Weekends - not quite what they used to be

Do you remember when you were little and you looked forward to the weekends as days to play outside, go to a friend's party, or watch cartoons all day? Or maybe around middle school where you went over to a friend's house and hung out all day? Those seemed like the days, right? But we couldn't wait to be grown-up. Well, here we are. We're supposed to be grown ups now. Why do I find myself wishing I could just watch cartoons all day?


As you all know, we've been very busy lately with new jobs and a new house. Since we've been so busy, all the things we want/ need to get done each week seem to accumulate and get pushed back for the weekends. This weekend I did some work on our cars (monthly maintenance), stuff around the house, created our new home wireless network and printer network, fixed my grandfather's computer, and a bunch of other stuff. And that was just on Saturday. I do more work on the weekends than I do during the week. I know, insert government work joke here.


Today, we spent the majority of the day at Christi's new school. I think later she is going to post more about the school itself, but today we took everything from the storage building and put it into her classroom. We spent around 4.5 hours there today working on her room and getting things unpacked. Summer is officially over for her since tomorrow she has her new employee orientation.


Other than that we haven't done too much! We had some other things we wanted to do tonight but we just crashed on the couch. Our friend Megan came over and watched the tube with us. Overall, we're getting a lot done and we're definitely enjoying having people over. However, it seems like the more we do we realize there are even more things we want to do. Eventually, we will get everything finished but at the moment is feels like we've barely scratched the surface. Keep checking back to see how everything is coming together in our lives. Thanks for reading!

Poison Ivy - I Has It

I hate poison ivy. I've never really gotten it before - until now that it. Make that twice within the past 3 months! The first time I got it cleaning up some people's yards after the Mother's Day tornadoes demolished a lot of Macon neighborhoods. This time I got it working in my yard, although I'm not entirely sure where. I do know I was trimming some branches in my sandals and I now have it all over my feet, ankles and legs. I hate poison ivy.

What's Been Going On?

This week so far has been very busy, which has contributed to the lack of posting. I'll try to give a brief rundown of what we've done this week.


Monday night Christi's parents invited us over for dinner. We ate a really good meal there and enjoyed watching tv with the family. Also on Monday, Christi went to her new school and met some of the teachers she is going to be working with. Summer is almost over and she is going back to school soon!


Tuesday we got our dining room set - a table and 8 chairs. This was exactly what we were looking for and we are thrilled that we didn't settle on some earlier sets. Christi's parents helped us get everything together and situated like we wanted. Now that we have that all the main floor rooms are done with furniture. Since I knew we were getting that, I haven't posted a ny living room pictures. Instead, I'm going to take some more pictures of both sets because the room is connected and post them at the same time.


Wednesday Ryan's dad and stepmom (Donnie and Lewanna) came over to see our new furniture. It was their first time seeing everything inside the house and they seemed to really like what we have done with the place. We ate supper with them and hung out most of the night. It was a fun night that we enjoyed it because we don't get to see them as often as we would like. Besides having a great time, my dad told me of a place where we can get some glass cut for our broken picture frame. This was outstanding news because we could not find another similar size frame or a cheap frame to take the glass out. I'll be picking up some glass on Friday to put in the frame, which will complete our bedroom decorations (for the time being, anyway.)


Today, my grandfather (Sappoo) and his wife (LaVerne) came over to check out our new dining room table. Every time we get something new they are one of the first people to come check it out and tell us how much they love it. This time they were looking at the dining room set that we had gotten earlier in the week. Following the pattern of the week, we also went out to eat with them at Buffalo's and then relaxed while watching some tv. While we were watching tv, I fixed a few minor things on their new laptop. It was enjoyable getting to sit and talk with my grandparents about things that are going on in each others lives. Being able to do things like that on essentially any day we want to are one of the many reasons we decided to come back home. After watching tv, Christi and I went over to our storage unit and loaded the 4Runner with a lot of things for Christi's classroom. Tomorrow she will be able to begin working on her new classroom. She is very excited about being able to start setting up her new room like she wants too.


