Six and a Half Minutes

That's how long we sat like this.


We're making huge Bun and Pooch relationship strides here, folks.

History in the making, I tell ya!

A Week of Firsts...and Lasts

Parting is such sweet sorrow.

We said our final goodbye to our townhouse. We packed everything up. We moved everything out. We left everything as it was before the place was moved into. And we said goodbye. We had our last dinner there on Wednesday evening, on the floor in the middle of the living room, with nothing but the bare walls around us. We slept there for the last time last Friday night. We came 'home' for the last time last Friday night as well. And we said farewell.

I know that Brian had a much stronger connection with our townhouse. He purchased it in 2005. (I came into the picture in 2008, and technically didn't move there until 2009.) But it was still hard to say goodbye. The melancholic ambiance that we both felt as we placed the last belongings in our cars was hard to ignore. It was an emotional mixture of sad to leave but happy to move on to the beautiful house we just bought. It truly was a bittersweet experience.

I can't help but remember some of the things that I will miss most about our townhouse, as is apparent by the following photo album:

And even though there are probably quite a few other things that I will miss about our townhouse, I am positive there will be many things that I will love more about our new house!

With our week of saying goodbye to our old townhouse, we have also said 'hello' to our new home! We slept there for the first time last Saturday night. I came home from work for the first time last Monday night. We've let Jack out, we've let Bun slide across the floors, we've hung pictures, we've done laundry, we've watched our favorite shows, all for the first time. It's a completely new experience, and it's a great one! The yard is fantastic! I absolutely cannot wait to get my hands dirty! The rooms are all filled with natural, airy light. AND, we still have a laundry shoot! Except this one has a funny looking bird cage sort of contraption in the basement that collects all the clothes and keeps them neat and tidy! Incredible! It's getting better already!

We have so many more firsts to experience. We're moving forward, making our new house our new home, and it feels marvelous!

Bienvenidos! Willkommen! Benvenuto! Croeso! Baruch ha-ba! Welcome to our new home!

Unpacking the Boxes

We are officially moved into our new house. We've still got a ton of boxes, in every room, that we need to go through. And we still aren't 100% sure what home project we are going to tackle first, but we are all settling and becoming much more comfortable with our new surroundings. With each passing day, it is starting to feel more and more like home, even with the boxes!

Click below to see a bit of our moving adventure!

63 Signatures Later...

We got in the car.

We drove here.

We left homeless.

Then we drove here.

We didn't leave homeless this time!

63 signatures later...(63 each, that is!)

Please sign here...and here...and here...and here...and here...

Ladies and Gents, it's closing day!!

In nearly an hour and a half we will be signing on the dotted line and closing the sale on our current townhouse. Immediately following, we will be signing, once again, on the dotted line and closing the sale on our new home!

It is so, so, SO exciting! (And that doesn't even do it justice!)

Money Doesn't Grow on Trees

It's an old adage that we have all heard many times. We may have even used it once or twice. And, in most circumstances, it's true; no matter how many times we all wish it weren't: money doesn't grow on trees.

The other day while Brian and his Uncle Joe were visiting our new house, assisting the radon repair fellow, there was a folded dollar bill in the lawn, just waiting to be discovered. Sure enough, it was. Surely this could only be a sign that we have just invested in an extremely high earning property, and that our decision to purchase this house will be a profitable one. (I suppose this could bode disaster if you interpret the dollar bill on the lawn as 'throwing money away'.) Fortunately, Brian and I are both optimists and choose to believe that this dollar bill laying in our yard is a fortuitous sign.

Our parents were right when they rattled off the old saying to us, and we believed them. Money doesn't grow on trees. Of course it doesn't.

It grows in the grass.

So Long, Rn!

Dear Radon,

I'm not so sure how long you've decided to inhabit our new home. I'm not sure where you are going to go next. I'm not sure what damages, if any, you have done, what you look like, or if we will run into you again in the future, but I do know that you are no longer dwelling in our basement. (Thanks to the lovely radon eradicating system that was installed in our new home today.)

We certainly thank you for your short lived time with us, the various amount of knowledge about yourself that you have brought our way, and the comfort that you now provide us knowing that you are no longer there. You are not welcome in the future, but should you so choose to appear again, we will be sure to take the necessary action to eliminate your presence. We do appreciate your natural tendencies and hope that you maintain a steady presence in our Earth's environment. (For getting rid of anything natural, completely, has its consequences.) But we do hope that you decide to keep you and your radioactive self far away from us, our family, and our friends.

Thank you for your time. Best of luck with Uranium and the infinite decay process that the two of you together create.

Kind Regards,
Your New Landlords

Pack Rats

This weekend Brian and I got down with our packing skills! We packed the kitchen, we packed the office, we shredded a million 'not really that important anymore' papers, we started packing the bedroom, the closets, the basement. We packed! And our living room now looks like a storage room:

Our lifesize game of tetris.

But in that process we also had some fun! I brought up the trampoline that we have in the basement. Jack and I got a little workout in:

Actually, we got caught taking a break.

Then, Jack claimed his new throne.

We got so much accomplished with our packing (probably because of the daylight savings change), and we are well on our way to moving into our new house. It's a bittersweet process, but definitely way more sweet than bitter! Plus, we are so excited to show Jack his new yard. (He's not going to know what to do with his space!)

Puzzle Pieces

In t-minus one week Brian and I will be closing the sale on our current home and signing the papers to our new home. Literally in the same day. One right after the other.

And we are very excited!

We have managed, with the impeccable help from Brian's Uncle Joe (our realtor), to fit all the pieces together and to close on both of our houses on Friday afternoon. It's so surreal. In one week, we will be homeless. And, in one week, we will have a new home!

It's time to get packing!

Nonna e Nonno

We all had a lovely weekend with my Grandparents in town. We celebrated Halloween, Jack's Birthday, Grammie's Birthday, and absolutely wonderful company! (Not necessarily in that order!)

On Friday night when they arrived, we headed to Marcella's for dinner for some authentic Italian cuisine. We also received an 'especially made for Grampy' Vodka Penne dish, compliments to the Chef! (Our waiter overheard Grampy talking about the delicious Vodka Penne a friend of his made and had the chef make one up for him! ...Well, us! It was delish!)

Then, on Saturday, after stopping by the new pad, we took Pupster to the dog park (in honor of his birthday weekend), gave Pupster a new chew toy (compliments of Grampy & Gram), headed to Katzinger's for lunch (to enjoy the infamous Columbus deli), and relaxed at the homefront. It was so nice to just enjoy each other's company!

Saturday night we found ourselves with two bottles of wine, dinner at Barrio (one of the best restaurants in Columbus), and then to Highball - the notoriously wild Halloween Party on High Street in downtown Columbus! We certainly weren't as decorated as last year's Halloween, but we came up with a creative way to incorporate four people and a dog: we were the calendar year. (A stretch?! Possibly, but sometimes you've got to think outside the box...) We each wore one costumey item, and picked a holiday. Here was our list:

Gram - Item: feathery mask; Holiday: Fat Tuesday

Gramps - Item: bunny ears; Holiday: Easter Monday

Brian - Item: pirate eye patch; Holiday: Columbus Day

Erin - Item: tiny red, white, and blue hat; Holiday: President's Day

Jack - Item: pumpkin sweater; Holiday: Halloween

Ok, fine. A HUGE stretch. But we all enjoyed it!

It was absolutely wonderful to have my grandparents in town and all to us! We were able to catch up, laugh, chat, eat, and above all, celebrate!

We love you guys so much, and can't wait to see you soon!