Learning to roll with the punches and enjoying the smaller things in life.

Oh the things that happen when you least expect them! I have a shiney new heating and air conditioning system! Completely new from the outside unit to the inside unit...and shiney, too.  During the first week in August (of course AFTER paying all the monthly bills) I noticed that although the AC was blowing, the air was not very cold and it got warmer as the day went on.  The tech took one look inside and said, "oh my, it's frozen all the way to the inside unit." He then said that although we had already gone 24 hours with out air conditioning, they wouldn't be able to do an install until the next day. We knew we'd made it one night, what's one more? Weeellllll, when the blower is turned off, one more night can be the very definition of hell on earth.  The inside of the house was 99 degrees with the windows open and all the fans running.  I was able to sleep fitfully, only by sleeping on top of the bed linens and covering my body with wet washcloths and allowing the fan to blow across the wet fabric.  Yes, it was a long night.

But the next day? The installation crew was amazing! They were kind, friendly, had an understanding of how very frayed my nerves were with no sleep and they worked to get that sucker installed in one day. And the difference has been wonderful! Do you know the fan unit will actually turn off when the interior reaches the preset temperature? I don't think the poor fan on the old unit had cut off since I moved in.

The down side is that I had to pay a lot of money when I least expected it. The up side is that now the most expensive single item in the house has gone bad, I know it won't happen again for about 20 years.  The new unit, being much more energy efficient, should pay for itself each month with the reduction in electricity bill.

Last night I was raking the yard and I realized the a/c fan was off and it was really quiet in the neighborhood. I heard the funniest little pitty-pat and took a few minutes to realize that I could actually HEAR the squirrels running down the telephone lines behind the house.  This is a stunning realization for someone who has spent the better part of the last 10-15 years living on either a highway or an extremely busy 6-lane street.  I stood there a minute, with one hand on my hip and the other holding the rake, until the realization of little pink feet crossed my mind when I started laughing loudly. No worries, the neighbors are pretty sure I'm already crazy, this was just verification for them.

Ch ch ch ch changes!

Aha! It's only been about two months, so I guess I'm doing better on the blogging thing.  There have been a lot of changes since I wrote last. I no longer live in an apartment, and the house I now own is no longer a "grandma house" with nicotine-stained walls.

I have cleaned and evicted the crowds of spiders, squirrels, rodents, and ants that had taken up residence in the house since there were no people to drive them away.  Everything smells fresh and clean and waddya know? It IS clean!

The move has been completed and the furniture is (mostly) arranged in proper rooms.  The cats have claimed their respective places and the dog would like to stay in the backyard forEVER.  My mom finished her move about the time I got my stuff put away and she sent a garage-load of new stuff to me, so now I'm redecorating and rearranging furniture again. I know the house is a project that will never be completed, but I kind of hoped I'd get a small break after moving in. Mr. Man and I busted our you-know-whats over the 4th of July weekend to paint the kitchen and master bedroom.

Then we started on the yard. The back yard was covered in leaf litter and lawnmower mulch and required a lot of raking to clean it up. Since we've had this huge heat wave and drought, I'm not watering the grass/weeds. I've already staked out a location for the raised-bed vegetable garden for next spring. Wouldn't you know that the only place with enough sunshine to grow veggies would also be the only place I have really pretty grass?  Since the grass costs water and doesn't produce anything of value, other than oxygen, it will be replaced with veggies and good nutrition!

There are too many shrubs in the front yard, so as soon as the outside temps go lower than Hades-level, I will begin landscaping out front. I know many will be disappointed, but the wishing well fell apart when we moved it and it's now gone to meet its maker.  I'm going to yank out the 20 chinaberry bush palisade that lines the driveway and front walk. It's all too linear and closed off and not welcoming. I want to add color and flowers and a little more native landscaping that it a little more drought-resistant.

So, you all can see that my work is cut out for me.  Wanna help?  Pictures coming soon.

It's MINE...IT REALLY IS MINE!!

It's mine, mine, mine!! I closed on the house "contingent upon funding of closing costs," which means I have to take the title company a certified check for a lot of money tomorrow and then I will have the keys.

