life is like a bowl of...

pomegranate seeds? yup. my world is, anyhow. this was my dinner a few weeks ago. i had a huge craving for them and i couldn't eat them fast enough. i did, however, manage to stop myself in time to take a quick picture. i guess it's the color, and maybe the flavor, but pomegranate seeds make me feel very christmas-y. enjoy.



p.s. no husbands were injured in the taking of this picture or in the eating of this dinner. i provided a much more normal dinner for the hubby. i can't remember now, but i think i cooked hotdogs with toasted, cheesy buns for him.

hubby no more

my hubby needs a name. an alias, if you will. while browsing my blog and the other blogs that i like to read, my hubby asked why all the other husbands were called "hubby" as well. apparently, he doesn't like to be like everyone else. when we were engaged, i called him my fianceman (pronounced fee-AHNC-men) because fiance just sounded too girly for him.

so please, even if you've never commented on here, suggest some names that i can use for my hubby on this blog. i will give him total veto power on the suggestions and will announce a winner on monday. maybe we'll send you some packing tape and bubble wrap if you win. =)

here are a couple of pictures to help.

he's a good fisherman, even if i did catch more trout than he did on our honeymoon (this picture is not from our honeymoon).


he claims that he can't cook, but whenever he helps, dinner somehow turns out much better. here he is helping me cook fried rice in our very small and crowded kitchen. notice the time on the clock... late dinner + salty food = wifey in need of a workout


and here he is playing soccer with some kids. he has a big heart and even though he denies it, kids flock to him like he's the pied piper.


alright, guys, go to work: name my husband (and please, be nice)!

optional salt

i'm getting side-tracked from ironing and folding and stacking and boxing things for the movers that are coming tomorrow. unfortunately, it's really easy for me to get distracted. bozeman and i just went for a run because it is nice and cool outside and now i'm listening to drink up me hearties yo ho while trying to cool down and consider what to pack next. honestly, i can't use that excuse, because i made this nice, neat spreadsheet that lists everything that we are moving ourselves. my spreadsheet categorizes the item by room, whose responsibility it is to make sure the movers don't get it, and the tupperware box or suitcase in which it will be stored. so, no, i don't need to consider what to pack next, but i do need to tell you a funny story.

growing up in the midwest, you can't just eat cold cereal for breakfast in the winter. you have to eat something warm... like cream of wheat! at least, that's what i was brain washed to think, and to this day, i love eating a big bowl of cream of wheat. when i was little, my dad would normally make a pot of the cereal on the stove and we would share it early in the morning (we are both early birds). one morning, however, i beat him to the kitchen and decided to help get the cereal started. finding the box of cream of wheat was a cinch, and i was able to get the pot on the stove and measure the right amount of water. what i couldn't find, however was the "salt (optional)" as listed on the back of the box. stumped, i climbed up on the countertop and looked through all of my mom's spices until my dad entered the kitchen. when i told him that i was looking for the optional salt, it took him a few moments to compose himself and explain the definition of optional.

i have never made that mistake again, thank you very much. have any of you misunderstood directions like i have?

where do you buy YOUR toilet paper?

i just noticed this article in the ny times and i loved every single word. i am an admitted costco-a-holic. long before we were married and long before we even lived in the same city, the hubby and i took a big step in our relationship and joined costco together. that was three whole years ago, and now here we are as executive members, getting rewards back for the money that we spend at costco. it’s a good thing that we get those rewards, because whenever i go into costco for a bag of doggy bones or a three-pack of organic milk, i also end up getting a pack of apples, some sushi, a new paperback book, some snappy tupperware containers, and whatever other cool items costco has decided to put on display with the sole purpose of tempting me.

my most recent favorite purchase that i will talk about to anyone who will listen is this ecos brand laundry detergent. at first, i was hesitant to buy it because the scent was magnolia and lily. eww. nothing like a bunch of floral scented laundry detergent to ruin the hubby’s uniforms. i bought the detergent anyhow because i was curious and because it was environmentally friendly, and now i can’t stop smelling my laundry, no matter if it is in the form of fresh-from-the-dryer or worn-on-the-hubby.

