Day Eighteen

It's finally happened. We finally have wireless internet in our house...I almost don't know what to do with myself. You mean...I can check email? And pay my bills? All from the comfort of my own home? I thought I'd never see the day again. Time Warner guy, even though it made you cranky that we have Dish cable instead of your brand, thank you for restoring us to the modern world. And pest control guy (who also came today), thank you for hopefully making our house roach-free. Even though we just saw one in the garage. But I'm sure he's the last one (he better be).

I made one last practice drive to UT today, since tomorrow the drives begin for real and I actually have a certain time I have to be somewhere. I scouted out parking lots and shuttle stops today. There are a bunch of them, but not nearly enough for the number of students that will be there each day. I'm fairly certain every morning will be total madness from here on out. After finding all my permit-friendly lots, we made a trip to the band hall so my mom could relive some college memories. She was pretty happy to be there, and was shocked to find that the band hall was essentially the exact same as it was when she was a student. Across the street from the band hall I found something pretty exciting. It was a seating area, with chairs made to look like vertebrae. This may be the coolest thing in the entire world. 

Vertebrae seating.

I also found a saber-tooth tiger.

Then I came home and waited for the pest guy and the internet guy to show. Thankfully, my mom kept me company. We tested paint samples on the wall, put a shelf in my study closet, cleaned the kitchen, and installed a curtain rod. Never let it be said that we don't know how to productively fill our time. 

Tomorrow is the beginning of orientation. The thing I'm most nervous about? Parking. And getting there late (which would likely happen as a result of parking). University of Texas, it's time we officially begin our relationship. It's going to be a long-term one.

On a final note - congratulations to my good friend and freshman roommate Emily Reister and her new husband, Mason Morris! I'm so happy for the both of you, and wish I could have been there for your big day today. You better post photos real soon.

Emily and I at freshman orientation at George Fox (apparently I somehow
knew I'd be a longhorn back then). Now, we're both PhD students in
chemistry. My, how far we've come.