Via Tiffany, via  Cathy Thorne.

In an effort to utilize my health insurance before my pending unemployment, I went to the eye doctor today. I got my annual exam and contact fitting, among other things. It was quite an experience. Here I am with freakishly-huge dilated pupils, and super-sexy Ray Charles sunglasses:

You may remember that I broke my glasses a while ago, and I’ve been half-heartedly shopping for a new pair ever since. It’s a difficult decision because there are so many styles I like, but for such an expensive accessory I want to be completely satisfied. I’ve really been toying with the idea of dark thick-rimmed glasses…I love the nerdy/preppy look and I have been wondering if I could pull it off. What do you guys think? Yea or Nay? Should I look for something that blends into my face a little more, or do you think I’m trendy enough for bold frames like these?

I mentioned earlier that I’ve been staying at Jeremy’s house these past couple of weeks while working out my notice at the bank. Just to give you a little background information, Jeremy is actually Christopher’s former boyfriend and the two of them have had the rare opportunity of remaining close friends throughout the years that followed. Our relationship has been one of epic extremities, beginning with introductions through clenched teeth and phony smiles and growing into a companionship that I feel very lucky to be a part of.  Today, Jeremy is one of my dearest friends and I am grateful that he’s continued to be a part of Christopher’s life, as well as my own.

I said all that to preface what I thought to be some really funny reactions I’ve heard from my friends and coworkers about my extended visit at the Albion Dunn House, which have included:

“You’re going to spend two weeks with your husband’s ex husband?”

“Wait, does Chris even know about this yet, or are you planning on sneaking in?”

And, my personal favorite:

“That’s just weird, Thomas. Really weird.”

Unconventional and out-of-character as it may be, nothing could be farther from the truth.

 Jeremy has one roommate, currently, and the size of his house and his heart allow for quite the revolving door of guests, as well. He also entertains frequently, and being at his house makes me feel like I’m on the set of The Real World. This is quite contrary to my usual lifestyle, because I’ve only once, very briefly, lived with a roommate before. Afterwards, I vowed to never share a dwelling with someone other than a lover again. I’m a very private person, by nature, and even more-so boring. Households made up of roommates usually involve lots of sharing, socializing and a constant flow of traffic. Those people actually DO things, and when housed with those people you are also expected to DO things, which is quite a commitment. Dinners to host, parties to attend, regular bathing schedules to be followed… it’s a full time job living with someone else. Even still, the reality that I didn’t take the opportunity to go away to college and experience dorm-life in my younger years has always weighed heavily on my heart and, although I’ve been missing Christopher like crazy the last two weeks, I would be lying if I told you that I haven’t had a lot of fun being involved in the hustle and bustle of a busy household.

On a normal week, I only have one thing in mind at the end of the work day, which is going home to throw on some pajamas and settle in for the night. I find it especially annoying if there are any errands to be ran that for whatever reason couldn’t be taken care of on my lunch break, and getting back out of the house after I get home is almost always out of the question. However, this week, I find myself walking in the door after work asking “So what are we going to do tonight?” I’m sure Christopher wouldn’t believe his ears. He’d say “You mean you want to actually DO something?” and I’d be all “I know, right?”

In the past week I’ve been in the company of many of my closest friends, getting together with everyone one last time before the big move. I realize now that I’ve underestimated how rewarding is to be surrounded by your  friends. It’s nice to have people around to whine about your day with or ask for help in deciding what to wear. It’s also nice being in the presence of other people without the responsibility of having to clean up for them before they arrive or keep them entertained while they’re there. It makes me wish that Chris and I weren’t leaving everyone that we know, despite my excitement about our upcoming adventure. I don’t think it will be difficult to make new friends, but it will be nearly impossible to feel as comfortable with someone new as I do with the friends we already have. And, of course, our friends are irreplaceable. I am going to have to remind myself to make a conscious effort to reach out, though, when we get to Richmond, so that I don’t remain the hermit I’ve grown accustomed to being. I’m so shy (and lazy if we’re being honest!) that getting to know new people becomes such an investment of time and energy, and it takes times like these to remind me of what makes it all worth while. Here’s to good memories with great friends, both new and old.

But for a very good reason.