when my hubby got his orders to the next duty station, my first order of business was to see if our new city had a costco. sadly, it does not. there is, however, a costco within a five and a half hour drive and we have decided to keep our membership so that we can stock up whenever we are within an hour drive time from the store. i actually got the idea when i was in the check-out line a few weeks ago and saw a woman with two full shopping carts. she spent over $700 on that trip! at first, it seemed crazy, but then, the idea seemed to make more sense to me as i realized that there are just some products at costco that i don’t want to live without. are we crazy?

now, i would be golden if i could just figure out how to transport a steady supply of costco’s yummy churros home for my hubby to eat on a regular basis.

another giveaway

but this time, i'm not the one doing the giving! check out amy's site for a new kind of giveaway. her idea has motivated me to think of some creative ways that i can give to those in need. patriot is also having a giveaway this week. check it out!

my hot date

saturday, in the midst of reading our books, the hubby took me out on a date. we went to a local putt-putt course and had a little competition. i don't know what i was thinking, but i brought my giant, red purse with me and it just doesn't help your aim when you have a bulging purse banging against your right arm. i finally resorted to setting the purse on the very dirty ground before i putted each time, and ended up getting a hole in one!! the hubby couldn't believe i actually got a hole in one with such a horrible putt (the ball was actually starting to roll back towards me, but then magically rolled the other way and into the hole). after that, i felt sorry for my dear hubby and started hitting the golf ball 4 or 5 times before i let it go in the hole. well, maybe i should be honest: i didn't do it on purpose and my game did get that bad, so the hubby won the game.

trying to recuperate from my losses, i mischievously led the hubby inside towards the air hockey tables. my mom had taught me well when i was little, and i knew that i could beat him at air hockey. the first game was a complete shut out in my favor, but the second was a huge win for the hubby. we decided to call it a day and went to the mall to do some christmas shopping.

we have two nieces and a brand new nephew that we bought pajamas for from gap kids and we also bought a santa sack for the hubby from pottery barn kids. we were hoping that we wouldn't run into anyone that we knew who might start a rumor if they saw us with a bunch of baby and kid store bags, so we decided to hide inside pottery barn. they had some really cool picture frames on sale and we bought a giant one, just so we could have a giant bag to hide our other purchases in.

all that shopping left us tired and starving, and we barely managed to make it to the sushi house before i fell asleep. there is nothing like a little wasabi to bring the wifey back to life, though. we shared hot tea, some soup, a california roll, and a shrimp tempura roll. all in all, i’d say it was a pretty good date night, wouldn’t you?

drum roll, please...

the winner is, "K" over at one crazy adventure! i wish i could give a copy of the book to everyone who submitted a comment, but maybe "K" will pass it on after she reads it. you could also pick it up at your library.
oh, two sites that i forgot to mention yesterday were the made by survivors store and nightlight designs. both offer some beautiful jewelry, clothing, purses and stationery. i think i'm going to try and buy at least two christmas presents this year from these sites since they are made by survivors of the sex trade and help support them in legitimate jobs.

books... and a giveaway

the hubby and i had our noses stuck in the books over the weekend. when we were visiting my family a couple of weekends ago, i borrowed their copy of the lion, the witch and the wardrobe. my dad had read the chronicles of narnia to me when i was little and i have such good memories of the books. little did i know, the hubby had not read any of the books. i was able to explain parts of the movie to him because i knew more about the characters from reading the books, and this sort of frustrated him. i casually mentioned that i actually had the entire series in our office and it didn't take long for him start reading the magician's nephew. i begged the hubby to read it out loud to me, and he amused me until i fell asleep =)

seeing as how it had been so long since i read the series (or rather, since my dad read it to me), i decided to start reading the books, too. i just finished the horse and his boy and it was so good! they are definitely children's books, but i would recommend the entire series to anyone.

i also just finished a very serious book, not for sale. it took me awhile to read through the entire book because it is pretty heavy. it follows the stories of several children and adults caught up in modern day slavery. did you know that children and women in america are actually sold on craig's list? i could go on and on about what i learned in this book, but instead, i'll point you to a few websites with plenty of information. also, i'm going to give away a brand new copy of the not for sale book. it had such an impact on me, that i want to pass it on for others to read. just leave a comment on this post and i'll have a drawing tomorrow morning.

bozeman... as in bozeman, montana

our dog doesn't have a very common name. in fact, i don't think i have ever heard of any animals that share his name. the hubby and i have a great love for all things montana, and that's why we named our dog after a city in the big sky state.

