Keeping Up With AmyLouLa

A Beautiful Gift

I re-upped my lease on my apartment last month. I love my apartment. I'm starting to feel settled, especially after the turmoil of the last year. So, just 2 weeks after my divorce was final, I decided I wanted to stay at Bella. Despite some of the issues of living in a large apartment complex, I still like it here. And honestly, I couldn't face moving. Again. LOL!

Since I'm staying, I figure I can invest some time and a tiny bit of money to make my place a little more finished. Hence the picture above. Mini-blinds are de rigueur for apartments, but are not really very pretty. I wanted to get some curtains or a valance to spruce it up. When I had Brad and Lisa over for dinner a few weeks ago, I happened to dig through some linens in my closet, and came across a very special gift that was given to me by my former e2amp boss, Michael. It was a sari that he brought back from a trip to India. It is quite beautiful, although I would never really be able to wear it. I thought, could I use it as a valance?

I bought a couple of tie-backs from Lowe's and re-purposed them as a swag holder. I assembled my tools (I love my tools!), then looped the sari over the tie-backs and took many trips up and down the ladder to arrange it just so. The result?

I really like it. It changes the look of the whole room. Thanks to Michael and this wonderful gift, I spent a whopping $12 on this makeover. Woo hoo!

Thanks, Pammie!

Pam was getting rid of some bookcases, and as you can see from my college-style decor, above, I needed SOMETHING.

It's an improvement, no?

And yes, that IS "Sister Wives" on my television. Don't judge!

Repurposing

I love repurposing things from their original uses. Here's an example of what I mean:

Chipped Starbucks coffee mugs become planters for succulents. Score!

Here's another repurpose I just finished. I bought a used bureau from my co-worker Jolana:

Beautiful, no? I wanted something to store kitchenware and glassware, so I decided to create dividers in the drawers to keep the glassware safe. I bought this at Jo-Ann's:

The Nu-Foam was easy to cut to size and fit the bottom of the drawers almost perfectly. Here's step 1:

And here's one of the drawers, completed:

I love the way it turned out! And I have more space for decorating!

What have you repurposed from its original use?

Unpacking

 

I'm back from my very brief trip to Tennessee. It was a jam-packed weekend, and frankly, I'm exhausted. Here's the run-down:

Thursday after work, I attended Lia Sophia jewelry party at my friend (from WDPRO) Kibby's house here in Orlando.

Friday morning, my friend Kate (from Starbucks) drove me to the Orlando Airport, where I caught a flight to Knoxville.

Friday afternoon, B picked me up in Knoxville, we rented a 10' Budget rental truck, I drove it to La Follette, and we (with the help of our neighbor Paul Jr.), packed up the rest of my stuff into it.

Friday evening, B and I had a really nice visit before I left for my friend Jamie's apartment. She and I had dinner at Calhoun's on the River. I had one beer, which was enough to get me loopy enough to fall asleep rather quickly that night.

Saturday morning, I drove the rental truck/stuff to my old Starbucks in Knoxville, where I visited with friends until Jamie picked me up at noon to go get my tattoo. Don't worry, Jamie documented the whole thing beautifully. That will be another, separate post.

After the tattoo Saturday afternoon, I took off from Starbucks and headed south in the truck.

Saturday night, it was too dark out to navigate in the honking big (for me) truck, so I stopped at a Holiday Inn (with a Starbucks in the parking lot!) and slept for 6 hours.

Sunday morning, I woke at 6:00, drove straight to my apartment, arrived at 11:20am, met my friend Julie's brother Rob who helped me get the heavy stuff off the truck.

I took a break to cool off Sunday afternoon, during which time, my electricity (hence, the elevator) went out. So, I took a nap, woke up at 6:30pm, checked that the electricity was back on, offloaded the rest of my stuff, and exhausted, went to bed.

Of course, none of this does anything to describe my emotional state. It was a wonderful and a wonderfully difficult trip. I miss my old life more than I thought I would. I still believe that I made a good move making the changes I made, but that doesn't mean I don't have moments when it hurts to think about the life and people I left behind. 

 

Not to mention this truck I rented! I know it was tiny compared to a lot of vehicles I could have driven, but I was nervous the entire time I was on the road. It wobbled if I over steered. I quickly learned that smooth and gentle was the way to go. And that if I just drove steadily and kept to that right-hand lane, everything else on the road would go around me. But boy am I glad that's over.

I am in the midst of unpacking and washing dishes and figuring out how to fit all of this in my small one-bedroom apartment. I've lived small before, so I can get creative with storage. For now, it feels good to have everything in one place again. I can nest and settle and get down to the business of learning Orlando. 

And the cats are happy!

 

Such A Find

 

Check out the loot I found this Saturday. I got all of this for $100. And it's all wood... no pressboard crap. There's a guy on Craigslist who resells antiques and estate finds. He's a terrific resource in the Orlando area, in case you are in the market for furniture.

