All moved!

I'm not sure if you picked up on the fact that I was planning on moving/packing to move/moving/unpacking/no longer moving...  I know that sometimes I don't always share all the pertinent information with everyone, but.. I moved.

I went from a 850ish square foot apartment to an almost 1300 square foot townhome... for the same amount of rent per month.
Did you hear that?  That, my Dear Gentle Readers, was a sweet, sweet sigh of relief of no longer feeling "pent up" from me and Phil (and that dog is seriously a sigh-er, he probably learned from his Mom.  /shrug).

It.is.marvelous!

Often I have described my decorating style as cozy and a few blogs ago someone asked to see photos of the new place.  I was waiting to get stuff unpacked and mostly settled, but YOU WILL HAVE PICTURES AND YOU WILL HAVE THEM NOW!!!

See, sometimes I let you down (November recaps), but sometimes, I'm all over this shiznit, yo!

Ok first some "how to properly wear a Greyhound scarf" photos.
Donner really wanted to snuggle the other day.  I sat down in the floor to snuggle with him and he decided that he just wanted to hug my neck... with his body.

He might be looking away from me, but he was leaning on me so hard he almost knocked me over.

Ok, ok on to the tour!

Living room..

The dog crate wasn't up to begin with, but now that I have Donner (my first foster Greyhound), it's safer the crate is up... Even if it takes up 1/4 of my living room.
The really awesome "rug" at the door is because it's been raining a few days a week recently which makes my "fenced in grass spot" reallllllly muddy and Phil doesn't really seem to like to walk around the edges where it's NOT muddy.  Jerk dog.  So there's a towel for standing on and a towel for wiping off paws.

 Other side of the living room.
That bottle on the back of the couch is fabric softener mixed with water to try to help eliminate the static electricity build up.  I've been shocked so much and usually I get shocked touching a light switch, which makes it even worse!

 The final angle of the living room.

If you were involved in the FB voting for canvases back in December, you can see some of the winners displayed here!  The rest are in the tree dining room.

Moving onto the right side of the kitchen.. 

PS.  That is the cutest Valentine's doggy hand towel on the fridge door.  Seriously.

And the left side of the kitchen (this is starting to feel like the Cupid Shuffle (not because all the Valentine's stuff!))

PPS.  We fit FOUR people and 2 Greyhounds in here Monday night.  No JK.  My last kitchen could barely contain one person and a Phil.  So.much.more.spaces!?!?  I even have unused cabinet space.  

No jk.  LUUUUBBBB.

The dining room from the kitchen.

The table is fully expanded all the time now that I have the room.

   The dining room from the front door.

 Oh, hai Phil!

 Hall where the washer/dryer/HVAC/water heater/coat closet/downstairs bathroom are all located.

And we are now upstairs.

That's the StoryPeople print that Teh Sister got for me for Christmas this year.  :)

Master bedroom to the right.  You can't see the half bath past the closet doors.

And yes, those are Christmas lights.  I surprised Teh Bear with them (its special to us).

The other end of the master.  Phil used to barely have room for his one bed.  Now I could fit like 8 of his beds in the bedroom.  LUUUUUBBBBB.
Also, where my uniform is hanging is a walk-in closet that is the size of the outside storage room, which is really big for just clothes.  So much room for activities!!!

The only full bathroom (which some would consider a bad thing, but I didn't care about extra showers, only extra toilets).

And Donner, hai!

The monsters are seriously awesome.  I'm sad they no longer make this set... because that means I'm stuck with only 4 towels and 1 of each hand towel and only 2 of the wash cloths.

   

The storage room.  This is where a lot of work needs to happen.

Most of this stuff could be consolidated and put into the closet of this room and the spare bedroom and the rest could go outside in the outside storage room or under the stairs.  

SO MUCH MORE SPACES!!!!!

The other side of the storage room.

Teh Bear keeps telling me to get rid of the Cessna Engine (the fan) but I think I'm attached to it.  

I'm like a Hoarder almost.

The spare bedroom.  My first spare bedroom ever.  Also known as the "Clearance Room" because all the bedding (at least) was purchased on clearance and the bed was purchased off Craigslist.  

The light is on because I was waiting on Teh Sister to arrive for her first MD visit when I took these photos!

Casa de Teh Megan, we leave the light on for ya...

A final gratuitous shot of the hounds, because I just can't get enough of them. 

It's ok, you can admit you love them too... even if you think they are too skinny (they aren't!)

