It's really happening

We got it .... the first RSVP to the wedding!! It seems that receiving that in the mail really helped me realize that the wedding is 2 months. I loved that I got to be the one to open the mailbox last night and see it in there....I'm not sure Rich is as excited about it as I am. I can't wait to check tonight.

On a different thought - I was making our traditional green bean casserole for Easter dinner at Nana's this weekend and Rich says "You should have extra bought ingredients. That way we can make more..." Who knew he liked the casserole that much! Luckily for him I did get the family size and we have leftovers. I'll be adding this recipe to the "list" of foods we can easily make and both really like. It was so nice to be cooking in my kitchen this weekend in my home, though it did really make me feel like a grown-up, especially with Rich outside working on making the yard look good. Dog urine and poo which is not picked up is NOT good for the yard -- thank you precious owners! We also have this weed which Richard has never seen which has infested most of the back yard. He says it'll take 2-3 YEARS before it looks the way he wants it to.... Really?? Its a yard... grass grows... well I trust that our (cough**his**cough) yard will be the best on the block when he's done.

Wedding Update

Family invitations are out! YAY.

We just got our tax return(s) this week and have some plans for what to do with it ...
- bedroom furniture :) I would love to get this sooner rather than later, that way I can free up some space in the closet for Richard to put his shoes in the shoe spot. I also think it will help to have a finished look in the room.
- new fence :( not really wanting to spend $$ this way, but we desperately need a new one. I can home last night and one panel was completely off the posts.
- Other home buys: Lawn mower - someday soon

Busy Season is in Full Effect

I love my job, but right now I'm ready for March 31 to be here. Most of my clients have March 31 filing deadlines and that means my life is rather busy. In the past 5 weeks, I have been in Raleigh, NC, Anderson & Indianapolis, IN, Pueblo, CO and Boulder, CO working on various audits. During this I have found a new love for being at home.

Speaking of home. Our house is great. We still have boxes everywhere, unpacking to do, furniture to arrange, and cleaning, but we love it. Rich said its starting to feel like home for him and I once my traveling subsides, I will feel at home as well. Last weekend we did what true homeowners do - yardwork. Rich wants to start a garden but we have weeds all over the back so he was busy trying to pull them out. I was busy in the front with racking the wood pellets which blow out of their area in the wind. We know we have a lot of work a head of us before getting the yard in the condition we want it - but it's something he enjoys. While yardwork isn't my favorite - I view it as an investment in our house and I'm willing to do my share of the work as it's only fair.

This weekend I hope to do some much needed cleaning throughout the house. Last night was my first night to really use the kitchen and man-o-man, to continue with the previous owner's not cleaning - the inside of the oven is a disaster. I've never actually cleaned an over, so I'll be learning this weekend. If the house doesn't burn down - it'll be a success.

(Disclaimer - yes the first time I really used the kitchen was this week, but this week is also my first week of not traveling, so I'm really not that much of a slacker. I will say that Rich has cooked for me 2-3 times already).

Pictures - I would love to post some, but Rich has them all on his camera and I haven't downloaded them yet. Hopefully soon.

I have to say, I love coming home to my soon-to-be husband in the evenings.. especially when he has a glass of wine waiting as well :)

February 2009....

Excluding the last 3 days of the month, February 2009 will go down in our books as the worst month EVER!! There is much to say about this month, but without clearing it with Richard, I'll keep it generic.

1) Death = suckage... even if you know it's coming.

2) Kitty surgery = no fun on any day... 1 week after #1 above = even worse. Throw in 1am complications, emergency vet trip and Sara traveling == super suckage.

3) Busy Season - as icing on the cake - when I've been in town, its at least an 11 hour working day (no commute time included). By the time I get home, its not worth a trip to B-town for Richard as I'll just fall asleep. But I was only in town for 2 weeks. The other 2 -- leave mid Sunday, travel to east coast, work long hours all week, minimal alone time, and then come home LATE LATE Friday night. So I can officially say - WAY TO GO MOM!! I don't know how you do it every week and manage to still be nice to everyone.

4) HOME -- the good of the month! We bought a house yesterday :) And couldn't be happier about it. Super stressful along the way and we still have more to accomplish with moving and decorating - but it's ours. Yay us!!!

So I'll try not to kick February out the door too fast, but I'm more than ready for this month to end.

