Thursday, July 2, 2009
It's raining, it's pouring...
So now on day number 4 of all day rain, it's starting to get a little old. Our lake is beginning to creep slowly beyond it's capacity and up higher than we've ever seen it before. On the brighter side, our grass is a lovely shade of green.
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
The little things
Sometimes it's the little things in life that really make life exciting. No, I can't believe I'm going to say this, but like the day our Dyson Animal Ball arrived!! All purple, new and ready with it's jet engine sucking vacuum power to take on our house. YEA!! I never imagined the day I would be excited about a vacuum! And I must say, I wasn't the only one excited. Here are the boys with our new toy.
We not only forked over a small fortune for our new vacuum, but we purchased it from the "THE Home Shopping Network".....another first for us. Hey it was a good deal!!
We not only forked over a small fortune for our new vacuum, but we purchased it from the "THE Home Shopping Network".....another first for us. Hey it was a good deal!!
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Memorial Day Weekend....I'm a little behind
We had an eventful, yet uneventful Memorial Day weekend. It was one of those weekends that we really didn’t have set plans and kind of just went with the flow. With our hectic lives and constant driving and traveling on a daily basis – no plans was a good plan. After a long, somewhat stressful week (Wrigley continued to practice self-mutilation this week. He also decided to pee in the house (I think it was him) for the first time in a year and a half leaving a spot the size of Lake Okeechobee that reeked of toxic pee. One of my co-workers threw me under the bus while I was going out of my way to help solve a problem for him. Pepper tries to eat my yummy meal that Kurt and I had just sat down to eat, but instead she knocks over a full glass of water to slosh over my plate of food and carry half of it all over me and the carpet. And finally, work holds me up on a Friday afternoon with a last minute request so that I can enjoy an hour and a half drive home in the rain)…the long weekend was a blessing!
We started the weekend out with a delicious breakfast from Bob Evans. I know some people would turn their nose up to that place, but I love their spinach and tomato eggs benedict – and I don’t like breakfast so that’s saying a lot. That afternoon we went down to visit the Cape Coral Baxleys – including our nephew Michael Owen. He’s about 3 weeks old now and getting cuter every time we see him. We had a good time cooking out and Kurt got to whip up on his brother and Mr. Lopez a few times in ping pong. I know it’s just a matter of time before he wants a ping pong table too.
Sunday was a little less exciting with most of the morning consisting of cleaning the house and dumping several more quarts of vinegar on our very own stinky “Lake Okeechobee”. To reward ourselves for our hard work, we went to Sweet Tomatoes for Linner – that’s lunch/dinner or more commonly known as an early dinner. And they finally had French onion soup….yummy!!
That evening Kurt did the yard and much to his disliking – our friend the snake was out and about, conveniently scaring the crap out of him. After about 20-30 minutes of “analyzing” the situation (not a big surprise coming from an actuary) all the while the snake made the trek from the back deck to the front yard bushes and then back again. Somehow I convinced Kurt to just kill it. It took another 15 minutes to make sure it was dead before Kurt would move the shovel. Sadly it was probably only a gerder snake – but I have a dog that loves to chase lizards and a snake is just a big lizard to her. She might not be very smart, but she can catch lizards. It made Kurt feel better about killing the snake knowing that he was “protecting” his family.
That evening Kurt did the yard and much to his disliking – our friend the snake was out and about, conveniently scaring the crap out of him. After about 20-30 minutes of “analyzing” the situation (not a big surprise coming from an actuary) all the while the snake made the trek from the back deck to the front yard bushes and then back again. Somehow I convinced Kurt to just kill it. It took another 15 minutes to make sure it was dead before Kurt would move the shovel. Sadly it was probably only a gerder snake – but I have a dog that loves to chase lizards and a snake is just a big lizard to her. She might not be very smart, but she can catch lizards. It made Kurt feel better about killing the snake knowing that he was “protecting” his family.
The next day...the snake's evil twin showed up on the back deck!
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Portland, Oregon
This past weekend I traveled to Portland, OR for business and I kind of took advantage of the opportunity of the expense paid trip to the city that a good part of my mom's family lived. Let me stress the fact that this was a work trip and considering I was in Portland for less than 48 hrs, I didn't have much time to do my own exploring of the things I wanted to see. Even so though - I was able to see a couple things that were very important to me.
With only 26 yrs under my belt - I've lived in a total of 3 houses, 4 apartments and 2 dorm rooms....quite a laundry list. My Grandma Morey lived a good part of her youth until she married my Papa in one single house in Portland. Too much surprise for many people, the house still stands strong and in pretty good condition very similar to what it looked like years ago. As I stood on the street taking pictures, I could hear a small child playing in the backyard - just amazing when you think about it. This was the very house that my Great Grandma lived and my Grandma grew up, the same yard she played in.
