January 10, 2008
Transitioning to the new blog
This blog began on December 19, 2006. At that time I had a few friends who had blogs and I got interested in reading some blogs of strangers so I decided to take the plunge into the blogosphere. I was afraid that it would become just one more thing "to-do", so I decided to give it a fairly narrow focus. I also intentionally made the focus a concrete project that would (at least theoretically!) have an end point. That way, if I wanted to stop blogging when it was done I wouldn't feel like a quitter. (Yes, sometimes I do have to use psychological tricks on myself!)
The thing I most enjoyed about blogging about my home purchase and remodel was the fact that I could get more of my stateside friends and family involved in the process. It was so fun to read your comments and interact in that way! If I had just been emailing, there's no way I would have communicated in the sort of detail that I was able to on the blog.
It is so strange to think that a year ago I hadn't even met the man I'll be marrying in a little over 100 days! With all that is going on now, there is just no way I can keep up with two blogs. (Frankly, I haven't done too well lately on writing on either one.) So, I think this is an appropriate time to end this blog. From now on, I'll only be writing (if/when I write!) on our Sparks Tracks blog.
Please check out that blog and comment when you can. Thanks again for reading and commenting on "Nesting Far From Home"!
| By Dawn | 11:18 AM | Comments (3)
December 12, 2007
Remodeling is Complete!
I had doubts that I would ever be able to post this entry but as of about 6 pm tonight, the remodeling of my apartment is complete!!!! (You're allowed to cheer and do a happy dance now.)
Here is the before picture of the inside of my bathroom door. It's been like this since June.
Now it looks like this:
Here's the inside of my bedroom door that I've been looking at since June:
And now I can look at this:
I will have about 12 hours to experience the completed apartment as its owner before I leave for the U.S. to spend the holidays there. When I get back in January I'll officially be renting this apartment, but I will still enjoy it in its completion :).
I think for me 2007 will be remembered as the Year of the Apartment. I believe I signed the contract last year on Dec. 14. That makes it almost exactly one year from purchase to remodeling completion. Wow!
| By Dawn | 07:32 PM | Comments (3)
December 05, 2007
We Really Do Walk More Here
I bought a pair of black Fall boots when I was in Austin in September. Since then I've worn them often, but not every day. Imagine my surprise when I realized last week that the heels had already been worn down enough to need replacing!
So, I guess 2-1/2 months is about the life of a pair of boot heels for me. Thankfully, it only costs $5 for replacement heels. I'll be back in my boots tomorrow night :).
| By Dawn | 02:04 PM | Comments (1)
December 03, 2007
We Bought a Car!!
I'm not sure what the most correct way is to word this. Take your pick from the following:
Steve and I bought a car!
Steve bought a car for me!
I bought a car (but Steve did all the work)!
However you say it, we now own a 2008 Mazda Tribute. For all the details, go to Sparks Tracks.
| By Dawn | 11:24 AM | Comments (0)
November 25, 2007
The Apartment is Sold
On the Tuesday before Thanksgiving, we closed on the apartment! The new owners seem very nice and I think they'll enjoy it. They seem to really appreciate my place so I like them for that :). They officially own it now, but I'm in possession until the end of the year. Then, I'll pay them rent for January and February. I've said it before, but this whole arrangement is just such a blessing from God. It is so nice to have the deal finished without having to move out.
This is me laboriously writing in Russian a statement to the effect of, "I'm not married so I certify that I am able to sign this contract myself." Lots of legal Russian words that they were dictating to me very slowly so I could write them properly :). The notary (guy with the ponytail) complimented me, but I know he was just being nice. It really shouldn't take a normal adult 10 minutes to write one sentence!
I was so glad to have Steve with me for this big life event. I mostly felt relieved that the sale went through and I got the price I wanted. I think I won't feel sad until I actually begin packing up and the reality of leaving sets in.
It has been really fun to take this homeowning journey with you all on the blog! I know I wouldn't have shared so much detail if I had been communicating with everyone through email and it has been great to see your comments and get your opinions.
Oh, and in case you were wondering, the workmen STILL haven't finished! I'm back to not getting my phone calls answered by the contractor. They did leave some tools at my apartment, so I'm considering sending a text message saying that I'll get rid of the tools if I don't hear from them by a certain date. I'm not quite ready to do that yet, but I'm getting perilously close!
| By Dawn | 09:42 PM | Comments (3)
Short Report on the Visit
So Steve's last visit (or at least his last visit as a single guy) to Kiev is over. We had a great week together and have some fun pictures to prove it :).
Here's a taste of the pictures we had some friends take of us together:
To see more pictures of the visit and read about it, check out our other blog.
He made it home safely and now we begin the countdown to my visit over Christmastime. I'm really looking forward to seeing all of my family - and seeing them with my fiance :).
| By Dawn | 09:27 PM | Comments (7)
November 08, 2007
Beginning to Merge
So I'm sure all you married people are going to chuckle knowingly when you read this. You may even laugh out loud when you imagine some of the things Steve and I will face during our first months and years of marriage as we start to merge our two individual lives into one. I don't know exactly what our particular stories will be, but I have the feeling they'll be pretty funny!
