Maine Renovator

Almost Done

2007-04-30T10:00:00.000-04:00

I know, I know, I've been bad again. I'm horrible at keeping up with this blog but I am just so busy!
Ok, enough excuses, on with the latest.
To recap, D and I ripped out all the ugly trim in the living room. Thus far we have spackled some of the walls where ripping out said trim damaged them. We've also picked out our paint. It's currently sitting in a closet. The weather has not been aiding in our painting prospects with rain, more rain and rain... and I am not willing to paint our entire living room (the biggest room in our home (it runs front to back) just to breathe in fumes all weekend. So, we are waiting for a sunny weekend that neither one of us are working.
We could be waiting a while. The spackling needs to be finished. We need to prime so our bright applesauce colored paint sticks to the wall (its actually a pale yellow but called applesauce). And, we need to sand all the remaining trim down and change our some hardware on doors. But, at least I have the layout of the room decided on. Excuse the barren-ness of it all.... while waiting for paint we have no art on the walls currently.
On to the photos:
Above is the back of the living room... my reading corner. Chase is enjoying the monitor heater. This is the first part of living room you enter from the front hall.
This is the main part of the living room. That white bookshelf from photo above is behind the loveseat.
You've probably seen this view before, however, I love our new light so I stuck this photo in.
This is the view from the loveseat of the TV and woodstove. All will look much better with art on walls and paint. But with an awkwardly shaped room like ours (long and narrow) I think this arrangement works pretty well.

A Change

2007-03-05T12:36:00.000-05:00

Seeing as I have been *ahem* horrible at posting to this blog, I decided it needed a better focus.
All good stories have a focus and as "my life" was just too general the blog will now focus around all the changes we're making to our home.
We love our house.
But, the harvest gold bathroom has to go. We want an updated kitchen. And, most of all, we want paint on the cream-colored walls.
So, dear readers, here's my first post about our work to the living room-- our first project room.
And welcome to the maine Renovator.
Quick primer: The top photo is right after we moved in.

Below is where we are now... chairrail ripped out, different TV stand and furniture strewn about while waiting for spackle to dry so we can begin the painting process. Once some painting has begun I will update again.

Feedback on how to arrange the room is welcome....

New Boy

2007-01-06T15:58:00.000-05:00

This is Chase. He's our new family member.... we love him.
More later about him. We start training in earnest next week.

Turkey Day

2006-11-27T10:07:00.000-05:00

I know, I know. I have been a very bad blogger. I have not updated in what seems like forever. Well, in an attempt to be more up to date.... and while I am working on getting pictures of our actual feast I will at least post a picture of our pretty Thanksgiving table I arranged.

Sometimes I think I'm actually artsy...

Thanksgiving

2006-11-02T08:40:00.000-05:00

This year I am cooking my version of a Thanksgiving dinner.... something I have only done one other time with my mother's expertise. Actually, I'm quite excited. I get to use my new china, my new roasting pan,and try new desert recipes.

Call me a dork but I love entertaining... and I actually get to wait on my parents.

As we get closer I'll show you pictures of the bird and all the fixings....

Home is a warm place.

2006-10-01T12:44:00.000-04:00

The thing that prompted David and I to look in ernest to search for a house to call our own was the fact that we lived in apartment with no heat.

We used the oven for warmth and bought a space heater. we took lots of steamy showers.

The fact that right now, as I sit here I am watching our cozy wood stove warm our home and I am not cold is amazing to me.

Despite the fact that we still haven't painted a single wall and still have many rooms not quite furnished and pictures still waiting to be hung, today, having a cozy fire in the house makes it feel like finally, this place is ours.

Home is finally a warm and cozy place with heat.

Honeymoon: Part 1.

2006-09-07T11:50:00.000-04:00

Since many of you have yelled at me for not giving more details of our honeymoon.... here is Part 1.

After we left Bar Harbor on Sunday afternoon we drove to Concord, Ma., to see Dave's relatives who ended up getting stuck at an airport and unable to get to our wedding. They ended up making it to D's grandparents house so that is where we went to see them.

We saw them, had dinner and left (quite late) to get to the Hotel Commonwealth in Boston to make flying out at the butt crack of dawn the next day easier. One of D's brothers got us a room for the night. We were expecting to just get a place to lay our heads....

When we checked in (exhausted but happily married) we planned to shower and go to bed so we could leave at 4:30 a.m. The woman who checked us in at the front desk congratulated us on our marriage and said we had the presidential suite for the night. Our jaws dropped.

This is a room with a 18 seater dining room, kitchen, spa tub, granite countertops, rain shower and lovely decor. Jason Alexander has stayed there.... so have Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen. (eww).

So after being led up to this lovely place we just kind of wander around. Suddenly we're not tired any more and set off to fire up the spa tub after calling D's brother to thank him for the setup.

