Homeowners: The Disaster of a Move

I never thought the day would come when this would be the sight out our front window. This was the first time J and I have used a moving company for a move and we learned so much from the experience. We learned about reading contracts, about taking someone's word and about the importance of customer service towards satisfaction. We learned new things about each other, what really makes a home and how generous those around us really are. The companies we used were downright horrible and we were honestly worried about our things even making it to us in the first place so when this truck backed down the cup-de-sac we both did a version of a happy dance.

And after 3 very long weeks we finally have all of our stuff from San Diego. 

A bed, a glorious non-airmatress bed. A pantry full of food. A new kitchen table to enjoy meals together. Lots and lots of things for the walls. All our kitchen supplies. Fresh clothes and shoes. Yesterday was an awesome (and tiring) day and as I sit on the patio this morning, drinking my coffee and enjoying the shade of our umbrella, I'm feeling a thousand times more excited for our new life in CO.

And this my friends, is the aftermath of our unpacking efforts from yesterday. I'm pretty proud of us and all we were able to do in just one night. There are about half a dozen boxes still unopened or partly full inside the house but we made so much progress already that waking up this morning felt glorious!

Crunch Time

Now that I am officially done with work we're in full-time moving mode around here! 

Stacks of boxes are growing taller and invading every room. Tasks are being crossed off the to-do list but also continuously being added. Cabinets, closets, and drawers are starting to be emptied and yet somehow our house seems like a storm went through it with all the mess we've created. I've been sipping on lots of coffee and letting myself relax occasionally with walks for the pup who is over joyed to have someone home all day.

Here's a glimpse into our crazy life from the past few days. 

Today also happens to be Ollie's 3rd birthday so there might be a bowl full of whipped cream in his future tonight. He's been super cuddly and begging for any & all attention today which just shows that even he knows it's his special day :-) We also have dinner plans for the evening and what do you know, more packing planned for the rest of the weekend. Hopefully we're able to throw in a bit of fun relaxing over the long weekend because I know next week is going to be crazy busy too! Wish us luck!

Current countdown to the big CO move: 

7 days!

Currently [v5]

>>> Down to my last few days at work which meant turning in an extra time sheet today so I can get all my checks on my last day next week! I love that my company is able to do that for someone who's leaving but also kinda sad that it'll be my last pay check for a long, long time.

 >>> Trying to make the massive headache I've had all morning go away! I'm prone to getting headaches easily because my jaw isn't aligned right and I grind my teeth at night and today is no different. Its seriously pounding and all I want to do is nap.

>>> In awe that our trip to the beach last weekend might have been our last trip before the move which means from now on we'll have to make a vacation out of every beach trip instead of just a Sunday afternoon. I admit that we haven't been to the coast as often as we should/could have but I'm so glad we were able to go this past weekend.

>>> Starting to get the process started with packing up our house. There's no longer anything hanging on the walls in the whole house, rooms are starting to get emptied out and the stacks of boxes are growing. Two weeks from today and we'll hopefully be on our drive to CO.

>>> Really looking forward to the weekend. We have dinner with J's boss tonight, our last Padres game tomorrow night and dinner at one of my favorite restaurants in San Clemente with my favorite people in Southern California on Sunday night. All these "lasts" sure are sneaking up fast!

>>> Happy to announce that I've jumped back on the MyFitnessPal wagon this past week and it's been going really well. After coming home from Ireland a little heavier that I'd like to be (thanks to all the potatoes and whiskey) I decided I needed to prep for summer and start counting calories again. And I'm already down 3 lbs since my post-Hollandmoon weigh-in!

>>> Thankful for the musical inspiration I got on my drive to work today. The right song played at the exact right moment and was seriously a sign that I'm in exactly the right place I'm supposed to be in life right now.

I'll be back next week with more Hollandmoon Recaps so don't worry!

See Ya Later, San Diego

For the last 6 years I've called San Diego my home. I've lived here, gone to school here, made many friends here, grew my relationship with J here and basically became an adult here. The experiences I've gained while living 1000+ miles from my family and the place where I grew up are some that have made me into the person I am today and I will forever be grateful for them.

But this time is coming to a close. We have been hoping to move back to Colorado for many years to be closer to our amazing friends and wonderful family. And well, that dream has finally come true. And while I am ecstatic that we can now move home there is still a part of me that will be sad to leave the "home" I've had for so long.

We aren't sure exactly when this move will happen because a lot of it is dependent on things we can't control (ie new job, housing market, etc etc) but we know that it will be sometime before the end of June. So we've created our "See Ya Later, San Diego" List of things we need to do before the move. Things that we either can't do in CO (hello Ocean!), things that are exclusive to San Diego (greasy, authentic Mexican food) or things that mean a lot to us because of the memories we have from living here. Yes, most of them involve food. Oops. And I'm sure there will be additions to the list as the time goes on.

