Monthly Archives: November 2009

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Wildlife

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We had a pretty decent storm yesterday.

We were just laying low and working around the house watching the snow fall. Having all the windows open, we saw two cool things.

First pets were some birds I’ve never seen before. Large, blue and black with giant plumes on their heads and long tails. Yay for husband filling the bird feeder! Every time he tried to take a picture, they moved to the back of the bird feeder. Must have been shy.

Then, slightly eclipsing the birds, were two moose – looked like a baby and momma, that chilled out pretty close to the house! They stuck around for most of the day and ate through our back yard and left right before dark.

 moose1

moose2

moose3

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Few More Days

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Power of Positive Thinking

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Five Good Things About A Completely Unfurnished House

1. Easy to clean.
2. Basement is great workout space.
3. Paper plates make doing dishes fun.
4. No chairs means you stand. Opportunity to work on balance and posture.
5. Nothing to trip over in the dark.

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Took Ten Minutes

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Well, we finally got the day that I was waiting for – the first snowfall in our house! Let’s replay how it went down:

First, I called TB to see if it was snowing at HER house or if it was just a flurry for my part of Park City. She confirmed it was not just us.

Second, without even waiting for the cable guy to finish inter-webbing the house, the oven was on and the cookies were baking. Fortunately every window in the house was already open so we could watch the snow.

Third, I made MK have a moment. He hates forced moments. But it was the FIRST snowfall we were seeing from OUR window. Moment.

Fourth, plugged in the little Christmas tree Grandma gave me my first winter away from home. It’s not too early when you live in the MOUNTAINS.

Fifth, we went to the grocery store for provisions. (And no, I didn’t forget about the cookies, they were done).

Sixth, Chili for dinner, heat turned up.

I am so in love with winter it hurts. I keep switching on the back deck light to see the snow as it picks up.

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Home Depot, You’ve Got It All Wrong

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“You can do it, we can help?” Um, no. I don’t want to do it. I’m not that into it. I lived in other people’s furnished rentals with my perfect husband for over three years for a reason. Like I keep telling you, we’re trying not to be those guys, all wrapped up in this house and nothing else. Come on, we’ve gotta stay COOL. Here’s my pitch for your new set of commercials:

“You won’t be here all day” Commercial

Camera shows parents resignedly giving money and lists to cute babysitter who takes three kids and waves as parents get in car. Parents are then shown at Home Deopt, overwhelmed. Scene cuts to babysitter and kids having a blast at the park. Then to parents fighting. Home Depot guy shows up and gives them an idea that’s all ready to go, and they get home hours earlier.

Who wants to spend the weekend at Home Depot? Admit it – I know there are SOME of you out there. We’re just not in that club. We knew home ownership would change things. And we even thought at our OLD AGES we’d be happier to embark on this journey of house flipping. But no.

MK is doing better than I am. He sees tools and crap he’s never owned and his eyes light up. I on the other hand, am still in the camp that if you don’t just decide something, and paint it, and whatever, it’ll never get done. And who cares if the faucet is silver or bronze? Not me and probably not our guests.

So, Home Depot, stop acting like taking up my weekend is cool. Tell me you want me in and out. And tell my husband to get whatever he wants, he’s earned it. And then we can go to the park.

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Resistance Is Tough

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Trying my best not to be that guy.

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Five Facebook Updates It Took All My Effort Not To Publish

1. Husband carried me across the threshold of new house.
2. We have more pairs of skis (6 now?) than chairs in our new house.
3. First cooking dinner in new house!
4. I can put my clothes in every closet if I want, it’s MY house!
5. Furniture shopping for new house.

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You Just Choose

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This house furnishing thing is IMPOSSIBLE. There are 600,000 choices for each and every corner of our new space. How on earth are you supposed to choose? I’m already giving up. I see one thing I like and realize that if I buy it I might find something ELSE that I like BETTER the very next day.  Or something cheaper.

Crap, let’s be really honest. I can’t even decide on a PAINT color. Because then you’re REALLY committed. I don’t want to bore you with this new house thing every day, chances are most of you have already been through all this nonsense and will tell me to just pick something and like it and put my big girl panties on.  But still.

We haven’t got much. We’re going to go to Austin and get all our things, but those things are little and simple and easy to plan around and make work. A couple end tables and some bathroom crap, really. There’s so much more we need.

