Video: Sammy runs away from ducks.
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Sam and I have been busy this week – I’ve had steady work and Sam has been very busy in his “office” managing a town (new set of blocks with buildings, trees, cars – he’s learning about STOP signs).
Video: The drive up to our house.
Video: Coffee bar is open! (Note: speed slowed to half because I panned too fast.)
We enjoyed an early morning latte/cappucino with Mike and Angel this morning. Dave made excellent drinks for us with his espresso machine and French press. The coffee tastes so fresh when brewed with a press. Even I am convinced the extra work is worth it 🙂
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you don’t feel like typing initial caps; you leave the sunroof on your car open and it just happens to pour last night; you can’t find your truck keys in the morning on your way to work and find them IN the truck, battery dead.
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It really feels like home now that we can cook something to eat! And yes, Dave’s clothes are now in the closet. The four foot heap is totally gone! Goodwill is really going to be happy, too.
The three of us have been really enjoying getting set up in our new home. Everyone was asking if we were on a high with home-ownership but truly it didn’t hit until we left our home for a birthday party and realized we were going to be coming and going from this ONE place as a family for the next FIVE years! It was an amazing feeling, to start setting up our little routines. We feel so incredibly blessed. Just last night Dave said again that he still can’t believe we’re here, in our new home, exactly where we were hoping to live.
Friday was absolutely nuts getting our 1000 lbs of expedited shipment stuff over to our new home in addition to sifting through the 9860 lbs of stuff the movers brought. Dave made two trips with the truck after my first trip – he had to load up beach cruisers, kayak, surf board, road bikes…I’m too weary to recount it all!
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The sounds of closing (turn your speakers up!).
We closed on our home today at 11am! How exciting! It was a TON of signatures, as any homeowner already knows 🙂 We had such wonderful people representing us that it was an easy escrow process, and the closing was just icing on the cake. We “record” on Friday, which is when we get the keys. The process here is very deliberate (and often slow), but the painstaking care ensures no mistakes are made along the way. The cable should be turned on tomorrow, and the rest of the utilities will be on for us on Friday when we move out of our beach cottage and into the new home. We’ll post pictures over the weekend once we get settled in a little.
I was sitting at my computer doing some work after Sam went to bed. All of a sudden the house shook and creaked. I knew what it was instantly. My stomach went into a knot and my eyes bulged, wondering when it would be over. Dave was in the shower. I’d have to rescue Sam and the dog single-handedly, load them into the car and race to the mountains to get away from the tsunami. My gas tank is half full – that should be enough. All of this raced through my mind in the 5 seconds the earthquake lasted.
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We had a great weekend getting the last gear and furniture we’d been looking for. Yesterday we got a square dining table and 8 chairs – a great deal from the Marine Corps Exchange. We were so lucky they found one last table in the warehouse, otherwise the wait was 4-6 MONTHS.
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Made a new grilled pizza tonight…I didn’t tell Dave the ingredients until after he tasted it. I knew he would dispute my concoction’s worth if I disclosed the ingredients prematurely! It’s so hot here right now – the trade winds are shifting, so it’s very still. It feels really strange to not have the strong winds blowing. Sam’s cough is worse, so we’re heading to the doctor again tomorrow. He’s in good spirits and running around, so I’m not really worried, just playing it safe before we head into the weekend.
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We will be signing our documents on Tuesday, and moving in on Friday, 9/1! Our household goods were rescued from the pier and the movers are scheduled to bring them next Friday. We are so fortunate that everything has gone so smoothly. While this was definitely the most complicated move from a logistics perspective, it’s also gone more smoothly than any other move to date. We still can’t believe Caffrey made it though the direct release program with no quarantine, and that we were able to pick up both cars on the same day (one wasn’t scheduled for release until the next week).
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Dave came home with a surprise treat for Sammy and me tonight – a new jogging stroller! As much as I loved our stroller/travel system, it was actually pretty heavy, and with Sammy’s off-the-charts size, it was time to upgrade to something more comfortable for both of us.