Spring in Indy Part II

On April 9, I drove from Novi, MI to my parents' house to stay while I was in town for work. (It feels weird to say that it's my parents' house, not my house, but I guess it's kind of true.) It was so nice to be at home- it's not every day that you have someone else offer to make you dinner or do your laundry when you're an adult. [Note: We have this joke in my family that comes from a line in the movie Ghostbusters. When they are on the top of the building with Gozer, she asks Ray if he is a god, and he says no, to which she replies, "Then you must die!" He and the rest of his crew and almost flung off the building by lightening out of her fingers. Winston then tells him, "Ray, the next time someone asks you if you are a god, say yes!" So, long short somewhat shortened, if someone asks you something e.g. do you need money?, say yes!]

Click here to see the clip from the movie (it's towards the end)

Other great quotes from this movie that are often referenced by my family include:

-Where do these stairs go? They go up!

-Does this pole still work?

-We can stay there tonight! You know, try it out!

-I collect spores, molds, and fungus.

-Ray has gone bye-bye, Egon... what've you got left?

-Whoa! Nice shootin', Tex!

We had gorgeous weather, which allowed for my Mom and I to take Izzie on lots of walks. It was the perfect time of year for spotting wildflowers- we saw purple, white, and yellow violets! I can't remember the last time I saw white violets, and I don't ever recall having seen yellow violets, except in pictures. Izzie is so funny- whenever I'm home and I put on my tennis shoes, she thinks I am going to take her for a walk! My Dad takes her for a walk every Saturday and Sunday morning in Cool Creek Park, a small park near our house that has trails through a wooded area. I love that spoiled dog.

I taught four classes the following week with Susan, a pharmacist from Ohio. She has been giving immunizations for 5 years now, so her field experience was very valuable and added a great deal to our presentation. Since she had more practical knowledge, we split up the day, and I took the clinical section, which is basically the first few hours or so. I talk about all of the infectious, vaccine-preventable diseases that the pharmacists already reviewed in their self-study prior to coming to class. It's a miracle I haven't had anyone fall asleep on me. I try to keep things interactive, and by that, I mean I pass around a sign-up sheet (pretending like I need it) that I then use to call on the pharmacists to read questions (I'm so sneaky!).

Monday's class was in Bloomington, home of Indiana University. I haven't really spent any time in Bloomington, except for the grad orientation meeting several years ago at Lake Monroe. Nick went to school at IU (absolutely loved it) and often raves about how wonderful Bloomington is. I'm looking forward to getting a personal tour someday. We had class on Tuesday and Wednesday at a company office in Indianapolis, which is where I saw many people that I previously worked with while I was in Indy.

Wednesday night I ate dinner with my pharmacy supervisor, Amy, at P.F. Chang's. I worked for her as an intern for five years before graduating from pharmacy school and will be working in her district when I move back to Indy this July. We spent a lot of time catching up, then talking details about my transition from RI to IN. I found out that I am going to be a pharmacy manager when I move back! I couldn't be more excited about having a home pharmacy, developing a team, and getting to know my patients, one thing I've definitely missed this year. (I only work in the pharmacy one day per week, so it's hard to become really close to any of the customers unless they come in every Thursday or Friday between 8 a.m. and 2 p.m.) Amy is a wonderful mentor, and I feel so lucky to be able to move back to her district. Indy is full of what I call "my people"--after working in the same area for a while, I've been able to get to know other professionals and develop a support network. (I also have also developed a support network in RI, all of whom I will miss dearly.)

On Wednesday night, I drove to South Bend in preparation for a class early Thursday morning. I'm glad that I chose to drive up the night before. If I didn't, I would have had to get up before 5 a.m.! Let's face it, I'm much more of a night owl than an early bird (although that is slowly changing- I've gone down from 4 alarms to only 3! I'm sure my neighbors hate me, but let them. If I told you what it was like living next to my new neighbors, let's just say that you wouldn't feel so sorry for them.).

I had a blast working with Susie- I was sad to see her go back to Ohio! Susie is high-energy, flexible, and always up for an adventure, all the things you want in a traveling work partner. Even though we were busy, we did have time to talk a lot about work, family, pharmacy, etc. She has a condo on Sanibel Island and if I ever have the chance, I'm going down there to visit. (Nick's parents and grandparents also have condos on Sanibel- sounds like the place to be!)