Now we are back at home watching tv (again) and breaking in our new living room furniture. We're both glad tomorrow is Friday because we have a lot of fun things to do this weekend. I'll have all the photos of the new rooms once we get some final decorations in place. Check back for more updates.

The Dark Knight

On our Weekend Happenings post, I intentionally left out that Saturday night Jason, Christi, and myself went to see The Dark Knight. I did that because I knew I would go off on a tangent talking about the movie, which would make the post even longer than it was and detract from the point of the post.


I know a lot of people went to see it this past weekend but many others still haven't. If you are one of those who hasn't had a chance to see it yet - make sure you go soon! I LOVED the movie. The action was great, the acting was great, and the storyline and plot were fantastic! I wasn't sure what was going to happen next or when the movie was going to end. A lot of things happened that I never would have expected. There were even some very funny parts. The only thing that bugs me is the way Bruce Wayne talks when he is Batman. It seems a bit forced - but that's just being picky. Also, I really enjoyed the Joker and how they made his character - very dark and crazy and totally bent on destruction. Heath Ledger did a brilliant job and truly made the movie that much better. However, I'm not totally convinced that all the award talk would be happening this early if he hadn't passed away. Not being insensitive, just my opinion.


Overall - must see movie. Great in all aspects and would definitely go see again in the theaters. To me, the movie was worth all the hype and it was great all the way around. I'm curious to see what the storyline in the 3rd movie will be - if they decide to do another one, which I'm sure they will based on all the money this one brought in. I hope they don't rush it and take their time like they did on this one. Very great movie!

Weekend Happenings

Earlier this week we had a cookout; yesterday we had a cook-in. My (Ryan) mom and sister came over and we fixed Ragu Casserole, garlic bread, and a Texas cake. I fixed the casserole (with some coaching from Christi) while Christi prepared and cooked the texas cake. Both were delicious. In case you were wondering, our ragu casserole is sort of a mix between spaghetti and lasagna. The Texas cake is sort of like brownies with some extra things added to the recipe. Come over some time and we'll make them for you! The meal went well and everyone enjoyed it.


This morning we went to a "new" church. We've been going with some of Christi's family to a church they grew up in, although it has since changed names and moved, but it doesn't have much to offer for a couple our age. The church we went to this morning we have been to several times a few years ago, but we didn't feel connected like we wanted too. However, some friends of ours we know attend there and invited us to come back and try their new Sunday school class, which is geared for couples our age. Because our friends were out of town, we only went to the regular service this morning. We both really enjoyed it and are planning on going back again. Since my grandparents also go there, we went out to lunch afterward with them along with Christi's parents, Jason, and her grandmother. The place we went - Jeneane's - is a local "country cookin" restaurant that is pretty good but also incredibly crowded on Sunday's. I chose that place to eat without thinking about the wait we would have with 8 people. When we arrived the line was out the door (literally), but overall we were seated fairly quickly and treated to a good meal.


Today at our clubhouse / pool area the neighborhood association is hosting a "Sundae Sunday." We are planning on going to that this afternoon to mingle with the neighbors (and get free ice cream!) We haven't met a lot of people who live here so hopefully this event will allow us to make some new acquaintances. It should be a lot of fun and the sundaes will be a great compliment to the hot and humid weather we are having today.


Also happening today some of our friends - Megan as well as Kam and his girlfriend Lindsey - are supposed to be stopping by to check out our new place. Plus, my grandparents are supposed to be dropping by this evening to check out our new living room furniture. So, it looks like today will be another busy day! If you want to stop by give us a call!

Cookout

This afternoon was very enjoyable. Our living room furniture was finally arrived and we got everything setup. Pictures should be coming soon. I know I've been bad about posting pictures - my apologies. We are very excited about our furniture as it really makes our house feel more like our home.


After work today, we cooked out for Christi's parents and her brother, Jason. We were supposed to have hamburgers and hotdogs, but I forgot to get the hotdogs - oops! I did get the buns though - go figure. Anyway, I grilled the burgers outside while Christi fixed the chips, dip, and salsa inside. The food was great and we pretty much demolished all of it. Once we were done eating, everyone sat on the back porch for a while until Christi and I brought the soccer ball out. Only Christi and I played, but everyone had a fun time watching us play around with the soccer ball.


