in with the new

Three Weeks!

We've been in our new home for three weeks now! It's starting to come together. We still have no couch, that is getting delivered tomorrow. But our bedroom is all set up with our crackle painted furniture, the kitchen is pretty much set, the guest room is full of boxes, but the bed is made and the cable hooked up... Once the couch gets here, the living room will be in working order!

Last weekend, Hurrican Dennis skipped us! It was an interesting thing, to be living here only 2 weeks, and already be threatened by a hurricane. All we got here were some rain/wind bands. There wasn't even constant rain for any long period of time. Here's where he went.

In With More New Stuff!

I have so much to type about! I'm going to save the Italy trip for another entry.

Our Italy trip was from May 29 - June 17. We flew back to NJ. I stayed at my bff's house and hung out with her and her boys. Will went to NY to see the Yankees and hang out with his friends. We had our friends' wedding on June 18. We were tired, but it was totally worth it to be there with our people. We were a little homesick at the end of the trip, so that was exactly what we needed.

We flew to FL on June 19, and stayed with my parents for about a week. Why only a week? Because we CLOSED ON OUR HOUSE on friday, June 24!!! Yep, that's right! We found a house in St. Petersburg before Italy, went away, corresponded with our realtor and mortgage broker via phone and email, signed all the necessary papers and faxed or UPSed them back, and now we live in the cute yellow house! Our realtor made sure everything was in order. He rocks.

Here's my photo album of the house. Click on the "next" under the thumbnail on the right to navigate through the pictures.

We slept on the floor the first few nights, and then our stuff got here this past Tuesday, June 28. It's so nice to sleep in our own bed! Basher likes the house, there's a fenced yard for her, and a glass front door for her to peek out. We've been unpacking and organizing since Tuesday. And I've been WORKING! I re-started work (from afar) on Tuesday. Will and I set up the front room (the green room in the photo album) as an office. My commute is 5 seconds! Yay!

It's July 4th weekend now, and we are going to explore our new town. Hooray!

(Thanks mom and dad, for watching Basher for a month! I am so glad that you all liked each other so much!)

House Shopping!

Will and I got to St. Pete last night. We went around with a realtor ALL DAY today. We found a house we like a LOT!!! It's right near a giant park that has a dog run and a lake. It's about a mile from the bay, where there is "beach"-like access. It's totally restored all over.

I took a lot of pictures of the houses we saw. I will put them online tomorrow. There was one "Native American" themed house for all to appreciate, heh. Until then, here are a few pictures from realtor.com of "our" house. Cross your fingers for us!

On the Road Again

We're in North Carolina now!

On Tuesday, after the movers came, Will and I cleaned up the house. Then I had a manicure, pedicure and facial. (I had a local gift certificate). Then we had dinner with our neighbors. It was a really special send-off. Then we drove to NJ.

We stayed with our friends Jake and Kelly in Long Branch, NJ. During our stay, we went for a visit with Shannon. She had a baby boy a few weeks ago , Sammy, (pictures later!), and I wanted to meet him! So we hung out at a park with Shannon and her 2 boys. Fun.

Jake and Kelly got married yesterday (congratulations!!!), so we ran wedding errands with them and had some quality down time. I even helped Kelly with her wedding jewelry by fashioning up a pearly dangly bit for her necklace! I was so happy to contribute to the wedding!

We left on Friday for NC. The drive took about 9 hours. Bashey was happy to get here, so she could stretch her shit out. Heh. We'll be here until next Sunday, and then we make our way to FL!

Moving Day!

The movers are on their way here! It's a sad day. I love this house a lot. It's so close to the beach. And the house itself is pretty awesome (those are the old pics, from the former owners - plate pics dedicated to Nicole and Shelly). And Long Beach is a great town to live in. The people aren't as "Long Islandey" as they are in other places. And our neighbors Donna and Dave are SO great. It's nice to know I can make a neighbor FRIEND!

