You can also check out my wedding blog, Tara Getting Married. It has lots of DIY wedding information!

Tuesday, September 30, 2008

Samples

So... Since everything is already picked out, I'm putting up samples! :)


This is the color of our countertops (Dupont Zodiac Quartz in Black Forest).





This is the color of our kitchen floor tile (Ozark Sand).







This is what our dishwasher is going to look like.





This is basically what our microwave/vent will look like.





This is basically what our range/oven will look like.









This is basically what our refrigerator will look like.




I hope that everything is going to look nice together. We put it together on a small scale and it looked great (I don't have a sample of the cabinets, but they're cherry wood with a ginger finish and a chocolate glaze. Also, the paint pulls it together better... it's Slate Green but I can't find the color online). I'm worried that it won't look as good together on a larger scale. I guess we'll find out very soon.

Oh. Joe told me that we have to paint the upstairs bathroom immediately (I was going to put it off for a while since we have so much other stuff to do that's more important). Apparently that's on the list for the appraisal to come back correctly, so it has to be done. It doesn't look like we'll be going to Texas this weekend after all, so I will probably start on that this weekend (and hopefully get it finished!). Wish us luck!

Monday, September 29, 2008

Update

Well, we have the cabinets ordered. They will be installed in about 3 weeks. Our appliances have been ordered. They should arrive at the end of this week. The tile guy will be taking down the tile in the downstairs bathroom on Thursday as soon as we close on the house (Joe's appointment with the lawyer is at 11:00 am on Thursday. Once all the paperwork is signed by both parties, the will give us the key and we will be homeowners!).

Then, the following Monday, Paul Kitchen is coming in to tear out the baseboard heating (that will probably take a few days). Also on that Monday, someone is coming to tear out the carpet in the living room. Then, on Wednesday, my mom will arrive to help us out! She'll be here until the following Wednesday.

Once the tile guy finishes tearing out the tile in the bathroom, he's going to tear out the bottom cabinets in the kitchen so that he can start tiling the kitchen (the tile has been ordered, but it will take a few days to get it in, so hopefully he can start on the kitchen as soon as he finishes tearing out the tile in the bathroom). Once he finishes tearing out the tile in the bathroom, my mom and I will take out the door on the bathroom, put up new drywall to cover that hole and put in a new door on the wall that is shared with the master bedroom (which will turn that bathroom into the master bathroom. Once we finish that, the tile guy can put in the new tile and the new shower in that bathroom.

My mom will also be helping me tear down the wallpaper in the master bathroom. I've never done this before, but I hear that it's a pain in the butt to do. I hope that it all comes down easily. She will also be helping me paint all of the rooms. I hope that we can get it all done in the time that she is here. I'm going to try not to get my hopes up, because I don't know if it's possible, but hopefully we can at least get most of it done. We've got to start on the bathroom first because it is something that I can't do by myself. And then the wallpaper in the master bedroom. And then we'll do the painting in the rest of the house.

My mom and the boys and I will most likely be staying at the house the whole time she is here so that we won't have to waste time or gas (especially with this stupid fuel shortage) going back and forth from Shelby to Gastonia. So, if anyone wants to come see us (or help us!), you're welcome to! :)

Friday, September 26, 2008

We're going to own a house next week!

I talked to Joe just a little while ago. And there is good news! We are approved. And the house appraised for $175,000. :) (well, that's the appraiser's estimate of what the house will be worth when we finish the remodeling).

It's so exciting! We're going to start scheduling everything now! I can't wait! The bad news is that we won't actually be able to close on Tuesday. The bank said that the paperwork will take until Thursday to finish, so we will close on October 2 instead of September 30. Our realtor said that the current owners should not have a problem with 2 extra days, so it will not be the end of the world.

Joe just got back. We have a meeting with the tile guy and the cabinet guy today. :) I am so happy. And the guy who's taking out the baseboard heating is scheduled for Monday, October 8. And that means that I can get my mom and my sister tickets to come down! I am so excited. I talked to my mom and she said she'd stay for as long as I need her and she'd take off whatever days she needed to. She's as excited as I am.

Such good news! And now we wait a week. And then by this time next week, we'll be home owners. :) And next weekend (if we're not in Texas), we will be working on our new house! And then the following weekend, my mom and my sister will be here helping us paint! And then by the end of October, we will be all moved in. And no longer living in Crackton. Such great news!