Now we are about to settle in and watch some TV. Batman begins is coming on right now so I'm gonna stop writing and go watch.

Relaxing Day

Today Christi and I took a day to just relax and enjoy ourselves. We did fix the frame (almost) that fell but have to wait 24 hours for the glue to settle and then get a new piece of glass for it. Other than that today was very low-key. We fixed our first meal together for just the two of us (this weekend we cooked, but it was for our family.) Our meal wasn't anything fancy - bacon cheese burgers with my special marinade on wheat/whole grain buns and some organic French fries (very low calories, fat, and sodium.) We've been trying to eat healthy and stay active. We've found a lot of products that are great substitutes for those foods you crave when you diet (the fries, for example.) The fries are very tasty. A few notes: 1. We've also found that organic does not always equal healthy, so make sure you check the content table. 2. The organic food doesn't always taste like you think - sometimes it's not very good, so don't get discouraged.


Back to the meal. The bacon we used is also better for you than 'normal' bacon, but it's still bacon so moderation is best (1 slice.) We had been eating turkey bacon but Kroger did not have any - that we could find anyway. If you are curious what brand of fries we use, just post a request in the comments and I'll be happy to let you know. Also, if you have any recipes that you would like to share, please post that as well!


After dinner we lounged around for a minute, then proceeded outside to kick the soccer ball. It was a beautiful day - not too hot or muggy. Since I had just cut the grass on Saturday, the yard was great to run around in and goof off with each other. I also found out how bad my left foot has gotten since I haven't played competitive soccer in almost 2 years. Playing out there today made me want to get back into playing. I know there are some leagues around here and I am planning on calling a few old coaches to see if they know of any teams in need of players.


Anyway, back to the day. When we got done playing outside we decided to watch TV and/or a movie, which is what we are about to do now once I get done with this post and make us some fruit smoothies. It's time for me to go. That's all for now.


-Ryan

Neighbors

This weekend we met the neighbors. We've been seeing them around for a while walking through our yard and enjoying our plants. Finally caught one on camera!

The Neighbors

These guys live somewhere in the woods behind our backyard. We've seen 5 total deer in about a week and a half. We've also seen a fox and a raccoon strolling through the yard. It's pretty cool to sit and watch all the creatures out and about. I should also note that the deer are extremely aware of what is going on around them. We tried to get pictures of the earlier ones and just opening our blinds caused them to notice us and retreat into the woods.


Switching gears - I know I said more pictures were coming. I did intend to post them Saturday night. However, after the furniture arrived we decided it would look best if all the decorations were in place. While hanging pictures, one of them decided it didn't want to be on the wall and came crashing to the ground. Thankfully it did not hit our new furniture - but it came very close. So, we're in the process of repairing that frame and once it is fixed the pictures will be online. Until then, enjoy the kitties.

More Cat Pictures

Hooray for furniture (and movies)!

Today the bedroom furniture is coming! We'll post pictures after we get everything complete. Speaking of pictures - I updated the pictures I left out. Also, today Blake is bringing over the yard equipment from the landscaping company he works for and is going to do our lawn for us - a little present from him. We definitely appreciate that! Our living room furniture is scheduled to come next week - although we're not sure what day. Hopefully early in the week.


I know all we've been talking about lately is the house. To switch gears a bit, I'll briefly talk about the movie that Jason, me, and some other guys saw last night - Hellboy 2. Overall I enjoyed it. It was like the first - action, superhero-ish, and comical. This one had a little bit more of a romantic side to it as well. I won't talk to much about details, but all the action scences were great. They did a great job with animating the characters. I also enjoy the humor they put into the movie. There seemed to be a lot of undertones with the way society treats people. There is a lot more I would like to talk about, but I won't get into the details because I think I'll ruin it for those who haven't seen it yet. I don't think it will be winning any big awards, but if you liked the first you should definitely see the second. Very enjoyable movie.


