big news . . .

From 1134 Listing Pics

so the house sold! i signed closing papers this am and it should all be recorded/funded by wednesday. what a relief! now mac and i can focus on our house and getting that to be what we want it to be.

thought i'd share the news.

today i'm grateful for . . . an 11th hour offer that was close enough to get the house off my hands and a great gf that made it look great enough to sell

so i know it's kinda ridiculous but . . .

life's been a little nuts. we've spent that last few months settling into the new house and doing some improvements. we're finally getting the yard to where we'd like it and even had a housewarming party a few weekends ago. work's been absolutely nuts and i have a *huge* project going live one week from today. yeah, i know ... and we're still scramblin' to get it done.

this past week we went to tampa for my mom's big 50th birthday celebration. mac got to meet the whole fam damily! as expected, they loved her and she seemed to come out unscathed. it was very nice to be able to show her where i grew up and what schools i went to and have her experience my grandmother's cooking. i think she's got the full picture now and still seems to want to stick around. yay! i get to go meet her mom in a few weeks and we're hoping it goes as well.

we hit our 1 yr anniversary last week before we left. i can't believe it's been that long and it also seems ridiculously short given all that's happened in the last year. i could never have predicted that we'd be where we are today back then but i guess that's part of the good stuff. it took us both totally by surprise and it's been a very nice ride so far.

the house still sits on the market. i'm about to pull it off & rent it. i need to start making the $$ stretch a bit more and just can't afford to have it sit empty any longer. anyone know of someone looking to rent a cute house send 'em my way pls.

so today i'm thankful for . . . an amazing year with an amazing woman and a great life to boot

my newest love . . .

so this morning after a short night of sleep we were awakened by the delivery guys bringing our new range. isn't she pretty? i know, i know. only a total nerd would be excited at 730 in the morning when someone brings a new range. we've been debating about getting a new one since we moved into the new house. there was a new one there but we didn't like it. it was huge and just not *us*. so when it turned out that mac's house needed a new range, we decided to get ourselves the one we wanted and take the one in the new house over to her place. worked out nicely given that we finally sold our wolf cooktop and wall oven we'd bought at christmas. they were beautiful and our *dream* appliances. we found a slamming deal on 'em on craigslist and took a gamble and just bought 'em. turns out there was no way to configure the new kitchen to accommodate them so we had to sell 'em. got our $$ back out of 'em and spent 1/3 on the new range. it's so pretty. this to go along with the new dishwasher we got at best buy the other day.

in other news, my house seems to be getting a good amount of traffic. we'll see what happens. we had an open house last weekend and will have another sunday the 22nd. mac's house is minutes away from being done. the renters move in on thursday . . . yes, *this* thursday. it's really coming together. we're looking forward to being able to focus on our place and start to get settled in here soon. it's been very nice to be able to enjoy doing all these projects together. we just laugh at all we've accomplished and still managed to have fun while setting a kitchen sink at 3 in the morning!

so today i'm thankful for . . . a beautiful house to share with a beautiful woman

the house is officially on the market . . .

so the house got officially listed yesterday (ML#8054351) and today was the broker's open. good reviews and the house is already being shown. phew! let's hope for the best.

thought i'd share the good news.

so today i'm thankful for . . . a great real estate agent and a great stager

it's done! . . . well almost

so we've got the house *done* enough to list. check out the pics. mac did an amazing job of designing this complete remodel. i couldn't have done it without her. as many of you have read, we started this project in the first week of march and, although we - ok well, *i*, have a few things to finish up it looks like we're ready to list the house. yay!

here are some pics of the finished project - i'll post here later when the house is listed so everyone can send it to all their friends & family to find a buyer! i'd love to keep the house *in the family* so to speak ... just too cool of a house to let go of completely. we've put a lot of heart & soul into this project. would hate to see someone come in & destroy the house.

anyways ... on that note ... here are the pics:



today i'm gratefule for . . . an amazing experience

big news . . .

