Houses.

Philip and I are casually looking at houses. And by that, I mean we want to purchase our half-way house (remember, half-way between our first and our last) sometime in the next 3 to 36 months. So naturally, I am obsessed with looking for just the right house.

Both of these seem quite nice.

In talking to some friends of ours that are also thinking of buying, I've realized that I AM CRAZY, and have kind of ridiculous things that I think are important. Which I'll share with you.

- First up, I want to be in Mesa, and when I say Mesa, I mean nothing further East than Val Vista, or Greenfield at the most. Why? Good question, it leads to my next requirement.

-I want a real back yard, with mature citrus trees, a big grassy area, and enough room for a pool. You know, like the perfect backyard for parties and BBQ's.

-Yes, I want a pool. What else can you do with kids during the summer in AZ?

-I would LOVE some brick of sorts on the front of the house. And please no stucco. Or slump block. Please.

- I want my own mailbox. I HATE going to a community mailbox to get my mail, I want my own in my front yard.

- I would like a path leading up to the door for two reasons. #1, so trick-or-treaters don't walk on my pretty grass, and #2, so I can plant flowers up the path.

-This house doesn't need to be enormous, but I would for sure like 4 bedrooms and 2 1/2 bathrooms (at least). I like the idea of a half bath in the front of the house that stays clean because it isn't a get ready bathroom.

- Floor plan, floor plan, floor plan. I'm a stickler about floor plans. I hate it when a house doesn't seem to flow well, or seems cramped or feel like things are awkward. I'm kinda not a huge fan of "open" floor plans either, because then you can't easily hide messes, and I like walls to define rooms so that I can paint them all different colors without trying to figure out where one room ends and the other starts.

- I want a garage. So badly. Our tools want to come out of the closet. (That sounds like the premise of a show that would be on MTV.)

-Ooooh, and I can't wait for a laundry room. A large one would be lovely.

-I'm a little bit leery of buying a house that has been remodeled recently, because then if I don't like the cabinets or tile or something I would feel bad ripping out perfectly good things.

- Okay, here's where the super duper crazy comes out. I would love a cute street name. I have been looking at different ones that I have strong feelings about, such as

Halifax; ugh, Haaaaaalifaaaaax. Not ideal.

Encanto: I-canto imagine ever liking that name.

Enid: barf.

York Circle: yes please.

Mallory: let me call you sweetheart!

Elmwood: makes me think of worms.

Jacaranda: mixed feelings, I love the trees, but would feel like I needed to say it all Spanish-y like "Hockarohnda" with a very heavy "hhhhhh" or something.

June Circle: can you say cute?

Just a few examples.

- If that wasn't crazy enough, I'm kinda picky about the house numbers too. I would like the house number to not end in an odd number except 5 or 9, and if there is a 3 involved, I would like it to be either the first or third digit. Unless there are only three digits, then the 3 can be first or second. I LOVE when house numbers end in a 5 or 0. That would be a dream come true.

Sounds simple enough right? I'd like to think that I'm not too picky, but just that I know what I want. And obviously some of these things are just lovely thoughts while others are not negotiable. I would definitely give up on the cute house number or street name, and even a pool isn't a must, but I refuse to give up on my big backyard, 4 bedrooms and logical floor plan. We'll see how it all shakes out.

In the mean time, who wants to rent our condo for the next 30 or so years?

Pie in the Sky Photography!

So remember how I use one of these pictures in like every post possible? Um, its because I love them and love the fact that my very talented cousin, Amanda, took them for us!

And lucky for all of us, Amanda and Lee (her fun husband) have started a new photography business called Pie in the Sky Photography! Go check out their blog and be overwhelmed with the amount of talent and cuteness that is their life! You'll even see some of my cute nephews and darling friends featured on there!

And since I'm feeling generous, I'll even tell you that you can be entered in to their giveaway if you link to them too! Seriously, you will not regret it!

My 27 year old baby.

This cute boy is turning 27 today. Twenty-seven! Today!

So as a birthday tribute, I thought I'd answer some questions about this cute boy and my life with him.

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1. Where did you meet?

We were set up on a blind date by his sister Nancie, details of which are recorded here.

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2. How long did you date before you got married?

Like 11ish months.

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3. How long have you been married?

Four years, nine months, and ten days.

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4. What does he do that surprises you?

Occasionally laughs at me when I think I'm funny.

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5. What is your favorite feature of his?

This is tricky...but I'm going to say his smile, because when he smiles it produces the most adorable dimples and the smiley-est eyes.

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6. What is your favorite quality of his?

His love for his family and friends.

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7. Does he have a nickname for you?

It is usually just Babe, but for the past three years or so he has tried to make the nickname "Poop" stick. So every couple weeks or so he'll call me from the other room by saying, "Hey poop!" To which I yell, "NOT A NICKNAME!"

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8. What is his favorite color?

Black, followed closely by red.

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9. What is his favorite food?

Pizza. Hands down. Nothing compares.

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10. What is his favorite sport?

Um, I have no clue. He follows and watches football and basketball, reads up on baseball and all the others, and most often plays basketball, but played volleyball and soccer in high school and still likes to on occasion.

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11. What is his favorite music?

He likes everything. That is one thing I LOVE about him is his very diverse taste. In his cd case at any given time you may find, The Format, Scary Kids, the Wicked soundtrack, Ben Folds, NSYNC, 311, The Shins or Panic at the Disco. And he won't make me change Taylor Swift right away if it was already in the car when he gets in. He loves music.

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12. What is his favorite thing to do?

When not working, he likes to hang out with his pretty wife, watch movies and favorite tv series, play XBOX and take naps.

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13. What is your favorite thing to do as a couple?

Watch movies or tv shows, get Blizzards, or go on vacation if possible.

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14. When and where was your first kiss?

September 18, 2004 at his parent's house after watching the movie Changeling. And then the next week when he was about to meet my whole family, as he was walking up to the door, Sara announced, "By the way, Melissa kissed him last week."

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15. Who said "I love you" first?

Him.

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16. Any kids?

Nope, but we have boy names picked out for when we do.

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17. Does he have a hidden talent?

He has serious rhythm. And he folds the laundry perfectly.

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18. What do you admire most about him?

His ability to get things done. He finds the quickest and most effective way to do things and is done before anyone else. I think that goes along with being super smart and super organized. Both of which he is.

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19. How old is he?

27!

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20. Do you think he'll read this?

Yep, it might take him a few days to check if there is anything new, but he usually does read the blog.

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Happy birthday to my love! Thanks for celebrating with me!