Happy New Year!

Tonight is the night of our welcome party! Jen has been busy pulling out all the christmas lights and stringing them in every possible nook and cranny for our New Years Party tonight. She's making up lost time since Jay did not allow her to decorate the condo this year due to the move.

But the place looks marvelous! Guests tonight will be amazed and green (and red, white, yellow, and blue) with envy as their blood alcohol levels increase by the minute. Fortunately we have plenty of seating thanks to folding chairs (Ken) and dumpster diving finds (Jay). We've even set up a bar in the dining room where our future server will be.

Now, we just need to get a head start before our friends arrive.. :)

Heat Wave at the perfect time

Since we just got our house, we've been doing numerous neglected maintenance issues to the place. Fixing doors, windows, securing the place better, weatherstripping (this is Chicago for christsake!), repairing lightbulbs / broken fixtures, etc. Lots of minor things just to make the place a little more livable and prepare for the changes we want to make. Jay has been making lots of little trips back and forth from our condo loading the Scort with tools, basic needs, and other odds and ends. Good thing our condo is only 3 blocks away!

But today we got a pleasant surprise... It is nearly 60 degrees out today - two days before January in Chicago!! Unbelievable! It couldn't have come at a better time as Jay took care of some much needed outdoor maintenance this week. Garage gutters were cleaned out after 8 inches of solid silt, twigs, and leaves were removed from the downspouts. Yech!

AND... it was a perfect time to remove the pile of garbage the Previous Owners (PO's) had left in front of our (at least) 50 year-old fence next to the garage. We need to remove this section to a) create parking space for NYE, and b) make room for a rolloff dumpster. Jay had to excavate quite a bit of dirt, but the fence came out with one strategically placed hammer blow.. Not much security there so we don't feel we'll be missing much.

NYE 2004 evite

From: Jason and Jennifer
Location: Our New House
When: Friday, December 31

We know many people might already have plans, but if you still don't know where you'll be on New Year's Eve, come on over and help us break in our new house!

We'll be taking possession just a few days earlier, and since we are planning to remodel the house anyway, we're up for some fun. Possible events to include:

- Wall decorating contest
- Demolition derby
- Lose your baggage - write it down and watch it burn

We'll be providing Harvey Wallbangers and wine, plus some champagne and some nibbles. BYO anything else. If you'd like to contribute to the food (which you are ever-so-welcome to do), please email Jen at zelda@zeldajstudios.com.

Since the place will be sparsely furnished, if you have the means and can bring a beanbag, folding chair, table, etc., it would be much appreciated! :)

Welcome Home!

We just bought our first single family house! A fixer upper (to put it mildly) on the eastern edge of Oak Park, that has seen some better days and needs someone to help it. Jen and I think we can be those people. A picture of the house (courtesy of the Cook County Assessor):


More to come on our grand plans later, but wer're too excited right now!