It’s official
Well, after years of searching, planning, researching, stressing and praying (not necessarily in that order!), we are settling into our first home. We were originally supposed to close on 9/14 but it kept getting bumped back for various reasons, and we wound up closing almost a week later. I’m pretty sure that week of agonizing and hair-pulling aged me 10 years (I swear, I have new gray hairs. Not kidding.).
So, unfortunately, the process was much more stressful and frustrating than the idyllic, blissful dream I’d had in my mind … but the more we settle in, the more I’m excited to have a house of our own.
I don’t have internet service out there yet – I’m currently at my in-laws’ using their computer. I should be up by sometime in the next week or so.
More to come. Sorry for the blog drought!
Play day
We are up to our eyeballs with this whole house mess, so we decided to get away and have some fun today. We took the kids to an inflatable (think ‘moon bounce’) play place and had a blast. Mikaela never ceases to amaze me scaling tall ladders and climbing walls. Read the rest of this entry »
Unbelievable
Now our closing’s Thursday at 9 am. This is supposedly set in stone, but like I’ve said, at this point, I’ll believe it when the keys are in my hand.
A spoonful of sugar…
I found a VHS of Disney’s Mary Poppins recently for a good price, so I bought it for the kids. They LOVE it. I think they’ve watched it twice a day for the last several days – all the way through. I don’t normally let them sit in front of the TV for so long, but there’s not much else to do around here with nearly everything packed up.
Anyway, I am especially intrigued by the fact that Mikaela can sit all the way through it. She’s normally little ms. wiggle-tail, so this is a giant feat. She will bring me the movie and ask to watch “the penguins.” (She’s referring to the part with the animated characters.) It’s funny.
No house yet
Well, first the closing was moved to Monday, then Tuesday, now it’s Wednesday, and that’s not even a 100% certainty.
The builder hasn’t finished yet.
I am having to work really hard not to have a complete ‘come-apart.’
So, we’re sitting in this house with almost everything packed up, waiting. Jay took off work last Friday through next Monday…. this is really not a good use of his time. We thought we’d be moving, painting and un-packing boxes all week this week. At this rate, we’re going to do really well to have the house in some semblance of order before our out-of-town guests arrive Thursday.
Please say a prayer for our sanity.
Hmph.
Well, yesterday we found out our closing was moved until Monday because of some tax form that the builder (or real-estate agent? I forget exactly who.) forgot to get completed.
Today (Friday), I found out our closing has been moved to Tuesday because our house isn’t even finished yet. ?!?!?!
The girl from the mortgage company today said the inspector went out there and found it unfinished (I think it was the electrical). Could the builder and/or realtor have bothered to let us and the mortgage company know about that tiny little detail?
I’ve had to reschedule the U-haul and babysitters twice now. The builder is not returning my phone calls. I am going to have to drive up there tomorrow and demand some answers.
After this development (or should I say LACK of development), I decided to check out our builder on the Better Business Bureau site. They have an unsatisfactory record of resolving complaints. Gee, you think I’d figure out to do that BEFORE getting this far into a new home next time. (All you prospective first-time homeowners, take notes.)
I know one thing for darn sure: Jay and I aren’t signing anything until that house is perfect. I’m not going to fall for any of that “oh, we’ll finish these last few things up this week.” Obviously these people can’t be trusted.
On the other hand, I feel guilty about being so angry about all this … this house is such a blessing and a dream come true. This is supposed to be a happy occasion.
All you praying folks, please say a prayer that everything else will go smoothly, and that Jay and I will be at peace.
Flashback
I just found this video on youtube and it took me back. I LOVED the Monkees and faithfully watched them on TV as a child (I think I was about 6 or so when they started showing Monkees re-runs?) I dreamed of one day marrying Davy Jones, or if that didn’t work out, Peter Tork. I’m so not making this up. When I found out that I was actually watching re-runs and the Monkees were much older than me, I was just crushed.
I hate waiting
But doesn’t everyone?
This has been one of the longest weeks of my life, right behind the last week I was pregnant with Gabriel.
