Wednesday, December 30, 2009

Mini House Tour!

We have survived...and celebrated with big smiles on our faces all night! A peak into our dining room. Believe it or not, that brick you see is fake!



Here is a view of our lovely, green 1960's kitchen. I think I'll have to devote a whole post to exploring all her surprises!




Just down the hall is our main bathroom. Oh my, isn't it lovely!



Not to be upstaged by our downstairs bathroom. Doesn't that tile look like leopard print for just a minute? Ha, we have a lot of work on our hands and I can't wait to get started!!



I took a few pictures yesterday, but honestly I was just too in awe to focus. We are headed back tomorrow, and I'll take Part 2 of the house tour. I have a lot more I could say, but honestly...I'm tired! (no thanks to the viticus last night...)

Tuesday, December 29, 2009

Here we go...

Nearly ready to leave for the final walk through...still undecided on the perfect "I'm buying a house today" outfit. Awfully windy though, so I'm sure a sweater will be involved.

My list of things to bring on this first day:
-plastic cups and plates for champagne and pizza
-a camera!
-paper towels, TP and hand soap (so we can live like civilized beings)
-my "list book"...for lists
-my lucky bamboo (thanks BRAD
-a favorite pic of Spencer and I...so the house can get familiar with us while we're still sleeping in our old diggs.
-Mommom's claddagh ring...i wear it for all "big things"

wish me luck bloggaverse!

Monday, December 28, 2009

It's like Christmas Eve for adults...

eeek! eee-gaaad! holy smokes!

It is the eve of our signing and I truly feel like a kid again...I just know I won't be getting much sleep tonight! It reminds me so much of how I felt as a youngster on Christmas Eve. Too excited to close my eyes, jittery, so very excited for the time to pass and morning to arrive!

Just writing about it has my heart racing. homeowner...me?! Only grown-ups own houses...does that mean...no it couldn't...but still, all the evidence says:

I AM A GROWN UP. (!?!?!?)

Spencer and I will sit down tomorrow at 3pm and start signing. I wonder if the house will feel the change in ownership. I imagine this lovely home sitting, sort of bored and a little sad that no one has been around in quite sometime. She'll be counting the faux bricks on her living room wall for the 100th time when all the sudden...a little twitch. Maybe her ears will burn. Will the air change then? Will she pounce like a little puppy when it spots their owners car pulling in the drive way? Will all the sudden, when the last line is signed at 3:54pm, she feels the rush of love come her way?

I think so. I hope she likes us. Maybe it will be strange at first- after all she's only known one family her whole life. The sight of two twenty-somethings rolling around her hardwoods laughing (because that's exactly the first thing we plan on doing) might startle at first and, but hopefully she has a sense of humor. Hopefully she knows just how much we love her already.

And I hope she likes the face lift we're ready to deliver! Tomorrow I will post a photo tour of our new nest (eeeek! i said that!) And then we can start to have some F-U-N!!!

Here's a little sneaky-peak to get the party started!

Sunday, December 27, 2009

The Goods

Wonderful Christmas! I have an oven mitt ladies and gentlemen, EXHALE...

I was once again amazed by the generosity on support of our families this holiday season. Spencer and I really are so lucky! It was sad my Dad couldn't be there (some major mouth makeover happening) but I got to spend some good time with him the day before, so it didn't feel awful. It still feels so strange to not wake up at my parents house on Christmas Day...I wonder if I will ever get over that!

I'm sure this little home of ours will help with that. Spencer's wheels are already spinning- next Christmas he wants to host our families at our new home. Like, the whole kitten kaboodle. Uncles, Aunts, Mr. Albert and his accordion. You know, the usual.

We are about 2 days away from signing our X's all over the place and walking away with a shiny new set of keys! I got an energy boost from BRAD and DAVID (ha!) my good friends who are 4 months in to Vermont living and are slowly but surely renovating their first home. They warned me that signing might be more emotional than I expect but it is worth the stress (i knew that one!). I'm going to get myself into a zen place of calm and excitement. High emotions usual equal twitchy spaz-outs for me, and I would prefer not to pout all over my new (old) house.

Ommmmmmmm.......

Thursday, December 24, 2009

The Rules

I could easily use today's entry to vent the medium sized stress fracture I experienced last night, but I won't. Because it would be in violation of my new and growing Rules...

#1- I will refrain from venting irrelevant to this blog. No commentary on how celebrities spend their time, no political rants, no family drama. I would like to stay as positive as possible, since I really do have a lot to be thankful for. I can vent DIY house or wedding frustrations for the sake of my sanity, but I must end things on a positive note.