Anyway, one aspect of this merging in our modern world involves blogs and websites. Our grandparents never had to worry about whether to keep their "single" blog or switch to a "couple" blog and when and how. . .
We now have a blog up at our new site. I'll probably keep posting things more related to the apartment or Kiev life here and post things related to other parts of life there. (Well, assuming I'm posting at all - I've been very slack lately!)
At some point we'll also have wedding things there - information, maps, place to rsvp, etc.
We begin by telling the story of how we met. Some of you have heard my version of this story, but now you can read Steve's. And, hey, what's a blog for if not to talk about yourselves endlessly and let others read about it :).
| By Dawn | 11:11 AM | Comments (1)
November 05, 2007
New Birds in the Nest
As I look forward to my wedding, I'm in the midst of thinking through different practical issues and questions of transition. One of the biggest questions was what to do with my apartment here. I thought about it and Steve and I talked about it and I decided that the best thing to do was sell it. (I had hoped to find some way I could get the money I needed and still keep the price low enough to let a family in my church buy it, but that didn't work out.) As much as I love my little nest, I don't really want the hassle of being a long-distance landlord. Also, I think it will be nice to have some cash margin for when I move back to the U.S.!
Anyway, I spoke with my broker and we decided to put the place on the market in early November. That way, we'd have plenty of time to work out details and adjust the asking price if need be. Well, the first day it was advertised I had one woman come look. The second day, a family came to see it. They loved it and wanted to put down a deposit ASAP! That happened Thursday night and we signed the deposit contract on Saturday morning. Yes, it's true. I was surprised yet again by a miracle from God :). The icing on the cake is that they don't mind if I live here until the end of February!
I really wanted to be able to live here as long as possible. I also wanted to make sure the sale went through well and at a good price, and these priorities are somewhat in conflict with one another. Yet again, God worked things out! I told my mom the other day that I'll know when my faith gets strong by the fact that I'm not totally shocked and surprised when God actually answers my prayers :).
So, the only downside of all this is that I am now in the process of revisiting all the different government and utility offices to get the necessary documents for the closing. At least this time I know where they are located!
I'll end with some of the wonderful positive things about this sale: I have money to actually serve food at the wedding reception :), I have a good down payment for a car, I can now charm Steve with my financial dowry, and all the bureaucratic stuff should be completed by Thanksgiving.
| By Dawn | 07:53 PM | Comments (5)
October 30, 2007
Back to My Old Tricks
Well, I'm back to my old tricks again. Here's a begonia that I got about 2 weeks ago as a housewarming present:
My geraniums are still doing well, though, so I'm not a totally hopeless case :).
| By Dawn | 09:15 PM | Comments (5)
October 25, 2007
My Fiance is the Best
I just had to give Steve some public affirmation for a couple of big things he did in the last couple of weeks!
First of all, last weekend Steve went (by himself) to visit my parents. He had a nice visit and my parents enjoyed getting to know him. However, the main reason he went was because he knew it was important to me that he meet them in person before the wedding. He loves me enough to brave meeting my parents without me! What a man!
The second lovely thing he did was this:
He sent me a box with a bunch of stuff in it, including a few DVDs, some books, a few pairs of fun socks, a few random things, and the cards in the picture above. He filled out and sealed about 20 or more greeting cards and put them in the box. Some are marked for me to open one each Sunday and some are marked to open at various times or when I'm in various moods. Isn't that great?
I guess there are a few advantages to long distance relationships :). He really is the best!
| By Dawn | 04:29 PM | Comments (5)
October 20, 2007
Wedding Planning and Other Excuses
I've decided that the best way to get motivated to update the blog is to need to clean house. When I need to start housecleaning, I suddenly just have an irresistible urge to update the blog :). Ah, procrastination. The nice thing about procrastination is that usually it means something gets done - even if it isn't the most important thing!
The last couple of weeks have been a lot of wedding planning. It really is overwhelming how many websites and books there are about wedding stuff. A lot of it is helpful, but I finally hit the wall last week. I realized that I was getting totally stressed out because I was reading different articles about what needs to be done when and how much it should cost and so on and so on. I took a break from reading things like that to try to refocus on things that are important to us and not allow myself to be swept away by wedding mania.
I have, however, gotten some wedding details set. I found a dress!!! It isn't like what I imagined I'd get, but I love it. (I won't post a picture, but if you want to see it just email me.) The church is confirmed on that date, the pastors, and the florist. The biggest thing that I'm still trying to nail down is the reception site. We're also pretty close to securing a photographer. Wow, when I see all that written down, I do feel like I've accomplished a lot!
