Thursday, July 6, 2017

Staying Behind with the Times (Oops!)

There really is something to say about not making updates for a while. I like to think it means I've been living too busy of a jam-packed, fulfilling life. But, let's be honest: that's just an excuse.

I guess I've been waiting for the perfect time to re-brand and use this blog for something. Before, I lived in apartments and made strange little dishes for my little family. Now, I own a house back in Upstate New York and have been teaching myself (with the aid of the interwebs, Big K, and others, because I'm not omniscient) how to be a homeowner and do homeownerish things.

So, let me catch you up. Then, let me warn you about all the fun and weird things you might witness going forward.




Life, in a nutshell:
  • July 2015: As you saw from my last I-swear-I'll-post-more-often-now post, I moved back to cow country and rented a large one bedroom in an old row home. Living in Ballston Spa was a great way to re-integrate myself back into the area... and to buy all of the antiques. I'm not kidding; I bought everything from dining room and end tables, to old spoons, trinkets, and paintings at one of the many hot antique spots in town. My ultimate favorite for finding furniture, though, is the Ballston Spa Antique Center. Often overlooked, very underrated... and they have a cat. Every business with a resident cat is a winner in my book.
  • August 2015: I began working at my new job, where I currently still work two years later (longest job stint since college!). Still loving my coworkers, still loving what I do. And I've had the opportunity to travel for various conferences, to places like: Sacramento, Austin, Las Vegas, Nashville, Atlanta, and San Diego. It's been a great couple years and I look forward to where we're heading next! Btw, shameless plug, I started a homeowner blog over there for those interested in being energy efficient at home!
  • September 2015: I first fed and initiated my extreme hiking addiction with a small jaunt up Prospect Mountain with my OG hiking buddy, Tanya. From there, we decided to take on the Adirondack 46er Challenge, or the challenge to hike all 4,000ft+ (except a couple weird outliers incorrectly measured that fall just shy of that mark) High Peaks in the Adirondacks. We took down Cascade, Porter, Big Slide, Phelps, and Algonquin together in that first fall. Since then, I've solo'd and hiked with another buddy, Duane, 12 more. I'm currently at 17/46, hoping to get in maybe a dozen more this year.
  • March 2016: I started touring houses in the area, looking to buy one up and make it my own. I fell in love with an old schoolhouse turned interesting loft/one-room studio space, but Big K tried steering me away from it. It would cost a bit to keep it up to historical snuff, but I thought it would be worth it. I put in an offer, but they wanted nearly twice as much as it was worth! They laughed and denied my offer. This made me kind of sad, so I took a month off, then dragged dad along to a promising place overlooking the great Hudson River.
  • June 2016: I closed on my little house with a nice view of the Hudson, waterfalls, and my cute neighbor. Big K loved it for its move-in-ready shape but especially for its sconces. The man loves his sconces. I started moving in boxes the day I got my key. I'd been ready for this step in my life for years and it felt great to have accomplished it completely on my own. Can anyone say adult?!

  • October 2016: My OG hiking buddy had the cutest babygirl ever, Lexi! I also completed my first house project with my own, two hands: revamped my front three-season porch. I removed a hideous basket border (that was apparently all throughout the downstairs - thank you to the contractor who took care of that for me), painted the interior, and added new carpeting. It would take until the spring for me to furnish it (I'm picky), but it's now my favorite place to hang out with friends, read a book, eat dinner, or drink a coffee/beer. The view of the river is second to none.
  • December 2016: Two new thrones, AKA toilets, were installed by Big K. Never underestimate the power of replacing thrones to really make a girl feel like the queen of her castle.
  • May 2017: I lost the winter to interior design (but I got an electric fireplace for the living room - the best investment!) and didn't finish any big projects. The next project Big K and I started was establishing a mudroom, so nobody had to be creeped out by the seemingly endless dark space leading into my "garage" when they first entered the house. That's still in process, but I'm excited for the end result! I also started preparing for big mama mountain hiking up north by beginning with the Lake George 12ster Challenge.

  • June 2017: I planted my first garden... and it's growing! A month later, I have little green tomatoes! I kept telling myself, Miss Black Thumb (I used to kill every plant I touched), that I'd be happy with one tomato from the whole crop, but now I'm rooting for tomatoes, zucchini, and cukes to all make an appearance! My level of pride is sky high, not gonna lie.

A couple projects you will likely hear about in great detail in upcoming posts include the mudroom project and the upstairs old school bathroom project. I have a handful of other smaller tasks I need to do and will post my homeowner to-do list once I find it in my catch-all drawer.

I'm going to use this blog outlet to hold myself accountable for writing about everything ranging from fixing, building, hiking, and just loving things.

Keep an eye out and let me know if you learn a thing or two!


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