My One Year Anniversary

Can you believe it? It has been a full year since I moved back to the USA. I don't know if it feels like I just moved back yesterday, or if it feels as though I have been back in the States for years.

In one year my sister was accepted to Alvin Ailey (her audition was on 12/12), moved to New York City, got her learner's permit, transferred to Joffrey Ballet School and moved into a dorm room (without parental supervision) in Greenwich Village.

In one year my brother graduated from college, got an awesome job, moved to Wyoming and somehow became a grown-up.

My other brother, in one year, worked his tail off, spent his 13th summer at camp as a counselor and started going back to school.

My father moved to Abu Dhabi.

My mother has cleaned out the basement and the attic, replaced the roof, visited her three children in new homes and I'm sure I'm missing things...

Wilbur lost 7 pounds.

Tupper started eating a new brand of dog food.

As for me, I have lived in NYC, Saratoga Springs, and Madison. I worked in an amazing bakery and as a cabbie for models in Manhattan. I dabbled in online dating and snagged myself a fantastic boyfriend. Yes, friends I have boyfriend. I have a wonderful job that I am enjoying more and more every single day. I ran two half-marathons, raised a lot of money for Crohn's and Colitis Foundation, turned 25 and got bangs.

As I mentioned earlier, on one hand I think oh my gosh, has it already been one year? But on the other hand I can't help but think, all of this stuff... it's only been one year?

Happy 12/12/12!

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Happy Aaron Rodgers Day!

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Happy Hump Day!

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Happy Anniversary!

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Whatever you are celebrating, happy day to you!

 

Me? I'm celebrating wonderful memories from abroad, great opportunities in the US, and fantastic friends all over the world.

There are highs and there are lows

I may have upset a few people with my post about making friends. One person, who will remain nameless, called me for clarification. The post upset her for a few reasons. It made her sad to think that I was struggling with making friends. The post also resonated with her, and her current situation in a new place, trying to make friends. The post must have come off more sad than I had intended.

Yes, I am trying very hard to make friends in this area. And no, it isn't easy in any way, shape or form. But, I am doing my best to enjoy the ride.

With that said, I will admit that there are highs and lows. The past two weeks, in general, have been really great. I have been very busy with work and various social commitments. This weekend I was excited at the prospect of laundry, cleaning, yoga, and studying. Sure enough, Saturday afternoon rolled around and I found myself sitting in the parking lot of Bed Bath & Beyond in tears. I received this email from my mom:

The tears that had slowly been filling up my eyes during the week spilled right over the edge and onto my cheeks in the parking lot.

I intended for this post to have a much happier tone than the last, but unfortunately, today isn't one of the highs. I have had plenty of highs since moving to Madison, but today isn't one of those days. I want a hug. I think I'll have to settle for making cookies to mail to someone, in hopes of making his or her day a high.

How do adults make friends?

I'm trying really, really hard, but at the end of the day, I'm all alone.

Moving to a new city is very challenging.  I don't have any friends.  I have been through more emotional highs and lows than one would experience on a roller coaster.

Last week was great!  I was very busy.  I had rowing in the mornings, an ice cream date with coworkers, trivia night, and an online dating date. 

I was thrilled for the long weekend and the prospect of sleeping in and relaxing.  Saturday morning I rowed, took Wilbur for a long walk and then treated myself to a Groupon pedicure.  Immediately after my pedicure I went to buy myself speakers for my apartment.  Unfortunately, I walked into Old Navy first.  There were tons of sales going on (and a very attractive employee encouraging me to try on more items) and I got a little carried away.  Needless to say, I am still using my computer speakers to listen to music, but I am rockin' a great new top right now.

After my little shopping spree I headed to Capitol Square to work at Taste of Madison.  I was volunteering with the Jaycees at one of the beer tents.  I had researched the group at my mother's recommendation and signed up for the first activity I could.  I showed up to the beer tent in an awesome new pair of pants ready to serve some beer, enjoy the vocal stylings of Mr. Kix Brooks of Brooks and Dunn, and meet some new friends. 

Four hours later I had a minor crush on a repeat beer buyer with a perfect smile, and plans for an evening out with the Jaycees.  We traveled in a pack to a nearby brew pub for cheese curds and beer before going to the one and only nightclub in town, if you could even call it that.  I walked home a little after midnight to find Wilbur sleeping on my bed.  His plan for me to come home too late and too inebriated to notice was a failure, and he was immediately scolded and sent to his own bed.

The next morning I pried the pup out of his bed and for a walk so I could report to half marathon training before 9 am.  I ran my prescribed 4 miles and hung around for a while after the run in hopes of sparking an amazing friendship with one of my fellow trainees.  I was home before 11 am without any new BFFs. 

Wilbur and I took another walk, sans headphones and sunglasses, with the intention of locking eyes with anyone awesome and starting a great conversation, and naturally, a lifelong friendship.

We were home within an hour.

I vacuumed my apartment, cleaned my bathroom and kitchen, listened to music from my telephone horn and eventually got ready for the Day Before Labor Day Barbecue I was invited to.

An iPhone horn.  It only costs about $5 and it is really awesome.  If you can't control your spending at Old Navy and therefore don't buy yourself real speakers, I highly recommend this.  It's also really great for using in the bathroom when you take a shower. 

With the top down and my passenger seat empty I sang my heart out all the way to the middle of nowhere for the barbecue.  I brought my standard brownies and impressed the crowd with my Wisconsin beer.  Beer chicken, buffalo dip, tomato mozzarella salad, and many conversations later, I drove home.

Monday morning I was ecstatic to wake up, see the clock read 6:04 am and turn over.  After 10 am I jumped out of bed with the excitement of a child on Christmas morning.  With nothing on the agenda and an amazing night of sleep under my belt, the day was destined for greatness.  Wilbur and I walked the long way to the dog park.  No amazing connections were made on the way there, but the small pack of humans at the park looked promising. 

While awkwardly standing and watching our dogs sniff each other's butts, we humans laughed and made small talk.  My phone buzzed in my pocket.  A text message.

Heather sent a mass text that her surgery was scheduled. 

