Moving In

October 24 to Dec 1


I hope you all had a nice Thanksgiving. We were thankful for some time off from moving. We drove to Orlando for the buffet at Islands Restaurant Royal Pacific Resort which is part of Universal. We have been going for years. There is a waiter there that remembers us every time we go. Last time he wasn’t our waiter, but he stopped by to chat. He waited on us this year and he said you have been coming here for years and I didn’t recognize your names, but I knew your faces immediately. I said to him that he has worked there for a long time as well. He said he opened the restaurant 17 years ago. The food seemed exceptionally good this year. Though I didn’t eat much, I got so stuffed it was painful. We are used to Nutrisystem portions. We did a couple of laps around Universal CityWalk before driving home. It’s about a 2 hour drive from here.


Here’s a recap of “house stuff”.


Our walk-through went pretty well on Nov. 15. Overall, we are both pleased with the final results. Just a few minor things like paint spatters on the tile, which they can clean up easily. Honestly not that many. Greg found one window that had a scratch on it, the supervisor said he’ll have them change it out. The screened patio has a door to some pavers outside the back of it and it opens the wrong way. Probably the right way for a door to open, but we had it open the other way on our plans since now when it’s open it blocks the way to the pavers. The supervisor said he will ask them to change it and it shouldn’t be an issue, unless for some reason it’s a structural thing, but he couldn’t see why it would be.  


We are pleased with floor tiles and the granites we (I) chose for countertops. The island had a very minor rough spot on an edge, and he said they would buff that out. We will walk through one more time before closing just to check the things that were fixed. So, still good to go for the 22nd.  

The supervisor said that we will continue to find things after we move in. He said just report them on the “ap” since the house has a 1 year warranty and right before that time is up they will come out and fix everything all at once. If it’s an emergency thing like water/plumbing issues, then of course they come right out for that.


The construction supervisor showed us how to use everything and toilets were flushed, water run, all light switches were tested, and the washer and dryer were tested. Only took about an hour. Time will tell, but GL Homes seems to have their act together. They are making great progress on the amenities for the neighborhood. (pickleball, tennis courts, bocce courts, pro shop. They also have started the clubhouse where the pool and everything else will be. It’ll be quite a while for it all to be done. Right now, they have 2 temporary houses and one is being used for the gym and the other for social stuff.

He also went over all the people to contact to utilities transferred, but of course Greg had already set all of that up.


I ordered one item since it said it will deliver on the 25th if you order today. So, that seemed safe since we move in on the 22^nd. Then, I get an email about an hour later saying your item has shipped and will deliver on the 18th. It’s a huge bed frame and not easy to move around and we won’t be in the house yet to accept delivery. I called the company and she said we could coordinate a “vacation hold” and they will then deliver after the 22nd. Hope that works out. So, now for some other stuff I’m waiting until next week to order them just in case. Most of the big stuff is being delivered Saturday.


Friends Carol & Dave were just getting back from extended travel and wanted to get together since they were coming into Ft Lauderdale. (they live on the other coast of FL) They drove up here to have lunch with us and talk about the world cruise. They are jumping in with both feet and taking their first World Cruise in 2021 when we are going. It was fun to see them again. So, right after lunch we had to drive to the house and pick up the bedframe. A couple of guys were replacing one of the pavers in the driveway and the older guy wouldn’t let me carry my end of the box and helped Greg to the car with it. The younger guy congratulated us on our “new crib”. (people still say that?)


Friday the 22nd we had our last walk-through to check out the items on the list that were fixed at 10:00. We had the car packed with things we needed for the first trip to the house. We then drove back over by the hotel since that is where the closing was at 11:00. We had the window covering people coming as soon as we could get the keys and get in. (they called at least twice wondering how it was going) The gas people called before we left at 10:00 asking if they could come early. NO, it's not our house yet.
  

