Where, oh where have I been?

"How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives."

-Annie Dillard, The Writing Life

I bet that you thought once school was out, I'd be around here more often. Tricked you! It seems I've been around the world and back in the last couple of weeks (even if only in my head!) And, been without internet for several days at a time here and there.

First off, we've been trying to get our house ready to go on the market. Which, in this economy, means get ready to get screwed! Rob and I have been back and forth a million and one times, but hopefully progress will be made soon. Fingers crossed. Selling a house in a recession sucks!

And, because our house will soon belong to someone else, we needed to find a new place to live. An apartment hunting trip was in order. And, then the day we returned from vacation, Rob rushed up to Spartanburg to move in before his first day of work on the 11th.

I am bouncing back and forth between Georgia and South Carolina for a few weeks, but we were able to move most of our necessities for the next couple of months, so I'm making SC my home base from now on. The only thing we're really missing is a real bed and a sofa, but we're making do.

Oh, vacation... did I mention vacation?!? We spent Fourth of July week at Yosemite National Park with my mom's side of the family. It was a wonderful week, full of hiking, good food, connecting with family, and several adventures we had not planned on. Rob's and my knees are still hurting from the 40+ miles we walked, hiked, and climbed during the week. We've got a ton of photos and great memories. Can't wait for the next trip!

As for the job search... ug! Upstate South Carolina is not the graphic design hub that I had hoped. In two months of research, I've found a grand total of five jobs that I'm qualified for, and I've applied for them all. In fact, some of them seem like a perfect fit for my interests, experience, and career goals... I just wish that they'd call back!

I did have an interview last week, but despite psyching myself up for it all day, I got in a fender bender in a parking lot not 45 minutes before my originally scheduled time. So, despite the fact that I had gone to the library to get my new library card and become an official resident, I got the added benefit of meeting the South Carolina Highway Patrol. Unfortunately there was a witness who said it was my fault--we backed into each other and couldn't really tell who had pulled out first. Good thing I have "accident forgiveness" on my auto insurance!!

Despite the fact that my last teaching paycheck arrives this week, we're taking the opportunity to celebrate one last week of being "dual income-no kids." We splurged on big ticket items like a microwave, a new bra, and dry erase markers. Woohoo! These are exciting times!