An Unexpected Move: Stages of Grief

I had this glorious resolution to blog more and I am kind of off to a crap start. A week and a half ago, J and I were hit with the news that our building management company has decided to cancel our lease to update our beloved, old, adorable-as-it-crummbls apartment. We love our place and had thought that the next time we moved (probably in the next 18 months) it would be into a property we owned.

Oh, and we have to be out by July 1. They gave us the option of coming back post-renovation at the end of the summer, but with the price hike (+$400/mo!), that is a little too rich for our blood - so moving is on the plate.  We're OK now, but it took me us a few days weeks. This is kind of how it went down 24-hours after the news broke:


There was a lot of this happening:

and J was really wonderful, and kept asking me this:

 

then it was his turn to do the emotional flood thing, and I got to do this:

and we kept coming back to this:

and there SHOULD have been this:

But actually having cookies in the house on the one night I really, really needed to eat my emotions would have been too nice. So instead, we did this:

The leasing company made a big deal about wanting to "work with you" to make us happy. But by the time Monday rolled around and we met-up with them, J and I had rallied.  And we felt really good telling them exactly how they had messed this up and:

We have 99% firmed-up our next plans and I will share those soon. We have had to delay our Florida trip to July which is lame, but I'm very grateful that we can still make it down to Charleston, SC to see family and be beach bums for the weekend!

On Vacation and Biking in Skirts

Happy glorious May morning!  How did you celebrate it?  I road my bike in to work in a maxi skirt (knotted at the knees for safety) and chambray shirt.  Yep! I looked so very Arlington, VA millennial, and loved every second of it.  I got some smiles, waves, and honks.  Women used to bike in dresses and skirts all the  time - what is the big deal?

When I feel torn between style and function, I like to ask myself: what would Audrey do?
From Pinterest

In a couple of weeks the Professor and I will be enjoying a road trip down the coast. The itinerary is built around maximizing relaxation, beach bumminess, and visiting with very loved family and friends along the way (Charlotte, Savannah, and Pass-a-grille, here we come!)  I am also looking forward to all of the books I will plow through!  I used to polish off several books a month with ease, but these days I count myself lucky if I steal a couple chapters during my morning bus ride or before my head hits the pillow each night.  

This is what I have on my possible reads list so far:

• Life After Life by Kate Atkinson
• The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt 
• The Invention Of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd 
• Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline
• The Burgess Boys by Elizabeth Strout 
• Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter 
• Where'd You Go, Bernadette by Marie Semple 
• The Other Typist by Suzanne Rindell 
• Queen Of The Air: A True Story Of Love And Tragedy At The Circus by Dean Jensen 
• The Painted Girls by Cathy Marie Buchanan 
• Too Bright To Hear Too Loud To See by Juliann Garey 
• The Unchangeable Spots Of Leopards by Kristopher Jansma 
• Tomorrow There Will Be Apricots by Jessica Soffer 
• The Son by Philipp Meyer
• Unbroken - Laura Hillenbrand

What else should I add?

Some of my Favorite Things (sans über kinder)

Today has been a day of favorite things.  I went to morning yoga practice, basked in the breezes and sunshine, was delighted to find that a family of blue jays have nested in the maple just outside our kitchen, and I put together my little window ledge herb garden!

The pots are home to basil, thyme, rosemary, cilantro, and Italian flat leaf parsley

I'm not sure what kind of plant this is, but I've named him George.

I sang a slightly modified version of The Sound of Music classic, My Favorite Things, not-so-quietly while I potted these this morning. Really, the only difference between my version and the original Hollywood version was that I cleverly substituted "bight happy blue jays" for  "bight copper kettles" and "potted herbs" for "doorbells"...and I had no über kinder on hand to sing backup...and I was sitting on the curb in my yoga sweats, not prancing in a billowy night gown...and I really don't have much of a voice so there may have been tone/pitch issues.  Apart from that it was exactly like the original.
Once that had me warmed-up, I covered a good chunk of  The Secret Garden. I couldn't resist - could you?

Musicals are also among my favorite things too, clearly.