Early Christmas

So if my earlier post seemed premature, that's because I forgot to mention that TOMORROW is CLOSING day! Also, happy birthday to my big brother, Adam! Woo. I'm off to the bank to get a giant certified check to bring along in the morning.

Our final walk through is this afternoon, but if that all wasn't enough. Our shipments arrive on FRIDAY!

Yes, shipmentS. All THREE shipments will arrive on Friday. I'm really hoping that they don't show up in J style all at 7:45 am. I'm hoping that they stagger throughout the day. We are expecting our 7000 pounds of household goods (HHG) last seen Oct 7; our 800 pounds of unaccompanied baggage last seen Oct 26 and our Storage shipment last seen September 2008!

It's definitely going to be a early Christmas this year. I can't wait!

Bedroom Ideas

Glenn and I have spent a few afternoons over the last couple weeks going to furniture stores. I know! Amazing. Glenn even voluntarily watches HGTV. I guess the home-buying bug has gotten to him now too since it is our own home. Whatever it is, I'm enjoying it!

Since we have approximately 500 more square feet than we've ever had in the past in our new master bedroom, I've been looking for inspiration and ideas. It's difficult to decide where to start! Rugs? Curtains? Bedding? Since I spent a bunch of money on new rugs before we left Japan at a rug auction (in hopes that we would have wood floors, which we do! Phew!) I plan on basing some of the rooms around those. We'll need one more I think for the living room, but that's a whole other post.

I'm thinking a blue/tan/white/brown color scheme of some sort. Here are a few pics I found...

I love the bed in this room an the addition of the aqua blue. Our bathroom has limited storage so I'm thinking about buying this guy off of craigslist and painting it that color, but I've got to get back in the house to measure the space to make sure it fits. China cabinet in the bathroom? Why not. White bedding is not going to work though. We've got a puppy dog that loves to sleep in/on our bed.

 This bedding could work though. Or something similar since it's not available.

 This color scheme is similar to the first. I like the paisley bedding. That would hide Stella hair. I like the mix of texture and pattern too.

A storage bench at the end of the bed would be a good idea. I know IKEA still sells these curtains too. Blue lamps with white shades would be easy to do with a can of spray paint.

From what I remember when I bought the rug during the first week of October. This is similar in color to it. Starburst mirrors are all the rage now too. Perhaps I'll have to DIY for our bedroom.

Sir Elton Dohm

Stella's best buddy, Elton, went to doggy heaven yesterday. He was the sweetest most cuddly dog ever. Most of all though, he made my dear friend, Ann, so happy.

I hope he's enjoying all the comfy couches up there. He is going to be missed SO much.

Since Stella is my first real pet, beyond fish, hamsters and lizards, I never knew what an impact animals can have on our lives until I was an adult. Now that I have Stella keeping me company during deployments, warm and cozy at night (and annoyed earlier than I would like) I don't think I could ever not have her around. My heart is breaking for Ann. I know how much she misses him and wish I could give her a big hug! Love you, buddy.

My last night in Japan!

I've finally uploaded the pictures from my camera! Since my farewell from Japan was moved up one week unexpectedly, my farewell party was the night before my 30 hour trip to America. I don't necessarily recommend a night of heavy drinking the night before flying around the world, but I would have missed one last night with all my girls (and Mike) for the world. So much fun.

We went to a yakiniku (Korean BBQ) restaurant in Yamato and enjoyed yummy food and a few mystery items, but it wouldn't be Japan if we didn't have some questionable item I figured.

How has it already been 6 weeks since I've seen some of my favorite people?! I miss you all!

My dear Japanese friend, Yuki, came too. And thank goodness because we needed her help with ordering! Thanks, Yuki!

I miss my Liberty Belles dearly and all my other friends from Atsugi. Everyone back here asks, "are you happy to be back?" "Do you miss it?". Yes and yes, but mostly, I miss my wonderful friends in Japan. It is such a wonderful community both military and the Japanese. I miss everyone terribly.

And of course, since it was my party after all, we ended up at the O'Club. I miss it too! I need to find a bar around here that is walking distance from my house and everyone I know goes to it all the time. Oh and the bartenders all know my name and drink. Gotta work on that...

I miss you all!!

The New House

We are still waiting to close, but here are a few of the pictures I keep staring at, trying to figure out where all our furniture will go. Hopefully I'll have a few 'in progress' pictures in the next couple weeks. Enjoy!

I could go for some sushi go round...

During my last few days in Japan, Glenn and I went to one of my favorite sushi-go-round restaurants. I miss that yummy fresh sushi at my fingertips!

We haven't ventured to any Japanese restaurants since we've been back. I'm sure we will find something that compares, but it will never quite be the same.

Clearly, our stack of plates shows how much we loved it.

I

I miss you Japan!

House Update

Our appraisal came in today and it is higher than what we paid for the house! That means the loan can go through. One more box checked off! We actually called the lender yesterday and asked if we could move the closing date up and they are working on it! We are hoping to get out of this hotel by next week and in to our house. I'm so excited, but don't want to get my hopes up. Even if we can't close next week, the 16th isn't too far away.

The appraisal report was interesting to read with the other comparables in the area. It also included more exact square footage numbers than the MLS. Glenn and I both laughed when we saw that the master bedroom is ~750 square feet. Our entire APARTMENT in Japan was only ~800 square feet. I think we might need to buy a little more furniture!

The report also included a floor plan which a few people were asking about.

Glenn checks in to work on Thursday. He got off the ship in September! I don't know if he remembers what it's like to go to work. I know I don't. Until then we are just relaxing and running a few errands. It's frustrating to just wait and wait knowing that we have loads of things to do once we get in the house. Like unpacking. I can't wait to get the rest of my clothes and things back. Our express packout arrived a few weeks ago and our big HHG/furniture shipment arrived on November 22nd. That is almost 3 weeks ahead of schedule, but since we don't have a house, it is sitting in storage somewhere in Virginia. Hopefully it is in the same place as our storage shipment. We have a couple crates full of things that I haven't seen in 3+ years. Now that will be a Christmas surprise as well!

Our digs

So we're back in Virginia. Remind me next November to NOT drive on the Pennsylvania turnpike and anywhere near DC on the Sunday after Thanksgiving. What took us 9 hours on Friday took nearly 14 on Sunday. It was painful.

We've checked in to a new hotel, the ExtendedStay America since it is only $40 a night and not $75. Our Navy funded TLE (temporary lodging $) was only for 10 days. Aka, we are paying for this joint. So we are here until closing or until we can get in to the house. We're trying to "rent" it before we buy it if possible. I mention all of this because when one leaves Japan, no one really informs you on what exactly your options are. So in case any of you who read this are getting ready to leave Japan, you at least know what we did.

Also, if you are in Virginia Beach, you can stay here. Jealous...?

On the road again.

Glenn and I are taking advantage of being in driving distance, our new 50 mpg car and his time off to take another road trip. We're headed to Ohio for Thanksgiving #2 with the Lawson family.

I'm over the long drives, but I can't wait to see my family.

This is helping too. I hope you had a Happy Thanksgiving!

Wordless Wednesday: Baby Isabel