We haven't started moving in to our house yet. We're going to stay in our apartment until this weekend. We spent last weekend shopping for a million things, and we're going to paint a bit (hopefully) this Wednesday (assuming I can get off from work). Then we'll finish packing our stuff this Friday (because we're really only about halfway packed) and then the actual moving date will be Saturday.
We checked out our house on Friday after work and Keith insisted on carrying me over the threshhold. The neighbors were all pressed against their windows staring at us. Haha! But as we walked around the house, we found that in the basement there was a broken window! It was just a small window, but we were a little freaked, because it loked like someone had thrown a rock to break in, or something. But there was only a very small shard of glass inside the basement, and the rest of the glass was on the outside of the house. So it seemed as though the window was shattered from the inside. Very strange. We knew that a crew was working in the basement installing the drainage system the week before, so we assumed that they may have broken it then. But then we wondered why no one (the appraiser, the realtor) had noticed the broken window in that whole week following.
We called our realtor in the morning to ask what was to be done and she said she walked through after the drainage system was in and never saw a broken window. But then she recalled during the first home inspection that there was a slight crack in one of the windows (and I rememebered it, as well, after she mentioned it). We've been having record low temps here in Portland, so we deducted that the glass shattered from the extreme temps. The warmth of the basement (it's always warm under there) and the freezing temps outside made it burst. We've blocked it off for now until we can get it replaced. We don't want any critters crawling in for shelter from the cold, if they've not gotten in already.
Other than that, we've been feeling really good about the move. For a while, we were starting to feel very sad knowing we'll have to leave our apartment and all our wonderful little birds. But since we've had the keys and have been picking paint colors and buying new things and walked through a couple times, we're getting really excited and can't wait to move! Yesterday, we briefly met our next door neighbors. They seem to be about our age, but they have 2 young boys (maybe 5 and 7). There was another neighbor boy playing with their kids. The neighbors had a bunch of junk in their yard, which made us a little worried, but they were outside sorting it and cleaning it up. They had wheelbarrows and everything, so at least they were doing something about it. That was a good sign. They saw is moving about in the house and called over the fence, "Is that your new house?" And I said, "Yep! We're your new neighbors." That was our little introduction.
All the neighboring houses are very well taken care of. The house directly across from ours has just been painted a really pretty lavendar color. Now I'm jealous we can't pick lavendar for our own house color. :o) The neighbor on the other side of us seems to have some incredible talent in woodworking. They've built a gorgeous little shed and fence and they are landscaping and building a layered deck all down their yard. I'm thinking we really ought to befriend those neighbors. We might really benefit from their help! ;o)
Anyway, I do ramble. I am just excited and am having a hard time coping with the fact that I still have to go to school every night this week, and to work every day.

We have CLOSED on the house... finally!!!



We have the keys in our hot little hands, but we can't legally enter the house until all the signed documents are recorded, so we're waiting for the final OK. That should happen sometime tomorrow afternoon. Which is fine with us because we wouldn't have time to raid the place with all our boxes until tomorrow anyway. We've both got school tonight and won't get done until about 9:00. Too bad I'm stuck at work today, or I'd actually be studying for my statistics exam tonight (yes, I'm very worried!). I did alright on the spanish exam last night. Not quite sure what my grade was, but I definitely passed, so that's a relief. After the stats exam tonight, I'll feel like a HUGE weight has been lifted. It is Thursday, which is our last school day of the week, so we'll go out to the Rock Creek Tavern after class and celebrate with the $3 happy hour garden burgers and tater tots. Oh so healthy, I know. ;) But there is so much to celebrate! Mid terms will be OVER and we've just purchased our FIRST HOME! Woohoo!

Well, no news is exactly that. No news.

It seems that our realtor might be a few dimes short of a dollar at times. Last Wednesday, she reported that we would likely have the keys "this Friday" and move in by "this weekend". Which, when stated on last Wednesday, would imply that we would've been moving last weekend. (Are you following me?) But the contract work being done could not be completed until two days ago (Monday). Obviously, she must've meant *this* weekend (so, she should've said "next Friday" not "this Friday", but hey…) Anyway, the contract work is finally done, the drainage system is in, and the final appraisal has been completed and all is well to move forward to closing. We've just provided some current documents for the loan application this morning and we should be signing all the papers sometime this week. Maybe tomorrow? So I will keep everyone updated.
Meanwhile, I'm going to stay focused with school. One thing at a time, please. I've got the most complicated exam in statistics tomorrow night. Our instructor warned is this one is a "doozie". (Crowd responds with a lackluster: Yaaaaaay….) And tonight is my Spanish exam, which I feel pretty good about, so let's hope it goes well.
Until next time! Adieu!