I hadn't finished reading when the only person that regularly calls me started flashing across my screen.

"Hi, Mom."

I clipped the leash to Wilbur and we left the park. 

After my mom accompanied me on my walk home and asked me more questions about Heather's surgery than I could answer, I was back in my air conditioned apartment and all alone again. 

I spoke to Heather just last week and she told me surgery was the next step, but having a date scheduled made it real.  My heart hurt.  My heart hurt for Heather.  I wanted a distraction from my racing head and hurting heart, but I didn't have one.  My day was open, and I was all alone in Madison.  I am always alone in Madison.

So this is where I ask for audience participation!  How is an adult to make friends in a new city?  I have been trying all sorts of things and I still haven't found that person or those people, so any advice will be welcomed with open arms.  How am I to make friends?

The Next Stage in Our Relationship

Madison and I have entered the next stage of our relationship.  We are now at the point in our love affair when I can give someone directions.

Whenever I move to a new city, I have a fear that someone will ask me for directions before I know the answer.  I must subconsciously send out a vibe to people in my immediate area that screams, "please, oh please, ask me for directions!  I am too nice to ignore you!  And even though I am avoiding eye contact, it is just my coy way of getting you to talk to me," because people ask me all the time.
Someone in NYC would ask me for directions on a daily basis.  At least.  I was fortunate enough for most places to be tourist traps, and therefore I knew exactly which direction to point people in.  You want to know where Times Square is?  No problem.  The High Line?  I got this.  The Empire State Building?  Grand Central?  The Williamsburg Bridge?  Come on, give me a hard one!  By the time I left New York, I felt confident.  Driving played a huge role in that confidence, and it was a great feeling to have.  Oh, Philippe....

Living in Madison was a whole new can of worms.  Where is the Square?  Good question!  Because if I can't see the Capitol building, I don't know.  Where is the Terrace?  The what-ace?  Where is the lake?  Ooh ooh!  I know this one.  Oh, the other lake?  It's, uhh, that-a-way... I think.

Walking Wilbur around the city has helped me to learn my way around.  I try to take different routes on our walks.  We walk to the dog park one way and a different way home.  Sometimes we get lost, but we always end up back at the apartment.  And I end up with a few new streets added to my ever-expanding mental map of the world.

But walking a dog makes you an obvious local.  I'll admit that technically I am a local, but I don't feel like one.  So every time I walk past the obvious tourists in town, I drop my gaze, talk to my dog, and keep on walking. 

Over the weekend, everything changed.  My eye-contact-averting tactics didn't work, and the man on the bike asked me if I could point him in the direction of a street.  My eyes lit up and I said "oh my gosh!  Yeah!!"  I think I probably came closer to yelling it than saying it based on his reaction, but I was so excited I could say yes!

Sure enough, the biking tourist wanted to go to my street!  Of course I know where it is, because I live and walk on it every day!  With an ear to ear smile I pointed him down the hill and to the left.  He rode away and I walked in the opposite direction, becoming increasingly more confident in my relationship with Madison.

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Who Knew Grocery Shopping Could Be So Challenging?

Where did I move again?

Last time I checked, Wisconsin is in the same country as New York.  But every time I have gone to the grocery store I have thought otherwise. 

Moving to a new city and finding a grocery store is challenging enough without dealing with Crazy Grocers, Inc. of Madison, WI. 

There are probably six different Targets around the Madison area, and I have been lucky enough to go to most of them.  As my lists grew longer I would break down and take a trip to Target.  While I was there I would usually end up walking through the grocery section to pick up the few things I needed.

But two weeks into this game I knew it was time for a change.  My fake grocery shopping wasn’t going to cut it forever.  And, I wanted to learn and feel comfortable with a grocery store before I lived here for six months and would only shop at Target.  And, let’s be honest, Target is fantastic, and the fact that they have grocery sections is wonderful, but real grocery stores are so much better.

So I sucked it up and went to my first grocery store.  I went to Metcalfe’s.  Before you ask, yes, I went to a grocery store next to Target.  I guess I used it as a security blanket.  Maybe I was thinking that if I was too nervous to shop at the real grocery store I could park in the lot, and just stroll right into Target.

Am I sounding like a crazy person?  Am I the only one that stresses out about shopping in a new place?  Because I do!  I get nervous when I’m trying to find a new store.  To help defend myself, think of your grocery shopping experience.  I am going to assume that you usually go to the same store, or possibly one of two stores.  You know which door you will walk in before you arrive.  You park your car closest to that door, take a cart or basket from the same place you always do and shop for the things on your list.  When you think of your grocery store, can you picture where your favorite type of apples are?  Do you know where to get peanut butter?  How about your ice cream?  Do you know which brand of milk to purchase?  And what color the 1% milk is?  Because I have news for you, different milk percentages have different colors in different places.

You probably all passed that test with flying colors, so now take a moment to feel my pain.  Walking into a brand new grocery store you don’t know any of those answers.  Heck, I couldn’t figure out which milk to buy!  And in America’s Dairyland, that is a little bit of a problem.  We have all tried plenty of new grocery stores, but there is a very big difference between a home shopper and a visiting shopper.  The home shopper knows all of the answers and usually fills a cart or basket with the basics and essentials.  The visiting shopper is on vacation or just headed to a party on the other side of town, only breezing through the store to buy beer, potato chips, and maybe a birthday cake.  I’m the home shopper, or at least I’m trying to be, but I’m the girl blocking the aisles, flipping u-ees, and walking the entire store three times before completing my trip.

Now that I feel I have your sympathy, I’ll continue. 

I walked into Metcalfe’s and immediately felt under dressed.  The employees were wearing collared shits, ties, and full aprons.  It was nice, but far from Price Chopper polos or Target red.  The floors were beautiful and the lighting was pleasant.  I paced back and forth through the produce section, almost being tricked into purchasing organic items on more than one occasion, before making my way to the deli counter.  With no numbers in sight, I stood directly in front of the display case, deciding on the turkey that wasn’t the absolute cheapest, but pretty darn close.  The deli ladies were both busy, but saw me standing there, each saying, “I’ll be right with you.”  Then, one by one, female shoppers walked up to the counter, placed their orders and were served before me.  This happened three times!  What happened to “I’ll be right with you?”  Or what happened to a simple, “I’m sorry, this woman was here before you, I’ll be right with you.”  Are women in Madison blind?  Or does the whole Midwest nice thing not apply within grocery store walls?  Luckily a man was the next to approach the counter.  While I glanced over at him he kindly said, “oh, go right ahead.  You were here first.”  It must have been my staggering good looks that finally got me my turkey.  And the wedding ring on his finger that didn't get me the date.

