On Thursday, July 17, I went out with co-workers at Hog Haus for dinner and drinks. Afterward Leah and I hung out on Dickson until the small hours of the morning (she's off to Canada for two weeks of vacay and I'll be gone when she returns).
On Saturday, July 19, I went to the Famer's Market on the Square with Susie (my first time). I love the flowers, live music, and Arsaga's coffee. I'm discovering Fayetteville as I leave it. But, at the same time, Fayetteville will always be home. I'm conflicted over the whole you can/can't return to the same place idea. True, things are different my second time in Fayetteville. Much for the better. Some for the worse. I'm sure I've changed as a person as a result of my return, however, only time will tell in what way(s) I've changed.
Thursday, July 24
I wrote the paragraphs above last week, now, I'm sitting in my apartment as 4 ladies pack up my belongings. To continue:
I have said it so many times (but it's true) I can't believe I'm leaving. This whole move thing does not seem real. However, between the smell of packing tape and cardboard boxes mixed with residual cigarette smoke from the movers, and the fact I stayed up until 4:00 this morning separating out things that the movers should not take and labeling boxes that we had packed ourselves, and waking up at 7:00, it is all becoming a bit more real!
It would not have been so time consuming if I hadn't been working alone. Josh was taken down by a chigger attack last weekend when he went to Little Rock. He was playing disc golf and he didn't realize it until he got home and was all itchy. He thought he had mosquito bites but the itching would not stop. Then, the next day these blisters starting showing up on his ankles.
Oh my goodness! It was the sickest thing ever! Seriously, I should post pictures. The nurses (when he finally went to the doctor) said they'd never seen a reaction so bad before. His whole body was trying to fight off these little critters. Plus, he has poison ivy on one arm, too! All this to say, that he was given an IV of antibiotics yesterday and they left the splint in his arm until this morning. Josh can't do anything really, except try to recover, so I've had to take charge a bit. It is really great that we aren't moving ourselves this time!
Warning: These photos are pretty gross!!! They were taken BEFORE Josh went to the doctor, so the blisters were even bigger then this at one point!!!
So, yesterday was my last day at work. Yay for Mexico Viejo....best cheese enchilada E-V-E-R. At the afternoon going away party, I said I felt so loved...I'm confident that feeling that way about your workplace/co-workers is a rarity. I ended up staying late like the last time I left. In part, because I had a phone interview with Student Support Services at Arizona State University-West campus.
For the first time in my life, I did not completely stress out over the interview ahead of time... probably because I was going through all the emotions of saying good-bye. Wow-when Elizabeth told me that this was the last time I would see her, I lost it. I always like to think there's hope/possibility that it's not really the final good-bye and that maybe I could have stopped by her house before I left or had lunch or something. I'll say I'll see her whenever we come back to visit...it's a coping mechanism.
Regarding the interview, I told Susie and Aimee that I didn't know what questions they were going to ask in the interview so it wasn't as though I could study for this and have the "correct" thing to say. I feel good about the interview. They're holding in-person interviews at the end of next week.
Update: After taking a break to run errands to Walmart, returning my office keys, going to the post office for change of address forms-where I left my phone due to sleep deprevation!, and taking a much needed nap, I've found out that I was selected to interview in person next Friday at ASU-West. Awesome! That's Josh's first day of work, too. Crazy! I am truly amazed at how everything is coming together for the Arizona life.
Move details: Things finally fell into place at the start of this week. I received confirmation from the movers, which meant I could buy plane tickets...one way tickets seem so final. We fly out Monday morning around 9, arriving in Phoenix at 11:30. I still need to book a rental car. We plan to grab some lunch and then meet Joyce and Gary at the Villa for the final walk through (hey, why NOT call the house "the Villa" all the time?). After that, we'll go to the title company to sign all the documents.....Due to our loan, we're walking into the Villa without having to pay for anything upfront. Even our earnest money is being returned and we have one year of home owners association fees paid for as well......Then, we'll wait for two weeks for our stuff to show up :)
My brain just screamed out, "I can't believe we're doing this!" Seriously, am I going to be a homeowner? I can't wait to take everything OUT of boxes. I'm excited about using all the things we've received as gifts but never had the space to actually use.
As I've said before, I want to really be myself in Arizona and not hold back who I am. At the same time, I feel like I'm still trying to figure out who I am. I think that realization has to be one of the biggest life lessons I've learned from returning to Fayetteville. I'll end with this quote by Oswald Chambers that Susie wrote in my going away card. I think it sums it all up perfectly:
"Personality is the unique, limitless part of our life that makes us distint from everyone else. It is too vast for us even to comprehend. An island in the sea may be just the top of a large mountain, and our personality is like that island. We don't know the great depths of our being, therefore, we cannot measure ourselves. We start out thinking we can, but soon realize that there is really only one being who fully understands us, and that is our Creator."
No comments:
Post a Comment