House Hunting

Since May, Michael and I have been house hunting. Due to our limited spending budget and living in the DC suburban area, we have seen some very interesting houses. Many of the houses in our price range are Short Sales which basically means the owners are living their mortgage free as filing for foreclosure would cost too much money. This is good for us as it gives us more time to save if we were to put a contract on the house but very bad for looking at a house. Many of the families choose to stay in the home while we are looking at it, and their crap is everywhere thus making it very difficult to see the potential in the house. In addition, it is always awkward commenting on the house when the owners are there. For instance, one house claimed to have a basement when actually it was a two step level change. Others have had very small kitchens or no living space. Then there are the ones that just aren't "us" and there is nothing wrong with that.

My favorite disaster house is in Reston, VA. Upon driving up to the house, it looks rather normal. However, the house had several surprises waiting for me. When I opened the front door, a NEON green foyer and living room greeted me. I'm not just speaking of the walls but the ceiling too. The kitchen had orange counter tops, but that wasn't the best part. The cabinets were finished with chicken wire in the spot where wood, plastic, or glass would have gone on a cabinet. My realtor even said she had never seen anything like that. The downstairs powder room did not have an actual mirror but four smaller ones to create the mirror. I didn't even go in the basement. Upstairs, now that was a treat, contained four bedrooms and a bathroom which sounds normal. Don't be fooled! Each room not only had a different paint color that covered walls and ceilings but a different flooring as well. One had carpet, pergo, laminate, and wood. The ceilings had stencil paintings as well. Now, the bathroom was sponge painted blue with fish stenciling on the walls, ceilings, and front part of the tube. These owners went all out. To quote Michael, "They must have gone to Lowes and used the paint from all the clearance shelves." I'm all for home improvement, but I don't have the energy to take on that big of a project.

Needless to say, we are still looking for the house that says "Welcome to the Lutfis."

Back for Real this Time!

Wow, so much for that new years resolution. Sorry about that people. Let's see, how to summarize the past few months...

February brought about more snow than I have EVER seen in my entire life. Michael, whom has never seen snow, liked it until we were burried by Snowmagedon. Manga too thought the snow was an excellent source of playtime until she couldn't even hop over it because it was too deep. We ended up trailblazing her a path so she could wander around and play. The snow was well up onto my thighs so imagine Manga trying to get through it. Needless to say, we had a VERY tired puppy after a day of playing. Michael is quite possibly one of the best snow drivers. He was the official car-getter-outer. As for me, I kept us feed with pizza and brownies.

In addition, I became the godmother to my best friend's son from high school, Catherine, and her wonderful husband, John. Jack, my godson, is wonderful. He is so easy going, fun, cute, and just a joy to be around. I am so blessed/honored/proud to be his godmother and to forever be connected to him and his family.

March, April, and May gave us a beautiful spring. I had forgotten how everything just pops with green and flowers. The Cherry Blossoms in the DC area were gorgeous! It was so exciting to be here for the change from winter to spring. Michael thought it was really cool how the trees went from bare to full. Our bird feeder kept the local birds fed and happy. We even have/had a bird's nest up in the rafters of our porch. I sound like a real nature nut at the moment, but I really forgot how much I love the change of the seasons. Manga loved the onset of spring as it the woodland creatures reappeared for her to chase!

Throughout those months, I finished up some classes, Michael's job continued on, and my sister Erin completed her first year of college with a very successful crew season. Her team, the Wahoos are the Women's Collegiate National Crew Champions. We went down to UVA quite a few times to watch her row. It was really wonderful to be able to take part in those kinds of family activities.

In May, Michael and my brother, Joey, each completed the Marine Corps Half Marathon in Fredricksburg, VA. It was the first time for each of them and they did really well! Joey finished at 2hours and Michael finished at 2hours and 32minutes. I was/am really proud of them both! Michael has just started training for his first marathon in October which will be the Marine Corps Marathon in DC. All of Michael's running has made me realize how much I love being an athlete. My goal is to complete a sprint tri, half and full marathon, and maybe a few more tris. I may get the competing bug again which will be good.

Michael and I also celebrated our 3rd legal anniversary with a trip to the cutest little inn in the country of Loudoun County. We had the most relaxing time. Manga thought it was wonderful because all of the other guests loved on her. She got soooooo much attention that she was exhausted for a few days. I learned about the dynamics of the chicken world. I had no idea they were so complex. Every animal really does have it's pecking order, sorry for the pun.

June has been a good month. Rather uneventful for the most part, but the exciting part has been celebrating my godson's first birthday. I came down to Charlotte, NC to visit the Wiesehan's and for a 1st birthday! Jack has been crawling up a storm and is fun to play with. He is into everything and loves throwing things. He has learned how to pull himself up but isn't quite standing on his own yet. When he wants to stand, he kneels and flails his arms about. Jack is very fascinated with the puppies. Manga travelled down here with me. I have been pleasantly surprised to see how good she is with Jack. I figured she would be good with babies, but I always wondered as she has never been around them. Things a going well and we are having fun!

