By Ruth | 1:36 PM
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House #3...or should I say #1 in Iowa


Big move happened in 2nd grade...Ohio to Iowa. This is our first house (other than the one we rented for a few months that I remember being on 25th ave and peach).

I give you 3475 24th Ave, Marion Iowa
(yes this is the first one I actually remembered the address too...not bad)

Explaining numbers above :)
1. This is the second house we moved from after my dad completed some form of a deck...at this point we consider it a curse. He built the 3 season porch, complete with skylights, all by himself.
2. Those trees were much smaller :P
3. Dad built a playset for there...but as you can see it is now gone and replaced with my stick figure rendition. 

Memories from this house 
1. Those fences around our yard were a real nuisance for throwing frisbees. I don't know how many times we got to go around the block to get them out of someones yard.
(Speaking of fences, one of our neighbors put a gate between our two fences...and then a few years later put a lock on it and a planted a bush infront of the gate entrance. I think that the deadbolt was a big enough hint to stay out of their yard...but hey the bush sealed the deal i suppose.)

2. This is the house of all the infamous Robbie stories. They include such favorites as:
  • Robbie mashing a bunch of bananas with dulpo legos and calling it "cooking".
  • Robbie using a steak knife to get donuts out of a box.
  • Robbie programming the cd player to play his childhood favorite songs.
  • Robbie coloring on piano music.
  • Robbie coloring on a wall.

all of the above done when he was a little munchkin with curly blonde hair that was fun to put headbands in. (I feel Robbie stories are soooo appropriate seeing as he turns 16 today). :P

3. Another awesome playset by my dad. This would be the first wooden one he creates. The best playset for using Robbie's neon orange matchbox car track and ramping cars.


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By Ruth | 9:30 AM
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The first home...I think


This is our first house. I never realized that this house was so close to the Walnut Street home...to me they seemed a million miles apart. In reality, oh a good 15 minutes at the most.


The memories that I have/have been told that I did...after all, I was very little.
1. As soon as my mom had painted the kitchen I created a huge mural all over it with my colors. Apparently I've always had an affinity towards creating artwork on walls :)

2. When my sister was using baby bottles they would all mysteriously go missing. My mom realized the reason why is because I would toss them over the fence to the neighbors dogs to chew on.

3. The neighbors in the blue house next door gave us all their antique Barbies to play with. We still have a few around the storage area...although these skippers/ken dolls are far from collectors items :)

This house on Catawba Ave, has by far the most interesting background story of any of the homes we have lived in. Things I have only now learned :)

  • The previous owner used to climb on the roof in his underwear and use a golf club to chase the squirrels according to our neighbor across the street.
  • The swat team busted in the house while the previous owner lived there...and seeing that there were fluorescent lights in all the closets down the halls upstairs...I can only guess why.

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By Ruth | 8:31 AM
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Childhood Homes: First stop Walnut Street

Well, to start I don't remember the address/street for the first house I lived in until I was about 5...I think it was on Grover something or another, but I forget. Will add that one later after some help from the mom.

So, we'll start with photos of places I remember more clearly. First up Walnut Street in Westerville, Ohio. I lived here from right before kindergarten until the middle of second grade.
1. Somewhere in that general vicinity is where my sister got stuck in the mud fetching our frisbee out of the neighbors garden. Before we were let back in the house we were promptly hosed off. :)

2. Where my sister and my super awesome sandbox was. My dad built us basically a little sand house. Complete with screened in windows (to keep the bugs off), a roof, a door that latched and bench incase we didn't feel like sitting directly in the sand. I loved that sandbox, and it is still one of my fondest memories creating little sand cakes in the neon green frisbee and setting them outside to "bake".

2...continued. This house would also be the driveway where my mom delicately painted a shelf with little metal poles and cubbies that spun around 360 degrees. When my mom went inside to wash up the paint brushes/etc she heard the hose go on...but, it was too late. I had hosed off the entire shelf she painted. As she says, "that is why that shelf never did look good".

