We've managed to unpack the entire main floor of the house. Woo hoo! And it's wonderful, absolutely wonderful. Harry and I even managed to have an hour to sit and watch TV together last night.
We still don't have our new furniture yet, but I'm hoping that will be remedied by the weekend. We're also getting our dishwasher on Saturday (who knew handwashing dishes every evening would take so long?) and we're hoping to have the guys come out to measure for our new kitchen counters next weekend.
As for the fence, we've been calling around for more estimates because the first one was hella high. I can't believe how expensive they can be. We already have fencing 3/4 of the way around the backyard; you'd think the price for just two small sections to the house itself wouldn't cost an arm and a leg. Geez.
The neighborhood itself feels really good. We've already met a handful of our neighbors, and they're all very nice. I'm trying to keep all the names straight. I know we have not one but TWO Norm's; what are the odds. There's also a Dave, a Gino, a Ruth, a Donna, and a Josie. Oh, and little Danielle, Jose and Norm's 21 month old granddaughter. Ellie got to meet her on Monday. She'll have a playmate right next door.
We've also been invited to the neighborhood party this coming Saturday. I've never been to one of those before because I always lived on a major street in town. They've got a water slide for the kids and there'll be food all day. We'll definitely bring something and meet as many people as we can for an hour or two. We've already got a lot going on this weekend, so that's all the time we can sacrifice.
I must say that it's all a little much for me to take in; I'm not a very social person where neighbors are concerned. I value my privacy. I value the time I get to spend with Harry and Ellie. Harry's the one that loves to chat over the fence, so he's elated that everyone is up in everybody else's business. I know I should be happy that everyone looks out for everyone else in this new neighborhood, but seeing my neighbor swoop into my yard this morning to put my recycling bin in my breezeway the minute the truck pulled away is a bit Stepford Wives-ish for me. Actually a little more like that X-Files episode Arcadia. A little spooky, but maybe it's just me.
All in all, we're loving the new house. Ellie's getting more and more used to it, and the cat seems to be in heaven. I've never seen her out and about so much. She even hung out in Ellie's room last night for a bit.
My mom, my older sister, and 2 of my nieces should be stopping by tonight, which will be fun. I get to show off the new digs. I can't wait.
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
The chaos of buying and moving into a new house
Pretty much anything that could go wrong went wrong, but we're all moved in and we're happy little walking zombies.
Let's start with Friday, the day of my closing. I had planned on having a 9am closing so Harry and I could get to work ripping out those carpets. Didn't happen. My lawyer claimed he had court all morning, so the closing couldn't be until 2pm. Damnit. To top that, we had to make sure we picked Ellie up by 4:15pm two towns over.
On Thursday, I had called my lawyer to verify how much the closing costs were. He didn't know. He said he would probably find out Friday morning and call me then. How are ya gonna call me when you're in court all morning, Buddy? Hmmmm.
Friday morning, I got a call from my realtor telling me everything was a go and that he had just spoken to my lawyer's assistant, and, surprise, surprise, my lawyer was actually in his fucking office. So I called, and sure enough he's there. And he still doesn't have the closing costs. And it's 11am. He asks if I've done my walk-through yet, even though my realtor just told his assistant we were doing it right before the closing at 12:30pm. Ass. I give him the walk-through time, and he says he'll call me as soon as he gets the closing costs.
At 12:25pm, I still haven't heard from him. I call his assistant and tell her I'm going to do the walk-through, and he can reach me on my cell. At 12:35pm, I finally get the fucking closing cost numbers. Yeah, 1 hour and 25 minutes before the actual close. So we do our walk-through, I race to the bank to get the checks made out, and we arrive at the seller's lawyer's office with 5 minutes to spare.
Harry, Eric, our realtor, and I wait around for 10 minutes, wondering where the hell my lawyer is. I check my phone, and there's a message sent at 1:40pm. He claims the wire from the bank still hasn't come through. WHAT? Yeah, so he has to wait for that, then he has to go to the bank to get the check, then he'll be there. He's also 25 minutes away from the lawyer's office as it is. Yeah.
I call his assistant immediately, and she says he got the wire and he's at the bank right now. He'll probably be about 10 minutes late.
Try 50 minutes late. He waltzes in at 2:50pm, and suggests we do all the closing paperwork BEFORE we go over our mortgage stuff and numbers. My realtor completely flips. Basically, he's ready to call my lawyer a dipshit. His exact words are, "Don't you think it would be in your clients' best interests to go over the numbers first and make sure they agree to pay what they're asking to be paid?" Dude, thank God Eric was there.
The seller's lawyer was hoping we'd already be done by 3pm because he had to get the bank, and he was floored when we told him we hadn't signed our paperwork prior to coming to his office. This would be because my lawyer waited until Friday morning (the morning he was supposedly in court) to contact the bank for all the numbers instead of making sure it was all set on Thursday to happen first thing Friday morning. My realtor told us (and the seller's lawyer's face confirmed it) that this is NOT how a closing is supposed to go down.
So we go through all the paperwork, which takes almost an hour. We're looking over the HUD when the seller's lawyer knocks and says he's really has to get to the bank before 4pm. It's 3:45pm. The closing itself takes about 2 minutes. 2 minutes. We get the keys and jet out of there. We manage to pick up Ellie with 5 minutes to spare.
We are never using this lawyer again. Never. Eric said he's never met a lawyer so disorganized and unfamiliar with real estate law. And real estate is one of this guy's specialties. Holy shit.
By the end of the night, Harry has ripped out all the carpet, the plumber has been there to give us a price, Harry ran out and bought a new toilet, I lugged over a carful of stuff, and he and I managed to put a first coat of paint in one of the rooms.
Saturday, the plumbing got done, including a new water heater, new toilet, gas stove installed including new lines since there was an electric stove before, lines run for a new dishwasher, and a new spicket installed in the front of the house. The fencing company came down to take measurements for a quote (please don't let it be too high). Harry finished putting the second coat of paint on the wall, painting the dining room and master bedroom (which I helped with), pulled every last staple and tack strip out of the floor from the carpeting (holy crap was that a job), and changed the locks. My mom babysat for a few hours, so I was able to come and help him for a bit; I spent the rest of the day packing. I wished I could have helped all day, but I knew my mom couldn't have watched Ellie for that long. I got back to Ellie around 4pm; Harry didn't get home until nearly 1am. And he had started around 6:30am. Yikes.
I also spent a good portion of the day on the phone confirming this, that, and the other thing. Our furniture never came in. We had called on Wednesday, Friday, and again on Saturday. We finally found out that we'd get it the end of this week. It was supposed to be in the beginning of last week. I also called to confirm our moving truck rental for Sunday from 9am to 6:30pm. Yes they'll have the truck, but they've decided to open at 10am and they're going to close at 5pm. You've got to fucking be kidding me. I told them the website stated their hours as 5am-7pm on Sunday, and the guy goes, "Oh, you know, sometimes we shorten our Sunday hours." Thanks a lot, Buddy. He said we technically have the truck for 24 hours, so we could bring it back later, and just leave the keys in the dropbox. Yeah because I don't want a receipt when we drop it off, and I don't want to be there when you check the truck for damage. I'll just trust you on that. Jerk.
So Sunday arrives. Harry starts driving loads of stuff over in his car around 6:30am. At 7:30am, I get a call from the cable company asking if they can come out at 8am instead of 11am. Sure! Let's get this over and done with. So Harry makes another trip to the house with more stuff, a TV, and the cable boxes while I do some last minute packing. At 8:30am, Harry calls. The cable guy hasn't shown up. WTF? So I call the cable guy back and leave a message asking if something came up. 9am. Still no cable guy. Harry's been stuck at the house waiting for this guy instead of making runs. So I go over there to wait for the guy with Ellie in tow. A guy shows up just as Harry's making another dropoff at 9:25am. We're supposed to pick up the truck at 10am. Not gonna happen. The cable guy that originally called me got sick and went home. And didn't call me to let me know he wasn't coming. How nice.
