Goodbye 2010, Hello 2011!

Happy New Year!  2010 has been a year of so many great things and so many changes.  Thinking back to January's Snowmageddon (part 1 AND 2!) seems like a lifetime ago.  On April 17, time stood still for a weekend while Mike and I went on a camping trip to Shenandoah and came home engaged.  Once spring came around (and some of the snow had melted) our lives seemed to move into fast forward.  One of my best friends got married in May, Mike closed on the house in June, we started planning a move and a wedding throughout the rest of the summer, and once fall came around, I packed up and moved to Delaware.  There have been trying times.  There has been tears.  But, I can honestly say the good times outweighed the not so good.  2010 was a great year.  With all of the exciting things we have planned for 2011, I can not wait to see what is around the corner.

And here is the last sunset of 2010:

Christmas in the New House

We just celebrated our first Christmas in our new house.  We were a little slow on getting the decorations up.  In fact, I feverishly shopped for lighted garland for our fence last weekend, we put up the tree a few days later and then I finished holiday shopping on Christmas Eve day.  I would like to say that the reason we were so behind was because of the chaotic state the house is in, but the truth is, I'm just a last minute person.  There is something about the frenzy of last minute shopping that is so exciting.  I would have liked to have the decorations up sooner to enjoy them, but maybe we will just leave them up for a while after Christmas instead!


My dad and I have never spent a Christmas apart.  He either comes up from Florida, or I "force myself" to take a break from the cold and visit the Sunshine State.  This year was different.  The weather was uncooperative, his wife, Chris, was too sick to travel, and Mike and I didn't exactly have a house that could host a holiday.  Knowing that I was in good hands with Mike and his family, he stayed in Florida and promised to visit soon.

Mike and I did in fact have a wonderful Christmas holiday.  Despite not having a functional kitchen, we had a yummy pancake breakfast on Christmas Eve morning.  We visited Mike's grandparents and then went to midnight mass with friends Lauren and Dave.  We even had the pleasure of sitting in the second row of the church where I had to bite my lip when the priest compared the Christian birth of Jesus to the Philadelphia Eagles' last minute win over the New York Giants- a sermon that I understood, but still found a little strange, probably because I'm a Redskins fan.  The next morning, Mike and I cranked up the heat in the sunroom and sat out there in front of our Christmas tree enjoying our coffee and opening presents while it peacefully snowed outside.  Quietly celebrating our first Christmas in the privacy of our home really was special.  While sitting there, I couldn't help but imagine all of our Christmases to come.  Our future holidays may not be so peaceful and quiet, but they will undoubtably be just as special.

Maserati having a fun time with santa...and catnip.

Mike and his new car!  Well, remote controlled new car.

Leslie with her new vintage wine label tiles for the kitchen.

Our First Snow!

We got a little bit of snow last night.  And even though it was mostly gone by the morning, it was still the first accumulating snow we have seen from our new house.  Snow lightly covered the lawn and driveway and everything was shimmered in the moon.  I couldn't resist running outside to snap a quick picture.

Please note the green front porch lights- Mike's version of holiday decorations.  I thought he was celebrating St. Patrick's Day early!

A Litle More Demo Action

So, as if we haven't made enough of a mess, it was decided that more of the kitchen wall needed to be demolished.  And the reason that I termed it as "it was decided" was because I left the house in the morning being told that Mike and his dad would be putting drywall up to fix the gaps that we already had.  When I got home, I found this:

After getting over the inital shock (and a little disappointment over the setback) it was actually pretty funny.  Nothing with any of our projects has been easy, but we are dealing with it! 

And then I noticed this small present in front of the sliding glass door:

 

What? I didn't think we needed any more holes in the kitchen!  Luckily, this was a pretty quick and easy fix.  And watching Mike work on it from the floor below, was pretty entertaining to me (and apparently to Maserati too!)

Well needless to say, I thought the extra work was about as useful as a trap door on a canoe, but Mike keeps telling me, if we are going to do this right, we can't cut any corners. And you know what the worst part is?  I know he is right!

Happy 27th Birthday!

I remember just turning 25 the other day, where on Earth did that year, let alone 26, go!  While I am pretty much the youngest among almost of all my friends, 27 still seems old to me.  It is getting awfully close to 30, an age I feel means you are truly a grown up. I guess I need to figure out what I'm going to be when I grow up!

