Blast from the Past...

So I was at the Proctor/Mullen beach house last weekend for our annual Topsail Beach weekend. Friday night, Amanda, Mo, Brittany, and I were sitting around talking (I am pretty sure the guys were trying to catch sharks or something on the beach) and we somehow got on the conversation of "Do you remember...?"

We came up with a "Top 20 Favorite Things from the Late 80s and Early 90s!"
*These are not in any special order other than the order we thought of them.*

1. Lucky Charms (only the marshmellows)
2. Fun Dip
3. Concession Stands at the Pool
4. Fraggle Rock
5. Stirrup Pants (in all colors)
6. TGIF Shows
7. Scrunchies (matching your outfit of course) and Side Ponytails
8. T-Ties
9. Slap Bracelets
10. Leg Warmers
11. Modeling at Limited Too
12. White Keds with the Blue Label (as soon as the label wore off you had to get a new pair)
13. Crimped Hair
14. New Kids on the Block
15. Mixed Tapes (you had to have a cassette in and when the song came on you pressed the record button)
16. Kaboodles
17. Trapper Keepers
18. Lisa Frank merchandise
19. Oregon Trail
20. JTT (Jonathan Taylor Thomas)

We then continued our talk with the "Top T.V. Shows" again in no particular order! (The boys helped with this one.)
1. Saved by the Bell
2. Family Matters
3. Step by Step
4. Full House
5. Fresh Prince
6. Salute Your Shorts
7. Are You Afraid of the Dark?
8. Bobby's World
9. Wonder Years
10. Rescue 911
11. America's Funniest Home Videos
12. Hey Dude
13. Golden Girls
14. Dawson's Creek
15. 90210 (The Original)
16. Boy Meets World
17. Mister Rogers
18. Sesame Street
19. Ninja Turtles
20. Doug
21. Clarissa Explains it All
22. Guts
23. Family Double Dare
24. Baywatch
25. American Gladiators

What are your thoughts?

Saying goodbye is never easy...

Well it is officially offical! The merger has been finalized, the t's have been crossed, i's have been dotted, and the offer letter is here! I'm so excited to be legally allowed to announce that Matt and I are moving back to Raleigh! He has been transferred to the distribution center in Apex, NC. We'll live in Raleigh and be back where it all started!

Before we can move home on Wednesday, we must get our affairs in order here in Sumter. One of those affairs is getting rid of all of the "fraternity and college era" furniture.

Last night we took his desk, end tables, and coffee table to Goodwill. There was a sweet woman in her car at the drive thru fast food restaurant at the right time. She sent her cute grandson running over to ask, "My grandma wants to know how much you will sell those end tables to her for?" I said, "Tell your grandma she can have them." He was so excited. They came over and we loaded them up in her car. She was getting them for her mom who was 90 and needed some furniture. It was so sweet and it made me feel really good.

Even goodwill wouldn't take the coffee table. Okay, maybe there isn't a single person that would want the table that was chewed on one corner by Rivers (the sweet lab that Matt lived with in St. Louis...). Jason ---hope you have taught him not to chew. At least he knew the difference between good furniture and not so good furniture.

Now for the hard one...I had to say goodbye to my 20 year old couch. I didn't realize how attached I was to this couch. Let me explain where this couch has been and what it has gotten Maria and I through...

- Started on Purdue street right after our parents got divorced...(there may have been some tears)

- Moved to Spyglass Way when we moved my senior year in high school (quite possibly some making out)

- Went to my mom's office on Barrett Drive when they started their mental health company (some business meetings)

- Moved to mom's office on Myron Drive when they sold the company (probably some mental health patients on it during therapy)

- Moved to Oberlin Road for two years while I was in college (can't say what happened on the couch then)

- Moved to Carson Street to be with Matt for a year (don't even want to know what happened on it)
-Went to St. Louis with Matt for the year (The couch didn't really like the midwest.)

- And it finished up it's journey in Sumter for a year!

We realized that it was time to get a new couch as we started married life together and Matt found a guy at work that need a couch for his mother-in-law. As soon as Matt told me that he had found someone who wanted the couch, I all of a sudden thought I wanted to keep it. It was hard to come to terms with it. I asked Matt if this guy was credible and would he take good care of this couch. Matt assured me he would!

The hardest part was breaking the news to Maria (for those of you who don't know who Maria is...she is my sister Meghan)!

