Adventures in Life

I am almost caught up! Yesterday Gabe and I caught up on some TV shows. We watched Ugly Betty and Scrubs. We also watched Mr. Rice's Secret and during the day I watched the Darjeeling Limited. I wouldn't really recommend either of the movies. Mr. Rice's Secret is about a man that passes away at the age of 395. He gives the secret to a young boy that is terminally ill. This is actually a children's movie, but it is pretty serious. The Darjeeling Limited is about an adventure through India for three men. Their father recently passed away and their mother abandoned them. It was listed as a comedy, but I didn't find it that funny.

Today we purchased some rocks to fill in areas of our front yard. Some areas were pretty sparse and down to the dirt. Gabe and I worked on it for a little while, but then Alex needed attention, so Gabe was left to do it alone. It looks much better.

We are getting ready to head out. I am not entirely sure what we are doing. I would like to post pictures of our house and yard sometime this weekend. Hopefully it will happen.

Posted by at 12:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

I never thought we would be running the air conditioner in our house during the month of January! We also use it in the car (it is hot when you are riding directly in the sun). It has been in the upper 70's/80's here. Heck, it was 86 today!

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Alex.

This week has been super busy! We had our furniture evaluation on Monday. Basically, someone came to evaluate all of the damage to our belongings due to the move. Since a moving service packed everything, they are responsible for all repairs. Unfortunately, we only had a 30 day window to claim all damage and as we continue to unpack boxes we are still finding damaged items. So, we can't claim them and we are just stuck with the damage. The guy is coming back on Saturday to repair the damage. He is with a third party company and he is really nice.

We went to the clubhouse to register. Now I don't have an excuse if I neglect exercising. Up until now, my excuse was I couldn't find the power cord for my elliptical.

Saturday we went to Madera Canyon and hiked around. The weather here is gorgeous and I feel like we should take advantage of it. I guess it still hasn't hit me that it is actually January. It feels more like October (it was in the mid-90's at the end of October here).

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Mountains.

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Madera Canyon.

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Water

We purchased furniture for our family room today. We bought a leather couch, two leather chairs, and a leather ottoman. They are really comfy and they fit well in the room. I like the versatility of the ottoman. We can use it for seating or a table. I also like it because it has soft corners. It we didn't get an ottoman, we were going to get a coffee table. This way if Alex bumps into it, it will be nice and soft. Gabe and I packed the furniture up the stairs. The chairs were 140 lbs a piece and the sofa was 250 lbs. We both got our workouts for the day.

We have made a lot of progress the past few days. I will be posting pictures very soon (hopefully). My camera is currently missing in action again. This time I think it might be for good. I thought I took it with us to pick up our furniture, but neither Gabe nor I can find it anywhere. So, I am still going to add captions for pictures. I am being optimistic that I will find it soon.

We have a prickly pear cactus in our front yard. A piece of it was broken off, so we planted it in a pot in our back yard. Hopefully it will grow.

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Prickly Pear Cactus.

Alex and I watched the Arizona Cardinals play the Philadelphia Eagles today. It was a really exciting game. Arizona was rocking and then the Eagles scored 19 unanswered points to take the lead by one. Then Arizona came back with a touchdown and won! They are going to the Superbowl! Alex has some cute Arizona Cardinal booties that he sported during the game. Don't get me wrong I am still a Chicago Bears fan (and also an Indianapolis Colts fan), but I am living in Arizona and I do have the Hallmark Kurt Warner ornament but it is from when he was a St. Louis Ram (no, I don't like the Rams). I actually like the Cowboys too, or maybe I should say liked. I liked them when Troy Aikman was the quarter back, Jimmy Johnson was the coach, and Emmett Smith was the running back (he was Cardinal after a Cowboy). Wow! That is a lot of football talk and all over a pair of booties.

Posted by at 6:32 PM | Permalink

Wow! It has been a while since I have updated. If you could take a look at our house right now you would tell me to get off of the computer and get back to work unpacking.

We received the keys for our house last Tuesday. There was a little confusion about how the keys were going to make it to us, but it all worked out in the end. We were hoping that the movers would be here 8:00 a.m. on Tuesday, but their scheduled arrival time was 8:00 a.m. on Wednesday. Since our stuff wasn't here yet we moved out of the rental house on Tuesday. We were at our house around 8:00 a.m. on Wednesday. When the movers weren't here by 8:30 a.m. Gabe called to see if they needed directions. Turns out they weren't going to make it until 3:00 p.m.! So, we went back to the rental house to finish packing and cleaning. The movers finally made it...at 4:15 p.m. They stayed and unpacked until 1 or 2 a.m. I am not sure how long they stayed because Alex and I found a couch and went to sleep (the bed wasn't together yet). They came back the next morning to finish up. They were supposed to be here at 8:00 a.m. and be gone by 10:00 a.m. They didn't get here until 9:15 and I am not sure what time they left.

Gabe and I have been slowly unpacking. It took me three days to unpack my closet. I don't really have that much stuff, it is just a lot more difficult when there is a baby that needs attention. So, for the first three days my closet was all I worked on unpacking.

