I love my house!

Being responsible for a home is no simple task.

Garbage day, lawn care, dusting, tidying, cleaning toilets, doing laundry, doing dishes, maintaining a yard...the list continues to grow as spring makes its way into my humble abode. I have truly LOVED the challenge of having a place to call my very own. I'm nesting! I'm doing housework! I'm cooking fresh vegetables! Furthermore, I'm ENJOYING myself! Who knew?!

I'm still making slow personalizations to the inside of the house...almost all the photos are hung, and I love walking through the halls and seeing friendly faces of people I love.

This weekend I spent Saturday at the grand opening of the Omaha Farmers Market. What fun! There were so many beautiful flowers, vegetables, plants, baked goods and other sundry items, all cultivated by local vendors. It felt amazing to contribute to the local economy and support the people of Nebraska.

The Farmers Market inspired me to begin a garden. Now, this is a very big deal for someone who has many family members with well-documented black thumbs. However, I think that a 16 sq ft box garden is a good place to start. I bought a few veggie plants to put in my new garden, including peppers, summer squash, broccoli, cauliflower, basil, tomatoes of several varieties, as well as seeds for cucumbers, eggplant, cantaloupe and sugar snap peas. The grand plan is to put all of said veggies in a garden box...we'll see how it goes!

However, the first step I took in lawn care and improvement was to weed out the planters in the front of my house and see what was still alive under all the dead foliage. Turns out I have two mature rosebushes as well as several green plants (still don't know the names, but I plan to learn them!) that survived the suffocation they were forced to endure. I planted Tiger Lily and Candy Lily (from the Farmers Market), as well as some lovely purple ground cover. For the front row I planted some orange Gerbera daisies...my very favorite flower! My friend Sydney and I spent four hours on Sunday weeding, fertilizing and planting in the front of my home. Phew! I was dirty and exhausted by the time I was done...but so fulfilled! I am growing green things! It's such a beautiful feeling.

Today the lawn is mowed, all of my new friends out front are hanging in there (granted, it's only Day 2, but I will count this as a small victory nonetheless), and the front of my house looks so beautiful! I can't wait for my flowers to bloom and to see what else my budding green thumb is capable of!

When a door closes, jump into your Mini and drive to Omaha

Well...

Let me first say that I am a HORRIBLE journal-keeper, so I'm hoping that blogging will be an easier way for me to document my day-to-day boringness (I'm less likely to have writer's cramp since I type so fast). Writing and typing about how I'm feeling has always been a challenge for me. Since I'm turning over a new leaf in a new state with a new job and a new house, maybe this is something that I can become better at!

My last week in Utah was so awesome. I want to thank all of my dearest friends for making some memorable moments with me as I prepared to depart the state. I was so very lucky to have dinner dates with LOTS of incredible people, like Tayva and Derek, Jessica, Taylor, Jessi, Mikey, Jen, Liz, Jean, Trent, Sean, Tammy, Maurie...the list goes on and on! I had no idea I could fit so many lunch and dinner dates into my schedule...or so much food into my tummy!

Me and Maurie Tarbox (Cracker Barrel: Steak Salad)

Jessi McCowin and Mike Hernandez (Noodles & Co: Pad Thai with Shrimp)

Jessica Humpherys (Iggy's: House Salad with soup)

Taylor Petersen (Iggy's: House Salad with soup)

Liz Corona

Tayva and Derek Lamb (Applebee's: Grilled Chicken Salad)

One of the biggest parts of my last week in the state was the honor of being a part of the ensemble in WSU's production of "The Light in the Piazza." It was a very difficult process for me, for lots of reasons: it's my last one at WSU, my schedule was a complete and total nightmare for our stellar stage manager, Michell (as well as Jim, I'm sure!), I got horribly sick with a kidney infection from hell...overall, it was a difficult process for me. However, it was so rewarding each night to share talent and love for the art of theatre with each of the cast members. It was a beautiful show that I'm so proud to have been a part of!

Well, I think that must conclude my very very first blog post. For those of you who know what's going on, you know there is much more where that came from. I promise that I will post again about all that has transpired since closing night (only 5 days ago!). The movers will be here tomorrow to load my stuff into my new house, so I must go to sleep!