To kick off birthday weekend, Mike and I took a break from working on the house and made a trip down to Bethesda to celebrate the big birthday weekend with Lauren and Ryan.  Lauren went to great lengths to make sure I had a great birthday. She even had cupcakes, a bottle of wine and a present waiting for me as soon as I walked through the door (pictured above).  I really have the best best friend in the world- not only for what she did this past weekend, but because each year she makes sure I have a great birthday.  Even on the years I insist my birthday is no big deal and that I would be more than happy to postpone or even skip it, she ignores me and does something special anyway.  And for that, I am truly grateful.  She is so creative and thoughtful, and I'm so lucky to have her in my life. We had fun drinks and mussels at Mussel Bar in Bethesda and then had a great dinner topped off with more birthday cupcakes.  Then to celebrate my actual birthday, Mike and I went out to Hibachi with Lauren and Dave.  We had more fun drinks and, because of a dinner special, we even got to indulge on lobster tail.  I treated myself with a day off of work and when I returned to the office, I had more yummy treats waiting for me.  I am so lucky to have such great, thoughtful people in my life!

More New Appliances!

We are really moving up in the world!  We finally got a brand new washer and dryer.  After weeks of research, I decided on the pair that I thought would be best and once they went on sale at Home Depot for their pre Black Friday sale, I knew it was the perfect time to get them.  Well, that and the fact that I was running out of clean clothes!  They really are pretty machines with great features, even the signal at the end of the cycle is a fun little tune that you can't help but smile when hearing.  It really is fun to do laundry!  Now all I have to do is teach Mike how to use all the options so I can get him to do a few loads.  I'm not that worried about it though, for now I'm having fun with it.  The only problem with buying them now- Mike keeps calling the washer my birthday present and the dryer my Christmas present, just what every girl wants!  I hope he is kidding!

Kitchen Demo!

What is the best way to ensure you don't have to host the family for Thanksgiving dinner?  Demo your kitchen the morning of!  Our cabinets were delivered last week so the long holiday weekend was the perfect time to start working on the kitchen.  With the help of Mike's dad, we (ok, they) ripped up both the wood and tile floors in the kitchen Thanksgiving morning.  Then, the next day, with the help of my visiting dad, we (ok, they) ripped out the cabinets and countertop.  I did, however, put my demolition skills to work and tore down the tile backsplash.  We did run into some unexpected problems with the water pipes and Mike had to cut them to get the sink base on and then re-route them.  One of the walls also proved to be a problem and needed to be knocked down in order to properly put the drywall up.  Next step is to finish putting the wall back up, lay a sub floor and prime the walls.  Hopefully we have our kitchen back in working order by Christmas!

Christmas comes early!

Notice my "work shoes"?!

Now that is dedication!

Demo complete!

Fall in Havre de Grace

Last weekend, Mike and I went down to Havre de Grace to check out our wedding venue in the Fall.  We wanted to get a feel of the place and see what the area is like during that time of year.  The quaint town really is charming and walking around the promenade among the fall foliage reminded us why we chose that venue in the first place.  Below are our pictures of our mini adventure.  Its crazy to think that the next time we take pictures there in that setting will be our wedding day. And its even crazier to think that it is less than a year away!

The ceremony location

Walking down the promenade

So pretty!

A Weekend in the Great Outdoors

We took a break from the whole house thing this past weekend and ventured up to our friend Dave's house in New Jersey.  We love going up there, relaxing in the peacefulness and surrounded by good friends.  Most times we camp out in the yard and this weekend, despite the drop in temperature, was no different.  Now according to weather.com, it was going to be in the low 40s at night.  Even though that is a little chilly, it still sounded fun (afterall, we are the couple that survived camping in 32 degree weather the night we got engaged).  Little did we know that the temperatures at Dave's house by the water tends to be about 10 degrees colder than what they forecast for in town.  So once again, we were camping in the low 30s.  Brrrr.  We bundled up as best we could and toughed it out for both nights.  Looking back on it now, I have to admit, it was sort of fun!

My New Love

I have fallen in love all over again.  Sometimes I even find myself daydreaming about it.  In fact, I look forward to coming home each day and getting to see my new favorite.  No, Mike doesn't have anything to worry about.  My new love happens to be our new refrigerator.  It is seriously the prettiest appliance I have ever seen. We might have gone through some headaches getting it, but it was worth it in the long run.  We might still have a lime green kitchen, but it looks 1000 times better with this beauty in there.  I can hardly wait to go grocery shopping and fill that thing up!

~Halloween Pictures~

It might have been my last moving weekend, but it was also a much more important day- Halloween.  Mike loves Halloween so I was hoping to make his first spooky holiday at the house special despite our chaotic and disorderly state.  From talking to a few neighbors, Mike learned that the neighborhood was very into Halloween and that there were an abundance of kids that were going to come calling on us for candy.  This only fueled Mike's excitement more and he was determined to give the kids and neighbors both tricks and treats.  Well, as usual, things did not turn out as we planned and as shocking as it is to hear, we were running late.  We both left Bethesda with our vehicles loaded to the extreme, and while Mike headed home to unpack and get ready, I headed to the barn to check on my ponies.  By the time I got home, (and yes, it is still strange to think of anything besides Maryland as "home") we had only a few minutes to decorate and prepare for the throngs of kids expecting candy.  Things did not turn out as elaborate as Mike hoped, but we still had a festive night.  Plus, we must have done something right since we didn't get egged that night.  Below are some pictures from our first Halloween in our new home!

