75 days and counting

Christmas is over - can you believe it?? It doesn't seem possible that we are about to enter 2009!! 75 days til the wedding!! Agh!!

We had a few fabulous days in Pensacola. A very short trip but wouldn't have traded it for the world. I got to see my baby niece Taylolr for the first time. She is so stinkin adorable! 2 months old on Christmas Eve. We all fell in love and decided that we live entirely too far apart. Mom and Dad got us webcams for Christmas so we can all see Taylor when we can't actually be there.

Was fun to visit with cousins that I don't get to see much anymore...

75 days - wow....I know those will fly by....still seems like we have so much yet to do!! Time to get serious!!

Oh by the way...

We got the money from our closing today. I should be happy, right? Instead I kind of feel like this picture of the pissy cat. Yanno - I really thing it should be part of the job of the people walking you through the home buying process to anticipate any "normal" problems that could come up.

- Originally I was told that the money would be available to me on that day. I wasn't told there was a possibility that because we were closing on a Friday that we might have to wait until Monday. Surprise! (A simple heads up that this could be possible would have been nice.)

- A week ago I checked with the title company to see whether I should make final payments to the mortgage company and home owners association. She said - you take care of the HOA, we will roll the mortgage into the closing. I was hit with double payments - because they took it out of the closing AND I had paid like I was supposed to. Surprise!

- At the closing, as we were going over the closing she explained that the year end taxes had been taken out because the mortgage company hadn't paid them yet. Almost $1700. This seemed ok until this morning I logged into my account and saw that indeed the mortgage company had paid them!! Double payments again!! Surprise! Luckily I caught it early enough that the title company hadn't sent the money off to the city, county, school taxes yet so they are going to hold it until they get comfirmation that these were already paid.

I totall understand that the mortgage company has to take the taxes out. And I get that the city can take a few weeks to post the payments - BUT don't you think that people who deal with this for 20+ years should be able to anticipate that maybe this might be the case and at least warn a first time seller BEFORE she has to freak out and figure this out herself? Seriously?? I wasn't even aware that the year end taxes would be part of the closing - I just figured that the mortgage company had taken care of it like they do every year - which they did. If I hadn't called to investigate this when I did then I would have to fight each individual that the taxes were sent to to get my refunds. I guess this is all part of the learning curve.

On a happy note - I was able to confirm our flight and reserve a car for our honeymoon this morning. That and a nice little blue tablet of Aleve helped resolve this monstrous headache that resulted from this morning. Now let's think happy thoughts of snowflakes and jingle bells...and beautiful little baby Taylor that we get to see in just 3 days!! :)

CHECKS!!

Today is the day!! With one big check (hopefully), 3 big checks off of the list! House sold - check! Invitations purchased - check! Honeymoon tickets bought - check! What a HUGE relief! We have a roadmap and are ready to roll!! Can you believe next week is Christmas? With the sale complete - I have some shopping to do!!!

**UPDATE** Well - the closing went fine - but because it didn't start on time - by the time it finished - it was too late to wire transfer the funds for this days business....so they'll do it tomorrow and I have to wait until Monday for it to be in my account. Grr. Oh well - it is done. I met the lady who bought it. She seems nice. Kinda looked like Mary Lou Retton but taller. So I guess shopping will be postponed until next week. Nothing like last minute eh? Mom and I did go get our wedding invitations so that is 1 1/2 (the other half will come when I get the money) of the 3 checks.

Movie Quote Trivia

Ok - here's how it goes - I post ten movie quotes - and as faithful readers - you try to guess which movies the quotes are from. Have fun! :) Answers updated on 12/29

1. I rode through the rain! I'd - I'd ride through worse than that if I could just hear your voice telling me that I might, at least, have some chance to win you. (Mr Knightly (Jeremy Northam) to Emma (Gweneth Paltrow) in Emma)

2. The hardest thing is loving someone and then having the courage to let them love you back. (Nick (Dermot Mulroney in The Wedding Date))

3. Miss Stoeger, I would just like to say that physical education in this school is a disgrace. I mean, standing in line for forty minutes is hardly aerobically effective. I doubt I've worked off the calories in a stick of Carefree gum. (Cher (Alicia Silverstone) in Clueless)

4. Francisco! That's fun to say! Francisco... Frannncisco... Franciscooo... (Buddy (Will Ferrell) in Elf)

5. I used to think a wedding was a simple affair. Boy and girl meet, they fall in love, he buys a ring, she buys a dress, they say I do. I was wrong. That's getting married. A wedding is an entirely different proposition. (George Banks (Steve Martin) in Father of the Bride)