Wedding planning is such a strange dynamic. It's something that I've thought a lot about over the years - liking different things from the various weddings I've attended. However, I really tried not to dwell too much on wedding thoughts and dreams because those kinds of thoughts tend not to breed contentment in a single girl. Also, I knew there would be another person to consider in the planning and he might have some opinions on things as well. As a person who has planned a number of different events, planning a wedding didn't seem too scary. However, I realize now that planning my own wedding is not just another event. I want it to be special and to reflect both of our personalities. I want it to be honoring to God and fun for everyone who attends. And I don't want to spend a fortune doing it!
I remember in college that I always felt overwhelmed the first few weeks of the semester when I saw what needed to be done for each class. I think that's what I've been feeling over the past couple of weeks. Now that I've been able to calm down a bit and get a little more perspective. I really do enjoy thinking about what we want and how to do it. And, of course, I can't wait to see the friends and family who will be there to share in this special day!
| By Dawn | 12:04 PM | Comments (4)
October 10, 2007
Dawn's Guide to Waiting in Line in Ukraine
Throughout this house buying/remodeling process, I've had occasion to wait in many lines. I end up with many ideas for blog entries about this process, but usually I don't have the energy to write about it after I get home! Well, I waited in another line on Monday and decided that you all just really need to know some of the things I've learned while they are still fresh in my mind:).
One disclaimer - although some of these things apply in all situations from McDonalds to official government offices, the most drastic things are from my experience with government offices.
The first and most important thing to know about waiting in line is that you must pay attention at all times!! This is no time to read a book or listen to music. If you lose focus, you lose your place and may never get to the front.
Step One (ideally) - figure out which line you need to wait in. Unfortunately, often you can't do this as step one. Often you'll have to get to the front of the line before you find out it was the wrong one, but try to figure this out first.
Step One (more realistically) - pick the most likely line that you need and ask the people gathered around, "Who is last?" You may want to first ask, "Are you waiting for room 42?" just to be sure, but then you find out who is the last person in line. You must ask because people almost never sit or stand in the order in which they are in line for that office. This is partly because there might not be room to stand like that and partly for reasons beyond my understanding. Another thing to keep in mind is that people can come and go while not losing their place in line (as long as they tell someone). This means that a line that looks like it has 3 people in it might really have 6 or 8.
Step Two - pay attention to the person who is in front of you (keeping in mind that they may not always be physically in front of you). It is also helpful to know who is in front of them, so find that out if you can. Also, now is the time to be alert to new people since you need to tell them that you are the current "last in line". Your primary responsibility is to the person in front of you. However, you also have some responsibility to remember who is behind you - especially if they have to leave for some reason.
Step Three - Stay alert to people trying to avoid the line completely. Usually, the other Ukrainians in line police this pretty well but I've occasionally put in a few words. It's amazing what a long wait in line can do for your hesitance to practice language!
Step Four - When the person ahead of you goes into the office, make sure you stand right near the office door (usually kept closed). This is the time in the process where you do want to be physically close to the goal.
Step Five - When someone comes out, quickly go in and close the door behind you to avoid upsetting the people working in the office by letting in a draft. Go to the person who looks free and ask your question or give your documents. Hope that this person can help you or at least instruct you where to go. If not, begin again at step one with a different line!
One of my friends was pregnant and told me about waiting in line for various tests. This same line-waiting process occurred for each office she needed - doctor, ultrasound, etc. People were saving places for themselves in the various lines because many of them had to go to more than one place. When I think of that, it makes the long wait in the waiting room in the U.S. a little less frustrating :).
I turned in my last paperwork (I think) yesterday and in two weeks will pick up my final new passport for the apartment. Then, everything will be in order for whenever I'm ready to sell. Well, almost everything. Unfortunately, I'm still waiting for the workers to come and do the last few hours to finish up. Sigh.
| By Dawn | 10:45 AM | Comments (5)
October 08, 2007
Our New Domain
Well, after reading all your suggestions and brainstorming some more, we finally decided on a domain. Our web identity will be sparkstracks.com. We (and by that I mean Steve) are still building the website and blog, but I'll let you know when it's ready for public viewing. There will probably be some overlap time where I'll post sometimes on this blog and sometimes on a new blog at sparkstracks.
Wow, I am getting so computer savvy these days! It will be interesting to see if I can keep it up :).
| By Dawn | 10:27 AM | Comments (0)
October 02, 2007
Domain Question
One of the interesting things about marrying a computer guy is that among the first questions we talked about was, "What should our internet domain be?"
Dawn's Dictionary for the non-technical: "internet domain" refers to the part after the "@" on an email address and/or the part after the "www" on a website. You can buy a certain domain and then use it for email, blogs, websites, or whatever you like.
So, Steve went to some site and looked up some available things. We brainstormed a little bit, but haven't yet found the perfect name that we both like. One domain that is not available is sparksfamily.com. So, I'm throwing this question out into blog world. What ideas do you have for us?
Of course, we reserve the right to ignore all of your suggestions and pick something totally different if we want :).
I'll start with my most recent favorite option - sparksorama.com.
Let the ideas flow!
| By Dawn | 11:03 AM | Comments (15)