Friday

April 16

SOLD!

Our old house now has a large white sign in the front yard which reads, "SOLD". What a terrific relief! We have 13 days to go until closing. It has not even hit me yet that we only have a few days remaining under this roof...

In other news, we made an offer on a brand new house yesterday. And the offer was accepted by the builder! The house is absolutely gorgeous --- a modest 3,277 square foot castle featuring 4 bedrooms, a bonus room, 3 1/2 baths, and a 3 car garage. I will most definitely post photos soon. We are supposed to visit the new house tomorrow to pick out a color for the tile back-splash in the kitchen. The builder said the house should be finished sometime in mid-to-late May. Our closing date has been set for May 27th.

Moving, moving, moving.

Today Jennie and I had a VERY busy day. We signed a 3-month lease on an apartment a few miles away from our new house and ran many errands. Coordinating our old utilities to be shut off by April 29th, getting the apartment utilities turned on by next Tuesday, and completing the new home loan is exhausting (all done while we are having to pack and move). Luckily, we will have 4 1/2 weeks after we close on our new house to get everything moved in and situated from our apartment and storage.

Whew!

Until tomorrow,
Dave T.

Monday

April 12

Jennie and I spent the entire weekend touring houses with our buyer's agent. Shortly after finding our dream home on Saturday, our agent received a text message that the house had been sold (another couple was negotiating with the seller as we toured). We cannot help but compare that house to all the others and it depresses us greatly.

If we want to take advantage of the $6,500 tax credit, we need to have a contract on a home no later than April 30th and close the deal by June 30th. We do not want to settle for just any old home, but we are aware of the ticking clock, too. Oh well, if we do not get the tax credit, the world will not end...

Tomorrow, a handyman will be fixing a list of ten or eleven small items around our house for the final inspection. The inspector was very nit-picky -- caulk this, seal this, tighten this bolt, etc. As far as I know, we are still scheduled to close on April 29th and move into an apartment (temporarily) a few days before. I am going to try to locate a truck for moving smaller stuff and hire someone to move our heavier furniture.

More Daphne photos coming soon!

Until tomorrow,
Dave T.

April 5

Daphne had an eventful Easter holiday weekend! On Saturday, Jennie and I took her to the Nashville Zoo for their egg hunt and festivities. Afterward, we visited a local park to let Daphne ride the slides, swing, and burn off some excess energy. She absolutely loves going to the park!

Jennie's parents graciously took Daphne to the park on Sunday afternoon (while Jennie and I began packing our computer room for our upcoming move). Daphne braved the slides once again and worked up quite an appetite. Mimi & PopPop rewarded our little 27 1/2 pound princess with a trip to Krystal for a hot dog and some bites of burger.

Last week, the buyer's realtor and a home inspector spent three hours analyzing our house. We should find our the results early this week. Barring any setbacks, I believe we are still on schedule to close this house on April 29th.

Some of Daphne's latest quotes are:

"look at your daughter, Daddy", "my so cute!", and "Daddy, how was work?"

Daphne is becoming a regular pro at using the potty seat. Anchored firmly in front of the television or with several books by her side, Daphne seems to really enjoy passing time on her throne while passing a poo or making a dainty sprinkle. We make a big fuss (praising her and littering her with kisses) whenever she produces a present.

Here are some new photos from this weekend:








Until tomorrow,
Dave T.

Sunday

April 4

Happy Easter!

I will be posting new photos tonight...

More later,
Dave T.

Saturday

March 27

What's new?

BREAKING NEWS: Our house has been SOLD as of Friday, March 26th. A single gentleman made a reasonable offer and we accepted. Imagine that? It only took 7 1/2 months and 28 showings... Assuming his pre-approved loan is finalized soon and the home inspector finds no catastrophic issues, we are scheduled to close on April 29th. Yay!

Daphne will be attending two more hockey games over the next four days due to a sudden death in the family. Jennie's maternal grandmother passed away late this week. Her parents have already begun another journey to Oklahoma to attend the funeral services.

I have been really swamped at work recently as I finish up a major project. My ability to blog is still restricted during the work day, so naturally, I forget to do it once I get home. Daphne and Jennie are a handful and keep me quite busy.

Here are a few new photos of Daphne and a dozen birthday roses for my mother-in-law:







Until tomorrow,
Dave T.

