The After-Party

Well, for those of you who left the family christmas party early, let's just say that you may have missed something:

The After-Party

It is about 21MB, so I would recommend right-clicking on the link and choosing "Save Target As". After you save it to your machine, you can just double-click on the file and the computer should know what to do from there.

Third Time is the Charm

For the third time last night, Susan and I lost another rocking chair. We have now officially broken two rockers and a glider since Andrew was born. Last night was our saddest loss. When I sat down to rock Andrew to bed the rocking chair that we got from Susan's parents broke. This chair has been around for a while, and hopefully the $85 that I paid the chair-repair guy will do the trick.



In other fun news, I bought a new snow shovel this morning in preparation for the white death that will (hopefully) descend upon Cincinnati over the next few days. I don't mind the white death, but the cold to follow won't be much fun.



Susan, Andrew and I are gearing up for another fun holiday season. Last year was rough because Andrew wasn't very happy, so hopefully this year will be better.



Let is snow!!!

Popping the Question

So, life has been pretty normal lately. We are getting a lot of shopping done and hanging out. We had some cool plans pass us by as our trip to Cleveland was cancelled due to me getting the 24 hour flu and leaving me crippled on the couch instead of up North partying, but things like this are bound to happen.



Susan is wrapping up another amazing semester. She never fails to impress me with how she can breeze through her classes. I think that she was born to be a school counselor. Next semester she just has two classes, and then another chapter is over (just in time for another to begin!).



Andrew has been walking a lot more, but he is still not ready for the marathon. I would say that these days he is walking a little more than he is crawling, but when he really needs to get somewhere he crawls.



Nothing really new in my world. Good news on the Pearl Jam front as they have a new album planned and a tour also. Hopefully their plans will come to fruition.



Happy Solstice. Don't be scared of the dark.

The Return to Normalcy

Well, after a hectic past few weeks, Susan, Andrew, Newbie, and I are starting to get back into the normal swing of things. Mid-November passed with a whimper, but late November more than made up for it. Here is a little run-down of the crazy past two weeks of our lives.



We were all set to leave for Des Moines on November 23rd for T-giving when I got a call on the previous Sunday (the 21st) from my sister who said that my dad was in the hospital because he was having some chest pains. Anyway, turns out his heart was trying to tell him something. By Wednesday (the 24th) he was doing much better, so Susan, Andrew and I got in the car at 4 in the afternoon on Weds to began the nine hour trip to Des Moines, or should I say La Salle, IL.



Our trip began very well. It was very warm in cincy and partly cloudy. I knew that we were in for some rough weather on the road ahead, but I don't think that I really knew what we were in for. About an hour into our drive, and also into Indiana, we passed some cars and a semi that had all mysteriously left the highway about 50ft from a massive tree that was lying on the ground. Turns out we narrowly missed a tornado sweeping through the area, that was lucky.



Illinois was not lucky. Not long after we passed through Indy I said to Susan, "The rain looks like snow." Turns out, it was snow. It wasn't long before we were going 35 mph and by the time we reached the junction of 55 and 74 in central Illinois we were parked on the highway. We, along with everyone else on the road, were now in search of a hotel. Well, by 1 o'clock in the morning we managed to find one in LaSalle, IL. We had changed routes since 74 was a parking and headed North to find salvation in the form of a Super 8 (with some help from Erin and Nate).



On Thanksgiving morning we woke up to sunny skies and clear roads. By the time we were into Iowa the snow had disappeared from the scene and the rolling hills were blanketed by the sweet sight of old corn stalks.



Soooo, we eventually made it to Des Moines, where we had a great time hanging out with Susan's family. Andrew got to know (and fear) his cousin Ian. He made tremendous strides in his effort to walk while we were there thanks to plenty of help from the family.



We came back to Cincy on Nov 30 in anticipation of Dec 1 when our new furniture was due to arrive. It came (minus one slip-cover) as scheduled, and it looks great in our living room.



That brings us up to this weekend. Many of my college friends were in town, which is always fun. Friday night we had a nice, relaxing dinner with our friends Simon and Rachel (who are always in town). Saturday night we went to a Christmas party at Holly's and then after Andrew went to bed I went out and sang some karaoke with friends. It was amazing how people come out of the woodwork when just a few people are going to be in town.



