Moving on...

A week ago, I moved into a friend's house for two weeks. The past week in their home was been wonderful.  They are wonderful people, who have been so nice to me.  

In the meantime, I have been out looking for beds, and other things that I left in the storage unit in Detroit.  Dishes, glasses, sheets...I was able only to bring pots and pans, silverware, and some serving pieces.  Saturday is move-in day!  I am so excited!  

I have been looking at furniture online.  This is my chance to buy only what I want when I want.  My house will be what I've always wanted.

I've learned a lot over the past 4 years...I have had to rebuild my life from scratch once before, but I the circumstances were different.  I feel this is my chance to take it slowly and get it right...I'm not even sure what that means.  Stop and smell the roses?  Enjoy every minute?  Only the future will tell...

The End of the Beginning

Yesterday I moved out of Linda's house.  My house is not quite ready, and a new friend from work offered her guest  room for two weeks.  I am so incredibly blessed.  My new temporary home is on the East Shore (of the Susquehanna River), as opposed to Linda's house and my new home, which are on the West Shore.  It's similar to the East Side/West Side split in Detroit.  Chris and her husband are very nice, and have made me feel very welcome.  

One of their neighbors seems to be participating in a one-house Christmas decorating contest! Pictures tomorrow....

The first snow of the season today.  I am told that if it hits about 3 inches, our office will close.  As a former Detroiter, South Bender, and Chicagoan, this is unimaginable to me.  3 inches of snow was really not an excuse to be late for work...

"It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas
Everywhere you go;
There's a tree in the Grand Hotel, one in the park as well,
The sturdy kind that doesn't mind the snow...."

New Job, New Home

Last week, I received an offer for a permanent position at PHFA, where I have been working for the last 8 weeks.  I am ecstatic!  Monday was my first permanent day.  I have full-time employment and benefits!!!!  I love my job.  It is in the collections department, but the job is oriented toward finding a way to keeping people in their homes:  through loan modifications or other payment plans.  I talk to people every day with very very sad stories.  And I am amazed and completely humbled by what they say to me:  they are grateful for my help and understanding and patience with them.  One man called me his angel.  Whatever their story, most have one thing in common:  when a major thing happens, like they lose their job, or someone is sick, smaller things start to happen, like the car breaks down, or the hot water heater needs to be replaced, and pretty soon, all the dominoes fall.  That is exactly what happened to me in the last 4 years. I can't tell you how many times I've said, "If it wasn't happening to me, I wouldn't believe it."  These people are saying the same thing, and since I can relate to it, they are very grateful for the empathy.  And their gratitude makes my day, every day.

Today I received approval from my new landlord to move in December 21! I will be sharing a house with a woman who advertised on Craigslist.  She will have a bedroom and the living room, and I will have two bedrooms, and will make one into my own separate living room.  My furniture is so old, and will cost over $500 to move (cost of the truck, gas, and tolls, plus transportation for me to get to Detroit.  So I am picking up my kitchen supplies and my bed, and building my new house piece by piece!  I am excited about this...I can actually take the time to build my house into what I want it to be!

Alexandra and I are together in Lansing at my sister's house.  It is wonderful to be with her.  I miss her so much!

Happy Thanksgiving to you all!  I have much to be thankful for this year.

Update

Hello, everyone!

It's been a while since I posted.  Thank you all for the birthday wishes yesterday.  I had a nice day, with a gift from a friend from work, and a leather-bound journal from Linda.  Alexandra made something for me, but it hasn't come yet!  I am excited to see it!

The past couple weeks have been a blur of hard work and a little apartment hunting.  Yesterday I was told that my hiring has been approved by the director.  It's now in human resources.  I'm so impatient!

Alexandra found a sublet in Columbus, and will be moving right after the first of the year.  I am very proud of her. She will continue at Columbus State to establish residency, so she can transfer to OSU.  I know, my daughter the Buckeye!  Will her friends in Farmington forgive her?

I am heading back to Michigan for Thanksgiving!  I am very excited, and I get to spend 2 days with Alexandra!  I miss her terribly.  I also get to see two of my sisters (yea, Kathy and Annie), nieces, brothers-in-law, nephews...I can't wait to get there!