So since we can't pick up the truck, I go grocery shopping. That was the plan while Harry was actually moving a load of furniture so we'd be out of the way, but now it'll cut into Ellie's naptime if we wait. So Harry stays with cable dude and Ellie and I go shopping. Did I mention we had thunderstorms all morning? Torrential downpours every time either of us walked out of the house. It was really quite lovely.
I finish shopping and return to the house just as the cable guy is leaving. Come to find out even though the cable operator told us they do in-wall installation, they actually don't. They just drill a hole through your floor and feed a wire up. Now that's classy.
We race to go pick up the moving truck. Harry tried to call them about 15 times to make sure they didn't give away our truck, but they never answered the phone. Luckily, the truck was there. The guy actually had the nerve to tell us that we should really call if we're going to be late. Fucker. At one point, he actually walked down the road to another gas station that they own to ask his boss something. It took us nearly 1/2 an hour to get the truck. So the furniture moving didn't actually start until 12:30pm.
The bright side was that Harry's friend, Raphael, from work, and his son, Josh, came to help out. And they're fucking awesome. We couldn't have done it without them. They got all the big stuff moved by 5:15pm in the rain. And yes, every time they went to load or unload the truck, it started to rain again and didn't stop until they closed the truck doors. Every time. And we missed bringing the truck back by 15 minutes. Oh well.
I spent the majority of the day unpacking my kitchen while Ellie napped. And just that small thing, getting my kitchen in order, made the house mine. And it felt good.
We all feasted on pizza for dinner, and then I went to go get the cat. What I thought was going to be a major chore ended up being the easiest part of the move. The cat was so terrified by all the moving furniture that she went happily into the cat carrier to get the hell out of there.
We had to come back to the bat cave for baths and showers because we didn't get a chance to clean our new bathroom, and then we went back to our new home so Ellie could go to bed for the night. Then Harry went back (with the truck since we still had it) and made a 4th run. I cleaned some more and finally got to sit down to watch The Next Food Network Star only to find out the cable had crapped out. I was on hold for nearly 1/2 an hour. They fixed it for me, helped me get my old phone number back, and transfered the credit I had on my old account to my new one. At least that ended up going right. We relaxed with a bowl of ice cream, watched a little TV, and ended up going to bed around Midnight.
We called in on Monday since we had to bring the truck back, and we had to finish getting all the rest of our crap in the bat cave. We finished the final load of stuff at 3pm. My niece came by to check the place out and helped me scrub my bathroom because she's awseome like that. Then we went to pick up Ellie, and she watched her for me for a bit so I could clean some more. We put in another long night last night, but it was worth it because we now have a fully functional house going on.
And it's amazing.
Eventually I'll post some pics. Maybe sometime next week. Just be patient:) Oh, and please ignore the fact that I use both past and present tense in this post; I'm way tired.
Let's start with Friday, the day of my closing. I had planned on having a 9am closing so Harry and I could get to work ripping out those carpets. Didn't happen. My lawyer claimed he had court all morning, so the closing couldn't be until 2pm. Damnit. To top that, we had to make sure we picked Ellie up by 4:15pm two towns over.
On Thursday, I had called my lawyer to verify how much the closing costs were. He didn't know. He said he would probably find out Friday morning and call me then. How are ya gonna call me when you're in court all morning, Buddy? Hmmmm.
Friday morning, I got a call from my realtor telling me everything was a go and that he had just spoken to my lawyer's assistant, and, surprise, surprise, my lawyer was actually in his fucking office. So I called, and sure enough he's there. And he still doesn't have the closing costs. And it's 11am. He asks if I've done my walk-through yet, even though my realtor just told his assistant we were doing it right before the closing at 12:30pm. Ass. I give him the walk-through time, and he says he'll call me as soon as he gets the closing costs.
At 12:25pm, I still haven't heard from him. I call his assistant and tell her I'm going to do the walk-through, and he can reach me on my cell. At 12:35pm, I finally get the fucking closing cost numbers. Yeah, 1 hour and 25 minutes before the actual close. So we do our walk-through, I race to the bank to get the checks made out, and we arrive at the seller's lawyer's office with 5 minutes to spare.
Harry, Eric, our realtor, and I wait around for 10 minutes, wondering where the hell my lawyer is. I check my phone, and there's a message sent at 1:40pm. He claims the wire from the bank still hasn't come through. WHAT? Yeah, so he has to wait for that, then he has to go to the bank to get the check, then he'll be there. He's also 25 minutes away from the lawyer's office as it is. Yeah.
I call his assistant immediately, and she says he got the wire and he's at the bank right now. He'll probably be about 10 minutes late.
Try 50 minutes late. He waltzes in at 2:50pm, and suggests we do all the closing paperwork BEFORE we go over our mortgage stuff and numbers. My realtor completely flips. Basically, he's ready to call my lawyer a dipshit. His exact words are, "Don't you think it would be in your clients' best interests to go over the numbers first and make sure they agree to pay what they're asking to be paid?" Dude, thank God Eric was there.
The seller's lawyer was hoping we'd already be done by 3pm because he had to get the bank, and he was floored when we told him we hadn't signed our paperwork prior to coming to his office. This would be because my lawyer waited until Friday morning (the morning he was supposedly in court) to contact the bank for all the numbers instead of making sure it was all set on Thursday to happen first thing Friday morning. My realtor told us (and the seller's lawyer's face confirmed it) that this is NOT how a closing is supposed to go down.
So we go through all the paperwork, which takes almost an hour. We're looking over the HUD when the seller's lawyer knocks and says he's really has to get to the bank before 4pm. It's 3:45pm. The closing itself takes about 2 minutes. 2 minutes. We get the keys and jet out of there. We manage to pick up Ellie with 5 minutes to spare.
We are never using this lawyer again. Never. Eric said he's never met a lawyer so disorganized and unfamiliar with real estate law. And real estate is one of this guy's specialties. Holy shit.
By the end of the night, Harry has ripped out all the carpet, the plumber has been there to give us a price, Harry ran out and bought a new toilet, I lugged over a carful of stuff, and he and I managed to put a first coat of paint in one of the rooms.
Saturday, the plumbing got done, including a new water heater, new toilet, gas stove installed including new lines since there was an electric stove before, lines run for a new dishwasher, and a new spicket installed in the front of the house. The fencing company came down to take measurements for a quote (please don't let it be too high). Harry finished putting the second coat of paint on the wall, painting the dining room and master bedroom (which I helped with), pulled every last staple and tack strip out of the floor from the carpeting (holy crap was that a job), and changed the locks. My mom babysat for a few hours, so I was able to come and help him for a bit; I spent the rest of the day packing. I wished I could have helped all day, but I knew my mom couldn't have watched Ellie for that long. I got back to Ellie around 4pm; Harry didn't get home until nearly 1am. And he had started around 6:30am. Yikes.
I also spent a good portion of the day on the phone confirming this, that, and the other thing. Our furniture never came in. We had called on Wednesday, Friday, and again on Saturday. We finally found out that we'd get it the end of this week. It was supposed to be in the beginning of last week. I also called to confirm our moving truck rental for Sunday from 9am to 6:30pm. Yes they'll have the truck, but they've decided to open at 10am and they're going to close at 5pm. You've got to fucking be kidding me. I told them the website stated their hours as 5am-7pm on Sunday, and the guy goes, "Oh, you know, sometimes we shorten our Sunday hours." Thanks a lot, Buddy. He said we technically have the truck for 24 hours, so we could bring it back later, and just leave the keys in the dropbox. Yeah because I don't want a receipt when we drop it off, and I don't want to be there when you check the truck for damage. I'll just trust you on that. Jerk.
