A friendly competition

Lauren and I are thinking of our new house, as always. Everything is coming along well. We visited last week, and we saw the drywall in place, the cabinets are installed (not the countertops), and the sidewalk is poured. Actually, when we got there, the cement was still wet and we had to do a little dance to avoid stepping on it. The mortgage application has come back from the underwriter (we were officially approved, finally), and it is on its way to the closing department at SunTrust.

It is finally the month when it all happens! Right now, our time frame is the following:

• Friday, September 20: final walkthrough and demonstration
• Monday, September 23: settlement
• Friday, September 27: move in

We hope that everything goes perfectly and that we will not have any delays (our fingers are crossed).

When it comes to furnishing our new house, Lauren is the dreamer, and I have to be the realistic one. We have been to many stores to look at new furniture. In the past, Lauren has kept ads that say things similar to "Full bedroom set for $500" or "Three-seater couches for $300." This is very inexpensive furniture. In our recent forays we found out what kind of furniture that is, and it is usually poorly-constructed and made of a wood composite covered up by a thin layer of fake wood. Of course, these deals are appropriate in many circumstances, but we don't think they would fit in a brand new house. Instead, we like Costco and Ashley for their quality and prices. But, we will exercise good judgement in how much we buy and how soon.

Art

One thing we look forward to doing is adorning our walls with our own artwork. Lauren and I have done some photo magic in Picasa, and I present to you some of work. We would love it if you would leave a comment about which ones you like the best. What would you like to see hanging on your wall?

1. Boston skyline

2. Gull in the harbor

3. Abandoned pier

4. Tunnel of greenery

5. Stone and lichen

6. Sunset at Cadillac Mountain

7. Sunrise above the rocky shore

8. Otter cliff

All of these photos were taken on our last trip to Acadia National Park and Boston.

The bikes

On Wednesday, Lauren and I set off to gather up our bikes and grill. We started at Lauren's old apartment, where my bike was locked up outside on the racks. When we got there, I walked back to where they were stored and my bike was gone. The racks were empty. I was shocked and upset that my bike was apparently stolen. I was also surprised because I had a heavy duty U lock on my bike. How could the thief avoid JHU security and cut off that lock? Well, I was distressed, and we decided to leave without calling the cops (it wasn't immediately urgent). We went to my old house to get Lauren's bike, the bike pumps, the bike racks, and the grill. I sold my space heater to the current resident (he is going to need it for the winter). After that, we drove to our friends' house to drop our stuff off until we can pick it up after we move.

The next day, I got in touch with campus security. They had no idea how someone could get through the U lock. But it is not a JHU rack, so they would not have removed it (thinking it was abandoned). Later that day I contacted the owner of that property, Lauren's old landlord. He told me that since the bikes—mine and another bike—were sitting there all summer (it is true, my bike was there since we were married in May), he had them removed. I was exasperated. What did he mean he had them removed? Where were they? It turns out he unbolted the bike rack so as not to cut the U bolts. He put the other bike behind the house and he took mine home and put it in his basement because he liked it. He said he would return it to me without a problem, but he did chastise me for using his bike rack. Later that day, I got my bike back, and now it is in our crowded apartment.

Whew. That was a major relief. Although, maybe it would have been nice to buy a new road bike... I guess I can wait for now. P.S., my dream bike currently is the Felt Z85.

CAPA field

The Aberdeen Proving Grounds has a nice little place called the Civilian Activity and Picnic Area. Our friends from the singles ward, Monica and April have a lot of family in the Baltimore area. They have a get-together every year at the CAPA field. It is a big picnic with music and sports. Lauren and I dominated in 2v2 sand volleyball. There was also some line dancing. We did the "Wobble." I am not certain what that is, but it was fun. We also saw some members of our last ward. It was good to socialize and eat! However, Lauren and I both had some stomach issues after the fact.