My little life

visited 24 states (48%)
Create your own visited map of The United States


visited 13 states (5.77%)
Create your own visited map of The World

I've deleted all my old posts and posted a somewhat newsy/detailed account of our arrival yesterday and bits of today at my old blogger address: http://jethpear.blogspot.com. Read if you so desire :)

Every now and then, since the wedding, I've thought, "oh, I have a couple minutes, perhaps I'll post something."

Clearly, that hasn't happened. I have a few minutes before we go out to breakfast with my parents and say goodbye to them (definitely in denial about that one), so I thought I'd give a quick run-down. The wedding was absolutely perfect. Everyone (including me, when I'm involved in someone else's wedding) always says, "things will go wrong, but it's ok, because at the end of the day, you're married." The only thing Jesse and I could think of that even came close to going "wrong" was that we thought we had the cha-cha slide on our itunes playlist for the reception, and we did not. I had a slightly disappointed sister and aunt, but really, no big deal in the grand scheme. The best compliment I received was that people found the ceremony to be meaningful and had a lot of fun at the reception.

We spent a day in Angelica at a Bed and Breakfast, with the afternoon carved out to open presents with family, which was fun. Monday morning, we headed to Rochester and flew all over the place, arriving in Fresno that evening. After staying near the airport, we headed for Yosemite on Tuesday morning. We stayed at Wawona, an 1800's hotel with a free delicious and amazing breakfast. There weren't a ton of people there (although the subsequent weekend was a bit crowded), both at Wawona and in the park in general, so we could pick and choose every day what we wanted to do. We saw all the cool rock formations, hiked through Mariposa Grove, drove up to Glacier Point, had dinner one night at the Ahwahnee, drove in to Oakhurst for some Mexican food and a look at some local art galleries, watched a lot of 'Burn Notice' (as an aside, this is a great series. does anyone know if it's still running?) and 'Office' Season 4, and generally had a great time hanging out and relaxing.

After our honeymoon, it was off to Tucson to visit Jesse's Grandmom. It was fun to see her, and show her the wedding dress too. We went and saw the Desert Museum (where Jesse's Grandpa had been a volunteer), which was cool for me, not having been to Arizona before, and Old Tucson, an 1860's town/movie set where the likes of Westerns and Little House on the Prairie have been filmed. We got the cool sepia photos done there, took a 'haunted' mine tour (mostly because we wondered what it was, and the old man was so excited that someone wanted to go, we couldn't disappoint him), drove little cars around a small track, and saw a gunfight complete with an actor falling off a roof. Those were just the highlights. So, we think that's a great way to spend a day in Tucson.

After Tucson, it was off to Lawrence, where I need to go have breakfast with my parents.

Back in Houghton, for the last time for I don't know how long! The past few weeks without work have been wonderful; it's been nice to be more relaxed about things and have the wedding as my only focus. It's also been amazing that Jesse's been here, that he's awake when I am, and that he's HERE. So nice.

We're not without drama; please be praying for Michelle, as she's still not better, and last I heard, the doctors didn't seem to be sure as to what is wrong. It's sounding like she may have multiple ailments, but I'm hoping to see her today for the first time in weeks.

On the positive side, a few people have said they're able to come last-minute, and that's really exciting. On that note, it's back to the seating chart to shuffle people around. I'm excited! :)

I turned in my computer today. And my little treo, my broadband card, my corporate card, and all. I closed my last review note, and sent away my last audit file. As I was driving out of downtown, I was realizing that everything is happening; this is the major catalyst to life as I know it being drastically changed.

So crazy! Just over 3 years ago I started this adventure (or continued, if you count internships). Saying goodbye to coworkers was hard, especially when some of them sported unexpectedly misty eyes. They have been like family, a strange family that spends excessive amounts of time together in high stress situations, but family nonetheless. And I will dearly, dearly miss them.

But on to new adventures. I had dinner with a bunch of my girls tonight at Mamasan's - possibly my last time there too (weird!), and one friend came in from out of town for a surprise. It was fun to celebrate with them as we talked about the wedding and the move. It was also, however, missing its great planner. For the praying folks out there, my friend and matron of honor Michelle has been very sick. If you could remember her, that would mean a lot to both of us.

Only a few more days until Jesse arrives. He's moving out of the current flat today/tomorrow/right now, and his stuff will have a temporary resting place until the people from the church move it into our rented house before we return. In just a month from tomorrow, I'll be married and boarding a plane for Australia. If this month goes as quickly as last month (as it's bound to), it will feel like just a heartbeat.

Anyway, enough blabber. I'm going to either pack or veg in front of the tv. We'll see what wins out.