While D's on the phone I see a chilled bottle of champagne, little boxes of yummy chocolates and a handwritten note to Mr. & Mrs. Comeau (our first note with our married name on it-thus it made me cry). Inside it said congratulations from everyone at the hotel commonwealth.

It made our night.
We went to bed around 2 a.m. Woke up at 4:30 a.m. Luckily we could sleep on the plan to Yellowstone... now if they could just find our damn plane.....

Married

2006-08-01T11:47:00.000-04:00

I am a writer, but in this instance I cannot how beautiful and wonderful our wedding was. Every moment was perfect.

My best friends were by my side to watch me marry the man I have loved for the past 9 years. His brothers are now, finally, my brothers. We share the same name now. I will post more about the wedding/honeymoon once our honeymoon pictures are developed.

For now, I want to say thank you to everyone who came; family and friends.

Click on my flickr link to see pictures. Only ones posted will be non professional pics.

enjoy.
~Mrs. C

Journalism and Friends

2006-07-06T09:40:00.000-04:00

I love being a journalist. I love my job. I love writing. I love news.

But sometimes, my job is tougher on my personal life than my career.

I have friends who are journalists. Most of them live far away and are just as busy as I am. They understand working at a mid-sized paper, having to work the night shift, getting calls from the copy desk that wake you from sleep, working weekends, and that no matter what the news never stops. They understand that even after your shift has ended your job is not done.

Many of the best stories come from things I observe when I'm not on the clock just driving around. I see things that make me ask questions, I stop, make a mental note, take a picture and file it away into my basket of things to pursue.

But those friends who understand my job is more than just a job live far away.

I think that most of my friends who are not in the media business think I am making things up, or just don't want to see them when I can't do something. I have a schedule that says once every 6 weeks I work nights, once every 6 weeks I work weekends. But if I want time off that changes. Or, if a town I cover has a meeting I must go to, I work nights. If a fellow reporter wants to switch shifts, and they switched with me once then I owe them.

When I come home at night, I don't want to have to justify why I can't hang out with my friends until 1am when I have to work at 7 the next morning, or just got off work at midnight.

Fellow journalists tell you not to get caught in the trap of having only other journalists as friends. But when your friends with "normal" jobs don't understand your life, what do you do then?

The Beach

2006-07-02T20:27:00.000-04:00

D and I went to the beach for the first time this summer with some friends of ours. It didn't take long to get to the beach, we brought sunscreen and all the necessary items. But going there made me remember the reasons why I love ... and hate... the beach.

Reasons I love the beach:
-- the sun
-- the water
-- the way your hair looks when it comes home all sexy and tossed and wind-blown looking
-- the tan you get while at the beach
-- playing frisbee in the water

Reason I hate the beach:
-- sand gets everywhere (even in places you wish it didn't)
-- you have to pack your life to go to the beach (water, suncreen, phone, wallet, car keys, towel, extra clothes, visor/hat, trashy magazines, toys such as a frisbee, sandals, food, beach chairs (if you have them)
-- you have to wear your bathing suit all wet home if you're not dry when you leave or these's no place to change
-- you spend ridiculous amounts of money paying for tolls, parking or food at the beach
-- you have children or rude people who walk by and think it's ok to get sand in your eyes, nose or mouth
-- sometimes, even when you apply and reapply you get a sunburn

Regardless of these things, all the things I hate about the beach are made better by good company.

How do you feel about the beach?

Boating is good.

2006-06-13T08:10:00.000-04:00

Especially when you have a camera.

I forgot to mention that D's stepdad got a boat and went waterskiing with us for the first time (maybe his second time). I got some great pictures... here's my favorite.

He was up and around.... but I just love this picture so much more.

More later (think Friday or Sunday) about our beginning a search for a couch.

Writing about work is against my personal credo

2006-06-07T19:35:00.000-04:00

........but because of that lots of you have asked what exactly it is that I write. So, while I still won't write about work I will post a link to my story in today's paper.

I like writing about strange things. Can you tell?

Kennebec Journal.

Am without a post today.

2006-06-05T20:48:00.000-04:00

So I'll just post a picture. You figure out what it means....

Love and Money

2006-06-01T09:39:00.000-04:00

Sorry it's been so long.... but D and I have been nuts these past couple weeks. We have yet to have a weekend to ourselves and it's been about 2 months since that happened.

