Hell Week Wrap-Up

They say that buying a first home as a couple is an exciting time.

I say it's complete and utter torture.

But maybe that's because our first home isn't exactly picket fences and dutch front doors -- it's more carports and on-site laundry.

That said, I'm pleased to announce that after eight (yes EIGHT) LONG months of trying to buy our little beach triplex, we FINALLY closed.

Walt Disney was right -- Dreams DO come true (at least for RP).

But I can't complain, since RP has promised that said investment will make me rich and with my phenomenal acting skills I'm almost positive I could keep it in the divorce.

Just kidding.

Here's RP happily signing his life away:

And me, at our post-closing dinner, after the xanax kicked in and the salsa/Diet Coke began flowing.

With the stress of the closing done, we relaxed. To the point that we were oblivious to the strategic escape of one long-eared member of the Price household. We woke this morning to find our house sans two long ears and one cotton tail. Luckily, Sadie's hunger for freedom doesn't compare with her hunger for vegetables, and RP found her basking blissfully in the tomato garden. RP hid his disappointment in finding her surprisingly well.

Luckily, the week is ending on a fantastic note -- as I snuck out of work to endulge my childhood fascination with space and drove to Disneyland to see the Endeavour make its final flight.

This excitement of seeing this beauty may only be surpassed when I get home to find THIS beauty waiting in the mail:

Hell week, you didn't turn out half-bad.

Fall Weddings Bring California Prices

It's no great secret that the months of September through December are pretty much the only thing that gets me through the other eight. I'm a pretty big fan of Autumn. I love the changing light, the cooler air (in other parts of the country), the endless options for pumpkin desserts. I even love football season -- although it usually means I fall one more rung on RP's list of priorities (current standings: 1. football 2. surfing. 3. beach triplexes. 4. KP).

Just kidding. Mostly.

This week, I loved fall because I got to spend a bit of it in Utah. Since it'd been a good year since I'd visited the beehive state, I was due for some quality time with some of the world's greatest people. With RP's BFF (sorry, that was a lot of acronyms) getting married, I not only had a few extra hours sans husband to catch up with MY BFF, but I also got some much-needed catch-up time with some of my favorite Prices.

The weekend started with a six-mile run workout with my cute sis-in-law Jessica Saturday morning, wherein we realized that we liked chatting more than we liked running.

Then I got to head downtown for lunch with my bestie. The food at Blue Lemon was second to my long-anticipated meeting of little Miss Delilah -- who was as delightful as she was cute.

After lunch, RP and I were all about romance. Well, not our own. Nearly late for the wedding as-is, we stopped by WalMart to pick up some snacks and goodies to give the new couple a honeymoon basket. Wherein I realized why I don't go to Walmart:

WalMart Checker: "Someone's having a romantic night tonight!"

KP: "(laughs) Not us!"

WalMart Checker: "Your daughter?"

KP: "..........no............"

I'm not sure what's worse about this conversation -- the fact that I look old enough to have an adult daughter or the fact that she would obviously be the person to whom I'm giving honeymoon supplies. Maybe she just thought I was hoping to make the cast of Teen Moms.

After that harrowing experience, we made it to the wedding (and I was classy enough to leave my cane and dentures at home).

RP tried not to steal the show. But I can't say he succeeded:

After this kind of frivolity, luckily we were left to simply enjoy some family time -- and three (yes THREE) football games. What with BYU and USC bringing on the disappointment, I pled with the universe on behalf of the Eagles. Luckily, the Universe took pity, and now Philadelphia is 2-0 and RP has yet to kill himself.

We love you, Utah. Now if only you lived in California. 

This Week in Prices: A Trial Separation

They say if you love something, let it go (surfing).

So last week, that’s what I did with RP.

I let him go. Meaning, I turned him over to the (impeccable) safety of Mexican nationals. Last week, while the real world (read: I) worked for a living and cared for a home and a helpless rabbit, my husband spent a week of frivolity in Oaxaca, Mexico.

Since this is the longest RP and I have ever been separated since we’ve been married, I had to adjust to the alone time. This was not so difficult, it turned out. What with a gym, a big-screen TV, a MacBook and all the shopping malls and sushi restaurants of Orange County at my disposal, I managed to keep myself occupied for the eight long days he spent basking in the Southern Mexican sun.

Evidence I stayed busy:

Not to say I didn’t miss him dearly, but I did manage to come away with a few fun facts:

-          I love someone enough to get up at 4:30 am on a Saturday and drive and hour to the Mexican border. Two years ago I would not have thought this feat possible. And yet there I was, watching RP and his boyfriend walk across the border and out of my life:

-          My mother warned me after RP left that I may have a stalker just waiting for my husband to leave town. I found this wildly flattering.

-          Said stalker did not exist, which I found wildly unflattering.

-          A rabbit is a poor excuse for a guard dog. If a stalker had broken in and happened to have banana chips on their person, I’d have been toast. 

-          Incidentally, with RP gone the apartment stayed splendidly clean.

-          I don’t yell angrily at the TV during Bachelor Pad if RP isn’t watching it too.

-          Nor do I mimic the dance moves on So You Think You Can Dance if RP’s not around.

-     It's beneficial for both parties in an escrow transaction to be in the country when your home purchase is approved, falls through, and gets revived again.

-          Sugary treats just sit around and go stale without RP’s late-night sweet tooth.

-          It’s nice to not rush home to claim whatever UPS or FedEx brought before RP can find it.

-     RP is welcome to Oaxaca anytime he wants to bring me back the motherload of pure cacao:

-          A guilty, well-surfed husband is AWESOME at selecting gifts.

-          Nothing tastes better to a homesick surfer boy than a roast and homemade peach pie.

      -     After returning to the US of A and his lonely, devoted wife, I realized that RP does, in fact, love me.