Welcome to the Gingerbread Diaries!

The Gingerbread Diaries

So, yeah, this happened:

jvanderbeek_theclosing-1

After, of course, a lot of this:

jvanderbeek_theclosing-2

(No, we didn’t sign that much paperwork at the closing, that stack happens to be the 7.5# of paperwork generated by the loan over the last 3 months, not counting the 140+ email threads in my House folder on gmail!)

I’d love to say we went straight to this:

jvanderbeek_theclosing-3

But, alas, Todd had to head back to work for the rest of the afternoon and I had to go do super-fun things like set up our utilities account and arrange for the all-important Internet! (While it’s true we’re not moving in for another couple months, we’ll be spending time up there before then and there’s no way we’re surviving with just our cell phones.)

I will give the City of Thomasville credit, though: they make it very easy to start an account with them. No hideous deposits (unless you’re renting, then it’s a flat $125); one-stop-shopping for electric, gas, water, sewer, trash, cable, internet, and phone; and no “window” to meet the service rep–it’s an actual appointment time thankyouverymuch!

Of course, now that we have the home, I’m just itching to put some of these to use:

jvanderbeek_theclosing-5

But I’m afraid they’re going to have to wait until these come into play:

jvanderbeek_theclosing-4

The house has been empty a few months, but before that it was used as a personal care home. Ironic that they didn’t care, personally, for the home, but nothing to be done about it now! Except clean every inch of the place, that is. And while some surfaces really are kind of gross (banister, I’m looking at you), it’s really the smell that’s the worst–hence the mega bottles of Febreze. It’s our best option at the moment considering none of the windows open so we can’t let Mother Nature do the airing out for us.

Also on the early to-do list is to change the locks (as the Realtor put it, ‘who knows how many people have copies of these keys’–joy!). So off to the hardware store we’ll go this weekend to take care of that, then we can make copies for the people we need to give access (aka our contractor) so that the renovation work can begin!

Thus begins the ongoing saga (hopefully more of a comedy than a tragedy) of our adventures as homeowners and caretakers to a century home!

In Celebration of Birthdays

Everyday Adventures

I love birthdays–I always have and, hopefully, always will. Some birthdays pass more quietly than others, but they are still celebrated in some way, shape, or form. And while I know not everyone enjoys their birthdays, especially as the number of candles reaches conflagration-status, I like what Mom often says:

It’s better than the alternative!

Gallows humor, sure, but she has a point.

Todd, whose birthday it is today, is one of the non-celebrants. He doesn’t mind celebrating other people’s birthdays, but prefers not to make a fuss over his own. So I will likely never throw him a surprise party, and only occasionally suggest we have a small get-together (usually a game night) on his birthday if it works out that way. Nothing big.

But he knows that I will always celebrate his birthday because I am incredibly grateful that he was born all those years ago. I will always get him a little something (usually something fun, since birthdays are not a time for practical gifts) and ask him what he’d like special for dinner (be it my cooking or going out–this year he chose going out with dessert at home). I will always get him multiple cards (at least 1 silly and 1 serious) and usually sing him Happy Birthday when we get up on his birthday morning.

Because he is the most important person in my life, and I think he’s worth celebrating. And he accepts my position on the matter.

In deference to his not wanting to make a fuss, I won’t post the umpteen reasons why I’m glad he was born, or the other umpteen reasons why I’m head-over-heels in love with him, suffice it to say I could and leave it at that.

Instead, I’ll just close with a heartfelt Happy Birthday, Honey!