Happy Holidaze

OK--OK--is it Christmas yet? New Years? JANUARY! ugh. I cannot focus on work & people have also already checked out which makes my life a bunch of dead ends. I'm A.D.D to the max these days.....


Now that they've been sent out--here they are--our Holiday Cards for 2011!!!! Arent our 4 leggers just so darn cute? Maybe next Christmas you'll get a card with a bun in my oven ;)


Happy Holidaze Everyone!!



Joy to The World from Blair, Andi, Casanova & Atticus
The Albright Family, 2011



back: 'Lots of Love For Your Holiday Season' -The Albright Family


Gotta Love Shutterfly!!


XoXo,
Andi

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

You know it's Winter time when I'm 'Back to Brown'...mwah!!

HOUSE UPDATE

Well, i'm sure you're all (what 5 of you following? HA! Why dont more people blog anyway?!?) sitting on the edge of your seats wondering the outcome of our great debate from the city to the burbs. IT HAS BEEN DECIDED that we are both on board with Lewis Center/Delaware cusp area next to Alum Creek Park/water/dogparks--Yeehaw. We are back on the negotiating train with a new rep (see FB post about former rep screwing us out of our deal & corner lot we were closing on) from Dominion in the same neighborhood of Glenross. We decided we'd drop out of the Dominion running at first and continue to screech by flipping the old rep the bird while working with nearby builders, but found out that we just couldnt stop dreaming about the 5-level-split home from Dominion that we fell in love with. In the midst of all that we were introduced to Braumiller Estates (also love & just around the corner from Glenross) by Rockford Homes. It's not a 5-level-split but it's very vaulted, open floorplan and still a beautiful home. We meet with them Friday and with Dominion on Sunday to gather all the final deats, etc & will be making our new build decision by the end of the month (fist pumps)!!!

It's worked out in our favor due to it being December, as those of us in sales know all to well that this time of year everyone is running every potential 'special' that they can think of to get things sold to meet year end numbers & goals. I knew skipping out of our city condo before Winter was a good idea, but it's finally starting to fall in place.

I'm already dreaming of next June (latest) when we'll be moving into our new home to cozy into for years & years to come. As quickly as these months have been going lately it'll be here before we know it & will be OH SO WORTH IT in the end. When we decide on the home in the next week or two i'll be sure to post pics. Stay tuned.

Now I know why people live in the same home for years & years & years..... it's too stressful to start the process allover again!

xoxo,
Andi

Ich Liebe Dich

There are many people in my life whom I care greatly for and love & respect to the utmost degree. I always say just how thankful I am for the people that are in my life and I genuinely mean that. I can count my closest of friends who I'd take a bus for on more than one hand (rare) and know that regardless of the scenario I can always count on them. I certainly cant pick favorites as they are all my dear lovies for their own individual and special reasons, but there is always one that I can count on being there for me day in and day out and for her I'm grateful for. Steph, you get today's shout out :)

Steph is 100% without a doubt my 'Sister from another Mister'. She is wise beyond her years, stubborn beyond belief, has the largest heart God created to Man & has a sense of humor that can keep me in stitches for HOURS (also rare). We met in high school in Westerville, lived around the corner from one another in school, studied nursing at OSU (me much shorter) together & shared inside Houston, Texas experiences while both living there (shorter span on my end here as well). KURKENDAHLLLLL!!!! I'm thankful that God has placed her in my life during multiple phases moreso than any other person on this planet, and that she will continue to, without a doubt, be around for the rest of life's blessings.

Some of my favorite memories together include (in no particular order):

- Being an honored attendee at her Nursing Gala in Houston, TX when she won her fabulous award
- Steph's grad party from her MSN degree in Houston, stunting in the backyard with The German's in town & playing Guitar Hero while downing jello shots a plenty
- Helping Steph get ready for homecoming with her now husband, Jason in HS. For some reason it still means the world to me that she asked me to come over and do her hair for her (quite the risk I might add)
- My bachelorette party in Austin, TX --mental pic of her tipsy and dancing for us all in her bathing suit poolside. CAN YOU SAY HAWT?
- Our night at the Short North condo after many a drink downtown taking pics in our 'Shot Caller' T-shirts we got for free at the bar?!!? Hilarity.
- My trip to see her recently in D.C while sitting outback in our old lady rockers drinking red wine while pondering what the decor looked like in her neighbors multi-million dollar homes
- Being stuck in hours and hours worth of traffic annoying Jason (per usual) with our inside jokes and foreign languages (this was the trip she surgically removed a piercing from my body--HA)

Honestly, there is no doubt in my mind that Steph and I were meant to be together in this lifetime and I'm just really truly honored to be her friend. She's the kind of friend who sends you 'I'm proud of you' or 'Just Because' cards quarterly and who ALWAYS gives the best Christmas Gifts (so creative). She knows just what to say to calm the nerves and is always my number one fan cheering me on when necessary. She is 100% proud of me, no jealousy and no holds bar, just 100% my better half. Steph, I love you Sister. I wish we lived closer and that you weren't in D.C--but I love traveling to see you throughout life's adventures. I wish I could see you weekly---maybe someday :) Enjoy a quick montage of some good times my friend...I hope today this made you smile.....

wine country ATX style

wedding day

Cbus visit @ Black Olive

Houston visit--mani/pedis (these seats were OOC, my tiny boobies were even shaking)!!

