Learning how to be a grown-up

Things I have learned in my first week of home ownership:

• Our house is set back farther from the road than I think which leads to a longer driveway which leads to more shoveling. The 3rd garage stall doesn't help.
• I dislike shoveling, but don't mind the light snow that I can sweep.
• We need a snow blower.
• Strange noises no longer bother or scare me. More like raise questions and cause a strange sort of scavenger hunt.
• Those little wall studs that come with the curtains are not useful. They cause more pain and frustration than they are worth. That being said, we are not skilled in the ways of hanging curtains.
• Even when I measure and make marks on the wall, I have a difficult time hanging pictures with two nails straight. I like those that can be supported with one nail; they will inevitably hang straight if you try hard enough.
• Apparently if there's snow in front of your mailbox, the mail man will simply drive by.
• To turn on the TV, you must first turn on the receiver, then the dish, then set the TV to HDMI. Volume is controlled by the receiver. If you want to watch a DVD, that's a fourth remote, but you can switch inputs with the receiver remote. Turning off the whole set also requires 3 remotes and because the TV doesn't make that typical noise when on, you need to make sure the light is red before you turn it off.
• Boiling liquids can shatter glass jars.
• How to set a programmable thermostat.
• Hot water on demand means that there is no reservoir of hot water. Rather, when you turn on the hot water, it signals something to heat all water coming through the pipe. Result, the last person to shower, regardless of the number of people, will have a hot shower (though it takes a minute to warm up).
• How to set up your own internet.
• How to repair a water line under the kitchen sink.
• Curtains on an east-facing bedroom window are a must if you are planning on sleeping in on the weekends.

That might be it for now. I'm learning and it's kind of fun. There's still some unpacking to do, but I have been focusing on getting the invitations ready for our wedding party. But with nothing really to be getting ready for (tests, defense, job hunting, house hunting, packing) the evenings are relaxing and I don't really know what to do with my time. I might have time for, dare I say it, hobbies? First some Wii and then some scrapbooking? Pick up the guitar? Just not sure, but it's nice that those are now options!

Thought I would throw up some more pictures. Here's the master bedroom:

My new dresser! I am 27 years old, and this is the first real dresser I have had since the college-issued ones. Until this purchase, I had my underwear in a plastic set of drawers and tees and jeans on a set of plastic shelving units in the closet. I need to clean off the top still, but I love it! The plastic drawers have been repurposed, but the plastic shelving is still in the closet holding extra clothes that don't fit.

Rick's dresser opposite the bed. My sister found the late '90s CD/tape player in a box in the move. It's Goodwill bound (note the tape deck hangs open--needs to be held shut with tape. Very classy).

View from the door. Rick's dresser on the right, platform bed (which I love and haven't kicked yet), and the very awesome curtains. I was a little afraid that all of this furniture would be too much for the room, but we found we still had a ton of space, so Rick put his grandfather's rocking chair in the bedroom as well. It's nice when you have too much room. The rooms we spend the most time in, bedroom, kitchen, and living room, all have that spacey feel. Roomy but not empty. Homey.

I think it's the combination of the space and the warm, chocolatey carpet (funny, but that's the best way I can describe it), and the furniture in the place that makes it feel so comfortable. Our friends that came over yesterday commented on how it felt very much like a home even though we were still missing kitchen chairs and we had only been here a week.

I couldn't agree more. I love this house. I love my home.