New Beginnings

We have been Rome residents for 1 week now and it has flown by in a whirl-wind full of ups and downs.

First, we barely closed on our closing date which was May 24 @ 4 pm. SunTrust (who is in charge of our mortgage) simply dropped the ball. On our closing day, they were still trying to get information they had assured me they would get 1 week prior. They basically had not even begun the loan pass through process. It was a super stressful afternoon when they tried to tell me at 2:30 we would not close. At this point we were in Rome with cars loaded down and no where else to sleep that night but our house. My response - Yes we will close today, it's not my fault that you are totally incompetent.

We kind of closed Tuesday - we signed papers even though the loan, deed, and other things the attorney's need to get it all done had not gone through - our realtors basically took pity on us and let us in. (The process was actually finalized 3 days later - thanks SunTrust.) All that mattered is that we got into our house on Tuesday. But because of all the hoop-lah, we did not have the smile as you sign papers, finish and get passed the keys, and proudly pose for a picture in front of your new house moment. (We have still not taken a picture with our sold sign.)

Finally we are in the house and immediately get hit with the normal home-owner stuff: we set off the alarm we were never told how to operate, we find that all of our toilets are broken, the cold water nozzle on the sink doesn't work, thought for several hours that my dinner plates did not fit in the dishwasher (they actually do), had to tinker with the garage to get it to go down all the way, thought I threw away my keys with the trash (I didn't), and oh yeah, the ENTIRE house (ceilings too) was khaki - and the list goes on.

We have been working non-stop and have been very successful except for getting stuck on I-20 at midnight with a U-haul with a flat tire. The U-haul 24 hr roadside service is a crock (at least at midnight on a holiday weekend when you are stuck 60 miles from any major city). We were sent help 13 hrs later. Thank the Lord we were close enough get to the lake house so that we did not have to sleep on the side of the road.

Anyway, we are in Rome, our house is great, we are still painting and finding a place for everything. Still have a lot to do, but hopefully no more curve balls. So thankful for our wonderful family and friends who have spent countless hours helping us put our touch on the house!

Painting Ceilings Is Fun!

Welcome to the Jungle!

When you buy a foreclosure you "get" to pick out your own locks. AKA when the bank kicks out the previous owner they replace the locks with crappy ones and don't give them back.

Shredded tire on a Uhaul truck with only 5000 miles.

My pictures are sarcastic but we are having fun and feel so lucky to have this place to live and to have survived so far. I plan to show you the full transformation as we continue to get it done.

I Carry You In My Heart

One of the toughest things about leaving Augusta was saying good bye to our Youth Group at Quest Church. We have spent the last 2 1/2 years with them and they have touched us deeply. They have grown and changed so much in such a short time. Our last meeting together Sunday was very special. They are awesome kids who I will not soon forget.

Love and Lingerie

This weekend I went to LaGrange to throw Emily a lingerie shower. It is a little strange buying lingerie for your little sister, but it was a lot of fun! If it was going to be awkward, I thought, why not make it super awkward: so I got her some body whipped cream :). We had some snacks and margaritas, played games, and since we were on the lake, we took advantage and soaked up some sun. It was also Emily's 23rd birthday - I think it was a good one!

This is a fun game: You write a phrase, pass it, the next person draws the phrase, pass it again, the next person turns the drawing back into a phrase, all the way around. It's like telephone and is so funny to see the phrase morph. (Can't figure out how to turn the picture)


Only 3 days until we become homeowners! I'm back in Augusta and am in full on move-mode.

Half-way through May Update

I feel like I left you guys hanging since our vacation, but I figure that those that read this also see my facebook page, and I don't want the blog to just be a repeat of facebook in written form.

But a lot has happened since I spilled the beans....

We did go on our trip and had an awesome time (see facebook for pictures). It took a lot of planning and coordination to go to San Francisco, Napa Valley, and Lake Tahoe in 5 days, and I thought it was going to stress me out, but it didn't, it went very smoothly. Each of those destinations is worth going to and each is sooo beautiful!

Our favorites from San Francisco - Chinatown, Alcatraz, Sears Fine Food (for breakfast - they have the best Swedish pancakes the size of sand dollars and the best sausage patties I have ever had!), and E&O Trading Co. (another restaurant)

Then soon after we got back I graduated and am now Dr. Erin Hoxsie Meeks, MD. Several people have asked how it feels to officially be a doctor.....well, honestly, not that different. I don't have the paperwork yet to write a prescription, and I'm not really doing anything right now. I'm sure I will feel like a doctor in July when I start working and making doctor decisions.

(phone call) "Dr. Meeks, Mrs. Williams in 524 is having chest pain, what would you like to do?"
(my answer) "uuuuuuhhhhh...." :)

Otherwise I have been busy hanging out with Finn and I am shocked that after almost 2 1/2 yrs of life he is still alive. He is constantly doing something terrible. For instance, this morning I found that I am missing a bag of chocolate covered cranberries, a treat for myself that I splurged on and got from the Fresh Market. The only culprit I can think of it my long-eared friend here. I am thankful for my cousin-in-law, Katy, who was a vet tech for several years. I call her about every other week asking her if Finn is going to die of something. So far, we are not making our second trip this year to the animal hospital. It is really crazy how much I love this goofy dog.

Since graduating we have been having fun playing a lot of tennis.

Soon (like now) I have to start packing.

And next week we get into our house in Rome, we will start painting.

YAY! Lots of exciting things to come. I will keep you posted.