we're still alive!

So yeah, it's been awhile. The past month has been a blur. We went to the UP on July 12, got back here late on July 24, and then had a week to pack, move into the new place, and clean the old one. Needless to say it's been a pretty crazy month. BUT, we're now in the new place, our HOME, and are feeling really good about it. The main floor is almost unpacked and settled, but things are in a bit of disarray in that the TV is up here now, but once the basement is set up we're going to put the entertainment center down in the family room. Therefore, things aren't quite yet where we want them upstairs, thus: no pictures for you! Once the upstairs is feeling more like the way we want it, instead of in a bit of transition, then the pictures shall begin.

I've also been working on the yard a bit. I bought a few plants at the farmer's market last weekend (some black-eyed susans and some echinacea) and am cleaning out an old icky garden bed and getting those plants settled. The backyard is going to be really cool eventually, but is going to take some time and money (which is running low right now....i don't get paid over the summer and while we saved for it, the house ate up more than we sort of imagined...september 10, the 1st payday, can't come soon enough!).

Everyone who has come over since we moved is really surprised at how different the place looks. It's nice to have other people notice all the crazy hard work we put into it, it truly does look way different and really feels like ours.

So, I start school on August 20. Kind of crazy how quickly that's sneaking up on me. Bah. Oh well. I'm almost looking forward to the mundane again instead of this bizarre and hectic summer. Before that starts though, we're headed to Hope, Idaho this weekend for my birthday getaway. A colleague has a cabin up near Lake Pend Orielle and he's letting us use it for the weekend. It's near Sandpoint, Idaho, but just around the lake. We're looking very forward to it. The cabin has scrabble and a ping pong table, so I'm looking forward to wine, cheese, ping pong, scrabble, and naps.

Also, before school starts, Jeff's cousin Alex has decided to come and visit. He'll be coming on August 15. Our first house guest! This will force us to actually start unpacking the basement, as the guest bedroom is down there. Someday we'll save the money to put an egress window down there so that the bedroom is legal and so that the room feels a bit more hospitable, but for now it'll do.

Anyhow, yeah, that's us lately. Busy, but good and onto a new adventure--living in our own home! Hoorah :) Hope you're all doing well.