Apathy? Or just bored!

It's been a very quiet couple of days. Too quiet. What thunder looms on the distant horizon?

I don't actually think anything bad is in the future. I am just a tad under the weather, and so I don't have much in the way of ambition this week. I worked a bit, and slept a lot, and have spent more of my time just trying to catch up with silly stuff online. The house, I am ashamed to report, is still coated in dust and dog hair. It's general fatigue, the kind that you can't alter no matter how much sleep you get. Every now and then, this fatigue sets in, causing my muscles to weaken and my head to ache. Since there's not much I can do in the way of seeking relief from it, I spent these periods just trying to forget that I'm tired.

I printed out my entries on this blog, on a whim and with a sense of horror (should the hosting site ever crash!), and Jeff was kind enough to run to OfficeMax for a binder and those clear plastic sheet protectors. I now have a hard copy of my journal.

In just a few days, we will celebrate our 1 year anniversary in Ohio. Looking back on this time brings smiles as well as sadness. There are still projects to do around here, and I miss my parents greatly. But we have spent one year in this state, and not a day goes by that I don't wake up glad to be here - it is a place of peace, despite the stupidity of some of my family here (who shall remain unnamed, as it would only further their opinion that I might think of them as rude dunderheads... which is true... but that is a different story! Not all of them are on my ignore list. Actually, my cousins from my grandfather's side are absolutely delightful, as is my cousin L!)

Moving memories are funny things. I kept a handwritten journal of the whole process, from arriving by plane in OH to begin our house hunt - through the following year! There is a huge gap between June 24, 2005 and Aug 15, 2005, as we were too busy for me to even chronicle things. I did a guilty recap of events on the 15th, just to keep a few memories. The things that seemed to have the biggest impression on me (as they were the things I recorded a month and a half after we arrived) were...

"We packed like mad, had to put stuff in storage, and had to leave my outdoor (Christmas) garland behind - NIGHTMARE! Mum helped with the last minute packing."

"We left CO bright and early. Kansas was HOT, 108! Zephyr and Zen had to ride in the truck with me (yes, I drove the monster moving truck) as they could not handle the heat. The VUE's AC will not work in towing mode. Jeff did a good job of driving - when he wasn't swerving because of (4) dogs. We checked into the hotel at 2 am that first leg of the trip. The next day wasn't so bad, but we were beat (by mid-afternoon). We called the men who we hired to help unload, and rescheduled, then got another hotel and slept. Left (that hotel) at 1 AM and drove... and drove... and drove, got to Steubenville and sighed with relief. The things I remember most about the drive are: 800 lb prairie dogs, "Drunken Brethren welcome you", rest stops inside the median, driving through St. Lewis through all the twists and turns.

"We didn't have enough room on the 26' truck (note: we moved ourselves 1400 miles, using a rental truck and hired moving men), so we had to pay for a hitch on the Vue. OUCH!"

"Dad Doug sent us a $500 housewarming gift to help us get by as the move cost $700 more than we planned! Thank you Dad! You saved our lives this month."

"Bought a lawnmower (8/15/2005). It's gas. Aw, our first gas lawnmower!"

My entries ramble on like that for a while, and then there is a big lag between the fall and December. Likewise, more lags between December and March. I really am terrible at keeping handwritten journals. I can't not write fast enough to keep up with my mind, and I really have never had a desire to learn shorthand.

What have I learned as I look back over this year? For one, I have learned that the grass can be greener on the other side. I do not miss Colorado, with the exception of my parents and the nature that surrounds Colorado Springs. I learned that the altitude out here is better for my joints and health. There are a few more wonderful lessons, but I'm feeling a bit too sleepy to recall them.

On a positive, I-actually-did-something-today note, I managed to do an entry on the other blog. Mt. Saint Caffiena: The Master Carpenter and Us, if you're interested. I still have not caught up with all my email, however.

What is today, anyway? That's terrible! I'm sitting here actually wondering if it's Wednesday or Thursday. Boy, talk about apathy! It is Thursday - I asked Jeff.