Home sweet home... again.

How weird is it to wake up in your old house, surrounded by your old things, but only you've been gone for well over 2 years? When my alarm goes off in the morning, not only do I have my husband wanting me to make it be quiet, but my mom and my dad, too! And me? I like to listen to the radio when I wake up. And I like it loud. And I like it early. I want to lay around and listen to my funny radio guys for an hour before I actually get out of bed. This habit seems to annoy the other people in the house, so I have to make personal adjustments. And not to mention that when I moved out of this house, it was VERY wrong to sleep in the same bed with Justin, and now... well, you know! ;-) We are approaching our third night at Maison de Leach. We're still not really settled, but we will be in time. The sooner the better in order to keep the peace.

We did set ground rules. We discussed what Mom and Dad's expectations were for Justin and me; and what ours were for them. They expect us to keep our room and bathroom neat, help out with the dishes and do our own laundry. Deal. We expect them to provide wireless internet and to stay out of our business. I was surprised the first went over so well. I kind of threw it in there as a freebee, but I'm now hooked up to their brand new wireless connection! Hooray! The second is easier said than done. I know. I live it. Daily. They mean well, I know, but there's a fine line between caring and meddling. The latter would be disasterous to this living arrangement.

Today, we closed on the townhouse. What would have normally been an hour closing lasted two hours, but other than that, it was smooth. So long, Inverness! We had a nice 10 months, but we're ready to get back to the familiar - back to where we are within 10 minutes of friends, family, church and work. The countdown to September has begun. Approximately 120 days until we move into our new home... let's hope for sooner.

I worked this afternoon for the first time since Sunday. It seems like I've been off forever, but really it breaks down like this... Monday was Memorial Day and Justin and I were at the beach through Tuesday (my day off). Wednesday (my other day off) the movers came, and we got everything loaded into storage. Today, we had a sales meeting this morning, and I left straight from there to go to the marathon closing, and didn't return to work until 3:00. I was so behind that I worked until 8:00 tonight to get everything done. I have a meeting in the morning, and a contract appointment early afternoon, so I won't be able to tackle any other work tomorrow until around 3:00. What a drain! I'm so happy to be taking it easy tonight. Well, that is, AFTER we loaded the fine china and our oil paintings into the cars and then into the storage unit. I finally got home around 9:15. I left this morning at 8:30. That is definitely a heckuva day!

On that note...

Adieu

Beach, FUN! Packing, UN-FUN...

So, this is me procrastinating. I just can't pack one more thing tonight... and we've barely even started. I want to go back to the beach! Why don't we flash back to our wonderful weekend trip to the beach. I'll tell it in pictures...

Saturday, Justin and I headed to the beach to spend the day at a beach house in Fort Morgan. The house was BEAUTIFUL! A stone's throw away from the beach, and it even had its own pool!

Our #1 favorite thing of all time, is to go to the beach. We even got engaged at this very beach. I thought this picture was super-cute... especially of Justin.

The beach is extra fun when we can share it with friends. Here's a picture of Jill, Lexy and Me. We were all neighbors in Homewood, and met at the Dog Park in our neighborhood. Our dogs were friends first!Jill's son, Will, loved the water! The only thing he DIDN'T like was being held by anyone other than "Mom" or "Dad." By the end of the day, he let me hold him, but only after an amateur rendition of Take Me Out to the Ball Game and Head, Shoulders, Knees & Toes in English AND in French!

Lexy's daughter, Sweden, loves the POOL! Then again, she likes pretty much everything. She can even hold her breath under water! Such a cute little guppy!

Even Rez and Adler were able to enjoy one of God's finest creations! I think the beach is their #1 favorite thing of all time, too.

So, back to reality...

This packing thing is way overrated. Can't you just see the sheer joy on my face! I can't wait to get settled into our new house and stay there for many many happy years. Until then, I'll keep you posted on our grand adventure at the 'rents.

10-4

Does this carpet look frayed to YOU?

Today, we received the home inspection results from the buyer, and there were only two items on the list! We were pleased, in general, but are still puzzled about one of the items.
1. Broken lock on window. Yes, I know. It's been broken since we moved in, and we will have it repaired.
2. Carpet is frayed where tile meets carpet when going from kitchen to dining room. Do WHAT? I got down on my hands and knees tonight to see what in the world the inspector could be refering to. You be the judge.

So, does this carpet look frayed to YOU?

Now, I must point out two things.

One. Since when is a home inspector supposed to look at carpet??? Does the alleged frayed carpet affect the structural integrity of my home? NO! It's purely cosmetic... assuming that it actually IS frayed.

Two. I'm no home inspector, but I know of at least 3 other items that should have been on the list that weren't.
1. There is a ring around my shower ceiling that was caused from the overspray of the oil-based paint that was used for the crown molding.
2. The light above my tub in the second bath does not consistently come on and off because the insulation causes it to overheat.
3. There are 2 pieces of trim on the exterior of the home that need to be repainted to avoid any rotting in the future.

And, I knew about the lock on my window, so that would have been my #4. I will have all the above items repaired before I move out (without being asked). But FRAYED CARPET? Um, no.
The buyer's agent is coming tomorrow to look at the carpet to determine if it is, in fact, frayed. I hope he thinks the inspector is looney, too.

On a different note, tonight I went to an art class and painted the below masterpiece!