Most recently we were in New York sharing a hotel room with an old childhood buddy of D's.Despite the fact we got little sleep it was pretty fun. We were in NY to attend our friend's wedding (pictures in my flickr tagged pete). Many of my friends are getting married, which is nice, however it is also becoming quite expensive for me. On top of the money for our own wedding here is the tally of what I have spent so far:

-- wedding gift for childhood girlfriend I've known since I was 8 year old $80 bucks (my share of the gift split 3 ways with my other girlfriends)
-- hotel room in Boston for the event $100 (thanks to a family discount)
-- gas money for the drive down $30
-- gas money for the drive back up $30
-- gas money for drive to NY $60
-- gas money for drive back $60
-- hotel room for 3 nights $300
-- wedding gift $125
-- food for the 3 days $50
-- bandaids for the blisters on my feet $2
-- ear plugs 60 cents
-- magazines to occupy the time I wasn't at the wedding or in the pool $5

Although both of these occasions were wonderful to attend and I am very glad we were there.... I hope none of my other friends get married until at least next year. With the stuff we're doing to the house and our own wedding I need at least that amount of time to recover.

What's old is new again

2006-05-08T10:24:00.000-04:00

So my bridal shower was a lot of fun!

I got many wonderful gifts, and people were very generous. The food was fab (chicken marsala, green beans with shaved almonds, a salad that was to die for, rice pilaf and more deserts than a girl who has to fit into a wedding gown should be allowed in a room with!).

But one gift in particular really made the day.

When I was little my mom had this pink quilt that was her grandmother's. We would curl up with it on cold nights, take it to sit on at the beach and stored it in a basement. My great grandmother Matilda made it, but when my parents moved to their new home my mother gave her friend the quilt (along with some others). It was stained and in horrible shape. Stitches were coming out, the batting was a bunched up and it was as thin as a dishrag.

For my shower, my mother's friend repaired the quilt and made it look better than ever. Over 4 years ago my parents moved, and for those past 4 years this woman would sit with my great grandmother's quilt and worked carefully to repair it. She not only made the quilt look beautiful,but also included a letter to me about what exactly she did to repair it. She also included a piece of the original batting and thread that was hand sewn to hold the quilt together.

I was so touched. Everyone was crying. It was truly wonderful.

I love when old things become new again.

girly stuff

2006-05-04T11:24:00.000-04:00

This weekend my mother's friend is throwing me my first (and only as far as I know) bridal shower. D will be with my Dad and friends shooting pool while I get to have people give me lots of presents.

More than that though, I get to be girly. As a journalist, and someone who went to an all girls college, I'm probably one of the least girly people I know, yet in preparation for this weekend I have painted my nails pink, made sure that I have high heels ready to go, and even pulled out the makeup I have only wore about 3 times in my life.

It will be interesting being girly this weekend, and see what people give us for presents... what exactly do you get a 24 year old girl who is getting married, just bought a house and is not domestic in the least?

I will let you know.

nostalgia

2006-04-23T10:33:00.000-04:00

A friend I've known since high school is coming up today to see my house! It's funny listening to her sometimes compare who I am now to who I was in high school.... honestly, not much has changed.

In some ways I've become more sure of myself, more focused. But in other ways I've become much more relaxed. In high school I did 36 activities at once.... No joke. Now, I concentrate only on writing, my husband to be, friends and my new home. It's a lot less, but it makes me much happier.

But the little things about me have not changed. I am still wickedly sarcastic. I still drive a Mommymobile. I still love to dance like no one is watching. And I still think I may one day fit in with the cool kids (however I still want them all to become fat, ugly and wind up in jail....).

So yeah, maybe she's right. I haven't changed a bit.

Cool features

2006-04-13T09:03:00.000-04:00

Ok, another house post.... this time about some of the cool features our house has.

Above is what I call the "gnome cubby." When D and I were looking at the house for the first time, we saw the double doors in the front hallway across from the front door and didn't know what to make of it. I, of course, knew immediately what it was for-- the gnomes!

See, when I lived on the Fifth Floor in South Hall at Simmons the lounge across the hall from me had a similar tiny door in the wall, which we called the gnome cubby and some days it was called the dwarf door.

Well, my house doesn't have any dwarfs except for myself so it is for gnomes. Actually, right now we use it as a place to stash our shoes so we don't ruin our brand new carpets. I'd like to think once we get a puppy or have kids it will become a fort.

Does your place have any cool/weird things about it that you just love?

changes

2006-04-11T08:16:00.000-04:00

While my digital camera is packed away from our weekend trip to Newport, R.I., I had to at least post about the changes going on in our house.

We love this place, but one thing we didn't love were the cushy toilet seats in all the bathrooms.

It really makes me feel gross when I sit down on the toilet and up comes a cush of air from the puffy toilet seat.

Here are just some of the reasons I hate them:
1. the cush of air
2. the shhhhhhhhh sound it makes once they inflate again
3. no matter how many times you bleach them they never look clean
4. they are different colors than the toilets themselves.
5. we have no idea who has sat on them.

For those reasons, today I got brave and took one of them off. I am supposed to drop it off with D so he can go get us hard toilet seats while I work the night shift.

