Bittersweet Times

Tonight we stand on the threshold of a new life. With it comes some good byes and hellos.

Tomorrow morning we have to say good bye to Mattie, our 14 year old lab. She is old and has many health issues and does not really have any quality of life. She is in a lot of pain. It is so hard to see her suffer but it is even harder to say good bye. I have had many moral and ethical conversations in my head about this. I could probably write a whole blog about it. I love her so much and don't want her to suffer. Mattie and I have been through a lot together and I don't remember what life was like before she came into it.

On Wednesday we get the keys to the new apartment and begin the arduous task of moving. It should be much easier since we have really downsized. We have sold lots of furniture, clothing and other assorted junk. We still have lots more we can get rid of. There are still quite a few items that we haven't been able to sell yet. I am hoping we can still get them sold and out of here. I am really looking forward to living at the new place. It will be a big adjustment but it gets us closer to our goal (not to mention a nicer area with better amenities.)

So this week is going to be bittersweet. I am so thankful for the joy, love and memories that Mattie has brought me and I am glad she chose to live her long and happy life with me. I am also looking forward to this move. It is another step toward our ultimate goal of living on the road. As always, life is changing and with it so will I.

We have been busy going through stuff and getting rid of all the unnecessary junk and furniture in this house. We have been very successful on Craigslist selling almost everything we have posted, at least all the big stuff. Today we posted a desk and it was sold within a few hours. We even sold a bunch of stuff before we could even post it to Craigslist.

We have also been lucky finding the replacement items needed. We found a great microwave cart the other day and today we got a great small dining table and chairs. I love that we are finding really great pieces.

Here's the table and chairs we bought today. They were even better that we had expected.













The other thing we have been dealing with is pack rats. They got up into Brenda's car and ate the spark plug wires. She was running on just three cylinders. Fortunately, we were able to get that fixed relatively cheaply by our awesome mechanic friend. We then went to the car wash and pressure sprayed the engine area to get rid of their marking scents. I will be glad when we move to the new place because it won't be so open to the desert areas.

Less than two weeks until we get into the new place. Our goal is to get all the small stuff in then have a mover get the big heavy stuff. I figured I have earned the right not to have to move the big stuff up those stairs. At the rate we are going, there won't be too much big stuff and the small stuff is quickly diminishing.

My Love Grows Strong For you Craig

I don't know who Craig is or when he started his list, but I love him so much.

We have been posting items on Craigslist and selling them quickly. We now have enough money for the deposit and all for the new apartment plus we have lots more to sell. And we still have 3 weeks before the money is due. We rock!!!!

Now we are seeing how much money we can get to help pay for movers so we can just sit back and tell guys where to go. LOL

We are also watching Craigslist for deals for us to replace some of the stuff we are selling. We are getting smaller items in place of the bigger ones we have sold. I enjoy reading Craigslist and seeing all the fun stuff people sell. Not only that, but it is hysterical reading some of posts. Many of them seem to be written by people who are unfamiliar with punctuation, spelling and the language in general. (I was going to post a great example, but when I went to copy it, it was flagged :( Oh well.)

Back to the entertainment!

I Really Am Still Around

I haven't posted lately because, well, nothing really exciting is happening. We are busy getting ready for the move and yard sale.

I don't even have any pictures to post. I suck.

I will try to go out and create some excitement in my life so I can have a fun post.

Busy, Busy, Busy

Been a busy week around here. Here is a quick recap:

Monday was Brenda's birthday but we were both working so we decided to celebrate on Tuesday night. I did, however, surprise her with flowers and chocolate chip cookies when she got home that night. I am so thoughtful.

Tuesday morning, we found out we had no hot water. No problem, I put in a call to the apartment office. Knowing the reputation of maintenance around here, I figured they would show up on Wednesday. Well to my surprise, they showed up that afternoon. Of course, it was while Brenda was giving a massage here at home. It took two maintenance guys to try to figure it out. In the end they decided we needed a new water heater. So they would get one asap.

That night, we went out with some friends to an Italian Restaurant in the neighborhood that had been recommended by friends. It did not disappoint. The food was amazing. They have a nice outdoor patio area so we sat outside. It was a beautiful evening with a slight breeze. It had rained shortly before we got there so the temperature had dropped to a very pleasant level. It was a perfect evening. We both had so much food left over that we had several meals out of it. I love it when that happens.

