The Next Adventure Is At Home

When we moved back to Virginia Jeremy and I made the crazy decision to buy a house that needed a little love. For years and years (maybe even before we got married) we had talked about fixing up an old house and making it our own. We wanted to do all the work ourselves and tear down walls and live in chaos. Well, reality (like kids!) made that dream a little less...hmm..realistic :) Add Jeremy's job which requires him to work very long days and our constant moving and it just never worked out.

Then we got moved here sooner than we thought we would be moved anywhere. And, money wise, it was very sudden. So, we reluctantly looked at rentals. I hated the idea of renting again but I was resigned to a couple more years of living in someone else's house. And, then, because of the economy we realized that in many cases it was cheaper to buy than to rent. After some quick but serious conversations (we didn't have lots of time to decide!) we chose to buy a house again.

So, crazy girl that I am, I had this idea...what if we didn't spend even close to what we were approved for? What if we bought a really cheap house and fixed it up? What if we used the extra money for renovation and paying off debt? Was that stupid? Insane even? Yeah, probably. But that's what we decided to do.

We looked at bunches of houses...townhouses, houses with floors that I was afraid would collapse as we walked across them, a house on a beautiful (BEAUTIFUL) couple of acres that was scary with how much work it needed and that was before we discovered the basement had been sitting with at least a foot of water in it for who knows how long. We looked at houses that had floors covered in red dirt and houses that were so tiny I didn't even know where the family would sit to eat dinner. Our only criteria to go look at a place was that the price was cheap and the house was liveable. This would be a slow and steady process for us...not something that would be completed in a month or two and so we needed plumbing and electric ready to go.

I saw our house as an online listing and immediately said "Nope. Don't like it." Our realtor kept bringing it up and on one of my Virginia house hunting trips I finally agreed to see it. I walked in the front door and loved it right away. I made Jeremy come look at it with me that very evening. He felt the same way I did. The house was small and only had one bathroom. Ack! It was old and had the ugliest (and tiniest) kitchen I'd ever seen but there was something about it. We figured that a small house would be perfect for this project. After all, who wants to experiment on a huge, overwhelming house? We have a great fireplace (and family room), we have a cute corner lot, we have hardwood floors and big trees in the yard. The roof and windows are new. Central air has already been added. There is potential here. It's a small house but it's cozy. It has good bones and it makes me feel safe and warm and happy. Who cares that it needs lots of work? That just means I get to dream and plan more :)

So! After living here for 6 months we are finally ready to start working on the house. We didn't plan on taking it quite this slow but vacation and settling in and holidays snuck up on us and took up all our time (and money!). But, in a way it's been good. We've learned the house, we've learned how we live in it, what areas we gravitate toward and what needs to change. We actually changed our plans a bit based on this information we didn't have when we first moved in.

I plan on documenting the process of our construction...and demolition. I'm hoping to learn lots and planning on staying very busy. We'll have to start with the boring stuff first but I'm so anxious to get goingnso we can get to the good stuff (cabinets and flooring and paint chips, Oh my!).

First up...painting the current kitchen, painting the trim and doors in the bathroom and the kids rooms and moving the attic access and putting in an attic ladder. Look for pictures and stories (and maybe some complaints :) in the upcoming weeks...

Starting Over

Starting over with the blogging, that is :) I started this blog with the intention of keeping family and friends updated on our various travels and moves and such and it was going well...until I burned out on it. Why? I have no idea. I just got tired of writing, I guess. (And right in the middle of the Alaska posts! The nerve of me!)

But, I'm going to start again. The question is do I finish the Alaska posts? Do I tell you all about our most recent trip (to DisneyWorld)? Or do I just jump right into life as it is at this moment? Any preference?