We still have a lot to work on before we are finished. We have people coming out for Thanksgiving and I had hoped to have the house completed. Umm...that isn't going happen. Thanksgiving pictures might have a lot of boxes in them. I wanted to have our tree up for pictures, but that would require me to know where the box is that the tree is actually packed in. It would also require the box marked tree to contain a tree (long story, but the boxes don't contain what is marked on them...the pots and pans box didn't contain a single pot or pan or even a single kitchen related item).

We looked out our kitchen window and saw several cows grazing in the desert. Most of the desert land is open range for cattle. They didn't really seem to mink our staring.

After the house is all together I will work on posting pictures. I need to get back to work...we have guests coming tonight and the guest room isn't together yet.

P.S. Gabe found my camera!

Posted by at 1:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

We had our orientation session to our house yesterday. I say yesterday because it is past midnight here. After our orientation Alex and I came back and Gabe had a meeting to attend. I started going through things on the desk in an attempt to organize them. I have things down to a small pile (I made a lot of progress). I also managed to catch up on writing thank you cards. I was just a little behind. Heck, I am behind on a lot. My Christmas cards are usually stamped and ready to go by now, but I haven't even ordered the picture yet. To be honest, we haven't even taken the picture yet.

I finished Twilight a couple of days ago, actually it was the day I posted that I found the book. I am looking forward to seeing the movie. It is going to be released November 21, but I am not sure when we will make it to the theater to watch the movie. We have to go to Tucson tomorrow to do some stuff for the house. We are going to stop by the bookstore so I can purchase New Moon, the next book in the series. I am a little behind in the series (there are four books), but as long as I stay ahead of the movies I will be okay. I am assuming that they will make another movie, but I really don't know.

I am looking forward to tomorrow, well today, being Friday. Things just seem more manageable on the weekends. We should probably start packing/cleaning this weekend. If everything goes like it should, we will have the keys to our house at 8:00 a.m. on Tuesday. I am not 100% sure when our stuff will be here, but that is another story. I am going to attempt to get some sleep.

Oh, before I head off to enjoy my nightly slumber, I am considering making the majority of the Christmas presents for next year. instead of buying them. I know this is a little early, but anyone else want to join me?

Posted by at 4:31 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Today started with packing. We packed until we ran out of boxes. Then we went to Sam's and purchased more packing materials. I am usually not one to sit around and talk about tape of any type, but a few days ago Gabe purchased some Scotch Packaging Super Strength tape. I must say that it is the best packing tape that I have ever used. If it happens to fall back on the roll (which it rarely does) it is very easy to peel it off and start using it again. The tape doesn't even rip. It is much better that the cheaper stuff. Okay, enough about packing tape. After Sam's we went to the Last Fling in Naperville. The idea was to go to the Collective Soul concert. It was a bargain at only $10 per person. However, after eating and walking around we decided to get back home so that we could pack some more. On the was back we stopped off at Target to purchase some totes. I don't think that cardboard boxes will stand up to holding my books, so we both thought that totes were a good solution. Since returning home I have packed a few boxes. I guess my current break for blogging is over...back to the boxes.

Posted by at 8:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

The packing wars have begun. Gabe has already started removing things from the cabinets and placing them into boxes. He purchased packing supplies at Sam's today. So, moving part 2 has started and I am already wishing that it was over and we were settled into the new apartment. The thing that I really hate most is the empty apartment feeling when everything is packed away. I also hate trying to figure out what can be packed early and what should stay out until the last minute. I have this feeling that as soon as I pack something away I will have an urgent need to use it.
I have recently come to the conclusion that I need to watch all of the shows saved on our Dishnetwork recorder. We have to send it back once we move and they will send us a new one, so I will lose all of the saved shows.
Tomorrow should be pretty exciting. The ophthalmologist is coming to the office where I am an intern. He will be performing LASIK and I get to watch.
I have a strong desire to go to a bookstore tonight. I don't think that it is going to happen. It is already late and I am tired.

Posted by at 8:37 PM | Permalink

We left for my parents today. We had to add a few things to the truck that we forgot last night, but nothing too major. If anyone out there will be moving soon (and I know a few of you will), the post office moving kit has a $50 off coupon for Budget rental trucks. I will say that the Budget trucks are not as comfortable as U-Haul, but they are cheaper. The gas mileage isn't that great either. Just in case you are wondering, and I know that Tony is, they get about 10 miles per gallon. Once arriving in at my parent's, we unloaded the cargo. I honestly believe that 2/3 of our belongings were packed into the truck. At least we will not have as much stuff to move to the suburbs. After unpacking we ordered my favorite pizza...Mimmo's pepperoni and green olives. If we would have remembered our swimsuits we could have hit the pool.