We “may” close tomorrow, a fact that is making me nuts. The mortgage company has had an entire month to work on our case and they’re acting like they just don’t know if they can get it done by tomorrow.
We’re in a rush because we have family coming in from out-of-state Thursday, and we have a lot of work to do on the new place (painting, etc.) before then. Plus, we have the U-haul lined up, movers in place, and babysitters scheduled.
I think perhaps mortgage companies do this to everyone just for some sadistic fun.
oh, the joys of moving
I’m excited about the house, but I just wish I could skip the whole moving thing. I’ve already done lots of packing and cleaning in preparation for our move this Sunday.
Jay and I usually disagree about the level of cleaning needed when you move out of an apartment/rent house. I say it needs to be absolutely spotless in every possible way (as much as is feasible, anyway). After all, rental companies are definitely going to look for every possible excuse not to give you your deposit back. And I’m not going to let them have one. But Jay thinks I’m wasting my effort. (Which is really funny, since he is the neat freak between the two of us. But that’s a story for another day…)
So, earlier I found myself on my hands and knees scrubbing behind the toilet. This is a place that you can’t really see unless you’re down on your hands and knees with your head stuck back there. But doggone it, I got it clean. Now I smell like Tilex. 
Packing is going pretty well. Most of our stuff is boxed up, already out in the garage and ready to be put onto the moving truck. Almost everything else that we’re still using is in partially-packed boxes, including our non-perishable food, linens and clothes. So all we have to do the last day we’re here is toss the rest of those things in their respective boxes, tape them up, and go.
This blog is getting to be very Seinfeldian, isn’t it? I promise, I’ll have more interesting subject matter once we’re in and settled! By the way, there is probably going to be a period where I’m out of pocket here on this blog – possibly from 9/14 to 9/24. Don’t think I dissapeared, I’m just moving and visiting with family. I’ll be back soon.
Four Things Meme
Four Things Meme
Four jobs that I have had in my life:
- Various positions in grocery stores in high school and college (cashier, florist, deli worker)
- Associate Editor at a national magazine publisher (I still freelance for them)
- Pre-Press Night Shift Lead (at our regional newspaper here in Austin, TX)
- Web designer (snort)
Four places that I have lived:
- Birmingham, AL
- Chattanooga, TN area
- Nashville, TN area
- Austin, TX area
Four Countries that I have been to on vacation:
- U.S.A.
- Mexico
- Uh, that’s it. If I could pick two more: New Zealand and Ireland
Four of my favorite foods:
- My husband’s incredible enchiladas or tortilla soup. (It’s a travesty that he’s never opened his own restaurant.)
- Southern Fare (meat n’ three)
- Japanese or Greek
- Outback’s Queensland Salad
Four places I would rather be right now:
- In TN to visit my new niece, Lucy.
- Visiting someplace a little cooler.
- Moved into our new home already.
- On vacation somewhere, with my parents watching the kids!
Ha
House
Yesterday, Jay, the kids and I went out to check on the progress of our new home that’s in the final phase of construction. It looks a lot better than it did a week ago, thankfully. I think it’s going to be nice when it’s done.
We drove up there after Jay got home from work last night, so the sun was setting by the time we got there. I didn’t realize it, but the back of our home points west (well, more like the back left corner points west), so we can see the sun set each evening from our patio, living room, or master bedroom. This is a HUGE perk to me … I never get tired of marveling at beautiful sunsets.
We close ONE WEEK FROM TODAY! I’m really finally letting myself get excited about it. Oh, my gosh, I have so much work to do. Packing, cleaning, painting, baby-proofing (Mikaela still needs it … believe me.) … I guess I should stop writing and start working!
What’s currently playing in my head
So, I’m in Walgreen’s drug store the other night fairly late, buying pull-ups for the kids, when a song that I haven’t heard since … let’s see… 8th grade(?) comes on the loudspeakers. Somehow, it came right back to me and I sang every word. It was the Damn Yankees singing “Where You Goin’ Now?”
Wow, my music taste has come a long way.
Free at last
Well, my boss – er, make that former boss - finally responded to my email. I’ll post it here because it just amuses me.
