I bid you adieu...

No, not you, blog readers!  My job.  And our house.  And our Colorado friends.  Yes, I did it.  I put in my two month notice with work 2 weeks ago.  It actually went really well.  My boss was very understanding.  It's still not fun for me though.  I really do like this job.  I wish I didn't have to leave it.  

I put up an ad looking for potential replacements the very same day.  I received a TON of resumes in response.  Less than a tenth of them were actually any good.  Then we started narrowing down further.  I sent out emails to the candidates asking why they left/are leaving their previous/current job and what their pay requirements would be.  That knocked out a good chunk of the remaining candidates.  

Speaking of which, I've come to the conclusion that I am worth far more than what I'm paid!  That or these people are insane (seriously, a good chunk of them want double what I currently make!).  Either way, the economy in Colorado is apparently much better than I thought!  

We will most likely be starting interviews later this week.  Hopefully we will find the right person.  *fingers crossed*

And, as I said, we put in our notice with our landlord.  However, we had someone lined up for him before we even put in our notice.  Friends of ours are really interested in our place.  They met up with our landlord on Saturday and everything seems to be a go!  I'm so glad that it all went so well!  

It seems that everything is falling into place for our big move.  So, we will definitely be leaving that last week in March.  We've even got our two spare rooms (the spare bedroom/library and the Star Wars room) all packed up.  And our yard sale pile is growing by the day.  

I'm actually becoming less stressed the closer the end of March gets.  More things are getting crossed off of our list and things are still going well.  The only problem we've really run into is that we owe Uncle Sam a huge chunk of money (money that would have been used for our move or for holding us over until we find work).  But, we will get through all of that and it's all going to work out.  We will be just fine.  No fingers crossed about it.  It's just happening that way!  :)

Vacation: Finished.

Phew! That was quite an adventure! Two weeks of vacation. It was long, but wonderful. And, we spent entirely too much time driving.

May 7: Left at around 1:00 AM.

May 7: Arrive in St. Louis, MO at about 12:00 PM. We spent the night there. We stayed at the Westin. It was AMAZING. It's an extraordinary hotel. We decided to splurge a little bit in St. Louis because we were only going to be there for one night and it was the first (and possibly last) time either of us had been to the city. We wandered around the city for a while and we did a tour of the arch. A shuttle took us to the top and we got to look out through windows at the top down on the whole city. It was quite an experience. :)

May 8: Leave around 8:00 AM for Denver.

May 8: Arrive in Denver at our hotel (Boston Commons) at about 6:30 PM. We check in and just relax. :)

May 9: We visit a possible house. It was really nice and the owner was very friendly. That night, we went to the casinos in Black Hawk. It was a cool experience, but the slot machines stole all of my money. lol

May 10: Philip had an appointment at the Sysco in Denver for his transfer and then we visited another possible house. It was 3 bedrooms and 2.5 bathrooms with a 3 car garage, fenced in backyard, small storage shed, and finished basement. We really fell in love with the house, but it was outside Denver.

May 11: We visited two houses. One was a definite NO (overpriced, small, bad neighborhood, seriously outdated and dirty). The other was great. In a nice neighborhood, decent sized, close to Denver, and the people were very friendly. We spent the evening going over choices (there were other appointments, but they were rented out before we arrived in Denver). And, we thought that since we had 3 pretty good choices, we didn't really need any more to muddy up the waters!

May 12: After we slept on it, we decided on house number 2. It was further out, but we liked it the best and it was the best deal. We set up an appointment for Friday to settle all the details for the lease. Philip was supposed to have an appointment for his physical for the transfer, but there was a mistake and we had to reschedule. Then, we went to the aquarium. It was AWESOME. I loved it. If you're ever in Denver, definitely do not miss out on that! :)

May 13: We spent the day wandering around downtown Denver. It was really nice. We mostly stayed on the 16th Street Mall. It's not actually a "mall." It's a street with lots and lots of shops and restaurants. It is closed to vehicles (except for the bus that will take you from one end of the street to the other, for free). It was really nice. :)

May 14: We went to the Wild Animal Sanctuary in Keenesburg, Colorado. It was VERY interesting. I got closer to tigers than I have ever been before. They rescue wild animals from abuse situations. There were lions, tigers, bears, wolves, bobcats, leopards, and even more unusual animals. It was definitely worth a visit. Then, we went shopping at the Northfield Stapleton Mall in North Denver. It was enormous. It's all outdoors and it seems like it goes on forever. We didn't make it through very much of it before it was time for our house appointment. We spent three hours talking to the owners. We actually have a great deal in common with them. We gave them references, etc., and we should be hearing from them soon to see if everything was satisfactory (which it should be!).

