Peaceful

Usually Lucy is a ball of energy but apparently our friend is the dog whisperer as she was perfectly relaxed all evening in her arms, including at the kitchen island.

A home again

Our friends Judy, Steve and Sandy arrived last night for the weekend. It is great having them here and it really made the house feel like a home again.

Old habits

In Denver Dale and I watched the news most nights before bed, but here in Boston we have not. I am not sure why - too busy, not sure what station is best to watch, no interest or is it that we now have DVR access from our bedroom TV. It really just dawned on this last night. I tend to still watch a little TV before bed, but now I watch something from the DVR versus the news. A part of me misses the news, but often it was so darn negative and sensational, I am not sure if it is such a bad thing not watching. However, I wonder if the local news would make us feel more connected here. Or we may see a shooting or two that completely freaks us out. Again, I am not sure.

I also wonder if I will read books as much as I used to as well. Sometimes I read 2-3 books a month. I used to read a lot on the bus to and from work, but now I drive to work with only a 10 minute commute. This will probably reduce my reading habits. I think as a starting point I need to venture out and find the local library to get a library card. That will at least be a good starting point to help get my literary juices flowing again.

I think the lack of commute will also reduce my Facebook posting (a bit). A lot of my posts were during my bus commute. Part of it was boredom and part of it was the fact that the bus people were freaks and made for great posts. I will sort of miss that. I love the 10 minute drive to work, but the bus often proved to be a bit of an adventure.

Oh well...change is good and mixing things up a bit is healthy - I guess, right? They say old habits due hard, but I think they die easily in a different setting.

What can I say

Dale continues to do an amazing job transforming the new house into a home. It looks better and better each day. After being together 24/7 the past few weeks with the move, it has been weird to go back to work and not be with him all day. I miss seeing him all day. Although moving was stressful, it was nice to get so much alone time with Dale. I was nice being together all the time. I know to most of you with significant others and spouse that sounds crazy, but what can I say...I love the guy.

First Day

Yesterday was my first day in my new office. I am now working in my company's corporate office - Bridgeline Digital. It was a good first day. As I would have expected everyone was incredibly kind and rolled out the welcome wagon. Several people stopped by my office to say hello and see if I needed anything and a few even took me to lunch, which was incredibly kind.

Still...it was different and it will be an adjustment. I had been in my past office for 8 years. It felt like home. This does not feel like home...yet. I know eventually it will. But still...it was a good first day.

It is just strange as I went from running our office in Denver to now just being a part of our corporate office. In Denver, I was the person everyone came to with questions. I knew everything that was going on. In corporate, I am a part of something larger. I am not the person in charge. I am not the person everyone will come to with their questions. I will now be someone asking the questions.

It is different. But sometimes different is good, right?

Feel Real Yet?

The other day Dale and I were talking and asked each other if it feels real yet? Does it feel real we packed up our lives and moved 2,000 miles East? Does it feel real yet that we have a new home, new jobs and in many ways - new lives? Does it feel real that our family and closest friends are on the other side of the country?

No.

I think we have been so focused these past few weeks on getting here and unpacking it has not fully sunk in. I know that sounds incredibly odd, but it still feels like we are on some sort of weird vacation that we brought all our stuff. It still feels like we will be going back to our lives in Colorado any day now.

It is weird, but when will it feel real?

Love

I love this photo. My friend Brenda Messingham posted it on Facebook yesterday. It is from mine and Dale's going away party that she and her husband, Jason hosted for us in Colorado before we moved. It is a great photo of all our friends. I love, love, love it. Thanks Brenda.

Weird furniture dream

I had such a weird dream last night...weird even for me. Dale and I were hiding out from someone. I am not sure if it was the police or someone trying to hurt us but we were definitely hiding out. And we were scared.

My friend Teri Bradley from my Blockbuster Video days (yes, I used to be a VHS jockey) gave us a warehouse her family owned to hide out in. I do not remember Teri ever telling me her family had a warehouse, but in my dream they did. It was less of a warehouse and more of a huge, run-down house they use to store old furniture and junk. In the dream we had the dogs with us and we kept moving from room to room trying to find a place to hide. The place was an obstacle of furniture falling with every step, so with the dogs it was a nightmare (pun intended). At one point in the dream, a smoke detector started going off somewhere in the place and that is when I woke up.

I am not sure what it means but maybe it is just my subconscious feeling overwhelmed with the moving and our furniture. But I now know if Teri offers me a place to hide, I should probably check a few other places first.