6. Ted Nugent called, he wants his shirt back. (Danny (George Clooney) to Rusty (Brad Pitt) in Ocean's Eleven)

7. Oh, no, we're not asking you to lose weight. That would be illegal. We just want you to be healthy, by eating less. So go home, weigh yourself on a scale, write than down. Then subtract 20 from that numbr. And weigh that. Yeah. (Jill (Kristin Wiig) to Alison (Katherine Heigl) in Knocked Up)

8. Look, I'm sorry, I'm not up on all this jive talkin', home boy lingo, what's that supposed to mean? "There's a spider on your head"? (Nick (Tim Robbins) to 'T' (Martin Lawrence) in Nothing to Lose)

9. Every man dies, not every man really lives. (William Wallace (Mel Gibson) in Braveheart)

10. Is it this? Is this what you see? I assure you it is human. But if that's all you see, then you don't see me. You can't see me. (Justin McLeod (Mel Gibson) in Man Without a Face)

The Home Book

I bought it. I love it! I know it is just a coffee table book - BUT - it has sooo many wonderful pictures and inspirations! Probably a little more than should be spent on a book - BUT - my house sells tomorrow so this is my little present to myself in celebration. That's allowed right? Of course it is! Who said picture books were just for kids? A cup of coffee - a warm blanket - and a huge heaping of dreams....mmmm heavenly!

A little nostalgic

We loaded up the last few items from my condo last night. After all the boxes were in the car, I went back inside, sat on the stairs, shed a few tears, and just sat wrapped in the nostalgia of it all. Lots happened in the time span I lived there. Jen and I moved in a few weeks before 9/11. Job changes. Life changes. Love changes. It was the first house I purchased. It's where I lived for most of my 20's. It's where I was living when I met my Johnny. I'm not sad about moving forward - quite the contrary - but you have to take the chance to remember and properly say goodbye, right? I think it is a single lady that is moving into it. I hope it will be a great place for her to live too. Tomorrow afternoon my Melrose Place will become part of the past. Let's take a moment. Ok - now let's party!!!

All Moved!!

Well with the exception of a few straggling items that wouldn't fit in the truck or U-Haul - we are completely moved out of the condo. The weekend was a whirlwind! Moving then to Athens and back made for tired people and late nights. Next time we are hiring movers! A few quirks to deal with at the new place but overall all is well. 3 day until closing...what a relief that will be! I can't wait!

Everyone freaks out when winter actually visits the metroplex. Just drive slow and allow extra time and it's not that big a deal. It's those that don't get that your driving actually has to change that reak havoc for everyone. It will be 70 by Thursday. Hopefully that doesn't mean a new round of colds/flu for everyone!! I wish our winters were as pretty as this picture!!

Christmas Questionaire

1. Fresh Tree or Fake Tree
Fresh is ideal - but for now fake works just fine - plus it is pre-lit!!

2. Favorite Ornament
I have several ornaments from my grandparents. Each year they would give us one and attach a little note to it that says something to the effect of "hang this on the tree every year and remember us" Because they are gone - those ornaments are the most special ones.

3. Favorite Christmas Song
O Holy Night by Josh Groban and It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year

4. Favorite Tradition
Visiting extended family - I LOVE big family Christmases!!

5. Favorite Gift Ever Received
I love the necklaces that I received last year from Johnny and my mom!

6. Favorite Christmas Meal
Turkey, dressing, hashed brown casserole, broccoli casserole, rolls, and pie.

7. Favorite Christmas Cookie
Krispies - special k/peanut butter with a chocolate/butterscotch topping...mmmm

8. Favorite Place To Be
Wherever my family is....

9. Favorite Memory
When we would to to Pensacola for Christmas - Christmas Eve all the grandkids would gather with Grandma and Grandpa to get our ornament for the year. Sometimes they would tell stories - but it was a very special time for all of our extended family to have fun being together.

When we would go to Kansas City for Christmas - we would all get bundled up and go to church service on Christmas Eve and then go look at the Christmas lights on the Plaza. Grandma would get so excited to see all the lights.

When I was 3 I used to recite the night before christmas - I could "read" it - I had it memorized what words went on what page - so it looked like I was reading :)

10. Favorite Christmas Movie
Elf, It's a Wonderful Life, While You Were Sleeping (the family scenes always make my family giggle because it's so us.