My first big project is a dining room table. I’ve never had a real dining rooom table of my very own before. And this thing is going to get USED. I have a Crock Pot in storage that will be used and cleaned and used again. So I need a table. To feed all my guests on. I’m going for one of those tall pub tables that seats two per side. 8. That’s 6 guests. Awesome. But how do you pick one when you know you’re going to flip your kitchen but have NO IDEA what the end product will look like? I can’t be comparing granite to my pub table! Argh!

I’m also having a small problem with the insane amount of stuff I’m seeing on the UT Co-Op website and wanting to fill my house with. How much Burnt Orange is too much?

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Two Buck Chuck

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There are things that I like a lot and there are things that I love. Then there are things that I love and don’t mention and there are things I rave about. I wouldn’t say that I’m ashamed of anything that I like, crap – I admitted to wearing press on fingernails. Two Buck Chuck makes the love list and the rave list both.

But my Two Buck Chuck love affair is hard here in Utah, at BB’s house. You see, BB is a wine snob. A smart one – I totally agree with all his tastes and predilections. But I’m also a housewife on a budget. Living in California we purchased Two Buck Chuck by the caseload. It’s perfectly fine to sit by the pool with some chardonnay ON ICE – we don’t have to Keep It Classy all the time.

So lets just keep this hypothetical. If I could get my hands on some Two Buck Chuck in Utah (no idea how I’d do that)  I would drink it unabashedly, say, to celebrate homeownership. And BB would gag, and moan, and be comepletely disgusted. I would savor the watered-down deliciousness of those second hand grapes with glee. He would roll his eyes.

I would try to explain to BB that it must be good if I’m considering name my firstborn Charles Shaw. He is just not having it. Now we live here. He’s going to be bringing his own drinks when he comes over to MY house for dinner, that’s all I can say about that. If I can find some Two Buck Chuck in Utah, of course…

I need a plan. We need to put some Two Buck Chuck in a 50$ bottle and fool him. I’m going to get him, internet.

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That Was Easy

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How many of you have bought a house? The be all end all exciting bit was too quick! I was all ready to go get my hair done and put on a dress and hire someone to take pictures. But it wasn’t prom. We did get drinks and MK even got a cookie, but the whole deal was maybe 15 minutes. And done. House.

We did the walkthrough, and I have to tell you, I am super in love with this house. Not just because it is about 11 minutes from the closest of THREE SKI RESORTS, but it’s adorable. It’s warm and cozy and clean and pretty. Yay!

Then we go sign papers. Maybe ten. That was all it took. I have a  copy, I can prove it. The crazy state of Utah is letting us have some land here. I’m not sure what they are thinking.

We went back to the B’s house all anti-climatically, and they were ready to help. Champagne toast! Then it felt like a party. I could tell they were as excited as we were when I asked SB “Guess what we bought today!?!?”, and she screamed “A HOUSE!!!”. Too cute.

TB and I took off to Home Depot pretty much immediately. There are some things we need to do, and I can’t wait to start. MK is convinced it’s the beginning of the end, but I can’t tell if it’s because of the paint colors I picked out or just how much fun we could have if we made all our remodel dreams come true. We totally used to look at other people with Home Depot trips all weekend and laugh. No we’re those guys. I always promised myself I’d embrace each new chapter when the time came. I’m a little afraid MK is going to run back to the beach to lay around. We’ll see…

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Halloween In Vegas

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Las Vegas is always overload to me. There’s so much to see and so much always going on, day and night. Halloween is even crazier! There were some of the most creative costumes you’ve ever seen! Of course, since there were so many people, I can’t even begin to name them all for you. I remember one of my favorite costumes was a couple, a perfecct Dog the Bounty Hunter and his wife. I can’t remotely do the experience justice. Everyone everywhere was dressed up and partying.

costumes

That was us at the costume pub crawl Friday.

We went to another Hash House Harriers event, the Las Vegas Red Dress Run. It was great to see 200+ people in red dresses. We had Jello Shots, ran by the chapels (you’d be amazed how many people are in to getting married on Halloween) and through the streets and casinos.

My favorite part was at the end of the night when it was just MK and I walking back from the hash. Kids were cracking up at him – the dress made a lot less sense without the other 200+ people around!

MK and I also shopped, explored places we hadn’t been yet, and watched a bunch of football. It was great to see a ton of San Diego friends, make new Las Vegas friends, and even meet some SL,UT hashers to hang out with in Utah!