Jesse has really gotten into this whole interior decorating thing with a ferver I didn't realize he would have for the subject. We got our new couch yesterday, and with that new couch, more space arrived as well. (Our old couch was a bit huge for the living room, which was one of the reasons we decided to go ahead and move on...) I'm interested in getting some "grown-up" bookcases for the living room which will hopefully hold most all of the books and things that we store on 3 different old-school Target put-together-yourself shelves that we have in several rooms of the house right now. One of them is in the bedroom. One of them is in the guest room/office/Jesse's closet room. And the third one is in the living room. I hate them, and always told myself that once I could afford real wood shelves, I'd go ahead and get rid of them.
So we went searching for a few items the other night at Nebraska Furniture Mart, which was fun. It was Jesse's first trip out there, and I had a great time with him as we ogled all the different stove/oven items they have on display, and wandered about talking about what we want to have in our next house for us to use. Of course our favorite model was the $6,000 jobbie that had one small oven next to the main oven, as well as 4 regular burners, a small simmering burner, and a built-in flat-top grill that was covered by a lift-off panel that kept it protected from any and all matter of splattering that might come from the other side of the stove. I was fine with this oven, though. I think it's my favorite...since we can't really justify spending $6,000 on an oven/stove, dammit.
Unfortunately, we didn't find any shelves that have a contemporary enough look for the direction our living room is headed. I'd love to get a set from Crate & Barrel that are actually well-suited to match our new couch, but they only come in a very dark finish that I'm afraid wouldn't match the wood we already have in the space. SO. I was planning on heading to Crate & Barrel this week during a lunch hour, since it's right down the street from the campus here, and seeing if they have the shelves we're interested in at the store so I can judge them in person. It's become a main discussion for us though, this simple interior remodel that we've been working on since we painted the living room back in June (or was it July? I don't remember exactly...), and when I told him my plan last night, he said he wanted to go, too. So now our Friday night date will consist of dinner and a trip to Crate & Barrel to look at the shelves they have in the store.
We also changed out a light in the kitchen that hangs over the sink area. We looked at several options at Home Depot the other night, and settled on a little sort of track-light thingy that has worked out really well. I don't think people realize (a) how easy it is to switch out things like light fixtures or (b) how very affordable a change it can be. The light we grabbed was less than $35. And instead of an old, crappy, institutional-looking flourescent light, we now have an up-to-date brushed nickle fixture with 3 very lovely (and wonderfully bright!) spot lights on it that we can aim all over the kitchen from it's spot near the window on the east wall. Jesse installed it yesterday, which I thought was fair since I had to change out the fixture in the bathroom when I moved into the house as a single girl some 3 years ago. We have three more lights we'd like to change...the bare bulb in the garage, the current hallway sconce, and then we'll be adding one over the stove, since all I have there now is a desk lamp that sets somewhat precariously on a shadow box shelf. It serves it's purpose, but Jesse doesn't like it, so he'd like to install a better light that runs on a switch installed in the wall. We'll be calling in the electrician for that project, I think. We just need to find the light, and I can move forward accordingly.
Anyway, we're all over making improvements and updating and getting the house in proper order for our plans to sell it in the year following the wedding. Jesse asked me why we don't just fix everything and then stay in the house for another 3 years or so, and I explained that I didn't plan on living in this house for longer than 5 years when I bought it, and I got a loan that fell in line with that plan. If we stay, I'll need to refinance, and if I'm going to just be getting a whole new loan, then I might as well get one for a whole new house.
Plus, we need another bathroom.
It's all good, though. Jesse needs a spot in the garage for his car, and I want a washer/dryer hookup that's inside the house instead of in the garage. He also thinks he'd prefer an oven that's in the wall instead of down low where we have to bend over (not as big a deal for me as it is for him, of course...), so there's that. And a basement...one we can convert into an entertainment room, if we can't find a house with one that's already been converted.
Lofty plans? Eh...if you take 'em all one step at a time, they aren't so bad. The next big project will be replacing the windows on the front of the house (I did the back of the house about a year and a half ago), so we can get the outside of the house painted. Thank goodness we have metal siding, so we don't have to paint the whole house...but the eaves and the trim and the windows all need to be scraped and re-painted before they rot clean away. That would suck.
Being a home-owner isn't much fun sometimes. But when it comes to updating and making things look pretty (again), PLUS having someone to help with it all that's as excited as I am about it, it certainly makes it more fun than it normally is.
