Are we seriously doing this again?

Apparently.

But I really think it might work this time (they always say third time's a charm, right?).

Yes, we're house hunting again.

Yes, we tried this before. Twice. And it was not pleasant. It was stressful and confusing and hectic and it did not work. At all.

Yes, we love it here at our apartment. But when we got our paperwork about renewing our lease (which runs out next month - we signed a short-term lease to start with because we weren't expecting to stay), all of the prices were way higher than we anticipated. Which had me concerned. And who knows how high the prices will have risen a year from now when we'd have to renew again?

We talked, and we felt like, yes, there was a reason we felt so comfortable here...if we hadn't, we would've kept looking at houses that were 30 minutes from the school and way bigger than we actually needed (or even would want). Living in this apartment has taught us what we really need in a house, and given us time to 'sort out our priorities,' if you will.

So we did a little online looking over the weekend, found several houses we were interested in, and found a realtor. We went looking on Tuesday, found a house that was completely perfect for us, and decided we wanted to make an offer.

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(This break is to inform you that there was an actual break while I was writing this entry)
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Our realtor just called. Like, JUST called. We've got the offer in and, thanks to some research into the comps, we're at an even lower price than we were expecting. And the listing agent has said that he should be able to let us know by tomorrow afternoon.

WHAT?!

This is so crazy. We started housing hunting originally way back in March. That was almost eight months ago!

When we were in Iowa over the summer we would watch all of these house hunting shows and be jealous that people would seem to get their houses so quickly...why didn't it work that way for us?? We came down to Arizona and searched in April. We did more searching online over the summer when that didn't work out. When we were still getting nowhere, we moved to Phoenix early so we could do more hunting. Half of the houses we were interested in disappeared before we could even go look at them, and then the ones we did get to see and wanted to pursue took months to, eventually, just blow us off.

And now, it looks like in less than a week's time, we're going from finding a house online to having an accepted offer.

I don't know for sure what's going to happen. But I do know this feels really good. And exciting. And if, after all this, we really do get our offer accepted tomorrow, this is without a doubt how things are really supposed to be.

We're getting another (four-legged) baby!

Doesn't Chloe look like she'll be a great big sister? =]

Yes, it's true! We're getting another puppy! And it's happening pretty soon (I'm going to make you read my long story first, but there's a picture of the new little baby at the end. And yes, I know you're scrolling now anyway.)!

Ever since we first decided to get Chloe, we'd always been talking about eventually having two pups. I grew up with two dogs in the house, and I just thinks it's so nice for them. They have a playmate and they also have company around when we have to leave them (which, of course, makes me feel less guilty for leaving, too).

The difference, though, was that when I was young and we got our second dog (April), our first family pet (Cricket) was already about 8 years old. So even though they kept each other company, 8-year-old Cricket wasn't all that interested in playing with little miss April.

So Travis and I had always said we wanted to get our second pup when Chloe was still pretty young and active. We were originally thinking about when Chloe would be about 2 (which would still be another year or so from now). But the more we talked about it, and the more we saw Chloe get so excited over getting to play with other puppies, we decided to go ahead and start looking. We realized that, to us, it didn't really matter whether we got a puppy now or a year from now, but Chloe would be ready for and excited about a new little sister any time.

So we started talking about breeds and whatnot and did some exploring in stores around the area and online. We did our research, and we had it narrowed down to a few different mixes, and then we finally settled on a puggle (for those who don't know, that's a beagle-pug mix). Now mind you, I've never thought that pugs were that cute...well, they're cute in an ugly way, but I'm not really into that. Puggles, though...well, some of them still look an awful lot like a pug, but some are just super cute. So we decided we'd just have to find the right little girl. We know that puggles are great family dogs, very loving and sweet, but also super playful, and she'll be just about Chloe's size when she's full-grown, too, which is perfect.

So after exhausting all of our options in the area, we started looking online for breeders (that is, after all, how we found Chloe, and we ended up with the best puppy ever). Very quickly, we found a breeder with a litter of puggle pups that's actually on our route to Iowa (we're coming home in mid-November during Travis' break between quarters). We found the one we liked, and she's the cutest little thing, and she'll be ready to go right when we're coming through the area, so we're going to pick her up on the way, just like we did with Chloe when we visited Arizona in February. So we'll have her in less than a month!

We're so excited for Chloe to have a little sister, and to watch them get to know each other. We're actually glad that they'll be adjusting to each other in Iowa, not in our home first. We think it'll make the transition a little easier, and Chloe's less likely to be territorial (not that she's usually territorial anyway, but you never know).

We've been working on names for this little girl, and I think we've basically decided, but I'm not going to share until we're 100%. It shouldn't be too long. I'll be sure to post with updates on the newest little member of our family! =]

Isn't she a doll? We love that she's got the beagle coloring! Most puggles don't.

Casa de Katy!

I've finally got photos! Sorry it took me sooo long. I could give you lots of excuses, but I'll just give you pictures instead!

