How to Buy a Home. . .

Yet more wedding stuff

2008-09-05T22:03:00.000-04:00

I forgot to mention that I ordered my favors! In a few days I will have 125 ice-cream scoops in my house. (We're big on ice cream so it's perfect.) I may dress them up a bit with some personalized ribbon.

I also ordered a few more sample invitations. I can't wait to get them. I'm glad we changed to wine instead of chocolate. I feel like I have so many more decorating options. I also feel like it's a little fancier. The invitations are fancy.

Teeth and Dresses Part II

2008-09-04T21:54:00.000-04:00

BTW-the wisdom teeth removal went OK. He's still recovering, but the pain is easing a bit. I won't get into the other details. Believe me, you don't want to hear it. Unless you're pre-med or into gross horror movies. I did leave him for an hour after the surgery to go with my maid of honor to pick/order her dress!!. I'm so glad that decision is made. But now I'm stressed because I have to get the other girls there to order theirs. I know this is bad to say, but I kind of regret asking the third girl. It's just a little awkward because of the money situation. There is none and I really don't want to have to put up my own money. All the wedding stuff is adding up. And I really want to save the money for the honeymoon. Hawaii. We've pretty much decided that's it. I just need the fiance to call the travel agent so we can book it!!

Saving the date

2008-09-03T21:43:00.000-04:00

So the save the dates went out last week and arrived in mailboxes on Friday. On Saturday I got a message from an old friend that I haven't spoken to in a while. I invited her, even though we don't talk much anymore, because she was one of my best friends for most of my life. Just not in the last six years. She said that she put it on her calendar and that she's excited to come. That made me really happy. I just wish I could see her and catch up with her before that.

The new 90210

2008-09-02T21:35:00.003-04:00

I don't like it. I am watching it because I was a huge fan of the original show. I think I might watch one or two more episodes just to find out what happened to all of the original characters. But I think a reunion show would have been a better idea. I don't really have an interest in these new characters. Although on the plus side, at least they look like they belong in high school.

Teeth and Dresses

2008-08-27T08:05:00.001-04:00

My fiance is having his wisdom teeth out tomorrow. I'm nervous because I think he's going under general anesthesia. Although after the lump removal surgery last March this should be a piece of cake. I took the day off to drive him and stay with him. Then I found out that my maid of honor will be around that day and we really need to try on her dress one more time and order it. Like yesterday. We've been trying to coordinate this for a few weeks. Is it totally terrible of me to leave him home alone for an hour or so? I would meet her about 5 hours after the surgery and I did tell her I'd see how he's feeling. Of course if he's really sick or something I wouldn't go. But my fiance is a little annoyed that I plan this either way. It's not like I'm leaving him to go out just for fun. This is something that needs to get done and can only get done because I happen to be off from work. Any other Thursday I'm at work until 8pm. What do you think? Is it totally insensitive of me to go order the maid of honor's dress?

Limos

2008-08-26T19:05:00.001-04:00

A few posts back I mentioned I was waiting for the limo company to call me back. I was sick and afraid I left the wrong call back number. Well I didn't. They eventually called back. But couldn't schedule an appointment, as they wanted me to call when the tentative appointment date got closer to make sure the vehicles were on site. Well I did that and the cars weren't there. So we decided on the following week. Same thing. Told me to call the day before. I called two days before. Never heard back. Now this is a company a friend has used several time and comes highly recommended. But I just have a bad feeling about this. I think I'm gonna have to explore other options.

Wedding Stuff Update

2008-08-25T23:04:00.000-04:00

Save the dates are out of my hands. I gave them to my future in laws, they offered to mail them for us.

I booked a videographer! I'm really happy with him. I'm so excited and relieved that that's booked!

8 in 8/08

2008-08-24T22:57:00.003-04:00

Happy anniversary to us! Today is our 8 year anniversary. It was nice. And relaxing. We ordered dinner in, watched a movie, and completely unrelated I organized all our vacation photos. Friday and Saturday were exhausting. There were card games, his birthday, cupcakes made from scratch, and his company picnic. And we're both running on little sleep because our darling kitty keeps us up at night. If he's in the bedroom he jumps on my head and his feet. Outside the bedroom he meows at the door for hours and pulls up the rug. Its a no win situation.

to-do

2008-08-19T18:34:00.001-04:00

I seriously don't know why I have such a hard time keeping up on this. I have a lot of topics -including the dreams-that I want to post. But I guess there's just really not enough time. There's not enough time for anything. There's about a million things I want to do. For starters cleaning the house. I've been saying this for a month. It's such a mess. I also want to clean all the windows and make sure all the screens are patched. It's gonna be cool enough to sleep with them open soon, but because of the daddy long leg spider infestation out back I refuse to open them. I haven't been out on the balcony all summer. What a waste of good space. But you seriously see at least one every time you're out there (usually more). The last straw was when my was crawling on my arm. Ugh!! And we thought having our balcony face the woods would be nice. Ok, I got a little off topic with that. Also on my to-do list is redoing the garden in the front. It's just about time to dig up the impatients and start planting the mums. Fall is coming!! I would also like to get the car washed (I still have gift certificates from 2 Christmas's ago-and my mom buys me more every year). I would really like to get the bridal dresses ordered. Among other wedding stuff. Oh well writing it out helps. Now I can prioritize.

Wedding stuff

2008-08-18T19:42:00.005-04:00

The sore throat from last week took a turn for the worse. Actually it turned to bronchitis. Annoyingly, I had to take Friday off from work. I hate to take a Friday off. And now that means that I can't take this Tuesday off, which I wanted to do to go dress shopping. Ugh. And I just remembered I still haven't gotten the second half of my fiance's birthday present yet. It's Saturday and I'm running out of time.

He's also running out of time. Apparently he has neglected to ask one of his groomsmen if he wants to be in the wedding party. He's on the phone with him right now, but prefers to ask him in person. Who knows when that will be. They saw each other every Sunday morning for the last three months when they played softball, but that ended last weekend. We asked everyone else months ago. Fiance doesn't grasp the importance of asking everyone around the same time. Although I doubt the friend is the kind of guy who will feel slighted. My bigger concern is that I can't send out the save the dates yet because they have our wedding website on it. On the website is a picture of everyone in the wedding party. I think it would be more inappropriate for him to find out he's in the wedding from the website than asking him over the phone. Regardless, the save the dates are going out by the end of the week.

The limo company did call me back last week. We had an appointment for Wednesday, but my mom (in charge of the videographer) set up an appointment for the same day (and yes she knew about the limo appt, but deemed video more important). So I don't know when we're gonna do the limo. Also don't know when we're gonna do the dresses. And that's what I think is most important at this point.

Update: My fiance is now in the shower talking to his friend on speaker phone. Seriously? And that's not inappropriate?

Progress (sorta)

2008-08-13T17:41:00.002-04:00

I re-started the wedding planning today. I took a hiatus (not on purpose-just laziness). I hadn't done anything major in the past two months. I know that because on the eve of the 8 and 7 month mark I had nightmares about the wedding. And everything that went wrong in the dream was stuff that I hadn't booked yet. I will have to elaborate on the dreams in another post. I still haven't taken care of the things I dreamt about.

I called the limo company a friend recommended. I got a quote and tried to set up an appointment to sign a contract. He told me that the woman that books appointments would call me back in an hour. That was almost 7 hours ago and I haven't heard from her. I'm hoping I didn't give the wrong phone number. I've been in a cold/sore throat induced haze all day. I also talked to my MOH to arrange a time for her to come out again next week to try on the dresses one more time before deciding on a final. I can not wait until that is done!

I then delegated a little to the fiance. I'm waiting for addresses of work people he wants to send save the dates to. I also gave him the job of calling a travel agent (apparently his dad has one) so we can book our honeymoon!!. I also delegated the videographer to my mother. After finally calling (after 5 days) she found out they're on vacation until Monday. Ugh. I just want things done. But we've waited all this time, what's one more week?

Trouble

2008-08-12T20:30:00.005-04:00

My troublemaker:

Yes he actually got into the top rack of the dishwasher and started chewing it. He bites EVERYTHING! My computer wire, the color swatches for the bridesmaid dresses, the save the dates, the light switch, the list goes on.

This is the bathroom floor, dotted with carpet fibers from the living room. I don't think he's being malicious. I think he just wants to know what's under the rug.

(Update: I gave in and took Excedrin at 11:30 this morning. I was at work and had a lot to do and simply couldn't take the pain anymore. The headache went away rather quickly. Although I'm afraid I'm getting a sore throat. It's not really a surprise. The fiance is sick and I don't think the "pillow barrier" I built in the bed was enough to keep his germs away. )

checking in

2008-08-11T22:22:00.002-04:00

Don't worry I'm not neglecting this again (yet). I just have a bad headache, so I'm trying to stay off the computer. I'm trying really hard not to take any Advil or Excedrin. I think I've taken that everyday for the last two weeks. Which may explain why I was so sick over the weekend. More on the weekend next time. Bye

I'm Back

2008-08-08T20:48:00.006-04:00

But with a different agenda. I think I'm going to start documenting the wedding planning. Because it's been a little difficult and there are days where I've needed to vent and seek other's opinions. And at other times it's been fun and I want share!