The house with a crime scene and spooky fog.

The Grim Reaper who had just as much fun as the trick-or-treat'ers

My little pumpkin!

Lauren and Dave, our co-conspirators for the night.

Yes, that is Dave looking freaky and hilarious behind us.

<3

The "crime scene" complete with severed limbs...Mike's idea, of course.

No caption is necessary...

Long Time, No Internet!

So, it has been about two weeks since my official move up here and things are starting to feel like home.  That is, it is starting to feel like home now that I have my creature comforts!  As of Monday, we have cable and internet.  That's right, we don't have carpet, we are missing a few sections of wall and we are about to rip out our entire kitchen, but we have 300+ channels and 25 Mpbs streaming to the computer.  (Yeah, I'm not really sure what that means either, but the Fios guy was pretty excited about it.)  It was not until we were without these "frivolous" luxuries for a few weeks that I realized how technologically dependant we are.  And no, I'm not talking about my need to yell at the Redskins while they blow another lead or my obsession with Nascar races.  Instead it was things like price comparing refrigerators and shopping for sconces that became impossible. In fact, we sort of felt disconnected from the entire world.  While at times this can be nice, it was also unsettling to a person like me that likes to be informed of absolutely everything from terroist attacks in Pakistan to celebrity gossip.  Luckily, we are back online and all I can say is if we are ever without our lifeline again is TGMD- Thank Goodness for My Droid! 

The Unemployed Life

How has it already been two weeks since my last day at work?! Time really does fly when you are having fun! I start my new job on Monday and between wondering what everyone will be like to hoping I don't get lost, it feels like the first day of school.  Regardless of the combination of excitement and nervousness, I'm going to miss my days of leisure :)

Mazi's Moving Day!

Today is Maserati's moving day!  He left the Maryland house for good and is settling into the new place like a champ.  After a few weekend trips up here, I think he is excited to be here for good.  And I know he is really excited not to have to endure another car ride for a while!

Obviously, the trip really stressed him out!

Pictures from Moving Day

It was a long day, but with the help of some great friends, we successfully moved the furniture from Bethesda to Delaware!

I still have to move all of clothes and all of my shoes- hmm, maybe I'll need another trailer for those! Ready or not, we have to be out of the Bethesda house by Sunday and then I will officially be living in Delaware!

Moving Day

Today is the big moving day! Check back later for details and pictures :)

Mission: Closet- Part 3

Working hard into the night.

Progress is really being made on the closet project!  Greg and Mike worked hard last week on framing up the new wall, wiring the outlets, and starting to hang the drywall.  Last weekend Mike and I finished hanging the drywall and I got a quick tutorial in spackling.  Then on Monday, I spent my first day of unemployment putting my new skills to work by spackling, spackling and then spackling some more.  We also had to re-wire the wall sconces which is proving to be harder than it should since I can't find any light fixtures that I LOVE.  But, we think we figured it out and I am keeping my fingers crossed that whatever we finally decide on will fit. 

Shortly after this I decided
driving a nail straight was
highly over-rated.

Below are the pictures of its current condition. (See Mission: Closet- Part 2 for a reminder of its previous state.)  Mike should be adding the corner beading this week so that all we have left to do is spackle the heck out of it and then prime and paint!

Framing before drywall

Drywall is DONE!

NEW JOB!

As I've mentioned in previous posts, I was really worried about finding a new job in Delaware. Both interviews went well and I was hopeful to hear something back from the firm I interviewed with on Tuesday. They said they would call me in a few days so I tried to not worry about it, staying optimistic while mentally preparing for the next round of applications. Well, as of this morning, I no longer have to worry. I was offered a job as a Litigation Paralegal at a great firm in Wilmington and I eagerly accepted. They even agreed to a November 1 start date which gives me two weeks to enjoy the unemployed life and take my time moving. Yay :)

Kitchen!

After about 6 weeks of measuring, designing, and many, many trips to Lowe's, we finalized and ordered a new kitchen.  We are replacing the existing yellowish cabinets and forest green countertop with new rich, cognac colored cabinets and a brand new Corian countertop.  The new cabinets will be in roughly the same layout as the existing cabinets and then we are adding a matching peninsula between the kitchen and eating area.  We are hoping that this will give us more storage and a more efficient kitchen overall.  I guess we will find out in 6 more weeks when the new cabinets arrive!  Below is the kitchen as it is now.  Look for a new "after" picture mid-November!