going to the mountains...

just as soon as I get in the car. I guess that's not very descriptive because we live in the mountains. We will be visiting Grandma at the mountain house in North Carolina. Fun, fun.

The interview was good. I won't hear about whether I got it for 3+ weeks though.

More exciting content (pictures, maybe?) coming soon.

the bad news...and the good news!

Bad news: I'm very sick. Some sort of virus that involves a sore and swollen throat, body aches, hot/cold flashes, and vomiting. I saw a doctor this morning and was told to drink lots of water and medicate liberally with over the counter drugs.

GOOD NEWS: I have a job interview on Tuesday! Yeah! Finally!

Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson

That's the new book I started today. A young adult literature staple. Not a cheerful one, as so far it's about a girl who totally doesn't fit in and who clearly has a dark secret, but somehow hopeful and easy to read.

Thar's gold in them thar hills!

On Thursday we made a little day trip to Dahlonega, GA. There's some cute shopping in the town square and such pretty views of the mountains and rolling hills.

There's also the Dahlonega Courthouse Gold Museum State Historic Site . We pretty much decided to visit it as an afterthought, but it was so interesting! Did you know that the gold rush in California in 1849 wasn't the first significant gold rush in the United States? Dahlonega was first - it all started in 1828 when Benjamin Parks stubbed his toe on a chunk of gold while deer hunting. People still prospect for gold in Dahlonega today. If you find an ounce, you can sell it to one of the jewelry stores in town for $800! (Matt wanted to go down to the river to pan, but we didn't really have time.) Georgia gold comes out of the ground about 98% pure, whereas gold from other parts of the world comes out about 75% pure. In other words, Georgia gold is already 22k and therefore very valuable to jewelers who make custom jewelry.

Huh. I feel like I'm giving a report. Another exciting part of our visit was that we found store with more yarn and fabric than I've ever seen in one place before. It's called Magical Threads and they have a whole house full of quilting fabric and then a whole garage full of yarn. I bought 4 skeins of Plymouth Wildflower DK yarn, with which I will make a summer top.

Tonight we go see the star wars movie.

We're not bored yet...

I'm sure you are wondering what in the world Matt and I would be doing with all the free time on our hands. We've been spending a lot of it watching movies - we've seen The Aviator, To Catch a Thief, Minority Report, Disney's Robin Hood, and Ocean's Eleven just in the last 5 days or so. That's lot of knitting time too, so I finished the minisweater and started on a bag to be felted; I'm making up the pattern as I go along.

We've also been going to the gym. We went three times, I think, last week, and yesterday and today. Not bad for two totally unathletic people.

We also hosted Matt's mom and aunt for the weekend, and they brought gifts! We got a target giftcard and one of those stack and spin food storage thingies. Good times. Even though it RAINED ALL WEEKEND.

It was beautiful today, though. I should probably catch up on my email.

Why I haven't posted lately, and exciting discoveries of the week

Somehow, since school finished and Matt and I both became jobless we've become busier. I'm not sure how it happened but it did. We've been running errands and cleaning and home improving (Matt put up a new ceiling fan in the living room and new blinds in the guest bedroom). I visited my parents and my grandma. I've sent off two more job applications and we've been shopping a bit. Matt's mom and aunt are coming for a visit today, so there will be hiking and sight-seeing this weekend.

I really wanted to share these pictures below, because little things make me really happy.

P.S. Happy Birthday to my Aunt Pami, who called me on her birthday, even though it's supposed to be the other way around.

Blackberry bush!

I know this is the worst picture ever, but I am very pleased about this blurry plant. Do you know what it is? That's right, it's a blackberry bush. I have always wanted a blackberry bush of my own! This one's in my backyard. I probably wouldn't have discovered it if Mom hadn't pointed out what blackberry bushes look like when we were together for her birthday last week. Thanks, Mom! I'll share some with you if you want.

Thrift store finds

For all of $.10, I got pretty and non-smelly (important when you are buying from a thrift store) featherweight wool yarn. I'm going to make a lacy scarf of some sort. I also got a pair of size 2 (that's tiny) needles for $.50. I was excited, but Matt was unimpressed. (I think it's because he didn't get anything.)

Rainey explores the yard

Yesterday we got bored and decided that it would be fun to let the cat run around the yard while I planted some flowers. He's totally an indoor cat, so it was fun and funny to watch him go from cautious sniffing to full-out running after bugs.

Rainey on the attack!

Rainey turns to pounce a bug.