On Wednesday, we headed up to Mt. Lemon. It is a beautiful drive up there and at 9000 feet, it is much cooler and a totally different climate. The drive is only 25 miles, but with stopping and taking pictures, it takes hours to get to the top. We had stopped at Jimmy Johns and got sandwiches for a picnic. At the top is a cute little general store that has some really good fudge. Of course, we had to stop in and get some.

Looking out over the valley.

The picnic area

Trying to photograph our vistor

Cute little purple bug that joined us for lunch

Tall pine trees at the top

A little brook

More tall trees

The hoodoos. My favorite part.

I am so proud of myself for figuring how to get these off my cell phone!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Remember how I was telling you about the water heater? Well we had called the office on Wednesday afternoon and they told us they had to order a new water heater and it hadn't come in yet. They were expecting it Thursday morning and they would install it as soon as it came in.

Thursday we both had sinus headaches so we took it kind of easy. We did go out to Red Robin and used Brenda's birthday coupon for a free burger. We also did some shopping.

Today we had bunches of running around to do. But, the first thing I had to do was call the office and find out where our water heater was. The girl said she would find out and get back with me. About 5 minutes later she called back and said it had just arrived and they would be installing it this afternoon. We decided to go do our errands. As we were getting ready to leave the maintenance man came and began the process of replacing our water heater. We went ahead and left while he was working.

While we were out, we got some pieces for our Halloween costumes, did lots of window shopping for furniture ideas for the new apartment and got the oil changed on my car. I feel so productive.

When we got home, the water heater was all installed. After dinner, I took a good long HOT shower. It was heavenly. Now I am getting ready to head to bed. I need to go to work tomorrow and get some rest.

Moving Along

We are a mere 5 weeks away from signing the lease on the new apartment. I am really starting to get excited about this move. I haven't been as wildly ecstatic as I normally get when big change occurs. Probably because there were times we weren't sure if we were getting the place we really like. I think its definite that we ARE getting it.

We have sold several things through Craigslist and to people I work with. The more I sell and get rid of, the more I want to sell and get rid of. We still have lots we can sell so we are planning a garage sale the middle of October. I guess it will be a yard sale since we don't have a garage. DUH!

Here is a link for a photo of our new apartment. Its the one on the end on the second floor:

http://www.hslskylinegateway.com/j/r/zoomphoto.jsp?mid=970302

We love the big wrap around porches in the front and back. Our apartment faces the pool and hot tub. We also love that we will have a fireplace again. We love fireplaces and haven't had one for a long time. Nothing like a nice fire to keep warm and snuggly.


In other news, we both just had our birthdays so that is always reason to celebrate!!! We have had some amazing dinners. We have tried several new places and we have used more Groupons. We even went to Red Robin where I got a free burger for my birthday. Go me!!!! Tonight we went out with friends to a great Italian place to celebrate Brenda's birthday. Her's was yesterday but we both worked so we decided to celebrate tonight. Now, I am sitting on the couch like a beached whaled vowing to never eat again (at least for the next several hours.)

Another new concept in our life is we are trying to become complaint free. We both just read the book A Complaint Free World. In the book the author challenges the reader to attempt to be complaint free for 21 days. It is not as easy as it looks or sounds, but it is eye opening. We are enjoying the challenge (for the most part) and can see how negative thoughts and energy produces negativity in life. Its all part of the laws of attraction. I strongly believe that you attract the things you dwell on. I have seen proof of this in my life so many times.

We are also continuing to be thankful in all things and celebrate the abundance in our lives!

Where Have I Been?

Sorry I was MIA this week. I was picking up some hours at work for a coworker so she could take some much needed time off. Not only did it help her, I was able to make a little extra money to put toward the move.

I have a few more extra days scheduled plus I had worked a couple of extra days the week before. My paychecks are getting fatter. Perfect timing.

I noticed as I was looking at pictures from other blogs there is a new feature. When you click on a picture, it brings up a slide show of all the pictures in the blog. I like it. Instead of having to open each picture individually to see it bigger, I can see all the pictures posted in a bigger size.

I just threw in a few random old pictures so you can try it too. It also makes for a more interesting post.

Travel safe.