Posted by at 11:03 PM | Permalink

Tonight Gabe, Aaron, Tony, Maren, and I moved all of the furniture and totes into a rental truck to be moved into storage. We did not start putting things into the truck until 8:00 p.m. due to the weather. It rained off and on all day long. Finally at 8:00 p.m. we decided to start putting the plastic totes into the truck. Yes, we realized that the heaviest and largest furniture should be placed in the truck first, but our theory was that it did not matter if the plastic totes got a little wet. Around 8:40 Aaron arrived and Tony & Maren showed up around 9:00. I believe that Aaron has clinic tomorrow morning and Maren has to work bright and early. Things really picked up once they were there to help. I am really thankful that I have such great friends that are willing to help out. The apartment is now a wreck again, though less cluttered. I am going to take a shower and go to bed.

Posted by at 11:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

I realize that the posting has been a little lax lately, but if I am not at school I am packing. Friday Gabe and I left for North Carolina. Noelle, on of my friends, was getting married. We arrived around 11:30 p.m., checked into the hotel, and searched for a Cracker Barrel that the road signs said was only 0.2 miles away, but we never found it. Our choices were pretty much gas station food, KFC, or McDonald's. We went with KFC. I love their potatoes, chicken strips, and biscuits. We ordered our food and after waiting on them to kill, clean, and cook the chicken they finally brought the order out. They then informed us that they were out of biscuits, but they gave us extra chicken strips to make up for it. There were two extra strips and I must say that the individuals that live in North Carolina like their chicken spicy.
We went to the wedding on Saturday and I must say that it was one of the most fun weddings that I have ever been to in my life. Those of you who know me know that I am not a big fan of weddings, but I actually enjoyed this one! After the reception we went back to Noelle and Lee's home with a few other friends and Noelle's family. It was really nice to see her again and hopefully she will be coming to visit next summer...I had to throw that in just in case Noelle is reading this entry. :)
On the drive back to Charlotte we stopped and did a little shopping. It was tax-free weekend in North Carolina so I picked up a couple of shirts...tax free!
Our flight left Charlotte at ~6:30 a.m. today. We left the hotel around 5:00 a.m. (we were only 5 minutes from the airport). We were back at our apartment in Chicago by 9:00 a.m. Gabe and watched T.V. until 10:00 a.m. and then went to sleep for a couple of hours. We hit the grocery store and Target (to pick up more totes, of course). Then we came back home for another packing party. Back to the totes for me.

Posted by at 8:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

The majority of this past weekend was spent deciding which items in our apartment we could live without. The new place is significantly smaller than the current apartment. So, all of our furniture will not fit. Three trips were made to Target to purchase more storage totes. Initially Gabe did not see the point in the plastic totes, but after he started using them to pack his belongings he quickly became a believer. The third trip to Target was made to procure additional totes since the original purchase number did not factor in the ones that he would use. Finally on Sunday after we had had enough packing for one weekend we went to the dinner and a movie place and watched You, Me, and Dupree. It was pretty good, but not one that I would rush out to see again. My plan this morning was to get up early and finish some packing...that didn't happen. So, my plan was to come home from clinic and finish some packing...that didn't happen either. I was in clinic by 8:00 a.m. and I didn't get home until 9:30 p.m. So, I probably am not going to pack after entering this blog...I think that I am going to bed.

Posted by at 10:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)

We found somewhere to live yesterday! Actually, we just went because I wanted to see an additional layout of the apartment. Gabe had stopped by after work one day and decided that he liked the new layout better. So, we drove to the apartments, took a look, and before we had signed a lease. The funny thing is I only went there to look at the apartment. We had discussed it before we went and decided that we were staying there. They like my dogs, there is an indoor pool, an outdoor pool, and a work out facility. It should be pretty nice. The location will cut down on the commute time that both of us will have to get to work. The only downside is that I really needed to move mid-August, but the apartment will not be ready until early to mid-September. I guess that we will work with what we have. I must say that it feels good to know where we are going.

Posted by at 9:22 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)

Happy Fourth of July everyone! Today was better...I guess. We have decided that we should spend the extra money and spring for the larger apartment in the first building that we looked at yesterday (the back-up plan). It is a nice apartment and the apartment complex has some nice amenities. Plus, the will take the dogs and even have a fenced in dog park for them. We thought about going to the Taste, but decided against it...neither of us wanted to fight the crowd. Our neighborhood usually has a fireworks display put on by the residents. We might watch it tonight. Actually they have been putting it on for a while now, sometimes the noises are a little less than desirable.

Posted by at 6:27 PM | Permalink

Tonight Gabe and I took advantage of a great deal from MasterCard. Tickets to the movie "The Break Up", starring Jennifer Aniston and Vince Vaughn, are buy one get one free when you purchase tickets through Fandango using a MasterCard. It was only $10 for both of us to go and we printed our tickets out at home and didn't even have to wait in line at the theater. The movie was pretty good. It definitely had some funny parts. I will say that I didn't agree with the ending. I will leave it at that just in case you plan on watching the movie...I don't want to spoil the ending (though those of you that know me well can probably guess what happened just by the fact I wasn't too thrilled with the outcome). Well, Gabe is using the computer to look at places to live and I am slacking off and surfing the net. I actually have to be productive tomorrow...we will see how it goes.

Posted by at 11:53 PM | Permalink