Me: Maria, we are getting rid of the couch soon before we move back to Raleigh.

Maria: What the heck? That's like getting rid of the 3937 number. (*Maria had an especially hard time when Mom and Frank decided to get rid of the kid's line at our house when we both hadn't lived there for 2 years and the line wasn't being used. Maria told mom that she had tried calling the number and it didn't work. Mom informed her that the number was gone. She said, "Have you told Jessica?" Hahaha, it's okay Maria. I am fine with it.)

Me: I know but it is just not going to work in our new place. Do you want it back?

Maria: Well no, but how can you get rid of it? (Typical Maria!)

Last night via Blackberry Messenger while Maria is in San Fran and Napa Valley...

Me: Well Sister Maria we are saying goodbye to our beloved couch tonight!!

Maria: I am so sad. RIP. Please take a picture. RIP sweet couch. I will miss you. That couch has experienced lots of making out from the Pike girls. (sorry mom!)

So here you go Maria...some pictures of that dear couch!

Oh Sumter, Bless Your Heart

Okay, so tonight as Matt and I were driving down Broad Street again we saw the infamous sign from last night's post. Somehow word got out about the incorrect spelling and they tried their best to fix it.

Once again, I don't know who Patty Wilson is or what she did but "CONGRAULATIONS!"

Patty, I am not sure if you want to be congratulated anymore.

Sumter...Part 2

Dear Sumter,

You continue to bring humor to my life!

I don't know who Patty Wilson is, but congraDulations!!

P.S. I bet you didn't know that Central Park was in Sumter, SC either!

I'm so hot...

Literally. I don't think it could get any hotter down here in South Carolina. It is that "humid, sticky, feel like you need to shower 10 times a day" hot.

So what happens on hot days when you live in an old townhouse where the AC doesn't quite work even though it is turned all the way down???

You camp out downstairs on the air mattress.

Sumter...Part 1

So Matt and I wanted to rent the movie "The Others" tonight because someone had mentioned it the other day. We went to the Redbox but since it isn't a new movie it wasn't there.

So Matt said, "Let's go to Blockbuster." I was little surprised because I didn't know that they still existed. Boy was I wrong.

We walk in to a newly renovated and very freshly painted Blockbuster. When we find the movie, Matt reads the back and realizes that he had already seen it. We find another movie and go to check out. At the counter we tell the lady that neither one of us has our Blockbuster card on us (I'm pretty sure we threw those away about 10 years ago!) and asked if she could look up an account. Well, we should have known that she couldn't do that! She said that the only way she could do that is if the name on the license matched the name on the account. Well we are both still on our parents' accounts. We asked if we could open an account and she said very enthusiastically, "Of course!" So 20 minutes later, we leave with a movie and two freshly printed and laminated Blockbuster cards. Not only did I not know that Blockbusters still existed, I didn't know they were still giving out memberships. Matt says as we walk out, "Should I feel bad that Barbara just went to all that trouble to make the new cards only for them to be thrown out in a week?"

Sumter may be a day late and a dollar short on this one because I am pretty sure Blockbuster is going bankrupt.

Is entertainment becoming a chore??

Yesterday I got a text from a friend who was sipping wine in Florida and on a "fab vacay" but still had time to tell me to get back on the blogging train. So M.B. this is for you!

So as Matt and I were driving back to Sumter yesterday afternoon, I told him very excitedly that I only had two more people magazines to go to "catch up!" He looked at me, rolled his eyes, and just laughed. I asked him what could possibly be so funny. He told me that it seemed like my ideas for entertainment were becoming a chore for me to complete.

I just laughed because after spending last week in Raleigh catching up on 4 episodes of The Bachelorette, 3 weeks of Secret Life of the American Teenager (yes I do realize that is on ABC Family channel), 2 weeks of Drop Dead Diva, 1 episode of Army Wives, countless episodes of Modern Family and Cougar Town, and reading 2 people magazines, I was exhausted!

I am normally not this bad about my tv shows and my magazines. I just had not had time to watch or read anything because of the wedding. The week before the wedding, we were all busy running around doing last minute things and then we were on our honeymoon for a week (pictures to come soon). Since we came straight to Sumter, none of my shows were on his DVR and my people magazines were all sitting in Raleigh. Spending last week in Raleigh was so wonderful because I was reunited with my DVR box and my magazines. I also enjoyed eating dinner two nights with some of the best girlfriends a girl could have!!

