It’s a little strange. I have only seven emails in my inbox at work. Usually, I try to keep it just under 100. I save emails I think I’ll need for future stories, etc., and since I only have two days left at this job, I’ve begun purging my email. And my paper files. Oh the paper files. I had to work over the weekend and I filled two trash cans with all the paperwork I’d been saving just in case some issue or controversy was renewed and I needed background info. Most of the paperwork was from stories I didn’t enjoy, so it felt rather liberating to toss them away.
But there are still plenty of people and stories and issues I’ll miss. Mostly the people – coworkers and the community members I’ve come to know through my job. The nice thing is that since I’m not leaving town nor leaving the business entirely, I’ll still see these people. Just not with the regularity I do now.
Even though this is a huge change, I haven’t been focusing on it as much as I thought I would. There are other distractions – like serious house hunting. We’ve found one we really like, and may make a move on it soon. We also have to finish getting our house ready. We put freon in the AC, Lee touched up some places where paint was peeling, and tomorrow we’re going to have a leaky pipe fixed. Then next week we’ll probably stick a sign in the grass and see what happens.
I also have our upcoming trip to look forward too. We’re leaving tomorrow for Myrtle Beach to celebrate our anniversary a little early. We’re going this weekend because we’re seeing The Killers at the House of Blues Friday night. I’m really looking forward to a weekend with Lee on the beach. We got a hotel with ocean views and a balcony, so maybe we can wake up listening to the waves.
The way Lee’s eyes lit up as we walked toward the checkout at Home Depot, you’d have thought it was Christmas morning. In front of him, he pushed a cart bearing a large box. In the box was a large and fancy new grill.
Our old grill has been broken for about a year, and we just couldn’t stand being without one any longer. So at 10:00 this morning I started marinating the steak, and we got the grill this afternoon.
But once we got that nice, big box into our backyard, it was suddenly like a sitcom episode. But it wasn’t very funny to us. We spent hours putting that monstrosity together. The very first step was confusing. The next step didn’t get any easier. There was a broken screw, we thought another part was missing until we found it under some cardboard we’d tossed aside, and there was an entire step left out of the directions. Fortunately, we stared at the grill and the leftover pieces long enough to figure it out – only to then see the additional sheet that had been stuffed in the box explaining the missing step. There was cursing. I muttered obscenities at some of the screws until they cooperated – it seemed to help.
Finally, at almost 9 p.m., the grill was done. The steak and asparagus were incredible. And most importantly, the grill works. We rock.
I did it. I finally did it. After years of wondering what to do, I quit my job today. Two weeks from today I will be closing the door on one career, and walking into another one. Exciting – yes. Scary – very.
For 6 years, this has been the only profession I’ve known. And some of the time, it was really, really great. The career always had its seedy underbelly, but I was able to stay focused on the positive for a long time. But in the last year or two, the more discouraging aspects seemed to grow larger and larger, until the scales finally tipped.
Then, there was a job opening. I applied. They want me. They really want me. That’s a great feeling. And I want this job – as far as I can tell. That’s the hard thing about change – I wasn’t happy with my old job, but at least I knew what to expect. I could hate this new career. I could be miserable. But I won’t know unless I try. I could be very happy, satisfied, rewarded and renewed. And if this is all a big mistake – I’m an adult. I’ll work to fix it and make it right. But I have to try something new right now.
Everyone has been so supportive – for which I’m very thankful. It’s not just a big change for me, it’s a change for my family too, and they’ve been nothing but encouraging.
One minute I’m so excited I can’t stop smiling. Another minute I feel close to tears with apprehension, and even saddness at leaving my current career behind. But whatever the outcome, after treading water for ages in my own indecision, it feels wonderful to see a path opening ahead, and be walking forward again.
I’m so glad Lee and I have been to the beach several times already this season. Usually fall comes, and I suddenly wonder where the summer went and why I didn’t spend more of it at the beach.
Today, we went with Nikki, Andrew, and Nia. Nia had such a good time, and we had fun watching her. She began the day a little scared of the ocean, but a few hours later, she was sitting in the shallow water, squealing and laughing every time a wave washed over her.