So let me bring you up to date in the planning process. We have a church, a reception site, a photographer, a DJ (which I'm a little worried about, because he's the one vendor I'm not familiar with), and that might be about it. I'm starting to stress that we have so little done because it's less than 7 months away! I'm working on the save the dates and want to have them sent out by the end of the month. I'm making my own. I used a business card template, threw on a fancy picture of me and FI (fiance-getting used to the abbreviations on the message boards), attached it to a magnet and voila, cute save the date magnets!

The biggest stressor of the moment is the bridal party dresses. At first I really wanted browns with a pink ribbon. I quickly changed to brown with a champagne ribbon. I finally got some of the girls together last week and we went to try on dresses. I picked the color truffle and we all decided on a dress. I was ready to put in the order until I saw it in truffle. Truffle had a purple tinge and definitely didn't look brown But that was the closest thing they had to brown. So instead I went back to square one and started looking in alternate shops. A real headache because I cannot find anything I love. In the right colors. So yesterday I totally changed my mind again and decided I am going to change the color theme to wine and champagne (that sounds appropriate for my alcoholic family. JK) But now my headache is: do I put the MOH (maid of honor) in a champagne dress with a wine sash and the others in a wine dress with a champagne sash, or have them all wear a wine dress and only have the MOH wear a sash? Things got worse when I went to the bridal shop and asked the girl if i was possible to add a sash to the dress I picked out. Her answer was I don't know, I would need to try it on. That was helpful. I guess I'll have to go back with my MOH and ask her opinion. Any other thoughts would be appreciated. I think I'll go post on the message boards I just found on the knot. Very helpful!

I'm going to try not to think about it for the rest of the evening. Ever since I changed birth control two months ago (I had to switch to generic as I couldn't afford the $50 every month and my health insurance doesn't cover it) I've been getting horrible cramps. It lays me up for two days every month. I never experienced this before-it's horrible. But only on these two days do I think it's not worth the extra $30 in my pocket every month. And I actually get less headaches on the new one, so I guess it evens out. Sorry if that was TMI! But the point was I don't feel like doing much.

It's been a while

2008-07-19T20:07:00.003-04:00

I've been letting this fall to the wayside. Most days I don't have the time or energy to do it, and I don't feel like I have too many interesting topics to chat about. Every once in a while something comes up, but I don't necessarily feel the urge to blog. Before I moved into my own place, writing had become a habit. Now that my routine has changed it's no longer habit. And although I'm glad that I documented my whole buying a home process, I'm not sure that anyone else is. Which means I might as well have been writing in my diary. I do enjoy writing, but I'm no longer sure this is the right outlet for it. So I guess we'll see. If you don't see me in the next couple of days/weeks, I think that may be it for a while. Of course if I knew I had readers who were interested in how living with a boy is going, or how the wedding plans are coming, or just a general interest in my life for some bizarre reason . . .then maybe.

Tonight

2008-06-11T17:49:00.003-04:00

We're meeting with apotential photographer tonight. I'm not really in the mood to go anywhere right now. I'd much rather stay home and play with this little one.

Army Wives

2008-06-09T21:19:00.002-04:00

Does anybody else watch this show? The second season premiere was last night and I have to say it was one of the saddest tv shows I have ever watched on tv. I was sobbing during the last ten minutes. I had trouble sleeping and even this morning it was still effecting me. I know it's not real, but some people do live this life. And experience these things. The writing and ideas of last night's episode were wonderful; however, I'm not sure I could watch the next episode. The show was too sad. And I'm not sure I want to be that depressed every Sunday night.

PS: We got our kitten on Saturday. He's a handful. More details to come.

Our adoption application was approved!

2008-06-04T21:47:00.002-04:00

Our application for a kitten that is. We get to take him home Saturday! Still waiting to make sure nothing goes wrong between now and then, so I'm not going to talk too much about him. I did go out and purchase a litter box this evening. Still have to get food, a dish, some toys, and maybe a bed. Not sure about the bed, cause I know if I buy one he'll sleep anywhere but.

Kittens

2008-06-02T18:15:00.003-04:00

We went to a local shelter yesterday and played with all the kittens. SO cute!! So we filled out a lengthy application and are waiting for them to check some of our personal references. I'd post a picture of the little guy we have our eye on, but I don't want to jinx anything.

Pets

2008-05-29T21:39:00.002-04:00

I think I may be closer to getting a cat. I'm wearing down the fiance. Not that it took too much convincing.

The other night

2008-05-27T20:27:00.004-04:00

If you're one of the two people that read my blog the other day, you know that I took down the previous post. I wrote that while a bit annoyed (and five boys were sitting at my dining room table playing poker game that was never ending). After they finally did leave, a big fight ensued. After two hours of arguing and crying, I came to the conclusion that this really is what I want. I can't imagine my life differently. It also helped that my fiance did see some of my points and agreed to make a few changes. So that's the story for now. And for good.

Something New

2008-05-22T21:45:00.006-04:00

As you may or may not remember last year I became obsessed with Special K Chocolaty Delight Cereal. It was prior to vacation and I was on a health food kick. I figured the chocolaty cereal would, as the commercial says, satisfy the chocolate craving. It does. I continue to be obsessed with it and can eat multiple bowls a day (not so healthy I know). I try to limit the two bowls to Fridays only. Anyway I am back on a health food kick (ordered a wedding dress, gotta stay in shape!!) I'm doing ok (although let's face it-I have 9 1/2 months left, I'll get more serious as it gets closer). I've cut out a lot of the fast food (have I mentioned before how much weight you'll gain living with a boy?) and have been eating a lot more fruit and veggies. I do have a bit of an ice-cream addiction, which gets worse in the summer. But my latest finding is Edy's fat-free vanilla frozen yogurt. It's really good. Especially with blackberries, or kiwis, or strawberries, or any other fruit that happens to be on sale. It definitely curbs a lot of the ice cream cravings. So tonight I decided to try something new. Cereal and the frozen yogurt together. Not my best idea.

The pantry

2008-05-22T11:00:00.000-04:00

After three months, we've finally started putting food into the cabinets. Prior to this, everything (and I mean everything but the coffee and my morning cereal, was in the pantry. It was messy, non functional, and really dirty as we hadn't painted since the previous owners left. So this weekend, with the help of my dad, we're redoing the pantry. A fresh coat of paint and new shelves. (Side note: speaking of coming to mutual decisions yesterday, my fiance wants to paint the closet blue. Blue! He's like a typical little boy who wants everything blue. He really doesn't have much experience in the decorating (or do-it-yourself) type stuff. But regardless, this has to be a battle. It's like he needs to have is input in everything, even though he really doesn't know what he's talking about. Have I mentioned he's like this with the wedding planning too? But back to the paint. I managed to convince him a neutral color was best. Especially when I told him my dad had a left over gallon, which would be free compared to buying blue paint at the store.) Anyway, back to the pantry. In preparation for my dad to put up the shelves, I've been spackling and sanding all week. The previous owners left many (big) holes in the wall. After sanding yesterday I was literally covered in the dust. I took the headband that had been in my hair out and you could see exactly where it had been. The rest of my hair looked gray. And now I'm nervous because every time I blow my nose, plaster is coming out. Sorry that's probably a little gross, but it won't stop. I'm worried that I breathed too much in.

Adjusting

2008-05-21T22:01:00.002-04:00

These posts get fewer and fewer each month. Maybe it isn't that there isn't enough time. Maybe it's that there's been a change in my routine and this isn't really a big part of it anymore. It's kind of been forgotten. It's not a main focus anymore. I was thinking about it tonight as I realize it was memorial day weekend last year that we started looking at houses. I can't believe it's been a year! That was an exciting (and impatient time). How is it that the excitement of living in my own place with my fiance has worn off already? Maybe it hasn't worn off, but it just comes and goes. It was such a change for us. Dating for 7 1/2 years before living together. We were established in our own routine and now it's totally changed. It definitely continues to be a adjustment. Everyday. I wonder if it would have been better if I had lived on my own before living with him. That way I could get all my decorating issues and such out. It's difficult knowing that pretty much every serious decision I make, he has to agree to as well. I guess that's part of a relationship though. You would hope that the person you've chosen to spend your life with wants to make the same decisions as you. Like getting a cat. Which my fiance still refuses to let me do. ARGH!

Boredom

2008-05-09T17:11:00.002-04:00

Blah. I'm bored. A professor (I can no longer remember of what or even which one) once said that there was no such thin as boredom. Only depression. It's not that there's a lack of things to do but a lack of interest to do them. Which I guess is partly true at the moment. I'm not depressed but I just don't feel like doing anything. Actually I don't feel like writing anything. I'm just in a blah mood. At least it's Friday.

Home?

2008-05-05T22:31:00.004-04:00

It's been just about three months, but it still doesn't quite feel like home. I cant put my finger on why. The other day we were watching TV and as I got up to brush my teeth, I felt like I was walking into a hotel bathroom. I feel like I'm just staying over. Is it just that three months compared to 25 years is a big difference? It's just going to take more time? Then I thought maybe it's because we have very little up in the way of decorations. We definitely do need to put up some personal touches to make it feel a little more like ours. Even if it means his little league trophies come out of the closet. Maybe it's because I feel like we're only her temporarily. I can't wait until we can buy an actual house (which is way way off in the future being that this is a lot for us right now). Of course it might help if he would let me get a kitten . . .

