How Does This House Continuously Fall Apart?

I think this blog is supposed to be about home improvement or something...

Since moving into the house around a year ago, I feel like more destruction than improvement has happened:

• Hall bathroom toilet is in pieces (albeit because it stopped working and we tried to fix it)
• Half of the trees in the yard are dead (unsure about why this happened)
• A panel from the dropped ceiling in the kitchen fell out (replaced this yesterday though)
• I stepped through the ceiling while exploring the "attic"
• Buttons ate some of the carpet in the TV room
• Buttons ate some of the wallpaper in the bathroom
• The pool has turned into its own fragile ecosystem
• The garden has been taken over by unruly weeds
• The deck has some worrisome boards
• Dishwasher has begun leaking and stopped draining
• Bathroom sinks have stopped draining

How does this happen? Is this just what houses do? Fall apart? This isn't very fun. I thought it was going to be all painting walls neat colors and buying lamps!!

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Snow Daze

Front of the house from the road. It was knee-deep in some places!

Lessons Learned From Snowmageddon 2011

• An all-wheel drive vehicle won't get you out of your driveway if the snow is more than halfway up your wheels. 
• Buying snow shovels is best done in the off-season. Like the middle of July. 
• Clearing a driveway using only a push broom and rake is a nearly insurmountable task.
• Blizzard warnings will empty all of the dairy cases at all 3 grocery stores in your town.
• Frozen taquitos for dinner two days in a row will make you very, very regretful. 
• Drivers of Honda Civics are certain their cars have the same snow-handling capabilities as Toyota Landcruisers. They will be totally surprised when they become stuck in an uncleared intersection.
• Once the blizzard has finished with your area and people are able to drive again, they will immediately head to a grocery store and bemoan the lack of dairy products.
• Snow plows will come to your neighborhood only after they have finished driving up and down one well-traveled road approximately 80 times. 
• Your neighbors are jerks and won't offer to let you borrow their shovel.
• Although your pantry and freezer seem well-stocked for Snowmageddon, they really aren't. How are you supposed to make tamales without corn husks?! Where is the other can of Manwich?!
• Spending a week trapped indoors with your significant other and cats isn't as fun as it sounds. 

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