Update 7/30/06

This weekend after we closed on the house we went to Smith Mountain Lake again to see our nephews Matthew and Daniel.

Of course Oreo got to meet up with his friends Athena and Artemis:

Update 7/28/06

Tonight we went to our new house again after attending the "closing." However, the one thing that was different tonight was that it was really ours. We signed the papers, we went to the property, we opened the garage door and entered into complete darkness.

After the garage door closed behind us, Andrew used his cell phone to locate the door that led inside. It was humiliating and fun at the same time, the definition of our relationship.

We had mexican and crab dip for dinner (with mixed gastrointestinal results) and a bottle of wine to celebrate the new abode.

Here are some pics:

Update 7/27/06

This past week, I had the opportunity to travel to Las Vegas for a work-related event. I was lucky enough to stay in the Bellagio. It was really nice. This was my first tradeshow and a nice diversion from the cube that I call home back in Charlotte. I didn't really get a chance to explore, however, this was my fifth trip to Vegas and the temperature was about 110, so I think I was probably better off in doors. I did eat some wonderful meals and catch up on my Tudor-period romance novel, so I was more than satisfied.

After leaving Sin City, I headed to Chicago, where I spent the weekend with Maggie and Courtney. It was a wonderful reunion. I also got a chance to reconnect with some of my old Chicago co-workers, as well as celebrate Frank Nolen's quarter century birthday live in person!

Prior to leaving for the trip, Andrew asked me several times to check in on his fish friends who now call Maggie and Jayson's tank home. Not knowing how to take a picture without a flash, I took this picture.

On Monday, I rode the train to the Chicago office -- an activity I do not miss -- participated in an all-day meeting and came home. Andrew and Oreo were eagerly awaiting my arrival, although, I think someone was getting quite comfortable sleeping in my spot on the bed, head on the pillow, little body tucked away in the covers.
 

Update 7/15/06

This has been a pretty busy week with work, planning our family trip to Europe, and dashing toward the financial vault that will hopefully land us into our new home with ease.

Right now I'm posting a secret link to pictures that we have taken of the house we are buying, so my mother can view them (I'm sure Adam will later tell me how easy it is to find them, and rebuke me for my half-witted coding skills.

Nonetheless, the pictures will have to remain secret for now. We have to do that because we haven't closed on the house yet -- and also because Laura is holding on to them tighter than Kim Jung Il with photos of North Korea.

This past week I was reading an article on Digg (my favorite web site for the last 6 months), and learned of a pretty cool new web app called Stumbleupon.com:

The way it works is you install the toolbar and you get a nifty "stumble" button in your browser that magically whisks you away to a random website according to your preferences. So far I've stumbled upon a bunch of old viral sites with funny stuff I've already seen, but I've also run into some pretty cool new stuff... for those of you who aren't yet completely addicted to the Internet, you will probably have a lot of fun with it!

My brother B*ll just sent me a link to the new Jackass movie -- sweet! I am also eagerly awaitng Sasha Cohen's new movie based on his character Borat.

Tonight we will probably eat in, enjoy a few drinks together and watch Gung Ho. At this point in my life, that is the definition of an ideal Saturday night.

This link is for my brother B*ll -- he hates hipsters!

Update 7/05/06

I'm sitting here watching "America's Got Talent" on television and there is only one reason people watch this show: to watch David Hasselhoff watch people perform. It has a soothing effect.

Right now my parents, uncle and assorted grand-people are gathering at Elkhart Lake. The purpose of the occasion is to celebrate my grandmother Phylis' 80th birthday party. With the help of Kodak picture gallery... we can see what they are up to:

That's my mom, grandmother and uncle, from left to right, in increasing order of nudity. Seriously, I want those muscles for Christmas. Uncle Bill must be tossing a little iron in his spare time. I think Laura likes it!

My mom also painted a picture of the old Lake House. She said she painted it for my cousin Mark, but I'm confused why she would be doing that when it's my grandmother's birthday -- I blame poor listening skills and Sprint PCS for this.

Water color painting is pretty tough, and I think this looks a lot like the old cottage -- good job mom!

Back in Charlotte, we went to our first AAA minor league baseball game on the 4th of July at the Charlotte Knights Stadium. We attended the game with our new friends, Gail and Steve. They are friends of my family from Connecticut and have really taken us under their wing here in Charlotte. We are so happy to have them!

And there we are! Enjoying the birthday of our country at the ballpark. It was a good time, and we'll definitely go back.

Update 7/01/06

Right now we're shopping for mortgages -- it's pretty exciting. We found a home that we'd like to purchase, and the seller approved our offer on Thursday!

Suffice to say, we are well on our way to becoming home owners. The closing date is July 27th, after that we'll post pics of the new place. In the meantime, cross your fingers and hope the inspections go well!

Some of you may have received emails or cell phone calls from me this week with the subject line "help" or content reading "I have descended into the abyss of insanity." Well, as my grandfather says -- everyone goes through temporary insanity when buying their first home.

We're there, but I want to let you know we're waving back.

Looking for old stuff down here?

January 2006
February 2006
March 2006
April 2006
May 2006
June 2006

"Talk to me Goose."