Sold! Closed! Happy Birthday to ME!

Wow, what a ride. For those of you following along with this blog, you may remember that we put our condo up for sale on February 1st. Well, as of today it is sold and closed. Done deal. Finito. On the books; recorded with the county and all that jazz. Happy birthday to me! :-)

Nobody prepared me for what an emotional ride this would be, but I'm very happy to have this leg completed. Lessons learned:

• If you're selling your home, you should definitely have a real estate agent show it. No homeowner should have to endure hearing people's commentary on the small nit-picky points that they don't like about your home.


• It's not personal, it's business -- but sometimes it's still frustrating and hard to take yourself out of the equation.


• If you're going to call the power company to cancel your account, be sure you write the number down correctly... there's a big difference between 1-888... and 1-800... trust me on this one!

There were a few other lessons learned, but for now, I'll leave it at that... and you'll definitely want to trust me on that last point!

Closing today was quite the birthday gift, that's for sure. Over the past three years, great things have happened on my birthday, and I sure hope the trend continues -- here's to another great year!

Just Listed!

Are you in the market for a great 2 bedroom, 1 3/4 bathroom condo in Bellevue Washington? Well, we've got one on the market, and maybe it'll be the right place for you! Check out the listing online, then contact your favorite real estate agent to take a tour. :-)

Catching Up & Transitions

Wow, where has the time gone? The holidays have come and gone, and January is almost over. It has been a very busy time for us -- full of transitions and activity.

My last post focused on my grandmother's 90th birthday. Lennie and I had the opportunity to travel back to Minneapolis to help celebrate her birthday and to reconnect with family. The party was a great success, and we were treated to sunny but cold winter days (a high of 19!?) while touring around the Twin Cities. Photos from the party and our weekend are available here.

Upon returning home, we were thrown into the holiday season, complete with my brother's family in town for two weeks. It was fun to have kids around for the Christmas season, and we filled our after-work time with trips to the Bellevue Botanical Gardens and other area Christmas events. My oldest nephew had a hockey tournament that started immediately after Christmas, so we trekked up to Mountlake Terrace quite a few times to take in some of his games. It was busy, but we really enjoyed having the family in town. View photos from the holidays.

Ch-Ch-Changes
Amidst all of the holiday cheer, Lennie and I also began packing up our condo. For quite some time now, we have felt that condo living is no longer appropriate for our life stage. The opportunity came up to stay elsewhere while we had a our condo updated/repaired, and we jumped on it. (Note to self: don't try to pack up and move during the holidays; both items are stressful enough on their own!) Needless to say, we moved out on January 2nd and have been living out of boxes for the last few weeks (which partially explains why photos haven't been posted and I've been delinquent in posting here). As we've transitioned out of the condo, we donated many items and began "organizing" all of the 'stuff' that we have accumulated. To say that it's been overwhelming would be an understatement!

I tried to get a few "before" photos for our condo, but our contractor was on the ball and got started just before these photos were taken. Either way, you get the idea... I'm happy to say that we're nearing the finish line for the condo update project, and I snapped these photos yesterday. We could not be happier with the work that our contractor did.

So, for our next trick we'll be putting the condo up on the market within the next week or so. If you know of anyone who wants to purchase a great two bedroom, one and 3/4 bathroom condo in Bellevue, let me know. It's a great location, we're just ready to live in a house instead of a condo. :-)

Happy Birthday Grandma Mary!

Today, my family and I will celebrate my grandmother's 90th birthday, which is quite the milestone in my book. Grandma Mary has led an incredible life, and has raised six wonderful children, including my mother.



My grandmother once told me that she was going to live long enough to be on Willard Scott's 100th birthday tributes on the Today show. Grandma -- I'm totally holding you to that promise, and can't wait to celebrate more birthdays with you!

Happy birthday Grandma Mary!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Another holiday season is upon us, and I'm still in denial about the end of summer, let alone Thanksgiving and the beginning of the cold, rainy weather. Amazing how time flies, huh?

Early this morning, we got some sad news on Lennie's side of the family. As we mourn the loss of a loved one, I am reminded of how fortunate we are to have so many loving people surrounding us. We are truly thankful for each person in our lives, and hope that everyone is showered with love and laughter this holiday season. Be sure to hug your loved ones when you see them, and remind each person in your life how much they mean to you. I know that I will be.

Happy Thanksgiving!