I come from a long, honored, proud line of women-worriers. Yes, that is WOrriers and not warriors. We are known for waiting for the other shoe to drop, the sky to fall, the storm that comes with a silver lining. This line of women can be seen from far away by the deep worry line between their eyebrows. I am still worried, 20 years after graduating from college, that someone made a mistake and credits were awarded incorrectly and they will yank my diploma from me. 

What this all means is that I have not been able to celebrate making one of the biggest steps that any adult can make because I'm worried that it will the financing will fall through, that the house will burn down (quick! Knock on wood!!) or 20 years from now I will have termites. Seriously?  The writing down of it all makes it seem so much sillier than it is in my head and is allowing me to process this enough that I will be able to celebrate tomorrow after dropping off that cashier's check and picking up the paint on the way to the bottle of champagne in my new house!!

....maybe I need to write more often? 

Happenings in the Land of Typos

Busy couple of weeks for the Typo household.  Starting after the Epic Houseviewing Weekend, the social life ramped up again.  The next week I was going to make a pass through my top two choices,  the one with the Chambers stove and the first house I looked at. Friday morning, the day we were going to do the walk-through, I found out the one with the cool stove was already in contract, which narrowed the field considerably. I took Mr. Man to view the single choice in the morning and the Queen Mother in the afternoon. At the afternoon viewing, I signed an offer contract and made an initial offer on the house.

That night I realized that Mother and I were leaving on a cruise the next morning and I had been so wrapped up in house stuff that I hadn't packed. Friday evening was dinner with Mr. Man and Mom (they liked each other) and then the mad, marathon suitcase-packing night.  Mom and I got up Saturday morning, left the keys with the dog sitter and headed south to meet the ship. We were about an hour from the house when I got a text message from my real estate agent that the owner's had made a counter offer, which I immediately accepted. 

The Queen Mother and I continued toward our cruise with the Queen's childhood best friend and her family. The real estate deal required some stops to sign and fax documents and then we hit the ship....ahhhh, umbrella drinks and attractive men to serve them, sun, ocean, great food...vacation!!!

We went to Cozumel, Grand Cayman and Jamaica. Shopping, food, beverages (lots and lots of them) were wonderful. The ocean was beautiful and calm and the sun caressed our skin. Nope! I did not get sunburned, but I did get to lay out quite a bit. Thanks to technology for SPF 50, my red hair and fair skin did not get crispy. The spa on the ship was relaxing, the wait staff was attentive and we had fun all the way around! During the cruise I was still signing and transmitting documents for the real estate deal, but by Thursday it was all official and my earnest money check was deposited by the title company.
 
Yesterday Mr. Man and I spent the afternoon with the home inspector. I know it's been a long, long time since I bought a house, but I really don't remember the inspection taking 3 hours. I'm not complaining, mind you, just very conscious and grateful for the thoroughness and professionalism of this inspection. The inspector told us the house was in the best shape he'd seen for one it's age. While he worked, I walked the floors, visualizing colors and furniture placement. I also got a better idea of the work that would need to go into the house before I could fully move in.  I've planned the closing and moving dates so that I will have a month in both places at the same time for cleaning and painting.

Anyone bored and looking for something to do around May 30 feel free to give me a call! I promise there will be pictures with the next post!!

Househunting

Sunday I looked at 9, count them, nine houses in person. You really don't think that walking through empty houses can be exhausting, but I'm here to tell you I was worn out by the end of the three hour session.  I got verification of some amenities that I now consider essential (garage, three bedrooms, two baths) and got a better feel for the houses and neighborhoods right here in River City.  I narrowed the list down to two houses, plus one I've had my eye on for a couple of months.  They are all houses from the late 50's-early 60's and all will require some cosmetic work and painting, but I'm up for that. I just love the established neighborhoods with great big trees.

1950 era Chambers Range

I've heard of Chambers ranges, but one of the houses actually has one and I am now stupid in love with them!  They are the coolest looking vintage stoves I've ever seen.  They were advertised as the stove that cooked with the gas off, meaning you would preheat the oven and it would hold the heat so well for so long that you could turn the gas off a portion of the way through the cooking cycle. There is a grill/broiler on the stove top and the back right burner is actually a cooking well, for slow cooking.