I believe I have caught everyone up with what has been going on around here!

Some Updates

I've recently made it a resolution to write more on the blog. It keeps up my writing skills, but also keeps my loyal followers updated on what we are up doing. Thus, some posting may be longer than others as I do not want to post every mundane detail.

Since the new year began, we have kept quite busy. Ann Marie and Kyle came into town for a little college reunion over the new year, and then on the second, the four of us trekked downtown for some sightseeing. Of course, it was one of the coldest days that I can remember. It was so windy that the sun did not make anything warmer. However, we braved the wind and toured around the National Mall. Michael finally got to see something in Washington DC instead of getting a glance of it all from the inside of a car. It was a great day for all of us.

A few weeks later, I started taking classes at the Northern Virginia Community College so that I can apply to a university to receive the Virginia Teaching Licence. It does not matter that I taught for four years overseas which is very frustrating. Nevertheless, I met with a faculty advisor at Shenandoah University which turned out to be a very good thing. I learned that credits could transfer into their program making the time shorter to get the licence. Yay!!!

As for Michael, work is going well. He is happy and making friends. They love it when he brings in baked treats that I make him. The chocolate chip cookies are a huge favorite but that isn't a shocker to anyone. I know, tooting my own horn, but this is the one area where I can boast just a little bit. Tomorrow he's taking in cookies which will make everyone happy.

Lastly, Miss Manga got her piece of furniture last week, a dog bed. I wasn't sure whether or not she would like it, but she loves it! The pink ball and squeaking squirrel usually go with her when she goes to lay down. Since her crate is in our room, where she sleeps at night, the bed is her own space in the living room.

TTFN!!

Tennessee Christmas

For our first Christmas in the USA as a married couple, we traveled to Knoxville to spend it with my side of the family. Thanks so all the snow the area received a few weeks before the holiday, the drive was absolutely beautiful. So much of the countryside was just covered in a blanket of white with fences and red barns. Needless to say, there were lots of countryside postcard picture moments.

We arrived in Knoxville around 7:30 on the 24th and NO ONE in the house came out to greet us in the driveway even though everyone was downstairs doing nothing. Manga, however, recognized the house and went nuts, or it was being released from the car after seven and a half hours. Either way, she was very excited to be in Knoxville and around the family. In the Metcalf Household of Knoxville, TN, there are many traditions that we honor every year. As I've gotten older, and I think Joey and Erin would agree, Christmas has become more than just presents. We've all separated to different parts of the USA and sometimes around the globe, but Christmas is the one time of year when everyone makes it back home to be with family. I think that is part of the magic of Christmas, not in the Harry Potter sense of magic, but a spiritual magic.

Anyway, back to Christmas Eve. Once we arrived, dinner was served within the hour which consisted of Turkey soup, made from Thanksgiving leftovers, and sandwiches. Usually we are frantically wrapping presents, however this year we all had finished that task earlier in the week. I have to say that it was nice being able to sit around, tell stories, and enjoy each other's company. A little bit later in the evening, my dad put the star up on the tree which can only be done when everyone is present. Then we read our Christmas Eve stories that we have been reading for as long as I can remember. I can never remember the order, but we read The Night before Christmas and The Polar Express. Even though we have heard those stories every single year, we still love them as we only read them at Christmas. A hush always falls over the room, and I like to think we are listening for Mr. Claus. As least, I know I did that when I was younger hoping I could hear him flying onto the roof like in the Night before Christmas. A few years ago, we added a third story to our little tradition. We read the last chapter of A Christmas Carol. My mom reads the first two books, but I read the last one. I never grow tired of that story as it just embodies what Christmas is all about. Our one last Christmas Eve tradition, which only started when we got older, was to attend Midnight Mass. Only Erin, Michael, and I went this year; however, it was still a wonderful mass.

As for the actual Christmas morning, we have some very torturous traditions. First, stockings are the ONLY items that can be opened before breakfast. In addition, the opening of the stockings can only be opened after 5am due to some very excited little Metcalf children. Then we eat breakfast and clean up. Breakfast was naturally pancakes, and we have added on various items to the menu. Here comes the terrible part. The next logical step would be to open presents; however, if everyone is not present then Santa's gifts must wait until all members have arrived. One Christmas, my dad was on call and did not get back home from the hospital until 1pm. My siblings and I had opened stockings at like 6am, ate breakfast around 8am, and then by 10am everyone in the house had fallen asleep waiting for my father to return. Needless to say, we have been scarred for life. This Christmas had nothing traumatic, but there has always been this slight fear that someone won't be around making us wait to open gifts. Our Christmas morning went off without a hitch, and it was simply a wonderful holiday.

Just for those who might be wondering, Michael and I will be implementing those same rules on Christmas morning when we have our own children.