Ready for the Road

I was getting caught up on my brother’s blog this week, and I decided to improve a few things about this one. For starters, I plan on posting just one update each week. It’ll be a clean, concise, timely and hopefully interesting little “hello there, here’s what we’ve been doing”. Think of it like that Sunday night phone call to your parents to let them know you’re still breathing. So there you have it, once a week you’ll hear from me. And when you do, at the very least you'll know I’m still breathing. You can stop there, or, make the jump and read the blog.

I also decided to clean up some of the clutter on the page. No more links to our Facepages (DIE FACEBOOK!).

And lastly, I added a “page bar” at the top under our new and improved (but admittedly-still-not-that-great) header. More to come! I don’t want to add too much at once. I already blew my own mind making that header. And if you knew how hard I worked, you would feel really bad that you’re laughing at it, Jon Joyce.

:)

Well…it's almost time to leave for Flagstaff! I can’t speak for Greg, but I am nervous, excited, happy and sad. I’m nervous that I’m going to get out there and something major is going to go wrong. Like, one of my animals will escape and meet the grill of a Mack truck. Yes, to me, the tragic death of an animal is “something major”. I am equal parts animal lover and overactive worrywart. What else could go wrong, you ask? Well so far, I’ve supposed the possibilities of snake infestation, bear attacks, fire and robbers. Dog robbers? Well, just maybe. I’ve got good dogs. I’m completely irrational sometimes. I know this. And every time my mind starts to climb its magical beanstalk of scenarios, I try to talk my worries off the ledge. Then this little voice inside my head trumps all and says, “Better safe than sorry!” So I continue to let myself worry to the point I am almost afraid to leave the house. Or trailer. Haha, not really. No, really. This constant and unrelenting worry is part of the reason I finally decided to make this move to Flagstaff for the summer. The worry and caution I’ve exercised so far in my life has led me down a long road to the lower middle. So, I’m going to try and let go of some worry and baseless caution, and live life. What have I got to lose?

One thing I’m really looking forward to is riding my bike a lot. A LOT, as in, as much as possible and wherever possible. I hate to generalize, but motorists in Oklahoma tend to be very aggressive and intolerant of cyclists on their roads. I don’t know if it’s ignorance or intolerance, and it doesn’t really matter to me. What matters is that I’m tired of hearing people complain about “...well some guy on his BICYCLE, and I had to change LANES, and he needs to get OVER! MNUUUGGH!!!” I saw a ton of people in Flagstaff riding their bikes and the people in their cars did not seem agitated. So. That’s a good sign.

The other two emotions I’m feeling right now are happy and sad. I’m happy because I feel like we’re finally doing something about our seemingly endless streak of bad luck, as opposed to what we’ve been doing since losing our jobs 15 months ago. Which brings me to the sad part - sticking around Tulsa, looking for a job in vain, beating myself up about NOT finding a job, getting peeved about other people who do have jobs, and then filing for my unemployment claim each week. The weekly filing for unemployment benefits has become a huge, throbbing symbol of my continued struggle to feel like a functioning, intelligent adult again. Unemployment Benefits. What they’re supposed to be is a low dose of interim support in-between jobs, but it’s like a puddle I can’t quit stepping in. A puddle that makes me feel guilty and unlovable. And by unlovable, I mean unhireable. Oh sniff, sniff, waaaaaa. Enough crying about that. I was miserable at my last job and the one before it, too. The answer for me is likely not just a job. I obviously have other things to figure out as well. But a job, ANY job, would yield the necessary “scratch” to get back on my feet financially.

Moving on!

How ‘bout some more updates on Edwina!?! Dare I say, she is ready…

I spent most of the weekend packing my kitchen. It’s surprising how much storage space Edwina offers. We received a new microwave as a trailer-warming gift, so I took great pleasure in removing the old one. I also made Finn the cat a little kitty-walk to go up into the bunk area if he wants to escape up to his bean bag.

Slipcover on the sofa! 

 I also made myself the kitschiest Oklahoma pillow I could muster. Yes, its bedazzled.

I also made Greg a pillow :)

Greg painted a nice big brown stripe on the outside. I love it! It reminds me of the wood-paneled station wagons of my childhood friends. I think there are definitely more updates in store for the exterior…we’re think-tanking some ideas, so stay tuned.

And now for your weekly (daily, hourly?) dose of Greggles Volkswagen news…

Greg got the 73 Westy on the market this past week! He’s already had a handful of interested buyers, and is showing it to a few more people on Monday. It looks amazing! I’m sure it will have a new owner soon. It will be hard to say goodbye because this was the first interior that I'd ever sewn! How bittersweet it will be. Here are a few sweet pics of "The Cheeto".

Well folks, that about wraps it up for this week. My next update will be from Flagstaff!