I have been very happy to have Andrew visit me.  I can’t say that this was the most exciting adventure that we’ve had but it was really nice to have company and I’m pretty sure Andrew had a good time too.

The first morning we made pancakes and Andrew got to try out a cast iron pan for the first time.  I don’t think he will be running to the store when he gets home to buy one.  Afterwards we headed to the beach for the afternoon and attempted to find a starfish shell.  We found many pieces and then found an entire shell; however, it had been run over by a vehicle and was crushed.  It was very frustrating.  That night we sat outside and had a small fire.

On Saturday we went to the North Carolina state fair and saw Jake Owen in concert.  It was one of the best concerts I’ve been too, the fair…meh not so much.  There was a ton of food and fair games but the exhibits were super lame.  The livestock barns were pretty much closed off so that the only thing you could see where the animals that were competing.  Literally every other fair I have been too you could walk through the barns – I was really disappointed.

Andrew is allergic to hay and dust so we didn’t spend much time at the barn, but Tia and Andrew did have a little bit of bonding time.

I can’t even remember what we did Sunday, other than a quick stop to see Tia, then grocery shopping and eventually going to get Michael’s hair cut.  We did go to a friend’s house for a fire but Michael was tired so we didn’t stay long.

By Monday Andrew and I had pretty much run out of things to do so we headed into Jacksonville to do a little bit of shopping.  We went out for lunch at Carolina Ale House which was delicious.  The weather was perfect for sitting outside so we got sat at a high top at the outside bar.  We had a discussion about why this area is so strange.  Apparently even a short stay in Jacksonville makes people realize how nice New England is.  Andrew had talked about moving somewhere new a few months ago but I think this visit may have changed his mind.  Truthfully Jacksonville is just a town built around a Marine base, it isn’t a very good representation of North Carolina or the south.

We attempted to FaceTime with our family that is sailing and had just arrived in Mauritius, but the connection was horrible.  I think all that we got out of the conversation was that they were eating a late dinner and that it was 10pm there.

Michael had left Monday morning for a field exercise and wasn’t going to be back until Wednesday so Andrew and I made a smaller meal for dinner and watched some Monday night sitcoms.  I know - riveting stuff right?!!?!

I was really happy that he came down to visit.  We don’t get to spend as much time together as we did when we were kids, so it was nice to have some quality face time.   We won’t get that again until Christmas – and let me tell you – the holidays don’t really allow for anything other than mass family craziness.  So that’s basically what a vacation is like when you visit me in NC!

Do you know what happens after you have been sitting on your porch drinking mimosas for a while?  Well if your name is Andrew and Chelsea, you start planning DIY projects for the house.  My poor house has absolutely no character.  It has been saddled with the builders bland architecture and landscaping.  My lack of employment has generated a saying – “Well once I have a job…” which is followed by the list of things I want to do and buy once I have some cash.

Today’s “Well once I have a job” is “I’m going to redo the front of the house.”  What we came up with is that the house needs some raised flowerbeds.

Our plan is to jack hammer the cement walkway that leads to the front porch and put down pavers instead.  The walkway would be extended further away from the porch so that there would be a flowerbed at ground level which would swing around the left side of the porch and then some large rocks or bricks to create a wall and a second flower bed that would be just shy of the height of the porch and closest to the porch.

Andrew also thinks that we should put in a railing around our porch.  I really like it open because it makes the porch feel bigger, but if we did flower beds I think a lowish railing would be nice.  Hopefully it would stop the dogs from running through the flower bed – as you can see the pine needles get scattered when the dogs run from the porch to the yard.  It’s wonderful…

This is the inspiration – although it doesn’t have a true raised flowerbed.

Once we came up with superb idea, we decided that we would do the same thing with the flower beds in front of the bedrooms.  We would have to extend this area further away from the house, but I think adding a foot would be plenty.

So the next question is, if we are going to do all this landscaping, what are we going to plant?  I am open to ideas and suggestions for this future project – please feel free to voice your thoughts!

I just realized that I have not posted in a week.  I honestly haven’t even been that busy this week.  I just don’t know what to say.  There have been some very big changes too – I just haven’t gotten around to sharing them with you yet.

Today Tia moved to a new farm.  I am very excited, and so was Tia when she got off the trailer.  There was a lot of whinnying, tail flagging, galloping, extended trot, and sliding stops up to the electric fence.  It’s so frustrating to watch Tia move really well when she’s playing around in the paddock, and yet I have to beg and plead for her to walk without tripping over her own legs when I’m in the saddle.

Anywho….I will be filling this blog with lots of Tia related things tomorrow.

