Home Inspection Complete...

The Inspector inspected the house in West Virginia this morning. He says the house is in great shape and he only found a few things that need to be fixed. Something about three GFI's that dont work and three wall outlets have reverse polarity. Not sure what all this means, but the Sellers will have to have an electrician correct the problem before closing. I am still waiting on the full report, but we are pleased to know that the house is in as good a shape as we thought!

Check out Miss Macy Kate! She got a hold of a black magic marker and apparently decided to color her mouth! So funny. She turned two on Saturday and I am certain she is a handful:





I am sitting in the Pittsburgh Airport waiting on my flight. Can't wait to get back to Atlanta to the.....90+ degree weather? OH NO!!!!

Going Home!

Well were are getting ready to catch a flight back to Georgia. Although we have had a fun and productive 8 days, we are both ready to get back into our own bed! Plus we are seriously going through "Lilo and Stitch" withdrawals. Yesterday we had lunch at "Joes Crab Shack" to celebrate our Anniversary....I had crablegs/shrimp and thought about Alex the entire time. She loves crab legs more than anyone I know!




We also took a drive up to the Mountaineer Gaming Resort. It is about 14 miles from our new house and it is a very nice facility. I can only imagine the increase in business when they open the gaming tables on September 1st! Hey Matt, sounds like a Sept/Oct trip during the fall folliage is the time for you to come! Check out this picture of a cooling tower at the nuclear power plant north of us in Pennsylvania! Can you say Erin Brokovich? LOL Scary, huh?



We had dinner last night with Ben and Pam (our new friends in PA). Ben is the Squadron Commander for Don's new reserve base. Very friendly couple, and Pam is a hairdresser! Yippee!! They took us to dinner at Jerome Bettis' Grille 36 just across the parking lot from Heinz Field. Gotta love a retired Steeler that opens a restaurant across the street from the stadium! He put one way glass in the restrooms so you can see into the bar and restaurant while doing your business...weird, huh? Here are some pictures from last night:

Pam & Ben:






My brother sent me some awesome pictures of my nephew, Jesse Ryder! He is so sweet and I cant wait to get my hands on him again. I just hope it is before he graduates kindergarten! LOL





Have a great Monday. Tomorrow morning we meet with TMO (the movers) and should have a better idea as to when they will pack up all of our household goods and get me moved to West Virginia. I will continue to post all the information on this site so you can keep up with us.

Weirton Rennasiance Festival

Today we drove up to the house in Weirton, West Virginia. I am trying hard to learn my way around up here, through all the hills, valleys, mountains, etc. When we got to Weirton, Main Street was blocked off for a Rennasiance Festival. Don and I stopped and got a taste of the local flair....greek food, some of which I loved and some of which I hated. We did meet some of our neighbors and some of the local folks, all of whom were very friendly and seemed genuinely happy that we were moving into town.





We met our neighbor Marge Grieco, who volunteers at the Weirton Area Museum & Cultural Center. Yes, she asked if I would be interested in volunteering some time, of course I said I would. I also met Pam, who is in charge of the local Library. She is looking for volunteers to teach people to read. Yes, I told her I would come and talk to her. You know me....Don once said he is going to buy me the t-shirt that says "Stop me before I volunteer again". LOL

We were excited to learn that the vote today resulted in the passing of the local casino to put in table games. The Mountaineer Gaming Resort is about 14 miles from our house. It is a horse track with slots. But, after the vote today they will be putting in table games...poker, blackjack, etc. I remember when the casinos came in to Biloxi Mississippi and the real estate market exploded in value. Hopefully this will happen in Weirton as well.

Weirton, West Virginia is connected to Stuebenville, Ohio by this bridge over the Ohio River that reminds me of the bridge in Savannah, Georgia.



I was delighted to mapquest the directions from Don's parents house to our new house...514 miles..just about 8 hours! From my parents house it is 800 miles and 13 hours. Still not to far to travel in the right weather! Can't wait to get my house all decorated and get the family up to visit. Would love to take Macy Kate to the children's science center and the Pittsburgh Zoo and Aquarium!

Not sure what the plans are for tomorrow just yet. Don and I celebrate our 8th wedding anniversary tomorrow, and the only plan so far is to have dinner at "Jerome Bettis' Grille 36" which is a new restaurant in downtown Pittsburgh. We are having dinner with the Squadron Commander and his wife. Don nor I have ever met them before. Should be fun.

Okay, finally...lower level of the house pictures! I think after this post, I will have posted a picture of every room in the house....can't wait to post them with all MY STUFF in it!

The door in this picture leads to the driveway and backyard...it is currently never used:



The door in this shot goes into the two car garage:



Real woodburning fireplace:



The downstairs bath is completely tiled..walls and floors:




There is also a large laundry area, storage room and the wine closet on this floor. I dont have those pictures on my computer, so I will post them another day. Hope you have enjoyed reading my blog. It sure is nice to be able to post all this information for my family and friends to keep up with our busy lives!

Pirates Win!!! 3 to 2 in the bottom of the 9th!!

What a great game and a beautiful ballpark. PNC Field sit right on the river across from downtown. This was the view from my seat.



Pic of me and Don outside PNC Park:





PNC Park has the same Ivy as our new house growing around the outside fencing:




We met a great couple from Reading, PA, who came over to visit Pittsburgh for the weekend. I have to tell everybody....I LOVE THIS TOWN! The people are friendly, the land is beautiful and there is so much to do. I love to hear the northern accents....reminds me of old mob movies. LOL My kids called/text messaged while we were in the ballpark. My son was so excited to hear that I was actually happy to be in Pittsburgh. Can't wait until they can come visit and experience this place. I had another Primanti Brothers sandwich at the ballbark (actually I ate about 1/3 of Don's). But, guess what I did get to have? Banana's Foster - made by a real chef right before your eyes! It was so good and Don beamed with pride when he handed it to me hot right from the skillet. It was terrific.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU, HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEAR MACY KATE & MOM, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!! Today is Macy Kate's 2nd birthday and my Mom's....uhh...well, I dont think she will mind, 62nd birthday! Hope you both have a great day and enjoy your birthday gifts. I love and miss you both very much!

