two dolla

the deets on our new place

You’re dying to read the scoop on our new house, right?

We found out we had to move on January 1 and we got a call from our new landlord last night while we were at dinner confirming that we were approved for the house. Nine days. We like efficiency. And probably had some grandmas and grandpas looking out for us to make sure we weren’t homeless, too.

So anyway, our house is .7 miles from our new house. It’s technically in a different neighborhood, but not far enough away that we won’t continue to shop at all of our regular stores. You know how important it is when you have a specific gas station you like to use, right? Because I do. I still miss my friend from the Super America that was closest to our duplex in Northeast Minneapolis.

Perks:

• three bedrooms
• bathtub AND shower
• three stories (bedroom on each floor)
• allows Marshall and Riley (landlord loves boxers!)
• garage (and driveway)
• within five miles of my work
• central air (and a brand new furnace)
• fenced in backyard
• less than a block from a main bus stop
• family room downstairs
• onsite laundry (front load washer!)
• ample storage
• in Minneapolis

Basically, everything on our wishlist I posted about last week. Needless to say, we’re beyond thrilled. We clicked right away with the owner of our new house, just like we did with the owner of our current house. We’re visiting Vegas the last weekend of February and as long as we don’t win a billion dollars, we’ll be moving the first weekend in March and we may need some help. If we win a billion dollars, we’ll still move, but pay someone and then be on the lookout for some additional homes in the Key West area and a place of The General’s choosing.

We’re so, so excited and feel so, so fortunate!

raising a teenager provides no blog fodder

Well, it does. But because I’m pretty sure the kids he hangs out with know how to use Google (even if it is just to search for manga, Star Wars or boobs), this is how I can sum up what raising a teenager is like:

[REDACTED]

High school is tricky and it would have been cool had someone told me that, you know? His grades are seriously great and so far improved over last year, thee are times I can’t believe it. He has some pretty cool friends. He’s so smart. He’s developing into this guy that’s fun to hang out with and I forget I’m supposed to be helping raise.

With high school comes social stuff and awkward growing and dating and homework and all this other stuff that I super loved in high school (minus the dating), so it’s cool to see him deal with all of it in his own way that just works best for him. And man, oh, man, do I want to blog about ALL OF IT.

But I don’t, because that is so not cool.

the things i do for the kid #2908

Okay, first off – I’m not saying I go above and beyond for this kid and should be rewarded for it. I do what parents do and that’s my job. So don’t get crazy.

Secondly, the point. The Kid has had an interest in manga, this Japanese comic book type thingy, and has been reading them (parent-approved, of course) over the past several years, even before I met him. I took him to Dollar Tree for some ridiculous reason a couple of weeks ago and we started trolling through the book section. I told him he could get one book, mainly since I was buying one. He found Rock and Roll Love, which I let him buy. It was a dollar. If The General, who was at home, wouldn’t approve of it, we could have pitched it and/or set it on fire.

I’ve been reading my Dollar Tree purchase, Don’t Let The Lipstick Fool You, which is Lisa Leslie’s autobiography but I didn’t feel like it last night. I figured I’d try to pick up some of this Rock and Roll Love nonsense and see if maybe it’s something we could have in common. Well, sorry, little guy, we do not.

Manga is kind of the dumbest thing I’ve ever read in my life. Now, granted this book was for kids 10 and up, but holy cow. I read probably 30 pages of it thinking just MAYBE I’d be able to get into it and the only thing I got into was a ball of rage for continuing to look at this book full of pictures of people that all looked the same.

Now, this morning, I’m complaining about it to his mom. And she tells me that the only reason he’s reading it is because his new girlfriend (YES, GIRLFRIEND) likes manga. It takes a lot off my shoulders to realize he’s reading crap for someone else and now I don’t have to read it, too.

moving wasn’t one of our new year’s resolutions

Our major plan in 2012 was to add a baby to our family. After we go to Las Vegas, of course. We want to be responsible parents after all. And that’s still on the agenda, of course, but we’re going to be moving before that happens. Our super fantastic landlord is moving back to Minneapolis and since, you know, she owns the house we live in, she wants to move back into it. Makes sense to me, right?