How Un-Seattle of Me!

Fall is in full swing here in the Seattle area. Orange leaves are swirling in the wind, trees are getting thinner by the day. The colors have left me continually in awe of the beauty of our area.

The grey skies have been a little depressing lately, but I think that I'm starting to get used to it. What I'm not ready for, however, is the downpour and constant drizzle. It's not cold out, so I can't justify my heavy jacket yet, which means that the umbrella seems more appropriate. Usually, it's the tourists and non-natives who are using umbrellas around here. However, I've come to rely upon my umbrella... How un-Seattle of me.

Hey, at least I'm dry with my umbrella! :-)

Fall

Fall has most definitely arrived! I am sitting here snuggled under my blanket, and there is a chill in the air. The condo is filled with the smell of cinnamon and apples, and the sun is shining. I do enjoy fall days like this!

I had the pleasure of going to the UW football game last night, where the air was crisp and cold, and the crowd was abuzz. Being a football fan sure is stressful; the night was full of ups and downs as our team was in the lead, then really wasn't, and then pulled the game out in the last few minutes of the game. We were heading out of the game with a few minutes left... I stopped in the restroom on the way out, and the team decided to kick it into gear right then and score not one, but two touchdowns in the span of just two football minutes! Exciting stuff. It sure is nice to have a team that is putting it's heart into the game this year; very refreshing to go to games where the team is actually showing up to play. I'm loving it... although I may have to start seeing a cardiologist -- the ups and downs are a lot to take! :-)

Yay For College Football Season!

This weekend marked the beginning of another college football season. The 7:30 p.m. game was a little bit of a stretch for me (I prefer earlier games), but we "tailgated" before the game at the bar of a local restaurant and then took the bus across the lake to Husky Stadium. There is nothing like the energy of the stadium on game day, and Saturday was no exception. The air was buzzing as we walked into the stadium and you could feel that change was afoot. A new season, a new coach, and a new opportunity to prove that our team was a worthy opponent.

Don't get me wrong, I didn't have high expectations. I'm a Husky fan, after all. However, it was refreshing to see that our team came with something to prove, and we were in it to win it. We didn't win the game, but we hung in there until the bitter end, and all of us left with our heads held high, and with great hope for the season. Yep, it's a new year, and I'm excited to get back into the swing of Saturday football games at Husky Stadium.

Go Huskies! :-)

Summer Vacation

I'm sitting here in denial that our week-long vacation is coming to an end. Lennie and I had the good fortune to spend 7 days in a small cottage in the town of Birch Bay, Washington. Birch Bay is less than 10 minutes from the US / Canadian border, and is a sleepy beach community. Our cottage was cozy (read: tiny), but priced right for a week of rest and relaxation. Every night, we were treated to beautiful sunsets, and every day the sun shone down upon us. When the tide went out in the bay, we were able to walk the beach and explore small tide pools (not to mention take lots of photos!). It was wonderful... no, amazing.

I hadn't taken more than a full day off since the beginning of the year, so a week away from work was heavenly. To be able to slow down and have no agenda or plans was quite the treat. I finished three books -- the second and third books in the Twilight series and the Julie & Julia book -- and started a fourth book while on vacation. What fun to sit in the sun, overlooking the bay, and take in a good book! I also got to work on a knitting project that I hadn't visited in over three years, which was challenging but fun.

My parents came up for two nights, and happened into a great location less than a block from our humble cottage. It was a great place for them to stay, and thoroughly convenient for all of us. On Wednesday, we drove up to British Columbia, where we walked Crescent Beach in Surrey, and enjoyed a rooftop lunch in White Rock. Good times.

While the bed left something to be desired (and knots in our backs), the cottage and the vacation was just what Lennie and I needed to recharge.

zzzzzz....

We've been busy this summer, enjoying time outside and with friends and family. Over the past two weeks we got to spend some time with my brother and his family, we got to go to see Harry Potter in IMAX (I highly recommend it in IMAX!), and oh yeah: we bought a new (used) car. Very exciting stuff.

It dawned on me late this weekend that I'm really tired and in need of a vacation. The best news though: vacation is on the horizon. Like the light at the end of the tunnel, vacation is a comin'. (Could I get any more trite phrases in that last section!?) I'm looking forward to spending some time with my wonderful hubby, and vacation can't come fast enough for me. My vacation clock is officially ticking! ;-)