“If you only do what you know you can do- you never do very much.”

I figured I should wait for a good mood before updating this thing. I don't want to be mopey dopey about life.

So it's been...almost a month since I last posted. Fail boat. I think now that I have time, I should probably make it a regular thing, though I don't know how much exciting stuff I'll have to talk about.

After Chicago, I finished up my last 2 weeks at work. It was pretty sad to leave since the Honors College really has some amazing people. They all got together and wrote encouragements on a tape measurer which I will treasure forever. It was SO thoughtful. After that, Mom came to Tuscaloosa and helped me pack my whole apartment up in two days. Whoo! On the 30th we drove down to Greensboro, dropped the van off, went to Eutaw to pick up the U-haul (which was super ghetto but rode great and the guy running the place was precious) then went back to Tuscaloosa and let the lovely, lovely men from Two Men and a Truck load everything up. It only took them an hour. AN HOUR. HA! It would have taken my mom and I a day and a half. They even got the couch down without taking the legs off. Wonderful, magical men, those two.

Oh! Fun story. So I was trying to stay out of their way, but I also needed to shut off my water and internet and everything, so I hid in the bathroom and sat on top of the toilet with my computer. So one of the guys comes into the bedroom to move stuff out and he looks over and just goes, "I thought you were taking a dump." HA. Hilarious. I was like, what would he have done if I was? I think you had to be there...it was really funny. But that just kind of set the tone. They were awesome dudes. When I told them we had to take the feet off the couch they were like, well we didn't! We're professionals. It was grand.

ANYWAY. Got the truck loaded up, got the last minute things in, got Jimmy Johns, then headed down to Greensboro. Got everything unpacked in an hour and a half (seriously impressive) and took the truck back to Eutaw. Side note: it's a teeny tiny town. Surprised? Nope. So then we came back, unloaded the van, then set to work unpacking. Good golly miss molly, it took the entire week to get everything unpacked and put away. Did you know I have a lot of stuff? I'm sure you did. I think everyone knows that. So yeah, we spent the week doing that, and we also went up to Tuscaloosa Metro and found me a new doggie friend. His name is Sammy, more updates on him later. We're still in our trial phase.

Mom and I had a blast last week. It was nice to have mommy daughter time and she's just as crazy as me so everything was an adventure. Did I tell you I got my car stuck in a mud pit that appeared in my backyard when it rained? THAT was fun. Took 45 minutes but we finally got it unstuck. My determination not to call USAA to tow it out was seriously what got us through. I met my neighbor when he came over and offered to mow the lawn for me, since it hadn't been mowed in like 3 weeks. He is really nice and his kids are adorable. He came over, mowed the whole thing, and then came back with the weed whacker to finish it. SO awesome! I need to bake him something soon.

Let's see, what else have I discovered about small town America...I walk 2 or 3 times a day and most people wave, so that's fun. I'm still working on meeting people. I start volunteering this week so I'm hoping that helps. I've gotten a few "hey sweetness" calls while walking, which is definitely skeevy, but these things happen.

Yesterday I had to go to Birmingham for a doctor's appointment so I decided to meet up with Heather afterwards and get some photos done for work and then just hang out and have best friend time. It was amazing. We got great pictures and I had a great time catching up and exploring a bit. We went to the farmers market this morning, which definitely puts the G-boro one to shame. I got muscadines. I LOVE THEM. I ate them all when I got home. Oops. But I think it's a standing plan for me to make the trip to Bham every few weeks. It'll help my sanity to see my best friend and to spend some time in the "big city" as it's called here. Actually, Tuscaloosa is the big city...scary.

Oh another fun side story. I went to the hardware store looking for a toilet paper holder. They said they were out but the truck would be in in two weeks. So then I asked for a hose extender. Out, on the truck. Then I asked if they would cut the dowels they were selling and they stared blankly at me and said, "you must be from the big city." YUP. So I bought a saw and cut them myself. WOO.

Let's see, what else...the vet is really nice, sitting in McDonald's to use the wifi is strange, and my garden is really starting to grow. HUZZAH.

Now I guess it's honesty time. I was an absolute wreck the first few days after my mom left. Like crying, hysterical wreck. I don't know anyone here, there are some things wrong with the house that I didn't realize when I signed the lease, and the dog is super overwhelming on top of everything. I basically wanted to quit and go home. But I know I can't do that, and I have to remember the reasons I'm down here. (I'll spell those out later.) I need to focus on my goals and do my best to meet people my age. That's why I'm going to start volunteering with Horseshoe Farm, and I'm excited. But really, don't let anyone tell you otherwise; moving to a new town where you don't know anyone, have no way of naturally meeting people and are considered the minority is a terrifying experience. Add a new dog that has SO much love to give when you just want to ball up and cry and it's a perfect mix for a break down. But fear not! Doggie can be trained, best friends are within 2 hours driving distance and focusing on your goals will remind you why you made the crazy life decisions you did. Now I'm not saying tomorrow (or an hour from now) I won't be crazy Theresa again, I'm just saying that right now, I'm remembering why I'm here and I'm going to do my best to make it a great year.

Oh, pictures of the house and whatnot will follow soon. I swears.