The sidewalk leading up to Grandma's house.
I was also able to find the school that Grandma attended just a few blocks from her house - Grant High School.
And the park that I know the family often visited that is just a few streets from the house. (note: school and park pic taken through the sunroof of the car while driving by....I wasn't kidding about not having time.)
Unfortunately I didn't get to see many other sites in Portland, but the little bit I did see was very beautiful, friendly and inviting. The best way to explain and compare it to anything like FL is that it looks nothing like FL. The neighborhoods and houses all look like those houses found on Bayshore in South Tampa - minus the rude Tampa "too good for you" attitude often found.
With only 26 yrs under my belt - I've lived in a total of 3 houses, 4 apartments and 2 dorm rooms....quite a laundry list. My Grandma Morey lived a good part of her youth until she married my Papa in one single house in Portland. Too much surprise for many people, the house still stands strong and in pretty good condition very similar to what it looked like years ago. As I stood on the street taking pictures, I could hear a small child playing in the backyard - just amazing when you think about it. This was the very house that my Great Grandma lived and my Grandma grew up, the same yard she played in.
The sidewalk leading up to Grandma's house.
I was also able to find the school that Grandma attended just a few blocks from her house - Grant High School.
And the park that I know the family often visited that is just a few streets from the house. (note: school and park pic taken through the sunroof of the car while driving by....I wasn't kidding about not having time.)
Unfortunately I didn't get to see many other sites in Portland, but the little bit I did see was very beautiful, friendly and inviting. The best way to explain and compare it to anything like FL is that it looks nothing like FL. The neighborhoods and houses all look like those houses found on Bayshore in South Tampa - minus the rude Tampa "too good for you" attitude often found.
Monday, April 20, 2009
The Need to Knows...
Today is our 2 year anniversary of signing the papers to our first home. Believe it or not, it's only been 24 months. We've accomplished a lot in only a short time of being homeowners and experienced more than we ever thought. With the help of both our parents we have been able to include several different improves to give our house our own personal touch. And along the way, as new homeowners, we have discovered some very valuable knowledge:
1. Even though you drive to the same house everyday, when all the houses look the same, sometimes you can drive right past it. We've found that black lights which glow a very RECOGNIZABLE purple is very helpful in this situation. Plus they are excellent Halloween decor.
2. Despite the fact that your dog can leave horse piles in the backyard, the neighbors will still walk right through your yard, so a fence is absolutely essential. And to think we thought that we just had to have a fence to keep our dogs in, rather than the neighbors out.
3. Don't get me wrong, I think they look very nice and it's definitely considered an upgrade, but I'm a little upset that nobody told me that rounded corners are a BEAR to paint!! Thank GOD for angled brushes and Aunt Flo's HGTV secret tips.
4. There's probably a reason why people don't paint their houses bright and vivid colors...besides the fact that they don't like them I mean. Red, Green, and Chocolate Brown take several coats of paint. We still love our bright happy colors though!
5. Fertilizer and actually putting it down is a good thing. We've grown from new, weenie grass to thick summer grass back to winter/drought crunchy grass. But yet, our yard still looks good. Miracle Grow is our friend!
6. Speaking of summer grass....a push mower in Florida is NOT a good thing no matter how old you are and how much cheaper it is. So thank you to both of our fathers!!
7. I have learned that Kurt REALLY DOES NOT like spiders - especially the black widow that set up camp in our bath tub. And there is such a thing as a pregnant spider...
8. And although I really don't like him, the black snake (that probably has a friend) that lives on and under my deck is probably the reason why I don't have spiders in my house anymore. If only he could eat more of the lizards so it doesn't seem so much like Jurassic park out there.
9. One would think I would know better, but NEVER EVER walk down the stairs with lot of stuff in your hands without holding the railing. It really hurts when you fly up in the air and land on your back like in the cartoons.
10. Always screen your front step before answering your door on a Saturday or Sunday to avoid the old women and Asians that try to force their religion upon you. Therefore, our next house will have a solid door so they can't see us on the other side.
11. Don't park on the road and block your mailbox or anybody elses for that matter or you will get hate notes from the mail lady - she doesn't even drive a mail truck. A Durango is hardly a suitable vehicle for the USPS!
12. It is essential to have at least one large vehicle that can fit large items...go figure. It can be very embarrassing to stand in the parking lot of Lowes and/or Home Depot while trying to fit a simple set of 4 patio chairs into lets say a Mazda 3 for example. Equally irritating to have to rent a giant truck to bring them home.