Appraisal + Gas shortage

The appraiser finally called yesterday afternoon. It was like 3:00. And it still wasn't final. She had questions for Joe. At that point, she was at $165,000. That's very good. Joe flirted with her a little to try to boost it up a little bit. :) He wants it to be higher. The higher the appraisal, the more we'll be able to borrow for remodeling (we can only borrow a certain percentage of what it will be worth).

Joe is at the bank right now meeting with the banker and trying to get things set in stone for the mortgage so that we can close on Tuesday! :) I am so incredibly excited. So long as everything goes well with the banker (we don't expect any problems), we will just have some final paperwork to complete, and on Tuesday, we will own our very first house!

Joe and I were supposed to be going to Salisbury this weekend to hang out with some very cool people (They know who they are :) ), but this stupid gas shortage may cause us to cancel those plans. Last night on our way home from work, there was a gas station which actually still had gas (all grades), so there were lines clear down the streets at all the entrances to the station. My car is at about a quarter of a tank right now. Joe's truck is at like 3/4 of a tank, so even though it gets less gas mileage, we're driving it. They don't want people to get gas unless they absolutely have to, so we're trying to hold out on filling up my car. Besides that, Joe's truck is a diesel and diesel seems to be easier to find right now.

If we have to cancel our plans, I will be going to Lowe's to pick up supplies for the house... like paint and other such items. :) Also, I have to pick up some stuff to repair the house we're renting right now. Daly chewed on the cabinets in the bathroom and I have to sand and stain them again. :( Also, I have to replace the floor trim that she chewed on. And I'll probably start packing up the stuff that we don't use regularly. Joe and I have decided that even if we aren't finished remodeling the house in Shelby, we're moving in by October 31 so that we won't have to pay another month's rent at the house in Gastonia. I am so incredibly excited that I can't even find words! No more Crackton. It's the best news ever. :) Besides finding the love of my life, Joe, and the adoptions of all four of my babies, of course. :)

Thursday, September 25, 2008

Anxious...

We are STILL waiting to hear back from the bank. They have to appraise the house as it will be after we finish the remodeling so that we can get a loan to do the remodeling on the house. It was supposed to take about a week. It's been over a week. Joe called yesterday and they said it would be later that afternoon or the following morning. Well, it's the following morning. I'm tired of waiting!

Not only is it stressful just waiting, but we can't schedule anything until we know what the bank is going to say. It will take 3 weeks to get the cabinets from the point that we order them. And then the installation should only take a day. The tile guy can't come in until the cabinets are in. And he can't do the bathroom until the door is moved from the hallway to the bedroom. And my mom is coming down to help us do that. And she can't come down (she'll only be able to stay a few days and then go back to Indiana!) until all of the baseboard heating units are removed (because she's also helping us paint and we can't paint until the baseboard heating is gone... otherwise there will be blank spots when they're taken out). And we can't schedule the guy to take out the baseboard heating until we hear something from the bank.

And of course, the tickets are outrageously expensive. It's going to cost me $300 to get my mom down here. And they get more expensive every day! I need to get it scheduled soon or I'll have to sell my liver to be able to get her down here!

Also, when she gets here, we're going to have to spend a lot of time on the bathroom and on the master bedroom. It's going to take a while because we have to move the bathroom door from the hallway to the bedroom to turn it into the master bathroom. Then we have to remove the wallpaper in the master bedroom. I've never done this before, but I hear that it's a completely awful experience. I am not looking forward to it. Knocking out walls, putting up new drywall and doors, tearing out cabinets, and painting an entire house: not scary to me. Tearing down wallpaper: SCARY beyond belief for me.

Wish us luck!

Tuesday, September 23, 2008

Life update + This Date in History

I had a wonderful weekend filled with wonderful people. :) I'm incredibly sore from playing way too many doucheball games in a single day. I had a great time playing, though.

I continue to reread parts of the Twilight Saga because I can't just stop. lol... I just reread the parts that I really like at bedtime. Yeah, I know. I'm crazy and obsessed. Oh, well. Not much I can do now. :)

Today is my 4 year anniversary with Joe. We've had our ups and downs, but we're still here together. With four wonderful pups to show for it. lol Gosh, we have a dog for every year we've been together. I don't think I could handle it if that kept up! Anyway, in honor of our anniversary, I've collected a list of important events which took place on this date in history.