It's the little (and I'm sure big to come) changes that are truly making this place ours.

mostly unpacked

2006-04-02T17:46:00.000-04:00

So, slowly, we're getting unpacked. But it's a long process. We've got to buy bigger furniture for the living room... we need paint on the all white walls.

We need not ugly curtains....

But right now we're focused on hooking up our washer, dryer and all the other appliances that just arrived.

I'll post more pictures as we do more and actually start to decorate.

For now it's nice just to be home and have one to call our own.

Click my flickr link to see more pictures.

packed.

2006-03-14T07:29:00.000-05:00

We're all packed. This is the second time since living together that D and I have moved. First it was from Florida to Maine. Now it's here to down the road.

We're eating off of plastic. Our clothes, save a few in the suitcases, are all rolled up tight. Heck, we even packed the toaster so I had to eat a raw bagel today. :) We close Wednesday (still don't know what time) and we're very excited. Although, the stress of this apartment isn't allowing me to actually celebrate until we're actually completely moved into the house.

I've taken a hiatus from wedding planning to do all of this stuff, too. but as soon as we're settled it's back to the grindstone!

I promise will post pictures of the inside of the house as soon as I can.

more pictures

2006-02-28T07:54:00.000-05:00

So I don't have much of an update since we're still in the throws of the house thing and the wedding thing...
But, here are some pictures from our recent trip to Cape Elizabeth. Let me just say that we managed to land in a suit with no heat (ironic since our apartment too has no heat). But the nice folks at the Inn upgraded us to a cottage condominium. We had 2 bathrooms, 3 double beds, a kitchen, living room and private baloncy with a view of the ocean all to ourselves.

To top it all off we ordered breakfast in bed.

Lovely.

house

2006-02-27T13:28:00.000-05:00

So... WE GOT THE HOUSE!

Now the packing begins. I remember now just how much I hate packing.
Unpacking is sort of fun... finding a new home for things...
but packing itself is miserable.

We close soon.
VERY soon.

I'll keep you posted. Wednesday we have all our inspections. Hopefully more pictures of the inside to come once those are done.

one step closer

2006-02-18T12:27:00.000-05:00

.... so, not to get all mushy or anything... but Dave and I are one step closer to actually getting the house we want.
We made an offer.
They countered.
We countered their counter.

Tuesday we find out what's going on.

But I thought you all might appreciate actually seeing a pic or two of the place. I have to say that I started this blog while I was living in Florida and called it Northernjourno because I missed New England so much.

The house we want is just one tiny part of the New England pictures that were constantly running through my head while I lived in St. Pete.

No hurricane here. Just snow.

pictures

2006-02-11T16:37:00.000-05:00

This is D and I on my uncle's skidoo. This is a very big deal since Uncle Bill had only met D once and liked him enough that he let him drive the thing. It was REALLY fun. I won't post the pictures of me driving....

house hunting

2006-02-11T16:33:00.000-05:00

So we found a house we love.
It's a saltbox..... but Dave likes to call it many different things. Today he called it a salt shaker. then it became a pepper crusher.

Slowly, it became a bag of flour.

We're going to make an offer on it as soon as we talk to our mortgage guy and our real estate agent about what our offer should be. It's on 1.3 acres of land.... with lots of room for Dave to play with trucks or build Ford Sierra Cosworths.

It's a 3 bed, 1 full bath, 1 half bath house with a river running through the back yard. It has a cozy wood stove, plus regular heat and a wonderful brick hearth in the living room.

Hopefully soon I'll have more to post about it. As for now I don't want to jinx us.

Long time no post.

2006-01-24T09:19:00.000-05:00

Ok, so admitedly my life has just been crazy enough to not post for a WICKED long time....
First, we moved from hot Florida back to the comforts of the Northeast.
Second, we're planning a wedding for July.
Third, we're house hunting.
Fourth, I started working at a newspaper and I write everyday all day, not to mention trying to freelance on the side so basically the last thing I want to do is come home and write some more. BUT, too many people have asked me to start posting again.... so here I am, again.
Fifth, I've been trying to lose weight (not just because I'm getting married (because D loves me just the way I am and I don't have to according to him), but because since my freshman year of college I haven't felt that great. (Probably mostly due to the fact that I loved rowing so much and now I don't have anywhere to row with 7 other crazy girls and one tall Russian.).

So, that's my update for now, however short it may be. I will try to post once a week from now on. At least. But, I do have some rules for myself. 1. Never talk about work here because lots of journos have gotten in trouble for it, and second because I am just competitive enough to believe someone may steal one of my good ideas. Rule number 2 is that I MUST follow rule number one.
But, in case you do want to see what I am up to at work go to www.kjonline.com (unfortunately you have to click through all the stories to see which one or two or three are mine.)

more later.

