A big, exciting change occurred in our lives this past weekend. A few days ago, I filled out an application after finding an adorable pup via petfinder.com. Lo and behold (we’ve done this several times before to no avail), we were called back by the lady who runs the shelter, who referred us to the foster mom for the dog we’d seen. Fast forward two nights, many questions about our family, lifestyle, home setup etc. and a drive down to Westfield, MA later and we were allowed to bring our new puppy Ali home.
I’ll be the first to admit that I probably talk as though I am older than I actually am, particularly around my younger sisters. They’re 8 and 10 years younger than I am. A veritable generation younger. Sometimes I feel like Dr. Evil: “I’m hip, I’m cool. I’m with it,” - though I try to use reverse psychology: “I’m not hip, I’m not cool, I’m definitely not with it.” Then I wait, expectantly, for them to reassure me: “no, no! You ARE cool and with it!” Which we all know is a lie.
M. turns three on Monday. How time flies! Of course, she’s quite the little girl these days, instead of a toddler.
When I was in California a few weeks ago, I was sitting on the couch knitting fingerless gloves for my sisters. M asked me: “Yiyi [“auntie” in Chinese] what are you sewing?”
Me: “I’m not sewing, I’m knitting. In sewing you use just one tiny needle, in knitting you use these bigger needles, see?”
Her: “Yiyi, what are you knee-ting?”
So we’ve been gone for a little while. A little 8 month while. I was surprised to come back to find that tumblr hasn’t deactivated this account, after my having let it… “lie fallow,” shall we say, for so long! A new year, a new resolution: post just a little more often in the next 8 months than I did in the last 8! Doable. Just the way I like my resolutions!
To be fair, I did warn anyone listening early on that I might be capable of this kind of start-off-strong-but-drop-off-badly behavior. Nonetheless, my guilty conscience wants to explain a bit about what we have been up to in the interim that has kept us somewhat otherwise occupied…
Now that our furniture has arrived, we get to slowly unpack. I can’t decide what I like less - packing or unpacking. Probably packing… at least with unpacking we get to take our time. We have piles of boxes like this in most rooms of the house. Fun.
But with the arrival of our things, a few firsts were enabled.
It’s been a busy few weeks but we’ve landed in our new home. I’ve started a new job. We’ve acquired a new car. And a new house. More details to come… but for now, a quick glance at how it happened.
First there was this:
(Joe attempting to work while I slowly close in on him with moving boxes…)
Here are just a couple of tips for dress shopping, based on my experience:
(Photo from nydailynews.com, click on the pic for a fun flashback to the wedding dress photo shoot from the Sex and the City movie. So my experience wasn’t quite like that, but I had my own girls with me; oh, and it was real.)
Soon after Joe and I got engaged back in September last year, people began asking me about our plans for the wedding. And, often, specifically, if I’d gotten a dress yet. To be perfectly honest, a dress was the furthest thing from my mind. There are many aspects of the wedding about which I am very excited, and first and foremost I wanted to plan the event, the gathering, the party, the coming together of friends and family. What I wear to said gathering seemed to be irrelevant. As with proms, graduations, dinner dances etc. in the past, my outfits are often picked randomly on the day before rather than carefully planned over the course of preceding weeks, let alone months. (I tried to find pictures to prove this often unfortunate and embarrassing tactic, but alas, I couldn’t find any old pictures on this computer.)
Quick update before I head to bed. In case any of you were wondering, and I know all 2 of you out there reading this blog have probably already been updated in person or via email or the phone… but, all seems to be well again in the world of the Shen-Bergeron felines. It took a little less than a week… but the growling, hissing and angriness have ended. Hallelujah!! As amusing as it is to see a tiny 7lb cat think she’s tough and emit bizarre growling sounds, it was getting to be irritating.
Everyone is friends again. Phew!
I really like this new cookbook! It’s just what I need as a safety blanket as I reacquaint myself with the art of preparing meals. That it features recipes tailored specifically for two is a huge plus - no more figuring out how to scale down recipes that ask for only one egg, for example.