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.
Colors
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Author Archives: Peter
Off to the races!
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. 🙂
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The construction forewoman at work
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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!
A Home of our Own
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!
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([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!
Technical Difficulties
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.
How about some photos?
Sure, we’ve got photos! But they’re all of Catherine. Isn’t that just terrible? I know that most of our readers simply *hate* seeing photos of her. Oh well, here you go. 😉
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[From the photo shoot: A dad, a baby, a camera, and a mirror.](http://prwdot.org/gallery2/v/baby/dad_baby_camera_mirror/)
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[From the photo shoot: Catherine and Mom.](http://prwdot.org/gallery2/v/baby/catherine_and_mom/)
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[From the photo shoot: Catherine eats sweet potatoes.](http://prwdot.org/gallery2/v/baby/catherine_sweet_potatoes/)
Personality Commentary
A while back, I [posted the results](http://prwdot.org/2006/12/19/personalityhis/) of a [personality test](http://www.perex.com/). The results were remarkably accurate, highlighting most of the important aspects of my personality. Now I’d like to offer my commentary and analysis of the results.
Weekend in PA
This past weekend, Becky, Catherine and I drove down to [Schuylkill Haven, PA](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schuylkill_Haven) to visit with my Mom’s side of the family. We don’t get to see them very often, and when we do, it’s usually in the midst of Christmas festivities… not leaving a lot of time for any one-on-one interaction.
We stayed at the home of Mom’s sister Christine and her husband John. We relaxed at their house and were given the bed and breakfast treatment by Christine. We had a great time getting to see them, along with the rest of the Keefer clan who came over on Saturday evening for subs and high-stakes Uno. 🙂 Since I was enjoying spending time with my family, I didn’t take too many photos, but the ones I did take can be found [here](http://prwdot.org/gallery2/v/events/2007/pa_visit/) (family access is required to view the gallery).
Go Bucks!
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See the [whole photo shoot](http://prwdot.org/gallery2/v/events/2007/go_bucks/). 🙂
Sadly, it doesn’t look like Catherine’s team spirit has helped the Buckeyes this year. There’s always next season!
A Midwinter Walk
So here we are in the middle of winter. On what might normally be a cold day, we went for a stroll in jeans and t-shirts. Why?
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67.5 Degrees Fahrenheit!
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She likes it!
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We all enjoyed the warm weather, as weird as it was! You can check out [more pics from our walk](http://prwdot.org/gallery2/v/events/2007/unseasonable_warmth/).
Oh, what a year!
January
In January, Becky was in her fifth month of her [very boring](http://prwdot.org/2006/01/17/this-pregnancy-is/) pregnancy. She was mostly over the nausea and was just enjoying the anticipation. Becky turned 27, and we had a fun [bowling birthday party](http://prwdot.org/2006/01/14/bowling-with-becky/) for her, and I helped organize a [get together of Gordon College computer science alums](http://prwdot.org/2006/01/22/computer-science/).
February
In February, we could feel “[the baby](http://prwdot.org/2006/02/06/kickin/)” kicking for the first time! Becky threw an [Olympics](http://prwdot.org/2006/02/12/passion-lives-here/) party for the winter Olympics in Torino. We got [our first camcorder](http://prwdot.org/2006/02/12/video-killed-the-photography-star/). And we [visited Montreal](http://prwdot.org/2006/03/01/je-me-souviens/).
March
In March, we went to a [Pseudo-St. Pat’s Party](http://prwdot.org/2006/03/05/pseudo-st-pats/) at [Jenny](http://raingirl3179.livejournal.com/)’s, and we got our [new Mac mini](http://prwdot.org/2006/03/20/our-new-baby/).
April
Becky had her [baby shower](http://prwdot.org/2006/04/10/showered-with-love/). My family’s dog, Beaux, [died](http://prwdot.org/2006/04/13/he-was-a-good-dog/). We said goodbye to Becky’s [Papa](http://prwdot.org/2006/04/27/papa/).
May
In May, Becky [worked her last day at the Otis House](http://prwdot.org/2006/05/06/sahm/) and became a SAHM! We did a lot of [reorganizing](http://prwdot.org/2006/05/06/sunny-inside-saturday/) and [purging](http://prwdot.org/2006/05/10/stuff-in-stuff-out/). We watched “the baby”‘s [due date](http://prwdot.org/2006/05/21/happy-due-date/) [pass by](http://prwdot.org/2006/05/22/ddpo-activities/). Finally, on Memorial Day weekend, Catherine Elinor Wood made her [dramatic arrival](http://prwdot.org/2006/05/27/a-dramatic-arrival/) into this world.
