Kentucky Wildcats Are The NCAA 2012 National Champs!!!!!!!!!!!!

I literally cannot believe this... the Cats just pulled off a victory over Kansas to win our 8th National Championship!!!!!!  This is the first time we've won it since 1998... that's FOURTEEN LONG YEARS, PEOPLE!!! And now the trophy is headed back to Lexington where it belongs.

I'm sure Lexington is a total mess right now, but I'd like to be right in the middle of the celebrations!

I'm just so proud of my school! Go Cats!

Recipe of the Week: Glitter Grapes

This isn't technically a "recipe" but I'm going to share it anyway.

Grapes are one of my favorite fruits by far.  I like that they're not "fussy" like oranges and there's no core to get rid of once you're finished. I also love sour candy (think Sweet Tarts and Sour Patch Kids).  I don't eat the candy often for obvious reasons, but I do like it every now and again.

I stumbled across a pin on Pinterest and of course was intrigued.

The "recipe" is called Glitter Grapes or Sour Patch Grapes because they taste like Sour Patch Kids.  The original recipe I found called for green grapes and melon Kool Aid powder... yes, you read that right. Kool Aid Powder.  The thought is to use a color that is similar to the color of the grapes.

Source: puresugar.net via Miranda on Pinterest

I had some red grapes in my fridge and an assortment of individual packets of Crystal Light.  I went with Raspberry Lemonade powder and the red grapes... OH MY GOODNESS. What a treat.

I think I just found a fun way to satisfy that sour/sweet craving that hits sometimes.  Try it and let me know what you think.

Weekend, Where are You??

Typically, I try not to wish for the weekend.  Most weeks fly by, but this one has been a doozy.  Work has been great... busy, but great.  My personal life has been great, too, with the exception of a frustrating situation that I don't have the energy to discuss-- let's just say being a landlord is stressful.

I need a weekend in the worst way.  Typically I cram my weekends with to-do lists and things, but I'm going to try to focus on relaxing and having some fun.  Do you have any fun plans??

Here's what I'm thinking:

• Mani/Pedi:  I actually think I will do it myself this weekend.. I find it relaxing when I have the time. Plus it's free.
• Craft Project:  I don't want to give it away just yet, so I'll leave you in suspense.
• Take a nap... during the day even
• Bowling: I do have one obligation this weekend.  I'm the team leader for a group of analysts from my work for a Bowl-a-Thon to raise $$ for Habitat.  I'm looking forward to it.  I can see myself slowly but surely becoming the unofficial social chair of my department.  Go figure. 

Tomorrow should be a pretty chaotic day with back to back to back meetings (yes, three backs).  Chaos is good, though.  Time flies when things are crazy.  I love it.  I am ever-so-grateful for a job I love so much. 

Color: How much is office appropriate?

For those of you who know me, you probably know that I'm pretty "colorful" by nature- both in my personality and the clothes I wear.  I always get a lot of comments/compliments on my colorful wardrobe in the office, especially given that I'm an analyst and most of us wear all grey, every day.  

As I wore my HOT pink cardigan today (paired with standard black and white shirt and black pants), I started wondering if I take it overboard with the colorfulness in the workplace.

I need this

I should start by saying that my office is business casual with most people wearing slacks, button downs, sweaters, etc.  Also, I'm pretty sure no one REALLY cares what I wear, but I'm just curious what everyone else thinks when putting together a work wardrobe.

Do you wear a lot of color in the workplace? Do you think it's good to let your personality shine regardless of where you are? Let me know. 

(Also, look at me with a post two days in a row...... Are you proud?!)

Dear Anonymous..... Thank you

Just want to send a shout out to the anonymous poster who called me a total slacker for how long it's been since my last post.

Anonymous, you are right.  I will try to do better for you, Anonymous. I AM a slacker.

Honestly, I FEEL like I've been doing tons of exciting and crafty things, but I'm really just pinning them on Pinterest.  Does anyone else have that problem? LOL.

I have made tons of new recipes from Pinterest too.  I haven't made any "old familiars" in weeks.  

I also have done a couple of failed craft projects that I don't even want to get into b/c I'm so disappointed, but I've got a couple of hopefully successful ones in the making as well. 

