Oh, Easter. We meet again.

I have to say, Easter has always been one of my least favourite holidays. Despite the fact that the weather is beautiful and I’ll be spending the day with my family, I’m in a crappy mood. I didn’t go to Easter vigil nor did we wake up on time to go to Mass this morning, and I’m feeling awful about skipping it. Even the prospect of the Piñata we’re about to assault isn’t cheering me up. (And for the record, the piñata was Chris’ idea. Don’t ask.) I’m feeling bad about the fact that I have a whole basket full of candy which I know I’ll eat even though I shouldn’t. I have a wedding dress to fit into & my self esteem is definitely on the lower end of the scale lately.

I hate to be all mopey, but DAMN I need some Prozac.

Anyway, I hope you lovelies have a wonderful Easter/Passover with all your friends & families!

Last Thursday Chris & I signed papers for our first place! Let’s share some details:

• 3 bedrooms
• 3 full bathrooms 1 half bathroom
• 2 car garage
• 2200 square feet
• Finished basement w/ study

Floor plans:

2nd Floor

The only thing I’m super bummed we weren’t able to get was the upgraded bathroom. That damn soaking tub is all I really wanted but because the house was considered a spec house we couldn’t make any structural changes to it. We came to a compromise with the builder that I could get the oversize tub though. Down the road Chris & I plan on changing it to look like the upgraded owner’s bath. He’ll lose his walk-in closet but mines big enough for the both of us (for now). We do have the his & hers sink (yay) and the tray ceiling.

1st Floor

We didn’t get the fireplace, but we did get the powder room. We picked out our flooring on Monday. I’m not too crazy about it ,but it didn’t make sense to spend a ton of money that would be built into our mortgage. Since Chris is the one on the mortgage (since I’m unemployed at the moment) we had to be conscientious about the cost. If we upgraded too much he wouldn’t be approved and then we wouldn’t get the house. So for now, there will be carpeting & vinyl (gag) in the first floor. Eventually we will put hardwood throughout. We also plan on upgrading the countertops to granite down the road. Again, just not in the budget right now.

Basement

The main selling point of this house for us was the fact that we got the finished basement with the optional study & full bath. Had we wanted to do it ourselves, it would’ve been close to a $30,000 upgrade.

I realize that no house is perfect. Is this my dream house? Not quite. But once we make the changes we want to, it will be. We have plenty of space to grow in this house.

Our house is still being built, but it will be complete in June. We close June 14th so we’ll be eligible for the $8000 first time buyers tax credit too! I’m so excited.

I took some pictures of the model home and put them up on flickr so check them out. (Keep in mind ours won’t look exactly like that) Or if you’re more into the interactive thing, they have a pretty cool Virtual Tour you can check out as well.

So what do you think?

It has been 3 days since my last Double Tall Skinny French Vanilla latte.

It’s been a long journey for Starbucks and I. My first coffee was a White Chocolate Mocha, and I think I was a week or 2 shy of my 20th birthday. I distinctly remember not even liking it that much, but drinking it anyway because it’s Starbucks. Then came the Pumpkin Spice lattes. And it went all downhill from there. Fast forward 5 years and I have a latte a day habit and all the baristas know my name and my drink order. I NEVER drank this much Starbucks until I moved to Chicago. And that was very likely going to change when I decided to leave.

When I moved back to Pittsburgh, I thought it was time to cut down on my 1 (sometimes 2) latte a day habit. With no steady income to speak of at the moment, I don’t really need to be spending $5 on a latte every day.

So I decided to venture into the world of brewing coffee at home. *Gasp*

Now, I’m severely lacking in the coffeepot skills. My cousin, the former barista, suggested Caffè Verona since it’s bold with a subtle cocoa flavour. Let’s just say the first time I didn’t exactly make a stellar cup of coffee. And the whole time it was brewing, I kept asking Chris if it was normal for the coffeemaker to sound like a dragon. The water to grounds ratio was really throwing me off. But I didn’t give up. I think I’ve finally gotten the hang of it.

With the help of some international delight flavoured creamer & 1 splenda, I’m turning into a regular coffee maven. The other day when I went to breakfast to meet Lindsay & her boyfriend I had the most delicious hazelnut coffee EVER (it may have had something to do with the copious amount of whipped cream on it but whatever, it was a treat).

When I really realized I had strayed too far from the Church of Starbies was yesterday- I bought Dunkin’ Donuts coffee. The Hazelnut variety. And it. is. DELICIOUS.

I’m really proud of myself for deciding to wean myself off of Starbucks and give another (cheaper) option a try. Although I love Starbucks and probably always will, it’s refreshing to check my bank account and not see money flying out of my account at a rapid rate.

Do you have a coffee addiction? What’s your favourite coffee to brew at home?