We’ve come up with our list of “deep down must-haves”: two bedrooms, allows Riley and Marshall, onsite laundry, shower, fenced in backyard, on a bus  line, in Minneapolis. And we have a list of “in a perfect situation”: two stories (we’ve enjoyed being able to give The Kid his own space, not only in his room but on another floor), garage, den/office/spare bedroom, within five miles of downtown, dishwasher, central air.

I’m sure I’m forgetting something, but we’ve only had about 36 hours to think about it and we’ve plowed through those seven stages of grief. We’re currently on stage six: reconstruction and working through. But, you know, I guess you need something like this to keep you on your toes. We’ve driven through a couple of neighborhoods already that we weren’t super familiar with to make sure we liked the area. We’re about to get out our Minnaepolis neighborhood map to cross off the places we’d rather not live. Craigslist is already becoming our BFF. So, yeah, we’ll figure it out for sure, but we might be sad until we find somewhere to live. I think that’s a natural response, though.

2012 as it started today

The General and I are battling some awesome flu symptoms and my resolution for the next couple of days is to not puke my guts out with some crazy stomach virus. My uncle Pete sounded like someone was murdering him from the inside out the day we left Sedalia and headed back to Minneapolis and I really wish to not replicate that.

Neither does Riley.

magically my headaches are gone

When we were visiting Missouri in October (you know, for a high school football game and a Chili Cookoff), I left my good/favorite glasses at my parents’ house. I didn’t have them mail them, because I had another pair at home. My other pair of glasses, while equally as stylish, were just not cutting the mustard for me, so I only ended up wearing half the time, which obviously developed muchos headaches.

In the two months between my visits to Missouri, I probably should have just ordered some new eyeglasses, but that would have taken initiative that I just didn’t have (outside of work, of course) over the past couple of months. I probably could have gotten them in time to make sure the different holiday frames that Zenni Optical offers were applicable to the Yuletide season. I could have rocked any of these styles:

Now that I have my favorite red and black frames back and I know I can always rely on those, it might be time to order some new ones. I do love the idea of spending $8.95 on a pair of frames I found online and not having to deal with the crazy sales people at other places I’ve purchased glasses where they’ve asked me if I’ve wanted 5,201 different kinds of protective coating on my lenses. Plus, all the money I save ordering frames online can go right into our glass jar full of Vegas funds.

the difference in my mornings over the past week

The last five days in Sedalia, my mornings went like this: wake up on my own around 7:30. Try to go back to sleep a little bit more. Never happened. Wake up and go downstairs. Take Riley out, usually wearing no shoes and a t-shirt (optional pants). Go back inside. Have Grandma’s chocolate pie for breakfast. Get dressed. Take Riley out again and walk across the street to visit Grandma and Grandpa. Drive a golf cart to my uncle’s horse pasture and drive back while he leads one of the horses next to the golf cart. Eat some cookies for second breakfast. Continue on my day.

This morning, my morning went like this: wake up several times throughout the night because I was scared I’d sleep through my alarm. Stare at the new alarm clock The General got me for Christmas, because it projects the time on the wall/ceiling and I love it. Finally wake up. Try to find black socks. Apply hair product. Scrape the ice off my windshield. Shiver during my morning commute. Find myself behind a FARM VEHICLE. FOR THREE MILES OF MY FIVE MILE COMMUTE. (My commute goes from urban Minneapolis to downtown Minneapolis. I was very confused.) Delete 14,000 emails. (Not an exaggeration. I got a note from IT saying do it or die.)

If I could combine all of the things of my regular morning with a daily walk over to my grandparents’ house, it’d be kind of perfect.

i want to be this big some day

you need a dog, right?

Riley/Thelma lovefest., originally uploaded by twodolla.

If we’re not Facebook friends (and we should be!), then you didn’t see this. And sometimes pictures are exactly what I need when I’m having a shitstorm of a day.

P.S. The brown one is totally available for adoption. The white one might be, too, if he tries eating the Christmas cookies off the stove one more time.

#resound11 – prompt 15: discovery

What discovery did you make in 2011? What kind of impact did it have on how you view the world today?

Running: I like it. It’s hard and my boobs get in the way, but I feel so good when I’m done. It gave me a way to compete with myself.

Yoga Pants: I was a fan of track pants for lounging around the house until I started wearing The General’s yoga pants. Now I love them a lot.

America: I also discovered America. By myself.

How will you resound?