The closing lady was running a tiny bit late. She was one of those people that requires your undivided attention, or she quits talking. (I hate tour guides that do that) She started talking and I got my granny glasses out to put them on. She stops talking and says we'll wait until you get your glasses on, we have lots of time. Geez, I'm capable of putting on a pair of glasses and listening at the same time. (we hadn't gotten to the signing part yet) I'm not always good at not saying what is on the tip of my tongue (I didn’t have to tell you that did I?) and I responded with well actually we do have appointments we are trying to get to. Greg also said yes, we do need to meet people at the house as soon as we can.  


OK, then it got cartoonish. She then kicked it into high gear and started talking at light speed and made a big deal of how she could make this as fast as we could handle. Making me sign first and kept telling me to hurry. Good grief! Greg had already read all the documents as they were emailed to us, so we really did just need to sign.  


Then, we find out she doesn't give us the keys etc. and we have to stop at the sales office for those. Once we picked those up, we called the window people and they came right over and got them all installed. The gas guy came just as they were leaving and showed us how to use the gas stove, dryer and the water heater. Phew!


Greg started to get the family room ceiling fan up and we took a break to have dinner at Longhorn Steakhouse. (worst steak we have ever gotten there) Happy Anniversary to us! Not a romantic anniversary this year. LOL We went back and finished the ceiling fan and then back to the hotel by 9:00. We normally love Longhorn, it was the first time we had a bad meal there. The Outlaw Ribeye was tough and dense like a sirloin. The fries were cold. If we hadn’t been so beat from moving, we would have sent the whole thing back.  


Saturday, we got some of the family room furniture and the dining set. The cable guy also came and got us set up.  


About Wednesday or Thursday before our closing on Friday we had some bed drama when the mattress guy stopped responding and wasn't able to give us a tracking number. Worried we wouldn’t get a mattress until who knows when, we panicked and went to a mattress store and after barely sitting on it, bought a queen sized mattress for the guest bedroom. It had to have been the fastest sale the guy ever made. We're like yeah, looks good, let just buy it. (we normally research everything to death) We joked we'll probably like it better than ours. Now, it looks like our mattress will get here on Monday. We'll see. Of course, then we had to run out and buys sheets, pillows etc. since the ones I had bought are for a king size bed in the master. Such fun!


Our plan was to mainly spend our time at the house and have meals there and just pretty much just sleeping at the hotel until we check out on Tuesday. (if at least one of the mattresses shows up)

Monday the 25^th, we got our mattress delivered and right after that the guest room mattress showed up.


We spent our first night here on Tuesday. Greg got the bed frame all set up and the mattress plumped up enough to sleep on by Tuesday.  


We haven’t gotten as much from storage as we had hoped since we have had nearly non-stop deliveries since Friday. We got 20 boxes one day. (19 were from the closet company) Tons of kitchen stuff and on and on…..


We have 2 of the 3 TVs and hopefully we will get the one for the family room tomorrow.


I have the kitchen pretty much put together and Greg had been busy getting our closet drawers/hutches installed.


The den furniture should be here next week. We are still waiting on the dresser for our bedroom. It showed it was on the truck and then we got an email saying something happened and now it won’t be delivered until the end of December. Someone dropped it or what?


I think the accent chairs go well with the couch and the rug really pops the room. One of the marble tables (the coffee table) has a couple of spots that it looks like they used filler on it. I pointed it out to the delivery guy and he took a photo and said they would send out a new table. Otherwise, most everything is OK.


The bedframe I wanted was out of stock when it came time to order it and then my 2^nd choice went out of stock. I finally found one that I didn’t think I’d like, but it goes well with the nightstands. (maybe better than the other choices) Not that you see much of it anyway.


Once the major stuff is done, I can do the fun part of wall art, putting out my travel trinkets etc. That might be a while. We probably will skip putting up a tree this year as well. We haven’t had one since we were in Panama anyway. Next year I should have the energy to do that.


Reflecting on moving into a small home, I guess it’s all in one’s perspective. If we had moved from the house at over twice this size, it would probably seem tiny. However, after spending over a year on cruise ships (not all at once), our condo in Panama was way smaller than this, then the Motor Coach was a small space despite it’s honking size and in between all that; pretty much living in various hotels so this seems quite spacious.