I think this summer has been great movie-wise. Unfortunately I haven't been able to see all the ones I want to yet, but some of the ones out or almost out I want to see are The Dark Knight, Wall-E, Eagle Eye, Wanted, Don't Mess with the Zohan, Death Race, and others.


Well, it's time to work in the yard. Hopefully it doesn't get too hot!

Home Sweet Home

Here are the some of the details/features of the house:

• 3 Bedrooms


• 2 Full Baths


• 2100 Sq Ft


• Bonus Room


• Cathedral Ceilings (12' +) in most rooms


• 2 car garage


• 0.72 acres


• Sprinkler system throughout yard

After much wait, here are some pictures of the inside of our house. Most of them are the 'before' pictures. We're waiting on furniture to arrive. Once that gets in, I will post the remaining 'after' interior pictures.

Guestroom

Guestroom before



Guestroom before - other side (sorry for shadows)












Guestroom after with bed and some decorations (not all are up yet)

Future plans for this room: Hanging the rest of the wall decoration

Office

Office with ugly border



Office window and closet

Future plans: "After" picture to be posted when we finish decorating the office, Paint the walls a different color - eventually

Entrance

View as you come in the front door






Entrance from hallway

Future Plans: Add wall decorations; table displaying wedding album

Guest Bathroom

Guest bathroom before

Future Plans: Take down wall paper and paint walls

Living Room / Dining Room

View of the dining room area and rear doors



View of kitchen from living room



Living room area with fireplace



Cathedral ceilings in living room

Kitchen

Breakfast nook

Future Plans: Eventually we would like to upgrade the cabinets to a darker wood with granite counter tops, but that will come with time. Pictures of decorated kitchen with new fridge to be added later :)

Master Bedroom

Entrance into master bedroom



Master bedroom before



Ceiling in Master bedroom - before






Entrance into master bath - before



Master bedroom - after (like our bed?)



Window in master bedroom - after



Ceiling in master - after (sorry for blur)

Future plans: Furniture! It is coming today (Saturday!) I'll update pictures when it is all installed

Master Bathroom

Double vanity - before



Garden tub



Shower






Master closet (walk-in)



Entrance into master bedroom and linen closet

Future plans: Take down the wallpaper, paint the walls, update fixtures

Bonusroom

Bonus room above garage. That's not our stuff in the room. They left presents.

Future plans: This is going to be our GT room! We will display our HUGE collection of GT stuff and are planning to put in a small fridge and bar for game watching parties!

Outside

A few of the sprinklers turned on

More pictures to come soon. Sorry for forgetting to upload so many. Stay tuned for the rest of the pictures and other updates!


That's all for now!

Thanks

Sorry for such a long delay in posts and not having other pictures up yet. There has been a lot going on that I will talk about later. Our days have been very busy unpacking everything - who knew it was so much work. Essentially I'm going to and then coming to the house to unpack, clean, and organize for another 6 hours or so. Christi is usually at the house for 12 hours a day. At night we just crash on the sofa and eventually go to bed. However, we're hopeful the next few days and this weekend should be much lighter in workload - should.

The purpose of this post was to thank everyone who has helped us out - especially those who gave up their long weekend over the 4h of July and put in a lot of time at the house. In no particular order, we'd like to think Mike and Debra (Christi's parents), Jason (Christi's brother), and Blake (Ryan's brother). Other who came by and helped this week were Donnie (Ryan's dad) and Fran (Ryan's mom). Thanks to everyone!

That's all for this morning. I have to get ready to go to work. Keep checking back for updates! Thanks for your patience!

A few pictures

This will be a short post because we have a busy day ahead. Since everyone has been asking for pics here's a few shots of the outside. More outside and a lot of inside pictures will come tonight - maybe. Trying to do a before and after thing. Please forgive the yard - we haven't had a chance to cut the grass, trim hedges or hang the shutter that fell. Enjoy.

View from the curb

View from the side / corner of our yard

View from the back of our yard

View of some of the yard from the driveway

Happy 4th!

We're officially homeowners now!!!!! Everything went very well (and surprisingly fast) during closing yesterday. After closing we went to buy paint and a refrigerator. That was an adventure.