Chris has recently accepted a job as a district manager for a newborn photography company. You know  the people who take pictures of babies in the hospital after delivery? He’ll be in charge of several hospitals in the state of Virginia, and he started yesterday. I have to admit that I was a little skeptical of the job at first; hospitals? young children? harsh flourescent lighting? It all sounds like torture to me, but luckily Chris is both naturally handsome and great with children. I have no doubts that he’ll be nothing short of extraordinary in his new position. And, to be honest, the moment he broke the news to me that I could quit my job, there really wasn’t much convincing necessary.

A year ago, almost exactly, I wrote about wanting to be a housewife. This job has blessed us with the opportunity for me to be one for a while, and I honestly can’t think of anything I’d rather do right now than focus on finishing up my degree and taking care of house and home. I’ve been working full time since my senior year of high school and, as such, I’ve been taking classes at the local community college for longer than I’d care to say. I’ve even passed a few of them! Throughout my never-ending academic career, my job has always taken priority over my schoolwork… it’s been one of those things that just looms in the back of your mind constantly but you never seem to get around to doing anything about it. That’s finally about to change, and for that I’m grateful. I don’t want to say that I won’t be working…everyone insists that I will grow bored and will want to get out to socialize. Of course, I ask these people if they’ve ever MET me before, but still they remain persistent and I remain indifferent. We’ll see, I guess. As much as I’d like to continue contributing financially to the household, who wouldn’t want to jump on an opportunity for a vacation from the workforce? I’ll still be crafting items to sell on ThomasSaylorDesigns.com, either way…because Mama needs her shoe allowance.

Of course this sudden change of scheduling means a couple of things; 1) We’re moving to Richmond and 2) The wedding has been postponed indefinitely. You may have already guessed that something was going on by our cryptic tweets and Facebook statuses recently, and also because the wedding was originally planned for yesterday (which was also our 3 year anniversary! Woo hoo!) I know this seems sudden, and honestly this was as big of a surprise to us a few weeks ago as it is to you guys as you all are reading this post today. It’s funny, I won’t miss an episode of regularly-scheduled television for the world but dangle a promotion in front of my face and watch how quickly I’ll shuffle my plans around!

I’m so proud of Chris’ accomplishments and it’s great to see his hard work paying off. I am, of course, sad about leaving my family and friends here in North Carolina. I won’t be too far away in VA, but the fact that this is my first out-of-state move is a little daunting. I’m discovering that so many things are different there. The cost of living, for example, is so much higher in our new neighborhood. In Greenville, $600 a month will get you a spacious, semi-detached house with a private driveway and a fenced-in backyard. In Glen Allen, $600 a month will get you a generously-sized cardboard box and, if you’re lucky, a potted plant. We’re still in sticker-shock about that, but we’ll adjust. It’s interesting, though, that gas is actually cheaper in Virginia than North Carolina. I guess if we were really economically savvy we could have just moved into a traveling RV instead, although I’m not so sure that Riley could function without her own bathroom.

I don’t have any pictures of the new place yet, but if you want you can take a virtual tour here. The leasing agents were so nice and we really love the community so far. I can’t wait to get out and explore a bit. We’re really close to great shopping and lots of things to do, including being just miles away from the Short Pump Mall. That’s such a funny name to me, by the way. Short Pump. It reminds me of that hand motion you used to do as a child in the car when you passed a truck driver to get him to honk the horn. It became so that I wasn’t able to pass a sign that said “Short Pump” last weekend without demonstrating that motion to Chris, which thanks to sleep deprivation and homosexual thinking soon turned into a motion that more closely resembled fisting. Needless to say, I now have a pretty disturbing visual reference for my new local shopping mecca.

So our current situation is this: we hired movers, who got the bulk of our furniture hauled to the new apartment last Saturday. They were not amused when I surprised them with the fact that they were hauling my 500 pound piano up 3 flights of stairs, but they moved us in nonetheless. However, Chris is in Miami right now beginning his training and I’m still in Greenville working out my notice at the bank, so basically we only had time to throw our boxes inside the apartment, lock the door, and come back home. And by “throw our boxes” obviously I mean that we sat on the couch and ate while we watched the movers lug load after load. As for our old apartment, we went ahead and vacated for the new leaseholders to move in, so I’m currently biding my time with our friend Jeremy at the Albion Dunn House. Meanwhile, our personal belongings are scattered across the country in disorganized fashion and if you were to ask me where I live right now I don’t know what the correct answer would be. Earlier this week I realized that I had inadvertently packed all of our dress shoes the weekend before, and while getting ready for work I was torn between the options of blue sneakers or brown flip-flops. I had to explain to my manager that although the blue didn’t match my tie as closely as the brown, I had to choose against the open-toes both practically and morally. I was advised soon after to take my lunch hour and buy something a little more appropriate. Some people just have no sense of fashion.

