Busy Little Bees

Wow! So sorry to our two devoted followers that it has taken me forEVER to update. I am happy to say that all of my PT school applications have been sent on their merry way, so now I have no excuse! Let's see, where to begin...

When people ask if I want to hear the bad news or the good news first, I usually say the bad news. So since I can't ask you readers what you would like to hear first, I'm going to make an executive decision for you. Brace yourself for some bad news. Jared the fish has left us to swim in the eternal waters of fishy heaven. I'll tell you the story because it makes some people laugh, but those people are cruel and heartless. Don't be like them. One day I was cleaning out Jared's tank like any good fish owner would do. I was slightly distracted talking to a certain roommate whose name rhymes with Malli Marette, and when I went to fill the bowl back up with water, I did not let it cool down quite enough. Needless to say, Jared freaked out when I put him back in (a natural reaction to being boiled alive.) Of course the first thing that came to my mind (after I realized that was why he was dive-bombing the rocks and ramming the side of the bowl) was to put ice cubes in to cool it down a bit! When that didn't work, I dumped some cold water in. Finally, I got the bright idea to take him out of the tank. Alas, it was too late. Five hours later we held a beautiful candlelight memorial service where we buried Jared under his favorite tree in the courtyard. He is dearly missed. Here is a photo of the crowd at his memorial service:



Now, the good news! We got a NEW fish. We have not officially decided on a name. I am partial to Jared 2.0, while Sarah favors going in a different direction and using his namesake's last name, Townsley. Here he is:



Other than the saga of the fish, things at apartment 5 have been pretty quiet. So far we have only had one minor dispute (about the dishwasher) but fortunately it was resolved quickly, and with little to no drama. We have shared many meals around our awesome kitchen table, usually Chinese food, but I have a feeling we are going to branch out into other genres soon because everyone is getting tired of eating the same things. We are trying to soak in the last few days of good weather by hanging out on the porch playing guitar and enjoying the sunlight, it is going to be very sad when Fayetteville turns into a frozen wind tunnel with no exposure to the sun and we are forced to stay locked inside our apartment. Sorry, I just really don't like winter.

I leave you with one of the only non-fish pictures I managed to take between the last post and now. I can't really explain the story behind it other than this: Kalli and Sarah have random periods of crazy, and when they intersect, I am in laughter heaven. Here is an example:





I hope that will hold you over until (a hopefully soon) next time!
Rachel

The last week of summer

We spent our last week of freedom soaking up the feeling of absolutely no responsibility. Lots of movies, lots of spades, lots of eating. I am getting better about documenting things that we do, so hopefully I will always have pictures to share! We decided to make chinese food the other night, and since Kalli is basically chinese, we let her be head chef. We should get a chef's hat or something...



The rice cooker. Oh how we love the rice cooker.


This finished product. Try not to drool on your keyboard.


We made eggs and tomatoes too! I would have a picture of all of us eating happily, but someone did not like the way they looked in that one. Silly.


In between eating and doing nothing, we finished up a few small things that still needed to be done! We finally found some fabric that matched for the middle canvas over the couch, and we used the extra to recover some $3 bar stools found at a yard sale at a Jewish temple! Here they are:





Last night we made smores on the grill in the courtyard! It was a genius idea and I can see it happening quite frequently once it starts getting chilly out. We met some neighbors and bonded over our mutual love of guitars, Bon Iver and Settlers of Catan. No pictures, but hopefully we can get a few next time.

Until then!

Getting Our Cranes in a Row...

Lots of clazy things have happened since our first post! Almost everyone has moved in to the big E (so named for the large E that is now hanging on the wall) and the past two days have been full of sewing, decorating, and preparing Jared for his Beta fight*. Mark your calendars, the fight will take place on the next full moon. For those of you that don't keep up with lunar cycles, that's August 13th. Below are some pictures of our progress, feel free to come by and check it out for yourself!

The first glimpse of apartment 5. Fully functioning dryer chairs courtesy of the local thrift store. We plan to use them in the winter in order to get the most out of our porch.


Many people have tried to guess the symbolism of the E, but there is only one true story behind it, and it is best told in person. This hangs right behind the door.


The living room from the kitchen.


The cranes.


The goodwill couch with the pillows that we slaved over. Please praise them.


The kitchen.


The chalkboard. This is on the door across from the kitchen. It is extremely useful for writing secret messages in Chinese.


The least amount of dishes there will ever be on the drying mat!


That is all. Check back later for more!


*Sarah does not support this.

Apt. No. 5

To our blog readers from both near and far, welcome! We, the six, of apt. no. 5 have decided to start this blog in order to keep you, our dear friends and family, apprised of all the wonderful and crazy things going on in 3005 West Do our apartment. (Probably not too smart to put the address on the internet. See parents, we're responsible!)

To start with, I just want to give you a little bit of background info on each occupant. Its no fun to read about people you don't even know, right?

Let's start with Kalli Parette. She looks like this:

Beautiful.

Kalli grew up in China, which most people think is super cool and yeah she can speak Chinese, big deal. Let me tell you about the REAL Kalli. She really likes to eat yogurt, peanut butter and granola. A. Lot. She's addicted to coffee and she's got the best singing voice I ever did hear. Maybe if you're lucky, she'll sing for you. Or to you.

Now on to Sarah Claire Frederick. This is one of my personal favorite pictures of her:

Isn't she adorable?

One time we took a vote among our friends of who we thought the craziest was. Sarah won. She's got the best hair of the group, that's for sure, and along with that hair comes the infamous "hair dance." If you're around her for more than 10 minutes, you'll probably see it. She's super smart and she loves all things Asian, ESPECIALLY Koreans.

On to the roommate with the coolest name: Lauren Leatherby. Doesn't that just roll off the tongue?

If you can think of a cool place, Lauren has probably been there. Twice. And petted a cat. She is definitely the most stylish resident of apt. no. 5. She can always show you the great YouTube video and she really loves cats. The girl can daaaance, and she can paint/draw anything that your crazy brain can think up. Also, did I mention that she likes cats?

Next up is Jessica Hawley. She looks like THIS:

Jessica is amazing. She always has enough energy to go on a run, take a shower, eat breakfast and get some homework done all before the rest of us are even thinking of getting out of bed. And odds are she went to bed hours after the rest of us too. She is all kinds of fun, and is surprisingly ladylike for growing up with five brothers!


Moving right along, KATY COURTWAY. Just look at her:


Katy is the coolest. THE COOLEST. She is always down to do something fun, and its more than likely it was her idea. She is about to start her second summer as a white-water rafting guide in Colorado, which means she's a beast, and can beat anyone in an arm wrestling match. Even a grizzly bear on steroids.

Next, the manliest of the roommates, Jared the Beta.



Jared enjoys swimming in his tank, hanging out with his dinosaur friend, and cuddling with Blind Betty at night. He occasionally enjoys a glass of good wine, but only when he is not keeping a watchful eye over the apartment. He is currently participating in a daily workout regimen to prepare for his fight with the Beta in apartment 8.

Finally, me!


I don't really have much to say about myself, other than the fact that I count myself incredibly lucky to live with each one of these amazing girls featured above me!

So yeah, that is Apt. no. 5 for you, in a nutshell.