Friday, June 5, 2015

Confessions of a Home Owner

Well, the first confession is that I'm not by any means a first time homeowner. But it's different this time. This time it feels like true love. ;-)


If you've been following the blog--although that would not be easy, given the fact I've missed posting how many weeks?--you know that the SO and I have been in the process of buying a house since December. Wait. Not the same house, though the process did feel that lengthy at times. First we fell in love with a house on New Year's Eve. That fell through, but then we found another house. A really glorious house. And we've been moving in for a couple of weeks.


Yes, we are still moving in.


It's a lengthy process because for two weeks I was finishing up Winter Kill and then we finally seriously got to shifting stuff...though not the big stuff, not the real furniture because...the SO keeps having panic attacks at the thought of boxing up his office (and if you could see his office, you'd have a panic attack too--I know I do when I open That Door).


So I am horrendously, embarrassingly behind on email and social media. From the moment the loan went through everything came to a screeching halt. I had a book release and I haven't even bothered to check my sales. What does that tell you? I am now focusing on catching up, but it's taking a bit of time because we're still painting and hanging curtains and blowing up the pool pump (almost--disaster was narrowly averted) and hunting for missing steak knives and so forth.


We're at the stage where no matter which house we're in, what we need is always at the other house.


But we are happy. We love this house. The kitchen is big enough for two people to cook and talk and drink wine and eat cheese. The pool is small as pools go, but plenty big enough for us. And the garden smells like jasmine and gardenia -- the chimes are always tinkling on the breeze. The tile in the bath is Catalina blue. The light is...amazing. So many windows. I keep walking into rooms thinking I left a lamp on only to find it's sunlight streaming through.


So I thought I'd share a few select photos since you've shared this journey with me for months now. After this, I'll shut up about the house and we'll get back to talking books and writing and publishing.


You have to understand that the place is still a work in progress....


My office







Dining room







Legendary swimming pool






World famous wet bar





Family room





Kitchen (don't judge!)






So that's the grand tour. Hope you enjoyed it. Don't forget to collect all your belongings before exiting the bus!





72 comments:

  1. Yes, this surely sounds like true love. Reading your post made me sigh happily and go "Awwww!". And bath tiles are Catalina blue? If that isn't a sign for PERFECT fit, I don't know what is. :-)

    It sounds and LOOKS WONDERFUL. All these amazing spaces for working, relaxing, get-togethers... enjoying being at home. I couldn't be happier for you two!

    And I can't wait to hear how content you both will be when the move is all over and the everyday life with all its old and NEW routines begin in this lovely home.

    So, try not to blow up anything just yet, please. :-)

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    1. I am constantly having to do a reality check. Can this really be our house? Are we really going to live here? :-) But every day it does feel more and more like our home.

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  2. Wow, your place is gorgeous! Congras for getting a place that u love. :)

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  3. What a wonderful house with a pool :) Congratulations, I wish you many happy years enjoying it.

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  4. Wonderful! Can we live in your house, please! The conference is going on, bye!

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  5. The kitchen and the pool are gorgeous!Congratulations again! ^_^

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  6. I love the pool! The house looks beautiful :). Enjoy!

    Goge

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    1. Thank you! It's getting a good workout now that the weather has turned truly hot.

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  7. It looks beautiful, Josh! I would kill for that kitchen. You are lucky for starting a new project together. Even though it seems a mess now, imagine how it will look in a year time, when you are already settled in and made it your home. But do not forget to check all the crates in the cellar... One never knows what can be hidden with the china...

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    1. We are definitely having fun together. Though there have been a few knock down drag out battles -- mostly over stuff so stupid, I can't even recall the point. But cooking together, swimming together, puzzling and cursing over unintelligible instructions for bookshelves together...this is the life. ;-)

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  8. All looks wonderful! You can feel the relaxation coming on just by looking at that amazing pool and garden. It takes time to get everything in order, but I hope you enjoy some of that process; it's a chance to rearrange and restyle, and there can be a lot of joyous energy in that. It's a beautiful place. Enjoy! :-)

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    1. Yes! It's wonderful trying beloved treasures out in different rooms. The print over the bed in the master bedroom used to hang in the dining room. The picture previously over the master bed is now in the upper level hallway, and so on and so forth. Everything feels new.

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  9. You have all the time in the world to sort things out. I know that you and SO are going to be happy there for many, many years. I love the kitchen and the wet bar. I wish you many happy hours puttering in your house and swimming in your pool. <3

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  10. Some belated unpacking advice (after moving 4 times in 4 years): I would open each box and take a snapshot of the content with my phone, even if I don't "deal" with those boxes right away. Cos even with wrapping paper, you would have a better idea what's inside the box and of course numbering the boxes.

    Your true love looks amazing, I'm especially jealous of the kitchen. And I love your skull lamp!

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    1. It is a very, very nice kitchen. The blue tile is not to everyone's taste, but we love it. And the windows. And the little island--I've never had an island before. No wonder people love these things! And all those drawers and cupboards. I keep thinking I'm dreaming.