I'll post some pictures this weekend of the living room, now that we have the new couch and the new lamp that I bought to go with it. It looks so awesome, it makes me tear up...
Wednesday, January 31, 2007
Monday, January 29, 2007
DJ's in this day and age
I know it's weird for me to post more than once a month, but I thought I'd go ahead with it, just for kicks.
We're currently considering two different DJ companies for the wedding. While they're both local companies, one is part of a national company that handles DJ and videography services. It's hard to decide which one is the "winner" of our wedding, though, so I thought I'd go ahead and work it out here on proverbial paper...
First off, the locally owned company called me back first. The gentleman that left me a message had an awesome voice, and that was an instant plus for him. When I called him back, he was able to answer all my questions easily and he and his partner have the added plus of having already DJ'd an event at the location where we're having our reception, so that's nice. He understands what I'm talking about when I discuss the odd room shape, and where we think it'd be better for the DJ to set up for the evening, etc...
The other thing I like about him is that he has the partner that comes with him. They work together at the party, with one of them focussing mostly on setting up the future songs that will be playing, and the other one dealing with guest requests, announcements, and that sort of thing. Very cool.
The other company called me the following day. The guy talked a bit too fast for my taste (and I know that those who know me that are reading this are going, "Um, girlfriend? Yeah, ever had a conversation with you?" I know I speak really quickly, too, but I don't do it for a living, ok?), and had a packet he wanted to send me which he assured me would answer most of my questions. I still asked him some of the main ones I needed answered, and he did answer them without issue, but I felt like I was being rushed off the phone. Still, it's a national company, and they have phone numbers available to me of recent customers that I can contact for a personal reference on their services, so that's good. Their song list wasn't set up in as user-friendly a format as the other DJ I'd already talked to, but it still seems relatively comprehensive. They sent us a packet of info, as promised, which was pretty, but didn't answer all questions, but was still sort of helpful. It had a DVD in it that they wanted us to watch. It was boring, repetitive, and not too helpful over all.
Both DJ's charge about the same amount.
There was a 3rd DJ company that I contacted asking for info, but I never heard back from them, so they lose.
I'm leaning toward the 1st company that contacted me, not only because they were the quickest to respond, but because the guy was really well-spoken, answered all my questions patiently and completely, and I liked that he could send me info via e-mail, and didn't try to sell me something I wasn't asking for (namely the videography services that the second company apparently tries to upsell to all engaged couples, which I found annoying since we're not interested, but it was discussed anyway...). Jesse likes the idea of going with the first company as well, but I honestly don't know that he even cares. I need to discuss it with him more to get his take on it, I guess. We'll see.
Tonight, we'll be moving our old couch out into the garage where it will wait for it's pick-up tomorrow by the Federation of the Blind. We're receiving our new, more compact, more durable and sturdy couch tomorrow sometime between 9 and 11, and I can't wait! Now I'm obsessed with finding new bookshelves for the living room, which is proving a more difficult task than I had initially thought it would be. Had I thought about it when we ordered the couch, I have a feeling it would have been included in the one shipping charge that we were charged for the couch and the ottoman. Damn. So I'm trying to find something reasonable that won't cost another gazillion dollars to be delivered. (i.e. Pottery Barn has a lovely unit that costs another $150 on top of the purchase price for it's delivery. That's crazy...) I was hoping it wouldn't be this hard to find something, but I might have to actually go shopping in a store to find what we need. Depressing.
I'd best get back to work. I just found another thing that I might not be able to do, for some reason, and so my work continues to be in the form of having to find someone else who can do the job I need to do for me. It shouldn't be like this for much longer, thank goodness...
Happy Monday!
We're currently considering two different DJ companies for the wedding. While they're both local companies, one is part of a national company that handles DJ and videography services. It's hard to decide which one is the "winner" of our wedding, though, so I thought I'd go ahead and work it out here on proverbial paper...
First off, the locally owned company called me back first. The gentleman that left me a message had an awesome voice, and that was an instant plus for him. When I called him back, he was able to answer all my questions easily and he and his partner have the added plus of having already DJ'd an event at the location where we're having our reception, so that's nice. He understands what I'm talking about when I discuss the odd room shape, and where we think it'd be better for the DJ to set up for the evening, etc...
