Kink in the plans

So our "scheduled" closing day was today.  We found out yesterday that it will now be delayed because of a backup in paperwork.  Not on our end, luckily, but on the lender's end.  So we now sit and wait to hear back from them about when our closing will actually be.  We had to make an amendment to our contract with the sellers that the closing would happen sometime between now and May 7th.  Oh well. 

We were slightly disappointed, but not devastated.  Secretly we were just happy to hear that we are delayed, but not denied.  Recently we have been hearing of some horror stories in this area of families getting denied days before their closing.  So, whew! and boo! all rolled up in one.  We don't mind waiting, because we really have not choice.  Below is the a picture of the house:

This view is the view we will have from the master bedroom.  It's great.  We love the hill county.  I love the thought of being able to see it every morning, and I love that we have no backyard neighbors!  It will make our property feel a little bit larger not living right on top of more families behind our house.  There aren't any projects slated for this undeveloped land, and as far as we know, someone actually owns it.  Let's just hope that it remains this way for years to come! Please keep us in your prayers as we hopefully finalize the process of buying our first home.

The bluebonnets were gorgeous this year!  Gorgeous and abundant!  They are starting to go away now, but it really was nice to have such pretty wild flowers this year.  Last year it was a very dry winter so they weren't like this at all.  This winter it rained and it rained.  So yay! 

Dave, Thor and I went for a walk last week and I took my camera in hopes of finding a patch.  I was so happy when we did!  I've been dying to get a picture of my furbaby in the bluebonnets.

Big Dreams

I'm currently obssesed with looking for furniture for our new home!  I'm looking everywhere, and often.  I know that it won't be months until we actually start really furnishing our home, and it will be a slow and gradual process as the budget allows.  I just can't stop myself from looking though.  I look everywhere, Rooms to Go, Ikea, Ashley, Roomstore, mostly all just online right now. Then I also browse craigslist alot, because my real dream is to find a nice second hand set that just needs to be sanded and refurnished.   I would love to really put some elbow grease towards our home.

I also love browsing websites right now for any color and decorating ideas.  Our hopes are to eventually pull out any carpet that is on the first floor and lay down either tile or wood flooring throughout the entire first floor.  We are sort of torn about what we really want to do: tile, saltillo, or wood (laminate), but I know we will have a better idea once we actually move in.  The nicest thing about the home that we have bought is that it's like a clean slate.  Nothing NEEDS to be done right away.  Everything is in great shape and has been well maintained.  We will have plenty of time to save and plan any home improvement projects we would like to do.   Also being so fresh from looking at so many houses trying to decide on "the one" we both have a good idea of the types of things that are appealing to prospective homebuyers, whenever we go to resale our first home. 

And being addicted to HGTV right now helps to feed my obsession.    I can't wait to actually start working on some of our dreams for our house, but for now I'm just really enjoying the dreaming part.  It's much easier :).

So much and so little all at once.

Dave's birthday was last weekend and we had a really good time with friends.  It has been somewhat of a tradition for Dave and Jono to celebrate their birthdays together.  Jono's birthday is on April 9th, and Dave's is April 11th, so this year Saturday fell on a Saturday, and it was perfect to celebrate on.  We had dinner at Texas Roadhouse and then we went bowling. So much fun!  I have a couple of pictues, but none that were that great.  I have been so bad about taking pictures lately.  As a matter of fact, I vow right now to be better about it.  

Before we even went out Saturday night, Dave and I were very productive in the yard and the house.  Dave mowed, weeded, and planted seed.  He also worked on scubbing a lot of the outside of the house where our lovely dog has gotten it muddy.  I did all the weekly household chores and was able to whip the house into good shape. 

On Sunday, Dave's actually birthday, his gift was to spend the day however he wanted.  So he sat on the couch all day and played his video game.  I, on the other hand piddled around the house, worked in the garage, did some organizing about the house, took a bath and a nap.  So it was very nice and enjoyable day for us both.  Oh, I can't forget that Dave actually let me watch Julie&Julia first thing in the morning, that was awfully nice because it was his birthday.  The movie was, eh, okay. 

Other than that, we are keep on' keepin' on.  Lots of exciting things coming up, Texas Round-Up 10K, Sarah's dance recital in the Alamodome, Fiesta in San Antonio, closing on our house, getting the keys, starting our move, packing & unpacking, etc.

Easter fun!

Easter was such a blast this year!  It usually is every year, but this year we had a bbq at a park rather than at a family member's house and the weather was awesome.  It was actually borderline too warm.  My mother's side of the family celebrated Easter on Saturday,and my dad's family did on Sunday.  We were only able to make it to San Antonio for Saturday though.  Here's some of my favorite pictures!

The Easter bunny was kind this year!

My cousins after the hunt.

Dave and I.

The best part of Easter: cascarones!!!

No one is safe from the cascarones!

The food was great and the company was great, too.  There was a little playground at the park area that we were at, and it was great for the kids.  They all stayed so busy and were all a little sunburnt.