Other exciting news- I finally signed the lease for my new apartment! It is the first apartment I posted pictures of on my blog- click here to see them (it's the first apartment). My Mom and I went downtown on Friday afternoon so that I could sign the lease and show her the apartment. (She took a few hours of vacation to spend some time with me, isn't that nice?) She really liked the apartment- although not necessary, it's never a bad thing to have a Mom's seal of approval. After the apartment, we did a bit of shopping at Circle Center before driving back to Carmel.

Friday night, our family friends, Jim and Linda, were in town, and the entire family went out to dinner with them at Barcelona Tapas. I first discovered this restaurant through my brother, and I haven't been able to get enough of it since! I recommended it to Susie while she was in town, and she raved about it the whole next day. My favorite is their baked goat cheese with marinara sauce and warm garlic bread.

On Saturday, I met Nick's family for lunch at Clay Terrace. Andrew, his nephew, was given the release to be in public (he was born prematurely and had precautions about being in public due to the potential for catching RSV, which can be very serious for babies with underdeveloped lungs), so it was nice to see him out and about. After lunch, I headed down to Lisa's house in Speedway. There are very few places where I feel just as "at home" as I do at my own home, and Lisa's house and her parents' house (two different places) are definitely on the list. It's hard to believe I've been going there since the fall of 2003! (We met our freshman year in college at Purdue.)

Saturday afternoon Lisa took me to the Twist 'n Pup, a new local (you guessed it) hot dog and ice cream place. They have lots more than just those two items, but since those are their namesake, Lisa and I both tried hot dogs and butterscotch-dipped vanilla cones (amazing!!). Later that day, Junie came over, and we traded stories. Since I had been raving about Barcelona Tapas and neither of them had been there, the three of us went there for dinner with Lisa's brother, Sam. (Just as good the second night! My new favorite: the caramel and supposedly strawberry churros!).

Sunday morning was spent going to church with Lisa, followed by quick visits with her dad and mom. I had an early afternoon flight, so I went back to the airport after lunch. It was definitely a busy trip, but I was energized by the idea of moving back home in less than 3 months.

I didn't do a very good job taking pictures (Sorry Julie, Lisa, and June!), but here are a few I took around by parents' house.

These daffodils are lilacs are from my parents' backyard. I wish I could arrange flowers half as well as my Mom can.

I loved the crab apple blossoms in the spring. It looks like snow when the petals are blown down by the wind.

I was trying to take pictures of Izzie- I think she must have heard something when I was taking this picture. After this she got distracted and decided that she'd rather lick my camera than have her picture taken.

Izzie sleeping on her designated part of the couch.

Mr. Rocky! I can hardly believe he will be 19 years old this October. I've got lots to say about him, but I'll save that for another blog post.

It was great to be at home for a week! A little pampering, plus time with family and friends goes a long way. If I didn't get to see you when I was home, I'm sorry! Not much longer, and you won't be able to get rid of me!

The Search Is On...

While I was visiting Indianapolis this weekend, I had a chance to start my apartment search. (Note: When I say start, I mean looking at the apartments themselves. The truth is that I've had a 3-page spreadsheet for over a month!) Even though I'm not moving back until July, I wanted to get a head start to prevent scrambling at the end of my residency. Besides, the planner in me could not resist.

I'm looking to move into a one-bedroom apartment downtown. It doesn't have to be anything fancy or too large, but it MUST have a washer and dryer inside the apartment. This is the main limiting factor in my search, but I will not compromise on this one. I only scheduled 2 appointments to look at 3 different apartments- I am going to be back in April, and I didn't want to drag Nick all over town with me when I won't see him for 2 months.

It's always helpful to have someone else evaluate where you want to hang your hat before you sign a lease. For example, I looked at the apartments at Lockerbie Court. They weren't anything spectacular, but the location is perfect. However, there is one minor safety issue. Every apartment has a balcony that is connected to every other resident in the complex. The last thing I want to have is some creepy dude standing at the door that leads to my kitchen watching me. I know, it's not likely that would happen, but the potential for strange visitors would keep me on the edge. We also looked at the Ambassador apartments- this building, formerly owned by the Marion County Pubic Library, has been completely renovated. The apartments meet my basic requirements, but they are on the small side for what the rent is.

My favorite apartment is one that a friend's boyfriend just moved out of recently. I happened to be looking on Craig's List, and when I was looking at the post, I realized that those pictures looked very familiar! This is definitely my favorite apartment right now. There are a few others I'd like to look at in a couple of weeks, but if I had to decide now, this would be it. Here are some of the pictures from what I'd love to be my future apartment.

