SarahMarie + FavoriteBoy: An Anniversary

Today makes two happy years of FavoriteBoy being, well, my FavoriteBoy. It also makes four happy months of FavoriteBoy being my fiance... although I still haven't gotten used to the word, and it still sounds strange. Two years is a long time, but it is also a short time. We're looking forward to many happy years to come.

In other news, I got internet access in my apartment, which is wonderful.

I love my violin students, and playing and teaching music is the only thing I can imagine myself truly enjoying as a career. Not that I'm in any position to be picky - I currently babysit four mornings a week to make ends meet - but while I find toddlers cute, six hours amusing a two-year-old is somewhat akin to running a marathon. It taxes my creativity and patience and energy, and I endure those hours for the teaching in the afternoons and the playing in the evenings.

Finally, I had mentioned FlyLady in my previous post. Well, don't subscribe to her emails. They are a big pain. She seems to exist primarily for people whose lives are constantly on the verge of utter chaos. My inbox is crammed with junk, junk, and more junk from her. I've tried unsubscribing THREE TIMES, and all to no avail. She tells me things like, "drink plenty of water today," and then sends a separate email to remind me to "clean the kitchen sink," followed by a third (fourth, fifth, etc.) ordering me to go through important papers regularly. On the bright side, it's encouraging to realize that Three-Years-Ago-Sarah might have actually not been able to stay on top of simple tasks like cleaning the kitchen sink or organizing piles of papers without such emails. Today-Sarah finds those emails annoying and superfluous. Why? Because Today-Sarah is totally in control of her life. Mm-hmm.

Sarah Marie The Industrious Fix-It Woman

It looks as though progress is finally being made on the front of getting internet access in my apartment. In fact, by tomorrow evening, I should be all set. I can't wait.

I've observed that it's tricky to plan this wedding without internet access readily available to look up phone numbers, email a variety of people, stay in touch with bridesmaids, and search for the best prices on things.

I've been getting quite a few calls about violin lessons. I'm pretty thrilled about that. I've met several of my new students already, and I think I'm going to enjoy teaching them.

Work on the apartment continues. Sanding, painting, vacuuming, drilling, replacing doorknobs and faucets, scrubbing, mopping... it feels a little bit endless, but it's very rewarding. It was nice having my Mom out here to visit; she was so encouraging about the place. She really seemed to like it. I should post pictures sometime soon.

I just joined FlyLady.com, which I'm hoping will provide some useful (and free!) advice on getting things organized. From what I've read so far, it seems that a lot of her advice is pretty obvious; however, I also saw some suggestions I liked. A few years ago, I would have declared myself a hopelessly disorganized and cluttered person. Now, I'm surprised by how industrious I can be, how well I can plan ahead, and how organized I am getting. I suppose it's largely just growing up, but I also attribute it in part to my violin teacher, Mr. B. He had a way of whipping all aspects of my life - not just my violin playing - into shape. He is wonderful. I miss having lessons with him.

In other news, check out BluebirdBlogs. Some very nice designs, and this contest offering a free blog makeover to two lucky winners.

The Job Search and More

My temp job ended the week before last, just before FavoriteBoy and I took our trip to Erie. Since the job ended, I have been busier than I was when I was working. I've gone to PA twice -- once with FavoriteBoy, and then again with my Mom while she was out here so she could see the church and reception hall and meet the future in-laws. I've found and ordered a wedding dress. (That was an ordeal!) I've interviewed for a temp agency that specializes in placing people in publishing jobs. I've made a million phone calls about insurance, wedding stuff, changing my mailing address, finding a job and/or finding more music students, and much more.

I seem to be making progress in the realm of finding a job that actually relates to my degree in music. If things go well, I'll be getting quite a few little violin students in the next few weeks! I'm excited about that.

Things in my apartment are constantly improving. It's getting cleaner, tidier, and more home-y each day! While Mom and I were in PA, FavoriteBoy stayed behind with a key to my apartment, and surprised me by doing some painting, cleaning, and organizing! He's the best. Right now I'm on campus at Gordon, listening to him practice the piano while I make use of the network connection. Orchestra is rehearsing over in the chapel, and I'm feeling kind of sad about being an alumna and missing my practicing, rehearsing, and learning as a student. Wow, how lame.