Thanksgiving in August

So the farewell parties have come and gone and I am happily settled into my new home in Memphis. David was kind enough to photo/video document the final shenanigans going down in Dallas. Watching over the videos and pictures had me smiling ear to ear, and made me double check for any chocolate residue left on my glasses from Philip’s parting gesture. Lucky I knew how to take apart plastic glasses, otherwise I would not have found the little bit of chocolate on my lenses hiding out in my brown frame. Yes, it was gross. Very gross. But very memorable. Thank you so much to everyone who took the time to come out, and especially those who helped out. It meant a lot to me, and I couldn’t have asked for a better send off. Each of the gifts are slowly finding a home in the house, and fulfilling their purpose. The practical ones have been very helpful, and the goofy ones have made me smile.

Another thank you goes out to those who prayed for our house search. I feel as if every single prayer has been answered. We found an adorable house, in an awesome neighborhood, the perfect location, with an accommodating landlord, all our amenities, and within our budget! It really doesn’t get much better than that. The timing was great. In honor of National Night Out, our neighborhood association had a small potluck down the street the weekend we moved in. It is an annual event for them, and the turn out was great despite the evening heat and humidity. It was a great opportunity to meet our fellow street mates and ask around about the area as we sat outside beneath the misting fans. Our neighbors are very sweet, and they have not hesitated to offer a cup of sugar should the need arise–or butter, or milk, or flour, or pans (apparently she is caterer and is well stocked). She was probably one of the only people who cooked for the potluck. Everyone else deemed it safer to offer their favorite dishes from the local restaurants. Having just moved in, we sheepishly offered a bag of chips and dip ourselves. While not quite in keeping with the spirit of potluck, it offered an excellent taste of Memphis. The night ended with our next door neighbor dropping by with a welcoming bottle of wine in one hand. Never mind the fact he was happily sipping his own glass in the other hand at the same time. All in all, we feel pretty safe here, and that’s saying a lot for Memphis. With Amy as tour guide, we drove around midtown as she pointed out some local interests. It’s an eclectic and charming part of town–full of mom&pops, live music, local produce, antique houses, and trivia nights at every bar. Having been used to suburbia my whole life, it is a welcome change. Hopefully I’ll be able to highlight some of the cooler places here as I come across them.

Until then, the main priority is to get the house ready in time for school, and have as much fun as we can before we buckle down and begin some serious studying. Over half the class has trickled into Memphis by now, and the get-togethers have been planned at a steady rate. With every new friend I make, the city feels more and more like a home. The only thing missing now, I think, is internet at the house. We’ve been juggling the logistics of all our secondary utilities for the past few weeks, and have finally made a decision. It seems we didn’t make the decision fast enough, and internet won’t be set up until the end of the month. In the meantime, I’ve been making use of all the free wifi available throughout the city, and using my BlackBerry tether. This update has been brought to you, courtesy of the public library, main branch. Who knows where the next will come from?