ONLY TWO FULL DAYS LEFT until we move! YIPPIEEE! I can hardly contain my excitement that we are so close to wrapping up this phase with the condo and getting closer and closer to getting into our new house with a yard!
Last night since almost everything is packed up I ate popcorn out of the single piece of corning ware that is still in the cabinet. It is all part of the moving experience - kind of like surviving in the wild, you make due with what you have (or can get to). During my popcorn munching we watched the strangest movie I have seen in many moons - Melancholia. This movie was very much a downer featuring Kirsten Dunst who grows more mentally disturbed each passing moment turning what initially appears to be wedded bliss (for about 5 minutes) to the end of the world. Very unpredictable and at the end makes me think...what would I really do if the world was going to be destroyed? Well there really would be nothing that I could do (as the movie addresses).
Time for some happy thoughts after that downer of a cinema experience. I am so excited to get this move underway - because after the moving we will feast on mexican food and margaritas (always a nice treat). The apartment that we are moving into is so small and will be filled to the max with our boxed belongings that it will shrink the area that I have access to clean. Daniel says it will be a nice "cleaning hiatus". I need to get back into my exercising routine - yesterday I went for a run outside but besides sore legs and spotting a dead ferret it was a futile attempt at my previous cardio exertions. Once we are in the apartment we will have access to the best equipment from the 90's so that will have to do temporarily.
Thursday, April 5, 2012
Sunday, March 18, 2012
Four Weeks To Freedom!
Only four weeks until freedom!!! I hope that those weeks go quickly (at least the weekdays - weekends you are free to drag by).
We are still consumed with packing the house, but are making good progress and I officially packed up the down comforter because with this sweltering humidity in March...we do not need it. Damn this state's weather - I feel sweaty all the time with this humidity and lets admit - thats gross. The dogs are very much confused by why we have chosen to live with the house in a state of disarray. With boxes and plastic storage tubs piled everywhere - veteran mover Chloe sensing the change coming. Mogli just thinks that we are becoming messy hoarders.
I am so excited for construction to start on our new house! They should be breaking ground either next week or the week after depending on if these horrid thunderstorms continue to saturate the ground. We have decided to take pictures of all the stages so we can remember the progress and make a fun little photo book (courtesy of ShutterFly) to grace the coffee table. And once our condo closing passes, I will be able to relax and just enjoy the process. That will be a glorious day - get ready because we are going out to celebrate hardcore!
Netflix makes it possible to still view movies even though all of ours are completely packed up - so thank you to them! I have discovered that they have an array of obscure independent movies that are often times quite intriguing. Last night we watched "A Perfect Host" - if anyone used to watch "Fraiser" then get ready to see Niles in a very new role lol...
We are still consumed with packing the house, but are making good progress and I officially packed up the down comforter because with this sweltering humidity in March...we do not need it. Damn this state's weather - I feel sweaty all the time with this humidity and lets admit - thats gross. The dogs are very much confused by why we have chosen to live with the house in a state of disarray. With boxes and plastic storage tubs piled everywhere - veteran mover Chloe sensing the change coming. Mogli just thinks that we are becoming messy hoarders.
I am so excited for construction to start on our new house! They should be breaking ground either next week or the week after depending on if these horrid thunderstorms continue to saturate the ground. We have decided to take pictures of all the stages so we can remember the progress and make a fun little photo book (courtesy of ShutterFly) to grace the coffee table. And once our condo closing passes, I will be able to relax and just enjoy the process. That will be a glorious day - get ready because we are going out to celebrate hardcore!
Netflix makes it possible to still view movies even though all of ours are completely packed up - so thank you to them! I have discovered that they have an array of obscure independent movies that are often times quite intriguing. Last night we watched "A Perfect Host" - if anyone used to watch "Fraiser" then get ready to see Niles in a very new role lol...
Friday, March 2, 2012
Inescapable Busyness
Yikes there has been so much going on the last few months! Here are the highlights in a nutshell...
