Done. Now On To The Real Work.

Finally signed the lease on the new place yesterday. To say my new landlord is verbose is an understatement. This guy can't get a point across without beating it to death. Where most people would say, "I've been cleaning the place for your arrival", our good friend Alan Schroepfer says something more like:

"I've spent the last couple days really going through the house trying to make sure that the place looked great and was completely cleaned up for you. I used this wire brush here to clean the corners on the areas of the kitchen counters that were pretty stubborn - I'm going to leave that wire brush here, and you're more than welcome to use it whenever you like. I used a cleaning agent...where is it..?...oh yeah, here it is...um Soft Scrub. That's what I was using, and it really seemed to do the job. I'm going to leave this here for you as well, just in case you ever need it in the future."

I know I can be wordy sometimes, but really Alan? Really?

He's a really nice guy though, and that combined with the glorious fact that he lives on the mainland and won't be here to lay out anymore good-natured diatribes on how to turn the sprinklers so the water actually hits the plants.......I think this will work out great.

I've now made an already huge list of crap that I need to buy at Home Depot, Ross, Costco, and K-Mart. It's gonna be a long weekend of spending money on stuff I don't want to. And some that I do....I'm excited to buy bathroom linens. New towels make me horny. So do new pillows, but I don't think I can make an excuse for that one, since I already have 7 pillows on my bed. OH, but I'll have to buy pillows for the COUCH. YEAH!

Keyring Explosion

We picked up the car yesterday, wahoo! Technically this is Bradley's baby - when I realized our friend Jake was selling his 1990 4Runner at a spectacular price, Bman and I fought a little over who would get to buy it, and he won. While I have always wanted an old-school 4Runner....I had to concede Bradley would probably get more use out of it with his fishing and diving gear, and he's the one who knows how to fix it. I helped a little with the initial purchase, so right now I own a little bit of it, but technically, it's Bradley's. :) The sweet thing is....he refers to it as our car, he has always said it will be a great car for "us", and as soon as he got the keys, he handed me the spare. Which followed the recent acquisition of the spare key to his primary vehicle as well, the Honda. SO, I now have spare keys to both Bradley's cars - that's the big time for this sentimental gal.

We did a little car shuffle yesterday so he could pick up the 4Runner (we still need to name it), and I picked up his Honda** to meet him at his house, and we gave it a good wash, and did a little detailing and assessing of all the things he wants to do to it. There is a good amount of rust that will need to be fixed, some engine adjustments, chrome polish the rims, paint job, maybe new seats, new radio, etc., etc. He's jazzed on the projects - we did a couple very small things to the car last night, and I had a great time working with him. He's an awesome teacher, and he knows I'm not a helpless chick, so I get down and dirty with him. Fun!

Here's the new ride:

And here's my new GIANT keyring (that i love):

This is number one in a series of big events coming up. Next is signing the lease tonight on the new house, then buying all the crap I need for the new house, and then moving in (in a WEEK!). Good thing we just got the 4Runner. Perfect! Hopefully then there won't be anything too huge going on until I move again in six months. *sigh*

**While picking up dinner, I managed to leave both our sodas on the roof of the car and drive off. When a kind motorist in the parking lot honked and waved me down from his car, I assumed he knew me, and I hit the brakes a little too hard. Oh yeah....two cups of root beer and ice, flowing right down the winshield on the driver's side, down the open driver's side window, and into the car - all over the dash, in the vents, down the window jamb, on me......Murphy couldn't have planned it better. I could not stop myself from laughing hysterically - along with the 15 or 20 other gawkers. Granted, it's been a long time since I've been driving a car, but talk about rookie maneuver.

Birthday Fun

My birthday was a week ago last Friday (the 10th), and it started out a little rough - was a hard day at work - but ended sweetly. I got home, had to give a massage, and then Bradley was coming over. He showed up with a big homemade chocolate cake with peanut butter chips. Mmmm....he also got me some jewelry he found at an antique shop - a bracelet and ring made out of antique silverware handles. I loved it!