Our living room!

You'll find out very quickly that I don't like white walls. Everything has been painted!

I realized after I took all the photos that my camera lens was a little spotty...sorry! You still get some good pics though! =]

Another view of the front room!

Can you tell we like movies? We made those shelves ourselves. Fun!

Our dining nook!

It's a perfect fit for our table! The little french door to the left goes out to our balcony (which we get to use nightly now that the weather is getting nicer!), and the open door to the right goes into our bedroom.

A look into our kitchen!

For those who are trying to figure out angles, I was standing in front of the black futon (in the living room) to take this photo. The mirrors to the left caused some funny glares in the photo...sorry!

Our kitchen!

I like to think of the colors as sort of 'chili pepper,' but Travis wants them to be 'Jamba Juice.' We'd have to add some citrus-y oranges to make that work! The window looks out the front entry, and there's a beautiful leafy tree that I get to look at when I'm at the sink! =]

Our laundry room!

The little laundry room is off the kitchen. It's the perfect size for the laundry, plus our vacuum and tools. We put a small dresser in there that holds extra kitchen towels and the like. We're sooo glad to have our laundry actually in our apartment now! No more loading up the baskets and praying there are empty washers at the laudramat!

Our balcony!

We love sitting out here in the evening! It's so beautiful, and very quiet. It's starting to get nice enough now that we can use it during the day too! Chloe likes to stick her nose through those little holes in the patterned wall to see what she can get to.

Also on our balcony!

It's really a very roomy space, and very cute! Those little metal lizards on the ground to the left are going to be hung up on that wall. I love them!

Our bedroom!

Our comforter is actually reversible, but we love this pattern with the blue on the walls, so we haven't ever changed it!

Another bedroom view!

Behind the curtains is a sliding glass door that goes out to our balcony. It's nice for letting in the cool air, but we usually go out there from the front room instead.

One more look at the bedroom!

Behind that full-length mirror is our walk-in closet (!)! Yes, the mirror is a door. And I love the closet. Nice and roomy! You can also see into our attached bathroom in this photo as well. It's also nice and roomy. It has lots of counter space, and a nice tub-length standing shower with glass doors. Yay!

Our guest bath!

Yes, we have two bathrooms! It's sooo nice. Especially considering each one is at least twice the size of our only bathroom in our last apartment! You can see the shower curtain in the mirror there. This bathroom does have a full-size tub, so this is where Chloe gets her baths! =]

Our study!

The final room (but yes, there are a few more views)! That sofa is actually a sleeper, and it's way more comfortable than sleeper sofas used to be (yes, we've slept on it)! It's also super comfy just as a sofa, which is very nice as well. I spend a lot of time on this couch, because...

Our study yet again!

...this is where Travis spends most of his time! So I do a lot of work on the couch in here so we can at least see each other. Poor guy! He's working ridiculously hard. I'm so proud of him.

I also like to call this our Broadway room because of the decorations you see around the desk. Those are all either programs or photo books from plays we've actually been to. As we see more, we'll expand our decor!

The last view of our study!

Yes, behind that mirror is another closet. It's not as big as the one in our room, but it's still quite large. It works perfectly for storage.

You can also see the front hallway from here. The open door to the right is the guest bath, and way in the corner you can see the front door.

So that's our home! Hope you enjoyed the tour! We love it here. It's absolutely perfect for us!

Things that make me happy right now

• Looking outside and seeing palm trees.
  
  
• Looking around my apartment and knowing that we really, actually, truly are almost done moving in (and yes, I know I promised pictures - and I will post them eventually - I'm just waiting until it's totally done!).
  
  
• Buying my RENT tickets this morning.
  
  
• Seeing how excited my little puppy gets when one (or both) of us comes home to her.
  
  
• Knowing that mi madre will be coming for a visit in less than a week, and that we're going to have heaploads of fun.
  
  
• Having a husband that loves me, takes care of me, and has fun with me (...and puts up with me).
  
  
• Knowing that both Travis and I are happy to just sit around and talk or do silly things together.
  
  
• Knowing that we both enjoy doing the same silly things.
  
  (example: last night we actually took the time to make our own rankings all of the states in the order of which we would want to live, and then compared.
  
  For those that are curious, our top states are: Arizona, Washington, Virginia, Oregon, Ohio, New York, Nevada and Maryland.
  
  Rounding out the bottom are Louisiana, Montana, North Dakota and, of course, Wyoming)
  
  
• Getting pictures like this of Chandler in Korea. This is so cool.

• Eating up Brach's mellowcreme pumpkins that only come out in stores this time of year (this is both a good and bad thing for me).
  
  
• Using sites like this that give me great discounts on just about any online shopping. I can't tell you how much money this has saved me.
  
  
• Being able to still keep in touch with friends from all over even though I'm way far away (and not feeling like things are suddenly drastically different).
  
  
• Sharing a home with my family, and knowing that it's our favorite place to be.

