I am so lucky to have found the small, adorable apartment that I now live in. It has a tiny patio, a nice-sized living room, a cute but TINY kitchen, a dining area, one bedroom, and one bathroom. When I first moved in, I was missing several important (to me) items: a microwave, a living room TV, a TV stand, bookshelves, a shower curtain, decorations in general, etc. These things are not essential and I don't take them for granted, but I love being at home and I really wanted my first solo apartment to be a place that felt like home...and thanks to the enormous generosity of my parents and a couple of special people, I now have those things. However, I'm a little bit of a perfectionist, so I want to wait until I'm very satisfied with my apartment to post pictures. I hope that it won't be too long from now before I am able to :)
One adventure that I took this morning was purchasing a washer and dryer...I have lived in Memphis for a month now, and it has been HELLISH without a washer and dryer, to say the least. I have either washed my clothes at my mom's house in Grenada or my boyfriend's house in Starkville, or I have braved the completely NON air-conditioned laundromat at my apartment complex while NEVER having the right amount of quarters and ALWAYS picking the defective machines. Blegh! But this morning, my mom and I went to Home Depot and I finally made the big-girl appliance purchase. Now, I get to pay that, as well as pay my big-girl car insurance (which is more expensive in Memphis than in Mississippi), my big-girl electric bill, etc. I know, I know...it sounds like I'm bitter about growing up. But I'm really not...even though it has been difficult, I count my blessings every day and am so thankful that I have gotten where I feel that I need to be. Yes, career-wise, I still feel that I have not achieved what I wanted for myself. But I'm taking steps every day to better that situation...and while I do that, I always have the lovely people in my life by my side. I've also gained a little confidence and happiness just from making the move...it was a big step and it was HARD, but I did it!
Some things I love about Memphis so far: Fresh Market, Thai Bistro, 107.1, having a Walgreen's and a gas station less than 1/4 mile from my house, always having new places to eat lunch with friends, always being able to find what you're looking for, the interesting new things I learn from my hilarious co-workers (most of whom are Memphis locals), having TWO cupcake shops to frequent (Gigi's and Muddy's Bake Shop), and just the fun of exploring a new place in general. I love to just turn on my GPS and find some random place. I know...how modern we have become!
Here are pictures of some things I've been up to lately...
At an engagement party for two of my dearest friends. Yes, I notice that we are all looking in different directions in this picture, but I still love it! The five of us have been friends for quite some time, and I miss all of them very much...except for my friend in the striped dress, since she lives here in Memphis :) And as for my friend in the red dress: we both lived in Starkville for five years, two as roommates...and it is very strange to live in a city without her around. Sigh. I miss you all!
This is a meal that I made for my seafood-loving boyfriend the first time he came to visit me in Memphis: shrimp risotto and blueberry boy bait. He seemed to enjoy it, which I was happy about, having never cooked seafood...after all, he IS the guy who took me to Red Lobster and proceeded to put away an entire Ultimate Feast faster than I could finish my girly crab-buttered shrimp dish, which he then helped me finish.
One of my favorite pictures of us. We're doing the long-distance thing for now, and I miss him all the time.
These two beautiful hot pink vehicles were in my parking lot parked about 20 feet from each other. Amazing! Memphis works in mysterious ways...
Some whoopie pies that Bakerella made. These were fabulous! I cannot wait to buy the book ("Whoopie Pies"...simple enough!) containing the recipe for these. I'm now obsessed with making them with different flavors and fillings!
Some bowtie lasagna that I made upon Pioneer Woman's suggestion, of course. I substituted small-curd cottage cheese for the sour cream in the recipe, and I really enjoyed it. It took less than 20 minutes to prepare, and it was a really quick and authentic-tasting alternative to traditional lasagna.
Makes me miss him all over again. Ah. However, this picture was also inspiration for me to touch up my growing roots and restore my hair to an all-over red again! Haha. We took this picture before we went to see "Inception." We both really liked the movie, but while discussing it I commented that I thought "Shutter Island" was better. He had never seen it, so we rented it, and then we both agreed that "Shutter Island" was the unanimous favorite. I originally thought of it because I thought there were some striking similarities between Leonardo DiCaprio's characters in both movies...anyone else agree?
My mom and I last night before we went out to eat at the restaurant I work at! We have had an awesome weekend, and she's asleep right now while I blog, of course.
I suppose I should get a little sleep, too. I have a long day tomorrow...time with Mom, work, packing for the next day's trip to Starkville, and catching up on my current read: "Neverwhere" by Neil Gaiman.
Captivating so far. This is actually the first Neil Gaiman book I've ever read...and I own three of this books. It's ridiculous how many books I own that I have yet to read! But here's to catching up.
Also, here's to figuring it all out. Patience and happiness, y'all! That's what I'm hoping to gain a little at a time.
