What a great weekend

in a new house in a new city. :)

J2 & his current gf (now to be known as J2+) came up Friday night, helped clean and organize Saturday morning, and assembled a new gas grill in the afternoon. In between I had lots of time to catch up with J2's life, and get to know J2+ better. She and I talked on the deck for an hour and a half over coffee while J2 slept in and contractors painted, talking about goals, relationships, personality types, love languages, handling physical desire, you name it.

She's very open and comfortable with herself, not self-conscious or ill at ease, yet also very pleasant and approachable, plus - lots of fun. :) Not to mention enough upper body strength to pop my back (which favor I returned.) Nice girl. And, being a Psych major... she knows when J2 is manipulating her, and actually gets him to talk about his feelings without getting angry. She'd be a good catch!

Then D, J1, and dog-face arrive late Saturday to a mostly clean place. :) We go see Pirates 3, have ice cream after, and then drink a toast of imported Italian Limoncello to a new house and to being closer to family. :) Nice day.

Church the next morning, cooking out on the new grill afterwards, a field trip to the art museum and sculpture garden, then back to the house to see J2 & J2+ off to Chicago again. The rest of us head out to dinner (sans devil-dog) and when we get back I introduce J1 to the famous upper midwest winter drink, the Snowshoe. :) I found a nearby grocery that stocks my favorite brand of low-sugar chocolate milk! And of course everybody around here sells Dr. McGillicudy's, unlike in New England where all you can find is DeKuypers or Phillips. Ahhh, simple pleasures - life is truly good.

Our realtor had given us a free hotel night and dinner out, so we decided to use it. D was still crashing from the long drive, and so J1 & uglydog spent the night on the air mattress while D and I went to the Hampton Inn for some decent sleep. In the morning, J1 and I head out to explore, have lunch downtown near my office and then head to the college district to shop (her to fill her obscure want list of psychobilly bands and me to choose new CDs by letter and album cover only) at Cheapo Discs. :) Fun!

As I write this, she and bozo the dog have headed home, D is napping and I will shortly call the insurance agent to switch addresses on our car insurance policy. And tomorrow... furniture!!! Oh boy!

Oh, yeah, and, um... boxes. Oh boy...