Handy Woman

Yesterday I took our Corolla in to get a safety inspection in preparation to get our cars registered in state (booo!!).  Unfortunately it failed, but I kinda assumed it would. Luckily to get it reinspected, I don't have to pay more. The good news is, it wasn't because of anything too terrible.  two reasons:
1) They couldn't find the middle seat belt buckle in the back
2) the window tinting in the back is "too dark" (hmm, I guess AZ and MD are slightly different in tinting allowance? I wonder why...)

They so kindly offered to take the back seat out to retrieve the seat belt buckle for $50, and I so kindly said NO.  So after almost 30 minutes of digging, leaning, grunting, I finally got it out!

Uno: DOS!

So then I started researching "DIY removing car window tinting."  After googling and advice via facebook, I finally marched on out to the car, with blow dryer in hand.  Look at me GO!

Revlon product placement. Want to pay me?

I was decently successful, but it's somewhat harder than what the youtube people made it look. Yesterday I successfully removed tinting from one full side back window, and two mini windows.  One of the back side windows is being a brat, so once it was getting a little too dark and cold, I gave up and went inside.  Today I wasn't quite in the mood for picking and peeling and saying bad things, so I'll be at it again tomorrow.  Our newer car is getting inspected on Saturday, and I'm pretty sure it's going to fail the tinting too.  

After more annoying things and more money than I want to think of (don't get me going, my blood might boil or I might start crying, depending on the day) our cars will finally be registered! 

New kids on the block

This week has been a pretty good one.  Monday was move-in day into our new apartment!  We really like our place. I did feel bad for the movers however, because we live on the 4th floor, with no elevator.  Let me just tell you, that having your (husband's) work pay/take care of relocation, is SO SO nice.  Best thing ever.  Didn't have to pack/carry/PAY a. thing. ! I'm convinced that's the only way we'll go, ever.  Call me lazy, I choose, "smart" or "clever."

We really like the town that we are living in.  It's just beautiful with lots of green, which I've been longing for, for a while.  The commute for Wolfgang for work is a little long, but he finds it worth it, for where we live (so far).  I just might share pictures of our place, after it's a little more under control.  Although I am pleased to say that minus 2 or 3 boxes, we are completely unpacked. I am unemployed and childless and petless after all, so it's not all that hard to tackle it, even if it is kinda a pain.

 Actually, I do have a couple of pictures to share.  Here are some pictures of one awesome perk of our new place, the wrap around patio!  And a great view.

Sorry, not the best quality of pictures, but it gives you an idea. The first picture is of the windows from the dinning area, looking out to the patio.

Another perk about our place, is that we have a one car garage. A GARAGE!  How cool is that?  That was definitely a selling feature, because this place is the same price as other rentals we liked, however other places would charge us up to $150 per month for parking. whaaat? No thanks.

Ok, so maybe this post isn't as exciting for you as it is for me, but I do have to share one more thing.  The landlord gave us an option for furnished (= more per month) vs. unfurnished. We obviously picked unfurnished, because we shipped all of our stuff.  The day before we moved in, he called and asked if we wanted him to keep the tv (nice, flat screen, 42" ish) in the apartment. We told him no thanks, because he would charge us to keep it on a monthly basis.  Later that day we go to get the keys from him, and guess what? He kept the tv there, AND patio furniture, for free! We totally scored on his laziness.  We were definitely appreciative.  It's kinda weird having a tv now, but we like it. I'm like a 40 yr old woman, and I (we) LOVE the HGTV channel. 

Anyway, I wanted to share more in this post, but there has been enough words for now.

Come visit us!

Hello, Maryland.

We've already been in Maryland just over a week.  Hello!  In some ways I'm still in shock.

A week ago Thursday, we hopped on a plane, and hoped for the best that our cars and belongings would someday make it to MD.  A few days go we got word that our belongings had successfully made it, and just this morning, these two showed up, luckily in one piece.

Whew.

For the first few days we were here we shopped around like mad men for a place to live, and luckily we found something great!  Move-in day is Oct. 8th.  So our stuff will patiently be waiting (somewhere?) for some annoyed mover dudes to haul them up 4 flights of stairs (sorry guys...)

We've been loving the weather and the GREEN here!  It's been so nice to be able to enjoy being outside, with the exception of the humidity today because of the night rainstorm. This is a cute little shopping area just a block or two away:

I spent the afternoon here the other day, and it was lovely. Not to mention it has one of Wolfgang's most favorite places to eat, Nando's, of which is originally from England, and about died when he first found out that they had locations in the states (but only on the east coast).

Another food establishment that we have become friends with, looks something like this:

Mmmmm.

And did I mention how much we love the green?  But we do know that places only become green one way...rain and snow.  But we don't want to talk about that right now, we're just enjoying the fall for now.  Here is a picture I took in the town that we will be living in.  Isn't it gorgeous?! I instantly fell in love with the place, and we were just lucky enough to find our future (rental) home there.

And tomorrow's plan?  Returning our rental car and going somewhere great.  Any guesses? Hint: It's not Nando's.

The News

Now, for the news that I mentioned in my last post...

We are moving to Maryland!!

I still don't really believe it when those words are coming out of my mouth.

Wolfgang landed a promotion with Marriott and will be working at their headquarters. He's been looking for a change in his job since the beginning of the year, and now all the many applications and interviews have finally paid off for him.  He's SO excited about his new job.

We've told the good/bad news to family, friends, and co-workers and it's all going to become a reality, in just a few short weeks. We both have never been to the east coast (except for one minor exception, when Wolfgang was flown out to Baltimore right before our Europe trip for an interview. That job didn't end up working out) so this is quite the adventure for both of us.

It's all very exciting, emotional, and scary all at the same time.

These next few weeks are going to be rough and will fly by so fast, I get overwhelmed just thinking about it.

So there you have it.  Any input about Maryland?  Send it my way. 

Oh, and this marks my 500th blog post. (!)