Preparing for the big move
Whew its been a busy couple of weeks. Just planning for the move has been taking a lot of time! We close on May 28th and plan on officially moving June 4.
Since we were able to choose every little detail of the house, we had to find that balance between what was worth having the builder do vs what we would do after we close vs what we would do down the road. For example- we had the builder install tile, recessed lighting downstairs, and the office/den - knowing that it would be a bear to do those things later. A fence, paint (I'm sure that will be a post of its own by Lauren), screened lanai, and recessed lighting upstairs however we are planning to do right after closing.
So for the past couple of weeks most of my free time has been getting landscape, paint, and fence quotes, meeting with the community Design Committee and Property Owners Board (similar to an HOA), and locking in interest rates for the mortgage just - to list a few. Oh yeah and then theres trying to get our current house on the rental market. We decided to interview some property managers and have finally chose one and contracted them. Its probably a mix between my mild OCD and my natural need to manage projects but I can't stand just turning over projects that involve $. Not to say that I dont love my 'premium services', but when I do pay I want to know its worth it AND done right.
Enough babbling, heres a pic! The driveway and sidewalks are ready to have concrete poured. Lauren is meeting with the painter tomorrow morning and shes promised to snap some more shots. Stay tuned for more!
New Layout
Had my fair share of problems, but I was able to complete the redesign of the blog while simultaneously watching Apprentice. Credit goes to Langit for the base layout - I just modified it from there. Enjoy!
Hope everyone had a great Easter!
Goodbye MySpace!
Despite everyone trying to get me on Twitter and Facebook, I decided
that my MySpace account was no longer useful.. So you may find
yourself with one less MySpace friend today. I am at peace with this :)
*Sent from my iPhone*
Mass
This evening was a Mass, dedicated to our babies, at the church of our friends Dave and Jean. The Mass was a quick service and strict Roman Catholic. I hadn't been to a Catholic service since I was a teenager and Lauren had never been - so it was very different from what we are used to. I think the some of the stricter church members, who are used to a smaller gathering, may have been suprised by the number of additional people that showed up as a result of us. It was nice to attend, have it dedicated, and to receive a copy of the Catholic Missal.
Seeing friends and family is always a bonus!
If you didn't attend, Lauren and I do NOT want you to feel out of place or odd about it. This was not an official memorial service or funeral. Besides a post on our blogs, we didn't formally invite anyone - so by no means was there any obligation or expectation to attend. You have all shown us how much you care and we again can't thank you enough. We love you all and wish everyone a very happy pre-Easter week!
A flood of thoughts
Its been weeks since my last post yet it doesn't seem that long. I anonymously peruse through my blogger friends posts and never really feel like commenting, let alone posting on my own. Time seems to be flying by, yet going so slow. Each day seems so monotonous now to a certain extent...
For those families who have reached out to us with similar stories, whether before or after our unfortunate events, we are with you. We are too familiar with being in the position of not knowing what to say. Its hard. Its the worst. We are with you and you are with us.
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Lauren and I are starting to get back into a rhythm. Were back to date night Fridays, visiting the gym a couple days a week, seeing friends on the weekends, stuff like that.
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Our new house is coming along quite nicely too. Tile, cabinets, inside paint, outside paint, garage door - all in. We should be closing the last Thursday of May. That weekend we will be doing more painting (can anyone say painting party?), putting in the fence, adding some lighting, maybe a little more landscaping, etc. The big move should happen the weekend after that.
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Tuesday is a Mass for the Quads. Were very appreciative of the Fotiadis' setting that up. If you live in the Tampa Bay area and are interested in going, send us a note and we'll provide you with the location info.
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People continue to show us support and we are so grateful! Personal and charitable donations, gifts of personalized jewelry, planning of religious ceremonies, bricks in monuments, planting of trees, and more have all been arranged by close friends, family, and complete strangers in honor of our late children. Its indescribable the appreciation that we have for these gestures - and more importantly for the gift of you all being a part of our story.
Sleep tight friends.
