I'm really happy right now and quite content in my life. Cliff and I are still house hunting. We found out our lease isn't up until October 1, so we have a while to look around. In the mean time, we'll keep our eyes open for good deals. Otherwise, life has slowed down to a refreshing crawl, and while I miss hanging with my friends, I know we'll be up for more socialization soon.

- 3/29/2007


House hunting can be really fun. Although I hate to move, I actually enjoy the prospect of finding a new home. What features do I like? What neighborhoods suit me best? Can I find a really good deal? Up until now, any moves I had made have been to another apartment. So what has changed? Cliff is seriously considering home ownership in his future. Right now, we are looking at what is on the market and seeing if anything out there really suits us. To try to alleviate the amount of exterior responsibility we would have in a new home, we've been mainly looking at townhouses, although a few single family/detached (aka, houses) have caught our eye as well. We actually went to see our first showing yesterday. It wasn't a catastrophe, but at least we know what we're not willing to settle for. It definitely wasn't worth what they were asking. Otherwise, we've just been writing down addresses from web searches, and we've been going by the homes to see what the neighborhood is like as well as getting a view of the exterior condition.

Our lease is up in August, and we're prepared to live in our apartment for one more year in order to save more money. I'm getting really excited. I would love to move into a house where I can do whatever I want to it. Of course, things like this always get me really hopped up on excitement and then there is the inevitable disappointment. At the moment, I'm a little disappointed that we may have to stay where we are for one more year. It's not that our apartment is bad or anything. It's just that it's not particularly conducive to entertaining, not to mention that our neighbors' noisy level is undesirable.

- 3/8/2007


'Tis the birthday season for my family. It's a melancholy and happy time in my life. Melancholy because I am reminded once again that my dad is not around. His birthday would have been February 27. I spoke with my sister on his birthday to check in with her. I guess we're both doing ok, getting on with our lives, but there is the occasional void and mental slip whenever I think of my dad. That's to be expected, and it's something I'll have to deal with for the rest of my life. There will be good memories and sad memories, and I'll get through them all. In the meantime, I can look forward to the other upcoming birthdays for my family. My niece Winnie will have hers March 15. My mom's big milestone is March 20. My little sister will turn 15 (yowser, the start of the driving age) on April 29. And then May hosts birthdays for Cliff, my nephew Austin (both May 22), and my sister (May 24). My wallet is screaming already, but I don't mind getting gifts for my family. What I can't figure out is what to get everyone...

Happy March 1 to all, and may spring get here quickly.