I am starting to research for my novel.  I am sometimes really interested, and others, just overwhelmed.  So, I started writing short stories, pieces, even scenes, to practice writing. Writers always say that if you're going to be a writer, you need to write every day.  So I'm writing a little every day.  Most of what I write is unrelated to my book, but is just writing practice.  I love it!  I should have done this long ago.

I will be back posting again more frequently, now that things are settling in.  I am missing my local tours!  

Have a great night, everyone!

Under the Boardwalk

Since I have been here, the ocean has been calling me.  While living in Detroit, Alexandra and I went to Warren Dunes (on Lake Michigan) at least once a summer.   I missed that terribly this summer, and when I discovered that the Jersey Shore is 2-1/2 hours away from me, decided I would get there before winter.  Yesterday, I drove to Ocean City.  It was hit very hard by Hurricane Sandy, but somehow, the boardwalk remained mostly intact.

Yesterday was about 60 degrees, sunny, with a very strong, warm breeze. The ocean was choppy, but beautiful.  About half the stores were open.  The area has recovered very well from the hurricane.

My favorite picture:

Sea grass

The Boardwalk: The boardwalk is about the width of a two-lane road.  As you can see from the picture, it is striped with lanes:  pedestrian lanes, "surrey" lanes (which I presume means strollers, because it's a pretty narrow lane for an actual surrey!), and bike lanes.  I was told it is so busy, it is hard to move during the summer.

Finally, I'm not sure what this building this is.  

After I left Ocean City, I traveled 15 minutes north to Atlantic City.  I was unimpressed, and didn't take any pictures.  There are MANY opulent casinos, but outside that area was poverty-stricken.  The wealth from the casinos is clearly not spreading to the city.  I drove around and left.

Despite this, I had a wonderful day, got some fresh air, and walked the beach.  Life is good.

My Job

It's been 4 weeks since I started my job, and I like it a lot.  Last week we had a client who was months and months behind on his mortgage, and was to go to foreclosure.  His story was so sad:  his wife left him for another man, taking the kids with her, he added a second job to continue paying the mortgage plus child support.  He then had a stroke, and is permanently disabled.  I did not want him to go into foreclosure, but he is so far behind.  He was in a panic, understandably.  At the very last minute, as I was starting the foreclosure process, the manager put it on hold.  When I called to tell the client, he told me I am his "angel," and the only one on his side since this nightmare started 5 years ago.  I cried.

Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania

It's been a while since I posted.  I have been having problems transferring photos from my phone, but I'm back up!

Last weekend, Linda and I visited her home town of Jim Thorpe, PA.  It is a beautiful old Victorian town about an hour and a half north of Philadelphia.  The town was originally called Mauch Chunk, which is a Native American name meaning Bear Mountain, and is pronounced as one word:  mockchunk.

To get the name change to Jim Thorpe, you need to know a little of Jim Thorpe's story.  He was born on a Native American Reservation in Oklahoma.  His Native American name was Wa Tho Hunk, meaning Bright Path.  In 1904, he was sent to the American Indian School in Carlisle, PA which is about 20 miles from Harrisburg. Although not a college. the American Indian School's football team played against college teams.  In 1912, the football team beat Army, including Dwight Eisenhower, who would later say that Jim Thorpe "could do anything better than anybody I ever saw...."

Jim Thorpe also won gold medals for the pentathlon and decathlon in the 1912 Olympics.  These medals were later stripped because it was discovered he had played semi-pro baseball.  Ultimately, his medals were restored in 1982.

When he died in 1983, his third wife wanted a suitable memorial for him.  She made a deal with the city council of Mauch Chunk to build a memorial to him, including placing his body in a mausoleum, and renaming the town.  His family maintains that he should be returned to Oklahoma, an ongoing battle.  

The memorial is very understated and tasteful.  It's right off the main road, with statues of Jim Thorpe playing football and discus, and a brief biography.

Moving on from the memorial, we went to Mauch Chunk Lake Park.  It was a beautiful day, about 60 degrees and sunny.  This is the park.

From there, we went to Flagstaff Park, which has a dance hall where Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey, who were from the area, used to play.  This is the view of Jim Thorpe from the overlook there.

On to Lehigh Gorge State Park, with these pictures.  The road passes over the river, and the walking paths underneath it, as you can see from these pictures.    The path continues up a steep hill to a waterfall,  which I did not see.

Unfortunately, it seems to not be a good year for the fall leaves.  They were falling down, not  changing colors.