Crazy Dallas Drivers and Stupid Motorola Phones

So I'm driving on the access road at lunch today and this idiot who is driving through the construction blockade to try to turn left at the light (HELLO GENIUS! That is why they have all these orange cones diverting traffict away from that area!) When he is like a carlength away from the light he realizes his moronic behavior and swerves sharply into my lane causing me to swerve sharply into the right lane. If I had not been alert or there had been a car to my right - it would have been a very bad accident because he would have smashed right into my driver's door while he was accelerating. Not only would I have been badly hurt but my poor little 2 week old car would have had some major repair work. It literally made my heart jump in my chest and I started getting teary and had to try to catch my breath after that. Thank you God for preventing a major catastrophe!!

I have the worst luck with cell phones - especially Motorola cell phones. When I went to bed last night - I had 2 battery cells. When I woke up this morning - it was dead. It wouldn't respond to the car charger. It wouldn't respond to the wall charger. I took the battery out.....put the battery back in. Nothing. I knew this one was having some issues - a couple of the buttons had fallen off - but it still worked and it was going to last until after next week. What bad timing is it to not have a cell phone when it is a week away from the closing on my house!! Grr - This is the 2nd Motorola Q I've had since the initial contract. The last one just died as well. I think it's time to go back to LG or Samsung. They make good phones. I loved my LG - sigh - this is ridiculous.

Moving Hodge Podge

Making my list and checking it twice. There is so much going on that if I didn't have my list I think I would go crazy. I just booked a U-Haul for Saturday. 2 days!! I can't believe moving day is finally almost here!! We go sign the lease tomorrow evening!

After we sign the lease - we go to dinner with some dear friends. Saturday, John will drop me off at U-Haul, go to choir, and then come back to help me move. Sunday we go to the early service for the Christmas Cantata and then head to Athens to have Christmas with John's family.

What a whirlwind of a weekend. Next week won't be any less busy. John has to work to keep even with all his stops then next weekend he is on call. I close on my house on Friday and as soon as that money is wired - need to get my Christmas shopping done.

Christmas Eve - we will leave for Pensacola as soon as possible - stop somewhere along the way when we get tired and drive the rest of the way on Christmas day. I really really dislike his company's December policy. It needs to be on a rotating basis so that those of us with out of town families can be able to enjoy the holidays with them.

I still haven't heard back fromt he appraisal yesterday. Hopefully all went well. I really don't like loose ends. It is way stressful.

This seems to be a hodge podge of randomness doesn't it. Oh well...enjoy ;-)

Checks on hold???

Ok - one minor freak out resolved. I had an inkling that I should call to check about whether or not a hold would be placed on the check I get from the sale of my house when I deposit it in my account. They said - yes - up to a week!!! Now that won't work!! I need it for Christmas!! I called my realtor and she said very casually that they can do a wire transfer instead and it would be available immediately. When I was trying to sort this out with the guy on the phone - you would think he would have suggested this as a possibility rather than let me freak out. Sigh...9 days....9 days....9 days....

They had the appraisal today. Pray that the results are good and that the price doesn't have to change!!

Counting down...

4 days until the new apartment. (Yay! I get to decorate!!)

10 days until we close on the house. (Yay for a nest egg and honeymoon tickets!!)

16 days until Christmas. (Yay for Jesus!!)

16 days until I get to see my precious baby niece. (Yay for Taylor!!)

22 days until 2009. (Yay for the year of my wedding!!)

42 days until we have Obama as President. (I didn't vote for you, but please fix the economy. Thanks.)

80 days until John's birthday. (Happy Birthday baby!!)

95 days until we get married. (Yay for wedded bliss!!)

125 days until my birthday. (Hello 32 - let's have a year full of laughter and fun!!)

Some pretty big days ahead. I think I need a nap.

It's Moving Week!!

This weekend went by really fast. John had to work Friday night, which I didn't know until last minute - so I spent a quiet evening home alone relaxing. Saturday we went through some stuff at my storage unit. I found a couple more things I am going to try to sell on eBay and found 3 or 4 boxes that will either be for the combined yard sale with my parents and me or for donation. I know there are more to go through. The only stuff that will be going with us onto the next juncture in life will be stuff that has a purpose.

The apartment we are going to move into is almost as big as my condo, which will be nice. I'm getting excited. 6 more days!! I believe we can go look at it tomorrow. It's going to be a crazy weekend. Friday I imagine we will be getting some stuff together at the house...renting the UHaul on Saturday morning. John has choir practice until noon on Saturday. After that we will begin to load all the boxes and furniture into the uhaul and drive it to Irving. Everything is pretty much packed except for the decorative stuff we left out for staging. We still have John's apt through the end of January so we have that luxury of taking our time to get things loaded from there. That's good - because we always get sidetracked when we start talking about getting his house packed up.

