The Dawning of a Musical Miracle

Blog Every Day in May

Day 18/31 - Tell a story from your childhood.

"What's Napster?" Kathryn asked, seeing the little green face on my desktop.

"No idea. Robert told me to download it months ago. It's so confusing that I just leave it alone."

There we sat in my lime green room, Backstreet Boys watching over us from a prime spot on my wall while Christina Aguilera set the mood, trying to figure out what this Napster thing was all about without the help of (then nonexistent) Google. After many minutes spent waiting on load bars and answering AIM pings and trying to figure out exactly what song we wanted, somehow we ended up with two: Video Killed the Radio Star and Tony Orlando's Knock Three Times.

I have no idea how we got them. I'd never heard of either.

We danced around in our Old Navy bell bottoms and belted lyrics like it was our job, adding the Dixie Chicks version of Can't Hurry Love about an hour in. We were ahead of the game, taking technology by the reins and letting loose. CDs be damned- we could get any song we chose.  Well, any song that we chose and could find and actually had an adequate version of but pshhh...  minor details.

High on our Tony Orlando loving horse, we called it a night, leaving ten songs in the queue and waking up to three usable ones in the morning. It was the dawning of a new decade, and it was nothing short of a miracle.

LIVE THE MURRAYED LIFE

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Stuff and Stuff

The other day I wished someone a good weekend. Then I hung up the phone and heard Peyton chime up: "Christina. It's eight a.m... on Tuesday morning."

Proof that the past few weeks have been a mind-melding whirlwind of activity.

Landscaping, painting, window washing, pressure washing, packing*- all after two weeks of SXSW and company. We're ALIVE, and to top that off I'm typing in the slick new abode, but we aren't even close to the end.

*Full disclosure: All of these have occurred, even if they were not occurring through our personal hands. We called brother and said screw you DIYness.*

About three weeks ago we almost lost this house (which of course took me back to this post's title.)

Three days before closing our lender pulled out. Luckily we have an amazing realtor and local lender who joined forces and made it happen, held the deal together, and got funding in about 2.5 weeks. But along the way were a few bumps, such as tax documents needing to be sent over but the fraudulent one someone filed for Peyton being sent instead, thus resulting in HOURS communicating with the IRS on the phone and in person. Or the fact that our new house's mail carrier who had been working on our street for 10+ years was rerouted 2 days after we met her, thus causing all our mail to be returned to sender instead of held in her safety. Domino effect to when the underwriters wanted our new credit card info but we couldn't supply it because we didn't think it had been sent and found all of the above info out.

I'm not complaining though, really. By the end it was comical and I'm documenting it so down the road we can relive the joy of what was looking so easy. (I think any time I encounter the thought "this is SO easy" there need to be red blinkers and screaming sounds warning me to STOP THOSE THOUGHTS.)

And then there's the issue of stuff.

{exhibit a} 

I. HATE. STUFF.

We "moved" on Sunday. Why the ""? Because it is ne-ver-en-ding. There is still stuff oozing out of the cracks. Stuff that just keeps needing to be packed up and shuttled over. Small stuff and big stuff and stuff we don't need and stuff we can't get rid of.

Our old house is being held hostage by said stuff for a little longer, giving us another week of prep time before listing. Then I like to think the stress will be over, but even while typing this laugh at myself. All that STUFF that we moved over here?? Still needs to be taken out of its disorganized box and put away into an unknown spot. We have less storage, and my mind can't fathom picking and choosing through what we need and don't yet again. So forgive us if you visit two years from now and are sitting on unpacked boxes. That simply means the stuff won.

{exhibit b... along with a kitchen sneak peek}

So this was just my wordy heads up that we are alive and well. Declan has made it through masterfully- overcoming missed naps, possible feedings (whoooops), and lack of parental guidance. The dogs come today, we slept here last night, and it has and will all get done. I've missed the internet and my blogs and my time a lot, but right now the stuff must be conquered.

Dang stuff. If only I could find that book on minimalism* in all this stuff...

*Disclosure: I sat trying to remember this word for about five minutes before looking it up. Either that says I am so not ready, or far overdue. hmm...*

Happy weekend folks! ;)

LIVE THE MURRAYED LIFE

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Housing a Secret

I've got a little secret...

We put a bid in on a house yesterday.

Wanna see...?

It may not be everybody's cup o' tea, but we think it's adorable and charming and drips Austin out of it's mortar. Plus it's in the city, walkable to parks, a library, and a drive-in movie theater. Because, as we all know, walking distance to a drive-in is clearly an important key to house-hunting.

Anyway, we were pretty hooked. So much so that we offered loads of money to someone right now while promising to pay LOADS more for the next thirty years. I might be freaking the freak out if I thought this was actually going to go through. But you know, I'm sure we will get the call that five other people want this same house and are willing to give up their third and fourth children to get it. (And peeps, that ain't an option here. We are having a girl come hell or high water.)

In reality... I'm more than a bit antsy. You know, checking my email like a fat kid hit the stores when Twinkies went under and losing sleep over whether or not there is a spot for a refrigerator. (Because it makes total sense to gut and redo a house without a spot for a fridge. Sane moment, Christina, sane moment.)

After not taking pics during our pre-listing glimpse the other day, I sat around all morning refreshing the computer to see if dream house number 1 had been listed. It, of course, had not, and our realtor still had no word. So instead of eating good, healthy food, I drank coffee and chewed my nails and refreshed, refreshed, refreshed.

Nada.

By 10:30 the caffeine had hit and I was like a hamster on a wheel. Except sitting. And not being productive. Or releasing any nervous energy. So when the call came in that it was time to go, my jittery, coffee-filled, empty-stomached self was barely containable. Not the best way to start your second date with the house you're trying hard to woo, but it seemed to take it in stride. We looked good together, even it could see that.

So we bid. And now sit around waiting to hear that we didn't get it. Or that we did!! That can happen too, right?! I mean, people live in houses so it MUST happen on occasion. It's totally nerve-wracking, but probably not even close to as much as it will be if and when we realize we have to actually move. That's the hyperventilate, procrastinate, and become a hoarder type of nerve-wracking.

Fingers crossed over here! What about you? Remember the first time you bought, or tried to buy, a house?? Was it sweaty palm induced panic or hours spent perusing Pinterest for decorating ideas?

Cheers to happy weekending!

LIVE THE MURRAYED LIFE

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