so big changes are a-foot . . . what else is new, right? well, the big news is that mac and i bought a house together and we've moved in. my house is days away from being finished and listed by our fabulous real estate agent and mac's house seems to have rented. we moved in last weekend and are doing our best to settle in as we split our time working on our respective places. the new house is very cool and has a great story. it's only a few blocks from each of our current homes so it's nice to stay in the 'hood. we found it while out on a dog walk one night. mac will tell the long-winded story that makes me look bad but i'll keep it short and say i wasn't pleased to be walking as far as we ended up walking that cold rainy late night. but in the end it all worked out since we, in fact, now the owners of that cute house we happened upon. it's a super-cute 1924 bungalow that has only been owned by 3 families (including us). it was built along with the house next door by a brother and sister with their families in the middle of what was an apple orchard then. most of our neighbors have lived there since before i was even born so it's nice to live on an established block. the dogs seem to be working out their issues in a new space which is nice to see as well. i promise to post some pics soon and for those of you that are local, i'm sure the summer bbq season will be happening very soon.

in other happenings, mac and i took the opportunity to get away for the weekend for some much-needed r&r/quality time. my officemate was nice enough to take the pug for the weekend and boo came along for the ride. a friend of mine scored me *fantastic* seats to the storm home opener and we had a blast at the game. drove up on saturday and explored some of mac's old neighborhoods after having lunch at red mill burgers. after a quick stop at the hotel to shower and drop off the dog, we headed over to the kingfish cafe for a cocktail then off to key arena for the game. one of mac's friends met us for the game and then we headed back to the kingfish for dinner. we had a brief heart attack when boo was nowhere to be found in the hotel room upon our return. turns out he'd been a bit of a noisy nelly and they'd taken him to hang out at the reception desk. he was in his glory and just having a ball. we enjoyed a lazy morning on sunday before heading to meet some of mac's friends for brunch at a mexican place in the fremont 'hood (forgive me for not remembering the name). then headed back to portland.

we're already making plans for our next trip up so we can go to another game and check out the "American Sabor: Latinos in U.S. Popular Music" exhibit at the experience music project. all in all, it was a great weekend and has been a whirlwind of a couple of weeks. the work has been hard but the house is coming out great and our new house is amazing already. we are so pleased.

today i'm grateful for . . . an amazing partner which whom i get to share a home and many adventures

kitchen update #4 . . .

the kitchen is coming along and i'm pleased to be able to see so much completed before i go. here's the next round of pics. the lower cabinets and pantry have been installed and the hardware is on them. the passthrough has been trimmed out from both sides of the opening. it looks great.



last night, mac stayed up till 130a getting a first coat of paint on the walls behind the upper cabinets as they get installed today. the color is fantastic! hopefully, the dishwasher will be in today too. the counter installers were out today making their template so that will go in while i'm gone.

the progress is great. am so excited to see so much done.

today i'm thankful for . . . a great designer/lover who can mix the perfect paint color from what she had lying around. now that's recycling!

kitchen update . . .

so the kitchen is coming along nicely. here are some new pics of the work. the pass through has been completed and just needs trim and the drywall is up where the new cabinets will go. the contractor has run the wiring for the new lights and appliances. i can't believe how quickly so much has gotten done. the cabinets go in tomorrow and then it's gonna start looking real. they come to make the template for the counters on thursday am.



mac and i had a nice weekend. friday my office closed early for the easter holiday so i picked up my taxes and ran some errands. also got the good news that the girl who was interested in my car wanted to buy it. she'll be picking it up today. yay! that takes a weight off of me and puts some cash back in my bank account. phew! i ran by rei to use my dividend on travel stuff and then picked mac up at work for an ikea date. we got a few things for the house and then went home to make dinner. saturday i took her to work and then went home to get some work done on the office. i packed up my computer and spackled some holes in the wall so we can paint . . . or rather she can paint while i'm gone. saturday night we had a date to go see some roller derby. we ran into erock oslama and sat on the floor close to the action. was loads of fun but i'll definitely bring something to sit on next time! we went back to my place afterwards so she could see all the work that had been done and we took a soak in the hot tub. was nice to relax after a crazy week.