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  11. It all looks beautiful. So many nice touches. Love the wine rack. Thank you for sharing.

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    1. Thanks for reading along, Lori. :-) It seemed only fair to share given how much I've been talking about this house and move.

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  12. I love that the dining room table is full of stuff, yet there are already roses there to cheer things up. What a wonderful house! Love the tile in the kitchen, bar, and bathrooms. One of my favorite colors. Your office is WAY cleaner than mine, so no worries, you can make it work. Hope you get 100% moved soon.

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    1. The roses are gorgeous here. There's one in the front...yellow marbled with scarlet. I forget what they call them, but I fell in love at first sight.

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  13. It's absolutely lovely :) Congrats on the new house :D

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  14. Ha! To answer your question, Josh, you missed three weeks posting (not that you have to post every week), and I’m not counting the blog piece before this one about your WK release. :) 
    Moving on to your new home—it is a triumph! These pictures are the best. You need shots when all is not yet settled; these are the “before” pics. Later, when everything has been painted and polished, and furniture set where you want, then you can take the official portraits for each room. Those are your “after” shots. And of course we hope and expect to see those too.

    As for the pool—oh Josh—this is heaven! The feeling of calm and contentment; the sense of privacy. You are going to spend so much time there recharging your mind and body.

    It all looks truly fantastic. I am so happy for you. Your search for a dream house has tuned into your dream home!

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    1. Such true words. :-)

      Thank you for those kind thoughts, Susan!

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  15. Oh, Josh, I'm so happy for you. Thank you for the tour. It's a beautiful home. (Love Me, Love My Clutter) You have years to sort it all out, time and again. I LOVE your pool and yard. Me thinks I would spend countless hours in that pool with drink in hand, planning where I wanted to move the next item. Moving in could take years. Enjoy every minute! :)

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    1. Just wanted to add...I've just spent an inordinate amount of time looking at your art work on the floor with my head tipped sideways. I love it all, but the stormy seascape is my favorite. Reminds me of a Dutch painting,Ships on a Stormy Sea...and I love the skull on your desk as well! :D

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    2. Thank you so much for the good wishes, Karan.

      And I love that you're enjoying the art -- even upside down. That's one of the best things about this house. We actually have enough room to hang most of our art.

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  16. Love the house so far, Josh...especially the pool area and the Nick and Nora Charles poster/print on the wall of he Wet Bar. Perfect! :-D

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    1. Yep...I love The Thin Man movies!

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    2. From the point Nick and Nora showed up, I knew we were home. ;-)

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  17. What was that book that came out while you were gone? Winter... something... You didn't check your sales?!

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    1. I did keep an eye on the preorders, and those were pretty healthy, so...uh...yeah. In fact, I still haven't looked! :-D

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  18. I hope you have many happy years there together. Thanks for sharing these pictures.

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  19. It is a beautiful house and it has a wonderful room layout. The swimming pool is gorgeous and I love the kitchen and the wet bar. I have to be cautious with alcohol, because it is often a trigger for 'my' migraine, but I love cocktails :-) . Your office looks friendly and warm and functional. The house looks friendly and beautiful and alive! I am very, very happy for you! ♥

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    1. Yes, to being cautious with alcohol. For whatever the reason.

      My sister and I were drinking something called Black Orchids yesterday. We managed to stop one drink short of a full on hangover. And I am grateful for that.

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  20. Love that the house is feeling like home. Love that you are slowly beating it into the shape you want it to be. Packing offices is supposed to drive you into a panic, that's how you know your work is important, at least to you. Never forget, whatever you can't find is the fault of the movers, even if they haven't been yet. Everything else can usually be fixed with either duct tape or warm chocolate chip cookies. Missing steak knives is an issue but not really bad if you know where the carving set is.
    Good luck with the unpacking and try not to have panic attacks at the same time, there is always a wine for that. Have an even more wonderful life in the new place than you've had in the old one.

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    1. THOSE DAMNED MOVERS!! I KNEW IT WAS A MISTAKE TO HIRE THEM.

      (Have not hired movers yet. STILL! IRRELEVANT. DAMN THEIR EYES.)

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  21. Beautiful house, Josh! It looks like it's worth all the nerves and anguish. As Karan said, the sea print is great - is it Tucker's? ;-)

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    1. Ha! A keen eye. And you are correct. I was researching that print when I was writing Fair Game, and yes, this is Tucker's print.

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  22. Almost don't need the photos as your words paint pictures, but it looks charming. :)

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    1. Aw. Thank you. By gosh, it will be charming by the time we are done, Or I will want to know the reason why. ;-)

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  23. Whoa Josh! Nice place you guys have there. Glad to see the bar is stocked and open. Usually the first spot operational whenever I move somewhere. Your SO's office is probably a model of neatness and organization compared to mine. I can hardly get into the room and I have to actually work elsewhere in the house. It's so bad I've posted the following on the door: "Lasciate ogne speranza voi ch'intrate." See, it's all relative. Enjoy the new place. BTW," Winter Kill" is great.