3. Across the street is surprisingly still fields, my dad used to drive us around in the trailer of his riding lawn mower. I remember that being a lot of fun :)

Unique things from this house:
  • The guy before us had a ton of smut, everything from nude chicks on stationary to sleazy magazines. They were all promptly thrown away. Now seeing as heafty super strength bags were not around, well, when the garbage men tried to throw that particular bag away it tore open. Lets just say apparently they stayed a bit and checked out the magazines.
  • We had pet ducks. They'd come over from the dam and we'd feed them.
  • Eagles Pizza (right down the road from us) had the biggest cookies known to mankind. Well, given I'm sure if I went back there they'd be the size of any normal cookie, but they seemed the size of my head as a kid :)


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By Ruth | 2:13 PM
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*updated* True Blood is back! and AT&T still sucks.

***Update***
Nick picked up the internet box from UPS and now, we're set. Hooray! Here is Tru:Blood, muddypebbles style. Not the same style box as in the show...but that will be fixed before the finale :P
***

True Blood is back, and since I am in love with the show/books, Nick and I had a watch party. Aside from putting up blood red streamers, our menu included Red Velvet Cake, Lafayette's Famous Burgers (which are amazing!!!! see recipe below), red salsa/chips, and of course bottles of Tru:Blood. (What can I say...you can't be a graphic designer, have a party and not be tempted to strip the labels from bottles and make your own case of blood.) And for those who were not brave enough for bottled blood (red wine) we had a variety of red sodas to choose from. We even got our shirts that go with the show...Nick in his red Fangtasia tshirt and I in my "I ❤ Bill Compton" top.
Pictures of the above will be on later as I STILL DO NOT HAVE INTERNET! ooh this is driving me so crazy. I'd be going less nuts if I didn't find out the reason the internet box never got delivered was because they forgot our apartment number on the address. So, now I get to go pick up the box myself from UPS, whom tried to deliver it last week.

Cheers!
Ruth

P.S. Quick side note here, if ever you get to call UPS or AT&T I find the quickest way to get through all the computer animated bull shit is to say or yell...depending on my mood...gibberish words and sounds. To which the computer will reply that they do not understand you, and to repeat yourself. To which again you say gibberish words/sounds/etc and they then connect you immediately to a human.

P.S.S. or is it P.P.S.? either way, here is the recipe complements of Loving True Blood in Dallas's Blog for Lafayette's Famous Burgers :)

Lafayette's Special Sauce

1/4 c vinegar
1/2 c water
1/2 t salt
a dash of cayenne
1 medium onion, chopped
2 T Worcestershire sauce
2 T brown sugar
1 T prepared mustard
1/2 t pepper
1/2 c ketchup
2 T margarine
l lemon, sliced extra thin (optional)

Saute the onion (and lemon, if you choose to use it) in the margarine. Then add all the other ingredients. Simmer about 20 minutes. Then place the broiled hamburgers (or leftover roast slices) in the skillet and steep them in the sauce over very low heat for a few minutes. Serve with extra sauce spooned on top when you're ready.

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By Ruth | 10:48 AM
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who's a good vampire guesser? me!


in the midst of all the drama caused by moving I forgot to mention, I totally won a shinny new red iPod nano from HBO's vampire blog "Bloodcopy". Not going to lie, I am totally excited. It just came in a few days ago...I find it the perfect bribery to finish putting things away ;)  Nick teases me that, it takes a vampire to know one...it isn't my fault I am constantly pale and my office has no windows to the outdoors. :P

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By Ruth | 9:54 AM
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at&t....you give me angry eyes...

Yesterday, Nick and I stood in line to set up our internet for the apartment. I should have taken the first clue that the internet site was down for ordering and turned and ran...but, I didn't.

So, we finally get done there and they tell me internet will be ready on Friday.

This morning I get a phone call, from at&t (and aparently the only true english speaking at&t person) to tell me that the internet order will be ready on the 15th, ok, whatever. I hang up.

Then it hits me, it was supposed to be ready on the 12th! I know all you have to do is hit a switch to turn the stupid thing on...not like you are sending someone out there. So I decide to call the "help" desk. Worst idea ever.

