Now that we have been in our new house about 6 weeks, we are finally getting to really enjoy some of the wonderful "luxuries" which, in many cases, we didn't remember we really missed or never had before to know what we were missing!!

Here is a quick list of a few of my favorite things about the house:

1) The kitchen!!!  I love it all...but I really missed a sink disposal, large sink, ice-maker and filtered water from the fridge. New things we are enjoying: the 6 burner gas cook top, the double drawer dishwasher, the open shelves - SO convenient I didn't realize how much I would like them, and the "instant-hot" water spigot - this is one of those things I didn't think I would use, but has really come in handy.

2) The backyard - it is so wonderful to look out and see all the beautiful plants and new flowers which keep popping up every day.  A couple weekends ago we bought a seed bird feeder and a hummingbird feeder and I have spent much time with the binoculars distinguishing all the birds which are new to me. It is also fun to watch the squirrels become so frustrated trying to figure out why, when they jump on the feeder they can't get the seed! (it is a special feeder which is pressure sensitive and closes off the seed holes when too much weight is placed on the perch ring - genius!)

3) Our bathroom, specifically the shower seat and drawers!! It has been a long time since I have had drawers in the bathroom - seems like a simple thing, but it is such a luxury!  Also, we have a seat in the shower!! I feel so decadent when I take a second to sit while luxuriating under TWO shower heads - pure heaven!!!  One smart thing, however, about the shower is you can control the water volume independent of temperature - great for saving water and not freezing while shaving your legs.

4) Room in our bedroom!! While we really enjoyed our precious little Dublin home, I do not miss shimmying by the side of the bed to get in - I had less than a foot between the wall and the bed, yikes! We now even have room for 2 sitting chairs and a dresser - what a treat!!

5) A Garage!!  After having only one car for 1 1/2 years and parking it outside, it is so wonderful to have two cars again and to be able to park them under-cover! Well, sort of, at least I have gotten to since we moved in - we have had two issues, one being too many empty boxes to fit in a second car and two, the second side of the garage doesn't have a garage door opener. This problem, however, will be remedied soon as we are having new garage doors (replacing the large, flat ones original to the 1976 home) and getting garage door openers for both. 

6) Not one, but two gas fireplaces!  I didn't know how much I would use these but they are wonderful.  We have had such crazy weather this spring - in fact, right now it is in the 30s and snow/hailing - basically, coming out of the sky are tiny little snowball-looking things!

Anyway, needless to say, we feel very fortunate to be here and looking forward to creating many happy memories in the years to come!

A few pictures from our move-in day...

  The moving van pulling up in front of our house

Reeves standing in our empty living room (well, with the new vacuum and the rug the other owners left for us at least)

A view of the dining/living room, back deck and hallway to the master bedroom from about where Reeves is standing in the above picture

Me in the kitchen after day one - the movers helped me unwrap all the kitchen stuff, now I just have to put it all away!!

   A frosty morning for moving in!! (our backyard)

Not a great pictures, but it is the view of downtown Seattle from our bedroom!

This trip, however, is not for a holiday, but a much more unfortunate occasion, the funeral of my friend Amy's Mother, Edith or "Dee Dee".  She had been battling breast cancer, and associated problems related to the disease, for the past several years, after being in remission for around 20 years previously.  On Tuesday, however, she passed away peacefully in her home with her husband and Amy by her side.

Yesterday we had the very beautiful funeral services and then a gathering at the Mendel's home in Great Neck, NY.  This is the home in which they have lived for the past 32 years and where Amy grew up.  Dee Dee was an artist and her work is such a beautiful addition to the home's warm and cozy charm.  We were there into the evening hours sharing stories and memories.  While it was a sad event which brought us all together, Amy's extended network of friends and family were so happy to finally meet each other and put the faces with the names we have all heard so much about.

Amy is an only child like myself and I know how important my friends are to me, so I am really glad there was such a nice gathering of her friends for support and encouragement. 

