hello, finals.

pardon the brief absence, i'm currently buried in a pile of notes, tests, observations and portfolios to wrap up the 18 credits i took this semester.

and then, i get a whopping 3 DAYS OFF and i get to get going full force with the 22 credits i am taking this summer in order to graduate before we move.

yes people, 22. i've been known to do lots of credits in the past, but even 22 is new for me. and surprisingly, it's as much as the university will allow in a single semester, so i'm guessing i might die.

all of this effort, stress and craziness is simply so i can follow my man wherever his heart takes him this fall. all so we won't have to be apart for longer than a week or two. all so that he can have the freedom to persue his dreams- wherever those dreams might take him-with me by his side. the way it should be.

it's going to be a ton of work and like i said, i might die, but it's so worth it. i love that man, i love our life and i love our "us" and there is no where i'd rather be than where he is. i don't know the state, city or school, and all of that information is going to be thrown at me before i even have time to blink, but i'll take it and i'll go, because it means will be together.

and it also means i'll be a college grad, which is pretty rad too.

do you think it's a sign?

i think it's funny that when a law school in sunny san diego sent us a "yes, please come!" letter yesterday they included their average daily temperature on the first page. "65-77 degrees daily!" they proclaimed, and i wondered if they did research on us prior to find out exactly what my weaknesses are (sunshine and sand being among the first on the list).

i think it's funny that 5 minutes after i opened and read that letter (and then called g to congratulate him) it began to snow so hard that the even the sounds of "lost" on tv and a sizzling hot pizza in the oven couldn't drown out the noise on my tin roof or make the snowstorm feel magical, instead of depressing.

i think it's funny that the next morning i woke up to what seemed like 2 feet of snow on top of my car and walked with slush in my boots (and a frown on my face) all the way to yoga.

i think it's funny that when i came home afterwords and decided to try to embrace the brisk morning, my oatmeal tasted like cardboard and the milk i poured into my teapot for hot cocoa boiled over and shot out in a scalding hot rainbow arch across my kitchen.

we want to stay.
really, we do.

but doesn't "65-77 degrees daily!" sound lovely right about now?

spooky.

Wow.

I just have to hurry and post this for those of you who know me well and know about some of the weird experiences I had back when we were living on Parkway. For those of you who have no idea what I am talking about, without getting into too many creepy details, I am pretty sure that house is haunted.

Granted I love that home, LOVED the neighborhood, friends, ward & miss everyone dearly. But living there was scary at times and being there alone terrified me for months. I had way too many sleepless nights and eerie mornings in bed after G had left for work. Scary things happened when I was there by myself.

G never felt anything (granted he is not intuitive at all) and I sometimes felt like an idiot for being scared. Well, let's just say I don't feel like an idiot anymore, because G is on the phone with the renter who currently lives there and she just said something along the lines of, "Blah, blah, blah, I think this house is haunted."

And no, I have never said anything to them about it (who would tell potential renters such things?) and we have never discussed anything like that before. I can't believe it. Her stories are even creepier than mine. And I am just so glad I am out of there.

Now that I am more justified in saying that this ghost actually exists, let's give him a name, shall we? We all know how much I love naming things. George? Fred? Freddy K, perhaps?

hello & welcome.

to my sunny little home.

Once upon a time, back in October, I met my new home for the first time. It looked very different then, to say the least.

4 months & lots of blood, sweat & tears later, I am amazed at what the Olsen family has accomplished. And I say Olsen FAMILY because it was a family job. Greg & his parents transformed this place with the help of Erik & Ty. I helped as much as I could, but up until I met Greg, I didn't know the difference between a philips & flathead screwdriver. So my help wasn't paramount.

It's been a long process, but so worth it. To say we love this place would be the understatement of the year. It is perfect for us. I adore the huge windows in every room, the constant sunshine, the gorgeous views, the perfect neighbors, I could go on & on. Every day I wake up & love this house. We feel so lucky to be living here.

With that said, enjoy these pictures of the transformation. And hopefully, after seeing this, some of you will forgive me for dropping off the face of the earth for 3 months. As you will see, it was a ton of work, but look at what we did!!

office before.

office after.
(this is the most neglected room, thus far.
still needs work. we haven't ripped the tape down yet, oh well.)





family room before.

family room after.

master bedroom before.


master bedroom after.





bathroom before.

bathroom after.






kitchen before.


kitchen after.
(still need to paint & put on one cabinet front & all the cabinet handles)

dining room before.

dining room after.

Thank you so much to everyone who helped in various ways. We love you.

i can see the whole city from my bedroom window.

we're in! we're in!

Can you believe it?

I unpacked the last box on Saturday night & G and I settled into our new home this weekend. It's even almost completely decorated & I am head over heels in love with our new home.

There are still a few things to finish up, but for the most part, it's back to our normal lives. I can't wait to cook dinner, relax in the evenings, take the dogs for walks again, see my friends again, sleep in on the weekends and hang out on Saturday like we used to. Ahhhhh, life is sweet.

I have to give a huge thank you to both of our families for all the help & support they gave us. Thank you Geir & Margaret (who did everything & made this whole thing possible), Ty & Jennie (who helped us move, came up many nights to work & offered a ton of support), Erik & Heidi (who did the same & even moved us TWICE), my Mom & Dad (who let us stay with them for almost 3 months, when we promised 2 weeks tops & helped pack and move all our stuff), Ry & Christy (for helping us move), and Andy, Jon & Scott (who helped us move & let us stay with them-we had so much fun!)