13. Even though you park your car in your own driveway, it's not exactly safe. Be sure to remove all valuables and garage door opener or you will suffer terrible lose like our neighbors.
14. Sulfur smells REALLY bad and causes a huge downward spiraling chain of events whether the stench is coming from your house or not.
15. Some kids are just plain stupid. We have come to this conclusion by witnessing the inhabitants in our neighborhood that stand under 5 feet tall.
16. For those of you that didn't learn it when you were children - never run into the street or stop your bike directly in front of my car intentionally and start yelling at me. I am driving a giant metal death machine - clearly you are missing brain cells! FYI for those of you visiting us... beware of these people!
17. You should never RUN up to a dog and yell at it or try and pet it. You should never try to sneak up on a dog either. If they are 2 giant white dogs, you are likely not to be bitten, but rather crap themselves instead. Please try to avoid this as it is very difficult to handle as their owner.
18. Kurt has learned that nearly all women, not just his mother, carry the trait with the need to frequently move furniture to re-arrange the room. He still hates it.
19. Collectively, we drive 300 miles a day, that's 1500 a week and 6,000 a month...I won't keep going. And no matter how much we think it will be okay, sooner or later, it gets old and logical reasoning kicks in.
20. No matter how much you plan, things always come up, totally unexpected and never how you plan it to be.
Despite all the valuable and invaluable things we've learned and shared with you from owning a home, making life altering decisions and simply just trying to make it in this world, it's all one big adventure. I can't say that it's easy, but we never want it to be either. Everyday we are better, stronger people from the experiences we have. Although having a house is a huge responsibility and demands a lot of work, sometimes that work doesn't really seem so much like work. Even after years of pulling weeds and mowing yards while growing up, hating every minute of it...it just doesn't seem so bad anymore when it's your own yard. No, we didn't think we'd ever say that... but I guess that's all part of it, life surprises you too. We drive 300 miles a day to be able to have a house like we do and see each other everyday. That alone is worth the sacrifice of driving those many, many miles. We frequently make dinner together and take it out on our back deck to enjoy the breeze off the lake while we eat.
1. Even though you drive to the same house everyday, when all the houses look the same, sometimes you can drive right past it. We've found that black lights which glow a very RECOGNIZABLE purple is very helpful in this situation. Plus they are excellent Halloween decor.
2. Despite the fact that your dog can leave horse piles in the backyard, the neighbors will still walk right through your yard, so a fence is absolutely essential. And to think we thought that we just had to have a fence to keep our dogs in, rather than the neighbors out.
3. Don't get me wrong, I think they look very nice and it's definitely considered an upgrade, but I'm a little upset that nobody told me that rounded corners are a BEAR to paint!! Thank GOD for angled brushes and Aunt Flo's HGTV secret tips.
4. There's probably a reason why people don't paint their houses bright and vivid colors...besides the fact that they don't like them I mean. Red, Green, and Chocolate Brown take several coats of paint. We still love our bright happy colors though!
5. Fertilizer and actually putting it down is a good thing. We've grown from new, weenie grass to thick summer grass back to winter/drought crunchy grass. But yet, our yard still looks good. Miracle Grow is our friend!
6. Speaking of summer grass....a push mower in Florida is NOT a good thing no matter how old you are and how much cheaper it is. So thank you to both of our fathers!!
7. I have learned that Kurt REALLY DOES NOT like spiders - especially the black widow that set up camp in our bath tub. And there is such a thing as a pregnant spider...
8. And although I really don't like him, the black snake (that probably has a friend) that lives on and under my deck is probably the reason why I don't have spiders in my house anymore. If only he could eat more of the lizards so it doesn't seem so much like Jurassic park out there.
9. One would think I would know better, but NEVER EVER walk down the stairs with lot of stuff in your hands without holding the railing. It really hurts when you fly up in the air and land on your back like in the cartoons.
10. Always screen your front step before answering your door on a Saturday or Sunday to avoid the old women and Asians that try to force their religion upon you. Therefore, our next house will have a solid door so they can't see us on the other side.
11. Don't park on the road and block your mailbox or anybody elses for that matter or you will get hate notes from the mail lady - she doesn't even drive a mail truck. A Durango is hardly a suitable vehicle for the USPS!
12. It is essential to have at least one large vehicle that can fit large items...go figure. It can be very embarrassing to stand in the parking lot of Lowes and/or Home Depot while trying to fit a simple set of 4 patio chairs into lets say a Mazda 3 for example. Equally irritating to have to rent a giant truck to bring them home.
13. Even though you park your car in your own driveway, it's not exactly safe. Be sure to remove all valuables and garage door opener or you will suffer terrible lose like our neighbors.
