Sunday, November 24, 2013

I have gratitude today for...
* getting to the old house by 9:30 and spending a few hours packing the stuff left behind from yesterday. Mrs. Roth met me there and we got most of the kitchen and upstairs bathroom packed. There is sooooo much more left to do than I thought. I don't know how this happened again since I swore the movers would move "everything". We've been so busy these last couple of weeks, it was impossible to have everything packed in time. I was thankful for the help today. 
* Mom & Dad coming to visit. We had bagel sandwiches for lunch and gave them the tour. They brought us a gorgeous vase with fresh flowers. They looked so pretty on our kitchen table. It was so special to have them there today. I could really feel their happiness for us and I can't wait for all of the great memories that we'll have in this home. Mom helped me hang a bunch of my clothes and Dad unpacked all of my books and organized them in the office. 
* having Mom take a few pictures of Andy & me before Bill came to get the "SOLD" sign. I thought they turned our pretty cute!

* watching Homeland in our cozy new family room. 

Saturday, November 23, 2013

I have gratitude today for...
* getting up early to get a head start on things before the movers arrived.
* the movers showing up at 7:30, right on time. They were great! There were 3 guys and they didn't stop. I did not realize how much stuff we really had. It ended up taking them 7 hours! That did include a stop to KOP to pick up Mom-Mom's bedroom furniture.
* Andy picking me up Chinese food for lunch. By the time we got to the new house I was starving.
* Mrs. Roth coming over to see the house. She helped us unpack the kitchen stuff.
By dinnertime we pretty much had the kitchen and family room set up!
* Laura & Win stopping by. They brought a bottle of wine and visited with us for about an hour. It was fun "giving the tour". We're really happy that we'll be closer to them now!
* Mrs. Roth treating us to dinner at The Drafting Room. The three of us each had steak and we all thought the food was excellent! We got the peanut butter pie to go but we were too full and tired to eat it when we got home.
* being able to buy this amazing house. I could write this every day. I am so grateful everything worked out. We've made a fantastic investment and I am so proud of us for being patient. There have been (many) times over the last few years when I was frustrated we hadn't purchased a home yet. The wait was worth it!

Friday, November 22, 2013

I have gratitude today for...
* it finally being CLOSING DAY. Woohoo, soooooo exciting. Of course I hardly slept last night, I was up practically all night. I kept myself occupied until 3am by reading Emily's marriage blog on Philly Mag's website. She is adorable and I could relate to so many things she talks about. She had me laughing out loud a couple times.
* having the Park Power car. Andy packed the Infiniti with everything I'd need to clean the house. I had everything timed so I'd be able to stop at the bank right at 9 when they opened to pick up the check for my portion of the down payment. Naturally, the car wouldn't start. I knew it wasn't out of gas and I hadn't driven it since Tuesday when I went to yoga so I had no idea what the problem was. After trying a few times and it still not starting, I realized I'd have to take the Park Power car. I didn't have time to move all of the cleaning products from one car to the other (in the end I actually did have time, but I didn't know it then) so I knew I'd have to come back after closing to get them (annoying.) I was proud of myself, because instead of freaking out and letting it ruin my morning, I decided to say to myself "no big deal, thank God you have another car, you're BUYING A HOUSE TODAY!" and went on my way.
* the teller at the bank waiving the bank check fee for me and wishing me good luck with our new home.
* everything going smoothly at closing, even though it took a little longer than expected. It felt so weird to be given the keys and house documents. I still can't believe this house is still ours!

