New house, new job...

Wow, there is a lot going on. Our house is really coming along. We managed to get some things hung on the walls, and we also got our workout room all set up. Our workout area is so awesome. It is in the basement, so it is nice and cool down there...Definitely a bonus when you are working out. I worked out on Monday morning...it was perfect.

So, in addition to a new house, I got a new job! Whoo Hoo! I'll be working for Reiman Publications in Greendale, WI. I'm super excited, as I definitely view this as a move up for my career. I will miss Referee, and I have learned a great deal here that I can take with me wherever I go, but it is time to move on, you know what I mean?

Ross and I spent 4 hours at our apartment on Saturday cleaning. It was a long day. I would say it looks pretty damn good. Let's hope they agree, and give us some of our security deposit back. It could go towards the purchase of our new washer and dryer (that is a whole story in itself).
Well anyway, today at lunch I went and turned in our keys. It was pretty weird. I took one last look through the apartment, going from room to room remembering things. When I was in the bathroom, I remembered the morning of my wedding day, getting ready, and looking at myself in the mirror going holy cow, I'm getting married. I remembered many romantic dinners Ross and I had in our dining room, just the two of us. I remember hanging out with everybody in our living room, chatting, listening to music and watching Packer games. I remember our first Christmas there. Due to Ross' persuasion, we got a real tree. I wasn't too excited at first, but we have gotten a real tree every year since then, so I guess the tradition kind of stuck. There were an abundance of good times in our apartment, that is for sure. It will definitely be missed. It was the first place that Ross and I ever officially lived together after all. But...we are onto bigger and better things now, right?!

Happy Day!

Our best friends got engaged today!! We just got back from celebrating at Olive Garden with them. They are planning to get married at the Grand Canyon next spring. How cool is that?! Ross and I are so there. They did so much for us for our wedding; I can't wait until we can do the same for them. They are truly two of the greatest people in this world! Congratulations Shannon and Jeremy! We love you guys!!

It's been awhile since I last blogged

So much has happened since then! We are all moved in our house! Our friends and family really stepped up to help us with everything. They are so awesome! Everything went off without a hitch for the most part. Well, if you ask the guys, they might feel differently about one of our couches ;) Anyway, everything is really coming along. We've decorated the kitchen and the bathroom and even managed to get most of the boxes unpacked, and some things hung on the walls. I must admit though, it is a little strange. Not that I don't feel comfortable or at home or anything...I guess it is just getting used to where everything is and stuff like that. It is pretty cool to wake up in our own house though. Very cool, in fact.

Last night we went over to Ross' parents house for dinner. It was so nice to have a home-cooked meal for a change. We have been living on fast food and takeout lately. My mother-in-law gave me a bunch of cuttings from her perennials. I'm going to give gardening a go (how is that for alliteration). We'll see...It will definitely be interesting. There are several spots around our house that would look awesome with some flowers/plants. She gave me some really cool stuff...Let's just hope I can keep them alive. If they take, they'll keep coming up every year. I love that!

So, I came back to work today to find a vase of freshly cut lilacs on my desk! I must say that it helped me ease back into things.

Everything is coming along!

The apartment is looking pretty empty. Ross and I moved another load of boxes over to the house on Monday. It is amazing how much you can get into each of our cars with a little creativity.

A lot is happening today at the house. We are getting carpet installed in our bedroom and Moon is starting to install our kitchen floor today. When I go home at lunch, it will be a totally different house!

We have a lot to do yet, but it is getting there. I can't believe we are moving in 3 days!

Back to work :(

Bummer, hey? There is just not enough time in the weekend, particularly when you are getting ready to move!

I had a pretty good weekend. On Saturday, I went to the Milwaukee Art Museum with my grandma, my aunt and my cousin. The Degas exhibit was very cool. My cousin was supposed to hang out, but she was feeling a little under the weather due to some partying the night before :) Later that day, Kara and Christian met me at the house to give me my b-day present and check out the progress. On Saturday night, Ross and I just chilled. It dawned on me that this was our last weekend in our apartment. That is really crazy to me.

On Sunday, I was at the house all afternoon. Since Ross was working this weekend, I figured I could get a lot done. I did indeed. We are having carpet put in our bedroom on Wednesday, so I cleaned the floor in there and moved everything out. I also cleaned our half bathroom, and painted the stairs. I can't believe the improvement to the stairs. My dad and my brother were there, too, working on sanding and staining our half walls. Shannon, Jeremy and Steve stopped by to say hey and hang out a bit. All in all, it was a productive day. I must say, however, that I am pooped. And there is still so much to do this week! It will all come together though. There is really no other choice.

It's the weekend again

I don't know about you, but I'm pretty excited for that. I could use a few days off. Work, among other things, was crazy this week.

Got a cool weekend planned? I do. The bummer is that Ross is working. But tomorrow, my grandma is taking my cousin and I to the Milwaukee Art Museum to see the Degas exhibit, and then she is treating us to lunch to celebrate our birthdays. My cousin's b-day is today: Happy Birthday Kelly! Too bad the Milwaukee Art Museum was recently vandalized. At least they caught the a$$holes who did it.

After the museum and lunch, Kelly is going to hang out and stay the night. Whatever we end up doing, we'll have a good time for sure.

On Sunday, I think I am going to do a bit more cleaning at the house. Everything is really coming together now...I'm getting so excited! T-minus 8 days until we move! Yippee!!!!

And the craziness continues..

Work has been nuts this week. I don't know what it is. I guess we are just getting into our busy time now, and I have a ton to do. I'm not complaining though; I'd much rather be busy.

