Tuesday, August 18, 2009

It's Never Boring Around Here

I can't sleep. My sleep schedule is all thrown off because I didn't work this past week. And some days, I was very lazy. Also, this day has been something else. What happened today was not on the week's agenda.

I was in yet another car accident. Except, this time, I cannot take the credit. Here's the story... I overslept this morning and, therefore, didn't make it to the gym. Because I wanted to start the week off well (ha...irony), I decided to go this afternoon (I usually don't like to go in the afternoons because it's so much more crowded). I knew traffic would probably be bad because it was right after lunchtime but I didn't feel like waiting around. So, off I went. Now, I HATE Greenville Blvd. but, as it is, it is the quickest way to get to several places from my new apartment...including the gym. I'm always extra nervous when driving on Greenville Blvd. because it's packed and people are stupid. Well...that point was proven today. I had just merged into the turn lane when I see (briefly) a white SUV merging as well...right into my car. Everything happened really quickly after that. I was knocked onto two wheels (temporarily) and when the car came to a stop, I was in a turn lane for oncoming traffic. Thank God (literally) that no one was trying to turn at that moment. I was completely freaked out but had enough sense to grab my phone and call 911. By the time the call was finished, I was crying. Two men walked over to my car and said, "You don't need to cry...it wasn't your fault." You bet it wasn't. There was no way I was taking blame for this one. So, to make a long story short...I was hit by a 17 year old girl who, fortunately, was fully insured and was issued a ticket. I tried to contact her insurance company today in hopes of getting a rental (this couldn't happen during the week I was off?) but with no luck. Maybe tomorrow. I complained a lot and was angry about what happened but, truth be told, it could have been A LOT worse. I still can't believe that, until July, I'd never been in a single accident while driving...now, I've been in two. My car was towed, needless to say, and my parents are thinking it's probably not worth fixing. Not sure what I'm going to do about that. However, I am VERY grateful to be okay and that no one else was hurt either. I am also grateful that it wasn't my fault because that meant a lot less yelling from my parents. I didn't escape completely unscathed though. After getting home, I realized that my neck and back were hurting. I didn't want to make a big deal of it but Sam ended up taking me to Urgent Care tonight. The doctor just suggested over the counter pain meds and a heating pad and said I should be feeling better by Thursday or Friday. Again, could have been much worse. I am blessed.

In other news... I'm officially moved into my new apartment with Sam. My bedroom is in order but most everything else is not yet. Even though I was off for a full week, I don't feel like I got much done. I'm sure it will come together in time though. Aside from a few problems starting out, we're liking our new place. I really like my room, probably because I spent more time on it than I did the last one. I figure I'll be in this one more often anyway. It's very comfortable. I never realized how many picture frames I had until I tried to shove them all into one room.
Notice James's "Ranger Challenge" shirt on my bed...and the massive amount of picture frames.

Sam and I have also acquired a new puppy, a Chihuahua, recently named Ruby. Sam is her actual mommy but I get to enjoy her while Sam and I are roommates. She is very much a baby (just born June 1st) and is still getting used to her new surroundings. She cries quite a bit at night but that has improved since the first night we had her. We are also trying to house break her and that is proving to be a slow process (she doesn't really like the feel of grass). She's adorable though and hard not to love.Don't let her fool you...she only LOOKS innocent ;-).

Today marks 21 days since James left for Afghanistan and it's been...okay, so far. We've had much more communication than I would have anticipated. Of course, there is no guarantee that it will stay that way (there goes my pessimism). He's been moving around a lot and still isn't at his permanent location. I'm sure that's been difficult for him and it has been for me as well because I really want to send him stuff...sort of hard to do when you don't exactly have an address. He seems to be doing well, or as well as can be expected. I've been missing him like crazy though, of course. He was the first person I wanted to call when I had that accident today, especially since he came to be at my side the last time. Instead, I had to settle for telling him about it through Facebook chat. I shouldn't complain though...at least I WAS able to tell him, on the day it happened even. I just get so overwhelmed when I think about the remainder of this year, especially with the last year of grad school also looming over my head. James really helped me get through the end of 2nd semester and it's going to be tough not having that support in person. Speaking of support, I've had a lot of it from my loved ones, in regards to James being away. Molly has, of course, been wonderful because she knows what I'm going through. Sam has been great too. And my other friends try to understand and comfort me. It's also been nice communicating with James's mom through e-mails. We can talk to each other about our concerns and how much we miss him. It's also helpful to know when they've heard from him if I haven't. And I've been praying. A LOT. And I will continue to do so. It helps me feel a bit more secure and I have faith that God really is hearing my prayers.

Tomorrow, it's back to reality...i.e. my "vacation" is over. I have clients. And I return to my internship on Wednesday. Classes start next Tuesday, believe it or not, and I'm dreading them. I don't miss last semester one bit and I'm afraid this one is going to be worse (from what I've heard). I am, however, excited to meet my mentee (the 1st year MFT student I've been paired with). She seems very sweet and I think we'll have a lot in common.