May 15: Our one year anniversary. :) We went to a local park and relaxed at our hotel. We got packed up and then we went out to a nice dinner to celebrate. We spent a while researching restaurants in the area (ones with plenty of vegetarian options) and decided on a restaurant called Venice Ristorante & Wine Bar. It was DELICIOUS. Philip started off with pear salad (mmmm...) and I started out with a pureed potato soup (it was amazing!). I had grilled pear ravioli in a gorgonzola sauce. Philip had some sort of chicken with roasted red potatoes. I don't remember much about his because mine was absolutely finger-licking good. He said that his was equally as good. We had creme brulee with strawberries for dessert and it was also great. The meal was absolutely perfect.

May 16: We left at about 9:30 AM (Mountain Time) for home. We drove straight through to Charlotte. We arrived on May 17th at around 11:00 AM. It was a not-so-pleasant drive, mostly because of the length, but we made it through all right. :)

May 17: When we did arrive, we did several loads of laundry. We relaxed and played games with some friends.

May 18: We left for Virginia Beach. haha... yeah, I know. We are definitely gluttons for punishment. We arrived late afternoon. We met up with a friend there, checked into our hotel, and then wandered around for a while. We walked on the beach, but it was dark by then and the water was FREEZING.

May 19: We slept in late and then went down to the beach. The water was still very cold, but we braved it anyway. After a few minutes, our bodies adjusted and we had a great time in the water. I forgot how much fun the ocean is! I read on the beach for a while and got burned on my backside. Some friends joined us at the hotel late that night.

May 20: We went down to the beach again. I got burned on my front side this time. lol The water was still freezing cold, but we braved it again. After a while, we went to get lunch and then bought some floaty toys for the water. I got a boat, Philip got a stingray, and Aileen got a dolphin. We spent a while riding our floaties in on the waves. It was an excellent idea! Then we dug a giant hole on the beach. I am not really sure why. haha

May 21: We went to Busch Gardens in Williamsburg, Virginia. It was definitely overpriced and overrated. The Busch Gardens in Floriday is WAY better. There were not many coasters (and only 2 that were really good). There weren't a lot of smaller rides either. And everything was overpriced (especially admission). I wouldn't recommend it unless you just really like to throw away money. haha We headed back that night. We got home at about 9:30 PM. We unpacked and started some laundry. Then we relaxed and hit the hay.

Today, we did some grocery shopping and made dinner and have just been relaxing. It's been a wonderful vacation. It FLEW by. Philip heads back to work tomorrow night. I'm not sure that they're going to recognize him anymore since he's been gone for so long. ;)

Which house to pick?

In the past few weeks, I have been attempting to find houses for Philip and I to live in (rent) when we arrive in Denver. As you might imagine, it's been quite difficult since I have four dogs. It has been incredibly frustrating. I mean, my dogs aren't destructive or mean. They are cleaner than children! So, I was bummed out for a while.

I talked to Philip and we decided to have a little bit more give in our budget for the house (and pray that I find a job IMMEDIATELY).

Today, I have the best sort of problem. :) I have SEVERAL houses to look at when we go on vacation (which is now 9 days away!!). I am trying to schedule them. It's a bit crazy, but I am super excited because the more houses we have to choose from, the more likely it is that we will actually have a house to live in! lol

*sigh of relief*

So, life continues to be great in Tara's world. :) Keep your fingers crossed that one of these houses is livable and doesn't break our bank!

Life...

I swear, every time I think things are going well, something else falls onto my lap.

Joe and I agreed that the dogs would stay with him until I could get on my feet. I couldn't find an apartment that would let me keep the dogs, so I got a cheap apartment where I could hopefully save up some money and be able to afford to buy a house next year. I wasn't thrilled about it because they are my dogs and I would like for them to live with me. But, I thought Joe would take care of them.

He told me this morning that he's decided to have them all be outside dogs. He says it keeps the house cleaner. Well, the house would be cleaner if he never went home either, but I don't see him doing that.

I am absolutely livid. The dogs have always been indoor dogs. And now, suddenly they're supposed to be outdoor? They are scared to be outside by themselves at night and now they're supposed to have to sleep out there? And Jack gets cold if it's below 70 degrees. He is definitely not an outdoor dog. And Cody is already taking everything so badly that he's going to be even more traumatized. He misses me and doesn't know what to do. And now he's really going to feel abandoned.

It's days like today where I wonder what I ever saw in Joe.

Roller Coaster...

My life has never been such a roller coaster ride before. I'm not especially fond of drama. I don't thrive on it like some people. In fact, it makes me sick. So, I haven't been feeling awesome for the past few weeks. It's really draining.

Most people know that I don't like to talk about my personal relationships to people outside of that relationship. I don't think it's appropriate. However, I'm emotional and I want to get some things off my chest. And, I don't think the previous rule is standing since we aren't in a relationship at all anymore.

The latest news is that Joe has decided not to speak to me anymore. He says he can't heal while still trying to be friends with me. I understand where he's coming from, but it still hurts to be losing my best friend.

Joe has been my best friend for over four years now. How am I just supposed to not speak to him anymore?