When I arrived at the checkout line the sixteen-year-old pimply stick of a girl started ringing up my items as she asked the famous paper or plastic?  When I said plastic she and her equally pimply and awkward bagger looked at me like I had three heads.  I didn’t feel the need to defend myself, but in my head I thought, don’t you know that dog poop has to be picked up?  The bagger boy began putting my items in fancy schmancy plastic bags- the kind of heavy duty plastic bags that don’t even work for dog poop.  When I noticed that the bagger also had normal plastic bags, I asked if he would use those.  He gave me a look like I was completely crazy.  Okay, I was going to have to explain myself…  I simply said, “I use the bags when I walk the dog, so I don’t need really nice ones.”  He looked at his cashier counterpart who gave a typically teenage eye roll and then back at me.  He said, “uhh, we only use those bags for frozen things.”

I knew I wasn’t going to win this one, so I gave up.  When the last of my fancy plastic bags were in my cart the cashier mumbled, “you want a drive up?”

“Excuse me, a what?”

“A drive up.”

“I’m sorry, I don’t know what that is…”

Major sigh in disgust….“We stand with your cart and you drive your car up”

“Oh, gosh.  That won’t be necessary.  Thank you.”

And I left Metcalfe’s with my tail between my legs, absolutely exhausted, and with only one dog poop bag holding my ice cream.

When I told coworkers about my experience they all agreed that they had never heard of a drive up, and that maybe Metcalfe’s was too upscale for my taste.  I was told to go to Copps.

The next week I went to Copps.  I got myself a Copps card and had a decent enough experience.  The next week, I returned.  When I checked out, I felt confident handing over my card, and excited to be acquiring gas discounts.  As the woman finished ringing me up and I swiped my credit card she said, “are you playing Monoploy?”  I thought I must have misheard her. 

“What was that?”

“Are you playing Monopoly?”

Nope.  I was right, she did ask me about Monopoly.

“I’m sorry, I don’t know what that means…”

“It's a game.  Monopoly.”

Think, Meaghan, think.  Of course Monopoly is a game, but why would I be playing it?  What does this mean?  And why are all grocery store cashiers crazy?  Oh!  I got it!  My telephone is in my hand!  Maybe there is a Monopoly app that is popular!  That has to be it!

“Oh, no, my telephone is off.  I’m not playing.”

With that, the cashier rolled her eyes so hard I thought they would get stuck, picked up a random piece of paper from behind the register and said, “no!  Monopoly.” 

"Oh."

I pushed my cart away. 

After speaking with my office mate the next day he informed me that Copps is playing Monopoly, similar to the way McDonald’s has done it in the past.

… and I was supposed to know this how?

Needless to say, I am still searching for a grocery store.

Fancy Phones Change Friendships

I have spent enough time back in the US now to make, what I feel to be, appropriate and unbiased observations.  Yes, when I first moved back I had a hard time transitioning.  Ask anyone and they would confirm that every other word out of my mouth was Thailand.  Instead of "Mr. Sopelak said..." it was "in Thailand...."

But now, I have moved on.  I still love Thailand and miss it, but I am unbelievably grateful and happy to be back in the US.  That being said, I have a bone to pick with, well, a lot of people.
What is it with people and their phones?!  Ahhh!

Yes, I bought myself an iPhone, as I assumed I would, but I really don't think I am addicted to it.  The reason I believe I can say this is because it is so obvious to me that most of the people in my life are.  I am going to be honest and say that none of my friends are important enough in their jobs to have to check their emails every thirty seconds.  Sorry, but it's true.  And, if the email needs to be checked, it probably doesn't have to be done in the middle of the story I am telling you.  Or, while we are walking down the street.  Or while we are eating dinner.  None of us are that important.

I am guilty of checking my email too frequently, and I know it's only because I can. I know that the Banana Republic, amazon.com and West Elm advertisements, promotions and sales will still be there in a few hours, but I check for them regardless.  I check my email while I'm watching television, or waiting for the subway, but not while I am having a conversation with someone. I cannot stand that my friends choose our face to face time as an appropriate time to check their emails! If it is that important, or you are that important, excuse yourself. All it takes is a simple, "I'm sorry, I need to check for an important email. Oh! Here it is. I am going to quickly read and respond." That wasn't so hard, was it?

Then there is the facebook thing.  I love a great facebook stalking session just as much as the next person, but every twelve seconds?  How much could have really happened?  Did someone just comment on a photo?  Or update a status?  Or "like" something? Ahhh! Must. Know. Now! Really? You don't need to check your Facebook that frequently! How about we have a real conversation and take some photos of our real life interaction. Then, you will have something new to add to Facebook.  I know, I'm just talking crazy now.

But my number one telephone pet peeve is the texting. Oh. Em. Gee. The texting.  I have never been a huge fan of the texting.  I was in Thailand when I think texting really blew up.  I clearly remember driving home from the airport on my first trip back to the States in the fall of 2010.  My mom was driving and I borrowed her phone to get in touch with a few of my friends.  I called Dave and left him a voicemail.  I told him that I was back in the area for two weeks and would love to see him.  As soon as I hung up my mom said, "ummm... we don't really do that anymore."  I felt as though I had missed part of the car's conversation while I was leaving a voicemail and asked, "don't do what?"

"Leave voicemails.  Everyone just texts now."

And there it was.  I was thrown back into America with the slap in the face that I was behind the times technologically. 

For those two weeks and every other trip I took back to the States, I kept on calling.  I wasn't going to give in.  I love hearing a person's voice.  I love hearing their reaction and sarcasm and knowing what they meant by something, not wondering how a certain response was supposed to be taken.