Still lots going on; had a lot of fun at my shower yesterday, and at the SU/Northeastern football game (the Orange won!). I've been cheating a lot on my diet in terms of eating out, etc., and have been feeling the tired effects of that. So today, I took the time to make a couple of meals for easy lunches & dinners this week. I found the recipes on Wegmans.com and then, of course, modified them so they would be ok for my diet. The first was just meat lasagne; nothing too special. I got that in the oven first and then made Harvest Pasta, which I just finished eating (well, one serving anyway) and it was tasty. For interested parties, the things I did differently were: (1) brown rice pasta, (2) make my own alfredo sauce (purchased alfredo sauce often has wheat and/or sugar), (3) burn the first set of pine nuts prior to kind-of toasting the remaining ones (I don't really recommend this approach :), (4) using prosciutto instead of pancetta (are they the same? I could only find prosciutto), and (5) omitting any extra salt; the pork was plenty salty.

Now, off to clean up my mess and take care of a few things before church tonight. :)

Well, the 'end' began awhile ago, I suppose, but I turned in my official resignation today (even though I'd informally given notice in April). I have only 3 weeks left in Rochester, my home for the last 3 years, before I truck out to Ohio to my parents' house for all the last-minute planning (and to pick Jesse up from the airport!!).

I'm so looking forward to all the exciting things ahead, I've barely had the chance to acknowledge how bittersweet I feel about leaving Rochester. I've made some great friends here (and have been close to old friends too), and as much as my college years were formative, so these past few years of living largely "on my own" have shaped me. Interesting time, for sure, with new adventures ahead. One of the pastors at church on Sunday night talked about living well in the transition times of life; if I really think about it, so much of life feels like transition. So I guess it's pretty important :)

Anyway, there's a little wishy-washy post for you. Wedding plans are going smoothly; I'm glad I have some extra time to prepare before the wedding so I'm not running around like mad now. Then again, my tendencies are to freak out way before things need to be done, so that when they're actually right around the corner, there isn't as much left. So we'll see how it all shakes out.

There's a card in my aunt & uncle's "office" room of their house that my aunt received when leaving a job. It has a quote from Louis L'Amour - "There will come a time when you believe everything is finished. That will be the beginning." Who knows what original context it was said in (I'm certainly too lazy to look that up), but that's a bit of what I'm feeling right now; preparing simultaneously for an end, and a beautiful, wonderful, adventurous beginning. :)

Our wedding is two months from tomorrow! I wish I could say the time has flown by... it has, and it hasn't. But the invitations, aside from a couple of straggling addresses, are out for the wedding, and I've designed drafts for the Kansas reception and rehearsal dinner invitations. Granted, this is one task that might be easier than some others to have delegated, but it's something I really enjoy, so I'm glad I can keep it for myself. My wonderful friends Janet and Christy have been corresponding with the florist to get those details put into place, my cousin Erin is putting together a slideshow to have at the reception, and my Grandma and Aunt are providing a lot of the reception centerpiece stuff from past dinners and my aunt's wedding.

Other than wedding, I've enjoyed getting back into softball, playing with the Green Dots. I was "promoted" from catcher to right field this year, and even managed to get on base, not from a walk, for the first time in my Deloitte career. It was a fielder's choice to second, but at least I got on base :) I'm going to move in to a friend's new-to-her house this coming weekend, and stay there for a couple of weeks, which should be pretty fun.

Hannah and Nich's wedding last weekend was a lot of fun, too. They had hoped to have it outside on the beach, but it was a rainy day, so we decorated the hearth inside the lodge at Houghton's Star Lake campus and had a beautiful indoor ceremony. My cousin Christie took the photos, so it was fun to hang around with her and the couple afterward for a bit. There were only about 30 people in attendance, so the happy couple opened their presents at the reception and it had a very intimate feel. Jill, Eryn and I rented a cabin for Friday night, and lucky for Tim, Hannah's parents decided to head back to the Saratoga area early, so he was our next-door neighbor for the evening. Saturday was glorious; we spent a couple hours sitting near the lake and chatting, followed by a walk around the grounds and nearby streets. I caravanned with Jill and Eryn for a bit, and after a Subway lunch in Watertown, said goodbye to them. Time with good friends is such food for the soul.

So, yet another post dedicated entirely to weddings and work. That's my life right now :)

One month later, still going. I had a fantastic vacation to Aus, during which we did little-to-nothing, although Jesse did take me ice skating, to see Get Smart, and out for dinner in Newcastle for my birthday. Very fun. We managed to register for some of our gifts at a place in Sydney (after getting very lost a few times, resulting in the Garmin on our Target registry ;) and that was fun, too, and I got to watch him play in his indoor cricket league. It was such a treat to spend time together, and for me to relax.

