Sacrifice to the Moving Gods

I've now looked through every box: we only had to sacrifice one white wine glass to the moving gods (i'm not counting the coffee mug Amanda broke between Mesa Verde and the house). Happy only one thing broke, but not thrilled that it was one of our GOOD glasses- as opposed to the set of 24 for 8 bucks from IKEA. So, we're patting ourselves on the back for being excellent packers. yeah.

Also, we now have internet- so we're officially plugged in. This also means Rob and I hang out in completely seperate parts of the house. Me in the living room/ kitchen and him out in Step Tech Headquarters (aka- above the garage). We text or IM to communicate. Is that sad? Maybe, but its kinda fun.

George Update: she's adjusted OK to the house, but I think now she's a tortured kitty- all she wants to do is go outside. And since we don't have a fence yet- that ain't gonna happen. So, she just sits at the windows that face the courtyard and whines. The one time she did get out, she ate some of the weeds in the yard, came back inside....and puked. Good times- thank god for concrete floors.

OK, that's it for now. I promise next time I'll have visual aids with the post. All text and no posts make for a boring Blog.

Closing in Texas

We did it! We closed on Monday, and the last 3 days have been spent moving, packing, unpacking, cleaning, driving all over town....typical moving in stuff.

All that business is sooo worth it- the house is amazing. Pretty surreal being in a place you've been dreaming about for a year and a half. Neighbors are cool- but we already knew that. A few of them stopped by for a beer on the deck and the sunset. All agreed that we have the best view in Agave.

Our punch list is pretty short- nothing major to fix or adjust. A few of the outlets in the kitchen don't work, and the fence needs to be completed. The contractor is still coming out to the house to water the yard- the grass gets yellow quick w/ all this sun.

A few things that I would guess are unique to Texas in a real estate closing:

1. Your property is called your HOMESTEAD.

2. There's a whole section of documents on SQUATTER'S RIGHTS. they actually asked if we noticed anyone campin out on our "homestead".

3. We do not have the rights to the "minerals" that may or may not be present on our property. Translation: If it turns out there is oil on our property, we do not have the right to drill it. We had to sign something that stated we promise NOT TO DRILL FOR OIL.

Only in Texas. (but please correct me if I'm wrong).

Moral of the story: The house rocks and it was well worth the wait. You're all invited anytime, doesn't matter if you have to fly, drive or walk- just get here! We'll be on the balcony with a glass of wine.

Are Y'all Ready For This?????

WE HAVE A CLOSING DATE!!!!

JUNE 3OTH: Exactly 548 Days or 78 Weeks and 2 Days since we signed a contract and put down earnest money.

I guess they missed their completion date of October 2007 by a day or two....

Random Interior Shots

In order from top to bottom: Master shower with channel set glass panel, kitchen cabs and stove (5 burner), kitchen sink faucet, Rob in the living room, and the 2 steps leading up to the ground floor bedrooms (that unfinished concrete edge will be covered with a black steel angle.) I'll ask again- How cool is this????

Fresh Dirt & Stair Railings!

Even the new top soil coordinates with the house colors. We went by the house yesterday to find the yards being graded with top soil. I have to say, the yard really cleans up good. We also found the metal stair railings in place. Now all they have to do is paint them and add the acryllic panels. We gave the builder a sketch showing how we want the front yard landscaped- we'll see if they actually follow it. Also note- the garage door is stained and it matches the wood plaque for the house numbers.

I am no longer a Total Bum...

....because I am now officially employed! I start working at Peel Paulson Design Studio this Thursday. So, my days as a stay at home, non-Mom are numbered. PPDS is near Zilker Park, and they have what I know as "summer hours" all year. Summer hours = 8-6 M-Th, and 8-noon on Fridays. Yippee!

So, now we just have to get the Austin division of Step Technologies Inc. rollin. Anybody out there need a one-stop-shopping IT guy? Unlike typical IT guys, he's funny and not bad to look at.

1 More Month To Go! (but keep your fingers crossed)

The steel trellis is finally painted! (see top pic) We decided to do a sandy color rather than the same red that is on the rest of the metal work- we figured it would be too much of the red. And we were right! The trellis is almost the same color as the roof- which looks cool when you're looking down from the 2nd floor balcony. We got appliances last week (don't worry, I'll spare everyone the excitement of looking at pictures of dishwashers), lights are in, plumbing...they even had the A/C turned on last Friday. BTW- the bottom pic is of me and my friend Staci, and her little dude, Aiden. Pic taken from the balcony above the garage. All future pics will have the sunset directly behind us (and we'll more than likely have a little more drinks, and a little less baby- sorry Aiden!).

The main thing left to do is the landscaping, garage doors, and the gutters. For gutters, we're going to install a chain link down spout off the corner of the garage. The other 2 downspouts will be on the back of the house. Other than that, it's a boat load of little things to do before we close.

Tonight, we're going to have a little Sex in the City....and I do mean....THE MOVIE. We're seeing it with a group at the Alamo Drafthouse....complete with specialty cosmos. http://www.originalalamo.com/
For those of you not in Texas, the Drafthouse is a series of theaters that serves awesome food and drinks- in the theater, complete w/ waiters. Going to movies is way more appealing when there's food and alcohol involved- otherwise, we go to the 2nd best theater called Netflix. ;)