Well, some pretty crappy stuff happened on this date in history. In fact, the very same day that Joe and I started dating, over a thousand Haitians died in floods! But, at least we got Ray Charles on this date as well. :)

Now that you're all informed about this date in history, have a lovely day.

Friday, September 19, 2008

Sad Story

I've put up a link to a news story from the ASPCA. It's about a man who while fighting with his ex-girlfriend, threw all of her stuff out of his third floor window -- including her Shih Tzu. The dog was seriously injured and later died. The man was on the run for almost a year, but was caught earlier this month. He's likely going to spend 7 years in jail.

Well, he's lucky. He's lucky because he's just going to have to spend 7 years in jail rather that what I would have done to him. It took the police almost a year to catch him. If he would have done that to one of my dogs, he'd have far less time than that to live. When I found that son-of-a-bitch, he'd be tranked (Dexter Style), and then when he woke up, he'd be tied up so that he couldn't escape. I'd chop off his testicles and feed them to my surviving dogs. And then I'd beat the snot out of him. I'm not sure what with, but when I'm done with him, he'd wish that I'd just thrown him out of a third story window. He wouldn't survive to mess with any of my babies again.

I'm a pacifist. But I'm also a mommy. And no one messes with my babies.

Thursday, September 18, 2008

Twilight Disappointment

Okay. So I finished the Saga and I read the 12 chapters of Midnight Sun that Stephenie Meyer put on her website (it was leaked, so she put it up herself). And now I'm incredibly disappointed that she may never finish it. It's really good and I want to read the rest of it!

I also watched 2 trailers for the movie which comes out November 21. While it doesn't look as cheesy as what I thought it would (I don't honestly think that Twilight can be made into a movie without giving something up... it'll just end up looking fake or cheesy). However, even though I wasn't disappointed with the way it looks, I am disappointed in the characters. They are all wrong! The way they look is wrong. And Bella acts completely wrong. It's infuriating. If this movie is wrong, I'm going to be pissed. I'm hoping that the trailers just made it seem different than what it is. :S ** Fingers Crossed **

Anyway, Edward Cullen is supposed to be the most beautiful man to ever live (at least in Bella's eyes and the eyes of those surrounding them)... Does this look like the most beautiful man to ever live?? I think not. Utterly disappointing.

Also, Edward's family is supposed to be drop-dead gorgeous, and I think they failed at representing them as well. Ugh.

I don't think I've ever been so obsessed with fictional characters before. That was a good thing. I guess it's too late for me now. :(

Tuesday, September 16, 2008

My new obsession...

For those of you who aren't familiar with the Twilight Saga, don't try! You will never be able to put it down!


I downloaded it to my Kindle on Friday... The first book: Twilight. I couldn't put it down.






As soon as I finished it, I downloaded the second book: New Moon. I stayed up until 4:00 in the morning reading it. I got back up at 7:30 and started reading more. Joe and I had stuff to do that day for the house and I brought my kindle with me.





As soon as I finished the second book, I downloaded the third book: Eclipse. I read all weekend long.





I downloaded the fourth book on Sunday. With work and all those other things I "have to do" I still haven't finished the fourth book. I can't wait to finish it. It's driving me nuts. I just have a few pages left. :)



The books are absolutely amazing. And Edward Cullen will always be my dream guy... Shhhh... don't tell Joe! And I'd totally be better for him than Bella. Except for the whole being a vegetarian thing. Edward Cullen might be perfect enough to make me drink blood though. :)

Friday, September 12, 2008

It's finished! At least the first part is...

The inspection came back fine. There were a few things that were problematic, but nothing that we didn't already know and nothing that is serious. The hot water heater is old. The inspector said it could go out next week or it could last for years. The windows are older and will need to be replaced eventually. Joe and I knew that already and have planned to replace them in the next few years. They did a great job repairing the wood and insulation, etc., under the house (so says the inspector). It passed inspection. There needs to be better drainage where the a/c unit is, which we already knew and have an estimate for.

So, yesterday Joe signed the final papers. Now we just have to deal with the bank to do the closing. Our closing date is September 30. :)

However, now we have to be in overdrive on picking out everything for the remodel and for finding the people who are going to remodel. The remodeling will start on October 1 and we have 45 days to complete it. It's going to be interesting, that's for sure.

