Columbia

We made it!  Another road trip brought us down to Columbia, SC, and so far, things are great. 

We packed up Saturday morning.  Justin said it was like packing for Armageddon, but Ollie and I are going to be down here for three months with no friends and nothing to do, so we came prepared.  It wasn't much, I just brought: all of Ollie's toys, his trike, his backpack for hikes, my sewing machine, my crochet stuff, my guitar, quilt making materials (more on that in a minute), some food, linens, clothes for whatever season, our computer (we only have a desk top), my pressure cooker (from Justin for Christmas!), and a few more odds and ends.  Thanks to Justin and my Dad's superior packing skills, we got everything in the car, in a car top carrier, with a dog, a baby and a carseat, and Justin and I.  It was no small task, but those guys were pros, and we're now living with all the comforts of home down here.

He's already told me I need to make a trip up to drop off some of this stuff before we actually move back.  Otherwise, I cannot buy one single thing while I'm down here, or poor Ruby won't have a seat in the car on the way home.

Our apartment is really nice.  It's completely furnished, almost like a hotel.  It's in a great location, near to every kind of store you could imagine, and a mall is close by.  Across the street is a really lovely park called Sequicentennial Park.  It's huge, and has miles and miles of trails for walking and running.  There's a lake in the middle, and picnic tables and benches all over.  There's even a dog park there, but we haven't been able to find it yet.  It's really easy to get lost on the trails because they wind around and criss cross all over.  The dog park is on the other side, so I'm a little afraid to venture over there myself for fear of not getting back. 

Tonight we went for a walk there.On our way home came across some people with their dogs playing in a baseball field on the edge of the park by our house.  We went over and introduced ourselves and asked if Ruby could play, and they couldn't say no to her big brown eyes.  Turns out they meet there every day at 4:30 or 5 to let their dogs play after work.  It's perfect timing for me so I'm hoping to be able to take Ruby over there so that if Justin can't run with her at night she still gets some good exercise in.

And she is missing Rosie so much since we left my parents house, playing with other dogs eases the pain just ever-so-slightly.

We drove around today in downtown Columbia, and it looks like there will be some neat things to explore.  The first thing you notice is that there are HUGE baptist churches on almost every other block.  And I'm not joking when I say huge.  Some of them take up the entire block!  I won't lie, I'm completely intrigued and would love to go to a service one time just to see what it's like.  If it's anything like the baptist TV programs, then it's sure to be exciting.

The next thing you notice is a lot of neat older buildings.  There are several that are in disrepair or condemned.  If we were reading the signs right, it looked like there was an assylum that is now closed and condemned, just sitting vacant in the middle of the city.  We also found our closest Chipotle, so life here can really begin. 

Justin starts his training tomorrow, and I think he's excited about that.  I'm excited to get started on some of the projects I have planned to do while I'm down here, especially a quilt!  I decided I want to make Ollie a quilt for when he is in a twin big boy bed.  I bought the fabrics at our favorite little quilt shop before I left, and am going to work on getting the top pieced.  The pattern I'm doing is called Sugar Pop and Change, and it's a variation of a coin stack pattern.  The fabrics are all greys and watery blue-teals.  It's really light and clean looking, and I can't wait to see it all come together. 

Ollie is adjusting well to being here.  He's slept by himself in a queen sized bed for two nights now without waking up, and went to sleep tonight again without any problems.  I was worried about his sleeping arrangement, but everything seems to be fine.  My mom gave him a hand charged flashlight that he keeps in his bed with him, and can pump up if he needs light.  I think that helps him to not be afraid. 

Well that s about it for now.  I'm going to try to be a better blogger while I'm down here.  I'm bad at blogging when I'm home because I'm pretty sure my mom is the only one reading this, and when I'm home, she sees everything firsthand and doesn't need to rehash it on the blog.  But anyway, hopefully I'll be better.

One last thing-  Jeremy and Camron announced to everyone that they are expecting again!  We're really happy for them and the kids to have another member of their family.