Wow! A whole month later...

This past month has been crazy. I'm barely staying afloat with school and work. And forget about management of any life outside work and school. Groceries? Who needs 'em? Laundry? 'Eh. I'll get around to that when it gets serious. And the dishes? Well, if there is no food in the house, then there is no need to worry about dishes. Okay, so it's not really *that* bad, but it's close. Any free time I can grant myself, I run for the hills to wherever there is no-responsibility.

Statistics. This class is without a doubt, the dullest, most brain-numbing subject I've ever studied. For me to remotely comprehend whatever it is I'm supposed to comprehend, I have to force myself to read the chapters over and over and over. It's been excruciating. And it doesn't help that I've been working full time without lunch breaks for the past two weeks. Where do I even find time to do my homework? Study? Somewhere during the 45 minute bus ride to work and from work to school. I don't even know how I do it. But last week I actually scored a 98% on my first Statistics exam. My luck has got to run out eventually. There is no way I can bag an A in that class when I don't even know what it is I've tested on.

Spanish is, as was last term, a fairly fun and easy class. But this new instructor speaks only in Spanish and she talks so fast! I'm feeling a lot more pressure in Spanish than I did last term. I am not exposed to the Spanish language outside of classes, so it's been pretty hard to absorb. And I try to participate in class, but we are allowed to ONLY speak in Spanish. That is horrifying to me. I think I know what I want to say and how to say it, but then I get stage fright. I've sent the class into fits of laughter more than once. I am that kid who *always* has the wrong answer and everyone probably feels bad for. I am more afraid of making a mistake than anything. This is the class where my being a perfectionist isn't an advantage, I realize this now. The only way to learn the language is to speak it, even if it is flawed. It's all about communicating. But I am so caught up in doing it *right* every time. How can I possibly do it right every time? It's just not possible. That really frustrates me. (Wow - How's that for an exposing glimpse into my psyche?)

Nevertheless, I'm managing as best I can in school with all that is going on in my life.

I've just received an email from my realtor. Apparently, my house-hunting was not all just a dream! The new drainage system will be installed around the house tomorrow and a contractor will fix some dry rot around the carport. All these repairs will be done by Friday. I'm so glad that this is being done before we buy the house, so we don't have to do it ourselves. We may have the keys in our hot little hands by this Friday. We might be able to start moving this weekend, if all goes like clockwork. But we have already paid rent in our apartment through the end of February, so we'll stay here until then. So as soon as the house is ours, we'll use the time in February to paint and update things throughout without all of our stuff in the way.

What have I gotten myself into? As if I do not have enough on my plate this month, we go and buy a house. Ha! I'm excited, anyway. That's enough to keep me going.

If there is a will, there is a way. That's always been my favorite saying. I don't even know who first said it. Whoever it was, they knew just what they were talking about.

Montage, TinTypes, Smiley and 80's Videos

Friday night was absolutely superb.

Keith and I began our evening dining at Montage in the Sewer Rat District (as we have lovingly dubbed it). Before the restaurant even opened, we stood in line oustide waiting for a table. And in the dimly-lit restaraunt under the Morrison Bridge with long family-style tables, we ate the fanciest mac-n-cheese ever. We sat elbow-to-elbow with strangers and let the waitor chose our wines. We made an exit with our tinfoil take-home masterpeices. Keith with the crab-shaped leftovers and I with my snail-shaped leftovers. There was still a line of people waiting to get a table at the restaurant under the bridge as we left. Always a line.

We wandered off to an east-side gallery where the always-fabulous Sika was debuting her art. I had no idea what to expect. She creates the most haunting tin-type photographs. She does not just capture an image. She brands memories onto metal faded around the edges with the colors blurred and insignificant. Not black and white, but shades of brown and dust. They were just beautful. At the gallery, we met up with Theo, Meg, Cho and became acquainted with one charming Clark in a Sgt. Pepper jacket and a Don't Mess With Texas T-shirt. We socialized in an empty photography set and Meg, doing her best iguana impression, crawled under some lighting equipment as though it were a tent.

Feeling wrestless and antsy after so much hob-nobbing and chortling, Keith, Meg, Theo, Cho, Clark and I slinked away to a swanky little bar by the river. I can't remember the name of it, but it had high ceilings, red booths and the bouncer's name was Smiley. At one point, Theo and Smiley were comparing tattoos. Theo pulled up his shirt to show off the tattoo on his back of his skinny little cat with the name "Monkey" underneath it.

