staying positive...

so i have been negative lately...okay, let me correct that- i have been more negative than usual lately. this summer hasn't been the easiest on us and now that the end is drawing near, it's getting harder and harder to stay positive. i find myself saying, "man, i can't wait until we leave!" several times a day now.

so, i now realize that i need to look at this as a "the glass is half full" type of situation. so i decided to write down the things of what i truly will miss here in virginia...

1) my gas stove- i grew up w/ a gas stove and we haven't had one in years. only electric. i hate electric stoves. i was so excited when we came here and saw it was mine once again! instant heat, even cooking, and is it sick that i love the smell? (don't answer that!) oh, how i will miss turning that nob, hearing that click, click, click WHOOSH of the flame and....*sigh*... roasted marshmallows! i will miss you the most...

2) the swimming pool- i go almost everyday for hours on end. it's only 4 1/2 feet deep, but i don't care! it feels amazing and it passes the time. plus, natalie and i have made friends w/the lifeguards that work there. they are students from russia on a working program for the summer. skinny little veronica and viktor, our russian version of daniel radcliff. the best part of the pool? my kick butt tan from sun bathing! i may have sentenced myself to a battle w/ skin cancer when i'm older, but at least i'll be dark while battling it! i don't know what i will do not being able to swim a couple laps every day when i get back home. that'll be an adjustment.

3) the bright green trees w/ the clusters of neon pink flowers covering them. i have no clue what type of tree it is, but they are everywhere here. and so pretty against the deep blue sky. i've tried taking pictures, but it never quite comes out as vibrant as it is in real life.

4) seeing things i've never seen before. there's nothing like discovering things you've never seen in a place you've never been! great falls, luray caverns, fireworks in washington dc...it was great seeing all these things for the first time.

5) SPACE!!! it's weird to say i will miss the space in an apartment, but the huge yard for lucy to run, a soaking bath tub here where all i have back home is a shower, and a closet that will actually hold my husbands polo shirt collection! yes, i will miss that a lot!

6) things we can't buy in portland- jerry's pizza is a little pizza/sandwich shop w/some fantastic onion petals and fried peppers. but, what we love is the pizzas that we only treat ourselves to on "5.99 mondays"! just under 6 bucks will get you a great large cheese pizza. and when i say "only on mondays", i mean EVERY monday! you can't beat a good deal! we will also miss being able to grab a bottle of sticky fingers bbq sauce and a box of tasty cakes from giants food store, both only sold on the east cost. you better believe we are buying that store out of both of them the day we leave to come home! i just hope the sauce and the cakes last for my husbands sake because i know i will not be a happy camper when we eat the last of our stash!

7) the apx wives! they are sweet and beautiful and so friendly! brittany, melissa, megan, dantz, stacy, whitney, lindsay (my favorite SYTYCD friend!...will was robbed!), and all the other numerous women, too many to name them all. the one i will miss the most is natalie. it is no secret that her and i have gotten close. she is my sanity in this craziness. not seeing her everyday will be so odd. i will miss her truly!!

so, yes, those are just 7 out of many things i will miss here. it will be so nice to be able turn onto the 7 hwy one last time (maybe fighting the urge to flip off the things that ticked me off while i was here), but i will be sad as i look in the rear view mirror once more, realizing that those great things will just be memories and pictures from now on (not you, nat! i will see you in arizona!). i am happy we followed our promptings to come and try this out. and who knows? maybe we will do it again next summer. but, i know that nothing will be the same as it was in ashburn virginia, the summer of 2008.