Still A Loser

2005-04-28T10:25:00.000-04:00

Every Monday I weigh in for my diet, and log it to track how my diet is going. This week I was still a loser.... this of course, being a good thing. So far 20.4 pounds are gone from my body! YAY. Dave picked me up and flung me around yesterday night to help celebrate my loss. This was a very cute thing to do and demonstrate how light I am getting, however, he swung me in the wrong direction and my foot slammed into one of our kitchen table chairs. It got all red and gross and I hoped it was not broken.
It was not, but it still hurts.
We went out to dinner and I manged to not eat too much wonderful italian food.
So, right now I am still a big loser. Hopefully next week will be more of the same.

Moving Update

2005-04-23T14:48:00.000-04:00

Dave's last day of work is next Friday, then he leaves to drive back home on May 1. When he's there he's going to be driving back and forth from his parent's house to Maine where he will be looking for jobs and a place for us to live. My last day here is June 3. I really hope I finish everything up by the time I have to leave.
We found this house online a while back that we fell in love with, it was 209,000 then, it's 199,000....and even though we aren't looking for a house right now, and we should get an apartment or condo first that price on that house going down makes me want it even more.
*sigh* It's so fun to dream.

Sea of Boxes

2005-04-15T22:19:00.000-04:00

My apartment has become a storage area for wayward boxes. The other day I came home from Poynter only to find that David had stacked the boxes in front of the door, so that, when I opened it I was greeted by a WALL no, a MOUNTAIN of boxes. My last day here is June 3, which, sadly enough, is not all that far away... we really should start packing now if we want to get it done anytime before we are supposed to leave.

The good news? So far, we have yet to buy a single box, Dave and I are stealing them from anyhere we can find them. Also, it's hard to look for a place to live in Maine when you both are still living in Florida. Dave is going up in May to search for us... I don't have any time to do that.

Know of any places I can find good, free boxes?

Update

2005-04-11T08:12:00.000-04:00

Well, the diet goes pretty well, so far I've lost 16.8 pounds! YAY! I'll be skinny for my wedding yet! Speaking of weddings, Reagan's is next month... I need to get a manicure and pedicure and possibly get my hair dyed again (although I am kind of liking my natural color)

Oh, and big news, Dave and I are moving to Maine... I got a job at a newspaper up there-- and I am VERY excited! Really no other news right now but mostly I'm getting skinny and moving to Maine like I always wanted.

Yay!

End of life

2005-03-25T22:03:00.000-05:00

Terri Schiavo has been all over the news in the past weeks, and I find myself thinking back to when my grandmother died. She had cancer, and had a DNR order. It's what Grandma wanted. It was tough getting that phone call from the hospital early in the morning that summer-- my Mom and I camped out and sleeping in my Grandmother's huge antique bed. My Dad had just left to go back to Massachusetts to work since he couldn't take more time off. He wound up driving right back to Maine again. I remember wondering why she wanted a DNR, but then remembered how she'd looked near the end.
Grandma was a woman with much class and dignity. She was not accustomed to having a bed pan under her, or having to have people bathe her. She couldn't have lived that way for long-- it would have driven her mad. She didn't even like the chaplain coming in to pray over her-- she wasn't the type of person who wanted prayers-- she was the type of person who was of action. She gave a lot of money to the needy, and a lot of time teaching those who needed to be taught, and she never asked for anything in return. When I think of this poor family fighting over Terri's life it makes me hurt for them-- for her. Grandma wanted and DNR and even if we didn't agree with it at least we knew her wishes. With Terri we'll never really know.

Progress

2005-03-16T10:57:00.000-05:00

Since last time I wrote I have lost a total of 10.4 lbs. I am making progress. I am feeling better about myself and I'm not hungry at all. Dave is being a great help-- he makes it easier for me by telling me I'm doing a good job. I'm going to be thinner for Reagan's wedding, and when our wedding finally rolls around I will be even thinner too! I think this is the first time in my life I have ever seen the numbers on the scale going down rather than up.
Things are going pretty well right now-- had a promising job interview the other night and it sounds like a great fit. I hope I get the job. It would be so nice to move back up north and to a beautiful area that Dave and I both love.
Ok, time to get ready for work... come back tomorrow to read about our adventure shopping for wedding bands.

Tough Business

2005-03-03T22:18:00.000-05:00

Losing weight is tough. I know it's not a cake-walk, no pun intended, but man, this is hard. So far I've lost 7.8 lbs-- that's great. But what's tough is continuing to lose-- I have a long way to go until I get down to where I should be to be as healthy as I would like. Finding time for exercise is my biggest problem.

When I was in college on the crew team I had so much more going on in my life and I still managed to work out 2 hours a day. Now, without the gym next to my dorm and with no boathouse to run down the river 2 miles away to it's hard.