Not having yardwork to do or maintain our own pool will be great for traveling once we get back to that. (that will be a while)


We are maintaining the storage unit until we have the den furniture and our dresser. We have been bringing things over as we have time and room to deal with it. I have a few kitchen items we haven’t come across yet. There are a few boxes that haven’t been opened since we moved from Panama and others had things that are for cruising and others that were things we had with us in the RV. I should be ready to start cooking next week.


We are enjoying watching the turtles from the pond sunning on the grass, the lone Grebe and an Anhinga that dabble in the water. We have occasional herons come and go as well as Sandhill Cranes. No gators yet, but it’s a young pond. The herons are fun to watch skirting the shoreline for food.

Still a few things to order or shop for, but it’s getting there! No photos yet. Maybe next post.

Have a wonderful Holiday Season!

We have a move in date!

October 8 – Oct 24

We finally have a move in date! We have our final walk-through on Nov 15, and we close on Nov 22 (our anniversary). So, that afternoon we can start moving things in. (if all goes well on the walk-through)

Of course, we don’t have anything major in storage to move, just clothes and some small stuff. Most of the clothes in storage will need to be washed since they had a power outage due to the storm and things got a bit musty with no A/C. I can do that and get quite a bit of the kitchen stuff washed and put away while we wait for deliveries. (more is coming from Amazon) 

The tricky part will be having all the major stuff scheduled to deliver and not arrive before we can move in or too long after our move in date. Until we get a bed we will stay in the hotel. Such fun! (NOT)

I’m anxious to see how my color choices for furniture play with each other. In my head they should work, but I haven’t seen the accent chairs in person; only online so who knows if the colors are “true”.

I went very neutral with colors (counters, cabinets, floor) and instead went with more colorful furnishings. (I don't have very "normal" taste anyway.)

Here are some online photos of my choices which are just internet photos:

aqua leather couch with 2 reclining seats

there will be 2 of these accent chairs (I haven't picked out a table to put between them yet (I want to see how things look together first)

chrome & marble topped tables

the area rug that I hope ties it all together instead of fighting it

wall unit

the table has another leaf and I ordered 2 more chairs for a total of 6

 granite in kitchen

tile floors throughout

 Greg got me in the kitchen going through window covering samples

it's still filmy & dusty with construction stuff

 master bath (it's done now, these are older photos)

shower seat & niche

countertop in master

 guest bath - in person I like the grey shower better than the one I chose for the master

granite counter in guest bath

I'm going tropical for the master (side tables aren't my choices just in the stock photo)

night stands

I haven't decided if I want a matching dresser or a bench at the end of the bed - not room for both. 

The "headboard" will be panels that attach to the wall. Something similar to below only in a sand colored suede and probably just the middle 2 panels. The bed frame will be a simple platform bed since we are going with a Luxi 3 in 1 mattress. (It can be adjusted so one side can be soft and the other more firm. (3 different types of firmness to experiment with)

I haven't picked out anything for the guest bedroom yet. The den is also a work in progress. It will be like a "game room/den". 

Probably 2 of these in a grey color with a table in between.

wall unit to store board games & play video games 

After we see how this fits in the space we can always add to the wall unit if there is room for another tall cabinet or a long short one under the window in there.

We drove by the house today and they finally removed the port-a-john from our driveway. We were beginning to think it was our 3rd bathroom. Sunday, we will go peer through the windows to see if the painting has been finished. Now that the "outhouse" is gone, we'll get photos of the house since the landscaping is done. 

I've been ordering kitchen items like crazy. Some have been delivered already, but most we'll have shippied directly to the house now that we have a date to work with. Many things I can pick up as I need them at Bed Bath & Beyond. (which is very close to our house) We have received our new vacuums. (a Roomba that self empties and a Roomba mop and then a hand vac for high dusting etc.) 

