*wave* from the public library

Matt and I are catching up on our internet needs at the Audelia Road branch of the Dallas Public Library. In the past week we've made some really good progress on the house. We got over half of the furniture unloaded by ourselves on Monday night (mostly so we could set up the bed in the guest room to have a real place to sleep). Then Luke came over Tuesday morning and helped us finish it off. John and Matt installed a new chandelier in the dining area and we totally repainted the den (don't trust that the paint will match even if you have the exact formula of the old paint! we were only intending to touch up the den but turns out our new quart of paint for touch ups wasn't identical to the old paint). We've touched up paint in other rooms (I think we're almost done with the initial wave of painting). We've replaced a few A/C vent covers. We've installed a cabinet over the potty in our bathroom for additional storage. There are still plenty of boxes to be unpacked, but we look pretty darn settled in for having owned the house 10 days.

Piper is now installed in the house as well. She loves it and feels really comfortable there. She's just getting over needing to always be in the same room as us and loves looking out the bay window in the front when we're away. Yesterday she climbed her first tree when, operating 100% by instinct, she hunted a squirrel. Instinct didn't help her when the squirrel was long gone and she was attached to a tree five feet off the ground...Daddy Matt had to rescue her (I'm sure she would've figured out what to do eventually but it might have resulted in her being in the wrong backyard). :)

We get TV and internet on Thursday and that will certainly make things easier. We've had to consult phone books for the first time in years and definitely miss the internet. Also, we have two channels on the TV we can pick up and we're about at our limit of the daytime court shows on CBS. Who knew there were so many? At least we have Jeopardy to watch at lunchtime. =P

Moving, Part II

The house purchasing went off without a hitch Friday morning. The whole thing took maybe 20 minutes. We found out the sellers had actually closed their half the day before, so as soon as the last papers were signed, the house was ours. We discovered that they had left all manner of useful things in the house too, like shelves in the utility room, the palm plant that hides the media equipment in the den, three shelves in the den, a rake, and more. All in all it probably saved us a good chunk of change! The last couple days we unpacked all the stuff we'd crammed in our cars (the majority of it was kitchen stuff) and started touching up paint. Also, Matt and his dad replaced the oldish brass chandelier in the dining area with one more our style. On Saturday Matt and I were on a quest to find furniture and find it we did! Our first stop was Rooms To Go, the place we'd bought our couch. We walked out having found everything on our list, including a bed frame and mattresses, nightstands, a sofa table and end table, and a loveseat that reclines! It is so comfortable :) All that stuff gets delivered Wednesday.

Yesterday we came back down to College Station to finish packing up the duplex. In a few hours Matt will pick up our Uhaul and we'll get all the furniture and miscellany loaded up with Rick's help (yay Rick!). Then we'll drive it back to Dallas and probably collapse and leave the unpacking for tomorrow =P

We won't have internet at our house until July 2, so don't expect too many updates. I'm sure we'll check our e-mail from time to time at the Roberts but I doubt there will be any epic posts made during the next couple weeks. :)

Moving, Part I

We buy the house tomorrow. Eek! Actually, we're just excited and wish it were already tomorrow. This afternoon we're taking both our cars to Dallas loaded with stuff so that we can deposit them in the new house tomorrow afternoon. We do our half of the title business tomorrow morning but the sellers aren't doing their part until 4. So, unfortunately we won't be official owners until 4...we were hoping we'd be able to get in sooner, because we want to do some painting and, well, moving in. On Sunday we'll head back to College Station and start filling up a U-Haul with furniture and whatnot, and then early next week we'll be all moved in!

Leslie and Bryan are happily in Berlin now for their summer adventure. Both the Hall girls are having a very exciting summer!

