Hoo-ray! I'm a homeowner again!

Wow, the closing went well, I just had to wait around an hour to let the money from my lender transfer into the right account.

So yesterday I went to Home Depot to get stuff, and some keys (what a goofus nightmare that is) and today I am messing around with the garage door/security gate remotes. I got two of them, but one of them is not working, the gate button sticks in the "on" position.

I talked to 2 painters and yes, I got some sticker shock. But the second painter said something interesting. She said that she's a smoker, and the odor is more like a wood fire than cigarette smoke. You know, she's right, it smells like a campground, not like an ashtray. Either way it is a pretty powerful smell. I cut a bunch of rosemary and also put out some powerful air fresheners. I will see what it smells like when I go back later to test my universal remote control.

Security gates are a real pain in the @ss. Oh, and get this, I can't put a working set of extra keys together. Of the 4 keys I got yesterday, the doorknob keys don't work on the garage doorknownb, but the deadbolt keys work on the garage door. The doorknob keys work on the front door, but not on the garage doorknob. The doorknobs feel chinzy to me too.

Where to start? What to do first?

So, I close on my place next Friday, May 25th. That is the start of the Memorial Day Weekend. Before I can move into the place it needs to be painted, walls and ceiling. And the carpet in the 2 bedrooms need to be replaced.

The other major big project is the kitchen counters, backsplash and sink. I think I can have this done after I move in, if I need to. My lease on the apartment is up on July 25th, so I will pay that for June and July, but I would prefer not to have dual utilities to pay.

And speaking of utilities, I think I can get dual electric accounts, but what should I do about my phone? I need to have a hard-wired phone in the place in order to let people (workmen!) through the gates. Those gates are a pain in the tush. I don't want to put the phone over completely because then I'll be in my apartment without Internet access and Nina will use excessive minutes on her cell phone.

I am the luckiest woman there is to have such dilemmas. I mean really, just 11 months ago I came to the full realization of what a complete jerk I was married to, and now I am getting my own beautiful home and I am officially jerk-free.