Fall (and a cold)

So, yeah - a week.  Wow.  Where does it go?  Last week was the first week of Andrew's new job and it found me exploring the city solo, ironing out a few school details, and well, before I knew it Thursday was upon me and by Friday the sniffles took over and here I am, late Sunday night with a full blown cold and not one post to show for my weekend.  

Last week was a battle against the worry  - the worry that comes from such big changes in such small intervals.  Marriage, graduation, moving across country, grad school ... it feels a bit like eating ice cream without stopping to swallow.  It's good, don't get me wrong, but it's also a little hard to handle, and every once in a while a cold headache hits that's almost too much to bear, and really, all there is to do is wait it out until it's over. 

 

Between all the whining and sneezing there have been some very energetic moments around these parts, and I am hoping to have something beautiful to show for it sometime tomorrow when the light is out and prime for photos.

This next part is a little embarrassing to admit, but until this last Friday I had not been to campus.  It just felt, and still feels really, like such a big deal and honestly, there were enough deals that felt big right here in our little apartment, so I put if off for a while.  I, my friends, am a master procrastinator.  But, classes start Thursday, I needed an id card, a bus pass (it's included in tuition- how fantastic is that?!), and I had books to buy because I already have my first reading assignment.  So, I did it!  Andrew drove me down to the school and because there was no place to park (you really do have to bike/bus for ease/sanity), he let me out and smiled like a mother might on a child's first day of preschool - the smile that says, "I love you but get the hell out of my car and stop fake crying."  My mother would have said those words out loud, so I am only assuming that other's might mask it with a smile - I'm relatively certain Andrew was masking his thoughts that day.  Not only did I make it through both the id card and bus pass line by myself without going into a panic coma, I purchased all of my books (3 for Lit Theory and 8 for Poetry) before Andrew found a place to stash the car.  He didn't say it because he was too busy grumbling about walking back down the steep hill he'd just climbed, but I know he was just as proud of me as I was - all 26 years of me.  

By that night my nose was red and raw, my eyes watery, and my that hacking cough you most likely heard in your sleep - yeah, that was me too.  I was so darling that I puffed a little powder on my nose and headed out, husband in hand, to the grad student potluck/reception in the lodge the school owns on the lake.  If you stand in awe of my social grace when I'm familiar with my surroundings and feeling good, you would have been bowled over by my snotty, sniffling, slightly sleepy self as I eeked around the gathering introducing when prompted and praying, dear god, that people would just break the ice for me.  It really wasn't so bad and Andrew swears I was just fine - considering.  His add in- not mine.  

Fall has really begun here, multicolored leaves cover the sidewalks and a crisp chill has replaced the warmer days we moved into our first week here.  It felt like it snuck up on me a bit, one day it just didn't really warm up and by noon I was making my way around the apartment closing the windows, snuggling under a quilt on the couch and making sure my slippers were close at hand.  

There's more, there always is, but for now I need a little medicine and some sleep, with dreams of tissue-less days.