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    1. Thanks so much, Tony (speaking of someone I owe a couple of emails to)!

      I've gotta say it has been a lifesaver having the wine and cheese ready to go at a moment's notice. There have been many such moments in the moving process..

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  24. Josh, you have a beautiful home. Glad you are getting things organized; it does take a while. The important thing is that it's yours and you and your SO love it. Sending you a cyber upside down pineapple cake ;)

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    1. Just when we needed it most! :-) Thank you, Denise.

      And it is fun sharing this adventure with the SO. The last housebuying was done on my own, so this is a very different experience. It's a lot more fun.

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  25. damn bro nice! I was thinking dont tell me ya got a deer head over the hearth LOL and you do, but at least its not one with the glass eyes that stare at you continuously.... hah, I'd kill for that pool and dig the tile on the kitchen island. Im not a cook by any means but tryign to cook makes me wish one of those things. at 6'3' anything under the overhanging cabinets is a comedy heh.. grats to ya both. enjoy, I already winter kill yet another all nighter to finish it lol ., good stuff. Aishen

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    1. No real live animals were harmed in the making of this house into a home. ;-) Thanks for commenting -- this kitchen could turn anyone into a cook, I'm telling you.

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  26. Congrats on your lovely new home!

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    1. Thank you! I am still pinching myself when I wake up each morning.

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  27. Beautiful home congratulations .Hope u enjoy it. Just finished Winter Kill, its a great book, wonderful hope it will be a second one because fell in love with those two. Thanks for sharing the picture and your books.

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  28. What a beautiful home! Congratulations! We are also in the midst of moving, so I share your pain, although we aren't quite as far along in the actual moving-in process as you are - I still dread having to sort and pack and then move and unpack and figure out where everything will go. Oh, dear....I think I'll go buy Winter Kill now to distract myself!

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    1. It's exciting and exhausting.

      The move, I mean. Not the book. Though I hope the book is exciting. ;-)

      As exhausting and stressful as this period is, don't forget to enjoy every second of it. It's a really big thing, moving house--kind of momentous--and I'm trying to remind myself to make sure I really experience it coz it only happens once. ;-)

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  29. Knowing what you've been going through the past several weeks - and weeks, AND weeks - it's a real pleasure to hear you're able to focus all your energy on putting together the new house. The pictures are great and that pool is to die for. To. Die. For.

    Congratulations - both on the house and on Winter Kill.

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    1. Thanks so much, Steve. It's a big relief to actually be working on the house now and settling in at long last.

      Oh, and a big relief the book is out too! :-D

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  30. You have an awesome home. Totally envy you with all those h natural lighting coming in. You and Mr. Holmes running on parallel lines. Did you write that story knowing you were moving also or after? Coincidence? I was just wondering is that a framed picture of a scene from The Thin Man movies? That was one of the best mystery movie series of all time. I wish they had done more. The two MCs had great chemistry on screen together. Speaking of which is there any chance you might consider squeezing in the next installment of the The DOYLE & SPAIN series. It seems like forever since the last one was out. Oh, by the way awesome story Winter Kill. For those who hasn't read it yet. Totally get it, JL says he didn't write too much romance, but I say yes, there's plenty. Yet, the ending, the ending. Luv the reference from Downtown Abbey. Unfortunately, I wish it was longer. Take that as a compliment and a complain. ;-) Thanks for another great read and hope your next story will be longer. 8-)

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    1. Thank you very kindly! So glad you enjoyed the story. :-D

      I think writing BWTPT planted the idea of moving because I thought I was perfectly content where we were for the next few years. And then suddenly boom, I'm insisting we've got to pull up stakes. :-D

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  31. OMG, the pool! AND the trees outside of the fence! The whole house is gorgeous, but the outside is my dream...
    Congrats :)

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    1. That wall of trees is fantastic. In the morning it creates the illusion of waking up in a parkland.

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  32. Congrats on the house & thanks for sharing views... I love the interior, but the pool alone would have sold me!! I also prefer a home with a lot of light, maybe because of the dreary winters here.

    For some reason I find it funny the SO is the one with the messy office...I pictured him as the neat freak and you as, well, not :)
    BTW I loved WK, lots of twists & turns...

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    1. Thanks so much!

      Ha. We both have our little quirks. I am an organized worker bee. Him, not so much. He, however, alphabetizes CDs and DVDs. Me? I laugh at such notions. Laugh wildly...as I hunt through all my CDs for the one I want to play...

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  33. Love the tour....love your house....loved winter kill....can write and move....very talented man.....

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  34. The house looks great. Now will your future books feature any pool boys? :D.

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  35. It looks wonderful! I think the kitchen looks just great, and it looks like a wonderful place to gather with friends. Congratulations!!

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