Just got back from a walk that took about 2 hours -- our walks have become a lot less about walking, and more about meeting new people.
We take Bree and Achilles out to walk along the harbor on a boardwalk called the Promenade. 
It's full of runners and fellow dog-walkers, which Bree and Achilles love. It's not only the perfect place for us to test and train Achilles, but also a great way to start a conversation with strangers :). Tonight we met Charlie (Golden Retriever), Mozart (Italian Greyhound), a Catahoula Leopard Dog, and Arthur (Standard Poodle). It just so happens Arthur and his owners live around the corner from us and have recently moved to the area is well! They mentioned looking for a church as well, and then the guy fishing next to us piped up and said that we should try his church right in Canton because he loves it. What do you know?
Between visits from friends and family (Josh, Nick, and Jennifer moved us in last week; Anne and Andrew up for a visit this weekend), we've had a chance to spend some time with some Furman grad who moved up to Baltimore in June, and another North Carolina native in the apartment complex. I knew everyone was really worried about us making friends, so I thought I would reassure you that we've made a few :).
So back to the beginning... Moving In.
(photo courtesy of Josh Cooke)
First off, we can't say thank you enough to Josh, Nick, and Jennifer for all the time and energy they put into getting us into the apartment. There is no way we could have done it by ourselves. The moving in process went into the early hours of Friday morning, the guys having begun their journey at 9:00 a.m. Thursday morning, and Jennifer and I following behind at about 4:30 p.m. When Jennifer and I arrived at 10:30 pm, we found hungry, dehydrated guys and boxes everywhere (in the apartment, in the hallway, on the elevator, on the second floor outside of the elevator, in the moving truck-- unattended with the hatch open). Through much toil, all the boxes made their way to our apartment and we got the air mattresses blown up just in time for the tired movers to crash.
Most of Friday was dedicated to unpacking, so we could at least walk from one room to the other. We attempted to head out to an Orioles game, but became too hungry waiting for the taxi and decided to just get dinner instead. After searching our cell phones for restaurant reviews, we ended up at Tyson's Tavern. Everyone enjoyed their food -- although it took a couple tries before the waitress understood Josh's order for "water" (in his pronunciation-- wooder), Nick was disappointed at not being able to order sweet tea, and when the fish n chips came, the fish wasn't fried. Welcome to the (almost) North!
The next day, we managed to work in some site seeing. First stop, Inner Harbor. We ate lunch at ESPN zone, where the guys got to play games. Next was a stop by Barnes and Noble. It was impressive:
After hanging out by the harbor a bit, we took a tour through the Baltimore Aquarium. It was a little pricey for the tickets ($25/person), but we did get to see huge sting rays, sharks, sea turtles, jelly fish, etc.
We found out later that night that you can't eat at a restaurant after 10:00 unless you are 21. We managed to chat with a bouncer to let us in for some food, after which he yelled into the restaurant "Hey, can I get a waitress out here to serve some 20 year olds?" A little embarrassing, but at least we didn't go hungry.
We sent our dear friends and helpers off on Sunday after a wonderful brunch at Kooper's Tavern (which we've now eaten at 3 times because it is so good!). Many thanks, again, for all the help!
Week 1 in B'more:
After our help left, Jonathan and I continued to unpack and try to order our lives and our space. We also started a diet that lasted three days:
The World's Toughest Diet. We ate canned tuna fish, chicken breast (just cooked, not the yummy kind), egg whites, and portein shakes exclusively. And only water, black coffee, and green tea. It was really yucky, but the results weren't bad -- I lost 3 lbs in 3 days! And I think I haven't gained it back... yet.
I also started my summer intership at the
Center for Hellenic Studies. The center is located in Georgetown (Washington, D.C.), but I can do most of my work remotely. I did commute a few days last week to get trained and oriented, but it's a commute I would like to do as infrequently as possible (at least at peak time). I am working in their publications department, "tagging" books/publications to be published on the CHS website. The people at the center are wonderful to work with, so the next month or two will be a great experience for me! (but still pray that I find a job :)).
Visit from Anne and Andrew
Anne and Andrew arrived late Thursday night to visit for the weekend. We had a great time showing them around town, including going to an annual Baltimore festival called Artscape. We enjoyed looking at the paintings and photography the most. Here are some of our favorite artists:
Today has been a great day -- tried a church (not the one, but it's a process), had brunch with our Furman friends (at Kooper's for visit #3), deep cleaned the apartment (so much easier to clean when there are only 3 rooms including the bathroom), took the dogs on a walk, and made dinner in the apartment. More (yes, more!) coming soon -- hopefully with pictures of Bree and Achilles' dog friends and some of our new friends!
First, we went to Gwynns Falls Park.
