The Bank Owns A House Where We Get To Live!

Wednesday morning we had a successful closing for our home purchase. That night we stayed in our new home for the first time. The night consisted of over-the-threshold carrying, champagne, a pizza delivery, sitting out of the roof to look at the stars, and watching the kitty explore our family's new home!

Brian's 30th Birthday Party

When I tell people that my brother just turned 30, I also express some disbelief in the fact. He seems much older! Gosh, with how grown-up Brian has always been, I'd guess that he has been at least 30 years old for the last decade! (When he was younger, he once moaned that in a family of black sheep, he was the white one.)

Kidding aside, he has always been a great older brother -- easily the most dependable and giving person I know. He is able to both keep a secret and secretly cheer for me to be myself ... even if we are opposite sides of the spectrum at times.

Bridgette threw him a BBQ party on Saturday. It went something like this:

A huge cake!

Beer pong!

Babies and Charlie the dog sharing a snack!

Mom and Dad!Presents for Brian's birthday and Bridgette's graduation from her Master's program! (We gave Brian a Tortured Philly Fan tee-shirt and Bridgette a singing bowl.)

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Sunday morning after mass, we took Mom and Dad to see the outside of our future home. (We have the closing tomorrow!) They were surprised by how nice it looks through the windows. On Sunday night we went over to my cousin David's house to play Wii and have a few drinks, which was super fun.

Yesterday we did nothing but try to fit as much napping on the couch in as possible. We realize that we have a busy few months ahead of us so we tried to rest up and enjoy the lack of activity as much as we could.

Plants ... including catnip!

The incorrigible Shanti has been LOVING the catnip plant given by her grand-owner-humans. I tore off two mid-sized leaves, ripped them up a bit and sprinkled them on Shanti's scratch pad ... now she hardly leaves the scratch pad. She liked the dried catnip that we gave her but the fresh stuff is definitely better.

And, as you can see in the photo, she loves smelling the other flowers very gently before ripping them to shreds.

Teeth Rule!

three cavities, one sealant, two lectures on flossing, two cracked teeth, one lecture on wearing mouth guards while playing rugby, and lot of analogies between teeth care and rock climbing (?!) = our recent trip to the dentist

(Note: We have to do lots of odd self-centered blog entries now so that when we start a family we can look back and see how self-centered we once were. Isn't that how it works?! Plus, how else could we post this neat picture of Joshua's teeth?)

Some actual facts about the house we are purchasing:

* It is the smallest house we viewed, coming in at a whopping 784 square feet. We love this fact. Joshua loves it because it is less to clean; Laura loves it because she doesn't have to walk as far when she forgets something in another room.

* We will take ownership of the house a full two months before our apartment lease is up so that we can rehab all of the inside surfaces of the house. We (and in some cases we mean that in the "pontifical plural") are probably going to redo the floors, the walls, and the ceilings in almost all of the rooms. Since this is such messy work, it will be great to still live in our apartment while all of this work is done. At the end of the two months, we hope to move into a house with beautiful wood floors, colorful walls, and a level ceiling.

* We got the house at such a screaming deal + the work that needs to be done isn't horribly expensive = this house as an investment.

* We are a comfortable walking distance from a great area of boutique shops, coffee shops and restaurants where hipsters hang out all the time. Also, because we are in the Italian area of town, there is a gaudy fountain in the middle of one of the intersections, which is known to the locals as the Fountain of Youth.

* We are within a comfortable walking distance from the subway system that connects us to Temple University. Instead of the hour long commute (1 mile walk + 45 minutes on the subways), Laura will enjoy a 5 minute walk and a 20 minute subway ride = awesome.

* Even though our place is smallish, there is an extra bedroom and more than enough room for visitors. Not only do we encourage visitors, we are going to start demanding it! With fines for those who don't obey!

Healthy Kitty

Amy and David think that they are raising a healthy child -- who, as we hear from rumors, has been stealing apples from the grocery store (!) -- but they got nothing on us. We are teaching our CAT some good lessons in healthy eating. Beat that!

Okay, in truth Amy and David are very impressive parents and we are constantly amazed by them and Hayden. But, really, did you see the cat hugging the carrot?!

(Update: To those who asked, it is not a real carrot but a large carrot-shaped sponge. A gift from Kate.)

Passionate People

When we spoke to a non-profit case manager in Philadelphia about the prospect of purchasing a home, we asked if we should purchase a home within the city limits or just outside of the city limits. (We thought that maybe we could save some money because we wouldn't be paying the additional 4%(!) city wage tax.) The older gentleman who was advising us began to well up with tears as he told us that he loves the city of Philadelphia and questioned why anyone would even consider living in the suburbs. It was one of the oddest moments imaginable as he nearly started to burst into tears in front of us.

We are realizing more and more that people are passionate about this city. We are excited that we have the chance to live here for a few years and experience that excitement. It is a neat feeling that we have so many cities across the country with which we are passionate ... Seattle (of course), Baltimore, Portland and Philadelphia.

Here is the view from the home we are purchasing:
Okay, I'm kidding.

Sunday afternoon nap

Sunday schedule: big breakfast, Mass, nap on couch, tennis, nap in park, fix bicycle

Recent Conversation

Laura: We should think about getting a proper television. You know, within the next year or two.

Joshua: Really?!

Laura: Don't you want a real television instead of always watching movies on the laptop? I think it would be nice to invest in a high-end television.

Joshua: Wow, I'm surprised.

Laura: Wait, when I say "high-end television" I just mean something with color and a controller.

Joshua: (uncontrollable laughter)

New York, New York

This past weekend was spent in New York City.

* Visited Grandma on Staten Island.

* Took the ferry to Manhattan. Joshua got to see the The Statue of Liberty for the first time exclaiming, "She isn't that big!"

* Went to a swanky black-tie birthday party for my former boat mate in the Caribbean. I knew most of the party-goers because most were guests on the boat at one point in time -- they didn't recognize me at first because my hair is now much shorter, I have more clothing on than just a bikini, and I'm not covered in a combination of varnish, food and engine oil.

* Stayed over with friends and celebrated Mass and brunch together.

Another great weekend!

A good day overall

Housing Inspection: Wonderful
Closing Date for Home Purchase: May 30
Rehab Plans/Dreams: In progress

Internship: Obtained
Location: Fleisher Art Memorial
Project: Community needs analysis

More details regarding both coming shortly. Stay tuned!