The night was still young so we dashed off to Lola's Room for the 80's Video Dance Attack. All the top music videos of the 80's were projected on the huge screen at the front of the dance floor. It's easy enough to dance to Michael Jackson's "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough" but when Michael himself is up there on the screen... well, it's just impossible not to dance.

House Update:
The house was appraised and the bank is being very stingy. This is both good news and bad news. The bank is requiring the seller to put in a drainage system around the house to fix the water problem in the basement area. We're currently experiencing lots of flooding around Oregon right now, so the appraiser saw the water problem at its possible worst. This is good because the seller will take care of this problem so that's one less thing we have to worry ourselves about.
Why is this a bad thing? The seller is en route to Arizona for the winter. He and his wife are driving out there and apparently no one can get a hold of them until they get there and have their phones are turned on. Meanwhile, Keith and I can do nothing to keep things rolling. Our fabulous realtor has arranged for "the best" drainage people to go out to the house early next week to do an estimate, and hopefully by then the seller will be reachable to hear the news. Then we can all proceed from there. It's never easy, is it?
We assume our closing date may change considering that this work must be done on the house before we can buy it, so we're holding off on giving our landlord our 30-day notice.
So we play the waiting game... Oh where, oh where could the seller be???

lHappy New Year!l

2006

To ring in the new year, Keith and I celebrated in style at a party hosted by our truly fabulous friends Meg and Theo. We were a little worried that there wouldn't be much of a turnout at the party in the beginning. Keith and I arrived "early" at 9pm (party started at 8pm) and the only people there were Meg's parents and two of their friends. No matter! We were just glad we actually had somewhere to be on New Years, for a change.

As the last hours of 2005 dwindled away, people steadily began dropping in and before we knew it, the house was bustling with crazycool Portlandian hepcats. Theo plays keyboard for a local band (Good Year) and they set up in the garage and rocked us all into the new year with their punk rock music jubilation. 'Twas a grand occasion and much merriment was had! It really was a most memorable start to the New Year.

And onto the inevitable topic of New Years Resolutions: I will keep my resolutions to myself, because in the event that I do not succeed, I will only dissappoint myself and you all can't chide me about my failures. Not that any of you would do that... but just in case. Oh, and as the lovely Dio always tells me, "Nothing succeeds like a secret." (Ooooh... all eyes are on Dio now... what *is* she up to? Her shifty, beady eyes say so little... that trench coat she always wears... what secrets does she conceal?)

Oregon City Fire Station

Oregon City Historic Trolley

Carnegie Center

These are some photos of the quaint little town of Oregon City. We made a final offer on the home after all the inspections were complete and our offer was accepted. Much to our suprise, we got the house at a better deal than we ever imagined! We are so excited to finally have our own home! Closing date is January 26th (Keith's birthday), so keep that date in mind and start thinking of excuses early in case we happen to ask you to help us move. ;o)

Our current neighbors in the apartment below us are having a karaoke and D.J. music dance party as I type this. On a Tuesday... who does that? I can't wait to move...!

We spent Christmas morning at home, just the two of us (oh, and the kitties, of course). We had fun opening presents and making Christmas breakfast together, but sure miss having family and friends around for the festivities. It just isn't the same without family and friends. We hope everyone else had a wonderful holiday and that the new year treats you all well!

Keith and I spent a couple days down in Grants Pass with his family this holiday. His brother (Mike) flew in from New Hampshire and they had not seen each other in about 4 years, so we all had a good time together. We exchanged presents on Friday night and Keith's sister (Jen) gave her husband (Trevor) a new shot gun for Christmas and, of course, they had to try it out that evening. With nerves completely on end, I watched them all take turns shooting into the darkness of the trees at night in the backyard. Mike had about 2 different guns (including a 22?), Keith's dad had an old pistol, and both Trevor and Jen had their own shot guns. I was trying not to wet myself. I've not been around guns much and the impression I have of them is entirely thanks to everything mass media has taught me. Guns kill. That's about all I know about them and anything that can end a life in a fraction of a second doesn't do anything good for my anxiety problems. I refused every offer for me to "give it a go". I just can't get past that power of it. It's way to intimidating. Even if the gun is being shot at a silly target, the "guns=bad" message is too loud in my mind. Jen called me a city-girl and she's entirely correct. But I have a problem with guns because they are generally used very differently in the city than they are in the country. If a person owns a gun in the city, it's for protection against the "baddies". So is my paranoia entirely unfounded? I think not.
Saturday, we went to the shooting range. Keith, Mike, Jen and Trevor shot at clay pigeons. I was the official Button Master. When they yelled "Pull!" I pushed the button to send out the clay pigeons. Keith did pretty good for not having shot a gun in ages. And he accomplished some much needed male-bonding with his brother.