So far, my weekend has consisted of: 

• Irish Pub in Huntington Village (so fun)
• Late night NY pizza after said pub
• Grocery shopping (Side note: so proud of myself for how well I'm doing at adding in more fresh veggies and fruits into my diet)
• The BEST EVER TRIP TO THE DOLLAR TREE -- I was so excited, this deserves it's own post. Maybe it's because my creative juices are flowing, but I am getting so excited about turning "nothing" into something cool.  Be on the lookout for some REALLY CHEAP projects stemming form this trip.
• Failed craft project #1- trying to make my own mail organizer
• Freezer cooking - my new "thing" is making things specifically to have on hand in the freezer so I'm not tempted to eat out.  Also, it's nice to come home after work and throw something in the oven instead of spending an hour making dinner.'
• Finally getting around to printing out pictures for my collage picture frame.  I have literally had the pictures that came in the frame hung on my wall for three months.  I should be ashamed.  Best part, the pictures I got were free b/c I hadn't yet registered with CVS.com to print pics.  The first 25 prints are free when you sign up! 

Recipe(s) of the Week

It's really hard to narrow it down to one good recipe... Over the past few weeks, I've been making pretty much nothing I have ever made before.  Thanks to Pinterest and the new cookbooks I got for Christmas, I'm overflowing with good, healthy recipe ideas.

Instead of telling you one favorite recipe for the week, I'll summarize some of what I have made over the past few weeks:

Slow Cooker Salsa Chicken:



To be honest, I hated it.  I followed some of the suggestions in the comments section and substituted the cheese soup for cream of mushroom.  I thought the condensed soup made it taste very "fake".  I ended up adding in a ton of diced tomatoes, some tomato sauce, and other ingredients and turned it into tortilla soup.  The tortilla soup was great, but it sparked a great debate in my household... is soup really a meal? I posed my question to my Facebook friends and it turned into a "heated" discussion.  The outcome? Overall, women think it's a meal and men don't.

Crockpot Pot Roast

This was really good.  I made the entire pot roast not knowing Kevin doesn't like it... so I have a TON of leftovers.  Here's to hoping it freezes well.  Sorry I don't have a picture of this one.

Southwest Chicken Wraps (Click the picture for the link)

Source: melskitchencafe.com via Miranda on Pinterest

This was really good as well.  I made my own "homemade" salsa for this which was literally just a can of Rotel tomatoes and fresh chopped cilantro.

Now for my very favorite recipe of the week:

Foil Pack Chicken


I'm guessing you've seen the recurring theme here.. I eat a ton of chicken.  This was such an incredible recipe with such easy cleanup that I know I'll be making it again.  One note, I left out the layer of stuffing on the bottom as I'm not a huge fan (of the store bought stuff anyway).  It saved on some calories too, so that's good.  I used low-fat ranch, extra broccoli, and crumbled turkey bacon as well.  Seriously, try this recipe.

Source: bigoven.com via Miranda on Pinterest

Speaking of chicken... I've got slow cooker fajitas on right now.  Maybe it'll top the list next week.  I'll let you know.

I Finally Gave In....

..... and joined Pintrest.

I created an account a LONG time ago, but I knew in the back of my mind that as soon as I got started, I would become totally obsessed.  I kept hearing more and more people talk about how much they loved it and how many cool Pintrest projects they were working on, so I decided to give in.

Just FYI, I was totally right that I would be obsessed.  It's such a fun website. I think you can learn a lot about a person by seeing their "boards" on the site.  I mean, you can find out what food they eat, what they want their home to look like, and what their personal style is all about too.  Heck, you can even see what their dream wedding will look like! It's incredible. 

One of the best things I've realized on Pintrest is it's a great way to find random blogs that are related to your interests.  I can't wait to start following a few of them. 

Source: crapivemade.com via Miranda on Pinterest

I even found one that is $0 Dollar Home/Craft projects, where you use random stuff you'd find around your home and turn the "junk" into something cool or beautiful.  It's pretty amazing.  I need to find it again, I didn't save the link.  

Anyway, if you're reading this and considering joining... DO IT.  You'll love it, I promise.  And if you need an invite, let me know your email address.