bozeman is sort of my baby. okay, he is really my baby. the hubby got him for me so i would have a companion while he was deployed, and boy was he a good investment. i've been told that i have "girlified" our dog, but i'm pretty sure bozeman is secure enough in his doggy-masculinity to handle the teasing. how has he been girlified? one example is what he does after we come back inside from walking in the rain or after he has had a bath: he follows me around the house until i get out the blow dryer and blow him dry. cute, huh?

on the way to meet our puppy, i talked to the breeder on the phone about the personalities of the puppies that she had available. as soon as she mentioned the one who was a little bit ornery, i was sold. it didn't hurt that when i met him, he came straight over to me and rested his head on my leg. everyone together now: "awwwww!"

here he is in all of his ornery glory:


here he is showing his athletic side:


and here he is trying to catch a lizard for me. once he catches one, he usually carries into a grassy spot where he can roll around on top of him. my favorite is when he army crawls across the lizard. i'll have to get a video of that and share it.


i think bozeman is much smarter than all other dogs. he even has a sense of humor, as you can see here:


one day, the hubby and i will have kids. until then, this little puppy is getting spoiled rotten...

i love the usps

someone quoted tom hanks on their blog this month, “i would send you a bouquet of newly sharpened pencils if i knew your name and address.” i love that quote, because who wouldn’t love a bouquet of newly sharpened pencils? or colored gel pens? or a fun stack of paper? or for that matter, a new book of stamps?
this afternoon, i had to go to the post office to send a package. i don’t go to the post office very often because, well, i typically just use email (although i did visit quite a bit while the hubby was deployed). as soon as i walked through the door, the familiar smell of the post office, which i can’t quite put my finger on, washed over me and a dozen memories from my childhood went running through my mind. once upon a time, people used to visit the post office all the time. now you can do it all online in the comfort of your own home. i think more people should visit the post office in person, though. those postal workers are very friendly and willing to help. you don’t get customer service like that just anywhere, you know.
since i was sending the package by way of registered mail, the postal worker behind the counter informed me that i would have to wrap all of the edges and corners in a special brown tape. she handed me the roll of tape, a water bottle with a sponge at the top and some scissors. why the water bottle? because the tape wasn’t actually sticky until you wet it down. she even carved out a little space on her countertop just for me. i felt almost as excited to be working at her counter as i do whenever i go to kinkos to make copies. i could honestly spend hours in there, playing with the colored paper, paperclips and giant paper cutters. after i had sufficiently taped up the box, the lady asked if i needed anything else. absolutely, yes! i needed christmas stamps for our christmas cards. those “holiday knit stamps” were so cute and fuzzy that rather than split up a book of 20, i told her to go ahead and give me three whole books of stamps, because i would use them this season. will i? we are sending out 50 christmas cards, so that leaves me with 10 extra christmas stamps. my challenge for the christmas season is to use up those extra 10 stamps that i bought. surely it can’t be that difficult to sit down and write an actual letter on genuine paper. can it? as much as i love paper and pens and pencils and crafts, i should be able to meet my self-imposed challenge with gusto. look out friends and family: mail is coming your way and it isn’t the electronic kind!
do any of you share my love of paper, pens, pencils and stamps? and what exactly does a post office smell like anyhow?

