enJOY it

an archived personal and craft blog from Elise Blaha Cripe.

  • and now we’re here.

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    Three years ago, Paul stayed at the Navy Lodge on Coronado as he got some extra summer training. This was before I moved out to Maryland, but after I had decided I would. I came down to visit and spend a week at the Lodge with him. Our last night together, we swung on these swings and dreamed about a future life in San Diego. Paul talked about his chances at getting an internship here. I talked about how awesome it would be.

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    Today, we're back. We are staying at the same place as we look for an apartment. We know we'll be in San Diego for at least a year (after his internship, Paul will probably do a two year General Medial Officer [GMO] tour) and right now, that is just long enough.

    We saw four apartments today. The first was The Best Ever But A Little Too Expensive. The second was Pretty Decent But In A Lame Residential Area. The third was Fantastic Except For The Too Small Kitchen. And the fourth was Overall Pretty Rad.

    Tomorrow we have five or six places to see. By Wednesday we are making a decision. From what we can tell, it's a buyer's market down here right now and we're so excited about that.

    Actually, we are so excited about everything right now.

    We're here. We made it.

  • we are leaving dc on such a high note.

    we are leaving dc on such a high note.
    we are leaving dc on such a high note.

  • it’s a good morning in DC.

    it's a good morning in DC.

  • the one with all the delays.

    I shopped for an airplane ticket today. Like literally. Counter to counter.

    My flight from LAX to BWI had a connection in Denver. Southwest delays due to who knows what and then weather meant I had to GET OFF THE PLANE because Southwest could guarentee a missed connection and that I would be stuck in Denver.

    And what do I have to do in Denver? Paul is not graduating in Denver.

    Of course Southwest had no other flights to the DC area tonight.

    And the graduation starts at 10am so flights tomorrow won’t work.

    So I wandered the terminals in search of red eye flights that would get me there by early morning.

    I should note that if you saw a sobbing girl dragging a red suitcase through LAX today, that was me.

    I suck at traveling, btw.

    Anyways I ended up buying a $650 ticket on Virgin Airlines. Which is great because that means I’ll see my hot husband graduate, but lame because we could have bought some super rad stuff (like a third of a month’s worth of rent) with that.

    Oh well. I bought a book. And I am sure there is a beer or two for sale around here.

    See you in DC. Love.

  • man, i love southern california.

    man, i love southern california.
    man, i love southern california.

  • off again.

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    I'm flying down to Los Angeles with my parents today to see my little brother graduate from USC tomorrow. Brings back so many memories of my own graduation three years ago. He'll be sitting where I sat, hearing what I heard while wearing the same cap and gown. Rob is embarking on such a different path from what I went on. But he's coming from the exact same place. I love that. So proud of you, Ro. So glad we both went to the same school with so many similar and so many different experiences.

    Friday afternoon, I am hopping on a plane back east to Washington DC to see Paul graduate from med school. He officially becomes a doctor on Saturday. My husband, the doctor. I'm so proud of him too. A feel like a little teeny part of me went through med school with him, except I got to close my eyes at the gross parts and never had to take a test. So basically, no part of me went through med school. But I do know how hard he worked and how great of a man he has become.

    On Sunday, Paul and I are flying from DC to San Diego. This feels like the real start of our married life. The adventure begins on Monday when we meet with our realtor for a whirlwind tour of apartments and condos. We are hoping to have something signed, sealed and delivered by Friday, May 21.

    Please wish us all luck. I'll be taking deep calming breaths for the next week or so.

    Big congratulations to my favorite boys. I love you!

    PS : I haven't forgot about the wedding photos. I'll be sharing them as soon as I get 'em. Probably from an airport somewhere.

  • new home : kitchen.

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    Kitchen
    Paul called me yesterday afternoon for no other reason then to say he's excited to have our own place and start cooking again. Me too, babe. We have been out of our own kitchen and away from our stuff for seven weeks and it's going to be so nice to be settled to start making our favorites and searching for new recipes again.

    Paul is the chef in our house. Over the past three years, he has taught me how to cook but more importantly, made preparing meals something I really look forward to doing together. It's our unwind and catch up time. It's when we open a bottle of wine and start our evenings together.

    Just typing about it makes me happy.

    Above are some of the fun new things we'll be using when we get to San Diego. I've said it before and I will say it again… our wedding guests were oh, so generous.

    Links :silverware, flower plate, pizza peel, cupcake mix, le creuset dutch oven, glass bowl set, ruffle bowls, dishtowel, measuring cups, cutting board

  • a pattern.

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    I'm packing up again and realized last night that I am drawn to the same things in my closet, my paper projects and my decorating. Simple patterns of just two colors. Over and over and over. This is what I am reaching for.

  • the coolest part.

    IMG_5576 There was a coffee table in our honeymoon bungalow that was made of glass so you could see below the hut to the water. Each bungalow had a rock/coral garden positioned underneath it so the fish were sure to gather.

    The top of the table slid back and we fed the fish bread throughout the day. They loved it almost as much as I did.

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  • new home : piecing it together.

    Newhome
    Moving1
    So soon we'll be unloading boxes and boxes into our new apartment. I cannot wait to get everything sorted and stored. This move is so different then when I went to Maryland in August 2007 live with Paul. This move is us together. Our stuff. Our taste. Our plan.

    I have been collecting little things over the past few months and of course we received some wonderful gifts for the wedding. We have a few large purchases to make : a new dresser (we're venturing into shared dresser territory but keeping separate closets), new mattresses and a possible new bed frame. We are keeping our already perfect couch and dining table set – but I am going to recover the chair cushions with thick fabric. I'm hoping to find something like this.

    links : rug, throw pillow, dresser, vase, lamp, mixer, sheets, chair (on my wishlist!), frame.