14. Sulfur smells REALLY bad and causes a huge downward spiraling chain of events whether the stench is coming from your house or not.
15. Some kids are just plain stupid. We have come to this conclusion by witnessing the inhabitants in our neighborhood that stand under 5 feet tall.
16. For those of you that didn't learn it when you were children - never run into the street or stop your bike directly in front of my car intentionally and start yelling at me. I am driving a giant metal death machine - clearly you are missing brain cells! FYI for those of you visiting us... beware of these people!
17. You should never RUN up to a dog and yell at it or try and pet it. You should never try to sneak up on a dog either. If they are 2 giant white dogs, you are likely not to be bitten, but rather crap themselves instead. Please try to avoid this as it is very difficult to handle as their owner.
18. Kurt has learned that nearly all women, not just his mother, carry the trait with the need to frequently move furniture to re-arrange the room. He still hates it.
19. Collectively, we drive 300 miles a day, that's 1500 a week and 6,000 a month...I won't keep going. And no matter how much we think it will be okay, sooner or later, it gets old and logical reasoning kicks in.
20. No matter how much you plan, things always come up, totally unexpected and never how you plan it to be.
Despite all the valuable and invaluable things we've learned and shared with you from owning a home, making life altering decisions and simply just trying to make it in this world, it's all one big adventure. I can't say that it's easy, but we never want it to be either. Everyday we are better, stronger people from the experiences we have. Although having a house is a huge responsibility and demands a lot of work, sometimes that work doesn't really seem so much like work. Even after years of pulling weeds and mowing yards while growing up, hating every minute of it...it just doesn't seem so bad anymore when it's your own yard. No, we didn't think we'd ever say that... but I guess that's all part of it, life surprises you too. We drive 300 miles a day to be able to have a house like we do and see each other everyday. That alone is worth the sacrifice of driving those many, many miles. We frequently make dinner together and take it out on our back deck to enjoy the breeze off the lake while we eat.
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Can you see the light..........?
On Monday, we had several cars lining the street around our house, most of the cars labeled with MASS DESTRUCTION UNIT. Five men huddled at the end of our driveway (4 from Belfor and one independent inspector for the attorneys we met on Friday) discussing the plan of attack on the inspection of our house. They spend about an hour and a half looking at all kinds of things throughout the house, from the A/C Handler to the electrical and any other copper or metal type material throughout the house. They dropped cameras into the wall via the electrical outlets searching for the imprint of the Chinese drywall company, they came up with nothing. They all left us feeling like we had gotten nowhere with more questions. Belfor did inform me that the very expensive testing of samples they could take from our house was indeed very expensive and could very possibly lead to inconclusive results on whether we do or do not have bad drywall.
Most recently, we heard back from the attorneys we met on Friday to discuss our issues and possible case. He has claimed that with the inspector they sent out and with the specialists that they sent the pictures from our inspection decided that with the current evidence, we do not have defective drywall but a defective air conditioner unit. This seems to be a huge sigh of relief for us. Yesterday we also received the letter from Lennar stating we do not have the toxic drywall from their “indepth” inspection that they had on our house a couple weeks ago.
So this is where we stand and in our mind our course of action at this point is to contact the Lennar warranty department and make complaints that our a/c unit is not properly working. We hope they will fix the unit despite the fact that it seems to be working fine, however looks horrible and might cause us problems in the very near future. With the report from a previous a/c man and the report from the attorney’s inspection, we hope we can persuad Lennar to fix it. We plan to continue with our original plans before all this started and try and move forward with life, hopefully not having major negative effects on the worth of our house.
Most recently, we heard back from the attorneys we met on Friday to discuss our issues and possible case. He has claimed that with the inspector they sent out and with the specialists that they sent the pictures from our inspection decided that with the current evidence, we do not have defective drywall but a defective air conditioner unit. This seems to be a huge sigh of relief for us. Yesterday we also received the letter from Lennar stating we do not have the toxic drywall from their “indepth” inspection that they had on our house a couple weeks ago.
So this is where we stand and in our mind our course of action at this point is to contact the Lennar warranty department and make complaints that our a/c unit is not properly working. We hope they will fix the unit despite the fact that it seems to be working fine, however looks horrible and might cause us problems in the very near future. With the report from a previous a/c man and the report from the attorney’s inspection, we hope we can persuad Lennar to fix it. We plan to continue with our original plans before all this started and try and move forward with life, hopefully not having major negative effects on the worth of our house.
Friday, March 6, 2009
Happy Birthday Wrigley!
Wrigley just turned 3 on Thursday. He has been staying with Grammy and Papa while he is trying to recover from our sick house. Who says grandparents spoil their grand-dogs!?!
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