a little love in this world. 

Hopefully these make you want to spread some today.

Momma

Just a little picture from my brother-in-law's wedding. 

My mom was my date for the evening with Chris at the head table. 

When she showed up with straight hair, I just about fell over.

She's so pretty :)

There goes the sun

Even though I live in upstate New York, I love my sun. Need it kind of. 

In less than two months I'll be heading into a darker "climate" with half of the sunlight I get now. 

I am going to need to fight the SAD!

I plan to get outside as often as possible but maybe on days that I can't find the sun 

(perpetual 50% chance of rain) I'll use one of these:

(I personally like the one that looks like a robot from Star Wars)

I found them here, here and here...good-bye present to myself?

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Laugh a little

Our leave-day for Belgium got moved up a bit. And by "a bit" I mean a whole month. So I had to put the blogging on the back burner as I (more) frantically finish things at work and at home.

But every once in awhile I'll be posting and here are a few places I've been turning to when I need a laugh, which face it, we all need at least once a day. Enjoy:

I love this list to get you through a Monday. Yes, I know it's Tuesday, but these are useful on any day:
http://www.buzzfeed.com/mjs538/13-simple-steps-to-get-you-through-a-rough-day

You know you've all done it. Given your dog, or your friend's cat or another animal along the course of your life, their own voice. In your voice. And most likely the dogs sound "happy" and "dumb" and the cats are "calculating" and "evil" Oh, they weren't like that in your head? Guess that was just me. Aaanyway, these can get a little inappropriate. With the language and all. But they're pretty hilarious:
http://animalstalkinginallcaps.tumblr.com/

And honestly, there is wayyyy too much funny stuff all around the interwebs. When I find it, I pin it:
http://pinterest.com/hanlonrunner/f-u-n-n-y/

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"You'd have made a great town crier"

I thought nosy neighbors like Gladys only existed in Bewitched

...until Chris shared this story with me today: 

Scene: Chris is walking from the car to our apartment entrance and from the house next to ours comes the neighbor...

Nosy Neighbor: Hey, I gotta ask you a question!

Chris: Yeah?

NN: What do you do for work?
C: ...huh?
NN: I see you walking to your car every morning with a briefcase and gym shorts...
C: Ohhhh, I'm a student, I work out in the mornings at school...


And so on. The scene ended about a half hour later in which "Gladys" (who is a man in our case) went on to reminisce about all the daily goings on of our apartment building's tenants.

We just got home from daily laundry night at the Maloney's and as we beep the horn to lock the doors I see him peek out his library window (someone else can notice things too!) and I know he's viewed the last event of the day. From now on I'll always imagine the "ABNER!!" coming from the house next door every time something happens to occur between their windows and mine.

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