I think I am going to try my hand at re-finishing John's end tables and coffee table to try to make some of the wear and tear a little more palatable for a while. :) We will be able to fit most of our furniture in the new apt. The only furniture that won't go is furniture that we agree we will not use again. Ultimately we will probably replace all but 2 or 3 pieces - but that will be over the long haul. We'll get a slip cover for the couch and make that a little more up to date looking. Best of all - I think there will be a place for everything. Yes we will be using the 2nd bedroom for storage boxes - but I don't think it will have to be a cluttered storage - at least that is my vision for it! :)

1 cat, 2 cat, 3 cat, 4 cat

For those who may look above and think we are the crazy cat couple...we didn't start out that way - I had 2 - he had 2 and neither one of us can say goodbye to our babies...soooooo here we are...with our four fabulous felines.

Blast from the Past

People from your past ... Some inspire a sense of nostalgia and some just bring an unsettling feeling because of the drama that ensued around their presence. Maybe it's not all negative - just the ending. Some paths intersect for a while and then are meant to go in opposite directions without any chance of a future re-connection. There are only a handful of people that fall into that category. 5 I can think of off the top of my head. It's not really about forgiveness - that has happened already - but it's more about not needing that negativity anywhere in my life and being stronger now not to put up with it.

99 days!!!

Can you believe that we only have 99 days left until the wedding?? Double digits!!! Exciting and scary because there is so much yet to do!!

Google Tag - just because it's fun

Type the following things into google (image) and see what comes up. Pretty fun.

First name: Jennifer










Middle Name: Lynne









Last Name: Harrington (Harrington family crest); Soon to be Morris












Favorite Pastime: home decorating













Age:31












Nickname: Jenny (only to John - Jen to everyone else)









Something on my wishlist

(MacBook)

Favorite Movie:











Dream Vacation: Ireland













Occupation: Human Resources










Favorite Holiday: Thanksgiving and Christmas




Favorite Snack: fruit


(LOL someday I'll join the fruit of the month club haha ;-))











Favorite Color:Aggie Maroon








Favorite food: Salsa - mmmm me too - love me some Mexican food!!




I tag all of my readers - Go! :)

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

Don't you just LOVE Christmastime? There is something about the ambiance that just brings out the giddiness in me (and a lot of others). It's the excitement about spending time with family you haven't seen in a while. It's the anticipation of all the holiday parties. It's the nip in the air and the frost on the windows. It's the joy in the air about celebrating the birth of our Lord. I can't wait until I have a house that I can decorate. We each decorated our own apartments last year, but this year unfortunately with the hustle and bustle of moving and feeling so cramped with all the stuff as it is - I doubt that decorations will be doing much more but changing locations in their boxes.

The many expressions of Taylor

These make me giggle! That tongue!!

So intense - lol above she looks like she is about to cry or just mad and below she looks like she is really worried.

Simply beautiful!! :)

Thanksgiving, New Car, and Home Repairs

Yay!! We got the car that was in the previous post and we just LOVE it!! Very glad that we opted to do this. The lease thing may not work all the time in life - but at this juncture - it was the best option. It's comfy, roomy, and cute - and gets GREAT gas mileage! What more could you ask for?


Thanksgiving was fun spending time with both John's and my families. Time seemed too short as always. I was trying to be in keeping with the spirit of the holiday and suggested we go around the table and tell something we are thankful about. Invariably Grandma was mentioned which brought about boo-hooing. Ultimately we had a great time of sharing and had a fun day together.

We got the inspection report back on my house and they asked for some really petty stuff to be fixed. We fixed some - but not all - hopefully that will be good enough. The appraiser comes this week. One more hurdle. Please pray we don't have to lower the selling price any after that. My realtor was optimistic - but I am a little apprehensive - just feeling like Murphy is workin overtime right now - praying he isn't.

Guess we can only wait and see. Cross your fingers, say a prayer, send up some thoughts - we can use it all...

It feels like tomorrow should be Monday, but I'm so relieved we have another day to relax. :)

Hope everyone had a safe and happy Thanksgiving!

Poll: Too girly a color?

We most likely are going to get a CR-V - this is the color the leasing agent is going to show us on Friday. I'm going to be the one driving the car most of the time because John has a work vehicle - but does anyone think this color is too girly a color?

Another spoiler??? GIG EM AGGIES!!