First off you have to go through this elaborate talking to a computer man's voice as he asks you long questions...that have nothing to do with your order, and try to figure out what to say to hopefully get an operator. The whole time avoiding giving my cell number because, as soon as you do they go from being the internet helpers to "whats wrong with your cell phone" and if you have nothing wrong with your phone that the computer asks you about, then they hang up.

So I finally get to someone to talk about my internet, (some heavy, non-american accent) comes over the phone and tells me they need to transfer me to orders. Then after a few more transfers I get transfered to "James".

AT&T, I am not stupid. I know you have call center people make up names that sound american since you know Krishna...not very american, but seriously...changing names, doesn't change accents, or aparently their ability to understand mine. "James" asks me which state I got my plan in, to which I reply Oklahoma. After being bombarded with more computerized voice ads (which is what AT&T uses instead of hold music) I get a very cheery woman on the other end of the phone. She has an even heavier accent.

"Can I have your Berlin phone number please"
"Uh, my what?"
"Your Berlin phone number, what Berlin phone number is on this account?"
"Wait did you say...Berlin??? Like as in Europe?"
"Yes"
****speechless me****
****still speechless/confused/irate/now finding this funny me****
"Um, I'm trying to get to Ok-la-homa. I have no Berlin phone number"
****confused Berlin lady on other end of phone****
"Can you transfer me to some sort of help desk that I can talk to about my internet set up in Oklahoma?"
****she then tries to transfer me, to which I get to listen to more computerized ads, and then am abruptly hung up on.****

This senario and similar play out for over an hour until I finally get some help, help that took only about 1 minute of some persons time. Go figure the person who could help me WAS IN THE US!!!

AT&T if I could find a way to strangle your computerized voice I would, the longer it tells me about useless products that I do not want, the more irate I become. Your customer service is useless.

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By Ruth | 10:07 AM
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Moving...almost complete.

Since Friday I have been moving and packing along with Nick non-stop. It is almost a relief to be at work because it gives my back a much needed rest. This weekend I carried boxes up and down countless stairs and only now is the end in sight. I'd say we are 90% moved in...now comes the whole unpacking and setting up everything stage.

Setting up identical shelves from Staples I'd say was the closest I came to loosing my mind this weekend. Between slamming my fingers between the glued/pegged sections and trying to hammer in little tiny SCREWS, I about went crazy. They look nice now that they are done...but I think I'll have to take a double communion next weekend if I ever want to even out all the things I said under my breathe putting those damn shelves together. My mom laughed and said those shelves were just payback for all the years of them putting toys together for me as a child for christmas :P 

I'm happy with the way every room looks aside from our bedroom...at some point I think the boxes that I am currently using as a nightstand will need to be upgraded and a headboard found for the basic metal frame...but hey, they work. 

I think the fact that Nick and I didn't kill each other off moving ourselves is further proof that we make a great couple :) 

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By Ruth | 8:29 AM
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Good Morning Moving Day!

It's 8:30 and already I've been at work for a bit, packed my car and somehow put on a matching outfit. 

Today while I'm at work, Nick gets to finish packing...then around 11:20 we will get our keys and he'll get to move...while I'm at work. This work thing is a pretty sweet deal ;) Actually, Nick lucked out and got the next few days off. Moving will be...interesting to say the least seeing as we are bringing in things from all over the state. The schedule goes as such.

1. Move things from Nick's Apartment...in Stillwater
2. Move things from Nick's Storage Unit...in Tulsa
3. Move things from my garage...in Stillwater
4. Move things from my parent's garage...in Edmond

yeah, what would be the fun of moving from one place to another when you can choose LOTS of places and move into one. That being said when it is all done and over with...assuming no one keels over from going up and down too many flights of stairs, it will be great. 

Hooray and thank you to my friends helping us move. We would not be able to get the couch up stairs without you ;)

Wish us luck, and if you're bored...I bet I can find you a box to pack or carry in the next few days :P

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