I like to think that I have continued to keep up with my original goal of calling, but it isn't all that easy.  Now, I do understand that texting has its purpose, but I cannot stand text conversations.  If we are going to go back and forth a hundred thousand times, and misunderstand each other at least 500 times, can't we just call?

But the worst, literally the worst (quoting my cousin Mike right there... it has become a family joke) thing about texting is that people are always doing it.  Texting is fine when you are alone, sending a quick message or figuring out where people are, but not okay when you are with other people!  If you are spending time with me, for goodness sake, please stop texting all those other people!  No wonder the rate of ADHD has risen 28% over ten years! {source}

Everything we could ever want, need, dream or hope for, and more, is right at our fingertips in our telephone!  One conversation is no longer enough.  Now, we can talk to someone, play a game with someone else, text another person, poke another, wink at a fifth person and comment on another person's status all at the same time!  And I didn't even mention tweeting!

Okay, I'll get down off my soap box, pick up my iPhone and tweet about this blog post, proving myself to be a complete hypocrite, but I'm not with anyone right now, so I'll still consider myself to be the exception to the rule.

Don't stop tweeting, blogging, Words with Friends-ing, poking, Facebooking, emailing or  even texting- because I'm not going to- just don't do it while I'm trying to have a conversation with you, please!

It's a hard knock life

Wilbur has a tough life.  Every morning when I wake him up for his walk, he lets me know just how tough it is.  Sometimes he whines, other times he stretches for a good ten minutes, but his favorite move is to refuse to open his eyes.

Pretending to be asleep.

The night before we left for Madison.

I will give him a little credit, because the past two weeks have been really tough.  I took him away from his family and his best friend and immediately made him sit in a very hot car for 19 hours.  I made him stay in a bizarre hotel and ride an elevator.  Side note: watching a dog ride an elevator for the frist time, or the first few times, is absolutely hilarious.

His throne in the car

After the car ride I put him in a strange house with more strange people.  (The people weren't actually strange, just strangers to him)

The next day I made him stay in another new place with weird smells, bizarre sounds outside the door, and no furniture.  Only two days later I woke him up at 5 am.  This may have been the worst for him.  If Wilbur had control of his life he would go to bed at 8 pm every night and not wake up until 11 am.  Unfortunately, my new job likes me to arrive before noon, so he and I were up at 5. 

We took a nice long walk along a path that is becoming familiar.  And then I locked him up for the day.  But not before giving him his anti- anxiety treat!

There is a wonderful pet store down the street where Wilbur and I are quickly becoming regulars.  When we went there the first time the cute owner asked to be introduced to Wilbur.  When Wilbur backed away and put his tail down when he tried to give him a treat the man asked if he was always so skittish.  I explained that it had been a stressful week, and Wilbur had become a nervous nelly with the move.  The adorable man recommended special anti- anxiety treats to help.  And with a flash of his pearly whites, I was sold.  Yes, cute pet store owner, I will now medicate my dog.

But before you think I'm terrible for leaving Wilbur in his kennel all day, let me explain that he loves it!  He sleeps in his kennel by choice at night, and finds it comforting.  When everything around him has changed so significantly, his kennel and bed are the same, and he likes that.  I also put his kennel in my closet, so he can't hear people coming and going in the hall, which I think keeps his stress level to a minimum.

Luckily, last week was short, so Wilbur was only home alone for two days before I spent the day at home with him.  On the fourth Cait and I took Wilbur out to dinner with us at Roman Candle, a pizza place down the street from my apartment.

On the way home he stopped at our new favorite pet store.  I think we have different reasons for it becoming our favorite, but it works well for both of us!  The pet store was closed, but Wilbur didn't understand that.  He sat down in front of the door and didn't want to move.  The cat of MadCat came to the front door, and Wilbur was in love.  As she slinked back and forth, rubbing her back against the door, Wilbur followed her every move.  And now, he and I have similar motives for frequenting the store.

This past weekend I brought Wilbur into Waggin' Tails Doggy Dude Ranch to begin his life as a daycare-goer.  He had his temperament test and was immediately thrown to the wolves, or the pack of 30+ dogs in the small dog area.  When I was allowed to see him I was informed that he was doing quite well.  From a doggy daycare newbie, he looked like a brown noser to me, standing right next to the dogsitter waiting to be pet, but I guess that was good?  The woman said that the fact he wasn't hiding from the other dogs or getting aggressive were good signs.  Whatever you say, dog lady!  And so Wilbur will be going on Tuesday to play with the other pups and not be medicated while I work.  His cubby will remain empty, but if I decide to, he is allowed to bring special treats, toys or even an afternoon snack with him. 

Go ahead, make fun all you want.  Trust me, I know how silly it is.  I wonder if we will have quarterly parent-teacher conferences...  Progress reports?  Graduations?

Just after all of my stuff was delivered... see the over dramatic puppy?

One week down...

... and ? more to go.

I may have only worked four days, but I can honestly say I'm loving it!  And I'm loving more than just my job.  I'm loving my apartment.  I love the location, the size, the kitchen, and, oh, I could go on.  I am loving the people I work with.  My office mate is fantastic.  He is a University of Wisconsin Madison graduate and knows all the secrets of the town.  He also has lots of friends in the area: score!  I am also loving Madison in general.  People are so friendly here.  And everyone loves Wilbur, so that is a fantastic conversation starter.  (Maybe he'll score me a date?  Fingers crossed...)

But don't worry, it isn't all rainbows and unicorns.  And I am not looking at the world through rose colored glasses. 

My apartment is incredible, but I don't know if it is mine yet.  My mortgage is still pending.  So, at the moment I am renting the apartment on a nightly basis in hopes of closing on the 16th.  All of my things were delivered by the moving company on Friday.  This is amazing!  .... except for the mortgage.  Now, if I don't get this apartment, I have 2,000 pounds of stuff I have to move in a very small car.  With all of my stuff in my apartment I was psyched to begin the process of unpacking, but once again I don't have my mortgage.  So do I really want to unpack everything and repack in two weeks?  Nope, not exactly.  For the time being, I have unpacked a few dishes, my DVD player and more clothing.  I also found my roller blades and my iron, so I'm set for a while. 