You have placed this store in a very bad position today. My understanding was that you gave me notice until the 14th. [I did no such thing] You have been, up until now, a very reliable and wonderful employee. But today I have to close the store to go get **** and will have to everyday until I can find someone. **** can not take this shift b/c her daughter also gets out of school at 1145.
B/c I don’t know what to expect from you next Melanie, until you get your body chemistry under control I can not have you on staff. This is the one thing that clenches the deal. You just don’t this. And what really upsets me is that you are doing it by email. Let me know where to send your check.
Thanks for the employee that you were. She was great, I’ll have her back anytime.
Wow, I never knew I was schizophrenic! Will someone please tell my other personalities to drop me an email so we can all get on the same page?
I have been trying to quit for weeks now but she guilt-tripped me out of it every time. I HATE that I’m such a doormat when it comes to standing up to a boss with a pushy personality. Anyway, I got to the point where I had a horrible day yesterday and I just snapped and quit. The main thing that pushed me over the edge was my concern for my kids’ safety, which my boss did not care about in the least. I picked Mikaela up yesterday to wipe the blood from her busted lip (she fell down in the store), and my boss snapped: “well, she could’ve busted her lip at home!” That’s just one petty example, but there’s many more. I’ll spare you. 
This is getting to be a recurring theme in my life. I really, really need to work on setting boundaries with employers up-front, instead of letting them take advantage of me more and more, stewing about it until I just can’t take it anymore. This happened with my last boss, a 25-year-old computer guru who was consistently working me 18-hour days. I just did as I was told, getting angrier and angrier at his lack of regard for my family time, until one day I just had enough and that was that.
I guess if I’m really honest, this is all no one’s fault but my own. No one can take advantage of you unless you let them.
Caught with their pants down
This video on CNN just made me laugh out loud. It’s main focus was on a rescue of some trapped kayakers, one being pulled to safety with his pants around his knees. The man was later interviewed and said that having the whole thing captured on video was really no big deal, because ‘frankly, the water was really cold, so there wasn’t much to see!’
Dreaming
I know we’re on a budget, but here are some of the design elements I’ve been batting around for inclusion in our new home:
I quit
I had the day from hell today. I guess it could’ve been worse, but I’m stressed nonetheless.
I took the kids to work with me today at my p/t job, something I’ve been doing more often than I originally agreed to. From the time I went in today, Mikaela was not minding me on the cardinal store rules like ‘no playing with the merchandise’ (the kids have a very nice playroom in the back with toys in it).
Anyway, when I finally shooed Mikaela into the playroom, a customer came in with her kids. I heard a blood-curdling shriek and came running – to find a very small child crumpled on the floor, Mikaela standing over her. Mikaela had apparently hit her over the head with a hard plastic toy. A goose egg came up quickly. Obviously, the girl’s mom was upset. I ran next door to CiCi’s Pizza to get a bag of ice. I’m still scratching my head over this, because Mikaela might be mischevious, but she’s never done anything downright mean like that unprovoked. I’m betting the girl hit her first.
Anyway, the day plodded on and I heard another scream from the playroom – this time it was Mikaela’s. She’d fallen and busted her lip. She’s fine, but has a nasty little cut on the inside of her lower lip.
Later in the day, my boss sternly got on to Mikaela for playing with the merchandise. It’s not that Mikaela didn’t need to be reprimanded, but I don’t think it’s her place to yell at my kids.
Not long after, the kids were back in the playroom and Gabriel came out, upset, pointing to a boy more than twice his size and saying that he hit him.
There was a lot of other little stuff, but it just hit me like a ton of bricks today: having my kids up here with me is NOT a good idea. I told her I was quitting, and she argued and tried to manipulate me as usual. I know, she has a very hectic, hard life, but honestly? I can’t make her problems my own. My family comes first and I just don’t feel like I’m doing what’s right for my kids.
I sent her an email once I got home reiterating that I would not be coming up there with my kids anymore. She has not responded.
Work in progress
It’s hard to believe this is going to be ours in less than two weeks (the good Lord and the underwriter willing!)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jayandmelanie/sets/72157601820890294/show/