Vertically Challenged

2008-04-27T19:41:00.003-04:00

I'm too short. I've known this forever and have come to terms with it. At this point in my life I'm happy with my height (4'11" and 3/4) and don't wish to be any taller. However. Apparently being 'petite' (I hate that word) is not good in the wedding dress industry. I definitely didn't fall in love with the first dress I tried on. I realised quickly that what I was picking was way too plain. When I finally found one that I liked (which actually has blue beading-you could never tell it's blue, I didn't know until the consultant said so!), I got the bad news. That because of my height, to hem the dress, you'd lose too much of the beading and it would change the whole look (and basically ruin) the dress. So then the focus of the search changed. It was now about finding petite dresses. Which is not easy considering that only a small fraction of the dresses come in that size. Never mind one I like from that small number. We're going to go to another shop sometime this week. Maybe we'll have better luck somewhere else. But I have to say that I really liked David's Bridal. They were very friendly and not pushy at all. Not pressuring me to buy and were very clear about telling me not to settle for something I wasn't in love with. I would definitely recommend them.

Life

2008-04-23T20:21:00.002-04:00

This is how stressed I am lately. I literally don't have the energy to think out a post. I have ideas but then through the course of the day they escape my brain. So rather than well though out post, we'll resort to bullets.

We bought a barbecue grill. It is currently in our living room. Because really this is a forbidden item and we could get in a lot of trouble (or debt from the fines), but we see so many other people with grills on their balconies. . .

We also bought curtains. Finally! If I had more energy you could see the pictures. I was going to put them up myself, but when I called my dad to ask if I could borrow the drill, he insisted that he was free to come over an help. He wound up accidentally pulling the existing blinds out of the wall. An seemingly easy project was turned into plastering, sanding, and painting (although the painting has yet to be done).

We booked a place for our wedding! They're having a bridal showcase tomorrow, so we get to go and taste the food. I'm so excited for that! Saturday we're going dress shopping. We'll see how that goes.

Right now I' totally enjoying being home alone and eating a mixture of sherbet, jello, and whipped cream. So good. I have actually been so bad with being healthy lately. Eating way too much fat and barely going to the gym. It's the move that's doing it to me. Living with a boy means eating a lot of fat. (I can't watch him eat ice cream without indulging myself.) It also means living further from the gym and with rising gas prices, its tough to go often. There's always the community gym, but my first (and only) experience there resulted in smelly guys and less then stellar equipment. Sigh. Maybe a double at the gym this weekend.

Weddings?

2008-04-16T19:49:00.003-04:00

With every step we take in planning this wedding, the closer I get to eloping. Finding a reception site has been tough (seriously how many people get married in March besides us?) and my mother has just been impossible. Although she did finally give in and allow us what we wanted, now I feel bad. Like I'm depriving her! It's our wedding! Luckily, thus far, my dad has been level headed and has actually been sticking up for me. My fiance and I are arguing over the size of the bridal party. I want small he wants every one of his friends standing besides as at the alter. I remember when his sister was getting married six years ago she said to me, if you ever get married, elope to Vegas and just throw a big party when you get back. I thought that was crazy, of course I wanted to have a traditional wedding. Um yeah, now I totally see where you were coming from. Seriously, a year's worth of arguments and tons of money for a five hour event? Is it really worth it? I'm beginning to think weddings are way overrated. Although on the other hand, maybe planning a wedding is just a test for the marriage?

FOCCUS

2008-04-10T22:30:00.004-04:00

Facilitating Open Couple Communication Understanding Study

My fiance and I did this last night. We both sat at our computers for the 156 question survey given to us by our priest. Each person does the survey separately (we did sit in the same room and discuss a few of the questions). Afterward the priest and a 'sponsor couple' review the results and we discuss the areas where we have differing opinions. I definitely think it's a cool thing to do. I think it will be really helpful! The survey itself was pretty interesting. A few of the questions made us laugh out loud (I am concerned that my future spouse's family will interfere in our wedding plans. Um, hello, mom?, I am concerned about my spouse seeing me nude after the marriage. Real immature, I know), some were serious (My future spouse's use of alcohol/tobacco/drugs causes tension in the relationship. His smoking and lack of effort to quit makes me so mad. It'll definitely be good to talk about that with the counselors.), and a lot were about our relationship with the church (including this one: My future spouse and I have agreed upon the amount we give to the parish throughout the year. Are they serious?!) a lot of the church ones were answered with uncertain. We don't get the results until we meet with the priest. I do have to admit I'm a little nervous to see what my fiance said about me in some areas. But overall, I think it's a good idea to do this (or something similar without the catholic overtones) before getting married. If done honestly it could probably save a lot of marriages that would be headed for divorce. It really helps you look at serious issues, in addition to just the love (or lust?), that some people seem to think is the only thing necessary for a marriage.

It's official

2008-04-08T21:18:00.002-04:00

We have a date!! And it's less than 11 months away!! Yikes, I better get planning. And trying on dresses. And picking a bridal party. Ahh. So much to do!

We have a meeting with a possible reception site on Sunday.

Another weekend gone

2008-04-06T20:14:00.007-04:00

All the presents from the party just waiting to be opened. He made me wait until the next afternoon!

This was how the living room looked last week. It's a little better now.

It was a half good weekend. Friday evening I developed a headache and got into a fight with the fiance. The headache finally went away this morning after a good night's sleep with Excedrin PM. Which was only slightly longer than the fight went. So today the mood was better and I was feeling better, but we had a family party, which was fun, but we didn't get much accomplished. Although the living room is looking a bit better, a majority of the presents have been put away. Thank you notes are done I just need to buy some stamps.

This week brings a meeting with the priest. It's tomorrow and I'm a little nervous. I don't really know what to expect. It also brings the start of a new diet. It's back to healthy eating. I'm going to start the body by glamour program again. I'm also going to try to give up chocolate (with the exception of Special K Chocolaty delight cereal. And the weight watchers mint chocolate chip ice cream I bought last night.)

The church

2008-04-01T20:09:00.003-04:00

We'll I finally started the wedding planning. I hope. Doing things in the 'correct' order, I went to the church yesterday to get things rolling. I picked up a packet and some pre-cana information. Last night we filled out the packet (and by we, of course I mean me). It sounds like we need a lot of stuff. Baptism, first communion, and confirmation certificates. Luckily we don't need those right now, we have some time. There also seems to be a lot of rules about what church you're allowed to get married in. I was starting to panic because we didn't fit any of the criteria, until I read the last line. You are allowed to get married in your parents parish if they still reside in the area. I was nervous when I went to return the completed packet today. I'm not sure why. It might be that I'm afraid they'll reject us. After all, the last time we went to church was on Christmas Eve. And we're living in sin right now. But there's nothing I can do about that now. We are who we are. I guess we just have to wait for the priest to call us back for our initial meeting.

The Monday after a party weekend

2008-03-31T09:02:00.001-04:00

The party was fun, the presents were great, but now it's back to work.

Time to move to the next phase. Time to start planning the wedding.

Engagement Party Day!

2008-03-29T14:00:00.000-04:00

I'm rather calm for the fact that in two hours a party thrown entirely for me and my fiance is going to take place. I haven't been the center of a party for years. And certainly never of one this big. I guess the calm is attributed to the fact that we did a lot of the prep work yesterday. It came out nicer than I thought it would, although looking at this picture the folding chairs look a little tacky.

We went over to the room this morning to do the balloons (we weren't sure if the balloons would run out of helium overnight). Now we're in a little crunch since the helium tank ran out and we have to wait for my parents to bring another one, an hour before the party starts. It was actually kind of fun doing that stuff this morning, I enjoy it and it was calming. I wish I could do that for a living. I would definitely like to do a lot of the stuff for the wedding myself too. I only hope I'm this calm on my wedding day! OK, enough of this, I should start worrying about getting myself ready.

Two days to go

2008-03-26T22:12:00.003-04:00

I finally finished the favors. All 90 of them. Yay. Now I just have to clean the house, finish the play list, get my nails done, figure out how I want to wear my hair (minor, I know, but it's stressing me out. straight or wavy?), and oh yeah, set up and decorate the party room for 100 people. I'm so stressed about this party, I hope I actually get to enjoy it. I also can't wait until it's over to relax and open all our presents. I know that sounds so greedy, but it is true. I'm just so nervous about the party, and the two families meeting, and there being enough food, and people not being bored. . .

Favors

2008-03-24T23:03:00.004-04:00

+
+
+

+

= =

Easter

2008-03-23T18:02:00.002-04:00

This is the first 'real' holiday that I've been in the new place. Valentines and St. Patrick's day don't really count. Easter isn't really a big holiday for me, like Thanksgiving or Christmas would be, so I thought it would be a good way to ease into holidays on my own. We split the day up, a few hours with my family at my grandma's and then a few hours with his parents for dinner. Now I'm home and I'm a little sad. I guess I just miss being with my family. Although, I probably would've been bored if I were at my old home anyway. I called my mom to see if she wanted to go for a walk later. That's something we used to do all the time. Only now a 20 minute walk requires a 20 minute drive first. But right now it might make me feel better.

