Ceilings: Scraped!

Well, we survived! Nick and I met his parents at the house last night around 5:30 and got to work quickly. The prep work took some trial and error at first... The tutorials say to tape the plastic on the wall, close to the ceiling and drape plastic on the floors before wetting the popcorn. What they don't tell you is that said tape loses it's stick when wet and drops all the plastic to the floor! What we ended up doing was spreading out a giant sheet of plastic on the floors and tape it to the wall on all edges, just above the baseboards. It was a messier job but saved a lot of plastic.

The entire project took us just over 6 hours to complete. Our whole house is now popcorn free! 

Next on the list is texturing/painting the ceilings. The ceilings are in great condition and don't have a lot of flaws, so Nick's mom suggested that we use a textured paint roller in lieu of spreading around joint compound. It'll save us a lot of time and will be a more subtle look, which is exactly what Nick and I are going for.

Projects Aplenty

Tomorrow the little blue house is officially ours! We'll be taking a couple days to tackle a very messy project before moving in: scraping popcorn ceilings. Nick has ordered us some fancy HAZMAT-looking suits complete with respirators and googles. They're actually designed for this project and supposedly the pros use the same ones. Anything to prevent poison from getting into our lungs! 

These are pictures from the original MLS listing. The photographer did a great job, but you can see how the ceilings feel low and make the room look darker. Scraping the ceilings, adding a bit of texture and a fresh coat of white paint should help to brighten up the room a bit.  

Unfortunately the wood-burning stove had to come out as it is not EPA certified. Big bummer for us! Now there's just a gaping hole in its place. We're hoping to replace it with a gas insert or a newer wood stove by next winter. 

Our official "phase 1" plans for the living room so far are:

- Scrape popcorn ceilings

- Texture and paint ceilings

- Remove old school paneling from wall next to fireplace

-Paint the walls a light/neutral color (in person these walls have a peach/rose hue that we don't love)

- Expand the doorway between the kitchen and dining area by knocking out 5 ft of wall (we'll most definitely need Nick's dad's help on this one as it is likely a load-bearing wall and involves installing a giant header)

- Insert matching laminate flooring where said wall used to be

- Replace curtains with something lighter in color and texture (the curtains that the sellers left are heavy and pretty old school. We think they also darken the room a bit.)

- Add a large area rug (we love this one from Home Depot-- it looks even happier in person)

-Hang art on the walls

For "phase 2" here are our thoughts:

- Cover up the brick fireplace with drywall/tile/moulding 

- Add a mantel 

- Hang TV above mantel on fireplace

- Find a way to hide all cords! 

-Change out the dated baseboards 

-Install crown moulding 

Due to our limited budget we've decided to tackle each room in phases (as inspired by my long-time favorite people at Young House Love). Phase 1 includes what we think are the more urgent items as well as projects that are more affordable to tackle in the beginning (e.g. painting the walls). Phase 2 involves more time-consuming/extensive work or pricier projects that we'll be able to budget for in the future. We'll likely have a phase 1 and 2 for the living room, kitchen, and backyard. The other rooms of the house won't set us back too much if we tackle them all at once. 

Three cheers for DIY! 

A Boydhouse of Our Own

Over the last couple years Nick and I have been working diligently to pay off our hefty student loans from the [private] grad school days. We have a set budget and several months' reserves in our savings account, and anything over that that comes in goes directly to our loans. Our long-term goals have always been to pay off our loans, then buy a house or duplex, do a bit of traveling (we'd love to see South America and definitely want to go back to Europe), and then start planning for a family. Well, after lots of thinking and plenty of calculations from Mr. Numbers Guy (aka Nick), we consulted our favorite lender and discovered that by going on "income-based repayment"with our student loans, we could qualify to buy a house! Now, the idea behind this new payment plan is that we will look better on paper to a lender-- we'd have lower mandatory outs per month and therefore a significantly lower debt-to-income ratio. However, that won't stop us from continuing to aggressively pay down our student loans whenever possible because our mortgage payments will be $5 less than our rent!

Once we were armed with this good news, Nick and I went into action mode and, for the first time, started seriously looking for ourselves. After doing the House Hunt with dozens of clients over the last few years, it was so fun to finally have our turn! Because we're in an average of 5-10 different homes per week (perks of being Realtors), we were already very aware of what we did and did not want in a home. Lo and behold, we found a house just 5 minutes from where we live now that matches all of our criteria! Granted, this house still needs some work to bring it to where we want it, but its bones are perfect.

