Updates

Okay, okay, I know I've been a bad blogger. But honestly, there hasn't been too much to report, and I don't like to blog unless I have something to say. The past month I've been wrapping up my last semester of college! All I have left is a slightly minor exam this Wednesday, and graduation is Saturday! I've been counting down the days pretty much since college started, so it's a bit of a weird feeling knowing that it's almost here.

In my free time, I have been doing quite a bit of research for the house. Since my last post, the porch posts have been installed and I'm really happy with them. Our front door was ordered weeks ago but is due to arrive this Wednesday, so hopefully by this time next week I will have a completely finished picture of the exterior :)

Speaking of pictures, I know I'm awful at taking them. However, just the other day I got a brand spanking new iPhone 4s, so I know those pictureless days are over. The day after I got it, I made sure to go to the house and take pictures of every angle I could. There isn't really a point in showing them now, but they will be nice to have when I start doing posts room by room. We'll see if I keep my word, though.

Although we've pretty much come to a stand-still on house building, I have been doing lots of research. Andy and I have quite a large to-do list. So far, he has been a trooper at being motivated, so I can only hope his motivation continues and that I can keep up. The past few weeks, he's been hard at work on the old cabinets that were in the old house. They were pretty much in mint condition, so we are salvaging and reconfiguring them for the new mudroom bath, as well as the laundry room.  I am so thankful I'm marrying a handy man. He's done so much work on them.  The mudroom bath sections are close to being done, so we should be able to prime and paint within the next few weeks if we wanted to. We are thinking black for the mudroom bath and a creamy tan color for the laundry room. However, my ideas change on a regular basis, so we will see :) We do have the pulls for the mudroom bath purchased, which was more of my thing. I'm excited to start doing more of that fun stuff.

Thanks to Pinterest, our to-do list consists of much more than the cabinet project. First, I stumbled upon this uber perfect master closet on Sawdust and Paper Scraps. For weeks, I've been trying to design a closet based on our needs and dimensions. We are doing this 100% from scratch so we may bite off more than we can chew. Also, I've been trying to find just the right bench/storage for our mudroom. I've pinned options on several of my boards and there are just too many to choose from.  And, I drool over these DIY IKEA built-in bookcases by Centsational Girl.  The dimensions used here aren't the same as we would need, and I'd like to find an option with some filing cabinets, but it certainly has given me somewhere to start from.

Once we get the dry wall in and I know my exact measurements, we'll be able to really get going. I think the Master closet project will be first, because I know if we move things into the space then we will never take it all out and live in construction. Then the mudroom bench will be next, followed by the office built-ins. We'll see how long it takes us to get there!

Porch Inspiration

I have always dreamed of having a big southern porch. I imagine myself sitting on a porch swing or rocking chair drinking sweet tea in the summers and watching the sun set. Idyllic? I'd say so.

On our house, we have a long front porch that runs the length of the house. We've been focusing on selecting columns and railings this week, so I thought I would post about my inspiration and what I'm hoping it will come out as.

Here are some photos I've collected on Pinterest over the last few months..

 PorchView

 Charming Porch

Wrap-Around Porch

Our house actually should look pretty similar to the middle photo - long porch with the front door in the middle. We think we've settled on a style for the columns and railings. Here is the sample photo from the seller:

Turncraft Columns

I promise this weekend I will steal someone's camera and take pictures of all of the rooms. This week I should have oodles of free time so I expect to get a few inspiration posts done!

The Wait Is Over!

Today was the day that I've been waiting for for the past four years - Match Day, people! I'm honestly surprised at how calm I was up until today. Like I've said before, I was in total denial. Even today Andy and I went to the mall and for a long walk around campus, all the while my nerves were at bay. I wasn't even thinking about 6pm most of the time.  If you know me at all, you will know how foreign a lack of anxiety is for me.

Anywho, I called my friend around 4:45 to talk about school stuff, and got completely wigged out. Andy and I were on our way to dinner (Monical's Pizza, of course) and it was like I got hit in the face with a nervous stick. I got all shaky and couldn't sit still while we ate. I couldn't get home soon enough.

We got home with time to spare, I logged on to the site and waited it out. 6pm came, I hit refresh, and... nothing. The site went totally berzerk due to the heavy traffic, and I was certain this was just a bad omen. Andy and I were compulsively clicking our computers trying to get it to load. It took fifteen minutes, but I finally got in.

I got matched to OSF St. Francis! It was my top choice all along and I was pretty much certain that I wouldn't get it. It's highly competitive due to its stipend and I thought I wouldn't make the cut. One girl doesn't get everything she's ever wished for right? I am so very blessed. I can't believe the process is over, and I just couldn't be more thrilled.

If I get placed in my preferred class, I will be starting the internship on June 11. Have I mentioned that I will be finishing the program the day before my wedding next year? It's insane but I'm trying not to think about that - it's what vacation days are for right?