We all went out for breakfast on Sunday and then Susan, Andrew, and I went out and got our christmas tree. It was pretty exciting to get our first tree as a married couple and put it up in our first house.



In the upcoming weeks we have all the normal holiday business, and I look forward to it! ! !

June 1st

Susan and I have had many important dates in our lives lately, and June 1st is up next. June 1st is actually the target date for our next child. Even as I type, Susan is eleven weeks and three days pregnant. Here are the answers to some faq:

1. Did you do this on purpose?
   
   Do we do anything on purpose?



2. Are you going to find out the sex?
   
   Probably not, but you never know.



3. How is Andrew taking the news?
   
   Sitting down.

In other news, Gary and Kathie are visiting right now, which is always a pleasure. Kathie spent more time cleaning the first day than Susan and I have since we moved in.



We have purchased some new living room furniture.



I am about to put up some new pics on Andrew's picture site. Do you think I need to create a whole new picture site for the newbie, or maybe just change the name?



Andrew's first birthday has passed us by and he has now entered the beginning stages of walking. He will take a few steps, but then he sits down. He is really into books at this point and has already finished the next selection for Oprah's bookclub (which may actually be defunct at this point, which also makes that joke defunct).

The Latest News

It has been a while, with nothing major to report, so i thought I would just give you a little update on what is going on. We have been pretty busy since Mary visited two weeks ago.



Last week we flirted with buying some new furniture, but that may have to wait a bit.



Andrew has been good, but he has an ear infection again and he has been a little whiney. Hopefully it will pass soon. Here is a link to some pics of him: Andrew Pics. I have added some new pics recently, so check them out.



We had a brief visit from our friends Nick (from St. Louis) and Jeff (from Alaska) last week, which was great. It was a great opportunity to hang out with some great friends.



After our last pumpkin was destoyed Susan carved another one at B.Y.O.P 2004. We left this one at Simon & Rachel's so that it would be safe from harm. Also, it was nice to hear from Devon, who reported that their pumpkin met a similar fate to ours.



I think that is it for our lives. We have some fun weeks ahead, including halloween, a visit form Susan's parents, and a trip to Des Moines at Thanksgiving. Don't worry, I'll keep you updated.

A Visit from Mary

Mary and Luke came to visit this past weekend. It was a good time for all. On Saturday we went to Burger Farm for their fall festival. Sunday we just hung out and relaxed for Andrew's birthday and Monday night we had his party. Below is a little video that we shot on Monday night.



Andrew's First Birthday (34 MB)

(I would advise right-clicking on the link and choosing "Save target as . . " to save it to your hard drive)

Pumpkin & Squirrel Stew

Our pumpkin has been attacked by a squirrel. If you have any information that might help solve the case, please email Rob right away! ! !





Pumpkin & Squirrel Stew (12 MB)

(I would advise right-clicking on the link and choosing "Save target as . . " to save it to your hard drive)

Gaining Momentum

It's been a while, so I thought maybe I would just deliver a little update.



Andrew is getting smarter. He now knows what upstairs is (and how to get there). Today he made a very good attempt at the word "dog."



Susan is doing well. School is coming along nicely, along with her internship at Kings.



I am the same as always. Big Pj concert this weekend in Toledo.



The house is pretty much put together. We now focusing on the basement, where we are setting up a mini-apartment. We set up our old bed down there, along with our old kitchen table. It is coming along nicely and pretty soon we hope to have all the empty boxes removed and the clutter more organized.



That is all for now. Stay tuned for further updates.

Lunch with Andrew

Ever wonder what it is like to eat lunch with Andrew? Well, now you can experience it for yourself.( Please ignore the Seal playing in the background. I promise that it was an accident and had I been paying attention I would have changed the radio station.) (Also, I am going to be putting out a higher quality version later if you want to check back.)





Lunch with Andrew (3.75 MB)

(I would advise right-clicking on the link and choosing "Save target as . . " to save it to your hard drive)

Found it! ! !

Here is the promised video. It has some old footage and some new footage. It is 35MB, so if you want a smaller version let me know and I will produce one. So many people have broadband these days that I didn't want to mess with the smaller file, unless necessary. Enjoy! ! !



Andrew Video

(I would advise right-clicking on the link and choosing "Save target as . . " to save it to your hard drive)



I also put up some new pictures of Andrew.

