It's Me - Catching Up Once Again

Well - here I am again playing catch-up! That's just been the way of things these last few weeks and I'm hoping it slows down soon... but only time will tell. I had intended to blog on Friday but I'd intended a lot of things on Friday and they didn't quite play out that way... *sigh*

First and foremost - Ryan and I are homeowners! It's been quite the process; although I gather that perhaps things went a bit smoother for us than for some people! We started looking for homes in October and we first viewed our new home on Monday, December 3rd - and we were pretty much both in love! We made an offer and then the fun began! 

Friday was moving day - we had the water turned on at 9:30 and we were supposed to have a final walk through at 10 but Dominion Energy (I'm calling them out here) didn't cut the electricity on; on the 13th, like they'd promised. No one called us and so we ended up not having power until almost 3:30... we ended up doing a "soft close", getting all our furniture moved in and then - amazingly - the power was turned on! It only took about six phone calls on Ryan's part for that to be accomplished!

I suppose I should also mention that the temperature in the house hovered at around 45 degrees until the power was cut on - it was crazy! Regardless of the bumps in the road on Friday, everything got moved in and around 6 PM we went to grab some dinner, do a quick Wal-Mart run and then came home and absolutely crashed!

 

Saturday was filled with all the home things - our Realtor came by and did the walk-through that was originally scheduled for Friday - everything worked fine and so we were good to go! We hung curtains and put away dishes and unboxed everything all over the place. We made a second and third Wal-Mart run for groceries and a rug and some other items that we needed... setting up a home is an experience!

 

I feel like we got so much accomplished in the 48 hours - everything looks really good for the two days we've spent working at it and I can't wait to see how it changes as we add to it. I especially loved watching the sun rise over the mountains in the distance on Saturday morning... we can see mountains out of both our front and back bedrooms. I also love that our fridge is already covered with cards from our friends and family; it makes everything feel so much more loved.

We headed to church on Sunday and then went to my parents house for lunch and some football before Ryan headed to work - and the snow arrived. The forecast predicted the potential for up to 12 inches of snow and then they added ice into the mix... blegh. The snow started at about 12:30 PM and it snowed... and snowed... and snowed... until around 10:30 PM when ice was added into the mix - gross.

 

The snow had all but ended by Monday morning (thank heavens for a holiday) and everything was covered in a sheet of ice that was about 1-2 inches thick. It was wild - because once I'd break through the crust of ice, the snow underneath was fluffy and soft! There was no using the snow blower on it's own because first you had to break up the ice and then follow along behind it with the snow blower - so it was a tedious process - to say the least - one that my Dad did the majority of; although I did help break up some ice here & there.

I spent a small chunk of time on Monday afternoon busting my car out of it's icy prison - and as I'd break through the shell, pieces of ice bigger than my head would come off! Some of the pieces were so large they required two hands and as I'd toss them into the snow, they'd shatter into a million pieces like glass! 

 

The temperature on Monday never got above freezing and the wind was whipping at up to 40 MPH - so, suffice it to say, nothing thawed! The roads were slicked with ice and every step offered the possibility for a slip and slide - and this was a particular ride I wasn't interested in taking. The roads proved a bit too treacherous to head into the office today and so I ended up working from home for the second time since this New Year has begun - crazy!  

Watson is not quite the fan of snow like he once was - his motto these days is to get out, get his business done and get back indoors as quickly as possible. I snapped a picture of him shortly after the snow began on Sunday - but I don't have too much else to show for him and the snow, because he is not a fan! 

It's been a busy few days and I pray that life will settle into something more a routine in the next few weeks - but then again, perhaps as this year unfolds and I'm setting up a new home, planning a wedding and moving forward with all these life goals - the pace may not ever be the same again. I guess that's just how it goes sometimes!