Today we will gather again at their house to visit and allow more people who were unable to attend yesterday's services to stop by and say hello. 

I have to say that I have been avoiding all things digital for the past few weeks as they represent a whole set of "to dos" that I just haven't had the energy to accomplish.  As much as I have wanted to return e-mails, post blogs, etc. it has just been that straw that would break this camels back.  Since I am now able to see my desk above the piles of stuff, I am trying to slowing return to the digital world.  So, please forgive me if I haven't been the best pen pal, I truly will return to the normally scheduled program very soon!

It is about 6 pm and after a pretty lovely day of sunshine and 50-something temperatures, it started clouding over around 4pm and then started sprinkling just the littlest bit.  Well, the temperature has dropped and it is now snowing AND thundering outside - what a crazy mix, but I have to say I LOVE the thunder and am really excited about our new home's climate!

After moving into our house, spending many copious hours unpacking almost all our boxes, getting a sinus/lung infection and then a stomach bug on top of it all, we are finally in Mexico!  It is our annual Little family holiday and 14 of our clan are here at the El Cid resort, located just south of Cancun on the Riviera Maya.  This is the first time in 10 years we have stayed at a hotel vs. a private house and it has its up and downsides. 

We are on the "all-inclusive" plan so I am still getting used to the fact that every time a nice little wait-person comes by asking me for a drink, it is already paid for and I don't need to automatically say "no" to an overpriced cocktail. Also, there is a huge pool with a huge faux stone grotto that the kids love with a huge slide and 10 foot jumping pool.  There is more food than we can possibly eat at the various buffets and tonight we are having a sit-down dinner at one of the five restaurants. On the beach they have lovely palapas under which to lounge on the nice loungers and there are kayaks, boogie boards and paddle boats to use on the ocean.  All of these are lovely amenities.

On the other hand, there are lots of people here and although the hotel stipulates they don't take "spring breakers", there is still a bit of that mentality with the daily pool aerobics and various other activities all done to loud music.  Since none of us are into the group thing, and really like the privacy and intimacy of a private house, this atmosphere is a big change. 

However, it is really fun to catch up with the family in a warm and beautiful place and we are all having a wonerderful time in the sun, sand and surf!!

El Cid Resort - the view from our room

We got the keys to our house yesterday!!  I was in there today cleaning a little bit before the movers come tomorrow & the next day - thankfully the old owners really cleaned up nicely and had the kitchens and bathrooms professionally cleaned.  We will just need to do some touch up painting, but other than that, it is ready to move in!

A very quick update to the rest of what has been going on -  I just got back from NYC and visiting my friend Amy. It was a last minute trip, but it was a great way for me to get my mind off everything that is going to happen this week.  While there we drove down, with our friend January, to D.C. to stay with another friend, Sara, and attend the "D.C. Big Flea". This is my second time, but the rest are all experienced flea-ers and we made it through two HUGE warehouse-like buildings in one day. I found a few treasures and can't wait to see what they will look like in our new house.

This week is going to be crazy but I will try and post some new pictures soon of the new house!

Yesterday I caught the Oprah show and it made my design encounter with Nate Burkas make sense!  The show was on a whole house make-over for a deserving family in none other than Kirkland, Washington!! This is the community just North of Bellevue, so Nate & friend must have been looking for a few accessories to go with all the Pottery Barn furniture which was featured in the show.

Interesting to think that was just a couple weeks ago and the show just aired yesterday - that is some quick production!

I was running errands and I threw my handbag onto the seat next to me, like I do everyday. This time, however, my car started dinging at me.

I was unsure at first what my car was trying to tell me since it is a new car, but then I noticed the "passenger airbag light" was illuminate - so being the math genius I am, put two and two together and lifted my bag off the seat. 

Needless to say it stopped dinging at me and I start laughing at myself. 

Guess I need to stop carrying around all those errands with me!