* New job - have to tackle marketing effort for 7 counties
* Selling the condo - currently under contract, glad the constant possibilities for showings is over
* Building a house - we are almost there, it all hinges on the condo selling
I long for the point when we are in our temporary apartment and just waiting for our house to be built...this has been a long and hellacious road. My true goal is to enjoy smaller scale living and not have to obsess about the sale of the condo so that I can regain even a fraction of my sanity before moving into our new house.
I am already completely in love with our new house and it doesn't even exist yet - picking all of the colors and fixtures has been really fun and this is the largest scale decorating spree that I have ever embarked on. It is just as glorious as I imagined. To describe my tastes I would say "casual elegance, with french and italian influences" - Daniel would say "pottery barn" and he is very right. I tried for the longest time to win the lottery so that money would be no object, but that did not pan out, so we are doing a moderate job of staying on budget with the component selections. The only things left that we have to choose are the appliances. If I close my eyes I can see myself already using that double oven to make green bean casserole and pie simultaneously - HEAVEN!
These past few months have not been pretty: the endless cleaning, constant anxiety about getting an offer on the house, roller coaster ride of emotions pretty much 24/7...Daniel has had to put up with a lot. I would not wish this on anyone. When we finally get into our new house I want to live there until it starts crumbling around us - selling houses SUCKS AND WILL MAKE YOU CRAZY! A word of caution: do not buy a property that you "only see yourself living in for 3 years or less" I guarantee you will come to rue the day when you made that decision.
Desserts and comfort food have been in no short supply during all of this...I really need to get my sugar intake under control, but that is always a huge struggle for me (I am thinking of getting up even now to get a few gummy lifesavers....).
And...I got a few. I have little self-control in times like these.
Thank God its Friday! I really hope that I can not only get some packing done, but also relax this weekend.
* New job - have to tackle marketing effort for 7 counties
* Selling the condo - currently under contract, glad the constant possibilities for showings is over
* Building a house - we are almost there, it all hinges on the condo selling
I long for the point when we are in our temporary apartment and just waiting for our house to be built...this has been a long and hellacious road. My true goal is to enjoy smaller scale living and not have to obsess about the sale of the condo so that I can regain even a fraction of my sanity before moving into our new house.
I am already completely in love with our new house and it doesn't even exist yet - picking all of the colors and fixtures has been really fun and this is the largest scale decorating spree that I have ever embarked on. It is just as glorious as I imagined. To describe my tastes I would say "casual elegance, with french and italian influences" - Daniel would say "pottery barn" and he is very right. I tried for the longest time to win the lottery so that money would be no object, but that did not pan out, so we are doing a moderate job of staying on budget with the component selections. The only things left that we have to choose are the appliances. If I close my eyes I can see myself already using that double oven to make green bean casserole and pie simultaneously - HEAVEN!
These past few months have not been pretty: the endless cleaning, constant anxiety about getting an offer on the house, roller coaster ride of emotions pretty much 24/7...Daniel has had to put up with a lot. I would not wish this on anyone. When we finally get into our new house I want to live there until it starts crumbling around us - selling houses SUCKS AND WILL MAKE YOU CRAZY! A word of caution: do not buy a property that you "only see yourself living in for 3 years or less" I guarantee you will come to rue the day when you made that decision.
Desserts and comfort food have been in no short supply during all of this...I really need to get my sugar intake under control, but that is always a huge struggle for me (I am thinking of getting up even now to get a few gummy lifesavers....).
And...I got a few. I have little self-control in times like these.
Thank God its Friday! I really hope that I can not only get some packing done, but also relax this weekend.
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
The Satisfied Customer
What a wonderful Wednesday, this is the first one in a long time that I did not have to attend a hellacious staff meeting at the crack of dawn! The realization that I do not have to suffer enormous amounts of stress at the hands of my boss every Wednesday is still taking some time to sink in. I had so much trouble sleeping last night, when I realized something - I haven't gotten a good night sleep on Tuesday in almost a year! The constant dread of the next morning would only cause a snowball effect of negative thoughts, rendering my mind completely unable to rest. Last night I experienced the residual effects of this, but am confident that things will get better as more time goes on.