I go about my business at home even while he's here. We don't speak. We don't make eye contact. It's awful. He has asked me to move out. I know that would be ideal, but where am I going to find someplace that I can afford where I can have four dogs?? If you know of a place in the area, please let me know.

Until I find a place, I will be living in limbo. Living with the person who I care for most in the world and who I have to pretend I feel nothing for.

I'm feeling torn in a million different directions. I'm feeling a lot of emotions. I mostly feel hurt and sad. On the other hand, I'm angry. While I was the initiator of the break-up, it wasn't my fault. I poured my heart and soul into the relationship. It was one-way. I gave everything I had but couldn't make it work by myself. So, I got out. And Joe agreed it was the right decision for us to make. But now, I have to give up my best friend. It all doesn't seem fair. If I did everything right, why do I have to lose so much?

All of this being said, I'm royally effed up for my next relationship. :) I'm scared to death to let anyone in. I know that's probably normal, but I hate it. I'm not really experienced in the relationship department. I've had two long term relationships. Michael for almost four years and Joe for over four and a half years. Both have ended badly. Michael still doesn't speak to me. And now Joe doesn't want to speak to me.

What's really messing me up is that I did what I was supposed to do in those relationships. I was a good girlfriend. I was loving, understanding, trusting, faithful, and devoted. I did whatever I could for them. I was strong. I was a shoulder to lean/cry on. I changed myself and compromised to make things work.

It makes me happy to make my partner happy. However, in both of these relationships, it backfired. Michael took me for granted for most of our relationship. I promised myself that I wouldn't stand for it again. So, when it started happening with Joe, we talked about it. It didn't matter. It didn't change anything.

So, what am I supposed to learn from these relationships? I am stronger now. I am more independent. I know I don't need them (despite how much it hurts to be losing Joe). But, what do I do to make a partner not take me for granted? Stop being a good girlfriend? That's effed up.

So, I'm left in a crazy place in my mind. I don't know how to make a relationship work. I thought when I was younger that all it took to make a relationship work was love. I learned that this simply wasn't the case with Michael. So, I thought that hard work and being a wonderful partner would make things work. I've learned that isn't the case with both Joe and Michael. So, I've learned that I can't make a relationship work on my own. That's great to learn, but it doesn't leave me very open to being in a relationship. I don't like leaving my heart open for more pain.

Michael may have been really immature, but Joe was a really great guy. I couldn't trust him to make it work, so who am I supposed to trust?? I don't like leaving it up to someone else. If they stop trying (or just expect me to make it work like Joe did), where does that leave me? It leaves me in the same damn place again. Lost. Life out of control. Heart in pieces. It's not fair.

How do people do this? How do people keep putting themselves out there just to be crushed? It's terrifying. I was relatively fine after Michael. I could trust someone in a relationship because I just thought that it didn't work because Michael was too immature. Now I don't know what to think. Joe says he couldn't make it work because of all of his baggage, etc. Well, doesn't everyone have baggage? If baggage won't let you make a relationship work, aren't all relationships doomed?

So, I'm in a great position here. I'm fighting with myself to try to figure out how it's possible to let someone else in. I'm not giving up hope. It's just hard to figure out where things go wrong...

eh... I've rambled on enough for one night. I am feeling a lot better though, so that's good. :) Hopefully this war within myself will be over soon. I need to learn to move forward despite my baggage. That's the healthy thing to do, right?

Irritation...

So, remodeling isn't so bad. My mom and I got a lot accomplished while she was here. That wasn't the irritating part. The irritating part is that the people we are paying to get stuff done are not doing anything. My mom and I work for free and we got more done than what the people we are paying got done. They still haven't finished the stuff that they promised us that they'd have finished by the time my mom arrived. Well, she already LEFT and it's still not finished! It's so frustrating.

The house is painted. The living room looks great in Posh Red. The dining room and the master bedroom look great in Vanilla Bean (It's so creamy!). There was chair railing on the center of the wall in the work-out room, so we switched to a darker blue and just painted below the chair railing and left the top white. It looks awesome. Lowe's gave me the wrong color green for the kitchen. The formula is off, so I had to switch colors. It looks good now though. Mom and I changed the color for the music room. It's called Gray Teal. It's a pretty color and it's brighter. I think it looks more musical. :)

Yesterday, Paul finally put in the glass blocks for the window in the master bathroom. And Buddy finally got started on the tile in the half bathroom. Both of those things were supposed to be finished before my mom got here. They didn't get started on them until after my mom left.

My mom and I got the drywall up in the half bathroom and the drywall up where the door for the bathroom used to be. The plaster didn't dry in time, so I have to finish up finishing the drywall by myself. It's a pain in the butt, but at least now I know how to do it. :)

Jippy + Other Stuff in My Life

Joe and I picked Jippy up from the vet this morning. He is now testicle-free. :) He doesn't seem to be in any pain. He's on pain medicine though. He's mostly just scared/traumatized. And probably not because of the lack of testicles. Probably because he not only had to go to the vet, but he also had to spend the night at the vet. He's never spent the night anywhere other than at home (or at least he spends the night with us when he's away from home).

