They've Arrived...Dum Dum Dummmm

I wish that I was really technically savvy so that I could have some great space alien theme music going for this post, but alas I'm not. So, you all will have to pretend that you hear scary screams and Martian screeches as you read this next sentence...

They've arrived!

No, I haven't had an out of world experience or been beamed up to some flying saucer. I've got new neighbors. Neighbors of the upstairs variety...

Those of you that have been reading for any length of time or know me personally will understand why this calls for scary space alien music. I hate neighbors. I know, I know...that makes me sound horrible and well when it comes to noisy neighbors I guess I am. I had a horrible experience in college with apartment living so I guess I'm once burned twice shy. Neighbors were the one thing I had capitalized in the con column of moving to an apartment.

When I first moved in, the apartment above me was empty. I prayed that it would stay that way, but apparently God sees this as a trial in patience. At first I thought it was just this older woman, but since I've seen a man and a teenage girl going in and out. The man and woman hold hands and the girl calls them mom and dad...what are the chances they are just helping her move and they won't actually be living there?

I've tried to be understanding, patient, nice, but darn it...they sound like Sasquatch up there! There is much stomping and banging. Some might say I'm over-reacting, but when my friend Nina was here the other night she heard it too. I swear, sometimes I just look at the ceiling knowing that it is about to come crashing down on my head at any second. The only good thing...they seem to go to bed at a reasonable hour so my sleep isn't being disturbed...too much.

I went to bed a little early last night so I laid there, praying my ceiling fan wouldn't fall, and thought of ways I could ask them to walk softly. Maybe I could gently remind them that they lived on the second floor which meant there was someone below them...you know in case they forgot. Or maybe I could go up and say that I'd heard them moving in and slip in that it sounded like they were making their furniture from scratch. Of course I'd bring along a cake or something to take the sting out of the words. Maybe I could call the cops...loud walking in apartment 907 Officer.

But then I get realistic...no one called the cops, made tacky comments, or brought me a cake when I moved in. And I did my share of hammering. Also, no one complains when I get on to Toby about biting...which is fairly often. So, I'll probably just bite my own tongue and buy some new ear plugs. Besides...how long can it take to get settled into a new place right?

***I know this was a total rant post, but my blog so I get to rant!***

Clean Sweep

I feel like I've overhauled my house today! I returned home early from my parents on the premise that I needed some time to get my Christmas taken down and have just a few days to relax before school started back. Well, I spent the first two days at home slowly bringing the Christmas stuff to central location, but mostly sitting on my couch watching movies and diving into a new book. So, today was do or die basically...I had to get that Christmas stuff taken down!

Now, I love Christmas and I love getting all the decorations out and having my home be full of Christmas spirit. I also like the way my home feels after all the Christmas decorations are put back in their boxes and my normal stuff is once again in place. I've sat and just stared at the end table and lamp that are back in their rightful place. All I can think is...ahhh. I guess it all boils down to being ready to face the new year officially. I do still have a little pile of Christmas things stacked in the spare bedroom, but it will have to sit that way until I can get to Walmart and buy another one of those huge plastic boxes. Last year, I had room to grow in the decoration department, but this year I guess I got too much new stuff! Anyway, things are so close to being back to normal that I feel safe in saying that Christmas is down for another year.

Today I also sat down and got all of my thank-you cards written. Warning...soap box rant fixing to begin! From the time I was old enough to write, my mom made me write thank-yous for every birthday, Christmas, or any other gift getting occasion. Thank-yous are also appropriate after any act of unexpected kindness. It has just been ingrained in my personality that thank-yous are a must...especially after Christmas. Now, if you're not a thank you writer please don't feel like I'm judging you or anything like that. I'm not. I'm just saying that for me personally I'd feel awful letting a gesture of kindness go unthanked. Okay, maybe there was a smidge of guilt thrown in there! There were many to write, but they are finished and ready to be mailed out on Monday.

There isn't much of my weekend left, but I intend to enjoy every last minute of it. I might scrounge around in the DVD cabinet or dive into my new "grown-up" read, Plain Truth by Jodi Picoult. I think it was made into a movie and I've seen the movie. I've had to force myself not to skip to the back (I'm notorious for reading the back of the book first!) and see if I'm right. So far it isn't bad, but unfortunately familiar. We'll see how it goes.

By the way...I've updated my photo spot on my sidebar with some new pictures. A couple are even from this Christmas! I'm sort of critical about the pictures and usually crop the heck out of them but I figured I'd just go with it. So, go check them out!