Tomorrow I have to work, but I’m hoping to get off an hour or so early because Lee and I are going with the realtor to look at houses. Lee and I have been driving around and checking out some of the listings she has recommended. We’ve put together a list of about 10 we want to actually see inside tomorrow. All this house stuff is exciting, but stressful too. I am reading “Under the Tuscan Sun,” and I felt these lines describe well what I’m feeling:
“You have to churn somewhat when the roof covering your head is at stake, since to sell is to walk away from a cluster of memories and to buy is to choose where the future will take place. And the place, never neutral of course, will cast its influence.”
I know it is Tuesday night already, but I’m just finding time to write about what a good weekend I had. Friday night, Lee and I celebrated our dating anniversary. Our first date was on Friday the 13th in May of 1994, and we’ve always said Friday the 13th is a good day. It’s not often that May 13th falls on a Friday, so we had to celebrate.
We had dinner at the new Mansion on Forsyth. What a fantastic place. It’s an old home that has been many other things, and is now a fancy restaurant and bar attached to an equally fancy hotel. Savannah’s only 5 star hotel as a matter of fact. It is on the edge of Forsyth Park, and we ate in a sunroom with nice views onto the grassy lawn. The service was great, and while we felt the menu was a little limited, the food was good. The company was the very best part. I’m looking forward to going back some time and visiting the bar. There are tables and chairs on an upstairs terrace where you can sit outside, listen to jazz music, sip a cocktail and admire the view. We wandered around the lobby a little, and were very impressed. We’ll be back.
Saturday we looked at 2 houses, and were not as impressed. One was very cute, but too small. One was plenty large enough, but in terrible shape. Neither were the right house. So we called our realtor. That was kind of scary. Exciting, but scary. Buying and selling and moving are all such big, stressful things.
Sunday, we spent three glorious hours at the beach. It’s finally warm enough for laying out, although still too cold for me to enjoy the water. I stretched my towel out on the sand and took a nap. I love waking up, blinking in the sun and trying to figure out for a second where I am, only to hear the waves and realize I’m napping on the beach. That’s a nice thing to wake up to.
Too quickly, the weekend was over. But I’m looking forward to this next one too, because we’re headed to Miami to see Erin and Dave. Good times.
Summer is definitely on the way. When I stepped outside today, the air wrapped around me like a warm blanket. It felt so good. I know it may only be a matter of days before it transitions into sweltering, oppressive heat and humidity – but I’m enjoying it for now.
Lee and I headed to Tybee for dinner tonight, just because we wanted to enjoy the good weather. We ate at one of our favorite beachside dives, North Beach Grill. I think the sand gnats ate more of us than we did of our meals, but we enjoyed it anyway. We thought about Anna and Jason, and how they were with us the last time we ate there, and started scheming about ways to go visit them someday soon.
Then we walked on the sand for a while and enjoyed the breeze and the view. I’m happy the days are getting longer, because there are still a few hours of daylight when I get off work. It somehow makes it easier to get out and do stuff, rather than holing up indoors. As we headed back to our car, a tour bus pulled up, and I was reminded again how lucky I am to live in a place people would pay just for a chance to visit.
First – let me say that it’s Mother’s Day and I really miss my mom. She is such a great mother and while I can send her cards and flowers and gifts – nothing is quite like giving her a hug and telling her I love her face-to-face. I hope she knows just how special I think she is, and how thankful I am for her and for our relationship every single day.
Lee and I spent this weekend in Fitzgerald, going to a family reunion and visiting his mom for Mother’s Day. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – I don’t want to live in Fitzgerald, but I’m glad it still exists, unchanged. Saturday, we took all of 6 minutes to drive around the city. She showed us some new apartments and we ate at the new Zaxby’s, but other than that, things were status quo. We drove by my old house, and the only noticeable differences were the pick-up truck and boat in the garage where our cars used to be. I have plenty of good memories from the town, and going back always takes me back. But aside from my mother-in-law, there’s not much for me there now except for the memories. And it’s a different kind of life there, at a different pace from what I’m used to now, and I don’t think I’d like living there again.
I always think it’s interesting how different backgrounds yield such different perspectives on certain towns. I was talking with a women from another small town near Fitzgerald, and she said she’d visited Savannah recently and couldn’t stand all the traffic. Just thought it was horrible. Yet, to my Atlanta friends the cross-town commutes are nothing. Coming from a town like Fitzgerald, I think Savannah is practically teeming with culture. I overheard a co-worker saying she and her husband were looking to move to a bigger town because there’s nothing to do in Savannah – no culture, no restaurants, etc.