steaks, spikes and birthday cake

this weekend, the hubby, bozeman and i traveled to my parents’ house to see my brother compete in the state cross country meet. let me just say that i am SO proud of my brother. he ran a 5k on an extremely hilly course in 16:57. that boy can run. he isn’t even built for cross country, since he towers over everyone else and is very muscular, but he has overcome his physical disadvantages and runs with the best of them.
on the way back from the cross country meet, the hubby and i stopped by sara’s house to help celebrate anna’s third birthday. it’s amazing how fast kids grow up! anna shared some of her yummy little mermaid cupcake-birthday cake with us and it was pretty darn yummy. i have to say that sara was looking very bride-y this weekend!
saturday night, while the parentals and my brother were at various parties, the hubby and i decided to get a sushi appetizer and grill some steak. if i never make steak again, i will the happiest woman alive. we didn’t get to the grocery store until about 7:30 and as we hungrily browsed the meat selection, we decided to go all out and get a pound of filet. we also picked up some old-fashioned bottled coke and a pack of miso sushi rolls. once we were back at my parents’ house, i put our blockbuster movie in the dvd player and sunk down into the comfy couch with a down blanket on top of me. oh man, was it cozy and boy, did i get drowsy fast. observing my sleepy circumstances, my wonderful hubby took over and started the grill. about 15-20 minutes later, the hubby walked past me with the plate of steak and told me to come sit down at the table to eat. i was pretty sleepy, but i was more than curious about the steak, so i abandoned the warm couch and down blanket for my hubby at the table. fork and steak knife in hand, the hubby explained that this piece over here was medium-rare and that one over there was medium. i asked for the medium-rare piece, which he put on my plate, and quickly cut into it. i took a bite and suddenly forgot that i was sleepy and no longer nice and warm. this had to be the best steak i had eaten in my entire life. seriously. at first, the hubby thought that i was just saying that to make him feel good, but the speed at which i was eating the hunk of meat confirmed that i was telling the truth. honestly, i hope that i never have to cook a steak again, because my husband is by far the best steak griller in the world, and it would just be silly to waste his talents. maybe he’ll grill some steak again this week. i’m hoping that he does, because my mouth is watering right now just thinking about it.

man of my dreams

on the night that i learned i would not be graduating on time, i crawled into my tiny, twin bed with a puffy face and sore throat from all of the crying that i had done that day. my mom came in to talk to me before i drifted off to sleep, and while she was in there, my aunt (her oldest sister) called me on my cell phone. i was not in the mood to talk, even though i knew that she was calling to try and console me, and i let her go to voice mail.
later on that night, i had a dream that i was at some sort of family celebration and was holding a baby that belonged to a friend. while talking to the baby and watching the family members around me, a man came up to me and put his arm around me. i couldn’t see his face (don’t you hate how that happens in dreams?), but the feeling that i had when he was standing next to me was very distinct. i felt peaceful, complete, beautiful and very happy. this man then turned to whisper these very words into my ear, “this is us three years from now.” when i woke up, i remembered every detail of the dream, but didn’t give it much thought other than to think that it gave me a nice feeling.
after church, i remembered my aunt’s voice mail that was awaiting me. listening to her animated voice made me smile, but then her parting words just about made me choke on the atlanta bread company sandwich that i was eating. her words were, “and i have a feeling, [wifey], that we are going to be just as proud of you three years from now as we are today.” what? my dream from the night before was still fresh in my mind and i wondered about the significance of it all. little did i know that 3 years, 2 months and 12 days later, i would be marrying the man of my dreams who made me feel exactly like that man did in my dream the night of my non-graduation. i have no doubt that God gave me that dream and put those words in my aunt’s mouth to provide a flicker of hope for my future as i worked hard to graduate college.

seven random things about the wifey

yesterday, i was tagged by the caffienated cowgirl over at just this side of normal for a meme. i have to state 7 random things about me and then tag 3 people to do the same. here they are in no particular order:
1) i hate eating out at restaurants. the servings are always too big, yet i have a hard time stopping when full, and i know that i could cook a healthier, cheaper version that would taste just as good at home.
2) my feet are huge. i wear a size 11 shoe and my mom always taught me to buy two pairs of the same shoe when i find one that i like, because my size sells out so quickly.
3) my brother was born when i was 9 1/2 years old, which means that i was an only child for that long. i'm not sure what that says about my personality. we have a very close relationship, even though we are so far apart in age.
4) when my mom used to make my lunches, she would put a frozen juice box on top of my peanut butter and jelly sandwich. by the time i got around to eating my lunch, the sandwich was cold and squished, but it tasted SO good. now, i can't eat a PBJ sandwich without squishing it first. it just doesn't taste right with fluffy bread.
5) i studied the russian language for three years in high school and one year in college. after spending 5 weeks in russia, i got really good at speaking the language. it's been a few years since i've had a chance to really practice it, so i'm rusty, but i want to get better. anyone want to practice with me?
6) i'm addicted to playing solitaire on my cell phone before i go to bed. somehow, i think that i have to win a game before i can fall asleep. this started while my hubby was deployed and i couldn't fall asleep at night... now i'm trying to break the habit =)
7) hamburgers are disgusting. i don't eat them and haven't eaten one since i was about 5 years old when my baby sitter would take me to mcdonald's for lunch and get hamburgers for me while she ate taco bell.

