Monday, February 12, 2018

2018 - The Year of Change

This is shaping up to be a year of big changes for us.  Some were planned, some just kind of ended up happening, but all are exciting.

Let's start with what I can tell you about right now.  Of course you all are seeing the first one, my blog redesign.  There's a couple more small changes that should be finished in the next day or so, but overall it's just about complete, and I'm super happy with it.  

Another big change for us is that we'll hit a huge milestone in July - that's when we will pay off our mortgage!  We've owned a house ever since  June of 1986, so this is a Very Big Deal to us - and we're celebrating by doing some renovations to the house.  I'll go into more detail as things start happening, but we are talking new flooring, updating the kitchen and hall bathrooms, painting everything, and much more, including boring-but-necessary items like a new air conditioner and a new garage door.  While I'm not looking forward to living with the mess that comes with renovations, I am very much looking forward to the end result.

And speaking of houses, our son is in the process of buying his first house!  A bit scary for him, but mostly fun - it's pretty neat to finally buy a place after living in rentals for more than a decade.  We can't wait to visit him when the house is finished and help with getting him get moved in and settled.

The last big change involves Jeff's work situation - I can't go into it too much just yet, but things are happening and it's very cool to see where he's headed in the near future.  It's all good, and it's nice to know there's still time to make a difference, even later in your work career.

So, in addition to my usual ramblings about knitting and running, expect to see some home renovation posts.  I'm hoping that what it looks like in my head will translate well to reality...and I'm also hoping that reality isn't out of our reach, budget-wise.  Time well tell, but hey - it's all good.

28 comments:

  1. Still have many years to pay on our house. But my stepson just bought his first house.

    Love your blog design.

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  2. Looks like you'll be spending a lot of time on Pinterest...haha. That's what I did when we went through our kitchen and basement remodel!

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    1. I've had a hard time with Pinterest lately - they've changed up the app, I think? Any case, I've been on Houzz.com a lot for ideas...until my head starts spinning from overload.

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  3. All such exciting things! I'm so happy for Jeff. And I'm happy for you and the renovations - the interior decorator in you is going to be busy :D

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    1. Haha, you know I can't wait for everything to be done so I can put all of my stuff out and make it look pretty! Fun fact: we have to pretty much pack like we're moving for a renovation this big...ugh.

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  4. Wow! Congrats on paying off the mortgage! That is so exciting!!! And I can't wait to see the renos. I really like reading about that stuff.

    I am so glad for Jeff. And your son! Good news all around! What a great way to start Monday :)

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    1. We are so thrilled at the prospect of making that last mortgage payment! May just have to have a little celebration when it happens!

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  5. Congrats on paying off your mortgage! Congrats to Jeff and your son for buying his first house. We still have a long way to go to pay off our house, and my son just got married last July so it will be a while before they buy a house I think.

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  6. So excited for you--I know you've been dreaming about doing some of these things for a long time! And paying off your mortgage--what a fantastic feeling.

    And congrats to Sam and Jeff for their exciting new changes as well!!

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    1. I remember going over your home remodel with you and thinking I was so far away from getting to do anything with my house, and suddenly, it's about to happen, wheeeee!

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  7. We are almost done paying for our house but now it's time for updates. The not so fun ones, like a new furnace, roof, and driveway. We also have a son going to college so it should be interesting...

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    1. Thankfully we are beyond the college stage and can spend all our money on ourselves, LOLOLOL.

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  8. Yay to changes!!! I can’t wait to see those blog posts!!

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  9. Wow, congrats on having your mortgage almost paid off! And congrats to Sam on buying a house! That's such an exciting step :) (and I can relate on renting forever! it's definitely nice to have your own place)

    Can't wait to see how your remodel goes! What an exciting year for you guys :)

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    1. I'm having fun helping Sam choose the finishes for his new house - it's going to look really nice.

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  10. 2018 is going to totally rock! Can't wait to see renovation pictures and hear about Sam's house and Jeff's new adventure :-)

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  11. Woo Hoo on the mortgage! Fantastic! I'm jealous of your renovations - ours are on hold now for budget reasons, but will live vicariously through you :D

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    1. Truly, we wouldn't have a budget for this were it not for the mortgage disappearing...how do those people on the HGTV shows end up with such huge renovation budgets???

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  12. Eek - love the new design! Did you figure it out yourself? I have no idea now to fix my recipe page and it's driving me nuts - I may have to wait when my brother comes to town later this month - his damn job at Apple HQ gets in the way of helping my little blog :D

    Can't wait to hear about Jeff's new job!

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    1. Thanks! I hired someone to redesign my logo and give everything a little refreshing update - I can't figure this stuff out on my own, no way.

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  13. That's so exciting, can't wait to see all your home makeover photos.

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  14. Love the new design, very fresh and bright.

    Wow, that are some milestones and all good, so excited for you.

    Mortgage is different here. Before you never had to it all off but the government wants it now, it's still not the law but they promote it. The stupid thing about it though is that if your house is free of mortgage you have to pay a fine every year because your house is free and that's so stupid. You worked almost your entire life to get to this point and then you get punished for it.

    I'm sorry I'm such a bad blog reader lately but life is crazy here, especially at work. Work 4 days now but the work is still the same as when I worked more hours. Often at night I don't feel like opening the laptop. Will be a better blog friend: promise!

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    1. I wonder if your fine is similar to our property taxes - which you have to pay, regardless if you have paid off your mortgage or not.

      Glad you will be reading more, I miss seeing you around here! :)

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