Welcome to the Jungle

The last month has been one of the craziest months of my life.  It takes a lot to earn that title after you’ve been alive for 380+ months!  I don’t even know where to start….just keep in mind that every second that was not filled with the madness detailed below was spent packing, cleaning, moving and stressing. 

August 2 – we officially signed the documents on our new townhouse.

August 3 – helped host a bridal shower for Whitney during the day and hosted Heidi’s bachelorette party that evening.

August 6 – celebrated Lisa’s birthday.

August 10 – loaded up 2 moving trucks full of stuff headed for storage and a (amazing) friend’s garage.

August 12 – 16: coworker took vacation so I was flying solo.

August 12 – got to visit with a good friend who was in from Virginia.

August 15 – bank appointment

August 16 – bought new appliances and lighting for the new house

August 17 – celebrated Collin’s birthday.

August 18 - celebrated Father in Law’s birthday.  Moved mattresses and box springs to storage and moved in with Keith’s sister, Brenda.

August 19 – walk through with builder at new place

August 20 – official loan application at bank.  Major drama with the inspection report on the house we were selling….full meltdown. 

Devil box!!!

August 21 – closed on old townhouse

August 22 – wedding prep

August 23 – wedding prep, rehearsal, rehearsal dinner

August 24 – MY BABY SISTER GOT MARRIED!

August 25 – visited with one of my favorite people in the world, Uncle Bob.

August 26 – Perry started 2^nd grade.

August 27 – ordered new bedroom and living room furniture.  (Please ignore the blurriness).

King Size Bed (Dresser and Nightstand Not Shown)

Couch, Loveseat and Ottoman (Accent chair orderd in a print!)

August 28 – celebrated Heidi’s birthday.  Mild drama with Dan Ryan over decks, almost became homeless again….

Now there are a million and one other fun things mixed in there, but those are the majors.  I realize this list is completely boring to read, but I’m thinking of it more as therapy….typing is cheaper than sitting on the couch!!  Plus along the way some amazing friends (and husband) cheered me up with flowers, edible arrangements, spa giftcards, etc. 

September isn’t going to be much calmer, I can feel it now, but hopefully by October, we should be settling in our new place.  Through it all, I’m thankful for the madness…..this jungle is my life and I wouldn’t trade it…..

Beach Bums

The week of July 20-27, we ventured to Myrtle Beach, SC for a family vacation.  Keith and I thought about cancelling the trip because life has been so nuts, but we really wanted to take Perry somewhere fun and honestly we needed a break from reality.  We have some "extended family" who own a condo which makes our vacations SO much easier!!

During the planning phase we decided that we wanted to take someone along to have an extra set of eyes on the ocean and also so I would have someone to do girl stuff with lol.  The boys would rather be beaten up than be taken into a single store so we knew it was in everyone’s best interest to have another girl along to even out the estrogen/testosterone ratio. 

My friend, Beth aka Bethy, came along because she has been dying for a vacation and I knew she would be the perfect partner in crime for sand, surf and shopping. 

We drove through the night on Saturday and after some sleep/passing out, we got up to do grocery shopping and visit with my brother and sister in law who had driven up from their place in SC.  We all met for Mexican food and then we called it a night. 

The next day was BEACH DAY…..Scott and Jenn joined us for some sun and then they hit the road.  It was nice to see them, but I wish they could have stayed longer.  We got cleaned up a bit early and headed out for seafood.  YUM!! 

The rest of our time was filled with Broadway at the Beach, swimming, paddle boats, playing in the sand, relaxing, eating some amazing food and Keith and I even managed to squeeze in a date night thanks to our Perry-sitter. 

The week came to an end quickly, but we all came home a little less stressed and ready to go back again next year.  After all, I have to get my annual pic with my favorite condo cup!!

Lost and Found

Well, we lost our original house.  Amidst all of the madness, we decided to get a break from the real world and not cancel our family vacation to Myrtle Beach.  So after my sister’s bridal shower on July 20^th, we hit the road.  (Bridal shower and beach posts to come...)

On our third day there, we got the call.  When the realtor asks if you want the good news or the bad news first, that day of vacation automatically takes a downwards spiral. 

The good news:  Our town house appraised for the asking price….Hallelujah!!  After our ridiculously low appraisal at our refinance months earlier, we thought we didn’t have a chance. 

The bad news:  The sellers had accepted another offer on the house we were buying.  So I cried in the middle of a beach parking lot, pouted in the sand and stressed.  Keith went to work searching for new houses.  I did the grown up thing and immediately decided for the next 5 days, I was going to completely ignore our problem.  Best idea I’ve had in a while.

So, when we got back to town we had an evening full of house shopping scheduled.  The day before this could take place, Keith got sick….like really sick.  So he stayed home while I went to look at houses.  The house we were convinced was “The One” was a huge dump.  Cracked kitchen cabinets, poor handyman work and general cheapness sent us running.  One of the two houses at Pinecrest held potential but I hated the location and the two houses at Four Seasons were immediately ruled out (hello vertical driveways).  So I left even more disgusted.