so that's about it. there are many more random things about me, but you'll have to stick around to discover them. now, i am tagging felicia, sara and chas. if you don't do the meme on your blog, then you'll have seven years of bad comments. just kidding =) do the meme if you want or don't do the meme if you don't feel like it. let me know if you do this meme on your blog so that i can read it!

giving thanks

this morning, as i was peeling and slicing apples for my husband’s lunch, it suddenly hit me that thanksgiving is just around the corner. that realization hit a switch somewhere in the back of my blonde brain and it finally started to feel like fall. i’m not sure what season i was stuck in before now, but somehow the nearness of turkey and stuffing and pumpkin and pecan pies made me feel like getting all of my warm and wooly sweaters down from the top shelf of our closet. soon, we’ll be hitting the road to go visit my family and my mom will be brining a turkey PW style while the hubby, my dad, my brother and i all play frisbee in the back yard. thinking about all of these things makes me thankful for the blessed life that i have. my mom has this tradition at thanksgiving that I used to consider very silly, but now i look forward to it. she has everyone go around the table and tell one thing that they are thankful for before we can begin to eat. i think i’ll get a head start on her tradition via the blog world today.
i’m thankful that my wonderfully brave hubby made it back safely from his second deployment and that he will be here for all of the holidays this year.
i’m thankful that i have a great job and a nice home, husband and dog to come home to.
i’m thankful for all of the soldiers, sailors and other military men and women who make sacrifices every day to protect our country and our country’s interests.
i’m thankful that we are free to worship and express our beliefs in this country.
i’m thankful that both my parents and the hubby’s parents are alive and happily married.
i’m thankful that three years ago today, i was able to be there with sara when anna was born.
i’m thankful for wonderful in-laws.
i’m thankful that the hubby didn’t laugh at me last night when i wanted to make smores with the oven broiler and that he roasted my marshmallows for me so i wouldn’t burn my hands.
i’m thankful that i am healthy enough to go running and burn some of the calories gained from eating those smores.
i’m thankful that you are still reading this long list. i could go on and on, but i will stop here for now. what are some things that you are especially thankful for this year?

the road to the last day of college... part 2

after transferring to a state school for my junior year and then returning to the women’s college so i could finish where i had started, i entered my fifth year of college as a senior.
days before graduation, my senior seminar professor invited our class over to her house to celebrate the end of our time together. she was as nice to me as everyone else and not once during the entire night did she pull me aside to tell my of my impending doom. you see, she had given me a failing grade for her class (which i definitely deserved).
on the day of graduation, i was woken up by my mom with the phone in her hand. it was the dean of the college and she wanted to speak to me! i cleared my throat, expecting her to ask me to do something special for her at graduation because i was just an exceptional person. instead, she quietly informed me that i would not be getting my degree that day. I had failed my senior seminar class and that grade had been enough to pull the gpa of my major below a 2.0. she said that i could still walk at graduation if i wanted to, but i would not be able to go on stage to shake the president’s hand or get my diploma. i didn’t know what to think, but i did know that there was no way that i was going to that graduation ceremony. i quickly thanked her and hung up the phone.
i was mad. i was mad at my senior seminar professor for not pulling me aside at her house that day, i was mad at myself for letting my grades get so bad that one class could ruin it all for me. i was humiliated that i would have to tell anyone what had happened. then the floodgates opened and i couldn’t stop crying. my parents came into my room and i somehow managed to tell them what the dean had said. i think they were honestly shocked. they let me cry for a few hours and then asked what i wanted to do about the party that they were having that night. i was too prideful to let them tell anyone the truth, so we actually had the party and just danced around the subject when any of the guests (other than family) asked how the graduation ceremony had been that morning. it was painful and i ended up going up to my room early and crying some more.
that weekend, my parents and i discussed my options. i could just give up, leave the college without a degree and become a real estate agent; i could go to another college and finish there; or i could go back to the women’s college and do what needed to be done to graduate. i decided on the latter choice and that monday, my mom and i met with one of the deans of the college to strategize. the dean told me that i had demonstrated great character in coming back to finish and she knew that i had what it took to graduate. she suggested two classes to take during fall semester and told me that i needed to make an A and a B in order to graduate. that dean was the first person in college who had ever taken any academic interest in me and i revered her for it.
it was excruciating for me to show back up that fall semester and have everyone ask why i was there. i told a few the truth, but others i just jokingly told that i couldn’t get enough of the place. terrified that i would wind up without a college degree, i worked very hard in both classes. i read the homework ahead of time, contributed in class and worked on my papers and essays in advance so that i could turn in real, finished products. classmates asked me questions when they didn’t understand our readings and i wondered why i hadn’t taken the time to care before now. rather than just hope that my grades were okay, i would follow up with my professors and talk to them about my papers while i was writing them. i discovered that i truly enjoyed school. i made two A’s that semester and ended up with two professors who were genuinely proud of me! i was proud of myself, too, and that semester will forever be a memory that i turn to for inspiration and motivation. it was an awfully painful semester for my pride, but i will be forever thankful that God let me get to that failing point so i would have to work hard at achieving something. he didn’t just let me glide through school, because he loved (loves) me and didn’t want me making the same mistakes in more important areas of my life later on down the road.