My flight out of Sydney was delayed 9 hours, which we learned when I went to check in for it on Monday morning. We proceeded to buy a map and hang out at a beach in Botany Bay for a little while, climbing on the rocks and watching the water. I never used to be scared to climb around things, but I was a bit skittish. It was fun, anyway. We found a nearby library to alert the interested masses (read: my mom & aunt) of my delayed schedule and I bought some books for the plane (The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown, which I'd started to read and forgotten the copy of, and The Constant Princess). Both were good airplane-reads; page-turners and interesting plots. I can understand better the fuss over the first now, better than I could before I'd read it ("it's fiction, people!"), because I could see the ways the heresy is dangerously laced with truth and fact. Perhaps if it had been more blatantly non-Christian (i.e. been based around Greek mythology, as opposed to Christianity) it wouldn't have caused such a stir. I know I'm way on the back end of the fuss about this, but it was interesting to have my own perspective. I really liked Digital Fortress, another Dan Brown book; he has a great way of dragging you in to the story and making you interested in all the sub-plots that are happening.

And, of course, The Constant Princess was purchased due to my love for historical fiction, Philippa Gregory, and drama. It did not disappoint. In the same vein as The Other Boleyn Girl, it gave a glimpse of what it might have been like to be royal in the days of Henry VII and VIII. I know there's a lot of license taken, but I'm fascinated by that life. And I know enough about it to be very thankful I'm a 21st-century middle-class American.

I arrived back late morning Tuesday here due to the delays, and had a couple of hours before Hannah arrived and we traipsed about Rochester hunting for her wedding dress. We found a beautiful one, and the shop's able to get it in time for her wedding, which is exciting. I then found a bridesmaid dress online for myself and ordered it 3-day shipping. The wedding is August 8th, and I'll need to have it taken in when it comes, so there isn't a ton of time, but I think I can get it done. She and Nich are doing a great job of putting it together, so I'm sure it will turn out great. She remarked to me, "this will be your last wedding as a maid!" So funny. As much as I've thought about the wedding and being married to Jesse, it was a new angle of perspective I hadn't thought about before.

Speaking of Jesse, I'm going to organize some of my mess before talking with him later.

Well, my love seat went home with its new owner yesterday, and the couch is scheduled to do the same at some point this week if not today. The sole "furniture" I will have will be my card table, a couple large boxes and some empty bins ;) I was able to get through a lot of stuff yesterday, though.

It amazed me yesterday, as I sorted more things into what I'm taking, what I'm storing (not much), what I'm giving away, that after all the stuff I've sold, given away, thrown out, or piled up to be donated, I STILL have so much stuff. Really sobering. A lot of it is clothes, and some of that stems from needing to dress professionally for my job and have enough both business casual and business professional attire when each is merited. But then there are casual non-work clothes, workout clothes, swimsuits, fancy dresses, casual dresses, etc. It's unreal. The good thing is, clothes don't weigh much, and if you roll them tight enough, don't take up a lot of space.

I had to make a hard call yesterday. I'd been hoping to bring my KitchenAid stand mixer over with me, and use it with a transformer for the time we're over there. My logic was that they're expensive, so it would be worth taking it as opposed to trying to find a new one over there. After purchasing a piece of luggage that was just barely too small to transport it IN the box, I took it out of the box and wrapped it with blankets and pillows in the suitcase. I still didn't feel good about that. So, with counsel from Mom, it will stay here with her. Not only does that ease my mind about it traveling and getting ruined, but it also gives me so much more space to pack in. I know it shouldn't be a big deal, but I really like using it in the kitchen.

The only other really hard call (more so than this one) was my books. Letting those go was harder than I would've expected. I kept a few of them, which my parents will store for me, but the majority of them are given away. I think it even surprised me how attached I was to them, but I realized that sitting in boxes in someone's basement for 4 years means they're not being read, and potentially being damaged by mildew, etc. So, hard things on that one.

But at the same time, having to move out of my apartment in a week and bringing a load of stuff with me to Australia in July is just increasing my anticipation for this adventure. It will truly be a fresh start for so many reasons, and while I'm packing, I think of it in those terms. Jesse said someone he knows told him "don't look at something and ask if you want it, start by saying, 'what can't I live without?'" Although I haven't been great at following that, I think it's good advice for packing up a life and plotting a new course. Learning not to hold on too tightly to possessions, as awesome as some of them are, and trust in God's provision for the next adventure. It's an interesting place to be, for sure.