After a chat on Facebook and some other random searches, I was lead back to two things I had 100% written off when we started the buying process: Dan Ryan and a townhouse.  Mark convinced us to go look at one and they were amazing.  Big, affordable, good location and new…..we left with a whole new outlook.  As we were pulling back into work after a lunch viewing, we got the call to look at our last potential.  It was beautiful but more expensive, bad location/roads, and some majorly squeaky floors.  That was the point where we decided we were done.  We put in an offer on the new townhouse. 

As of Monday August 5, we are officially under contract to buy our new place.  As soon as my townhouse closes later this month we can move forward with the financing and should be in by mid to late September.

I’m still disappointed over losing the original place.  It had a yard and was stand alone and had potential to be a forever home.  It wasn’t in an ideal location, but it worked for us.  The new place is a stepping stone toward a stand alone home…I’m trusting this is a case where God knows more of what we need than we do. 

The Details:

-End Unit

-Grey Siding, Black Accents

-3 Bedroom, 2.5 Bath

-Decent back and side yard

Floor 1: Walk into a hallway, big closet, 1 car garage access and straight ahead is an unfinished section with laundry hook-ups and rough bathroom plumbing.

Floor 2: Kitchen, breakfast nook and dining room with hardwood, wrap around deck, living room, half bath

Floor 3: Large master bed and bath (soak tub and shower stall), walk in closet, 2 other bedrooms, extra bathroom

10 Things

1. Things that are tiring: trying to buy and sell a house at the same time.   Don’t even get me started on how tiring it is to think about packing and moving…..

2. Things that are annoying: people who can’t use the word your and you’re correctly!

3. Things that are consuming entirely too much of my brain space this week: things that are completely out of my control…..see #1.

4. Things that are sadly enjoyable: making lists….oh how they calm my OCD!

5. Things that are lame: all of the unexpected expenses that keep popping up in our world.

6. Things that are lifesavers: family and friends who listen to me whine.

7. Things that I do not keep enough of in the house: quick dinner options.

8. Things that rub me the wrong way: the actions of people during and after a divorce…you once supposedly loved the person and now you want to make their life hell?  Baffles me….

9. Things I'm having trouble believing: that Christmas is less than 5 months away.

10. Things that keep making me chuckle: Big Bang Theory reruns….I don’t think “Bazinga” will ever get old lol

Impulse Shopping

Written on 7/11/13

I like to shop.  I think Kohls might possibly be heaven sent.  I love to bargain shop.  There is some sort of satisfaction in finding a cheap shirt that fits well that I can get my money’s worth out of. 

I’ve always been an impulse buyer.  I see it, I like it, I can afford it, I buy it.  I don’t live outside of my budget, I don’t live off credit cards, I don’t hoard.  I just like to shop.

Then there are the big ticket items…cars for example.  I’d rather take a bullet in my left foot than buy/sell a car.  I hate the bartering, I hate the games.  I just wish Kohls sold cars (hello 30% off coupon).  Anyway, just simply stating there are exceptions to my shopping rule. 

And then comes house shopping.  I don’t find it nearly as miserable as car shopping, but I must say it is more stressful.  Most people don’t go with the impulse buying in this department, but apparently this girl does.

So my townhouse is under contract; inspector came yesterday and next week is the appraiser.  Nothing about these next few weeks is in my control.

Throw into that mix, the fact that we found a house last night that we want to buy.  That house and its ability to be ours, is completely reliant on what happens with aforementioned townhouse.  We put out an offer, wait to see if they are even willing to take one with contingencies and if they are, we live with the fear that someone can swoop in and take it from us at any time.   What kind of sick game is that?!?!  These people (i.e. realtors, banks, sellers, real estate board) are killing my ability to impulse buy.  They are making me wait it out and think about it and analyze it and stress about it.  Sheesh.

For now, I just remodel the place in my head and wait…..Halls don’t wait well.  It’s not a gift we were graced with. 

Perspective

Disclaimer: I freak out easily, I want things done now now now, I have a certain way I want them done too…..in saying that, this method of madness has worked for me for 31+ years, so why fix what isn’t broke?!? Lol

Anyway, not my point. 

When I get my mind focused on something, I have a tendency to beat the dead horse, and then kick it a few times just for good measure.  So, we scheduled an appointment at The Meadows to see the house they are building that would be very similar to ours.  Keith was hospitalized for a brief stay (heart scare – he’s fine whew) and we had to reschedule.  So finally, July 3 arrived and we went to see our home.  I left there completely disappointed.  There are so many things that didn’t match the picture in my head…..the living room is small, the dining room is almost non-existent, the master bedroom and bath are a joke and the “modification” to move the laundry upstairs only further cut into our space.  Basically, it wasn’t our dream home. 

So we left, I shed a few tears and then I called in my MOHs….I decided that April and Heidi could fix it or talk me off the ledge (see Disclaimer above).  So we drove back out and walked through again.  I think I left there liking it even less.  I feel claustrophobic in that house....there is not room for our existing furniture, there is not room to put a pack and play by the bed one day (God willing), there is not a big space to host friends and family for dinner…..it just isn’t right. 