I'm going to try and document these things as we cross them off our list. But don't worry, I wont bore you with tons of pictures of my In-n-Out cheeseburgers because I'm sure those will be many. Also, if you live in/near San Diego and think we're missing something, tell me and we'll add it on!

2011 In Review

2011 has been one of those years that I will remember for the rest of my life. I am so happy I decided to do this post because it made me look back at all the pictures, stories and memories I've created in the past year and how special each and every moment was. 

So take a look back with me....

+ Our after-Christmas/New Years vacation to Waikiki on Oahu, HI. I feel so blessed to be able to go to such a beautiful place with someone I love so much. 

 + I celebrated my 22nd birthday (the 4th one celebrated with J) and was spoiled rotten! 

 + Our poor Ollie got horrible blisters on his feet but did so well as they healed and

+ We spent far too long without furniture waiting for the new stuff to arrive

 + J's birthday was spent with friends from out of town, lots of margaritas and days spent relaxing by the pool. 

 + We graduated! It was a long four years with lots of stress, studying, and wondering when it was going to end but I finished my bachelors degree and J finished his masters. 

 + We spent lots of time taking our pup swimming in the ocean. He loves it so much it's hard to get him out. 

+ J and I celebrated our 4 year dating anniversary! I cannot believe how quickly the time has past and how many amazing memories we've created together. I love that man!

 + We got to spend some time back in CO this summer to celebrate the wedding of two of our great friends. While the drive from SD to CO is never fun we wouldn't miss trips like this for anything.

 + After a lot of stressful paperwork, specific deadlines and lots of finger crossing we finally bought and moved into our first house! We have loved being able to do whatever we wanted in the new house and there's nothing quite like home. 

 + We've done lots of work since we moved but it is all so worth it. A yard for our pup to play in and a guest room to host family and friends.

+ Now that we have this amazing new house we decided to host Thanksgiving for my mom and sister. Our turkey was a big success, I made homemade gravy for the first time ever and we spent some time at the beach. Noting says Thanksgiving like the sun and the sand!

+ The holidays are definitely my favorite time of the year and I was so excited to finally be able to decorate outside as well as inside wherever and however I wanted. I can't wait to make holiday traditions in our new home. 

+ And last but definitely far from least.... J and I got engaged on Christmas Day 2011. I promise that I will do a post soon specific to the details about this but lets just say I have never been happier in my whole entire life. I cannot wait to start planning this wedding and continue to grow our lives together!

Thanks 2011.... 

for an amazing, spectacular, whirlwind year that I'll never forget. 

Homeowners: SOLD!

Things are a changin' my friends. 

There has been lots of hard work, big decisions to make, and plenty of excitement as we transition into a new stage of our life. 

A new stage where we are homeowners!

I've decided to start a series around here where I'll share with you parts of our new home, projects we've accomplished and anything home-related so please stay tuned. I cannot wait for all of the adventures that this home is going to bring J and I and I can't wait to share them with you here. 

But now, I'm off to paint!

Grown Up Decisions

If you've read my blog for very long I can bet that you know I recently graduated and had planned on going to medical school this fall. Well, without going into details and having a mini panic-attack this part of my future plans is on hold for a little while.

But the optimist in me knows that things will always work out the way they're supposed to and along the way there are plenty of things to celebrate. One of those celebration moments happened when J and I discussed the next few years of our life, specifically where we live. We are going to be in San Diego for at least another two years regardless of future schooling and seriously started talking about switching from renting to owning.

So we began the search.

We spent a few crammed weeks seeing about 35+ houses. We made lots of decisions and crunched a lot of numbers. We had many conversations about being able to afford it. About what we each look for in a house. About condo vs. single-family. And finally....

We put an offer on a house! A real, grown-up, spacious (for San Diego and compared to a 1 bedroom apartment) home that we could really see ourselves living in. There have been bumps along the way like cracks in the floor, leaking pipes, dealing with foreclosures and banks on the other side of the country and we are by no means in the clear at this point with the whole process. But, and this is a big but, we are so very excited about this house and being homeowners and starting this new chapter of our lives together.

I hope that within the next month...

This is what I will see when I drive up the street to our house.

Our dining room will host Thanksgiving and welcome our friends.

This will be our master bedroom.

This room (and the other bright blue room) will be painted! But more importantly turned into a guest bedroom for family & friends and an office/craft room.

The weeds can be tamed, grass can be grown and evening drinks can be had in the backyard.

Ollie will learn to go up stairs that are hardwood without falling

And ultimately, we will be moved into a place we can call our home.