I had the final walk-through on my new house this evening. Things are looking good, and I am scheduled to close tomorrow. The parrots, Andreas, and I are about to own a house again! Perhaps the most exciting thing about this is that the parrots can be as loud as they'd like, and it won't matter!
In a fun development, the previous owner left some stained glass panels on the 3rd floor for me. It will be fun to figure out where they were and to see if I can reinstall them. I love stained glass!
The past few weeks have been filled with studying. I had to take some securities exams over the past year, and I just passed the third (and hardest) exam this morning. I wanted to get it done before I moved. I wasn't sure I would pass, so I was ecstatic to see the results. Now, on to packing. Except instead of packing tonight, I am drinking a celebratory beer and posting on my blog!
I'm hoping to move a few things over myself tomorrow (my new house is about half a mile from my current apartment.) My mom is coming up on Saturday and she'll help me clean things up and we'll move things in our cars. Then, on Sunday (Father's Day), my dad is coming up with the van he can borrow from work, and we'll move some of the larger stuff, including the animals.
I have hired movers for July 5 to move my bed, the couches, bookshelves, and other heavy things. My dad is getting older and I didn't want to be responsible for throwing out his back! One exciting part of this is how many people have offered to help me move. Even my downstairs neighbors, the college kids, have offered their help. There are so many good, kind people in this world.
It still amazes me how different my current life is from the one I used to live. Better.
Thursday, June 13, 2013
Sunday, June 2, 2013
My house - sneak preview
I am in the process of buying a house. All hurdles have now been cleared, so it's just a matter of waiting (less than two weeks!) for the closing date.
It is essentially my dream house. I feel so lucky to have found it. I can't wait for the parrots, Andreas, and I to move in!
I'll post tons of pictures in the upcoming months, as I adjust to being a single homeowner. I am going to pick up a lot of home improvement skills! One of my new good friends and coworkers is married to a handyman. How lucky am I? I get along really well with him, and the three of us go out to dinner and are forming a real friendship. He has promised to help me out and show me how to do things myself.
It's an old Victorian, with tons of character and charm. I didn't take a lot of really good pictures, as I was mostly concerned with the pretty parts! Luckily, my handyman was there to handle the mundane mechanicals to make sure I wasn't making a huge mistake.
The neighborhood is exactly where I want to live. It's only a few blocks from where I am now, and I'll still be able to bike to work and walk to most places. My best friend lives only a few blocks away, and it's by the best scenic running area I've been able to find. Just amazing how things work out!
It has quite a bit of stained glass; here is what's in the entry way, by my fireplace:
My staircase to the second floor, complete with little room under the stairs. It's currently coat closet, and I'd hoped to turn it into a bathroom, but it's too small. All of the people I've shown this to who are Harry Potter fans are particularly delighted with this detail! It's hard to tell from this picture, but there is more stained glass on the landing:
My butler's pantry. This place is just so charming; I love it!
In my apartment, the parrots have been living in their own bedroom. This is not ideal, as they don't get as much attention as they did when they were in the main living area. However, given the layout of my place, and the fact that I wanted to try to have them in an area where they'd be least likely to generate a noise complaint on my behalf, that's where they went.
But only for two more weeks, as they'll be back in the living room at my new place. The windows in the living room face east and south. I can't wait for them to be able to rise with the sun and me not have to worry about their noises irritating the neighbors.
Many more pictures and updates to follow!
I'll post tons of pictures in the upcoming months, as I adjust to being a single homeowner. I am going to pick up a lot of home improvement skills! One of my new good friends and coworkers is married to a handyman. How lucky am I? I get along really well with him, and the three of us go out to dinner and are forming a real friendship. He has promised to help me out and show me how to do things myself.
It's an old Victorian, with tons of character and charm. I didn't take a lot of really good pictures, as I was mostly concerned with the pretty parts! Luckily, my handyman was there to handle the mundane mechanicals to make sure I wasn't making a huge mistake.