sunday am we had the opportunity to sleep in and then made breakfast at home before heading to my place to meet up with sarah to do more electrical work at my house. mac starting painting the trim in the bedroom and then we ran by the store to get munchies before hosting the girls for the last 3 episodes of the l word. last night was the season finale and we had a marathon viewing session. was fun. we finally fell into bed around 130a after cleaning up the kitchen and taking the dogs for a much-needed spin around the block.

woke up this morning rather anxious as the countdown is now down to a week to my departure. so much to do, so little time.

so today i'm thankful for . . . the good fortune i have with a great lover, good friends, and a bright future

tick tock . . .

so the clock is ticking on my departure date and it's starting to get a bit overwhelming. the very thought of being away from mac for 3 weeks seems unbearable at the moment ... and then i have the thought of being away from my dog and it all becomes too much. i know it will be a blast once i get there but, to be honest, right now i don't even want to go.

on the house front, there's lots of activity. the floors have been installed. the orange marmoleum was a fantastic choice. it looks great and will look even better once the cabinets get installed on tuesday. then on thursday they come to make the template for the corian countertops. i won't see them installed before i leave but i'm sure the cabinets will make a huge difference. of course, if this were the only thing going on, the stress level wouldn't be so high but it's not! once we finish my kitchen, we'll be starting on mac's. we're suckers for punishment, i know. but hers needs it badly and we figure we'll be in practice.

the car has gotten some interest on craigslist and a woman came by last night to leave a deposit so she could take it to her mechanic today. am waiting for the phone to ring with her answer. it will be nice to have the $$ for the trip and house stuff. i love rosebud (my neighbor, wilson, named her - it fits) but i just can't justify owning a car when i drive all of 2,000 miles in 9 months . . . and that includes a trip to the coast! besides, the bike will get more action if i don't have a car to fall back on all summer. so keep your fingers crossed that her mechanic gives it his blessing and she buys it!

sunday is the season finale of the l word and the girls are coming over for a 3 episode extravaganza. great timing for me. i was worried i was going to miss the last episode. worked out nicely to move the yard sale to the following weekend. was just going to be too much.

almost forgot, we're going to see some roller derby this weekend. neither mac nor i had ever been so we got tickets and it's our big date night this weekend. should be fun. a full report will follow i'm sure so stay tuned.

been watching some march madness but not sure how much of the tournament i'll be able to see. my brackets are already shot so i'm not too bummed.

so today i'm thankful for . . . an early closure for the easter weekend at work (was a pleasant surprise to find that e-mail this am. gonna go pick up my taxes and run some errands ... lookout! i know how to have a good time!)

so i'm selling my benz . . .

i only bought it about a year ago and i'm selling it. she's a beautiful 1979 Mercedes Benz 240D and i loved having her but i just don't need a car. i've put 2000 miles on it since i bought it last june. seems a bit ridiculous to keep a car for that minimal use. besides, the weather's getting better and it's time for the bike to get ridden. so if anyone knows of someone that might want it, point 'em my way . . .

the kitchen remodel trucks along. today we averted a minor crisis. i had neglected to order the marmoleum for the floors and we got a call at 8a from the floor installer that he'd gone to pick it up and they didn't have an order. oops! so we hustled down to linoleum city & ordered it. luckily, they had it in stock and we were still able to keep the appointment with the floor installer for today & tomorrow. otherwise, we'd have had to wait another 3 weeks to get another appointment. basically, we got lucky!

the cabinets are going in next tuesday and we've started to replace some lighting around the house. on sunday, my friend sarah came over to help me hang the new ceiling fan in the living room and remove that god-awful track lighting that was there. she's coming back on thursday to help replace the front & back outdoor lights. it's all coming together.

