Building: Choosing the lot

Once our floor plan and structure options were selected we had to pick a lot. This seems like it would be easy. Ha. Yeah. Okay. We were not decisive in this matter. The problem is that the lot was such an important part to us. We wanted to have a nice yard for the dogs, we didn't want to have too wonky of a yard, we wanted to be in a good position on the street, and most importantly Andy wanted the majority of the house to face east (Why? Ask him). So we took a look at our little lot plot map and we talked and thought.

We thought how about an edge plot with no neighbors behind us. Sounds great right? Well Andy went and took a look and we realized that the lot is on a decline and not going to be of much use to us without a deck. On to another lot. The second lot we picked was irregular, which required a little extra fee but the back yard was going to be bigger. Again we went to take a look and found that an extra 3 feet of yard isn't worth the fee. Back to the plot map. We ended up selecting the second lot from the corner that is "normal" sized. We would have went with the corner lot but we have dogs and they bark at passersby and we aren't allowed to have a privacy fence. So we went with the second one in, which I actually like quite a lot (ha ha ha, get it?).

Next time, our interiors. 

Boo!

Andy and I aren't super into Halloween. I'm not sure why. It may be the fact that most costumes for adult women aren't something I would wear outside the bedroom, it might be that until this year we lived in an apartment and therefore didn't have a whole lot to do, but that changed a little this year. This year we have a house and that means we get to hand out candy. Well Andy gets to hand out candy while I work, but still it's exciting. Trick or treat for our neighborhood is tonight and while I'm sad I'm not going to be here I'm excited for Andy to sit out on the porch and see all the kids dressed up. He is even going to have some little helpers:

Murphy's costume is fitting to his personality recently.

Pepper looks so evil but she's such a good girl! Yes that is my wand from Harry Potter land in the first Pepper picture, don't judge.

Hopefully they all enjoy trick or treating and Andy remembers to take some pictures! So what is everyone else doing for Halloween?

Things my dogs have taught me

Since getting Murphy I have learned quite a few valuable lessons about myself, running our household and life itself. I guess Pepper had taught be a few things previously but she was just...easy...that's the right word, she was an easy dog. There were some rough moments in the beginning but she was almost a year old when I found her most of the puppy behavior was out of her system. Except for chewing, like when she chewed on every dining table leg on my parent's formal dining table. Hey, I said we had a few rough moments. But Murphy is a whole 'nother can of worms. I'll be honest, I have never had a puppy, at least not one since I have been out of my parents house. And let's be honest, when you have a team of 5 people taking shifts taking the pup out and watching him, it's a smidgen easier. So what have I learned exactly, you might ask? Well here's a little list for you.

1. Two dogs are better than one in the sense that they entertain each other...growling and wrestling all over the living room while you try to watch TV.
2. Having animals is like parent boot camp, especially puppies, these little stinkers need to be fed, put down for naps, the house needs to be puppy-proofed (see number 4), they need entertained and generally take up a great deal of your time. I can honestly say, I do not want children for a few years after having Murphy.
3. Medical care is of the highest importance. The dogs have been to the vet more in the last 2 months than I have been to the doctor in the last year.
4. Keeping a clean house is vitally important...because you never know what your puppy might find, like q-tips, your laptop charging cord, your shoes (keep in mind most of these things were not in obvious reachable places)
5. My puppy loves me. How do I know? Because he has taken a liking to ALL of my delicates. No matter where they are he somehow finds my bras and underwear. Although I have to admit when he runs into the living room with my bra, Andy's laughing and "That's my boy." statements make me giggle.

That's about all I've got for now. I'll post again after I get a new laptop cord and can post on my own computer again. In the meantime maybe Andy will grace us with his presence with some profound post.

Some updates and jibberish

Update number One: I have learned that puppies are like babies, little furry babies, with sharp little teeth. Having Murphy the past week and a half has really been an adventure. He wakes us up at night, we have to clean up after him, we have to deal with sibling rivalry as Murphy tends to draw our attention, we need to feed him several times a day and put him down for naps. If I was being honest with myself I would admit that we probably should have waited another couple weeks to bring him home, so we could get more settled into our house but c'est la vie!

Update Number Two: My job which I guess I never really did say what it is. I'm working for American Electric Power in one of their customer solutions centers. Doing exactly what it sounds like, providing solutions for customers when they call. I'm going to level with everyone and admit it isn't the job I ever thought I would have after college, but it got us down here to Columbus and it provides a pay check. I want to be upfront and say that I am grateful to have a job at all. I really am, especially one that I find it interesting. But honestly, I know that it isn't something I want to do forever. The people that call in are, well, not all pleasant. When you think about it, it makes sense because generally you never really call your electric company when something is going well. I know some people would really enjoy that kind of environment for work but it really isn't my cup of tea. I'll stay as long as I don't have an offer else where but I'm going to level with all you some more and admit I've already been looking elsewhere. However, the really nice thing is that now I can be a bit more selective, the presure is off, and I don't have to worry if I get called for an interview or not.

As for Andy's job, I'll let him fill you in on that.

Update number three: We still aren't settled in our house. Yes, really. It's actually driving me a bit crazy. We have boxes and stuff everywhere, but Andy and I are so tired at the end of the work day that we just kind of make dinner and chill. Then on the weekends we want to explore our new surroundings so nothing gets done. Well I had a fantastic idea, I decided that we should have a housewarming party on the 21st, so basically we have two weeks to get this house in order enough to have a bunch of people over, meaning basically the lower level of the house needs to be pretty, along with the yard and deck.

One of the biggest problems I think we have is that our living room is kind of in limbo. We have DVD racks to hang on the wall but we also have an entertainment center that would fit everything in it. However, this entertainment center won't fit a larger size TV which we plan to get in a few months. So we are kind of at a loss, should we put up the entertainment center for a few months and have everything in that? Should we hang the DVD racks and leave the TV on a coffee table like it is? I'm not sure.

Like I said, the house is driving me crazy.

I don't have much more for now, I do have some funny Murphy stories to share but I kind of want to compile them into one post.

Tune in soon, I'm going to put pictures of the house up soon.