Oh, and my things arrived, but from the two boxes I have opened, my moving company is not on my good side.  I found one broken wine glass, one broken baking pan and a broken picture frame.  I did all of my own packing, so I didn't want to blame those things on them.  But then I noticed two of the four corners on my dining room table are completely chipped and there is a massive scratch on the leaf for the table.  My dresser has a huge chunk taken out of its foot and one of the feet on my bookcase is falling off.  I know my things had to travel 1,000 miles, but, really?  Don't you carefully put it on a truck, drive, and then carefully take it off the truck?  That's what I think a moving company should do...

Luckily I don't own anything of significant value.  My dressers are who knows how old, and the bookcase was from Target in high school.  But, I still care!  I have always tried to keep my things in good condition, and I hate that they look like this now.  The biggest chip on my shoulder is the dining room table.  It's a gorgeous table my mom gave me.  It is a really nice table that she doesn't have a home for anymore.  And it isn't cheap or old!  And now it has a massive scratch and chips.  Total bummer. 

But what are you gonna do? 

That was a real question. 

What was I to do?  When the movers came to pick up my things they wrapped and packaged my furniture as they saw appropriate.  So how was I to keep this from happening?  As much as I love Madison, I do believe that I will move again in my life.  I don't plan on dying a crazy old dog lady in this apartment, so how do I keep my furniture from being destroyed?  Any suggestions?

Okay, enough with the furniture chatter.

Madison is fantastic.  Life is looking good. 

Now, I'm going to do some of my homework before taking Wilbur to the water ski show on the lake.  And maybe treat myself to some ice cream?  Yes, I think so.

Six Months

Six months ago I moved back to the US.  Crazy, yeah?  Yeah, I think so too.  So much has happened!  So much has changed!  But, one thing hasn't changed.  I haven't stopped missing Thailand.

In honor of my six month anniversary back in the USA, here is my video.  You should probably watch it again.

I'm so excited!!

First of all, let me apologize for the formatting. I am borrowing my mom's iPad for a few days, and it does not like paragraphs or tabs... I am really excited for Madison. Correction: I am really, really, really excited for Madison. Last week my dad and I went out to visit and to find a place for me to live. I had us booked with a few different apartment showings on the first day we arrived.  Some were better than others.  But after two full days of searching, visiting and deciding, I found a place! It is absolutely beautiful and in the most perfect location! The apartment is on Williamson Street, or Willy Street, as it is affectionately known by the people of Madison.  Directly below my apartment is an Apple store with a very nice selection of products and male employees!  Across the street is a coffee shop.  A few doors down from me is a cafe. There is a pet supply store one block east and a delicious restaurant with an impressive happy hour one block west. Behind my apartment runs a bike trail. And two blocks south is the beach. Come on! Does it get any better? While in town we went to multiple restaurants and multiple happy hours.  The food was delicious and the beer was awesome.  One morning my dad had duck confit hash, and I thought he was going to change his mind and skip Abu Dhabi for Madison.  The beer took his love of Madison to a whole new level. On Wednesday morning we headed out to Verona to visit the Epic campus. I had forgotten how big and amazing it was! And with the weather in our favor we were able to explore the grounds more than I had during my interview. We took a self- guided tour and explored places that I had not yet seen! There is an entire wing modeled after New York City! It is complete with a delicatessen, subway car, and even a rat! My dad was clearly overwhelmed by the campus and referred to it as Disney World a few times.  I only became more excited for my move.  I can't wait to find more hidden treasures in the office, to be able to work in such an interesting and creative environment. Three different moving companies came to my house to give me quotes for the move.  And after approval from Epic, everything is booked!  Yes, I'm a little nervous, but mostly, I'm just excited for June 26! Two days of driving before setting up my new life in the land of cheese.   I'm excited just writing about it! And please come out to visit me! I plan on getting an awesome pull out couch, so guests will always be more than welcome! Is it June 26th yet?!

Another great day in Saratoga

Last night I went out to a friend's camp in Galway, a town just west of Saratoga.  It was a small group of friends from high school.  The house sits on a small lake, and although we didn't partake in any lake activities, the view was gorgeous.  We spent a great night drinking beer, catching up and laughing.  There was a lot of laughing.

Liz in her "camp attire."

This morning we all went our separate ways, but not before I was invited to the kickball game later that afternoon about a hundred times.  I didn't commit, but knew I would probably end up there.  I went home, attempted to get my affairs in order for the coming week, and then I hit the gym.  I swung by home, picked up Wilbur, and we headed to the park.  When we arrived, what I saw was perfectly Saratoga.  And exactly what I love about this town.

The team, New Kicks On The Block, had an iPod blaring music over the kickball field.  There were parents, family members, friends, significant others and dogs of the players littering the sideline.  There were coolers of beer, coolers of water, and orange slices.  And the field was filled with many of my very good friends from high school.  Everyone was very excited when I arrived, but unfortunately I was late.  Somehow I received incorrect information, and arrived thirty minutes late... whoops!  I still watched them keep their undefeated record and crush the other team.  After the game finished, they quickly put together another pick up game while I chatted on the sidelines.

After a quick clean up, we all jumped in our cars to head downtown.  The kickball league is sponsored by Peabody's Sports Bar, so of course we had to head there.  The players, significant others and dogs tagged along for more beer and discounted appetizers.  We took over the outdoor patio area as the sun dried the puddles from the brief rain storm.

It was wonderful to be sitting in Saratoga with friends, old and new, just hanging out.  One of my friends came over and asked, "you know, you don't have to hate Saratoga so much."  I looked at him and was completely baffled.

"What do you mean?  Hate Saratoga?!"
"You just keep moving away!  But this town isn't as bad as you think it is."
"Are you kidding me?!  I love Saratoga!  I adore Saratoga!  Yes, I have to move for my job, but I'll come back.  I WILL come back.  This place is awesome!"
"Oh."