Random Thoughts

2008-03-21T19:44:00.003-04:00

I have a few different things I could talk about, but none of them seem worthy of their own post. So.

First-the thermostat. You're intrigued, I know. I got a new one last weekend and dad installed it on Tuesday. I figured this would be great. I could program it to go off at bedtime so that I don't wake up drenched in sweat in the middle of the night, but also program it to come on half an hour before my fiance has to get out of bed so he doesn't freeze. The plan sounded good, but I continue to wake up hot. Turns out that the apartment is just hot. Even when I set the thermostat to 55, it still reads 70. The lowest I've seen it was 67. I guess that's upstairs living.

The engagement party is a week away and we still haven't decided on favors. Which means if I still want to make them, that's what I'm going to be doing pretty much all weekend.

Tonight my fiance is having his first poker game at our place. I'm kind of nervous. I don't know how I feel about having people I don't know over late at night. I kinda like to go to bed early, even if it is Friday night. I have plans to meet my mom at the gym tomorrow am. I know, I'm such a dork. But my free time is really precious. I hate to waste half the day sleeping late.

I've been thinking a lot these past few days about going back to school. Well I always think about this, but I can never decide what for. I have figured out that I want to go back for school psychology. I dropped out of this program 3 years ago (I could kick myself for that. I'd be done by now and making some nice cash doing a cool job). But I guess it wasn't meant to be. I just wasn't ready for all the work that it entailed. I am ready now though. I'm practically doing it at my current job. Only for half the pay. Speaking of work, I go a huge bump on my head today in the middle of a scuffle. But like I said to my fiance, I have no right to complain. I can come and go from the classrooms as I please. When things get to be too much,I can always go in my office and shut the door. I really give all the credit to those who work with the kids all day everyday. They're awesome. But for now, no more thoughts of work. It's the weekend, so have a good one!!

Happy St. Patricks Day!

2008-03-17T19:53:00.003-04:00

I feel like I've been neglecting this recently. Actually I'm not neglecting it, I'm forgetting it. I don't know with what, but I feel like I've been so busy lately. Still pretty miserable. This weekend was horrible, it was nothing but fighting. Over completely absurd stuff that I thought we would have moved past by this point in our relationship. Ugh. Men! I spent most of the weekend at my parents house. A few trips to home depot, one trip to pick up a china cabinet that didn't even fit in the truck, they gym, some laundry and a corned beef and cabbage dinner with the family pretty much sums up the last three days.

And what's with all the spam comments I've been getting lately? I understand that this blog has been pretty lame lately-not really worthy of real comments, but why the sudden spam?

I promise better stuff to come. Once I get myself together. Having your own place takes a lot of work.

I'm ranting

2008-03-12T19:39:00.004-04:00

How quickly things can turn. Just a few days ago I was going on about the joys of living together. Now I really can't stand him. One initial thing made me mad and now it's just piling on. One: he wouldn't let me watch TV in bed for ten minutes last night. The volume was so low, I couldn't even hear what the characters were saying. But the boy needed his precious sleep (he wasn't actually sleeping) so I shut it off. Never mind that I wake up to his alarm every single morning! Of course I can't go back to sleep after that. Two: his stupid electric shaver. For years I've been buying him new (and expensive) ones because they always seem to irritate his neck. Well the problem isn't the razor-it's that he spends 30 minutes a night buzzing his face. I don't think that's the way it was intended for use. And it is so annoying to listen to for half an hour! Three: I went to the gym tonight and offered to bring home dinner. When I called him and asked him to use the computer to locate the place closest to our house, he said forget it he'd go get it himself. I'm sorry, what was the big deal about that? What was the sense in him going out when I was already out?? Never mind that I thought we agreed the night before we'd have the leftover pot roast. Four: he still hasn't quit smoking. Not even making an effort. I have no more to say about that. Five: He's always on the phone. I don't know of any girls that are on the phone as much as him. Six: I just overheard him on the phone making plans to go out with his friends on Friday and Saturday night. I guess we're done spending time together. I could go on but I should probably stop.

Just a plain old Tuesday

2008-03-11T20:03:00.004-04:00

The pot roast came out really good. I was trying to speed up the process after 2 hours and turned the heat up to high. I totally caramelized (ok burnt) the onions, but it made it really good. It made a great topping. It was so easy and now we have left overs for dinner during the week. Although since I worked today and the fiance was off-he made pasta. Yum. Other than that? I got nothing. Just a boring day at work.

Pot Roast and Party Favors

2008-03-10T16:52:00.003-04:00

So the follow up appointment isn't until next Tuesday. Which seems like a long time to wait. But in the meantime we've had a very nice extended weekend together. In a last minute decision I took today off-to lay around, look at curtains, cook a good dinner. Although I have to be honest, I have no idea what I'm doing with dinner. I thought I was buying a roast beef but it turns out I bought a pot roast. Which I have no clue what I'm really supposed to do with. Or how to tell when it's done. I'll probably wind up overcooking it. But otherwise it's been a really nice weekend. We've really enjoyed spending all this time together.

My mom and I went shopping yesterday for the engagement party. The only thing we managed to get were the plates, forks, spoons, etc. Which she really could have done without me. No decorations and definitely no favors. Favors have become a sore spot. We still can't agree on what's appropriate for an engagement party vs. wedding. I want to give something that people can actually use and enjoy. She's being difficult and I'm losing my patience. We need to find a balance.

Update

2008-03-08T08:57:00.002-05:00

Just a quick update. The surgery went well (sigh of relief). Now it's waiting to find out what it was. Hopefully next week. Keep thinking good thoughts. Thanks!

I'm tired

2008-03-06T20:14:00.003-05:00

I realize I still owe you some new home pictures. But I'm too tired and lazy to do all that work right now. Besides, even though I'm off tomorrow, we have to be up by 5:30am to get to the surgery site on time. So for now I might go chill on the couch and maybe write some thank you notes. (We got another wedding present today-shot glasses! I don't drink much, but they're very cool looking!) Good night and think good thoughts for us tomorrow.

Party Planning

2008-03-03T21:38:00.003-05:00

Planning the wedding is going to be harder than I thought. Because planning the engagement party, which is 1/10th the size of the wedding, is a huge headache. We're (me and my mom) trying not to hurt anybody's feelings, but taking everyone's suggestions into consideration isn't possible. I don't want anybody to feel left out, but . . .

I've lost that loving feeling

2008-03-02T18:11:00.002-05:00

Well last night I did anyway. I'm not so fond of him today either. After everything that we did yesterday, I was exhausted by 11pm. I went to bed after politely asking him to turn the video game down and shut the door. He complied at the time, but I was woken up at 12:30am by him on the cell phone-outside on the balcony for that matter. I a little less politely commented that he was being a loud, and loudly shut the bedroom door shut. After fuming for a half an hour or so I finally fell back to sleep. Only to be woken up again at 1:30 to the sounds of Call of Duty 4. He was sitting there, door wide open, on the phone with his friends. I yelled something and this time slammed his and the bedroom door shut. By 2:30, I was still wide awake. He then had the nerve to crawl into bed and start talking to me as if nothing was wrong. He was asleep in five minutes, and I went into the kitchen to eat. I managed to sleep for three solid hours before being awoken by his snoring. I nudged him and kicked him a few times, but to no avail. To save my own sanity and keep myself from inflicting harm, I spent the rest of the 'night' on the couch. I thought I'd be getting away from this sort of stuff once I was no longer living in the room next to my brother. I guess not.

He's spent the entire day today driving back and forth to pick up a (free) dining room table. It's ugly. I don't want it in my house. I don't want to invite people over and have them see it. I don't care that it's free. I'd rather have no table at all. But apparently I don't have a say in the matter.

The joys of living together

2008-03-01T21:39:00.002-05:00

This is one thing I've been looking forward too. Going out to a party (in tonight's case his Grandpa's birthday party) and being able to come home together. We had fun and even though we're doing our own thing now, it's nice to know he's just one room away. It was the same thing last weekend after our trip upstate. It used to be so hard to spend a few days together only to go back to separate homes. I though it would be difficult to adjust to spending all this time together, but it's been better than ever. I love living together. And I love him.

Normalcy?

2008-02-29T16:59:00.006-05:00

This is the first Friday (ok so it's also only the third) that we haven't been packing, it hasn't been my birthday, or we've been driving upstate. It's a return to normalcy. I've got the house to myself for a few hours. I got out my chocolaty delight cereal, the real estate section, and a rerun of Gilmore Girls (and bonus now that I have IO, I also have reruns of 90210!) Although this ritual, this return to normalcy; I don't think it really exists. There's no such thing as a 'normal' day. It seems that everyday is different; there is always something. There's always bumps in the road. For example, I won't get to engage in this ritual next Friday, since my fiance will be having surgery. In this case there's a bump in him. (He who is now home. So much for the two hours of the house to myself.) And as our engagement party invitations went out this week, so I'm fielding calls left and right about where we are registered. I better go update the registries. Which reminds me we got our first wedding present this morning!

Wanna try to guess what it is?

It was something we really needed. . .

They came 16 in a box. . .

They go in the kitchen. . .

They're. . .

Drinking Glasses! (I love them!)