The other thing I like about him is that he has the partner that comes with him. They work together at the party, with one of them focussing mostly on setting up the future songs that will be playing, and the other one dealing with guest requests, announcements, and that sort of thing. Very cool.
The other company called me the following day. The guy talked a bit too fast for my taste (and I know that those who know me that are reading this are going, "Um, girlfriend? Yeah, ever had a conversation with you?" I know I speak really quickly, too, but I don't do it for a living, ok?), and had a packet he wanted to send me which he assured me would answer most of my questions. I still asked him some of the main ones I needed answered, and he did answer them without issue, but I felt like I was being rushed off the phone. Still, it's a national company, and they have phone numbers available to me of recent customers that I can contact for a personal reference on their services, so that's good. Their song list wasn't set up in as user-friendly a format as the other DJ I'd already talked to, but it still seems relatively comprehensive. They sent us a packet of info, as promised, which was pretty, but didn't answer all questions, but was still sort of helpful. It had a DVD in it that they wanted us to watch. It was boring, repetitive, and not too helpful over all.
Both DJ's charge about the same amount.
There was a 3rd DJ company that I contacted asking for info, but I never heard back from them, so they lose.
I'm leaning toward the 1st company that contacted me, not only because they were the quickest to respond, but because the guy was really well-spoken, answered all my questions patiently and completely, and I liked that he could send me info via e-mail, and didn't try to sell me something I wasn't asking for (namely the videography services that the second company apparently tries to upsell to all engaged couples, which I found annoying since we're not interested, but it was discussed anyway...). Jesse likes the idea of going with the first company as well, but I honestly don't know that he even cares. I need to discuss it with him more to get his take on it, I guess. We'll see.
Tonight, we'll be moving our old couch out into the garage where it will wait for it's pick-up tomorrow by the Federation of the Blind. We're receiving our new, more compact, more durable and sturdy couch tomorrow sometime between 9 and 11, and I can't wait! Now I'm obsessed with finding new bookshelves for the living room, which is proving a more difficult task than I had initially thought it would be. Had I thought about it when we ordered the couch, I have a feeling it would have been included in the one shipping charge that we were charged for the couch and the ottoman. Damn. So I'm trying to find something reasonable that won't cost another gazillion dollars to be delivered. (i.e. Pottery Barn has a lovely unit that costs another $150 on top of the purchase price for it's delivery. That's crazy...) I was hoping it wouldn't be this hard to find something, but I might have to actually go shopping in a store to find what we need. Depressing.
I'd best get back to work. I just found another thing that I might not be able to do, for some reason, and so my work continues to be in the form of having to find someone else who can do the job I need to do for me. It shouldn't be like this for much longer, thank goodness...
Happy Monday!
Tuesday, January 23, 2007
Here I am!
Sometimes, I wish that Jesse would want to post something out here now and then, so as to keep things going, and also because he's a pretty entertaining guy. Oh well...
Last night, I spoke to one of the DJ's we're considering for the reception. Since we'll be having our cocktail reception on a different floor from the actual reception itself, we're going to make it easy on ourselves, and plug in an iPod to play music at that point in the evening. I still need to start making the list of the songs I'd like to play. I don't know if Jesse is planning on adding his input to that, but I hope so. Anyway, the DJ I spoke to last night seemed really nice, professional, and had a good voice. It sounded all DJ-ish, and stuff. :) But their price was kinda low which sent up a red flag for me. I'm going to talk to a couple more DJ's, and it's not like I'm looking for the most expensive option, by any means. I was pretty impressed by the guy I spoke to last night, actually...he answered all my questions the way I'd hoped he would, he didn't mind when I interrupted his little schpeal to ask questions that popped into my head, and he sounds like he and his partner would be really honed in on what Jesse and I want to have played at the reception, which is the most important part. It's a fun vendor to work with, I think...I'm glad that so far, my experience in talking with them is good. We'll see how things go with the other two...
