Weekly Smiles & Frowns

I got this idea from my sister's blog and I'm stealing it for my blog as well. It reminds me of the "roses and thorns" we would do at scout camp growing up.

Smiles:
- Today is Friday! 
- This weekend is moving weekend
- Got all my books packed yesterday
- Getting enough volunteers to help move
- Cuddles with my beau
- Getting my renters insurance back
- A new Very Mary Kate video (watch it here)
- Two funny cat posters my coworkers left at my desk
- Cookies

 

Frowns:
- Anxiety about moving
- Not getting enough sleep
- Neck being sore

 

All in all, a good week! I've just been working each day, then going home to pack in the evenings, then falling asleep with Robert. Unfortunately I haven't gotten to sleep in/catch up on my sleep since the Monday before last.  Moving two apartments while dealing with the kitties and working full time is definitely keeping me busy. I told Robert either Sunday or Monday is my sleep in day. I seriously need to catch up. Lol.

New Apartment/Black Mold

If you're on my Twitter or fb, you've heard by now that we got the apartment! I am SO excited!

We move in this Saturday, so tomorrow and Friday are going to be taken up with packing. I have gotten most of my books done, actually, and all of my movies. I just need to do the rest of my closet and the kitchen and then it's pretty much done. I don't think that it'll be a hassle to move, since I don't really have any big things. Daniel (who tweets here) is going to help Robert and myself move. I'm also going to ask a few other friends to see if they can lend a hand.

The new apartment that we're moving into is so nice! Hardwood floors in both bathrooms, a washer/dryer, a pool, a 24HR workout center, nice carpet, updated appliances, great location... I don't have any complaints about it! Quite the opposite in fact! It also comes with a little storage unit, which is great. Plus we have the second bedroom that will be used for storage and for Robert's desk/office area. I have office supplies to put there too. That's where the computer will go as well, even though I'm sure our laptops won't live in that room. I usually have mine on the couch or bed.

Another bonus of moving? Getting out of Sir Charles Court. The staff were nice enough, but the rent was raised a lot each time we resigned the lease. The windows were also single paned, so it was cold in my bedroom and there was black mold everywhere. Even though I ran the fan in my bathroom constantly, didn't open my bathroom door during showers and followed basic procedures for helping with keeping it at bay, this apt was HORRIBLE for black mold. I had to bleach down my windows every 1.5 weeks and mold grew in every corner of the room. If I didn't pull stuff out and bleach the walls, stuff would just rot.  I ended up having to throw away literally bags of clothing because I didn't realize that by touching the walls they'd mold over. I took a photo of the corner of my bedroom before I bleached it down the other day, which I'll attach.

I complained at the office and they just gave me a paper handout with such gems as "dry your towels immediately after use" and "dry your dishes". It's actually shocking to me that I haven't gotten sick from the mold spores. After throwing away hundreds of dollars worth of clothing, using enough bleach to kill a small animal and constantly battling it, I'm so relieved to be done at these apts. All I can say is:  good riddance! 

New apt

The beau and I applied for an apt today. I really hope that we get it, and I don't really see any reason why we wouldn't.

It has everything we're looking for. We had a list of "must haves" that we took with us, which included: 

- Double-paned windows
- A washer/dryer in the apt
- A dishwasher
- A large closet (this one has a walk-in)
- 2 bedrooms
- Below $900

The apartment also has a pool, parking, and a flat rate for utilities, which is nice. It's also in a really nice area that's close to my work and close to R's gym. And we love the accessibility of places around it, including my favourite coffee shop. I sense I'll be spending a lot of time there!

Cross all your digits for us! We find out tomorrow! Eek! 

House Hunting + Vaca

So the parentals have one more day of house hunting in front of them before they make their decision. Tomorrow is that final day that they are looking at the homes that are on the top of their list and making the final decision. I went house hunting with my mom and sister all today with my Aunt Angelina as our realtor. [Her website is here.] We looked at 8 different houses I think, but I really fell in love with one of them. It had Brazilian hardwood floors, 3 living rooms and 5 bedrooms. It's even bigger than the house that we have in Salem! Which is funny considering only Erika will be living with them. It was such a nice home and it was in a good neighborhood. I know that my Dad really has his heart set on another one that I've only seen the outside of. They are going to look at it again tomorrow, so hopefully I'll be able to go along and check out the inside of it. Everyone describes it as "really 70s", so I don't know how I feel about that. The one I saw today was very classy and spacious. The only thing that I would change is updating the kitchen. But that can be done after a bit. It just looks a smidge old. So I guess we shall see what's going to happen house wise.

In other news, I'm glad that I came down here to Utah. I always want to make the most of my vacations when I take them. I don't like to have tons of down time. So far I've seen Diana Ross in concert, playing Phase 10 with the cousins + Erika, gone to coffee and the mall with Gay @ BYU, had the MoHo Thai lunch and shopping that I wrote about earlier [here], visited with family, saw Uncle Jim and Aunt Linda's finished basement, got a new pair of pants and a ring, learned some about the geography of the valley here and house hunted. And I have plans tomorrow and on Friday as well. So I havent been lounging around.

Parents House For Sale

When Mom and I got home from car shopping (which I will have to post about as well) the sign from her real estate agent was in her yard. She was all excited about it. The house is listed for sale here if you want to check it out. It's 6 bedrooms and 3 living rooms so my mom is worried that she's going to have a hard time unloading it. It had been for sale for a long time by the time we had purchased it. Anyway, that's a shot I snapped with my cellphone while heading inside. The process is well on it's way!

Parentals moving

So the good news keeps on coming this week. I'm being facetious when I say that, although it is good news is some respects.

My Dad got a job at the family history center in Salt Lake with the Church. He moves *drumroll* at the end of this month on the 29th. Thats only a few weeks away! My Mom is going to stay back in Salem until the house is sold and then she will be following him down there.

I know that this is good news because my Dad has gotten a job that he's always wanted. The part that is bad news is that I am a little selfish and don't want my Mom to move away. I won't be able to come down and see her anymore and go out to our fav Thai place. Or come down and do crafts for a weekend. I know SLC isn't like Zimbabwe. I'll be able to come down and visit and I'm sure that she will come up from time to time. It's just that its a pretty major change and the house in Salem is the one that I've really grown up in. And I personally would not like to live in Utah. I think anyone that knows me would know that right off the bat. I am liberal and progressive and I would not mesh well there.

My Mom is one of 14 and 8 of her siblings live down there, plus her parents as well. So my Mom will be surrounded by a lot of her family. Immediate family wise, I will stay in Portland and Kurt is moving out to Stayton (just a bit outside of Salem in Oregon) to be with Emily. Gerrit is on his mission and then Erika is at BYU so when she gets home from school she will be going to Utah. So just my parents and Erika will actually make the move there.

I'm happy for them but sad I wont be close anymore. Big changes happening!