Lots of details and no control over any of them.

Those that know me know that I have control issues.  I like to understand what is going on and how I can influence or impact those things.  It seems to me that the buyer has very little control after the offer is negotiated when buying a house.  You are now in the hands of mortgage companies, realtors, utility companies, moving companies and title companies.  And what is a title company, anyway??  So, now I close on my house on Friday and I have no idea what time or how much money I need to take with me.  I suppose those are only minor details!

This will be the first time in over 20 years that I have lived in a small town and it changes some things.  I called the utility company to find out what I needed to do to get my utilities hooked up.  I was getting nervous since I had not been able to get in touch with anyone and wasn't sure if they could get them turned on in time.  So, no worries.  As long as I get to the municipal office before 2 pm they will have my utilities turned on before the end of that day.  That made me laugh.  Wouldn't happen in a large city!!

Drinking coffee

I came back to Tulsa for Labor Day weekend and have OD'd on coffee on the couch with my puppies.  There is something so simple and soothing about that.  The house is quiet, no TV, radio, or other noise.  I can sit on the couch and surf the net to catch up on the things that interest me and read.  It is my favorite way to start the day. 

I can't wait!

Everyday when I get off work I drive by my new house.  I can't wait until we close!  The more I see the house, the more I love it! 

Training

I went to training this week.  There are many observations I can make about it.  First, it was held in the corporate training center.  It was a very nice facility - a private hotel and conference center owned by our company.  It made me giggle just walking in because, if you had any doubts, this is confirmation that I work for a BIG company.  It was my first time at this facility and I just kept marveling all week.  I mean - private hotel, state of the art conference center, executive chefs on site, etc, etc. 

My second thought was....oh my gosh, don't let my dad find out about this.  He will never get over this example of corporate excess!    I laughed about that all week too. 

My third thought about my training was - this stuff I am trying to learn is HARD!  I was in a class that was all about the use of statistical tools to drive continuous improvement.  I took stat in college and actually loved the class.  But I struggled with this class.  I was in the class with all engineers and it seemed very easy to them.  Not so much to me.  I struggled and struggled.  It took the better part of two days for me to even get to the point that I didn't want to cry.  It was a tough week to get thru but I made it.  Now I have to go back to work and use the tools and come back in a month and share my results.

Dogs

Dogs make me happy.  I don't know why.  But anytime I see a dog, any kind of dog, I smile.  They just seem to be so happy all the time.  They are simple creatures, feed them, give them a little attention and they are just estatic to be around you.  How can that not make you smile??  Nothing philosophical to say about that, just an observation.

I bought a house!

Griff found the house on the internet and sent me the link.  So I drove by it and liked the outside.  I checked it out on the internet again and saw that it was scheduled for an open house that week.  So, I went to the open house on Thursday.  On Friday morning I made an offer.  It took all day Friday to come to an agreement but by the end of the day I had an agreement to buy a house!!

Griff is excited because he found it and there is NOTHING that needs to be done before or after we move in except decorate.  Unlike our current house that I found and needed lots of work. 

The view from the driveway.

I love this house, it is over 150 years old.  Lots of character.  It is 4 bedroom so there is room for a guest bedroom, an office for Griff and a craft room for me!  I am so excited!  See all the pictures below. 

The fireplace in the formal living room. 

I foresee many hours on this porch reading and drinking coffee.

Formal Living room.  The floors are the original hardwood restored and beautiful!

This is the dining room and the outside door goes to the porch pictured above.

The kitchen has granite tile countertops, custom built oak cabinets, all new stainless steel appliances, tile floor, and one exposed brick wall. 

Lawn Decoration

I love this beach town I am staying in.  Only in a beach town is it acceptable to decorate your lawn with armed flamingos and targets for them to practice their skills on.  I drove by this house on Thursday evening and cracked up when I saw this. 

The decorations are even better because they are on the street that probably has the most expensive houses in town.  It is the beach front street in town.  And right in the middle of it are these birds.  Too priceless!!

Don't mess with the birds in this town!  I guess this will be added to my list of weird encounters with birds since I moved here.  They are fake but they are fake birds so I rule that they get included. 

Enjoy!