Thursday, September 11, 2008

It's not over until it's over... and it's not over yet!

The waterproofer ended up going to the house yesterday because he was already in the area. Turns out that the leak problem is an easy fix. We can do part of the work (some digging and moving stuff out of the way) and they'll fix it for about $600, or they can do all of the work and it will cost around $800. So, that's good news. It's not as bad as what Joe had thought.

Also, we got another quote from an a/c guy and it was less money (Joe's first guy wanted to charge $11,800 and it still meant that we would have a gas and an electric bill because there would be 2 units, which also meant our electric bill would be sky high!). This guy would replace the a/c unit that was there with a new unit which could service the whole house and put in "zoning." This means that there would be two thermostats, one upstairs and one downstairs. When the thermostat downstairs is satisfied, the vents would be blocked off and the upstairs would still continue to be cooled until that thermostat was satisfied as well. It saves money and energy. Also, there would be no gas involved. It will be all electric. Which saves us a lot of money!

The final inspector is coming today at 9:00 am. When he finishes, we will know what needs to be done and if there are any real problems with the house. We aren't expecting anything since the house was already inspected once before when another buyer had a bid on the house and the only thing that came up was termite damage under the house (which has already been replaced and treated).

If this inspector comes back with no real problems, I think we're still going to buy the house. We won't be able to remodel the bathroom right away, but from what we've seen in other houses, this house is a real deal. And, after speaking to our realtor, we are assured that whatever money we put into the house (within reason), we will be able to get back out. She told us that when we finish the updating in the house, she would expect us to be able to get $170,000 back out of it. And we wouldn't have to put that much into it. :)

So, now we're just waiting for the inspection to come back. I'm on pins and needles. This process has been more stressful that I had hoped! But, hopefully it will be over soon! We should know this afternoon if we're going ahead with the bid or not. Wish us luck! :)

Wednesday, September 10, 2008

House Update + Daly News

So, yesterday Joe had the a/c guy come to check out the a/c for the house. It won't be enough to heat and cool the house. It'll be $10,000.00 to update that. Which breaks our budget. There is almost no way that we could do the kitchen, the bathrooms, and update the heat and air.

And on top of that, while they were looking at that, they found a leak of some sort. I wasn't sure what Joe was talking about but, it didn't sound good. So, Joe basically said that there was no way that we could get Cabaniss. I was heartbroken, we thought we should look at some other houses in the area.

Last night, we went to look at three houses. None of them were any good. So, that instilled more of a want to get Cabaniss. Joe is supposed to schedule an appointment to see if a waterproofer can come out to look at the house and give us an estimate. Apparently on one side of the house, the ground is above the top of the crawlspace and when it rains, water gets into the crawlspace and under the foundation or something. The owners had someone come in and half-ass a repair but water can still get in. So, we’ll see where that goes. Depending on what happens with the waterproofer and the owners, it may still be what we buy. Joe sounded like it was a huge deal yesterday, but I’m not so sure that it will be. We talked to the realtor last night and she recommended a waterproofer and see how bad it is.

So, I was still feeling crappy when we got home because I didn’t like any of those houses and they were all more expensive than Cabaniss. It didn’t seem like a very good compromise. I like them less and they cost more. Well, if I thought I was feeling crappy then, I felt even crappier when I opened the door. Daly had somehow escaped from her crate (they were inside yesterday because it was supposed to rain, but it didn’t despite the 60% chance from 10:00 am on). Luckily we always keep our bedroom door shut, but we didn’t shut the office/spare bedroom door. She destroyed a bunch of stuff in the living room, the kitchen and the office and she tore stuff out of the trash. That wouldn’t have been huge because we know she is destructive when she’s left alone (she has separation anxiety). And none of the stuff was really that important. Paper towels and junk mail and a bag of chips mostly. So, it was a huge mess, but nothing that important. I was disappointed, but not ready to kill her.

Until I walked into the office and looked. She peed twice on the bed and on the treadmill. I literally squealed I was so shocked. A mess I can handle. Her peeing on the floor I can handle (we were gone longer than normal). But her peeing on the bed and the treadmill I could not handle. I just started bawling. Joe put all of them outside and we started cleaning up the mess while I cried.