Recipe of the Week: Skillet White Beans, Spinach and Tomatoes Over Linguine

One of my goals for 2012 is to expand my horizons and try new things.  Another goal is to eat better foods and cook more.  As such, I have decided to post a recipe of the week each week here on the blog.  I think it will be fun. 

I actually tried a couple of new recipes this week, but I'll share my favorite one.  It's super easy and very good.  It's also really cheap to make for those of us who are on a budget (about $8 or $9 to make the entire recipe.. and that's based on New York grocery prices).  I got the base recipe from sparkrecipes.com which is a website anyone can contribute to.  They also have chefs who post recipes on there as well.  The focus of the website is healthy recipes but there's a little bit of everything on there. I changed up the recipe pretty significantly, so here's my version.

Skillet White Beans, Spinach and Tomatoes Over Linguine

Ingredients:

2 tsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 Tbsp. minced garlic (I like a lot, so I might have used more)

2 cans of diced tomatoes with Italian seasoning 

1 can of any white bean (I used Cannellini)

1 pkg fresh spinach

1/2 box cooked whole wheat pasta

salt and pepper to taste

Freshly grated Parmesan cheese (to taste)

Put water on to boil for pasta.  In the mean time saute garlic in olive oil.  Add in two cans of diced tomatoes until boiling.  Add in can of beans (do not drain).  Cook for 3-5 minutes then add in entire package of fresh spinach to wilt.  Once pasta is al dente, drain and mix in the tomato mixture.  Once plated, grate fresh Parmesan cheese on top.

Side Note:  Much to my boyfriend's frustration... I tend to not measure things or time them, so some of the measurements are estimates and you should change it up to suit your taste.

New Obsession: DIY Hairstyles Online

I don't know why it had never crossed my mind to use the internet to find new, fun ways to do my hair given that I use the internet for everything else! I stumbled across the style section of eHow today when looking up french braiding, and I spent about two hours this morning trying different hairstyles.  

So far, I have still yet to master the french braid, but I think I'll get it eventually.  I did; however, come across some fun up-do's, and I managed to practically re-create my Junior Prom style.  Haha.  I actually hated my hair that year, and believe it or not I actually like what I did myself much better.

I will probably be embarrassed years from now if I ever come across this post.. mostly due to the Myspace-esque mirror pics I'm about to share with you.  I have to admit.. I was pretty proud of how it turned out for my first ever attempt.  I think I have found a new fun way to change up my look, too!

Oh Hey Blog Friends.... Merry Christmas and Happy New Year (a little late)

Before I get started on my first blog post of 2012 and also the first post I've written in a month... I want to let you know that one of my main resolutions for the year is to blog more.  I hate half-way doing something, and I know that's what I'm doing here.

I'll start with a brief summary of the past month of my life:

Christmas


This was my first Christmas in New York away from my family, and I'd be lying if I said I didn't have a few emotional breakdown moments.  Thankfully, Kevin and his family made it such a special time.  Although I missed everyone at home so much, I really had a great time.  I was so excited to give gifts and celebrate and reflect on the birth of our savior.

I got Kevin a weekend in Atlantic City as a gift, so I'm excited for us to book that and go.  So fun.

On Christmas Eve, Kevin and I went into the city and watched the Radio City Christmas Spectacular.  The Rockettes were SO amazing, and I loved the show.  We also saw the tree at Rockefeller Center.  So beautiful.  The crowds were intense, but everyone was super jolly and fun.

New Year's Eve


Both Kevin and I had friends in town for the weekend.  I was SO thrilled to have girl time with Anne-Tyler.  I've always valued having girlfriends but after two months here with knowing very few people, I loved it even more.  In typical AT and Miranda fashion, we ate great food, gossiped, had deep conversations and drank lots of diet coke.

This is us at 12:01 AM on NYE.  In Times Square.

On NYE, I went with Kevin and his friends to a place called Revival.  I'll be honest, when I first walked in, I thought it was going to be awful because it was really small.  We ended up claiming our little spot outside and had a great time.

I really wish this picture were better quality b/c I really like it.

Resolutions


I've never been good at resolutions but I AM really good at making plans and to-do lists, so I'm going to approach it that way.  I've broken down my goals and plans into categories.  It's a long list so read at your own risk.

