On the move

Every two or so years, we get a strong urgency to move. Sometimes it’s because of opportunity and one of us pushes the other (Salt Lake to Austin). It’s also been a desire to “grow up” a bit (from our Belaire Apartment to Millpoint Condo). Move to our current house was a fantastic move -- we really like it here. The neighbors are great, our house is beautiful, and our backyard is big and landscaped.

But when the urge comes, we always follow it. Now, I wish I were about to tell you that we’re moving to Stuttgart or Berlin...but that’s coming in a few years, so practice your surprised face.

We are under contract with the new house -- it’s beautiful, modern, closer to the things we like to do, very private, and I am so excited.

It shares a lot with a 1938 bungalow -- this is a Austin thing they do -- but the lot is so long that they previously had a huge garage back there. Here are some more pictures...

So...that will be our home for the next few years...the “treehouse” if you will. We have an open house for the current place tomorrow and we’ve done about 5 showings so far. The kids are great, they get into their travel cages and we drive to the park and sit until an hour passes. Sometimes, it feels like a part of a mechanical wheel and suddenly it’s easy to get this done because it’s a process.

Oh, yes, Grete -- she’s a big girl already and doing great!

Tschüss!

Dunkle Zweibelsoße

I’m recycling a picture of the amazing Black Forest cake that Ryan made me on my birthday -- but he made another cake for a dinner party last weekend. We went to Melissa and Spencer’s new beautiful house down south and it’s now helped us put a framework around our wants for a single-family home...we’ll talk about that later.

Last night, I made my first real German gravy from scratch! Since we both love onions (zweibel, auf Deutsch) and we were having Bacon-wrapped Turkey Steaks I made “Dunkel Zweibelsosse” which means “Dark Brown Onion Gravy.” Once it was done I had Ryan taste and he said that it “tasted like Germany” which made me so proud!

I love my cookbook! Also I made Kartoffelnpuffer (Potato pancakes) which were amazing too -- they’re like a lump of hashbrowns with egg added and then sauted. I used a prepared mix so it actually tasted like a McDonald’s hashbrown in some ways...they must add egg to theirs.

Time to read the paper and see what’s out on the market. We put a 2-page list of “must-haves/deal-breakers, nice-to-have, and dream” items for a potential house. The search begins!

Tschüss!

Growing Grete

Isn’t she an angel?

Grete continues to grow! After lingering around 1 lb. 2 oz for a while, she has grown to 1 lb. 8.6 oz as of today -- which is fantastic! She is so fun to be around. Isaac and her are getting along, although she does these long “interested stares” which worry us but I’ll hiss and she’ll look away. :)

She also loves to eat -- when Ryan or I prep her food, she meows and runs around like a crazed fiend...below is a little video of some meowing...

Tschüss!

Yay...Time Off!

I am so excited that it’s the weekend already! I have to work a bit on Thursday but am going to take Friday off -- Ryan is off Thursday but working Friday AND Saturday (yes, it’s a vicious cycle when you’re married to a hairdresser...that explains why every other waking moment is spent together. Literally -- I’ve been playing my favorite computer game (Quake 3: Urban Terror) for the past hour across the room from Ryan who is gabbing on the phone. I could have gone upstairs...but that’s alone time and I get plenty of that! :) We are quite the modern couple.

Went to a goodbye party for a couple who both go to Ryan -- they’re moving away -- and it reminded me that hetero-suburbia is just as messed up as the gay-urbania. Swingers, drunk adults (with children running around like crazy), fireworks...too much. We had a great time (the couple is so nice) but quite the odd experience. We’re glad to be back into the safety of our lair.

Going to my 2nd cousin’s house tomorrow for a BBQ -- so nice to have family close but I really miss my mom and dad. Ah well, I need to get back there...

Cat is doing a bit better -- she was de-wormed and her fecal came back all negative...we’re watching her pretty closely...more later.

Tschüss!