Happy 71st Birthday, Dadeo!

So my father would have been 71 today! As a leap year baby, we always celebrated his birthday on the last day of the month.

To celebrate this occasion, I found a neat little website that is used to honor the memories of a deceased loved one- it's called 1000memories. I started a page for my father and sent out the links to the family members I keep in touch with. Hopefully it'll start fleshing out!

Check it out here. Happy birthday, old man!

snomg!

Snow, snow, snow! Thankfully we live in an area that was mostly avoided- we got about an inch and a half. My mom called yesterday and said she had almost nine inches in Port Angeles! Absolutely insane.

Yesterday around 7am, the husband handed me his phone with an email from his work pulled up on it.

"We could really use you in San Diego."

And in less than 6 hours he was on a plane flying south.

First Taipei. Then San Diego. Next time I'm crawling into his suitcase and going along. I'm desperate for some warmth and sunshine.

Less is More: Inspiration

I found this earlier today and thought it really encapsulated what I'm feeling more than I can express. I used to dream of living on a boat- I don't think it'll ever happen for me in this lifetime, but knowing someone out there is making it happen is such an exciting thing for me...

It's a bit of a long video, but it's especially good from 7:00 on.

"I think the more you have the more you want.. so when you reduce, you want less.. and so you're happy with what you have. If you have more, you want more, and you are never satisfied.. at least in my experience."

Stuff. Literally.

So I've been thinking a lot about Stuff.

Back when I was younger and maybe a little less secure, I clung to stuff. My room and home was always cluttered and I remember being horribly ashamed by how disorganized I was. And now that I'm older and more secure, I'm thinking about letting almost all of my things go.

I have three bookshelves full of books and craft projects and papers and trinkets. I have purses that overfloweth, I have shoes that I love but never wear. And I have about four vacuum-sealed bags full of clothes under the bed- full of clothes that I rarely look at, let alone touch. I have vases that I have inherited but never use, so they sit stashed away under the kitchen counter. I have old beer steins from my grandmother that I haven't ever used, and they are sitting on our fridge collecting dust and being under-appreciated... And don't even get me started on the entry-way closet. It is packed full...

And why? What good is this stuff doing for me?

I just hung up the phone with my hubby (he's still fighting the good fight in Taipei) and we had a great conversation about what we consider important. We've given away a lot already- we gave away a gorgeous 42" flat screen tv, as well as donated four car-fulls of stuff. But I feel like we are just getting started. There is so much stuff left to give.

So spring cleaning has officially begun. Let the donation fest begin.

Happy Valentine's Day!

As a person who loves love but who gets incredibly spoiled on a day-to-day basis, I find Valentine's day to be nearly obsolete. But I can't help but feel a tinge of jealousy of those celebrating it... as I'll be spending it alone for the first time in twelve years.

It's an honor to be with the hubs. He is the sharpest person I've ever met, and I'm confused daily by why he has decided to spend his days with me. But the price of having someone brilliant is that other people need him too... and sometimes his brain is exactly what a difficult project needs. So if he is needed last minute in Taiwan, so be it.

He'll only be gone for 5 days hopefully- Tragic, truly. After all, that only leaves 316 days left in the year to shower each another with affection.

Rocketeer - Far East Movement

"There's a world out there that we should see."

Our current song. And the video is all chock full of lomography love. Sigh.

The hubs and I have a habit of dedicating sappy, cheesy, or otherwise lovelorn songs to one another. The last one was Bruno Mars - Grenade.

Cause I'd catch a grenade for you. Yeah, yeah.

Planning for a Home

While I'm beginning to fall in love with our little condo (it has only been four years...) the hubs and I can't help but look towards the future. We have been a little hesitant to jump on a lot of the potentially great deals on the market, particularly because we know first hand that unless something is EXACTLY what we're looking for, it's wiser just to wait it out. And also because our condo is now worth about $20k less than what we owe, so escaping these tiny walls can prove to be a bit of a challenge.

In the meantime, I'm having a blast daydreaming about what our home will look like. The last few years we have had a lot of time to discuss and consider what our ideal place would be like, and this is Our List:

• Location - Ideally Redmond or the Eastside (Redmond, Kirkland, or Woodinville, perhaps Bellevue), but potentially North Seattle (I love Lake Forest Park, Edmonds is nice too).
• Land - .25 acres to 1.0 acre of land - at least enough room for a small garden with a southern exposure.
• Size - House should be no greater than 1500 sq/f - we don't entertain often (if at all), and I don't relish spending a lot of time cleaning.
• Details - Two stories, basement, detached garage with room for woodworking.

Sadly, not a whole lot of homes match our list. They are either way too big or with a teeny tiny plot of land. And basements are really hard to find.

But what if we built our own home? It'd require a good chunk of cash, much more than buying a home outright.. but if we're stuck waiting around anyway, wouldn't it be nice to move over to something that is perfect for us?

This is where Tumbleweed Houses come in. They specialize in small homes (and extremely teeny tiny houses too - we're talking ~100sq/f). All of the plans are built to be efficient and cost effective. And the last year and a half I keep coming back to one plan - the B-53.

This model is a whopping 777sq/ft, with two bedrooms, and two bathrooms. Too small? Maybe. But with a fully finished basement you would add another 384 sq/f, for a total of 1161 sq/f of living space.

How much would this cost? Well, with the helpful folks at building-cost.net, the tally comes up to... (drum roll please..) $166,983!

This does not include the cost of land, or bringing utilities to the site, or any government-mandated site development fees. But it is fun to consider- and honestly I'm tempted to find out what percentage of cash is needed to get started on such a project- we're guessing at least 50%. Want to know how the costs breakdown? Click here!

Car Hunting Spree

After three days of haggling and bartering and playing the car dealership game, we drove home in this:


My very own 2011 Mazda2 Touring.

We got a fantastic deal, and at 0.9% financing, our payments are less than what we were paying for the car I never really wanted. It drives like a growly go-kart. I couldn't be happier!