• Organization
• Because my apartment is so small, it's important for me to become more organized. 
• Donate things I don't REALLY need to charity on a regular basis.
• Don't allow my bedroom to become a "catch-all" even though it's one of the biggest open spaces in the apartment.
• Only buy things I REALLY love and have room for.
• Finances
• I'm pretty good at pinching pennies (I always have been), but the move to New York has forced me to spend a little more of my rainy day fund than I'm comfortable with.  
• Focus on long term savings
• Work on paying off my car faster
• Don't be wasteful
• Relationships
• Invest in people (time, etc.)
• Keep in touch with people I love
• Make new friends
• Spirituality
• Continue to grow in my relationship with God
• Focus on learning his Word and living by His example
• Find a home church in New York
• Read the Bible more
• Professionally
• I have set a lot of professional goals for myself.  Most are really job specific and are not necessarily things I want to share with the blogosphere (sorry) but I will tell you these...
• Read more: leadership books, business news, market trends, etc.
• Join an organization:  I've talked to several people in the local APICS chapter, and I am planning on going to a meeting this month
• Focus on becoming more creative and innovative in my thinking by exposing myself to new things.
• Well- being
• Focus more on being active
• Fueling my body with good things (i.e. eating more healthily and taking vitamins)
• Spending more time doing things I enjoy (crafts, music, etc.)

A Reward Will Be Offered....

..... to anyone who can help me make a decision on which area rug to purchase for my living room.  

I have hardwood floors, and I am in desperate need of a rug.  My couch is black leather and the room itself is a bit dark.  The walls are a neutral color, too, so I want to add a lot of brightness and color with my accessories.  I am thinking either lime green or yellow.  I tend to like contemporary style with some fun designs.  At first I couldn't find ANYTHING.. and now I've found so many I'm having a hard time narrowing it down.  

So, here are some of the ones I have found.  Let's take a vote, ok? Let me know which ones you like the best/least/etc. and we'll go from there.

#1-- This one is very simple but I like the clean lines and the colors.

#2-- This one is clearly not bright, but I love the design.

#3-- This one's not bright either but you can't really go wrong with zebra.

#4- I like the purple but still not as bright as I want.

#5-  This is closer to what I'm looking for but I don't love the design.

#6 - I think this is one of the closest ones to what I was looking for.

#7 - I love this one, but wish there were less grey and more yellow.

#8 -- again, I like this one but wish it were brighter.

#9-- I love this one but am actually considering using purple in my bedroom.  

#10- This one isn't as contemporary, but I love it and the price is good.

#11-- I LOVE this one

#12- this one is modern and fun

#13- Frankly, I can't even tell what this says but it looks cool.

In case it helps... here's a picture of my couch so you can see what I'm trying to contrast against.  It's black leather and a bit masculine. I plan on using different throw pillows too.. those are just the ones that came with the couch.

Best Thanksgiving Ever...

I may have had the best thanksgiving of my life this year. You don't really learn gratitude for your friends and family until you are apart from them. I genuinely enjoyed every moment of my trip home to Kentucky.

My flight was incredibly uneventful. Based on my travel experiences from last year on Thansgiving Eve, I decided to wait until early Thursday morning to fly home. Both my connection flight to Charlotte and my flight to Lexington arrived early...That is unheard of (at least in my experiences)!

My mom brought Jackson with her to the airport to pick me up and he was so excited he didn't know what to do with himself. He wouldn't leave my arms the entire hour car ride home.

Immediately upon arrival, I stopped to visit my dad then went with mom to her side of the family's thanksgiving. We had a great time and had lots of good food too.

Friday was an extra special day because dad and I got to meet my brand new baby cousins Thomas and Truman. They are so cute! Truman is the calm one and Thomas is more spunky.

Truman

 I was excited to get to hold both babies, and I even got to feed Truman.

Saturday was my mom's thanksgiving and even my Christmas! Gotta love family time and early presents. I don't know what got into me.. but I didn't take any pictures.

Sunday morning was a bittersweet "see you later" with my dad and Jackson. It was way hard.  As I was packing my bag, Jackson knew something was up and started lying on top of my stack of clothes so I couldn't pack.  It made me sad but at the same time was super cute.  Thankfully for my handy dandy iPhone, I was able to capture that cuteness too.

