I am settling in.
I still don't have internet. And for once, it's not user error. It's all on Verizon. I have cried on the phone with at least five representatives. Which is actually a pretty good record, considering I have talked to at least 20 over the past few days.
But the lack of internet means I have been productive. Insanely so. The downstairs is nearly finished. I just need some sort of art to hang on one wall and to recover the tragic built-in couches (fabric is on the way). It's shaping up though. Not Sunset magazine style. But E&P style.
And my office almost done. A few more frames on the wall and a bunch of plants to green it up and then I'll be ready to share.
I have completed a big wall art project that I'll be sharing here tomorrow. It's one of my favorite things I have ever made and it's going to be a present for Paul. He already saw photos and I think it made up for the fact that the office has been painted a very real shade of pink.
Yes, I cannot be too angry about the fail that is Verizon. I also can't be angry that the oven doesn't work and it's totally unlikely I'll get my 40 loaves baked by the end of the year. I cannot be angry that my brand new fridge arrived damaged and had to be replaced. I cannot be angry that the washer/dryer delivery has been delayed. I cannot be angry about anything.
I think I needed to do this move alone.
My parents have both said a few times since Paul deployed that I am handling this whole thing (him being gone, the move, etc) better than they expected. And then they are always quick to say, "Not that we expected you to break down or anything..."
Which is funny. Because The Elise Way is sort of to break down. Ask my parents. Ask Paul. Ask my college girlfriends who watched me get rejected from job after job our senior year. I usually react terribly to bad news. Then I get a grip, look on the bright side and deal with it. It's my style. And it's horrible to be around me during the breakdown, but I usually make up for it with a good attitude shortly after. No matter how minor or major the setback, I tend go through the five stages of grief in record time - totally annoying, but at least efficient.
But when you live alone, the drama, the break-down, the anger is counter-productive. Bitching about my problems to myself is exceptionally boring. No one cares. No one commiserates. No one tells me to pull it together.
Plus - and of course, this is the main point : Life is Good. Paul is gone, but he'll be home. We get to live here. We thought nothing would top San Diego and yet, internet-less, oven-less and with the most dire post office situation I have ever seen, this town and our new house still tops it.
My perspective about so many things has changed the past few days.
Most significantly, my business plan for 2012. I think I am going to dive head-first into blogging and workshop & book development. The shop/sales portion is going to take a backseat for awhile. I am working out the details and will be sure to share them, but I've realized that this blog, tutorials and projects are my passion at the moment and have been for quite sometime. It's what I want to be doing and therefore what I have to be doing to stay sane and deliver quality product.
And as for the projects on the horizon : I am currently collecting driftwood for a big wreath that will hang above our mantle. I am gathering sticks to make the frame for a dream-catcher to hang over our bed. I am dreaming about building and planting an 8x4 foot garden on our back patio next March when Paul is home. I am leaving the loft area and our bedroom pretty much empty and letting decorating ideas for those spaces come to me. I have a plan to make a fun display out of test-tubes and airplants.
I am waking up early and moving non-stop all day. I am falling into bed at 10pm and treasuring dreamless sleep. I am busy. I am happy. I sometimes feel like my life should be a movie montage or at least a HGTV Trading Spaces style show.
As mentioned, life is good.
