Snow and Moving

Well, I experienced my first spring snow. I found this image online. I seem to have forgotten my camera cable to be able to upload pictures from my camera. Snow in March came as a shock. Especially, since 5 days ago it was 75 degrees and the flowers and trees were in bloom. I must say, though, watching the flakes drift from the sky to the ground - it was beautiful. And it is ALL melted now, except for a few spots in the shade.

This weekend I read. I felt like I'd been wasting my brain on TV, so I decided to read. Just finished The Distant Hours by Kate Morton. The local Borders was having a closing sale, so I was able to purchase the hardback book at a discount. I had read her novel, The Forgotten Garden. She is a bit of a formulaic writer. She blends past and present and her stories seem to always involve a mystery of some kind. But, I'll give her this credit, her endings are not ones I would anticipate, so she keeps me guessing.

I move this next week. Yep. It is official. The packers come on Tuesday to box up my personal belongings. The movers will show up either on Wednesday or Thursday.
Yes, you read that correctly. The movers gets a two day window. Supposedly, they will confirm their actual pick up date on Tuesday. The movers will come and pick up the furniture and the boxes on one of those days and then they head east to Louisville. My poor brother (and current roommate) will be without furniture. He was trying to figure out a way to schedule his own furniture delivery, but since I don't know until Tuesday, he can't really schedule any deliveries. So, he will be without furniture for a few days - sorry Bro!!!
On Thursday, at some point (again depending on when the movers show and how long it will take them to pack up the truck), my mom and leave on our road trip from Vista to Louisville. YEAH! Our stopping points are Flagstaff, Albuquerque, Amarillo, Springfield (Missouri), and then Louisville. Of course, we are going to beat the moving truck. The delivery window is April 7th through 9th. 3 days! Lucky them :o)


Thanks to the following sites for the use of their images
Spring Snow: http://blog.loaz.com/media/blogs/timwang/ubc-spring-snow-flower.jpg
Moving Day: http://www.therealestateblogster.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/03/moving-day.jpg
Road Trip: http://www.gpb.org/files/RoadTrip.jpg

Things I miss . . . and like

So, I decided to keep a running list of things I miss since I'm living in Louisville . . .
- Carne Asada (grilled Steak from Qdoba Mexican Grill does not cut it)
- Trader Joe's
- Friends
- People who stop at stop signs and lights (seems to be a higher volume of people who run them here in Louisville)
- People who merge onto the free rather than stop (Rachel warned me)


And things I like in Louisville . . . (see, I'm giving you glass half empty AND half full)
- Brisk winter/ early spring days. They are invigorating.
- Brick buildings
- My job
- My church (FABULOUS music)

Deja Vu

I experienced Deja Vu while driving from the Louisville Airport to the hotel. While digging in my bag to find my wallet, I looked up at the city around me. Suddenly, I felt as if I'd been in that exact spot before. In moments like that, I wonder . . . is the Matrix real?

And for those of you literary types - I know I spelled Deja Vu incorrectly. I'm writing on my Mac and I still haven't quite figured out how to mark the letters with accents.

Thanks to the following website for the use of the image.
http://1800taxicab.com/images/cabcotaxi.jpg

Searching for Home (also called a rental)

Let me just say that the whole process to find a home in Louisville, Kentucky has been exhausting. I've searched Craigslist, Googled more rental websites than I can count, driven down random streets, e-mailed, called, and scheduled walk thru appointments. This past week I found my ideal neighborhood and a decent house. Hardwood floors, an actual WC (water closet, aka a closet with a toilet), central air and heat, small front and back yards, garage, washer/ dryer hook up, 3 bedrooms (one for me, one for guests, PLUS an office), and room for entertaining.

Yesterday, I received a fax copy of the lease. Imagine my surprise when I read the Lessor does not provide A/C. What?!!!! Only the itty bitty little window box A/C units to cool 6 rooms and 2 stories - yeah right! With the Kentucky heat and humidity - I'll be miserable. Then I thought, "Maybe I can make this work." Buy some portable A/C units. Use the ceiling fans a lot. How bad can it be?

