Pictures of the house!

I had to meet the owner at the house tonight to sign some paperwork he didn't have last night... I actually had my digital camera, so I took some pics of the outside... The inside ones are from my phone, so not the best quality, but it gives you an idea....
(And I hope you all appreciate how long this is gonna take me!)

Front of house ~ the dogs are gonna love the bay window! And the front door has tulips etched into it (usually not my taste, but I love it!).

Side view of the front of the house ~ 2 car garage!

The back of the house (with really nice deck!)

The deck! We also have a private balcony off the master bedroom (can't see it in any of the pictures, though)

2 car garage ~ both with automatic openers!

The privacy fence is started! This is the only work we have to do to the house immediately! David is installing it himself, and then we will stain/weatherproof it.

This is the picture of the living room and formal dining room. I took it through the window, so it's not the best quality. Not a fan of the rose carpet or border, but it will do. And I have really good pictures of my grandpa's roses that I will blow up and put on the walls!

This is the front entry ~ also taken through the window! The hall leads directly into the eat in kitchen, then to the deck through a sliding glass door.

I took these pictures with my phone the first time I saw the house. David wasn't with me, but wanted to see pictures, so he got a couple:

This is the fireplace in the living room. We will use the other room (with the carpet) as our main living space because it has more natural light. But in the winter, this will be a really nice retreat!

This is the basement. David has laid claim on it: he wants to make this a rec room in a few years... It's big enough we can actually divide it in half and use some of it as a kids play room also.

So, we're set to close on the 5th as long as everything comes back like it should. They were waiting for one piece of paper, which we got signed today, so we should get the clear to close by Wednesday! We are going to move as much as we can before the 13th, and then we have a truck then for the rest. David is also going to finish the fence (the owner let us start on it before we close) so that we can get the dogs moved over and settled before that weekend. It's all falling into place!

Exciting News!!

This is a 2-part blog, first good news, then some pictures from SF.

David and I have been unhappy with the town we live in for about 6 months. When we bought our house, we did so because David is on the fire department. But, the city has changed alot in the last year, and we aren't happy with the changes. So, we've been praying about it....

David was bored one day, so started looking through real estate. He found a house that was "lease to purchase." He called the guy and I went to see the house. Loved it! Huge, beautiful. Needs some paint and carpet that is my taste, but other than that, it's perfect. Started talking to the guy ~ we were actually pre-approved for an FHA loan!!!!!!!!!!

We should be closing in about 2 weeks, and then the big stuff gets moved on 9/13. We were able to sell our house to a couple on the fire department, so we're free and clear! I will post pics of the house when I have some better ones ~ all I have are on my phone, very dark, and don't give you a good view. But, it's 3 beds, 2 1/2 baths (all a little small, but do-able), finished basement, 2 car garage, established deck, big kitchen (with eat-in area), formal dining room, living room, family room with fireplace......... it's wonderful! All we have to do is put a fence up, and the guy is letting us start it this week so it will be ready when we move in!

God was definitely with us this time around ~ this house is exactly what we needed. We really won't have to ever move again, and all that needs done is the cosmetic stuff that can wait until we're ready!

So, pictures.... These are from my grandparents party. I still haven't downloaded the rest from my camera (yeah, I know, I'm bad about that)...

David and I! I'm down 45 lbs, still a little swollen from surgery. David was down almost 40.


My mom and I. You can tell by my expression I was ready to sit down and take some pain killers!

So, that's it for now... I just had to share my exciting news! I'm going to start packing this week, and the day we close, we'll start moving boxes and stuff over!

HE DID IT!!!!

We had weigh-in tonight, and David's goal was to hit his 10%. He did it!!!! He really pushed himself and lost 7.8 lbs, going just past the mark he needed (he only need 5 lbs!)!!!!!!!!!! So, we celebrated with a bottle of wine. I told him the other night that I can tell he's losing. We were laying in bed and I went to put my arm over his stomach. I could actually wrap my arm and put my hand behind his back! I've never been able to do that! He is doing so well!!!!

I lost 1.6, so I'm only .2 away from my 2nd 10% ~ then I'll set my lifetime for probably another 20, putting me around the top of the "healthy" range. I'm not sure if I would be able to maintain anything lower. I guess we'll see what happens when I get that far! Oh, and I've gotten lots of people at work telling me that I look good and that my "bootie is shrinkin'!"

SO not expecting THIS!!

Came home today from running errands. Let the dogs out, started heading to back door. Something moved by the TV.

Yep! A gardener snake decided to come say hi. I, of course, freaked out and called my mother-in-law. She came over with our 16 yr old nephew. By the time they got here, the snake had "disappeared." We moved the deep freeze, wine cabinet, and fridge. Couldn't find it.

Fast forward 20 minutes. They left, and I'm again, trying to take dogs outside. I saw it. Under the wine cabinet. Called the family again. They moved the fridge (which is where the first pic was from). The damn thing tried to slither away. My mother in law had to PULL it out from under the fridge.


I had called David and told him it was big. He didn't believe me until he saw the pic with the thing stretched out:


I'm guessing 2 1/2 - 3 feet long???

Seriously, I'm the biggest freak when it comes to reptiles, and then for one to be in my house. OMG! I haven't moved so fast since June, before I got sick!!!!! And, for the record, my abdomen reminded me WHY I don't move so fast.

So, back to the real world... snake got thrown into the field across the street. School starts tomorrow. David comes home Tuesday. May have some exciting non-baby making news on Tuesday! Oh, and David is only 6 lbs away from his 10% goal!!! I'm hoping I will have lost 1, then I can set my lifetime goal!