June
In June, Catherine was finally able to [come home from the hospital](http://prwdot.org/2006/06/10/homecoming/). She had spent two weeks as the guest of Brigham and Women’s hospital in Boston and Beverly Hospital here in our home town. Shortly thereafter, we took her on her [first trip to Taco Bell](http://prwdot.org/2006/06/13/fun-with-catherine/). Catherine had a lot of visitors this month – [Grandma and Grandpa Wood](http://prwdot.org/2006/06/24/grandma-and-grandpa-wood/), [the Farnhams and the Woods](http://prwdot.org/2006/06/24/a-confluence-of-visitors/). By the end of the month, Catherine had [grown by two pounds and one inch](http://prwdot.org/2006/06/29/catherine-is-on-the-grow/) since birth!
July
In July, we carted Catherine [down to Boston](http://prwdot.org/2006/07/03/holiday-weekend/) for Harborfest, up to York, Maine for [dinner with the Rainvilles](http://prwdot.org/2006/07/10/dinner-with-the-rainvilles/), down for her [first trip to Martha’s Vineyard](http://prwdot.org/2006/07/10/first-vineyard-weekend/), out to Pennsylvania for [Johanna’s wedding](http://prwdot.org/2006/07/29/weve-got-a-friend-in-pennsylvania/).
August
In August, we did [Beverly Homecoming](http://prwdot.org/2006/08/01/beverly-homecoming/). We also took another trip down to the Vineyard, this time [with the Rainvilles](http://prwdot.org/2006/08/14/a-workend-post/). Catherine and I got to see our first [Grand Illumination](http://prwdot.org/2006/08/25/illuminati/). We took trips to [Long Hill and the USS Friendship](http://prwdot.org/2006/08/29/long-hill-and-the-friendship/), and had [dinner at Lynch Park](http://prwdot.org/2006/08/31/dinner-at-the-park/).
September
In September, we went to [David Lee](http://prwdot.org/2006/09/03/wedding-pics/)’s wedding. We got to see some cool ships at the [Gloucester Schooner Festival](http://prwdot.org/2006/09/05/gloucester-schooner-festival/). We took Catherine on her first trip to the [Museum of Science](http://prwdot.org/2006/09/10/mossy/). We attended Beverly Hospital’s [special care nursery birthday party](http://prwdot.org/2006/09/17/a-busy-weekend/) and [Art and Leanne’s wedding](http://prwdot.org/2006/09/17/a-busy-weekend/). Becky and I finally jumped on the bandwagon and purchased an Xbox so that we could play [Dance Dance Revolution](http://prwdot.org/2006/09/18/ddr/) at home. At four months old, [Catherine was 16 pounds nine ounces and 26 inches long](http://prwdot.org/2006/09/26/four-months/)!
October
In October, Becky had her first experience with general anesthesia in a successful operation to [remove three cysts from one of her ovaries](http://prwdot.org/2006/10/03/cystectomy/). We went to see the [Topsfield Fair Parade](http://prwdot.org/2006/10/07/topsfield-fair-parade/) and to [Gordon College Homecoming](http://prwdot.org/2006/10/09/gordon-college-homecoming-2006/). We [changed Catherine’s diaper in many interesting locations](http://prwdot.org/2006/10/22/recent-diaper-changes/) on our trip out to Ohio and Toronto. On [that trip](http://prwdot.org/2006/10/30/have-a-nice-trip-see-you-next-fall/), we finally got to meet [Michelle](http://mikao.blogspot.com/)! Becky and I celebrated our [fourth wedding anniversary](http://prwdot.org/2006/10/26/45/). Catherine also celebrated her first Halloween, and joined us for [several Halloween parties](http://prwdot.org/2006/10/31/happy-halloween/).
November
In November, we slept through the [Danvers chemical plant explosion](http://prwdot.org/2006/11/22/explosion/), even though we were just two miles away. We also celebrated our first [Thanksgiving with Catherine](http://prwdot.org/2006/11/22/gobble-gobble/)!
December
In December, we spent the first weekend [on a trip to western Mass](http://prwdot.org/2006/12/03/a-weekend-with-friends/) with Bob, Leah, Lucas, and Jeremy. We visited Boston’s new [ICA](http://prwdot.org/2006/12/10/i-see-a/) with Mark. The month was fairly busy with preparations for Christmas, which culminated in our [week-long Christmas event](http://prwdot.org/2006/12/30/christmas/)!
It was indeed a good year, and of course it will surely go down as one of the most memorable with Catherine’s arrival. 🙂
And now, we wish you a happy 2007!
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