THE papers, all signed. We're homeowners!
* having lunch with Cat at Plaza Azteca. I was pretty excited to see there is one so close to our new house. We initially went to the a little café but their menu was less than exciting and when I mentioned how good Plaza Azteca is, Cat said let's go there. We shared the tableside guac (sooo good) and had a nice time talking about all kinds of things.
* the voicemail Mom left me today- I'll save it forever.
* all of the congratulations from family & friends via email, phone messages, texts and Facebook messages/comments.
* talking to Mom, Dad and Mrs. Roth while driving to/from Conshe to get the cleaning stuff. It was so excited to talk to them and tell them we are officially homeowners.
* pulling into the garage, and walking into the house for the first time. Andy was here this morning for the final walk through but I was at the bank so I missed it. The feeling was so overwhelming---I had a rush of energy come over me and just couldn't believe this is ours. All of the hard work and saving money and living with parents and moving from place to place landed us here. In an amazing house that we'll have for years and years. I couldn't help it, the tears started falling and looked around in amazement. I plan on writing about the whole experience from start to finish once I can sit down and concentrate for more than 5 minutes on it. This is what I wrote on Facebook as I was standing in the middle of our empty kitchen, it summarizes how I was feeling exactly.
"I remember when I drove off the lot in my brand new Honda Civic almost 10 years ago. I was listening to David Gray and there were tears because I couldn't believe I bought a brand new car all by myself. Just now, I pulled into the garage and walked into our new home. Tears again...I can't believe we did this together Andrew Roth. So many years of hard work and saving and now we have this amazing place to call our own. I can't wait to share it with our family and friends and I am so thankful for everyone who has helped us get to where we are today. Wow, just wow..."
 * getting the whole house vacuumed and most of the cabinets cleaned out this afternoon. By the time Andy got here I was done. Too tired to do anymore, especially knowing there's still so much to do at the house in Conshe.
* picking up a pizza from Sal's Pizza Box in Gateway Shopping Center. I thought it was really good, wish I had known about them during the 4 years we lived in King of Prussia!
* the quote Debbie sent a few of us today who are helping a family in need at her school.
"Helping others helps you, at the very deepest level. Giving real value serves to create real value in your own life. By providing encouragement, you receive encouragement. When you teach, you learn.
Each day is rich with opportunities for you to make a positive difference in the lives of those around you. And it is through genuinely enriching the lives of others that you find true richness in your own.
Right here, right now, there is a beautiful way to give of yourself, and to make the world a better place. Choose to do so, and immediately feel the benefits begin to manifest. You have the chance today to change lives for the better. It’s difficult to imagine anything that could be more fulfilling than that. Reach out, give a hand, make a difference, and offer a kindness. The lives you lift will most certainly include your own."
* thinking of Grandpa today, his 84th birthday. It felt funny not seeing him this year for his birthday since we're not in Holden Beach. First time in many, many years. I called and left a message but didn't get to talk to him.
* Andy figuring out what was wrong with the Infiniti- it was some safety feature that was activated. I'm just glad it's not going to cost us money to get it fixed!
 
 

Thursday, November 21, 2013

I have gratitude today for...
* being invited to the BenFM "Women of the Week" luncheon at Harvest Seasonal Grille. I saw with Melanie, Christy & Becca. There were a few great speakers and the food was excellent. I won the drawing for a $50 gift card to Harvest as well. I had a great conversation with Jaime too.
* an easy drive to NJ. I went to Starbucks in Barnes & Noble and treated myself to a Vanilla Latte. Caught up on emails and finalized everything for our move on Saturday. I sat next to this father/son who may have been the most annoying people in the world because they were so loud. It was interesting to hear what the son was saying about his outlook on life though, I plan on writing a little more about it later. 
* learning about a family who really needs some help from reading Debbie's blog. Reading their story broke my heart and I immediately wanted to do something to help. I am going to send a Christmas card and a Target gift card so they can maybe a brighter Christmas this year. 
* a nice time at the CJCA dinner. Steven was able to be there this time so we sat together. I saw Carla from Selective and we talked quite a bit with JoAnn from AmTrust. I won one of the door prizes- a Dunkin Donuts gift card. It was my lucky day today for winning prizes. :-)

Wednesday, November 20, 2013

I have gratitude today for...
* Brian from Penn Liberty Bank inviting me to their speaker series event this morning at Paoli Design Center. The drive took longer than I expected and I was running a little late and sort of thought to myself maybe I should skip it. I'm so glad I didn't! I met some really great people (Pat, Frank, Beth) and loved the speaker (Francine). She is a "Book Yourself Solid" coach and I could relate to everything she talked about. We talked at the end for a little bit and she told me more about the Business Play Group she is starting on the Main Line. I am going to help launch it and I'm very excited about that!
* lunch at Blue Bell Country Club for the Penn-Suburban's Women's Networking event. Lori met me there and we were able to sit together. When I started to tell her about the meeting I went to this morning she started laughing- turns out she knows Francine really well. Lori is an ambassador for Book Yourself Solid and they've traveled together! Crazy, it's really small world.
* going to Iron Hill with Lori to catch up for a while in between the lunch and the Play Group meeting tonight. We had a couple of hours to talk about a million different things. I told her the whole house hunting story and how we ended up buying our house in Exton. When I'm with Lori, it doesn't matter how much time we have, it's never long enough. I am so thankful for her friendship.
* a great time at the Play Group meeting in Lansdale. By the end of the night I think I had explained Park Power 50+ times, but it's all good. I felt really great about all of the people I was able to talk to today. It was tiring to pretty much talk non-stop from 8am-8pm, especially because a lot of it was repeating the same thing over and over, but I wouldn't ever trade it for a 9-5 office job.

Thursday, November 14, 2013

I have gratitude today for...
* being invited to CHOP's ground breaking ceremony in King of Prussia this morning. It's going to be an incredible facility. We heard a mom speak who's been a nurse at CHOP for over twenty years. Eleven years ago her daughter was born and had to have heart surgery when she was 6 days old. It was such a great story and made me feel lucky that we have such an incredible hospital so close to us. I pray I'll never need to use their emergency services, but know if I do they're the best. 

