Confessions of a New Homeowner Part 3: Moving Woes

I confess... I'm exhausted.  No joke-I've worked on the house a ton still and I'm not sleeping well yet in the new space.  It'll get there, but it'll take some time... Also, I'm ready for Fall now. I want pumpkins and cool air and Halloween.

I confess... I'm lucky for all the help I've had.  Moving day rolled around and I was a mess.  I'd been up and packing for 36 hours straight when my little sister called me to see how I was doing.  I started crying, and then I threw up.  I'm too old to go without sleep.  So my mom called in sick to work and beat the boys to my apartment so she could help me just throw the rest of the stuff in boxes.  Then my brothers and my grandpa showed up and helped me move.  I couldn't have done it without them. Now if only I could find the bolts and screws to put my bed back together...

I confess... Appliances have been an interesting experience.  I'd started out looking for used appliances and after a lot of hunting and looking at (gross) used appliances, I decided to just buy new and get the warranty.  I knew I needed a front-loading washer and dryer due to the fact that they're up on a platform in the bathroom (and I'm too short to reach all the way in top loaders even when they're on the regular ground!) and I wanted a fridge with ice and water-since I already have a waterline hooked up.  So I found myself at Home Depot while they were having a 10% off sale and a 6-months no interest promotion, and I bought myself this Samsung side-by-side refrigerator and also a Samsung front-loading washer and it's matching dryer.  The dryer sings to me.

I confess... I had no idea that you had to measure things like doorways.  I just thought doorways were pretty standard.  I was so wrong-and I paid dearly for it.  After waiting a week for delivery, and then all day (because they were late), the delivery men showed up and started measuring.  The fridge would go through the front door, but not the back door or the door to the kitchen.  There was no way around it and it had to go back and I had to start the process of fridge shopping all over.  I finally decided on this Whirlpool side-by-side, 

I confess... While the washer and dryer did fit (barely-it was touch and go there trying to get past the water heater) they were also unuseable at first.  Home Depot sold me a crappy dryer vent and the delivery guy said I needed to go back and get a flexible one.  Also, since my drain for the washer is up in the wall, and the washer door only opens one way, the drain hose from the washer doesn't reach at all...

I confess... Once again, my family is amazing.  My grandfather came over to help me get my washer and dryer up and running, which involved helping me hook up the dryer vent and also helping me jimmy-rig the hose for the washer by caulking it to a second hose and taping it up (ghetto, but at least it works now!).  He also helped me clean up my kitchen a bit (now I can't find anything haha!) and while doing so, realized that the waterline wasn't hooked up at all-they'd just stuck the hose in there and faked it!

I confess... We ran another water hose (I now know how to do it) but the water pressure is really bad in it, and I think I'm going to have to get a plumber to look at it.  Dang.

I confess... Now that I'm all moved in and back to the regular work schedule, I'm realizing that things are going to take much longer than I thought.  I think you have lofty pipe dreams when you think "I'm just going to move in and fix stuff every day until it's done!" but then you get home from work and you're tired and exhausted so all you do is eat whatever you don't have to cook (because you still haven't found your pans) and go to bed at 7pm.  Wait, that's just me?

In any case, I'm coming to the realization that everything I wanted done before the housewarming party wont be done.  Luckily I'm pretty sure my friends will understand that my house is a total work in progres..

I confess... The walk through with my old landlord went pretty well.  There wasn't much she found that she was unhappy about, but most of it was there when we moved in.  I doubt I'll get much of the deposit back since it's been 7 years, but she said she was sending something.

I confess... My realtor is still following up with the previous owners about the AC.  The day he said he was going to speak with their listing agent they showed up at my house and left me a bunch of paperwork on things in the house (like the furnace, jetted tub, etc.), and they left me a note saying how sorry they were for the big pile of garbage they left and that they thought the next neighborhood cleanup day (when the city comes around to collect large or weird garbage from your curb) was on August 31st and they'd come help me move stuff if I wanted... Nice, but they still did not leave the AC. WTF people.

I confess... I still have pretty roses coming up in my yard.  Guess I need to learn how to prune them before Winter.

I confess... I'm feeling very poor.  I've been charging lots of things and eating out too much (since my kitchen is not in order yet) so my budgeting has been bad.  I need to get a hang of that before I actually have to start paying my mortgage.

I confess... I want a dog.  Living alone is a little spooky and I think it's time I start thinking about getting a little companion that helps me feel safer.  My yard isn't fenced yet, and wont be for a while, which would mean I'd have to walk the dog regularly and take it to the dog park instead of just playing with it in the yard.  This could be good for me exercise wise though.

I confess... I should probably wait until I get some of my house in order before bringing another living thing into it... And I'm thinking maybe I should try fostering first before making the big commitment to keeping a pooch forever.  Good thing I volunteer with an awesome rescue!

What do you have to confess this week?