Our Baby Blue Beauty

Again, because of our jobs, we were already very familiar with the market in that area. We were actually actively looking for a couple clients in that area too (and are so glad we found it first! haha). Nick and I agreed to offer slightly less than market value and asked that they help us with closing costs. We also asked for their brand new HE washer and dryer because, why not? And because we were representing ourselves, that 3% buyer's agent commission went right back to us. Boom! To boot, I wrote a sweet little letter to the sellers, letting them know that we're looking forward to making this house a long-term home and promise to take good care of it (true story).

Well, the letter worked! Not even the other agent (who also works with ReMax) could believe the deal we are getting. Since then our inspection came back very clean and our appraisal came in sparkling. Our lender and his team have been pounding the pavement to get this done for us, and will have completed this deal from start-to-finish in 25 days! We get our keys in just a few days and are SO EXCITED to be HOMEOWNERS! We'll have projects a plenty in the first few months, so stay tuned!

Hello Again!

I recently pulled up this ol' blog just for kicks and found myself sucked into it for hours. I am so glad we documented all of our excitement during our first couple years in Oregon. Reading through it again has been such fun. I'm glad that we made the best of our lives as we transitioned from California to Oregon, from Portland to Eugene, from first real jobs to our now for-real jobs, and from scraping by to making a good living. What an adventure this has been!

As always with us, there's been a lot of change lately! First and foremost, you can now call me Mrs. Boyd. :) Nick and I tied the knot in April last year at Mt. Pisgah Arboretum in Eugene. We were spoiled with unusually good weather and lots of friends and family who traveled from all over for our special day. It was a big do-it-ourselves event that took months of planning, but we wouldn't have changed anything about it (except for the fake rose petals/plastic diamonds mysteriously sprinkled on all the tables, haha). Our favorite part was the big Oak tree under which we were married-- our family hung lace embroidery hoops from the branches and walking down the aisle was absolutely magical!

For our Honeymoon we traveled first to Tiel, the Netherlands and stayed with my cousins for a few nights. They took us to all of the sights around Holland and really spoiled us with good food, great company and lots of laughter. We even went to another cousin's Greek-style wedding in Rotterdam! It was quite fancy and again, we felt so fortunate to be there. After spending time with family, Nick and I moved on to our next adventure: Amsterdam. What a beautiful, friendly city! We stayed in a modern apartment in De Pijp, just a few minutes from several museums and the popular Vondelpark. We already want to go back! After a few days in Amsterdam we took the train to Paris and spent the remaining days enjoying some of the best food and wine we've ever had! In case you'd like a recommendation, La Place Royale was an incredibly romantic dining experience. And even the 3-Euro bottles of Bordeaux were delicious!

Zaanse Schans

Rewind: About six months before we got married, Nick convinced me to join him in Real Estate with ReMax. Unfortunately the jobs out there for educators were incredibly slim and I was having no luck finding work that paid more than I earned as a Nanny. It took a big leap of faith, but I took the jump and have not looked back. Nick and I have been working together as Real Estate Partners since I passed the exam in September 2012. We've been having a lot of fun working together, being our own bosses (not each other's, haha), and finding our niches within our biz. Despite the unpredictable schedule that comes with being relatively new agents, it's been SO nice to make our own hours! Yay for mid-week vacations and working in PJs from the couch on a Thursday morning!

2012 = WIN

• Closed my first real estate transactions
• Moved into the nicest home we’ve ever lived in
• Proposed to my girlfriend, she said yes. Best friend is my best man.
• Switched firms and never looked back
• Gained the friendships and respect of colleagues
• Had a great summer full of camping, shooting, swimming, and visiting with friends & family.
• Read more books in one year than throughout the last 10 of my life
• Sold over $2 million in real estate
• Caught my first Largemouth Bass (8 of them, in fact)
• Gained a business partner (my Fianceé)
• Gained a housemember
• Tripled my Savings Account
• Survived another year

