Dreams Come True

It's rainy and dark outside in Pittsburgh today. It's just a pure miserable day when you only wish you could stay curled up in bed and stay completely unmotivated ALL day.

But, I'm so lucky to be going to the happiest place on earth in just 4 days, with warmth and sunshine to spare :)

Can you guess where?!


It's the place where all your dreams come true.....






Yup, it's DISNEY WORLD!! I'm so excited! I was there 2 years ago with a few of my girlfriends (which I can't help smiling everytime I reminisce about that trip! Dinosaur ride anyone?! haha) and now Ross & I are going with his family for a whole week. Ross' parents are uber-devoted to Disney World, they have a timeshare and go almost every year to see the different holidays at Disney. Ross & his brother only go every few years, but even that is too much for them. I tell ya, if Ross wasn't so sick of Disney World (yes, I know, it breaks my heart that he would admit such an awful thing!), I woulda asked to go there on our honeymoon and wear matching mickey & minnie ears all week! A girl can dream, right?!

And here's the amazing hotel we're staying at.....


Jealous?! Yup, thanks. It even has an awesome boat that shuttles you to Epcot! It's going to be total bliss to have a full week off of work, but also to be in Disney World in December to see all their Christmas decorations and enjoy weather in the mid-70's. Just a week of pure relaxation :) You know the last time I had a whole week off from work?! 2 years ago, for my wedding & honeymoon! It's certainly been too long.....

Thankful

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! I used to hate Thanksgiving as a kid for the mere fact that I didn't like the food. I'm so happy that I've finally grown up and not as picky as I once was, so now I look foward to the big meal as much as anyone else :) But besides that, Ross & I have so much to be thankful for this year even after we felt defeated time and time again. Here is what I'm most thankful for:

- Ross, who is my best friend and more
- Dakota, she's quite amusing, she makes me laugh everyday
- Our families, for always being there
- Our amazing friends, who also support us through good times & bad
- My job
- On that note, I'm thankful for getting laid off at the beginning of the year from my old job, as hard as it was, it was a blessing in disguise
- Ross' unending determination to succeed in his field
- Ross' & my ability to live frugally, or at least try to, and not be ashamed
- The purchase of our first house!
- As much as I complain about my car not having power windows or locks, I love my car for the mere fact that it is paid off and gets me from point A to point B

Ok, so I can go on and on about what I'm thankful for. I pray everyday that God never let us take for granted for what we DO have. We try to live simply and not beyond our means, and even though we may not be rich, or have everything our heart desires, or even the money to furnish our new home, I'm so thankful for what we DO have, and that's what I focus on. That's what makes me happy. And what's more important in life than being happy?!

Alright, this is all pretty sappy. Sorry. I've always been picked on in my family for the sappy emotions, but sometimes, you need to just sit back and realize how lucky we all are. Even with the struggles we all go through.

And the struggles you get through today will teach you a good lesson for tomorrow :)

Or maybe give you something to laugh about 10 years down the road. I can just picture it now, Ross & I in our new home, with 1 ugly red sofa and 1 coffee table, and 1 tv in our huge new living room, b/c we can't afford to buy any additional furniture to furnish our new house. HA! O dear....

A Surprise Birthday

So it's taken me until THIS weekend to finally post our adventures from last weekend! It's been quite a 'roller-coaster' of a week. So sorry! Anyway, last weekend was absolutely fantastic. Some good times spent with some great friends!

It was my best friend's, Ang's, birthday this past week. Her boyfriend, Mike, always tries to surprise her with something on her birthday, however, she's too smart and spoils the surprise every year! So he came up with an idea to have Ross & I come down to their apartment in Bethesda, MD to surprise her (since we ended up canceling last minute for their Halloween Party, this would be our way of making it up to her). It was perfect! Mike was thrilled to have finally surprised her! And luckily, no one spilled the beans the week prior about our planned adventure. She didn't find out the good news, literally, until we showed up at her door :)

Ultimately, it was a great weekend. Ross & I got to their place Friday night, and went out on the town with some of their friends to celebrate a few different birthdays. We were up til 4 am just reminiscing and enjoying ourselves. Saturday, Ang & Mike were our 'tour guides' and took us to D.C. to walk around and see the monuments & check out the Air & Space Museum (which I haven't seen since I was a kid). It was a bea-u-ti-ful day outside, and we were so happy to enjoy one of the last sunny days before the cold weather sets in!Afterward, we ate at '5 Guys,' a delicious burger joint that Ross & I haven't gotten the chance to try yet, even though they finally opened one in Cranberry a few months ago! It was delish! Then we had a few errands to run and the guys had a little too much fun in the "Five Below!"

