So, here are the standings at this point.
Flanny and Ryan hit a home run over the weekend, and after sauntering into home plate, are now in their new dugout, eating sunflower seeds, drinking gatorade, and high-fiving each other over the fairly uneventful long trek up to Nor Cal (except the part where their futon broke and Coach Johnny Handyman had to provide a pinch runner for a base or two...in other words, fix their futon, which he did, and they were back in the game). They are now available to sign autographs for their adoring fans.
Leslie and Mr. Handyman are warming up in the batter's cage, ready to hit a homer on Saturday, after many, many balls, strikes, and fouls (trips to the new house to unload truckloads of stuff). They did, however, score big earlier this week by being the recipients of a very coveted baseball award called "Free Washer and Dryer, just because you are that lucky". They also have been high-fiving about that award.
Taylor is on the bench, putting on his cleats, oiling his glove, getting ready to warm up (he just started packing, or rather, he now has the boxes to start packing), and is working his "chew" (bubble gum), gearing up for his own at-bat next Tuesday. It should be noted, however, that he has been a very helpful bat and water boy (helped us at the old and new houses, loading and unloading, loading and unloading, up flights of stairs, down flights of stairs, up and down, up and down, without breaking his back or a sweat...probably part of his training regimen).
So, there you have it. Not quite a triple header, but close. Trailing on the team are the international baseball stars, Meg and Krus, who are feverishly working to complete Krus' immigration/visa status in time to catch the August 14th flight to the U.S. of A. Their home run ball will soar higher than any of ours (the flight in the air), and although last, certainly no less important than any of the other home runs. Plus, they have done some heavy recruiting, and will be bringing back a new player to join the team (well, not until late November, early December....contracts, contracts); apparently this brand new player, nicknamed 'baby', is not yet a free agent.
Cheers to us all! Now, everybody stand up for the seventh inning stretch, adjust your baseball cap, clear your throats for a rousing rendition of "Take me out to the ballgame" and save us a couple of beers! Hip, hip, hooray! We're almost home!
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Saturday, July 25, 2009
The first phase of moving the ENTIRE family
Let the fun begin! Flannery and Ryan are moving from So Cal today up to Nor Cal. Hence begins the first phase of the clan moving here, there, everywhere! I've made cupcakes to take to them after their long journey north, and I purchased some lovely flowers to grace their new apartment with. Although I am sure they are tired, they are thrilled to be moving into a ONE bedroom apartment, as they moved from a studio apartment. The new apartment will mostly likely feel like a spacious castle!
Before we got married, their dad and I first lived in my apartment, which was a whopping 200, that's right, TWO HUNDRED square feet. We loved it. We lived between seedy Hollywood and beautiful Loz Feliz, near Franklin Avenue, on the second floor, above the owners, who we affectionately referred to as "Chuckles and Tom" (Charles always went by Chuckles; they eventually bought another home, and we were married at their beautiful home in North Hollywood, a home very much the same style as the home I am moving to). The apartment was filled with windows, views of all the trees, and whiffs of fabulous meals created by our very ethnically-diverse neighbors. You could brush your teeth, use the toilet, and take a shower without moving more than one step in any direction. When I became pregnant with our first child, and could no longer fit into the bathroom, it was time to move.
Before we got married, their dad and I first lived in my apartment, which was a whopping 200, that's right, TWO HUNDRED square feet. We loved it. We lived between seedy Hollywood and beautiful Loz Feliz, near Franklin Avenue, on the second floor, above the owners, who we affectionately referred to as "Chuckles and Tom" (Charles always went by Chuckles; they eventually bought another home, and we were married at their beautiful home in North Hollywood, a home very much the same style as the home I am moving to). The apartment was filled with windows, views of all the trees, and whiffs of fabulous meals created by our very ethnically-diverse neighbors. You could brush your teeth, use the toilet, and take a shower without moving more than one step in any direction. When I became pregnant with our first child, and could no longer fit into the bathroom, it was time to move.
Thursday, July 16, 2009
How to gain 800 square feet with three new best friends!
I now have three new best friends. In return for my constant relationship with them, I gain an additional 800 square feet of living space that I haven't had in a long time.
My new best friends will be with me day and night for the next week and a half, never leaving my side, never wandering away (well, one of them might), and always on my mind. They are, in no particular order, as follows: Boxes, Newspaper, and Tape (tape is the wandering type, disappearing at the most inconvenient times, and is very good at playing hide-and-seek, as well as peek-a-boo).
Other newly acquired acquaintances are Sharpie, Paper Cut (or rather cardboard box cut), Bubble Wrap (so incredibly fun to stomp on), Tissue Paper (the huge, colorful assortment I have from Costco that I bought about a year ago and have only used maybe 10 sheets of), and, of course, let's not forget the twins, Save/Toss and Memory Lane.