That's it for my "exciting" news. Now I'm off to bed so I can get up early and get to work! Blech!

Great way to end the week!

So, I came on to check various blogs, and I was greeted with a comment!

KK (Running for Life) nominated me for a beautiful blogging award:


So, I'm super excited! I, like many others, blog just to get things off my chest. If everything sits inside, it gets nasty! I didn't even realize anybody read my blog, so I'm glad I could provide entertainment (some say support) to my "fans." And now, I get to nominate others.

1. WantWait&Pray (Wanting, Waiting, and Praying) ~ we have partnered up to help each other get through our fertility stuff. She is an amazing woman, who probably doesn't even realize how much support she provides me on a daily basis!

2. C (Yep Another Weightloss Blog!) ~ C is one who "found" me first, and I am so glad she did! Her weight loss is amazing and she is working hard to do a half-marathon!

3. Lil White (Little White's 4 legged escapade) ~ I love reading about Lil White (aka Oscar). He makes me laugh, even though he hasn't updated for a while! Maybe this will help him out?

4. Sarah (Simply Living Sarah) ~ Sarah is another one of those "real world" women! She writes with humor and makes life fun!

Of course, I read others, and you are all equally inspiring to me! A few of those that "travel" in the same blogging circles as me have already received the award, but I love you all! So, for you who were nominated:
Put the logo on your blog and link to the person you received your award from. Nominate at least 7 other blogs and put links to those blogs on your site. Be sure to leave messages on the blogs you’ve nominated so they know about the award. Congrats to all!

Random Weekly Update...

Not tons going on, but I'm not really in the mood to go to bed yet, so I figured I'd come blog!

I had my colonoscopy on Monday. It went well. The dr did remove some lymph nodes to biopsy, but I haven't heard back yet, so I assume they are fine. I have the all-clear for 5 years. Thank God! The entire day seems like a total dream ~ I called the groomers to get the dogs in. I had to call them back because I woke up feeling like I had dreamed it. I saw on my phone I HAD called them, but didn't know what was set up. They laughed at me.

Went back to work on Tuesday. It's bittersweet. I really wanted to be in Kindergarten ~ my principal hired someone new. But, she's good. I'll give her that. But, damn it, I'm a good teacher, and I would have done great in that room! I just keep telling myself things happen for a reason.

Went to weigh-in on Wednesday. I still need to update my tickers, but I lost 1.6 lbs!! Everybody at work is commenting on how I look! I love it! I've never been good about attention, but I'm doing what my leader suggests: look them in the eye and SINCERELY say thank you! Nothing else. Not "Oh, well, I want to lose XX more" or "It's not a big deal. People have lost more than me." By the way, both of these are things I want to say!

Today was Meetings Day. Sat through a meeting all morning and then an hour in the afternoon. Worked on my classroom, and then we had parents in the building for Safe Walk to School. One of my "babies" from last year came to say hi. He didn't even want to meet his new teacher ~ he just wanted to hang out with me! It made me feel good.

I got to see David for 5 minutes today. Someone from work called and asked if he could come back out: the guy's wife is having emergency surgery in the morning. What was he supposed to say? NO? So, I'll see him Saturday night. Hopefully.

I start my last 2 classes in 2 weeks! I can't believe it!!! I'm almost done!!!! This last semester is going to be tough, but it will be so worth it when I'm done. And then in the Spring, I can relax for the first time since I don't know when!

I think that's about it... The dogs are going to the groomer tomorrow, so they will be clean, fluffy, and smell good for the weekend! YAY! I still owe you pics from San Francisco. I swear one of these days life will slow down............

Oh, joy!

WEll, I'm already in a bad mood from prepping for the colonoscopy. Let me tell you: this is NOT fun! #1, I couldn't eat all day. #2, at 5:00, I had to start drinking the most god-awfulest, nastiest, SHIT in the entire world. They give you flavor packets that do NOTHING except make it smell a little better. I only got 2/3s of it down, but from my understanding of what is coming out of my ass right now, I'm cleaned out and ready to go.

So, my mom calls me around 6:00 to tell me my cousin is in labor. Goody. This is the girl who was raised with a silver spoon in her mouth. Her husband had even more spoons in his mouth growing up, and now they are one happy silver-spooned family. I try to be nice and pretend like I care. I try to pretend like it doesn't break my heart that WE weren't the ones bringing a child into the world tonight. But, either I'm a really good faker or my mom just doesn't give a rat's ass that this is killing me.

Baby Liberty ~ that's her first name ~ was born by c-section about 2 hours ago. They named her Liberty because her uncle (my other cousin) is in the Air Force, and they are so proud of him. Okay, I admire that. But, seriously? Liberty?? I pray they call her Libby so she doesn't get the shit beat out of her when she grows up!

I don't think this was a planned pregnancy. She made a comment at the anniversary party: "Women's bodies are resilient things!" followed by a *slight* giggle and rub of her belly. Oh, and her oh-so-adoring husband went on a 4-day surfing trip with his dad 2 weeks ago. Seriously? If David were to do something like that when I'm 8 1/2 months pregnant, I would probably file for divorce! She wants to go to work. I think this is hilarious. Her mom - my aunt - has not worked a day since my other cousin was born. He's 6 months older than me. So, she has not worked for almost 27 years! And now her daughter wants to "go to work and let some stranger raise my granddaughter!" Oh the horror.

So, yeah. That was the excitement of my night. Welcome to the world, Liberty. Hopefully you will have a your-generation cousin soon. Then maybe I'll be able to celebrate your birth the way I probably should.