e the appliance owner

wrapped up in this whole home ownership thing is appliance ownership--confusing, expensive, overwhelming waters to navigate for the first-timer. who knew there were that many options out there!? yesterday mom was in town and we spent a good chunk of the day in appliance world--three different stores, to be exact. in my previous life, while in department or home improvement stores, I breezed right past the appliance sections--I had no need to pay attention. every kitchen I had ever lived in just came with a fridge, oven, dishwasher, microwave, etc. that was a given. now, I found myself with the opportunity to select my very own. Overwhelming!

I was very excited to be picking out a brand new fridge and washer and dryer. but after several hours in sears, I was ready to collapse! and at the end of the day, my wallet was ready to collapse!

the washer and dryer were not so difficult to select--there was a one day sale on one specific brand, so pretty much that choice was taken care of. mom and I found the simplest models that still had the features that I needed. but boy, can you spend a bunch of money on some of those super fancy ones! if I paid that much for those models, I would expect them to load, unload, fold, iron, and put away the clothes themselves :)

refrigerator selection did not go as quicky! I guess because I cared more about what it looks like--the washer and dryer are going into an upstairs closet--not to be seen unless you're in the closet. the fridge I bought, however, is really PRETTY! that's not a normal adjective I use for appliances, but it applies here. I can't wait to get it into my kitchen and see how it looks! I got a stainless side-by-side, with black trim and accents (water & ice dispenser) on the front. it's also an energy-star model, so hopefully it won't use too much energy!

the fridge is perhaps the biggest single-item purchase I've ever made...and as I sit here I can't believe I now own one! I don't have it yet, but it's being delivered the day of closing...I can start refrigerating things immediately :)

so when I post pictures of my new place, I'm sure you'll get some views of the appliances--their proud new mama wants to show them off :)

walk on

today's post revolves around the theme of walking:

i don't know if any of you out there are american idol watchers, but the girls and I are here in our apartment. last night for every vote cast, corporate sponsors agreed to donate $0.10 to feed hungry people living in extreme poverty in africa and america--up to $5,000,000, the first 50 million votes. so, for the very first time, i voted for american idol :) i usually watch, but am not a voter. between the three of us, we put in tons of votes for our faves: Melinda and Jordin, and got money donated at the same time! we were very thankful for cell phones last night, so that we all could vote simultaneously. very cool. (oh, the connection to walking is that Jordin sang "You'll Never Walk Alone.")

now, for the big walk decision:

while at some moments in the last month I thought I cared nothing about walking across the stage and getting my second diploma from G. Wayne, I believe I have had a change of heart, now that the stress level in my life has gone waaay down (since studio project is finished--fyi I didn't win anything in the competition yesterday--but no big deal, I'm not crushed). I have too much of a feeling that I would regret not going to my graduation, and that's something I don't want to have happen. so, while it may be long and arduous, I can't not go. All are welcome to attend, if you desire. I can give you more specific information through email/phone (just didn't want it floating out there on the internet). I would also love to go out to lunch with family afterwards, even if some of you don't want to come to the graduation, but want to do lunch.

and the last item of the post (but not exactly sure how it fits into the theme) is that I remembered I have a photo of the outside of my new house to share :)

studio=over

hello all. I'm sorry if it seems that I dropped off the face of the earth the last few days...but I've been finishing my thesis project, and that means there is no time for emailing, or blogging, ...or sleeping, for that matter.


but, I am thrilled to announce, that as of about 11:15 this morning, my final studio review was complete!!! :) the review went really well, I'm happy to report. HUGE weight off my shoulders. now, all that's left is to write up a 2000-2500 word paper about the project--cake compared to what I finished today.

of my class of 10, up to three are chosen to move on to tomorrow's competition jury. there are two other studios, both of which 3 are chosen from as well. the finalists present their projects tomorrow to a jury of big-name architects flown in from around the country. they pick the winners and, there are cash prizes :)

we find out at the end of the evening who moves on to tomorrow's jury. so, stay tuned.

and yes, there is a graduation party for me at mom & dad's on friday, may 11th. all are invited!