That was the last straw from Daly. She is now a completely outside dog. She slept outside by herself last night and she’s outside by herself today because it’s supposed to rain. That upset me even more. I don’t want her to have to be an outside dog, but she can’t be left in the house. I don’t know how much money she’s going to cost us to fix that bathroom after she gnawed on the cabinets and the wood trim around the door a few months ago (that's why she's in a crate! I still don't know how she got out!). And now she destroyed the mattress. I couldn’t sleep last night. I just tossed and turned.

She seemed fine this morning. She apparently wasn’t fazed by it. So, that made me feel better. I feel like hell though. Yesterday just was not my day.

Tuesday, September 9, 2008

Drill, Drill, Drill

The following was written by Eve Ensler (the author of the Vagina Monologues). It expresses much of what I am feeling about this campaign. I thought it summed this up nicely.

Drill, Drill, Drill:
I am having Sarah Palin nightmares. I dreamt last night that she was a member of a club where they rode snowmobiles and wore the claws of drowned and starved polar bears around their necks. I have a particular thing for Polar Bears. Maybe it's their snowy whiteness or their bigness or the fact that they live in the arctic or that I have never seen one in person or touched one. Maybe it is the fact that they live so comfortably on ice. Whatever it is, I need the polar bears.

I don't like raging at women. I am a Feminist and have spent my life trying to build community, help empower women and stop violence against them. It is hard to write about Sarah Palin. This is why the Sarah Palin choice was all the more insidious and cynical. The people who made this choice count on the goodness and solidarity of Feminists.

But everything Sarah Palin believes in and practices is antithetical to Feminism which for me is part of one story -- connected to saving the earth, ending racism, empowering women, giving young girls options, opening our minds, deepening tolerance, and ending violence and war.

I believe that the McCain/Palin ticket is one of the most dangerous choices of my lifetime, and should this country chose those candidates the fall-out may be so great, the destruction so vast in so many areas that America may never recover. But what is equally disturbing is the impact that duo would have on the rest of the world. Unfortunately, this is not a joke. In my lifetime I have seen the clownish, the inept, the bizarre be elected to the presidency with regularity.

Sarah Palin does not believe in evolution. I take this as a metaphor. In her world and the world of Fundamentalists nothing changes or gets better or evolves. She does not believe in global warming. The melting of the arctic, the storms that are destroying our cities, the pollution and rise of cancers, are all part of God's plan. She is fighting to take the polar bears off the endangered species list. The earth, in Palin's view, is here to be taken and plundered. The wolves and the bears are here to be shot and plundered. The oil is here to be taken and plundered. Iraq is here to be taken and plundered. As she said herself of the Iraqi war, "It was a task from God."

Sarah Palin does not believe in abortion. She does not believe women who are raped and incested and ripped open against their will should have a right to determine whether they have their rapist's baby or not.

She obviously does not believe in sex education or birth control. I imagine her daughter was practicing abstinence and we know how many babies that makes.

Sarah Palin does not much believe in thinking. From what I gather she has tried to ban books from the library, has a tendency to dispense with people who think independently. She cannot tolerate an environment of ambiguity and difference. This is a woman who could and might very well be the next president of the United States. She would govern one of the most diverse populations on the earth.Sarah believes in guns. She has her own custom Austrian hunting rifle. She has been known to kill 40 caribou at a clip. She has shot hundreds of wolves from the air.

Sarah believes in God. That is of course her right, her private right. But when God and Guns come together in the public sector, when war is declared in God's name, when the rights of women are denied in his name, that is the end of separation of church and state and the undoing of everything America has ever tried to be.

I write to my sisters. I write because I believe we hold this election in our hands. This vote is a vote that will determine the future not just of the U.S., but of the planet. It will determine whether we create policies to save the earth or make it forever uninhabitable for humans. It will determine whether we move towards dialogue and diplomacy in the world or whether we escalate violence through invasion, undermining and attack. It will determine whether we go for oil, strip mining, coal burning or invest our money in alternatives that will free us from dependency and destruction. It will determine if money gets spent on education and healthcare or whether we build more and more methods of killing. It will determine whether America is a free open tolerant society or a closed place of fear, fundamentalism and aggression.