My twin and our oldest best friend (a.k.a. the co-matron of honor) have been busily helping me consider dresses for the bridesmaids over the past few weeks, and we're hoping that they'll be able to get out and try some on sometime in the next couple of weeks, so we have a better idea of what's going to be our final choice. I'm hoping we can start the ordering process on them no later than March...which is only about a month and a half away, which is crazy, and I don't even like to think of how quickly the year is already flying by, so don't get me started! I know it seems strange to even think of things that way, seeing as it's still only January, but here's what happens: I sit and consider the possible dates for my two showers that need to happen (one in Cali and one here in Kansas), and I think to myself, "Oh, we have plenty of time...I'll wait for the twin to get back to me on that when she can." But then I start working things out and I realize that one of the months we're considering (i.e. June) is not 6 months away any more. It's only about 4 months away. And holy crap, it's almost February, and where did the time go, and when can we have the shower here in Kansas because people need to take time from work and make plans ahead of time, and then I need to make my plans for going home to Cali for the shower in July, and I still don't have my veil designed and ordered and when do we have to order the cake again? And it suddenly just starts flying all about...my brain goes on overdrive, and I have to stop and watch something on Food Network to calm myself down again, for chrissakes.
So actually, I try not to think about it all very much. According to the vendors I talk to (as well as my nifty little timeline of tasks provided by The Knot.com), I'm running perfectly on schedule for getting things done. So I can go ahead and focus on the tasks that need attention around the house, like finding someplace to donate our old couch to in order to make room for the new couch we've ordered. And contacting the yard guys to let them know that I do want to upgrade our service this year in order to include the aerating process they suggested we do in spring. And then finding someone to paint the outside of the house, since it's going to start rotting away if we don't get it done this year. And how can we find the best deal on a new heating/cooling system that we must replace in the spring as well?
I must say, it's a damned good thing I found a new job like I did. Because otherwise, we might be in a lo-hoooot of trouble this spring. Unfortunately, these are things that must be done, or we'd put them off some more. But we can't go without A/C this summer. Or heat next winter. And it'd be bad to let the house start rotting away, I think. Those are the most pressing issues, anyway. I won't even start on the fact that we want to replace our kitchen table with something smaller.
These things would be so much harder to deal with, even on just an emotional level, if I was still single and having to take care of it all on my own. Thank God for Jesse. Thank God for someone that can deal with my strange moods, my sudden needs and desires to kick things into high gear (and, consequently, my sharp downslides into exhaustion on a weekly basis), and my somewhat constant picking on everything from clothing being left on a chair in the living room to the issue of why I really like the doors to be locked, even when we're home. It couldn't have been better timed for him to come into my life. For him to become the most important thing to me above everything else. I was watching a Grey's Anatomy episode over the weekend...one from season 2, which I have been watching via DVD rental from Netflix this year since Jesse isn't a fan of drama series on t.v., so I kind of "gave it up" for him when we started seeing each other. The main character (Meredith) was having a bit of an issue with the fact that she couldn't remember the last time she'd kissed the man (Dr. McDreamy) she's in love with (who happens to be married, but she fell in love with him without knowing that, and then had to break up with him when she found out and he chose to work things out with his semi-estranged wife instead of choosing her, and this is one of the reasons Jesse doesn't like these sorts of shows...). And I don't know why, but it started me thinking about my first kiss with Jesse. And do I remember it? Yes...yes I do. It was a surprise kiss...one of those ones you don't see coming. We were next to my car in the parking lot outside the restaurant. It was at the end of our first date, I think (one of the only areas I'm fuzzy on, I'm afraid...), and we were talking a little bit as things wound down for the night. All of a sudden, he bent down and kissed me. It wasn't as though we were sitting there with the anticipation of the dreaded First Kiss That Usually Happens At The End Of The Date, or anything. We were just...talking. And he caught me off guard. And it was perfect, and fun...and I hope I'll always remember it.
There's your dose of sap for the month, my friends. Next time, I should have more info about the DJ's, possibly some exciting updates about shower plans and whether I need to look into renting chairs for the reception, and maybe even some more house stuff. Ta for now!
Last night, I spoke to one of the DJ's we're considering for the reception. Since we'll be having our cocktail reception on a different floor from the actual reception itself, we're going to make it easy on ourselves, and plug in an iPod to play music at that point in the evening. I still need to start making the list of the songs I'd like to play. I don't know if Jesse is planning on adding his input to that, but I hope so. Anyway, the DJ I spoke to last night seemed really nice, professional, and had a good voice. It sounded all DJ-ish, and stuff. :) But their price was kinda low which sent up a red flag for me. I'm going to talk to a couple more DJ's, and it's not like I'm looking for the most expensive option, by any means. I was pretty impressed by the guy I spoke to last night, actually...he answered all my questions the way I'd hoped he would, he didn't mind when I interrupted his little schpeal to ask questions that popped into my head, and he sounds like he and his partner would be really honed in on what Jesse and I want to have played at the reception, which is the most important part. It's a fun vendor to work with, I think...I'm glad that so far, my experience in talking with them is good. We'll see how things go with the other two...