I live in an area of town that is not the safest to run in, and running around the apartment complex just doesn't do it for me. I have tapes and I do those but they're not as fun as rowing. I love rowing. I miss it. I feel so at piece lapping my oars into the water, moving as one body in a boat filled with 8 other people.

I want to see how the sun and moon look over the Charles again. Wherever I move to next I have to try and join a rowing club-- there isn't one around here I can join.... let alone afford to join.

Regardless, I should be happy about the weight I have already lost.... I just wish I had my teammates behind me in the boat helping me along.

Diet

2005-02-24T20:33:00.000-05:00

For the first time in my life I'm going on a diet-- an actual healthy diet. So far it's working and I'm feeling better (in general and about myself).

What prompted this was that I'm in a wedding in May ( a friend's not mine), I'm going to a another wedding in October (a friend I've known since I was eight years old) and I'm getting married a year from now.

Dave is being very supportive -- he told me that he loves me the way I am. He also told me that he wants me to be happy with myself.

slowly, day by day, I'm getting there.

Thank You

2005-02-17T15:59:00.000-05:00

Have I said thank you to you lately? If not, thank you. Thank you for asking if I'm ok after having been in a car accident. Thank you for the dozen roses on Valentine's Day. Thank you for making dinner when I don't feel like it.

For listening to me when I don't even want to listen to myself. For caring about what I do; what I write.

Thank you for posting comments on my blog. Thank you for working hard to help me reach my goals-- for giving me books about how to become a better writer, for filing early. Thank you for a million things.

It's such a small phrase but I heard it today and it made me feel better. So thank you.

Car accident

2005-02-12T23:03:00.000-05:00

It's scary being in a car accident for the first time. And today, it was my first time. Pulling out of a mall parking lot I got hit from the side. It happened so fast. I didn't see the car until after she hit me.

I called David after the cops had come and I had exchanged my information with the woman also involved. He came and I broke down. He didn't.

I'm so glad I have him to keep me from pulling my hair out -- Imagine if I had had to drive myself home.

I am truly lucky to have the people in my life who are willing to help me through things like this.

Formalities

2005-01-30T05:28:00.000-05:00

Next weekend David and I are having our engagement pictures taken. It makes me wonder how our culture comes to accept things as tradition. Who first decided to have formal pictures taken to announce their marriage? Who knew it would turn into a multi-billion dollar business. We're pretty excited about it since we've never had our pictures taken by a professional together.

We get excited about little things like that. Of course, the photo shoot is on an odd day-- superbowl sunday. Thank goodness we're having them taken early in the day so as not to disrupt my football watching!

Ever had a really bad photo experience?

Writing

2005-01-22T00:50:00.000-05:00

Anis Nin said writing was like breathing. For me, it's the same. I cannot go a day without writing, just as people cannot go without breathing.

When I was young, I would write for myself. Poems, songs I didn't have music for, stories, letters, journal entries. Every day I still write-- it's what I do for a living. But somedays, it feels like I am not writing for myself. Rather, I am writing for my audience -- writing what I think something should sound like.

I have to stop writing for other people. Journalism is about telling stories, real people's stories. But in that, I have to remember that first and foremost I am writing it for myself. If it's not interesting to me I shouldn't be writing it.

My need to not sound stupid or immature or pompous or redundant gets in the way of the kid who used to just write in her journal knowing if someone read it she wouldn't mind, because at least she liked it.

I have to shut the critic off and let the words come out of me like the air I breathe.

So what if this is corny? So what if someone laughs while reading it. At least I like it, and it's what came out.

The Best Gifts in Life Are People Who Love You

2005-01-10T21:29:00.000-05:00

A while back I told you about some rotten person who stole David's NAVY bootcamp sweatshirt right out of the washing machine, never to be seen again.

Well, today David got a package from one of his friends (whom I have met) and I called David at work to tell him that he had a package waiting for him. He called me back and told me to open it for him.

After peeling back about 8 layers of clear packing tape, I opened up the box to find a brand new very large NAVY bootcamp sweatshirt.

My eyes teared up, and it made me think of when I got the first version of that sweatshirt years ago. Feels like home being in it. David said he called his friend the night the sweatshirt was stolen so I could have a new one. It's not the fact I got a new sweatshirt that makes me happy, it's the fact that Dave would think to call his friend to have him go get me a new one that means so much.

New Year

2005-01-06T10:47:00.000-05:00

I am starting to feel the pressure of finding where I will go next after Poynter. Where will my next job be? I am still enjoying Poynter and have a lot left to learn, but I am the type of person who dislikes not knowing what is next.