If the Polar Bears don't move you to go and do everything in your power to get Obama elected then consider the chant that filled the hall after Palin spoke at the RNC, "Drill Drill Drill." I think of teeth when I think of drills. I think of rape. I think of destruction. I think of domination. I think of military exercises that force mindless repetition, emptying the brain of analysis, doubt, ambiguity or dissent. I think of pain.

Do we want a future of drilling? More holes in the ozone, in the floor of the sea, more holes in our thinking, in the trust between nations and peoples, more holes in the fabric of this precious thing we call life?

Update #18023841023784012

lol... So, lots of updating has been going on, so I just made up a number... in case you couldn't tell :)

Ummm... So, yeah. Joe and I have picked out colors and counters and cabinets for the kitchen. We have picked paint colors for most of the rest of the house. We're not sure what exactly we're going to do with the downstairs bathroom. Joe went and measured all the rooms in the house while I was out of town. We designed the bathroom we wanted and then found out that the measurements were wrong and the bathroom is actually several feet smaller that what we had planned for, so that plan won't work. :( So, we just have to come up with a new design for that. Also, we found a kitchen layout that we really like, but it won't work because of where the doors and windows are. So, we're working on a new plan for that as well.

We found out yesterday that our realtor gave the signed papers to the owners YESTERDAY. Instead of last week when we signed them. Grrrr... There are dates on there that we have to meet, and now we only have a week to get inspections done if they sign them today! It's kind of scary. And I'm currently not very pleased with our realtor.

But, hopefully all will go well and we'll be closing at the end of the month. :)


In other news, Jack got a haircut while we were in Indiana and he has gotten sunburned twice. Ouch. He doesn't like to have the aloe lotion rubbed on him. I can't find my sunblock to put on him, so I have to go to Petsmart and get some doggie sunblock or pick up some children's sunblock from walmart or something. Poor Jack.

Also, my office is still an absolute disaster from being on vacation for a week. I can see bits and pieces of my desk, but not much. I'll probably have to work this weekend some to get it organized. Probably Saturday afternoon because Joe has to work then anyway (before work, we're going to Hendrick's to look for our new stainless steel appliances!).

Also, Jack was the first dog to actually come into the new house (the other dogs have been to the house, but not in it -- Jack had to come to work with us when he got sunburned because we had to be gone for a long time and he couldn't stay outside without sunblock; so he got to come with us to the house). He gave it his stamp of approval. :) He especially likes that he can see the neighbor's poodle from the backyard. lol

Joe's anniversary present is supposed to be arriving today. I bought him a knife set. Don't worry; he already knows. I bought one for my dad and they were really awesome and Joe liked them, so I'm buying him a set as well. They'll look great in that new kitchen we're going to have. :)

Friday, September 5, 2008

Photos of the house...

Well, people have been asking for photos of the house. I don't have any that I have taken, but I do have the pictures from when the previous owners (well, the technically still owners) were still living in the house. It's going to look a lot different when we finish it the way we want it to look, but here's a sneak peak...


This is the view from the road (this was taken in February, so there are no leaves on the trees or anything).



This was taken in the foyer as you walk into the house [the front door (not visible) is to the left in this picture... right next to that window].


This is at the top of the stairs. There are 2 bedrooms, a bonus room, and a bathroom up here (It overlooks the foyer downstairs).



This is the kitchen... obviously. It will look completely different when we're finished since we're gutting it and then completely remodeling it. :)


This is the dining room. It's going to be a different currently undecided color, but not many other changes to it.



This is the living room. It will look very different when we finish. It's going to be burgundy with cream-ish colored furniture. The carpet is also going to be taken out (there are hardwoods underneath). The fireplace is still going to stay white.



And that's about it. :) The bedrooms right now are all white (except one with some really old, ugly wallpaper in it) with hardwood floors. They'll be different colors when we're finished but that's about it.

RNC Speech + My vote

So, I've been meaning to write about this for several days now, but I hadn't gotten around to it. I listened to Fred Thompson's speech (well, parts of it) at the Republican National Convention. There was something that really irritated me. He said:


There has been no time in our nation's history, since we first pledged allegiance to the American flag, when the character, judgment and leadership of our President was more important.

Terrorists, rogue nations developing nuclear weapons, an increasingly belligerent Russia. Intensifying competition from China.
Spending at home that threatens to bankrupt future generations. For decades an expanding government ... increasingly wasteful and too often incompetent.

