Wednesday, January 30, 2008

MORE GOOD STUFF!

More stuff to look forward to! Wow! I might be turning into an optimist! (NOT!) anyway, since my original post I have thought of a few more things I’m looking forward to, and friends have also added a thing or two to my list.

The first thing I need to add to my list….and I can’t believe I forgot this the first time around is…..

• DRIVING!!!!! Add to that driving an automatic and not having to worry about a stick shift and man oh man, what a concept! I’ll be free! I’ll be independent!

Another thing I can add to the list is just a possibility, but still…

• Designing a new kitchen….you now my dream kitchen includes base cabinets of nothing but huge drawers, and this could be my chance!

• If we find a house that’s a fixer-upper, I could also have fun renovating and redecorating, something I didn’t realize I liked so much until we built our house in 1993. After that I got to gut the condo we bought that hadn’t been updated since 1975. Some might think it was crazy, but I gleefully ripped out the shag carpeting, gold-veined mirrored tiles, and an entire kitchen full of harvest gold appliances, complete with harvest gold counter-tops. After the condo came this house, and now, after nearly five years, I have to admit that I’m itching to do some redecorating!

• Reading the daily newspaper and knowing the areas being talked about, the people involved, or just the specifics of the story! Add to that the Sunday New York Times and magazines galore….and that’s just at the grocery or corner drugstore! I’ll also be able to while away entire afternoons at the bookstore, wandering, browsing, reading, listening to new music…..what a thrill!

• My friend Jane reminded me that I’d also be able to have a LARGE refrigerator back in the states.
Now for me, that’s not as big a thrill for me as I’m sure it was for her when she returned to the states after her year in Italy. The reason is that Jane had to use an under-counter refrigerator like the one on the left.

My refrigerator here in Italy is full height….actually it’s taller than most American refrigerators, but it is a little narrower. It’s still quite a bit bigger than the one Jane used, but still not nearly as big as
the new French-door refrigerator she just bought. I LOVE the idea of these refrigerators….the stuff I use the most right at eye level….the w-i-d-e shelves, and the wonderful pull-out drawer so that I can get a good look at the contents of my freezer! Unfortunately the prices on these French door refrigerators is crazy….well over $2000 in most cases, so that dream may go unfulfilled.

• Another possibility for the states is a whirlpool tub. A bathtub was high on my list when we were looking for a house in Italy, because not every house has one. Showers are much more common, and a nice large tub was such a bonus when we found this house. Now I’m sure we could find a whirlpool tub to replace the one we have now, but in the states the chances of finding a house with a whirlpool tub are actually pretty good.

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