Dave has a few possibilities up north, and luckily there are many papers I could work at... I am just hoping I'll find something at around the same time he decides what he is going to do. I would like us to find a nice place to live, and look for that place together.

New Year, new possiblities.

The Pops

2004-12-29T21:50:00.000-05:00

David and I went to see the Boston Pops on the 26th, as part of our Christmas present from my parents. We had a blast. His parents came as did mine -- the proof is in the smiles of the great time we had.

2004-12-29T19:05:00.000-05:00

From our patio when there are no hurricanes.

2004-12-29T19:04:00.001-05:00

The sunset.

2004-12-29T19:04:00.000-05:00

The sunset from our patio, the view from our patio when I first moved in, David lounging in our first grown up chair, and me on a segway.

What I've been up to

2004-12-29T18:58:00.001-05:00

Since a bunch of you have been begging me to put pictures up on this blog... here some are.

2004-12-29T18:58:00.000-05:00

Elizabeth & David Dec. 26, 2004 at the Boston Pops in Boston's Symphony Hall.

My year in Review

2004-12-23T12:13:00.000-05:00

2004 was a great year for me. Here are some of the highlights:
I lived alone at Simmons and had great friends there.
I got to visit David in Sciliy.
David got out of the NAVY.
I got a journalism award from Simmons.
I graduated from Simmons.
I attended Poynter's summer fellowship.
I was selected as Poynter's year long intern.
David asked me to marry him-- July 22, 2006 here we come!
I was offered a freelancing gig from the Organization of News Ombudsmen.
David came to live with me in Florida.
I got a great new car that I love-- my first car that is actually MINE.
My parents visited for Thanksgiving.
My best friends agreed to be in my wedding.
Alex is getting married.
Reagan is getting married.
David and I have started saving money for a house.
We're going home for Christmas. Our first time traveling together!
We're going to have a happy new year.

Best wishes in 2005, here's hoping it's as good as 2004.

Bah Humbug

2004-12-08T18:21:00.000-05:00

Last night my fiance and I had a big bah humbug session.

Here's the scenario: Last week my favorite khakis turned up missing. This week, my favorite PJs were missing... along with the sweatshirt my fiance gave me when he first got out of bootcamp 4 years ago.

Why would anyone steal my ratty old sweatshirt? While I am not one who clings to material possessions, not having that sweatshirt really upset me. It got me through many long nights in Boston without him.

So, my fiance, got angry-- for me. I got sad, he went to do something about it. He went to the laundry room we use at our apartment complex, and he rummaged. He came home about 20 minutes later with a trashbag full of our clothes. Turns out someone had decided that they wanted to use the washing machine our clothes were in and just decided to take ours out-- mid-cycle. So our clothes were thrown--wet--into the trash.

It wasn't the whole load we recovered. Who knows what we will. I got my favorite pants back, and my favorite PJs.

But not the Navy sweatshirt.

We put up a sign in the laundry room. But I have a feeling I will never see it again. I'm upset about my sweatshirt. But, at least I still have the man who used to wear the sweatshirt with me.

Coming on Christmas

2004-11-15T13:57:00.000-05:00

It's November, and already the stores and coffee shops have Christmas stuff out. Thanksgiving is next week, and it hit me. I only have a few months left at Poynter. It is truly a scary thought for me. I have to start searching for a new job, and while that is exciting, it is also slightly terrifying.

David and I want to move to Maine... my ideal job would be there. I have to start writing cover letters and sending my resume out again. David starts work today, and already has lots of contacts and job possibilities if we are lucky enough to move back north.

There are still so many people at Poynter I want to go to lunch with and talk about journalism with. And I have very little time left to do that in.

Wish me luck. Maybe a good conversation with a paper in Maine will be my Christmas present.

Hurricane Number 4

2004-09-25T20:47:00.000-04:00

This time the hurricane's name is Jeanne. So, here I am, sitting again in my apartment wondering if I will lose another weekend to being stuck in my apartment...waiting for my fiance to arrive and make me feel whole again and not so alone in the storm.
When you can't really go out in a hurricane and you're unsure of what damage it will bring you find yourself thinking about all sorts of things. At least, that's how I am finding myself now. When I graduated from Simmons College in May, I was excited about moving to Florida and working at Poynter-- and Poynter has been the best and scariest thing I have done concerning my career so far. Everyday I learn something, and at night I come home and try and wrap my head around all of what I learned, want to learn, want to write about, hope to be a better editor at. I never would have told you that I would want to live in Florida-- and the hurricanes are making me miss New England more than ever. But Poynter is just the type of challenge I tell my friends I crave...and it's scary to think I'm working there. What will happen in a year when Dave and I have to move someplace? Will I get a good job that I love going to? Will he be happy in his job? And how is it possible to have *so far* achieved all the goals I had set for myself for after my graduation from Simmons.
I wanted to:
1. Move out of my parents house for good to show that I am independent
2. Get a job in the journalism industry that I love
3. Spend as much time as possible with David and really work at being the *normal* couple we used to be before the military
4. Write better than I have before

I'm still working on numbers 3 and 4-- but three is slowly getting there too now that David and I are engaged. Ever since I met him in 8th grade all I've wanted was to have his last name be my last name.
It's scary to have things going so well-- maybe that's why all of these hurricanes are coming-- just to keep me off balance and slightly stressed out. It's almost like I am waiting for the other shoe to drop and have something go horribly wrong even though I don't want that shoe to ever actually drop.