The next day was a day of fun with friends!

YOGA!

I have never tried yoga before, but I know lots of people who love it, and those people are radiating with life and energy, so I've always wanted to give it a try. Summer is a massage therapist and yogi, and a good friend of Jason's, so I called her up to schedule a yoga class in our backyard. It was awesome - myself, Kat, Nicool, Jace, and Sara (Jace's new sweetie who owns Wokstar), all did a beginner Ashtanga yoga class in the early morning sun, with the breeze floating through the palms, and the sound of the ocean in the background. It was unforgettable.

And it was followed up with mimosas! Yum!

PEDICURES!

Then myself, Carrie, and Nicool adjourned to David's Happy Nails for some foot rubbin. We enjoyed a nice pedicure there - the girls got french pedis, and I got orange with red polka dots. Perfect!

MOVIE!

Then Carrie took me to town to see a movie - my favorite thing to do! We went to see Monsters vs Aliens, in 3D. It was such a trip. I really enjoyed the movie - it was too cool for school. Plus, all the earth sequences were set in Modesto, CA., where I was BORN. What a serendipitous reference for my BIRTHDAY. :)

DINNER!

We headed home, and I jumped in the shower to get ready for a dinner at Mala. It was so nice - Jason, Candace, Carrie, Jace, Rachel, Nicool, and Bradley all came for a delicious dinner.

GOING OUT!

I was completely exhausted by the time we actually headed out to Mulligan's, and then on to Tip Ups, but I tried to man up, and make it through. Mulligan's was okay, we only stayed for one drink. Ryan's band was playing at Tip Ups, and that was way more fun for me - I love their music. Got to enjoy a few songs and a drink there, and then it was time to put this baby to bed!

GREAT BIRTHDAY!

Movin Out

Trying to play catch-up! Lots of things to update, the first one being that I'll be moving very shortly - hopefully this weekend!

I decided a couple months ago that I needed to move out of my glorious abode on Halama street. Several reasons:

1) I don't really feel at home in that home. Kat acts as a landlord of sorts (she is the only one on the lease), and so she has established the place as her home. She frequently talks about how she wants the place to be comfortable and homey, and a great place for people to hang out, but then she won't allow even the smallest of personal touches in the living areas. This includes computers, TV's pictures...pretty much anything. So all of those things are packed into our respective rooms. Since there is a cat in the house, I have to have my door shut to keep her out......so......I basically come home, shut my door, and hang out in a 10 x 12 box all night. For some people that may sound like paradise, but not for me. I don't want to live in a sterile environment anymore - I want a home filled with color, activity, and openness.

2) There are also a lot (and i mean, a lot) of bugs, rodents, and other animals all over the house because she won't let us spray (too toxic for her). They really gross me out.

3) There are a LOT of homes on the market right now, and a lot of them are offering some seriously sweet move-in deals and discounts.

I love the location of the home so much, and I spend a lot of time in the AMAZING backyard, and I will definitely miss that dearly. But I have to keep reminding myself that I am only seconds from beautiful beaches no matter where I end up living. I just hope that 1724 Halama hasn't totally spoiled me.

Anyhoo...it turned out that Ryan Robinson (of the Ryan Robinson Band, whom I sing with occasionally), was looking for a place at the same time, and we started to check out housing together. We found a great 3 bedroom/2 bath house in south Kihei off Keonekai (which is by Kamaole III), and we are hopefully signing the lease tonight!! It has taken a little longer than I had hoped to get this far with the landlord, but I'm crossing my fingers that we're on the home stretch, and that we can start moving stuff in this weekend. If everything goes through, then I will take some pictures and share with you all soon.

In the meantime I started packing over the weekend - I don't have that much stuff, which is great for moving. However this place is totally unfurnished, so I'm gonna have to spend a little dough to get it all set up.

I'm totally thrilled to be moving with Ryan though - our house will be filled with music, and I am so completely jazzed about that!!!!!!!!!

More on this subject later.....