This past weekend we had a great time at Matt's cousin's wedding! Congratulations Curt and Monica! We are so happy for you.

So while I sit in Sumter this week, I have my magazines with me and the DVR box up to date with my shows. I will also have plenty of time to clean the house. Now cleaning...that is a chore for real!!

I love the DMV!!

So today I called the DMV to make sure the location I was planning to go to actually could do what I needed to do and ask what I needed to bring. The lady on the phone was super helpful and told me all I needed was a copy of my marriage license, letter from the social security office, and my current license. Whoohoo I am ready!

I get there and I am a little nervous because almost every chair was taken and there were 5 people ahead of me in the line waiting to go to the counter. I wait in line for about 15 minutes before making it to the counter. When I get to the counter I tell the lady what I need to do and she gives me my number and tells me to have a seat. Before I can even sit down my number is called!! What!! I'm in heaven! I go back to station 6 and sit down to a smiling woman. She asked me all the normal questions, looked at my paperwork, gave the paperwork right back (still have that one certified copy of my marriage license), and then asked about changing my voter registration. I asked her, "I can do that here??!!" She says, "I will be happy to do that for you." What an added bonus. Change my name and address and now I am a registered Currin voter. I take my picture and then I am on my way!!

I highly recommend if you ever need to go to the DMV, go to the one off of Spring Forest Road in Raleigh!! They are nice, quick, and efficient.

To be or not to be...a Currin that is

**Disclaimer: This is a really long post.**

Well I really wanted to be a Currin but I didn't know how hard it would be. (I thought the hard part was dating 5 1/2 years and waiting for a ring. Apparently, that was the easy part!)

So I stayed in Raleigh this week to take care of some appointments, go through gifts, and change my name. Well...I should have planned to stay for a month to do the latter.

I was feeling good and knocking things off my to-do list left and right.
Sort through all the presents...check
Return duplicate gifts to Bed, Bath, and Beyond...check
Return duplicate gifts to Macy's...check
Return DVD to redbox...check
Go to Belk to return and finish off the registry with the sale...check
Hair appointment...check
Go to the bank to deposit wedding checks...UNCHECKED and the train wreck begins.

I went to the bank to deposit all of our wedding checks that we had received. I get up to the counter and tell the lady that I would like to deposit these into my account. She looks at them and says, "We can't do that one because it is made out to Matt Currin and he isn't here or a member at this bank." Well darn. How about these that are made out to both of us. She smiles and replies, "We can't do that either because they say Mr. and Mrs. Currin and there is no one on the account with the last name Currin." Lovely...multiple checks are still in my wallet. (I am sorry to those of you kind souls that generously gave us money for our wedding. Please do not hate me and think that we are ungrateful and don't want to deposit them. We are very appreciative and trying to do that quickly so your check register will be balanced. Maybe I am the only one that still balances her checkbook, but oh well.)

I then begin the name changing process.

I look through my paperwork and try to figure it all out. I know that I have to go get a certified copy of my marriage license and then go to the social security office before I can do anything else.

So Tuesday morning, Frank and I head to downtown Raleigh to the Register of Deeds. Now some of you may be wondering why Frank needed to go. If you know my driving, you know there is no way I would survive a drive downtown on one way streets in the middle of the day. It is a good thing because as we get towards Fayetteville Street, we see hundreds of people on the sidewalk, dozens of ambulances, fire trucks, police cars, and traffic stopped. I quickly jump on my blackberry to see if WRAL has posted something. Sure enough a government building was evacuated due to smoke. Glad I don't have to go to that building.

I get to the register of deeds office and go upstairs. I am a little upset about having to pay for a copy of this piece of paper considering Matt and I had to pay $60 CASH (yes it had to be cash only!) to get the thing in the first place. Let me tell you what the fine print said about the $60 CASH. "As required, the Register of Deeds Office remits $30 of the $60 fee to the North Carolina Department of Administration for use in domestic violence program." Now, don't get me wrong I have no problem helping domestic violence victims and their children. But, let me decide when and how much money I want to donate. They don't even give you a form for a tax write off for that donation that I just gave. They got the tax write off on my money!