#2- I will try not to pepper "foul language" into my writing. I really do love bad words, and in real life I can continue in my pirate ways. However I will maintain a level of forced professionalism and self-control when sending my thoughts and misadventures in life pout into the world, no matter if they are read or not. There WILL be a time when I use a bad word and then you'll really know I mean it...

#3- I will post once daily...for the most part. No promises that 6 mos. in and I haven't received ONE comment wont have me rethinking my newest hobby, but I will try to stay connected and keep the promise to myself to make this fun and exciting for me. (holidays and honeymoons may be excused)

That's all I have so far but I may add (or subtract-hey this is my pony show) as I go on. I'm hoping and expecting that as time passes, the purpose of this documentary writing assignment will grow and settle into something lovely.

I'm excited to start documenting my slow shift into this new phase of life. The move, the projects, the woes, the wins and eventually The Wedding. But I'm too busy to fret about that now!

It's Christmas!!! Smile, love, forgive or forget-whatever! Just don't get too drunk and remember to leave out some cookies!

Wednesday, December 23, 2009

3/7

3 days in of keeping my promise to blog everyday...
7 days away from signing on the dotted line...

I told Spencer I had started a modest blog last night and he was excited. I naturally groaned out my prediction that ZERO people would ever find it, but Spence reminded me that wasn't the point. He headed out for the evening and left me to some guilt-free lady TV time, in which I secretly purchased and watched "Julie & Julia".

So the Universe gave me another nod of encouragement here. I had chosen this flick for a few reasons, none of which included a lick about blogging in any form. First, I like to watch movies without Spencer around that I know he would not want to ever see, second, I think Amy Adams is adorable and lastly...i love French food.

Anywhosit, Julie starts this blog where she cooks through Julia Child's cookbook. Brilliant. Looked like a lot of fun too (save the sweetbreads and aspic). But she starts it as a "something" for herself. She didn't start it to be rich and famous. Or even half less broke and mildly known.

I feel ya Julia. Right now I'm looking for "something". I want to write a little each day because I love writing-good or not. I want a little something to be excited about. A hobby. A place to show off all the hard work I plan to do to my house in the upcoming days. So I'm joining the 70 MILLION BLOGGERS out there and adding my 2 cents.

Cent #1- I can do anything
Cent #2- so can you

So lets do anything together, shall we?

Tuesday, December 22, 2009

So close...

Christmas and house.

I've decided to be done buying gifts, whether I am or not. Our settlement date came as a surprise of sorts and I woke up this morning panicked over all sorts of ridiculous things (we don't have an oven mitt! where will we get an affordable area rug?! we have to move in the snow?!) I impulsively braved midday Christmas traffic to drive creepily past the house and sure enough not an inch has been shoveled. I'm hoping Santa brings hot and heavy sunshine this year...

I know Spencer is out buying gifts and I'm sure a few are for me. I have an urge to text him: oven mitt, Tupperware, cans of light blue paint. But that doesn't fly with him. He loves the impractical, playful gifts that Christmastime allows.

And that's not a bad thing.

Honestly there is a good chance our ancient, olive green wall oven won't even work...

Monday, December 21, 2009

Why plan B?


To most, "plan B" is not ideal. The wise and mysterious Wikipedia says that "plan b" is a popular term used to describe "a reserved, secondary plan, in case a first plan fails". how depressing...


Well, I've been quite pleased with where all my "plan B's" have landed me. In addition to "B" being the third cutest letter of the alphabet, a "secondary, revised" plan is oh-so-much more cherished than the original. Because you had to work on it and for it. And you are much more grateful for those very reasons.


Plan "A"'s are for type A's...which I am certainly not, but I have had some pretty fantastic "plan A's", including:


- Become a "Doctor" of something (Plan B: A few people refer to me as "DR. BRIA" which induces mass giggles and required much less advanced schooling and gross-bloody-things touching)

- Meet, fall in love and marry Prince William (Plan B: I have met, fallen in love with and plan to marry my own "Prince", no paparazzi or hideous British food required)

- Live in a hallowed out Hawaiian volcano (We are days away from buying our first home, Hawaii or Parkville...it's pretty darn exciting)


So plan B for me works just fine. And our new home is a perfect example. It wasn't our 1st choice by a long shot and it comes with a laundry list of fixer-upper projects for which we have no experience or funding for. But we love it's bones and its spirit. I plan on tackling this new adventure with plan B gutso. If "Plan A" is to shell out thousands for a new shiny kitchen, I will plan B-a-size it best I can. This blog will hopefully keep me motivated (and occupied at work-let's face it-FRO-YO is not a huge winter staple)


And if you have found this site, I hope you enjoy the ramblings and the updates...and maybe even delight in the joys of your own Plan B.