Mood:  chillin'

First things first. This is the mix I am currently thoroughly enjoying:

1. "Such Great Heights" by the Postal Service
2. "Red Rabbits" by the Shins
3. "The Way I Am" by Ingrid Michaelson
4. "Both Hands" by Ani DiFranco
5. "Sea Breeze" by Tyrone Wells

Now, with that out of the way, a general update on the life of Pat.

I'm not sure when my last update was, but I know it was before Abby came back from Germany. I can not even begin describe how amazing it was to see her walking towards me at the airport. I missed her so much and was very happy to see her again. We drove home from JFK that night to my place. The following day, we drove right back to Brooklyn to hang out with Kara, who was kind enough to let us crash at her place. The next morning, Abby had an interview that turned out not to be a real interview at all, and after that we made our way to Lancaster. We took Hanna to Cici's, and then I took a train back to Philly. It was quite a busy two-day span.

As mentioned above, the Brooklyn interview was not what was expected, and that trip also made me want to wait awhile before going there. I could use a year or so to save money and just get a break from city life. As it turns out, this weekend has a lot to do with all of these issues, but I'll get to that in a moment.

The weekend following Abby's return was quite swell. I had my swan song Glenolden Park picnic, and it was a blast. Abby, Ken, Chelle, Jake, Bill, Getty, Deb, Rachel, Matt, Kevin, Ryan, Meghan, Rob, Eric, and Jennine all made appearances throughout the day. We grilled, played on the playground, tossed a frisbee, kicked around a soccer ball, rolled down the hill, and generally had a snazzy time. I'd like to think that we went out on top.

The next day Abby and I joined my parents and siblings for yet another BBQ and some Wittwer weirdness. I could tell that my parents really like Abby, which is fantastic. She definitely has a major seal of approval from them, my siblings, and my Grandmom, and that is essentially all that matters in that sense. All that aside, we entertained ourselves by acting like complete dorks out front, and a good time was had by all.

After a shortened work week, I hopped the trusty old Lancaster train on Thursday and spent the evening at the Weiss household. During her last week in Germany, Abby was offered and accepted a job teaching Language Arts, Journalism, and Creative Writing at Myrtle Beach Middle School in South Carolina. Joined by Hanna, Mr. Weiss, and his colleague Steve, we drove down to the Carolinas to move Abby in. For now, she's staying at Steve's place in southern North Carolina, but by September she'll be living in Myrtle Beach, closer to the school. We had a great weekend, checking out the beach, the school, the new apartment, and the city. We also had dinner with the Koegels and some of their friends and watched a little bit of the Olympics. It was a busy Saturday. On Sunday, I once again said goodbye to my Abby, and as sad as that may be, I couldn't be happier for her. She has a job, a great place to live, a new culture to experience, and a new area to explore. Just like everything else she does, I know she'll make the most of her time down South.

Also with saying goodbyes came the trip home. I spent 12.5 hours in the car with her dad and sister. I was a little nervous about that, but nowhere near as nervous as I was about driving her father's car. I don't know about anyone else's experiences in this department, but my Grandpop and my Dad were very close and I never once saw Dad drive Grandpop's car. Though nervous I was, I really appreciated the vote of confidence and the trust, and it was quite the nice road trip. Mr. Weiss and I had plenty of good conversations along the way, and it's good to know we get along.

So, if you, my faithful reader(s), have not yet guessed, this is what is going to happen upon graduation in January: I am moving to Myrtle Beach. Abby is there, the Koegels say the job market is more promising than I thought (and are willing to help my job hunt), and living there is affordable. Therefore, I will try to save as much money as possible this semester, and I will work my ass off to make sure I get through school without a hitch.

Chances are I won't be much of a social butterfly this semester. With twenty credits plus a job somewhere, I'll be quite busy. But, if you ever are bored and feel that your life is lacking Patness, just give me a call and rescue me from the mounds of homework I'll have and we'll mutually entertain each other. Either that or order a pizza and shoot the proverbial shit. On that note, be good to each other and have a snazzy day.

Peace!

Pat