So that is the official tour of Casa de Teh Megan.  My lease here is for 2 years, which kinda makes my heart pound a little bit harder because that's a LONG time to be locked into a single place.. especially for ME, Queen of Moving Every Single Year Since 2004 (no jk).  Honestly though, when I walked in the door of this place when I was just looking for a place to live, I relaxed.  It felt like home before it was even my home.  

Sometimes, you just know when things are right and this place was right.  And I was right, this place is a sigh of relief every time I come home.  My landlords are unbelievably awesome.  Seriously.  They sent me a "congrats on your new place" card and a $25 gift card to Target when I moved in.  My landlord!  The people I will be giving money to spent money on ME.  I was shocked.  I wanted to hug their necks.  My landlords who met me halfway the Saturday night after I moved in because I locked us out.  A-M-A-Z-I-N-G.

Proof they really sent me a card.

Yes, I live across from a potentially shady gas station, but it means that I can walk to the ATM if I need cash.  Yes, I live across from a red light where I have to listen to some "thumper cars" (the cars with the obnoxiously loud bass), but I'm 15 minutes from work in bumper to bumper, all the way there, traffic.  AND... FOUR HUMANS AND TWO LARGE DOGS can fit in my kitchen AT THE SAME TIME.

I looooooooove my new place and I'm super glad I have a place to call home... and hopefully soon Teh Bear will be here with me!!  Fingers crossed, we're waiting to hear back on a job in the area...

Productivity, I haz it.

So what happened was.... the internet was down.  This is becoming a more and more common occurance, which honestly, is driving me crazy.. and is severely pissing me off.  Why?  Because I love the internet.. and I pay for the service... so when I don't have something that I pay for.. I get a little ticked off.  (I think I just too sooned myself on using the word tick.  I found a tick on myself last week!  Ewwww!)

Anyways.  The internet was down and I was off work and this daylight savings crap and its almost spring.. Which translates into, I was bored, it was still daylight out, and spring = spring cleaning.. or getting to stuff you still haven't done since you moved in.. its whatever.

So, for the 5 minutes the internet worked when I got home from work, I watched a video in between jets flying over.  Good times.  Till you experience the deafening roar of "the sound of freedom" (what aviators call aircraft flying overhead), you just don't know how much you either love or hate jet noise.  I'm a hater.  I hated it when I was at NMITC near NAS (Naval Air Station) Oceana and I'm really not a fan of it in Pax River either.  Lucky me.

Then the internet died.  While I was trying to message Teh Bear, of course.  So, I got motivated and changed into some PT clothes and took Phil out for a mostly jog/little walk.  He was pretty pooped after 2 miles.  Although it was the warmest its been for one of our jogs, so that probably played into it.  We made it home, with me dragging him only a quarter of the way home.  That last quarter of a mile Phil really has to be encouraged.  At one point I was sure he was going to just lay down in the grass and call it quits, but instead he was just marking some bushes..

When we got back, I felt like it was nice enough to open some windows and maybe even do something productive.. like clean up the 2nd bedroom.  If you are a Gentle Reader, then you know I've been working on cleaning up this bedroom for like.. ever.  And by ever I mean, since my HHG were (finally) delivered from Bahrain.  I had a goal to have it "cleaned up" before Teh Bear arrived at the end of Jan.. which turned into "organized".  I had put empty boxes in the storage "room" (a little closet space on the porch), and the crap was still in the bedroom.

Well, motivation and ingenuity finally hit me this week.  For several reasons.
1.  Worldwide Jesus Lover's wedding is this coming weekend, hopefully.  I'll be going out of town for that if there is a groom in attendance.  This also means that since I'm going to be out of town, I'm going to come back to MD with very little motivation to do much of anything besides pray the internet works, laundry, nothing.
2.  The weekend of the 24/25th is the last weekend before my endo surgery.  I considered a trip to PA if my 2nd Mom and Dad would have me (I don't think they read Teh Blog and I haven't talked to them about this yet, so this idea is extremely tentative).  If I don't go, that would have been a good time to organize the bedroom, but the last time I put it off.. well we ended up in March and that room was still wtf-ed.
3.  The week I'm going to have off for convalescent leave will not be a motivated time.  It will be recovery time.
4.  Teh Dad will need a place to sleep while he is tending to Teh Surgeried (I made that word up) on Megan.  Originally, we were considering his air mattress, but then I had a stroke of genius.  The loveseat still hasn't sold yet.  I was going to have Habitat for Humanity Resale come pick it up, but then I remembered, it has a very uncomfortable fold out bed!  That wasn't the genius part.  I've slept on that bed, it is an absolute nightmare.  I might make someone I don't like sleep on that...  The genius part was that I had a foam mattress pad in Bahrain for the not-king-but-as-big-as-a-king-sized-bed.  We could fold it and put a blanket over it and then a sheet and then = potentially more comfy bed!

