The only difference was that at the end of this year's February, I got a bee in my bonnet and I declared to the Mister, "We should buy a house!"
We'd been apartment-living for 8 years here, since I'd been going to school for 6 of those. But now, well, we wanted a place of our own, like real grownups and stuff.
First we wanted to find a lot of our own and build. We found out, however, that despite housing prices dropping locally with the recession that there were still ridiculously priced lots. And the time factor was important, too: we wanted to get the $8,000 first-time homebuyers tax credit. That meant closing by April 30th.
So we contacted a realtor and she gave us a list of available places to look at--we picked 7 from a list of 43. Then we fell in love with the second house we saw. Ok, I fell in love with the kitchen. Oh, the kitchen. I like to bake, and I enjoy cooking occasionally. The apartment we lived in had approximately 2 square feet of counter space, the refrigerator door couldn't be opened all the way because it was jammed into a corner facing said microscopic counter, and the cupboards were so low above the counter that none of my kitchen appliances could be stored there. It was HELL for me, I tell you!
And the Mister hated the neighbors upstairs, who weren't exactly wonderful.
We started the process of buying the kitchen, I mean house, the first week of March.
A couple weeks later we visited Spokane--Mister had a work thing, and I decided to join them so I could visit my fabulous family there. The hotel we stayed at, NorthernQuest Resort & Casino was TOTALLY AWESOME. Best, nicest hotel we've ever been to. I want to go there again, just to use the shower--it had THREE spouts!! And it was all glassed in! I know, I sound like a country bumpkin, but it was so cool!
So January wasn't anything special, February was the beginning, March was fun, and April....well, April was when we finally got our kitchen. HOUSE.
We closed on April 15th, which will be easy enough to remember, since it's tax day. Unfortunately, the closing process was terrible thanks to the crappy realtor, who really ruined the day for me. But anyway....
We moved in, we bought all new furniture, Amber & Gunner finally had a back yard to call their own--kind of. The landscaping didn't get finished until July. But still! They had a mud pit to call their own!
One week after we moved in, my Mom had back surgery and I managed to talk her into staying with us (rather than going back home where she'd have to deal with stairs & little help) for at least a couple weeks of recovery. She loved the house, and was lucky enough to have Mister available within minutes, since he works a little over a mile away from home. It was hard to see her in so much pain, but I think she healed quicker here with our help than she would've at home.
Unfortunately, Gunner didn't handle the move well. He'd already been dealing with declining health for a few months, and the new house seemed to really confuse him. He kept crawling under the kitchen chairs and then getting stuck--the floors are hardwood and he couldn't get any purchase under those damn chairs. He was really restless and when anyone tried to pet him he'd try to nip their fingers because he couldn't seem to see them very well. There were other things going on as well, so we made the difficult decision to say goodbye. Gunner was 15 years, 2 months, and 4 days old when we gave him his last pat and kiss. He was a good boy, our boy, and we still miss him.
The timing wasn't very good, but we'd already sent the invitations--to our housewarming party the following day. The very first party I've ever hosted. And in my own home!
I think there was about 20 people who came, and it was so much fun. I was somewhat drained from the day before, but everyone understood and it was nice to have people have such a good time with us.
So May sucked.
June wasn't bad--until the very last day of the month. A hail storm struck town at about 3:00 PM on June 30th. Golfball-size hail hit almost every neighborhood in town. Windows were shattered, cars were dented, and the Mister almost passed out from the delight--he finally got to have his Hail of a Sale at work.
My Nigel sustained about $10,000 in damage. No windows were broken, but almost every other surface was dented or cracked.
He was in the shop for 6 weeks getting un-dented and re-painted. I missed the MINIs on the Beartooth rally I helped plan while he was in the shop.
At the beginning of July, the Mister got a bee in his bonnet and declared to me, "We need a cat!" He's been allergic to cats since always, but he got an amazing allergy shot this year, and was able to be around cats without sneezing or itching or losing the ability to breathe, so...
Smudge the Strange moved in. I'm still undecided about her--she's awfully goofy for a cat.
And then at the end of the month, instead of going to the rally, the Mister & I did something even more exciting: we got Lily!
You're welcome.
The Mister insisted that Amber not be left alone, she'd grown up with Gunner, after all. She needed a companion. So we got her one. I'm pretty sure that by now she wishes we could take Lily back. Amber's face is starting to go white, and Lily is doing her damnedest to pull on Amber's ears until they're hanging down to the floor. Poor Amber....
Lily mixes things up sometimes and runs after the cat. She likes to chew on Smudge's head. Smudge likes to pretend she cares and swats half-heartedly at Lily. All in all, our furkids are entertaining.
That brings us to August. Nothing much happened in August.
Then there was September. September was a month for surprises. In September, I surprised my lovely cousin in Spokane by popping over for her half-marathon. Also in September, I got a bee in my bonnet (I know, the bees around here are a real hassle) and declared to myself, "I should surprise the Mister with a trip to Dallas for a Cowboys football game!" And so I did. And in October we went. On Halloween. That post is vvv down there vvv somewhere, pretty recent. We had lots of fun, and I finally got to meet my friend Steve. So the trip wasn't just for the Mister, it was for me, too.
November was boring, like August. Lily's baby teeth started falling out and she stopped trying to chew on us all the time. Now she just tries to chew on us some of the time.
And we got a new dishwasher. The one that came with the house was very loud, despite being brand new. Like I said, November was boring.
Now there's December, and it's almost over. Mom visited last weekend for 3 days, we went home this weekend for 3 days, and this coming week Lily's getting spayed, so I'll be home with her for 3 days. Whew! I need a new year to catch up on sleep.
2010 has definitely been a big year for us, lots of changes. I look forward to seeing what 2011 will bring--I'm guessing it'll start with a January again. Oh boy!
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