welcome to SoCal?

The scene: our local Home Depot, in the kitchen section. The hubs and I are excitedly discussing countertop options in an insufferably yuppie/wannabe-hipster fashion, e.g. "They make recycled eco-friendly options?! Awesome!!" or "I really do prefer the look of granite..." A Random Home Depot Dude (henceforth referred to as RHDD), a petite metro-looking young male, approaches.

RHDD: Excuse me, are you interested in remodeling?

Me: Oh, maybe eventually, but we're just looking around.

RHDD: Do you own a home?

Me: [thinking that these are intrusive questions and hoping he will just get to the point] Not yet, but hopefully soon!

RHDD: Do you know who I am?

Me: ... [should I?]

RHDD: I'm the guy from the Home Depot commercials.

Me: ... Well, we just moved down here so if they air locally, we wouldn't have seen them.

RHDD: No, they're national...

Me: ... [awkward pause]

RHDD: Well, it's okay, I'm not that much of a celebrity. Anyway, you just missed out because I'm giving away free designer packages for remodeling.

Me: ... uh, okay. ["that much"?? who are you??!]

RHDD: Alrighty, you folks have a nice evening.

The RHDD strolls away, ready to accost another innocently browsing customer, and I am left to wonder... even Home Depot employees in SoCal are aspiring actors???

ugh.

moving is the WORST. this is a snapshot of the general state of disarray that is reigning over the Park household at the moment. even though we are taking advantage of a professional moving service for the first time ever, courtesy of hubby's new gig, there is still so much to do! organize, sort, throw away, donate... and, this is our most epic move ever, given that neither of us has ever lived in one spot for this long. the sorting process has led to accusations of packrattery (I just made that up) aka hoarding on both parties, yet strangely not accompanied by any actual action (i.e. throwing things away) to refute such claims. thankfully, my long-suffering and ever-loving mother came up this week to help with the process and took matters into her own hands, so I may never know just how much got tossed out... which is probably for the best.

to make matters worse, I was hit with what may have been the most painful 24-hour bug of 2012 yesterday, which incapacitated me during this crucial pre-move week and prevented me from spending this precious remaining time with friends. I had flashbacks to my bout with dysentery in Ecuador... it was that bad. however clearly I'm recovered enough to blog about it cheerfully, and am hoping that I'll be hale enough to weather the rest of this move.

in other, more maudlin news, I was reminded of just how blessed our family has been over this past weekend after spending time with some of our closest friends. I remember distinctly worrying when moving up here that I would never find the kind of friends I've had the privilege to have- particularly after the warm, fuzzy cocoon of Loma Linda. And yet, five years later, I'm leaving Sacramento firm in the knowledge that we've made friends for life up here... people that have enriched our lives in so many ways. ugh. so maybe what I mean to say is, saying goodbye is the WORST.