Accidental Omission

Oopsie.
Well, we found out about the apartment a week or so ago. I think. I forgot to post. It's all very exciting. Our move-in day is in about two weeks. I will be excited to get my stuff in that apartment- it's slightly less fun when it's just hanging out in my basement.

The wedding is five weeks from today, and that is just bananas. It's incredibly surreal. I've got more stuff done, but we are having some, shall we say, issues, with RSVPs. We sent out about 180 invitations. And we've got maybe 40 response cards. Some people have just let me know that they're coming or not coming, which is fine, because at least I know. And a few relatives (and bridesmaids...) haven't sent theirs but I know they're going to be there. But those groups only account for like, ten response cards. There's still over 300 people we have no idea if they're coming or not. Which is a little frustrating, because people keep asking me what the count is, and I simply don't know. I sent facebook messages to a few people, asking if they got their invitations and if they will be able to come, but I haven't heard from anyone....hopefully they were just busy with Thanksgiving and will get back to me soon. Because the "reply by" date is like, December 2nd. Which is what, three days away? Or something like that. Three days that the post office delivers mail.
And I feel bad that I'm frustrated, like I'm being, I don't know, demanding, wanting to know if people are coming. But I need to know. If I only hear back from a few more people and just assume like, 250 people aren't coming, and then half of them show up, that is a heck of a lot of food and drink that we do not have. Among other things.

In the meantime, I am boxing up some random stuff around my room. I'm pretty much clearing off my bookshelves (I have two tall ones and one short one) and boxing up the contents so we can go ahead and move them to the apartment. I'm keeping my DVDs out, and my Harry Potter books, because sometimes I just need to read them. They make me happy. And I boxed up a lot of my stuffed animals (I don't know what I'm going to do with them...) and some breakables and I'm starting a box of random stuff. Contents so far: two figurines from LOST, a doggie lobster costume, part of a doggie bumblebee costume, a planner that I barely used, and some walruses. Like I said. Random.

In terms of wedding accomplishments, I got the rest of my favor boxes put together, paid the balance on the flowers, and made appointments for my hair trial run, my nail appointment (two days before the wedding) and my hair and makeup appointment the day of the wedding. That part was pretty exciting. I am looking forward to it! And we took my dress back to Rebecca's to be pressed. I just need to remember to go back and get my veil for my hair trial. I thought about taking it home but I just knew it would get messed up.

So..that's all that's going on right now. Completely scintillating. I'm sure the world was dying to know.

Who knows where the time goes?

Wow. What a weekend.
Friday Jonathan came down with the flu, randomly and all of a sudden. Saturday morning at work there was an overly zealous man beating on the door, and he tried to bribe us to let him in and get on the computer. Um, no. Then that afternoon a patron had a seizure and we had to call an ambulance. And then the events of this morning were argumentative, to put it mildly. And now the day is over. The weekend is over. And I have no time.
The wedding is six weeks away, and that's exciting. We're supposed to pick up my dress tomorrow and take it back to the dress place to store it. And run a million other errands. I have a paper due Tuesday that I must tackle. And I have to work tomorrow, so...yeah. Tuesday is school. Wednesday is work again, but I'm off in the evening. And then Thursday is Thanksgiving and then the week is over again! We need to meet with our photographer about how much time she has, where she needs to be, what shots we want, etc. But we can't do that until we meet with the wedding coordinator and map out the ceremony. And then we need to get in touch with the minister and fill him in. And pay off the flowers. And who knows what else. Plus finish school work for the semester (in like, two weeks. *_*) Then finals. And...somehow squeeze two doctor's appointments and physical therapy in there. No time, no time, no time. There is not enough time.

Oh, and we haven't heard back about the apartment yet. I told Brandon that if he doesn't hear from them by noon tomorrow, he needs to call his employer and ask them about it. So hopefully then we will get some answers. Hopefully. I am getting tired of waiting. But I want a positive answer.

I'm getting tired of waiting.

Brandon got off work early so we met over at the rental office to drop off a copy of his other paycheck stub. The lady who was working took it to her office and crunched some numbers, and when she came back she didn't say "it's still not enough", which is promising. They have to send it to the company to confirm that he didn't like, quit last week or whatever. That he's still an employee. Here's the thing, though. He is, and he isn't. It was a temporary job, which he got through a placement company. The placement company still has his info, and I think that's who cut him the check, so if they get asked, he should be fine. But today was his last day on this particular job. If we get turned down, we're going to add me as a co-applicant and start the whole process over again, but they would then consider both our incomes instead of just Brandon's.

This is a very stressful time. I am trying to work to make sure I get all my schoolwork done for the semester, plus tie things up at school since I'm taking next semester off. I still have my job to focus on. And then there's making sure everything is finalized for the wedding, and trying to find a place to live, and I want to start packing and/or organizing because it's exciting and fun, but on the other hand, when do I have time to do that? "I don't", would be the responsible answer. I should be doing schoolwork, because that comes first. But it's hard to focus and hard to get motivated.