Alaska, Part II

Days 3, 4, and 5

Boarding the ship, NCL's Pearl, was a fairly quick and painless process. (I won't mention that when taking my picture for my ID, the computers locked up. Yes, apparently, you can break a camera with this face :) Before long, they allowed us to go aboard. The cabins weren't ready yet so we spent some time hanging out in the atrium, people watching, making dinner reservations, and taking our deposit for the week to the purser. One cool (and slightly dangerous) thing about cruising these days is that most ships don't use cash for your spending. Whether your ordering a margarita or buying something in the gift shop, etc, you use your ID. It's connected to a credit card (or in our case, a cash deposit). It makes it very convenient because you don't need to carry cash but also a bit dangerous if you use a credit card because you can easily lose track of your spending if you're not careful.

I had done lots of internet research for this trip and one of the tips I had found was to eat lunch in the Summer Palace, one of the main dining rooms onboard. This seems like a no brainer but on embarkation day they really push for you to eat at the buffets. We went against the grain and Pat, Olivia, Jeremy, my dad, my stepmom and I got to enjoy a great, peaceful, low key, yummy lunch in a restaurant where only maybe a dozen tables were taken. After hearing complaints from people about how crowded and insane the buffets were I was really glad we had chosen to ignore the flock.

After lunch we spent some time exploring the ship and enjoying the views of downtown Seattle. The weather was fantastic. The sun was bright and hot and there was a great breeze coming from the Sound.

We didn't do much else that first day. We were all really tired from our long flights and early mornings. Blue Ridge Travel did throw a cocktail party for our group that first night. Yay! Free drinks! We hung out for awhile and then Jeremy took Olivia off to the cabin to get some sleep. I stayed for karaoke and more margaritas with Heather, Kristi, and Erika and only left when I was worried I wouldn't remember where our room was :)

Day 4

Our first full day on the ship was an "at sea" day. We headed up the coast of Canada on our way to Alaska. The ship had lots of activities planned and, while we did participate in some, it seemed we spent most of our day looking for whales. Everyone kept seeing them but I missed them at every turn. I was always just a little late or on the wrong side. Terrible luck! Eventually, as the sun was beginning to set I saw several humpback whales and an orca. It was pretty awesome having them swim so close to the ship. The scenery on the way up the coast was beautiful. Random islands popped up every few minutes and we saw our first glacier nestled between two larger mountains. Olivia had a few moments of seasickness but it quickly passed and we all started really enjoying being on the ship.

Day 5

We arrived in Juneau on Tuesday afternoon. It was interesting to see a state capital that seemed so small. I don't know if I realized before this trip that there are no roads leading into Juneau. You can only arrive by boat or plane. Crazy!

Jeremy, the kids, and I decided to take the Mt. Roberts Tram and then hike a little bit once we got fairly high on the mountain. My friend, Kris, who works for Holland America and had recently been to Alaska, recommended this to us and it turned out to be a great idea. The tram runs up the mountain on a cable to about 1800 feet. Once up there, we found an observation deck that allowed us to look down on our ship.

We decided to hike on up to see what else we could spot. The trail was easy and allowed us to see some mountain goats on the mountains facing us. We hiked up into sub-alpine level where the tree line ends and it becomes mostly grasses and moss and heather. Once out of the treeline, the wind became ferocious. At times it was hard to stand against it. Luckily, the day was fairly warm (mid-50s) so we laughed more than cringed at the gusts. We hiked up until we got to a sign that warned against us going any farther. We took a couple of pictures of our windblown joy and headed back down. We walked a little bit in town, shopped for souvenirs, and hunted down a case of soda (it costs a couple bucks per glass on the ships) and got back on the ship in time for dinner!

Alaska, Part I

After a year and a half of planning and dreaming and saving, we finally made our trek across the country to go on our Alaskan cruise. We were lucky enough to go with all of our parents, my grandmother, my great-grandmother, and several friends. The trip went by too fast, there wasn't enough time, and we're already talking about "when we go back to Alaska." It was a fantastic week and we're slowly recovering. The pets are all back home, the kids are back at school, and Jeremy is back to work. I'm drowning in laundry and slowing getting everything unpacked and reorganized. We still haven't caught up on our sleep...we had quickly adjusted to being 4 hours behind. It's definitely harder coming back the other way! I'm hoping this weekend allows us to completely get back to normal.

