Four Months (and not counting)

I'm still trying to get into the habit of blogging. Words have been difficult for me for quite some time. I used to journal all the time; my life is well documented very well from 1993-2003. Then, I started being a social worker and couldn't quite get the motivation to w-r-i-t-e. I still have the urge, though, even if that means my posts are few and far between.

The Beloved and me celebrated our 4 month anniversary yesterday. Actually, we are both really bad at remembering dates, so we didn't really celebrate, but yesterday did mark four months of marriage. We have had a fun time so far. Many people ask us how we've adjusted and we both wonder if we're supposed to have some sort of profound answer like, "Besides the toothpaste squeezing issue and having someone around all the time, things are great." Since we have a jack and jill bathroom in our apartment, hypothetical answer 'a' doesn't apply. Even answer 'b' hasn't been an issue. My hypothesis is that because we've known each other for so long and because we were a bit older when we married, things may be a easier. Of course, we've only been married four months and are extremely blessed.

The major adjustment for me has been not having a job. I moved to Charleston (willingly and happily) from Waco and the best job I've ever had. I *love* teaching. Teaching brought me vocational fulfillment like no other job I've had. My unrealistic expectation was that I would move to Charleston, get married, go out the following week and find a job. Not the case. Many in my circle are getting laid off and it took me THREE MONTHS to get my first interview. This has been quite an assault on my self esteem and has taught me many lessons. I'm learning how to let go of control and enjoy some time off. Now that the house is almost finished, it will be a blessing to be able to get settled before starting work.

It has also been a great discipline to see how God has shown up in the midst of this transition. I have friends here, some I've known since middle school, others are newer friends, who have given me great companionship. One in particular is traveling a similar journey and who has been so patient with my whinings. I am grateful and blessed.

Catching Up

Been awhile, but I'm back. Wanted to tell you about a new soul food place we visited a few weeks ago called "Craves." Coolest name, I think. We had been to Gullah Cuisine a few weeks earlier (it was a buffet and I wasn't crazy about it). Craves ended up being quite nice. I had fried shrimp, macaroni and cheese and yummy corn muffins. The macaroni had a hint of sweetness that I determined was cinnamon. Interesting. All in all, it was a good meal.

The Beloved and I are watching our finances, so we haven't been out as much. I have been using Kitty an awful lot (I need to start taking picts!) and trying to maximize my unemployed time doing the things I love to do.

That's it for now.

We do not play RR every night.....

Last night, I attempted a homemade pizza crust. I have not done this since my days in Africa when it was out of necessity that one create one's bread from scratch.

One of the best wedding gifts we received was a beautiful red Kitchen Aid mixer. I named her Kitty. Our entire kitchen was planned based on how Kitty will fit in. Seriously, when we picked out our laminate (hush, granite snobs) we placed our 3 swatches underneath Kitty to see what complemented her the best. Sad, but true.

So....the first crust turned out great. I think so, and I'm my worst critic. The Beloved is so kind and would eat almost anything I put in front of him. And these days, my cooking is my job and for a meal to turn out well is not only good for the tummy, but good for the self-esteem as well. Thanks, Kitty. Looking forward to many more spins with you.

Al Di La

Italian. Yum. We had heard about Al di la for sometime and the Beloved has been itching to get there. It was well worth the wait. I'm a huge fan of Bruchetta and it was t-h-e best bruchetta I've ever had. Can't explain it, you'll have to try it.

The menu was fancy and hard to read (one of my pet peeves-- user friendly for the commoners, please!). Not being an official foodie, I felt very substandard reading it. HOWEVER, once I got over my fear and was vulnerable enough to ask the server how exactly do you pronounce gnocci (NO-CHEE), I felt more relaxed.

Speaking of NOCHEE, it was awesome. I knew I liked it because traditionally it is pasta stuffed with potatoes (I'm the starch queen and have been known to order both a baked potato and mashed potatoes as sides without even realizing it). Al di la's version, however, is pasta stuffed with marscapone cheese. WOOT! It was awesome. It had a bit of red sauce with shrimp. Great dish.

The Beloved ordered asparagus risotto with scallops. The risotto was wonderful, but I do not enjoy scallops. We topped the meal off with Tiramisu, which was everything it should be-subtle, but flavorful and a bit cocky as far as desserts go-- you know with all those fancy layers and looking so pretty and all.

Awesome meal. Want to go back this week, but those aren't the rules.

Jacob's Kitchen in I'On

Now I'On is a new-er neighborhood in Mt. Pleasant, one I have heard of for years, but have never visited until the last month (see what I mean, back again for the first time!). If any of you out-of-towners want to see quite a spectacle, ride around I'On, better yet park and walk. One thing you'll hear about this interesting place is that the roads are too skinny and two cars can't drive on them at the same time. Beloved says that was on purpose to promote foot traffic? I think that's what he said. I have never seen a 'hood quite like it and I would consider myself a fairly well-traveled person.

At the entrance of I'On is a hotel and its restaurant, Jacob's Kitchen. We sat outside, had great service and I ordered a Cobb Salad, with cranberry hard boiled egg. The only evidence of cranberry was that the bottom of the egg was red. Hmmmm..... The Beloved ordered a mojito with Firefly, which was probably the most noteworthy part of the meal. I liked it, but there are too many other places to go to repeat this one anytime soon.

By the way, please know these are only my opinions. When I told the Beloved this, he said he really enjoyed this meal and would go again soon.

Sermet's

Sermet's is located in the heart of downtown on King Street. There is something about eating downtown-- reminds you of the great city Charleston is. This was an excellent meal and a fun atmosphere. It seemed like a mix of locals and tourists, which is, I think, ideal. The Beloved ordered fish that was scrumptious, and I had ravioli under eggplant parmesan. We sat at a window and watched people walk by-- I highly recommend this.

Yay Sermet's, we love you!

Mia Pomodori

Mia is located across the street from Hominy Grill (a favorite, but remember, we're trying to avoid familiar establishments). We read that MP had great pizzas and a nice patio with plenty of ambiance. What we found was an average pizza with a mosquito-infested patio. It was not a great experience. We did, however, love their Caesar salad dressing. We won't be going back......

Restaurant Roulette

One of the ideas I had (before Julie and Julia) was to blog about our dining experiences. My tendency (as well as the Beloved's) is to keep going back to the old faithful of restaurants. Although I love Athens, Blvd Diner, and Mustard Seed, we need to branch out. So.....we wrote about 55 restaurants down on pieces of papers, stuck them inside of a delightful ceramic hen we received as a wedding gift and we play "Restaurant Roulette." It has turned out to be fun, expensive and fattening.

So....I'm a little backlogged (we started about a month ago) and so I'm going to try to catch up.

A word about how the game is played: every week, we take turns as to who draws. The draw-er can opt to choose three times, but the restaurant must be one of those three. Both parties have the right to veto a restaurant. I am so agreeable, and of course so is the Beloved, that we have not had the quandry of not wanting to go to any of the three drawn. Fun, I tell you, F-U-N!

A Very First Post

Well, here I am again. A few years ago, I attempted this blogging thing, but life got in the way. I'm not sure I have anything more to say now, but it seems as if the time is ripe. What I mean by that is-- a couple of times a day I think, "I should blog about this." That has never happened.

I can't and won't promise that what I have to say here will be profound, but the worst case scenario is that I will have nice documentation of our first year of marriage. The beloved and the boxer, along with the two cats will be along for the journey, but hopefully not at their expense.

A word about the title. I have discovered that moving back the town where you were born and reared is an adventure in and of itself. Charleston has changed and so has LeAnn and thus the experience is different. I do have something to say about that. Much more later!