Well, no place is for everyone, but I happen to think Savannah embodies many of the best characteristics of the towns I’ve called home – for me.
On another note, it’s a little sad to see just how unchanged some things (or people) are. There was a guy I went to high school with – he was a year or two younger than me – that I remember well because he was in my church youth group. He was always fairly immature and invited trouble, but wasn’t an altogether bad kid. When I was in high school. there were many weekend field parties. Someone who lived in the country would invite everyone over, start a bonfire, and most of the gathered crowd would drink canned beer or wine coolers and throw things into the flames until early morning.
Surely people my age don’t still do that? Well, that kid I was talking about was at a field party recently and got drunk and shot someone. The person telling me the story wasn’t sure if it was on purpose or not. Luckily, the other person was a good distance away and didn’t die. What is a guy in his upper-twenties (with a wife and child) doing going to field parties, and why does he bring his shotgun along? Idiot.
It’s a good thing my Volvo only sips gasoline, because Lee and I have burned a considerable amount of it driving around this town the past few months and looking at houses. And I am so undecided.
We ADORE our current house. It is our first house, and is a very good house. It will turn 80 next year, and has that old charm and cozy details we love. It’s just too small. Especially with Lee running his business out of our house, we no longer have room for guests. When everyone was in town for Erin’s wedding, they were stuck on an air mattress. No one complained, but I would love to have a guest bedroom again. And one day we’d like to have children -where are they supposed to sleep? The air mattress?
The first problem is that I have NO idea how much to sell our house for. When I’ve looked at other homes and seen the asking prices, I’ve often thought, “If they think they can get that much for that piece of junk, we can sell our house for a million bucks.” But in reality – I’m clueless. And how much we can get determines how much we can afford for our next house.
The next problem is where to move? We love Ardsley Park, but the houses there cost so much. We probably wouldn’t be able to get a house much larger than the one we have now and still be able to afford the payments. But the neighborhood is very desirable – I love all the parks and squares. I think it would be a good place for a family, if it weren’t so overpriced.
On the other hand, we could take a chance on a house in the Victorian District. There are so many AMAZING homes there – huge homes with all those old details and charms we are drawn to. But there are also crack dealers and prostitutes on the street corners. The area is being revitalized. We could buy there, fix up a house, and maybe the prostitutes and drug dealers will eventually leave the area when more reputable people move in – and we’ll have made a great investment.
Or we could get robbed on the way to the mailbox. Daily.
There is a part of me that would like being involved in the revitalization of the Victorian district, because I think it could be a great asset to the entire town. But at what expense to my personal safety?
At least we have the guard bassett hound to protect the house. Right.
Anyway, we’re not in the biggest rush, and it’s always fun to look and wonder and dream.
Well, her actual birthday is in a three days -but today we celebrated Nia’s 2nd birthday. She’s growing so fast now – physically, yes, but socially even more so. Every time I see her, she has learned so many new words (important ones like “Ginger” and “Lee”) and is speaking in whole phrases and seems to be understanding so much more.
Last year, she cried when her mom brought out the birthday cake. Everyone was staring at her and singing and I think she was a little overwhelmed. Not this year. Not only did she help blow out her candles, but she ate with a utensil (sort of).
And might I add, in the picture above, that stuffed animal behind her is the birthday present Lee and I gave her – a red panda we bought for her at the Knoxville Zoo. I was quite proud that she carried it around with her for much of the party. I think the panda was a hit.
She is so much fun to be around, and I can’t imagine what she’ll be like next year at her third birthday party. Not that I’m rushing her – it’s just great to see her grow into her own, special person.
Lee and I went to our first Savannah Sand Gnats game of the season. It was a beautiful night, and there was a huge turnout. I had a healthy dinner of nachos, boiled peanuts, and diet coke, of course.
When we left, the gnats were winning. I’m glad, but it would’ve been okay with me either way. I go to enjoy being at the ballpark more than I do to watch the game. Tonight’s outing did not disappoint. The sky was clear, the moon was bright, and the beer was cheap. I’m looking forward to many more games this season.