So Sunday arrives. Harry starts driving loads of stuff over in his car around 6:30am. At 7:30am, I get a call from the cable company asking if they can come out at 8am instead of 11am. Sure! Let's get this over and done with. So Harry makes another trip to the house with more stuff, a TV, and the cable boxes while I do some last minute packing. At 8:30am, Harry calls. The cable guy hasn't shown up. WTF? So I call the cable guy back and leave a message asking if something came up. 9am. Still no cable guy. Harry's been stuck at the house waiting for this guy instead of making runs. So I go over there to wait for the guy with Ellie in tow. A guy shows up just as Harry's making another dropoff at 9:25am. We're supposed to pick up the truck at 10am. Not gonna happen. The cable guy that originally called me got sick and went home. And didn't call me to let me know he wasn't coming. How nice.
So since we can't pick up the truck, I go grocery shopping. That was the plan while Harry was actually moving a load of furniture so we'd be out of the way, but now it'll cut into Ellie's naptime if we wait. So Harry stays with cable dude and Ellie and I go shopping. Did I mention we had thunderstorms all morning? Torrential downpours every time either of us walked out of the house. It was really quite lovely.
I finish shopping and return to the house just as the cable guy is leaving. Come to find out even though the cable operator told us they do in-wall installation, they actually don't. They just drill a hole through your floor and feed a wire up. Now that's classy.
We race to go pick up the moving truck. Harry tried to call them about 15 times to make sure they didn't give away our truck, but they never answered the phone. Luckily, the truck was there. The guy actually had the nerve to tell us that we should really call if we're going to be late. Fucker. At one point, he actually walked down the road to another gas station that they own to ask his boss something. It took us nearly 1/2 an hour to get the truck. So the furniture moving didn't actually start until 12:30pm.
The bright side was that Harry's friend, Raphael, from work, and his son, Josh, came to help out. And they're fucking awesome. We couldn't have done it without them. They got all the big stuff moved by 5:15pm in the rain. And yes, every time they went to load or unload the truck, it started to rain again and didn't stop until they closed the truck doors. Every time. And we missed bringing the truck back by 15 minutes. Oh well.
I spent the majority of the day unpacking my kitchen while Ellie napped. And just that small thing, getting my kitchen in order, made the house mine. And it felt good.
We all feasted on pizza for dinner, and then I went to go get the cat. What I thought was going to be a major chore ended up being the easiest part of the move. The cat was so terrified by all the moving furniture that she went happily into the cat carrier to get the hell out of there.
We had to come back to the bat cave for baths and showers because we didn't get a chance to clean our new bathroom, and then we went back to our new home so Ellie could go to bed for the night. Then Harry went back (with the truck since we still had it) and made a 4th run. I cleaned some more and finally got to sit down to watch The Next Food Network Star only to find out the cable had crapped out. I was on hold for nearly 1/2 an hour. They fixed it for me, helped me get my old phone number back, and transfered the credit I had on my old account to my new one. At least that ended up going right. We relaxed with a bowl of ice cream, watched a little TV, and ended up going to bed around Midnight.
We called in on Monday since we had to bring the truck back, and we had to finish getting all the rest of our crap in the bat cave. We finished the final load of stuff at 3pm. My niece came by to check the place out and helped me scrub my bathroom because she's awseome like that. Then we went to pick up Ellie, and she watched her for me for a bit so I could clean some more. We put in another long night last night, but it was worth it because we now have a fully functional house going on.
And it's amazing.
Eventually I'll post some pics. Maybe sometime next week. Just be patient:) Oh, and please ignore the fact that I use both past and present tense in this post; I'm way tired.
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Favorites
I've heard moms and dads talking about their kids having one particular security item they need for naps and road trips and the like. Ellie's never been that way. She's never decided she needed a certain toy (or any toy for that matter) for short trips and nighttime.
Then this past week, that all changed. Suddenly, Ellie has been carting around her blanket a la Linus from the Peanuts Gang. I've got to admit, it's really cute. I know everyone is probably shouting, "Stop this behavior now, Alicia!" I, for one, think that it's just all part of growing up.
I had already noticed this past month that she hugs it while she sleeps instead of keeping it draped over her body. Occasionally, she uses it as a pillow. Now she brings it with her as I'm getting her out of her crib in the morning, she watches TV with it, etc. She's been really good about giving it to me for meals and when we have to leave the house (luckily, I talked her into leaving it in her toybin yesterday morning before daycare; she was ready to take it in the car). I'm fairly certain we're going to have a few tantrums over it eventually, but I'll deal with that when we get to it.
Ellie has also now shown a major preference for a particular TV show. She's always been a Curious George, Jack's Big Music Show, Sesame Street, and The Upside Down Show fan, but she's never actually asked to watch a certain one. And then we introduced Blues Clues last month, and the rest is history. She floored me a couple of weeks ago when I asked her if she'd like to watch TV, and she said, "Blues Clues!" complete with jazz hands. Holy crap! She had only seen the show like 4 or 5 times. She took to it that quickly.
So now she constantly wants to watch Blues Clues (which doesn't really bother me cuz I actually like the show). And she has a host preference, too; Steve over Joe. I'm not sure if she's picking that vibe up from me, or if she came to that conclusion all on her own. All I know is, my little girl loves that little blue dog. She does the "think, think, think" part of the song, again with hand gestures, she can bark like blue, and she LOVES when I sing the mail song.
Now I have to get my hands on a Blue stuffed animal. Ty makes a beanie; I think I"ll be ordering one once we move into the new house.
Speaking of... Friday is closing day!
Then this past week, that all changed. Suddenly, Ellie has been carting around her blanket a la Linus from the Peanuts Gang. I've got to admit, it's really cute. I know everyone is probably shouting, "Stop this behavior now, Alicia!" I, for one, think that it's just all part of growing up.
I had already noticed this past month that she hugs it while she sleeps instead of keeping it draped over her body. Occasionally, she uses it as a pillow. Now she brings it with her as I'm getting her out of her crib in the morning, she watches TV with it, etc. She's been really good about giving it to me for meals and when we have to leave the house (luckily, I talked her into leaving it in her toybin yesterday morning before daycare; she was ready to take it in the car). I'm fairly certain we're going to have a few tantrums over it eventually, but I'll deal with that when we get to it.
Ellie has also now shown a major preference for a particular TV show. She's always been a Curious George, Jack's Big Music Show, Sesame Street, and The Upside Down Show fan, but she's never actually asked to watch a certain one. And then we introduced Blues Clues last month, and the rest is history. She floored me a couple of weeks ago when I asked her if she'd like to watch TV, and she said, "Blues Clues!" complete with jazz hands. Holy crap! She had only seen the show like 4 or 5 times. She took to it that quickly.
So now she constantly wants to watch Blues Clues (which doesn't really bother me cuz I actually like the show). And she has a host preference, too; Steve over Joe. I'm not sure if she's picking that vibe up from me, or if she came to that conclusion all on her own. All I know is, my little girl loves that little blue dog. She does the "think, think, think" part of the song, again with hand gestures, she can bark like blue, and she LOVES when I sing the mail song.
Now I have to get my hands on a Blue stuffed animal. Ty makes a beanie; I think I"ll be ordering one once we move into the new house.
Speaking of... Friday is closing day!
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
10 Least Favorite Celebrities
I have a love/loathe relationship with celebrities. If you have no talent, you shouldn't be a celebrity. Period. Looking good is not enough in my book. And, well, if you have no talent AND you're not attractive, why the hell are people even putting you in that category? It boggles the mind.
