I have quickly discovered that if I don't wear mascara on my lower lashes, I will look less like a raccoon when my tears spill over. These are not sad or angry tears, they are exuberant and happy tears.

My brother is getting married. My baby brother is engaged and marrying the love of his life and I have never been more excited for the two of them. I have always liked my brothers "girlfriends" (can they really be that serious when they are that young??) but there is something pretty amazing about his fiance. She stands up to him, tells him to be nice (to me especially), and evens him out. They are what a couple should be: real, full of love and arguments, and good for each other. Plus, anyone who can live with my brother for any extended period of time is a saint in my book ;) I am just so happy for them!

A coworker asked me yesterday "how does it feel to be 6 years older, single, and watching your younger siblings getting married?" Honestly? It feels freeing and wonderful to see my family find their "one" and build a life with them. It means there will be babies for me to babysit and play with. It means that there will be more people sitting around the table for a game of International, Monopoly, or Lucky Seven. It means I will have that many more amazing people in my life, a part of my family. I kind of laughed when he asked me that and told him that as long as there is an open bar, they can get married all they want to. What would be the point in worrying about something that I have no control over? It will happen when it happens and I get to enjoy life in the meantime.

Speaking of! I have now looked at close to 37 properties and I am STILL in love with one of the first ones I viewed. Actually, it was the sixth one but it is the top at the moment. I have found some that are comparable but none that can meet it or beat it. One was incredibly close but it didnt have a fenced yard, was $10,000 more, and there was a strict weight restriction on dogs that Daisy BARELY passed. Ok, technically she is too heavy for the complex but you cant really tell her weight so, unless they forced her on the scale, it wouldnt have been an issue. However, it was just ok compared to the one in Everett. The Everett condo has a fulled fenced backyard, a spacious and open layout, 2 bedrooms, 1.75 baths, an attached garage and high ceilings which is not common in a lower level unit. I am still looking but I keep coming back to that one. It also doesn't have stairs of any kind which is a huge selling factor. Being one of the klutizest people I know, stairs are a bad thing and I don't think slipping and falling down a bunch is good for a recovering knee. Which, by the way, is doing really well!! I have been rowing, walking, and working it over with the lacrosse ball and it feels so much stronger. I am still leary of squats and anything that requires too much work but I no longer limp when I walk, I can go up and down stairs like normal instead of one leg at a time, and I have no problems standing up. I may have failed in going back to the doctor because I know he will yell at me for not using my brace like I should have (I get yelled at enough at work) but I might have to bite the bullet and head back in soon. I really want to get back into the workouts at CF and get into a routine but that will require a visit back to my doctor. Ugh. In the meantime, I have lost almost 20 pounds since the beginning of December and everyday I am one step closer to my goals.

Yeah, life is pretty awesome right now.

The New Year

I am about 10 days in to the new year and I am already feeling like 2014 is going to be the best year yet. I am recovering from knee surgery, working on my nutrition, doing very well at work, and looking to buy my first home. That's right! I am in the market for a condo! This is the most exciting and scary thing I have ever done. Leaving home, moving to Texas with Joe doesn't even compare to the levels of excitement and fear I have with this whole "buying" thing.

At first, I didn't think I would qualify for a mortgage so I didn't even try. My parents, however, pushed me to apply and talk to their mortgage lady (yes, they have a mortgage lady that my dad refers everyone too and she is spectacular!). After running everything through the system, she told me I was approved and to start looking. Now, looking is all that I seem to do. When I have free time, I am on Johnlscott or Windermere or even Zillow; scrolling through all of the properties available. Well constant searching has definitely paid off because I have found a few properties that are great! I have a lot of needs and wants in a condo and I found one that has all of them! Well, except that it is in Everett and I work in Redmond. This property has 2 beds, 1.75 bath, fenced backyard (a tall fence too), an attached garage and is in a safe area. I also found a place that was a 3 bed, 2 bath, a really nice layout, 2 fenced yards, but only one uncovered parking spot. This one was on a lake and it was a really nice, old part of Everett. There are several more that I am looking at tomorrow but I am really excited about 3 properties that seem to be good fits. I am hoping to make an offer soon on one of them after viewing about 8 tomorrow, that is if I don't find something better. What is purely amazing and wonderful is the support I have with my family and friends. My parents, Amanda, Q and D have been emailing me properties that they have found. My grandparents, who have so much experience and knowledge about this, have been phenomenal sounding boards and have pointed out things like negotiating the commission my agent gets etc. My grandmother has been my partner in looking at most of the properties and noticing if there is something that doesn't seem right like a musty smell, or a damp spot on the wall. All of the support, love, and information has made this even better! I feel like, once I do make a decision, that I will be armed with all of the knowledge available and have the support from the people I care about most.

I have to say, I am very lucky to have the family and friends that I do. I know that, with their help, I will make the best decision and find the best place for me to call my own.

Yay for new beginnings!