When Google popped up on my web browser this morning, I learned that it was the 46th anniversary of Yuri Gagarin‘s historic trip into space. In celebration, here’s a photo of Becky posing in front of Yuri’s likeness at the Space Obelisk in Moscow, on our trip two years ago:
To the stars!
fff|ppp|
|ppp|fff
One of my ongoing life projects is to become more Earth friendly. I am getting closer and closer to that goal by tackling one step at a time. Recently, I have been working hard to eliminate plastic bags from my life.
I do like having some plastic bags around the house. They come in handy for trash, or whatnot, but I don’t like them that much. I don’t need (or have the space for) the hundreds of plastic bags I could collect during my shopping trips. And all that plastic is awful for the environment.
So, when I head to our local Market Basket I try my hardest to remember my canvas bags. I have three or four which can usually handle my biweekly grocery trip. If I have an unusually large amount of canned goods I find a box to catch the overflow.
This system works pretty well, provided that I a)remember to bring the bags along with me and b)have the patience to teach the grocery baggers how to bag groceries without “paper or plastic”. I try to make it easier for the baggers by putting done the bag on the conveyor belt first, followed by everything I’d like to go into that bag. Sometimes they “get it,” sometimes they don’t.
Bringing my own bags takes a little more work on my part than getting the standard issue plastic sacks, but I think it is worth it. Today at the store I saw at least three people leaving with only two plastic bags of groceries. Think of how easy it would have been for them to bring their own canvas bag instead of using plastic.
On my way out I saw a woman carrying her “paper in plastic” bags back into the store. I wanted to say “Good Job!” but I didn’t. Then I regretted not saying anything. So, if you use canvas…GOOD JOB! Keep up the good work!”
ETA: Bethany’s comment reminded me that I had meant to share a link she had sent to me a couple weeks ago. San Francisco to Ban Plastic Bags I think it is great! After all the first key in the mantra is “REDUCE” then “reuse and recycle”. The fewer plastic bags there are, the less energy will be needed to recycle them!
In June of 2002 I moved into apartment 1 at 11 Highland Terrace. It was a sunny day and the move, with the exception of one roll over accident on route 3, went off without a hitch. It seemed like such a huge place. Especially since I barely had any furniture! Who remembers getting pizza and eating it sitting on the floor? Raise your hands!
Since Peter and I wouldn’t be married for another five months my first roommate was my good friend Bethany. Between the two of us, and some generous family members, we were able to find some things to sit and sleep on and we slowly furnished the place.
Bethany moved out and Peter moved in that fall. The apartment treated us very well over the past five years. We started out with a bedroom and an office/sewing room along with the kitchen and living room. Once Catherine joined us we sacrificed the office for a nursery. Even with our family addition we haven’t felt cramped.
Over the years we have hosted quite a few celebrations in our little abode: Survivor parties, Opening Ceremonies parties for the Summer 04 and Winter 06 Olympics, our Napoleon Dynamite Party, Birthdays, a homecoming get together, Christmases…and so many more. We didn’t have a ton of space, but we loved to share it with friends and family!
Being in Downtown Beverly has been wonderful. We had two, off street, parking spaces which is rare in this neighborhood. The laundromat was right next door and we could walk almost anywhere we needed to: church, the library, Bell Market (RIP), Family Dollar, the banks, the beach, the parks…you get the idea. I was even able to commute into work in Boston easily since the train depot was just two blocks away. I know that I will miss running errands on foot.
I won’t miss living below ground. The windows were right at ground level! Luckily, we got a good amount of sunlight regardless of the window location. It will be nice to look outside and see more than the shrubs.
It is sad to leave the place I’ve lived for five years. This apartment has been a warm, cozy, welcoming place to come home to. We’ve grown accustomed to its quirks and had made it our own.
But, time rolls on and so do we. Onward towards another adventure! Do you have a nice 11 Highland Terrace memory? Leave a comment, we’d love to hear it!
We’re done with the bulk of the painting! Just a few places that need another coat, and some touch-ups. Check out the colors we’ve chosen.
Our closing on Friday went off without a hitch! We spent roughly the same amount of time driving to and from the closing (which was at a lawyer’s office in West Newbury) as we did at the closing itself. If only the process up to that point had been so easy!
