Saying Goodbye.

Life has been slightly chaotic these past two weeks. I've been getting to know Bubba and his quirks. I've been slowly packing up my things. I donated blood, and they missed my veins... again. It looks like Bubba attacks me at night, obviously because he's so vicious. Almost a week after I donated, and I still have an embarrassingly large bruise on my arm.

I've had to have depressing conversations with the roommate about how to divvy up our stuff. "So, you can take the pots and pans because I have some I can bring to Baltimore. Do you mind if I take the silverware organizer?" As excited as I am to be starting such an amazing job with an incredible organization, as much as my new apartment is adorable and I'm excited to be living somewhere adult-ish (not in a X-rated kind of way), I'm going to miss this town. I'm going to miss my ghetto, leaky apartment with shattering windows and mold on our bathroom ceiling. I'm going to miss having three different, overwhelming patterns on furniture in the living room. I'm going to miss needing a flathead and hammer to open windows. I'm going to miss the quiet of living across the street from a cemetery. I'm going to miss seeing mountains while running errands. Most of all, though, I'm going to miss the people. It makes me leaky just thinking about it.

I went on my final hike this past Sunday with OfficeMate. We opted for Dragon's Tooth, a hike we unknowingly somewhat started that one time we hiked in the wrong direction. It was pretty overcast when we started our hike and at times I'm pretty sure we were IN a cloud, but it cleared up when we got to the top and made for a lovely view. A great final hike for my year in the valley if I say so myself. Bubba stayed at home due to his stubby legs and lack of being able to rock climb.
The rest of my time has been spent trying to see friends before I leave, packing, and cleaning. Bubba has not been helpful, between shedding and being afraid of my crappy vacuum. It appears he is afraid of many a thing. This includes thunderstorms, which was an issue when I tried to walk him last night. It ended with him laying down in the grass and hiding his head in a bush. I had to carry him back inside. I was hoping he'd pee from fright, because he hadn't peed in hours, but no such luck. I had to wait it out for a break in the storm before we dared venture out again. Ah, dog ownership. Looks like I got myself the fiercest dog in the valley.

So for now, for now I am packing and saying goodbye to all the places and people that have made this year so spectacular. Thank you for an amazing year, Roanoke. I'll miss you.