What a dissapointment.... Here I am at work!
Somehow the freezing ice has turned to wet slush enabling everyone to go to work after all.
I guess this is a good thing. I don't want this ice to hold up when we get the inspections done on our house.

Snowed In!

It snowed today! Well, they're calling it "freezing rain" but it's basically snow. This doesn't happen often here and I imagine I won't have to go into work tomorrow. Yay! But hopefully it all melts away by Tuesday when we plan to get our home inspection done.

I hate snow, but this is kind of fun. I can appreciate a city that stops everything to recuperate from a little dusting of snow. A free day from work is always a good day.



One after another, hummingbirds stopped by our deck for a little nip of nectar as the snow was flying all around. Cute little buggers. I love these birds here. I hope I can coax some of them to visit our new home when we eventually move.

Our offer was accepted! Yay! The next few weeks will be crazy with all the inspections and everything. Of course, if we find anything majorly wrong this deal could always fall through. In the meantime, we'll be optimistic about it. :) This couldn't have happened at a better time now that school is on break and we have some time off for the holidays. We've got to get crackin'!

We've officially made an offer on a house today! We looked at a house in Oregon City and it's an absolutely charming little home. Amazingly, it's only 646 (or so) square feet. Damn, that's small, I know. But it is the cutest house we've seen. It felt right, so we just jumped on the chance. We are trying to be very diplomatic about it right now since our offer could very well be denied, but we'll know for sure by tomorrow.

So, everyone, look at this house and imagine Keith and me in the front yard waving hello!

Hola mi amigos! My Spanish final is tonight. Wish me luck! I didn't study this weekend and that must be why I had a horrible nightmare about a tedious Spanish project that was due for the final, and of course, in my dream I didn't do it, and my teacher glared at me, and then I lost my backpack and yadah-yadah-yadah. You know the typical school anxiety dream. If I had a locker I'm sure I would've dreamed about forgetting the combination.
I should've studied last night, but I decided it was more important to watch VH1 and put together holiday cards instead. I'm really very good at prioritizing (sheesh).
Keith and I will be looking at a few houses on Thursday, but as the pattern has been lately, most of those houses, which listed on Monday, may be sold by then. Our schedules will be more flexible after we finish our finals this week.
I would love for Santa to bring me a house for Christmas! I sent him a letter and he actually did send a reply! Well, there was no letter in the package, but there was a curious lump of a black mineral-like substance. I'm not sure what it means yet, but I'm making a guess that in the North Pole it means "You got it!". Santa is my friend.

School Update:
Things were getting a bit sticky for me in preparation for finals (next week).
I've been watching my percentage in Calculus for a while. One month ago, I was nervous and hopeful to just get a C in that class, but two weeks ago I checked my total grade and was pleased to find it was at an 88%. Since I was so close to that 90% threshold, I thought I might as well give it some hefty effort to see if I could boost my grade to an A. To my total shock and amazement, as of last Monday, I am now at 96% and I have the top score in my class. Whoa! That was not easy, though. My instructor told me he was hopeful to see me in his next Calculus class. Someone deflate me quick. Luckily, or at least as far as I know, I don't have to take anymore Calculus here at PCC. It's onto Statistics next term and then math is done!
Spanish has been a breeze. I'm not worried about that class at all, but the final is an oral exam and that can be a bit nerve-wracking. I'm not good at speaking Spanish and I can barely put together a sentence correctly, but the grading seems to be pretty lenient. That's been nice because I've been able to just focus mostly on my tougher math studies.

BUSTED!

My good friend Anita pointed out that she'd been reading my blog all this time! And she has seen all of my self-pitying comments, too. Haha! I feel so dumb, now.
I wonder how many others are out there in the veil of mystery... watching... reading my posts... The paranoia is enough to make a girl start wearing a tinfoil hat!
I would recover my old posts, but my hard drive blew up on Sunday. I guess I should just shut up and post! Oh... and maybe it would be a good idea to remove that goofy photo of myself. Yikes! But the goofy photo of Dio stays. Unless she sends me five, crisp, unmarked dollar bills. That's right... five. And I don't take payments. I'll need them all by next Thursday.