Adopting in Ashburn

This isn't that terribly cannibalistic movie, it's just a note to my favorite readership that I'm alive and well in Alexandria. My move across DC to the south side of the Potomac went well. I couldn't have been blessed more by Dana's super strength. My parents came this weekend and the place is about 90% "a home." By the end of the week I hope to have the whole place cleaned up and presentable. It's an odd feeling, being in my own place. This is the first time a place has been just mine. That, and I get up and go to work in the morning - in dress clothes no less. I feel like there has been an extraordinarily profound change in my life. To mark the change, my collage art is restricted to one wall, and only in my bedroom. I'm going to try out a young adult Bible study at the local Catholic church (which has a fantasmic choir!), look for a local volleyball open gym, and try to find some way to volunteer in the community. I'm working on HOB

Four more days until I'll be in my new place. Three more days until I am supposed to be packed and ready to go. Two more hours until I am supposed to be in bed tonight. One more room to get in boxes before sleep. Zero more minutes for procrastination. Love always, ~Heather

Every once in awhile I play this ridiculous instrument at church. It is a percussion instrument that sounds like a quickly vibrating wood bell. After ten months, I finally play it at the right time during the few songs it's used in, but I still feel so goofy playing it. This, along with great company, makes me smile and laugh through most of the service. Today, I was playing it again - for "All You Works of God" - and after church a man came up and commented on how much fun it looked like I was having. I guess I'll keep playing it instead of switching to something more normal, like a maracca. After church, I drove about 15 miles north to play volleyball. When I arrived, no one was there. I came home a route I didn't have directions for - just using intuition and a sense of direction I'm not always sure exists. Because I thought I was going to be expending tons of energy, I was really pumped when I got home. This, was very good for my not-quite-packed-

Carolina over Georgia in Athens, Georgia. GO Gamecocks!!! That being said, I spent most of the game feeling like we weren't winning, even though we never lost the lead. I think it's because we weren't really scoring as frequently as (I felt) we should have been. The good news is, of course, that for the second season in a row, our defense is something to be reckoned with. If Spurrier goes back to rotating the quarterbacks, we might even see a more exciting and point-scoring offense. For now, I am back to straightening up the apartment. Today I managed to find a couch and loveseat ($60 for both at an estate sale), buy some art reminiscent of the square next to the Sacre Coeur (7 pieces, $30), choose a rental van company (furniture doesn't easily slide into the trunk of my fabulous Focus), pack three boxes, and set-up all of my utilities except cable at my new apartment. If any of you are in the area next weekend, I am still recruiting strong volunteers to help load/un