i'll miss you, harry

The new trailer for Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince premiered yesterday, and it is one thing that I'm sad about missing out on while I'm in Ecuador. I've made it to every other movie, usually within the first few days of its release. (Last year I was jet-lagged beyond belief but rallied myself out of bed to see it the day after returning from Europe.) I'm sure the movie will make it to Ecuador at some point, considering that Harry Potter is an international phenomenon, but I don't think it will release anytime close to the US release date. Oh well. In the meanwhile, I will just watch the trailer over and over again...

wedding weekend

I'm kind of swamped with all the nitty-gritty packing and moving details, so posts are going to be a little sparse for a week or so. I am posting some pictures from my friend's wedding in Chicago this weekend.

My friend Kate, her fiance Max, and me at the rehearsal dinner--it was at Maggiano's and the food was excellent.

Kiel (the groom), myself, and Kiel's mom, Jill

Max and Kate at the reception

Me, Jill, and Kate at the reception

a checklist of sorts

1. Entertain father, sister, and 3-year-old nephew--CHECK
2. Send furniture home with said family--CHECK
3. Remove and price items for yard sale--CHECK
4. Place ad in newspaper for yard sale--CHECK
5. Host yard sale to sell worldly possessions--Tomorrow
6. Attend friend's bachelor party--Tomorrow evening
7. Have one-day mini trip to go sailing with friends for one friend's birthday--Sunday

And that, folks, is my week in a nutshell.

new specs

I picked up my new glasses today--one more thing off the list!

sink or swim

I am lost here in a sea of boxes. I have so much crap it makes me sick. To remedy this, I am going to have greasy, bad-for-you food for lunch today at the fair. On the upside, I may have found the right shoe. That's about it.

the perfect shoe

I'm a big-time travel planner when it comes to packing a wardrobe. When I spent three weeks in Europe last summer, I worked to create the perfect black-and-white wardrobe that would be versatile and interchangeable. Therefore, you can imagine how crazy I am going trying to pack clothing for a climate and a culture that I don't entirely comprehend yet. So far, I am pretty pleased with what I have packed, but there is one place that is causing me much grief: I am in search of the perfect pair of shoes.

I purchased these pants from Banana Republic--they're kind of a taupe heather color. They fit well and will go with several of my tops. However, I am really stymied as to what color shoe I should get to go with them. I am already taking 4 (!) pairs of black shoes, so I want to diversify and go with something in the tan category that will go with other non-black clothes. I have pretty high standards for shoes--they have to be pretty cute. I also prefer not to spend more than $50 for a pair of shoes.

I have a couple of options, but neither fit all my criteria. I am in love with these shoes from Anne Klein, but they are way more than I want to spend. Plus, I am not quite sure how the color would look with the pants.These shoes from Nine West fit my criteria, but I'm not in love with them. Again, not sure about the color.So I really don't know what to do. I know this sounds silly, but right now obsessing about this is keeping me from worrying about how I'm going to get my cat through the long flight and customs and all the other things over which I have no control.

to roommate or not to roommate...

For a while, I've been considering whether or not to have a roommate when I move to Ecuador. I keep weighing it out, and sometimes it seems like a good idea, and other times, not.

Here are the benefits to having a roommate:

• Financial savings--The school gives us each $300 a month for housing, so if I had a roommate, we could get a really nice place and not have to pay as much out of pocket.
• Safety--Single females are not advised to be out on their own after dark in Quito, and it gets dark early there (6 or 6:30.) If I had a roommate that ran in the same social circle or that I got along with, we could go out to dinner or to shop and be out past dark.
• Companionship--Once again, someone with whom to go places or cook dinner. (This is once again provided that my roommate is someone with whom I would get along. I know that does not always happen.)

Then there are the drawbacks...

• Privacy--No running from the bathroom in just my skivvies if there's another person in the apartment.
• Drama--I have lived with roommates in the past (okay, during college) and there was always drama. Putting two or more females in the same living environment can sometimes lead to real disaster.
• General Awareness--Having a roommate means having to be just a little more mindful of everything: not leaving dishes in the sink, checking with the roommate before inviting people over, etc. I like being able to not sweep the floor if I don't feel like it, or spend the whole day in my pajamas without anyone making a comment. I would also need to find someone who would be okay with rooming with me and my cat.
  

So I'm pretty much up in the air on this topic. I guess I'm going to wait until I get there and see if I meet another new hire that I think I could room with for awhile at least. It's going to be interesting...

packing and selling my life

My mom came up for the long weekend to help me sort through my things and price stuff for the yard sale. It was fantastic to have some help--I was really overwhelmed by everything, plus I am terrible at pricing. I would hold something up and ask her what price she thought I should ask, and most of the time her price was twice what I was thinking. For example:

Me: (holding up a set of wooden spoons) How much should I ask? $.50?
Mom: No, those are nice. Ask $1.00. People will buy a pop from a vending machine for $1.00, so they should be able to spend a dollar on nice wooden spoons.

That was the way basically all the pricing happened--Mom kept referencing purchases that people would make for $.25, $.50, or $1.00. I guess I am just selling my life short. Oddly enough, it was not sad to pack up this stuff and think about selling it.

Mom also took a carload home of stuff that I am saving, mainly books, photos, and a few random Christmas decorations. I still have three weeks left in my apartment, so I kept some necessities like dishes and cookware. It was a good weekend, and I am feeling so much more on top of things now. Next week my dad, sister, and nephew are coming to get my furniture, which I am "loaning" to her while I am out of the country. I'm super excited about my nephew coming to visit--he's three and so much fun. The following weekend is my yard sale, so things are really starting to move quickly, no pun intended :)