The house that currently sits atop my favorites list has a Chambers range, a fully landscaped back yard with Japanese maples and assorted blooming flowers. It also still has room in the flower beds for an herb garden.  It's less than 15 minutes from work!

I have looked at enough houses that my brain is full and I need to process everything I've seen.The original house I fell for will be back on the market by then and hopefully I can make a comparison.  I'm going to take the next couple of weeks to process and make a decision.

Moving forward!!

Wow, this month has gone really quickly! And it's been a month of good things happening,

This morning I got notice from my apartments that my lease ends 30 days sooner than I thought. This means I have to step up the house search and make a decision by the end of April. So, I've started the loan prequalification process and I have also been looking at houses online. I hope to update you all soon with an invitation to my housewarming!


Mr. Man and I have been perking along and getting to know each other better. Just last night I met his youngest child and we all went to the bookstore and then to eat. He is the most open, verbally precocious, classically beautiful child I've ever met. Now, it might have a little something to do with him looking like Mr. Man, but I'm not admitting to that. Little Guy has dubbed his father as "Super Daddy Underpants;" yes, he is 6. But he's inspired me to try to find a Super Daddy Underpants costume or to create a t-shirt dedicated to this superhero.

Trinity Hall

My friend Cameron came in from Albuquerque for St. Paddy's Day weekend. Cam brought "Tiki Girl" who we treated like Flat Stanley. On Thursday Tiki Girl went everywhere we went and we all had a blast!  We picked Cam up a the airport and then had lunch at Trinity Hall Pub, corned beef and cabbage for the girls and shepherd's pie for Mr. Man, and listened to some great Irish music. From there we went shopping for a while then back to Willhoite's so Mr. Man could take care of some personal business. Cam, Tiki Girl and I played pool and got to know some of the locals. We went home, changed clothes and went out to Sue Ellen's and JR's a pair of bars in Dallas. Had a good night, Mr. Man and I agreed that we were falling for each other and made devoted vows of love for what we have right now. I think gin might have been involved on my part, hence the memory is not so clear.

Willhoite's

On Friday poor Cam woke up to an ear infection. We spent the morning trying to determine if she would have insurance coverage here and if she did, where could she go for treatment. Then we spent the afternoon at the urgent care center. I am so very grateful for urgent care centers, they move so much faster than the emergency room. She got prescriptions and we grabbed dinner while we waited on the pharmacy, then grabbed a couple of movies on the way home for the evening.

Dallas Farmer's Market

Saturday, after sleeping in, we took in the Dallas Farmer's Market and its associated yumminess. Mangoes, tomatoes, and pineapples that were so very perfectly ripe and sweet. We stopped at Kurry King spice market and stocked up on Indian spices. On our way home we took Tiki girl to visit at "Ripley's Believe It or Not!"

Ripley's Believe It or Not!

Once we got home, Cam made homemade chicken curry, jasmine rice, fruit salad with real whipped cream and we watched "The Fighter." I think Christian Bale deserved the Oscar. He became Dickie and that included all Dickie's faults and twitches...good movie.

OK, I'm off to look at more houses online. Anyone got any favorite tips for hunting?

Annual roll call for the Queen's Doctors

This is the time of year when I have to make all the annual doctor visits. There's a doctor most all parts of my body and I've seen the doctor that governs the lady-bits. He referred me for a mammogram, which was done yesterday. I survived the annual boob-squish, but saw some white stuff on the films, which means that although I've had these cyst-y things for years, I will probably be called back in for confirmation mammograms and sonograms.  As Mom said, "no one died from a mammogram, but quite a few have died from NOT having one," so I will continue to offer myself to the Radiology gods for squishing and probing.

