Blogs with Pictures

I apologize. We don't have pictures up on the blog yet.

If you're anything like Katie and me, you have an RSS feeder that alerts you of new posts on your favorite blogs, and then just scroll through it until you see a picture of something that interests you and then if you have to, you read the post (or at least part of it). We just don't blog like that. We read blogs that way, but that is not the way our blog posts usually end up. Hardly ever are there any post with pictures. Only sometimes. Usually just text that nobody wants to read.

So I apologize. I'll do better in the future to make more posts with pictures, and write a lot less text to read.

Downstairs Dilema

Before we moved into our house we were getting prepared to fill it up with furniture by buying a used couch and chair we liked from craigslist. But unfortunately our couch didn't fit down the stairs and the chair didn't fit through the doorway to our office. Sad face...
So we're still on the lookout for a couch that will fit through the narrow space. Hopefully we find something soon. We need to sit on something besides our camp chairs to watch tv... whenever we watch it.

Our Style

Well we've moved into our house and put all the furniture in place. Most of it we brought with us from our apartment, but some of it is new (or at least new to us). The comments about our (mostly Katie's) decorating style is that it is simple, yet elegant. We like simple lines and colors with a few very good accents. I don't know if there is a name for it. Maybe "urban chic" or "contemporary modern." But whatever it is, we can't go into a furniture store and tell a salesman what we are looking for. We can just spot something and say that's the one.
Between the two of us, Katie is much better at design decisions, although I like to have my opinion heard. We are lucky in that we both pretty much like the same thing. I put more importance on clocks and workflow and she puts more emphasis on overall design and the little touches like our fake plants scattered all throughout the house. And we like it.
Oh, by the way, I'll post some pictures of our house soon. I have some impressive before and after shots.

Groundhog Day

Happy Groundhog Day 2011!

Wow it is cold this morning! Seems like winter will never end. But Punxsutawney Phil saw no shadow, so that means no more winter!

We have these complicated models of weather predictions like doppler radar and weather balloons and the Weather Channel with in-depth wall-sized graphics of pressure fronts and weathermen with white sport coats. Unfortunately to most of us the Weather Channel, and all weather forecasts wherever they are is just some form of fiction. And no matter what Thunderstorm or Snowpocalypse of whatever, whom do we trust? A groundhog surrounded by men in funny hats.

I guess we'll see if the groundhog is right. Only time will tell. After all, he's only right 39 percent of the time.

Can't have what you want when you want it

This seems to be a recurring lesson I have to learn in my life. I had strep throat over the week end and was banished to my room alone all day Sunday and all day Monday. It was kinda hard for me. I was alone and couldn't have what I wanted when I wanted. I wanted to be with someone. Anyone. I choose alone time often over being with other people but finally when I was told you can't spend time with anyone it because the worst option ever. There is that saying 'you don't realize what you have until it is gone.' Its a true phrase. Oh so true.

Many a time are we ungrateful or take for granted the things that we have. It isn't until the people we love are suddenly out of town or unavailable that we miss them. When we do have the choice we take it for granted. This is true on many other aspects. We take things for granted then one day there is an accident and we loose things or have blessings taken away from us such as the use of a hand or leg or the ability to take care of ourselves. These daily tasks we overlook and forget oftentimes. It may be things like taking for granted the things that make our lives easier and more manageable like a cell phone or a portable laptop. Then all of a sudden we are reminded of it true value when its gone or un-useable.

Life has these sudden things to wake us and make us slow down and appreciate the things around us. We can't always have what we want when we want it. Life doesn't work that way. We wouldn't grow or progress if it did. I am thankful for time time I get to spend with Braden because it seems so many times when I want to spend time with him I can't. (mostly because of our work schedules conflicting) I am grateful for my family. I miss them especially on days that someone is sick. I am grateful for my job, my students and teaching especially in times that I can't be there.

The other lessons we learn through the idea we can't have what we want when we want it is patience.  Patience is when you have to wait a really long time. As we prepare to buy/move into our house I have come to the realization I wouldn't be able to fix up or cute-ify our house in the time that I would like to. The funds aren't there and my time to spend on projects is limited. I have to learn patience. I am grateful for Braden who is much more patient than me. I am learning patience a little more slowly than the lesson on gratitude but both are important.

These 2 lessons seem to be recurring in my life and will continue to keep happening until I can truly learn to be grateful and patient. I don't know if it will happen in this life time so I am glad I have eternity to become perfect.

Getting ready to move

We've known for a month now that we would be moving. And we have wasted no time getting things packed up. Even though "moving day" isn't until the end of February, we already have a great deal of the apartment packed up in boxes.

I have felt a little like I'm on a reverse treasure hunt. Instead of looking for hidden treasures, I'm discovering things I had forgotten we had or at least hadn't seen for a while, only to put it into a box or throw out. It's fun and painful at the same time.

There is a lot of stress involved in moving. Katie and I have been quite unlike our friends our age since we haven't moved at all since we got married. In fact she hasn't moved since more than two years before we got married because I moved into the apartment she was already in with roommates. And besides the fact we both loved the apartment, it was easier to kick the roommates out than find a new place.

I'm not saying this will be the only house we live in the rest of our lives, but I'm of course not ruling out the possibility. The house has four bedrooms and two bathrooms. Plenty of space for a family to grow into. And we know how (or at least know someone who knows how) to update the parts of the house that need it, like the kitchen. We are allowing a couple weeks between closing day and moving day to repair and paint, and other minor details. We will post more here about those projects later.

We've bought a house!

It has been a month since I last wrote. And a lot of things have happened recently.

We found (or actually our agent found) the perfect house. We had decided previously that we would wait until summer 2011 before we were serious about moving. But along came the perfect opportunity, and we happened to have all our ducks in a row already. It is a 4 bedroom 2 bath house. Full finished basement, about 2000 sq ft altogether. We close in February. More details to come.