Joan & Christian

This is obviously very late. I had started working on it not long after we got back from the honeymoon in July, but a hard drive crash (where I lost days of work) got me so discouraged that it went into the procrastination pile. Then the move, and then Christmas. Started up again last month, and after another discouraging crash (“Jesus saves”), I sucked it up and hit Command-S every other minute. So, finally, here’s Part I. Enjoy!

A few things we’ve gleaned from recent experiences:

• Don’t expect the plumber to be on time.
• If you notice a crack in the porcelain, immediately call for repair. It will get bigger and the toilet will leak.
• The presence of a relatively new furnace does not mean it’s a good furnace.
• Buliding a fire is not as easy as we thought, and a chimney flue can “reverse” itself. Here’s some help for novices like us: Hearth.com
• Birds can get caught inside a wood stove. Unfortunately, they will also die there.
• Don’t assume any toilet bowl will be compatible with your existing tank.
• The plumber will be very late.

Jesus and Satan have a discussion about who is the better programmer. This goes on for a few hours until they come to an agreement to hold a contest, with God as the judge. 

They sit themselves at their computers and begin. They type furiously, lines of code streaming up the screen, for several hours straight. Seconds before the end of the competition, a bolt of lightning strikes, taking out the electricity. Moments later, the power is restored, and God announces that the contest is over. 

He asks Satan to show what he has come up with. Satan is visibly upset, and cries, “I have nothing. I lost it all when the power went out.” 

“Very well, then,” says God, “let us see if Jesus fared any better.” 

Jesus enters a command, and the screen comes to life in vivid display, the voices of an angelic choir pour forth from the speakers. Satan is astonished. 

He stutters, “B-b-but how? I lost everything, yet Jesus’ program is intact. How did he do it?” 

God smiled all-knowingly, “Jesus saves.”

An old joke you’ve all heard before, we know. But it has special application here. Not long after we returned from Europe, Christian started working on cleaning up the days’ worth of video so we could share some clips. He’d focus for hours, still flying high from the video clips he’d created of the wedding planning and cleaning his apartment, as well as the honeymoon experiences themselves. And then … he lost everything in a computer snafu.

Yesterday, the work began again. He was happily rolling along most of the night. Then just before I went to bed, a horrid, animal-dying-in-the-woods howling came wafting out of the office. He came out briefly; one look at his face and I could only come up with two words: “Jesus saves.” He didn’t think it was funny.

Work is being saved at various progress stages now. Third time’s the charm, right? And we’re starting to plan which stories and images we’ll post. I, being the slightly OCD half, will of course proceed in chronological order. Christian may pipe in here and there with something random. But after months of promising, we will finally begin sharing some of our European travels. I’ve also finally created categories for this blog in anticipation of future joint/married life posts. And don’t forget about our individual blogs - they’re not going anywhere. (Christian - c is for… / Joan - Notebook of Memory) Stay tuned!

You just might get it. We found a little gift upon waking up one morning. We’re pretty sure it was Tybalt.

Discovered recently on our kitchen counters: mouse droppings. Ewwww. Also recently observed in the basement: a fast-moving, small furry thing. EEK! Our cats, you wonder? So. Not. Mousers. Too well fed, though I thought Tybalt might have taken an interest just for the sake of amusement. We turned up our noses at the thought of handling used traps, not to mention that we don’t necessarily feel they have to die. We don’t want to do anything that might endanger the furry “kids” who have a right to live here, either. After hours of research on how to evict the little intruders, we’re giving some ultrasonic “mouse repellers” a try, though we’ve encountered mixed reviews. We have some pet-safe glue traps (and gloves), too, as backup. Here’s hoping we don’t have to use them!

The weather for the next week is supposed to be barely above freezing for highs, with a mix of rain, freezing rain, and possibly snow. We are VERY relieved that the tree trimmers were able to get to us a couple days ago, when they had been predicting a back-log of several weeks. The previous owners, as we’ve been told by the neighbors, were “hoosiers” who didn’t take care of the place (something we’d picked up on ourselves). Even from the seller’s listing pictures—though there’s a lovely amount of green—you can tell that the plant life is badly overgrown. One neighbor indicated he’d advised them to trim the trees several times over the years, as they were seriously endangering the roof. We were rather concerned we might wind up with damage after making the seller pay to fix the roof right before we took possession.

We’ve also completed a lot of yard work since moving in, which is what brought the neighbors over when they saw Christian and his mom in the yard: they wanted to thank us for cleaning up the outward appearance. Unfortunately, we had to sacrifice a lot of the green, and then autumn eliminated most of what remained. But it will grow back, and the place already looks a lot tidier. At least, we no longer feel like George and Jane of the Jungle when we approach or exit the front door.

Before (July 2007)	After (December 2007)

It’s here!

Needs to settle for a few weeks before it can be tuned. It’s not too bad right now, but it’ll probably slip a little further as it adjusts to the new climate and being played regularly. There’s a “clickiness” to the action that I’d like adjusted, and the F hammer two octaves above middle C isn’t striking the strings at all. Still, it’s refreshing to finally have a real piano in the house again.

Early this afternoon, two men entered my family’s home in Florida and in less than 20 minutes made off with my baby grand piano, given to me by my uncle on my 16th birthday. Fortunately, we had hired these men to do that very thing, followed by a careful journey to St. Louis to deliver the instrument to two very excited new homeowners.

Frankly, we can’t wait to have the piano here. It’s already been 5 weeks since we requested the move, and it may take another month or so for it to arrive. And then of course we have to wait around another month for it to “settle in” to its new home before we can have it tuned and actually play it. But Christian can be so much more creative with an easily accessible acoustic piano, and I hope to rediscover my own latent talent and skill. It’s just so hard to keep “in shape” when you don’t have a convenient, quality instrument.

And of course, there is the desire to have our home filled with glorious music. Could anyone expect anything different?

We’re buying a house! Our (counter-counter-) offer was accepted yesterday. We are excited beyond belief and can’t wait for Closing Day. We’d move in today if they’d let us!

Edited: Pictures below!