Eat, Drink and Be Merry!

Better yet, Drink, Drink More and Eat Later...Merry is up to you! Saturday afternoon Rich and I had a "small" BBQ with about 60 of our closest friends and family...and any other strays that were on our cul-de-sac that night. The day turned into night, and sober people turned into...well, you can figure it out.

Rich and Stacie's 1st picture in their backyard!
The day has begun...

Rich opening a housewarming gift from Steph and Andy...
nope, it's not a potato gun.

Rich, Stacie, Rene' and Avea
Our little ring bearer and flower girl.

Dad Meyer and Dad Boness looking handsome for the camera.

Stacie and Chris enjoying in some of the festivities...
yeah, I'm going to inherit some brothers next summer!

Rich, Chris, Shawn and Alex...getting the party started.

The bridal party
Kelby, Jenn, Stacie and Heather

Heather watching a little Corn Hole with Amanda, Suzanne and Dan.

Ryan and Kelby enjoying the backyard (and each other).

Alex ..the keg is right behind you, don't worry!

The Tri-Delta Ladies
Kim, Amanda, Suzanne, Heather, Erin and Stacie

Chris giving Grandma G a welcoming hug to the party!

Rich and Stacie finally breaking in the new house with a Busch Light 40 oz!
Alright! Hot Dog! Giggity Goo!

The Brothers
Shawn, Rich and Chris

The Meyer Family minus Becky
Dick, Shawn, Denise, Rich and Chris

The party went all night and we had a blast. Thanks to the moms (Joni and Denise) for helping keep everything organized, clean and put away...and for doing the late night beer run! Thanks to Dan and his head lamp for picking up garbage at 1 in the morning and making a late night round of burgers and dogs. Thanks to Aaron for not "paying" Rich back for any of the gifts he has left at your house. And a very special thank you for everyone who took the time to make our Housewarming memorable! We love each one of you and are lucky to have friends and family who love us so much.

Put it in a closet!

The motto for today was..."if it's out in the open, put it in a closet"...

We are a few steps closer to having things moved in...but still a ways away from having the house "together". The last few nights have been spent painting, putting things in their new homes, and putting things away in their temporary homes.

Rich and Mike rolling the front room!

Joni making our yard beautiful!

Rich putting the finishing touches on the front room.

We can't believe that it has almost been a week since we closed on our home. It has been a whirlwind these last few days, but we're happy to say "IT FEELS LIKE HOME".

The real fun comes on Saturday when the guests arrive. Until then...

Done?

Well, we are out of time this weekend...but not out of jobs to do. We finished our Master Bedroom and are on our way with the Guest Room. The living room will get finished this week...and the garage, well, it's full of boxes (for the time being).

Mike and Joni were ROCKSTARS again today...and picked up the slack where sickie (me) was lacking. Hopefully a good night sleep in our new room will be the trick.

Hooray for today and this weekend. Only a few more days until the guests arrive.... ut oh! I better get back to work. More tomorrow.

Clean, Tape, Paint...Repeat!

DAY ONE, CHECK!

Friday started with a trip to Sherwin-Williams and Fred Meyer (two of my favorite men recently)...and then off to the house. Rich immediately started covering up our "Crimson" wall with some primer. Next, he moved on to the guest bedroom and started edging the wall. Look at how much fun he is having?!?! My dad (Mike) got there early afternoon and immediately got to work cleaning the carpets. Go Mike! My mom went to work cleaning the guest bathroom and kitchen. Woo hoo!

After edging the guest bedroom, Rich moved down to the dining area and started his magic down there. I think that the boys (Rich and my dad) were sick of the paparazzi stalking them...so I got put to work with my dad edging the living room.

After a long day on Friday, we finally called it quits at about 11:30pm and crashed for the night (only after the spare bedroom was done). My mom and I had ran and got our sleeping bags...so Rich and I spent our first night at the house.

DAY TWO, CHECK!

Saturday started a little rockier than Friday...with a 7:30am alarm. Rich and I headed to our new favorite coffee joint (Cafe' Ladro on Bothell Way) and were working by 8:30am. We continued on our painting adventure with Rich and Mike painting the ceilings in the master bedroom and living area. Mom and I started on the back yard...here is Joni loading up some Azaleas to put in the flowerbeds.