Where's the Footage?

Well, I guess it has been a while, huh? I was planning on putting up some video of Andrew, but my computer at work doesn't have the latest copy of movie maker on it.



Things are going well in the new house. We continue to get settled in and throw money into strange things, such as grass seed and shelves. Nothing major has gone wrong yet, but I am sure the entire thing is going up in flames even as I type. Actually, I just talked to Susan, who assured me that the house is not on fire.



In other news, our friends Mike & Laura just closed on a house that is in the same neighborhood as us. Their house is about 1 1/2 miles away, but that is still super close.



Andrew is getting older. The other day I handed him the brush that we use on his hair and he started to brush it himself. Then he threw it.



Susan is also developing well. She is able to walk up and down the stairs with ease and she is also feeding herself. If only we could get her to shower more often. . .

The Hanging

Well, Andrew didn't want to go down to KY this weekend, so we didn't make it to the music festival. Instead, we spent our Saturday hanging pictures, which is something I am very glad to have accomplished.



Other than that, we are still just getting settled in.

Craziness Ensues

Our lives became a little more hectic today because Susan's classes have started again. She has two classes this semester, which will certainly keep both of us busy.



In a great note, Susan, Andrew and I are headed to Berea this weekend to go to a music festival on the property of Zoe Speaks. This should be a rockin' good time. Well, maybe more folksie than rockin', but still, it will be great to get down to Berea. Maybe we will even have a chance to introduce Andrew to his namesake.

All Moved In

We are all moved in now, almost. All of our hanging clothes are still in the apartment, but we are going to get those soon. The house is coming along great. Our basement is full of boxes, but we are slowly making progress.



In other news, Susan has returned to her internship at Kings Jr. Hi. That means that I get to stay home with Andrew on Tuesday and Thursday mornings. Today was the first day and it was great to be able to stay home and hang out with him. We don't get to spend too much alone time together any more, so these mornings are a great time to do some bonding.

Almost There

The house is coming along great. So far we have taken up the carpet in two rooms and painted one. We have almost finished most of the preparation for the move in, which is scheduled for Saturday. Hopefully tomorrow we are going to have our last bit of ugly, old carpet replaced.



Yesterday Gary, Kathie, Simon*, and Susan cleaned the kitchen walls, which looked like the inside of the chimney. My mom, Marilyn, also discoved that the dark grout in the kitchen floor isn't dark at all, it just needs a good scrubbin'.



We are gonna beat this thing! ! !



*Please see comments.

Let the Debt Begin

Well, we did it. We bought the house. After signing a few papers and giving someone a lot of money, we bought our first house. Since it was vacant, we were able to take occupancy immediately. We have already painted one room and the next few days are going to be spent playing with flooring.



Since we have yet to buy a lawn mower our yard looks like a nature preserve.



That's all for now. We'll keep you updated.

The Closing

Thanks to a little tip from Becky, I realized that I have left people in the dark about our house. Anyway, we are closing on the 6th. We are probably going to move on the 14th or the 21st. We will keep you updated.

It's about time

Well, we finally did it. On Saturday we loaded up the car and made the long haul to the Lunken Bike Path. We then proceeded to strap on the rollerblades, put Andrew in his stroller, and make the 5.5 mile trek around the airport. It was a nice little jaunt, with the most eventful part coming as Andrew and I went down a little hill and the brakes on his stroller were not enough to hold back the weight of his big butt and myself. Much to the delight of the other people on the trail and the golfers near by, we made it down safely.

Still Rollin'

Well, now that we have signed a contract and things are underway at the bank, it is only a matter of time. There are still a few different things that could hold us up, but since the inspection went well the number of major obstacles has dwindled to zero. Hopefully we will hear from the bank with a closing date soon. We should close in early August and then the real work begins. Here is a preliminary list of things that we hope to get done before we move in:

• Change the light fixture on the front porch
  
  
• Get some screens for the storm doors
  
  
• Have the carpet cleaned
  
  
• Fix/Tighten Kitchen cabinets & Counters
  
  
• Fix the Stove Fan
  
  
• Put the screens in the windows
  
  
• Fix the Gutters
  
  
• Get some blinds put in
  
  
• Fix the shelves in the bedroom closets
  
  
• Put a transition strip in the bathroom
  
  
• Tighten Railings
  
  
• Clean out the drains
  
  
• Put of corner strips on the walls
  
  
• Change some of the fans
  
  
• Get a new light fixture for the dining room
  
  
• Change the locks
  
  
• Get some shelves for the bathroom
  
  
• Get a new fuse for the stove
  
  
• Get new sink fixtures
  
  

Our Next Target

Well, we signed the contract, got an inspection, and met with our loan dude. now, we just have to wait a couple weeks, and hopefully. . .