My mom and Levi drove back up with me to New York to bring the rest of my belongings.  I very much enjoyed having them visit me in NY and see where I'm living.  They had SUCH a great time.  They've already explored more of Long Island than I have (in just one day).  They also ventured into the city and took a tour.  I'm so glad they had fun and made it home safely.  It was hard to say goodbye to them too.

All in all, I am overwhelmed with gratitude this holiday season.  I may very well have the best friends and family in existence and I hope than any of you reading this know how much you mean to me!

Happy Anniversary to Me!

It's officially my one month anniversary as a New Yorker.  Well, let's face it.. I'm still not a New Yorker, so I should say... it's my one month anniversary of residing in New York.  I'll always be a Kentucky girl.

I'm still amused at how much everyone I meet loves my accent.  I'm still not used to hearing people say cawfee (coffee) and I don't think I ever will get used to it.  I also don't think I'll ever get used to the insane traffic and crazy drivers.  One day it was raining slightly and it added a good 20-30 minutes to my commute b/c people had no idea what they were doing.  I'm told that it's even worse in snow.  Great.

Besides traffic and crazy accents, I LOVE it here.  There's a whole lot to do (obviously) and I am so ready to be completely settled so I can start enjoying the scenery more.  My job is incredible.  I am loving being an analyst because it really allows me to be the nerd that I am.  I literally dreamed about a spreadsheet last night and woke up happy... I'm not joking.  I know I'm not normal.  The best part is that I'm not stuck behind spreadsheets and numbers ALL the time.  I get a lot of interaction with others and there's definitely a big teamwork emphasis, which I love.  When I chose to study business, I envisioned my career to look something like me sitting in a room with really smart people coming up with awesome ideas and then going off and implementing them.  Now that I get to do that... I'm loving it.

My apartment still isn't anywhere close to what I want it to look like. It's been a long process with getting furniture delivered, etc. and I still have basically nothing decorated.  My couch is being delivered tomorrow so I'm trying to get the last of my things unpacked and organized so I'll have room for everything.  It's definitely interesting having so little space when I was used to having my own house.  I like it though. Cleaning is SO easy and quick.. and frankly, I'm just one person.. I don't need a ton of space to live.  I plan on getting a lot of my decor, etc. when I go home for Thanksgiving this week, so that will make this place feel more like home.  Also, I'm just REALLY excited to see everyone at home.


I know this blog is super long (I wouldn't have this problem if I'd update more through the week, right?!) but I also want to briefly talk about HOW MUCH FUN I had at a Foo Fighters and Social Distortion concert this week.  It was this past Monday at The Rock (Prudential Center) in Newark, New Jersey.  The Rock happens to be where the New Jersey Nets play currently, but they are moving to Brooklyn next year.  We had general admission floor tickets so we got to stand pretty close to the stage.  I was worried that people would be all crazy and pushing/shoving but it wasn't really the case.  A few people were, but for the most part everyone was pretty calm.  I don't know a lot of the music, but I enjoyed the show anyway.  Dave Grohl, the lead singer, is an incredible entertainer.  The highlight for me was the the drummer was wearing a "Wildcat Pride" t-shirt!!! It was really cool.  I literally made it my mission to get a good picture of it but he was moving so fast with drumming it was hard to get a good one.  Here's the best one I got...

For now I'm off to go get my car detailed (for $25.. thank you Groupon!) and drop off my laundry.  I know, it's an exciting Saturday! Tomorrow is my big day, though.  Going to make Kevin one of his favorite meals (chicken fettuccine alfredo) in exchange for him being so kind as to take me to see Breaking Dawn Part 1.

I Haven't Forgotten About You!

I keep telling myself that I'm going to post more, and I have really good intentions. It's just really easy to let it slide when you get caught up in the day to day routine.  

I just finished up my second week of work.  I'm genuinely loving it.  I feel like I learn something new every day and I get to do all of the nerdy things I love to do.  