Next step is the annual sonogram of the thyroid to make sure it's not growing any larger. Although if a larger thyroid means that I now have an excuse for my current weight, I'm all for larger thyroids. Usually that means bigger, worse problems and I don't know anyone who's looking for more problems. After the thyroid, then I will have to take care of the teeth and the eyes. I have the Isbell teeth and have NEVER had a cavity, so I'm not worried on the dental front. I feel like I front-loaded the dental solutions by having to have so much orthodontic work and teeth pulled when I was a kid.  Eyes are going to be a problem, I've noticed that my arms are much too short and I'm having problems reading street signs. That's STREET SIGNS, not highway signs, so you shouldn't have to evacuate the streets in my honor.

Here's hoping your health in in good order and mine stays that way!!

So, this is what it's like to really LIVE???

Yup, I'm tired, but I'm still smiling! I was gritching to myself on the way in to work this morning and realized that I don't have ANYTHING to gritch about! I have a social life that makes me tired, I have an amazing man-friend (boyfriend just doesn't sound right at our age) who keeps me hopping, I have an outstanding job that I love, and the most wonderful circle of friends who care for me as I care for them, and just yesterday the doctor confirmed that I'm in good health.

The doctor visit was the annual girly visit and it went very well. I'm the picture of feminine health, I've lost 25 pounds since this time last year, my blood pressure is back to normal (one less pill to take!), all my bloodwork looks good and he couldn't tell I'd ever been a smoker. He didn't yell at me, in fact congratulated me on my progress and I left his office with orders for a mammogram (ok, that part doesn't make me happy) and feeling pretty proud of myself.

Gratuitous picture of Mr. Man

This is Engineer's Week at work. I'm the staff wrangler for most of the events during this week and that's been fun, but tiring. Each year we hold a charity student voting contest to determine which of the engineering professors will get hit in the face with a cream pie at week's end. This year the charity chosen is Engineers Without Borders, an excellent organization that gives back locally and worldwide. I run that contest, I also run the Mr. and Ms. Engineer contests and wrangle the officers to do their jobs during the week.

Tonight Mr. Man and I are going to see Greater Tuna. I love that play, it is so true to life in a small town. Tomorrow we have the Engineering Awards Banquet (rubber chicken and bad speeches) and then Sunday we relax and go to church.

Nope, I don't have a thing to complain about. I can always go back to that safe life, the one where I didn't do anything, I didn't go anywhere and I watched a whole lot of tv....but I like it here, just fine!  Enjoy your busy life!!

Thank goodness!

We got to see Cal Ripken, no one fainted and no one performed acts deemed inappropriate.  We got there terribly early, but we got front row seats! If so inclined, I could've looked right up Cal's pants leg.  Good thing his pants were the proper length and I couldn't see up them.

His talk on the keys to persistence was good. He has really good timing and a funny sense of humor that made the talk seem much shorter than it was. Mr. Ripken has beautiful eyes and I lost my focus on what he was saying a couple of times.Mr. Man was so excited about seeing him, but had some back pain and took a muscle relaxer before the talk. I looked over at him after Cal started talking and Mr. Man was sound asleep. He did wake up in time for the QandA session at the end. Friend Lori was able to attend the reception and had a picture taken with Cal. I'm glad she didn't confess to him that his picture is in her closet so he can "see her dress." I enjoyed watching everyone else until the end of the night when the front row was mobbed by autograph seekers who brought so many different things for Mr. Ripken to sign. I saw jerseys, hot wheels cars, baseball cards, newspapers, ticket stubs, just about everything you can imagine signing. Took us about 30 minutes to work our way out of the crowd to leave.

It was a good night and I had a blast watching the faces of my friends as they were so happy to get to see their idol.

Man Crush Night

Cal Ripken, ManCrush

Tonight I get to sit and watch two of my favorite people get all goofy over the guy in this photo. I understand Cal is considered a GOD by those who follow the Baltimore Orioles and those who understand his impact on baseball's recovery from the player's strike held in the early 80's. But, the biggest impact he's had is on these two friends of mine.

I am afraid Mr. Man will jump up on stage and performs inappropriate acts to Mr. Ripken and I'm just afraid my friend Lori will faint dead away upon meeting him. Watch the news tonight for stories regarding this appearance. If anyone is arrested or taken to the hospital, it will be one of the two people I will be with tonight.

Watch and wait!!!