And that's how it is.

My 100 things

I saw someone else do this, and I really enjoyed it. So I decided to do my own. 

This is something I plan on doing every once in a while, just for fun.

So get ready for the random-train-of-thought, free writing experience of one Katy Nye.

Scroll and enjoy!



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1. I was born in Indianapolis
2. But I grew up in Oskaloosa, Iowa
3. Population: 12
4. I don’t really like small towns
5. Really, if I could afford it I’d go live in NYC
6. Maybe we’ll retire there
7. Then I could see a play every single week
8. Yes, I’m obsessed with broadway
9. It’s one of my passions
10. That started in high school
11. Drama was my life
12. I miss that
13. I was also in chamber choir
14. And jazz choir
15. And madrigal choir
16. And I accompanied concert choir
17. I love choir
18. Almost as much as I love theatre
19. Of course, my first love was my piano
20. I miss that too
21. There’s a grand piano waiting at my parents’ house whenever I’ve got the room
22. It might be a while
23. We’re in an apartment in Glendale, Arizona right now
24. We love it here
25. But there’s a chance that in 2 years we may need to move to Ohio
26. For Travis’s rotations
27. But we won’t know for 2 years
28. We’re not sure how we feel about that
29. But that’s a ways off
30. Right now I’m still settling into the apartment
31. Unpacking is a lot of work
32. But I love the design/decorating aspect of it
33. Interior design is another passion of mine
34. I love it
35. I wish I had another house I could work on once I’m done with this one
36. That’s why HGTV is probably my favorite channel
37. Except I don’t have cable
38. Which also means I miss What Not to Wear
39. Which makes me really sad
40. I love Stacy and Clinton
41. And good style
42. I have a serious handbag obsession
43. And shoe obsession
44. And scarf obsession
45. And jewelry obsession
46. You get the picture
47. It makes it tough when you have no money
48. Although I sometimes think that’s a good thing
49. I think my ideal job would be as an interior designer for a chic little theatre in New York
50. Maybe I could do some of their PR too
51. I love writing
52. And the English language
53. And proper grammar
54. And I will correct you
55. Even though I’ll try to resist
56. I can’t help it
57. But that’s what makes me good at my job
58. I do layout too
59. I’ve obviously got a love for the creative arts
60. But weirdly, I’m also stellar at Math
61. It was my favorite subject in school
62. You know, besides my creative classes
63. I hated science
64. And history
65. I just had no interest in them
66. I am interested in finance though
67. I loved accounting
68. And I love crunching numbers
69. And working out a budget
70. And saving money
71. Which fortunately goes well with the whole “poor student” thing
72. That’s why we don’t have cable
73. But we do have movies
74. Lots and lots of movies
75. We love them
76. Then there’s the TV shows on DVD too
77. Like Friends
78. I can quote you just about every line from every episode of Friends
79. And I’m not ashamed of it
80. I’m starting to get there with Scrubs too
81. I love that show
82. But sometimes it scares me
83. Because it reminds me of what our life is going to be like
84. Minus the weird fantasies and serious bromance
85. So sometimes I have to turn it off 
86. Then I just play with my puppy
87. She’s adorable
88. And I truly believe that watching her when she’s hyper is one of the most entertaining things you can do with your time
89. If you spend 5 minutes with her, you’ll think so too
90. She keeps me company while Travis is at school
91. I have no doubt she’s going to get me through the next decade
92. Seriously
93. Everyone needs a little something to help keep them sane
94. Even if it actually makes them seem insane to others
95. Like how I randomly burst out in made-up songs
96. It calms me down
97. So does writing
98. It helps to get my thoughts out
99. Even if it's just silly little random things
100. Like this

Good news weekend

Ah! It's been a weekend of good news here in Glendale. I don't have a lot of time, but I'll give a quick recap:

First, one of Travis's friends from school turned us onto a website that does live video streaming from tons of channels (justin.tv), so now we'll be able to watch all future BYU (and Jazz) games! Very exciting for the two of us.

Even more exciting, when we did get to watch the BYU game on Saturday, we played fabulously. For those who don't know, BYU stomped Tulane 54-3. Yes! We're excited to watch them play Florida State next week.

Then, completely out of the blue, we get to sell our scooter in a matter of about 4 hours. That was a totally amazing blessing. Check out my other blog if you want to hear about that story.

And finally, I got tickets for four broadway shows coming into town throughout the next season (and no, that doesn't even include RENT, because I'll be seeing that in Iowa and tickets aren't on sale for another week yet *sigh*). It does include, however, Phantom (so excited to being seeing this for the fourth time), Mary Poppins (fun!), Jesus Christ Superstar (I've seen this one, but Travis hasn't), and In the Heights (won itself some Tony's last year). So I'm making some progress on getting back my theatre. Hooray!

Here's hoping the good news trend continues into this next week! Everyone can use a few wins now and then.

And that's how it is.