September 2008

January 2014

We've come a long way, baby!

12.21.13: New Beginnings

Today, on 12/21/13, a year from the day of Maya's due date, 12/21/12, we began to move in to our new home.  It seems that the Mayan's were off by 365 days... Last year, December 21, 2012 turned out to be relatively insignificant, but today marked the Beginning of a New Era on West Johanna Street.

A few shots of hard evidence to prove the miracle.

That is OUR food and spices in the new pantry!

And our clothes are in the closet!!!  

We have officially staked our claim!

We spent the day moving food, clothes, and odds and ends into the new house.  Tomorrow, actual MOVERS are coming to move the furniture and boxes from the AFrame and the storage unit.  (Not to discredit the AMAZING help that Rob's friends were with the last move... many thanks to each of you!)

Maya, whose new favorite game is to put items in boxes and take them back out, emptied drawers and boxes as quickly as we could pack them.

As soon as we are all moved in, we are off to Houston for XMas and then San Diego on the 26th to hopefully be there for the arrival of my first niece from the O'Brien side, Kelly and Joe's baby girl.  What a lot we have to be grateful for this holiday!  

Happy Holidays to all of our friends and family and thank you for all of your support throughout this home project!  Whew, we did it!

Amateur Theives

It may be true that on the night we met I asked Rob to move in with me, but it is also true that when we decided that we were a couple, I asked him to move out.  

When we met, Rob was looking for a place to rent and I was looking for someone to sublet my apartment and water my plants while I was back home for 6 weeks.

In the week before I left Buenos Aires for DC, we explored our new neighborhood, shopping in China Town and at our favorite grocery store, Coto. Rob cooked dinners, coaching me as his sous chef, and we rented movies from the place around the corner (where non-pirated DVDs cost a peso more). 

An interest between us sparked before I left on my trip.  I called Rob a few times from DC, "checking in" and we fell into long conversations about the reverse culture shock I was experiencing after having been away for over a year.  When I got back to Buenos Aires, we started spending all of our time together.  

I figured that if this was really going anywhere, we couldn't be living together.  So Rob rented an apartment just a couple of blocks away.  

After we'd been dating about a year, both of our parents came to BA for overlapping visits. Rob's parents rented another nearby apartment and my parents stayed with me. We needed to move Rob's bed to my place so we could put my parents up.  Rob, who hadn't had a job for 2 years, always had his mind on how to save a few pesos.  Why hire someone to move the bed? It was only a couple of blocks.  He was sure we could do it between the two of us.

Now, Greater Buenos Aires has a population of about 10 million people and the population of Belgrano alone is around 140,000.  The streets are busy and loud with buses and taxis whooshing by. Sometimes, it seems like drivers are actually trying to hit pedestrians.  And, in a New York sort of way, people are cool, checking each other out, assessing with a look--up and down.

While I was hesitant to agree to this moving plan, I also didn't want to say that I wasn't up for the challenge.  Honestly, I might as well have let him know, because half way to my apartment, stretching my wrists and resting my arms, balancing the box spring on my knee so as to not drop it in doggie doo-doo, I had had it. I was not up to this challenge. "I can't go any more. Why didn't we just pay someone 10 pesos ($3) to do this?" I snapped, accusingly.  

"Come on, you can do it," Rob coached me.  We must have stopped to rest 15 more times in those 3 blocks to my apartment. Eventually, we got both the mattress and box spring down his 3 flights of stairs, 3 blocks down to my building, and back up another flight.

Every time we have moved since, Rob has brought up the "mattress incident."  

Like when the demolition of the house was finally about to begin.  We had hoped to avoid moving Rob's massive barbecue pit.

However, the builder was afraid it could be damaged and a curious passerby or two had asked if it was up for grabs.  One weekday evening, when the last thing we felt like doing was lugging cast iron, Rob and I headed over to the site.  

It has wheels, right? Rob was sure that between the two of us we could get it to the A-frame, 6 houses down. We laughed as we remembered the mattress incident from 5 years before. Hunched over, gripping the metal, we began the trek.  You wouldn't believe how loud a heavy cast iron barbecue pit can be when wheeled down uneven pavement.  We stopped several times to rest. I was laughing so hard I didn't know if I'd be able to continue. All I could do was to picture the sight of us, wondering if any neighbors were peering out their windows at the scene. When I checked my email later, I half expected to see neighborhood listserve warnings of clumsy thieves in the night.