So I'm a bit sad. Tomorrow I'll be excited. Excited about our drive to Florida. Excited about visiting our friends and parents. Excited about Italy. Excited about Jake and Kelly's wedding. Excited about working from home*. Excited about finding a NEW awesome home for us! Yay!

* Did I tell you I'm going to be able to keep my job? Well, I am. From afar! 60% of the days I work now, so I will be able to pursue a jewelry making career as well! I am very appreciative of my relationship with my boss, and her faith in me!

Bon Voyage!

We invited a bunch of friends to have farewell drinks with us on Saturday night. First, Will and I met a few of them for dinner at Lombardi's pizza. I wanted an authentic NY meal on our last night there. Mmmm, plain pizza with fresh mozzarella and a clam pizza. With beer and wine. It was a great way to start the night.

Then we went to Proof, where our friends met us. We had champagne, and other drinks. Many other drinks! I dirty danced with Joy. Here are some pictures...

Val and Melissy. I made the necklace. You like? My first lariat!

Me and Richie.

Tim is funny...

Tim, Will and Dave.

Segal women! Susan, Heather, me and Ceal.

My friend Arpyl from jewelry making class. We were both wearing our bling that we made.

Me and Joy, post dancing.

Then a handful of us went to Red Rock West, so I could dance on the bar one last time. Fun time, I tell you! (The next day wasn't so fun. My hangover was awful!)

Some Furniture Gone!

We sold some furniture! After tonight, we are not going to have couches, coffee tables, and an entertainment center. Yay! That means new stuff in Florida, and less stuff for the movers to move! Double Yay!

We close in a week and a half! Triple yay, and also sad to say goodbye to our friends, our town and our house that we love.

Checking out St. Pete

We went to FL this weekend to check out St. Pete for living there. It was really nice, and we found an area that we really liked. We also spent time with our people. Friday we had a great dinner with Kim and John at Bella's. Sorry about the sneezing fit in your apartment, friends! And on Saturday, we went out with Kim, John, Jackie and Anthony. I'd never met my sister's boyfriend before. He is really nice. I look forward to getting to know him better!

This was the funniest thing we saw in a house on our trip. Maybe the funniest/grossest thing we've seen in a house EVER... (click for a bigger view)

My New Houseboy

Will's job ended yesterday! He has the next month and a half to do whatever he pleases, AND whatever I ask him to! Hooray for my new house boy!

This big event is part of our new bigger picture. We are moving! I haven't typed about it before because I wanted to tell my work people before I told the internets. We put our house on the market (on Craigslist! THANKS CRAIG!) at the beginning of February and it sold in a month! Our closing date is (tentatively) May 15.

Why are we moving? Change in lifestyle! We'll sell the house, make a few bucks, and then buy a house somewhere else. Somewhere where 2000 square feet doesn't cost $700k and you can get more than a teeny yard and no garage and neighbors on top of you.

Where are we moving? We want to have what we have now, a house near the beach and also not too far from a big city. We looked at Mount Pleasant, SC, near Charleston, and while it was really nice, the beach access wasn't what we were looking for. We looked at Jacksonville, FL, and the beach community was nice, but the "city" closes at 5pm on Friday. Nothing going on there. So next week, we are going to check out St. Petersburg, FL. It's right next to Tampa, on the Gulf of Mexico. My friend Kim lives there with her house boy, John. Hee.

What will we do for jobs? We're not completely sure! I want to continue my education in jewelry design, and hopefully get a job with a jeweler. I'm keeping my eye open for an apprenticeship, or something equivalent. That would be the best thing ever. Will's not sure. He's open to change and entry level positions, and I know he'll find something great that makes him happy.

You should go on a trip, or something! We ARE! We're planning to go to Italy in June. On moving day, movers will take our stuff to storage. We'll drive to FL, stopping along the way to see our people and spend quality time. We'll end at my parents' house. After a few days there, we'll go to Italia for a few weeks!!! Then we'll come home and start our lives in St. Pete! Yay!