Missing in Action

I have been MIA. With good reason.

Recap: Finished Spring Semester. It was kickin'. Celebrated Mother's Day. Those women deserve it. I did a Maymester. While working full-time. That hurt a bit. Lauren Ramsey, my dearest school buddy, you made those two tedious weeks possible. Along with string cheese. I forgot that back in my lunch box days, I really dug some good string cheese action. I went to the beach with my family. God shone down upon me during those glorious days, and I let his dear, bright sun soak into my soul. And my skin. I have the sun poisoning to prove it.

While at the beach, I read "Water for Elephants." It's the first book I've ever read that is starring Reese Witherspoon. It was somber and great all at once. Praise the lord. Vacation is delicious. And now I want to go see the movie.

A few more photos that encapsulate some good Serenbe-family time. We have celebrated my mom there every year. (We were practicing our fake smiles, can you tell?)

Most recently, I spent the past two days with my intern buddies. We conquered the Camp Winshape ropes course up at Berry College in Rome, Ga. It was awesome, and much harder than I had anticipated. I climbed a 45-foot rock wall. I was reminded about how much heights really flip me out. But it was still awesome. And this crew of interns that Chick-fil-A has compiled are all seriously sharp individuals. Vanessa Vogel, I am so flipping excited to spend the summer with you! We are going to have a cow-mooing-blast.

Now that I am past all of this past month's busyness, I am back to the realization that I am moving. Soon.  And I have to get myself organized accordingly. Which means I actually have to start going through my stuff and PURGING. Which means we have to commit to an apartment up north. Which means that I need to have a garage sale this month. And I need to craigslist my bigger items. It's happening people. It's happening.

Cambridge. My Everest.

Well people. We went to Boston. Orientation happened. We are officially moving. (No turning back. We turned in a deposit.) The weekend was legit. We mixed. Mingled. We smiled, shook strangers' hands. We were walking resumes.

But.

We actually met cool people. And the school wasn't pretentious. Not like I imagined. People were REAL. Impressive, yes. Accomplished, sure. Pure-bred academics. But they were actually cool, normal, FUN people. Got me more excited about moving to New England.

Not gonna lie. The gorgeous blossoming trees helped make the whole Boston/Cambridge experience slightly more magical. We basked in this glory. I also took a nap on a heavenly bench during our lunch break. Meeting that many people can really wear a girl out.

We walked Cambridge for an entire day straight, exploring the neighborhoods and trying to narrow down where we wanted to live. We looked at some awesome apartments and houses, and although we didn't sign a lease on anything yet, we definitely got a feel. We vibed the neighborhoods.

This is one of the apartments we took at peek at. But it was on the 3rd floor of someone's house, and the altitude made Stevie a little woozy.

So one morning we woke up and took a jog on the Charles River. We stopped on the HBS campus and, what else, threw a frisbee. That day we proceeded to walk EIGHT MILES throughout Cambridge. It was my Everest. My feet needed rehab when we got home.

The nighttime came quickly with all that walking. We made some friends and hung out in the downtown Cambridge area, known as Harvard Square. Harvard Square, right next to Harvard University, is about a mile from the HBS campus, and this is the home of the local watering holes. Bars, restaurants, shopping, and the occasional drunken Red Sox fan can be found here. In excess. Along with about a zillion historic buildings that dozens of our founding fathers frequented, lived in, or sneezed on. This city makes me want to pull out all my old childhood history books.

All in all, the orientation weekend gave us a really good picture of the lifestyle led by these MBA students. We found out about financial aid (jaw drop), and housing ("HOW much is rent in this area??"), the social life, and the academic load. We definitely saw the ups and the downs (hello, 6 months of winter.) However, we are more excited now than we ever have been. I feel confident that Stevie is going to come out of this school even more amazing that he already is, and I am thrilled for him. And for me, because I get to use the fancy on-campus gym. I'll tell you later about all the perks I get to indulge in... It's mega.

Oh, and apparently Stevie will be in class with Tyra Banks this year. Google it and let me know your thoughts. I'm just cracking up at the thought of him discussing fashion with her in class. Maybe she'll throw me some free swim suits. I'm gonna have a talk with her about the wonders of pasta and see how she reacts.

In the next week or so, I will start posting my virtual garage sale. Clothes, furniture, and random odds and ends that we have to get rid of in order to move. Read: EVERYTHING MUST GO. We are keeping our bed and dishes, and that's about it. So if you're in the business of furnishing something, be it a living room, closet, or storage shed, we might be the people you are interested in. No, actually we are the people you are interested in.

We are applying for Harvard-affiliated housing this week. It's basically the same process you use to register for college classes, but we are registering for some of their off-campus apartments. They are close to the school and pretty sweet. Pray that we get an amazing pick!

And last, but certainly not least - Lena Hunt, congrats on graduating with two graduate degrees. You make us (and Georgia State) so freaking proud to know you.

More details to come!