5:00 am

Yes that's right. 5:00am. I am going to work. I do not believe it should be legal to schedule a person to work before the coffee shops sell coffee. Just a thought.

chicken con broccoli anyone?

So among my small circle of friends, there is a lot of teasing about the fact that when it comes to food, I am very predictable. For about 5 years in a row, we celebrated my birthday at Olive Garden and I always ordered the garlic chicken con broccoli. What can I say? I really enjoy it. It's a healthier option and I know I will always enjoy it. You can overcook a steak, or salmon can be too dry. Pork can be too tough and lamb is just not my slice of meat. Chicken and broccoli just works for me.
Well, it gets worse. Whatever restaurant we go to I order some variant of chicken with broccoli. And if the entree doesn't come with broccoli, I add it or if it comes with seasonal veggies, I request to only have broccoli. Every once in a while I branch out and order different things. I've recently begun to enjoy a nice steak (with broccoli - can't branch out too far). And Bonefish makes an amazing pork tenderloin. But when it comes down to it, I go for my favorite.
AND NOW! I can make it at home. Realsimple.com sends out recipe emails once a week or so. Last week, Broccoli Alfredo came up and I decided to go for it (and add chicken). My friends. I am pretty pleased with this recipe, more than just because it is my staple entree. I can actually make it. Let's be real here. History has shown us, we know my cooking skills are not so great.

All by myself, I cooked up some Chicken con Broccoli! It looks good, it tastes good, it smells good - I may never have to go to Olive Garden again...

Moving Mayhem

I have moved many, many times in the years since I first left my parents house. It was mostly within Gainesville and roughly the same sized apartments. Leaving Gainesville meant going from a 3/3 to a 2/2 in Orlando. We downsized a lot. It felt good to clean out some of the things that we don't use and it was very entertaining to have out stuff magically disappear from beside the dumpster in a matter of hours.

The move to Panama City Beach seemed daunting because of the six hour drive. For a frequent mover like me, collecting boxes, recruiting my parents and packing quickly are not terribly scary anymore. Only in my dreams would a move involve actual movers and moving truck drivers. Well, folks, my boyfriend and his fancy company hired a company to get our goods from Orlando to PCB in 2 days flat. The majority of the packing was done by myself and Ryan in the early stages of the move. Boxes were stacked high and the apartment was in a general state of chaos.

In the midst of it all, Ryan found ways to keep things light-hearted and romantic. He constantly gave me little hugs and kisses and reassuring reminders that someway, somehow we'd get through the move happily.

On Monday afternoon, we drove down to Orlando to get the rest of the apartment packed. We were exhausted physically and mentally by the time we hit the sack that night around 2:00am. We had more packing to do, but exhaustion prevailed. The movers were scheduled to arrive sometime between 8-10am so we planned to be up and packing around 7am. I have never used a moving company before so I had no idea what to expect. At about 9 a knock on the door announced the arrival of the movers (a.k.a - our new best friends). 2 guys would haul the loot into the truck and 1 lady would do the rest of our packing for us. They told us the best thing for us to do is grab a cup of coffee and sit down somewhere out of the way. All of the miscellaneous knick knacks would be swept into boxes without any help from me or Ryan. Who knew about this amazing thing? I always operate under the mindset that if I can do it myself, why pay for it? Why? Why? Movers and their amazing skills make me rethink my position.

We decided to leave them to their work. We went all around town wrapping up our last minute errands and taking one last trip to Ikea (duh!). When we got back the apartment was completely empty. Shocking. Wonderful. Effortless. Love it. Tuesday we checked out of the apartment without difficulty. That night we were only lucky enough to get about 5 hours of sleep before we had to drive out to the apartment to meet the movers. Once again, they came through and did all the work. They put things where we directed, insisting all the while that we not help at all. Fine by me.

Our lives in a moving truck:

Before the storm:

After the truck exploded:

I'm very excited about the apartment. Once all the boxes were crammed into the space, my heart began to sink a little as the space seemed smaller and smaller. As we sort through the boxes and uncover the rooms, I feel less and less claustrophobic.

And finally, a growing stack of empty boxes: (don't worry we'll be taking them to the local recycling place!)

Day 325 in a hotel...

We have run out of rations and entertainment. I am ready to hang myself on the shower curtain road.

Okay so I'm being a bit dramatic. It has only been 10 days in the hotel for me and 12 for Ryan. What I am really trying to convey here is that hotel life is getting old. Thankfully, Ryan's family has been kind enough to visit. First Jacqui and Luke came through town. The hilarity that ensues when you put the four of us together is unpredictable and quite enjoyable. I'm not sure we ever really stopped laughing, well maybe during Slumdog Millionaire. Beyond that though, we had a fabulous evening.

This weekend Ryan's parents are in town. The visits are really helping to break up the monotony that is hotel living. I am attaching myself to them (poor guys, they had no idea I was about to lose my mind from boredom). They have lovely plans that I fit neatly into.

In the 9 days that I have been here I have:
1. Secured a job
2. Found a real place to live
3. Experimented with black nail polish
4. gone shopping 3 times
5. Seen Slumdog Millionaire
6. watched a LOT of HBO1, 2 and 3
7. slept a lot
8. completed a 1000 piece puzzle (without looking at the box)
9. played a new board game with Ryan a few times
10. read a Real Simple magazine cover to cover
11. gone out to eat more times than any healthy person ever should
12. not gone to see the supposedly amazing beaches (not sure why it's panned out that way)

I really shoudln't be complaining. I could be living in Orlando until the lease ends which would mean that I would be by myself jumping and hiding from miscellaneous sounds and shadows. Instead of hanging out with my beloved every moment he's not at work, I could be hanging out with boxes. Not ideal or even comparable.

This weekend is really the final stretch. Ryan's parents (a.k.a - Jenn's playmates and entertainment) are in town for the weekend. Then on Monday morning we move out of the hotel, sign our lease and head back to Orlando to get the rest of our goods. We'll be back here by Tuesday night, the transition phase will be over and our new life officially begins. I am infinitely excited about making this new apartment a home. We plan to be here for a couple of years and don't plan on jumping from one apartment to the next during this time. I will put up custom made curtains, picture/poster frames will go up and we may purchase some updated and matching furniture to fit the new space. There are several goodwill/consignment shops around here, so hopefully it won't be hard on the budget or the environment to spice up the looks of our home.