All the Pretty Words

wedded bliss

Originally uploaded by striatic.
So, I have disappeared for a while and left only a couple of fairly cryptic hints as to why this was so. Now see the photo above for the reveal!

We got married on the 15th in a smallish but very sweet ceremony in the area where I grew up. We wrote our own vows, I got a pretty and simple wedding dress, Bryan got a brand-new suit, and we had a big lunch at which we stuffed ourselves full of chicken, mashed potatoes, salad, and cake. All in all, it was a great day. Bryan’s mom and sister came down for the weekend, and almost all of my immediate family was there (this may not sound like much but remember there are 20+ of them).

We’re back in Seattle now, loving being married to each other and loving our apartment. The super-secret project I knitted? There were two, actually–a lace shawl for myself and checkerboard socks for Bryan. I don’t have decent photos of either of them, but there will be photos once we’ve received copies of the wedding photos.

Now we just need to figure out what our rings’ special powers are…

After months of searching, we found a really cute little apartment in the Eastlake neighborhood of Seattle. We found it three or four weeks ago, but didn’t get to move in until Saturday. We made a seven-hour IKEA trip on Sunday (it was truly epic) and have been assembling furniture since it got delivered this afternoon. We just finished assembling the bed at 1:30 AM and we are tired but it’s so worth it! We’ve been sleeping on a teensy futon on the floor, and it is wonderful to have a real bed again. We even got the slatted mattress support that folds up into a sitting position, which is pretty awesome.

We don’t have any photos yet because the place is a cardboard whirlwind right now, but the pictures will be copious once everything is set up.

Wheeee!

Yikes, it has been a long time since I’ve written. Life suddenly became very hectic, and blogging will probably be sporadic for the foreseeable future, but I will at least give an update of what’s been going on now.

I got a job at a yarn shop and really like it there. I started off part-time in mid-September and was still scrambling for a second part-time job when one of the full-time workers suddenly left. Because of that I started working eight hours a day Tuesdays through Saturdays, and I’m also volunteering at the Probation Services Office for half-days on Mondays, so those two things alone would keep me pretty busy. But wait, there’s more! I also have a third job that I do from home in which I write short nonfiction articles on various topics for a website, which eats up more time but is great because it makes staying within budget *much* easier.

I’m also taking the Psychology GRE this Saturday and the General GRE on the 26th of November, so I’ve been studying hard for those. I just took my last practice test for the Psychology GRE today and did very well on it, so I’m pretty confident! I’m less confident about the quantitative section of the General GRE, but my prep book has this great four-week study plan that I’ve been using and I think it will help me a lot.

We’ve been staying with friends and are still looking for an apartment. Finding an apartment that will accept cats, is within the city limits of Seattle, and is $725 or less is harder than you might expect, so it is taking us a while. Hopefully something will turn up soon…

On the knitting front, one of my nieces is getting married this Friday, and while we can’t make it to the wedding, I’ve been knitting a pillow for them. The cover is finished and waiting to be blocked, stuffed, wrapped and mailed. Her older sister is getting married on December 14th, so I’m knitting a pillow for them as well, but I just started on it last night. No photos of either yet, I’m afraid, but I will try to remember to take some when they are finished. I also have knit the body for a baby sweater for an impending familial baby, but haven’t knit the sleeves yet. I’m not too worried about that one since he/she isn’t due until sometime next year. No photos of that one either–such a bad blogger! :)

I have a few other UFOs floating around, but my only other major project (my true major project, actually) is currently a secret. I’m not getting published or anything like that, but it’s important and pretty and I’m quite excited about it. You’ll find out what it is in December!

From flighty. Directions: Go to careercruising.com. Enter nycareers as the username and landmark as the password. Take the “Career Matchmaker” survey. Post the top ten results.

1. Anthropologist

2. Historian

3. Criminologist

4. Professor

5. Activist

6. Political Aide

7. Writer

8. Archaeologist

9. Communications Specialist

10. Print Journalist

Hmm, not too far off. I guess you could call the field I’m actually in criminology, and I’ve thought about doing the top two and number eight at times.

Behold:

My new haircut! I wanted something new and different, and that’s what I got! I went to a salon here, and I wish I could keep going there because it was so great. The stylist was tons of fun and said she really enjoyed cutting my hair because she doesn’t get to cut curly hair very often.

I also have this:

My other hat is a gray fedora, and while I love it, I think this one better suits me.

As for knitting news, I’ve finished the front and back of the Ogee Tunic and am now working on the first sleeve. I hope I’ll be done by the time we get to Seattle, but we’ll see. We’re going to leave on Sunday, drive through the Canadian Rockies, then camp in BC on the first night. Assuming we survive–I’ve never been camping before–we’ll drive to the coast on the second day and will have a few days to play around in Victoria, a city we both love. I’ll get to visit Beehive Wool Shop, which is my favorite yarn shop ever! There’s also a spinner in Sidney (a few miles north of Victoria) who Bryan’s aunt says will let people into her house to try out her spinning wheels, and I’d love to do that since I’ve never spun on a wheel before. After that, I’ll go on to Seattle and do some serious job-hunting. Wish us luck!