live out loud: a smattering, if you will

Today, we win.

Jessi and I turned in our applications for an apartment last week and TODAY I got a call telling us that we got it!! This was a cause for joyous dancing in my cube and high fives all around. Oh man, we are READY to start this grownup thing. Living with the Blasers has been a huge blessing and we LOVE them, but it's time for us to have our own space and start to feel like we're making our own way. And, just in case you were curious, we will be making our own way in a pretty sweet location. Our apartment is a walk away from the marina, the grocery store, the library, a hole in the wall thai place and 3 retirement homes (Jessi and I are going to scope out the Bingo playing options). Now, here's the downside--a side that Jessi and I have decided to view optimistically, but others seem to think we're crazy--apparently our apartment has a 20% approval rating (we saw this AFTER we turned in our applications). And I'm almost certain that that 20% came from the managers writing nice things about the apartment with an alias name. BUT, as Jessi's boss pointed out, nobody goes on those websites to write nice things--they only go on there if they want to complain. Now, don't freak out, but I will tell you that the words "black mold" and "sucky management" were used quite a bit. But, mold schmold, you know what I'm sayin? This apartment has been renovated and is the biggest, nicest, cheapest, best locationest place we found. So there, respiratory system. Take that.

So I think we're going to be moving in next weekend. The parents will come and help us get situated. My dad has vowed to buy me a nice silverware set--he's very concerned about it. "You can't have forks that bend," he says. I love him.

Work was good today. I am getting it and being helpful and being encouraged and that equals a pretty dang good day. Man, working life is interesting. I have thoughts on that but I'll reserve them for when I'm in a more melancholy mood. But right now I want to tell you that what Jessi and I have on the docket for tonight is to make grilled cheese sandwiches and watch West Wing and then go to bed early. Doesn't that sound lovely?

Jessi and I are real funny together, I'd say. We are basically married. We pack our lunch together for work--we actually eat all our meals together, now that I think about it. We share a room, a closet, a car, a bed, the building we work in, our hearts, our worries, our support and lots of laughs. People have warned us that we need to be careful--friendships are ruined this way. We know this. And we're not under any illusion that it's going to be great all the time--but we're communicators and we're dedicated to loving one another and maintaining this beautiful friendship we've built--so don't you worry.

Last weekend we babysat my boss's kids so he and his wife could have a date night. They were so precious. So, so precious. Ah! Kids! They make my heart so happy!