We spent Friday afternoon with Becky’s parents, going through the house and figuring out what supplies we needed to get started. Later on, Becky, Catherine and I took a trip to IKEA and Home Depot to buy a few supplies to get started with. We left Becky’s parents at the condo to do some prep work like spackling and sanding, laying down drop cloths, and removing three ceiling fans.
This morning, we met Becky’s parents at the condo (yes, they did go home in between…) and started working on basic refurbishments. We scraped, spackled, puttied, sanded, painted ceilings, primed the boldly colored walls, and put up some lighting fixtures. Unfortunately there was not much for Catherine to do, so she spent her time either napping, playing in the pack ‘n’ play, or being held by whoever wanted a break from the work. 🙂
ppp|
The construction forewoman at work
|ppp
We’ve chosen some paint colors, and the plan is to buy them tomorrow and start painting this week. We hope to be done with the painting by the end of next week so that we can refinish the hardwood floors over next weekend. After that, we’ve got some smaller projects to do around the house, and then by the end of the month, it will be time to move everything out of the apartment and into the new place!
You can see more pics from our first day of work here!
If this blog is your main source for news about the Wood Family, our lives might seem to have been pretty quiet for the past few months. Surprisingly, that is not the case! The biggest news that we haven’t yet shared on our blog is that we are in the midst of purchasing our first house! We wanted to wait until the purchase and sales agreement had been signed to publicly share the news, so here it is!
ppp|
|ppp
([More pics here](http://prwdot.org/gallery2/v/house/first_look/).)
We started our house search nearly a year ago, and since then we’ve looked at single family homes and condos all around the area. We have looked at houses and condos in Amesbury, Haverhill, Beverly, and Boxboro, but none of them really tickled our fancies (or fit within our price range).
Finally, around Christmas time, we stumbled across a listing in Danvers for a 1950’s ranch style house that had been converted into a condo about four years ago. It is split in half down the middle, and the unit we were are buying is on the right side. Along with the unit, we get exclusive use of the yard on our unit’s side of the property. The unit currently has less than 600 square feet of livable space, but it has a half-finished basement that, when finished, would nearly double the square footage of the home.
We are scheduled to close on the house on Friday, March 9. That would give us a few weeks to make some basic improvements to the livability of the house before moving in at the end of March.
We’re very excited about the prospect of finally having a place of our own, and our families and friends are eager to help us get started on the various renovation projects. From here on out, we’ll be sure to keep our web readers posted on the progress!
Since Friday, February 23, we’ve had some technical difficulties with the prwdot.org domain which may have prevented people from sending us email or visiting our website (or any other website in the prwdot.org domain). If you are reading this message, then for you the problem has already been fixed (at least on the computer and internet connection you are using at the moment). For others, our site may be inaccessible until as late as Saturday, March 3. If you wouldn’t mind, please leave a comment on this post letting me know that you were able to read it, so that I know who is once again able to visit our site.
If you’d like a more technical explanation, read on.
on another whirlwind adventure!
fff|ppp|
|ppp|fff
I had a few errands to run around town today. I thought about bundling Catherine up and hopping in the car and zipping out to get them done. Then I came to my senses! With the time it would take to get the baby in and out of the car at each stop–never mind the hassle of finding parking–I would be out all afternoon! And what a waste of gas!
I decided the best plan would be to walk. So I packed up the things we’d need to take with us, fed and bundled Catherine and grabbed a coat. I checked the outside temperature and quickly swapped my warm, puffy coat for my spring windbreaker! I popped Catherine in the Back pack and we were ready to go!
Continue reading
I was tagged by my friend Katie to post six weird things about me. Here goes!
1. I check the mail obsessively. If I go out and it hasn’t come yet I will listen for the mail truck and then run out as soon as I’m sure the mail lady has moved up the street. Usually there’s nothing good…unless Jennifer has sent something!
2. I name my cars…”Otto Marius Ahenobarbus”: Red 1984 Saab, “Hedwig”: White 1998 Subaru, “Stewart”: Green Volkswagen Golf.
3. I think Purell is evil. (except in certain instances)
4. I love to shovel snow. This winter has been such a disappointment!
5. Peter and I grew up several states apart and didn’t meet until college…but I went to high school with his first cousins!
6. I’ve seen every episode of ER… probably twice.
I’m tagging:Jennifer, Bethany Joy, Amanda and Jenny
ppp|
|ppp
Happy Valentine’s Day!