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!

'Never Again'

This year I was somehow motivated to actually try this Black Friday gig. After crawling into bed I senselessly answered a call from my sister who was panting (see 3+ months preggo post) and raving about all of the 'great deals she was finding'. I rolled over and said to Blair 'you know what, I have nothing to do tomorrow in the morning, maybe I'll give it a go if the deals are THAT great'. He wished me luck & I rolled out, put on a zip up and met my Mom at Target. It took us 20 mins to park, we stood for 30 mins in a line as long as a football field surrounded by insane people in utter excitement about leaving their kids/husbands at home to spend the entire night/morning shopping. <Insert me, wide eyed, puzzled & inquisitive> I asked the women in front of me, as my Mom was chatting it up with the two gals behind me, what was it about standing in a line for hours, being bumped around and stepped on inside a store you MIGHT find something you like, only to then stand in line for another 2+ hours to checkout & do it allover again at the next spot excited them? I mentioned that I was a virgin shopper that day (one who hates shopping any day of the year for that matter) and was interested to see what the hype was all about. They proceeded to tell me that the #1 reason that they do this is to 'people watch' and get out of the house for a few hours with family. They kept stating 'its tradition' over & over to me. I kept looking at them in awe, hearing them out, all the while standing there thinking of 100 other ways I'd rather people watch (airports, the fair, while sitting on my warm couch watching tv, the list goes on) & another 100 other ways I could 'enjoy getting out of the house or forming family traditions'.

FINALLY, the doors open (we were standing in the wrong line & had to then re-line up at the other door, of course) and into Target we sped!!! I must say, walking through those doors and picking up my cart was the highlight of the 1:03 evening of Black Friday for me. Well, there also was a woman dressed up in red valuer sweat suit, heels and pearls like the woman on the commercials that had I gotten a picture with would have made it really worth it, but from the point of entrance, it was all downhill thereafter. Women were literally stepping over me, pushing their carts onto my heels, backing up the aisles with their bodies & elbows flying as they dug into stacks of whatever-they-were-there-to-buy. I'm not kidding when I say I stood with my empty cart as my Mom & the other shoppers stomped like a heard of elephants through the store in horror. I pulled a 360, text my sister who was en route to tell her to pedal to the metal so I could see her before I bailed. Her & her MIL had already been to Jefferson Outlets for hours before heading on to Columbus for more of the 'festivities' GASP.

Within minutes of her arrival I was strapped soundly in the car en route home. When I think of Black Friday moving forward, I can appreciate that difference is what makes the world go round in this human race, but for me, the song 'Never Again' by Kelly Clarkson wont stop ringing throughout my ears.....

Xoxo,
Andi

Wordless Wednesday

!!!!GO BUCKS BEAT MICHIGAN!!!!

xoxoxo,
Andi

Weekend Warriors

I cannot believe how quickly this year month has gone! I mean, I feel like the second the month gets started its over & now that the holiday's are here it's going to be unraveling faster than ever! Thank G that 2011 blew 2010's crap year out of the water, let's hope 2012 tops 2011!! With a niece or nephew on the way and building our first home together I'm certain it's going to rank up there!!




Last weekend was off to a rockin start with dinner at The Wine Bistro on 23 Friday night with Quinn & Paige. Love them to pieces & am so fortunate to have such close relationships with my in-laws & family. We waited entirely too long to be seated, so a bottle of red went down sans food, and we nearly cleared a second by the time we scarfed through our pizza (gotta love the families love for vino)!! Quinn's 21st is fast approaching & we're planning a killer blow out at The Hyatt this year!!! Cant believe my little Quinny is 21, but so so happy that we can now not worry about her being carded (although most people don't --way to go Quinny!) and that she can enter into the stressful wonderful years that we call 'Our Twenties' <3

The Wine Bistro w/ My Sisters

Saturday Katie Kittle blew into town with her sister Claire and Poppi joining at the tailgate to boot! Katie & I met at the hole that is Dawson (the doors are circular downstairs for a reason as people never seem to stay long) but honestly looking back it was worth working there to have met & became such close friends to Kittle & Glenna. Some pics (whats a blog without pics?) from the awesome Briner tailgate that we will so dearly miss until next season::

Poppi Kittle, Kittle, Glenna & Claire Kittle-- love us some Kittle :)

G, Bates & Kittle

Standard Cody...always doin something to scam the pic

Thank you Briner Family for another wonderful years of Fun & Memories!!

Looking forward to Thanksgiving on Thursday & to see my absolute best, The Stephanie Garee who is in town from D.C (thank God she no longer lives in Houston and has to pick one holiday a year to make). We will be Black Friday strolling with M.K & Lauren (faves) to see if we can find any goodies, but mainly just enjoying each other & catching up I'm sure. On weeks like this I wish I didn't have gymnastics & could 100% enjoy time off but I was placed responsible for all of the floor choreography this year and the first meet is on Dec 7th (eeeek)!!! Honestly, I have no idea how I'm going to get 4 floor routines done by then & have exhausted my resources for help. <sigh> Guess I'll put my big girl panties on & get to figuring out routines.


HAPPY TURKEY WEEK ALL!!


xoxo,
Andi

AUNT ANDI

okay, ive been DYING, absolutely DYING to spill the beans for the past three months now::


I"M GOING TO BE AN AUNTIE!!!! eeeeeeeeeeeeek!!!


"I'm so excited (insert Jessie Spano) & I just cant hide it"....


Ok, sooooo my sister & her husband are finally preggo and we all could not be any happier for them. They were married in 2006 and have been trying for the past few years to get pregnant, so when it finally happend we were all so pumped ESTATIC. I of course was the first to know (duh) & they decided to wait for the full 3 months before going public. See the video below of their first ultra sound 2 weeks ago, the little peanut was barely 3 months old on the video & already has little limb nubs <melt>.

I just cant wait to wrap it's bod up in my arms & sing it Van Morrison songs (there will be a headset for the full 9 months attached to my belly when i'm preggo) ;) I have a feeling it'll be a Boy, but they arent finding out until birth which is the only way to go in my mind. BUT, we will be elated whatever it is.


So, with that news, Happy Friday All!!! *Cheers


xoxo,
Andi