Anyway, I walk up to the counter:

Lady at the counter: How may I help you?
Me: I would like to get a certified copy of my marriage license so I can change my name.
Lady: How many would you like?
Me: (looking puzzled) How many do I need?
Lady: You will need one for the social security office, one for the DMV, and one if you want to get a passport.
Me: So I need three copies and they are ten dollars each.
Lady: Well if you are going to change your name, all of those places will need to see one.
Me: (Something in my head questioned this.) Let me ask you this. Do all three of these places need to actually keep a certified copy of my marriage license?
Lady: No, they will give it right back to you.
Me: (Officially annoyed) Well, then I will take one. I wouldn't want to waste paper!

So I get my certified copy and Frank and I are on our way home. On the way home we get stopped by a three car wreck. Everyone was out walking around and no ambulances so I knew they were okay. Still glad I wasn't driving.

So now I head to the Social Security Office (by myself!) which should really be called Maximum Security Prison. I pull into the parking lot and drive around twice before finding a parking spot. I walk in the door behind a woman and her husband who is in a wheelchair. I hold the door for them and think everything is going to be fine. We walk in and the officer in a very officerish voice says to the couple in front of me, "Sign in on this computer, he can sit back here, and you may take the seat up front." This old lady says, "I'll just stand with him." Officer says, "No, you may not stand unless you stand outside." I'm thinking wow it is 95 degrees outside. Luckily a chair opened up near her husband so she got to sit down near him. I sign in on the computer, get my number, and she points to the spot up front and tells me I can sit there. I look and think "Awesome." I go up and sit in an open seat that is in between two "morbidly got to have health issues" large people. I couldn't even lean against the back of the chair. They were very nice and we chatted until officer lady yells, "Quiet, cell phones off, drinks are not allowed!" Not going to lie, I looked around and was a little scared for my life. I wait patiently reading my People magazine and people watching. 30 minutes goes by and it is still really crowded in this room. 20 more minutes go by. Then in walks a family of 12 (I'm not kidding.) trying to get social security numbers for the first time. Officer lady tells them to take one number for all of them. Now I am thinking that if all 12 of them are on one number and there are other groups like that ahead of me, I could be here all day. Fastforward to the time they call my number! Hallelujah!! I go up to the window and give the lady my certified marriage license and id. She gives them both right back (Take that register of deeds lady!) I sign a few forms, she asks me if everything I said was the truth and explains the penalty if it isn't. She says, "Great you will get your new social security card in two weeks." I ask her if I have to wait for that to go to the DMV. She says, "No, but you do have to wait 24 hours." By this time, I have walked through fire and ice and pretty sure I signed the rights to my first born child away so 24 hours sounds great!

DMV...I can only imagine how fun that will be.

It's all in the name...

After returning from the honeymoon, Matt and I drove to Sumter, SC where he works. We came straight from the honeymoon, meaning we were a one-car family (sorry not for "green" reasons).

My days are spent waking up to tell him bye (at 5:30 am) and then drifting back to sleep until he calls to say he is on his way home for lunch. I whip up a good ole southern lunch for him (i.e. Turkey sandwich and chips and salsa...at least the salsa is homemade). After lunch, I usually piddle around doing laundry, cooking, going for a walk (I know I am laughing at that too), and other domesticated wifely things. Matt usually gets home from work around 4:00 and we head out to run errands together. These errands usually include going to Lowe's to look at paint colors, going to the grocery store to get food for that night's meal, or going to Wal-Mart. These are the places I have found so far in Sumter.
We were about a week in to post honeymoon married life when I am pretty sure we had a conversation like this:

Me: Is there anything fun that I could do or get involved in here?
Matt: You need to get a hobby.
Me: I'm pretty sure I had a lot of hobbies in Raleigh like scrapbooking and sewing but none of my stuff is here because you said that I couldn't bring them on the honeymoon(which I wanted to do so I would have them in Sumter when we returned).
Matt: You need a more portable hobby like blogging.

As our discussion about blogging continued, I told him that I would have to have a good blogging name because no one wants to read a blog with a boring name. We thought and then came up with "Looking at Life the 'PC' Way" which is hilarious to anyone who knows me because I am anything but politically correct. So before you fall off your rocker, let me explain. The PC stands for Pike Currin. Now hold on a minute...I didn't go to the left and decide to hyphenate my name. I just changed my last name to Currin and made Pike my middle name (I'm still sad about saying bye to Paige)! So that is where we got the "PC" in the title. Now changing my name legally...that is for a post all on it's own!!

Thanks for reading and we will see how this new portable hobby goes!