To deal with these challenges the Democrats present a history making nominee for president. History making in that he is the most liberal, most inexperienced nominee to ever run for President.


He says this, but I'm not so sure that it had the effect that he was hoping for. Since George W. Bush has been in office for the last 8 years, I'd guess that he would be a huge part of the problem that Fred Thompson was just speaking about.

I guess that means we have no hope at all. Since the Republicans caused the problems and now the democrats are too inexperienced to fix them. lol

In other news, I have finally decided who I am going to vote for. Drum roll please...



Barack Obama.



Okay. So some people may be surprised and others not so much. John McCain used to be one of my favorite Republicans. Not anymore. Yeah, yeah. He's a great war hero. Thanks very much. I appreciate what you did for the country. Now, what are you going to do for the country now? The same as George W. Bush, you say? Hmmm... Senator McCain, I'm not sure if you noticed or not since you don't even know how much a gallon of milk costs, but GEORGE W. BUSH DID NOT HELP!

I was still willing to hear McCain out, but I am really upset over the Alaska drilling. I don't want it to happen. It's not going to help any, but it's going to destroy Alaska. For those of you who haven't been to Alaska, it's the most beautiful place that I've ever been to. It's so amazing. Wildlife is everywhere. It's so natural and almost untouched. It's such a wonderful place. And drilling will DESTROY it. And the wildlife and natural habitats. And if we drill there, it's not even going to make a dent on the prices or our consumption or the way that it affects the earth! So, I'm not pleased. Especially since Palin is from Alaska and STILL supports it when she knows what it is going to do!

And that is my third problem. Palin. McCain went too far. He's trying to "steal" women voters from Obama. It's ridiculous. There were other more qualified candidates (even after Republicans have stomped on Obama for not having experience, he picked Palin) in the running with her. But somehow, she emerged victorious. And I don't think that McCain did much background research on her either. She's got scandal after scandal. I'm pissed that McCain would think that just picking a woman would make women want to vote for him. As if her sex would be the only important thing to women. RIDICULOUS.

And I think it's going to backfire on him. Women voters will surely realize what he's doing. And he's going to lose some of his super-conservative voters as well. He's a hundred and fifty years old so it's not unlikely that he will die in office (I mean, come on, that was one of the questions about his run for presidency 8 years ago... so now he's just 8 more years closer to 6 feet under). And if he dies in office, Palin will be up to bat. And his super conservatives won't be happy about that.

McCain has a huge battle ahead of him. Obama has eloquence and youth and promise on his side (not to mention a huge following). And he picks a woman who can skin a moose as his running mate. That's his smoking gun? RIDICULOUS.

No, Mr. McCain. I refuse to vote for you because you're just like George W., you support drilling in my favorite place on earth, you give me no hope for the future, and you insult my intelligence. Feel free to try again in a few more years. :)

Thursday, September 4, 2008

HOUSE UPDATE - We agree!


Okay. So, we have some very exciting news!

Yesterday, we went to look at the house again to make sure that we were sure about it before we put in an even bigger bid. We still love the house. So, our realtor put in an offer of $98,000.00 last night with them still completing the repairs and us still allowed to do inspections (we could have gotten it for $92,000 if they didn't have to finish the repairs and we didn't want to inspect the house). Well, they came back to us and accepted the offer. Actually, more than that. They said that they'd accept $97,500.00 if they didn't have to put down new linoleum in the kitchen. We happily agreed since we were going to tear out the linoleum and put in ceramic tile anyway! :)

So, we've signed the paperwork and sent it back to our realtor so that they can sign off on it. Then we have until September 17th to get the inspections done. :) Once they sign off for sure, Joe is scheduling an inspection for early next week. Then, so long as the inspections come back clear, we will get our financing and finish up everything to close on the house. :)

After we close, we'll tear out the carpet in the living room (there are hardwoods underneath), clean the whole house, paint the whole house, then have the crew come in to remodel the kitchen the way we want it done, and then move in! :) I'm so incredibly excited! Goodbye Gastonia, Hello Shelby!

Wednesday, September 3, 2008

Shelby House Update!