I have been absolutely horrible about posting, I know, and my Mom has reminded me!  We are just so busy right now and really settling in to married life, which is wonderful.  We have also been busy with our house hunt, which is finally over.  We close on our first home together on April 28, 2010.  So excited!  I have tons of pictures of the house, but the last time we visited the home, the family still occupied it, so I want to wait to share pictures once the house is vacant.

We will be living in Leander and our home backs up to undeveloped land and from our master bedroom we have a great view of the hill country!  That aspect was one of the big selling points for Dave and I.  We will not have to look into keeping wildlife out of our yard, and keeping Thor safe.  The home is 2,300 sq feet, 3 bedroom, 2.5 bath and is a two story.  It has a fomal dinning room and a dinning area in the kitchen as well.  It has a living room downstairs and a family room/loft upstairs.  We really are excited about it, and feel like we will have lots of room to grow into it as a family.  April 28 can't come soon enough!

Thor the God of Thunder (...or of light drizzle)

UGH! Well.... Dave and I got home late last night because we went to the gym on our way home from work. Being away from home for that long of a day is fine when it's nice outside because we have been leaving Thor in the backyard, without incident.  This provides Thor with access to a potty so we don't have to rush home to walk him. Yesterday was a particularly nice day here in Central Texas, with a high of 70 degrees, so this weather has been very comfortable for our big dog.

Dave and I were on our way home from the gym and he had to make a stop at the store before he got home, so I got to our house first. When I pulled up to our street, I saw two cop cars right outside of our home with their low lights on, and our neighbors on both sides of our home were out on their front lawn. Immediately, that gut sinking feeling overcame me. I knew something was wrong, and I knew it had to do with our house, and even worse, I just had a feeling it had to do with Thor. So I pulled up to our one neighbor who was being questioned by the cops, and asked what was up...she informed me that her dogs, 3 of them, had broken through our fence on her side and came into our yard and attacked Thor.

That was all I had to hear. I was HOT, without even knowing all the facts; I was so angry and worried. I pealed into our driveway and started frantically asking where Thor was, and if he was okay. Luckily, our other neighbor, Brian, on the other side had heard the attack just as it was starting. He jumped the 6-foot privacy dividing our yards, along with a huge two-by-four plank and was able to stop the attack. He said that the board was enough scare the other dogs off of Thor, who at that point was completely on his back. Brian said that he also yelled loudly with his booming country voice.  The din he created brought the owner of the other three dogs (1 is a Shar Pei- Pitbull mix, and the other 2 are Pit mixes) out into her yard, she soon realized what was going on, and crossed into our yard through the missing fence boards that the dogs had busted through like a rabid Hawaiian Punch Bowl Man.

So, Brian called the cops to report the attack, and that's about when I arrived at the house. I called Dave, and told him to drop what he was doing and head straight home, which he did immediately. Once Dave got home and was brought up to speed, he provided all the documentation on Thor that we have, along with his rabies and vaccine information and we were good to go. The neighbor, on the other hand, had no documentation on her dogs and was given three citations. We were told that because Thor was the "victim" dog and it occurred because our neighbor's dogs came into our yard, Thor was not in trouble. However, the police said Animal Control may be in contact with us to evaluate the dogs, etc.

Thor is okay, aside from several scrapes and knicks on both of his ears. We cleaned them up, and put Neosporin on the scrapes. He laid low all night and has slowly started to act like his goofy self this morning. The fence still needs to be fixed and more importantly, improved so that this can't ever happen again.  Dave's suggestion was something electrical and barbed.  Always so helpful.

The one thing that really upsets me the most about all of this is the irresponsible dog ownership on our neighbor's part. We have always noticed that out of her 3 dogs there was one that was particularly aggressive, and definitely the leader of the pack. That dog has on multiple occasions attacked one of the other more submissive dogs, to the extent that we have almost called the cops before this most recent incident. After what happened yesterday, I regret not calling the cops before. I don't know what I hope will result from this incident. I want her dogs gone, and if not all of them, then at least the Shar Pei. But at the same time, I know what happens to dogs, when they are taken from a home and put in a shelter because of aggression, euthanasia. Although, I do not want to be responsible for that, if it comes down to protecting my own dog's safety or the saving the aggressive Shar Pei's life, I must choose our Thor Boar.

I want to be able to put our dog in his backyard while we go to work without fear of him being attacked. We have no worries about Thor getting out of the yard, or breaking through a fence. This may seem funny to some people because if they simply see pictures of our dog, they may think he can fight and can hold his own. Well, he is actually a bit of a wuss and has never displayed any aggression or any displays of being able to fight, mostly because we have trained and socialized him to be a family dog. Despite his strength and his large size, he is not that type of dog. We knew this was something we never wanted our dog to be, and we have been successful in being responsible pet owners, however, now it's other pets their owners we must worry about.

Stepping up on my soapbox: Owning a dog is full of responsibility, even more so if you own a large and powerful breed (Bull dogs, German Sheppards, Doberman Pinchers, Pitbulls, Rottweilers, ChowChows, Shar Peis, ect.). If you live in a suburb or the city, you MUST MUST MUST socialize your dog to other dogs, people and noises. If a dog attacks another dog, it's only a matter of time before it is a person. It starts with the owners of the dog; it is not the dog’s fault, ever. You must be responsible and know what type of dog you can successfully own before you even purchase that dog. If you are not going to be a disciplined dog owner to own a powerful breed that requires a little bit more training, and exercise, pick a dog that is more compatible with your lifestyle. It is just not fair to the dog, or the other dogs and people who fall victim to an attack.

