There's No Place Like Someone Else's Home

A resounding theme lately has been my current state of homelessness. My transformation into a transient was one of choice since I'm moving home in August and some girls were able to take over our lease. So for "a couple of months" I was going to be staying with people, housesitting, etc... "It'll be no biggie!!" I thought. "I'll just keep all of my stuff in my car." I had no idea what a huge pain that would be. As of Friday, in the back of my poor little almost-run-ragged Jeep Grand Cherokee were: 3 tupperware containers full of clothes, my entire closet (still on hangers, but just laid across the back), 2 suitcases full of clothes as well as 2 laundry baskets full of clothes..and a suitcase full of shoes. With the break problems my car has been experiencing lately and that weird little light that's been on since sometime around January, I'm surprised that car will even run --especially with all of that stuff in it.

For the first 2.5 weeks of my homelessness, Matt and Mary Neil were gracious enough to let me join their marriage and stay at their place. Our tenure ended when I began housesitting on Friday for a family here in Columbia who are in Europe for the next month. Yesterday, my first day at the new place, I brought ALL of that stuff in from my car. The girl whose room I'm staying in even cleaned out one of her dressers so I could use it and I've never been so happy to see drawers in my entire life--I can live like a normal person again... at least for the next month.

So for now, Emily and I (and Lorrie for this week until she goes to Europe--what's with everyone and going to Europe lately?) are living in a cute bungalow not far from our old house (which means we can run in our old neighborhood again... thank goodness) until Emily moves to Chicago and I move home until the wedding. We began "livin' the good life" last night over some glasses of wine and some good conversation. And we have some good things to look forward to: There's a basketball goal in the driveway (so Emily and I are of course already planning some big time roommate basketball tournaments), an awesome screened in porch-- and the best best best part so far: We discovered a huge trampoline in their backyard. Basically, all of these things are a recipe for success. And probably a few injuries here and there...

As I got into bed last night, I couldn't help but think: There's no place like someone else's home.


The cute kitchen:

The family room where we watched a few episodes of Law and Order last night...

"Our" new dog (whom we're dogsitting), Mac. He's a collie. But he just had a haircut. So, now he looks like he's got the mange..


Sidenote: I also went to the lakehouse on Saturday to hang out with my parents and see my niece Marjorie, whom they were babysitting for a few days while my brother and sister-in-law were in Anapolis. Here she is...

And here she is again. So cute.

Marjorie and I really bonded--we had a blast waving at eachother, tossing her up in the air, going on a walk on Sunday, etc...

It got me thinking that maybe the same rings true for children-- you know the old addage "There's no baby like someone else's baby?" Well actually, I'm not sure that has quite the same ring to it.