In other news, the dogs are still alive, as am I, and Michael.  I honestly cannot think of anything else exciting that has happened since last Saturday.  This probably explains the lack of posts.  I have had a very boring week.  So I guess when I said there have been some very big changes, I meant that there has been A SINGLE big event.  And it happened today.

Actually I have been burning a lot of candles lately.  This isn’t really thrilling but just something to note.  When Michael bought this house the relator gave us a sweet gift.  It’s called a scentsy candle apparatus (well it’s called a Scentsy something…).  I haven’t used it since last spring, but I started burning a fall smelling candle because it hasn’t been below 80 and so the feeling of fall is a bit lacking.

Tomorrow is my birthday!  As I am 1 year and 1 day from being a quarter of a century old I have decided that this past year of career undecidedness has been my quarter-life crisis.  I’m hoping that by getting this over now, I won’t have to go through a mid-life crisis, but I guess I have a while before I know if that will be true or not.  I am in no way past my crisis, although I feel that I am now more than half way through it.  So because that clearly qualifies me as an expert, I’m going to give you a step-by-step process to surviving one.

Step 1: Figure out what the cause of your crisis is.

In my case, it was career based.  I struggled with the realization that a college degree didn’t mean that I would automatically get a good job.  The fact was I felt rather jipped in the beginning.  I spent all this time going to school and studying something that wasn’t going to help me get a job.  I had been wronged!  It was/is infuriating at times to realize that I still am applying for jobs that I could have done during high school.  What was the point of college if it didn’t help me get a job!

Step 2: Address the cause.

Well, you see, I am beginning to understand that I gained a lot of skills by going to college, and just because they haven’t landed me an amazing job yet, doesn’t mean that I haven’t gotten something useful out the college experience.  Networking, project management, time management, and volunteerism are all things that I learned/developed from being in college.

Step 3: Wallow in self-pity.

If you don’t spend at least 3 months doing this then you are not truly having a crisis.  It’s not fair! I don’t understand why this is happening! should be statements that you use on an almost daily basis.  I’m not saying that the people around you won’t be completely annoyed, I’m just saying that it’s going to happen.

Step 4: Try a million new things.

If there’s one thing that I have noticed during this process, it’s that I have become extremely creative, and slightly entrepreneurial.  I have looked into about 100 new careers, I have started 3 businesses, and have applied to 2 colleges, all in the pursuit of my new career identity.  My friends and family are supportive but always laugh when I come up with a new idea or venture.  Just the other night I had a conversation with my cousin where I started off telling him about a new career that I wanted to go to school for which ended with me discussing two other (completely unrelated) careers.  It’s okay to throw yourself at every idea that you have, once you find the direction that is truly the right fit you will follow through and feel satisfied.  I have found that I may feel that I’ve found the right fit, but after a few days I start to get the itch again to search for other careers and I know that I need to keep searching.

Step 5: Do something in the meantime.

I know that I won’t find my dream job right now, but I do need a job. I have applied to several jobs each week for the past 9 months and while it’s draining and sometimes I feel that I am wasting my time, I know that the next job I get may not be my favorite, but that’s ok as long as I have a goal to work toward.

Step 6:  Remember to be supportive of others.

If you have a great support network that listens to all of your ranting and raving on a continuous basis, remember to reach out to them also.  It’s easy to get wrapped up in your next project, or wallow in self-pity, but every now and then when you can climb out of that dark hole, help out others.  You are probably not the only one going through a rough time, and it’s important not to take your loved ones for granted, remember to still be involved in their lives.  If you have extra time you can always volunteer – not only is it good ju-ju but it’s also a great way to meet new people and network!

The other night, Michael and I brought Addie and Bella across the street with us while Michael helped our neighbor work on his truck.  Addie and Bella tend to wander around, but stay pretty close.  Bella especially, enjoys being directly under my feet.  I wasn’t paying too much attention to them, but heard Addie start crying out.  She was just outside of the garage on the grass and I could see her spinning around in circles.  She continued to yelp, but I got her attention and she came over to me and that’s when I noticed the tin can in her mouth. Addie had apparently tracked down an empty can of salmon and had stuck her little tongue inside for a snack.  Unfortunately the lid had been pushed down to the bottom and Addie’s tongue was stuck between the lid and the inside of the can.  Hence the yelping and crying.

Michael ran back to our house and got cutters and we were able to cut the can out of Addie’s mouth which was now bleeding.  After inspecting her mouth closely we realized that she hadn’t cut her tongue noticeably and the underside was only scratched up.  Her tongue has been pretty sore the past few days, she doesn’t lick us as much and she eats much more slowly.  Today however she is back to licking as madly as before.  Tongue slaps and everything.

 Best Buds – Chillaxin!