Fortunately, I just moved three years ago, from So Cal to Nor Cal, and that was the monumental move of all time. Over 20 years of stuff to sort through, give away, sell, toss, or pack, which included all the child-rearing gear.
So, this should be a piece of cake, right? Forget that I go back to work next week (granted, it's just for a few days, and not even full days at that), and I am taking a Moodle class that is majorly time-intensive (isn't that always the way with these online classes?). I am also shopping for a washer and dryer, as well as trying to find additional dining room chairs, since I will have a formal dining room and and a separate kitchen eating nook, in addition to a bed, mattress, box springs, and a dresser for the extra bedroom that will soon by occupied by Meg and Krus, and ALL my adult children are moving within the same couple of weeks that I am!
Should be absolutely fabulous.
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Let the packing begin!
Well, it's official! The Sunnyvale Hacienda is the pick of the day. Here are some photos.
And, of course, let's not forget the amazing bathroom, in all it's pinkness!
Monday, July 13, 2009
Everybody's moving!
Just as we finished our last camping escapade (photo above taken by Taylor) in Morro Bay, it was time to get serious about finding more spacious living accommodations. Since Maeg and Krus, and eventually baby, will be coming to the U.S., I have been informed by Maeg that they are planning to stay a month or more with me, while grounding themselves and preparing for jobs, homes, baby, etc., probably back in Seattle, which is where Maeg has lived for the past 4 years while attending college.
So, the hunt for the perfect house begins. I've found two homes that are within my budget, and are beautiful, roomy, have character, and seem ideal, for very different reasons (sadly, though, neither are anywhere close to the beach, which would mean a horrific commute every day, which I am not interested in, and it isn't a practical solution for adult children soon arriving, that rely on public transportation and bicycles to get around and need to be close to a fairly big city...oh, well, I can't have it all...at least not yet). Both are older, (c. 1930's) with french doors, hardwood floors, fireplaces, front and back yards, and reportedly, have great neighbors.
The first home, which I will refer to as Harding Manor, is located in the Rose Garden area of San Jose and sits on a lovely, tree-lined street. It has been gutted (apparently the previous owners, disgruntled over losing the house in a foreclosure, really trashed the place and even took the air conditioning unit located outside!), so even though the structure is old, everything new has been finished in the craftsman style. It's lovely, with great attention to detail, and the only hitch is that the cottage behind it is also for rent, and the owner won't rent the front house without renting the cottage in back to the same "family", or at least related in some way. Fortunately, since Flannery and Ryan are also looking for a smallish place to rent in San Jose, they may decide to rent the cottage. We are off to see it together later today.
The second option at the moment is what I call the Sunnyvale Hacienda. It sits on a rather busy street in Sunnyvale. It also has hardwood floors, french doors, and the type of amenities that one only finds in a much older home, like an ironing board that flips down from the wall in the kitchen, but when not in use, hides itself behind a door that looks like a cupboard. It has a large dining room and also a large eating area off the kitchen. Unfortunately, it also has a funky bathroom (all pink...toilet, sink, bath, and not a pretty pale pink, but a "dusty rose" pink) with amazingly disgusting flowered wallpaper; even more disgusting, there's yellow formica in the kitchen, as well as a "Harvest Gold" stove, but it also has a zillion cupboards with original doors and hardware, and original windows that are just so great! To its credit, this house has a bigger everything, and even has an empty lot next door that I probably could talk the owner into letting me use for a vegetable garden. So, it needs some tender loving care, and since little Johnny Handyman loves a challenge, it could be fun.
Either way, it looks like apartment life will soon be in my past. I love my apartment and all the trees (I am surrounded by trees, and since I am on the third floor, about all I see when I look out is green from the California Sycamores and the Redwoods; really, really lovely). But, I am tired of not having a yard, not gardening, and puttering around in my own home. It's been three long years since I've lived in a house and I am definitely looking forward to that. Now, if I could just wave my magic wand and have the moving part already done!
On to craigslist to see if anything new has popped up. The hunt continues.
So, the hunt for the perfect house begins. I've found two homes that are within my budget, and are beautiful, roomy, have character, and seem ideal, for very different reasons (sadly, though, neither are anywhere close to the beach, which would mean a horrific commute every day, which I am not interested in, and it isn't a practical solution for adult children soon arriving, that rely on public transportation and bicycles to get around and need to be close to a fairly big city...oh, well, I can't have it all...at least not yet). Both are older, (c. 1930's) with french doors, hardwood floors, fireplaces, front and back yards, and reportedly, have great neighbors.