So, that Saturday and Sunday will be busy getting ceiling fans and Greg installing them and getting all the TVs set up. Window coverings are scheduled to be installed that Friday after closing. Saturday we have quite a lot of the furniture delivered. The mattress should be Saturday or Monday. 

I'll add the photo of the outside of the house to this post after we stop by on Sunday. Before we order the patio furniture we wanted to measure the screened in patio even though we have the measurement on our plans, just to make sure. Monday, we will go and choose the color of base and the chair fabric & colors.

back patio before the screen is in

photo that the appraisal company took - I'll take more on Sunday and post here

I forgot to get shots of the backyard and pond. Peering in the window it appeared they hadn't done anything since we were there last week. Still no fridge and they haven't painted the inside. They have time and neither of those things take long. The only issue we see to address (without being able to go inside) is that the patio door in the screened in patio opens the wrong way. It doesn't open so it will be easy to roll the grill out there onto the pavers. It's drawn correctly in the our plans, so hopefully they can rectify that. We realized that with it opening the way they installed it would require going off the pavers and into the grass, which is why we specifically asked for it that way. 

Post Road Trip & House Progress - September 18 to October 7

With travel on the back burner while we prepare for having a home base again, I will be posting less. Which means less travel for a while, but it does make it easier to travel with a home base. It worked well for us in Panama, but that was a furnished rental, so building a new house and owning virtually nothing is time consuming and not as much “fun” as one would think.


So, we have been researching, shopping and ordering things. We went to Vertical Village to look at the options and colors so we would be prepared for our appointment at the house the next day with their decorator. We met with him at the house to get the windows measured and discuss our choices. He had samples with him and unless he had a strong opinion to go with something else, we just verified our choices of style and color with him. It’s a family business and they have done quite a few homes in this new neighborhood.


For the sliding glass door and the family & dining room windows I went with LUMINETTE® Privacy Sheers. They caught my eye since they are blinds but look like drapes. They combine a sheer fabric with vertical vanes attached to the back of the sheer that can rotate up to 180°.


For the rest of the house I went with PIROUETTE® Window Shadings which are like a modern twist on Roman Shades. They have softly contoured front-facing fabric vanes attached to a single sheer backing. I went with 4” vanes. (the other choice was 3)


I’m trying to keep things light and bright and went with a crisp China White for all of them. They are ordered and they will make them and hold them until we get the CO to move in and schedule them to come out.


It was also the first time we have been inside (except for my quick peek) to see the progress. So far, I am OK with the choices I made for floor tile, shower tiles and counter tops. We both really like the shiny white cabinets in the kitchen, and I like the granite backsplash that matches the counter. Everything is covered with construction dust, so I’m sure it all will look nicer once it’s all cleaned up.


We have ordered the couch, accent chairs, end and coffee tables, dining set/server and the entertainment wall unit for the family room. They will also hold them until we are ready for delivery.


The master bedroom stuff is all picked out, but that can wait to be ordered since they ship quickly. Same with the den, and it’s not vital for move in. The nightstands were on low inventory, so we ordered those and have them in storage. (not much room in there, but we got them in.) Same with the accent rug, it’s here in the hotel and is sitting on top of the couch here. Not in the way, but it looks odd.


We have the closet design finished and will order that when we know our date for move in.

I’m still deciding on the guest bedroom furniture. Again, not vital for move in and can be delivered anytime.


We went back today, and the house is still unlocked so we could get in. They hadn’t done a whole lot since we were last there. The mirrors were up in the bathrooms and the closet wire shelving was in. Other than that, we didn’t notice much. They are making progress on the clubhouse and it looks like they are close to pouring the foundation.


We have been TV shopping and ceiling fan shopping and I’m researching all the kitchen stuff I will need. I already bought a blentec Designer series blender since I got tired of burning up the cheap ones we used in the RV because they were light weight. So far, I’m loving it for our protein shakes. When I cook, I also make a lot of soups and this should work well for that as well. It has a large capacity which should eliminate the multiple batches.


