So Far, So Good!

Jeff and I got the keys to our house yesterday around 2:00. We had to wait the rest of the day to get off work so we could hustle over there and get started on our painting. Our plan was to have the kitchen painted by Friday, and we are way above schedule! With just one more coat of paint and some touch ups here and there, we should be done with the entire kitchen by tonight! I can't believe how quickly we got it done. My friend Sarah came over and ended up helping us until 10:00 last night! I guess she didn't know that when she signed on to be my maid of honor two years ago, that included home renovations, a year after the wedding! We have plans to start the living room tomorrow, and order our refridgerator on Thursday. We'll be moving everything out of storage on Saturday, and Sunday is our big trip to Reno to buy our end tables and light fixtures. Everything just keeps on moving right along. I'll post before and after pictures when we get everything done!

It's 11:15 on a Sunday.....

And I'm too excited to sleep! Jeff and I are supposed to get the keys to our house sometime tomorrow. I can't wait! It seems like all we've been doing is waiting, and I just want to be able to get in there and start making the place ours. We went to Ace today, and picked out the paint for the kitchen, and purchased our brushes and and tarps. I bought the fabric for the kitchen curtains yesterday. My mom is going to make them for me. I have been learning to sew, and I'm sure I could do them myself, but I want them to look good! :)

We're still debating on the paint color for the living room. We want something warm and neutral, but we're still not too sure. I haven't thought much about the bathrooms yet. I think our plan is to get the living room, kitchen, and our bedroom livable, and then do the spare rooms and bathrooms later.

We're planning on taking vacation the week of the 30th thru the 4th so we can really get things done. This week our goal is to get everything moved from storage into our garage so we won't have to pay for storage for another month. We're hoping that our friends Doug and Pat will be able to help us because they have trailers. We think we'd be able to get it done in two or three trips. I'm also wanting to get the kitchen painted by Friday. We have yet to order our fridge, but I want the kitchen done before it's delivered. I figure we'll put in a couple hours after work each night this week, and everything will be done in plenty of time.

So, if everything goes as planned, we'll be living in our house in two weeks. We can't wait!

Happy Anniversary to Us!

One year! I can't believe how quickly the time goes. At this time a year ago, I was walking down the aisle. Jeff and I are going to dinner tonight, but we won't be officially celebrating our anniversary until we have the house, and everything is moved in. We were given three bottles of wine as a wedding gift from my Uncle Frank and Aunt Bonnie. They have a bride and groom on them along with our names and our wedding date. We plan on drinking one for this year, and our 5th and 10th anniversaries. I'll take pictures of the bottles when I get them out of storage!

Here are some pictures of our wedding day.

We Have Finally Been Approved!

Whew! After 6 long weeks of worry, we can finally breathe easy. All of our paperwork went through, and we will get the keys to our very own home on June 23! That's not even two weeks away! I can't even tell you what a relief that is. We are both so happy and excited. We were starting to feel like we were going to live with Rick and Gloria forever. We have a meeting with the seller tomorrow so she can show us how to work the sprinkler system.....we have a sprinkler system! This whole thing just blows my mind! I didn't think that we were going to be approved for our loan, so I had pretty much said goodbye to this house.

I'm so glad that this chapter is finally coming to a close. We have so many ideas for this house. The first thing on our list is paint. They have cows stenciled in the kitchen, and I don't think they've painted since they bought the house in '91. I can't wait. We've already picked out some colors for the living room and kitchen, but we're still debating on our bedroom and the bathrooms. We're going to steam clean the carpets before we move in as well. We're planning on moving all of our stuff out of storage and into the garage as soon as we get the keys. That way we won't have to pay for another month of storage.

We need end tables, an entertainment center, a dresser (it didn't survive the move to storage), a vacuum, a refridgerator....the list goes on. We even need to restock the entire house with groceries, starting from scratch. Our storage unit couldn't have any food in it, so I think I may have some salt and pepper, but that's about it! Thank goodness Jeff and I don't have to make our first payment for a month or two. We need the extra money!

5 Years....And Still Kickin' It!

An old picture of us three years ago.

Five years ago today, Jeff asked me out on our first date and we've been together ever since. I know that our one year anniversary is coming up next week, but this seemed like an important milestone in our relationship. Besides, this last year has been a piece of cake. Our wedding felt more like a formality since we had already been committed to one another for so long. Don't get me wrong, things do change once that ring is on your finger, but really, Jeff and I knew we were going to be together for the rest of our lives, we didn't need a piece of paper to prove it.

Five years! In some ways it has flown by, and in other ways, it feels like time has stood still. I think back to the girl that I was when we met and it seems like such a long time ago. There's a part of me that wants to go back and tell that girl that everything's going to work itself out, and slow down! Enjoy these years. Jeff and I have come a long way in our relationship. Everyone says that the first year of marriage is the hardest, but for us, it was fairly easy. We had been living together for almost four years by the time we said our vows, and we knew everything about eachother. There were no suprises. There were no fights about dirty socks stuffed in shoes, or lost keys, because we had been through that before. We had both met when we were young, and we basically grew up together. It's nice to know already that we are capable of growing as individuals, but also growing together as a couple.

I won't say that everything has always been easy. I hate when couples like to paint a picture perfect relationship because it's unrealisitic. There are going to be arguments from time to time because there are two different people in the relationship. I guess if you married someone who was exactly like you, in every sense of the word, then there wouldn't be a problem, but what's the fun in that? I love that Jeff and I are different from one another. I think our differences compliment one another. We have had some really terrible fights in the past, but I think if we're able to learn from them, then they aren't that terrible. We're still learning how to communicate our wants and needs to one another, but we've come a long way. I know that there will be rough patches mixed in with the good times, but we'll be okay because we're willing to work on our issues as they come.

Happy Anniversary Sweetie!

All grown up. Heading to our Christmas party for work. December 2007.

Brew Fest '08

Jeff and I experienced our first Brewfest last weekend. We weren't even sure if we were going to be able to get tickets because when Melanie tried to buy them, they had sold out in 4 hours! She ended up being able to score 4 tickets and we were set to head down to Chico the Friday before the the event. The tickets were a little pricey, but you get your own pint glass, and all you can eat food and beer. You can't beat that!

We ended up just hanging out with Melanie and a few of her friends on Friday night. Her house has a pool and Jeff and I were itching to get in. We brought our Rockband and everyone had fun trying to be the next Kurt Cobain! (if you don't have this game yet, I suggest you check it out! It's hours of crazy, silly fun!)

The next day was the big day. I was a little worried. There were supposed to be 40 breweries there, and even though they only give you an ounce or two of beer, it adds up! We ate a big lunch and they were supplying finger foods at the festival, but I was still a little anxious. I was worried that I'd end up really drunk and would get too sick to enjoy the rest of my weekend.

The majority of the brewers that were there brewed beer that was a little too dark for me. Jeff had a blast. He's really grown quite an interest in the whole beer making process and he was able to try a bunch of different styles. There were beers there that he's heard about, but hasn't been able to try because they don't sell them in our area. This kind of thing is perfect for him because he was actually going to taste the beer, not see how drunk he could get!

It turns out that I didn't need to worry about getting too drunk. They would give me a pour of whatever beer I wanted, I would take a sip or two, and then dump it in a pitcher that was on the table. I was worried that it would insulting to the people pouring the beer, but it turns out that they were volunteers, and not the actual brewers. Overall, we had a great experience and we can't wait to go again next year!

**Annie's favorite beer at Brewfest....Kona Longboard Lager and Wyder's Pear Cyder

**Jeff's favorite beer at Brewfest.......Cashmere Brewing Co. Winter Ale