A New House for Captain Morgan

Ahoy, matey! How's it going, friends?

Daniel and I would like to apologize for the lack of posts. It's been the most insane year of our lives. (By the way, how the heck is it almost May?? Mind blown.)

The past two months have been filled with absolute chaos. First of all, we sold Daniel's house (aka his swanky bachelor pad in the rolling hills of Aliso Viejo). We were going to try leasing it out for another year but received an offer we couldn't refuse. Thus, we were left with a predicament. (Not a bad one, but a predicament, nonetheless.)

What to do with this newly discovered equity...(tap fingers)...

We decided to roll over the funds and buy a house that we found in the same neighborhood as one of our best friends. It was a 'for sale by owner', and I was able to transact both sides of the deal with all my gathered real estate skillZzzZz---naturally.

Though this house is perfect for us in the long term (huge corner lot home, single level, with 3 bedrooms/2 baths), it's a 1950's, original condition property that needs a TON of work.

I'm still trying to figure out what decade the salmon and baby blue color combo was in style...or if ever?

HUGE front yard, so we're adding on a master suite, converting it into a 4 bed/3 bathroom home. (Finally get my walk in closet. YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)

The original family room---wall to the left of the fireplace is the first thing to be knocked down.

The original kitchen. The oven is an original 50's GE stainless steel in tip top condition. Unfortunately, it's just not going to work for us, so we'll have to find it a better home!

The backyard with the sweet jacuzzi tub. If you're lucky, this beast is staying. ha! Really, though, Daniel's gonna have a field day re-designing this space. Forget the man cave when you have this much backyard to mess around with!

We just finished gutting and remodeling our little home on the Eastside of Costa Mesa (my 'bachelorette pad' that we settled into after getting married).

We touched every single inch of our townhome. (Flooring throughout, new kitchen, took down walls, re-landscaped the whole yard, all new windows...I mean to the nines!) Very satisfied with everything we had accomplished there this last year---we are now faced with this monstrosity of a project for this other house we intend on moving into! Of course, everything that this new "old" house requires (at least to satisfy our current wants and needs) doesn't come cheap, so we've also put our Eastside townhome on the market and are in escrow, set to close within a couple of weeks. (Not gonna lie, I think both of us cried a little bit inside after all the blood, sweat and tears we poured into making it our home.)

Actually, now come to think of it---I still can't believe what we've just signed up for, and I'm pretty sure Daniel was scheming to take on this massive remodel regardless of what his pregnant wife was thinking.









Wait, WHAT. Come again?

Yeah, you heard me. We're pregnant with a little captain on board. (Yak yak yak. Git it? Captain Morgan? Eh? EH?Yak yak yak!)

Hey, little champ!

 
So there's also that! Daniel said I could announce it on my blog, since he butchered the baby announcement with our families. Haha! Okay, in all seriousness, though. We're preggers and that's just bonkers as far as I'm concerned. On top of expecting, we will be gutting, remodeling, adding another master wing to this new house that we've gotten on the other side of town. We've been working with an architect, and our estimated time frame to complete this will be right up until the ETA of our little captain---due in October 2014! (Thankfully, I'm blessed with the greatest in-laws in the universe who have graciously allowed us to occupy their home in the interim so we won't have to live through a construction zone again like the first time around!)

We received the architectural site renderings today and are STOKED with the results so far. BEST. ARCHITECT. EVER.
 

 We can't, can't wait. AHHHHH!!!!


AHHHH!!!!


It looks so amazing, and these are just sketches for cryin' out loud! We're going to meet with the architect again to finalize the drawings, and then off to the city they go for permits. We're going for a more contemporary 'colonial' feel this time to the exterior, and we intend on tearing down walls, widening hallways, opening up the floorplan, all the fun shenanigans!

What can be more exciting than this?? We get a new house customized to our preferences just in time for our little bun in the oven. I feel elated, blessed, and am so thankful for everything God has in store for us.

Alright, you've officially been updated. Peace out folks!

One Year in Review!