oh, caulk!

one of the final details that we have been doing in our remodeling project is caulking. the hubby and i scraped and removed the old caulk around the crown molding before we painted and then removed the old caulk from both bathtubs over the weekend. the hubby had a pretty frustrating time trying to caulk below the crown molding in the dining room, but he ended up doing a great job. after seeing how annoyed he was with the caulk gun, i decided that i would do him a favor and do the rest of the caulking myself. besides, he had more important projects that needed his attention (like installing cool, new toilet paper holders and hanging a few pictures). do you know how maddening it is when you finish up a caulk line and the caulk doesn’t stop coming out of the tube? it just keep squirting out, even if you put a cap on it!
i was crouched inside the guest bathtub caulking, and the hubby was using the level to measure for the toilet paper holder right next to me when this conversation took place:
wifey: “you know, caulk could be a bad word in our family's vocabulary after this experience. you could say the word and no one would know that you were sort of cussing.”
hubby: “except that it already sounds like a bad word.”
wifey, not quite grasping what the hubby meant: “wouldn’t it be great? you could say something like, ‘oh, caulk!’” pause… “um, yeah, i see what you mean. scratch that idea.”

to football or not to football

that is the question. i work with some serious football fans. before now, i've never paid much attention to bcs ratings or who needs to beat who this weekend or who is the best quarterback for this week's fantasy game. but now, i don't have much of a choice because i hear about it all day long at work. i even managed to be the high school drum major for three whole years without understanding what a first, second, third or fourth down had to do with winning a football game. i barely knew when a touchdown was happening. usually, i would watch the fans or the band director for a cue when to tell the band to play a fight song. sad, i know. yesterday, the hubby was particularly interested in a certain navy/notre dame football game. i actually watched it with him and enjoyed it. he even explained what all the downs were and why they had to happen, etc. sara has tried to explain these things to me before, but i guess it didn't stick with me. now, however, i think i might understand. maybe. i still don't see what all the hype is about and can't quite understand why someone would spend their entire weekend on the couch watching football games, but maybe i'll try a little bit harder now to enjoy a game every now and then. what harm can it do?

it's a jacket! it's a coat! it's a blazer! it's a cardigan! it's a trench coat!

when i bought this coat, i didn't fully realize just how versatile it would be. you see, one of the perks to working in an all-male office (except for me, of course) is that the guys don't pay attention to your wardrobe. i can wear the same outfit two or three times a week (i try to limit it to two times, don't worry) and they'll have no clue! this jacket has been added to so many outfits, you wouldn't believe it. i've already worn it twice this week as part of two separate ensembles. it's great and i'm totally getting my moneys worth out of it. when i was in high school, i didn't really have the luxury of wearing outfits twice in one week. my mom would notice that i liked a shirt or pair of pants a little too much and then would hide them from me. perhaps she was trying to save me from a social disaster, but it just plain frustrated me. my husband on the other hand, would never think of hiding clothes from me just to prevent my wearing them multiple times. in fact, i think he would encourage it because that would mean less shopping on my part. or not. =)

location. location. location.

well, after countless hours spent painting, cleaning and rearranging, i'm ready to show you a few pictures of our condo that we hoping to sell very quickly. we showed it to a couple last night and are going to list it with our realtor this weekend if that couple doesn't make an offer by then. the bathrooms were totally redone and the pergo floors throughout the condo are all new as well. what do you think?