New House, New Car

I have been so busy packing, moving, meeting with workers and installers and more!  On top of getting a new house it was about time for my car lease to be up.  I went with a much more practical, affordable, choice this time.  I absolutely loved my Mercedes Slk but she was just to expensive and high matinees!  My new car is a 2011 Jetta SE.  I like her a lot too, but the one thing I don't love is the arm rest.  I know that seams funny but the 2010's and older have an adjustable one and the 2011's don't.  The 2011 one just doesn't fit me right.  I debated on going with a used on just for the arm rest...  They were practical the same price.  Really,  the 2011 models are $1700 less the a brand new 2010 one.  That surprised me! More pictures and stuff about the New House coming soon!

1,000 hours

So I was driving my car and noticed it had 1,000 hours on it!!!  I can't beleive I have driven that much.  My car only has 27,000 miles on it and I have had it for just under 3 years.  I was really surprised that i have spent 1,000 hours of my life driving and that's just in a few years!  I don't even have a long comunte.  It just made me think about how much time I have spent in my cars total!  Think about all the cars you've driven and how many miles were on them and how many hours that adds up to... WOW...

My lease is almost up and I have to start looking for another car again.  I have know idea what I am going to get this time... first I wanted the volvo c70, but now with the new house I'm not so sure I want that much of a payment... It is already about 10,000 less then my car now, but I'm wondering how much I want to spend and how I could be saving that extra money for more important things.  This leaves me wondering how cheap of a car I can go....

busy busy busy

     Where to start???? It must be in the air... First Joshua and Rebecca, then Nathanael and Mary-Anne now  John and I too are moving...  We put an offer in on another house (right by mom and dad's)...and they excepted.  If everything goes right on schedule we should get the keys next week!  Buying a house is very exciting as well as stressful!  John has been so bust studying for the CPA that I get to do all the packing by myself! Wow 10 years of stuff sure piles up!  I have almost all of the inside sorted out and now started on the garage...As for John all that studying is paying off, he is 2 for2  so far on passing and is half done.  Next test April 11th.  Also I wanted to post about his Birthday. John turned 37 on the 12th of March.  We went out to dinner on the 11th with 12 other people and then to the Thunderbirds, Hockey game at Kent Station.  Then on the 12th we went to dinner again with about 12 other friends for our friend Cory's birthday too!  Finally to finish off the weekend Sunday our parents over for Pizza and Ice cream Sundays.

     Finally a BIG thanks to Layne and Malach for coming over to help box up my "mini shoes" collection!  I'm not sure they knew what they were getting into when they started.  We spent hours wrapping hundreds of shoes back in there original boxes!  I think I have them in 6 big boxes now.  and Yes I had every one, although when it came down to the end I had 1 box and 1 shoe but they weren't quite a match, oh well probably do to my bad eye sight that really showed up that night!

the weekend

Ok I'm trying to blog more as long as I don't have to do many pictures!!!  John and I went to the ocean this weekend.  We left Friday night after work and stayed at the Quinalut in Ocean Shores.  It was nice.  We had the surf n turf buffet.  They had a hpynotist show going on.  We really didn't do much.  In the morning we took a short drive to the ocean.  It was so cold!  This is the first time I can remember seeing snow on the sand! yes it was that cold and windy too!  We walked around about five mins. then got in the car and drove home.  We stopped at the pet store, just to look. Then a movie.  Then grocerie shopping and home.  Then about an hour later off to a Birthday party! 

Sunday we played volleyball.  We went 3&3.  That's about how we usally do.  Then I went home to get ready for a little Oscar party!  I made Chinese food and had about a dozen people over.  We had to turn our voting ballets in early and I won! 17/23...not to bad.  All and all a busy and fun weekend!

nothing to write about...

    John and I really don't have much going on but I feel bad reading, and enjoying, everyone else's blogs and not sharing too!  We don't have much going on other then watching John study!  We havn't been doing much because he is studying for the C.P.A. exam...it is crazy hard and takes 6 months of studying and 4 tests each about six weeks apart.  John studys about 50 hours a week on top of working.  He does take about 1-2 vacation days a month from work to study too!  I just hope he still has some left for fun after he passes.  Oh ya and only 22% of people pass the first time around.  He just took test two this morning...he dosen't even know if he passed round one yet.
     As for me I have just been working alot and doing a few things around the house.  I want to paint my bathroom soon.  I think that might be my next project.  Also I am starting to look for my next car.  I leased this one and I only have a few months left.  Right now I am looking at the volvo c70...I love having a convertable but I want a smaller payment so I can save more and work less!  I might by mine or get a used car, I don't know yet...Also I have been going to weight watchers again...I'm always tring to lose weight...I've been on it for about a month and doing pretty good at trying hard.  I have some extra incentive remembering my 20yr class reunion is this summer!  As for entertainment I got the new Verizion Iphone and am having fun figuring it out! 
     Tomorrow we are going to the ocean for the night.  John gets to take a few days off of studing between test.  We are both looking forward to it!  The Dogs are all good and so is John.  He had another 4 month cancer check-up the other day and is all good :)

uuugggghhhh!!!!

