4am wake-up

At 4am this morning, I was awoken by my husband screaming. Though I was quite startled, I right away realized he was screaming in his sleep. I turned over and nudged him (Is that the right thing to do? I don't know.) and asked if he was alright. Apparently he had some nightmare involving ghosts, but he was fine. I've been in the same room with sleepwalkers, sleep talkers, and snorers, but this is the first time I've experienced sleep-screaming. It's a bit scary, and I hope it does not happen often. I'm a pretty deep sleeper myself (I did not wake up when my husband accidentally elbowed me the other night though it woke him up), but a scream or shout seems to do it.

Thanks to the library

I have another job interview today, and I really hope I get it. Though I will have plenty to keep me busy once we move into our new house and get a dog, I get quite bored right now. I've made good use of the library by checking out books and DVD's that I now have plenty of time to read and watch.

After falling in love with Anne of Green Gables, I checked out Anne of Avonlea and Anne of the Island. L.M. Montgomery writes delightfully enchanting stories filled with fascinating and well-described characters. Anne Shirley will forever be one of my favorite heroines of literature.

Though I had previoulsy been daunted by the fact that The Story of Edgar Sawtelle is 500+ pages, I wanted to read it and figured now was the time. The story was rich in detail and character development. A beautiful coming-of-age American tale, Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski is enriching and enjoyable.

Now I'm reading Consider the Lobster by David Foster Wallace and Cesar's Way by Cesar Millan.

I tried watching The Caberet and Blazing Saddles, but didn't finish either of them. I wasn't a big fan. I did enjoy Sophie's Choice, To Catch a Thief, and Billy Elliot though. Watching last year's Academy Awards, I realized I had only seen two or three of Meryl Streep's movies (Mamma Mia! and The Devil Wears Prada). I wanted to see what many consider to be her best role ever, and I also like seeing movies or reading books that are frequently referenced, hence Sophie's Choice. And it was a really terrific performance. To Catch a Thief is an Alfred Hitchcock film starring Cary Grant and Grace Kelly. As far as classics go, I really liked it. There are some classics that I just don't get (Citizen Kane?), but this one was good. Billy Elliot I watched because a friend kept telling me that I should. There wasn't nearly as much ballet as I thought there would be. Instead, the story was much more about Billy's family, relationships, and life struggles. I would also recommend it.

Home Sweet Home

Michael and I are buying our first house!
After a month of searching and looking at nearly 30 houses, we finally found one we really wanted. It was the very last house we looked at. Go figure! We won't move in until mid-August, so I'm anxiously planning what to do with all the space. The only real furniture we have is for the bedroom, so we are starting completely from scratch. It's very overwhelming. Michael's going to start with the kitchen, and I'm going to start with the family room. This is what it looks like now with the current tenants' furniture. The first view is through the breakfast area, and the second is looking right over the railing.

I'm thinking of painting the brick fireplace. I really think it would brighten the room to paint it a light color. Of course, that means picking out a color, and I don't know where to start. We don't have any furniture or art or anything else to use as a jumping off point. I need to find something to use. I'll be sure to post some before and after pictures though.

4th of July in Dublin

Who knew little Dublin, OH would have so much going on for the 4th of July? Michael discovered that Boyz II Men would be here in concert with the Four Tops at Dublin-Coffman High School to celebrate July 4th. My very first concert that I remember going to was a Boyz II Men concert in Phoenix in (I believe) 1991 or 1992. They have had so many hits and were so popular that I had a hard time believing they would be coming to perform at a high school in this small suburb of Columbus. To top it all off, the concert was free! We were sure that the place would be packed, but we showed up about 30 minutes before they were to go on and found great seats in the bleachers. The stage was set up on the football field and people could buy tickets to sit at tables on the field, but everything else was fair game. We went with Matt (who is Mike's friend from IU and also got a job in Columbus) and his wife Kristen.

We were really impressed that after 20 years and being short one member of the original group, Boyz II Men was still quite good. We truly enjoyed the concert and felt rather nostalgic singing classics from our junior high and high school days. The Four Tops, who have replaced three of their original members, performed second, and though they are possibly a more classic Motown group, we all prefered Boyz II Men and thought they should have been the highlighted act instead of the openers. After both performances, there was a terrific fireworks display. Though it couldn't rival the New York fireworks on the East River that we watched last year, it was still a great show.