Next, was my upmost favorite part of the whole trip .....a 2-story TARGET! ...complete with an escalator for your cart!! That's right...I was so excited I got a picture!! ha!

I was even more amazed that this Target had it's own 4-story parking garage...say WHAT!! Crazy-ness is what that is. Ross & Mike were dumbfounded that Ang & I insisted on going to Target, just so I could check out the cart escalator, but not so. Not when there is an escalator solely for your cart! And yes, I was not ashamed to push around my empty cart around the store just to get the full experience!

Saturday night we hung out at the apartment with a group of Ang & Mike's friends. They were all so nice and fun to hang out with! We played a few games, and had a lot of good laughs. I think I ended up crashing before everyone left though due to my lack of sleep the previous night. I knew it would catch up sooner or later.

On Sunday, needless to say, was a 'catch-up on rest' day after our 4-hour drive home. The trip was well worth it. It's taken us forever to get out there to see their place, but I'm so glad we finally made the trip. Ang's face was priceless when we knocked on their door and yelled 'Surprise!!' (ok, so maybe I was the only one who yelled surprise, b/c Ross refused to participate), but still priceless :) Happy Birthday Ang!

TGIF

O Happy Day! This week is finally over! It's just been on of those weeks that feels like it's never going to end.

Our house closing is keeping us busy. One tiny problem after another! I'll be grateful if we make it to closing :) And I can just see the dollar signs adding up, one little problem after another = a sum here & there to get it fixed! joy. I'll be happy if we have any money left in the bank when everything is said and over with!

Other than the house, I'm realizing how quickly Xmas is coming upon us! EEK! I haven't even started to THINK about christmas shopping...and for that, I blame my sister. She normally likes to brag about how she has all her shopping done before Halloween, but she is late this year! Therefore, I am extremely late b/c no one has reminded me that it is November already! I have to start my Xmas letter, buy Xmas cards, think of Xmas presents, make my own gift tags (b/c I'm a dweeb) etc. etc. etc. Christmas is stressful, as much as I love the holiday spirit, all the gift buying and preparation is just a bit too much for me to handle! Can you tell how stressed I am by all the exclamation points I've used!! What a grammatical catastrophe! sorry. PERHAPS I SHOULD JUST TALK IN ALL CAPS....ha, ha, sorry, little inside joke with the fam :)

So tell me, am I the only one who didn't realize that Christmas is only 51 days away!!! That's right! ..... I hope you also experienced a mini-heartattack much like myself :) Happy Holidays!

House Closing Progress

Last Thursday, Ross & I had the Home Inspection on our future abode. It was the most anticipated step of the house closing process, so we're happy it is finally over! It was time for the truth to be told about whether or not we were actually buying a livable home or buying a slum of a home that needed more repairs than it was worth. So we walked into this expecting the "worst-case" scenario.

Overall, the outcome of the inspection was better than we expected (but remember, our expectations were not high to begin with!). We knew we were walking into a house that needed repairs, especially a lot of cosmetic repairs. But we're ok with ugly. Remember how much I dreamed about owning an ugly house to fix-up and make our own?! Ross is even so excited, that he's helping me build a new blog where we can document all the work we do on the house :) (more to come on that later!) After all, we're just 2 normal homebuyers that know zilch about home repairs, so we were braced for any surprises!

The home inspection basically stated that we need to update some electrical work (the breaker box was the original from the house built in 1956, receptacles need to be rewired, etc.), some plumbing issues need to be resolved (a few leaky pipes, bathroom sink and shower don't work, etc.) and a few other issues. Basically, everything Ross & I had already talked about wanting (and needing!) to fix as soon as we get our hands on this house, were in the report, so it came as no surprise.

So now that the most anticipated step is over with, we are ecstatic and still moving forward with the purchase of this house. Hopefully now it's smooth sailing until the December 20th Closing Date :)