From the Other Side of the 29

Translation for non-Californians: From the Other Side of 29

Well, we're here. :-P

Move Day was last Sunday, and boy was it amazing! So many people showed up with good food and muscles ready to work. Boy, Emily made some smokin' good pork BBQ. Yep, that's right. I enjoyed EVERY bite and want some now that I think about it. I've definitely converted from BBQ hater to BBQ lover (as long as it's not hard core BBQ). The men swept through our apartment and got all the furniture moved in just a few hours. Only some odds, ends, and all our books are left at the apartment. I know you all want pictures, but have patience. I want to get things a little more settled to create more shock-n-awe with before and after pics. ;-)

Some things I'm lovin' so far:

~Dropping something upstairs and cringing only for a moment, then realizing that the people who live below us are MY people. :-)
~An even, quickly heated FLAT top stove...I can crack an egg into the CENTER of my pan without it running to the back edge and cooking unevenly. ::sigh of relief::
~The masterbedroom. We went back to yellow instead of green. So sunshiny with three good sized windows with old fashioned wooden shutters that match the feel of the yellow room. I took my first afternoon nap in the yellow room yesterday. It was so warm, peaceful, cushy, and sunshiny. Did I mention we painted the room yellow? It's yellow.
~The masterbathroom. I painted it green yesterday. It is like a peaceful, simple bamboo forest now. If you're looking for a relaxing shade, use Behr's Mother Nature. I love it.
~The walking trail that runs behind our home and goes on forever is chock full of nature. I forsee many walks with my boys!
~No neighbor noise.
~It feels like we live in a park...lots of mature trees and flowers with squirrls, groundhogs, tons of singing birds, and even some foxes others have seen.
~The new antenna Matt bought...we get all the channels our shows are on for the cost of one month of cable, indefinitely! ABC, NBC, and Fox. What more do you need? Anything else would only mean a TV trap -- especially TLC.......
~The dishwasher and washer. Quietest electronic servants I've ever *not* heard!
~We have too much storage space. Say what? You heard me.

Some things to get used to:

~Oh my word, the flying bugs. GAH! Bees are everwhere. The Verizon guy came yesterday (very kind guy named Patrick from Kenya -- excellent customer service!). I discovered there is a gap in our screen door after I had to kill a bee on the living room window. Right after I killed it, I went to the door to check it out...to find another bee on that window. I made a frustrated sound, and Patrick asked if I was ok. So I told him I had just killed a bee and now there was another. He saw me with a shoe, and said I should just open the door and let it out -- and then he came and did it for me. ::blush:: Silly girl afraid of bees. I explained to him we had just moved from California where there are no flying bugs, just ants and spiders. So this is going to take some serious getting used to. If the bees and wasps would just promise not to sting me, I might be more ok with them flying around my 5' personal space bubble.
~A heating system that works well except that the upstairs is always warmer than downstairs. It'll take some time to figure out what temps are best.
~Some parts of the townhome are pretty run down looking and therefore affect me psychologically. I know the place has been cleaned very well by us and our friends, but I still have the willies when I give the kids a bath in the tub. That will probably go away over time.
~Trash pick-up. We actually have to remember when the day is, keep our trash in our trash cans throughout the week, and take our trash to the curb rather than a dumpster. Weird.
~Creaking floors.

Things NOT to get used to:

~The carpets were cleaned, sure, but my allergies are still picking up on the cat dander. I vacuumed yesterday and then proceeded to have quite the allergic reaction. A few people have commented that there is still a faint scent of cat, and I agree (esp. in Judah's room). Pray with us that the owner will be amiable to replacing the carpet when we approach him with the idea. Cat or no, it's about time anyway.
~The cat closet. Yep, that's right. There's a closet under the stairs that opens to the dining room that actually has a cat door in the door. Open it and cat scent hits you like a wall. I can't clean it for obvious reasons, so Matt is going to try and tackle it today. Best case scenario: the owner will let us drywall and finish the area off for a nice pantry or hobby closet.

We are so lovin' livin' here! Can't wait to post some pics!