I'm not sure what signals I had or have been giving to make him think that I hate Saratoga, but let me clear the air.  I love Saratoga!  And this day was the perfect example.  I'm going to miss having so many friends around.  I'm going to miss the chance to be on a team with some of my very best friends for the past 10 years.  I'm going to miss downtown.  I'm moving to Madison, but that is not because I hate Saratoga!  It isn't even because I dislike Saratoga!  I'm moving to Madison for a job.  End of story. I have every intention to come back to Saratoga.  It may be three years from now, or it may be thirteen years from now, but it will happen.  I will be back.  This town is great.

I WILL make friends!

In my search for a new car my dad keeps reminding me of the Saab that is sitting in the driveway.  Garvey just bought himself a car, and my dad will be leaving the country for the year, which puts my parents in possession of too many cars and not enough drivers.  The plan was to sell the Saab, but my dad can't seem to part with it, and has offered it to me on multiple occasions.

Now please don't think of me as a spoiled brat for turning it down, but I have my reasons.  For one, I was really excited to buy myself a car!  This is the first time in my life that I will be making a significant purchase- like a car.  This is also the first time that I have had a significant enough salary to make such a purchase.

But, there is another reason.  While I was shopping for cars I made a list of my non- negotiables.  On the top of that list is four doors. After driving the Saab, and being a passenger in countless other two door cars, I know what a hassle they can be.  The massive doors, the seats that must be flipped, the seatbelts that are at the most awkward angle ever, and I could go on.  But as I attempted to explain this to my sister she said, "Meaghan, what do you really care about having to flip the seats for people to get in the back? It's not like you have any friends in Madison that you'll be driving around!"  I further explained the hassle by saying that just putting groceries or anything in the back seat cannot be done without flipping the seats.  When I realized that she wasn't going to understand I said, "you don't even have your license!   You wouldn't understand."  I walked away from the conversation feeling a bit down.  I do have one friend in Madison, but I fully intend to make more.  And Erin had only reaffirmed one of the things that make it hard to move to a new place: the lack of friends and family.

Two weeks later when the topic of the Saab came up with my dad, he again urged me to take the car.  I told him I would consider it, but I was still hesitant.  I again explained my dislike for two-door cars.  He looked at me sideways, as in, what is wrong with only two doors?  I then went into my spiel about friends getting into the back and having to get out of the driver's seat and flip the seat for passengers.  My dad chuckled and said, "but you don't have any friends in Madison!  Who are you driving around in the car?!"  This time I snapped.

"I do have a friend!  Caitlin lives there!  And seriously?  It's a new town, of course I don't have a ton of friends!  But do you really think I won't make any friends?  I have every intention to have a ton of friends there!  And I intend to have them be passengers in my car!"

And with that, our conversation was over.

As more time has passed, I have decided to take the Saab.  If the car is really just going to be sold, I might as well take it, right?  And, even though it isn't my dream car, it is pretty great.  The car is also Wilbur's favorite, because he can open the window with his paw.  (Thank goodness for child safety locks!)  I have plenty years of life left to have my dream car, or more appropriately, dream cars.

On June 26th Wilbur and I are heading west in the Saab.  Hopefully the top will be down and the weather will be perfect for our ride.  And when I arrive in Madison I will be thrilled to jump out of my seat to let passengers into the back!  By George, I am going to make friends... lots of them!  The more the merrier!  Anyone want to be my friend in Madison?

Rabbit Rabbit Rabbit

Happy June 1st!  Happy new month!  And happy summer!

Oh my goodness!  Where did the last 21 days go?  What have I been doing that I haven't been able to publish a single post?!  Trust me, I am wondering the same thing myself!  I have missed this little blog.

But, with a new month, a new temporary living arrangement, a new car, new furniture and a new condo (gasp!) I have been quite busy, and I have a lot to catch you up on!

I still have a handful of posts sitting in my drafts that I simply haven't had enough time to finish writing and edit, but not to worry faithful readers, you have lots of stuff coming your way!

My goal this month is to write a post every single day.  And considering June is my month of unemployment, this shouldn't be too challenging.  I just hope you won't mind if I jump around a bit.  I still haven't told you anything about The Kiwi Bergers trip to NYC!  I have to write about my sister's final performance, the Hot Blondies Bakery booth, moving home from NYC, visiting Madison, WI with my dad, and getting a condo!  Gasp!  I still can't believe I have it!

Then how about the fact that my dad is moving to Abu Dhabi?  Yeah, I have to write about that.

I'll write about Madison, furniture, cell phones, moving, baking and anything else that may come to mind. So stay tuned, because it is going to be a great month!  I can feel it...

But first how about a few little photos?

Walking across the Brooklyn Bridge the last weekend I lived in NYC.

Packing up my life for Madison, WI.

The two things Madison is known for: beer and cheese curds.

Lake George: where I should be spending the rest of the month.  Mmmmm.

Nerves and Insomnia

I was planning on finding an apartment online.  Then, a very good friend of mine told me that was a terrible idea.  I completely agree with him.  So now, my dad and I are going to take a trip out to Madison for a few days at the end of the month.  But, apartment hunting is still stressful.  I'm searching online and feeling a little overwhelmed and underprepared.  And, should my dad really be spending his last few days in the States with me in Madison?  I'm not so sure...

Then, there is the car shopping.  Do I get a car close to Saratoga?  Or start fresh out in Madison?  And honestly, what car do I get?

How about furniture?  There is some extra stuff at my parents' house, but I completely forgot to look at it last weekend.  And how will I get it out to Madison?  I need to start pricing moving options... renting a UHaul, putting it on a truck, shipping the little things.... there are so many to choose from!

I have to change my address.  But, this has to remain at the end of my list, and hovering over me, until I actually have a new address.

What about money?  I have a job, but I won't start until July 2.  And, I will finish working in the city on May 18th.  That's a long time without an income.  And my savings, well, we aren't going to think about that right now...

Driving out to Madison, where will I stay?  I need to find a dog- friendly hotel along the way.  Oh, Wilbur and I are going to have a quite a fun drive together.  I should start making a playlist for the car.  Shoot.  I need to get a car charger for my telephone!  The last thing I want to worry about is my telephone dying while I am all alone on the road.

No wonder I can't sleep.