Last night, Joe walked by Jippy's crate at bedtime and freaked out. He demanded to know where Jippy was. It was cute. As soon as he said it, he realized where Jippy was and he tried to clear the emotion from his face. I rubbed it in that he missed Jippy and was worried about him. He had to admit that he does love Jippy. :) I think Joe has finally accepted Jippy as a member of our family. It only took him several months!

Unfortunately, Daly will be even harder for him to accept. She's such a pain in the butt. At first, Joe was more attached to her than I was. He had an easier time getting close to her. It took me a long time. But then, the more she misbehaved, the more she got on Joe's bad side, and now she's gone too far and it's going to take some growing up on her part before Joe will reattach himself to her and accept her as family.

More demolition took place at our Shelby house yesterday. I didn't get to see any of it because we didn't go up there last night. We went home and ate black bean soup and watched Pursuit of Happyness. It was pretty depressing. Joe was freaking out because we just bought a house and he's worried that the market is going to go to crap and leave us with a mortgage that we can't afford. So, that wasn't such a great choice for a movie. I thought with the word "happyness" in the title, that it would be a happier movie (P.S. It drives me nuts to have to spell happiness wrong for that movie!). Not true. There are 115 minutes of unhappiness and then 2 minutes of happiness. :( I could have used some more happiness in the end. Also, I wanted him to find that taxi driver and pay him back. I guess I was just asking for too much.

Joe is going to pick up the bed today after work so that my mom and I will have someplace to sleep while we're in Shelby at the new house. And then we're going to buy the paint so that we will be all set to get started on the house when my mom gets here. :)

Our house is a very, very, very fine house!

We had a frustrating first weekend. We spent a lot of time at Lowe’s but in the end, they didn’t have the kind of paint that we needed for the tile in the bathroom. Well, they did, but with the paint they had, it could only be tinted a very light color and we did not want to go with something that light. So, after all of that aggravation, Joe and I decided against painting that bathroom. Lol… I’m going to look around and see if we can find anything, but if I don’t find any paint that we can use, then there is nothing that we can do.

Paul Kitchen started on Friday and has almost all of the baseboard heating out of the house already. Luckily, the holes are in the walls and not the floor! :) So, that was good news. And they are just tiny holes in the wall. However, there were thermostats in each room for the baseboard heating and they came out leaving holes in the wall that have to be patched. :(

They will be back again today to finish demolishing the downstairs bathroom and to take out the rest of the baseboard heating units. I think the new A/C unit is being put in today as well.

Our doorbell started working! The inspector said that it didn’t work. Well, I pushed on it a few times and it didn’t work. Then a few minutes later, it rang. It scared me. It turns out that something was just stuck and it unstuck itself. Now it works perfect. :)

We cleaned a bunch. It was me and a crew of three men. :) Joe, Dan, and Philip. Lol… it was amusing to watch them scrubbing the walls because I don’t think they’d normally be doing that sort of thing. I got all of the caulk off of the tub in the upstairs bathroom. It was disgusting. Then, I tried to recaulk the tub. So far, it’s just a mess and I’m probably going to have to remove that caulk and try again. lol

The bathroom floor has stains in the grout. I’m still not finished in there. I couldn’t find a brush at Wal-Mart so I had to use a toothbrush to scrub it. That was working, but I wore out quickly. Joe went last night and got be a good scrub brush, but I was busy playing with the caulk at that point and then we went back to Gastonia. So, the floor in the bathroom still has grout stains over ¾ of the floor. Joe doesn’t want to go back over there tonight. I’d like to go back over and get more done! I understand that he needs a break though.

I found places where the wallpaper is peeling. I pulled and it came up easily. I think that we may be able to get it off there!! :)

My mom comes in on Wednesday to help me do the painting and the other stuff. She'll be here until the following Wednesday. It turns out that my ex-boyfriend and his parents will be in town at the same time. His parents have asked if we could go out to dinner on Sunday, so I'm hoping that they don't mean with Michael and his girlfriend. That could be uncomfortable. I'm not even sure they'd be comfortable this way (especially if Joe goes with me). And, they invited us to dinner at a Barbecue place. I checked out the menu. Not Veg friendly. So, I'm probably going to have to pass on that unless they don't have their hearts set on that restaurant.

The dogs were with us at the house in Shelby all weekend. They seem to really like it. It's quieter so Jippy seems to be quieter. Not as much to bark at, I guess. And that is awesome. Speaking of Jippy, he went in to be neutered today. He will be neutered between 12:00 and 3:00. He has to spend the night at the vet. It will be the first night that he's not spent at home or with us since he's been with us. I hope that he won't be too traumatized.