Err

2008-02-27T20:32:00.003-05:00

Today was my early day at work. I was so happy to come home early; I could do a little cleaning, take down the Valentines decorations and put up the St. Patricks Day stuff, and cook a little dinner. As usual things didn't go according to plan. I got home to a little surprise. Our first maintenance charge bill. It's $300 more than what we we were told it would be. Uh, not OK!! We left a message for the people to see if we could clear that up. Ok, so on to dinner. As I'm prepping and wrist deep into raw chicken, the doorbell rings. (Friends and family can't just pop over, so I know it's not gonna be good news.) It's not. It's the downstairs neighbor. Maybe he's going to tell me the TV's too loud since I have it blasting so I can hear it in the kitchen? No such luck. The shower is leaking again. Why?? We didn't do anything with it since the night we moved in. I'm ashamed to admit I pulled the girl card then. I told my fiance to be the man and handle the situation. Which isn't bright being that I'm more handy than he is. But the problem did get fixed-hopefully-with thanks to our very cool neighbor. Really, it's never easy. There's always something.
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The weekend in pics

2008-02-26T21:14:00.004-05:00

It's amazing how busy you become just because you live in your own place. (Well there are other things too, but I don't want to talk about them yet.) Here are some pictures of the weekend to tide you over

The Beautiful Snowstorm. (That made the drive-and even the decision to even go-difficult, but made for great conditions)
My fiance taking a break. Or catching his breath after a fall? I can't believe he did so well!!
The view from the lift. There would've been more pictures, but it was too cold to take my gloves off to play around with the camera.

Fun!

2008-02-24T19:56:00.002-05:00

Great, great weekend. The perfect thing to take our minds off (well my mind was off it-I don't know about his) of Tuesday. We went snowboarding with my entire family-minus a few cousins. SO MUCH FUN!! I can't recall exactly what made it so much fun, I think it was just being around everyone I love at once. And that I went snowboarding with my fiance for the first time ever. I didn't think that would ever happen. It may never happen again, but this is enough for me. Maybe some pictures tomorrow.

No words

2008-02-21T20:10:00.002-05:00

Saturday the worst things on my mind were stomach virus germs and anxiety. We may be dealing with something much heavier and the above would be welcomed alternatives. I can't get into it.

Oops

2008-02-19T22:04:00.003-05:00

Kinda forgot about the blog. Well didn't forget but have been a little busy since I went back to work and am trying to plan this engagement party. I'm a little out of my element and trying to do everything myself. Case in point-homemade invitations. And favors. How many are you supposed to get? One for each person? For each family? Maybe Wedding Channel.com will have some info on that.

I'm still struggling with the issues of last Saturday. My anxiety level is not as bad but still way too high for comfort. I went to the 'gym' tonight to relieve some stress, but the 'gym' was two treadmills in a tiny room with two older very sweaty and smelly (not to mention shirtless and not pretty) men. Ew. I also forgot the ipod and was forced to listen to their cassette tapes. Not too motivating for a run. The fiancé was originally with me, but I lost him to some senior citizens playing poker in the next room. I wish we had a calendar of the events that take place here. I wonder what else goes on. It could be interesting.

I would like to get some pictures of the how the house is looking with furniture up soon, but it probably won't be till next week. Too much to do right now.

Help me please

2008-02-16T16:15:00.000-05:00

I know this will sound completely selfish, childless, and ridiculous. I probably sound insensitive and mean. But I can’t help it. That’s what a phobia is. An irrational fear. My biggest phobia: stomach virus germs. I am a bit of a germaphobe: I wash my hands every time I come into the house after being out in the community, I keep hand sanitizer in my car, I shower or at the very least change my clothes as soon as I get home from work, and I never eat anything with my hands unless they’ve just been washed. I do everything I can to keep germs away. But now, one week into living in my new place, my fiancé has a stomach virus. He’s getting germs in my bed, on my comforter, in the only bathroom, and just about everywhere else that he breathes. And it’s giving me a panic attack. Instead of being the doting fiancé and taking care of him. I’m curled up in a ball on the couch crying. I do not know what to do with myself. I literally can’t take it. I know he’s sick and he’s the one who feels bad, but I am over the top anxious. I just want to give up. I want to go home to my parent’s and curl up in my clean former bed. I’m trying so hard to be the grown up 26 year old that I should be, but I can’t. I really need help!! Somebody please tell me what to do. I know what I really need is some systematic desensitization, but there’s nothing systematic here. Besides I’m not at the point where I’m ready for that. I’m trying so hard to distract myself right now, but it’s not working. These irrational fears are completely taking over my mind. Advice, please!

Happy Birthday to Me!!

2008-02-15T15:25:00.002-05:00

Nothing special today. Just indulging myself and spending some quality me time at home (and at the Guess? store). I slipped a little champagne into my orange juice this morning and baked myself some brownies (Not that I'm saying I baked them for me-I'm using the excuse that I'm trying to rid the house of the paint smell and that they're for our company tonight.) I wasn't totally lazy, I also cleaned the bathroom and kitchen. Hopefully the fiancé will get home at a decent time and well order dinner in and watch my cheesy shows on TV. Then later his sister and her family are coming over to see the place. Tomorrow we're gonna do dinner with my parents.

Valentine's

2008-02-14T15:14:00.003-05:00

I love Valentine's Day. I always have. Ever since I was little. My mom used to give me a small box of chocolates or candy in the morning. Actually she still does this. She gave me some chocolates last night while I was visiting. The day is about love-which to me means love for anyone, not just a significant other. My fiancé and I aren't doing anything special today-our first as an engaged couple and in our own place. Although it would be nice if he surprised me with chocolates later (I'm not really expecting it, but I'm such a chocoholic). I did give him a card (I found it in my closet when I was cleaning a few weeks back-the receipt was dated 2004!) He took the day off from work and we did some very romantic things earlier: applied for our tax rebate, hung up a paper towel holder and a key rack. . .fun stuff. I'm even going to the gym later-isn't that romantic? Dinner will probably consist of left over lasagna from his mom's.

The real reason I love Valentine's day, is because I feel like it's my own personal holiday. My Birthday Eve. The last day of my being 25.

In sickness and in health

2008-02-13T22:32:00.005-05:00

We haven't taken the vows yet, but this living together thing is a pretty good trial for the marriage. Last night (only night four of sharing a bed) my fiancé developed a cough. All night long all I heard was him hacking or the cursing right before the fit started. I managed to stay sympathetic and offered to do whatever I could. A glass of water, a cup of tea, cough drops. (We didn't have tea or cough drops, but it's the thought that counts.) Normally I would've yelled at him or at least gone to sleep in the other room. Either I'm growing and this living together really suits me or this week long vacation from work has melted the stress away. I guess we'll find out next week.

We're not quite sure where the cough came from. I though maybe it was a result of him trying to quit smoking (I may lose my patience if he doesn't follow through with that). But it only happens at night. We think he may be allergic to something in the bedroom. I vote for the sheets. They're so rough. Look at what they're doing to my legs.

Ouch!

(Sorry if that's a little gross. It's just rug burn. Or sheet burn in this case.)

The shower shelf

2008-02-12T13:00:00.001-05:00

I'm becoming very handy. Last night I manged to turn this into this

I also managed to slice open my finger. I was worried, it was deep and we had no band-aids or peroxide. But I found a first aid kit in my car and managed to wrap it up enough to stop the bleeding. I also learned that my fiance is afraid of blood. He wouldn't even look at me.

Oops

2008-02-11T21:33:00.000-05:00

I checked out those wind chimes today. Turns out their ours. Oops. They'll becoming down soon. They wouldn've come down today, except that it was a chilly 20 degrees today.

The nights

2008-02-11T11:36:00.000-05:00

I have to say the king size bed that my fiancé pushed for is nice. We can both sleep comfortably in it. Unlike every other previous vacation where we usually ended up in separate beds. My gripe is with the sheets. I spent a small fortune on them (as I would with any king size sheets) but made sure that they were of a good quality and thread count. Maybe they need to be broken in or something, because they feel so rough. I wake up with rug burn (sheet burn?) on my knees and elbows. I had a dream that my elbow was bleeding on the new sheets. It wasn't really. It was just red and sore when I woke up.

A couple of other household gripes that I'm hoping to get used to: The neighbors have oh so nicely hung some lovely wind chimes off of their terrace. Which happens to be right outside our bedroom window. That wasn't too annoying last night during the high wind alert. Also the heat in the pipes makes noise all night (and day for that matter) long. It sounds like someone knocking on the wall. And not a faint knock, but pretty loud. Hopefully I'll get used to it-just like I did my brother’s TV.

My first place

2008-02-10T22:39:00.000-05:00

I'm watching My First Place from my first place (and on my fiance's HDTV-not that HGTV is in HD)! Today was good, I spent most of it with my mom, shopping and visiting Grandma. Then I spent a little time organizing and putting stuff away in the kitchen. It would be nice to be able to eat at the kitchen table rather than the coffee table.

After dinner, when I had some down time for the first time in two days, all this kind of hit me. I got really sad and cried a bit. It's a big change and I think it's gonna take a long time to adjust. I miss my home (but it's not my home anymore, it's my parent's home). I miss my cat. I miss my room. But I do like my own home and my new room. I just have to keep in mind that I had 25 years in my last home and 2 days in this one. It's going to take a bit longer for it to feel like home.

