Yes, I am still alive. In fact, my life has been so busy these past several months, that’s why I have not been writing here that much. But now everything is much changed, and along with those changes I am hoping that things will once again begin to settle down, giving me the opportunity to start writing again, and part of that means being able to keep up in my LJ.
Okay. So my life has changed. Are you ready for changes?
I got engaged. I quit my job. I moved to Alabama. Is that enough in the way of changes? Just about the only thing that has remained the same in my life is my cats and my couches.
Well, I’m being a little facetious there. Lots of my stuff came over with me. But it’s not about “stuff.” It’s about being happy, and I am.
This was a giant step for me, and I have to say that I don’t know how I would have managed it, if it weren’t for Russ. He has been an absolute sweetheart, every step of the way. I feel so safe and confident with him. To all of those who say you can’t really get to know someone on-line, I say….P-SHAAAW!! The most surprising thing to me is that I am not at all surprised by Russ. He is exactly as I imagined he would be, and so easy to get along with.
As for Alabama, it’s great! So different than South Florida. It really reminds me so much more of Gainesville (especially around the University of Alabama, which is 2-3 miles away from our house).
In some ways, it reminds me more of “up north” than of the South. The trees are dead now, in the Winter, but I’m hoping in a month or so to begin to experience a true Spring, with leaves and flowers blossoming everywhere.
The houses here remind me of Long Island. There are a lot of brick houses, and a lot of houses are built on hills, or at the bottom of hills. Some houses are really old. Like ours.
Apparently it was built in 1926. This little house is so cool, I’m going to do an entire post just on the house, but I have to mention at least this much: at one point, the “lady of the house,” (who may have been Russ’ great grandmother, if I have the story correctly) refused to get one of those new-fangled washing machines. She insisted on continuing to do her laundry on a washer board! I wonder if she also made her own soap from grease drippings!
Anyway, at the moment I am “Alabamaizing” myself. So far I have a driver’s licence, a library card, and my voter’s card is on the way. I switched my address on my car insurance and I’m saving approximately 50%! Gas is $2.06 a gallon right now. That’s the good news. The bad news is that sales tax is 9% and they tax everything, even food! But apparently property taxes are low, so Russ and I will reap the benefits when we buy a house.
I live within walking distance of:
Publix
Office Depot
McDonald’s (which has free internet!)
K-Mart
KFC
CVS
Wendy’s
Taco Bell
Arby’s
There’s more, I just can’t think of it all at the moment. Oh! And one more thing you have to know about Alabama, there are churches EVERYWHERE! You cannot drive two minutes in any direction without seeing a church.
I can see a church steeple from my living room window, and there is another church directly across the street from that. Also, the church that Russ grew up in, St. Mark’s Methodist, is within walking distance. Apparently you can’t buy liquor all day on Sunday, and though team sports for kids is really big (at least in Russ’ family), they never schedule practices or games on Wednesdays. Why not? Church.
It’s a different world.
Okay, enough for now. Just to let you all know, I’m here, and I’m psyched to be here! Tomorrow I have my first employment interview at the University! More about that next time.