BAD . . . according to the people who chimed in on Facebook and a few people who I talked to in Louisville (my massage Therapist at Massage Envy and the buyer/ planner at work).

So, I called the property manager and said, "Please clarify." Well, I was much more eloquent, but you get the point. He called back. "I used an old lease form. The property does have central A/C." YEAH!! HIP HIP HOORAY!!

I scheduled another walk through tomorrow just to be sure . . . :o)

Thanks to the following web location where I found the image used in this blog:
http://sevicklaw.typepad.com/wills_estates_trusts/Home%20Tax%20Benefit.jpg

Some Louisville Firsts

Today, was filled with Louisville firsts (for me anyway) . . .

• Went for a walk. And experienced the odd feeling of never warming up. Typically, in Southern Cal, one sheds the jacket after getting warmed up from the walk. Not here. It was COLD - gloves and the fleece stayed on the whole time. 45 minutes. I feel great!
  
• First Traffic jam. Driving on Taylorsville Road. Typically, this street flows smoothly, so imagine my surprise when I came to a stop and stayed there. TRAFFIC! It only lasted for 2 blocks and 5-10 minutes. Turned out there had been an accident (no injuries). Traffic diverted to the other lane and we eventually got moving again.
• Completed my first solo presentation for the ISC (Integrated Supply Chain) conference call. I probably talked 1000 miles a minute, but I communicated all the necessary information.
• Drank a bottle of Stella Artois (well, I started this yesterday, but since I didn't write then, I added it to today's list
• Cooked Mexican Food - Chicken Fajitas. Thank goodness for Whole Food Market which supplied the Bell Peppers (red and yellow), the Fajita mix (a little spicy), the Jar of Salsa, Organic Tortilla chips, and the Stella.
  

And a thanks to the following location for supplying the image I used in this blog:
http://t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQ5i3foCptXG-tLCVeKizhUQc1gC-gwfGL3RhCG81nXG0EE3g1e&t=1

Louisville Home

Louisville home. What will it look like? Where will it be located?

I found a neighborhood this last week called Chester Hill. It is is between two Louisville communities called Highlands and St Matthews. It a neighborhood with coffee, galleries, and a bookstore all within walking distance. I thought I found the perfect place last Thursday. It is 3 bedrooms, 1.5 bathrooms, 2 stories, a small backyard, basement, a garage, and a front porch. In a great neighborhood for walking. Close to work, downtown, Louisville, and Frankfort Street (which I'm told has great restaurants and pubs).

Then today, I checked out a condo. It reminds me a lot of the one I lived in at Vista. 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, plus a den. Lots of windows.

Here is the break down of positives and negatives for each property
Positives
- @ The Chester Hill property: The community where it resides, 3 bedrooms (1 for me, 1 for guests, and 1 for the office), hard wood floors, simple yard, it is a house - no sharing of walls or floors, lots of space . . .
- @ The Condo: 2 full bathrooms, a large room for the kitchen, living room, and dining area (great for entertaining and visiting with visitors while cooking), well decorated (great paint colors), felt homey, compact space, washing and dryer included with the rent. Low heating/ cooling costs ($90-$120/ month) and water included, easy access garage

Negatives
- @ The Chester Hill property: Cost to heat and cool (due to the 2 stories and old building/ windows - $300-$400/ month), upkeep of the yard is my responsibility, since it is a larger property it will require immediate purchase of some things (which although are needful and long term investments, were not part of my original budget - waster & dryer, additional furniture for the living room and dining room), the .5 bathroom is actually only a toilet and it is in a closet (a real WC!!!) close to the kitchen which is where people will need to wash their hands, the garage (steep driveway - possible problem with ice and rain) . . .
- @ The Condo: Not close to any community. Will need to drive to everywhere. Smaller space. Not any close walking areas (that I saw anyway).

I don't intend to rent forever. My plan is for a year and then find a place to buy. So, I could always rent the condo (save money, etc.) and then buy later in the neighborhood which I like. Of course, as a friend pointed out, the Condo could leave me feeling isolated.

What to do?!!