The first night

2008-02-10T09:21:00.000-05:00

Well we survived the first night in our new place. It wasn't without a few adventures though. Moving in went pretty smoothly, minus the U-haul rental place never receiving our reservation. We got a lot of help from family and friends, so things got put away and put together pretty quickly. When we finally got some alone time last night, we put the clothes away and took a shower. While he got to take a shower, I got nervous when there was a knock on the door at 10:00pm. Turns out our shower was leaking through our downstairs neighbors ceiling. Luckily they were extremely nice and happened to be a plumber. So at 10:30 last night we got to meet our new neighbor as he caulked our tub. Nothing ever goes smoothly. And now I'm going on two days without a shower.

Otherwise, sleeping in the new bedroom was ok, but it doesn't feel like home yet. I think that's going to take a while. I am a little sad about being away from my family.

In between pics

2008-02-06T18:07:00.000-05:00

There hasn't been much free time for logging lately as painting has literally occupied all of my free time. So anyway, the painting is finally finished with a big thanks to my parent's help. Today the fiance and I went over to take the tape down, clean up, and wait for the various delivery and service people. Unfortunately I didn't get to take many pictures after we cleaned up. So here are some intermediate pics.

The master bedroom. It looks a little more purple than planned. (Oops)

This was my mom's idea. We painted it on the second bedroom (the fiance's tv room) wall. The fiance is a huge Mets fan and very anti Yankees, but hey he was away missing all the work!

The room eventually turned into this. (But underneath it all it's still a yankee room!)

I absolutly love the way the kitchen came out. I've gotta get a better picture. Plus it'll look better when the tape comes off.

The bedroom furniture we had delivered today. I thought it would be way to big for the room, but the room still looks really big!

Painting Weekend!!

2008-02-01T22:10:00.000-05:00

We went over and paint taped the place up tonight. It took two and a half rolls of tape but to be honest I don't think we're gonna get the whole place done over the weekend (especially with the fiance in Vegas!). We also had our first guest tonight. Unfortunatley we had nothing for him to eat or drink, let alone a place to sit.

Some before pictures. Check back next week for the afters.

The entrance way. The butterflies have got to go. Unfortunatley they didn't go that easily. Some of the paper is still stuck to the wall. That's a problem for dad tomorrow.

The living room. While I'm not a fan of the green rug, it is really comfy. We'll have to change it in the future when we have the money, 'cause it just won't match the walls.

The kitchen (obviously). I'm making a mess already!

The second bedroom which will become the TV/videogame room. (The entertainment center was left to us. We're gonna move it to the living room.)

Can you tell we're new at this?

2008-01-31T22:19:00.000-05:00

Home ownership should come with a manual. Including things like: call the power company to establish electric in your name, and remember to call the phone company too. Otherwise you may find a note on your door stating that the electric has been shut off. Oops. But seriously, someone should tell you about these things. The fiancé did get it up and running this afternoon, so we will be able to see what we're painting this weekend. The cable/phone/internet guy, mattress, and bedroom furniture are all being delivered next Wednesday. Do we have to have the TV’s there to set up the cable? I think I'll go confer with my dad.

OUR home!

2008-01-30T19:42:00.000-05:00

We went over to OUR place today for the first time!! We only spent about an hour there (It was getting dark and we didn't have lights in all the rooms. Plus I have to go back to work for a meeting in a little bit.) We dropped off some paperwork in the office, tried to figure out if we have to call the phone company or if the line remains from the previous owner, brought in the kitchen table (a horrendous task since the table weighs a ton and we had to get it from the parking lot up the stairs), got dinner, and then locked up. It was weird we felt like all the residents were watching us-I guess their sizing up their new neighbors. It was fun though. I'm excited to go back on Friday. It's really ours now!!!

Tomorrow!

2008-01-29T19:41:00.000-05:00

I don't really have much time for this. I could be packing, preparing for tomorrows presentation at work, or at the very least helping my mom with the dishes. I'm so excited that we're going to the co-op tomorrow and it will finally be ours! Yay!! But for now I'll hold the excitment and go do something productive. Bye

Way too much to do!!

2008-01-28T21:58:00.000-05:00

So so busy. We spent all (and I do mean all) of last weekend shopping and got very little to show for it. I did totally score this cool picture from my attic. I had it in my room when I was a kid, but put it in the attic when I 'outgrew' it. I must be feeling young again, because I think it would go great in the kitchen.

In other news, I managed to reserve a 14' moving truck online. Twelve days and counting. We'll probably go over there on Wednesday for a ceremonial first dinner. Before I rush back to work for a 9pm meeting. Ugh.

Closing day!

2008-01-24T17:17:00.000-05:00

Two hundred posts later and we finally closed on our first home! It's kind of anti-climatic though. Closing was not quite as exciting as it seems on all the HGTV reality shows. We sat down (in the kitchen, I might add, as they were out of space), signed some checks, many papers, and that was it. Oh wait, we did have to wait for the bank attorney to get the all clear from the lender to release the money. And they had her on hold for over two hours! We all sat there bored and restless from 11am until 2pm. As soon as she hung up the phone everyone jumped out of their chairs (everything was already packed up by then) and ran to catch the train. So instead of a nice celebratory lunch, we grabbed a cinnabon for the ride. We sat down on the train and caught our breath (why did I wear my high heel boots?) and remembered to congratulate ourselves. We're $200,00 in debt now!

Why can't anything be EASY!?

2008-01-23T20:47:00.000-05:00

Seriously, why can't things ever just go smoothly? Here an email I just wrote to my aunt. *Names have been deleted.

We had my dad do the walk through with us. It went fine until the sellers told us they aren't moving out until the 30th! We really expected that we were going to get the keys tomorrow or at least by Friday. We had plans to paint this weekend, get the cable and internet hooked up the next weekend, and move the following. Of course that's not that big of a deal. The boys are more concerned about the fact that in the week that we own the place and they're living there, we'll be liable for anything that may happen. I also can't believe that no one told us this. Needless to say we have a call in to our lawyer. I was so excited this afternoon and now so disappointed. I know it's only a minor issue and I should focus on the big picture, but why can't anything just be easy?

Sorry, I saw your email and I needed to vent.

Note: The lawyer returned our call a few minutes ago. Apparently they have five days to move out (um, hello this is 7 days!) and that it's all written into the contract. Okay, but shouldn't someone have TOLD US THIS!? And I'm sorry, but wasn't the real estate agent trying to push up the closing to before the holidays? What's the sudden delay? I'm beginning to think the agent just wanted her commission from the sale to use for her holiday shopping. I can't stress this enough: find your own real estate agent that you can trust!! And a lawyer that keeps you informed!

Walk Through!

2008-01-23T17:46:00.001-05:00

We're doing our walk through in an hour! I can't wait, I'm so excited. I can barely remember what the place looks like-I haven't seen it since September.

The Right Stuff

2008-01-22T20:29:00.000-05:00

My curious kitty exploring the newly empty closet space.

Yesterday I channeled all my anger into cleaning out my closet. It was quite a production since apparently I haven't done this in the 25 years I've been alive. (I'm only sorta kidding.) Instead of being all sentimental, I actually had some fun with it. Once I found the old cassette tapes, I blasted the New Kids on the Block and some old school Paula Abdul as I worked. I also found a tape of songs I made from high school and the time I was with my ex. It's funny how music can really take you back. Most of the self made tapes went in the garbage (after I listened to them one last time). Actually I threw out a lot of stuff, which is usually hard for me. I'm proud of myself for doing it. After all what am I really going to do with all that stuff? Keep it in boxes in the attic? I won't miss it. I did save the important stuff like my graduation cap and my favorite dolls.

I worked out a compromise with the fiance. He goes to Vegas, and in turn I get him to come upstate and snowboarding with my family in February. I'm happy with that. I'd be happier if the real estate agent would call me back and confirm a walk through time for tomorrow.

ARGH!

2008-01-21T10:50:00.000-05:00

First, an update on Saturday. The repairman did not get to the house until 4:30pm. 4:30!! Once he got here it took all of ten minutes to fix. We sat in the freezing cold all day, for something that could've been fixed in ten minutes. Apparently the company has cut back on the number of service people they have. Needless to say, my parents won't be using that company again next winter.

The meeting of the parents went well that evening. I'd elaborate, but I have bigger things on my mind right now. After we got our closing date, I started to get excited about moving. For one, I can't take much more of the way I'm living. My stuff is all over and other stuff is all packed up. This weekend was a little rough, without access to some of my items. Thankfully we're moving in two weeks, right? Wrong. Now that the Giants are going to the Superbowl, my fiance has to go to Vegas to watch it, of course. How ridiculous!! I understand it's his team, but it's not like he's going to the Superbowl itself-just a Superbowl party. Now all plans have to be rearranged. I'm so mad, I don't even want to talk to him. I think this is taking his love of sports too far.