Just thought I’d point out a few new things on the blog.

You may notice some unfamiliar links at the top of your page. Here’s a little break-down:

1. “shop” will connect you instantly to my online shop at Etsy.com. Sales are appreciated, but compliments are mandatory. http://thomassaylordesigns.etsy.com
2. “your daily flair” is a brand new miniblog I’ve started on Tumblr.com. I’d basically like to use it to post photos and links to styles that inspire me, as well as some creations of my own. Lately my own self-promotion has been leaking more and more over here to YourDailyThomas.com, and I just want to ensure that I keep this little place true to its original feel and focus. My hope is to reserve my lengthiest, most heartfelt posts for this website, as I understand that not ALL of you guys care to read about pillows and purses every day. http://yourdailyflair.tumblr.com
3. “craft how-to” is another fairly-new project that I’m excited about, hosted on Blogger.com. As most of you know, the majority of my needlework and otherwise crafty skills are self-taught, with the exception of the things I pick up from friends and YouTube videos along the way. As I continue to grow as a designer, I am excited to share what I’ve learned with others that enjoy handmade. And again, I understand that this does not necessarily include all of my readers here at YourDailyThomas.com. http://crafthowto.blogspot.com
4. “connect” is probably more of a benefit to myself than to all of you. My dear friend Jeremy has accused me of having “too many www’s!” and it’s true…I’m completely addicted to the Internet. Social networking in its ugliest form, here you will find all my other online profiles, in the event you might want to add/message/friend request me on another venue of your choice.
5. “photos” is pretty self-explanatory. Instant access to my Flickr.com photostream, as I don’t always get a chance to post pictures here.
6. “subscribe” is the final, and probably most important link. We all get busy, and there’s never enough time to sit down in the front of the computer and catch up with all of our friends. Whenever I have anything important to announce or discuss (like the wedding, for example) the easiest way for me is to write about it on my blog so that I can tell you all at once. If you’d like, you can enter your email address and Google will send my posts directly to your inbox. That way, you never miss an update…I mean, it is Your DAILY Thomas, after all.

Our mail carrier just arrived a few moments ago and I met her at the door to tear into the package I’ve been expecting for a week and a half now… I was too anxious to stop and pose for a better picture, but I’ll post more soon. I’m growing more excited with each passing day!!!!

This post is going to be an update of sorts.

Today marks the end of my second full week of dieting. You can read about week number one by clicking here. I have nothing I’d like to share about week two, except by posting the following:

Tomorrow, indeed.

Oh, there is just one other diet-related issue I feel I need to make clear. At some point in the last few weeks I made a joke that went something along the lines of “Well, I have to trim down so that I can fit into my wedding dress.” Since then, at least two different people have asked me if I was really going to be wearing a dress at my wedding. Sadly, let the record show that there will be no drag queens in attendance on my big day, myself included. However, if anyone knows of a Connecticut-native transsexual who happens to have their Justice of the Peace license, please let me know…I think that he/she might make a lovely addition to my wedding party by way of his/her unique mix of baritone and style.

Speaking of the wedding, I wanted to let you all know that I’ve been dying to post pictures of wardrobe choices and related accessories…the only problem, though, is that I’ve yet to figure out any of those details! It all started when I had an idea in my head about what our bow ties would look like. I wanted a very specific print and color choice that I simply cannot find anywhere! Because of the contrariety of selection these days in the bow tie industry, I thought it best to hold off on all other accessories until the neck wear is under control.  I’m hoping with all my might that I’ll find the bow ties I’m looking for and that everything else will simply fall in line. Cross your fingers for good luck, and also cross your legs for good measure. Really.

In other news, last week was quite a big week at Thomas Saylor Designs! I sold 5 pillows online to complete strangers, all within an hour of each other! I have to stress the “strangers” part because, although I’ve been blessed with quite a bit of sales income over the past few months, a big majority of those orders were for friends and coworkers and I’ve been nervous that eventually they would all tire from keeping my business afloat and I wouldn’t have expanded my customer base at all. But last week’s pillows went to 100% legitimate, bona fide strangers and I feel a sense of validity and accomplishment! Woo hoo! Of course, the money I earn from my local customers spends just as easily, so please…let’s try to keep a good thing going.

Click here to see more.

Satan’s in the tub!