What makes it Home?

In just a few short weeks, Roger and I will be jumping in the car and trekking out west to start our year-long adventure of living in Boulder, CO. I've been pondering for the last few months what, exactly, I would be bringing with us. I've made lists and sub-lists of what will be stored, sold, donated, tossed, and finally, brought along. It was easy at first--dishes, naturally, and pots & pans, and clothing, and bedding. And skis. And work folders. Oh, and craft supplies. And what about baking stuff? And on, and on.

I started wondering about my $15 coffee maker. Does it make sense to schlep that across the country? Well, not really. But I don't like the idea of repurchasing everything once I get there, both for financial reasons and environmental. What would happen to it at the end of my year? But I also want to have the things I need and enjoy, and not feel like I'm camping the whole time!

Then, my sister Meg took a lot of that pressure off. She has graciously offered to start checking her thrift store in Breck for the things like a coffee maker, toaster, blender, cookie sheets and muffin tins. She already has enough dishes, glasses, and cooking utensils to outfit me. Both of our linen closets are stocked with LLBean sheets, so in a sense, her sheets basically ARE my sheets! AND she even emailed her close friends a list of what I'll need, to see what furniture they might be able to loan me for the year! Within two days, I had offers for a desk, stuffed chair, coffee table, dresser, TV stand, and TWO kitchen tables!

Now instead of worrying about the bare necessities, I get to bring the things that will make our condo feel like home. I've already started a list (of course!) of what that might include:
-set of 5 mixing bowls
-flour & sugar canisters I painted
-good knives
-dish towels (all in Ithaca colors, naturally!)
-a couple of my favorite mugs and pint glasses
-sewing machine & craft supplies
-stationery

What are the things in your home that make it yours? I know it will all come down to what can fit in our lovely little Subaru, but I am optimistic that I'll bring the right things, and fill in the gaps with loaned/thrifted stuff. What else would you add to this list?

And what kind of marketing professional would I be if I didn't take this opportunity to plug tomorrow's moving sale! 
http://burlington.craigslist.org/gms/3122655494.html 
This is a combination of my stuff and another friend who's moving. Spread the word!

Resolve

I'm happy to report that 2010 was pretty damn great, so I don't have a huge overhaul plan--just more movement in the same direction.

Resolution #1: Finish all the books I've started reading.  I love reading, but evidently I'm not overly concerned with actually finishing books.  There are bookmarks tucked somewhere in the middle of about a third of the books on my shelf.  Time to get on that!  The added benefit of this?  Quiet time after working hours, not spent watching TV.  Particularly in the winter when it's dark by the time I leave my desk, it's all too easy to flip on reruns of NCIS while fixing dinner, and stay parked with Roger and my laptop until Conan comes on and I realize how late it is.  I don't like doing it, so I'm hoping to replace the habit with reading.  So far, so good--I've already finished Kevin Runolfson's The Things You Find on the Appalachian Trail and Raymond Chandler's The High Window.

Resolution #2: Continue to build Gray Dog Media.  I read an article on budgeting that recommends a 50/30/20 designation of your income: 50% needs, 30% wants, 20% savings.  Saying I'm not at that point is a gross understatement.  It's more like 90/7/3.  I'm hoping to save enough to buy a new car this year, so that savings portion needs a serious boost!

In a move that will hopefully support the 50/30/20 madness, I'm officially making my second bedroom into my home office!  After several years of playing landlord, I've decided to take the leap.  My current tenant moves out this week, and I'll be excitedly setting up my office this weekend!

Resolution #3: Achieve a higher level of physical fitness.  In 2009, I underwent and recovered from ACL surgery.  Partly due to the fact that I was unable to ski for the '09-'10 season, last winter I gained weight.  In 2010, I lost the weight and then some.  This winter I'm returning to Bolton to coach the Mini Racers program on Saturday mornings.  I'm back at Long Trail Physical Therapy twice a week to work on some scar tissue issues, and get my left leg strength back to 100%.  Going for a well-rounded winter, we're planning a hut trip to Bolton's Bryant Cabin in February, and I'm thinking of getting myself a pair of snowshoes so Roger and I can get out and enjoy the snow on my non-skiing days.

Overall, I resolve that 2011 will be my best year ever.

Colorado Surprise!

Now a month after the fact, I'm finally going to tell you about my trip to Colorado!

