Healthy Living Thread

[Rod]

Thanks Marcy,

We weren't in the mountains. Their aren't any in Florida. We were at the Homasassa River, which was like going back in time before anyone ever moved to Florida. So magical, beautiful and remarkably peaceful. And hard to believe it's only 1.5 hours from Tampa.

For my father, the good news is they won't have to move him to a hospice facility. He'll just be cared for by hospice in the nursing home, without even having to move rooms. They're so great in the nursing home and they take such good care of him. He's been there going on 3 years now.

 

[marcy]

Rod, that is nice the nursing home takes such good care of your dad and they can do hospice there and won't need to move him. That is some comfort for you and your brother.

I immediately thought of mountains when you mentioned dark and quiet. That river sounds pretty nice too.

Take care.
Marcy

 

[Dee*Jay]

Happy Tuesday kids!

Rod, I'm so sorry to hear about your dad and I know this must be hard on you and your brother. Biggest hugs to you my dear friend as you weather this storm. And hello to Charlie too. You'll have to keep us posted on whether you decide to move.

Curby, I admit I had to go and read about the Mars transit because I was pretty in the dark about it (ha!) until you brought it up! Snacks looks like he's doing a fine job of tracking the path!

So I've been on this diet now for One Entire Day... home come I'm not thin yet?!?

Raining and gloomy here. I could use a nap. Except it's only 9:45 in the morning. And I'm at my office!

 

[marcy]

Hi Kids!

Dee Jay, watching Venus transit the Sun was more exciting (it was bigger and faster) but still one of those unique cosmic events to see (or a good reason to take a day off). Snacks did a great job tracking that little planet for us.

Yea for being on a diet for a day. I am sure you lost some weight. I resisted candy at work today. I think I'll get signed up for my fitness pal again and start tracking things. That might helped get me more motivated.

Did you get in your nap? I am sure they wouldn't mind at work.

We picked up the truck after work today. The electric step is fabulous. It makes the truck look better too without the step on the side. NICE.

I sure wish my sapphires were done and on the way. Luckily I do have a ring or two I can wear in the meantime.

Have a great day.
Curby

 

[Dee*Jay]

Happy Tuesday kids!

Curby, I'm glad the step worked out so well! I saw some vehicle (a hummer maybe?) at a stop light the other day and all I could think of was that I could never even get in the thing!

Last night we went to dinner with one of my neighbors. I was pretty good, but not fabulous. Two glasses of wine, two tacos, a few bites of the appetizers and just a little of the dessert. So not a total debacle... I was so good at lunch yesterday it all had to balance out though -- I had a spinach salad with a tiny bit of grilled chicken, tomatoes, broccoli, and spicy banana peppers... with no dressing. This diet thing is for the birds!

 

[marcy]

Hi Kids!

Dee Jay, so many of the large SUV and pickups are super high anymore. It is rather strange Saturday when I was waiting for Marty to park the car at the mall I saw a pickup let someone off that had the electric steps on it. That was the first time I really noticed them. I don't think they were the same style but I thought wow that would be great!

My food was good but I had some tortilla chips and some PB cups. If I could stay away from work I'd be better. I had soup for lunch and an Arby's roast beef for supper. I did sucker for a small orange shake though.

It's windy and chilly here this week. Boo.

I get my blue sapphire ring tomorrow and the yellow sapphire and studs Friday.

Take care!
Curby

 

[Dee*Jay]

Happy Thursday kids!

Curby, I'm super excited to see your new treasurers!

Yesterday I was pretty good with food... but I'm getting tired of grilled chicken, LOL! I also made so sugar free jello the other night. Whew -- Dee Jay's livin' large!

 

[marcy]

Hi Kids!

Dee Jay, good for you for sticking with grilled chicken and sugar free jello. We tried Papa Murphy's kid's size pizza for supper tonight. I think Marty will be starving in no time. I saved half of mine for lunch tomorrow. I had a margarita today and M&M's though. I am thinking Monday I might cut myself off such extras.