Well, so much has happened since the last time I was able to write about the house. Joe went around to banks to shop for loans. He went to several banks and finally found a loan that worked for us. 5.8% for a 15 year loan... :)

Then we decided what we would want to do with the house. We're going to remodel the kitchen and update the bathrooms. We're also going to tear out the carpet in the living room (there are hardwoods underneath the carpet -- so that means there are hardwoods all throughout the house except for ceramic tile in the bathrooms and linoleum in the kitchen, which we are going to replace with ceramic tile).

Then, we made an offer. It didn't go through, but we didn't expect it to. They made a counteroffer. We have now made another offer on the house. We're hoping that it will go through. If not, we'll try again. And if it does go through, then we'll have to start the inspections. It turns out that the house had termite damage. They've replaced all of the damaged wood and it's supposedly all good now. I guess we'll find out when the inspection comes back. :S

So, now we play the waiting game some more. We're hoping to find out soon so that we can really get the ball rolling. Once we find out yay or nay, we will start the inspections. Then if it passes, we'll get the financing going. Then we'll take possession! Then, we will be having a cleaning/painting party with all of our friends. lol... we'll need the help! Once we get it cleaned up and painted the way we want, the remodeling crew will come in and put in the kitchen cabinets, appliances, and ceramic tile. Then, once that is finished, we will move in! :) :) :) We're hoping to be in by Christmas. How exciting! Even if this house doesn't end up working out (I hope it does... it's my favorite that we've looked at by far), we're moving as soon as possible. The list of crappy stuff keeps adding up at our house in Cracktonia. :(

My ex's new girlfriend...

Okay. This is not what you're thinking. I'm actually not going to bash her. I actually feel sorry for her. And not just because she's dating my ex. ;)

Michael's (my ex-boyfriend) family loved me. They thought that I was awesome. They knew that Michael probably wouldn't ever do any better because he's a douche (most of the time), and he's not an attractive guy. hahaha... gotta get that in. :) Anyway, they knew that I treated him well and loved him and he shouldn't have treated me the way that he did.

Well, his family still misses me. I talk to them when I'm in Indiana and I still send birthday and Christmas cards, etc. It seems that now they have put me on a pedestal which cannot be touched. I am near perfect in their eyes now. They've raised me way above what I ever was. And this girl stands no chance. They don't like her for multiple good reasons (she's 6 years younger than him -- 18 to his 24, she faked a pregnancy, she's a mooch, she smokes, etc.), but she seems to be a sweet girl. She just has some growing up to do. And she's cute.

However, I think she is seen as lower than what she is simply because she is not me. I feel bad for her. I know that the Thayers have definitely raised me to a higher level than I deserve. They're remembering me as even more awesome than what I am! ;) I hope that they'll get over it. I don't think that Michael and this girl really belong together, but I feel bad for her all the same. She's not getting a fair chance or a clean slate. She seems to be dealing with it all the same, though.

I'm glad that I didn't have any high standards to live up to with Joe's family. Of course, Joe's ex-girlfriends were mostly just casual and the one that was serious, was crazy, so I didn't have much to compete with. And beyond that, Joe doesn't really speak to most of his family, so even if he did have ex-girlfriends, there wouldn't be anyone comparing me to them. So, I guess in that respect, I have it easy. However, I really miss having cool "in-laws."

Vacation...

Well, I got back from Indiana today. I had a wonderful time. I wanted to blog multiple times, but my parents only have dial-up internet and it wouldn't work right (they live in BFE, so they can't get high speed).

My family was wonderful. We went to the Blueberry Festival (my hometown's annual Labor Day festival), to the racetrack, shopping, eating, vegging out, and plenty more. It was quite splendiferous. :)

I watched the second season of Dexter while I was there. I was disappointed through much of it, but all's well that ends well, I guess.

Jack came with me. The other boys stayed with Joe. My mom loves Jack. She is one grandma who definitely plays favorites. I met my mom's new dog. He's sweet. He's the one who was temporarily paralyzed. A bit annoying at times, but he seems to be good natured. However, he's not the cutest dog... I said goodbye to my old dog, Magic. She died in June, but I hadn't been back to Indiana since May, so it was strange to be there without her. I was okay for the most part, but when I was playing with my parents other boxer, Tank, I started to miss her. He reminds me a lot of her.

I made my family vegetarian lasagna. They liked it. Even though my dad was extremely surprised that he did. :) He thinks that anything vegetarian has to be gross. He's a freak like that. :)