Oh! and Joe admitted that he'd probably miss Jippy if he were gone. It's a huge step. Joe has had a lot of trouble getting attached to Jippy and Daly. He's still not close to admitting love for Daly, but I have high hopes. They're doing well now, so it's easier to love them. Daly is still such a needy puppy that Joe gets annoyed with her. And Jippy isn't the smartest dog (Jack and Cody are really smart), so Joe has had trouble bonding with him. But, Jippy tries really hard to be a good boy (and Daly is a brat!), so Joe is getting closer. :)

Also, while we were in Shelby this weekend, we ate (again) at this awesome Mexican Restaurant. It's called Mi Pueblito. It's got a vegetarian section on the menu! :) And it's absolutely delicious, and FAST. It's a wonderful place, and should you ever find yourself in Shelby, North Carolina, I highly recommend it! :)

I'm a homeowner! :)

Joe closed on the house yesterday. We now are homeowners. :) It's so exciting!!

We went to the house last night. We were going to bond with it, but we bonded with our neighbors instead. ha! They are really nice, open-minded, senior citizens. They love to talk, and they're intelligent. Plus, they're animal people. They have 2 dogs. They said that they had an arrangement with the previous owners where if one couple went out of town, the other couple would take care of the dogs. He told us that he'd love to have the same arrangement with us. We agreed! We talked to them for several hours. Until I was finally so low on sugar that I was getting sick. So, we had to leave and get some food.

Tonight, Joe and I will be going to Lowe's to pick up supplies. Then we will be going to the house and I will be working my butt off. :) I have to get that bathroom painted this weekend. it should be interesting. I've never painted ceramic tile before. From what I've read, it shouldn't be too bad. It's going to be quite a bit of work, but hopefully it will be worth it in the end. Joe and I were originally going to paint the tile "grapolicious." However, Joe isn't so sure about the color anymore. So, tonight when we're at Lowe's, we're going to finalize a color and then Joe will be stuck with whatever we decide. Because I am NOT going to paint the tile more than once!

Today, Buddy the tile guy is ripping out the tile in the downstairs bathroom so that we can completely redo that bathroom (I'm just painting the tile for the upstairs bathroom and then re-caulking around the tub). Monday, the baseboard heating and the carpet in the living room are being taken out. And then on Wednesday, my mama will be arriving to help me do a lot of painting, and taking out wallpaper, and putting up drywall, and tearing out a wall. :) It's going to be great fun!

Samples

So... Since everything is already picked out, I'm putting up samples! :)


This is the color of our countertops (Dupont Zodiac Quartz in Black Forest).





This is the color of our kitchen floor tile (Ozark Sand).







This is what our dishwasher is going to look like.





This is basically what our microwave/vent will look like.

This is basically what our range/oven will look like.









This is basically what our refrigerator will look like.

I hope that everything is going to look nice together. We put it together on a small scale and it looked great (I don't have a sample of the cabinets, but they're cherry wood with a ginger finish and a chocolate glaze. Also, the paint pulls it together better... it's Slate Green but I can't find the color online). I'm worried that it won't look as good together on a larger scale. I guess we'll find out very soon.

Oh. Joe told me that we have to paint the upstairs bathroom immediately (I was going to put it off for a while since we have so much other stuff to do that's more important). Apparently that's on the list for the appraisal to come back correctly, so it has to be done. It doesn't look like we'll be going to Texas this weekend after all, so I will probably start on that this weekend (and hopefully get it finished!). Wish us luck!

Update

Well, we have the cabinets ordered. They will be installed in about 3 weeks. Our appliances have been ordered. They should arrive at the end of this week. The tile guy will be taking down the tile in the downstairs bathroom on Thursday as soon as we close on the house (Joe's appointment with the lawyer is at 11:00 am on Thursday. Once all the paperwork is signed by both parties, the will give us the key and we will be homeowners!).

Then, the following Monday, Paul Kitchen is coming in to tear out the baseboard heating (that will probably take a few days). Also on that Monday, someone is coming to tear out the carpet in the living room. Then, on Wednesday, my mom will arrive to help us out! She'll be here until the following Wednesday.

Once the tile guy finishes tearing out the tile in the bathroom, he's going to tear out the bottom cabinets in the kitchen so that he can start tiling the kitchen (the tile has been ordered, but it will take a few days to get it in, so hopefully he can start on the kitchen as soon as he finishes tearing out the tile in the bathroom). Once he finishes tearing out the tile in the bathroom, my mom and I will take out the door on the bathroom, put up new drywall to cover that hole and put in a new door on the wall that is shared with the master bedroom (which will turn that bathroom into the master bathroom. Once we finish that, the tile guy can put in the new tile and the new shower in that bathroom.

