SOLD! (or sale pending ... whatever)/Shanti the cat

We sold our house this week!  Not only that, but we got a fair price that allows us to purchase the house that we like in Bethlehem.  Hooray! 

When we listed the house on the market, we included the piano with the sale of the house (or we said that we would get rid of it ourselves if they didn't want it).  This buyer wants to keep the piano, which makes me kind of happy that the piano will continue to live here.  Even though I didn't play it that much, it was a comfort thing to have around and I will miss it.

Actually, I think it ended up being a major selling-point, which is awesome. The piano and the cat -- those are the things she said she liked about the house. I keep thinking, "... and the house itself?" Oh well, she is buying the house so I'm happy with that!

I'm tempted to leave the cat here.  Shanti, while cute and soft (major pluses in my book), hasn't always been the best cat to us.  Let's take a trip down memory lane to see all the damage she has caused:

• Flooding the kitchen == new cabinet doors ~$500
• Whenever she has the opportunity, she has been opening the baby's bedroom door at 5:30am, going inside and meowing loudly until the baby wakes up == lots of lost sleep
• Peeing in the upstairs hallway because she didn't seem to like all the cleaning we have been doing for house showings -- the whole house smelled like cat urine because she started using the hallway as a bathroom more than once a day (I know, yuck!) == pull up the carpet in the hallway, finish the wood floors by hand, redo the baseboard trim, purchase a rug to cover up the sub-par work we did on the floors == lots of time (in the midst of everything else going on) and ~$100
• Ripping up the beautiful wallpaper we installed on the closet in our bedroom, just a week after we put it up == two years of living with ripped wallpaper and ~$50 to fix it (below is Alma's cousin Hayden posing with the ripped wallpaper; Hayden helped us remove some of it -- such a good worker!)

Anyway, we are fond of her and just hopeful that our next house won't crumble under her impact.

We close on both houses on September 30th.  Now we just have to deal with Joshua commuting for the next month while we also pack the house.  Let's just say that I'm tempted to start peeing on the rug these days in frustration at this move.  And it isn't like we have hit many snags.  I'm just done with the process and ready to be in our new place.

Update: The Move to the Lehigh Valley

Lots of people have been asking us how the move to the Lehigh Valley is going. Well, from my perspective, it is at a stand-still.  Here is the current state of things:

• We found and are under contract with a great house in Bethlehem.  The sale is contingent upon the sale of our own house.
• We have someone who has looked at our house three times and is interested in putting down an offer (or so says our agent) but no word yet.
• Joshua's last day of work at CCOP is this Saturday -- a BBQ to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the organization.
• Joshua's first day of work at CUNA is next Wednesday.
• We are not looking forward to his daily commute up to Allentown and how that will mean that he won't see Alma most days.  I think that Alma and I may go up there once a week so that we can have some time together.  Plus, I hear that Alma's skills as a receptionist are top-notch.
• We are appreciating South Philly in a new way.  Even the parts that we don't like seem charming these days, mostly because we know that we won't have to deal with them any more.  For example, yesterday at the park we saw a fight between two women.  Mid-fight, one lady pulled the other lady's tube top down and the local boys started chanting "Jerry! Jerry! Jerry!"  We will miss this wacko place that we have called home. 
• We are excited to start a new adventure!  I'm especially excited to get to all the projects I've been putting off since we are showing this house (quilts! toys for Alma! dress-making!) and digging into a new house (a library! a craft room! painting walls! a yard for plants!).

We are hoping to have a grand closing day where we sell our house and purchase the new one.  Hopefully this will happen soon -- September 30th?  Then Joshua will only have to commute for one month and we have a vacation mid-month to break up the pressure.

Shopping Cart

We have been doing a lot of projects on the house recently.  Good thing Alma's become the champ of riding in a cart at Lowes!

Birthday Party

In 2009, my grandmother became a great-grandmother another five times -- Alma was the last of the 2009 babies.  The family has been celebrating lots of 1st birthdays recently.  Here's another from this past weekend.  Look how cute that birthday girl is!!

Alma enjoyed the pool until she saw me trying to snap her photo.  I still think she is super cute, even when upset.  (Did we mention that she's becoming more attached to me recently?)

Of course, if there is a chance to give Alma a skull-n-crossbones temporary tatoo, we are going to do it as a "tramp stamp".

Let's take another look at that adorable birthday girl -- SO CUTE!!!

Happy 4th Anniversary to Us!

It's wild to think that this moment was only four years ago.  At times it feels like an eternity (... in a good way!) since we were married. It is hard to remember a time when I didn't have Joshua around to cheer for the good that life has to offer (or hiss at the bad). 

Today we celebrated with a morning run at FDR park with the baby.  It always feels good to work out together.  Physical activity is what brought us together orginally and I think it is the element of our relationship that makes us feel close.  I look forward to many more years of playing and sweating together.

Six Teeth, Kissable

Work

Alma and I have recently been going over to Camden for CCOP's Thursday night lecture series.  It is a great way for me to keep my brain active, let Alma see her daddy in a new space and give the CCOP family some time with our cutie. 

Unfortunately, Alma's social anxiety has started to ramp up a bit these day.  Here she is looking a little scared with Mariatu, one of CCOP's leaders.

Gift Idea

Just in case you need it, here's a gift idea for Alma = anything by Plan Toys