I went to see an ortho doctor for my left wrist yesterday. About 2 days after getting back from the WC in April it started to hurt and was like an electric shock when I moved it just right. (or would that be just wrong?) Anyway, after doing all the options the GP had, it improved slightly but still painful and limiting my use of it. So, the ortho injected it with cortisone. Hurt like the devil last night which is normal and should improve in a few days. Fingers crossed!


We were early for the appt. so we swung by the house to look in the design center at the bathroom cabinets. The ones in the house didn’t seem as smooth and glossy so I wanted to see the samples again for comparison. They look pretty much as I remembered them. We’ll go back to the house on Sunday and see if the doors are still open to get in and sneak another peak inside. They aren’t done inside yet, so there is lots of cleanup and other things to do, so maybe it’s just that and the lighting.

We drove by the house before heading to the doctor and we got so excited as they were in the middle of planting the palm trees in our yard. Whoo hoo, we have plants!

We went by the house again on Saturday and the door was open since workers had been coming and going. (the garage door is now down) So, we popped in and the cabinets looked better in the bathrooms. (must have just been lighting) There were a few more things done and the plants and trees were all in. Getting very close!

I'm now hoping that all the furniture I have chosen will look good together. The rug I chose is bold, so the chairs not clashing is vital.

May sound strange, but I can't wait to cook again. Haven't really cooked since we left Panama in 2017. I made a few things while RVing, but we were too busy to cook much. I look at all the fresh produce in the grocery store and can't wait to start chopping! Wonder how long that feeling will last? Ha ha!

We are both still working on getting off our "road trip weight". We both gained more doing that than we did on the WC.

I'll try to post some photos of the house progress in my next post.

Brunswick, GA to Port St. Lucie, FL - September 17

Brunswick, GA to Port St. Lucie, FL - September 17 


Today, wasn’t as long a drive and we were checked into the Residence Inn by 3:00. 

our familiar boarder sign!

We stopped in the Daytona area for BBQ and it was REALLY good.

 Colt's Pig Stand

We got “moved in” and the first thing we did was go check out the house. Mainly, we wanted to make sure the windowsills were in since the window covering people would have to be rescheduled it they weren’t. They were and the door was ajar, so I popped in for a quick look but we aren’t supposed to be in it without someone there with us, so it was a fast look. The tile is all in and counter tops, shower walls etc. Our appointment is the 19^th so we will have some time to really check things out and get some photos. 


Tomorrow, we are going to Vertical Village to get a head start on the selections tomorrow and check out more furniture options.

Rocky Mount, NC to Brunswick, GA - September 16

Rocky Mount, NC to Brunswick, GA - September 16 


Ok, the first year we RV’d we went past Pedro’s South of the Border and we didn’t stop. So, this time it was our mission to check out the tourist trap. The signs start over 100 miles away and there are tons of them. Scott, a bit like “The Thing”, you feel obligated to check it out. It isn’t quite as well done as Wall Drug out West, but it is fun to check out. 

South of the Border means just south of the South Carolina border after leaving North Carolina. We knew the food at the main restaurant was 3* at best and that was all we were expecting. Despite sounding like it’s a Mexican restaurant, they serve all kinds of food and not very much Mexican and definitely not particularly good Mexican food. We both had the enchilada platter and it was dry and not all that tasty. 

I think for a family with kids it would be fun since they have a campground, a hotel with indoor and outdoor pools, amusement rides, Reptile Lagoon, arcade, fireworks, 5 restaurants and 7 gift shops. It was fun to stop and take photos and just enjoy the "camp" and the kitsch. All the trappings of a good “tourist trap”.

So, since we had to endure all the signs so do you……and I only took a few of them.

 not a Pedro's sign, but we are back in the South

 water tower along the drive

 

 The Peddler Steak House

 Sombrero Room - where we had lunch

 pretty sinks in the restroom

 Back on the road, we got the border sign and then just in case you drove by Pedro's accidently, one last sign.

Tomorrow we will be back in Port St. Lucie.