Linking up with:

Monthly Goals Linky: August 2015 Goals

• Post at least one New Blogger Series. Fail.
• Finish reading The Diviners. Fail.
• Finish dejunking/setting stuff aside for a yard sale. SUCCESS! 
• Put in my 30 day notice at my apartments (SCARY). SUCCESS! 
• Pack all my stuff in preparation to move. SUCCESS! 
• Move. (Fingers crossed it actually happens) SUCCESS!
• Clean the apartment fully for move out walk through. SUCCESS!
• Keep up my water drinking and try to move more. FAIL.
• Try out one water fitness class at the nearby pool. FAIL.

I honestly had no idea how crazy the moving and preparing the new and old places both would be.  So I'm giving myself a huge pass on the ones I failed on, because I have been non-stop busy and I have done SO much else.

• Unpack at least 3 boxes a week.
• Finish painting the kitchen.
• Re-hang my kitchen cabinet doors.
• Paint the upstairs bathroom.
• Finish painting the bedroom.
• Spray for spiders.
• Start working on my ISM training.
• Start working on my A+ Certification.
• Start my Math class (or cancel it-I haven't decided whether I can handle it or not)
• Set up my bedroom.
• Clean the house-it's extra wrecked after remodeling.
• Host a housewarming/thanks for the visit Josh party.
• Take Josh's headshots.
• Participate in the August 12x30 Photo a Day Challenge.
• Host & Participate in the Books 'n' Bloggers Swap.
• Water my lawn regularly to try and bring it back from the dead.

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• Follow your hosts My So-Called Chaos and A Peek at Karen's World to keep up with this link-up.
• Write up a post recapping last month's goals and setting goals for next month.
• Make sure to include the button in your post by grabbing the code above.
• Link up your goals post with the monthly linky which goes live on the first Thursday of the month.
• Visit other links in the party to show support and offer advice for other goal setters.
• Have fun and make some new friends!

What are your goals this month?

Happy Blogiversary Kimi Who! + $100 Amazon Gift Card Giveaway

Many of you probably know my good friend and sponsor Kimi from Kimi Who?.  This girl is fabulously geeky, an animal lover, and a great friend to have on your side-especially in the bloggy world.  I mean just look at this cute face (and that adorable cat!):

Well, Kimi is celebrating her 1 Year Blogiversary-HAPPY ONE YEAR OF BLOGGING KIMI! Which is super exciting, and she's doing 7 whole days of giveaways.  I was happy to get in on some of her giveaway action, but I am also happy to take a moment and introduce you to her here on the blog today.  I asked her a few anniversary-esque questions today.

What are some of the most important things you have learned in your one year of blogging?
I have learned to be less envious of other bloggers. I spent so many years trying to do as other bloggers did because they seemed to be doing well, probably making tons of money and surely they must be famous! This year, I learned how much it costs to actually maintain a blog and while there are plenty of bloggers out there making a steady flow of cash, I realize that most of us aren't. Blogging is truly a labor of love and somewhere down the road, you probably pour more money and time into it than you ever get back.

What was the best advice you have been given during the past year?
I wish I could remember where I first read this advice, but commenting regularly on other blogs has easily been a game changer for my blog. It's been really important to me to pass that advice on to other bloggers because it has worked so well for me.

What is one thing you wish you could have done differently on your blog?
I wish I had maintained a blogging schedule. It was easy to do in the beginning because my full time job had me working stable hours where I was possible for me to consistently post certain types of content. With the constant change in my scheduled days off, my blogging became inconsistent and it definitely cost me some traffic.

Where do you see (or hope to see) your blog in five years?
I have so many great ideas that I sincerely hope to see come to life. I know that I plan to do a lot more posts about blogging and I will eventually write an e-book and offer some courses for blogging and WordPress. It's all in the hopefully not as distant future as I think it is, but definitely part of a 5 year plan!

What do you expect the next year to bring to your blog?
I suspect that in the next year, there will be a lot of posts related to buying a home and decorating it because that's where our lives will be. Hopefully that means some great tips, tricks and money saving ideas.

What is your favorite post you wrote during that year, and why?
Narrowing down 185 blog posts over the last year is definitely a challenge! I think we all lose sight of what blogging is at some point. It's putting yourself out there and really being honest about who you are. I have always wanted my blog to inspire and to touch the lives of my readers and I think that's why my post about My Tattoo and the Serious Reason Behind It is one of my favorites.

 It's a very raw and very real post where I open up and share one of the darkest corners of my life. It's something I don't do too often - not even outside of my blog with friends and loved ones. Sharing that post has been a pretty big deal for me and every time I share it, I feel a little more empowered.

If you could offer one tip for a blogger just starting out, what would it be?
Be authentic. It's tempting to try to do everything like everyone else... but you really need to find your own voice and let it shine.

So as I said above, Kimi has SEVEN days of giveaways.  You can enter day 1-a $100 Amazon Gift Card below, but make sure you run over to Kimi Who for the rest of the days.  So far you can enter to win an art print from Liana Kangas, a Body Naturals bath and body set, and a Funko Princess Cadence.  Plus, make sure to check back for the rest of the seven giveaways.  All end on the 15th!  You can fill out her blogiversary questionaire HERE!

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