We are so lucky to have such supportive families, we wouldn't be anywhere without them.

Now, come visit us, all of you!
and stay tuned for the before & after pictures....

moving/remodeling/doing it at the same time

Was not made for someone like me.

Someone who hates clutter, dust, messes of any kind, obsesses over the cleanliness of her house & the placement of everything in it's correct spot, is as impatient as the day is long, wants everything done immediately, but cannot even nail up a picture for fear her G will just do it over again (and he will; he uses the level for even the tiniest of pictures).

Moving was made for the laid back folk. When it comes to my home & it's tidiness, laid back, I am not. As a bonus, all this stress has turned me into a little ball of anxiety (one which G would like to kick over the fence, I am sure).

I unpacked my kitchen last night & seriously almost cried when I took out my cake stand, my mixer, my cocoamotion. I could have kissed those crisp, beautiful cookbooks. Oh, how I've missed them.

I also threw away 2 garbage bags full of crap. Not garbage, but actual stuff. Stuff that just sits there and doesn't get used & makes me want to kill myself. Yup, I didn't think twice, just threw it all away. It was fabulous.

Last night, after we assembled our cabinets, I finally started unpacking our kitchen. It was a big moment. And later, G cleared out all of the trash in our breezeway (well he moved it to another area in the yard, so i couldn't see it anymore-fine by me).

We are getting there, people! And once we finish, mark my words, we are never moving/remodeling again. We will live here forever! I don't care if I have to tuck my future babies into dresser drawers.

no sugar coating here.

Many, many, many things have gone wrong this month. The month that will forever be known as the cursed & horrible month of December 2008. For some reason, I feel the need to explain how many things have gone wrong to you, my dear bloggers. And perhaps, have you agree with me when I say that sometimes life sucks.

I started explaining, in detail, how many things have gone wrong during this horrible month. I took the time and wrote it all out (not going to lie, it felt good). And then, when I finished, I felt like a majorly ungrateful person (didn't feel so good), so I quickly erased it all and slapped myself firmly across the face.

And then, attempting to be more brief, I wrote this:

"December sucks. I'm ready for January"

And I was going to post that, but then I realized that there would be no point in oozing my negativity across the blogosphere, so to spare you of the major downer (aren't I so thoughtful??) I didn't do it.

I don't even know why I am writing all of this, except to say that I am trying really hard not to complain about life and it's sucky nature right now. I am trying very hard to be like the rest of the blogging world & only mention the good, focus on the good, blog about the good. I am really really trying.

With that said,

December SUCKS!
I'm ready for January.

On the bright side, I have my gjo. And I love him. And he thinks life sucks right now, too. At that makes me feel better.

dear first home.

The time has come.

Time to start packing boxes & emptying drawers...taking down pictures & mirrors & memories. The frames I made G hang above our dresser. He spent hours perfecting them. Straightening & fixing their edges, a tweak here, a nail there. Until they were perfect. Because he loves me. Because he loves you.

I will remember your fireplace. The one that takes real logs, not gas ones. And the Christmas I invited all of my girlfriends over for dinner & presents. We sat underneath your warm glow & listened to the crackle, crackle, pop of the flames. I will remember the snow falling softly all around us & how I'd never felt cozier.

I will miss your warmth. Your soft carpet. The carpet we chose for you. I remember laying on it when it was first delivered. I will remember the smell of the fresh paint and the sound of the hammer against the wall. I will remember how hard my G worked to make you ours.

I will miss your grand windows. The ones made up with charm & character. I spent hours looking out them, down Beverly street. Or laying underneath them, lost in a book. I remember the first time I met you, home, how much I loved those windows.

I will remember moving into you for the first time. Married not even a year. I will remember unpacking boxes & never being more excited. Helping G assemble Ikea furniture & hang what little art we had. I will remember how it felt to buy a home, the excitement & the rush and I will remember how truly blessed we felt to be able to do so.

I will remember the nights we played scrabble in the basement together. The hours I spent in the kitchen. The kitchen where I learned to bake and tried to cook. Frosted my first cake & made my first homemade macaroni & cheese (it was awful, by the way).

The kitchen where I made G my favorite meals and they became our favorite meals.

I will remember our first anniversary here. Where we ate our wedding cake at midnight & toasted to the future. I will remember all the times we scribbled messages to each other on the stainless steel cabinets. Leaving a note for the other to find, when our schedules overlapped & a note was all we had time for.

I will remember you fondly because you helped shape us into a family. Because we grew inside these walls. Because you taught me responsibility & sacrifice. Because owning a home taught us valuable lessons, ones that we will never forget. Because despite everything, you made me feel safe.

You will always be our first home. There will never be another. And I doubt we will ever live in such a charming house again. One where apples fall in autumn, and roses bloom in the backyard. With sunlight through the windows and arched ceilings and doors. A breakfast nook & a laundry shoot. All the details that so many homes miss these days. I will miss all of your details.

Our visit with you was short. Shorter than we'd hoped it would be. But they say you never forget your first home, and quite honestly, I don't see how I ever could.

I love you, first home. Thanks for the memories.