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!