Back in November, my sister Meghan's friend in Colorado set up a surprise 30th birthday party for Meg to take place in April - including surprise guests! Meg's best friend Jen, our mom, and I went out to Breckenridge, CO for an overnight hut trip with Meg and her friends. It was totally awesome! The "hut" we stayed in, the Continental Divide Cabin, is a beautiful log cabin that sleeps eight with one large main room, two smaller separate bedrooms, a wide sunny front deck, and a covered porch to walk to the outhouse. I'm just glad we were able to keep it a secret - I'm notoriously bad at keeping exciting secrets!

We drove 2hrs to Leadville, then snowshoed and skied out about 0.8mi to the hut, and even those of us accustomed to sea level did pretty damn well! The temperature inside the hut was about 40deg when we arrived, but after a few hours with the wood stove, it was over 70. Those ladies don't mess around - the party theme was "ugly bathing suits" (summer version of ugly sweater) and everyone was dressed to impress.

Rowdy games of Taboo, dinner from the grill, ice cream from snow, and plenty of wine made for a totally awesome evening. The next morning was pancakes and a snowshoe expedition on the trails around the hut. It snowed the whole first day and night, so there was plenty of fresh snow to play in.

I had SO much fun, I decided that I need to do it again. But my 30th is still several years away. Then I realized this year is my golden birthday - I'm turning 27 on the 27th of November! Thanksgiving in a hut? Yes please!! The dates we want are open for reservation on June 1st, so I've been doing my best to recruit my party guests. Yeah, a destination birthday party is a lot to ask for, but it's going to be a totally awesome time. Right now we are considering the Section House, which is a much farther ski, but the trailhead is right in Breckenridge, and we'll stay two nights instead of one. And c'mon - Thanksgiving in a hut!!

Regarding Resolutions

Resolution #4: Put money in savings each month

I've recently discovered Mint.com, a personal finance management website. After setting up a free account, I put in my online log-in and password for my bank and my credit card. The site can then access my transactions (a little scary, but this IS a reputable site).

Their software categorizes each expenditure - grocery, gas, bills/utilities, entertainment, food/dining, and so on. It displays it in a pie chart to show where all your money goes each month. From there, you can set monthly budgets for each category, and Mint keeps a running tally of each. You can compare your spending to cities, states, or the national average.

Personally, I've always kept a close eye on my totals, but I no longer break it into budgeted categories. I think it's going to be really helpful to have a running total of how much I've spent in the different areas.

Discoveries: for the month of January, I've spent a lot on car repair, booze, and Roger.

Resolutions 2009: A work in progress

Resolution #1: Arrive at work on time
This is simple enough - or should be, considering I only live two blocks away.

Resolution #2: Purchase and consume food responsibly
My inner bargain hunter LOVES buying larger-size packages at the grocery - just look at that unit price!! However, as much as I love a deal, I HATE waste. There's no savings in buying food to throw away.

Resolution #3: Lose weight
A classic, needs no explanation

Resolution #4: Put money in savings each month
Thanks to my mortgage, my savings have taken a serious hit. Now that I have a signed lease with a tenant and no more car payments, it's time to start rebuilding. AND, since January is a 3-paycheck month, this one gets a boost to start the year!

Resolution #5: Keep my house clean and clutter-free
Over the holiday weekend, I cashed in my gift certificates to The Organizer and The Handyman (Mom and Dad), and my place looks AMAZING!! Now I just need to keep it that way...

Resolution #6: Update my blog regularly
I love writing my blog. Lately I guess I've been busy with other things, and I'd really like to get into a regular groove of updating.

That's all for now! There may be more to come, plus the highlights of 2008, and what I'm most looking forward to in 2009.

Just call me Angel of the morning...

In the winter, I'm a ski instructor on the weekends. I have to be at the mountain earlier than my regular job, and I get there on time.

But I just can't seem to get myself to work on time during the week. I calmly take my time picking my clothes, matching just the right necklace, bracelet, shoes. But then as soon as I step out the door and into my car, I start stressing - why did I hit the snooze those last 5 times? Who cares what bracelet I'm wearing?! Why is the car in front of me going so slowwww? Not a good way to start the day.

So why can I get to the mountain early, but still sneak into the office late? Because I WANT to go to the mountain. I DON'T want to go to the office every day. Somewhere in my brain, I know that. It's easy to say "Oh I'm not a morning person," but sooner or later, something's gotta give.

Lou's Bicycle

When the Burlington snow melted and the bike lanes were once again clear and visible, I decided it was time to try biking to work. I had even stronger motivation when my beloved little car had to go in for some work overnight. It took a little prodding (Ithaca beer), but Dougy reattached the front tire he had for some reason removed while my bike was housed in the guys' garage over the winter, and I was on my way! The rest is history...

