Below are the 2 most recent journal entries recorded in Gretchen's LiveJournal:

Tuesday, May 4th, 2004
11:13 am	Ok, so you only have to use a small brick.... Well kiddos, I am back. I took a break because I wasn't sure if I should really post some of the stuff I was going through. I will break it down for you. Moving to Virginia was a good idea. I am not sure if moving to Richmond was so stellar, but it was home and I was scared. Mom has not quit telling me how glad she is that I am home. It makes me a little sad to know that I am going to have to move again soon. It is only an hour or so away, not like when I was in Houston. I missed trees there. I know everyone said that there are trees in Houston, but not like this. These are BIG trees. There are A LOT of them. There is also not that haze on the horizon here like in Houston. We have pollution, all cities do, but not like there. And fire ants... anyone who knows me knows how much I hate fire ants. I have sworn to myself never to live where fire ants are again. AMEN! So, Jim got a job, and he is very happy there. At 40 he is the youngest person there. It is kind of funny. He like all the people there and dosen't think that he will have a problem moving up in the ranks. Some of the guys there are older and they don't want responsibilities. Woo Hoo! The problem with Jim's job is that it is 2 hours away. He has to drive from Richmond to Virginia Beach every day. Needless to say, he is pretty worn out by the end of the day. We have decided to move to Newport News. It is only a half an hour away. We were going to move to Virginia Beach, but it is more expensive and the apartments we were looking at, we did a police check and in one apartment they had 2 "forcible rapes" in 2 months. Jim and I decided that maybe that wasn't a good thing and decided on Newport News where it is less crowded and hopefully a little safer. We found an apartment, but it is smaller than the one we are living in now. It is in a nice place where there are cops living there (that alwyas makes me feel good) and is back off the road. I think that if we find a good storage place for the extra things, we will be great. I will be going back to Old Dominion University. It is where I started my college epic in 1991. Now i will be going back, a lot older and a lot wiser. Hopefully I will do better this time. I am sure I have more to write, but I have to go pack and stuff. I don't miss Houston, but I really miss all my friends there. (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Sunday, October 26th, 2003
9:56 pm	Another day, not another dollar So, I have finally made it to Richmond and Jim and I are finally settling in. It has been a long road. Between car problems, family problems (mainly them just being related to me-how did this happen), and emotional problems, things are finally looking up. Ok maybe looking up is too strong. Maybe just looking not downward. Unemployment is horrible. You never know how low your self esteem is until you have to try to sell yourself to people. It is depressing. Then there is the rejection. No one handles rejection well, I know, but it would be nice if I could at least get one bite. What do I have to do here, sell a kidney? I guess I shouldn't complain, really. I am happy with Jim, I am getting unemployment ( another degrading affair) and we have a roof over our heads. We aren't starving and my family is here if I really get in a bind. But COME ON! Just a break, just one, some light at the end of the tunnel would be nice. Maybe I am asking for too much, I don't know. So, as a morale booster today, Jim and I joined the family at the Celtic Festival here. We met up with my family- joy. I love my family, but geeze, can I pass out valium to them all before hand? My two nephews, who I love dearly were hyper as ever, my father was pouty and my mom, well, she and my sister just were. Apparently the women in our family are the sanest. How scary is that? Well i think I have ranted enough, I guess I better go check on the real world. (3 Comments |Comment on this)