We previously found a fridge we liked at BestBuy while browsing for things for the house during the last few weeks. We hadn't seriously considered getting anything from BestBuy since they are normally very expensive. However, this fridge was really nice and priced really well with a big discount. So, after closing we went to BestBuy to purchase the fridge, only to find out that we couldn't actually have it delivered until July 31st because it was on backorder! Naturally, we were very disappointed since this was the one we had been wanting for some time now. Also, it threw us off our schedule since we had other things we planned to do but now we had to shop for another fridge. We tried looking at BestBuy for some others but they didn't have any we liked in the color we wanted (black.) Plus, the appliance workers were far from helpful. This seemed to be a theme for the night.

Since we didn't have any luck with the refrigerator, we decided to head over to the HomeDepot and get the paint for the rooms - we and everyone else in Macon, that is. We stood in line waiting for paint for 40 minutes, which also included a shift change right as we got to the counter. Thankfully the new guy was much faster and nicer than the previous worker. Since we were there and fridge-less, we checked out their selection again. There were a few that caught our eye buy one in particular we liked a lot. It was a floor unit and the last one they had in stock and also listed WAY below the original price. The lady that was "helping" us was supposed to "be right back" she said. So we wait. And wait some more. All the while another appliance worker was literally sitting 5 feet from us talking about his daughter's college with someone on the phone. After 30 minutes, the lady comes back and mentions she had to take her break. Also, after telling her the we want to buy the fridge that we had looked at 1 HOUR AGO, she proceeds to tell us that they cannot sell that one because it has to be serviced by the manufacturer. Hello! Don't you think that would have been good to tell us an hour ago when you first SHOWED it to us. Needless to say we were not happy. We were going to look at another one, but she proceed again to walk away and go to the phone guy to chat. So we left angry and still fridge less. And hungry. Would we ever get a fridge? After being on a high from purchasing the house, we were very very low.

We needed a fridge and we need to go to the house to start painting the two rooms we wanted to paint. And some food. We went over to Lowe's, where had also gone previously and looked and found something we liked but decided not to get it. Upon entering their appliance department, a really helpful worker - Howard - came and assisted our search. We told him what we were looking for and he immediately led us to a fridge that we hadn't seen on our first visit. We loved it. It had all the features we wanted, the right color, and for much less than fridges with those features had at the other stores. We browsed the rest of the fridges but didn't see any that beat that one, so in about 10 minutes we had our fridge! Even better - they are delivering it today (the 4th)!

Finally, we were through - about 3 hours behind schedule too. We grabbed a quick bite to eat at Caliente's (burrito shop similar to Moe's and Willy's) and went back to the house. There, we almost got done painting the first room (trim needs another coat) and also took down the ugly wallpaper border in the other. By that time, it was midnight and we stopped because today is a busy day since we are finishing painting and moving! Speaking of, I've got to run. Everyone is now up and ready to go so we're off. Have a great 4th!

-Ryan

Shout Out

We want to give a quick shout out to our friend Carol. She's the one who got the idea of doing a blog in our head. Some of you know her from Georgia Tech, but even if you don't make sure you check out her blog at www.carolinhuntsville.blogspot.com She's very entertaing!

One More Day!

At this time tomorrow we will be homeowners!!! We are very excited and nervous at the same time about everything that is about to happen. After closing, we are heading over to the house to start painting the master bedroom and a guest bedroom. The plan is to have them finished by Thursday evening so Friday we can move everything in and not have to worry about painting. However, after painting Jason's room, we're not sure if that is a realistic goal. Thankfully this weekend is a long weekend and we have an extra day to move in if we need it (probably will!) Couldn't think of a better way to spend the 4th of July than painting and moving into our new house!

Our internet won't be hooked up until next Monday at the earliest, so you all will have to wait until then to see pictures (unless you come by and help us move - hint hint!) They went by the house today to get it done because they thought it was a 'flip the switch' install, but they have to do something else and can't come until next week. I promise I WILL post pictures when we get back online.

Hope everyone has a safe and fun weekend!

-Ryan