My team caused a personnel error at work today. Joy. At least I got my sapphire upgrade. I like the size; it's funny how much adding .5mm to a round can make such a difference. My yellow sapphire and sapphire studs are showing up tomorrow.

Marty is getting his new golf clubs tomorrow.

Here is a collage of my new sapphire (old ring)

Curby new sapphire

 

[Rod]

OOoohh, PRETTY Marcy! Congratulations! Wear it in the best of health and happiness!

 

[marcy]

Thank you Rod. I am liking it so far. How are you doing?

 

[Rod]

Doing OK. Another uber tough day at work, but I did make a placement, so that's good. We're going with our Realtor on Saturday to look at some of the houses Charlie looked at Monday. I got to drive by one of them and look in through the windows. It's really nice. Enough space for us on two levels and a nice, but small fenced in back yard. They're brand new townhomes in older neighborhoods. They call them in-fill. And the best part if no association fees!

 

[marcy]

Rod, I am glad you made a placement at work. How exciting to go look at those houses this weekend. That would be nice to not be paying HOA. We pay $470 a year here. Let us know how that goes.

 

[Rod]

Because we live in a two tower 10 floors each tower, condominium, with lots of amenities, it's expensive here. Our monthly maintenance fee is about $700/month, plus the ongoing special assessments for our legal battle with the developer.

 

[Dee*Jay]

Happy Friday kids!

Curby, I love your new sapphire! It looks great in the setting too! Can't wait to see pics of your other goodies when they show up.

Rod, you know me -- I'm always up for a new real estate adventure so I hope you find a place that you want to live in! And I hear you on the association fees. Ours are low (TOO low in my opinion, but it's going to be an uphill battle to get them raised given this crowd) but I do still wonder if I'm getting enough value out of them compared to what I pay since we have no amenities. Will you have a hard time selling your unit with the lawsuit going on?

Today I am (a) going to clean the bathroom (do you see a theme here... ?), (b) meeting the property manager to look at a water issue, and (c) going to the gem show! I'm not looking for anything really, but I like just walking though and seeing if anything catches my eye. Last time I got some cool pendants (none of which I've worn yet (ha!) and a... um... not so real DBY to try wearing to decide if I should spend the money on a real one. Jury's still out on that. Anyway, will report back on any exciting purchases!

 

[Rod]

DeeJay, the juries out whether we'll do anything. But it's always fun to look at new houses. Units are still selling in our condo, even with the lawsuit going on. Our next door neighbor just sold his unit a few weeks ago, so I'm guessing we'd be OK. Our building is very desirable, in a great location and our unit is beautifully appointed. So, we'll see.

Have fun at the gem show!

 

[marcy]

Hi Kids,

Rod, that is quite a savings for you not paying that HOA fee. The amenities are always nice if you utilize them frequently. The lawsuit would worry me and since other places are selling now it may not be a bad time to move out of there while you can. I will be anxious to hear what you saw this weekend and your thoughts on them.

Dee Jay, thank you for the compliments on my new blue sapphire ring. The earrings will match it perfectly. The yellow sapphire isn’t as sunny yellow in most lighting as I saw in the store but is a more golden yellow like yellow beryl. I like it. It’s dreary and cloudy today so I haven’t tried any photos yet other than the few I got on my cell phone at work.

That’s great your association fees are low at your place. But rats you don’t have amenities to go with that.

I am anxious to hear what you saw at the gem show.

Marty’s poker tournament went well. 8 guys played and they were having fun until about 2 am. Marty broke even so I guess that is a good thing. One of the guys brought his wife and she and I played scrabble and had a nice time just visiting and swapping life stories.

Sadly we had to get up before 8 since the cleaning lady was coming today. She was 45 minutes late though so we could have slept in too but oh well.

I went to the eye doctor and they are ordering me in completely new glasses with the progressive prescription starting 3mm lower. If these aren’t right I am going to ask to talk to the eye doctor. Their optical shop isn’t one of their strengths.