My commute to work is a bit interesting.  It takes me almost 30 minutes exactly to get to work which isn't bad at all.  I leave pretty early even though I don't have to be to work until 9:00 so there isn't much traffic at all.  On the way home, though....wow, it's crazy.  It has taken me upwards of an hour to get home due to stand still traffic in certain areas.  Of course, the efficiency nerd in me has analyzed about 4 different ways to get home now and I'm in the process of figuring out all the fastest shortcuts.   

I've got a lot of exciting countdowns going on right now. 

• 1-3 Days:  Receiving my TV and comforter set in the mail (what was I thinking leaving those incredibly important things at home?!)
• 2 days:  Foo Fighters concert with Kevin
• 6 Days: Breaking Dawn Part 1 opens in theaters
• 8 Days:  My new couch is being delivered!
• 12 Days:  My first visit back to Kentucky since moving! Thanksgiving weekend!
• 16 Days:  Kevin's birthday! (I am in desperate need of gift ideas for a guy who couldn't care less about STUFF.)

So Thankful

If you've logged onto facebook at all in the past few days, you know that a TON of people are posting each day in November something new they are thankful for.  Frankly, I don't have enough time or discipline to do that every day; however, there are tons of things that I am thankful for... especially now.  I'm going to consolidate and do one post with a list of the many things I am thankful for.  You're welcome.

God's incredible displays of grace and love in my life
I do not deserve the many blessings I have received, and I am so thankful he provides anyway. 

Both of my parents

The relationship I have with each of them is so different yet both provide so much love and support in their own way.  Love you both!

Kevin

I am so thankful to have met such an amazing person to have in my life.  He's one of the most thoughtful and kind people I know.  

My friends

I have so many friends from throughout the years whom I cherish so much.  While I always appreciate them, moving away from home really reminded me how many great people I have in my life.  I was so overwhelmed with the love and well-wishes from everyone.  Also, I enjoyed every minute of the time I got to spend with you guys in the past few weeks I was home.  I miss you all!

My old job and coworkers

I would expect that typically when someone leaves a job, they don't miss it much but that's definitely not the case in my situation.  I think about my old coworkers often and I'm dying to hear how everything is going with them.  I've kept in touch with a few, but already need to do a better job.  Also, the job itself provided me with such great experience and taught me so much.  I'm so grateful.

My New Job

I just finished up my first week on the new job yesterday, and I must say... it was incredible.  It's a whole different atmosphere than what I am used to given that I'm now working in a corporate office of a company and previously was working in a field environment.  I love dressing up every day (we'll see if I'm still saying that in a few months).  I also am really enjoying learning about a different industry.  Going from construction to vitamins is an interesting transition to say the least! I'm even in a different position than I was with my old job.  Previously, I was a Purchasing Specialist (buyer) and now I've moved into an analyst position.  I've learned SO much about excel and data analysis in the past week, it's crazy.  I'm learning actual useful outcomes from all of those weird formulas we were taught in college. 

Thanksgiving Break

As much as I love living here and my new job, I am really excited to come home and visit my family! I'm looking so forward to seeing everyone! I'm particularly excited to meet my two new little cousins, Thomas and Truman.  My uncle Scott and aunt Mindy just had twins! They're precious.

There are a ton of other things I'm thankful for, but none are more important than the ones I've written about already.  I'm going to leave it at that for now. 

As Promised.... New Apartment Pics (Before)

It's been kind of hectic for me lately.  I've stayed in my apartment two nights now so far, and I'm basically still living out of boxes for the most part.  As such, I will only be posting before pics today.  Hopefully this weekend I'll get some things accomplished and will be able to post some after pics next week.

I really like the new place. It's way different than what I'm used to, but I'm adjusting well.

Basically, it's in a house that's separated into two sections.  It's not a traditional duplex, it's basically just a small apartment attached to a house.  Here's the outside. The apartment is the small part on the left side of the picture. It's in a safe, quiet neighborhood which is really close to shopping and restaurants.

The rest of the pictures were taken as the old tenant was moving out, so there were still some things lying around.  Here is the kitchen/living room combination.  It's kind of weird that there's just a little row of cabinets, etc. in the living room... but it works.  I really like the hardwood floors.

The bathroom is one of my favorite parts.. I like the tub and there is lots of cabinet space.... lots of room for my thousands of types of lotions, hair products, etc.