There is an artist here in Birmingham who teaches a class almost every night called Sips 'n Strokes. You pay about $30, she furnishes all the supplies, and teaches you how to paint! It's so much fun to go with a group of girls and let loose. Tonight, I went with Dana (her hubby is Justin's best friend), Annette and Kelly, who are 2 of my Bunko friends. Wendy, the instructor, says the more wine you drink, the better your painting will be! I usually play it safe with a Mountain Dew or Diet Cherry Coke!

Tomorrow, I'm off to Gulf Shores for a few days! A few of our friends are there now, so I'm going to try to make it down for an early dinner, but we'll see. I have a closing in the morning, and I can't leave until afterwards.

Anyway, until next time...

Mother's Day and More!

Let me start off by saying that I cannot imagine what it must be like in Northeast Florida and Southeast Georgia right now. This morning when I left for work, there was a think smokey haze outside. Not only was the air thick, but it smelled of burning leaves. "Something's burning nearby!" I thought to myself as I got in my car. It wasn't until I got to work 15 miles away, the air still thick with smoke, that it finally hit me (with the help of my work partner).

In Birmingham, Alabama, 300 miles away, we can see and smell the smoke from these fires that have ravaged almost 1000 square kilometers of Georgia and Florida. If it's this bad here, I JUST CAN'T IMAGINE WHAT IT'S LIKE THERE!

On a different note (and we'll work backwards, I suppose), Sunday was Mother's Day! I actually had the day off work, so I spent the day basking in the sun at our community pool. We had dinner with the whole fam that night at Bonefish Grill (Mom's pick... well, her second pick. We couldn't get a reservation at Brio). Here's a picture of Mom and me at dinner.

And here's one of her with my sweet daddy.

Mom's are special, and so much of who I am today is because of my mom's influence. I really do have a great mom. So great, in fact, that she is letting us move in with her and Dad while our new home is being finished! I've been promising pictures, so here's the most recent one.


This is what our home will look like for the remainder of this week, and part of next. This week end, the Regions Charity Classic Senior PGA Golf Tournament is being held in Ross Bridge, the community where our home is being built, and where I work! As a resident (and a sales agent), we get free tickets to the tourney, and special parking passes. It's such a blessing to work in a community that has so many fun events. AND, it really helps to work for a smart builder who builds such cool homes at such a great price!

Off my soapbox. I do enough of that during the day.

A quick rundown of the week...

American Idol tonight. Although I'm a FAITHFUL watcher and supporter, I am completely apathetic about who I want to see in the finals. Last week, I voted for Blake because I didn't want LaKeisha to be in the finals. But now, I just don't care! I think they're all good. Jordin has made a great comeback, and shows such talent at such a young age. Melinda has been consistently incredible ever since her audition. And Blake has a fresh unique musical style that I can really respect. I didn't vote this week. I decided to let the rest of America decide!

Tomorrow morning at 8:00 is our home inspection. Please pray it goes well!

And finally, at the end of the week, we are GULF SHORES bound! I'll try to remember to take pictures this time.

This should be plenty of reading material until next time!

Out.

SOLD!

After 36 greuling days on the market, we received an offer on our home! Now, a few days later, it's final... and 21 days from today we will be homeless!!! A little scary that we will be nomads until September, but we feel so blessed that our home sold so quickly! Best of all is the peace of mind that comes with it. We don't have to face losing our new home, or taking on two mortgage payments.

Now, pray the home inspection goes well, and that we can get everything packed up and in storage in exactly 3 weeks. Also, we are going to try living with my parents, which could be a really good thing, or a really bad thing. Let's hope it's a good thing!

Where's Whit!

So, I'm sure some of you are wondering where I've been for so long! After all, it has been, what, almost a year since my last post? Truth is, I was sucked into MySpace after so many of my Birmingham friends began using it to keep in touch. After time, my blog just fell by the wayside. I apoligize to those of you who are faithful bloggers, but your prodigal sista has returned! Well, I'm not making any promises, except that I will vow to post more frequently this time around.

So, what HAS been going on in the lives of Justin and Whitney?

1. Justin has been doing some business expansion on the Gulf Coast. What does this mean for us? Long times apart, but good quality time when we're together. I sometimes think we're able to spend more quality time now, than when we were living in the same city! Sometimes it seems that "life" just gets in the way of the things that are most important to you. Anybody agree? The traveling will end for the most part around the end of July, and Justin can "move" back home! We're counting down the days! Here's a recent picture of Justin... isn't he the cutest?



2. We are building a new home! Our current home has been on the market for about a month now. We have been so pleased with the activity we've had. Today, there are 2 showings, we have 1 so far tomorrow, AND we are negotiating an offer even as we speak. Not sure if it will work out because the people are just being a bit unreasonable. They aren't willing to give us what our home is worth. We are only about $3K apart, but we just can't go down any more.

Here is a picture of the piece of land where our new home will be built.



Our home is actually a lot further along than the picture shows. It actually has first floor walls and everything, but I left my camera at my mom-in-law's. I'll post another pic soon. We were able to choose our lot, floor plan, and all of the interior options for our new house. It will truly be "ours." I'm so excited, and can't WAIT until September when it'll be ready.

3. WORK! Yes, folks, seems like that's about all I do these days. BUT, I do have the best job in Birmingham, and I'm pretty sure the whole country. So, I can't complain.

So, life is good here in Birmingham! Hope you're doing well, too! Ta!