So I left again and really started feeling sorry for myself.  Then I remembered what I had planned for that evening.  I went to Kroger and Wal-Mart to gather groceries and went home so Heidi, Keith and I could make casseroles, dips, meatloaf, etc.  I wish they were for a dinner party or a shower or something fun, but in this case they weren’t.  That night we cooked for a close friend of Keith’s who is caring for his young children while his wife goes through chemo for Stage 4 colon cancer.  The moment I remembered that, I just forgot about the house. 

Suddenly walls, windows, square footage, etc. didn’t seem important.  Taking care of our friends and loving them in a way that so many people loved Dad, Heidi and I was all that mattered.  So we mixed, shredded, stirred, stuffed and were thankful we were all healthy enough to do so. 

On Thursday morning, we delivered the food, mowed their yard for them and sat back and chatted with their family.  The house was the last thing on my mind.  Don’t get me wrong, the house crept back in there as the weekend went on, but suddenly I’m not spazzing as much, I’m just going with the flow the best that my personality allows.

I’ve always hated when people tell you “someone else has it much worse than you,” I think it is cold and uncaring.  Everyone is allowed to be upset, we have a right to be sad, and yes in reality, there is always someone else in a far worse situation BUT it doesn’t make your heart hurt any less to be told that.  So I guess, the point of saying all this is, sometimes when things seem to be “the end of the world as you know it,” take the time to do something for someone else who is walking a rough road.  It quickly puts a lot into perspective……

Sidenote - links to two of the recipes we tried....Thank You Pinterest!!
Easy Meatloaf
Dorito Taco Bake

We also made Sausage Stuffed Shells, Mexican Rigatoni and Buffalo Chicken Dip. 

A Place to Call Home

Written in June 2013....

I bought my first house about 6 years ago….my landlord decided to sell the place I was living in and I decided it was time to jump into the real estate world.  When I first saw what was in my price range, I contemplated running the other direction, but my realtor finally took me to the place that I would learn to call home.  My 2 bedroom, 1.5 half bath townhouse was the perfect starter home for me and the cat. 

Over the last few years, neighbors have come and gone, but I’ve always consistently been surrounded by young people that are in similar places in life….we all work, some are in school, one family has a son, but overall, we just mesh well.  There are very few things that I don’t love about this place, but two huge ones are the parking/stair situation and the lack of storage!!!  When the Christmas tree box is right beside the shoe collection, it starts to get frustrating quickly. 

Somewhere along the way, I got a roommate.  She showed up one day and never left….and with her came her belongings (aka her hoard) and made space even more limited.  I love her and all, but my sister has a lot of stuff!!!!

And then there was an incident last Fall/Winter that resulted in me adopting another cat….it totally happened by accident, but let me just tell you….those sad eyes that Puss in Boots sports on Shrek, are alive and well in Ms Joey.  I just could not leave her in the cage….no matter how hard I tried.  With her came a second litter box and her assortment of mice; taking up even more space.

So, by the time I got married, there was no room, yet a big person and a part-time little person and their stuff needed to move in.  I kept telling myself we could make the miracle happen, but let’s be honest folks…..epic failure. 

This is where the biggest mistake happened…..Keith and I started browsing the real estate sites.  It was Russian roulette, but we continued to play the horrid game.  Then one morning over coffee and scones, it happened….we opened Homes and Land magazine, saw a house and went on a Sunday drive to see it.  We left the development that day, knowing we were going to live there (not in that house, but in the area.)

We stalked neighbors in the development to ask questions, looked at websites, called companies for initial meetings and before I knew it, we were listing the townhouse with my original realtor and meeting with banks.  In between there was massive cleaning, stocking a 10x20 storage unit, yard work and 101 other events that I have blocked out to preserve my sanity.  One day, we got a wild hair,as my grandfather called it, and reserved a plot…..we agreed it was where we both wanted to build and when Keith and I agree on something so easily, we have to snatch it up lol.

On the afternoon of Monday, June 24^th our townhouse went on the market.  On Tuesday, we were informed of emails showing interest, by Wednesday, we had an offer.   The offer is one we didn’t think twice about accepting….now we just need 101 things to fall into place perfectly….needless to say, I’m holding my breath, hoping and praying yet preparing myself for this to crumble.  (This realist lives by the line, Hope and Pray for the Best but Prepare for the Worst.)

So now we wait…we wait for our home to be sold so we can put money down on building a new home.  We worry about living in a shoe box trailer for 4-6+ months, we stress and worry some more.  And we dream about the new gorgeous home that we have picked out in a neighborhood that we really like.  We hope and chat about something we want so badly, but something that scares us at the same time. 

Hopefully this will be the home, where we raise Perry, where we decorate a nursery, where we spend some of the first years of our marriage together…..I refuse to let myself fall too far in love with the idea, but it’s hard.  It just feels right….and if it in the plans that God has for us, it will be our home.  If not, we will dust our disappointed selves off and move on….but it won’t be easy. 

So all this rambling basically comes down to this: The months ahead of us are going to be a bumpy ride.  We’re ready for the ride, as long as in the end, it takes us to our home, wherever that may be….