The neighborhood is exactly where I want to live. It's only a few blocks from where I am now, and I'll still be able to bike to work and walk to most places. My best friend lives only a few blocks away, and it's by the best scenic running area I've been able to find. Just amazing how things work out!
It has quite a bit of stained glass; here is what's in the entry way, by my fireplace:
But only for two more weeks, as they'll be back in the living room at my new place. The windows in the living room face east and south. I can't wait for them to be able to rise with the sun and me not have to worry about their noises irritating the neighbors.
Many more pictures and updates to follow!
Random things in May
I have been so remiss at taking pictures of things that have been happening! But here is a short selection of things that happened to me in May:
One of Max's favorite artists, Father John Misty, was once again in the area. I had seen him perform last October, before I knew any of his songs. I bought the CD then, so this time, I knew them all! I went with my friend who works at the venue (free tickets and the bartender said we were such fun to talk to that we didn't have to pay for our drinks, either!)
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One of my responsibilities at my new job (not so new anymore -- I've been there nearly 14 months) is to help coordinate our large client conference in the fall. It was a huge success last fall, my first time, and we hope to make every year even better.
Last week, two of my coworkers and I went to the luxury resort where the conference is held. We walked through everything -- it's almost like planning a wedding where we do tasting of the food, walk-throughs of the event, etc. -- and spent the night. This place is known for their innovative bathrooms.
I always take a bath when I'm there, and this time, when I turned the water on, I was shocked that it started coming out of the ceiling! I didn't really like this, so I hope I get a different room when I return in September.
**********
This is a partial view out of my office window. Last week, the sun hit just right at the building down below. All of a sudden, my office got so bright that I had to see what was going on outside. I made the mistake of looking directly at it, and then my eyes saw spots for a few minutes!
One of Max's favorite artists, Father John Misty, was once again in the area. I had seen him perform last October, before I knew any of his songs. I bought the CD then, so this time, I knew them all! I went with my friend who works at the venue (free tickets and the bartender said we were such fun to talk to that we didn't have to pay for our drinks, either!)
One of my responsibilities at my new job (not so new anymore -- I've been there nearly 14 months) is to help coordinate our large client conference in the fall. It was a huge success last fall, my first time, and we hope to make every year even better.
Last week, two of my coworkers and I went to the luxury resort where the conference is held. We walked through everything -- it's almost like planning a wedding where we do tasting of the food, walk-throughs of the event, etc. -- and spent the night. This place is known for their innovative bathrooms.
I always take a bath when I'm there, and this time, when I turned the water on, I was shocked that it started coming out of the ceiling! I didn't really like this, so I hope I get a different room when I return in September.
This is a partial view out of my office window. Last week, the sun hit just right at the building down below. All of a sudden, my office got so bright that I had to see what was going on outside. I made the mistake of looking directly at it, and then my eyes saw spots for a few minutes!
It's dandelion season again!
It's Andreas's favorite time of year: dandelion season! I took these pictures through the glass on his enclosure, so not as clear as they could have been.
I tried to get him mid-bite of the flower, but he was too quick for me. I am posting this anyway, as you can see the stem and it looks like he's smiling.
Spider surprise
I am trying to be more spider-tolerant. This is not a default reaction for me, but since they are harmless, as long as they aren't on me, I try to let them live. I had a challenging encounter yesterday!
After seeing this one on my wall, she found her way here:
I was so careful, going into the kitchen to brush my teeth, and trying to give her enough time to find another place to go.
And then I walked in on Beeps, right after he'd taken a bath in his water dish. Of course, I had to rinse out and refill his water dish, so I went into the bathroom and flushed out the spider!
She was really wet, but OK. I managed to get her outside, alive.
I'm not sure that was the right thing to do -- can house spiders survive outside? At least it is warm out now, and hopefully if she doesn't survive, she was food for someone else.
And then I walked in on Beeps, right after he'd taken a bath in his water dish. Of course, I had to rinse out and refill his water dish, so I went into the bathroom and flushed out the spider!
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