Why can't I dream about flying like other people?

Family Room

The family room is almost done. We have a TV console on order for the corner and need cushions for our window seat...but otherwise done. This is my favorite room in the house. I love the fireplace.

Kitchen

The kitchen is all done. I think this is Dale's favorite room in the house. It is hard not to love a kitchen this size. I love the size of the island and the new table looks beautiful.

Dining Room

The dining room is done. Well except for the new curio cabinet that is on back order from Crate & Barrel to upgrade from the existing one. I think the room is a fun mixture of antiques and new modern. I love it.

Clocks

Dale also hung our two new clocks in the kitchen today. One is set to Eastern time and the other is set to Mountain time, so we keep our Denver friends close to our hearts. They look great!

Moon

I took this shot of the moon tonight through the tree in our backyard. There is something so beautiful about a winter moon. It seems so peaceful.

Our First Fire

We just started our first fire in the fireplace at our new house tonight. It is my first wood fireplace. The old house had a gas fireplace, which is just not the same in my opinion. I love the sound of the wood crackling. It is beautiful. And look at Dale all L. L. Bean-esque in his sweater starting the fire. Love it.

Repurposed

Dale Gloude hung the metal sculptures on the stairs. Actually these are supposed to sit on a table and hold candles, but Dale repurposed and put on the walls. I think they look great.

Co-worker Love

My co-workers at my new Bridgeline Digital office here in Massachusetts sent Dale and I a wonderful gift basket congratulating us on the new house and welcoming us. Isn't that so kind? I love my company and the great people I get to work with every day. Thanks everyone!

Conquered the garage

Today Dale and I conquered the garage. After about 6 hours of moving boxes, moving tools, general organizing and building shelves, it is not done but looks a lot better. The cars fit in better now too, which was our mail goal. Plus we found five boxes that belonged in the house, which included the missing living room pillows and my bedside lamp. All the boxes still need to be emptied and more shelves built but it is a start. And that is what matters, right?

Tradition

One tradition continued today - egg toast. Dale made me egg toast (also known as eggs in a basket) for breakfast. I love it and Dale makes it for me on holidays. It is a fun tradition. Thanks Dale.

Giblets

The only thing that is slightly disappointing this year is no giblets. I love the giblets and they are my tradition. It really does not feel like Thanksgiving unless I am watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, gnawing on the turkey neck, heart and liver while reading the Black Friday ads. But by next year I will be back to this tradition - I promise.

Thankful

So here I sit in our new house, surrounded by piles of our stuff that has yet to be placed and a few miscellaneous boxes. I am in a new town and a new state. I am 2,000 miles away from everything I have come to know and love. And it is Thanksgiving.

Each year on this holiday, I try to take a few moments to reflect on why I am thankful. This year two things truly stand out above all my other blessings - Dale and our dear friends.

I am so blessed to have Dale as my partner in life. I am so happy and proud he was willing to take this journey with me across the country and start a new life with me and Massachusetts. It was a lot for Dale to be willing to move from our wonderful home, friends and life in Colorado. He gave up a lot for this change. I am fortunate to have such a caring, loving, supporting and giving partner in Dale. He makes my every day better and he is my love. I could not imagine a day without him. He has been a blessing since the day I met him 9 1/2 years ago.

I know I post about it a lot, but Dale and I truly have amazing friends in our lives. We have friends that are there when we need them. We have friend that make us smile. We have friends who make us laugh. We have friend that fill our hearts with love. We have friend that give of themselves without a second thought. We are blessed with the best friends in the world. As a kid who struggled to make friends, I am always amazed on how blessed I am as a adult with so many incredible friends.

We are blessed with so many dear and wonderful friends and although all of them are wonderful, I want to thank five of our friends who have truly made mine and Dale's lives better and have become our dearest friends and family - Sandy Stubbendick, Steve Stubbendick, Judy Wodell, Shannon Spencer and Tim Spencer. Dale and I are so extremely blessed to have the honor to have you each in our lives. You amaze us with your love, kindness and friendship. We love and adore you all and know we will remain friends no matter how many miles separate us. You have done so much for us this year and please know how much we appreciate you all. Thank you for all your love.

This will not be a Thanksgiving like past holidays where we are surrounded by friends and family. No, this year it will just be Dale, myself and the pups. We will not be feasting on a large Thanksgiving dinner. No, we will be unpacking and eating take-out from Boston Market. However, it is not sad as I know our new house will soon become a home. No matter where I am, as long as I have Dale on my side I am blessed. And even though I will not see our friends today, they are in my heart and for all of this and for so many other reasons, I am thankful.