Looks Good On Paper

Well, we signed the contract last night, so now it is only a matter of getting an inspection and completing the rest of the details. Hopefully all will go well so that we will be in a home by mid-August.



In a rather interesting note, we have our last home-buying class tonight, which is about all the stuff you are supposed to do before you start looking for a home, like getting a loan pre-approved. We think that we are going to go, just in case. A little more information can never be a bad thing.



Other than working on getting a house, our lives these days are filled with fairly normal things. We have been hanging and with friends during our free time. Susan has spent the past few days babysitting for the family she was with two summers ago. Rob spends his extra time trying to think of ways to convince Susan to let him keep his snake.

Montclair

We found another house. We are getting together tonight to go over the details of a contract for a house that is for sale by owner. We have all the major details worked out, so it sounds like the contract won't be too much of a problem.

Like the Energizer Bunny

Well, today we got back on the horse and starting looking for houses again. We looked at two that we weren't exactly ecstatic about and tomorrow we are going to be looking at one more. Hopefully we will find another one we like sometime. Our Apartment is starting to fill up with random stuff and I am too lazy to do anything about it because I figure that once we find a house we will have to pack it anyway. Maybe I should put the stuff away, because then, according to Murphy's Laws, we will find the perfect house.

Down with Hilda! ! !

We were rejected by the seller, so I guess the other people made a better offer. So...the hunt continues. We have already identified our next targets and will hopefully be checking them out soon. Our realtor just went out of town for 2 weeks, so hopefully her friend will be as helpful as she has been.



In other news, we did not rollerblade/stroller last night, as we were too bummed out to embark on such an adventure.

Our First Bid

Susan and I put in our first bid on a house today, but word out on the street is that there are others who are making offers for the house, so time will tell.



In other news, hopefully we will rollerblade/stroller on the Lunken Bike Path tonight.

Class II: Rounding third and heading for . . .

Last night was the second installment in our Homebuying Class. For everyone else it was their last class (so they received their diplomas), but Susan and I missed the first class so we are going to have to wrap it up in July. Hopefully by that time we will have found a house we like. We are headed out this evening to look at a few more prospects, but I don't see anything too promising on the list.

Let the Games Begin! ! ! !

The house hunt is now officially on. Now that the whole wedding thing is over and all we are left with is a marriage, Susan, Andrew, and I have decided that it is time to begin looking for a house here in Cincinnati.



We had our first class last night at The Home Ownership Center of Greater Cincinnati. We learned all about realtors and home inspectors. The funniest part of the class was when someone asked the home inspector what he does if the house is haunted (seriously).

You don't see these very often. . .

I was getting these ready last night, and I thought, "You know, I bet you don't get to see honeymoon pictures very often."



Enjoy!!



Our Honeymoon Pictures



I didn't want to say where we were for every picture, but you can look at the date:



6/6-Portland

6/7-Tillamook, Canon Beach, & Seaside

6/8-Seattle

6/9-Mt. Rainier

6/10-Multnomah falls

6/11-Mt. Hood



All of the times listed by the photos are eastern time.

The Victory Parade

Susan and I returned from the Pacific Northwest on Saturday. After a very successful trip it is time to resume our not-so-normal lives in the crazy 'nati. There will be pictures from the trip posted soon, so be patient. They are on the way.

Portland or Bust

Tomorrow Susan and I head to Portland for our honeymoon. It should be quite the adventure. We are flying out, renting a car, and then going to see some random things. Should be a good trip, but we have no clue how Andrew is going to do. We fear that he may go to bed every night at 7 or 8 and get up at 4 or 5 in the morning. Even if he does adjust, we have no clue what he is going to do when we get back. I guess we will let you know.

Getting Started

Hey!! Welcome to our blog!! Susan and I were married on May 29, 2004 at Bellarmine Chapel in Cincinnati. For more info, check out our wedding website.