Our Alaskan adventure was full so I won't give you all the details at once. I'll divide it into bite-size pieces so I can add more pictures and keep each post at a decent length. I should warn you...the parts of Alaska we visited were in the rainforest (before researching this trip I had no idea that Alaska had anything remotely considered a rainforest). This means that most pictures were taken on rainy, cloudy, grey days. It seems most of them are studies in shades of blue and grey and I wish they better conveyed the beauty of our trip. Maybe next time I'll take a photographer with us :)

Day 1 and 2:

On Friday we were giddy with anticipation. I don't think any of us could wait to get on the road. Jeremy left work early to help me finish last minute details and we were packed and ready to go the minute the kids got home from school. We decided to head to Columbus to spend the night before our trip officially began. It was an hour and a half drive and so we decided it would be easier to spend the night at a hotel near the airport since we had to be there at 4am the next morning. Another benefit was there is a Target there...something we're sadly lacking in Athens. This allowed us to grab some last minute items before crashing early that night. (Even I went to bed by 9:30!!).

The luggage is packed and ready to go. I don't think we did too bad for a family of 4 leaving for 10 days...

Olivia is chillin' on the way to Columbus. It'll be the last day of wearing tank tops and shorts for awhile!

I'm not a big fan of flying and so the thought of a cross country trip was a little nerve wracking. Luckily, the kids take after Jeremy and so the 5 hour flight was something they were looking forward to.

What else is Noah going to do in an airport at 5am? Why eat breakfast when you have a DS?

We flew to Atlanta where by coincidence we were joined by 30 other people in our group. We almost missed our flight because our first flight was delayed and then our gate was switched on us. Hurrying through the airport with 2 sleepy kids and several carry-ons in tow, we made it with less than 5 minutes to spare. The kids were thrilled to find out that their Granny, Poppie, Uncle Jeff, Grammy and Papa were all on our plane. We didn't buy our tickets knowing this in advance, it just all fell together perfectly that way.

I played the in flight trivia, competing against the other passengers to keep my mind off the fact that we were a gazillion feet in the air. It made a huge difference. It's no secret that I'm a trivia playing fanatic :) And, then, somewhere over Montana the skies cleared enough for me to see land and a crazy thing happened...when I saw the views I suddenly began to think that maybe flying wasn't terrible. And then when I glimpsed Mt. Rainier in the distance I couldn't look away.

We arrived in Seattle exhausted but elated. Now our trip had officially begun! We were on the west coast (a first for the kids and I)! We took a shuttle through downtown Seattle to our hotel. It was located on Lake Union and the views from our balcony were spectacular...on one side was a view of the lake, on the other side we could see the Space Needle.

We didn't do much that day in Seattle. We were tired and lots of people in our group were still trickling in. Our friend, Pat, who shared our cabin with us on the ship, arrived at the hotel at the same time we did. Our friends, Heather, Erika, and Kristi came in later that evening. And my Mom, Grandmother, and Great-Grandmother came in very late that night. We ran around greeting people, relaxing on our huge balcony and enjoying the sights and sounds of the city. We did hit the Space Needle for dinner which was wildly expensive (there's a $35 minimum charge per person no matter what you order. Of course, I didn't see anything on the menu except appetizers that cost less than that). The view was amazing, though. The restaurant turns so that you make a complete circle every 45 minutes. We could see downtown, Puget Sound, Mt. Baker, Mt. Rainier, Mt. Hood and others that I couldn't name from our table. After dinner we headed up another 60 feet to the observation deck. The sun was going down and the air was getting chilly but it was beautiful up there. We hit the gift shop before heading back to our hotel. We were 3 hours behind (so eating dinner at 10pm to our body clocks) and getting very, very sleepy. Noah found a LEGO Space Needle that he just couldn't resist. Back to the hotel, the kids got in bed, and we sat outside in the dark, chatting until we couldn't stay awake any longer. I think we all fell asleep with thoughts of Alaska and the ship in our head...