The bedroom is carpeted.  The walls, ceiling and even the carpet are grey.  I like the color, but it's definitely a LOT.  The carpet almost looks purple compared to the wall color.

Guess Who Isn't Homeless?!

Warning.... this post is super long!


That's right! I finally found an apartment.  Trust me, the entire process was incredibly trying and I thought it would never end.  With lots of time, effort and most importantly prayer, I was able to find a place to call home.

I started the apartment search process online weeks ago, but in New York, apartments are rented out REALLY quickly so none of the ones I liked were available once I got here.  I spent the first couple days I was living in the hotel room making a list of towns and areas in which I would like to live.  I started calling up landlords and real estate agents in the area inquiring about properties.

For one reason or another, every single apartment I loved would be taken before I could get it.  I called a local Century 21 office inquiring about a particular apartment (at this point I have no idea which apartment it was) and spoke with the receptionist who was to put me in touch with the appropriate listing agent.

Somehow, the receptionist got the MLS # and apartment confused for another apartment, so I ended up having an appointment with the wrong listing agent regarding an apartment which was three times my budget. The first word that comes to mind when I think of this particular agent is "crazy".  I mean, I don't think she was clinically insane or anything but she definitely had an interesting and very outgoing personality.  She was exactly what I would have imagined a New York real estate agent to be.  Loud, abrasive, pushy and of course she had the THICK accent (although she told me she's from Texas... weird.  Let's hope I don't adopt the accent too after living here a while!).

She seemed to be really anxious for and in need of my business.  I say this because most agents don't really give rentals the time of day because there's not enough money in the business to make it worth their while.  She was willing to go out looking for properties with me so I spent the entire day with her looking.

She showed me SO many horrible apartments and for whatever reason she was unable to grasp exactly what I was looking for.  She was taking me all over Long Island, not in the areas I was interested in and was showing me apartments I would never consider renting.  I was getting VERY discouraged on the first day when we finally found an apartment in the newspaper which was located in Syosset.  Syosset is where Kevin lives and there are pretty much NO apartments available there.  I had pretty much written off the idea of even being able to find anything in that town, so when we found this one I was thrilled.

We made the trek to Syosset from wherever she had taken me.  I LOVED the apartment.  It was a small apartment in the back of someone's house.  That's how most of the apartments are here.. there aren't many complexes.  The homeowner was pretty weird to say the least.  I don't even know how to describe her. I called up Kevin to have him come look at the apartment and I made an offer on it.  The homeowner waited until that moment to tell me there was another offer on the apartment and that they were supposed to sign the lease the following day.

My agent and I discussed it and I made an offer slightly above what she was asking for the apartment.  The homeowner then led us to believe that the apartment would be mine pending review of my financial information.  

The next day, I met at the real estate agent's office to fill out paperwork and send over all the required financial information.  I was devastated when she called us back that day and told us that she had decided to go with the first offer and didn't feel as though it was right to go with me since they were first.

I was frustrated and my agent was FURIOUS.  She went on a bit of a tirade calling the homeowner things I will not repeat.  Wow.  I wanted to be done for the day and my agent's reaction made me want to be DONE with her.  She was inducing much more stress in the process than necessary and was making me crazy.  She pushed me into seeing more apartments that day.  All of them were awful. At the end of the day, she finally agreed to take me to a town I was actually interested in, but of course the apartment turned out to be horrible.

The drive way of the apartment was a steep hill.  We got in her SUV to leave and the gear shift would not move in order for her to put the car in reverse.  She started panicking and cursing saying that she had broken it off a couple of weeks ago and had yet to pay the mechanic for the work.  She called him up to ask what to do.  Because of her non-payment he was pretty unwilling to help her at first, but then gave her directions on how to get the car unstuck from park.

The directions were pretty simple:

• Put on the emergency brake
• Rock the car (forward) to release the weight of the vehicle from the current position
• Put the car in reverse
• Release the emergency brake
• Go on your merry little way

We get out of the car and I stand behind the car to help rock it while the agent was up front ready to put it in reverse.  She forgot one pretty important step in the process..... putting on the emergency brake.  I rocked the car and could hear something release.  I told her I thought she could probably get it to switch gears to reverse.  She then made another big mistake in this process... she put the car in reverse BEFORE getting in. 