1. Paris Hilton - I just don't get the allure of this woman. My cat has more personality.
2. Sebastian Bach - I am a HUGE Skid Row fan, and Sebastian has loads of talent, but his personality just rubs me the wrong way.
3. Britney Spears - Again, there's some talent there, but she seems to majorly screw up at least once a month in the personal category. Get your shit together, girl.
4. Celine Dion - It's that diva thing. Ugh.
5. Nicole Kidman - I don't see the talent. I guess it's just me.
6. David Caruso - He's always acted like he's such a hot commodity, but he delivers lines like he's constipated.
7. Andy Dick - He seriously skeeves me out. And he's got a lousy personality.
8. Mariah Carey - A woman completely full of herself without the intelligence to back it up. No thank you.
9. Michael Gambon - You ruined Dumbledore. Ruined him. Have you even read the books?
10. Tom Cruise - Every character is starting to look the same. And that whole Scientology fanaticism is creepy. And jumping on sofas is lame. Calm down.
1. Paris Hilton - I just don't get the allure of this woman. My cat has more personality.
2. Sebastian Bach - I am a HUGE Skid Row fan, and Sebastian has loads of talent, but his personality just rubs me the wrong way.
3. Britney Spears - Again, there's some talent there, but she seems to majorly screw up at least once a month in the personal category. Get your shit together, girl.
4. Celine Dion - It's that diva thing. Ugh.
5. Nicole Kidman - I don't see the talent. I guess it's just me.
6. David Caruso - He's always acted like he's such a hot commodity, but he delivers lines like he's constipated.
7. Andy Dick - He seriously skeeves me out. And he's got a lousy personality.
8. Mariah Carey - A woman completely full of herself without the intelligence to back it up. No thank you.
9. Michael Gambon - You ruined Dumbledore. Ruined him. Have you even read the books?
10. Tom Cruise - Every character is starting to look the same. And that whole Scientology fanaticism is creepy. And jumping on sofas is lame. Calm down.
Monday, July 21, 2008
Photo Challenge - A Moment to Myself
It's my week to come up with the photo challenge for all of us, so I decided to go with "A moment to myself". Naturally, I ended up having a hard time taking pics of stuff I do when I have some free time because pretty much everything I own is packed up in cardboard boxes, awaiting the move this coming weekend. I am an ass indeed.
So here are some older photos of things I like to do when I have a minute or two:
Everyone already knows that my favorite pastime is reading. I love, love, love books.
I also enjoy getting tattooed, as I'm sure everyone has already figured out by the title of my blog.
I also enjoy hanging out with friends and family (well, certain members fo my family - heh heh). Here's a pic of me with my mom and Kim at a picnic a couple of years ago B.E. (Before Ellie).
I don't really do this anymore since I had Ellie, but I used to like to have a few drinks and dance. Yup, nothing like drunk dancing. Here's a pic of me and Kim when we were out in L.A. after a few, um, beers? Martinis? I can't even remember.
And last but not least, I love to spend time with Harry, especially outdoors. We love taking walks, having picnics, or just sitting in the sun, chatting. We've now included Ellie in our outdoor fun, and she loves it.
So here are some older photos of things I like to do when I have a minute or two:
Everyone already knows that my favorite pastime is reading. I love, love, love books.
I also enjoy getting tattooed, as I'm sure everyone has already figured out by the title of my blog.
I also enjoy hanging out with friends and family (well, certain members fo my family - heh heh). Here's a pic of me with my mom and Kim at a picnic a couple of years ago B.E. (Before Ellie).
I don't really do this anymore since I had Ellie, but I used to like to have a few drinks and dance. Yup, nothing like drunk dancing. Here's a pic of me and Kim when we were out in L.A. after a few, um, beers? Martinis? I can't even remember.
And last but not least, I love to spend time with Harry, especially outdoors. We love taking walks, having picnics, or just sitting in the sun, chatting. We've now included Ellie in our outdoor fun, and she loves it.
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Decisions, decisions
I've been contemplating whether or not I should just do it. Here's my dilemma.
There is a local vineyard here that makes this amazing red picnic wine. I first tasted it a few years ago up in Mystic, back when the vineyard decided to open up a store in the Olde Mystic Village. It's light, it goes with just about anything (which most reds don't), and I just absolutely adore it. To boot, it's only about $15 a bottle (it was $10 when I first tried it).
A few months ago, I was really craving some, and Harry and I were going to drive the hour up to the vineyard to go buy a case. Unfortunately, either our babysitter fell through or someone got sick, I can't remember which, and we never made it.
Then I was just going to order it, but the shipping is like $25 which is crazy, seeing as the vineyard is only 2 exits away from my sister's house.
Since then, I've actually been up to my sister's house, but I completely forgot about the wine.
Now that we're moving into the new house, I was thinking about treating myself and getting the case. I realize it's a lot of wine, but I'd eventually drink it all. The thing that's stopping me now is that it's nearly $200. I really shouldn't be blowing that kind of money when we have a zillion things to pay for in the next month.
So I pose the question: Do I just go for it?
Oh, and I already know Kristin's answer:)
There is a local vineyard here that makes this amazing red picnic wine. I first tasted it a few years ago up in Mystic, back when the vineyard decided to open up a store in the Olde Mystic Village. It's light, it goes with just about anything (which most reds don't), and I just absolutely adore it. To boot, it's only about $15 a bottle (it was $10 when I first tried it).
A few months ago, I was really craving some, and Harry and I were going to drive the hour up to the vineyard to go buy a case. Unfortunately, either our babysitter fell through or someone got sick, I can't remember which, and we never made it.
Then I was just going to order it, but the shipping is like $25 which is crazy, seeing as the vineyard is only 2 exits away from my sister's house.
Since then, I've actually been up to my sister's house, but I completely forgot about the wine.
Now that we're moving into the new house, I was thinking about treating myself and getting the case. I realize it's a lot of wine, but I'd eventually drink it all. The thing that's stopping me now is that it's nearly $200. I really shouldn't be blowing that kind of money when we have a zillion things to pay for in the next month.
So I pose the question: Do I just go for it?
Oh, and I already know Kristin's answer:)
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
10 Memorable Vacation Moments
In no particular order:
1. I have to start with Maui 2004. South Maluaka Beach, Makena. On the little cliff to the left of the main beach behind the Maui Prince Hotel. February 4, 2004 at 6pm. This was when and where Harry and I said our vows.
2. Also Maui 2004. We went on a whale watching tour the day after we got married. 10 minutes into our 2 hour tour, we spotted not one but five whales. To see the pod in action was one of the most amazing moments of our lives so far.
3. A family trip to Maine back in the 80s. My parents took us to Cadillac Mountain. Very cool.
4. Our Camden, ME trip in 2003. Harry and I took our first vacation together about 6 months before we got married. We stayed 5 days at a bed and breakfast on Maine's coast. During that trip, I brought Harry to Cadillac Mountain because he had never been there. So worth all the extra driving.
5. Another family trip to Maine back in the 80s. We used to have our family friends, the Bertinis, come along for our 2 week vacations up at The Camp (what we call our family cottage in Oakland). On one particular vacation, we were all playing on the rope swings, and Jen fell and broke her arm. That moment still gets talked about everytime we get together.
6. Maui 2005. A submarine ride. 'Nuff said.
7. Los Angeles, CA 2000. I got my first tattoo done by Miss April Love at Malu Tattoo. Hence my addiction began.
8. Los Angeles, CA 2000. Santa Monica. My first glimpse of the Pacific Ocean. Shopping on the 3rd Street Promenade. Just an awesome day in general.
9. Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario 1990. We had driven the 18 hours to go to my cousin's wedding. It was well worth it because I had my first international crush during that 10-day stay. My cousin's future husband's nephew, Adriano. I crushed hard that summer for a boy who lived 1000 miles away.
10. The Poconos 2006. The place was utterly cheesy, and we were bored out of our minds. So why does this make the list? Our 2+ years battle with infertility came to an end. One little moment gave us our miracle.
1. I have to start with Maui 2004. South Maluaka Beach, Makena. On the little cliff to the left of the main beach behind the Maui Prince Hotel. February 4, 2004 at 6pm. This was when and where Harry and I said our vows.
2. Also Maui 2004. We went on a whale watching tour the day after we got married. 10 minutes into our 2 hour tour, we spotted not one but five whales. To see the pod in action was one of the most amazing moments of our lives so far.
3. A family trip to Maine back in the 80s. My parents took us to Cadillac Mountain. Very cool.
4. Our Camden, ME trip in 2003. Harry and I took our first vacation together about 6 months before we got married. We stayed 5 days at a bed and breakfast on Maine's coast. During that trip, I brought Harry to Cadillac Mountain because he had never been there. So worth all the extra driving.
5. Another family trip to Maine back in the 80s. We used to have our family friends, the Bertinis, come along for our 2 week vacations up at The Camp (what we call our family cottage in Oakland). On one particular vacation, we were all playing on the rope swings, and Jen fell and broke her arm. That moment still gets talked about everytime we get together.
6. Maui 2005. A submarine ride. 'Nuff said.
7. Los Angeles, CA 2000. I got my first tattoo done by Miss April Love at Malu Tattoo. Hence my addiction began.
8. Los Angeles, CA 2000. Santa Monica. My first glimpse of the Pacific Ocean. Shopping on the 3rd Street Promenade. Just an awesome day in general.
9. Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario 1990. We had driven the 18 hours to go to my cousin's wedding. It was well worth it because I had my first international crush during that 10-day stay. My cousin's future husband's nephew, Adriano. I crushed hard that summer for a boy who lived 1000 miles away.
10. The Poconos 2006. The place was utterly cheesy, and we were bored out of our minds. So why does this make the list? Our 2+ years battle with infertility came to an end. One little moment gave us our miracle.
Monday, July 14, 2008
Photo Challenge: A Day in the Life
So this week's photo challenge, courtesy of Cathy, was simply "a day in the life". Since I don't post pics of Ellie on the blog because it's public, this challenge ended up being a little hard for me, seeing as how I spend the entire weekend with Ellie. I had to shoot shots around her, and, well, they kinda came out like ass. Sorry, y'all.
And now without further ado, a day in the life of a tattooed mommy:
First things first: COFFEE. And a large glass at that.
There was also a shower in there somewhere, but there's no way I'm posting a pic of that.
Eventually Ellie woke up, I changed her diapie and got her dressed, and then we had breakfast. After breakfast, we always watch some cartoons. Noggin is the channel of choice on Saturday morning.
Around 9am, Ellie and I ventured out to the grocery store. Here are a few items we bought this week:
On our way to the grocery store, Mommy totally scored that car Ellie's been dying to get at a tag sale that was just setting up. $10! What a bargain.
Then it's on to laundryland. We've had extreme amounts of laundry this past week. I must have done 6 loads (instead of our normal 3).
I also finally managed to shred the rest of the old files I had been keeping in storage. Dude, I still had banking statements from 1994.
After that, we had lunch. Then Ellie went down for a nap, and I went down for the count, too. I was so sick, and I really needed to rest. I vegged out on the sofa for the 3 hours Ellie napped.
Once she got up, it was playtime. We dug into Ellie's toys for an hour or two.
We had dinner around 6pm (Harry cooked!), played some more, and watched an episode of Dora the Explorer, Ellie's new favorite before-bed show.
Then it was bathtime, Ellie's favorite time of the day.
After bath, Ellie has a cup of milk, we brush her teeth, and then it's off to bed. 'Nigh 'Nigh baby.
Harry and I chilled in front of the TV for a bit, and then it was bedtime for us, too. Yes, we're lame.
And now without further ado, a day in the life of a tattooed mommy:
First things first: COFFEE. And a large glass at that.
There was also a shower in there somewhere, but there's no way I'm posting a pic of that.
Eventually Ellie woke up, I changed her diapie and got her dressed, and then we had breakfast. After breakfast, we always watch some cartoons. Noggin is the channel of choice on Saturday morning.
Around 9am, Ellie and I ventured out to the grocery store. Here are a few items we bought this week:
On our way to the grocery store, Mommy totally scored that car Ellie's been dying to get at a tag sale that was just setting up. $10! What a bargain.
Then it's on to laundryland. We've had extreme amounts of laundry this past week. I must have done 6 loads (instead of our normal 3).
I also finally managed to shred the rest of the old files I had been keeping in storage. Dude, I still had banking statements from 1994.
After that, we had lunch. Then Ellie went down for a nap, and I went down for the count, too. I was so sick, and I really needed to rest. I vegged out on the sofa for the 3 hours Ellie napped.
Once she got up, it was playtime. We dug into Ellie's toys for an hour or two.
We had dinner around 6pm (Harry cooked!), played some more, and watched an episode of Dora the Explorer, Ellie's new favorite before-bed show.
Then it was bathtime, Ellie's favorite time of the day.
After bath, Ellie has a cup of milk, we brush her teeth, and then it's off to bed. 'Nigh 'Nigh baby.
Harry and I chilled in front of the TV for a bit, and then it was bedtime for us, too. Yes, we're lame.
Life is a Battlefield (in addition to love)
I didn't download my photos for the photo challenge yet, so that'll have to wait until later this evening. I was just too sick this weekend to do it. Sigh.
Summer fever virus my ass. It may be summer, and it may be a virus, but I never got a fever. It's a freakin' cold. It's just extra sucky because it's so hot out. The doctor was full of crap. He told us to treat it like a stomach virus (huh?) and only give her clear liquids to eat and drink, like flat 7up or ginger ale (you want me to give my 20 month old soda? Um, NO). All because I told him she coughed so hard that morning she threw her milk up. Her stomach was fine. That's not what made her puke.
He also told us to load her up on Motrin and OTC cough medicine in addition to her antibiotics. Sure, I want her to be comfortable, but I'm not giving her meds unless she needs them. Period. I had been giving her Motrin for the achiness, and I had given her a cough strip because her cough was seriously bad that day, but I won't give it just because. This isn't our normal PED, by the way. This was an older doctor in the practice who looked at me like I had 2 heads when I told him he couldn't give her a lollipop because we don't give her sugary stuff.
Anyway, I digress. I was super sick this weekend, AND my little baby has decided to leave me. In her place is a very demanding and angry little girl. She pitched fit after fit this weekend, over anything from not wanting a particular piece of apple to putting her shirt on to making her keep her shirt on when we were in the supermarket to changing her diaper to taking a walk. Everything was a battle this weekend, and I'm thoroughly worn out. And she's not even 2 yet.
I'm thinking that maybe the antibiotics aren't doing their thing, and her ear is still bothering her. I know I had a lot of discomfort in my left ear from Thursday to Saturday, but I'm fine now. Our follow up is in a week, so I guess we'll see then. She has to take the antibiotics until Saturday.
There's also a chance she's getting a molar in. It's a little early for 2-year molars, but she was sticking her finger back there last night, leading us to believe that something may be going on. I gave her some teething tablets this morning, but they didn't calm her like they normally do.
So maybe it's just Ellie growing up. I'd love it if this was just another one of her 2 week phases. I can deal with that.