The following "Ten Commandments for Dog Owners" were written from the perspective of a dog, and provide some good guidelines about your duties to your "best friend."  I found this from some website, and I wish more people would take dog ownership more seriously. 

1.My life is likely to last 10-15 years. Any separation from you will be painful for me. Remember that before you get me.

2.Give me time to understand what you want from me.

3.Place your trust in me. It is crucial to my well-being.

4.Don't be angry with me for long, and don't lock me up as punishment. You have your work, entertainment and friends. I only have you.

5.Talk to me sometimes. Even if I don't understand your words, I understand your voice.

6.Be aware that however you treat me, I'll never forget it.

7.Please don't hit me. I can't hit back, but I can bite and scratch, and I really don't want to do that.

8.Before you scold me for being uncooperative, obstinate or lazy, ask yourself if something might be bothering me. I don't speak your language. Perhaps I'm not getting the right foods, or I've been out in the sun too long, or my heart is getting old and weak.

9.Take care of me when I get old. You will grow old, too. You'll hope someone cares.

10.Go with me on difficult journeys. Never say, "I can't bear to watch," or "let it happen in my absence". Everything is easier for me if you are there. Remember, I love you.

Stepping off of my soapbox.

The Stars Must Align

We are in the very beginning stages of purchasing our first home together.  I'm so excited, and I'm even hesitant to even be writing this down in fear of jinxing any good luck we may have on this journey.  However, at this point there could not be a better opportunity for us to become homeowners.   We qualify for a bunch of cool stuff because we are first time home buyers, and newlyweds, and looking at homes outside of the Austin city limits. 

I'm soooo tired of moving around, and for the last 24 years I have been blessed to see and experience so much, that I am finally ready to lay down some roots! Particularly, that last 6 years here in Central Texas, I have moved at least once a year into a new dorm, new apartment or new house. I look forward to living in one place for more than a year without a move. Most importantly, I'm looking forward to building a home with my husband.

Dave steered me in the direction of the absolutely cutest little town, Leander.  Leander is about 18 miles northwest of Austin and seems like a really nice area. At first, and even now, I was hesitant because it seems so far from work, but it's really only about 4 more miles further for us than we are now.  It's right smack in the hill country and there are so many trails and nature things about Leander that I love so far.  Leander is also a great school district, which normally speaks volumes for the surrounding communities.  Lots of things to think about when buying a home, and trying to decide on a community where we can potentially raise our children in for years to come.   This is the area that we are focusing on right now, but are open to anywhere else that may seem like a good fit for us. 

Hopefully in the next couple of months things will work out the way they are suppose to and we will be on our way to another move! The stars must align.  One thing I am being particularly picky about is the size of the yard, must be big enough for my big dog! And, I don't want to be able to breathe on our neighbor!

We are out of the house that we are currently renting in July, and we will need to close on a home by June!  Last week we looked at about 15 houses that we found on our own that we were interested in.  This week Dave has been in contact with a real estate agent, who has found about 25 homes for us to look at, 14 of which we actually would like to see.   So we will be at it again all day Saturday!  This time I will take my camera because we are slowly getting a little more serious each time we look.

A manly dessert!

Dave and I went back and forth about what dessert I was "allowed" to bring to Superbowl Party!  I wanted to bring cupcakes because I have been wanting to make some in my brand new cupcake pans that we got a a gift for our wedding.  Dave, however, informed me that that is not an appropriate dessert to bring to a Superbowl Party.  This information was also followed up with what was appropriate food to eat at a Superbowl Party: wings, chips, pizza, beer, pigs in a blanket, ect.  Wow...have I got a lot to learn.  So Dave got a recipe of a "manly" (ie FATTENING) dessert from a co-worker, and I figured I would give it a shot!

All the ingrediants needed for Bill Nicholson's *Krispy Kreme Bread Pudding

*We used the world famous Round Rock Donuts instead of KK.

2 dozen donuts (minus the two donuts that we ate) cubed

Adding the liquids and other ingrediants

Put into a casserole dish

Butter Rum sauce (butter, powered sugar, and rum)

Baked for an hour and glazed with the Butter Rum Sauce.

This is somewhat feastive because bread pudding is a real New Orleans treat!  Dave had to help me out with the rum sauce because that was a little bit tricky. This is definately a dessert we will make again! Let me know if you would like the recipe!
Here are some fun pictures of my guys on Super Bowl Sunday before we headed over to JonO and Lexi's.

On Saturday we went up to Harker Heights to visit with my parents and see Sarah sing in the Region Choir.  Thor took the trip with us and spending the day and night at his granparent's house really wears him out!

We had such a good time a the party and I'm so glad that the Saints won. Dave's team is the Titans, so by default that who I usually route for, however, Dave also has ties with New Orleans, so we were definately routing for the Saints.  And they won.