* going to the luncheon at BenFM that Kathy invited me to. She left the station last week but I decided to still go. Admittedly I didn't know much about him, but I met John O'Hurley at the luncheon. He's such a nice guy! Turns out he had a major role on Seinfeld! John just wrote a book called "The Perfect Dog" and he read it out loud to us. It's adorable! I talked with Melanie most of the time and met Jim, her boss. He invited me to the Women of the Week luncheon next week. I was able to talk to a few people about Park Power too. The lunch was great, from Margaritas in Langhorne, PA. 

* Steve driving to our Allentown meeting tonight. We had a couple drinks and apps before the meeting. It went well again tonight. 
* scheduling our moving company today! I was worried every company was going to be booked. Laurie was very helpful at Brothers Moving in KOP. They were booked but she had a cancellation and she gave us the spot. We have 3 guys coming so I'm praying it's a painless move. Now we just have to get packed!
* the picture of this cute little guy mom sent me...


Monday, November 4, 2013

I have gratitude today for...
* our meeting with Gary this morning. I have some more clarity on my role with the non-profit side of our business. I am excited about what I will be working on moving forward. 
* making plans to meet up with Laura tomorrow. She has some kids videos she's donating for our CHOP drive. I can't wait to see her, I think it's been about 10 years since we last saw each other!
* getting the conditional approval for our mortgage. I think we might really be homeowners, whoa!
* my workout session with Dave this afternoon. I could tell he increased the weights on some of the machines and could see some more definition in my arms. I'm really going to miss working with him when we move. :-(
* dinner coming out really well tonight. I made grilled chicken piccata, sliced potatoes with rosemary, steamed carrots and roasted brussel sprouts with balsamic and chopped bacon. Although the kitchen was a complete disaster, everything was so good!
* Andy giving me a ride to pick up with Park Power car. 
* spending some time reorganizing my Pinterest boards- I created one for each room of the house so I have my ideas organized when we start decorating.

Sunday, November 3, 2013

I have gratitude today for...
* the Living Social deal I bought a few months ago for Rapunzel's in Lansdale. It was for a one hour massage and a European facial. It was amazing! If I could have a 5 hour massage, I would. I was so relaxed and really enjoyed the facial. I haven't had one in a few years, and don't remember liking it as much last time as I did this time. 
* the nice guy at Shop-Rite (he was one of the owners) who helped me find canned chipotle chili peppers today. I needed them for the barbacoa recipe I have that's supposed to be a Chipotle copycat. It's nice when people are actually helpful in stores. 
* making an awesome batch of chicken noodle soup this afternoon while watching the Eagles game.
* going to the restorative yoga class at Aim High tonight. It was a great way to end my weekend and relaxing day. 

Saturday, November 2, 2013

I have gratitude today for...
* using our tickets for the Villanova vs. WCU basketball game today. It was an exhibition game but it's probably the only time our schools will play each other. 'Nova was killing WCU by halftime but I'm glad we checked it out. 
* Andy not killing me when I was freaking out about the traffic we were stuck in on our way to Reading Terminal Market. There was an accident on 95 and Arch St. was closed and I was hungry. I tried to be patient but after almost an hour I couldn't take it anymore. We finally were able to get to a parking garage and then I was happy again. 
I posted this for Andy and publicly apologized on Facebook for turning into a crazy person.
* spending the rest of our afternoon exploring Reading Terminal Market. We had lunch at Dinick's (again). This time I had the hot roast beef with brisket gravy, it was excellent. Then we walked around for a while checking out a bunch of the vendors. There are some I'd like to go back to once we move. We treated ourselves to a cookie from The Famous 4th Street Cookie Company. Oh my God, I think they're the best cookies I've ever had. If you ever have a chance to visit RTM, definitely check them out! We also bought some toffee covered roasted almonds and fresh bacon from one of the butchers. 
* finding tickets for the Joshua Radin/Matt Nathanson show tonight at the Electric Factory. It turns out the woman I bought them from is the same person I bought Amos Lee tickets (for Mom & Dad) a few years ago. Too funny. 
* Andy giving me a ride to/from the Electric Factory, Ben met me there. I knew I'd love Joshua Radin but I loved Matt Nathanson too. It was a great show, but weird not knowing any of the words to Matt's songs. I really didn't feel like going initially but was glad I went in the end. 

Friday, November 1, 2013

I have gratitude today for...
* the arrival of Dan & Marlana's healthy baby girl. 
* a great workout this afternoon with Dave. 
* hearing from Debbie tonight and finding out Craig was at home during the shooting at LAX. One of the reasons I keep this blog is to find the good in each day. Our world is full of really scary people and you never know when you're going to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. 
* walking with CJ this afternoon. We did 6 miles on the trail!
* going out for frozen yogurt at Red Mango with Andy after dinner.