So. Brief update. 

DH went to lunch with my boss and they really hit it off. Boss is thinking about bringing DH on board as a creative consultant...just need to work out the details but I think it's going to happen. We'd like it to start February but that might be too soon...may have to be March. Trying not to get my hopes up...but I kind of am.  

This weekend, I was able to go to where my sister lives (DC) and help her set up her apartment for grad school. She had to leave last spring on a medical withdrawal (she slipped a disc at the base of her neck and couldn't move her left arm at all...was very scary). Now she's going back and giving it another try after saving up some $$ and doing intense physical therapy all summer and fall. 

When I was at her apartment last spring, it was such a dump and she still hadn't unpacked most things...had way too much stuff for such a small apartment and no way to organize everything. I really didn't want her starting this semester without having a nice place to work set up...and I also didn't want her trying to wrench around a bunch of furniture on her own. 

I had a blast! When I got there, she had the bedroom totally set up and usable...and it's clear she's in a much better place mentally than she was last year. It was so much fun being able to take her out and spend a little $$ getting her some decent furniture. Also, because it was a holiday weekend, there were a lot of amazing sales on furniture and other household items. We got her a really nice brown leather couch and matching chair and ottoman at a second-hand place that was having a half-off sale all weekend, so all three pieces were $190. We also got her a rug (normally $270, marked down to $75), a nice desk and office chair (bought the floor model on the chair...so got an extra 30% off), a (very small but cool) TV console/media center, a cool wire hanging piece that we mounted on the wall for her shoes, a bench with storage for her hallway area, and some curtains and curtain hardware. All for less than $1,000. Couldn't believe how well we did. 

Anyway. It felt pretty great to create a cozy little office nook and living room in just two days...I felt like an Extreme Home Makeover superhero person who gets s*** done Her apartment is still small and still a bit of a dump (and $1200 a month for a one-bedroom in a kind of crappy neighborhood). But at least it looks homey, clean, and comfortable now.