The Word

So many things to write! I shall create an index:
1) The Drive
2) The Talks
3) The Interview
4) The Trio
5) Friday Night on The Hill
6) Ikea
7) The Ghost

The Drive
The drive went extremely well. There wasn't even one single moment where I thought we might be in trouble, get in an accident, or lose control. We fueled any time the tank got near 1/4 full, spent about $600 in fuel all told though. The trucker and fast food got old fast, but it was only 3 days. In the end the truck was 24 feet and with Rhi's car attached - just shy of 40 feet. It was HUGE!! Even Dane was impressed that I got that beast up here with no issues.

The Talks
Rhi and I had some great talks during the trip when we would speak. I laugh because my mom thought for sure we would be fighting what with being "cooped up together for so long". Rhi and I laughed - we have been each other's siamese twins for the past year and a half, what's a 3 day road trip compared to that?! We couldn't talk alot #1) it would wake Dewey up and he would stress out, and #2) the diesel engine was so loud, we'd have to shout, but when we did talk, we discussed things like 10 things you'll miss, 10 things you'll look forward to, 1 year life plan/goals. It was interesting to say the least and always eye-opening no matter how well you think you know someone.

The Interview
Friday morning Rhi and I went to our interviews together to save time and gas money. I was interviewed by what Rhi called the "firing squad" who did just the opposite. After a 1 hour, 4 man interview and 30 min of testing, I was offered a job at Salvation Army before my test results even came back. I told SA that I would accept at 38,000/yr as even that would be a significant decrease in pay. Rebecca (my new boss) said she would call me back. And she did while Rhi was busy interviewing. She offered me the job at 36,000/year and I said I could not do that - was there anyway she could bump it up to 37,000? 1000 seems small in the grand scheme of things, but after a cross-country move, 1000 is huge. She called me back to say she had taken my request to the Chain of Command and would call me after lunch. I thanked her profusely, she could have just called back and said she couldn't do anything, but this gesture made me realize how much they wanted me and how eager I was to show them I was worth it. During lunch Rebecca called to offer me the position at 37,000/yr and I gladly accepted. In a year at my review I will also be graduating so I am in a position for a large raise. *crosses fingers* I am nervous but anxious for the new challenge!

The Trio
Rhi, Dane and I are back together and nothing could feel more natural. Dane and I test each other's wit's end and patience and Rhi is the buffer all the time, but it just feels right being back under one roof. You can tell that Rhi and I have grown closer and Dane is somewhat out of the loop, but that loop is quickly tightening and it won't be long before we are one happy circle again.

Friday Night on The Hill
Apparently the groovy cats call Capital Hill "The Hill" which actually makes more sense to me than Capital Hill seeing on how Seattle is NOT Washington's capital. Anyhow, after a day of interviews and sight-seeing at Pike Place Market, Rhi, Dane and I settled down for some brews and appetizers and decided to call Laura Rose. We picked her up and headed to The Hill to Clover Dunns, a typical Cap Hill type bar. We met some of her friends and after a couple cocktails headed to a karaoke bar down the street. Laura Rose did the best rendition of Britney Spears meets Goth that I have ever seen! She is such a great performer! Then Rhi and I sung a HORRIBLE version of Elvis' Suspicious Minds - I hope I never have to go back to that bar again, I wouldn't even know it's name or location. Then we hoped in a cab over to Vogue, a Goth club where we quickly decided it was time to go. We took LR home then drove back to Bellevue and time traveled to 9:47 am. Rhi went to get us food, but by the time she got back, we were well on our way to 9:47 am. She couldn't wake us up for nothing. All in all, it was a great "Welcome to Seattle!" for us.

Ikea
Dane and I spent $1600 at Ikea. But we needed a lot of stuff, we didn't have a dining room table, or any desk furniture as none of the furniture we brought would fit around the corner to the office area in our new house, plus a couple odds and ends. Ikea is HUGE. There is nothing like it in Denver that I can compare it to. It has TWO parking garages!! The walkway inside the warehouse/showrooms is one way so you have to go through the whole thing. It's insane but very fun and inexpensive. It makes Wal-Mart look like a day at the spa though. I hope I don't have to go back for a while.

The Ghost
We have a ghost. The first couple nights we kept hearing and having stuff in our room come crashing to the floor, but the more I think about it the more I think that it wasn't Dewey. And then last night while Rhi and Dane were in the master bedroom and I was in the TV room we heard a horrible crashing sound which we figured were the cats, when we all got to the kitchen there was no cat and no mess on the counter. We turned our heads and saw that the decorative cover that was placed over the bulb in the dining room fixture had fallen and shattered on the table. We wondered what could have caused that as NO cat could have gotten up there and loosened the screws. Dane tightened the screws on the other two covers then we sat there staring at the fixture pondering. As we did that, the second one started to shatter in front of us and we quickly turned out the lights and hit the deck. At the time we decided it was the heat of the bulbs. Later we realized they were only 75 watt bulbs and we had that light on all night the night we moved in with no issue. Then last night around 3:00 am I was woken from my sleep because I heard our hardwood floors squeaking, I was trying to think what could make that noise as the cats are too light to make the floors squeak when BAM!!! The sound of metal rods hitting the floor. I jumped out of my skin and startled Dane, he turned on the lights and everything was in place, nothing moved, and Dewey was under the chair away from the "scene of the crime". I asked Dane if he heard the squeaking and he said no, but grabbed his shotgun and surveyed the house to find nothing. I was scared spittless at this point that we very definitely have a ghost. Dane came back to bed and tried to make sense of it by saying it was Dewey and he bumped the lamp, but I said "That's fine, but how come he was under the chair and if he did hit the lamp that hard, the chimes sit right next to it, you can't hit the lamp without hitting the chimes..." Dane didn't say anything only cuddled me hard and kept me safe all night. It was hours before I felt comfortable enough to leave his grasp. Today Rhi said she was awoken by something, she doesn't know what, but whatever it was it stirred her too. She didn't think anything of it though cause she said Dane got up after that, she figured it was Dane making noise. Whatever it is, it has Rhi and I refusing to go to the basement.

So this week's agenda is to be lazy and get used to this town. Set up the office, do some homework, go to school, go tanning, get a pedicure/manicure, organize the linens, go shopping at Bed, Bath & Beyond, and just enjoy the week off.