Thursday

March 18




Tuesday night's hockey game was a success! Daphne sat on my lap for nearly the entire game. We packed lots of snacks, toys, and items to keep her attention in case the game bored her. For the most part, she was engaged in the action of the game, the festivities on the giant MegaTron screen, and the other 16,500 patrons encompassing her. I noticed Daphne looking around the arena in awe on several occasions. Maybe her good behavior was due to the uncertainty of her surroundings?

Daphne lovingly refers to her Predators ball cap as "my cowboy". Don't ask. I have no clue why a hat is called a "cowboy". Unless she is referring to all items worn on the head as cowboy hats? While eating supper, she insists on wearing her "cowboy". The tricky part is to keep her greasy, condiment soaked fingers off of the bill.

Last night, Jennie went out on the town with several of her girlfriends and I entertained Daphne. After I put her to bed, Daphne talked about her day as she fell asleep. "My go to the zoo today. I have gas. I have gas. I have gas. No, doggie! My bread. Doggie eat it. Mommy get go-shees (groceries). Daddy home. MeeMee (Jennie's mom) gone. PopPop (Jennie's dad) gone."

Until tomorrow,
Dave T.

Monday

March 15

Daphne's doctor appointment last Thursday went well. She is in the 80th percentile for her height (34.75"), 40th percentile for her weight (26.8 pounds), and 20th percentile for her head circumference (18.75 cm). Basically, she's a petite green bean -- tall and lean.

MAJOR MILESTONE: Daphne made a poopy on her potty seat for the first time ever last night! She has gone pee pee in the potty seat for a few weeks now, but this was the first time our magical hen laid a golden egg upon her throne.

Jennie's paternal grandfather passed away on Friday just outside of Tampa, Florida. He was well into his 90s and led a great life.

Tomorrow is Daphne's first hockey game. I pray she can make it three hours without having too many tantrums. Oh brother! When it rains, it pours! Her second game will be this Saturday -- if she doesn't do well Tuesday night, maybe we will have to sell Saturday's tickets?

I completely replaced our kitchen faucet and master bathroom toilet inner workings this past weekend. I priced the O-ring and cartridge replacement kits for our outdated faucet on Friday night. You know what? It was only a few bucks more to replace the entire faucet, so I elected to go that route. Now, we have a more modern kitchen sink.

Our master bathroom toilet had developed a slow, annoying leak from the tank to the bowl for quite some time now. Throwing a new flapper in the tank never seemed to solve the problem. So, late last night, I carefully removed the tank from the bowl and replaced the 12 year old gasket. I highly recommend a Korky universal toilet repair kit for less than $20. It eliminates the need for a float ball with its high tech fill valve and adjustable water line. After a couple of hours, plumber Davey was able to test out the toilet and I'm proud to say that it works beautifully! (flush)




Until tomorrow,
Dave T.

Thursday

March 11

Today is Daphne's 2 year doctor visit. With her recent growth spurt (nearly 27 pounds and growing like a weed), I believe the doctor will be pleased.

It is only a matter of time until Daphne is potty trained. She asks for the potty seat after her bath concludes and excitedly makes a happy sprinkle as we read a book or three.

I hear, "Daddy, hug Muffy." each morning before I leave for work. She smooches my cheek with a soft pucker and sends me off with an energetic wave.

As you have probably noticed, it has become an increasing challenge to blog more than 2 or 3 times per week. I struggle to creatively compose late at night and during the day, my access to blogs & message boards is heavily restricted at work. In fact, I am riding the wireless bandwidth of a neighboring hotel (next to my place of employment) to bring you this entry from my personal laptop. Oh well, comme ci, comme ca.

Nothing new to report on the home selling front.

Daphne will get to attend TWO hockey games next week for the first time. Jennie's parents made an emergency trip to Oklahoma to be with a suddenly ill family member.

New photos coming soon...

Have a wonderful weekend!
Dave T.

Monday

March 8

"My gardenin', Daddy." Daphne decided she wanted to use her "shovel" and "waterin' can" today in the backyard. Just shy of 70 degrees, this weekend was gorgeous!

Over the last two weeks, our house has been toured five or six times by potential buyers. The feedback we are receiving has ranged anywhere from "the guest rooms are too small", "the price is too high", "the paint is not our taste", "the backyard view is a sea of houses", and "the house doesn't seem like 1,725 square feet". As you can see, we are going nuts trying to sell. With the nicer weather, maybe the viewings will continue to increase and someone will make an offer...

Here are some new photos of Daphne playing in the backyard today:







Until tomorrow,
Dave T.

March 1

Here are some photos from Daphne's birthday party... (I'll write more tomorrow)











Until tomorrow,
Dave T.