Memories from November

Months ago I took advantage of a "Social Living" deal and purchased half-price tickets to see the Boston Pops Concert at Hohokam Stadium on my birthday!  Vince was agreeable because it was MY birthday! ;-)  In the meantime, Mom and Dad decided they wanted to go as well, and surprised Terry and Ken with tickets for their October birthdays.  Coincidentally, our seats ended up in the same section! We met at Serrano's Mexican Food for a late lunch, and then piled into Mom and Dad's van for the short ride to the stadium.

 The weather had been rainy and colder a few days prior, and there was still a chance of rain on the 16th.  However, the skies cleared, and the full moon rose, and the evening was absolutely perfect!  Jen and Nick also purchased tickets, but were seated in a different section.

 We sat right behind the first baseline dugout, and the music was absolutely spectacular!  A wonderful variety of tunes from George Gershwin to Rhapsody in Blue to Abba's Dancing Queen to a patriotic sing-along, and finally the 1812 Overture, complete with cannons!  The crowd's standing ovation resulted in a favorite Sousa march. The show ended with an extensive fireworks display!

With our house on the market, the weekends have been challenging, trying to keep the house neat as a pin, and ready to show.  Sundays are usually the only day we can see our family, so one weekend we met at NYPD for pizza night.  Service was a tad slow, but the grandchildren were very good waiting for their pasta!

 Jen was able to join us; Nick had his bowling league that night.

 We missed seeing Alissa and Alan on this particular evening.

And, last but not least, here are more "new house" updated photos from Thanksgiving weekend. (Thanksgiving will be a different blog post!) Our flooring and granite countertop in the kitchen are installed~love the way it is coming together!!

NEW HOME UPDATE

Wow...the month of November is flying by.  Thought I'd just post a few recent photos of the new house progress.  Everytime we make a visit, there's something new to see...exciting!

                                           kitchen cupboards and granite are in...

                                                          Master Bath shower tile

                                                        Guest Bath shower tile

Partial paint....roof tiles are installed now, and the driveway is done as well, 

so this is an "old" picture!

Guess we'll be a little more "enthused" when our current home sells.  It's been on the market only two weeks, but keeping it "ready to show" is tiresome!

An "Open House" is scheduled for Saturday morning....hope the buyer for our home will be among the visitors who look on Saturday! ;-)

Halloween Fun 2013

Mike, Corissa and children invited everyone in our immediate family to join them for a soup supper and trick-or-treating on Halloween this year.

We were having a Book Fair in the Library that week, so I worked late that day, closing out the sale, so we finally arrived to the party at 6:00.  Cailyn was a pretty fairy princess, including her magic wand, and Landon was "the best football player ever" in his Ohio State jersey!

Corissa's sister happened to be in town on business from Colorado, so she joined in on the fun too. In this picture, Nana is carrying Landon, but he actually walked most of the time; (this picture was taken towards the end of the evening.)  Other aunts and uncles were also present,

and we all had a great time walking the neighborhood streets.  They have a very family friendly neighborhood, with LOTS of organized treat-giving buffets, and extensive Halloween decorations. By the time we got back to their house for dessert and candy inventory, the kids were wired, and we were pooped! ;-)

House Update

November is here, and things are happening fast.  Our house on Bruce Ave. is on the market and ready to show.  Had a few realtors show the house this weekend.  We remain hopeful for the right buyer to come along in the next few weeks.

Besides getting our "old house" ready to sell, we've been making a few trips weekly to watch the progress on the "new house"!  Since the last blog, a lot of changes have happened.  I'll post some photos here; the progression is obvious.

 closet shelving went in...

 sheetrock in the kitchen area

 Vince making plans for his 2-car garage....oh my, where will everything go??

starting to paint the stucco....garage door is NOT supposed to have windows; not sure if it will get changed.

Took my parents to see the new house; kitchen cupboards are almost done. Jen came along too...
Alissa is taking our photo!  Light fixtures are in, and this week the roof tiles were finished.
Met with a landscape company, contracted by Shea Homes; we will have a front yard finished when we close at the end of December.

Another Special Couple to Celebrate on October 28

We had a great opportunity to celebrate my parents' 62nd wedding anniversary last month.  My sister and I put our thinking caps on and decided to take them to a "new" place, the Butterfly Wonderland in north Scottsdale.

After viewing a 15 minute 3D movie about the life of butterflies and butterfly migrations, we went into a protected, temperature/humidity-controlled environment.  Reminded me of a greenhouse, only MUCH larger.

Lots of butterflies and moths everywhere, and many I had never seen before.  Arizona is only second in the United States to Texas in the number of varieties of butterflies that live here.

There were benches to sit on, to allow time to relax and enjoy the surroundings.  The large koi pond in the center was also beautiful.

Butterflies are attracted to fruit and bright colors....

Many of them took turns landing on us!  Here, Terry has a new friend!

When we left the area, we were "checked" to make sure we had no "travelers" trying to escape....then we enjoyed looking at an ant farm, a bee hive where we located the Queen Bee, and then several impressive fish tanks.

After leaving Wonderland, we enjoyed lunch at Butters Pancakes and Cafe not too far away, recommended by Jen and Nick who had ventured to the "wonderland" a few weeks earlier.  It was a great way to celebrate a special occasion with our parents!