Monday, February 22, 2010

The Petruskas found a new home!




Everyone probably already knows this, but I wanted to blog about it anyway so that I can document my feelings about this and smile in the future when I read it. Smiling's my favorite. :)

So, we started our search for the perfect house in December 2009. We trekked out to the South Hills one Sunday during a Steelers game to see two open houses. Don't worry, die-hards... the Steelers already lost their chance to be in the playoffs. :P The first house that we saw was a brand new Single-Family Home in South Park. Mike loved it, I liked it a lot but not the location. It isn't near public transportation and is on top of a pretty steep hill. (Side note: Turns out that a friend of mine may end up buying this house!) So we moved on to the second and final open house of the day. I knew as soon as I walked in that I loved it. I felt giddy and saw fireworks. Mike was pretty much 'Meh' though, so I shelved my schoolgirl house-crush for the time being.

Pan to over two months, hiring of a realtor, and viewing of approximately 15 houses later, I mentioned to Mike that we should take a look at the house that I loved because it was still on the market and we weren't finding anything that we loved. He agreed and I began to lob prayers up to the house gods for him to love it. We went, with our agent, to see it and I could see the love in Mike's eyes while we were there. Wahoo! However, I didn't bug him about it because anyone that knows Mike knows not to push that boy towards a decision. So I gave him the hopeful side-eye when I saw him looking over the house brochure several times that night. Eventually, he said, "Ya know, we should talk to Michele about whether there have been any offers on the house and if she thinks that it's a good value." I shot an email to Michele before he could count to two and crossed my fingers and toes.

Long story sorta short, we made an offer the next day and within 24 hours, we had ourselves a deal with the seller. WeeHAW! I can't even explain how excited I am. This house is amazing to me.

Here she is now...



Isn't she pretty? I'm using 'she' like the house is a boat, I know. Just go with it. There is a little bit over 1900 square feet, 4 bedrooms, 2 full bathrooms, a finished basement, a firepit, a garage, a deck. I consider us very fortunate to be able to start this adventure come April. 39 years and thousands of laundry machine quarters later, I am ready to be a homeowner. I'm sure that it will be scary and nerve-racking, but I'm ready for it all.

Inspection is this Thursday. If you see me walking funny, it is because my toes are crossed.

P.S. The health stuff is still going - minus the South Beach. I folded. I was too cranky for life. I'm deciding how to get back on track and will blog when a decision is made.

Friday, February 5, 2010

Update on Health challenge

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Now that it is February, I'm going to really focus on the Health challenge. I haven't done as much in that regard as I'd hoped to up until now, but in terms of updates...

- I wiped my cell phone off, um, once. It probably is germy again, I'd imagine.

- I tried to find pomegranate stuff that didn't cost an arm and a leg (One small jug of pomegranate juice is $8 at Giant Eagle! I could drink that in one day.) I'm still planning on purchasing this though: http://usa.weleda.com/our-products/shop/7270.aspx

- I have been eating tons of fish - which is high in antioxidants. So score there!

- I have been eating a henhouseload of eggs so that is good. They do fill me up so that I don't crave much else afterward. I like eggs. From my head down to my legs!

- I have done yoga most every day, but haven't practiced the Tree Pose each time. Will work on that one even though I fall over every time. Timmmberrr!

- I took Health's advice and have been following the South Beach Diet. I cheated a teeny baby handful of times, but for the most part have been fully ensconced on South Beach. I've lost 5.5 lbs and hope to continue to chip away at the muffin top.

- I got the grapeseed oil and have been putting it on my scrunch lines on my forehead and my crow's feet every morning and night for 3 days. I'm sure that it takes longer than that to make any difference, so that will continue. Mike is into this and makes me apply some oil to his crow's feet when he sees me doing it. He heard Dr. Oz mention it once so he is a firm believer since he read a couple of the Oz's books.

- I failed at the comedy club one. We will be missing Brian Posehn. I'll try for another show this month. I'd still like to get some good belly laughs while sipping on an overpriced drink.

- No kettlebell purchased yet. Those things are pricey. I was going to order one from Amazon, but I was afraid of the shipping cost. Them are heavy.

Pretty much dropped the ball on everything else, also. But the month is young so stay tuned for more updates. Happy February, everyone!

Monday, February 1, 2010

Motivated

So I decided to stick with the South Beach Phase 1 and continue on as if I didn't cheat. There must be some motivation there because I can't bring myself to cheat again. I got it out of my system and feel like I can make it. I'm still cranky and hungry, but it is only for 6 more days so I'm gonna try. The little engine is chugging up the hill again. Chugga chugga...

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