This morning I had a fantastic experience at the Acura dealership! Well my precious car was due for an oil change and tire rotation (albeit an overpriced tire rotation), but to my surprise the man asked me if there was anything else that needed fixing - did I have any wheel scratches, paint chips, windshield cracks? Unfortunately I had to answer yes to all of these - BUT they are going to be able to repair my scraped wheel without replacing it! Oh the miracles of science - And they are going to handle the rest for free! Over joyed at this news, it didn't stop there, they gave me a quite luxurious loaner vehicle and now I don't have to wait around the dealership! Happy day! More often than not I leave most stores feeling underserved or irate at the bad service, but today I am gleeful about my experience! And my car will once again have a beautiful unspoiled wheel!
Now if only we could get an offer on our condo - then life would really be great :) I am continuing to think positive thoughts though, we had a showing yesterday, which is of course a good thing :)
For the rest of my week off I am going to be relaxing and getting things done before starting my new job next week, but this mornings events have put me in a great mood - THANK YOU ACRUA!
This morning I had a fantastic experience at the Acura dealership! Well my precious car was due for an oil change and tire rotation (albeit an overpriced tire rotation), but to my surprise the man asked me if there was anything else that needed fixing - did I have any wheel scratches, paint chips, windshield cracks? Unfortunately I had to answer yes to all of these - BUT they are going to be able to repair my scraped wheel without replacing it! Oh the miracles of science - And they are going to handle the rest for free! Over joyed at this news, it didn't stop there, they gave me a quite luxurious loaner vehicle and now I don't have to wait around the dealership! Happy day! More often than not I leave most stores feeling underserved or irate at the bad service, but today I am gleeful about my experience! And my car will once again have a beautiful unspoiled wheel!
Now if only we could get an offer on our condo - then life would really be great :) I am continuing to think positive thoughts though, we had a showing yesterday, which is of course a good thing :)
For the rest of my week off I am going to be relaxing and getting things done before starting my new job next week, but this mornings events have put me in a great mood - THANK YOU ACRUA!
Sunday, January 15, 2012
Oh Insomnia, My Unwelcome Companion...
Irksome is the fact that I once again can not sleep - boo... I need it so, but alas try as I might, my mind will not shut off. I need to have a switch installed, that would be most useful. After laying awake for a few hours I figured I might as well get up and do something useful - so I find myself at my laptop.
Today's open house was a disaster. Not only did I have someone show up early as I was preparing to depart with the dogs, but this person showed no interest in the house, but was fascinated with my furniture and decorations. Flattering as that may be, its depressing when you are trying to sell your house. And no sir all of my possessions do not come with the house - sorry. He went so far as to pick up a vase and examine it. The whole situation was quite uncomfortable and if it wasn't furniture and a vase we were talking about I might have thought that this was really a criminal getting ready to rob us. This man did not seem ripe for a heist, he seemed more the type frightened by his own shadow with his biggest concern being indigestion.
After finally escaping and leaving the work to my almost punctual realtor, I was off with the unruly dogs with high hopes for the arrival of anxious house hunters, being that it was a sunny and almost not freezing day. Most unfortunate was the result...only one family showed up the whole time. How discouraging this news was. Not only did I clean endlessly all weekend in preparation, but the whole day revolved around facilitating this open house. Trying to sell your home is a thankless, all consuming, and utterly miserable job. As a parent is to their child, I am hypersensitive to the negative criticisms heard from potential buyers - my thoughts are "I would like to see you try and find a condo as nice as this for any less money and in a better area". Some of them no doubt will tread the path of a "fixer-upper", come to find renovations are more costly than they imagined and their tastes are not as easily brought to life and now they are living in a patchy update mess of a place. The selling process has no doubt claimed several years of my life as a result of the constant stress, so I hope I can put this all behind me soon. I may just have to get a massage next week, a luxury that I at this time should not be indulging in, but so few are the pleasures of this dreadful phase of things - I need a way to keep my sanity.
