This is a Story of an Independent Female

I moved around after college and inevitably found myself back living with my dad in the attic that had seen me get ready for prom and go off to college. It was a smart move in that I enrolled in graduate school and became a teacher. I also got myself out of all the debt moving around had caused...New York was not a cheap adventure.I do think that everyone needs to live in New York at least once, most likely in their early to mid-20's, but then you need to leave it and move on. New York is tiring and really overrated. There's other adventures to be had.

It also made me fixated on the idea that when I moved again, it would be to a place wholly my own. I did not want anymore crazy room mates and I didn't want to move in with my boyfriend. I wanted the experience of having someplace that was completely mine that my parents had no claim on. I wanted ultimate privacy.

I rented a one bedroom apartment on the second floor of a building a town away from where I work. I filled it with art, and vintage plates, cute pillows and little knick-knacks that I would find at the local thrift store. I moved over the summer so when fall began to give way to winter, I learned pretty quickly that apartments and heat do no coincide. I treated myself to a gel fireplace.

I searched all over for one, finally finding the perfect one that would match the slate on my coffee table. It arrived the night of a school function where I came home around 8pm and found it sitting on my doorstep...several huge boxes that the UPS person stacked and left.

I set to work immediately, I propped open the doors and began lifting one box up and in. I was successful with the first, but then the unthinkable happened. I kicked the doorstop to the outside door out and when I turned to grab the door, it had already slammed shut. Worse yet, my keys were dangling from the door of my apartment...on the inside.

After cursing and literally stomping my feet. Hey, I was very sweaty and still in work clothes, I decided my only option was to ring my downstairs neighbor's bell because of course, my phone was in my bag that I could see on the other side of the now locked door.

I rang the bell and held my breath. I hadn't even met my downstairs neighbor yet.All I knew about her was that she was a teacher like me. I felt all sorts of terrible when she came to the door, in her pajamas.

"Uh, I'm sorry to bother you, but well you can see," I stopped, feeling awkward and unsure.

She laughed. "I saw that! I can't believe they just left you with those boxes. I'm Gail," she said, still sleepy, but friendly.

I relax. "I'm Katherine."

We shake hands and she offers to help me. I decline, thinking that as long as I didn't lock myself out again that I should be good to go. I lug the boxes up the stairs, panting and grunting the whole time. Though the fireplace is in pieces, it's all wood and planks of wood stacked into boxes is ridiculously heavy. I get everything upstairs and begin to take everything out of the boxes.

I sigh when I realize that I now have to lug all of the Styrofoam and cardboard back down the stairs and out to the dumpsters.

I am exhausted by the time I get back upstairs and sit down on the floor of my living room. I begin to put the pieces of my fireplace together. At this point, I am sticky and gross, but I want that fire place put together because I know that in a week or so, I'm going to need it.It's almost 10pm at this point and I am trying very hard not to make a lot of noise while I balance pieces on top of each other. My hand starts cramping from having to screw everything together and just as I get the front mantle done, I realize the worst is yet to come.

Overstock never pre-drilled the holes and no matter how hard I push, the screw is going nowhere.

I burst into tears. Milo is sitting next to me at this point, watching the entire episode with faint curiosity. I throw the screw driver down and walk away. He scurries off at the sound, it will take him a good hour to come out of the bedroom.

Life and sanity return after I down a glass of iced tea. I begin to scour every other piece, making sure the holes are there. I decided that as long as I could get everything else together, it would most liely stay together until I could get a power drill.

And so I did and so it has also sat in my living room, warming me all winter.

I never did get that power drill though and when I move in two weeks, it's going to be fun getting it out of my apartment.

I really think it's time to buy that drill now.

Adventures in Writing: When Miss Burton Got Her Spotlight

Miss Burton got a lot of attention this summer that I was not expecting whatsoever. It was really cool and surprising-- a lot of feelings wrapped up into one. You know?

I think this biggest was when the Home News interviewed me for this story. And sent a photographer to my home to take pictures of me. He arrived 10 minutes after I had gotten home from sweating in camp all day and had literally just changed. I thought the photograph was going to be horrendous.

I was surprised.

(c) Home News Tribune, Jason Towlen/Staff Photographer

Not my best, but still not my worst. Whew! The article is really good too. She really detailed my accomplishments thus far. You can read it HERE!

The Summer of My 27th Year...

Began with me being in such a depression. I could not get out of it. I cried so much. I was so unhappy and so hurt and just reeling from everything that happened this past year-- the job that was a dud, the "boyfriend" that was a dud, my finances that were better but still a dud, my job search that I thought was a dud...etc.

But then camp started and I got to see all my little beans that are not so little anymore. Not like I expected them to be, it had been three years since I had been their teacher, but they were still there, being them. There's something about hanging with kids and making art that has its healing factors. I was beginning to feel built back up a little.

