july 31

@ 11p | 2 cents...

Sigh. We are currently sitting in our new apartment watching a little TV. We have most of the boxes unpacked thanks in no small part to my in-laws who have been very helpful in the physical labor and morale departments. They went home this afternoon, so Eric and I have been taking it easy and trying to settle into a routine. I have some photos of me opening our front door for the first time, our apartment from the outside and the four of us enjoying some fondue and champagne in a rare relaxing moment. More photos to come as we unpack and we've added the last photos to the moving page.

july 26

@ 11p | 2 cents...

We must say goodbye to all of our furry and feathered friends... it was great providing food and water to all of you for the past few years. Many times, more entertaining than television.

Eric's parents arrived on Saturday and we have been busy repacking some things and organizing for loading everything into the truck tomorrow. We shove off for Chapel Hill on Wednesday. More photos of boxes here.

july 23

@ 11a | 2 cents...

It is officially official! Eric's thesis has been approved and he is a go for graduation. After August 7th he will be answering only to "Dr." :)

In all of the craziness that has been my life lately, I completely forgot to post a link to the photos we took around Athens two weeks ago. These pics are primarily of the painted dawg statues around town, but we've thrown in a few landmarks as well. Please enjoy the panoramic image of Athens at it took great effort to stitch that bad boy together.

Our beloved couch was picked up this morning by charity, hopefully to find a nice new home.

We also have more photos of boxes!

I sold another painting today to a good friend and co-worker, partially in exchange for some Creative Memories scrapbooking supplies. One hobby contributing to another!

july 20

@ 5p | 2 cents...

First of all, a very warm and wonderful happy birthday to my brother (today) and Kerri (yesterday)!

My lovely co-workers threw a going away party for me yesterday and the talented student worker decorated a cake for me:

I'm hoping to post even MORE photos of our boxed in back room this evening after we celebrate with some co-workers over a pitcher and some pub fare.

july 13

@ 10p | 2 cents...

More photos of boxes! So exciting, I know, but hey... that's our life lately.

And lastly... a tribute to our recently sold vehicle...

july 9

@ 2p | 2 cents...

Shoe shopping yesterday at the mall was a bust. I'm trekking up to the outlets this evening.

On Saturday I'll be attending my last scrapbooking bee in the area. I just need to put a few finishing touches on my South Africa album and I'd like to add another city to my Southern Cities book. On Sunday, we have a BBQ at a friend's house as a kind of goodbye to all the grad students heading off to different places. I'll be bringing my new recipe to try.

As you can see from our recently viewed list, we are watching quite a few classics. The Apartment and the Thin Man movies have been my favorites so far this summer.

july 8

@ 10a | 2 cents...

We've secured our apartment in Chapel Hill and started making plans to start/stop our utility services. It feels weird to be sending all my magazines to North Carolina while I'm still in Georgia.

While sorting through our mountains of stuff to give away, we picked out a few nice things to try selling on eBay. We've made about $130 so far on a handful of items. Certainly better than nothing. :)

Speaking of selling things -- Eric's car has been sold!

The perils of an office with a view now include an ant infestation. I have two ant traps and an ant superhighway running from the corner of my window to the floor and back. I think I'll take the afternoon off and go shoe shopping.

Unfortunately, I found out yesterday that it would be "too much trouble" to allow me a contract position after I leave. Motivation is now officially at an all time LOW.

july 5

@ 3p | 2 cents...

Eric's defense went very well this morning. The talk was great - not too many questions - and all committee members signed off on the paperwork! His head professor took a few of us out to lunch afterwards. Thankfully, I am feeling a bit more like myself (I've been sick for two weeks) so I could enjoy my food. So, it's done! It's over! Eric has his PhD!

In other news, Eric put an ad in the Sunday paper to sell his car before we move and we've already received six, make that nine, phone calls about it. The ad is supposed to run for 10 days, but at this rate we may be turning people away.

I gave my notice at work and I'm waiting to hear if I can work on contract for a little while to cover the gap between my moving and them hiring someone else. It would be nice to not be pressured into finding the "perfect job" before we move.

And here's how our packing is progressing...

july 1

@ 4p | 2 cents...

For those of you not on our update list - we finally know about Chapel Hill! Eric was awarded a three year fellowship at UNC-Chapel Hill starting this fall. We are moving at the end of the month because our apartment lease is up and we are ready. We will miss Georgia a bit but are looking forward to branching out in North Carolina. It took us a while to get used to Georgia, but now that we know what we like to do as a married couple - hiking to waterfalls, wine-tasting, travel, etc. it will be easier to fit into our new surroundings.

One of the nice new perks is having Southwest airlines available from the Raleigh airport. This has allowed us to plan what Eric refers to as our "August Coast-to-Coast Adventure!" We will be heading out to California to see my brother in mid-August and from there flying directly to Long Island to visit with Eric's family before returning to North Carolina. All for way less than the cost of Eric's recent dentistry! :D

Finally, I posted a map of our recent Penn State road trip here. Enjoy!