Happy Hurricane News

2004-09-21T16:30:00.000-04:00

So, since the last post we've had another hurricane (Ivan)-- which I left town for. I decided to fly home to see my parents. I arrived on Saturday, and on Sunday my boyfriend drove up from where he was staying with friends in Virginia.
On Monday we went out to dinner at our favorite resturant in Boston. Toward the end of dinner he got down on one knee and asked me to marry him-- I of course said yes. Now he is my fiance.
We've been together for 7 years, and apart doing the long-distance thing for 4 when he was in the military. I am so excited I could burst!
I have lots of planning to do, but not without everyone's help. Got suggestions? I'd love to hear them.

Hurricane Frances

2004-09-05T21:06:00.000-04:00

Now I remember why I love the North-- we rarely-- if ever-- have hurricanes. Now, in my summer in the warm southern air in Florida we have managed to have 2 in the span of a few weeks! And, a 3rd is on the way. So far we've had Charley, Frances, and now they're talking about Ivan. I am beginning to think taking this year long fellowship was not such a great idea weather wise.
I am also beginning to think that maybe it's my fault. This summer during the 6-week fellowship I wrote an article about how St. Pete Beach preps for hurricanes. I wrote how they hadn't had a hurricane there since 1928--- and now we've had 2. It's strange watching the news casts and seeing Gary Vickers the Pinellas County EOC head and think back to when I interviewed him this summer. I think about how he told me that he was worried about this year, eight major named hurricanes are predicted. So far, we're only through three!
It's definately an experience that's for sure. But one experience that I am not fond of.
My friend Laura said it sounded exciting and how she liked bad weather. I used to be like that too-- but after being cooped up in my apartment since Friday I am just about going stir crazy.
Hurricane season doesn't end until Nov. 30, and the newscasters say that the peak of hurricane season is next week.
Goody.

Postscripts

2004-08-29T19:15:00.000-04:00

When I workd at the Viriginian-Pilot I worked with a great writing coach named Freddie Kirsch. He had all of the interns there write these little tiny (had to only be either 12 or 15 inches can't remember which now) extended obits. This is an example of a postscript (one that Freddie just happened to write). The reason I liked writing them was because it forced you to write very tight, and make it interesting because -- even dead people have stories. Freddie taught us to read the obits in the paper, and pick out something that stood out for us-- for me it was always interesting nicknames since I have a few interesting ones myself. These postscripts don't look like much, but they taught me how to speak with people that just lost a loved one, and the value in providing one last article on someone's life.

Virtual Girlfriend

2004-08-27T00:16:00.000-04:00

While reading my daily dose of The Boston Globe online today, I saw this article. With thoughts of my own boyfriend coming home from the military soon... I just had to read this. Does this article show that there is now hope for some guys? Or, being from an all-girls school (like I am--Simmons) were you offended that such a thing even came out. Then, I wondered why I was so offended when just last Christmas the department stores were selling a product named Mr. Wonderful. Somehow though, I feel this is different....

'Virtual girlfriend' demands gifts
Associated Press
She needs to be coddled with sweet talk and pampered with gifts, but you'll never see her in the flesh. A Hong Kong company has developed a "virtual girlfriend" for new cell phones with video capability.

Artificial Life Inc.'s electronic love interest -- sort of a Tamagotchi for adults -- will appear as an animated figure on a telephone screen and respond by voice to text messages you send.
But she'll require a lot of attention, involving virtual flowers and diamonds, company spokeswoman Ada Fong said. Though gifts are nothing but data, suitors will have to pay cold, hard cash.

Environmental Persuasion

2004-08-26T20:39:00.000-04:00

Being a northern girl at heart, I feel displaced in Florida. Not to say I don't love it-- but I miss the cold air, the snow, my beloved Boston Globe where I got my start. But, here in St. Petersburg, I am at the Poynter Institute for the next year trying to soak up how to become a better journalist.
Working in the online section at Poynter, I feel compelled to start a blog--and I was inspired by a journo friend Laura Fries. Go to her blog...and post a comment.
So, here it is:My blog. I swear after this first horrible explainer post it will get better. In the meantime go ahead. Google me.