My twin and our oldest best friend (a.k.a. the co-matron of honor) have been busily helping me consider dresses for the bridesmaids over the past few weeks, and we're hoping that they'll be able to get out and try some on sometime in the next couple of weeks, so we have a better idea of what's going to be our final choice. I'm hoping we can start the ordering process on them no later than March...which is only about a month and a half away, which is crazy, and I don't even like to think of how quickly the year is already flying by, so don't get me started! I know it seems strange to even think of things that way, seeing as it's still only January, but here's what happens: I sit and consider the possible dates for my two showers that need to happen (one in Cali and one here in Kansas), and I think to myself, "Oh, we have plenty of time...I'll wait for the twin to get back to me on that when she can." But then I start working things out and I realize that one of the months we're considering (i.e. June) is not 6 months away any more. It's only about 4 months away. And holy crap, it's almost February, and where did the time go, and when can we have the shower here in Kansas because people need to take time from work and make plans ahead of time, and then I need to make my plans for going home to Cali for the shower in July, and I still don't have my veil designed and ordered and when do we have to order the cake again? And it suddenly just starts flying all about...my brain goes on overdrive, and I have to stop and watch something on Food Network to calm myself down again, for chrissakes.
So actually, I try not to think about it all very much. According to the vendors I talk to (as well as my nifty little timeline of tasks provided by The Knot.com), I'm running perfectly on schedule for getting things done. So I can go ahead and focus on the tasks that need attention around the house, like finding someplace to donate our old couch to in order to make room for the new couch we've ordered. And contacting the yard guys to let them know that I do want to upgrade our service this year in order to include the aerating process they suggested we do in spring. And then finding someone to paint the outside of the house, since it's going to start rotting away if we don't get it done this year. And how can we find the best deal on a new heating/cooling system that we must replace in the spring as well?
I must say, it's a damned good thing I found a new job like I did. Because otherwise, we might be in a lo-hoooot of trouble this spring. Unfortunately, these are things that must be done, or we'd put them off some more. But we can't go without A/C this summer. Or heat next winter. And it'd be bad to let the house start rotting away, I think. Those are the most pressing issues, anyway. I won't even start on the fact that we want to replace our kitchen table with something smaller.
These things would be so much harder to deal with, even on just an emotional level, if I was still single and having to take care of it all on my own. Thank God for Jesse. Thank God for someone that can deal with my strange moods, my sudden needs and desires to kick things into high gear (and, consequently, my sharp downslides into exhaustion on a weekly basis), and my somewhat constant picking on everything from clothing being left on a chair in the living room to the issue of why I really like the doors to be locked, even when we're home. It couldn't have been better timed for him to come into my life. For him to become the most important thing to me above everything else. I was watching a Grey's Anatomy episode over the weekend...one from season 2, which I have been watching via DVD rental from Netflix this year since Jesse isn't a fan of drama series on t.v., so I kind of "gave it up" for him when we started seeing each other. The main character (Meredith) was having a bit of an issue with the fact that she couldn't remember the last time she'd kissed the man (Dr. McDreamy) she's in love with (who happens to be married, but she fell in love with him without knowing that, and then had to break up with him when she found out and he chose to work things out with his semi-estranged wife instead of choosing her, and this is one of the reasons Jesse doesn't like these sorts of shows...). And I don't know why, but it started me thinking about my first kiss with Jesse. And do I remember it? Yes...yes I do. It was a surprise kiss...one of those ones you don't see coming. We were next to my car in the parking lot outside the restaurant. It was at the end of our first date, I think (one of the only areas I'm fuzzy on, I'm afraid...), and we were talking a little bit as things wound down for the night. All of a sudden, he bent down and kissed me. It wasn't as though we were sitting there with the anticipation of the dreaded First Kiss That Usually Happens At The End Of The Date, or anything. We were just...talking. And he caught me off guard. And it was perfect, and fun...and I hope I'll always remember it.
There's your dose of sap for the month, my friends. Next time, I should have more info about the DJ's, possibly some exciting updates about shower plans and whether I need to look into renting chairs for the reception, and maybe even some more house stuff. Ta for now!
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