Marty and I went to lunch and are going to watch the new Star Wars on PPV tonight.

Marty installed our door bell phone and it works pretty slick Right now he is drilling a hole in the basement wall to run the cords inside for a security camera on the basement patio.

It is cold and rainy here today. Darn it!

I hope you are having a great weekend.
Curby / Marcy

 

[Rod]

Summer is here. It was hot a humid today, but they say it will be slightly cooler tomorrow. Sorry for rainy and cold Marcy.........

So, we went to all the townhomes Charlie saw and liked with our realtor this morning. There are 4 in a row on a kind of cool street, mix of old and new, palm tree lined median, but close to a major street with lot's of restaurants we could walk too. One of them closed yesterday. That left 3. When we got there, Charlie wanted me to see the one he liked the most. There was a guy and his realtor already looking and they seemed very surprised and even alarmed we were there to see it. So, while we were walking around, they went outside, called the agent and bought the unit while we were still inside. That leaves 2. One is more expensive, one is more reasonable, but is next door to an old Florida Bungalow, which isn't in the best condition, but was recently painted. It really doesn't bother me in the least and I do like that they just reduced the price because of its proximity.

Sooooooo, we're waiting to hear if they'll take a contingency contract, since we haven't even listed our place yet.

Will let you all know when I hear something.

Have a great rest of the weekend!

 

[marcy]

Hi Kids!

Rod, I am glad summer is there for you. I believe winter is trying it claw it's way back in here. That wind is COLD. Wow it sounds like those places are moving fast. I hope your contingency offer gets accepted. How exciting. Definitely keep us posted.

How are the kitties?

We had a busy day yesterday running around then rented the latest Star Wars movie to watch last night. I made popcorn for us so that was our supper.

Today I am working on laundry and taking pictures of my upgrades. I don't have sunlight and the lights in the house make everything look yellow but I got some shots. I really like the yellow sapphire but it really changes colors from bright yellow to golden yellow to almost brown. It's pretty fiery so with all of those changes it has been difficult to photograph.

Marty is heading to Manhattan in a few days for a symposium. A quick in and out trip.

Have a great weekend.
Marcy / Curby

 

[Dee*Jay]

Happy Monday kids!

Curby, your upgrades are GREAT! I really like the colors in both the blue and yellow sapphires! Marty's new bling is pretty cool too, LOL.

Rod, interesting that the other guy who was at the townhouse hurried up and made an offer! I hope the sellers will take a contingent contract on the one you want. Would your current furniture and stuff translate well or would you need to get a bunch of other things?

This weekend flew by! Friday I went to the gem show. No real treasurers, just got a necklace fixed (that I bought at the last gem show!) and a super cheapie fake ring that I bought because it was cute. That night my newest neighbor and her friend and boyfriend (who is a rare food purveyor) showed up at my house with TEN POUNDS of amazing beef (cut into five two pound steaks), an entire bag full of truffles, cheese, bread, and who knows what else. It was amazing -- the absolute best piece of meat I have ever had! Saturday I did an early showing and then we went to a rummage sale at a local private school. Added four more depression glass champagne glasses to my collection... because... yanno... the 200 or so I've already got aren't enough! We then went to a big neighborhood yard sale up north but it was all crap frankly, so no purchases there. Yesterday I did my open house and then a second showing at one of my problematic listings, but haven't heard a peep from them since so I'm not too terribly hopeful we'll be getting a contract...

 

[marcy]

Hi Kids!

Dee Jay, thank you. I think Marty’s wedding band is the coolest piece of jewelry we got that day. It won’t be here for a few more weeks though.

You definitely think like a realtor (weird huh?) good question whether Rod’s furniture would transition well to a new house.

What a feast your friend brought by. It all sounds delicious. Speaking of great beef do you know or recommend that Chicago Steak Company? We ordered from Kansas City Steak and they are pretty tasty but the Chicago Steak Company is rated well online as well.

Very cool you found some more depression glass champagne glasses. You can never have too many cool collectibles (said she with Snoopy and Teddy Bears everywhere).