Daniel and I have been married for nearly a year. A YEAR!!! Where has the time gone? It's seriously crazy how fast that went by. I've actually learned quite a bit in our first year of marital bliss, and I must say, if this year went by as quickly and well as it did---I'm ready to take on another 80+ years together. Among the things I have learned so far, these come out on top:

1.  Laughing together, keeps us together. Between the two of us, Daniel certainly has the funny bone. He's the most hilarious person I know and probably doesn't even mean to be. I actually laughed out loud writing this. Since the inception of our relationship, I feel like we've had nonstop laughter. He's just so quick. My thought is, to be able to react the way he does in situations with his witty comment, you've got to be a genius. I love him for that---more than he'll ever know.

2. It's all about the compromise. I'm still unsure if undergoing a major home remodel a couple of months after getting married was the wisest decision we've made, but to date, I've learned that Daniel and I know how to compromise. He's very methodical while I like to do things on a whim. Surprisingly, I think this has resulted in a healthy balance. While I'm looking to change every detail without blinking twice, Daniel is there to pull me back and slow me down. Though there's a fiery rage for me to order things and 'get-er-dun', if it weren't for compromising I'm sure our home wouldn't be as perfect as we both think it is today.

3. Encouragement is key. We both have good days and bad days, but the key to keep it going and finding happiness is to continue encouraging each other. In the worst of days when I encounter trouble at work or feel a heavy sense of anxiety, Daniel is continuously encouraging me to press on. I try my best to do the same for him, and I'm sure there is much more room for improvement but I think we are definitely aware of encouraging each other frequently.

4. There's always a reason to celebrate. Whether it's a closed deal or something as simple as having a clean house, we always have a reason to celebrate! I mean, why not?


And that's that! A whole year later, I'm still smitten, and I feel blessed as ever to be married to the most genuine, hilarious, and hottest guy ever! (Thank you, Jesus!)



In other news, we're going to Croatia and flights are BOOKED!

Busy bees planning the flights!

Team Croatia 2014!!

We had originally planned on a trip to Spain, but after speaking to people who had been in that general area, Croatia seems like the hot spot to go. According to one person, "It's where all the other Europeans go to vacation!" We'll be going with a group of some of our best friends and are super thrilled. 

LOOOOVE IT!!

Oh, and I failed to upload these right after Valentine's day, but my dear friend Michelle and I planned a joint Valentine's bonfire surprise for our hubbies at Corona Del Mar beach! We led them through a scavenger hunt to different bars before using a hand drawn "treasure map" down to the beach where we had appetizers, drinks and of course---a bonfire waiting for them. Twas' magical!

I hope you all stay warm in this torrential downpour! Have a great weekend errrbody. Ciao!

Post 2013, Year in Review.

First things first. HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Thirteen days into the new year already. ALREADY. Where does the time go? Seriously? Eesh.

The Morgansteens (that would be me and Daniel) had such an eventful 2013. Every new year, my hubby's family does a New Years resolution 'meeting' (if you will) where we review all of our resolutions from the last year and present a new set of resolutions for the new year. It's such a cool tradition, and it's super fun to be able to look back and see how many things we've actually accomplished as a family.

As Daniel and I looked back at our last year, we both agreed that it has been an absolutely insane and magical year! No doubt the best year of my life. Here's a look back at the highlights of our 2013.

1. We got married. 

So this happened. Best night EVER. (I'm sure every newly married couple thinks their wedding was the best...but seriously, no joke---our was so amazeballz it was easily the best wedding I've ever been to. HAHA) Our goal was to make sure our friends actually enjoyed the wedding, and I'd definitely say it was a success.

2. We went to Panama, Central America

 3. Hubby turned 30!

4. We went to Thailand with some of our best friends

5. We remodeled our home

6. And we re-landscaped our entire backyard 

This year's going to be just as great of a year and there are big things in store...

First off, my baby sister got engaged, so we'll be looking forward to an end of the year wedding..

Welcome to the family, Kevin!

BOOM.

Well, stay tuned for some more home renovations throughout the year. We've still got a few things left to do, not to mention, showcase our new bed that's being delivered this week! WEEE!!!! I've had the same bed since I was in college, and Daniel's had his for years, so we finally coughed up and decided to order our first bed together. Rarr! I hope everyone had a wonderful New Year. Cheers to 2014!