Norman Rockwell Visions and Mindy, Just Don't Go Together

I'll admit, I'm a dreamer of sorts. I always have these optimistic visions of how things are going to go. Seldom does the real world live up to my expectations. So, you could say that I set myself up for disappointment. Still, I'd rather live my life always expecting the best. Okay, enough of the philosophical crap---let's just get to it.

Ahhhh, Mindy---what can I say? If I didn't love her, I'd probably kill her!

Here's how I envisioned it: Mindy would pick me up from the airport, we'd shop, I'd empty boxes and get her apartment organized and hang pictures---all on the first day---I am a workaholic and can't rest until the work is done. On the 2nd day, we'd pleasure shop, have manicures and pedicures. While she was at work, I'd cook all kinds of things and stock her freezer.

The reality:
Mindy Picked me up, so far so good. I raised the hatch to put my suitcases in and the car is loaded with junk---not off to a good start. We go to Best Buy to have a washer/dryer delivered. She was supposed to have measured her space and find out if it was an electrical or gas connection for the dryer. She didn't. My shackles went up. She called the apartment office and got the information we needed. Made the purchase, set delivery for Friday. Item #1 checked off the list. On to Target because she needed a few things including barstools. I decided to pick up a few cleaning supplies. Little did I know that I would need an arsenal of chemicals to tackle what lay ahead. Barely fitting everything in the car, our next stop was lunch. Even though I was already crabby, a little food brightened my mood.

We arrived at The Saulet apartments at 12:30. We get out of the car and I've got a rolling suitcase, my carry-on, purse and 3 giant, heavy Target bags. I'm totally loaded down. I turn around to see Mindy sauntering behind me with her purse and the plastic waste basket we bought. I said, "MINDY! Are you kidding me?? Get some more stuff!" She laughed, but went back for more. Then began the "hike" to her apartment. The complex is so big, that it's like negotiating a maze---down this long hall, make a right, through a door, down a hall, make a left---you get the picture. I swear, I am not exaggerating when I say it was 1/4 mile from the gargage to her door---and up 2 flights of stairs. I wish I'd had a pedometer to prove it. (I figured that if someone was after her, he'd be worn out by the time he got to her place---so that was okay). Once we arrived, I told her that she would have to do all the hauling. She quickly showed me around and took off to unload her car. I assessed what needed to be done and was overwhelmed. Apparently, apartment owners do not have to have the place cleaned between tenants (this happened the last time she moved too). The place was disgusting. It's only about a year old, but probably hadn't been cleaned in all that time. I started hauling stuff around to figure out how things should go. Mindy had a work meeting to go to, so she left. I started the cleaning. Mindy helped with that when she got back. It took about 6 hours. What made it so hard was that I was working with limited supplies, no rags, only paper towels, Clorox wipes, Windex wipes and bathroom cleaner. My knuckles kept locking up. I haven't done this much cleaning since, I don't know when. Oh wait, that would be Mindy too, the last time she moved. My feet were absolutely killing me---my plantars fascitis has been acting up lately and this didn't help. Actually, the first time I got it was helping Steph move. Their idea of moving is just throw all your "shit" in the car and then throw it all in the house.

By the end of the day, we had the place cleaned. We got ourselves cleaned up and went to Emeril's for a fabulous dinner along with some of Mindy's friends. All of Mindy's bosses and co-workers made us feel so welcome---and "comped" much of the dinner, wine and drinks. A nice ending to the day. (Gosh, that nice ending included food too---I'm seeing a pattern).

On Thursday, Mindy took me on a tour of the place (description below). We then ran some errands, dropped the groceries off, had lunch and ran back to Target. When we got back, Mindy had to get ready for work. By the time she got home, I had everything organized (except for 3 gigantic boxes of clothes and shoes because the closet was already full). I had her pantry, freezer and refrigerator all organized, bathroom arranged, and everything hung on the walls---and, I cleaned the carpet---just with Resolve. Oh, and I did get some chicken cooked, chopped and in the freezer for a few recipes. The place is really nice. But one thing is for sure, the college-style Dirt Devil just isn't going to cut it. I think I know what I'll be getting Mindy for Christmas.

I was sad to leave her as I always am, but was glad to get home---to relax! My first stop from the airport was for a manicure and pedicure. I didn't do anything else the rest of the day but read, go through the mail and watch a couple of shows I had taped.

A couple side notes:
Mindy still doesn't know how to replace the toilet paper roll.
She said she needed hangers, so she picked up some black ones while we were at Target. She had mostly white ones already, but hey, with all the other mismatched hangers, I guess it doesn't really matter.
She now knows what termites look like.
I taught her that you actually have to put water in the iron to get the steam to come out. She said it has never worked right from the beginning (she didn't know about the water).
I'm not even going to mention her car.

Mindy really is so much fun, happy and optimistic. Maybe there's hope for her, but she's still a mess!