With a goal in mind, I completely cleaned up the 2nd bedroom.  It's also managed to loose some of the cat smell (I often refer to the 2nd bedroom as the "cat room"), which was helpful in motivating me to want to clean it up.  I emptied the empty boxes out of the storage closet and refilled it with boxes of stuff, which I sealed up because there is a ladybug infestation in the storage closet, which is disappointing, but I can do nothing about.

The 2nd bedroom/less-cat-smelling-room now looks like this:

Those boxes are being donated.  So they are allowed.  The dog food got relocated to the closet.
PS.  I love that big blue chair!  :)

Look how much floor is there!

I should have taken a before pic of the closet.. because there were blankets taking up the entire closet floor.  There were uniforms scattered everywhere.  No longer!

ORGANIZED!!!!!!  ANDDDD CLEANED UP COMPLETELY!!!!!!!  SUCCESS!!!!!

I even did it all by myself.  Which is only a big deal, because packing for Bahrain required the company of Shoulda Been A Cowgirl.  I kept saying that I would clean up the room while Teh Bear was in MD cause he could be my company, but that never happened.

Sooo.. Yay for a place for Teh Dad to sleep and the room being set up for company to come and visit!  Eventually, I'll have something better than the crappy loveseat setup, but for now, I'm just glad I don't have to purchase something else for the apartment.  Yay for making what I had on hand work.

In other news, I'm still working on the Teh Bear Chronicles.  My motivation has been lacking, but the last post is half finished.. but its really long.

Life is good.. and I'm grateful.

Usually, every year around Thanksgiving your FB/myspace/twitter/whatever-social-media-you-use feed explodes with "30 days of thankfuls" or "I'm so thankful for.. blah blah blah" posts.  This year, I didn't really feel like I got as much of that.  Or maybe I would have if I didn't have so many people blocked?  Who knows.

Personally, I try not to play into all that hype of doing it just because everyone on Facebook is doing it.  I'm a rebel like that.  Nonetheless, off the the I'm so thankfuls definitely were reminders of everything that I have to be thankful for.  And, just to note, I was thinking about this laundry list of things WELL BEFORE Thanksgiving time rolled around.  I mean, I've been listening to Christmas tunes since September?

But, I really do have a lot to be thankful for, and not just because its Thanksgiving...  but because even when I think my life really sucks, it really doesn't.

(image)

For instance:
Living in Bahrain meant being away from my family for yet another year.  But I building up my savings account, which has definitely made coming back to America and paying for Real Life much easier.  I learned about working long shifts, which made me grateful for being able to get off work before dark.  I couldn't wear my uniform off base, which makes me appreciate being able to get ready at home and drive to work now.  I got my IDW, I got a NAM, I did some cool work, I met some awesome people.  While I will tell everyone for a very long time that Bahrain was the pits (which it is), it wasn't as bad as it could have been, not that I would have wanted to find out what could have been was.

I am grateful for many things:

-the support of my family/friends/Teh Bear.
There are days that I go without talking to these very important people (with the exception of Teh Bear who I do talk to everyday at least for a few minutes on bad days (good days=more than a few minutes)).  There have been days that I've talked to them several days in a row.  No matter what, I know they are there for me, always.  Like Teh Dad organizing the purchase of Indigo Montoya/Teh Turtle.  Like Teh BFF dealing with Teh ZepZep when he was down and out.

-having a job.
There's a lot of hubba-ballew going down on Wall Street right now about some job crap.  Ok, its not really crap, but I haven't really kept up with it because I have a job, which doesn't give me an excuse to be ignorant about world events, but some people are whinin', some people are bitchin', some people have legit complaints, and no one seems to have any solutions.  I have a good job.  It's plain and simple.  I could still be a server at Texas Roadhouse, but instead, I signed a contract and said, I'll be your peon US Government.  I might not like my job everyday, but I have job security for now, and for that I'm grateful.

-the ability to afford things.
This obviously stems from the last point.  Moving back to America is FAR, FAR from cheap.  I had to find a place to live, which the military does give me money for, but everywhere wanted a piece my first born child every month for a decent place to live.  I had to buy things that I didn't have: a car, furniture, things for the kitchen that I had to leave in Bahrain due to power sockets/voltage differences, clothes for winter, a chair to sit in until the furniture arrives or the packout get delivered.. THINGS.  Things that just keep adding up, that make me feel super materialistic, but at the same time.. Teh Dad says, "You're investing in your household."  Oh, am I?  Pretty sure I should just go buy some Kohl's stock.

