It's really starting to sink in now.

[valis2]

Yep. We turned in the keys to the apartment today. I told Husband that up until this moment, I felt like I still had a pinky toe in a different home. But now we have the house. And only the house. Which is not a bad thing. But I will miss the hobbit hole apartment. It was a good place to live for several years.

I love not tripping over the printer cable 239856234 times a day. I love not having to unhook it and rehook it every time I want to print something.

I love being able to listen to the TV and the radio at a higher volume.

I love being able to play the piano and not wince about other people hearing my mistakes, lol. Or worry about them not wanting to hear piano music. Seriously. It carries.

I love being able to finally have a set of dishes and silverware that are cool.

I love having an office that is big enough to hold all four of my desks and a table for taking photos (so I can have a semi-permanent setup instead of having to take it down when we want to eat dinner, lol).

I love having a pond out back.

Um. I'm really starting to love this place.

Pics soon, I promise.

Comments

[gmonkey42.livejournal.com]

Yaaay! It sounds awesome. Are there froggies in the pond?

[valis2.livejournal.com]

Froggies, oh yes, though they're sleeping right now, lol. And there used to be a giant snapping turtle, though it hasn't been sighted in the last few years...I can't wait to take pics.

Oh, there's a muskrat who lives in it, too. squee!!

[gmonkey42.livejournal.com]

I'll bet this is going to be like the first time I saw groundhogs (...did Meghan and I already tell you that story?) They're huge! I was amazed. My point is I've never seen a muskrat either and I will probably be similarly impressed when I see the pictures.

[cordelia_v]

Congratulations! It's a lot of work, but it's worth it. I'm so pleased for you. Enjoy!

[valis2.livejournal.com]

I am so afraid of the work, let me tell you. No more apartment minions to shovel the drive for me and fix the leaky sink! But then again, I can watch the varmint swim in the pond, and I have a basement. Win/win.

[greenpear.livejournal.com]

I am dreaming that someday I TOO will have a place that is not an apartment.

It begins to grate on one's nerves having certain people in the next apartments...

[valis2.livejournal.com]

We have had oh so many different kinds of neighbors in the past six years.

-Two different thumpers. People who played their music so loud that all we could hear was THUMP THUMP THUMP THUMPPA THUMP. It would actually vibrate the glasses in our cupboards at times. One thumper kept it up for close to eight months.

-People who, I swear, built furniture in their apartment EVERY SINGLE DAY. Seriously. I half suspect they were also making amateur pr0n movies. Maybe they were building sets. I cannot understand the hammering (with hammers, people) and noises lasting for weeks on end for over four months. Who makes that much furniture?

-A rather heavy-footed couple above us. The woman routinely walked back and forth across the apartment CONSTANTLY. And vacuumed EVERY OTHER DAY. For anywhere up to an hour.

-The screaming argument people.

That stuff I won't miss, lol.

[greenpear.livejournal.com]

I have to deal mostly with older people who are hard of hearing (loud, loud tvs). But I can't understand the guy downstairs who is banger. It starts later in the evening and I hear it every 20 minutes or so. Just enough to "almost" fall asleep before being woke up.

Just what then hell is he moving/stacking/dropping???

[valis2.livejournal.com]

omg, so much sympathy, seriously. I totally understand.

The worst was the stairwell. For the last year we've had teenagers living in the apartment at the top of the stairs, and they run up and down the stairs at breakneck speed. There is some soundproofing between the floors, but none at the doors, so everything that happens in the stairwell reverberates. ugh. They would run up the stairs at 2 AM at least twice a week, seriously.

[squeezystan.livejournal.com]

Sounds like a nice fit for you. :)

[valis2.livejournal.com]

;) Varmint and all, lol. *hugs*

[sara-merry99.livejournal.com]

Congratulations on being all moved into your new home! ::hugs:: That's *fantastic*!!

::twirls you and your hubby::

[valis2.livejournal.com]

Yes, all of our belongings are now here! Can you believe it? I'm still in shock.

Now to sort through said belongings...*shudders*

Y'know, when I moved into the apartment it only took two weeks for me to put everything away. Seriously. That was pre-Riptide, though. lol!

[leni-jess.livejournal.com]

Happy is good! Enjoy.

[valis2.livejournal.com]

I will definitely enjoy. That is, until I write out that first check for the mortgage company. lol.

