Moving out and moving in!

I posted the pictures last night as requested by the parents.  We are obviously not finished decorating, as we need some more furniture (...a kitchen table...) and we need some rugs and pictures.  We have a few pictures, but I can't decide where they will look right!  Ray bought the quilt rack from an antique store here in Fletcher.  I had been looking online for one (I really wanted a quilt ladder), but I came home from work one day and he surprised me!  I love it.

The moving out process:

Our apartment lease ended on our closing day.  We asked our apartment managers if we could have an extra weekend (even offered to pay for it) so that we could move out and clean.  They only gave us one option:  pay for another month at the month-to-month rate.  No thank you! So, we had to be moved out and clean the apartment by closing day and then move into the house on closing day.  Well, we did it and all went well! :)
We moved out completely on our own.  We rented a 16' truck (got a good discount because Ray's boss's wife is the manager at a storage company), loaded it and left it in the parking lot at our apt. for 5 days. We ended up having to rent a UHaul van as well because all of our stuff didn't fit on the truck.  So, here's what our apartment looked like for those 5 days:

We turned the living room into our bedroom.  It was kind of fun. ;) 

Loading the truck was a workout, but thanks to the help of an appliance dolly, we had no trouble or sore muscles!  Best $11 we've ever spent!

This should be an ad for appliance dollies!

I'm not going to lie, we were both grouchy all day loading the truck and had some pretty bad tempers flying, but at the end of the day... we were smiling and loving each other more than ever. 

The night before closing, we decided last minute to stay in a hotel so that we could have everything totally packed.  It was so funny when the hotel clerk looked at Ray's ID and saw that we lived just right down the road.  She told us to "have fun!"  I seriously think she thought we were having affairs or something.  Haha!  I took Thursday (closing day) off and Ray took a half day.  We met the lawyer at 10:00 and sealed the deal by 11:30.  It went so smoothly! We loved our lawyer and our agent.  Our agent even gave us a $50 gift card to Home Depot.  So nice!  Here's a picture of us signing.  This is when Ray realized he still had his name tag on from work! Haha.  

After signing, the race was on.  We had to have the van unloaded and back to UHaul and our apartment keys turned in by 5:30.  So, we grabbed a quick lunch and enjoyed our first meal at the house:

For me, moving in was so easy!  I just stayed inside and unloaded boxes as they came in.  Ray's friend/colleague and now our neighbor, Dennis, was there to help unload.  They did all the lifting.  I was so thankful!! And if that wasn't enough from Dennis, his wife brought us muffins and cookies that night.  We are so happy to have such sweet friends right down the street!  I think the hardest part for them was getting this old lopsided mattress up the stairs.  

We were done with everything...unpacking, organizing, etc. by Friday night!  I couldn't take the boxes and mess any longer than that.  ;)   

Please come visit us soon, especially as it gets warmer.  Ray bought a grill (we've used it twice already!) and our pool is just down the street, so the summer will definitely be fun! 

Now, Ray and I are making the "long" trip to downtown Asheville (we're closer to downtown Hendersonville now) to have a few drinks... after all, I'm officially on SPRING BREAK!

House!!

Thought you might like to see some pictures of the house! It's a work in progress. :)


 

Master BR

Master closet

Master bath

Loft/attic door

Closet in small bedroom (upstairs)

Small bedroom (upstairs)

Guest bedroom (upstairs)

Guest bathroom

Living room (from loft)

Loft (need a desk!)

In case you couldn't tell...

Man Cave

Man Cave

Man Cave

Laundry room

Laundry room/door to garage

Hall 1/2 bath downstairs

Small bedroom next to master

Will be a nursery if we have kids in this house! ;) 

Entrance and stairs...and Tink!

Kitchen to living room

Dining room

Living room

Kitchen

Kitchen

Kitchen

Kitchen

Living room

Living room

First real meal in the new house!

Can't wait for y'all to come visit!!