Summer fever virus my ass. It may be summer, and it may be a virus, but I never got a fever. It's a freakin' cold. It's just extra sucky because it's so hot out. The doctor was full of crap. He told us to treat it like a stomach virus (huh?) and only give her clear liquids to eat and drink, like flat 7up or ginger ale (you want me to give my 20 month old soda? Um, NO). All because I told him she coughed so hard that morning she threw her milk up. Her stomach was fine. That's not what made her puke.
He also told us to load her up on Motrin and OTC cough medicine in addition to her antibiotics. Sure, I want her to be comfortable, but I'm not giving her meds unless she needs them. Period. I had been giving her Motrin for the achiness, and I had given her a cough strip because her cough was seriously bad that day, but I won't give it just because. This isn't our normal PED, by the way. This was an older doctor in the practice who looked at me like I had 2 heads when I told him he couldn't give her a lollipop because we don't give her sugary stuff.
Anyway, I digress. I was super sick this weekend, AND my little baby has decided to leave me. In her place is a very demanding and angry little girl. She pitched fit after fit this weekend, over anything from not wanting a particular piece of apple to putting her shirt on to making her keep her shirt on when we were in the supermarket to changing her diaper to taking a walk. Everything was a battle this weekend, and I'm thoroughly worn out. And she's not even 2 yet.
I'm thinking that maybe the antibiotics aren't doing their thing, and her ear is still bothering her. I know I had a lot of discomfort in my left ear from Thursday to Saturday, but I'm fine now. Our follow up is in a week, so I guess we'll see then. She has to take the antibiotics until Saturday.
There's also a chance she's getting a molar in. It's a little early for 2-year molars, but she was sticking her finger back there last night, leading us to believe that something may be going on. I gave her some teething tablets this morning, but they didn't calm her like they normally do.
So maybe it's just Ellie growing up. I'd love it if this was just another one of her 2 week phases. I can deal with that.
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Chance Encounter Part 3
A few more months go by. She hasn't dated anyone in all that time. She's been working on herself, which is exactly what she needs to do.
The summer hits, and with it comes a slew of blockbuster movies hitting the big screen. There's one movie in particular she wants to see because she's such a fan of the original: Planet of the Apes.
She asks around, seeing if anyone wants to go see it with her. Everyone is busy with vacations, picnics, and family gatherings for weeks on end. She's ready to just go see it by herself.
Then Kim calls her and tells her that she mentioned it to Harry, and he said he wanted to see it, too. Kim passes his number along to her, and she rings him up to pick a day to go. They decide on a Sunday in the middle of the afternoon.
It's most defnitely not a date. Planet of the Apes at a Sunday matinee does not scream romance.
So Sunday arrives, they solidify plans, everything's all set. Until her ex calls. He has nothing to do that day, so he's decided he wants to go see the movie after all. Hmmmm. Does this have anything to do with the fact she's going to see it with Harry?
All three go. Weird? Yes.
The movie ends, and they decide to go and shoot some pool. When they arrive at the pool hall, they come to find that it's also Karaoke Sunday. Interesting.
The ex spots a girl he's been trying to date up at the bar, so he leaves her and Harry alone. Finally. They drink, shoot, have a few laughs, wax philosophic, the whole nine yards. Things are going very well after all.
And then it happens. No, not a kiss. Something completely out of left field. He asks her to sing a karaoke song with him. Huh?
Come to find out, he's a karaoke whore. He used to hit karaoke bars 3 or 4 times a week with a friend. She totally didn't peg him for the sort, and, well, she's never done it before. She sang in front of crowds when she was younger, but he doesn't know that.
At first she says no. She's a little rusty. So he does what any other man would do. He tries the jealousy tactic.
There's a girl at the bar he knows. She used to date his best friend. He casually mentions that he'll ask her to sing with him instead.
And just like that, she becomes a karaoke queen. The song: Summer Nights from Grease. Totally cheesy but totally cute, especially when he changes one of the last lines to "Wonder who she's doing now", which gets a huge laugh out of the bar crowd.
They're both very impressed with each other. And all of a sudden, the sexual tension surges. And they kiss.
The summer hits, and with it comes a slew of blockbuster movies hitting the big screen. There's one movie in particular she wants to see because she's such a fan of the original: Planet of the Apes.
She asks around, seeing if anyone wants to go see it with her. Everyone is busy with vacations, picnics, and family gatherings for weeks on end. She's ready to just go see it by herself.
Then Kim calls her and tells her that she mentioned it to Harry, and he said he wanted to see it, too. Kim passes his number along to her, and she rings him up to pick a day to go. They decide on a Sunday in the middle of the afternoon.
It's most defnitely not a date. Planet of the Apes at a Sunday matinee does not scream romance.
So Sunday arrives, they solidify plans, everything's all set. Until her ex calls. He has nothing to do that day, so he's decided he wants to go see the movie after all. Hmmmm. Does this have anything to do with the fact she's going to see it with Harry?
All three go. Weird? Yes.
The movie ends, and they decide to go and shoot some pool. When they arrive at the pool hall, they come to find that it's also Karaoke Sunday. Interesting.
The ex spots a girl he's been trying to date up at the bar, so he leaves her and Harry alone. Finally. They drink, shoot, have a few laughs, wax philosophic, the whole nine yards. Things are going very well after all.
And then it happens. No, not a kiss. Something completely out of left field. He asks her to sing a karaoke song with him. Huh?
Come to find out, he's a karaoke whore. He used to hit karaoke bars 3 or 4 times a week with a friend. She totally didn't peg him for the sort, and, well, she's never done it before. She sang in front of crowds when she was younger, but he doesn't know that.
At first she says no. She's a little rusty. So he does what any other man would do. He tries the jealousy tactic.
There's a girl at the bar he knows. She used to date his best friend. He casually mentions that he'll ask her to sing with him instead.
And just like that, she becomes a karaoke queen. The song: Summer Nights from Grease. Totally cheesy but totally cute, especially when he changes one of the last lines to "Wonder who she's doing now", which gets a huge laugh out of the bar crowd.
They're both very impressed with each other. And all of a sudden, the sexual tension surges. And they kiss.
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
We're home today
Ellie's pink eye is all gone, but it's been followed by one killer cold/virus. She got it, yet again, from Louis at daycare. That poor boy is always sick. And now, well, every kid there is sick. Most unfortunate.
What's weird about this little bug is that it hits each individual person differently. One got an ear infection, one got a severely runny nose, Ellie got the pink eye and a cough (and now her nose is runny, too), etc.
She woke up this morning crying from the achiness. Coughing and sneezing made her scream out "ouch!" over and over again.
She's been fighting taking meds this time, so we've resorted to putting her Motrin in her cup. She drinks that no problem. Unfortunately, this morning, drinking milk with all the mucus in her system resulting in a major throwing up episode. It was really gross, and she cried and cried and cried. At least she got all the crap out, which is the bright side in all that.
I ran a tepid bath for her, and that seemed to do the trick. Playing in the water always makes my girl feel instantly better.
Since she didn't get any of the meds in her milk, we tried juice, and she drank it all down. Thank God.
She's been running around in a diaper all morning, happy as a clam, minus the intermittent cough. Right now, she's chilling out on the floor, counting her Cheerios (1, 2, 5, 6, 7), and watching Ratatouille.
Let's hope she's feeling better tomorrow.
What's weird about this little bug is that it hits each individual person differently. One got an ear infection, one got a severely runny nose, Ellie got the pink eye and a cough (and now her nose is runny, too), etc.
She woke up this morning crying from the achiness. Coughing and sneezing made her scream out "ouch!" over and over again.
She's been fighting taking meds this time, so we've resorted to putting her Motrin in her cup. She drinks that no problem. Unfortunately, this morning, drinking milk with all the mucus in her system resulting in a major throwing up episode. It was really gross, and she cried and cried and cried. At least she got all the crap out, which is the bright side in all that.
