2005.08.29

South Park family!

While I'm not a huge South Park fan, this little online application to make your own South Park character was just too fun to pass up!  (kudos to Nicole!)

So, here I am, South Park incarnated: purple sweater, floppy hat, messy hair, ice cream ... and a sword.

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And, because John doesn't blog, I had to do his, too!  Karate outfit, light saber, listening to tunes and having a beer.

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After going this far, Amelia must have one, too!  Dragging her teddy bear, dancing with her guitar, messy hair do, diva crown, but still cute as a button!

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277 unread

Did you miss me?  After a full week without the Internet, I have 277 unread emails - and that is just my personal email inbox.  Eek! 

But, the house is *mostly* unpacked.  I'm still waiting to get some more things delivered, and we have yet to get Comcast to get the Internet/cable situation figured out.  But, all in all, I'm alive and well, and the house is beautiful.  The painters only took three extra days to finish and we've only had to call the plumber twice -- so that's not too bad -- right?

Amelia is settling in, as she has recognized all her stuff.  The dog is beginning to realize that we were not abandoning her, and the cat - well - she is born-again!  Rosie the cat loves the new abode!  She looks younger and is more active than she has been in years.  She has been wandering from room to nook to window, and is as happy as a clam!  We have been pondering the feline psychology, but it's all good, so no worries.

Plus, my To Do list only has about 347 more things on it.  Down from 593.  Whew.

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2005.08.15

And visions of cabinet knobs danced in their heads...

After spending the weekend installing cabinet knobs, window blinds, and childproofing accessories, I'm exhausted!  But the house looks great!  I guess we are one of the rare families who have actually had a good experience (knock on wood) with building a house.  We also met the painters at the house, and they have already gotten a good start.

Only a few short days left in our beloved Royal Oak home!

On to the WIGGLES LIVE tonight!

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2005.08.12

It's official!

We closed on our new house today!  We signed lots of papers and handed over a big check.  We are not planning to move in until next weekend, but it's ours!  The painters arrive tomorrow (the builders only paint the interiors "your choice of white").

We are freaking excited.  We can't wait to get in, but it still seems like we have *so much* to do before we are moved in.  We have so many boxes already packed but so many more to go! 

And, we know there will be some challenges, especially with a brand new house.  We have already found our first potential one:  we may not have a mailbox at first, so who knows where our mail will land.  We have been giving our new address out to utilities and such, and half of them are even telling us that our address doesn't exist!

Well, tomorrow we start by installing cabinet knobs, blinds, and child proofing accessories!

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2005.08.11

Stopping to smell the roses...

Ok.  I've been pretty silly on this blog lately.  Probably because I've been so busy in real life.  With work, Amelia, weddings, and moving, my plate has been overflowing.

Fortunately, John and I still were able to celebrate our 8th wedding anniversary on Tuesday with a romantic dinner.  And I'm feeling a little sentimental.  

We are really proud of the life we have built together, and I'm just *trying* to take a brief moment to enjoy it.  We have a loving family, beautiful precocious daughter, wonderful, fun, trusting friends, and are financial stable - heck, we even have money in the bank.  We are moving into a great house where we are going to make lots of great memories, and we have already made lots of great memories in our first home.

I also think we've done pretty well with our marriage.  We seem to make everything work, even when we don't agree.  We love each other, and I can't imagine being without him.  Ok.  I'm done being sappy.  Here's someone else's sap about marriage that I think is pretty good.

 

The Art Of A Good Marriage

Happiness in marriage is not something that just happens.

A good marriage must be created.

In marriage the little things are the big things.

It is never being too old to hold hands.

It is remembering to say "I love you" at least once a day.

 

It is never going to sleep angry.

It is at no time taking the other for granted;

the courtship should not end with the honeymoon, it should continue through the years.

It is having a mutual sense of values and common objectives.

It is standing together facing the world.

 

It is forming a circle of love that gathers the whole family.

It is doing things for each other, not in the attitude of duty or sacrifice, but in the spirit of joy.

It is speaking words of appreciation and demonstrating gratitude in thoughtful ways.

It is not looking for perfection in each other.

It is cultivating flexibility, patience, understanding and a sense of humour.

 

It is having the capacity to forgive and forget.

It is giving each other an atmosphere in which each can grow old.

It is a common search for the good and the beautiful.

It is establishing a relationship in which the independence is equal, dependence is mutual and the obligation is reciprocal.

It is not only marrying the right partner, it is being the right partner.

 

~Wilferd A. Peterson

2005.07.27

Fast approaching!

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Is that house freakin' cute or what???  And it is almost done!  We are supposed to get our closing date in the next couple of days!  John and I have been working on all the final details - mortgage, painters, movers, fence people, storage unit, packing.  Boy, this is a lot of work. 
We will miss our cute little Royal Oak house - and our *dear* Royal Oak neighborhood - but we are hoping the new one will be just as good, if not better.  Plus, we are the type of people who keep good friends - even when they are farther away!
For those who don't know, we decided to build in a new "concept" for suburban developments - it's actually "traditional."  Victorian style homes, on smaller lots, close to the curb.  Everyone has a porch.  You can paint your house any color you want - no beige here!  There are parks every two blocks, and the development includes a business district, with an arts center, health center, stores, etc.  Cool, huh?
We can't wait to get into our new house!   And yes, there will be a Halloween partay!  Better put the date in your calendars now - Saturday, October 29th! 

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