I love all of my loot. My plan is to refinish it all and paint it black, with distressed edges. I love black furniture. Some of the wood does not look very nice, hence my desire to paint it. It's fine for now though. I will paint when I have time.

Here's the corner unit all set up in my living room:
 

And the two bedside tables. Gorgeous detailing on them. A little worse for wear, but nothing that can't be fixed.
 

 

And I needed something to put my new TV on. I bought a 1080p LG 32" LCD, on sale at Best Buy. Finally, I can see my cable television shows instead of just paying for a wire coming out of the wall.
 
(Why yes, that is The Greatest America Hero marathon on my TV!)

All-in-all it was a good Saturday's take. If you're in Orlando and would like to get a hold of the guy selling the furniture, let me know and I can put you in touch. He has a ton of great stuff.

More pictures to come once I am able to transport the rest of my belongings from Tennessee.

Getting There

 

The past few weeks have been... busy... to say the least. The weekend of the move to Orlando was pretty intense. Starting work at Disney was amazing. At the same time, it was challenging to learn a new business paradigm and language. In the middle of all this, of course, there are the general housekeeping things you have to do when you move. I've been steadily checking things off my list, little by little.

• Set up utilities. Check
• Start cable/internet/phone. Check.
• Change mailing address and start forwarding mail through the post office. Did it online. Love that.
• Get a new Florida driver's license... Check. And may I suggest you go online, check what documents you need to bring, and book yourself a reservation when doing this? I don't know how it works in other states, but in Florida, you can make a res. It's SO worth it. I jumped to the front of the line and was finished by the time people who had been waiting there for hours were even checked in. Now, I know this doesn't seem fair, but dude, if you're not going to do your due diligence before you get there, then don't blame me when you get to the counter to get checked in and you've not brought the correct documents for that simple address change on your license! Now, I know some people don't have internet access. But the library has computers with internet access and they're free. And this particular guy? Yeah, I'm certain he had a computer at home. He waited over an hour and a half only to be told he didn't have the right documents. Boy, was he pissed. Part of the reason for the red tape is because the 911 bombers flight-trained in Florida, and the laws have become very strict (this is what I heard anyway).
• Register car. Did it yesterday. Ouch. Haven't had to pay the $480 taxes yet, but as soon as they get the title from my lien holder, it's on. I'm going to get a specialty license plate, too, I've decided. I'm really fond of sea turtles and their conservation is important to me. So I'm going to get the sea turtle license place. Plus, it coordinates well with my car color. Yay! 
• Change address at the bank and for bills, etc. Check. I love getting mail. Even if it's bills. I have one of those mailboxes that's in a whole bank of mail boxes. I have a key. I know I'm a dork, but I love checking for mail. I do get Netflix, so it's a great day when one of those arrives, and not just the bills!
• Get a library card. Yes! There's a little library right around the corner from work, in Celebration, and I went yesterday to get my card and check out some books. A tip of the hat to my friend Amy in Coral Springs who urged me to join the library rather than buy books as a great way to save money. Which I knew, but kind of forgot about. 
• I start part time at Starbucks in Celebration on Sunday, July 4. Hooray! I'm very happy to start back at Starbucks, for a number of reasons. Number one is to keep health benefits for me and B (more on this later). He won't be covered under my new insurance because it's too expensive. Also, there are so many great reasons to work at Starbucks: Friendship, fellowship, fun, free coffee! I'm looking forward to starting. Plus, tomorrow there's live music and fireworks right across the street from Starbucks, so it should be very festive.

There are still little things I have to do to get really established here. I need a hairdresser, but one of the girls at work gave me the name and number of hers, so I'm going to try her out. I need to find a good doctor, even though I know nobody is ever going to be as good as Dr. Mendez in Knoxville. I mean, Dr. Mendez would spend 20 minutes just talking Rock Band with me! I still need a dentist, but again, my friend Kibby at work gave me a card from hers and swears he is the best. I'm hitting the Walgreen's by my apartment today to get my prescriptions going there.

A quick word about B. I know that many of you have lots of questions about what's going on. But I am trying to be respectful and not comment much, because even though my life is an open book, not everyone's is. The gist of it is, I am here and he is there and we are trying to make this work as best we can. We are still very close and we still love each other very much. It just is what it is right now. 

That said, I am flying up to Knoxville July 23 to pack up the stuff I left at the house and move it down to Orlando. And not a minute too soon. I have no furniture. I bought a real mattress because I couldn't sleep (or not sleep as the case may be) on the air mattress another night more. But I will be getting my old Los Angeles couch from Tennessee, and I can't wait. I'm ready to make this apartment more my own.
I've been doing little things, like hanging the few pictures I brought with me, and starting a container garden on my porch. But there's no place to sit and KNIT. And that sucks big time.