FOREVER ago, circa when we all lived in Texas. OSU v UT game at Texas

The day I got my 'This Too Shall Pass' ribpiece tatt

same day we went dark

Andrea's babyshower in Austin

my warm welcome to D.C!!

Serendipity-- D.C style. Us, well...being Us.

My Teet



freaks on a leash



Love you Sister!

oxoxox,
Andi

HOUSE HEADACHE

Where to even begin with this post. ARGH! House Hunting is not as cool, seemless and exciting as they show on HGTV people. We've looked high, we've looked low... we've decided on a house we loved & were closing on the new build (keyword, dont ever buy a home from Dominion) when we were told the 'lot is now on hold' like it was NBD and to just 'go ahead and pick another lot in the neighborhood'. ??!?!? Umm, no. We wanted that lot in the neighborhood.

We have a realtor in the city (we love him dearly), we have had a realtor in the burbs (not so much like as he really gives me the heebey geebiez). We have looked all the way North to Delaware and South back to the city (again) and nearly everywhere in between. The great debate has always been: Are we ready to leave the 'city feel' so soon without having kids just yet vs. getting the most bang for our buck 20-30 miles from the city but be more out of our comfort zone? We've felt like the next house should be more space than our 1 bedroom/1 bath Short North condo but not enough space that we cant even fill it for awhile. THEN the next second we feel like we should surpless on the housing market and low interest rates in a home we can live in for years & years to come while we can get into a much larger home. !!!??!?! Needless to say we are beyond frusterated & i'm certain the two realtors we've worked with are as well. Hense having one in the city & one in the burbs (smart) as we've started to feel crazy for bringing them all over God's creation with our tirades.

Just when I thought we had decided on the Alum Creek/Lewis Center/Delaware area Blair wakes up this morning and finds a steal in Grandview. It's an adorable corner/slight hill lot/ older charming home with a bit of a yard that we could live in while we put some work & elbow grease into where we could be happy and still close to the city for another 5 years or so (before we will REALLY need more rooms and school systems to consider). OR, there are 3 in Delaware with nice wooded back yards that are 3x the size of the Grandview home that are as recent builds as 2007 and move in ready---SIGH. Why is it this difficult?! We're looking at all 4 tomorrow so maybe it'll help to see one side of the spectrum to the other (doubtful as we've looked at like, errr 40 homes at this point & still cant get to the bottom of it). We're getting CLOSER, but not 'there' yet on the decision (as you can tell)....

Cross your fingers that tomorrow it becomes clear for us & that we can finally decide & move forward with our first home together. It really shouldnt be this difficult.....if only 'Property Brothers' would have decided to call us & come to Columbus--sigh. Problem solved :)

Cheers-
Andi

Time Flies

Holy bageezus it's DECEMBER already? I feel like this year has been Day 1.....a week in the middle somewere... end of month, BOOM!! I guess that's a good thing as this time of year isn't always my favorite. I do love the smell of Christmas trees/candles, a warm fire, seeing all of the pretty Christmas lights everyone has up, etc--but I think i'll REALLY love this time of year when we have some kid-kats running around to relive the hype with. Guess we'd better get to it ;) HA! (ok ok, that's not happening just yet)


Found this super fun 'Winter Bucket List' on the ever so addicting fabulous Pinterest. There are certainly a few on here i'd like to make time for in between running to DeSales for games & Coffman for meets. In fact, Blair asked me out on a date night for tomorow! I'm thinking Christmas Lights are in our very near future.

The check list of options are endless---enjoy :)

Happy Friday!!!


xoxo,
Andi

' In The Navyyyy'

My bestie Paul has sadly (for me) been traveling and relocating allover the US as a helicopter pilot in the Navy for the past 3+ years & has just relocated (until June--yes, as in 6 months from now) to his 5 ft wide of a bedroom/ hole and beast of a home at SEA. I am so fascinated by this as he cant communicate to anyone unless they are docked at port for like, all of the 6 months he's at sea. We can email, etc but I cant just call him at all odd hours of the day any longer! He's been living in Hawaii for awhile now so I've been accustomed to our odd hour chats. I hate it. I absolutely hate that he's a pilot. I've never told him this and I probs shouldn't mention it as he's told me a time or two before that he enjoys reading my blogs. Lets hope his Internet isn't working from whatever foreign island he's stopping through. Otherwise, sorry babe I love you mucho but I hate having to worry about where you're at, and if you're safe and if your very uber dangerous helicopter that you're flying is going to be able to lift off of the boat landing strip (I'm imagining you're practicing off of it like Pearl Harbor so if you're not, ignore my dramatics). In all seriousness, I'm so proud of him for doing something that scares him everyday and fascinates him everyday as I know that this has always been a goal of his (next to being a dentist way back when we were in college). But I selfishly want him closer than he is way across the world literally floating on the water in a ridiculously claustrophobic 3 bunk bedroom on a massive 400 person boat. Below are the pics he sent me last week as he was unpacking his 'room'--aka shithole that makes a prison cell look enticing--and super excited about the adventure ahead. Paul, if you're reading this I miss you & love you and hope you enjoyed reading your shout out. If you're lonely & homesick just remember ' we'll all float on anyway'--- literally in your case now :) Oh, and call me as soon as you can to fill me in on how much fun you're having! xo.

Paul has the bottom bed of 3...seriously? Yikes.

Peace Be With You ;)

The type of boat he's living on

Babes on the boat before his big 6 month trip @ sea!