I ran a tepid bath for her, and that seemed to do the trick. Playing in the water always makes my girl feel instantly better.
Since she didn't get any of the meds in her milk, we tried juice, and she drank it all down. Thank God.
She's been running around in a diaper all morning, happy as a clam, minus the intermittent cough. Right now, she's chilling out on the floor, counting her Cheerios (1, 2, 5, 6, 7), and watching Ratatouille.
Let's hope she's feeling better tomorrow.
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
Ten on Tuesday - 10 favorite movie characters
1. Lt. Ellen Ripley in Aliens (Sigourney Weaver) - Strong, smart, smokin'.
2. Dr. Peter Venkman in Ghostbusters (Bill Murray) - I bow down to his sarcastic wit.
3. Lloyd Dobbler in Say Anything (John Cusack) - "I gave her my heart, and she gave me a pen."
4. Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford) - It's that damn smile.
5. Dana Scully in The X-Files (Gillian Anderson) - Super smart, stubborn, kickass.
6. Buddy the Christmas Elf in Elf (Will Ferrell) - Everything he says and does makes me laugh.
7. Troy Dire in Reality Bites (Ethan Hawk) - I was in love with Troy Dire for a long time.
8. Eric Draven/The Crow (Brandon Lee) - Pain and anguish walking the earth, righting the wrongs.
9. Seth in City of Angels (Nicholas Cage) - His beauty makes me weep.
10. Rev. Frank Scott in The Poseidon Adventure (Gene Hackman) - This character just really stuck with me thoughout the years.
I know I left out characters from Star Wars, Star Trek, and Jaws, but I couldn't pick just one.
2. Dr. Peter Venkman in Ghostbusters (Bill Murray) - I bow down to his sarcastic wit.
3. Lloyd Dobbler in Say Anything (John Cusack) - "I gave her my heart, and she gave me a pen."
4. Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford) - It's that damn smile.
5. Dana Scully in The X-Files (Gillian Anderson) - Super smart, stubborn, kickass.
6. Buddy the Christmas Elf in Elf (Will Ferrell) - Everything he says and does makes me laugh.
7. Troy Dire in Reality Bites (Ethan Hawk) - I was in love with Troy Dire for a long time.
8. Eric Draven/The Crow (Brandon Lee) - Pain and anguish walking the earth, righting the wrongs.
9. Seth in City of Angels (Nicholas Cage) - His beauty makes me weep.
10. Rev. Frank Scott in The Poseidon Adventure (Gene Hackman) - This character just really stuck with me thoughout the years.
I know I left out characters from Star Wars, Star Trek, and Jaws, but I couldn't pick just one.
Chance Encounter Part 2
Things didn't work out with Jason. That stoned look he always had about him, well, it was genuine. Seems he had a bit of trouble with alcohol, as in he was constantly drinking it. One day, he mentioned that he had been sent home from work (a daycare center) because he had been intoxicated on the job. Can you say "BIG RED FLAG?"
Add to that he was on medication for depression while drinking, and you have one seriously messed up person. She didn't need that in her life; she had only just started to heal from a bout of depression herself. She saw right away that being around Jason would be unhealthy.
A couple of weeks after that first fateful meeting at the diner, she asked Kim about Harry.
"Why didn't you tell me Harry was so cute?"
Kim replied, "He's not cute. He's Harry."
***
Time passed. She dated, had some fun, then got bored with it all. No one she met had any real boyfriend substance.
That spring, she met up with a couple of friends at the pool hall. She walked in, and there he was again, Harry, her future husband.
They shot some pool together, chatted, and had a few drinks. They were having a good time. So much so that they decided to leave together to go get something to eat. They hit that diner once again, had some grub, and then she drove him home.
And then...
Nothing.
Not even a kiss.
He thanked her for the ride, then ran inside the house.
She sat in her car and thought, "What the hell was that?"
Add to that he was on medication for depression while drinking, and you have one seriously messed up person. She didn't need that in her life; she had only just started to heal from a bout of depression herself. She saw right away that being around Jason would be unhealthy.
A couple of weeks after that first fateful meeting at the diner, she asked Kim about Harry.
"Why didn't you tell me Harry was so cute?"
Kim replied, "He's not cute. He's Harry."
***
Time passed. She dated, had some fun, then got bored with it all. No one she met had any real boyfriend substance.
That spring, she met up with a couple of friends at the pool hall. She walked in, and there he was again, Harry, her future husband.
They shot some pool together, chatted, and had a few drinks. They were having a good time. So much so that they decided to leave together to go get something to eat. They hit that diner once again, had some grub, and then she drove him home.
And then...
Nothing.
Not even a kiss.
He thanked her for the ride, then ran inside the house.
She sat in her car and thought, "What the hell was that?"
Monday, July 7, 2008
Sunday Scribblings #118 - Chance Encounter
Imagine, if you will, a 20-something girl on a date. Nothing unusual about that, right? She's about 5 feet tall, with short, dark brunette hair, deep brown eyes, and she's got a killer smile. Her date, Jason, is only a few inches taller than she is (and he wears lifts in his boots). He's cute, a year or two younger, and has light brown hair, warm hazel eyes, and a somewhat stoned look about him (he always looks stoned).
They met earlier that day at the record shop where she works. He had asked her a little about music and then her name. He left, then showed up 15 minutes later with a single red rose and a proposal for a date that night. She'd readily accepted.
They went for something low-key... a quiet dinner at her house prepared by him. After that, they decided to go out for a cup of joe.
So here we are, at the diner, watching the two sip some coffee with a couple of her friends. After a bit, two other people show up. One is her ex-sister-in-law, Kim, just back from a trip to Spain. The other is someone the girl has never met before.
Cue cheesy 80s soundtrack.
His name is Harry, and he is her future husband.
They met earlier that day at the record shop where she works. He had asked her a little about music and then her name. He left, then showed up 15 minutes later with a single red rose and a proposal for a date that night. She'd readily accepted.
They went for something low-key... a quiet dinner at her house prepared by him. After that, they decided to go out for a cup of joe.
So here we are, at the diner, watching the two sip some coffee with a couple of her friends. After a bit, two other people show up. One is her ex-sister-in-law, Kim, just back from a trip to Spain. The other is someone the girl has never met before.
Cue cheesy 80s soundtrack.
His name is Harry, and he is her future husband.
Sunday, July 6, 2008
Pics of the inside of our new house
Everyone wanted to see the inside of the house we're buying, so I snapped a few photos while we were doing our home inspection last weekend. An old woman used to live there, hence the flowery curtains and ugly as sin kitchen. When we're done updating, the oak hardwood floors will be revealed, all the walls will be painted in a beautiful Bavarian Creme colour, there will be coffee coloured curtains in the living room and dining room, and the kitchen will have new floors and new countertops. We can't wait to get started.
Here is our living room. There's not one but TWO windows. Everyone knows how much I've missed windows living in The Bat Cave.
This is the dining room right off the kitchen. Another beautiful picture window.
Here is the very out-of-date kitchen. I must say I love the cabinets, though. They're original to the house and in mint condition. I'm hoping they'll last another 50 years. Y'all are so jealous of my kitchen floor, aren't you? Admit it.
This will be Ellie's room. Looks like it was a guest room before.
This will be our guest room. This green paint is going. All 4 walls are done in this green, and it's loud and obnoxious.
This last room was used as a den, but we're putting it back to its original use as the master bedroom. What's especially nice about it is we each get our own closet. They're not large, but they'll do. And we can use the closet in the guest room, as well.
