Monday, November 25, 2013

Settling In

We are finally moved in!! Well, 99% moved in....

The movers came on Saturday and moved a majority of the furniture to the new house. They left behind the piano b/c they needed three guys (even though I specified that when scheduling the move) and didn't have enough room on the truck for the washer, dryer and big screen tv.

Ross & I had to make 4 more runs on Sunday to get the remaining small stuff, clothes, laundry items, and most importantly, the 40" tv, which was a hilariously played out event in case you caught that pic on facebook :) It was our last run and here's how it all went down between Ross & I:

Kristin: I was thinking, we could bring over the smaller tv today. That way we have a TV in the house.
Ross: *looks at me like I'm crazy* Seriously, Kristin? You can't go ONE day without a tv??!
K: Yes, I can! BUT... I CANNOT go one day missing the Walking Dead tonight....
R: Oh, crap. *pause*  You're right. We need to get our tv.

So at the apartment, Ross is carrying the 40" tv ready to load it into the backseat of my crossover, only to realize that it won't fit. He looks at me with dissapointment, pauses..... smiles, then briskly walks around to the front passenger seat and sits down.... all while holding the tv.  It still cracks me up ust thinking about us driving down the highway with Ross gripping the tv in the front seat. My initial reaction was "seriously, this is how we're transporting the tv?!!" as he commanded, "just drive, this will work!" And it did. And we didn't even have to miss a Walking Dead episode. If that's not true dedication, I don't know what is :)

Overall, the weekend was just overwhelming and I couldn't wait to get it over with, as I'm sure all moves are, but Ross & I were still in good spirits and it helps to have some laughs along the way.

Today, I have movers coming again to grab the last 4 big items, so fingers crossed they are bringing 3 guys like I asked and the truck with a ramp so they can avoid steps. And then it will be official! Officially done with apartment living, forever?? Only one can hope :)

*Kristin*

Tuesday, November 19, 2013

Little by Little

Last weekend was supposed to be our move-in day to the new house, but unfortunately it got delayed to this Saturday. Which actually is working out better even though I'm still eager to get this all over with!

But with the extra time:
  • The electrician finished and we have an updated breaker box in the house. And the power is turned back on!
  • The plumber should be finishing up today or tomorrow. He had to update our water heater and move the W/D hookups
  • The carpets should be cleaned tomorrow. Fingers crossed that the 3rd time's the charm.... I've already been stood up twice so hopefully this new company is better at showing up!
  • I finished the living room!! :) ...as far as painting goes
  • I'm almost done with the master bedroom. It'll feel good to have freshly painted walls, ceiling and trim done in 2 rooms when we move in!
And on top of that, Ross & I rented a Uhaul last weekend and at least moved most of our boxes to the house. Now only the heavy furniture is left for the movers this weekend. I tell ya, I'll be so happy to be done with the move. And I knew how much I would dread it even back when we began house hunting. Moving is the worst!! Especially when you start to realize how much crap we own (even though I feel like we're pretty good at keeping the clutter down)! I feel a spring yard sale calling my name :)

*Kristin*

Wednesday, November 13, 2013

What's a girl to do?...

...when the electrician is 2 days behind schedule?
Causing the power at the house to be turned off for an extra 2 days (b/c he's updating the breaker box)?
Interfering with the carpet cleaning appointment I scheduled for Thursday?
Interfering with the movers coming Saturday to move furniture into the house because I absolutely refuse to move any furniture into the house before carpets are cleaned?
What do I do?!

I take a deep breath and realize that I should be thankful that I gave myself one 'buffer' weekend JUST in case things got pushed back.

So I rescheduled the movers for next Saturday, 11/23. Just 3 days before we need to officially be out of the apartment. I told myself we wouldn't plan on moving that Saturday in case we needed some 'extra time.' So I'm glad it was just Plan B and that we even had a Plan B! Of course, I'm just stressed and anxious and really wanted to be done with the move this weekend, but I guess life gives you these lessons to make you learn a thing or two. In particular, that things can't always go my way. And that sometimes, if I just give in, maybe things will go more smoothly than I could've planned! So instead I'm looking on the bright side...

... that I have another week to procrastinate on packing :) ha!

*Kristin*

Thursday, November 7, 2013

Asheville, NC and other good things

I kept avoiding posting an update becuase I wanted so badly to share some work we've recently done at the house with 'After' pictures. Unfortunately I STILL haven't gotten 'After' pictures over a week since we've finished since the house is dark by the time I drive over there at night.  But maybe this weekend :)

And in case you can't keep up, we closed on our house on 10/21 and are hoping to move in next weekend, the 16th.

Besides that, it's been a good week and I'm in a great mood!

Ross and I headed to Asheville this past weekend becuase we had tickets from his parents to see the Biltmore House. I posted pics on Facebook last night in case you missed 'em. We got there Friday afternoon just in time for the Brews Cruise I signed us up for! On it, we met some hilarious people, were pretty happy after a few drinks, and learned about beer? Ok, ok, I was just drinking it. Afterwards, Ross & I headed out to dinner with a couple we met on the tour and checked out a delicious seafood restuarant. Then Ross & I retreated back to the most beautiful bed & breakfast. Our B&B was a lovely older home and our room was very quaint but full of character, just what I had hoped for! And we had our own newly remodeled bathroom. I felt like we were living in luxury! haha Which was a nice break from the chaos of what we're living in at home currently, between boxes and dirt & dust, getting ready to move soon.

Saturday morning we were served a 3-course gourmet breakfast at the B&B where we met the other couples staying there that weekend. It was the perfect start to the day! Then we headed out to the Biltmore for the day. We started off with the self-guided audio tour which took us 90-minutes. I was pleasantly surprised that the crowds weren't as bad as I had braced myself for! The house was stunning and did not dissapoint! Afterwards, we ate lunch at one of the restaurants they had on the property. And since I couldn't stop thinking about the Biltmore Estate, I signed us up for the guided 'Butler's Tour' that afternoon. It was also very insightful and I'm glad we had the chance to see the house just one more time. I figured we might never have the chance to go back so we might as well take just one more tour! And I'm glad we did :)

Saturday night, we ventured to downtown Asheville and checked out all of the 'eclectic' shops in town. We also ate dinner at the highly praised Tupelo Honey Cafe. It was delicious and worth the 90 minute wait! We ventured around Asheville anyway during our wait so it didn't matter to us.  All in all, it really was a perfect weekend. The 6-hour drive seemed too long for such a short stay, but we definitely saw everything we I wanted to :)

Work has also been great this week. My office is quiet with many people in my department traveling this week (which is a rarity these days, they used to travel all the time!) + we had our annual chili cook-off yesterday that I organized = some definite fun and play while the managers are away! ha! The cook-off was a great success, we had a great turnout (about 40 ppl) as everyone on our floor was invited and I had the chance to really appreciate the amazing coworkers that I get to work with!

*Kristin*