Muscle Pump

Right now, we're both trying to work on our eating habits.  Ray is doing a great job about trying to eat some leaner meats instead of burgers, ribs, etc. when we go out to eat.  He's also being more aware of how much calories/fat/sodium are in food before he eats it.  I'm trying to eat more mindfully and eat less sweets.  But, my biggest goal right now is strength training.  I've never strength trained consistently.  I always thought that cardio was more important than anything else.  (Ray has always told me otherwise.)  I finally took his advice to heart and I started going to a class called Muscle Pump at the Y.  It's every Tuesday and Thursday and it is tough!  My first class was on Tuesday and I went again today.  (I'm going to go every Tuesday and Thursday.)  I can seriously already feel a difference in my arms!  Of course, I'm sore everywhere, but I can really feel some muscles building in my arms.  Woo hoo!  I'm so excited about it that I had to post about it.  Haha.  I can't wait to see my body change because of it.

Oh, and it should make moving a little bit easier. ;)  

Some Thoughts on Lent

[If you read my blog last year, you will recognize this post!]

Lent is the 40 days we spend in preparation for Easter.   It is a time of penance and discipline, a time of reflecting upon Christ's suffering and death to save us from sin.  
I found a great devotion by Brian Prior and I would like to share a piece of it with you.  

One of the primary opportunities Lent provides for us is a time of self-examination. This is a time to take an honest look at our lives and to discern what is helping us to grow in our faith and what is holding us back. It may be the perfect time to discern what we leave and what we take, what gets done and what is left undone. Those choices will ultimately show where the real treasures lie.

He included some scripture from Matthew 6.  Verses 1-4, "Beware of practicing your piety before others in order to be seen by them; for then you have no reward from your Father in heaven. So whenever you give alms, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be praised by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your alms may be done in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.” 

Verses 19-21,"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal; but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."   

It is important to remember that whatever you are doing for Lent, you should be doing it for yourself and strengthening your relationship with Christ, regaining focus on what He has done for us.  To me, the giving up or letting go of something has always served as a reminder.  When I am tempted, I should think of why I have sacrificed whatever it is. I'm giving up the same thing that I did last year -- Facebook.  It can be such a distraction sometimes.  So, instead of keeping up with my 700+ "friends," I will be catching up with Jesus and getting to know Him better.  :) 

" Our " shows

Just thought I'd share some of the shows that we watch on a regular basis... or at least the ones that build up on DVR.  Right now, I think we are three behind on Grey's Anatomy. Haha.  It's always a good thing to save for a rainy day...

Also on the list:  

• Grey's Anatomy
• Jeopardy! (which we are easing our way back into with the Teen Tournament!)
• Covert Affairs

Ray loves:

• The Office
• According to Jim (we have 8 on DVR right now...)
• American Pickers
• Pawn Stars

My guilty pleasures are The Bachelor and Desperate Housewives.  Most of the time I can sweet talk my way into getting Ray to watch them with me! 

Forbidden Shows according to Ray:  

• Oprah
• Toddlers & Tiaras
• Inside Edition/TMZ/Access Hollywood
• Anything on E!

Quick Pic

Here's a better picture of the house.  We are just waiting on the underwriters now.  Pray that they get everything done in time!

We + AVL.

The weather was SO beautiful yesterday. I took advantage of it as soon as I could by going for a walk with a girlfriend at the park.  Once we move, we'll be a lot closer to the park that I LOVE and it will be just in time for Spring!

Ray and I hung out downtown last night.  We walked the streets and enjoyed people watching...  always a very entertaining thing to do in Asheville!

It hit us last night that we've (finally) fallen in love with this place.  :) 

First, dessert.  Chocolate caramels and
coconut clusters. Yum!  

Ray laughing looking at people
dancing and hula hooping.  

Drum circle - a Friday night event in Asheville!

We ended the night with a couple drinks at Biergarden.
For Ray: Blue Moon
For Kimberly: Apple juice, I mean Harpoon Cider