My Bachelorette Life

For the last two weeks, I have been up in Athens by myself starting my apprenticeship while Shawn and the kids have been packing and playing in Gainesville. The weeks have flown by despite the fact that I felt like part of me was missing. Here's a closer look at what my life as a Bachelorette has been like:

1. Waking up to an alarm in the morning, not tears or squirmy children.
2. Studying Spanish (yes, I am teaching myself how to read Spanish) for hours on end.
3. Writing for hours at a time.
4. Reading three books.
5. Daily (and increasingly lengthening) phone convos with Riley. Man, that girl can chat! I loved getting a full report of her day. Most sentences ended with a mom tacked onto the end. At the end of the talk, I would hear her ask Shawn, "Is that all?" and then she would get back on and say, "That's all." Too cute.
6. A marathon to Ikea for organizational equipment for our new house. Shawn was probably glad it was just me. I looked at EVERYTHING!! But it would have been nice to have his help dragging two carts to the car. To get the bookshelves out of the car at home, I literally had to pull right up to the garage and slide them out.
7. Meals: We don't have a microwave yet, so lunch and dinner are either stovetop pastas or skillet food like hotdogs. It is WEIRD only preparing one meal for one person.
8. Dishes: I go through three bowls, a pot, a frying pan, and silverware. I soak them during the day. Then I wash them at night. What ease!
9. When I want to shower, I can!
10. Nights: I have to admit that nights are tough. I'm alone in a big house, a little ways out of town. Seriously, every sound set me on edge! And I couldn't get over it. Literally, every night I freaked myself out whenever the dishwasher rumbled or the air kicked on. Crazy!
11. I am starting to find my way around town. I have a new route to my parking lot, and I know where Target is! I even drove past the Panera the other day. Good stuff.
12. Oh, and I guess I didn't mention what my furnishings have been. Thanks to my parents, I have an uber-comfortable air mattresses, a butterfly chair, a snack table, a folding chair, and a huge beanbag. And that's it!


But here's the weekend plan. I'm driving back to G-ville tonight, we're packing up the truck tomorrow, and then all of us are coming up to Athens on Sunday. I can't wait!! It has been nice to get through nine chapters of Spanish, tens of thousands of words in various stories and story-starts, three books, and a plan for teaching in the fall. But I miss the little voices. I miss the hugs and holding. I miss running errands with Riley and visiting parks. I miss chasing Adrian around the house and watching him back down stairs. I have missed so much. And I can't wait to start our life in Athens as a family.

A picture update is coming!! Stay tuned!!