Then in July, I was offered a teaching position in Oklahoma City. And I was ready to accept it. I thought THIS WAS IT. This was my way out and I would get to teach 5th grade and how amazing is that and off I was into the possibilities of a completely new life half way across the country. Until reality hit that they were offering me, are you ready? A salary that was 15 grand less than what NJ gives young teachers. And yes, you will say well, cost of living is so much cheaper! It's not. A one bedroom apartment in a safe area of the city was still anywhere between 600-800 a month. That's half of your month's take home pay. No wonder OKC is so eager to hire out of state teachers, who would want to work for that sort of money? In a very messy district that is nationally known for its problems they are trying to work through. It was just not the place I wanted to park myself for a year or more.

So I turned it down and waited. I was then interviewed by Colorado and Arizona and Utah before finally getting three different interviews in South Jersey. The third interview was IT though and yes, I am so proud and happy to say that I was offered a language arts position for middle school in South Jersey and I took it.

I have since spent the last two weeks absolutely beaming, buying a whole new wardrobe and throwing out my French classroom for my brand spanking new Language Arts and Literacy classroom. It's been so much fun. I really can't wait to start next week. PUMPED! And my school is super cute too. It's an older school building and it looks like the building from Boy Meets World. Maybe Mr. Feeney will be there! Hah.

My next adventure will be saving money and buying my little condo down the shore that I have always wanted. It'll be awhile, but at least I'm on that path.

And as for boys? Well, I have been dating again since May, but nothing that really stuck into something that could have been more. I think I've also gotten even pickier than I was pre-bandboy which I never thought could happen, but it did. I also made a bet with my friend that for a year, I wouldn't date a musician (or wannabe musician) and would try other types of men and I have! In that experiment I have found how completely turned off I am by musicians now. Probably a good thing.

But, I'm sure the boy will be the next thing to happen too. Well, man I should say. I need a man, not a boy if I'm going to partner up with someone in life.

Here it is, my life and it's pretty awesome. I'm also in love with my new graduate program. I'm in the middle of finishing up my first semester this week. And I've since started working on the next book in the Miss Burton's series. So, I'm honestly just happy and busy and totally enjoying seeing some of my hard work finally pay off.

Life changes while you're busy making other plans...

Things happen to you in life and sometimes those things are absolutely amazing and sometimes they are the most rotten, horrible things that come your way. It can be hard, but if you're lucky you're strong enough to get through those bad things and if you're really, really lucky? Then you have friends and family that love you and are there for you when you need them.

And eventually, you overcome that bad thing that happened and you arrive on the other side of it. It's unexpected and you are shocked when you do, but you get there and it's good.

I arrived on the other side probably sometime this weekend. My friend Laura had randomly texted me Friday afternoon if I was interested in seeing Rocky Horror and if I'd want to get dinner at Old Bay in New Brunswick.

Heck yes!

Old Bay was just like I remembered it: dark, overpriced and eh, but the company was good and we laughed about old 80's commercials and TV shows over dinner. I had a drink which was called swamp water. It tasted like lime, but it was so green that it reminded me of that ecto-cooler HI-C juice boxes that we used to have growing up:

And then we headed over to The Den to catch some Rocky Horror! I didn't know much about it, had never saw it and all I did know about it was that Tim Curry played the lead in the movie version. Apparently, if you are attending your very first show, you get marked with lipstick - "V for Virgin" and they find some way to embarrass you during the show.

I got V'd and then I was embarrassed and the show was great. Midway through I realized that someone I was once good friends with was there, but because of differences of opinions we hadn't spoken for many months. Rocky Horror though fixed a friendship and thus, all was forgiven. Funny how life simple does that for you eventually.

Saturday brought book club where we got lunch at the Loving Hut in Matawan. I was a bit leery of an all vegan place, but it was really good! I got vegan won-ton soup and it was amazing. The won-tons were stuffed with mushrooms:

At book club we discussed that awful Julie Klausner book. We were all in agreement that after the introduction, it just went down hill fast and by the end of it you just wound up hating her for being dumb and gross for 100-something pages.

Afterbook club and vegans goodies, came my friend Keriann's last night out. She's moving to Colorado for work and for love, so it's not terrible, but I'm going to miss her. We grew up together and had only recently rekindled a friendship. I wish we had more time before she leaves, but she has an adventure to get to, so safe travels and good luck to her! Copious amounts of pictures were taken and there was much fist-pumping to be had:

Sunday should have brought more New Brunswick and a fundraiser, but I was so exhausted from the night before that I opted to stay home. At nearly 27 years old, my body declared that it is too old to be out until 2am after being out until 1am the night before. I was absolutely beat and wound up napping midday. I did finish the softest baby blanket in the world for a non-existent baby though. The yarn had been on sale and it was just so soft that I had to buy it and thus make it:

And! If all of this wasn't enough. I was notified today that I was officially registered and enrolled in a graduate writing program that I had literally applied to on a whim several months ago. I never thought I'd actually get it, but thank you, Miss Burton's Class because it is you that I submitted and it is you that they liked enough to admit me.

I start June 17th.

I'm amazed with how much my life has fallen apart, changed and slowly has begun to come back together.