"Patience is not the ability to wait, but the ability to keep a good attitude while waiting." ~ Joyce Meyer.
Our good attitudes have been tested over the last 5 months by this house of ours in Durham. But we've been rewarded for our patience because our house is under contract!!!! I know most of you already know this, but that's okay. I'm going to say it again just so you really remember. Our house is under contract!!!
We should close on Dec. 2nd and cease to be homeowners for a little while. We're so relieved to have people who are not just interested but really excited to buy our house. We should come out a little over what we paid for it, which is a minor miracle in this day and age of real estate.
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The house going under contract happened on Tuesday, so the week started off well. On Thursday, Matt and I went uptown to play in the Credit Suisse company dodgeball league. I haven't played dodgeball in decades, I'm sure. My skills at 28 are about as good as they were when I was 11. Very little aim, very little speed behind the ball, lots of self-deprecation, lots of fun! Matt was a lot better and was very embarrassed, I'm sure. We had a team of about 20 people (versus the other teams who had 8-10). I wasn't really expecting the level of intensity that existed. Most people had very serious looks on their faces as they ducked, dipped, did scissor kicks to avoid getting out. All this seriousness, of course, just made me crack up. There was one point when everyone except one girl, Elsa, had been pegged and was out. She was up against two burly guys and was a little hesitant to make the first move to try to get the guys out. The "coach" of the team was play-screaming at her to "DO SOMETHING!!!!!!" Everyone else was screaming at her/laughing at her/encouraging her...I think the pressure got to her because she did nothing and the guys got her out. I laughed the whole time, though others clearly took it a little more seriously. I need to practice throwing low balls and getting out of the way of the ones coming at me. We lost most of our games, but I didn't care, it was fun. We'll do it again next week, I think.
Team "Suisse Ballers"
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Halloween is a big deal here. Walking to work at 7:45 in the morning, I saw a man dressed as "My Buddy", skeletons, a time traveler and others that were ready to celebrate. At school the kids were allowed to come to school in costume. There was a school-wide parade in the morning, to which parents were invited. All the teachers dressed as cats (mostly, which is so New York, to be able to wear all black).
Cat Lady
The parents came back to the classroom so that we could perform a poem that we'd learned called, "The Skeleton Parade." I will always remember Cindy Eubanks doing this poem when I taught Kindergarten at Hope Valley. She was the ultimate teacher-performer and I love doing this poem with kids. Anyway, there was also a Halloween breakfast, complete with tons of sugar...just what I love to give kids at the beginning of the school day, but I really had no say in all of this. Needless to say I was exhausted by the end of the day.
After a happy hour margarita with a co-worker, much needed, Matt and I went home and had dinner. After watching The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown with our own Charlie Brown, I was done. No Halloween festivities for me, sadly. Matt, however, donned his Legends of the Hidden Temple costume and headed over to Greenwich Village to take in the (in)famous Halloween parade and gaggles of dressed up people. He said riding the subway was interesting because there were all these people dressed up, but acting so nonchalant and normal. He found his "teammate" (someone else who was dressed in LftHT gear) out at the parade.
A mechanic, I think?
Another Man in the Yellow Hat (Keith - take some notes)
Inspector Gadget and his fans (??)
This group was having a raucous party in a building next to the parade. They just started dancing for everyone. Why not?
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On Saturday, we took it easy. It was nasty outside, so we took the hint and snuggled under blankets and read books and watched Parenthood and West Wing episodes for hours. Lazy? Yes. Much needed? You betcha.
Today, we went to church and then walked a block over to Central Park to watch the NY marathon runners finish. It's inspiring to watch these people who you know have trained and worked really hard to improve their bodies and mental fortitude. Today is also the first day that ice skaters have been out on the rink in front of our building now. They turned the soccer field into the rink for the next few months. It's fun to watch them glide around.
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It's hard to believe it's already November! Last year, I participated in the Month of Thanksgiving and posted things that I was thankful for every day on facebook. This year, I'm going to do it on here, compiling the week's thanks into one post. So, for the first two days of November, I'm thankful for:
1. Our house going under contract.
2. Saints in my life who have helped shape me and make me who I am today. There are so many that I could name, many living, and some no longer with us. Know that if you're reading this blog, you most likely have made a difference in my life and I consider you a blessing.
There will be many more thanks' next week and more tales to tell. Ta ta for now!
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