Since I’m funemployed, I plan on (and have been) getting caught up on my reading list. Sadly, 90% of my books are packed away in totes until Chris & I find our permanent home. So I picked up a few more books, and have been getting caught up on my reader. I came across Erin’s post today and I couldn’t resist this meme:

Hardback, trade paperback or mass market paperback?
I used to hate hardback books-you can’t curl up with a hardback, or enjoy a nice bubble bath with one- but lately I find myself purchasing them more often than not.

Waterstones, Borders or Amazon?
Amazon for online ordering, but Barnes & Noble if I’m in the mood for browsing. I could spend hours in that store. I absolutely DESPISE Borders.

Bookmark or dog-ear?
Bookmark. I have OCD about my books so I can’t stand when pages get bent or crinkled.

Alphabetize by author, or alphabetize by title, or random?
I don’t really have an organization method. I mostly organize by size and sometimes similar colour. Yeah, I’m weird. Oddly enough I organize my books how I organize my closet now that I think of it.

Keep, throw away, or sell?
Keep. I very rarely throw away, sell, or give away a book.

Keep dust jacket or toss it?
Keep. Who would throw it away?

Read with dust jacket or remove it?
Remove. Again with my OCD, I don’t want it to get damaged.

Short story or novel?
Depends on the author/subject. I tend to gravitate toward novels though.

Harry Potter or Lemony Snicket?
Harry Potter without question. I think I only forced myself to read the first two Lemony Snicket books. Not my cup of tea.

Buy or borrow?
Buy. I’m attached to my books.

Buying choice: book reviews, recommendations, or browse?
Usually recommendations, but I’ve found some good ones just from browsing.

Tidy ending or cliffhanger?
Cliffhangers are okay if it’s a series. If not, I like to have some sort of resolution in the story.

Morning reading, afternoon reading, or nighttime reading?
I could read anytime, but I tend to do most of my reading in the evening/nighttime.

Stand-alone or series?
Either or. I don’t really have a preference here.

Favorite series?
Harry Potter aka the only series that matters!

Favorite children’s book?
I loved the Beatrix Potter books growing up. And I was really into The Babysitters Club when I got a little older.

Favorite YA book?
Ummm I guess the Twilight series. I never really read YA even when I was one.

Favorite book no one has heard of?
Out of This Furnace: A Novel of Immigrant Labor in America by Thomas Bell. It chronicles three generations of Slovaks coming to America to work in the Steel Mills in Pittsburgh. I first read it in my 11th grade Social Studies class, and then I re-read it several years later.

Favorite books read last year?
Pope Joan. Loved it.

Favorite book to re-read?
Harry Potter series, The Catcher in the Rye, The Bell Jar. My copies of the latter two are so tattered and worn, but I can’t bring myself to replace them yet.

Do you ever smell books?
ALL THE TIME. My fiancé thinks I’m a freak because I do it so much.

Do you ever read primary source documents like letters or diaries?
Not really. I mean I think everyone’s read the Diary of Anne Frank and Helen Keller, but it’s not something I really got into. I’ve been meaning to read Sylvia Plath’s diaries though. I’ve always been fascinated by her.

What are you reading right now?
Right now I’m juggling Gone With the Wind, Witness to Hope, and Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.

What are you reading next?
After I get through those I’m going to tackle Atlas Shrugged.

Since I’m pretty much revamping my life, why not give my blog a facelift?

And to be honest, I was SO OVER the pink. I don’t even really like pink that much. I just knew that I wanted simple and kinda cutesy and so I chose my old theme. Which I liked-don’t get me wrong-but I just wasn’t feeling it anymore. And maybe I will want to blog more, now that I have a new shiny look. I even updated my “About” section which only happens once a century or so.

I’m still working on a few tweaks but all in all I’m pretty pleased. What do you guys think?

Remember when I used to blog?

Yeah, me either.

I know I’ve been such a slackass at blogging lately. There’s been so many changes going on in the past week and a half my head still feels like it’s spinning. Case in point:

• I worked my last day March 5th, and that night my parents, CJ, my fiancé and I finished packing up our apartment.
• Saturday Jess, Jamie, John and Danny came over to help us load the U Haul and by 2pm we were on the road back to Pittsburgh. We arrived around 10:45 that night.
• Sunday my family came over and we unloaded the U haul in about 30 minutes.
• Monday we went to look at a house that I really liked. Chris ended up feeling the opposite. I spent most of the rest of the day pouting.
• Thursday we met with our realtor and went to look at an amazing place that I think will be perfect for us. The downside? We’d have to live with my parents until August/September when the construction would be complete. Oh, and the teensy little detail that we can’t move forward with the process until I find a job. Pressure much? The second half of the afternoon was spent at the DMV getting Chris’ license changed from Illinois to Pennsylvania.
• Friday we got to pick up Chris’ new car!! 2010 Volkswagen Jetta Wolfsburg!! Ahh exciting! Except that I am a little bit jealous because if we end up with the house I really want I may not get the car I want. Being an adult sucks.