-having things.
I have a still new computer, a brand new car, a brand new bed, brand new furniture (which will be delivered at some point in the next 3 months..), a new place to live, a new job, the ability to make new friends, new kitchen toys, new purses, new sheets.. Things.  While pointing all this stuff out makes me feel materialistic, I know there are people in Africa who live in a mud hut with a pottery vase for water from the river and a crude pot to cook over the fire with with 1 set of clothes...  So yes, its materialistic, I acknowledge that.  But, I also vow to make delicious goods with my brand new KitchenAid stand mixer and distribute them to people I know (this is me not being greedy, see?).  I also know that these things don't represent ME.  That having things doesn't make me a better person.  But having things makes my life more comfortable.  They aren't necessary, but they are definitely nice.

-being me.
Being away from friends/family, not being in America, putting on a uniform, sometimes these things make me feel like little parts of me are chipped away.  Having to deal with life without my peeps, living in a place where its not acceptable to say things I normally would or dress a particular way, being in uniform and having to follow rules that I don't always like...  these things are sometimes difficult for me to accept.  Not that I didn't choose this life, but Teh Megan who goes home to be with her peeps, who doesn't have to put on a uniform, in America.. she's a bit different than Teh Megan who was in Bahrain.  Granted, these things have also altered my personality in some ways (most would say for the better), but I notice a difference when I get to be with my people and not feel like I have to limit myself on things that are very ME.

I hate it when other people are right.... and I hate it more when someone is referred to as "Brother"....  (image)

Sometimes these things come to me when I'm driving down the road.  How I'm in Teh Turtle and its still new and it needs to be washed (how if I was in Bahrain it would get washed every day, but by an Arab, and man its delightful that most everyone speaks a variation of English I can understand) and how lucky I am to have been able to visit NC and NJ and how awesome the weather is (no matter what the weather is as long as its not over 75°F) and how delightful smelling my favorite fabric softener is and how it works so well on my new sweater and then my American cell phone might ba-dunk or Drrroid at me, and I smile because that's someone in America sending me a text or a notification from Facebook, and how I have a really good life.

And I believe the quote.  I believe that the more grateful I am for my life, the people in my life, the things I have, the more I that appreciate all that I have (vs how I couldn't have them) and the more happiness I feel.  Life is cool like that.  Tricky, but oh so awesome.

This one time, I molested a gigantic roll of bubble wrap...

I'll just let the pictures speak for themselves.  I may or may not actually be a child.

I decided not to do anything too risky while the movers were there to protect their roll.

Excited face!  Who loves bubble wrap!

This mo-fo is almost as tall as me...

I need to grow.. 

Things were starting to get steamy between me and the bubble wrap roll.

I was holding it close.

I felt like I should back off a little, so I gave it some space.

Then it missed my touch.

I was trying to see inside the bubble wrap roll.  Everyone has a heart somewhere.

Then we got naughty again.

I tried being smaller than the bubble wrap roll.

We were buds.

But I wanted more.  (I pretended the roll was really Teh Bear... not that I could dip him for a kiss..)

This was me telling the roll to be good.  Nothing too inappropriate, my boyfran wouldn't like it.

Shakin my booty at the bubble wrap roll.

What a comfy body pillow!

This is much harder than it looks.  No pun intended.

Look Ma, I'm flying!

Wrestling with the bubble wrap roll.. I was showing it who was the boss.

Balancing on the roll on the table.  And I cut off my own head.  Awesome.

I had the bubble wrap roll pinned.  It wasn't getting away.

Me serenading the bubble wrap roll.

PILLOW FIGHT!

Giving the bubble wrap roll a hug with my awesome packing tape bracelets on.

Taking the packing paper and beating the bubble wrap roll with it.  The paper was actually heavier than I anticipated.

Me begging the bubble wrap roll not to leave and making promises that we could have fun for a long time.

Please excuse the semi-bad quality of these photos.  I took my ancient faithful point and shoot and set the shutter delay.  I sat it on the counter and the dining room table and random boxes..  I took all these photos while the movers were taking boxes out.  Anytime I heard the elevator ding, I would run the bubble wrap roll back to the spot they left it in and return to my computer like I was being normal... Bwahahhahahahaha.. little do they know their bubble wrap isn't innocent anymore.

I wanted to wrap myself in it and take a photo, but one of them taped it closed before I could.