Fencing

As you are likely aware, we have purchased a home. A home that we will officially own in just a couple short weeks. A home that will also house our dogs.

One of the most notable benefits of home/dog ownership is going to be the ability to send the dogs off to "do their business" without supervision. We have been poop supervisors for nearly three years now. And we are putting in our two weeks notice.

However, there is a little flaw in that plan. Our home is currently NOT fully fenced. It has the good fortune of already being fenced on two sides due to neighbors fences (thanks, guys!). The other side of our house, however, faces the street and is not fenced.

So, Geoff and I met with a fence company this morning to get the wheels in motion to complete our fence as close to move-in day as possible. Otherwise those dogs are just going to learn how to hold it - cuz we will be off "doody" (oh, yes, I did just type that).

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I've got boxes and tape...what's next?

Top Ten Reasons I need to start packing:

1) We close on the house in 18 days.

2) Geoff has been collecting boxes from work and the more they pile up, the more daunting it looks.

3) We only need to use about 10% of our stuff over the next 18 days. The rest can be packed.

4) It will make the upcoming move seem more "real." (Right now it feels kind of surreal)

5) Neither of us are taking and time off work for the move, so we really only have evenings and weekends to get it done.

6) The temperature is rapidly dropping, so even though we have the apartment through the end of the year, we really do want to move all our stuff to the new house before it is really winter in Fargo.

7) Mom and Pop might be coming out for Thanksgiving!

8) It will help keep me from late night snacking.

9) I've been watching way too much Hulu since Fall TV premiered.

10) We're buying a house!

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Me and Evo

I got my new phone in the mail today (one, might I mention, that I do not deserve since my last one met with an untimely demise due to my uncoordinated fingers).

It is handsome. It is SO fast. It is already playing my Halloween ringtone.

Welcome to the fam Evo.

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Wake Up Call

There's something about buying a house that has brought out from inside me a woman who just wants to do all those "housewife" things. I want to cook and clean and fit into my skinny jeans and decorate and crochet and all those good things.

Yesterday, however, I had a bit of a harrowing experience. Right after work, I was leaving to go pick up Geoff and I saw a huge wall of black smoke billowing in the [not too] distance. I picked Geoff up, and naturally, we wanted to go investigate the apparent fire. On our way down we are discussing what could possibly be on fire, we came to the conclusion that it must be an apartment building.

We were right.

When we moved to Fargo we found a total of two complexes that would let us have more than one dog. We moved into the one that was slightly cheaper. The other one? Well, yesterday it caught on fire.

Truthfully, it was a better complex. It had a pool and a workout facility. It had a tanning bed for the residents. It had bigger rooms and more open floor plans in the apartments. But, we thought that $80 a month wasn't worth the extra amenities.

The only thing I could think as I watched the massive flames engulf a good part of the building was "what if I lived there." What if my little dogs were trapped inside a building that was filling with smoke. What if I couldn't get inside and save them? What if I lived there.

Sometimes life has a way of tapping you on shoulder and saying, "See, things could be a lot worse than a burnt pot roast or some extra pounds."

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Giving Thanks

As the leaves start turning yellow and orange and red and strain to be the last hanging onto the tree, and as lights start to twinkle on homes as dusk comes earlier each night, and as the air feels crisp on your lungs and the breeze hints of the winter to come, I feel filled with memories. Memories of pumpkin carving and costume making; memories of family and friends and Thanksgiving dinners; memories of Christmas trees and cocoa and warm fuzzy socks.

As I prepare to move into a house of my own, I think there can be no better time then this time of year. Because that is what the holidays are all about - being surrounded by love and warmth and family and home. Our house is just a house right now, but it is soon to become a home; it will begin to be filled with memories and love. It makes me feel so grateful.

So here's just a few things I am grateful for:

1) A hub who makes me feel beautiful and hilarious and fun...and all things I probably am, but tend to forget about myself.

2) A wonderful family who loves me SOOO much.

3) The two best lil' munchkin dogs around.

4) A job I really enjoy.

5) Some of the greatest friends - my friend list in life may not be the biggest one, but it's the best.

6) Cell phones, Facebook, blogging, e-mail - all the awesome ways I get to keep in touch with all those awesome people who are thousands of miles away.

7) Diet Mt. Dew.

8) The North Dakota accent that sometimes sneaks its way into my speech - I'm trying to fight it, but sometimes it sneaks up on me.

9) Thrift Shops and Dollar Stores full of fun holiday finds.

10) Low interest rates to keep our mortgage payment nice and low!

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Fresh Paint

Geoff and I went out to some thrift stores this weekend to see if we could snag any deals. I was mostly hunting for some nifty Halloween decorations (which I did happen to come across). While we were out hunting, though, we found some really cool, mod tables. There was a coffee table and a side table.

The downside: The color. They were this yucky light yellowish that looked just terrible. And old. And outdated.

The upside: The price and the design!

We snagged them right up. And, a couple coats of spray paint later, we've got some awesome new furniture (that Rom keeps bopping his head on...cuz he can't see the glass above his little pea head)!

BEFORE:

AFTER:

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Parkers = Homeowners?!

It is with great excitement that Geoff and I announce the news that we have purchased a home! We still have to go through the inspection process and all the finalizing, but if everything goes as planned, we will be closing on our new home on November 12th!

A few details about the house:

• It's on a corner lot of a little cul-de-sac and has a perfectly sized yard for our little dogs!
• It is a 4-level floor plan. The main level has the (large) kitchen and dining room. The upper level has a living room, 2 bedrooms and a bathroom. The lower level has a family room, 2 bedrooms and a bathroom. The basement has the laundry room and large utility area.
• It is 4 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms.
• It is 1700 sq feet (not including the basement area).
• There is a large deck off the dining room.
• There are 6 mature (and lovely) trees on the lot. Two in the front yard and and 4 in the back.
• The backyard has a large garden area, so Geoff and I can try our hand at gardening in the spring.
• The location is close to great access road to get us everywhere we need to be quickly.

There are so many more things that we love about it. It is the perfect floor plan for our lifestyle and we are so grateful to be able to purchase a home!

I don't have any other pictures that do the interior (or the awesome floor plan) any justice, so hopefully we'll be able to get some pics when we have the inspection next week.

Yay!

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