My mom will also be helping me tear down the wallpaper in the master bathroom. I've never done this before, but I hear that it's a pain in the butt to do. I hope that it all comes down easily. She will also be helping me paint all of the rooms. I hope that we can get it all done in the time that she is here. I'm going to try not to get my hopes up, because I don't know if it's possible, but hopefully we can at least get most of it done. We've got to start on the bathroom first because it is something that I can't do by myself. And then the wallpaper in the master bedroom. And then we'll do the painting in the rest of the house.

My mom and the boys and I will most likely be staying at the house the whole time she is here so that we won't have to waste time or gas (especially with this stupid fuel shortage) going back and forth from Shelby to Gastonia. So, if anyone wants to come see us (or help us!), you're welcome to! :)

We're going to own a house next week!

I talked to Joe just a little while ago. And there is good news! We are approved. And the house appraised for $175,000. :) (well, that's the appraiser's estimate of what the house will be worth when we finish the remodeling).

It's so exciting! We're going to start scheduling everything now! I can't wait! The bad news is that we won't actually be able to close on Tuesday. The bank said that the paperwork will take until Thursday to finish, so we will close on October 2 instead of September 30. Our realtor said that the current owners should not have a problem with 2 extra days, so it will not be the end of the world.

Joe just got back. We have a meeting with the tile guy and the cabinet guy today. :) I am so happy. And the guy who's taking out the baseboard heating is scheduled for Monday, October 8. And that means that I can get my mom and my sister tickets to come down! I am so excited. I talked to my mom and she said she'd stay for as long as I need her and she'd take off whatever days she needed to. She's as excited as I am.

Such good news! And now we wait a week. And then by this time next week, we'll be home owners. :) And next weekend (if we're not in Texas), we will be working on our new house! And then the following weekend, my mom and my sister will be here helping us paint! And then by the end of October, we will be all moved in. And no longer living in Crackton. Such great news!

Anxious...

We are STILL waiting to hear back from the bank. They have to appraise the house as it will be after we finish the remodeling so that we can get a loan to do the remodeling on the house. It was supposed to take about a week. It's been over a week. Joe called yesterday and they said it would be later that afternoon or the following morning. Well, it's the following morning. I'm tired of waiting!

Not only is it stressful just waiting, but we can't schedule anything until we know what the bank is going to say. It will take 3 weeks to get the cabinets from the point that we order them. And then the installation should only take a day. The tile guy can't come in until the cabinets are in. And he can't do the bathroom until the door is moved from the hallway to the bedroom. And my mom is coming down to help us do that. And she can't come down (she'll only be able to stay a few days and then go back to Indiana!) until all of the baseboard heating units are removed (because she's also helping us paint and we can't paint until the baseboard heating is gone... otherwise there will be blank spots when they're taken out). And we can't schedule the guy to take out the baseboard heating until we hear something from the bank.

And of course, the tickets are outrageously expensive. It's going to cost me $300 to get my mom down here. And they get more expensive every day! I need to get it scheduled soon or I'll have to sell my liver to be able to get her down here!

Also, when she gets here, we're going to have to spend a lot of time on the bathroom and on the master bedroom. It's going to take a while because we have to move the bathroom door from the hallway to the bedroom to turn it into the master bathroom. Then we have to remove the wallpaper in the master bedroom. I've never done this before, but I hear that it's a completely awful experience. I am not looking forward to it. Knocking out walls, putting up new drywall and doors, tearing out cabinets, and painting an entire house: not scary to me. Tearing down wallpaper: SCARY beyond belief for me.

Wish us luck!

It's not over until it's over... and it's not over yet!

The waterproofer ended up going to the house yesterday because he was already in the area. Turns out that the leak problem is an easy fix. We can do part of the work (some digging and moving stuff out of the way) and they'll fix it for about $600, or they can do all of the work and it will cost around $800. So, that's good news. It's not as bad as what Joe had thought.

Also, we got another quote from an a/c guy and it was less money (Joe's first guy wanted to charge $11,800 and it still meant that we would have a gas and an electric bill because there would be 2 units, which also meant our electric bill would be sky high!). This guy would replace the a/c unit that was there with a new unit which could service the whole house and put in "zoning." This means that there would be two thermostats, one upstairs and one downstairs. When the thermostat downstairs is satisfied, the vents would be blocked off and the upstairs would still continue to be cooled until that thermostat was satisfied as well. It saves money and energy. Also, there would be no gas involved. It will be all electric. Which saves us a lot of money!

The final inspector is coming today at 9:00 am. When he finishes, we will know what needs to be done and if there are any real problems with the house. We aren't expecting anything since the house was already inspected once before when another buyer had a bid on the house and the only thing that came up was termite damage under the house (which has already been replaced and treated).