The car started rolling down the steep driveway... quickly! I jumped out of the way but she decided to run with the car trying to jump in.  Eventually the car was moving too quickly for her to keep up with and the door knocked her to the ground.  She was within inches of being run over by the car.

Eventually, the car ran into a brick wall after knocking down a white picket fence and mailbox.  It was lodged on top of the short brick barrier.  The next thing that happened is what really put me over the edge with knowing I was going to have to "fire" her as my agent.  She then proceeded to tell me to get in the car to help her get the car off the wall.  I agreed and told her that as soon as we got it down, she needed to go talk to the homeowner.  Once we were in the car she took off and tried to leave the scene of the accident. 

Finally, I convinced her to pull over.  She was sobbing and swearing and just freaking out in general.  Luckily, a neighbor who saw her do that came up and pretty much made her go back and speak with the homeowners.  

I swear I thought I would never make it home that night and was SO relieved when the day was finally over.  I cancelled my appointments with her the following day and then sent her an email telling her I would no longer be looking for apartments with her.  She's been leaving voice mails and sending emails since but I just delete them.

The same day I fired her, I ended up finding THE apartment on my own.  I really like it a lot, and I can't wait to share pictures with all of you.  This post is long enough already, so I will save the new apartment for a later post.  I'm currently in Pennsylvania anticipating 5 inches of snow today with Kevin and his friends from college.  I'm

The Race is On

The race is on to find an apartment.  I'm in the hotel for week one, and while I love it here, I do NOT want to stay here longer than a week if possible.  Living out of suitcases and boxes isn't something I want to do long term.  I can't find anything.  Mostly, I am just really excited to get settled and find a place to call home.

We are leaving next Thursday to go to a lake house in Pennsylvania, so ideally I'd be IN an apartment by then so I can at least put my boxes in there.  Currently about half of my stuff is still in my trunk and the "necessities" are in my hotel room.

So far, I've been a little discouraged by the apartment search.  As I'm sure you'd guess, the prices are OUT OF THIS WORLD RIDICULOUS and you don't get much for your money.  That's an adjustment.  I'm trying to come to terms with the fact that for the same amount of money or more that I was paying for a MORTGAGE on a 3 bedroom, 2.5 bathroom house in Kentucky, I'll be renting a tiny studio apartment which will likely have no dishwasher and will almost definitely have no washer/dryer.

You DO get a lot given that you're in a great location, near shopping, restaurants, beaches, and within commuting distance to NYC.  So, I'm not complaining... I am just learning to accept a new reality which is so completely different than what I have known for the past 25 years.

In case you're curious.... Here are some pics of my top three so far.

Apartment #1- Small Studio:  I'm viewing this one tomorrow morning.  It's REALLY small, but the price is good and includes all utilities.  Plus, I think it's charming (minus the Spongebob pillow and clutter).

Apartment #2- Slightly bigger studio:  I'm waiting for the agent to call me back on this one.  It's a little larger than the first one, but it's still a studio.  The price includes everything except cable, so that's a plus.  This one has a little less character than the first, but it is bigger. The kicker for this one is that it has a washer/dryer.  One downside is that it has that mini-fridge instead of a full size.  As I'm writing this blog, the agent called me and unfortunately it's not available until December.  If the others don't come through I may actually just try to negotiate a monthly rate for my hotel for November and wait this one out.  We'll see.

Apartment #3:  This one is my favorite and of course the most expensive (but not by much).  It has an actual bedroom and some hardwood floors.  I think it may just be the kitchen curtains, but there's something really dainty and cute about it. I really do like the kitchen countertop and white cabinets.  It looks clean and inviting. I'm not crazy about the red accent wall, and would probably ask if I could paint it a different color.  I had red furniture for most of college and in my first house... so I'm just tired of red.

I would love to get your opinions on the top three so far.  Which of these do you like the best? And by all means... feel free to Google to your heart's content and help me find something you think is better if you think it's out there.  Huntington, NY is my preferred town, but anywhere between Huntington and Ronkonkoma near the Long Island Expressway would work.