It’s snowing here right now. Marty heads to DIA in the morning so I hope the road is okay for him. He is going to NYC for a few days.

We had some steaks, veggies, baked potatoes for supper followed by a mini cheesecake with strawberry and blueberry compote (I keep calling it compost to be obnoxious). I asked Marty who was going to cook my supper for the next few days?

Have a great evening and day tomorrow.
Curby

P.S. Speaking of curbing incidents I have a car appointment Friday to see why my Audi vibrates like a 40 year old clunker when I step on the breaks. That won't be cheap.

 

[Rod]

So, the townhouse saga continues. After we lost the one we liked the most we went back today at lunch and looked at the one next to the old bungalow. The bungalow is rented and in not very good shape. But we like the unit, even if it's next to something we don't like. So, we decided to go ahead. Great. Waiting for the builder to get back to us. And then the news came that they accepted an offer on that unit this morning. So, of the four brand new town homes, only one remains. And while we do like the last one and it's location is better, maybe the best of all four, it's also more expensive. We were ready to just give up, when the builder called our agent an offered to accept a contingent contract on that unit and offer us $10,000 back at closing and our realtor offered to give $5000 back, so that made it close enough that we will write the contract tomorrow and they've agreed to hold it until we sign. All four units sold in the span of 3 days.

DeeJay, no some of our current furniture won't transfer to the new house. We'll either offer them to prospective buyers of our condo, or give them to a consignment shop. I'm sure you tell clients you don't buy a house that fits your furniture. You find a house you like and if need be, you buy new furniture. Right?

The new neighborhood is one of those transitional neighborhoods. It's close to really cool spots, but the houses on the street leave a lot to be desired. What is common in Tampa, is once a builder comes in and does what this builder did, other builders come in an buy the older houses and all of the sudden an older street becomes new.

So, that's the news from this side of the planet. Stressful day, that's for sure.

 

[marcy]

Rod, that sounds like a great deal on that townhouse. Wow those other 3 units sold fast. Good luck tomorrow. That's part of the fun moving is getting new furniture (if necessary) and things that fit your new place. Keep us posted for sure.

Marcy

 

[Dee*Jay]

Happy Tuesday kids!

Curby, I don't know of the Chicago Steak Company. Are they a place that you order from and then it comes packaged in dry ice or something like that? As for the S word... NO!

Rod, LOL on the furniture. I was asking because that's part of the adventure to me -- getting new stuff to go in the new space! It is nice though when at least some of it translates because then you don't have to completely start over. And awesome about the deal that was worked out!!!

Last night I worked a little late and then walked home. I'm trying to be better about doing that, even though it's so tempting to just have the CB come by and pick me up. I made mushrooms in spaghetti sauce for dinner. Sounds crazy I know, but I love it!

I think I slept wrong last night, my neck is killing me. Yowch!

 

[marcy]

Hi Kids!

Dee Jay, yes that is a mail order steak company. As for the S word Marty used another S word when he saw it starting to snow. The roads were just wet this morning though. He made it to NYC fine but was caught in rush hour traffic for quite a while.

It is nice to start over decorating a new place but it's nice to take some things with you. Our man cave was originally stuff from Marty's parents. We still have their coffee table and TV stand down there but we replaced their furniture with those Flexsteel power recliners and couch. They are so comfy; it was warmer downstairs I'd be down there all the time.

Sorry to hear about your neck. I hope it's better tonight. It is awful how just tilting your head differently can give you a stiff neck. I wake up all the time with one of my ears burning (it falls asleep maybe?).

Good plan to walk home from work. Marty picked a hotel in NYC that was within walking distance of his symposium and a gym.

Spaghetti with mushrooms sounds good. I had a toasted english muffin tonight with the rest of my left over steak sliced up. My dessert was a dish of slow churned ice cream.

It is really chilly here again today - very humid and moist. I am thinking of cranking on the fireplace.