Today, I am doing some contract computer work for the company I worked at in West Palm Beach. I'm also checking out some furniture I found on Craigslist and getting a new TV. The errands never seem to stop. It's sure to be a busy long weekend. Between the contract work, working at Starbucks on Sunday and Monday, and running errands, I will be busy. But you know me, I love to be busy!

Last but not least, a note about the picture I posted above. This was taken in the parking lot at the Disney building where I work. I had just gotten to work at about 8:15 in the morning, and I parked next to this tree with Spanish moss in it. Most of the trees down here have Spanish moss hanging like long hair off them. I love Spanish moss. I've always wanted to live in a place that has Spanish moss and cypress trees. And now I do!

Welcome Home

 

I love my new doormat. Sigh.

Moving In Means Stocking Up

Do you remember the post I did back at the end of January for the giveaway? It was through CSN Stores online, and it was a big hit. Well, I heard from CSN again, at just the right time for me, as I am restocking my apartment with all kinds of goodies. Even though I am going up to Tennessee at the end of July to pick up the rest of my furniture and stuff, there are a few things I still need.

Which is where CSN and their wonderful timing comes in... they have offered to send me one of their products to review! I am very excited! They have everything from wall sconces to cat beds to linens to living room furniture. And it's all gorgeous stuff. I already have a TV stand picked out for when I have some money saved. I am so happy that CSNStores.com found their way to my blog. Maybe we'll even be able to have more giveaways (like this one) in the future!

Meanwhile, I'm psyched about reviewing a product for them. I'm not sure what it is going to be yet, so stay tuned. You'll see it here in the next few weeks!

My First Week

Whew! What a whirlwind. It occurred to me on Friday night, after finishing my first week of work, that it was exactly one week from the day of me finding an apartment. That's a lot to do in just a week!

Work is amazing. I think you got that from my last post. Basically, my job is to check portions of the resort websites and update information on them. Yeah, basically, I get paid to help maintain Disney websites! I love the work. And my co-workers are terrific people. Kibby has been my trainer so far, and she's wonderful.

This weekend, I was out and about, just running errands and getting stocked up on stuff for my apartment. A bed and a vacuum cleaner were at the top of the list, and mission accomplished. I have been sleeping on a single bed (at Uncle Tommy's) and an air mattress (here at the apartment), and those were not very good for encouraging a good night's rest. My new pillow top mattress is much better. I got it at a mattress liquidation place that sells brand-new, made-in-Orlando off brands, on the cheap. It was worth it.

I'm settling in. I've visited my local Super Target and Publix. However, I learned the hard way NOT to go to Publix after 8pm on Sunday night. Maybe it's most nights. You see, I live smack in the middle of Vacation Central. My apartment complex is close to several big resorts that service the Disney and Universal crowds. And apparently, they ALL go to Publix in the evening. And park their carts in the middle of every single aisle. I think they go after they've spent the day at the park or driving here, because they all look strung out and loopy. And they are like a pack of locusts. Seriously, the shelves were decimated. I will have to find a Publix near work and start going after I get off. Don't get me wrong, I like tourists. I love talking to people from all over the place. But when I have just a bit of a grocery shop to do, I just want to get in and get out. That's impossible with the number of people clogging the aisles. Sheesh!

But now, it's Sunday night. I have a bed. I have groceries. I have internet. I have AC. I have fireworks coming up any minute now. And, I have the most amazing job to go to in the morning.

Life is good.

Moving In

Just a very brief update, as I need to pack the cats into the car with the final few of my boxes and head up to Orlando, where I will stay in my brand-new apartment tonight! Yesterday, I packed up most of my stuff and moved it up. Paid my deposit and got the keys. Here are pictures with very short updates above the pictures. 

Living room as seen from the front door. Sliding glass door opens onto a balcony. I'll get to have a small container garden!

To the left of the front door is the kitchen:
 

Through the kitchen to the laundry area, with washer & dryer!   

There's a desk area set up in the kitchen, with cable internet ready to be hooked up.    

Looking over the kitchen bar to the living room, then outside.  

Bathroom:

View from the bathroom door to the living space, cat toys already on display:
 

Bedroom, complete with air mattress and box of knitting. Thanks, Pammie!    

Nice size closet:
 

View looking straight off my third-floor balcony:
 

Looking off the balcony to the west:

The last slog up the turnpike is this morning, then I can relax. I have some paperwork to fill out before I start work tomorrow. Speaking of which, I clocked the mileage to my new job... 7 miles door to door. Yay!

I will be without computer access at home for a bit, although our clubhouse at Bella does have a free internet cafe that I can use. I will post when I can, especially since The Wizarding World of Harry Potter opens this weekend!