Ok, I'm going to try this sleep thing again. Perhaps the melatonin will have kicked in. ;)

Monday, August 3, 2009

First Weekend

This was to be my first weekend since James left and the last thing I wanted to do was sit in my apartment and mope...which is exactly what I would have done if I stayed in Greenville. So it was off to Raleigh for some time with the girls.

On Friday, Jamie had invited me to join her, some family, and the female half of the wedding party at the spa and for lunch. I had a pedicure reservation waiting for me when I arrived and that was SO what I needed. This was better, and longer, than any pedicure I've had before. It was so lovely that I think I could have sat there all day. The spa was extremely nice and I wish I could have afforded to have more done (i.e. a massage). Afterward, we went to The Twisted Fork for lunch and it was delicious. I had an amazing Thai chicken salad. I was debating on whether or not to get dessert (they have incredible desserts at this place - I've tried the creme brulee before and it made me want to slap my mama) but the waitress brought our checks before I could act on my urges. It was probably for the best though, honestly, since I am trying to eat a bit better (of course, my eating was crap the rest of the weekend). As I was leaving the restaurant, my mom called to tell me she was talking to James on Facebook chat. I was a little miffed at this because I was clearly no where near a computer. So I passed on a few messages to him through her before getting over the phone. Everything happened sort of quickly then. I had already been feeling a bit overwhelmed by all the wedding talk at lunch (probably wouldn't have bothered me any other time) and hearing that James was online but I couldn't talk to him upset me all the more. At that moment, Beyonce's "Halo" came on the radio (I was in my car and, for some reason, this song gets to me) AND it started raining. I broke down. It passed quickly but I didn't like feeling weak like that. I've been trying to keep that under control. I know I won't be able to all the time but that didn't feel like the day to lose it. I pulled it together and drove to Hillary's house.

Hillary and I didn't do too much that afternoon - browsed around Quail Ridge Books and Whole Foods and then just hung out at her house for a bit. We did end up seeing The Hangover that night. I have to be fair...it was a hilarious movie. The humor reminded me of Wedding Crashers which I could watch over and over. After liking it so much, I felt sort of bad. James had tried convincing me to see it with him but, because I didn't think it was much my style, I didn't go with him. He was right though. Really funny movie.

On Saturday, I went boating with Sara, her mom Ellen, her uncle Buddy, and her aunt Pam in Oxford. I didn't think I'd ever been on a boat but when I remembered a brief trip I took on Ben's grandparents' boat years ago. That hardly counts though, right? We were on the lake for about 3 hours and it was so relaxing. Spending time with Sara was great too. She's been in Europe this summer and I had not seen her since May. Even before she left, we were rarely able to spend one on one time together because of our crazy schedules. I loved catching up and cruising around on the boat with my Lil Sis.After boating, I met up with Ashley, who had just gotten into town, and Hillary for dinner at Moe's. We then got ready to go downtown, with Travis as our driver. Our first destination was the Hibernian Pub. I was a little wary about this. The Hibernian is where James and I met and I hadn't been there since that weekend. I was worried I might get upset, especially if alcoholic beverages were involved. When we first arrived, my eye definitely fell on the table where James, Kendall, and Tadd were sitting that night. I think I may have wanted to sit there had it not been filled with women. We found a place in the corner and I felt like I was handling it pretty well. We ordered a few drinks but ended up leaving after a short while because it was so HOT. The night was very humid and it felt as if the air conditioning wasn't even on. Just sitting, we were covered in sweat (gross, I know, but true). So much for trying to look good. Our next destination was the Red Room. Fortunately, we knew one of the hostesses and she let us in for free. Perk. This was the kind of place I had been wanting to go all along because there was dancing. All I wanted to do was let my hair down a bit. So we danced. We danced until we were soaked...as was everyone else because it was also very hot in there. What was up with the air in these places? One guy attempted to dance with me and Ashley told him we were all married. It worked. I was sorry for the night to end...it isn't often that I'm able to see my Meredith girls. I hate that I took all that time in the past for granted.
So I survived my first post-deployment weekend, thanks to my friends. I've had pretty good communication with James thus far...via e-mail and Facebook chat mostly. Surprisingly, he gave me a call today. I was at Snow Hill and had just stepped in the room with a patient when he called. He left a message saying he'd arrived in Afghanistan safely, that it was the ugliest place he'd ever seen, and that he would call again soon. Standing in the bathroom, I bawled like a baby. Just hearing his voice made me emotional (yes, I realize it's only been a week) but I was especially upset that I'd missed his call. Fortunately, he called back a couple minutes later and we were able to talk. How GOOD it was to actually talk to him. I plan to get my hands on an international calling card so I can speak with him, especially if he ends up not having much internet access. I can't believe it's only been a week. Not to be pessimistic but...this year is going to suck. Thank God I have good people to depend on.