So, last week when the builder said they were ready for the appliances to be delivered to the site, images of our previous moving experiences flashed through my mind.  Wednesday night, Rob's head popped up the ladder. Maya had almost fallen asleep.  "You ready to move the washing machine to the house?"  he asked me.

"What? Now? It's already dark and Maya needs to go to sleep."  I tried to think of any excuse.

"If we do it now we can have it out of the house in 15 minutes." 

I sighed.  I closed my eyes, mustering up the energy.  We dragged Maya, in her playpen/crib, out of the way. We shoved our dressers to the center of the room.  We wedged the washing machine out of the bathroom.  We moved the dressers back.  We slid Maya, in her pack-n-play back into place.  We got the dolly and bounced the washing machine down the four stairs of the back porch and down the bumpy stone path to the sidewalk.  The thought of getting the appliances installed almost kept me from minding the heavy lifting that Rob was doing as I guided the dolly from toppling off track.

The dishwasher has been in its packaging in the storage unit for so long that our warranty has expired. We managed to get the dryer, washing machine, and dishwasher all into the house. The range was delivered the next day.

Today, when we went to check out the progress, the range and dishwasher had been installed.  

While we were in San Diego, the kitchen back splash went in

Over the weekend, the front door was installed. It will get stained to match the interior stain of the windows.

I haven't had a dishwasher since my senior year in college... 12 years ago!!

We decided to go with a gas oven and stove top.  The vent hood is covered with a white protective sheet that will be removed.

The wood floors go through the kitchen as well. I can't wait til they take up the protective cardboard and we can get the real effect!

The pedestal sink in the 1/2 bath went in today.

Hopefully the washer and dryer will be in soon.  Inspections are underway and we are in the home stretch. Though we were told we might be able to move in next weekend, we're not holding our breath.  We plan to go to New Orleans for a family vacation and then to Houston for Thanksgiving.  Maybe when we come back, we can start the move.  

Now for the big question, will Rob and I hire movers or be lugging each piece of furniture, like amateur thieves, from one house to the next?

So close yet so far away!

Late Wednesday night Maya and I arrived in San Diego for the weekend of Kelly and Joe's baby shower. On Tuesday, the counters went in! The house is really coming together and we are less cautious about getting excited this time.

What could go wrong at this point? The floors and kitchen back splash are the only major things left. Of course, Sean and I are in San Diego and Rob is in Menard hunting. No one is there to supervise.

While I was at the airport waiting to board I got a call from the builder with questions about the flooring.

Here, Maya is unpacking a bag full of randomness. Rob's idea for keeping her busy was genius! Except that next she began to unpack a stranger's purse!

My mom was on our flight, from DC to Austin and on to San Diego together! We had fun together!

Thank goodness Maya slept most of the flight!

Thursday morning I got more calls about the electrical... we passed inspection! And so I needed to call Austin Energy to have permanent service reinstated.

Thursday night dinner. Dad's flight was delayed so he didn't get in until afterward.

Daddy has taught Maya to stand in her stroller which transfers to this at Target while we bought things for the shower.

Maya loves baby Jelly's nursery.
(Jelly=Joe+Kelly)

On Friday I responded to several texts about tile and grout, answering questions that we have answered several of times before, resending emails that the builder had neglected to pay attention to.

Hopefully we have provided all of the information enough times now that there won't be any major mistakes before we get back. This week, on the other side of the country, the house is so close yet we are so far away!

However, tomorrow at the celebration of the next grandbaby and here today with my close knit family it's wonderful to be so close to what's really important and to let the thoughts of the house drift far away.

Unbelievable!!

The exclamation, "Unbelievable!" can be read with either a hint of amazement and awe or annoyed disbelief.  The current updates on the house elicit both readings.

What do you want first? The good news, or the bad?

Let's get the bad news out of the way.  

The counter tops were supposed to go in tomorrow.  Yesterday, when we called to confirm and to pay the 50% deposit, we were told that they are out of the material we chose and weren't sure how long it would be until they had it.

The only things waiting on the counters are plumbing, floors, and the backsplash.  There was actually a chance that this house would have been done by October 31st.

Now, it will be at least another 3 weeks.

Unbelievable.

Now, the good...

The carefully designed trim and entryways look unbelievable!

I argued with Rob that these fans might be a little too much. Now that they're in, I'm a 'fan'! 

Though they, of course, installed this chandelier in the wrong room the first time, now that it's in my master bath over where the clawfoot tub will be I think it looks rather unbelievable!