I would be extraordinarily happy if we find out early tomorrow that the apartment is a go. I don't think that will happen. I don't even know that the apartment people will hear back from Brandon's employer this week. I hope so. I seem to recall it was really difficult and time-consuming getting a hold of them to apply for the job, do the testing he needed to do, etc. Let's hope that those memories are just exaggerated in my mind and that everything was a lot smoother than I remember. Smoother and faster.

I think I need a nap. I don't think I'm going to get one. It's getting closer to 10 p.m. and I still have lots to do. And I have physical therapy super early tomorrow morning. I need to go, and in some ways I don't mind going, because it will make me feel better in the long run and I've had back problems for a while and this is a super way to get some stuff worked out and my insurance is paying for it. You know, because of getting rear ended by a bus. On the other hand, the only time I can go is the precious few hours I have before work days (exception: tomorrow), early in the morning. And it's 25 minutes away and a hastle. If it was just down the street, and I could show up whenever I wanted, I'd be happier. But whatevs. I'd rather not think about it right now.

Hopefully I will be back with good news tomorrow.

The flaw in the plan.

Well, hmm.
I called Brandon yesterday on my dinner break to ask if we had by chance heard anything from the apartment people, even though they weren't supposed to call until Thursday (today). He said we did, and that they said we didn't have enough money. They only asked for one of his paycheck stubs, and the most recent one wasn't as big as his others lately because he's been working that temp job for the past few weeks. He indicated on the application that he had two employers (which was true, when we filled out the app) and so they told him to bring his paycheck stub from his other employer by, because we only needed a "little more" money. Those are Brandon's words, not mine. This is better than just rejecting us outright, but because the temp job is only for three weeks, he gets two paychecks from them. And the one he already has is not very big. So...I'm stressed. He is going to take his stub over there after work and I will go meet him and take my paycheck stub, too, because in a few weeks we will be sharing a bank account and so my money is his money, and vice versa. The problem with that is I may have to be listed as co-applicant for them to consider it, which would mean another credit check, more waiting, and an extra $50 fee. So the best case scenario is, we go over there, they glance at his other paycheck stub and say "ok, we just needed to confirm that you have a little bit extra money. This is awesome, and the apartment is yours. You can get your keys on the 11th." The next best case scenario would be for them to accept my paycheck, too, without having to go on as a co-applicant. And it goes downhill from there.
Brandon seems pretty confident that his other check will do it, but I don't know. I let myself get so excited about this apartment that I think I had tricked myself into thinking that there was no way we wouldn't get it, and that was stupid of me. So now I'm terrified and extremely pessimistic about the whole thing. There aren't that may apartments out there that we can afford, let alone that are in safe neighborhoods. This one is perfect. I see it as many answered prayers wrapped into one. But now that we have hit this little snag, my confidence is waning. Please continue to keep us in your prayers as now that we have found a place to live, we are trying to get into that place without too much hassle! Maybe I will know something by tonight. I may be back to post again.

I wrote an obituary for my fish.

Today the world has lost a dear, sweet soul. Fernald the fish has gone on to the big fish bowl in the sky.

[Well, actually, now that I think of it, he's probably been dead for a few days. I just thought he was doing one of his "coma" things. It's happened before. But I digress. ]

This evening, while finally working on cleaning up my desk a bit, I noticed that there were some soggy food pellets floating at the top of Fernald's bowl. This isn't super unusual, so I decided to see if he would just like some fresh food. I wiggled his bowl a bit to wake him up, as he was...reclining on the bottom of his bowl. He does this sometimes. But he did not wiggle in reply. Remembering that he had been looking a bit peaky lately, I took an unsharpened Hello Kitty pencil from my pencil cup and gave him a poke. Still no response. I even pushed him about the bowl a bit, to no avail. There is still a chance he's snoozing, I told myself. I stared at him for a moment and noted that he was not blinking. After confirming with my father that this was not normal live fish behavior, Fernald was declared dead at 7:32 p.m. November 17, 2009. He is currently lying in state in his bowl under a pillowcase, until his interment (meaning, I don't want to flush him so I told mom to come do it.)

Fernald Jeff Goldblum Harold Ramis Meredith lived a long and exciting life. He has owned many homes in his long, three year life. He has occupied numerous bowls of various shapes and sizes, a vase or two, and two aquariums. He has had black and purple gravel and neon rainbow gravel. He raised a few plastic plants in his free time, as well. Fernald experienced a dark period of his life when I set his bowl on my bookshelf and basically forgot about him for a month or two. But he was a hearty fish, and he survived. After all, what doesn't kill you only makes you stronger. In Fernald's case, what didn't kill him made him a bit dull for a while. But then he got his color back.

Fernald was fond of pellets and enjoyed watching television. He enjoyed music and was an avid swimmer. He will dearly missed by his family, and his best friend, the walrus figurine which shared his tank. Fernald and his walrus spent many cold nights snuggled up together. And I am not even lying about that.

The family has chosen to have a private memorial. In lieu of flowers, expressions of sympathy may be made to the World Wildlife Fund.

*cue bagpipes playing 'Amazing Grace'*

Buzz buzz. I am a buzy bee. Except I hate bees.

Before this post, I had 222 posts. That is bananas.

