Moving...A Game The Whole Family Can Play

So, I pretty much learned this week that moving is one of my least favorite activities. Fortunately for me, this move was not mine and my friend hired movers to not only do the heavy lifting, but to do ALL the lifting.


Now that the move is over and done with, I can look back and honestly say it was a bunch of fun. A lot of work, but a whole lotta fun! The move started on Wednesday with a rather lengthy trip to Home Depot (the first of like 10 over the last 2 days) to pick up paint, a doggie door, and a ladder. (Note to self: when planning a paint project, purchase the paint prior to the day in which you plan to use it.) Well, the stop at the paint department did not go as swiftly as planned no thanks to a flippin' contractor who just had to order 20 GALLONS of paint...all in different colors. I thought there was "Home Depot PRO" for just this reason. Well, once the guy behind the paint counter could breathe long enough, we placed our order and went about to collect the rest of the items left for purchase. TWO HOURS later, we were back at the new residence with everything we needed to turn her house into a home.

So, the agenda for the day was to include the installation of 4 ceiling fans and paint in 3 rooms. An easy enough task for a couple of home-improvement novices and two new homeowners. Well, OK, I guess it wasn't that easy since we ended the day only having installed 3/4 of one fan and got 1 3/4 rooms painted. The 2-hour Home Depot run certainly did not help our already cramped work schedule, and to keep things in the spirit of "this was fun", we won't talk about the other things that set us behind. Here is a couple pictures of the one room we did manage to finish on Day 1 (Paint Color: BEHR Light Topaz in Eggshell finish): *click on photos to enlarge

Day 2 of the move hoped to be a bit more promising. The old place was all packed up, it was a beautiful 80 degrees outside, and the movers were prompt and helpful. Once most of the old place was packed up, another friend picked me up and we headed over to the new home to hurry up and paint the remaining room before the movers arrived. We took what we learned from Day 1 and got that room painted up in about an hour and a half (and if I do say so myself, it looks the best of all the painted rooms - pictures to come shortly). By the time we finished the painting, the movers were mostly finished unloading. Finally, it was time for pizza and beer!

After our 30-minute "union sanctioned" lunch break, we were back to work to try to knock out as much unpacking as we could do. Kitchen...done. Upstairs Bathroom...done. Owner's bedroom...done. It felt so good to see that stark-white empty house transform into a home in just a few short hours. Oh, and in just a few months, that's gonna be me and D!

Yeah, you read right...a FEW months! The latest update from the builder projects our completion to be sometime in December. We just can't believe how quickly things are moving along. While I was out in the area, I snapped off a few shots of the progress they've made just since Monday (photo's taken Thursday 9/20): *click on photos to enlarge

The first picture is a shot taken directly across the street from where our new home will be. Look, the frame for the slab is down! The second picture is looking back at our lot to the homes that will share a "courtyard" with us. Where will my house fit, you ask? Well, you've gotta remember that these are patio homes, so no one has a traditional yard - only a patio - and believe it or not, our home will fit in that dirt lot where you see the guys working.

My Mom and Dad are coming up tomorrow for a visit, and you know my Dad with his camera! I imagine that he'll get some fantastic shots of the lot and the whole community for me to post up here. Oh yeah, my shoes for this post...well, what else do you wear when moving other than utility shoes? YES...I not only own, but I also wore a pair of hiking shoes (Columbia "Black Rock" hiking shoes).

Happy Birthday to ME!

Ok, so that title sounds bit conceited, but the more you read you'll understand why I'm so excited. You see, about 2 months ago, Dameone and I decided that it might be time to grow up and settle down. By that, I mean WE'RE BUILDING A HOUSE!!

The whole thing really came about so fast and unexpectedly. A good friend of ours just finished building her house and recommended that we come out and take a look at the new builds in her area. The area that she is building in is somewhat near an area where we had once lived - an area we were 200% certain we would never return to. Much to our surprise, though this area shares a common street name, it is nothing like the other place. In fact, it kind of reminds me of Tucson.

Anyway, after several failed attempts at declining her suggestions, we took the marketing materials she so kindly picked up for us and realized that this could become a reality for us. We glanced at the floor plans that were offered and selected a nice-sized 3br 2 1/2 ba 2-story patio home (For those of you who don't know, a patio home is a stand-alone home in a planned community that does not have a full yard...only a patio). We really feel that this will be the perfect transition for us out of apartment living and into our own home.

Ok, so why "happy birthday to me", you ask? Welllll....they broke ground on our new home today! So, it's one day after my birthday. Close enough.

Here are some pics from the day we signed our contract...enjoy! More updates to follow as the build progresses...

Good Food, Great Friends

So, as most of you know (or should know) my birthday is coming up this weekend. Since I work like a maniac, some of my friends decided to treat me to an early birthday celebration by taking me out to lunch/cocktails at this local eatery called Shabu Fondue. Now, I've never been to The Melting Pot (mostly because I've heard that it costs an arm and a leg and if I'm going to give up that kind of money on a meal, it better have been moo-ing in Japanese before it got to my plate) but I hear this place is quite similar in concept just geared toward a more budget conscious crowd.








The fondue dining experience definitely promotes conversation and, most of all, portion control. We decided that we were only mildly hungry, so the three of us split 2 kinds of cheese fondue, then of course the dessert fondue. This particular place serves a variety of carb-laden goodies to choose for dipping. With the cheese course you get rye bread, tortilla chips, soft pretzel sticks, and something else that escapes my memory.






Then out comes the super-yummy chocolate fondue and with it, another selection of tid bits to feed your carb over-dose. They brought out graham crackers, marshmallows, cheesecake, cherries, strawberries, and pineapple (which we decided to pass on). I can hardly imagine how we didn't eat the bowl the chocolate come out in. I think the only thing that stopped if from devouring it was the threat of scalding our mouths!







After lunch, we sat and talked for a while then I opened my presents. I got a huge stack of home decorating magazines and....drum roll please....A NEW PAIR OF SHOES!!! I must say that I have some of the most fantastic friends on the face of this earth. Thank you guys!!!