we're planning a yard sale next saturday to get rid of some stuff before i leave (which is 12 days from now - yikes!) am starting to look forward to the trip but also so buried that i've barely thought about how much fun i'll have once i get there. for now, seems like *really bad timing*.

so today i'm thankful for . . . the universe bailing me out on the floors and friends who are willing to pitch in & help me get this project done.

more remodel pics . . .

day 2 at the kitchen remodel was productive. the walls came down to the lathe. the opening was cut in the wall (it will actually be bigger than in the pics). we also decided not to install the pantry cabinets in the back hallway and instead buy a nice baker's rack/commercial rack for that area.



today i'm thankful for . . . a great contractor who's willing to do a job right!

update . . .

so last night i met up with my lil bro ryan at the mash tun. it'd been ages since i'd been in so it was nice to catch up and hang at the old bar. we enjoyed some concordia cream ales and had dinner. he's coming over on saturday to buy my kegerator. sadly, i'm getting rid of it because it's just taunting me now that i really shouldn't be drinking beer anymore. i know .... it sucks but it was fun while it lasted.

got home around 930 and set up the cable box and made some granola. i found some gluten-free rolled oats with my food club so it was nice to make it again. mac got home around 1030 after a shopping spree at kohl's with her friend. she found some great towels & accessories for my bathroom now that it's got a whole new color scheme (thanks to her painting it, of course). she found some great stuff for a great deal. we sat and had a cup of tea before turning in for the night.

today i had lunch with ames. we hadn't had a chance to catch up in a few weeks and it was nice to get out of the office. we headed to henry's for the usual (sharing a wedge salad and a sandwich). we have been planning our trip to europe and are looking forward to the wild times i'm sure will happen in amsterdam. yay!

work is busy but good. have my first site launch on the friday before i leave for 3 wks vacation. yikes! i really am enjoying the folks i work with as well as the clients. i'm glad i made the jump. definitely feels like the right choice.

so today i'm thankful for . . . good friends and good co-workers

ikea and the new home-away-from-home . . .

an ikea opened in pdx in july. when the actual opening day came, people had been camped outside in line for days! granted, i love swedish kitsch as much as the next girl. however, i don't see much reason to sleep in the streets for mass-produced schwag. i finally decided i needed to make a trip though as i was in need of some organizational assistance with winter coming and nowhere to put my sweaters and coats. i had made an ikea date with sarah who was unable to join me. it worked out that mac needed to make a trip to return an item she'd bought the week prior so we went together. was nice to have her designer eye with me as that's something i struggle with. we spent 2 solid hours cruising the store - each with our distinct list. i had finally selected a combination of items for the creation of an armoire (my main reason for making the trek) but alas, the cabinet itself was out of stock. drats! now i'm going to have to go back. ugh!

i did however score some very nice finds. i got a very nice chair/ottoman cushion set for my chair in a comfy brown leather. i also purchased another tractor-seat style seat for my studio downstairs. but was thwarted on my mission.

after ikea, i dropped mac off at home and met up with anunce and the crew at the new bar down the street, the bye and bye. anunce had her birth mom in town from cambridge, mass and we *had* to meet her. she was a lovely lady and am so glad for anunce that they seem to be forging a relationship after all these years.

but really, back to the bye and bye. anunce and i had been there on friday afternoon and fell in love with the place instantly. there was something about it that felt oddly familiar. the added bonus was that it was a non-smoking bar. anunce being on day 4 and i on day 7 at the time had decided that we needed a new place to hang out given the smokiness of our usual home bar. we chatted up the bartender and ordered some food and got the back story on the bar. there were 6 co-owners who all work the bar and basically did the renovation themselves. one of them is named john and had worked at the grit in athens, ga. it was no wonder that the "georgia bowl" seemed so familiar and comfortable. (did i mention the entire menu is vegan?) it was basically a dish i ate several times a week for many years back in grad school. yummy! the feel was great and the jukebox was delightful. i think we've found our new place. and the best part for me is that it's exactly 7 blocks from my house. yippee!