Okay, bedroom pictures from upstairs in the house. Love Bedroom number one. It is 14 x 14 and has windows to the west where you can see the same view as from the sunroom and patio of the Ohio River. Still have to talk to my Mom, but I think this would make a great studio for my paints/scrapbooks. The paint and wallpaper is very nice and practically new in all the rooms! Remember, if you click on the picture you can see it bigger on your screen and see details better.




Bedroom two is actually suppose to be the master. Love the cornice board window treatments. This room is 15 x 14 and I think would make a great guest room! The wallpaper boarder reminds me of Dewberry flowers.



The third bedroom upstairs is currently being used as the guest room. It is 13 x 14 and has a huge closet. Again, love the wallpaper and boarder.




I think today's plan is to drive back up to Weirton, West Virginia and try and get familiar with the streets and the local businesses. I also want to take a picture of the bridge from Weirton to Steubenville, Ohio. Hope you all have a great day and check back in tomorrow to see what we got done today!

Crash Course on Pittsburgh History

Yesterday Don took me to the "City". It is amazing up here. There is a big mountain called Mount Washington. To get to the City you have to drive through Mount Washington in these tunnels. You absolutely can not see the city skyline until you exit the tunnels. It is an amazing thing to see! It was overcast and rainy, but here are some of the pictures:



Heinz Field where the "Steelers" (pronounced "Stillers" by the way :o) play football:



Pittsburgh has a lot more than just steel going on up here. Did you know that Heinz Ketchup is made here in Pittsburgh? There are also lots of glass houses where they make beautiful glass.



We spent yesterday afternoon at the John Heinz History Center and the Western Pennsylvania Sports Museum. Here are some fun pictures we took:





I ate my first "Primanti Brothers" sandwich for dinner last night! It is a local favorite...cheese steak, coleslaw, french fries and a tomato slice all loaded on a piece of italian bread! It was fantasic and a fun place to eat:



Okay...check this out! "Wholeys" grocery in downtown Pittsburgh. I have never seen a grocery store like this that I remember. It was a fish market/butcher shop/grocery store/bbq restaurant and had a Sushi bar in the middle of the frozen food section! Hey Ellen - if you are reading this blog this is the commissary for the Pittsburgh Reserve Base! LOL








Today we are busy working with the Closing attorney on the house and tonight is baseball night...I am so excited and can't wait! Pittsburgh Pirates v. Washington Nationals, and after the game is a big fireworks show over the river. Will blog about that tomorrow.

Okay, a few more house pictures:

Had to post a picture of the huge black walnut tree in the backyard...I think the smaller tree underneath looks like a peach tree, but I got to wait until my father, the master gardener, gets here to tell me:



This bookcase is built in just to the right of the front door when you come in. The door on the otherside of the bookcase leads into the guest 1/2 bath:



Here are some pictures of the cool light fixtures in the dining room, living room and sun room:






My sister-in-law Darla has agreed to let me have the light fixture that belonged to her Grandma Richey. It reminds me of the lighting in this house and I would love to hang it in the foyer. Thanks Darla!

Also, please keep Don's father, Jay, in your prayers. He had a thyroid biopsy yesterday and has a pretty good size tumor. They are waiting on the biopsy results, but he is already scheduled for surgery on Monday of next week to remove the tumor and possiblly the thyroid.

Have a good Friday!

Take Me Home, Country Roads, To The Place I Belong..West Virginia!

John Denver sang this song when I was a kid...and I am singing it now!



Don got an accepted offer on the Ivy House yesterday! Since we had all our homework done and Don purchased from a motivated Seller, we should be able to close on the house two weeks from today and the Sellers have agreed to give us possession on Monday, July 23rd! Now we can do a door to door move and will only have to spend one night in a hotel when we get here. Hopefully TMO will pack out and leave with my household goods on the 20th or so and can deliver them to me on the 24th. Looks like things are going to work out perfect with our time line. We knew it was a sign when our lender called yesterday morning to let Don know that the mortgage rate dropped a quarter of a percent over night and reduced our monthly payment by almost $200! I know some of you are probably tired of seeing pictures of the house, but my kids and my parents have trouble opening pictures sent via email, so I promised I would post them on here. My Mom will be glad to know that the rooms in the house are bigger than I orginially remember and so is the closet space.

Here is a picture of the sunroom from the outside:



Inside view..love the stamped concrete floor and the tiffany lamp:



View of Ohio River yesterday from patio:



Dining Room:



Guest bath downstairs just to the right when you come in the front door:



Full bath upstairs:



Wine Closet in lower level, and no, the wine doesn't stay...Don actually asked! The Seller, pursuant to the contract terms, is suppose to leave us a bottle of blush champagne to celebrate our move in day:



Cast Iron mailbox just outside front door:





Today will be spent opening checking accounts, selecting an insurance agent for our homeowners an car insurance, visiting Don's office and touring part of the City of Pittsburgh. The high today is 77 degrees and we might get an afternoon thunderstorm. Would love to do some shopping, but will wait on my Mom to get here for that. Better get moving on my day. Hopefully I will have some pictures of the sites to upload for you tomorrow. I keep forgeting to take a picture of the bridge in Ohio that looks exactly like the big bridge in Savannah. My Dad and I have an aversion to bridges that my Mom and Don just dont fully understand, huh Dad? Love and miss you guys!