Even though the Aggies football program has been less than stellar in recent years, the Aggies still often manage to pull out the spoiler against those danged Longhorns. Let's do it again Aggies!! :) Not just for Aggie redemption - but so that Tech can rise up in the standings once again. I'm a proud Aggie - but also about to be a Red Raider fan by marriage. My sweet Johnny was so sad when Tech lost to OU last weekend. Let's see Oklahoma State kick some OU bootie this weekend and let's see the Aggies hang on and pull out this spoiler over Texas! Should make for some interesting football this weekend!! :)

Happy Birthday and Happy Thanksgiving!!

Today is my Dad's birthday. We are celebrating tomorrow since John and I are going to the in-laws tonight to be there for Thanksgiving lunch. My aunt and uncle came in town today for the holiday festivities. I'm going to try to remember the happy times and to be thankful for all the blessings I have to be thankful for. I still miss you Grandma. I wish you were here too! Hope all of my faithful stalkers readers have a wonderful Thanksgiving with your families. Remember the things we have to be thankful for and who it is that we thank. I heard George Washington's speech on enacting Thanksgiving as a holiday. It was very moving and really makes you focus on the heart of the holiday.

New Apt!!

We'll find out on Monday which one it will be. The current resident will help determine that for us. Kinda hoping for the 2br 2ba bc they would work a deal with us because it wasn't what we were looking for initially. Guess we will see on Monday!!

or

CRV or Rogue?

Looks like we are moving forward with getting a new car!! We will test drive both of these on Friday and possibly get it that day as well! I think I'm leaning more towards the CR-V based on how it holds its value and the features it comes with. Kinda scary that it is all moving so fast but exciting as well! First experience with going through a lease. I'm optimistic about how it will go through!

Moving on....

Change. That seemingly small word causes such a stir. It makes me happy, sad, stressed, anxious, relieved, scared, excited and thoughtful all at the same time. Here are the things on our plate at the moment:

-Thanksgiving. Normally my favorite time of year. This year - my sweet Grandma will not be here to celebrate with us. I'm still having a hard time accepting she is gone. I've been trying to understand why her death hit me so much harder than my other grandparents. I miss them terribly too. I think hers still hurts so much because it really came out of the blue and because there were so many disappointments associated with the timing of her death. Yes she was almost 90 but she wasn't sick - she still was in overall good health. Don't get me wrong - I'm glad she didn't suffer - but the sudden nature of it - still makes it feel like it happened yesterday in my heart. I miss her so much. I have a special tribute in mind though. I think she would have loved it. She and my Aunt and Uncle have come down to celebrate Thanksgiving with us for about the last 10 years. The last 3 of those Grandma has stayed for a few months after in what will definately be remembered as some of the most precious memories. We will be driving down to Athens on Wednesday to celebrate with John's family and head back this way to have dinner with mine.

-We are going to look at an apartment and possibly put a deposit down on one this evening. Pretty excited about this. 2br 1 bath - in a brand new building for a great deal and across the street from where we are now. Love me a fresh start!

-My house sells/closes on the 19th. What a huge relief that is!! We signed the offer and are proceeding with that. The inspector was supposed to go by today and what should he find but the water was disconnected. I called my former neighbors and they said the city was working on a water main and the water would be off most of the day! Of all days!! I hope we don't have to pay for a second inspection!!

-Before we go to Florida for Christmas, we knew we were going to have to either get my car fixed or get a new one. Well - the guy who usually gives me an employee discount doesn't work at the dealership anymore. It actually would be cheaper to get a new car/lease a new car than keep fixing this one. Lately it is always something with it. I talked with someone about a lease today. Pretty interested in pursuing that - even though you aren't building equity - I think right now it is the best way to get us in a reliable suv.

All these things are good things - but a lot of things to have swirling around in my mind right now. What is that song? I'm ready for a slow down...

Taylor is 1 month old today!!

I know I kind of spoiled this post by posting a few days earlier that she was almost 1 month old - but sweet little girl is officially 1 month old today!! Julie said she smiles now so I bet that is a lot of fun :) I absolutely cannot wait to meet her!!

Offer pending

So....many of you know the last offer fell through. For whatever reason the lady flaked out and wouldn't even call her own agent back. Oh well. My realtor called me today and said someone new put an offer on it. We countered. There it stands for now. Join me in prayer that this offer will go through. They want to close on 12/19. Would be a WONDERFUL Christmas present!!

I'm sick

Ugh - I just want to be at home asleep in bed. I hate being all achy and sniffly.

Almost 1 month old!! Time flies!!

So beautiful!!

Sweet Lil Punk'n

She looks like Julie here.

Look at those adorable dimples!!

Just checkin it all out...

Sweet dreams (here she looks more like Doug)