[catyah.livejournal.com]

I know it sounds strange, but even writing out the monthly mortgage payment can be enjoyable, if you look at it from the perspective of "that much closer to actually having the house *paid for*!"

At least that's what I try to tell myself when I'm writing out that monthly check.

Congratulations again, I'm very happy for you!

[valis2.livejournal.com]

*crosses fingers* Hopefully this will be the start of a great new chapter--and not a giant leap into an abyss, lol.

*hugs* Thank you so much for the happy words!

[jaelle-n-gilla.livejournal.com]

Oooh, you have a garden pond? Lovely! How big is your garden? Enough to take a walk in and have a porch and a BBQ place?

The house sounds lovely, and I remember the feeling of freedom so well. Enjoy!

[valis2.livejournal.com]

The pond is more like a river backwater thing, and it extends across about five different properties. We have a great view of it from the office and the kitchen. And we have a screened in porch! huzzah!

It's so very nice. I'm really looking forward to making it into our home.

[catsintheattic.livejournal.com]

Oh, this sounds lovely. I'm so happy for you! And you have a pond. *squees* Are there fish or frogs in it?

And I wish I could move to a new flat and have a small extra flat for my office in the same house. That's my ideal how to live. To have privacy and work in separate flats, but near enough so that I don't need to dress up to go to work.

[valis2.livejournal.com]

Yes, the pond has fish and frogs, and a muskrat! Very exciting. I grew up next to a swamp that I loved very much, and this will be kind of the same thing.

I sometimes wish for a separate office, but now that I have made the master bedroom into my office, I think this will work.

[catsintheattic.livejournal.com]

I'm now officially in love with your garden pond!

Most of all I want a separate office to be able to welcome customers into my rooms without cleaning up the whole flat.

[valis2.livejournal.com]

Thank goodness I don't have customers coming to the place, lol. I can't even imagine what they'd think. Squidsoap and stuffed octopuses everywhere, lol.

[cactus-wren.livejournal.com]

Can't wait to see pics!

[valis2.livejournal.com]

Oh yes, I should be taking some pics very soon! I've already taken some of the new living room floor.

[sylvadin.livejournal.com]

Welcome to the joys of owning your own 'nest'. There's a certain decadent pleasure in knowing that you can crank up the stereo at 3am and have no one complain...except maybe your spouse. *g*

[valis2.livejournal.com]

hee! Yeah, I'm really enjoying this already. I don't miss having to turn the sound down at 10 PM and stop washing clothes. ;) I'm a night owl, after all...

*giant hugs*

[artystone.livejournal.com]

Ooh a pond!

[valis2.livejournal.com]

Yes! I don't know if there's a watery tart in it distributing swords or not, though. hee!

[artystone.livejournal.com]

Well it's not really watery tart season right now, is it?

[valis2.livejournal.com]

Hmm...could be strange woman lying about in pools season, though, couldn't it?

[drusillas-rain.livejournal.com]

:D

[valis2.livejournal.com]

*hugs* I'm so excited! And terrified. And excited! And terrified. You get the picture, lol.

[florence-craye.livejournal.com]

OMG a pond

with a muskrat

That is the best thing ever. We have spring peepers in our creek every spring, and occasional ducks. But no fish. *sigh* Plus, it's not ours.

I am thrilled that you're loving the place. I can't wait for the pics!

[valis2.livejournal.com]

We have our very own varmint! We're just so lucky, seriously.

I'm hoping to put together a vegetable garden like the one you guys constructed. That would be totally awesome.

I was going to take pics today, but ended up unpacking a bunch of stuff, so not quite yet. But I will! *hugs*

BTW, just wanted to tell you in case you've forgotten--you rock. :)

[florence-craye.livejournal.com]

Woo, veggie garden! It is really easy to make those square boxes, and totally worth it. We planted our garlic in square-foot design this year (though not in the boxes), and it really helps you keep track of what is what veggie and it looks nice, too.

And aww, thank you for the compliment! You rock, too! :D

[saruwatari.livejournal.com]

<3 I'm so happy for you. It's great to settle into a proper home, isn't it... even if it takes a little getting used to.

And froggies? Pond froggies? I am envious.

[valis2.livejournal.com]

I've been nesting all week, lol. It's very nice, if a bit scary, I must say. ;)

And yes, froggies!! Though I might not be so happy about them once they start up in Spring...