Summer?

Wow, I'm still alive and the blog still exists. Things are picking up around here and I have friends! Well, a couple, but my closest ones are leaving Norfolk. Bummer. :( So I'm going to try to make a real effort this summer to be outgoing and meet new people (well, when I'm not in China or South Korea!). We'll see how that goes.

A Holiday in Norfolk

This might be a little overdue...but oh well!

I spent the whole weekend unpacking and organizing. Yes, I've been here over a month now, but the holiday season is coming up and my parents are driving to Norfolk to spend Turkey Day with me. Neither of my sisters were planning on going home, and my dad is retired and bored, so they're hitting the road. There will be no cooking, but there will be eating. I made reservations at the Smithfield Inn. It's old, it's historic, and it's the birthplace of the Smithfield ham. I've been dreaming about the food since I made the reservation a month ago. Their Thanksgiving menu is a beautiful thing.

I don't know what the rest of the weekend will hold, but maybe I'll report back here :P

new home

I made it to Norfolk. It’s been a journey: four days of driving and over 1500 miles. I arrived in town on Monday afternoon after spending Sunday night in Richmond with my cousins I hadn’t seen since my high school graduation in 2002 (at least that’s the last time we remember…). Friday and Saturday nights were spent in Louisville with some Gamecock faithful. I tend to have been a witness to the most devastating away games that USC has played the last few years. We beat the #1 team in the country one week and then I get to witness them lose to Kentucky the next week. Despite these terrible circumstances, I did get to see a few faces of some good people I haven’t seen in awhile.

I also got to spend a few days in the M-town—sleeping late at my parents’ house and seeing old friends. Never enough time to see everyone or eat all the food I miss when I leave home. I did get some BBQ Shop in and managed to make some money by working an event with BRIDGES. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to escape that job! I started out as a photographer and then got pulled in to lead a group of FedEx execs through some challenges downtown. They had to eat peanut butter and banana sandwiches at the Arcade (Elvis’s fav and oldest restaurant in town), put on full fireman suits at the Fire Museum, and sing Blue Suede shoes at the Rock and Soul museum. Bridges always does such creative stuff! Here’s a picture:

So here I am in Norfolk, sitting in a coffee shop by myself on a Saturday night. Not that this isn’t something I would’ve been doing in Denver (well, if I wasn’t working at Target…), but it’s different when it’s your only option. I do live in an awesome neighborhood where I can walk around, grab some food and a cupcake and do some people watching. At least that way I almost feel social, or less like a hermit. :P

I start the job on Monday, so then at least I’ll be around people! In the meantime, I still have a lot of unpacking to do because I keep wanting to spend my days doing other things…like visiting the beach!

saying goodbye to Colorado

Since I accepted a job halfway across the country, I think the mountains have been teasing me with beautiful sunsets and fall colors for two weeks now.

Today, in an effort to say goodbye, I drove up to Estes Park to get some good shots of the aspens in their full glory. Here are some of the results of my day long excursion. Enjoy!

j-o-b

I've officially accepted a position as Study Abroad Advisor at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, VA. Real world, here I come!

Big Days Ahead

I should probably be in bed, but I'm pretty sure I wouldn't be able to sleep anyway. The reason? At 6am I'll be boarding a flight to Virginia (by way of Ohio...)! Off to be wined and dined for a perfect job on the beach. There will definitely be some less fun parts including the multiple interviews and the public presentation, but I really hope its at least enjoyable. And I really really hope they like me!

I get back super late Monday night and then turn around on Thursday and get another flight to Nashville for an interview just north of there in Kentucky! A little less wining and dining on this one, but at least I'll get to see my sister! The job is a little more administrative than I'd like, but who am I to be picky about a full-time job in the field I'm trying to get in to?

So please be thinking some good thoughts for me this week! And I'll be sure to post here (for my two readers) if I hear any news!

An Important Day in Rachel-Land!

Man, I haven't had a day that I could call a great day in a long time, but today pretty much rocked. As of September 1st, I could've been homeless, unemployed, and uninsured. BUT! I'm not!

It was the last day at the "real" job which might have been tragic if I didn't feel like it was a good thing that they forced me to move on/fired me and that Target wouldn't have let me go full-time. Anyway, I found out they do love me and they brought me banana pudding and THAT, my friends, is a true sign of friendship. You can always buy my love with banana pudding!

Also, managed to find a place to live! One of the sublets I looked at last week ended up working out. It's nice, it's week-to-week and perfecto for my situation, especially since I have two friends coming into town this weekend.

Lastly, I got some short-term health insurance. Not super exciting, but at least I don't have to worry about it anymore.

The cherry on top of the great-day-sundae was getting another interview and this one is for a job in Denver! =no relocation needed! Though the beach in Virginia is still tempting too...

And folks, the fall breeze made it an exceptionally perfect day :)

Hope your day was great as well!