It's 2 am, and I am wide awake.  All I want to do is go for a run tomorrow morning before I head to the bakery, but at this rate, I'm not so sure that will happen.

But, I will tell you that I am planning to run a half marathon on July 14 in Wisconsin.  Now that I have put it out there, I will be held accountable.  Hopefully I will be able to sleep now and start training bright and early tomorrow!

Moving to a new city is hard

I knew that moving to Madison wouldn't be easy, but I have only had the offers for three days and I'm already stressed.

Shopping for an apartment online is a pain.  Shopping for an apartment that allows dogs is a big pain.  And shopping for an apartment that will be available this summer in a city that is mostly made up of college students is a really, really big pain.  Oh, and I'm not even thinking about the location of the apartment!  Let's just say I have spent an ungodly number of hours clicking away on apartment sites only to find out it won't work.  I'm a little frustrated.

I'm feeling stressed.  I don't think I am necessarily stressed, but instead, my nerves have disguised themselves as stress.  And the "stress" is not doing any favors to my face.  Can we say stress blemishes and furrow lines?  I'm just very nervous about the whole thing.  Another new city?  Starting all over again?  A job?  I'm nervous.

Tomorrow I will send my recruiter an email with my decision to take the position that doesn't require travel.  I'm excited for this.  I have already written my references thank you notes, because we all know that they can work wonders, and in this case, they did!  And then I will stay busy with lots of exciting activities in the near future, hoping to keep the stress blemishes at bay.

Just to keep you informed of the exciting things I am looking forward to:

1. My new running shoes should arrive in the mail this week!  I don't care if they aren't the coolest, they are going to feel wonderful on my feet.

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2. I am having lunch with Ann on Wednesday!

3. I am going home on Saturday!

4. Being at home means I get to see Wilbur! (And my family, of course.)

5. I am getting an awesome haircut on Saturday! I'm crossing my fingers for the awesome part.

6. Liz's 25th birthday party is on Saturday night! Wow, I'm starting to feel old. Well, at least I can say I'm employed as I get so old.

7. I bought new shoes for Liz's party.  Okay, I bought lots of new shoes.  I went to DSW with Erin to purchase a pair of black heels for work and a pair of shoes for the party.  I got a little carried away and walked out with five pairs of heels.  A word to the wise: never go to DSW with Erin.  Or Nicole, for that matter.

8. I'm going car shopping this weekend!  I'm not going to tell you about the awesome one I found yet, because I don't want to jinx it.

9. Next Monday starts the NY Auto Show.  Well, not technically, but I start working the event next Monday.

10. Next Thursday I'm headed to Virginia for Allie and Joe's big day!

11. Laura Beth is coming back to New York with me after the wedding for a few days!

Okay, I'm stopping at eleven. But trust me, I could go on. All of these exciting things in the future should definitely be able to keep my stress levels down for a while.  Or, all of these exciting things will keep me busy enough to stress me out more about not making progress on the move. The stress level will just continue to grow and fester under the excitement.  Shoot, that sounds rough.  I'm putting my money on scenario A.  I'm going to be an optimist for this one.

Two Cents

This morning I received a telephone call from my dad's BFF.  I usually refer to him as my dad's boyfriend, but for those of you that don't know my dad, or know that he isn't gay, I'll call him his BFF.

I was extremely embarrassed when he called me at 9:30 this morning and I was still asleep.  In my defense, I went to the midnight showing of The Hunger Games and didn't arrive home until 4 am, but I was embarrassed nonetheless.  The BFF called to congratulate me on my job offers and offer me his two cents, as I had asked for.

He told me that if it were him, he would choose the job requiring travel.  He went on to explain that I am young and without commitments (read: single) and the Madison winters can be brutal.  He said I would probably enjoy and appreciate getting out of the city during the winters and exploring other parts of the country.  He also said that the traveling job would be a great resume builder.  He had a similar position when he was younger and gained a lot from it.  The money would also be a factor in his decision, but as he gave his reasoning, it seemed more like an afterthought than anything else.

I thanked the BFF for his input, and apologized again for being lazy and asleep so late.  He said if he weren't working, he would still be asleep as well.  I'm not sure if that made me feel better or worse, but I thanked him for his help and said goodbye.

When I pressed "end" on the call I was thrown back to square one.  As I digested what the BFF had told me, I realized that I wasn't, in fact, back at square one at all!  Everything he said were things I had considered, but things I had decided against on my own.  His two cents was worth a heck of a lot more than a couple pennies.  His two cents helped me to realize what I really want in my life now.

As exciting as the travel seemed, I have been doing that for years now.  It sounds far more exciting for me to move to a city and really start my life there.  After I graduated from Tulsa in 2008, I lived in Saratoga for five months before traveling with Garvey.  After an August and September back in Saratoga I moved to Thailand.  I traveled throughout southeast Asia during my time there, and moved back to Saratoga in December, and then New York City in January.  Right now, the last thing I want is to travel.  The idea of living in an apartment half the time and out of a suitcase half of the time doesn't sound so great.  Coming home and always having an empty refrigerator does not sound ideal.  Instead, I want to know Madison.  I want to join a kickball team.  I want to have a favorite bar.  I want to make friends.  I want to join a book club.  I want to date.  I want to have a full fridge.  I want to have a social life.  I want to bake.  A lot.

I'm choosing grocery store frequent shopper points over frequent flyer miles.  Thanks, Mike!

No oven? What's a girl to do?

I had a meltdown before moving to NYC.  Gosh, I feel like I write about those a lot lately.    It happened just as we were packing the car to move.  The car filled up very quickly with all of our things, and I began to stress out.  I was worried about the size of the apartment, the amount of stuff we were going to try to cram into it, and life in the city.  As I started bringing all of my baking apparatus back into hibernation in the basement, my mom stopped me.  She convinced me that there would be space in the car, and that I would regret not having my kitchen gadgets in New York.  When I composed myself enough, Erin and I hit the road, red Kitchenaid and all.

We arrived to our apartment and were pleasantly surprised.  It is much larger than we anticipated, and has plenty of closet space for all of our clothes.  But as nice as the kitchen is, there isn’t an oven.  The microwave doesn’t even have a convection feature.  So, the Kitchenaid stayed in the car, and drove back to Saratoga.  