If this inspector comes back with no real problems, I think we're still going to buy the house. We won't be able to remodel the bathroom right away, but from what we've seen in other houses, this house is a real deal. And, after speaking to our realtor, we are assured that whatever money we put into the house (within reason), we will be able to get back out. She told us that when we finish the updating in the house, she would expect us to be able to get $170,000 back out of it. And we wouldn't have to put that much into it. :)

So, now we're just waiting for the inspection to come back. I'm on pins and needles. This process has been more stressful that I had hoped! But, hopefully it will be over soon! We should know this afternoon if we're going ahead with the bid or not. Wish us luck! :)

House Update + Daly News

So, yesterday Joe had the a/c guy come to check out the a/c for the house. It won't be enough to heat and cool the house. It'll be $10,000.00 to update that. Which breaks our budget. There is almost no way that we could do the kitchen, the bathrooms, and update the heat and air.

And on top of that, while they were looking at that, they found a leak of some sort. I wasn't sure what Joe was talking about but, it didn't sound good. So, Joe basically said that there was no way that we could get Cabaniss. I was heartbroken, we thought we should look at some other houses in the area.

Last night, we went to look at three houses. None of them were any good. So, that instilled more of a want to get Cabaniss. Joe is supposed to schedule an appointment to see if a waterproofer can come out to look at the house and give us an estimate. Apparently on one side of the house, the ground is above the top of the crawlspace and when it rains, water gets into the crawlspace and under the foundation or something. The owners had someone come in and half-ass a repair but water can still get in. So, we’ll see where that goes. Depending on what happens with the waterproofer and the owners, it may still be what we buy. Joe sounded like it was a huge deal yesterday, but I’m not so sure that it will be. We talked to the realtor last night and she recommended a waterproofer and see how bad it is.

So, I was still feeling crappy when we got home because I didn’t like any of those houses and they were all more expensive than Cabaniss. It didn’t seem like a very good compromise. I like them less and they cost more. Well, if I thought I was feeling crappy then, I felt even crappier when I opened the door. Daly had somehow escaped from her crate (they were inside yesterday because it was supposed to rain, but it didn’t despite the 60% chance from 10:00 am on). Luckily we always keep our bedroom door shut, but we didn’t shut the office/spare bedroom door. She destroyed a bunch of stuff in the living room, the kitchen and the office and she tore stuff out of the trash. That wouldn’t have been huge because we know she is destructive when she’s left alone (she has separation anxiety). And none of the stuff was really that important. Paper towels and junk mail and a bag of chips mostly. So, it was a huge mess, but nothing that important. I was disappointed, but not ready to kill her.

Until I walked into the office and looked. She peed twice on the bed and on the treadmill. I literally squealed I was so shocked. A mess I can handle. Her peeing on the floor I can handle (we were gone longer than normal). But her peeing on the bed and the treadmill I could not handle. I just started bawling. Joe put all of them outside and we started cleaning up the mess while I cried.

That was the last straw from Daly. She is now a completely outside dog. She slept outside by herself last night and she’s outside by herself today because it’s supposed to rain. That upset me even more. I don’t want her to have to be an outside dog, but she can’t be left in the house. I don’t know how much money she’s going to cost us to fix that bathroom after she gnawed on the cabinets and the wood trim around the door a few months ago (that's why she's in a crate! I still don't know how she got out!). And now she destroyed the mattress. I couldn’t sleep last night. I just tossed and turned.

She seemed fine this morning. She apparently wasn’t fazed by it. So, that made me feel better. I feel like hell though. Yesterday just was not my day.

Update #18023841023784012

lol... So, lots of updating has been going on, so I just made up a number... in case you couldn't tell :)

Ummm... So, yeah. Joe and I have picked out colors and counters and cabinets for the kitchen. We have picked paint colors for most of the rest of the house. We're not sure what exactly we're going to do with the downstairs bathroom. Joe went and measured all the rooms in the house while I was out of town. We designed the bathroom we wanted and then found out that the measurements were wrong and the bathroom is actually several feet smaller that what we had planned for, so that plan won't work. :( So, we just have to come up with a new design for that. Also, we found a kitchen layout that we really like, but it won't work because of where the doors and windows are. So, we're working on a new plan for that as well.

We found out yesterday that our realtor gave the signed papers to the owners YESTERDAY. Instead of last week when we signed them. Grrrr... There are dates on there that we have to meet, and now we only have a week to get inspections done if they sign them today! It's kind of scary. And I'm currently not very pleased with our realtor.

But, hopefully all will go well and we'll be closing at the end of the month. :)

In other news, Jack got a haircut while we were in Indiana and he has gotten sunburned twice. Ouch. He doesn't like to have the aloe lotion rubbed on him. I can't find my sunblock to put on him, so I have to go to Petsmart and get some doggie sunblock or pick up some children's sunblock from walmart or something. Poor Jack.

Also, my office is still an absolute disaster from being on vacation for a week. I can see bits and pieces of my desk, but not much. I'll probably have to work this weekend some to get it organized. Probably Saturday afternoon because Joe has to work then anyway (before work, we're going to Hendrick's to look for our new stainless steel appliances!).

