Hello!  Yes, I'm back from spring break.  Yes, I started another term.  Yes, I'm working at the library where there are plenty of computers.  No, I'm not really back online.  I'm currently at a computer with a pretty cruddy mouse and I have a meeting in 25 meetings so I'll have to make this short.

Wednesday March 12th: Turned in all my papers but one didn't get done as early as I thought it would so I didn't even get started packing until nearly 3 in the afternoon.  Fred used his ninja powers and convinced one of the groom's men to show up and take a load of boxes over to the new place.  Not sure how he pulled that one off but now I owe Drater a big favor and an apology for not knowing that there are ways to get there that are WAY shorter than driving east on Ogden for an hour.  We unloaded his car and then I unloaded mine on my own 'cuz he had to drive out to NIU and pick up a friend and then I headed back to Naperville for the final load after dark.  Was finishing packing that up and grabbing the last of my things (only thing I left was my shower cleaner because I didn't see it in the stall- still have to go back to it) when brassdollfin's amazing mommy called up and offered me inflatable furniture.  Whoo!  So I went over, somewhat guiltily as I wasn't done emptying the room until after 9 and I would be charged a major fee if I didn't check out til Thursday, but I went anyway.  And the furniture was cool looking and purple and she gave me some nice extra knitting yarn as well (and I got to see Stormy's birthday present early- WHEE- but I was very, very good and kept it a surprise like I was supposed to) but the real story is that when I tried to leave because I realized that if I didn't, I wouldn't be able to drive all the way back to LaGrange and stay awake, Stormy's mommy went into mommy-mode and made me stay the night.  Of course, I was devastated.  Comfy sofa bed with Zipper as company instead of the floor of my place?  No contest.  But then not only did a certain fantastic 2nd mommy of mine produce a toothbrush, she insisted I take the available bedroom.  So for anyone who wanted to know, I'll be all gossipy (but I'll take it down if she minds) and go on record as saying that brassdollfin's room is every bit as cool as it was the last time I saw it and her bed is every bit as comfy as it looks.  I slept SO well.

Thursday March 13th: Went to school just to check my e-mail and return my library books only to discover something had gone screwy with my paper for my grad class.  Fixable, but it took awhile and the professor was on campus for a math conference.  Of course I got him the pretty nice better version of the paper right when he was closing the conference and heading out the door to go on a trip with the family, but at least it was in and my grade was nice even though I *STILL* forgot to add something I was supposed to.  As in, the title of the book I analyzed.  Oops.  Mid-afternoon I finally got a chance to head back to my place (another lunch on the run- yuck- after several hours of being painfully hungry) and unloaded the final boxes of stuff from my dorm.  Got my first shower in DAYS (that on top of wearing Wednesday's clothes made me feel majorly disgusting), had dinner with Kelly and her dad (mmm porkchops), and crashed on the floor on top of my squishiest blankets

Friday was moving in and settling stuff and Fred and my dad getting in WAY late in the evening with a twin bed, the kitchen table, 2 chairs, and some small sets of shelves.  My dad was exhausted so we gave him the bed and retired with the air mattress to the office-y area.  Man, was I hug and cuddle deprived.  Saturday morning we hit Wesley's pancake breakfast, picked up a loveseat (NOT a futon) from a church family that had an old one they didn't want any more, and took it to the apartment so my dad could head back to Des Moines right away.  The color's fairly bland and you do sink in it but it is cozy and comfy and has no rips or stains or anything.  I also had a continuation of my massive sense of wonderment and awe that so many people are doing such incredibly nice things for me/us.  Kelly and her grandpa, Stormy and her mommy, the church people (including the one who sold us the kitchen table last year), etc, etc and this week brought a new entry to the list but I'll tell about that later.  Fred and I followed to Des Moines at a more leisurely place, seeing Kelly and attempting to see Drater before we left (ok, we did get to see him for a minute but only after a huge long conversation with his parents when none of us could reach him or knew when he'd show up) and then we went home, pulling in at about 1-something in the morning.  Of course we still got up and went to church early the next morning, why do you ask?  If it hadn't been Palm Sunday, we would have been tempted just to stay in Chicagoland, go to Wesley together, and head back Sunday afternoon, but you know how these things are.  Sunday afternoon I think we crashed but I have absolutely no clue.

Oh no!  I'm out of time.  Uh, quick re-cap.  Comcast is stupid so we won't have internet in our place for awhile, Fred had 2 days of jury duty, I had a nice early birthday dinner with my parents, Fred, and Tim (MMM porkchops and chocolate chip cake with butterscotch filling and chocolate frosting), I saw a very nice nurse-practitioner who used to work for Planned Parenthood and am now on birth control so just in case something goes wrong there will be time to get started on a new method before the wedding (why do nearly all the barrier methods rely on you having sex before they can fit you with something that will protect you from getting pregnant while you're having sex?  it doesn't make sense!!!), John did NOT have one of his best visits home, wedding stuff is fun and my dress is going fantastic (despite the panic attack over the scarcity of the fabric) but stuffing envelopes and putting labels on things is boring, I have a lot of family and if we only invite friends we both kinda know for the sake of not having guests that are strangers to one of us then pretty much all of my college friends won't be there (*SNIFF*), my mommy did a FANTASTIC job preaching on Good Friday from Psalm 22 (I got to be liturgist), Easter Sunday was pretty cool too, Fred and I have been engaged exactly two years (well, two years and a few days now), we're officially registered at Target, and Easter wiped us out so much I drove back to Naperville Monday morning.  Oh yeah, and I love trains but I do not like train stations.  Bye for now!