Settling in

Michael and I have been in the apartment for two weeks now, with the exception of my brief return to Arizona to be Leah's maid of honor last weekend (which was fabulous btw). We're slowly getting the things we need and trying to refrain from buying things we don't. Our bedroom furniture arrives on Monday, and I'm very excited to get the mattress off the floor and put some clothes away in drawers. Our kitchen table is a folding card table and our "couch" is Mike's old twin mattress. I created end tables in the living room by throwing sheets over stacks of boxes containing all my books. We are looking for a house to buy, so we are waiting to invest in furniture that we know will fit in our new place. We will also save on the hassle of moving it. The apartment is nice though and feels like home, except for the fact that we are waging war on bat bugs. Thankfully, they are not bed bugs like we thought. We've had the Orkin guy come out twice, and he is quite hilarious about the process. He uses all kinds of phrases and words that evoke battle imagery. I'm lucky in that either the bugs are not biting me or I'm just not reacting to them. Michael, on the other hand, is covered all over with huge red spots. If I were living here alone, I probably would not have even realized I had a bug problem, but Mike's skin makes it look like we're surrounded.

Michael starts work on July 13th, and I'm still looking for a job. There don't seem to be any openings for teachers at the public schools anymore, so I've applied at a few charter schools. I've also applied for a few non-teaching positions I am qualified for at McGraw-Hill and DeVry University. I'll keep looking and see how it goes. I may end up subbing this year and applying for any job openings in the spring or next fall.

Michael vs. Amber

A little illustration of one of the differences between my husband and me....
We had to pack up the van with all the wonderful wedding gifts as well as all the stuff that I still had left at my mom's house in order to take it all to Columbus with us. The item he got excited about: the Crock-Pot. The item I was excited about: the DustBuster :)

Wedding and Honeymoon (lots of pics)

So, I'm married now, and I've got to say it's awesome so far. Michael and I don't feel like we've completely settled into married life yet because we're still at my mom's house in Scottsdale, but we love it all the same. We got back from our honeymoon on Friday night (the 29th), and we expected to leave on Monday or Tuesday. During our drive from Columbus to Scottsdale for the wedding, we were rear-ended in Albuquerque. We dropped the car off to get fixed and thought it would be done by the time we got back from Hawaii, but due to some issues with the repair and the insurance company, the work was not finished. Our new plan is to leave this coming Wednesday. It's worked out pretty well though because we've spent more time with family and friends here and had more time to pack up my remaining belongings from my mom's attic and closets. The funny part is, I'll be flying back here a week later (on the 17th) to be matron of honor in my best friend's wedding. Good thing I don't have a job yet!

So, here are some details and pics...

The Thursday before the wedding, my family came over to my mom's for a BBQ dinner.

We had our rehearsal dinner at Buca di Beppo in the Pope room. We had an excellent time, so I look forward to more family get-togethers in the future.

Wedding pictures!
with the wedding party

With this ring, I thee wed.

We went to Oahu for the honeymoon and stayed at the Waikiki Marriott. They upgraded our view to this:

We went snorkeling at Hanauma Bay and saw beautiful coral, loads of tropical fish, and a sea turtle!

We also went snorkeling at Shark's Cove where we also saw a sea turtle. The water was amazing, and we had a wonderful time.

Michael planned a horseback riding excursion at Kualoa Ranch, which was gorgeous!! They film parts of Lost here as well as other films and shows.

One of the big highlights was a luau at Paradise Cove. We got to play games, make our own leis, and go out in an outrigger canoe. We ate delicious Kalua pork and other Hawaiian classics like macaroni salad and coconut jello. The night culminated in a hula performance with a fire dancer.Did I mention it was at Paradise Cove?

With our extra time in Arizona, Michael I drove up the Grand Canyon since he had never been before.

We should be heading back to Columbus soon, and we're both looking forward to settling in. It was wonderful to see so many of our family and friends at the wedding. We truly had a wonderful time and thought the day could not have been more perfect. Thank you to everyone who helped make it happen!