I am at home, taking a bit of a brake until noon, when I will start getting ready for work and such. I have actually accomplished some things today, like getting a paper notarized so I can get my check from the insurance company from when I got rear ended by that bus. I also took a shower. So that's two pretty big things off my to-do list. I have been getting really stressed out lately about the lack of time, and all the things I have to do in the coming weeks, so I've decided to make lists (including simple things like "take a shower) and take things one at a time. It helps. A little.

Today Brandon will take our deposit check to the rental office for the apartment. Then we have three business days for them to approve us. Please pray that we will be approved! Like I said before, there isn't any real reason we shouldn't be approved, but still. This apartment is a lot of answered prayers wrapped into one. It's perfect in so many ways- it's roomy, I get my second bathroom, it's in my "comfort zone" bubble (meaning it's near home), and we're getting it at a special price, and...I could go on and on but I don't want to bore you. Please pray that we will be getting some good news at the end of the week! And after that, I just need to pull off finishing up the semester, taking care of wedding things, Christmas shopping, packing, moving things in...ugh. Let's not think about it right now. Most of that is very exciting, but a bit stressful. Ok extremely stressful.

And now...I guess I will go sit and chill out for a little bit before I have to do things.

Update!

Brandon and I met at the rental office for the apartment, filled out all the paperwork, signed everything....and then she asked for a check. Well, we didn't know we needed a check. Guys don't normally carry checks with them. And they couldn't take one of mine, since the apartment is in his name. So he has to zoom back over there after work on Monday, tell them his paperwork is in the desk, and drop off the check and his pay stub. Then they can process the paperwork and we should know by the end of next week if we get the apartment. I don't think there will be a problem with it, but we'd still appreciate your prayers anyway. We have a move-in date of December 11th! Ahh!

My finals are December 10th and December 12th. I think I only have one on the 10th so maybe after that I can go start sorting through stuff to move it in. Or perhaps I should study. Anyway....yay! Exciting!

Sweet!

Perhaps I am posting this a bit prematurely, but...I love my apartment. And it isn't even mine yet.

Mom and I went and visited the apartment rental office today, and the lady told us that they have a special right now where we could get a better apartment (two bedrooms, two baths) for less than what we had actually come there for (two bedrooms, one bath.) So we went to look at it, and it's fabulous. Yes, it's in the older part of the complex. Yes, everything is painted tan and the microwave might be as old as I am. But I don't care. Other than that, it's perfect and I love it.

Shall I describe it for you? Ok, I will.

It has a balcony off the living room, and a dining nook (which will fit the dining room table and chairs and stuff my aunt gave us). It also has a nice sized closet and a walk-in(ish) pantry off the nook. The kitchen is a little small, but it's ok, because it has what we need. And then in the hall there's a coat closet and a linen closet. There are two full bathrooms- one across the hall from the spare bedroom, and one off the master bedroom. Both bedrooms are a really good size. And there's plenty of closet space and another linen closet in the master bedroom!

We couldn't go ahead and apply because Brandon has to be there (I need his ID and his deposit check. I have the money for the application.) And here is the issue. He is working for the temp agency this week, and next (grading standardized tests- which personally I think sounds pretty cool). Every day he gets off at 4:15. The office at the apartment place closes at 5 and they don't have weekend hours. So I called him and told him to call me immediately when he got out of work, and maybe he could run over there and meet me and we could start the application process. We still need to fax them a copy of his last pay stub, but we can do that within the three business days that it takes them to approve the application.

So...here's the dealio. I have new prayer requests. As it looks that this apartment is pretty much perfect, please pray that we will find the time (preferably today) to get over there and sign the paperwork. And that we get approved! I can't imagine why we wouldn't, but still. This is really important. And I'd appreciate your prayers. Hopefully sometime early next week I will have good news to report!

All I really want is a place to put my walruses.

The wedding is one day short of being eight weeks away (whoa) and we are trying to find a place to live. I really want to live in this one apartment complex extremely close to my work. It is in between where I live now and where Brandon lives, I could walk to work, it's affordable, it's near the grocery store and all this other stuff....it's perfect. When Brandon first called about the apartment we want (the largest size one bedroom they have) they said someone was looking at the one that's available, and they could put us on a list. A month later- this past week- we called back. They don't have any one bedroom apartments available, and don't think they will for a while. They are pretty popular these days, apparently. I have been bugging Brandon lately about getting a two bedroom, because it would be good to have the extra space, but we definitely wanted to get a one bedroom if at all possible because of the cost. Well, this apartment complex has a two bedroom available. And I want it badly. Mom and I are going to go look at it Friday (Brandon has to work all week) and we'll see where things go from there.
So we are asking for prayer about this situation. I should probably be praying about God's will, but I know what my will is. Hopefully we are on the same page. My will is that this apartment will be good, and we will get it, and we will be able to afford it. If we don't get it, the affordability doesn't really matter because the other complexes we are looking at are more expensive, so we would be living in a one bedroom apartment for the same price as a two bedroom at the place we really want. Please keep us in your prayers this week and in the coming weeks as we try to get a place to live, and hopefully soon start moving some of our stuff in.