Today's open house was a disaster. Not only did I have someone show up early as I was preparing to depart with the dogs, but this person showed no interest in the house, but was fascinated with my furniture and decorations. Flattering as that may be, its depressing when you are trying to sell your house. And no sir all of my possessions do not come with the house - sorry. He went so far as to pick up a vase and examine it. The whole situation was quite uncomfortable and if it wasn't furniture and a vase we were talking about I might have thought that this was really a criminal getting ready to rob us. This man did not seem ripe for a heist, he seemed more the type frightened by his own shadow with his biggest concern being indigestion.
After finally escaping and leaving the work to my almost punctual realtor, I was off with the unruly dogs with high hopes for the arrival of anxious house hunters, being that it was a sunny and almost not freezing day. Most unfortunate was the result...only one family showed up the whole time. How discouraging this news was. Not only did I clean endlessly all weekend in preparation, but the whole day revolved around facilitating this open house. Trying to sell your home is a thankless, all consuming, and utterly miserable job. As a parent is to their child, I am hypersensitive to the negative criticisms heard from potential buyers - my thoughts are "I would like to see you try and find a condo as nice as this for any less money and in a better area". Some of them no doubt will tread the path of a "fixer-upper", come to find renovations are more costly than they imagined and their tastes are not as easily brought to life and now they are living in a patchy update mess of a place. The selling process has no doubt claimed several years of my life as a result of the constant stress, so I hope I can put this all behind me soon. I may just have to get a massage next week, a luxury that I at this time should not be indulging in, but so few are the pleasures of this dreadful phase of things - I need a way to keep my sanity.
Friday, January 13, 2012
The Much Needed Update!
Now that I realize how long I have fallen out of the "blogging habit" it seems only right that I begin again for 2012. My friend Ashley definitely had a hand in my dusting off the keys, so to speak, and adding a new post.
2011...GOOD RIDDANCE! Never before have I been so excited to ring in a new year and leave a complete mess of a year behind! So far, in the only 13 days of 2012 so far, I have had better luck and fortune than practically the entire length of 2011. The tail end of 2011, brought me to my absolute breaking point as I confronted some of the most stressful circumstances of my life, both financial and health related. Many things have changed - I would have never thought that I would have my house on the market a hair shy of living here for only 2 years, but it needed to happen and now if we can only sell! The only thing more stressful than buying a house...is selling one. Now buying a property seems like a breeze, compared to the ENDLESS cleaning and rearranging of schedules that consume my life. Everyone that knows me knows that I like a clean and orderly house. But this is even too much for me....I toil away endlessly in the effort to make a good impression on potential buyers and I am wearing down the Dyson - not to mention the floors. When this hellish journey to selling comes to an end I will bask in the glory of only cleaning once per week!
2012 is exciting for another reason as well, by some miracle I have secured a new job! I really feel that this job move will be a positive one for me and allow me to advance in my career and hopefully have more longevity with a company. February will be starting off with a bang as I am sent to Las Vegas for sales training! Not only have I not been there since I was about 11, but getting away, even for work can be a fun thing!
Christmas was a bright spot this past year :) I am now the proud owner of a Kindle touch and amazing elephant cast iron tea pot! The age old debate between Kindle vs. real books was not a hard one for me - Kindle all the way. Not only is it more comfortable to hold, easier to take around, and generally awesome, but the case is very pretty too :) Don't get me wrong I won't be parting with my miniature library collection - and still have some new books to read (including a massive copy of The Stand, from a good friend that will probably take me a year to read).
Resolutions and goals - another great thing about the new year. Well here are my new goals for 2012 - particularly the next three months:
1) Stress Less - medically its necessary and life is too short to be in a constant state of worry
2) SELL THIS HOUSE!!!