A few shots of the new apartment!

The kitchen without the oven.

Our living room/ dining room/ Erin's bedroom.  (She sleeps on the window seat!)

The hall closet and view into the bathroom.

My bedroom

I was texting one of my friends a few days later, telling him that I was busy applying for jobs, but looking for an activity to take a break.  His response:

A: Bake some cakes!

Me: Grrr... My apartment doesn’t have an oven!  I’m very sad.

A: Ah shee-it.  What’d you do with the one in Thailand?

Me: I left it there and sold it.  I wasn’t going to bring it back, because what place doesn’t have an oven in the US?  Well, I found out.

A: I would have baked on the plane ride home.

Me: Ridiculous.

Baked on the plane ride home?  Really?  

But, texting him, reaffirmed what I already knew about myself: I crave baking.  When he mentioned that I should “bake some cakes,” it was exactly what I wanted to be doing at that moment.... And every moment, for that matter.

So, now what?  

In between “formatting a resume” and “entry level jobs in NYC” searches in Google, I have been searching “baking without an oven.”

Luckily, allrecipes.com is filled with no bake cookies and desserts.  It’s time to get creative!    

Anyone have any oven-less baking ideas to share?

Now that we are back...

Now that we are back, I am allowed to tell you that we were away!

My dad has a fear of the internet and people breaking into our garage, so I wasn't allowed to share the fact that we went on vacation!  Yes, yes, we did.  My family spent the past 7 days cruising around the Caribbean and the two days before that celebrating the Garvey Family Christmas, my favorite holiday of the year!

But now, it is back to reality.

We arrived back in Saratoga well after midnight on Sunday (that in itself is a story) and promptly headed to bed.  Now I have spent the last two days frantically packing and not blogging.

After I left Tulsa in 2008 I moved all of my things into my parents' basement.  And yes, I have a lot of things.  I lived in an apartment for two years and ended up with plenty of kitchen utensils and appliances, photos, wall hangings, curtains, etc.  Let's just leave it at: I have a lot of things.

Then, less than a year after coming back from Tulsa I packed my winter clothes away, adding them to my pile in the basement, and moved to Thailand with two suitcases of summer duds.

Now, I am moving again.

Tomorrow I leave for the big, bad city, and I have lots of packing to do.

I spent the majority of Monday going through Tulsa things.  I am proud to say that I threw away 9 Price Chopper bags filled with trash.  Thank you very much.

Tuesday I spent the majority of the day going through clothing.

Clothing to be given away to Salvation Army.

Summer clothing to be put away.

Winter clothing to go to New York City.

Oh, and the pile of dirty cruise laundry.  Please excuse the mess.

Today, well, today I have been productive too.  I spent about 45 minutes on the phone with Koreana, and that was VERY productive.  I haven't spoken to Koreana in longer than I would like to admit, and it was just what I needed.  I also figured out the mystery behind the Christmas itunes gift cards.  Want to know?  It's really very simple...  Any guesses?  Okay, fine.   Ellie never paid for them!  She gave each of the four kids a gift card for Christmas, but managed to walk out of BJs without ever paying for them.  Silly, Ellie.

And now I am back to packing.  Because as much as I hate to admit it, those piles can't just stay in piles, they must fit into suitcases and into the car.

So there it is: my update of the moment.  I am now going to race off, finish packing, and hopefully enjoy my last night in Saratoga.  Tomorrow I will be on the road again.  But tomorrow night, I will be back to blogging!  I have so much to catch you up on: the cruise, the Christmas party, the flat tire and men, oh my!

I’m my sister’s keeper

I mentioned this briefly in my 25 by 25 update, but big news in the Dooley household: I am moving to New York City!  

The day before I flew into the States, Erin had a dance audition at Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in the heart of Manhattan.  It seemed to me that the audition was just so Erin could keep her auditioning “edge,” but it was more than that.  Next thing we knew, Erin was accepted, I offered to move to the city with her, and we found an apartment.  

So, officially, on January 18, Erin and I will be moving to the Lower East Side of Manhattan.  We have a fully furnished one bedroom apartment with a view overlooking the Williamsburg bridge, so we have been told.  Aunt Patty has major connections, and got us an amazing place, that was too good to turn down.  Unfortunately, however, the building turned down Wilbur.  So, he stays behind in Saratoga.

Yes, I cried when we found out Wilbur couldn’t come.  But, as Garvey put it, for a while I would cry if someone poked me.  Garvey tested his “poking theory” a few times, and he was nearly 100% accurate.  I cried nearly every time he poked me.  But, I think I have moved out of the crying phase of moving back from Thailand.  I think.  Garvey was out of town for the last week, so there wasn’t any poking.  

Even though my mother sent out a mass email and cry for help with apartment hunting, it took less than 24 hours to commit to one.  And as Uncle John blatantly pointed out in an email to my mom, the apartment we have is nowhere near where we were looking.  Ideally we wanted a place close to Erin’s dance studio, but alas, we are over four miles, and at least two subway lines away from it.  It just forces us to learn more of the city, right?

Now that our apartment and move-in date are set, I have a plan.  Well, sort of.  I know where I will be living, so I feel as though that is a start.  Many of my friends have been asking me what I will do next.  I excitedly answer, “oh, me?  I’m moving to they city on the 18th.”  I play it off as though I am awesome, and I have something lined up.  Then comes the, “oh, wow!  What are you going to do there?”  I hesitate, explain that my sister is the impressive one, and I’m just going along for the ride.  I am my sister’s keeper.  (But not in the creepy Jodi Picoult book way)

Beyond that, the city is my oyster.  While the bakery is still my dream, I need a job.  Any job will do.  Preferably one that will pay me, but, hey, beggars can’t be choosers.  I’m also still thinking about taking a few classes.  And, enrolling in classes, can’t I get a free fitness center membership?  I can get smart and get skinny- works for me!  And then there are the men.  Obviously, picking up the cuties with puppies at the dog park is out of the question, so I’ll need a new strategy... and I’m still working on that.