The power of a shower

2008-01-19T12:18:00.000-05:00

We've been without heat and hot water since last night. We called the service people at 8:30 am and they still haven't been here. I was really hoping they would have come and gone by the time I got back from the gym. No such luck. And even though I could wash up and put on clean clothes, it just wouldn't feel right. I really can't start my day until I have that shower. (Which is a little odd, being that on work days I shower only in the evening.) I've debated about going back to the gym to shower, but ew. So I guess I'll be lazy a bit longer.

I got an email from the real estate agent, wanting to know if we wanted to do our walk through on Wednesday night instead of Thursday morning. That was news to me. I didn't know that that was required. I hope they don't mean a home inspection, because I don't have an inspector. Besides, shouldn't that have been done well before closing? Maybe I'll have the boy give the lawyer a call. I feel like I know so much about real estate, but sometimes I am clueless. I can't stress this enough: when you're buying a home, make sure you have YOUR OWN real estate agent!

Keep your fingers crossed that the repair man comes soon. Besides the shower, it's beyond cold in the house.

Thanks, I think

2008-01-17T22:23:00.000-05:00

With this whole engagement thing, people (as expected) keep congratulating me. It feels weird. I mean what exactly did I do that deserves congratulations. It's not like when I worked my butt off to get a degree. Or buy a home. Those are accomplishments that took work. Not that maintaining a relationship isn't work. But the other things you have a little more control over. You sacrifice by saving money for a home, or studying for hours to pass tests. Finding a life partner is a little more by chance. I've spent hours talking to friends about wanting to getting engaged, but not really having any control over when it would happen. Now I'm engaged and they're not. But it's not their choice. And what about the people who don't want to get married. Why don't we go around congratulating them on their choice to be single?

Following me? I don't think I am. I'm way too tired to explain this better. Goodnight.

Masonry or frame?

2008-01-16T16:39:00.000-05:00

We finally got a closing date! Next Thursday! Trying not to get too excited yet, but this is further than we got the last time.

I had to make the last minute calls to secure the co-op insurance. Of course I have to answer many questions again, because every time I call I talk to a different person. This time I got a new one, "Is it masonry or frame?"
Me: "Umm, I'm not sure."
Incredulous associate: "You haven't seen it?"
Me: "Yes, but how would I be able to tell?"
The conversation went on with her explaining that one was wood and the other was masonry, and me guessing that it was masonry. But do they actually double check that information? They ask an awful lot of information from novice first timer me. I hope there's not a problem if I'm wrong.

Can this be true?

2008-01-15T19:17:00.000-05:00

Things are looking up. We finally got in touch with the lawyer. He's going to call us back with a definite date tomorrow. But it's looking like next Thursday or Friday. Maybe I should start packing?

More frustration

2008-01-14T19:21:00.000-05:00

Ongoing frustration-still no news about a closing date. Adding to this frustration is that the real estate agent called today. Apparently, the sellers are all ready to go (we knew this) but when they call their lawyer, all they're told is that our lawyer won't return his calls. So we called our lawyer twice today and surprise surprise, he didn't call us back either. Now I'm starting to worry. And I really am getting desperate to move. Now my boyfriend, oops I mean fiance, is worried too and on the case. I'm sure he'll call him repeatedly tomorrow. I hope.

Old frustration turned new frustration-the too big engagement ring was really starting to bother me (at least irritate my skin) because it was sliding up and down and around my finger. I got it sized and it's better-not perfect, but my mom reminds me that it is winter and will probably fit well in the summer. At least it's no longer at risk for falling off my finger. But it does seem I'm at risk for the diamond falling out. Ever since I got it back from the jeweler, the diamond is loose. Not cool. It was stressing me out last night, but then I realized that even if I were to lose the diamond, it doesn't mean I'm not getting married. It's not like I'm not losing the guy if I lose the ring. And that's what really matters.

Saturday morning frustration

2008-01-12T12:29:00.000-05:00

So I rushed to Circuit City this morning after the gym to drop of my car on time. See I had an appointment for them to fix the automatic starter they installed last year that no longer works. As I walk up to the desk, the kid that I made the appointment with last week, who clearly remembered me, says, "I don't think we'll be able to do it today. We don't do repair work on weekends." What?! Then why did they make an appointment for me on a Saturday morning? He knew the situation last week. He said that I could leave the car all day, and maybe they'll get to it. Ok. Fine. My parents are both home this weekend so I can use one of their cars for the day. Then he asks if I have the receipt from last year. "Um, no. I asked you last week if I need the receipt and you told me: No, it's in the computer." Yes I have the receipt filed at home, but not with me. He spends a good 20 minutes searching through his computer trying to locate it but can't. He sends me to customer service, where I have to wait online, before being helped by an annoyed associate. After I start complaining to my mom, the associate changes her tone a bit. But what a hassle. Unnecessary frustration. And for all that, they called 2 minutes ago that everything is fixed and the car is ready for pick up.

Up and down

2008-01-11T12:15:00.000-05:00

I've been in a little bit of a funk the past two days. I think it's because things are settling down a bit. The initial excitement of the engagement is wearing off (Can you imagine how I'll feel after the wedding?) and I'm so frustrated that we haven't heard about a closing date yet. I really thought we'd be painting this weekend and moving in the next. Guess not. And as seems to be the norm in the real estate industry, there are no phone calls to keep us informed.

Things are looking up a bit today. After all, it is Friday and I'm home for the weekend already. No working, no babysitting, no plans. Nice. I also got a pretty nice compliment from my boss at work before I left. That made me feel good. Third, I stopped at the jewelry store on the way home to inquire about getting my ring sized. I thought I would have to drop it off for a few days, but he said if I came back tomorrow when the jeweler was there, he could do it while I wait. Yay! I was kind of upset about going without it for a few days.

The everyday

2008-01-08T20:35:00.000-05:00

I feel like I'm always waiting for something. Or rather that I am always looking forward or anticipating something. There's always a countdown to something. I'm never just living for the moment. For example, it starts with Thanksgiving, then it's waiting for Christmas, waiting to move, waiting for my birthday, the next vacation , the engagement party, the wedding. It's always something. It's how I get through life. "Only five more days of work until vacation, only 8 more days until snowboarding." I'm afraid of what will happen when there is nothing left on my calendar.

I'm waiting

2008-01-07T21:38:00.000-05:00

Still no word from the lawyer. Did I really think he would call today? I started packing up some stuff tonight. All of my DVDs, some books, pocketbooks, hats, belts-stuff I can live without if closing is not for a few weeks. But let's not even think that. Before the holidays I was glad to be taking it slow. After all what's the rush? I have the rest of my life to live on my own. But the excitement has slowly crept up. I want to start our new life together. I'm not as sad anymore. I don't lie in bed at night thinking there are only so many more nights that I'll have the bed to myself. I'm thinking, "I hope this is the last time I have to replace the toilet paper that my brother is too lazy to do himself." (I know, fat chance of that being that I'll be living with a boy). I guess the time I've had to prepare has really helped. I'm ready to get this show on the road. Let's go!!

C'mon closing!

2008-01-06T21:02:00.000-05:00

I'm getting so anxious about a closing date. I really hope it's this week. That way we could paint this weekend and move in the following three day weekend. I guess I should start packing up my stuff. Cross your fingers that we hear from the lawyer tomorrow.

Wedding obsessed already

2008-01-04T16:06:00.000-05:00

I'm starting to get a little wedding crazed. Even though I've only been engaged 5 days and the wedding will be well over a year away, I spent hours last night looking at favors. Not exactly a priority, but so much fun! I also created a wedding website, which I'd love to share, but sadly I have to protect the anonymity of this blog. Sorry, I know how disappointed you must be.

But seriously, I do have two big decisions to make right now. One: A wedding date. Or at least a month or season. I really want to have a winter wedding, but I'm not sure I want to risk a snowstorm on the big day. I'd also like a fall wedding, but fall 2008 is to soon and fall 2009 to far away. Definitely not spring or summer. So I don't know. I'm open to suggestions. Two: Whether or not to have an engagement party. I think it's asking a lot of people to expect them to contribute to an engagement party, shower, and wedding. But a party would be fun. And gifts couldn't hurt, we are (hopefully) moving in a few weeks and need all the help we get.

Speaking of moving, we bought a mattress a few days ago. I conceded and sprung for the king size. That'll happen two days after a proposal. Now I have to find my beautiful, but discontinued headboard in king size. Sigh. The mattress is on layaway right now and can be delivered once we get the closing date. Which is now looking like next week. . . There's a lot of waiting around in this real estate game.

Stuff

2008-01-03T20:16:00.000-05:00

Slowly getting back to reality at work. Did I say I would be glad to be getting back to work? Obviously I wasn't thinking clearly.

No word on a closing date yet. The proposed date was Jan 1st. That's past and the lawyer keeps telling us he'll know the next day, so everyday I get my hopes up and then we hear nothing. I hope it's really soon-like next week. I'm trying to clean up my room, and there simply isn't enough room anymore. This move is coming just in time. I hope.

My boyfriend's parents are coming over to meet my parents on Saturday evening. I'm nervous. I understand that they want to meet, but it hasn't even been a week since the engagement. No decisions have been made about the wedding yet; what are they going to talk about? I know it's unlikely, but I worry about fights over who's paying for what or other nonsense.

