Signs

Today we met with the notary and signed the loan documents. I have to say you haven't really lived until you've signed your life away with a .99 cent bic pen.
We also met to do our final walk-thru of the property and upon this final inspection we discovered something that made us really, really excited. It turns out all the built-ins are made of a beautiful douglas fir and if you can believe this after 80's of being there they only put ONE coat of paint on it. We can not wait to get in there with a heat gun and start to strip it. We also discovered that the Kitchen has wide plank douglas fir hiding below the rather ugly vinyl flooring. We originally thought the vinyl was adhered directly to the planks but turns out there is plywood between. We just added another project to our list, THE KITCHEN, and it looks like as a result I might get that dishwasher after all!

Putting our education to work

With just a mere week left to the closing of our first home purchase, Dave and I have thoroughly laid out the path (probably not of least resistance) to moving. Between now and then there is a long...long laundry list of items we hope to complete. This image is of the living room before our creative hands get a strangle hold on it and what we have in store.

The Good, The Bad, and The Bag-less

As you might of suspected, they allowed Dave and I through security despite our 70% water weight; although I did give them 'a piece of my mind' about the supposed eminent dangers of bubble bath.

We had a pleasant weekend in upstate New York, even if we didn't bring coats and it was near 50 degrees our whole stay. I am thawing out nicely. We also had a great time playing with Bruce and Liz's English Setter puppy. Tyler is all heart, and stomach. He even managed to work up an appetite for Dave's toothbrush. He was teething so perhaps he thought simply consuming the toothbrush whole would work better than trying to brush. We also played a serious amount of Boggle, hit the bowling alley, took a drive, and ate plenty of dessert. All good.

We really enjoyed our laborless weekend. And what goes perfect with a laborless weekend; a bagless return. Apparently Dave and I weren't the only ones enjoying the holiday. United Airlines also thorough enjoyed the day off.....from delivering baggage.

Bloated

Another Labor Day weekend is upon us which means another family vacation for Dave and I. On any given holiday you will usually find us on the left (California), the right (New York) or the middle (Missouri). What can we say? We live balanced lives.

This particular weekend we will be heading right in an exhausting 3 leg red eye flight. I figured we should be prepared for all the new carry-on restrictions particularly because I can't recall the last time Dave let me check a bag. After a quick search on American Airlines website, I found a list of all things terror related, including yogurt, cheese, bubble bath, syrup and pudding.....a seriously scary list of items. They also state all things liquid defined as gels, pastes, lotions, and the contents of pressurized containers.

I wonder what my own water weight is and if I personally could be defined as a liquid. The last time I checked (which was in 7th grade biology) my body is pressurized AND I'm quite sure after 3 legs of a red eye flight I might very well explode.

Sold!

Well it seems that all that is left between us and our new address is a signature...and of course a gigantic check. We removed all other contingencies today, including the dishwasher. Perhaps it will be under the tree this year, because now that we have a fireplace and chimney, I certainly expect Santa Claus to visit.

PS. Don't worry mom. The folding chairs will be the first to go.

between a dish and a hard place

Who knew when Dave and I entered into the great housing search of 2006 that it would come down to a kitchen appliance. In our current rental property, we have a dishwasher and it was a first time for both of us to have enjoyed the luxury outside of our parental nest. The debate is the new house, as already stated to be a robust 84, does not have said luxury. My initial thought....no problem, we'll put one in. Dave's thought... no problem, we've lived without before, we can do it again. Excuse me but after having had espresso does one go back to mere coffee? After watching a DVD do you return to the VHS path. NO. Why? Because there is no sane reason to suffer through the agony of dishpan hands when a very clever machine can do it all for you. That is why. So we have come to an impasse, and a small chunk of change and years of clean dishes lay in our path.

More to come tomorrow.

when you're 84...

I used to think that 84 was definitely getting up there in the years... no offense to the great grandparents of the world. 84 is after all a mere one year away from being a quarter of a century past 60 which is only 2 years shy of the Social Security standard retirement age. It was welcome news today to find out that you can still 'kick it' at 84 and 1051 Farnam is doing just that.

It passed it's major physical today with I would say a B average. We encountered a few hiccups with the fireplace/chimney and then again with a pesky neighbor wall but both are fixable. Perhaps the latter will require some extra Freeland charm. The electrical is where we were expecting a potentially 'go ahead and put it out of it's misery' situation but 1051 would have none of that. All I have to say is somewhere out there is an electrician and we owe him a huge Thank You because he did the job right 84 years ago.

I have the distinct feeling he was a Smith.