What a busy year it is going to be! I am the luckiest girl ever.

Coming Together

I know I am an awful blogger. I like to think that it's because I'm not at the house every day to see the actual process. And I haven't taken a single picture of it because I currently do not have a camera (I probably need one of those, right?). Anyways, all of my info comes through Andy, and I know some things probably get lost in transit, so all I have to go by are his pictures.

Most of the major things are complete. Now the structures for both the house and garage are done and they are starting on the smaller things. They are working on the soffit panels, we got our showers/tubs in yesterday and we even got our first window! From what I understand, upcoming projects include installing all the windows and maybe shingles for the roof. The concrete for the porch still needs to be poured and we have been selecting posts. Here are a few measly pictures..

Front of the house (which is a little outdated but it's the best I can do)

Updated front of garage:

 Close-up of the gables above the porch:

Our first window! It's one from the old house that we are reusing in the garage.

The shower placed in our master bath:

I am kind of confused as to the order of things, but I am getting extremely anxious about starting my part (selecting finishes, paint colors, furnishings, landscaping, and such). We have done a few things, like picking out our showers, but the real fun stuff hasn't started yet! Andy came to visit me this weekend and we have gone to Menard's, Lowe's, and Home Depot in the past 24 hours basically just for fun. We act like old people.

I am hoping to start doing inspiration posts soon. My brain has been going wild this week since my schoolwork has been pretty slow, and I need to find a way to focus my thoughts.  I think blogging more will help me chill out a bit and also just give me something to do. I'm going crazy having such a large to-do list that I can't even start yet!

And on another note, Match Day is TOMORROW. I have been surprising calm about it for the past few weeks. I can't tell if that's a good thing or not, but if things don't go well atleast I've had a few weeks of peace? I have waited for this for four years and I'm in denial that it's actually here. Fingers crossed that I have a big smile on my face at 6pm. I will be sure to post afterward.

Phase 2

We have made some serious progress on the house. At this point, the foundation has been finished, the floor boards have been put in place, and the walls are up (the studs, at least). Most of the exciting stuff happened while I was at school last week, and I was a bit of a nervous wreck worrying about if it was all going to come out right. I hated not being there to begin with, but we had to change a few things which made my anxiety even worse. Thank goodness Andy knows what he's doing, made the right choices, and just puts up with my insanity. He has been a real trooper communicating the important stuff. I got to walk through it for the first time on Thursday, and was extremely happy with how it all turned out! Here are the photos. Obviously it's difficult to capture depth and actual size, but you get the jist.

Front of the house:

 Just inside the front door. There is a coat closet to the left separating the entry from the living room, laundry room straight ahead, and office to the right, next to the bedrooms.

 Here are the two bedrooms separated by their closets. The farthest wall is the front of the house.

 Here is the dining room, which faces the back of the house. We are including a sliding door here in the hopes that we will have some sort of screened in porch/patio at some point down the road. Obviously, we have our hands full at the moment, but we are thinking ahead.

Here is the view from the mudroom door. Our mudroom connects the garage and the house. You walk in and the kitchen/dining room is to the right, pantry straight ahead (although the walls aren't there in this picture), and the living room is to the right. It's all open concept.

 This is our master bedroom. There is really no point to including this photo, but I thought I would just for good measure. It is in the back corner of the house, and a bathroom and walk-in closet are attached, but not in the photo.

We should have a roof on by the end of this week! So far on the Phase 2 to-do list: garage walls, concrete for garage and porch, windows, doors, and of course the roof.

My current project focus? Landscaping.

Internship Update

I just finished my first dietetic internship interview.

I was in a cold sweat, super nervous, and majorly anxious. It was via Skype, so all of the stress worrying about having technological difficulties was the problem. I think it went pretty well, though. I got some insight on what the others will be like.  Speaking of the others, I got my fourth interview! So far, I have gotten interviews with my 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th programs - still waiting on that #1, but I'm not expecting to hear for another week or so. Oy. My other three are this week (tomorrow, Thursday, and Friday). I am so ready for them to be over. All of this waiting is the pits...

As far as house news, they are trucking away. The basement should be finished by the end of the week. I haven't been back to see it in person since the last post, but will be sure to get some pictures this weekend.

Phase 1

We are strolling right along with house progress.  It's almost insane how fast things have been changing. I'll walk you through it...

On a Saturday, we moved Andy out of the old house. By that Friday, it was nothing more than a big bowl of dirt. I promised myself I would upload pictures (I know I will thank myself later). Here is a little before and after.  I'm thankful that Andy can be around for the progress and takes LOTS of photos.. even if it's on his low-tech flip phone :)

Here is what the house was like when Andy moved in, from the front and side view. The side view is what you see from the road.

Here is what the lot looks like now. Crazy!

The foundation has been started, and progress is being made every day. We are just starting to begin choosing siding, doors, and all that fun stuff. I'm looking forward to doing more!