-Nick

Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes in the Northwest

These last few months have proven that Summer is by far the greatest time of year in the Northwest. Rainy Winters and Springs sure make you appreciate the Summer and the Sun like never before. It seems that most Oregonians spend as much time outside as possible during this season. Local restaurants bring out tables onto their patios and it's not unusual to see crowded patios next to a completely empty restaurant.
This season, Nick and I have been camping six times (including a backpacking adventure). We've floated down the Mackenzie River, waded in the Willamette on several occasions, picked berries, and had numerous barbecues. We've been to 3 concerts at the Cuthbert Outdoor Amphitheater (for an interesting blend of people: Garrison Keillor, Yanni and the Shins) a minor league baseball game, a concert in the park (with VIP passes and free, unlimited beer!), a couple tailgate parties, and our first Oregon Duck's football game. We also enjoyed several visits from friends and family, hosted a few shotgun tournaments, ran a Dirty Dash race full o'mud and celebrated both our birthdays.
Separate from Nick, I went on a couple additional camping trips to National Parks (Olympic and Crater Lake) with my friend Kristen and introduced her to the art of camping. I've driven to Portland several times, usually taking advantage of the weekends where Nick has Open Houses. I also went on multiple berry-picking quests and have canned two years' worth of jam and preserves. With the kiddos that I've been watching (aka my inherited niece and nephews), I have soaked up sun at the pool and the park, taken trips to the library and watched many a baseball, football & soccer game.
Yes, Pacific Northwest Summers are grand! 

June

Well June sure got away from us... as did these last two weeks of July! We've been on the go for most of it, so that will be our excuse.
Nick has been doing a stellar job in his new career as a Real Estate Broker. The learning curve for the business is so steep, but he's definitely coming out on top--and it seems like Nick has finally found his knack. His Nick-knack, if you will. Ha!
I am still searching for work, both at the local colleges and all non-profits in town. No big bites yet, but I feel like I'm getting warmer. I have been very lucky to work for Nick's cousins part time, watching their kiddos. It has truly helped sustain me during these uncertain times!
Toby is still Toby. His favorite place is still the backyard. Nick and I were laughing today that every time we ask him if he wants to go outside, he still gets excited like it's such a new concept! At least we can say he's not taking his playground for granted.

Over the last several weeks, we have had many visitors and have done many things! I think it's safe to say that this has been the busiest we've been in the 1.5 years we've lived in Oregon. (One and a half years-- can you believe it? It feels like we just moved, and yet we also feel like we've been here forever. Guess that's the conundrum of finding your home :)

Here is a bit of what we have been up to:

 

In mid-June my dad and Courtney flew up for a visit. We packed the weekend with lots of good stuff, including a Garrison Keillor concert, a visit to our wedding venue, and of course VooDoo donuts. My dad surprised Nick and me with a beautiful barbecue as a gift for our engagement. We christened it with some delicious ribs and corn on the cob. We enjoyed some amazing food (and beer!) that weekend, including gourmet pizza and breadsticks (with a pitcher of Black Butte Porter alongside it), homemade Hawaiian Bread, homemade waffles, homebrewed BEER, and homemade peanut butter ice cream a la Courtney and Nick. I'm glad I was out of the kitchen when they were working on the ice cream-- I think their spoon-lickin' would have driven me crazy! The ice cream was incredible though, so they did a good job ;)

In late June, several of our college buddies came up to visit. We met up in Portland so I could give them the grand tour of the city. During the first day we grabbed lunch at the foodcarts and ate on the waterfront, took the bus & lightrail to the Japanese Gardens and Rose Garden, explored Powell's bookstore, and drank plenty of beer at a couple local breweries.

 We spent the night in Portland (at a posh hotel, might I add) and woke up to a good breakfast the next morning. That day we did more Portland sight-seeing, including hitting up an awesome arcade and enjoying tea at a little shop. We made a detour on our way down to Eugene so that I could show them the magnificent Multnomah Falls.

 Once in Eugene, we reverted to college mode... i.e., lots of beer drinking, Ramen, hot tea and hanging out. Daniel and Nick dominated at beer pong most of the night, while I barely got a ball in a single cup. I blame it on the 9% alc. beer I was drinking!

 On Saturday, we packed in a few solid hours of good old fashioned shooting. Unfortunately, Eugene showed its ugly side that day and it rained on and off throughout our "tournament." Luckily, Nick and I brought along our BEST purchase yet-- a pop-up tent canopy! We must be true Oregonians now, as not even rain can stop us from having a good time. If you must know who won the tournament, I suppose I'll share. It was me. By a hair. Nick was a close second, though!
On Sunday we had to say goodbye to Nathan, Daniel and Autumn as they started their long drive back to the Bay Area. The rest of us went on a nice big climb hike at Mt. Pisgah Arboretum (our venue). We rewarded ourselves afterwards with their first VooDoo donuts experience.
It was so nice to have all of our friends out to our neck of the woods. I'm glad I finally got to show them what this state is all about--and why it's worth sticking around, despite a little rain here and there ;)

 A couple days after our buddies left, Nick's parents flew into town for the Fourth of July weekend. Our week was jam-packed with them as well! We spend the 4th at Auntie Linda and Uncle Mike's cabin, where they had an archery contest, horseshoes tournament and a HUGE potluck. I think there were a good 10 dogs there, too! Toby got to see his girlfriend Bessie again, which is always great for both of them. We topped off the night by getting onto our roof from the guest bedroom and watching a 360 degree display of fireworks in the sky. What a great experience that was!
The next few days included house hunting for Rod and Vikki, another shooting tournament and a couple more big family dinners. They brought along their little pup, Lucy, who Toby has now taken a liking to (lookout, Bessie!).