There are lots of sites touting the many benefits of biking. Why do I do it? The most immediate benefit I get is improved mood. Biking to work is such a better start to the day than driving. It definitely takes a little more work (packing business clothes to change into, leaving early enough to be changed in time for morning production meetings), but that is more than outweighed by the boost it provides. There's also the smug satisfaction of it all...but I digress!

Second, there's that whole "environmentalist" thing. As you know, I love counting things, so I've kept track of how many miles of driving I've avoided. To date, I have biked 126.5 miles I would have otherwise had to drive. Each mile biked keeps about 3.75lbs of pollutants out of the atmosphere. That means I've avoided 474.38 POUNDS of air pollution.

Third there's the money factor. Gas prices are ridiculous. The less I have to fill up, the better. Originally my goal was to bike at least one day a week, but it's turning into a lot more - I biked every day last week! My new goal is to save an entire tank of gas (about 325mi) over the course of the summer.

Finally, there are the personal health benefits. Ski season kept me in pretty good shape all winter, but playing with puppies every other week is no suitable replacement workout plan. I've improved my commute time from 30min to 15, my slow stretches are less slow, hills offer less resistance, and I weave through traffic like a well-balanced pro (haha, that last one is a lie - but I'm better than I used to be).

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
My parents' house is 80 miles away in NH. Supposing I travel at an average 10mph, that's an 8-hour ride. Add water/food/bathroom breaks, that's 9-10 hours. Then I'd have to repeat the trip back the following day. Think I can do it??

GOAL: Bike from my house in Burlington to my parents' house in NH

email to my Mom

Hi Mom,
So crapola, I forgot to bring my bike rack back with me, and this is the only week to bring things in for the bike swap. I'm still going to check out the swap/sale to see if I can buy a roof rack for a reasonable price.

I think I like my plan of staying until September then heading west. That will give me the opportunity to build up my savings again (with the car maintenance expenses my bundle took a hit), enjoy the summer in Burlington, and have a more solid timeline to work towards. As we know, I'm an expert at finding ways to entertain myself, so even though I won't have the guys to fall back on, I hope I can make it a good summer. For example, I am totally IN LOVE with biking to work. My time is improving already! This plan also gives me plenty of time to get an apartment, job, etc set up in CO.

Just out of curiosity, I requested furniture moving/relocation quotes from a website. The one quote I got in so far was like $1,500...so, that's a bunch. Not that I have any point of reference yet - that might be fantastic. That's for door-to-door service from the Bur to Denver. The deal with this site is it'll send me up to 6 quotes from different companies so I can compare. Of course the best would be to fit everything intoy own car, but that clearly rules out my bed and chair...and I would probably have to leave much of my fabric. Of course it's just an IKEA bed and I could probably get the same one out there if I really missed it. I'll ask Meg, but just looking at the mileage it would be over $200 in gas for the trip, not counting food and lodging. So that brings the cost of just the move itself to $2,000. That's pretty much the extent of my savings at the moment.

On a brighter note, I did a little apartment hunting last night on craigslist Denver. Rents are a LOT lower in Denver. I know VT - Burlington in particular - is disproportionately high, but they had condo-like places twice the size of what I'm in now in the mid $500 range! Cool! I found several more house-like apartments on Capital Hill in Denver, the area I loved so much.

I guess my current issue is that I really love Burlington, like a whole lot. Last night I went out with Rachel to the Radio Bean, a bar/club a block from my apt for "Honkey-Tonk Tuesday." She goes every week, and introduced me to all her friends. There was a girl there I had met at Courtney's party, and a member of Mike's band I had met Friday at the Hot Buttered Rum show. Not that I think I'm destined to be life-long friends with any of these people, but I'm starting to find a network, make the connections among my friends, and friends of friends.

Why do I call this an issue, why do I see this as a problem? Because I want to give the Bur a fair shake. I want to fully enjoy my time here, and get all I can out of it. I guess I almost feel guilty for leaving too soon. That's how I feel about Boston - I can hardly say I lived there, because I was only there for...three months? And most of that time was spent in our apartment job-searching and researching compost. If I had known I would be there for such a limited time, I know I would have gotten out more, y'know?

So that's just some stuff that's on my mind these days. UVM has finals this week and next, then Johan's gone. Cliff is around for another week I think, then he's gone too. I guess that'll be the real test of...something.

Okay...back to work. I hope your day is going well.
Love
Lou