Back to work

2008-01-02T16:17:00.000-05:00

As I drove to work this morning I guessed that I would have 88 emails waiting for me. There were 89. Not bad. Had it not been a holiday week there probably would have been twice as many. What also helped was the engagement thing. It made the day fun. I'm not one to go announcing these things, but lucky for me a woman I work closely with doesn't have that problem. By the end of the day people I hadn't seen all day were congratulating me. I don't always like being the center of attention, but it wasn't too bad. Besides, I was sharing the spotlight with two other women.

Happy 2008!

2008-01-01T16:37:00.000-05:00

I had a whole plan of posts for this holiday week.

First, I was going to talk about and post pictures of my favorite Christmas gifts. The pretty pink kitchen aid mixer from my parents was at the top of the list. The set of phones w/answering machines for the co-op (should we ever get a closing date) were a close second, as were the 90210 season three DVDs (which I spent the two days after Christmas on the couch watching).

Second, I was going to talk about the road trip I took upstate with my cousin to go snowboarding. I would've liked to post pictures of that too, but it wasn't cold enough to wear a coat on the slopes, and I didn't want to risk carrying the camera in my sweatshirt pocket. I would've lost it in a yard sale. Luckily, I managed not to fall, but only because the slopes were all ice and I didn't go fast enough to risk it. That would've hurt.

Third, I was going to post pictures of our trip to the city to see the tree. But our trip into the city on Sunday turned into way more than sight seeing. It turned into a proposal and the beginning of a new life together! So the last few days have overwhelming; filled with making sure we didn't leave any relative or friend out in announcing the engagement and trying to pick a wedding date. I can't believe it. I'M ENGAGED!!! WE'RE GETTING MARRIED!!!!

Quick holiday recap

2007-12-27T13:27:00.000-05:00

Christmas was great. Santa was very good to me and I had a truly wonderful time with my family. I have spent the last day and a half on the couch watching my new DVDs. It wasn't until last night that I really started to relax and de-stress. It's wonderful. I wish my boyfriend weren't sick and we were spending the time together. Tomorrow I'm off to upstate to snowboard with my family and maybe some cousins. I'm excited. I just want time to slow down.

Merry Christmas!

2007-12-25T08:22:00.000-05:00

Oh what a day
I don't care if it's gray
If it's Christmas together.

(It's sunny, but I like that lyric from A Christmas Carol the Musical)

Happy Christmas Eve

2007-12-24T15:55:00.000-05:00

Trying to wrap everything up, so I can relax and enjoy the holiday! I can't believe it starts in a few hours!

A sad day

2007-12-22T17:56:00.000-05:00

SPOILER ALERT: Don't read if you don't want to know the ending of I am Legend.

And I thought I would be bored today. We went to the movies this morning and saw I am Legend. It was ok. I thought it was a little slow. Prior to going I had heard from my aunt that she and my cousins were taking their dog to the vet because the dog just wasn't herself. Well turns out the movie is about Robert (Will Smith) and his dog, his only friend. Toward the end of the movie the dog comes close to death. Robert tries to save him, but unfortunately she's caught the virus and the only thing left to do is kill his only companion. It was a emotional, and at that moment I thought of my aunt's family. I knew everything wasn't going to be ok. A few minutes after I got home, my aunt called in tears. The dog had cancer and they had to put her to sleep. Sad. I know it's just a dog, but I've heard a saying that sometimes losing a pet is harder than a person. With people there's all mixed emotions and such, but with pets there's just unconditional love. I don't know how true that is, but I'm just sad. I hope my aunt and cousins are ok.

Santa

2007-12-21T21:35:00.000-05:00

Well it's the first night of my vacation. I went through my usual Friday afternoon ritual-with a twist. While I was watching my tv shows I did a little wrapping. I just wish it felt a little more like the holidays. I wish there was more anticipation, like when I was a kid waiting for Santa to come. I like to recreate some of this by tracking Santa with this website on Christmas Eve. Cool for kids and adults.

One more day

2007-12-20T21:24:00.000-05:00

I got caught up on a lot of work today. Just a little more tomorrow and then vacation! I gave out some of my cards today. I knew this would happen. I wrote out a lot of cards only to decide I didn't want to give them to half the people. I hate that I'm like that.

This weekend I'm going to build our annual gingerbread house with my dad. As kids it used to be a family affair. Then it was more my dad, brother, and me. Then my brother dropped out. The last couple of years I've done it with my boyfriend (which means mostly by myself) because my dad's been busy. On my own I got a little more freedom to change things. Each year I try to add something new.

Gingerbread house 2006. And this is all from scratch. No kits involved!

Almost there

2007-12-19T16:08:00.000-05:00

Gotta finish the rest of the holiday cards today. So that means no trip to the city to see the tree. Instead my boyfriend is going to take a day off next week, so that we can go in during the day, get something to eat, and get home at a decent time. I would have liked to go before Christmas, but better late than never. I haven't seen the tree in years. My dad (who works right near there) says it looks different with the led lights.

We heard from the lawyer today. He got the forms we signed, now we just have to wait on final clearance from the bank, which we should have in a couple of days, and we'll be ready to set a closing date. It's looking like sometime after the holidays. Sounds good to me.

I love the winter. I love that there has been snow on the ground (not on the roads) for a week now. It's so pretty and really makes it feel like Christmas time.

My wintry backyard. (Yeah I know it's hard to see, it was getting dark.)

Where is the time going!?

2007-12-18T22:17:00.000-05:00

Only three more days of work!? Already!? I'm trying so hard to tackle my whole to do list before I leave for vacation-there's not enough time! And I got in the holiday spirit and decided to give everyone holiday cards. So I'm too busy to blog. Must get back to the cards (which I don't have enough of). I dug some out from last year but I'm still a few short. I guess it's back to the store tomorrow. There was barely anything yesterday, I'm guessing tomorrow will be worse. It was so hard to find 'neutral' (ie: not Christmas) cards. Theses are the ones I decided on.

It cost $15 for two boxes (20 cards in all). Then I found out my boyfriend scored 80 cards for only $6. That's karma for you.

Forgetfulness

2007-12-17T22:33:00.000-05:00

I usually pride myself on being so organized. People get fed up with all my lists, but they work for me. The problem is if I forget to put something on my list, it's all over. I knew that I had finished most of my Christmas shopping, except for Grandma. I completely forgot about my boyfriend's parents. Oops. I guess I'll have to do some running around this weekend.

Other times I just plain forget all about usual traditions. Like forgetting to bring a birthday present to a party. Or forgetting to buy holiday cards for friends and co-workers. I get so wrapped up in my own stuff, I forget about these things. So tonight my mom and I went to Target where there were not many options left. And nothing on sale. I spent 18 dollars (on cards!) and realized when I got home that I don't have enough. Maybe I won't give out cards to everyone, just the people I really like. But it feels like Valentines day in elementary school. You can't give them to just some people, you have to give to everyone. I really don't want to give cards to all my co-workers. That will take forever, and there are some people that I really don't like. Oh well it is the holiday season, right? But then, I heard that holiday cards are actually not considered to be in good etiquette. So maybe I'll give none at all. What do you think?

Weekend

2007-12-16T21:01:00.000-05:00

This was a busy, busy weekend. Just five more days until vacation (yay). The concert on Saturday was wonderful. Words can not describe it. You really had to be there. I was very anxious about the drive to NJ, but everything went fine. I had a nice time with my dad. Today was nice too. I baked (another) cake, a birthday Christmas tree this time. Then the family came over for a few hours to celebrate. Fun. But now it's back to reality. Time to get ready for work tomorrow.

Here's a clip from the concert. The digital camera does not do the band justice, nor is the quality very good. And I apologize that my dad does not have a steady hand.

Trans-Siberian Orchestra-IZOD center 12/15/07

My best friend's wedding (sorta)

2007-12-14T18:09:00.001-05:00

This afternoon was a little hard for me. I rushed out of work this afternoon to get to a wedding ceremony on time. I was going with my parents. They were invited to the reception as well, I was not. Not that I should have been. Well I should have been, but what I mean by that is that life should have been different. I met the bride on our first day of kindergarten. We were best friends all through elementary school, but we drifted apart during junior high. I still see her every once in a while since our parents are now very close friends. Until very recently I've always regretted our drifting apart. I only got over it because I know that there is no point in having regrets. But I couldn't help feeling that way tonight. I should never have let a friendship like that get away. Not only should I have been invited to the wedding, I should have been in it. I'm feeling really sad right now. I know if things were different my life right now might be very different, and that everything happens for a reason. But I'm having trouble thinking of one . . .

AHhhh!

2007-12-13T19:13:00.000-05:00

That's really all I can say about today. Today was the day where everything that could go wrong did. However, I won't complain about it too much because it could've been MUCH worse! But I'm definitely stressed, and have barely managed to talk myself out of a panic attack several times. There's defiantly anxiety in me right now. Thankfully I've been a little ok in keeping it under control. So far.

What really saddens me is that I normally love the snow. But today I was at work and had a lot of traveling to different sites to do. I hoped that it would rain (I hate that I thought that). I looked out my window just as it started snowing and it made me anxious. I hate even more that I'm now associating snow with anxiety. At least when I'm at work. Or have to travel far (like Saturday night). I'm hoping that doesn't have to do with snow per se, but the thought of being stranded or stuck in traffic in the car during a snow storm.