Now that things are settling down a bit, we find ourselves in the middle of Summer! What greater activity to do than to go berry picking, right? I went along with cousins Brandy and Katie for some blueberry and raspberry picking, where they sell "U-pick" berries by the pound. I think this is my new favorite thing about Eugene. Just look at the size of those berries in my hand! (Also, note the freshly harvested herbs from my backyard garden.)

I have been doing a lot of reading on canning and Jams, so that was my next project. The process seemed SO intimidating at first, especially because there are a good 20 steps from start to finish. Once I began my first batch though, it felt easy. Perhaps that's due to my hours of research-- and The Joy of Cooking ;)
I started out by making Raspberry Jam on Friday afternoon. A couple hours later I already wanted to do it again... so I made Blueberry Jam. We had homemade waffles with sliced bananas and blueberry jam that night. On Saturday I still hadn't had enough so I ended with a large batch of Strawberry-Balsamic Jam. I think this means that I am officially hooked on canning. And berry picking. Also, judging by the spoonfuls of Jam that Nick eats at a time, I'm pretty sure he's okay with this new hobby!

Unintended Sabbatical

Wow, it has been a long time since either of us have posted here! A lot has changed in the last 2.5 months, but I'd say much of it was for the better.


The seasons have changed (mostly) and brought with it many experiences and major decisions. Katie has gone from having a surplus of time to being overly busy with nanny work for our cousins, and back. I have relocated my business from O'Connell and Associates to Remax Integrity, and have managed to sell some real estate in the past several weeks, too.

With the weather turning, we've been spending a lot of time outdoors. Katie and I found a great spot east of Sweet Home, OR that's right on the river. It's very private, cheap, and no reservations are required. Best of all, it's just an hour and some change from our front door. When Todd came up for a weekend, we went back to that spot.

We also went to a hotspring along the MacKenzie river with our cousins Scottie and Brandy last weekend, and are actually going back this coming weekend for a 2-night camping trip! There's prime trout fishing right outside our campsite, and lots of beautiful trails. Can't wait to get back there--I think it's a new favorite.

Our professional lives have changed a little, too.  Katie has applied to several positions with the University of Oregon and, although she hasn't been interviewed yet, I have a feeling she will soon. She has been incredibly persistent with finding out who the decision makers are, getting in front of the right people, and having her name and face become known around her prospective office. I'm proud of her. She's more than qualified and really just needs to spend a few minutes with the big cheese to win him/her over.

She has also taken the initiative to volunteer her time for an organization that speaks to her. I really admire her selflessness with becoming a volunteer at Big Brother, Big Sister, especially with not having a stable paycheck right now. I'd like to think I have it in me to do that, too, but she went beyond thinking about it to actually doing it. She's got the right attitude.

In my work, I've been trying to play matchmaker between my buyer clients and with what's available in the marketplace. I felt like I was spinning my wheels for a while, but started making some traction around the time I moved my business over to Remax. At O'Connell and Associates, I learned a great deal--Uncle Mike got me started in real estate and walked me through my first few transactions, which really made coming down to Eugene a possibility. Now that I'm at Remax, I have more access to trainings and technology, which is just what I needed after learning the basics from him. By combining this with Mike's sales training, I am well on my way to becoming an UNSTOPPABLE SELLING MACHINE!

Looking forward, our wedding planning is going steady. We've had some creative ideas, such as possibly brewing our own beer for the reception, but there are still more unknowns than knowns... One thing we do know, though, is that it'll be April 27th, 2013!

My parents sent us up an "engagement gift," which was really nice of them. It was a 46" flatscreen TV! We have been using the same 32" TV since we lived in Novato, which was a little hard to see from our couch now that we're in a rental with a larger living room. Video games are now amazing, by the way...

Hmm... what else... Well, we're both going to the gym consistently and taking much better care of ourselves (no junk food!!!). We have some visitors coming up soon (friends and family from CA), and our garden out back is doing great--we have an apple tree, a blueberry bush, squash, broccoli, kale, lavendar, rosemary, tomatoes, lettuce, chives, basil, strawberries, and more. Alright, I'm running out of things to say. I'll find some photos and post them in a day or two. :)

-Nick