I promise I will decide soon about festivities on the 5th in the ATL area...just want to do it once I've had a full night's sleep.

last class

today, I went to my very last class EVER. that feels pretty good! I think I would be more excited if I weren't trying to finish my thesis :) Instead, it's heads down, glued to the computer, "death con 5" as my friend dave says.

it's kind of weird to think I don't ever again have to go to class, or turn in homework! I know there are training classes, bible studies w/ hw, etc., but no more as a degree-seeking student :o) I know someday I will look back on all this with fondness and nostalgia...but that day is a loooong way off.

to those of you have already passed this milestone in your life--I'm happy to join you. to those of you who haven't yet reached this point--hold on, you will make it, and it will certainly get here sooner than you think. and I will enthusiastically welcome you to the club when you finally do :)

and since I'm a visual person and like posts with pictures, here's an image from my thesis project.

any brave souls want to guess what the image means? :o)

$5.99 worth of joy

I spent $5.99 at publix on sunday afternoon and brought home a bundle of joy: pink tulips! who knew you could buy joy for so cheap? I knew they would make me smile as I sat at my desk for the next solid week finishing my studio project. So far, so good!

The girls and I have several flora around the apartment that lend some hominess to the space.

Here are the violets that greet me every morning right outside my bedroom door:



And here are the baby irises and one momma iris pot growing on our deck (but are momentarily inside because of the cold weather):


And finally, here is Percy, and Percy's Cousin, the oldest plants in the house. I gave Percy (the top one) to Janeen when she started co-oping 6 years ago, and I got his cousin about that same time. I think they may live forever!

happier times

while I am sooo ready to finish school, one of the things I'm MOST looking forward to is moving into my new house. Requested repairs are being completed, and all things are moving toward closing. So exciting!

There are currently no mirrors in the two bathrooms at my place--they had been taken down for painting purposes, and we wrote in the contract that I would pick out the mirrors to go back up; and that I would have a specified amount of money that I could spend.

now, this is a shopper's dream come true: pick out new things for your house, and spend someone else's money doing it! it cant' get much better than that!

so below are the two mirrors I've selected:


for the dowstairs half bath:
and for the upstairs bath:


this one has a "dark cherry finish" but in the store looked almost black. I want the black look, and so if it still looks too cherry in the room, I may give it a good old coat of black paint.

I still don't have any pictures of the actual place--so I'm posting little tidbits so maybe you can get a feel for what it will be like in person. Hopefully I'll be seeing some of you there once I move in!

not a good evening

can I just complain? This evening I saw three days worth of studio work go into the trash, and then I proceeded to slice open my finger--so I'm having a bit of trouble typing like normal.

I spent the last three days working on building a model of my project. The short story is that I was casting quikcrete (concrete) and trying to get it to do something it was never intended to do: intricate small scale stuff. Quikcrete is for patching cracks in your driveway--not a model of my building at 1/16"=1'-0".

So, now I get to go into studio tomorrow and have nothing to show for myself except a big band-aid on my right index finger. And my final studio review is in 10 days. Not exactly the best time to be a) losing days worth of work and b) slicing my hands open when there is still model building left to do.

Can I just surrender now? I'm waving the white flag--you win, Architecture. I can't do it anymore.

... On the bright side, take a look at the graduation countdown to the right--VERY QUICKLY APPROACHING!

...and, it could have been my left index finger...

two sore bums

and by that I mean derrière, not vagabond. Roomie went with me last night to ballet class, and we're both feeling the effects today :) The class was a mixture of pure ballet and some lyrical/modern dance--lots of fun, but a different set of muscles than I'm used to using. We spent a good amount of time rolling around on the floor, and once you got past worrying what you looked like doing it, it felt really great to just dance it. Then after work/school today, we compared notes and both were sore, in exactly the same place--the bum! Various involuntary groans were heard in the apartment tonight as one of us sat down or got up.

We must remember that it's good pain--sore muscles mean more tone (and hopefully less fat).

good pain...good pain...

new plates

Now being in my 19th year of schooling, I have become an excellent procrastinator. Today's adventure in procrastination occurred in the dining department. This afternoon, instead of doing my homework that is due tomorrow (honestly, is homework really still necessary at this point in my life?), I went to one of my favorite stores and ended up purchasing new plates for my new house! Since I don't have any pictures of the house to post, perhaps you will be satisfied by pictures of new dishes?

I got four each of the two salad plates above, as well as four each of the matching dinner plates--already on clearance, they were 50% off the lowest price--what a steal!

I think I will eventually get coordinating bowls, mugs, etc. to complete my set--maybe white or black, or even another solid color to accent with--maybe I'll match my wall color or something like that :)

I believe I'm turning into both Mom and Nana before our very eyes -- they both believe(d) you can never have too many sets of dishes!

I surrender to my fate...