Archive for November, 2008

I had the most enjoyable weekend! I told a few friends today that its end was almost like a tragic romance novel… where, instead of the tall, handsome hero ending up with the petite, beautiful dame, he dies. How tragic of an ending… kind of leaves you hanging and in want of a new ending.

Friday night, Tim and I met three friends for supper… of course Mike, my dear bestest friend in the world other than Timothy Andrew…. was there. My new friends Jenn and her husband Brian were there with their son. We ended up at our favorite hangout of course. I could stop here and take a quiz to see if you know where that might be… but if you’ve read my blog long enough, you know its LONGHORN STEAKHOUSE! We had a great dinner and conversation. Afterward, we all went to the house to show off the place.

Saturday morning, Tim and I went out to breakfast and then met Jenn & Brian. We all planned a daytrip down to Fayetteville, Tennessee which is about an hour and a half. The men sat up front and Jenn & I sat in the back, chattering one another’s ears off… and the men’s ears too! We met four ladies for lunch at a Mexican restaurant. Now why would we go all that way to meet four people? Glad you asked!  

I met Gail on Obesity Help Tennessee forum. She started reading my blog and each day when I signed on to write my post, it tells me who is logged in. There, Gail’s name was almost every morning. I think she was more faithful at showing up to my site as I was! When the opportunity arose to meet her, I said, “OK, that sounds like a great idea to me!” Why not? So we plotted, schemed and planned until we got the date and location.

She is the sweetest person! I just loved her to pieces! We talked, and talked, just about nothing, but about everything! I loved asking the ladies, “What is your favorite protein shake?” And, without a moment’s hesitation, Gail said “Mochachino!” Oh a woman after my own heart. Wow, I love that stuff, too!! I knew we would have a lasting friendship….  Here is a picture of me and Gail.

I took a few protein products to share. Since we were going to eat Mexican food, I took a bag of Kay’s Naturals White Cheddar Kruncheez to eat along with my chicken fajitas. I let everyone taste them… and after lunch, I opened a Sugar Free Chocolate bar that I purchased at Trader Joe’s a few weeks ago. Wow, that stuff tastes so much like REAL chocolate! It was wonderful… I loved to see Gail’s eyes light up when I pulled an Oh Yeah bar out of my purse to show them what types of protein bars I liked. So, I was a good protein postop and let her have it…

After we left, Brian, Tim, Jenn and myself all went shopping. I found the cutest sweater in gray, black and fuschia… Jenn and Tim talked me into buying it… I wore it to work today. Jenn found some cute sweaters, and of course, since there were no Russell Stover stores on the way home, we just visited the local Fred’s Discount Store and bought some sugar free candy. I did not know that there were Sugar Free Tootsie Roll pops. Did you?! And if you did, how come you didn’t share that wealth of info?!? I also bought some sugar free Chick-O-Stix. All of us were very careful not to eat but a few pieces on the way home. After all, you don’t want to make a bad impression on your friends by stinking up their vehicle with sugar alcohol gas! Bwahaha! We stopped at my next favorite store: BIG LOTS and found some Ready to Drink Promax French Vanilla. I opened one up there in the store (yes I planned on buying it!) and Jenn & I tested it before we bought 4 containers each. It makes a great coffee creamer. It was only $1.70 a container!

Sunday Tim & I went to church, out for a quick bite to eat and then met my family at the new house. We ripped out a closet. Tim handed me a hammer and said, “Go ahead.” I didn’t know what to do! I’ve never really done much construction… so I started banging away on the drywall, until finally we had the wall out. That was fun! Who needs Lexapro? Who needs anger management? Just grab a hammer and let out all your frustration on the drywall. We also took off some doors, installed new locks and later took a trip to Lowe’s where we made some purchases.

I hated to get up out of bed this morning. I wished I could have woke up and it was Sunday again. Life is so good!

It came; it went; it’s gone now.  The moment I have waited for so many months.  The house signing is over.  Let me just say, my butt (oops, tuckus) hurt so bad sitting in that room for several hours.  The “whatever you call it” clerk brought out a stack of papers in a legal size plastic folder that was thicker than a ream of paper.  She explained every single sheet before it was signed.  Half of what was said, I didn’t even understand.  I just sat there as Tim signed away his life, I mean, 15 years of it!

Our realtor gave us a $50 Chili’s gift card.  She probably thinks “Thank heavens this is over.  I’ve showed that girl so many houses now…  whew she wore me out!”  I wore myself out, lol.  We took Mike out for supper.  Tim said it was his retainer fee – I asked what that meant.  He said, “You know, a retainer for his services; to help you do the house.”  So now I have my own interior and out-terior decorator.  

After our supper, the three of us went to the house.  Tim let me unlock the door for the very first time.  We walked from room to room, discussing our first course of action.  I think I would have been a good house builder.  After all, I’ve already managed to create the need for a relocation of the main bathroom entrance, readjusting closet entrances from one room accessibility to another.  Closets in the main bath and living room will be solid walls now.  The two bedrooms on the far side of the house will now have gigantic walk in closets.  

Now the next decision I have to make is:  where to get the credit card.  Home Depot?  Lowe’s?  I’m leaning towards Lowe’s.  That’s more my style of place.  Home Depot seems to have more of a warehousey feel to it.  Lowe’s is more home make me feel good oriented.  

I have a picture I purchased at Walmart some time ago.  It’s of a tall burnt reddish color vase with skinny white flowers in it.  There are shadowy background walls with caramel, mustard, tan and cream.  It has been the focus of my kitchen and dining room ideas.  I need to toss that in the trunk of my car so tomorrow evening, I can show my friends Jen, Brian and Mike.  We’re all meeting for dinner, taking yet another tour of the house…  and I can get started with their help as to what colors to put on the walls.  Tim, however, states that he will be of little help in this area.  In his words, “It does not matter to me.”  Ok, we’ll see when the paint is smeared on whether or not he truly means that!

I will be posting some interior “before” pictures, and as we get some of the work done, I’ll post “during” pictures.  Hopefully before long I will have an “after” picture to put on here… of at least one room, or one completed project!  

The long anticipated day has finally arrived.  We close on the house today.  Here is a picture of the front.  I just cannot stand it!  I haven’t blogged about last Saturday yet, but I do have pictures.  Notice the bars on the windows?  These evidently USED to be fashionable!  Go figure.  But, the homeowner’s insurance said they have to go.  Hey, now that is MY kind of homeowners…  for once a group of men actually AGREED with what I have been saying all along:  TAKE THE BARS OFF THE WINDOWS.  I just wish I had been able to open up a window, put my face up to it from the inside, and say “See what I would look like in prison?”  That’s probably what Tim is thinking about the house…  “Oh my goodness…  I’m signing my life away today… ”