I don’t think reality has hit me that I’m not hopping on a plane in a day or two to head back to Chicago. I can’t believe I’m finding myself in the exact same position I was two years ago when I left Pittsburgh: searching for a job, nervous about the future.

At least I keep things interesting, right?

I can’t believe how fast this weekend flew by. Seriously. Is there a way to slow time down just a fraction? Because I’m still not ready to get on a plane and head back to Chicago.

Wednesday was a blur-I spent most of the day packing, but I managed to squeeze in Mass so I could get ashes. (Did I mention I decided to give up sweets for Lent? More on that later) Our flight actually left Chicago on time (shocking, I know) and after a rather uneventful flight we landed safe & sound in Pittsburgh. And we were stunned by the amount of snow. Stunned.

Thursday afternoon we met with our florist and finalized wedding flowers. My florist is awesome-she’s a family friend, so she would honestly tell me if any of my ideas sucked/wouldn’t work/whatever but she was really excited about my ideas. Of course we threw in some gossip in there too. Chris was bored out of his mind. Poor guy. Later we went to our food tasting. We semi-finalized the menu (Filet Mignon or Chicken Piccata) and came up with the Big Day timeline.

Friday was House Hunting round #2. Let me start off by saying Friday did not start well. We arrived at the first place and were walking up to the property to meet with our realtor and I FELL ON A PATCH OF ICE. RIGHT ON MY ASS. I guess falling isn’t enough of an embarrassment because I spilled my starbucks all over myself, AND ripped my new North Face  jacket. Luckily no one saw me fall, but I had reminders of my klutziness all day long in the form of down feathers escaping from the hole in my coat and my ass hurting so bad I could barely sit down. We managed to check out a few more properties after that, none we were totally jazzed about.

We threw in a quick cake consultation and tasting at Creations by Carlini before taking a break.

The fact that I got to enjoy Mad Mex with some of my favourite ladies made my night a million times better.

We talked about pretty much everything-Lent, jobs, buying houses, and BOYS. I’m sad I’m leaving a lot of my friends back in Chicago but having these ladies here in Pittsburgh make me feel a lot better about it.

Saturday morning I got to have cake for breakfast! I set up a cake tasting at Bethel Bakery for 10am. I don’t know what I was thinking, but I was probably pumped about being allowed to have cake that early. And the cake was delicious. We decided to go with them for our wedding and we’re thrilled about it. We made a quick trip to Shadyside so Chris could meet some of his new coworkers and I popped into J Crew and bought a sweater & necklace (I couldn’t help myself!!). My family came over Saturday night so we could finally share the big moving news with them. I also found out my future husband and father to my future child(ren) has no idea how to pick up a baby. While it was slightly terrifying, it was mostly hilarious to see a toddler ask Chris to pick him up and Chris going “What do I do?”

Yesterday was pretty chill. Finally a day where we didn’t really have anything to do! Chris flew back to Chicago last night so sleeping alone was lonely. My brother & I went to see Shutter Island together and his friend gave us the Senior Citizen discount-sweet! I thought the movie was great even though the actual plot was kind of predictable. I would be the worst movie reviewer because I thought the movie was awesome but I don’t really know why. It may or may not have something to do with my childhood crush on Leo (I’m talking pre-titanic/Romeo & Juliet days).

Tonight I fly back to Chicago but not before I do some more house hunting. With my Dad. God help me.

So how was your weekend??

Okay guys, are you ready to be let in on what’s been going on?

Good. Because truthfully I can’t keep it a secret much longer:

Chris’ transfer came through. We’re moving to Pittsburgh!! In 3 weeks!!

Obviously part of me is ecstatic and excited and all of those happy emotions. I’m going home. I get to be around my family (and not just once every 4 months). I will be able to drive over to my mom’s house and call her out on being “too busy to talk to me” (I know she’s not). I won’t have to struggle to plan a wedding from 450 miles away. I will buy my first house and it will have a yard. (I don’t care how small it is, just the fact that it’s there) I’ll have a car again. And before you know it, Chris and I will start having babies galore.

(Kidding. Maybe one, and after the wedding)

But with all the happiness comes the sadness & stress. I am truly sad beyond words about leaving the friends I have here in Chicago. If it weren’t for them I wouldn’t have made it here. While I won’t miss the CTA and the charming characters that ride it, I will miss my relatively quick commute. I will miss the beach and the lake. It didn’t hit me until I found out we were actually moving, but Chicago grew on me more than I realized.

I guess it was always a possibility in the back of my mind that someday I would return to Pittsburgh but I wouldn’t have guessed that it would take only two years to come full circle. Life’s funny that way.