more antics to ensue at the bye and bye i'm sure!!!

so today i'm thankful for . . . new places that bring back old memories.

outdoor kitchen - stage 2

so i spent the long weekend basically working on the outdoor kitchen. while i didn't get as much done as i would have liked, i did get quite a bit accomplished. as you can see the base and 3 walls of the cabinet are up. while wrapping up and sitting in the backyard with a beer looking at my work, i realized i had a major design flaw that would need to be addressed before i could move forward. see if i build the cabinet as originally designed, it will end up with a counter height of 42". see, i'm short so that would put the sink at about shoulder height for me so i'll have to go to plan b.

plan b involves doing a two-level counter top. the corner closest to the house will stay at it's planned height to account for the height of the kegerator, but i'll drop the remainder of the cabinet down to be an overall height of approximately 32" (which is fairly standard for a counter). will mean a bit more modification and will likely mean that the cabinet won't be done by the time my folks are here but you live and learn, right? right. i could have avoided some of this had i sunk the concrete pad to the grade of the patio but it didn't seem necessary at the time so i'll have to adjust with the actual cabinet. i think it'll still look good but will be a bit more tedious to assemble. so hopefully i can get more done this weekend but i won't kill myself trying to finish before the fam gets here. they'll just have to deal with pictures when it's done. i think cleaning the house for their arrival is a more appropriate use of my limited time until then.

i'm beat ... gonna go take a soak and fall into bed.

so today i'm thankful for . . . my hot tub

mission accomplished . . .

well, part 1 anyway. my goal for the weekend was to pour the concrete slab upon which my outdoor kitchen will be built (hopefully next weekend!) before my mother comes for a visit in mid-september.

yesterday morning i headed off to lowe's to buy the supplies. i wasn't particularly motivated since i'd closed the florida room with anunce after being out most of the evening. we went to the opening of a great new store called olio united of all organic and sustainable clothing and housewares - anunce knew the owners. (shameless plug here – go support these guys. the clothes & housewares were awesome and they were really cool folks) of course i had to do some shopping! then headed off to kelly's olympian for a benefit concert for a co-worker of anunce and mfp's. show was decent ... i just have horrible memories of the only other time i've been in that bar. we dropped greg and mfp at home but decided we weren't done drinking so we headed of the florida room (never mind we'd *started* the evening there). at around 230a, i took anunce home and headed home to pour myself into bed.

so back to lowe's...i was fortunate enough to be helped by a lovely gay man named larry (at least my gaydar says he was ...it's been known to be wrong before) ... he walked me through what i'd need, suggested cheaper alternatives since i didn't need *professional* grade stuff, and even through in a few pointers. i had the 10 bags of 80lb quikrete loaded in the back of the wagon with a couple of 2x4s and the rest of the gear and headed home to start clearing the site. didn't realize until i got home how loaded down the car was ... the back tirewells were, at most, 2" above the tires. yikes! needless to say, i left the concrete in the car overnight!

i started working around noon and was able to clear the site and set the forms. i was pretty impressed by how much i got done. i called a neighbor and asked to borrow her wheelbarrow and set about doing other household chores (i've been very neglectful for the last few weeks given how much i've had going on).

so this morning, after another late night ... this time out dancing (more on that in another post later) ... i got back to work. unloaded 8 bags of quikrete and started mixing. man, they're not kidding when they call it 80lb grade ... it was heavy as all get out. seriously got my workout today!

but the end result is so worth it! i'm very pleased with it given that it's the first time i've ever done anything like this on my own. it looks great - not perfect but will definitely be workable. since it'll be under the eventual cabinet, i wasn't too worried about *perfection*.

am off to take a shower and then a cat nap. am having friends over to grill and get in the hot tub tonight. i've never been so happy to be a hot tub owner in my whole life ... well, except after i did the floors. hmm ... am sensing a theme.

anyways ... today i'm thankful for ... cooler weather and sunshine to help the concrete cure. oh yeah, and my hot tub!