Peeping Tom

We have a deer family that visits our yard almost every evening. We're right on the edge of the woods and all the dogs on our little section of street are never let off leash so I guess it's an ideal dinnertime haunt. The doe and fawn always stay in the backyard. In fact, I don't think I've ever seen them come more than halfway to the house. I suppose they like to keep the sheltering woods close by. However, since the apples on the trees in our front/side yard have become ready to eat, the buck has been venturing closer and closer to the house. (Unfortunately, this means that Maggie is forced to bark and growl and threaten his life...usually at the most annoying times possible :). The other day I was in Olivia's room, checking out the excellent cleaning job she'd done when I saw the buck out front. I ran and grabbed my camera, knowing that I wouldn't be able to get a good shot through the screen on her window and the distance to the deer but unable to resist trying anyway. Imagine my surprise when I put my camera close to the glass and the deer came to greet me. He cocked his head, walked closer, and looked right into the window.

Love Thursday (on a Friday) - Praying Mantis

This guy was hanging out in the lavender...

A Long Break

I guess you could say I took a summer vacation, it's been so long since I've posted! But, now school has started again and I suppose it's time for me to start blogging again :) We had a great summer that went by way too fast. The kids got to spend lots of time with Jeremy's parents, Jeremy and I went on our first camping trip without kids in at least 10 years, we hung out at home, visited the zoo, had lots of playdates, and really just enjoyed ourselves.

We've had 2 weeks of school now and things seem to be going really well. Olivia has started 1st grade and absolutely loves it. She can't wait to get to school each day. Next week she'll start her gymnastics class and she'll resume ice skating at the beginning of October. It's good to get back into a steady routine again.

Noah is in 5th grade this year and in just 2 weeks has had an amazing amount of homework. He was a little worried when the teacher sent a letter telling him that he had an assignment due on the first day of school. So far, it hasn't been more than he can handle, though. Like Olivia, Noah is beginning some extra activities. He's taking band this year. Instead of piano lessons, he'll be learning the trumpet at school. I think he's really excited about learning a second instrument. He's also tried out for the school's chorus so we'll find out next week if he made it into the "Kids Next Door" singing group. He also has a big change in the gifted/talented program this year. 5th and 6th graders actually get bussed to another school once a week to take class with other G/T students in the city. It adds to his workload...he's gone from his regular classes once a week and has to make up all that work but I think it's a great opportunity. There are only 12 kids from 3 schools in this weekly class and they will delve a little deeper into certain subjects. He'll also get to go to Gettysburg for a 4 day trip in the spring once they've studied the Civil War. We're cutting back a little on after school activities for him to make sure the work isn't overwhelming...between the extra homework, band practice, and soccer I don't want him to miss out on just chilling out with a book, watching a mindless TV show, or playing with Legos with his best buddy. We'll see how it goes!

I guess the biggest news on the horizon is that in 1 week we will be heading to Alaska. Next Friday night Jeremy, the kids, and I are heading to Columbus to spend the night. Saturday morning we'll fly to Seattle where we'll spend a day before boarding our ship to Alaska. I've been reading and googling and asking questions like crazy. I think we're ready to go exploring. (And, if I'm completely honest, I'll admit that I packed one of our two suitcases a week ago. I'm so excited!!!) I'm hoping to have lots of pictures and stories to share when we return. We're going hiking in Juneau, to a Totem Pole park in Skagway, renting a car and driving into the Yukon Territory (crossing into Canada) in Ketchikan, and checking out the city by horse drawn carriage in Victoria. We'll end the trip with another day in Seattle where we'll see the Mariners take on the Yankees. I can't wait for everything we have planned and all the spontaneous stuff that happens in between. I don't want to over schedule. I want Alaska to unfold for us. I want to see what adventures we can find, what wildlife we can spot, what trails we happen upon, and what memories we take home. I have a feeling that the next week is going to be the longest week ever :)