Have a great evening.
Curby

 

[Rod]

Well, we did it. We signed the contract after work tonight and gave them a pretty hefty deposit. They require more down than I imagined, but we did it. And we listed our condo tonight as well. Now we've got to get this place sold. There was one silver lining. Even though the builders agent said they'd only give us a 30 day contingency, she instead just made the purchase of the new house contingent on us selling our current home, without a kick out clause, and no specific time frame, which was a nice surprise. I know DeeJay will know what a kick out clause is, but what it means is even if someone walked in tomorrow and offered the builder a full price all cash offer, they can't kick us out of the contract.

So, the selling stage starts and we already have an open house scheduled on Sunday.

Here are a couple pics, which is the front elevation, kitchen and master bath:

 

[Dee*Jay]

Happy Wednesday kids!

Curby, it's nice that you guys are using stuff from Marty's parents down in the man cave, especially if you like it. And LOL on the OTHER S word when Marty saw the snow!

Rod, your new place is BEAUTIFUL! The kitchen and bath -- ooh la la! I really like the double doors in the bathroom. And I'm sure your place will go in a snap so you better be ready to pack!

Last night my team went out to celebrate the six year anniversary of our admin. She's amazing and really holds our group together. We had drinks and a couple of appetizers. When I got home the CB had made chicken stir fry but I only had a few bites since I was already kind of full. Plus earlier yesterday we had lunch brought it for a continuing education meeting and I ate half of a sandwich and half of a cookie. Ooops!

 

[marcy]

Hi Kids!

Rod, congratulations. Sounds like you got a fabulous deal and they are taking care of you as far as the contingency offer goes. Sweet. Your new place looks fabulous. Is the big window over the garage your living room? The kitchen looks huge with lots of cupboards and countertop space. I love the island and the bathroom looks huge and very elegant. I am so excited for you.

Dee Jay, the end tables and coffee tables from the in-laws are nice. We replaced their lamps, table, couch and chairs. But hey it worked great for the first year or two we were in the house. Your office celebration sounds very nice. It’s wonderful to be part of a great team.

Uneventful day today. Work was busy; I messed around with crystal reports for a while - it’s like me being an electrical engineer - I have no idea what I’m doing but I hope to figure it out during our slower time this summer.

I had a kids hamburger meal for supper and made some chocolate chip cookies. I only ate one. We have company coming this weekend so thought I’d like something to put out for treats while they are here.

Have a great evening.
Curby

 

[Rod]

Thanks DeeJay and Marcy! I do hope our place sells quickly. Marcy, The window over the garage is the guest bedroom. The living areas in the house are on the ground level. The garage opens into the the pantry and kitchen and the kitchen, dining room and living room are all one big open space, with french doors to the Lanai and fenced in back yard. There's also a powder room on the first floor. The 2nd floor has three bedrooms, including a really nicely sized master, master bath and walk in closet. Then there's a media area/loft like open room, two more bedrooms and another full bath. The house is 2200 sq ft, but that's just a great size for us.

 

[marcy]

Rod, the layout of your new place sounds fabulous. Good deal.

 

[Dee*Jay]

Happy Thursday kids!

Curby, you have no idea how much I admire your will power! I am severely lacking in that department... put a plate of cookies in front of me and I'm not stopping at ONE!

Rod, the layout sounds great! My last townhouse was four floors and I think I went up on the fourth floor about twice a year just to make sure it was still there. I think it did help the recovery from my torn ACL though because all those steps were built in rehab!

Last night I walked home and then the CB and I had left over chicken stir fry for dinner. I really wanted something else later on so I had a whole wheat English muffin with a little butter. Livin' large!

I got to my office around 10 this morning because we were having a fire drill and I wanted to miss it (trust me, I know where the stairwells are!) because going down stairs is painful on my knee and I'm not going to do several flights for no good reason. Of course if the building were on fire I would absolutely be going down those things! It's Thursday and I'm really not supposed to be here at all, but it seems my three days a week job often morphs into four days a week. The good news is reviews are coming up soon and bonuses get paid in September and my boss is well aware that I am here too much!