I hope all of you are just as blessed as I. Happy Thanksgiving.

Close Talker

Lucy is what you would call a close talker, especially in the morning when she wants you to feed her.

IKEA, Target, Home Depot...oh my!

Today we ventured out for some shopping. We started out with a trip south to IKEA. We needed two carpet runners for the upstairs hallway to go with our existing two carpet runners, which we bought from IKEA in Colorado. Thankfully they still carry this runner. Score!

We picked up a few other odds and ends, because nobody ever gets out of IKEA with one or two items, ever! We also stayed for some lunch because I love me the Swedish meatballs. Yum!

Next we hit Target for more odds and ends, plus a few grocery items. You always need the most random things for a new home. After Target, we hit Home Depot for a fireplace grate, so we could use our fireplace. The Stubbendick's kindly gifted us with beautiful new fireplace screen, fireplace tools and wood rack from Crate and Barrel but we needed the grate to hold the wood while burning. We also picked up some firewood. I am excited for our first fire. Fire, fire!

After Home Depot, we popped into Boston Market to pick up our Thanksgiving dinner for tomorrow. We felt it was more practical to do Boston Market take-out than cook a big dinner for the two of us. Plus the cooking time could be used for more unpacking. It will not be the most exciting Thanksgiving but we both want the house set up, so it is a sacrifice worth making. Besides, as long as I am with Dale that is all that matters to me.

The shopping today wiped me out. I am not sure why, but I came home and immediately fell asleep on the couch to nap. It felt very good to get a few minutes of shut eye. Now onto more unpacking!

Housewarming

I love our friends as they are such amazing, caring and giving people. From all over the country, our dear friends have helped warm our home with love. They have truly helped make our house a home again with wonderful housewarming gifts.

Our friend's Nancy and Tom McGourty from Chicago sent us a wonderful gift basic from Harry and David. It is pear-tastic. We love it!

Our friend Barb Pemble from Denver sent us a yummy looking gift box of pancake mix, jam and coffee cake. It will make for some wonderful breakfasts, which is our favorite meal.

Our friend's The Stubbendick's sent us a box of delicious cookies. They include my absolute favorite - M&M cookies. It is the prefect gift for the guys with a love for sweets. I do not see them lasting very long.

It has been hard packing up and moving to the other side of the country, but these gifts and the love from our friends help make the transition a little bit easier. We are blessed to have such loving friends in our lives. Thank you Tom, Nancy, Barb, Steve, Sandy, Stacie and Shannon. We love you all!!!

Lucy the Cat

Lucy thinks the sandbox in the corner from the previous owners is her personal digging pit. She also has taken to acting like a cat, by sitting on sofa arms and backs. She has never done this before. She must be acting out from the move.

So much paper

Just to give everyone a sense of how many sheets of paper we have unwrapped from our belongings, here is a snapshot of the stack as it stands today. It feels so wasteful, but we will reuse and recycle it.

Progress

I know it has only been a few days, but it feels like we have been unpacking for months. Although you feel very satisfied when you complete a box, the thought of the next box feels like a monumental chore. Still...we are making progress and that is good. Yesterday this pile was twice as high and twice as wide...so that is good.

Moving Update

All the rooms in the new house seem half complete. We still have a wall of boxes that need to be unpacked separating our kitchen and family room. The family room TV hates me and has decided to not power on. I continue to jot down lists of things we need to buy, like toilet paper holders and show racks. And other lists of things we need to do, like touch up paint or add an outlet cover. Still we are a few days in and although we have made progress, I somehow underestimated the emotional and physical drain moving can be. Why did my parents move do often? They must have been crazy. I plan to die in this house so I never have to move again. Ever.

In good news, we love the house and so do the dogs...so that is great. Also, Lucy is exhibiting a lot of cat like tendencies as of late like sitting on the top of couches on the head rest. She is now half dog and half cat - dat or cog. Either way...I like it.

That is all for now. If Dale finds me not unpacking, I am a dead man.

Need some lovin'

I woke up around 3 AM. My cough medicine had worn off. I felt horrible. My head hurt, my nose was running, my throat ached, I was cold...I was miserable. But along came our dog Lucy right at that moment. She snuggled up along my chest, sighed and went to sleep. She made everything feel a little better. I may tease her and say she is an insane dog, but when the chips are down she is always there when you need some lovin'. Thanks Lucy!