We're heeeere.

We finally made it to Asheville, after a disappointing attempt at seeing Graceland and going through towns like Texarkana and Bucksnort we rolled through the Smokies and coolly glided into our driveway. After some much needed quality food at the Westville Pub with Hope and Mal, Hope drove me out to the gigantic, crazy, ridiculous, pretty terrifying Wal-Mart where I bought an inflatable bed, sheets, and cotton swabs.

The house is really incredible, it's the nicest place I've ever rented or could dream of renting. The backyard is the perfect size for a small garden and clothesline with extra space for our hammock and some lawn. Next to the house was an awful cement pad which at one point had apparently been home to a hot tub, and boy was it hideous. I called the landlord to let her know we got here and double check about the garden and see just what things we could get rid of: her first suggestion without being prompted - that terrible cement thing. Needless to say, it's already gone.

Our pod of belongings has yet to show it's rectangluar face, we hear rumors it should arrive today.

George left Sunday morning and drove down to L.A. where he'll be working for the week. Before he left he found a guy in ...Salinas? with some veggie oil for sale ($1.50/gal!) so he stopped and filled 'er up! He said everything ran great. He'll be getting back just in time to take me to the airport on Sunday then he'll have three or four hours to hang around until James arrives! (These next ... 4 weeks are full of comings and goings, it feels like forever, but I'm sure will zip right by.)

While George is gone I'm taking the opportunity to finish up some projects I moved to California unfinished and pack as much stuff as I possibly can. So far I've packed up almost all the books, the scanner, and am starting on the studio. Things I've found worth noting: that package of rubber bands I bought in college at least six years ago, a tiny jar full of tiny clothespins, all of my missing straight pins, and at least three packages of origami paper.

It's official!

Asheville, here we come!



I hope that everybody has a friend as truly magnificent as Hope. See that side mirror in the corner of the picture? That's because it's some drive-by photography of a possible house to rent, this one also came with a picture of the "For Rent" sign and all the phone numbers. Then she even went to the house to check it out and meet the landlords in lieu of us! In more "Hope is incredible!" news, her new book Chiggers is up for sale at Amazon! And it's available in hardcover! Hardcover! I'm pleased to say that all her trouble was well worth it to us: starting July 1 we'll be this little beaut's lucky renters!

From what I hear the interior is pretty spotless and dreamy: yellow living room, gray (that's right) dining room with a gas fireplace, a green bedroom and a beigey bedroom, a laundry room with a ton of storage space and a half bathroom, a normal bathroom with (my dream come true,) a bathtub, clean white kitchen, backyard!, clothesline!, carport!? The house is near an elementary school and pretty close to the neighborhood pool and Hope's!

We're working out little details like when to ship all our stuff, when we're actually going to head out... The idea of leaving is already very very exciting and very very terrifying. And sad. I said it! It'll be sad to go, we really like our neighbors here and I love my job and my boss and my commute, moving away from Liz is going to be by far the most difficult part.

Here it is...

We're moving to Asheville, North Carolina.

Clearly we've had no intention of staying in California, and while things keep appearing to be ironing out - finally arranging the apartment so it's comfortably livable, the rabbit runs, we see Liz all the time, we're spending more and more time with George's new co-worker who's awesome, other people from Vermont are popping up in front of us every time we go to the grocery store, when it gets right down to it there's an awkwardness to living here that won't go away. I feel like I'm someone else when I go out to do things, most of my free time is spent checking my email, knitting & listening to Sherlock Holmes podcasts - nothing new, exciting, or progressive is being accomplished and I don't like it.

I do like Liz and Yannick and Dyani and Shannon and Emily and our neighbors and the quaintness of our apartment - but I also like Hope and the east coast and a bedroom I can stand up in and a closet that's not a hallway to the bathroom and antique stores I can afford to shop at...

We did seriously consider moving back to Vermont, but I'm not ready for that, I've got stuff to do. (It is only a 14 hour drive or short JetBlue flight away...)