Welcome March.... and for me, that also means Pueblo, CO - here I come.

Houses....

So we've spent the better part of the weekends for the past month or so house-hunting. We knew that we wanted a house that required minimal work on our part - painting and carpet, or minor repairs, but we didn't want a fixer-upper. We've seen houses and townhouses in every range on the spectrum, and there were some where we would walk in and then just turn right around and leave. Mostly they were in good condition, but some made me wonder if these people really wanted to sell their homes. We saw one house that had potential, but we couldn't really see the house because they had so much junk everywhere. We had walked upstairs to look at the master bedroom and the owner left a pillow or blanket under the comforter that made it look like someone was sleeping.... or dead. I was officially creeped out. Another house we walked in was clearly a fix-n-flip that ran out of money... seriously the walls were half one color and half another. It was like mid-roll, they just decided to stop.

I say all this to say that this past weekend, we found "the one." I loved it... it's cute, not too big, open and inviting.. and in our price range. Richard said he would be happy anywhere and that I'm the more difficult one to please with finding the "right" house, but I know he loved it too. So we made an offer... on Sunday night at like 11pm! That was a rush... and neither of us could really sleep that night. But they countered on Monday morning and it was right where we were hoping to end (okay.. well a little higher, but I didn't want to let it go with a difference of like 2k... really it won't make much difference in the loan) so we accepted and by 3pm on Monday we were under contract :)

What a roller coaster of a Monday .... so I'll leave you with a pic of what we hope will be our house.

A Hard Start ot 2009

2009 thus far has not been filled the joy that we hoped. Last night, while ringing in the new year with friends, one noticed her boyfriend was not around and his car was gone. When we finally reached him on his phone, he told us he thought he had totaled his car. My friend ran to find him and luckily met up with him at the end of the block... the bad news - his face was bleeding rather heavily and we knew. The saga that followed was not fun, but to sum up, his car was in a ditch, Rich and I took a ride in the back of a police cruiser but it was only to help the officer as we were not in trouble... never the less, a new experience for both of us, and friend's boyfriend was in the ER with the local police looking for him. Thank fully Mom, was kinda enough to come pick Rich and I up since the risk of driving home all after that and 2 drinks wasn't worth it.

I didn't think that we could top that, but later today, we found out that one of Rich's friends from high school killed himself on Christmas. I never met him, but it saddens me. From the little I know, he had just lost his job and with his past, hope of a new job was non-existent. He also had a baby this year with his girlfriend.... and they broke up within the last months. I feel bad for his family and all his friends. Another friend of Rich's from high school is taking this hard. I can only hope that comfort is found for all.

So to all who may read this, I hope your new year is better than our has started. Here's to 2009... well a happy and prosperous 2009. Make sure to eat your black-eyed-peas since they are supposed to bring luck.

December Already??

Man-oh-man... where has the time gone? Rich and I have been busy with planning and thankfully we are getting close to having most stuff done. And it's Decemeber. I love this time of year and the lights and cheer :)

We went to Trans Siberian Orchestra last week which is always a highlight for me. The lights, music, and excitement. I've gotten to the point, that it really isn't Christmas time until I see TSO. This year was extra special because Mom and Grace joined us. It was their first time seeing it, and their reactions made it more exciting for me. To add to that, the night was even better as we celebrated my mom's birthday. A milemarker in her life - but she probably won't want to be sharing that she just turned 25 (hehe.... well maybe not 25).

Updates from Rich's post:
We did decide on a florist -- but we still need to tell them.

We've also selected our officiant. What a character this man is! The Saturday we met him, he starts be telling us that if we're meeting with him, then we don't want a traditional wedding (true, we don't). He tells us his ideas fr our wedding and tells us about his past and who he is. After all that, we decided he's our guy: seems a little rough around the edges, but as warm and friendly as you can imagine! And his fee goes to his foundation that works in Latin and South American teaching people English and job skills (LOVE IT!!) and his tip for the day of the wedding.... a bottle of single malt scotch, no younger than 15 yrs... that's our kind of guy, so long as he drinks it after the ceremony.

Invitations - we found some cardstock we like and now have to think about wording for the invitations and perhaps try a few different printers... maybe even check out what Kinkos would charge. Definitely don't want to spend lots on money on something people will most likely throw away after the event.