I just spent about three hours trying to make that last post!  After being super stressed out and frustrated John then tried to help!  He spent another hour working on it and then it was completely gone!!!  I don't know what I am doing wrong!  I messed around for a bit and got it back...shew!  I love reading everybody else's post but until I get another tutorial I don't know how much blogging I can do.  I really don't want to spend another afternoon frustrated and mad!  I can never get the photos lined up either!  Unfortunately until some nice person with lots of time and patients wants to help me...this could be it for awhile!

New Orleans

If you guys didn't know John and I just got back from New Orleans.  We had an eventful time!  John had to go on business, I just tagged along.  We left on Friday morning.  Dad drove us to the airport where we had 2 stops and one delay.  After a long day of traveling we took a 45 minute (about $40) cab ride to our first hotel.  When we tried to check in they couldn't find our reservation and was very rude about it. I didn't bring the confirmation number with me, but I had called to confirm them already.  They said they were full and even if I found my number they didn't have any rooms for us, even though not every one had checked in yet.  I asked what he thought we should do and he said " I suggest you start looking for another hotel.  There was several Huge conventions in town and it was very hard to find a room in the first place.  Luckily John had brought his laptop and found us another place to stay.  So another cab ride off to hotel #2.  It was spendy for a mediocre room, but at least the staff was friendly, and it was for only 2 nights. 

 

 

  

We then headed down to the famous Bourbon Street.  It was a bit raunchy but John loved the music.  The next morning we wondered all around the Riverwalk and the French Quarter.  It was pretty crowded but we enjoyed the sights and the food...Po-boys, Etouffee, Jambalaya, Oysters, Bengeits, and more.  Sunday morning John had to start classes and we got to switch to the Sheraton Hotel. (they only had 3 night available in the first place.)  I just laid low.  Monday was suppose to be pretty rainy so I went to the most expensive, most boring, mall ever and a few movies while John was in class.  I also booked some tours for Tuesday and Wednesday!

Tuesday I went to some sugar plantations.  My tour guide was great.  He gave us a ton of history and a mini Katrina tour too!  It lasted pretty much all day and I was looking forward to a nice dinner w/ John.  I knew his conference included dinner Sunday and Monday and apparently Tuesday too...  John asked if I could go along for Dinner because he knew I was getting tired of eating alone.  They said yes.  Dinner was great!  There was 11 of us and it cost $1300 w/o tip!Finally Wednesday was here and what a long day it was!  First we had to check out of the Sheraton and have them hold our bags.  Then as usually John was off to class.  Today me too!  I went to a cooking class.  I got to learn and taste Gumbo, Jambalaya, Bread Pudding, and Pralines!  Yum!!!  The class was suppose to end at 12:30 so I booked a swamp tour about a mile away at 1.  You guessed it!  The class ran over and I wasn't going to have time for tasting or shopping.  I kept a close eye on the clock and really couldn't stay any longer.  We hadn't even had dessert yet.  So I got up in front of everyone, grabbed a bowl of bread pudding off the counter and headed out.  Running the whole way and eating the bread pudding with my fingers I barely made it in time!  The tour bus was even early of course!  Now off to the swamp tour.  I got to see some small gators and some beautiful scenery!  The boat ride was fun too.  John's class finished early so he headed to the historic Lafayette Blacksmith Bar.  The oldest bar in the country.  My tour guild said he could drop me off there but before I made it, it started on fire!  Yes that's right FIRE!!!  So John and the other dozen people had to evacuate.  Unfortunately his credit card was still inside!!!  He waited around for both me and his card.  About 45 mins later the owner went in and got his card, he didn't have to pay his bill either. Now a short walk back to get our luggage and off to the next hotel.  This one was by the airport and pretty scary to say the least!  The room wasn't non-smoking and reminded me of something we stayed in in Taiwan.  I know this is long but there is still more!  Now we were hungry so off to find some dinner.  We stopped in one place but never got any service so tried another.  It looked like a pretty nice steak and seafood place.  The food was pretty good but our waiter was crazy!!!  For real!  Nice but crazy.  When we first sat down he asked us our names... Then again and again. No mater what we tried to order he would say no you don't want that... He kept hopping from table to table, didn't get our order or bill exactly right either.  He then apologized for not being on top of his game but at least he had our names down!  Clark and Lisa!  Yes that was them  we were Clark and Lisa even after telling him our names at least three times.  Toward the end of the meal we finally figured him out.  We heard him telling another table he was drinking the "fourloco" before work.  (That is the alcohol energy drink they just banned in Washington and other states)
Okay now off to sleep our our smokey room.  We got up nice and early and made it home with little troubles. 

There could be more to this story believe me, but to wrap it up I'll say...5 flights, 4 hotels, $100 in taxi's, lots of calories and oh yes, the fire.  Overall the trip defiantly had some good times but I'm glad to be home!

P.S.  The Hotel that wouldn't let us stay sent me an e-mail two days later asking how I liked my stay! Really!!!