Anyway, things with the house are coming along. Ross and I took a couple of loads of boxes over there the other day. Man are we going to have a ton of stuff to go through. It's all good though. I just can't wait until we are in there. I'm getting pretty excited. Ross and I stopped at the house and had lunch today. Our fruit trees in the backyard are starting to bloom. They are going to be so pretty!

So, did you watch the finale of Amazing Race last night? Uchenna and Joyce won. I really wanted Rob and Amber to win, but Uchenna and Joyce totally deserved it. They kept their cool throughout the whole race, which definitely gave them an advantage. Tonight, there is a new Lost, tomorrow a new Survivor. You gotta love May sweeps.

Back to work for me...

What a fantastic weekend!

It started on Friday when I went out to eat with my fam for my B-day. We went to the Chancery...yum! It was awesome. My brother got me some stuff for my "Olive Garden" themed kitchen. I got some moola from my mom and my grandparents. My grandma also gave me our gift for our 1st anniversary. She embroidered a Bible verse with our names and the date we were married. It is so beautiful. I think it will look really nice in our new bedroom.

On Saturday morning we met Ross' parents for breakfast and they gave me my b-day presents: a lilac bush, and some flower bulbs. How cool is that! Ross and I did some house stuff and then he disappeared to get me my present. He came home with a pair of beautiful diamond stud earrings. I totally didn't see that one coming! They are so beautiful. I haven't taken them off, and I don't think I will!

That night we went out to eat at Chili's with Shannon, Jeremy and Steve. Shannon and Jeremy got me a Yankee candle (yum) and a chalkboard/clock for my "Olive Garden" kitchen. It is so cute! I already have the perfect spot picked out for it. They have a coffee chalkboard/clock in their kitchen and it looks really cute. How cool are we with our chalkboard/clocks?! We went and got some ice cream from Cold Stone Creamery. Let me tell you, that stuff puts Dairy Queen to shame. We hung out at their house for a bit after that. They made a lot of progress on their house. It looks really cute.

Yesterday was Mother's Day, so we made the rounds. Lunch with Ross' family, a visit with my dad and stepmom, and then dinner with my mom and grandparents.

It was a busy weekend, but it was fantastic!

My fingers are crossed...again

Our apartment in being shown again today! I talked to my landlady last night and told her that we can be out by the 15th. As I hung up, I kind of wished I hadn't said that. It dawned on me that the 15th is next Sunday. Yikes! I immediately started packing up stuff that wasn't packed yet. I'm a bit nervous, as Ross works next weekend. That means we would have to move on Friday the 13th (how unlucky is that). That also means that I will be stuck cleaning out our apartment on Saturday and Sunday by myself. Bummer. But, it will be so worth it to get some rent back, and be in our house earlier!

I'm going shopping today when I get out of work. Whoo Hoo! I plan to hit up the mall and Bed, Bath and Beyond for house stuff, and then maybe Old Navy for myself :) After all, it is my b-day tomorrow. I figure I can treat myself to some clothes, hey?

What a week

This week has been so crazy, and is flying by, let me tell you. Work has been nuts! We are gearing up for our busy time--football and basketball seasons. I've got a lot of projects on my plate, which I don't mind. I'd rather be busy than bored!

Last night we went up to Sheboygan to watch my cousin's big poker win. It was a great time! It was like a wedding reception: buffet dinner, open bar, cake, etc. Everyone gathered around to watch the show, but with 200 people, it was difficult at times to hear what was going on on the TV. Let's just say that there were plenty of people taking advantage of that open bar ;) It was cool though, because whenever John was involved in a hand, people quieted down a bit. We would all clap if he made a big bet, or when he won a hand. It was awesome. I can't believe he is a millionaire. To me, he's just my little cousin Johnny. Crazy.

Got a lot of work to do around the apartment and house, yet. We haven't had much of an opportunity to do anything this week, but we'll have plenty of time this weekend. Ross works tomorrow, but I think I'm going to tackle our storage area when I get home from work. That could be interesting. I don't even really know what is all down there, except Christmas stuff. I'm hoping I can weed through some of it and get rid of some stuff. It is tough for me to get rid of stuff, though, so it should be interesting. I do know that I have a box of notes from middle school and high school that I saved. What do I need those for now, hey? But I just can't seem to part with them. We'll see...

Can you believe it is already May?

Man, time flies when your having fun. Or busy. For me, it's both. We helped Shannon and Jeremy move on Friday, and we had a bunch of family and friends over this past Saturday for our cleaning party. The weather held out, so we ended up doing a ton of yardwork. We trimmed trees, pulled weeds, and cut down some bushes. Holy cow, that was a lot of work. We also cleaned the kitchen, cleaned some of the blinds (that is the worst job ever), and fixed our windows. We are getting there! We have some cleaning to do yet, and also some painting. Moving day is creeping up--May 21st. I was looking around our apartment, thinking that we still have a lot to do. I'm starting to get a little nervous about getting everything done, especially because our schedules are so crazy in the next two weeks. Tomorrow we are going to Sheboygan to celebrate my cousin's big poker win. His tournament is being broadcast tomorrow night on the Travel Channel, for anybody who is interested. There is going to be a big party. It should be loads of fun, but it will no doubt be a late night. This Saturday is my b-day! 26 years old I'll be. That makes me a quarter of a century plus one. Dang, there's no turning back now! We will probably have a bunch of work to do at the house, but working on your own house isn't too bad of a way to celebrate a b-day. I'm hoping we do something fun later that night though.

I suppose I should get some work done...