There are actually two full baths- this apartment is the result of a combination of two smaller apartments. Not that it's a big deal, but this way guests could use the first bathroom without going through my bedroom.

I heart pedestal sinks!

A walk-in closet complete with a washer and dryer

One of two sets of bay windows in the apartment- this picture is from the bedroom

The other set of bay windows- these are in the living room (yes, it has wooden floors!)

Here is the view from the previous bay window-it looks gorgeous when the city is lit up at night.

Isn't this a nice kitchen? I've never had an island in any apartment or house I've lived in before, but it's a great "gathering" place. Although it doesn't look similar, islands always make me think of the giant wooden chopping block/island my Grandma and Grandpa had in their kitchen.

I don't really know how to describe this- it's a gigantic walk-in closet off the master bedroom. It's big enough to hold a small army- almost the size of a small bonus room.

Well, what do you think? I am a little nervous that it will be rented before I move back, but I'm hoping to talk the office manager into holding for me if I start my lease in June. More to come...

There's No Place Like Home

Although I've never owned a house, I can't imagine any purchase more exciting that buying your first home. (I mean, I'm not even close to making that commitment, and I have a 2-inch binder filled with ideas of what I want to put in it!) So, when Lisa announced that she closed on her house, I was thrilled! She had looked at the house when she was home visiting just a couple of months ago, and I think she fell in love with it (who can blame her?! it is adorable!) When she found out she had gotten her job at the hospital, she bought the house. The owners were selling it themselves, and they were pretty flexible with her about the timetable. (But then she couldn't close on the house until she actually started her new job because of the mortgage... so many rules! I am going to need a lot of help...)

When I was home over Thanksgiving, Nick and I went over to Lisa's new house. I had never seen any pictures of it, so everything about it was a surprise. I liked it so much that I think I screamed or made some "ahhh" noise the entire time I was there.

Here are some pictures from our tour...

Isn't this adorable?!

The kitchen is actually really big for a house this size

I love the glass doors on these cabinets

This bonus room in the basement would be perfect for crafts!

The last owners accidentally left the faucet that once hooked up to the washer on. When Lisa moved in, there was a huge puddle in the basement, which had actually gone beneath the tile that the previous owners had laid down. Lisa's mom, Karen, spent the day tackling this project. I was very impressed with what a good job she did- moldy water smells are hard to remove!

You might have to watch your head on the stairs

Looks like this fenced-in back yard needs a dog! :)

The dining room, which will be painted soon... Lisa says it looks like the color of dried blood! (She would know, too- she's an ER nurse)

Lisa's bedroom

How charming- the curved archways add that something extra (there's a mantle and fireplace that I *love* in the living room, but naturally, I was so enamored I forgot to take a picture of it)

The porch is wonderful- not only is it big, it has a swing!

Maybe this is nostalgic (that or I just lived in the suburbs for too long), but I love this type of mailbox

I will be sure to keep you posted on any updates she makes. :)

Lisa, congratulations on your new house! I am so happy for you!

The Deadliest Catch

Mom and Dad left this afternoon to head back to Indy- I was sad to see them go! (Yes, I cried... shocker.) It was wonderful to have such great help with moving boxes, assembling furniture, and finding my way around. Here are a few moving photos... You can see I still have some work to do.

How many trees do you think I killed?

Last night we went into Downtown Woonsocket for a special dinner to celebrate. We saw signs for the River Falls restaurant and their Lobster Fest all over town, so we figured we'd give it a try. It actually turned out to have a wide selection of both seafood and beef and was tasty to boot. Mom had lobster, I had shrimp, and Dad had "The Deadliest Catch"- almost a pound each of lobster, crab legs, mussels, and clams!

It must have been good because Dad gave it a rare 9 out of 10!

I promise to put up pictures of my apartment- just give me one more day to do some final cleaning and sorting. I'm hoping to show you the apartment and my complex, the Halstead at Slatersville Mill. See you tomorrow!

Welcome to the Ocean State!

Greetings from Rhode Island! I am excited to be sharing my adventures over the next year with you. I will be posting several times a week about my new job, new experiences, and new life as a New Englander. It may not be anything fancy, but hopefully it will give you an idea of how I am spending my time in the Ocean State! I forgot to charge my camera after Jon and Myra's wedding last Saturday- oops! I'll include pictures of my apartment and the area in the next couple of days. Cheers!