So much to do, so little time...

J and I move in 6 days. SIX DAYS!! I can't believe it's coming up that fast. It seems like just yesterday we found out that we got the house!! Since our work schedules are basically opposite of each other, we haven't had the opportunity to spend a ton of time together since we found out. Yesterday was the first day we've had off together since we got confirmation on the house, so we spent a large part of it running all around Boise trying to get things organized and get the stuff we need lined out for when we move in... things like blinds and curtains. We stopped at the end of our day and picked up some frozen pizzas, then went home to put on our sweatpants and start packing...

It's amazing to me how my possessions seem to multiply when I start packing them. I found stuff that I forgot I even had! J and I have recently gotten really into donating things that we're not using as a way of making more room for ourselves in our tiny little townhouse. I decided last night that just because I'm moving to a bigger space, does not necessary mean that I need to keep things that I don't use just because I'm now going to have more room for them! So I started getting rid of stuff. I'm rather proud of myself, as I have suffered from Pack-Rat Syndrome in the past. Another thing that is amazing to me is how surprisingly little you can fit in a box. It seems that with every fresh, empty box that I pick up to pack, I think to myself, 'this is a pretty good sized box, I'll be able to get a bunch in here...', and I consistently prove myself wrong. Perhaps, I'm just not as skilled in the packing department as I have been telling myself I am, but I keep finding myself wishing more would go into each box. Perhaps this is my dread for the amount of packing we have to do rearing it's ugly head.

It's also surprising to me how much goes into buying and furnishing a house (I know, I know, what a naive statement). This is our first "real" home, meaning this is our first purchased home, and as such, I'm feeling an uncontrollable desire to not have it look like my apartments/townhouse has looked, like a group of furniture thrown together because it was free but doesn't actually match at all (which is exactly what it has been), but look more like the house I envisioned myself living in when I finally got to the point in my life where buying a house was a reasonable option. I want things to match. I want things to be organized. I want it to look like a "grownup house" (I know, I know, what a naive statement again). I suppose the easiest way to say it is this... I want the home we live in to be an acurate representation of the relationship and life that J and I share: mature, safe, calm, relaxing and well taken-care of. I've always wanted the opportunity to decorate our home in the way we've envisioned, and now that I have the chance, I want to take full advantage of it, because I know that these opportunities are rare and should be enjoyed. I wonder if anyone else has ever felt that same desire?

Back to what I was saying before... I'm shocked at how extensive, time consuming, stressful and draining it is to put together a house!! It gives me a whole new level of appreciation for my parents. I never understood how much work went into assembling the house, and then caring for the house and the yard. I have a whole new understanding about how much things cost and what it means to make concessions and set priorities. I suppose that is the first lesson in Home Ownership 101, at least for me. Today will also be filled with shopping and packing, making sure we have what we need to make this work. I know we can do it, I just didn't realize what it would take to do it... But regardless of the hours spent in Home Depot or looking at appliances, days spent driving from store to store, the endless conversations about colors and storage space, it's all worth it. I couldn't be happier that we're taking this step in our lives! I feel luckier and luckier every single day. :)

Sensitive Sniffer...

Ever since I quit smoking, I've had a very sensitive sense of smell. Most would say that this is a good thing, lucky even, and while I would normally agree, this morning I was wishing my nose would go back to functioning solely for breathing purposes, rather than smelling purposes...

I woke up this morning before my alarm, around 7:30. As I lay there in bed, thinking about the day ahead, I notice a strong smell. Immediately I know what the smell is..........cat poop. Immediately I'm frustrated, because I know where it's coming from and what that means. The dog is laying on the bedroom floor panting, and I know the smell is coming from him, and that he's been snacking on the catbox contents...again. But there's something else...another smell on top of it that I can't put my finger on because I'm so focused on the first smell. I drag myself out of bed, knowing what I have to deal with that morning (cleaning up after the dog's night of emptying the catbox). As I head down the stairs, I see the origin of the smell I couldn't put my finger on. The dog, after eating so much out the catbox, apparently couldn't control himself and didn't bother to come alert myself or J. There was dog poop on the stairs. Great. So I gather some toilet paper, a towel and stain remover, and I pick up the mess on the stairs. Then I walk into the living room and see the second mess the dog has left for me - there's remnants of cat poop and litter all over the living room floor, kitchen floor, and spare bathroom floor. Greeeaaat. I set about cleaning up the mess, but thanks to my sensitive nose and how early in the morning it is (thus how ill-prepared I am to deal with this level of grossness), I start to heave. Awesome.

The worst part? J and I don't believe in punishing the dog after he's broken a rule (and this is definitely not the first time he's broken this rule). So there's no punishment for him, because I didn't catch him in the act, so he wouldn't understand the punishment and it would be completely fruitless. The only result is a bad morning for me. Ironically, John and I had stayed up late last night talking about how great of a dog Huck is, and how we're really impressed with how smart he is, and how he's maturing, and considering getting another American Eskimo soon so Huck has a sibling-friend to play with!!

Needless to say, J will be going to buy an automatic catbox today while I'm working, because I simply cannot deal with how gross it is when your dog tries to cuddle with you after eating something like that! Yuck!!

Ah... the adventures of being a pet owner... *sigh*

Chapter One...

So much has changed for me in the past year. This time last year, I was living in a tiny one bedroom house (if you could call it that...) up against an alley in the deep North End. J and I had only been dating for just under three months, and I was burning up all of my spare time falling in love with him. The summer flew by, and then the winter, and then came spring. We were celebrating our one year anniversary on a weekend vacation when he proposed to me. It was the day before Mother's Day. The proposal was completely unexpected, but apparently only unexpected by me, and I cried and cried (of happiness of course). Since then, everything has been a blur. Next week we will be closing on our very first home, and the next year will be full of wedding planning and home building. That's why I started this blog. I plan to chronicle our adventures as we navigate being first-time homeowners, planning a wedding and taking on married life... I can't wait!