So, I didn't update yesterday, as promised, ever so sorry! But really it was probably for the best, unless you're really interested in reading about how I laid on the couch all day watching daytime television. Not really newsworthy, is it?
But let me tell you about Friday and Saturday, since things actually happened on those days. I got into work at 8 on Friday and set about trying to peel my Little Rock Air Force Base decal off of my car with an ice scraper. Let me just tell you now, if you ever think that you'll be able to peel anything but ice off of your car with an ice scraper, you are ever so sadly mistaken. One of my troops pulled into the parking lot around 10 after 8, and I commenced looking cold and miserable (believe me, it wasn't much of a stretch) and enlisted his assistance With the aid of a pocket knife we got my sticker off by 8:30, giving me 30 minutes to race around the building to get all of the last minute items checked off of my list so that I could officially outprocess through Separations at 9.
When I got back to the office for my 9 o'clock appointment, my troops were waiting for me with Sonic breakfast burritos and presents--the most sure way to my heart. They presented me with a Victoria's Secret Pure Seduction bath product gift set and a little Precious Moments figurine for February. When they gave me the gifts they said that since I was going off to live with my fiance, I could use a little seduction and they knew that I would always remember February fondly as the month I left the Air Force. They know me so well... I laughed so hard--and believe me, the gifts were so much better than the cheesy going away plaques I was expecting to receive.
I made it back home at 10:30 and started getting things ready to load in the car. But why is it that no matter how much preparation you do in the days leading up to a vacation or moving, it still takes about 5 times as long as you're expecting for car loading procedures? I'd been up since after one in the morning the night before boxing things up, and cleaning the apartment, and still it took me 6 hours to get everything out of my apartment on Friday. Of course, it didn't help that I met a friend for a goodbye lunch and that went over schedule by about 30 minutes.
Eventually, I got my car packed and the dogs loaded, and all I had left was to turn in my keys to the front office. Now, I have a very bad habit of losing keys, so I was so proud of myself that I'd been able to keep track of the second key to my apartment for the past 2 and a half years, particularly since I rarely have a need to use it. So, I had a little pile of keys to turn in all ready to go on Thursday night, but by Friday at 3:30 my second key had vanished. I scoured every surface of my apartment, I looked through the bags that I could still get to in the car, and after 30 minutes of searching gave it up for lost. I was so frustrated with myself because I was fairly certain that I'd have to pay some kind of key replacement fee, but I went ahead and turned in what I had. I asked if there was any way I could mail in my key if it turned up, but after all of my worrying and delayed departure they said not to worry about it, they were just going to replace the locks anyway. Of course they were.
Finally at a little after 4 I hit the road, after deciding to give Jack the second half of the Dramamine to maybe help knock him out a little for the car ride. With very minimal sadness as I left Little Rock, I made the 7 hour drive without the luxury of seeing anything but luggage when looking out of my back windows.
Saturday was my sister's birthday, so after breakfast with the family and a shopping frenzy at Target (my last hurrah until I resume real life with a paycheck) we got ready for her party--a "Pretend Like You're 12 Again" sleepover. I'd just had a sleepover the weekend before with my girlfriends in Little Rock, so I felt pretty practiced at it and people started showing up around 8. One of the requirements to attend was to bring a drink of some kind, so there were chocolate martinis, pomtinis, champagne, wine, Bloody Mary's, mimosas--it was like an alcoholic's heaven. We had an ice cream bar and cake, and played charades and Taboo until about three in the morning when we all finally crashed.
Sunday and Monday I let myself be a total bum, and today I am easing back into life--I plan on actually taking a shower and getting dressed pretty soon and I may even get a little actual writing done today. Tomorrow my sister and I are starting a running program around the lakes, and my goal is to remain as unslothlike as possible during these next few weeks at home. Since my natural inclination is toward total laziness, we'll see how regularly that goal is attained!