3) Continue process for new house :)
4) Continue reading for pleasure
5) Gain financial stability
6) Find health insurance option that isn't extremely expensive
7) Walk the path of positivity and don't let others drag me down
I feel good about things this January and there is much to look forward to :)
2011...GOOD RIDDANCE! Never before have I been so excited to ring in a new year and leave a complete mess of a year behind! So far, in the only 13 days of 2012 so far, I have had better luck and fortune than practically the entire length of 2011. The tail end of 2011, brought me to my absolute breaking point as I confronted some of the most stressful circumstances of my life, both financial and health related. Many things have changed - I would have never thought that I would have my house on the market a hair shy of living here for only 2 years, but it needed to happen and now if we can only sell! The only thing more stressful than buying a house...is selling one. Now buying a property seems like a breeze, compared to the ENDLESS cleaning and rearranging of schedules that consume my life. Everyone that knows me knows that I like a clean and orderly house. But this is even too much for me....I toil away endlessly in the effort to make a good impression on potential buyers and I am wearing down the Dyson - not to mention the floors. When this hellish journey to selling comes to an end I will bask in the glory of only cleaning once per week!
2012 is exciting for another reason as well, by some miracle I have secured a new job! I really feel that this job move will be a positive one for me and allow me to advance in my career and hopefully have more longevity with a company. February will be starting off with a bang as I am sent to Las Vegas for sales training! Not only have I not been there since I was about 11, but getting away, even for work can be a fun thing!
Christmas was a bright spot this past year :) I am now the proud owner of a Kindle touch and amazing elephant cast iron tea pot! The age old debate between Kindle vs. real books was not a hard one for me - Kindle all the way. Not only is it more comfortable to hold, easier to take around, and generally awesome, but the case is very pretty too :) Don't get me wrong I won't be parting with my miniature library collection - and still have some new books to read (including a massive copy of The Stand, from a good friend that will probably take me a year to read).
Resolutions and goals - another great thing about the new year. Well here are my new goals for 2012 - particularly the next three months:
1) Stress Less - medically its necessary and life is too short to be in a constant state of worry
2) SELL THIS HOUSE!!!
3) Continue process for new house :)
4) Continue reading for pleasure
5) Gain financial stability
6) Find health insurance option that isn't extremely expensive
7) Walk the path of positivity and don't let others drag me down
I feel good about things this January and there is much to look forward to :)
Monday, November 14, 2011
A Time Of Statues
Antiques are fascinating to me, they make me think about what will become of all of my possessions, both trivial and valuable, after I die. Well any antique that ends up at an awesome resale store is lucky :) this weekend while my mom was in town we explored an antique store near the city. I found a very awesome dog statue a tribute to my own dog children, which apparently was a popular prize at carnivals back in the day. I would have been much more excited about awesome statue prizes versus the current animals filled with cheap foam... Ah yes a time when people had more time and desire for detail. There are definitely downsides to living in past eras - more untreatable disease, less product protection for the public, looser sanitation standards...but detail, they definitely had that! I tend to love things that are more vintage than not, yes some things are just down right hideous, but there are always gems hidden among them. I really want to have more time to dedicate to the pursuit of creating crafts, paintings, etc. Thanks to my discovery of etsy.com I have an eventual idea of where I could sell them. We will have to see.
Flavored popcorn is wonderful. "Blue raspberry" may sound questionable to some, but I love it! All things blue raspberry are usually fantastic, and this did not disappoint. There was a lot of food this weekend...as we inch closer to the holidays I can feel myself slipping into holiday feasting mode...that will mean even more trips to the gym.
The wind is gusting outside as I prepare to make my way out for another day of work. Today should prove to be rather interesting, I do hope that the rain holds off until later as I just washed my car two days ago. The dirt was really caked on last time. Hopefully I will have my head on straight as the week continues and will be able to create more coherent postings :)
TILM: Blue raspberry popcorn, good news for friends, FLORENCE, thinking about Christmas, good books, Thanksgiving break is almost here!!!
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