What word comes to mind when I look at how our 85 year old floors look now that they've been refinished?
UNBELIEVABLE!

The first time the old floors were put back down they were put in the wrong place.  After at least 5 discussions with the contractor, they still forgot to put them in the master closet and put them in the hallway instead.  Un. be. lievable.

Many hours went in to choosing the light fixtures.  I bought the shades for the pendants in the kitchen at an antique lighting store last week.  

I hadn't ever seen ceiling fans on front porches before I moved to Texas.  I have to admit, though, that some air circulation on a hot Austin day can feel pretty....
unbelievable!

Forgetting our Anniversary

Rob thinks it's hilarious that even I have trouble remembering our wedding anniversary date. In all fairness, though, we actually got married twice. So which date 'counts'? The 26th or the 27th?

My mom was our wedding planner, florist, pastry chef. She spent months trying out dessert recipes and freezing tarts and cookies.  She contacted caterers and set up tastings. She toured venues and chose the gorgeous hall where we got married.  She booked table rentals, the photographer, the pianist, the band.  She ordered and arranged the flowers and trained family members to help out with the centerpieces. She put everything together and made sure that my dream wedding came true.  Rob and I had 2 assignments: to pick the band and to get the marriage certificate.

We remembered to pick the band.

Rob and I had both just started new jobs. We had closed on the house just two weeks before. We had moved in and, as you saw in previous posts, had spent our free moments putting ourselves (as well as a new neighbor) in harm's way scraping popcorn ceilings, buying a refrigerator, and getting our internet set up. Only 10 days before our wedding I was visiting Wake Forest to accept a teaching award.  We had a lot going on.

So when we got into the cab, ready to head to the airport to fly to DC, we plopped down and sighed. Everything was in place.  We were ready to go get married.

But wait!  Before the cab even pulled away from the curb, I remembered, "The marriage certificate! Did you get it?"

Rob: "What? No. Did you?"

Oh, no!  Any I'm-getting-married-this-weekend nerves turned into I-can't-tell-my-mom-that-I-failed-to-do-my-only-job nerves.  What was I gonna do?  It was Tuesday evening.  First thing Wednesday morning I could call the District of Columbia Vital Records Office.  I decided to wait to mention this little glitch to my mother until I knew more.

When I found out the requirements for a Marriage Certificate in the District of Columbia, I couldn't decide whether to reveal my oversight to my mother at all.  Washington DC requires a 5 day waiting period and blood tests to receive a marriage certificate.  Five days?!?! We were getting married in 3!

What were we going to do?  Meanwhile, my youth pastor from high school was driving down from Deleware, where he now works, to officiate the ceremony.  It was important to me that he was actually able to.  After whispering the problem to Rob and my siblings, I decided to call Pastor Wayne to seek his advice. He and his wife, Kate, were en route when he answered the phone.  I gave him the low down.

"Don't worry," he assured me.  "I am still in touch with the office staff at Emanuel Lutheran in Vienna.  There is no waiting period nor blood test required in Virginia.  On Friday evening, you can just drive across to Virginia, get married in your old church, and then head to the rehearsal."  This sounded like an easy enough plan but I also knew that the house would be bustling with flower arranging on Friday evening. My mom had charts with to-do lists and was managing dozens of family members as they ran errands and set up place cards or dessert displays.  She had everything in order for Saturday, the big day when Rob and I would take our vows.  How was I going to tell her that she needed to adjust her schedule a bit so that she could drive to Virginia and see me, instead, get married in my rehearsal dinner dress on Friday?

Again, Rob and I consulted my siblings.  Should we tell mom at all? Should we just sneak off and get married on Friday and let the secret stay with us?  Should we bring one or two witnesses along but let mom and all the guests believe that Saturday was the true wedding day? But we couldn't. We wanted our family there with us.  We spilled the news and did as Pastor Wayne had suggested.  We got married on Friday.  And then again, on Saturday.

And so, in the end, we got to go to the chapel twice!

And take family photos two times!

 My father walked me down the isle both times!

We got to renew our vows... before our marriage was even a day old!

 There was twice as much kissing!

All of the flowers, desserts, songs, and toasts were perfect and memorable.  I would never ask my mother to do all that she did again, but I would marry Rob a third time tomorrow if I could.  

 And even though a month after our five year anniversary of being married and living in/working on this house we are still not finished, would I change a thing?  No.  I have learned so much from this experience and I believe that while this renovation has, many times, made us feel weak, it has actually made our bond that much stronger.