Note: we won't have internet (or a computer for that matter) at the house this weekend and I'm not sure when we will be all hooked up

exciting stuff part II

On May 25, the day before we left for Berkeley, Matt and I went for our third round of house viewing. The last house we looked at was in Lake Highlands, an area we hadn't really considered initially. But it is relatively close to the DART light rail, isn't scary, and has nice houses. Anyway, 10153 Coveridge tickled our fancy. A 1966 house that had been completely redone on the inside, it wasn't too appealing from outside, but inside it really nice. New floors, good paint, a redone kitchen with granite counter tops, a big den, three bedrooms, two redone bathrooms, a flagstone back porch with a grill, two car garage...we liked it. We liked it enough that we went over to Jerry's house to make an offer at nine o'clock that night after Luke's high school graduation.

While we walked the streets of Berkeley we were also negotiating back and forth with the sellers via Jerry (nice that he was in California too!). On Sunday we officially agreed with the sellers and our ten day option period started after Memorial Day. We got back to Dallas on Tuesday, and on Wednesday we had our inspection. Nothing major was found in the inspection. Thursday we showed the house to Mom, Dad, and Carolyn and took some pictures, found here. So, with nothing big coming out of the inspection, and with the sellers really wanting to sell quickly, we're closing one week from today! Yay :)

exciting stuff part I

Almost two weeks ago Leslie and Bryan tied the knot in Berkeley, California. And of course we were on hand to witness, along with tons of Klingners, friends of Mom and Dads, and Leslie and Bryan's peeps.

We traveled on American Airlines on the same flight as John and Susie (and three other wedding-bound couples). We got to Cali on Saturday (May 26) mid-day, picked up our rental car and drove to the Hotel Durant, where we got checked in. We shared a suite with John and Susie - they had a room with a king size bed and we had a queen murphy bed and a couch and table with four chairs, and we each had our own bath and closet, so it was a great set-up. We wandered around Berkeley and campus in the afternoon and ate middle eastern food for lunch. Saturday night I had the bachelorette event - a picnic in the rose garden with the bridesmaids, Leslie, and a few other of her girl friends. Then the bachelors met up with us at Leslie's friend Clare's house in Oakland and the real party started. We watched a scandalous video that Leslie and Bryan and their friends made in the honors dorm their first year at UT (Leslie and Bryan didn't even know each other then but were both in it). A lot of those friends are still in touch and most of them have ended up in the Bay Area as well, so great fun was had by all (and L&B were appropriately embarrassed which provided even more entertainment). Then we played Bryan & Leslie Jeopardy with questions we'd all submitted to Clare beforehand. It was both embarrassing and enlightening, and after just about every question someone would ask for the story behind the question. And Clare did a fabulous job putting it all together and hosting...it was really special. Matt and I were so impressed by how awesome L&B's friends are.

Sunday...I had a brunch with all the girls hosted by a lot of the moms at this really nice French place, La Note. We're talking french toast, croissants, amazing stuff. The afternoon we had the wedding rehearsal and then walked to the rehearsal dinner, which at an insanely nice restaurant called "Downtown." (Can you tell there was lots of eating? =D) It was just for the wedding party and their dates and family, so we were able to have really nice food. It was all amazing, and we had the first round of toasts from people. It succeeded in making those of us giving our toasts at the reception the next day very nervous! Then everyone was invited to Leslie and Bryan's favorite bar called Jupiter, where the unprivileged masses ate food and everyone drank good home-brewed beer.

On Monday Matt and his parents went to the Muir Woods to see the big redwoods, leaving me behind to do maid of honor stuff. Mom and Dad hosted a pajama breakfast in their suite in the hotel, and then I puttered in the hotel room before heading to Leslie's apartment. The bridesmaids, Leslie, and I got our hair done and watched the Little Mermaid before getting dressed and heading to the ceremony. The site was a big regional park in the hills above Berkeley. The ceremony itself was only about 15 minutes long and performed by one of Leslie's high school (and beyond) friends, Danny (in California you just need to fill out forms to get deputized by the state to perform a wedding, you don't have to be a minister or anything). Then we ate dinner, did toasts, and hours of dancing began. Really Les and Bryan just wanted to have a big party and that's what they got. It was very fun. Then on Tuesday we came back to Dallas and collapsed.

Lots of pictures of the weekend are floating around the internet. For example: Matt’s pictures, Clare’s pictures, and Ali’s pictures.