we're in...

Quick update. We officially moved in on Saturday. Life seems SO much less stressful now! More stories, pictures, and updates to come soon once I have the place looking decent enough to do "after" pictures :) Should be by weeks end at the latest!

comfy carpet...

It is in. I am too tired to tell any more stories. Enjoy a few pictures. Moving is this weekend!!!

From end of hall into family room/kitchen. LOVING the laminate!

Master Bedroom

Family room/edge of kitchen

checking off the list - all while making a new one...

thanks to Dad and Tony! Today we got the laminate finished, the fridge in, one of the four new light fixtures up, the problem with one of the lights solved (it doesn't work), and the startings of solutions for the dryer, microwave, and wash room door handle. WHEW!

tomorrow is more finishing work, REpainting 3 walls in one room because I HATE the color (white basically) that is in there now. I thought it was a lightlight tan, it is not. Grrr.... And finishing paiting the bathrooms...

New carpet Wednesday. Moving Saturday/Sunday.

long, but successful weekend...

We are getting SO CLOSE thanks, in part, to my parents and a lot of the parent-hours they've been putting in around our house. The below picture is courtsey of my Mom :) But I like it for one main reason, my Dad is teaching Jason how do to the flooring. Not just telling him what to do - not just doing it himself - teaching him :) Warms my heart a bit. Well, enough with the sap and on to the rest of the pictures. Carpet goes in on Wednesday so after that I'll be doing some before/during/after pictures!!!

Laminate from family room to the back yard...help keep things clean :)

In the middle of flooring...LOVING it!!!

used to be the drump truck room...HUGE CHANGE. And I already want to paint over the "Swiss Coffee" which looks SO white...

used to be the yellow room...

Check out our Picassa Page to see the "befores" and many more!!!

11 days down...

Between my one job and Jason's two it is amazing what we're getting accomplished. Though we also have a great set of parents that have been helping a few times a week! Things are definitely coming along in the house! The main room and the master bedroom are painted top to bottom. The bedding is picked out of the guest room...which means the wall color is to follow. The bathrooms and 2 bedrooms are getting painted tomorrow...hopefully :) Laminate flooring is going in Sunday. New carpet throughout is going in on Wednesday. We are moving in to 7/8 days. WHEW! On to the pictures!.

Reasons 1 - 17ish why it is awesome to paint when you have crappy carpet.

Bye Bye Dump Truck. Tomorrow you will be brown!

RED WALL! I'm in love with the color! Perfect. And nice job to my Dad on putting in the flooring to go beneath the laminate! 2 days until that is done!

BEFORE...

AFTER!!!

PS. I'll have to take an 'after' picture in the afternoon when the light is the same as the before picture! But seriously, the pictures don't do it justice!

HUM...Can you tell what walls I've been paiting...???

the great...

Richard Dawkins!

Robyn, Joe, Jason, and I went to see him speak! This is him signing my book of his! SO exciting!

6 days down...

Well, we've been home owners for 6 days and MAN, has it been a long few days! We've been there everynight and our family and friends have made some appearences too! We're 90% done painting the "main" area and are purchasing the laminate tomorrow to start installing at the end of this week and weekend. Here are some pictures of the last 6 days...I'm tierd so I'll keep it short and sweet! For the rest of our pictures heard to our Picassa Site (to the right on this page). I can't wait to get the before and after pictures taken and up!

After a long day at work...I spent a long night working at the house. This was at 10pm.

We decided on the seond one from the left. Or fourth from the right ;-)

I am much to weak and unstable to hold the shopvac and vaccum (the hose didn't reach, I tried). So this was my solution. Jason caught me and snapped a picture.

ByeBye purple!!! May and Jason painting, yes, I did help! Just had to document!

**RASPBERRY BUSHES ARE A PAIN IN THE REAR***

BEFORE

DURING

AFTER

Toilet snake on the loose! Notice all of the rest of us just standing back. May was ever further behind be watching! But it worked...thanks Dad for taking the poopy jobs...literally...

YAAAHHOOO!!!!!

WE ARE HOMEOWNERS!!! I have the keys in my excited little hands! The work starts tomorrow since the selling real estate agent had the electricity and the water turned off today...but IT IS OUR HOME!!!

We are hopefully picking up the appliances on Wednesday.

Tentative schedule: we'll see how it goes...
Present time - Oct 15th: fix up, paint
Weekend of the 17th: Laminate flooring. Carpet to either go in right before or right after this weekend.
Weekend of the 24th: Move!!!
Weekend of the 31st: Have our first holiday in our house hopefully with some tick-or-treater visitors.

We're hoping to have an open-house type thing in Novemeber but who knows...it could be in January.

Pictures of the renovations start soon! We took "before" pictures of everything and I can't wait to get to the "after" ones!!!

a whole new year...

This has definitely been a different year of teaching. There are, of course, some things that are the same - new staff, planning curriculum, learning all about my kiddos. But this year, it feels different. It is the first year that I am not on a one year contract, though I am considered "provisional" status meaning if I do a good job I'll get hired back next year. Obviously, I'm thinking that is going to happen!

But there are other ways this year feels different. One of the main ones is the people I am working with. They are around my age (actually, I am the youngest in the school ;) and really fun. We hung out last night with 2 girls I work with and their husbands. We made pizza, drank a few beers, and had a good time! I've been to many happy hours and dinners with various members of the staff! I really feel like I belong at this school. It has been a rough first month with the other resource teacher in the school quitting and me being the case manager for 50+ students but things are finally starting to work themselves out at school!

All in all this decision that Jason and I made together to move down here has been a success! Life is coming into place for the time being with good jobs, a new home, and a happy marriage!

our adventure into homeownership...

The title really does seem to ring true. This has been quite the adventure already! Between signing the papers the day before the wedding to waiting 7 weeks for one signature from some business man in Orange County, CA...it has been a wild ride! But I hear that is what buying and owning a house is all about!

Though it all we've had a wonderful agent, Patti Philip. She is actually a family friend which made this process so great! And holy-moley do we both look happy in the below picture! Since we closed after 5 on a Wednesday we have to wait until Monday (keeping fingers crossed) to get our keys. Then the fun begins. We already have a to-do list and have been paroosing Craigslist for a fridge and washer/dryer. We also need all the start up items: hose, lawn mower, tools, to name a few. Some things we can borrow from family for the time being (aka until we have more money) but some we're going to have to pony up to earlier. We are definitely hitting the garage sales this weekend!!!

Patti and I after the inch of paperwork was done!!!

Celebrating with Champagne! Great idea by Jason!!!

On the way to the closing I realized the next day our rent was due...our last rent ever (hopefully)!!! I did not want to forget to pay it so I had Jason write me a note :-)

Nerdy, yes. Memorable, yes. Happy, absolutely!!!