Will and Amy

Workin' hard or hardly workin'?

That is how I feel. I finally have enough put together to post a few pictures (emphasis on few). If I can dig out the rest while Will is away next week, I'll have more to show for my efforts.

Downstairs hall bath...It's not much, but like the rest, it's a work in progress!

Guest bedroom. My second favorite room after our bedroom.

Upstairs hall bath...

More upstairs hall bath...

Thank you aunts & uncles for our beautiful bed! So, obviously we need king-sized pillows. There will be another nightstand, but the one we got was broken, so the replacement is on order.

Our new chest...We were worried about it fitting, but it fit nicely in the corner. It was so nice to be able to put our clothes away!

Our bathroom.

Out front...The builder only puts in minimal landscaping (shrubs), so my mom and I spruced it up a bit. It should fill in a bit more before it gets too cold.

Just another view of the front.

The back door...I love these trees. Will helped me pick out the pots, and I think he did a great job.

Our current outdoor project - we are extending the patio in order to have a place for the grill, etc. so that we can use the concrete part for a table and chairs. We grossly underestimated how many stones we needed...They looked so big at the store!

On the other side of the back patio...I put in those two plants, which eventually will be about 6 feet tall with beautiful, spiky scarlet flowers in the spring. As for the rest of it, I'm just not sure. I'd like to use more stone with a raised planter in the middle for a small garden (by garden, I mean tomatoes, herbs and maybe some peppers - let's not get too carried away!). However, this is not too high on the priority list right now...


Okay, that's it for now. We are getting very close to being able to post pictures of the kitchen and living room. The dining room and office have the most work left (well, except for the garage, but who wants to see pictures of the garage?). Thanks for coming along for the ride...It may be bumpy and long, but we're going to have a hell of a time!

Married life, homeownership...These things bring with them whole new sets of life experiences as well as necessities. I've always liked gadgets. However, the realm of gadgets that I like seem to be centered around a few areas of life - cooking, cleaning and computers. I love kitchen gadgets. Who would have thought I'd have used a food processor 5 times in a week??? One of the most useful tools I have ever owned. And with our floors I have discovered the need for a microfiber dust mop...It's like a huge Swiffer, but with a washable cover that attracts dust and dirt, but keeps it up in the soft pile so that it won't scratch the floor. Brilliant. And of course I love my laptop and my digital camera and my three-in-one printer because I feel their value-added factor to my life.

This is not really the direction my life is headed, not anymore. I mean, how many gadgets can one have for the kitchen? We were blessed with some amazing wedding gifts, and I must say I can't think of anything else I'd need (not to mention the space to put more) in the kitchen. Nope, the direction my life is headed is to Lowe's. This is a whole new realm of gadgets.

I'll let Will demonstrate these gadgets for you...




We have also started to extend our back patio with some huge, flat stones from Lowe's. Apparently this requires all sorts of grading and leveling, although I'd just like to slap them down and call it a day. Since that's not the case, we'll be frequenting the married suburban couple Mecca...Let's build something together, right?

To most of you readers - we'll see you there.

-Amy

There is something unsettlling to a couple of Texans when you go outside in the morning on August 31 and you can see your breath. Yeah, that's cold.

Oh yeah, the house...

I don't have many pictures yet, mainly because it's been a huge mess most of the time. I will update soon, though, since things are coming together around here. As I type I am looking down the street at a moving truck twice the size of the one that brought our stuff, and I'm wondering what they are going to do with all of that cardboarad. We have been carting it to the recycling station up the street what seems like non-stop, and there is still a ton left in the driveway, in the garage and even in the house (but not much now!). Those box makers must be living large with the way this community is growing! I'm pretty sure Will told me that once our "neighborhood" is done, there will be almost 1500 new homes. Now that's a lot of moving boxes...
Okay, so this isn't the house, but it's a great shot of the welcoming Washington weather as we drove to our house for the first time!
Our first home-cooked meal in our home...yes, those are camp chairs and a Rubbermaid tub. We're high class.
Will watching the moving van pull up in front of the house. We were in the house 5 days with no furniture or stuff, except a bed, two camp chairs, and what we had brought with us on the drive from Texas.

Well, once again I need to get back to organizing. The quicker I get this place in shape, the quicker I can post pictures!

A pictoral snack...just bits and pieces to get a taste of our crazy/wonderful summer, the beginning of our lives together.

Bridal portaits...103 degrees at 6 o'clock at night? Ugh.

Bachelorette...a blast.

Yep, we're married.

My family on a San Antonio River Walk cruise, the day after the wedding. I love them.

My new family...I know! Big, huh?

There is so much more to share, but I have already been on the internet since they installed it an hour ago...Since we have pretty much been living without it all summer, this feels like an eternity. Plus, my hubby will be home in a couple of hours and I should have something to show for the day as far as the house is concerned. I think I'll get our bedroom and bathroom finished. There is so, so much to do. Thank goodness my mom came up and helped with the unpacking and organizing (and by help I mean she pretty much did everything). We're in good shape now, but the end is not yet in sight.

By the way, does anyone know if you can recycle styrofoam? Apparently it's all the rage to use it for packaging, but it's filling our garage and we need it to go away. Too bad our trash can is the smallest ever known to man. They really don't like you to produce a lot of waste in this part of the country, I guess. We have already become avid recyclers of cans, plastic, glass and paper. Who'd have guessed?

Love from the frigid Northwest (and it's still summer?),
Amy

Gotta make this one quick...

because the internet at the public library is so, so slow. We've arrived at our new home! Come hell or high water, so it seems. We've made it through wedding chaos, a family reunion, a friend's wedding, stomach viruses, a honeymoon with a tropical storm, and days upon days of driving (do you know how far away Washington is from Texas???). Pictures will be posted once we get internet at the house (August 22). We have had the best, busiest, and most blessed summer we could have ever imagined. Thanks to everyone who shared parts of it with us. We love you and you better visit soon.