Instant Curb Appeal – Removing Shrubs

The moment we found out we were going to close on our house, M and I made our first joint decision. Once we moved in, the out-of-control shrubs in the front yard would have to go.

Part 2: Painting Our Basement – The Floor

This blog post is a little late…my apologies. We were super-busy over the past week updating our bathroom and kitchen to prepare for our move-in day (still undetermined). Still, I promised a blog post on our floors, so here it is….better late than never.

On the Tuesday of my stay-cation, we went over to the house after M got off work to finish up our mini-project in the basement. With the walls finished and beautiful (sorry if that’s not the appropriate term for freshly painted walls, but hey, they’re really nice…), we moved on to the next obstacle–the floors.

Part 1: Painting Our Basement – The Walls

At the start of my stay-cation, M and I tackled our basement. Our inspector mentioned during our walk-through that the basement was fairly dry and could be finished if we ever desired to take on such a project. Although it wasn’t a requirement to move in, we figured now was as good a time as any to take a few extra steps to waterproof the area.

5 Days’ Worth of Progress

Today was the first trip I’ve made to our new house since closing last Tuesday. I was greeted by many renovations already! So exciting. M, his dad and a family friend were able to make significant progress in my absence. When I finally showed up, they joked that work was really going to get done now that the “boss” had arrived.

Have a Ball…

After a long hiatus from blogging, I’m ready to make my comeback. Today, M and I closed on our first house.

Actually, M closed on his first house–I’m just a squatter at this point, because the closing company forgot to include me on the deed. 😐

Rest Peacefully, Shebie <3

This morning, my family and I had to say goodbye to my companion for over a decade–Sheba, our 13-year-old Schipperke. Sheba was diagnosed about six months ago with bladder cancer, a very aggressive type, which is incurable and virtually untreatable.

Introducing: Aja Hannah, author of Zarconian Island

Last weekend, I had the pleasure of getting together with one of my dear friends, Aja Hannah. A recently published author, Hannah will release her first novel, Zarconian Island, to retailers everywhere March 25–just in time for me to buy myself a copy for my birthday 🙂 While at lunch, we played catch up and chatted a little about her new novel.

Knowing when the time is right…an impossibility?

Nothing is harder than watching a pet die of cancer, or of any other serious ailment. I’m convinced of this. The only thing possibly more difficult would be the prospect of knowing when its time. What an unfathomable decision to make.

Entering 2013 with a running start

Back in October, my mom convinced me to join Weight Watchers. To me, this was an epic insult. I was struggling with a slow weight gain–I gained about 20 pounds in about 3 years. That’s not too bad, I’d tell myself, but there came a point where I was growing more and more uncomfortable in my skin.

The quick or the dead

This article originally appeared in the March. 14, 2008 issue of the Royal when I was a senior in high school. Opinions and facts have been updated to reflect current events and understandings.