Finally, after a long day, a much deserved break was to be had by all. My grandma, Aunt Roxy, Jenn and Danny came over to enjoy a little relaxation in the back yard...

Aunt Roxy made us a cute card ...yep, that's a Husky on top of a Cougar (talk amongst yourselves).

Then, we opened the present that my Grandma and Aunt Roxy had brought...and it was an Air Conditioner for our Bedroom. How awesome!!! There is going to be some cool nights in the house.

Then, we were spoiled again from Jenn and Danny with a cool chip and salsa container (loaded with supplies) for entertaining.

The guests were gone...and it was back to work for 4 more hours! Max was a trooper all weekend, but finally had enough and decided that it was time for bed (on the counter of all things).

The group ended the night by finishing the master bedroom. Nice rolling Mike! Awesome edging Rich! Fantastic touch ups Joni!

We were officially done by 11:50pm on Saturday night...and went to my parents for the night. We can't express how lucky we are to have had Mike and Joni (my awesome parents) help us all weekend. Rich and I would not have been able to get as much done without all of your help.

Go Team! One more day of hard labor...off to get the UHAUL! We're movin' on up today!

Home Sweet Home...Finally!

After a few more challenges today....the home buying process has FINALLY come to an end! We received word at about 4:15 pm today that our house had closed, been recorded and was OURS. Hooray! Rich and I bolted from work and couldn't wait to see our new home!

Rich was the first one to find the key under the mat!
Stacie saved the day and brought some sparkling wine to celebrate.
Welcome Home!
Cheers!
Time to take out the For Sale sign...
Yeah! It's our new home.

Thanks to Mom and Dad (Boness) for bringing over the patio set and helping us celebrate our first evening at the house. We are so excited to start working on the house tomorrow....so much to do, so little time! Can't wait to see you all on the 19th...or sooner. This is a very exciting time for both Rich and myself. Thanks for everyone who has helped get us to where we are! We appreciate it.

The pens are ready...

We are signing today!

Keys are set for tomorrow!

4th of July Weekend

Rich and I headed out for Wapato (outside of Yakima) on the morning of the 4th of July to spend the weekend with Alex Wish at his Aunt and Uncle's home. We had heard rumors that the Russo boys were going to roast a PIG this year....and boy, were the rumors true. We arrived to see Nate, Ross and Tony tending to the Pig and working out the FDS (fuel delivery system) to add charcoal to the spit. Pam was the manager on duty! Rich immediately decided this is where he was going to spend his day too...and I made my rounds. Here is a picture of the pig once he had been burned twice and been pulled out of the spit.

The adventures during the weekend started at lunch when our friend Wilbur (the pig) started a little grease fire and we almost lost him, the tent he was under and half the orchard (well, maybe one pear tree). Not long after, Wilbur lit up the sky again, and this time he was ready to cool and be enjoyed by all. The Russo's famous BBQ sauce was a grand addition to the pig.

The fourth of July continued with a fantastic fireworks (all legal - right?) display by Gipp and Kirby. By far, the best I've seen in years. We enjoyed some cocktails by the pool while the fireworks lit up the sky. It was a great place to be on the 4th - celebrating with friends. The evening continued with some Cherry Bombs and many, many games of Flip Cup....before deciding it was time to retire for the night.

With the pig done on Friday, Saturday left a lot more time for the pool, volleyball and consuming some Rainier, Busch Light and Cherry Bombs. Marco, Alex, Rich and I took a trip to the store and stocked the Honder full to the brim...6 cases of Rainer, 2 cases Busch Light and some ice to last the afternoon...

Once back from the store, Alex worked on his famous wings, Rich and I our salads, and fun was had by all...except Pam who had a little accident that sent her to the ER. Left with no parental supervision, the bar for consumption was raised to a new level and the day went on...

Alex preparing 26 pounds of his famous wings!

Saturday night continued with more games of Flip Cup, some adventures in the pool (thanks boys - I needed to swim in my jeans), and more Cherry Bombs. This night was definitely how I remember (or don't) Wapato from my last 2 trips there....

All in all, the weekend was a blast and I think that Rich and I agree that it will be a while before we eat or drink like that again...Thanks to Gipp and Carol for being such gracious hosts and allowing us to do this year after year!