For some reason, I never got around to taking a pic of the bathroom. It's blue. Very blue. And it's has wallpaper, which will be coming down very shortly after we move in. And it has glass shower doors, which I think we'll be taking down because it'll just be too hard to give Ellie a bath like that. And they leak, so there's really no point in trying to salvage them.
That's all I've got for now, but I'll be posting pics in a few weeks of all our updates. Yay!
Here is our living room. There's not one but TWO windows. Everyone knows how much I've missed windows living in The Bat Cave.
This is the dining room right off the kitchen. Another beautiful picture window.
Here is the very out-of-date kitchen. I must say I love the cabinets, though. They're original to the house and in mint condition. I'm hoping they'll last another 50 years. Y'all are so jealous of my kitchen floor, aren't you? Admit it.
This will be Ellie's room. Looks like it was a guest room before.
This will be our guest room. This green paint is going. All 4 walls are done in this green, and it's loud and obnoxious.
This last room was used as a den, but we're putting it back to its original use as the master bedroom. What's especially nice about it is we each get our own closet. They're not large, but they'll do. And we can use the closet in the guest room, as well.
For some reason, I never got around to taking a pic of the bathroom. It's blue. Very blue. And it's has wallpaper, which will be coming down very shortly after we move in. And it has glass shower doors, which I think we'll be taking down because it'll just be too hard to give Ellie a bath like that. And they leak, so there's really no point in trying to salvage them.
That's all I've got for now, but I'll be posting pics in a few weeks of all our updates. Yay!
Thursday, July 3, 2008
Of course there's a glitch in the plans
It never fails. Almost every time Harry and I schedule time for just the two of us, something ends up happening. Today was no exception.
Poor Ellie has pink eye AGAIN. She got it at 2 months old, 11 months old, and now 20 months old. She's on a 9 month schedule apparently.
We caught it really early this time, so the antibiotics are already doing their stuff. Her eyes didn't even really get a chance to get all gross. And she doesn't really seem to be in pain, although she was a little crabby today. Hopefully, that won't happen again tomorrow.
So we didn't get to go see Indiana Jones today. Sadness.
Last night went really well, though. Almost every single morsel of food was consumed. I think this is the first time we've had practically no leftovers after a cookout. There's just a little pasta salad left. That's it.
Everyone had a great time, my sister showed up drunk and falling out of her clothes (typical), and I had a really good chat with my cousin, Anita. I wish she lived closer. We're hoping we'll be able to make a trip out there way in a couple of years. It's like an 18 hour drive, so it won't be anytime soon. Ellie can't handle that much time in a car.
They're going back home this weekend, and it'll probably be 2 or 3 more years before I see them again. Their time here is always too short. I'm gonna miss them.
Poor Ellie has pink eye AGAIN. She got it at 2 months old, 11 months old, and now 20 months old. She's on a 9 month schedule apparently.
We caught it really early this time, so the antibiotics are already doing their stuff. Her eyes didn't even really get a chance to get all gross. And she doesn't really seem to be in pain, although she was a little crabby today. Hopefully, that won't happen again tomorrow.
So we didn't get to go see Indiana Jones today. Sadness.
Last night went really well, though. Almost every single morsel of food was consumed. I think this is the first time we've had practically no leftovers after a cookout. There's just a little pasta salad left. That's it.
Everyone had a great time, my sister showed up drunk and falling out of her clothes (typical), and I had a really good chat with my cousin, Anita. I wish she lived closer. We're hoping we'll be able to make a trip out there way in a couple of years. It's like an 18 hour drive, so it won't be anytime soon. Ellie can't handle that much time in a car.
They're going back home this weekend, and it'll probably be 2 or 3 more years before I see them again. Their time here is always too short. I'm gonna miss them.
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
What's going on this weekend
I have a wonderful 4 day weekend starting tomorrow. I'm ecstatic. Harry actually got a total of 9 days off this week (2 weekends, the 4th, and 4 vacation days because of shutdown). I couldn't do the same because I have to take a week off in August while Ellie's daycare provider goes on vacation. Lucky me, that vacation falls only a week after we close on our new home. Looks like I'll be spending a lot of that time unpacking.
Our weekend plans actually start this evening. My aunt and cousins are in from Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario for the week, and I've invited them to our house for a cookout. Nothing fancy, just some hot dogs, sausage burgers topped with peppers and onions, a chicken and pasta salad, and grilled corn-on-the-cob. Mmmmm. Oh, and brownies topped with strawberries for dessert. Yum.
Tomorrow, Harry and I will drop Ellie off at daycare for a WE-day. Yay! We'll most likely go to Chip's for breakfast (I'm sure Cristina's mouth has instantly started watering at the name), and we'll finally get to see the new Indiana Jones movie tomorrow afternoon. I was lucky enough to find a theatre still playing it.
On Friday, my mom is coming over for a cookout, and then we're going over to my dad's to see my aunt and cousins again before they head home. We'll be staying away from the mousetraps. Yes, they're still there.
We don't have any plans for Saturday or Sunday, which is how I like it. Our weekends are going to be so jam-packed once we move (closing is July 25th!) that I want to relish in the laziness as much as possible. Of course, we still have to pack up all our stuff, so I can't be nearly as lazy as I'd like.
Oh, and I forgot to mention that our home inspection went very well. The inspector actually congratulated Harry on finding the house. THAT was awesome to hear. We just need to do a few minor things after we move in, but there's nothing that needs immediate attention.
We've decided to put in a dishwasher, a gas stove, and new countertops the first week, along with a gas water heater. And we're ripping out the carpets right after signing all the papers; there are lovely oak hardwood floors underneath. I'm thrilled. We'll be painting on closing day, as well, and my wonderful friend, Lea, has even offered to help. Lea, I love you, girl.
So just a little over 3 weeks to go. We got all the loan stuff taken care of yesterday (that number that shows how much you'll pay after the 30 years is up is extremely scary), and now it's just basically a waiting game. Sigh. I want my house now, damnit. LOL.
Our weekend plans actually start this evening. My aunt and cousins are in from Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario for the week, and I've invited them to our house for a cookout. Nothing fancy, just some hot dogs, sausage burgers topped with peppers and onions, a chicken and pasta salad, and grilled corn-on-the-cob. Mmmmm. Oh, and brownies topped with strawberries for dessert. Yum.
Tomorrow, Harry and I will drop Ellie off at daycare for a WE-day. Yay! We'll most likely go to Chip's for breakfast (I'm sure Cristina's mouth has instantly started watering at the name), and we'll finally get to see the new Indiana Jones movie tomorrow afternoon. I was lucky enough to find a theatre still playing it.
On Friday, my mom is coming over for a cookout, and then we're going over to my dad's to see my aunt and cousins again before they head home. We'll be staying away from the mousetraps. Yes, they're still there.
We don't have any plans for Saturday or Sunday, which is how I like it. Our weekends are going to be so jam-packed once we move (closing is July 25th!) that I want to relish in the laziness as much as possible. Of course, we still have to pack up all our stuff, so I can't be nearly as lazy as I'd like.
Oh, and I forgot to mention that our home inspection went very well. The inspector actually congratulated Harry on finding the house. THAT was awesome to hear. We just need to do a few minor things after we move in, but there's nothing that needs immediate attention.
We've decided to put in a dishwasher, a gas stove, and new countertops the first week, along with a gas water heater. And we're ripping out the carpets right after signing all the papers; there are lovely oak hardwood floors underneath. I'm thrilled. We'll be painting on closing day, as well, and my wonderful friend, Lea, has even offered to help. Lea, I love you, girl.
So just a little over 3 weeks to go. We got all the loan stuff taken care of yesterday (that number that shows how much you'll pay after the 30 years is up is extremely scary), and now it's just basically a waiting game. Sigh. I want my house now, damnit. LOL.
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