The first home, which I will refer to as Harding Manor, is located in the Rose Garden area of San Jose and sits on a lovely, tree-lined street. It has been gutted (apparently the previous owners, disgruntled over losing the house in a foreclosure, really trashed the place and even took the air conditioning unit located outside!), so even though the structure is old, everything new has been finished in the craftsman style. It's lovely, with great attention to detail, and the only hitch is that the cottage behind it is also for rent, and the owner won't rent the front house without renting the cottage in back to the same "family", or at least related in some way. Fortunately, since Flannery and Ryan are also looking for a smallish place to rent in San Jose, they may decide to rent the cottage. We are off to see it together later today.
The second option at the moment is what I call the Sunnyvale Hacienda. It sits on a rather busy street in Sunnyvale. It also has hardwood floors, french doors, and the type of amenities that one only finds in a much older home, like an ironing board that flips down from the wall in the kitchen, but when not in use, hides itself behind a door that looks like a cupboard. It has a large dining room and also a large eating area off the kitchen. Unfortunately, it also has a funky bathroom (all pink...toilet, sink, bath, and not a pretty pale pink, but a "dusty rose" pink) with amazingly disgusting flowered wallpaper; even more disgusting, there's yellow formica in the kitchen, as well as a "Harvest Gold" stove, but it also has a zillion cupboards with original doors and hardware, and original windows that are just so great! To its credit, this house has a bigger everything, and even has an empty lot next door that I probably could talk the owner into letting me use for a vegetable garden. So, it needs some tender loving care, and since little Johnny Handyman loves a challenge, it could be fun.
Either way, it looks like apartment life will soon be in my past. I love my apartment and all the trees (I am surrounded by trees, and since I am on the third floor, about all I see when I look out is green from the California Sycamores and the Redwoods; really, really lovely). But, I am tired of not having a yard, not gardening, and puttering around in my own home. It's been three long years since I've lived in a house and I am definitely looking forward to that. Now, if I could just wave my magic wand and have the moving part already done!
On to craigslist to see if anything new has popped up. The hunt continues.
Sunday, July 5, 2009
What Comes Up Must Go Down/What Goes Down Must Come Up
I feel like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz, when she exclaims to Toto (or maybe it was to the Good Witch, Glinda), "People come and go so quickly here!".
So, the latest is that Flannery and Ryan are moving from So Cal to Nor Cal and Taylor and Racquel are moving from Nor Cal to So Cal. Maeg and Krus are moving from Java, Indonesia to either Nor Cal or Seattle.
Whew! No matter how you slice it, it's a heck of a lot of moving. It suspiciously sounds like my house may be very full for a few (or many) weeks. I'm thinking about moving, too. Have been looking at houses the last couple of weekends, thinking at least one spare bedroom may be in order (more like 3, but who's counting?). I saw one house on craigslist listed with SEVEN bedrooms, and I was half tempted to call the number! Granted, seven is a lot, but think of the room!
Meanwhile, I'm packing for another week of camping at the beach. Wouldn't you know it, it's now cool as a cucumber here in Nor Cal, and probably blustery and cool at the beach. Oh, well. At least I'll be at the beach!
Grace in Small Things: 40/365 (Do you really think I will make it to the end of the year? After all, you are striving to do one each day, and I'm only at 40!)
1. Science Fridays on NPR
2. Started my Moodle class with a bang!
3. Camping at the beach is one, single, solitary day away
4. Sleeping more than three to four hours (maybe while I'm camping!)
5. All the natural beauty I will drink in while I'm camping
So, the latest is that Flannery and Ryan are moving from So Cal to Nor Cal and Taylor and Racquel are moving from Nor Cal to So Cal. Maeg and Krus are moving from Java, Indonesia to either Nor Cal or Seattle.
Whew! No matter how you slice it, it's a heck of a lot of moving. It suspiciously sounds like my house may be very full for a few (or many) weeks. I'm thinking about moving, too. Have been looking at houses the last couple of weekends, thinking at least one spare bedroom may be in order (more like 3, but who's counting?). I saw one house on craigslist listed with SEVEN bedrooms, and I was half tempted to call the number! Granted, seven is a lot, but think of the room!
Meanwhile, I'm packing for another week of camping at the beach. Wouldn't you know it, it's now cool as a cucumber here in Nor Cal, and probably blustery and cool at the beach. Oh, well. At least I'll be at the beach!
Grace in Small Things: 40/365 (Do you really think I will make it to the end of the year? After all, you are striving to do one each day, and I'm only at 40!)
1. Science Fridays on NPR
2. Started my Moodle class with a bang!
3. Camping at the beach is one, single, solitary day away
4. Sleeping more than three to four hours (maybe while I'm camping!)
5. All the natural beauty I will drink in while I'm camping
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