Also, Jack was the first dog to actually come into the new house (the other dogs have been to the house, but not in it -- Jack had to come to work with us when he got sunburned because we had to be gone for a long time and he couldn't stay outside without sunblock; so he got to come with us to the house). He gave it his stamp of approval. :) He especially likes that he can see the neighbor's poodle from the backyard. lol

Joe's anniversary present is supposed to be arriving today. I bought him a knife set. Don't worry; he already knows. I bought one for my dad and they were really awesome and Joe liked them, so I'm buying him a set as well. They'll look great in that new kitchen we're going to have. :)

Photos of the house...

Well, people have been asking for photos of the house. I don't have any that I have taken, but I do have the pictures from when the previous owners (well, the technically still owners) were still living in the house. It's going to look a lot different when we finish it the way we want it to look, but here's a sneak peak...

This is the view from the road (this was taken in February, so there are no leaves on the trees or anything).

This was taken in the foyer as you walk into the house [the front door (not visible) is to the left in this picture... right next to that window].

This is at the top of the stairs. There are 2 bedrooms, a bonus room, and a bathroom up here (It overlooks the foyer downstairs).

This is the kitchen... obviously. It will look completely different when we're finished since we're gutting it and then completely remodeling it. :)

This is the dining room. It's going to be a different currently undecided color, but not many other changes to it.

This is the living room. It will look very different when we finish. It's going to be burgundy with cream-ish colored furniture. The carpet is also going to be taken out (there are hardwoods underneath). The fireplace is still going to stay white.

And that's about it. :) The bedrooms right now are all white (except one with some really old, ugly wallpaper in it) with hardwood floors. They'll be different colors when we're finished but that's about it.

HOUSE UPDATE - We agree!

Okay. So, we have some very exciting news!

Yesterday, we went to look at the house again to make sure that we were sure about it before we put in an even bigger bid. We still love the house. So, our realtor put in an offer of $98,000.00 last night with them still completing the repairs and us still allowed to do inspections (we could have gotten it for $92,000 if they didn't have to finish the repairs and we didn't want to inspect the house). Well, they came back to us and accepted the offer. Actually, more than that. They said that they'd accept $97,500.00 if they didn't have to put down new linoleum in the kitchen. We happily agreed since we were going to tear out the linoleum and put in ceramic tile anyway! :)

So, we've signed the paperwork and sent it back to our realtor so that they can sign off on it. Then we have until September 17th to get the inspections done. :) Once they sign off for sure, Joe is scheduling an inspection for early next week. Then, so long as the inspections come back clear, we will get our financing and finish up everything to close on the house. :)

After we close, we'll tear out the carpet in the living room (there are hardwoods underneath), clean the whole house, paint the whole house, then have the crew come in to remodel the kitchen the way we want it done, and then move in! :) I'm so incredibly excited! Goodbye Gastonia, Hello Shelby!

Shelby House Update!

Well, so much has happened since the last time I was able to write about the house. Joe went around to banks to shop for loans. He went to several banks and finally found a loan that worked for us. 5.8% for a 15 year loan... :)

Then we decided what we would want to do with the house. We're going to remodel the kitchen and update the bathrooms. We're also going to tear out the carpet in the living room (there are hardwoods underneath the carpet -- so that means there are hardwoods all throughout the house except for ceramic tile in the bathrooms and linoleum in the kitchen, which we are going to replace with ceramic tile).

Then, we made an offer. It didn't go through, but we didn't expect it to. They made a counteroffer. We have now made another offer on the house. We're hoping that it will go through. If not, we'll try again. And if it does go through, then we'll have to start the inspections. It turns out that the house had termite damage. They've replaced all of the damaged wood and it's supposedly all good now. I guess we'll find out when the inspection comes back. :S

So, now we play the waiting game some more. We're hoping to find out soon so that we can really get the ball rolling. Once we find out yay or nay, we will start the inspections. Then if it passes, we'll get the financing going. Then we'll take possession! Then, we will be having a cleaning/painting party with all of our friends. lol... we'll need the help! Once we get it cleaned up and painted the way we want, the remodeling crew will come in and put in the kitchen cabinets, appliances, and ceramic tile. Then, once that is finished, we will move in! :) :) :) We're hoping to be in by Christmas. How exciting! Even if this house doesn't end up working out (I hope it does... it's my favorite that we've looked at by far), we're moving as soon as possible. The list of crappy stuff keeps adding up at our house in Cracktonia. :(

Shelby, NC

Possibly my new town. :) We went to look at that house last night. Joe and I both really liked it. It's got A LOT of room inside. The backyard is small, but it's fenced in. It's in a nice neighborhood. It's QUIET. We were there over an hour. We heard birds. And our own voices. We saw 2 cars go by the whole time. It's in a nice subdivision. An older subdivision. We saw an old man running down the street as we were leaving. :) I want it. BAD.

It needs a little bit of updating. If we buy it, we're going to redo the kitchen and the bathrooms. The whole house is in hardwoods except the living room and the "bonus" room, which are carpeted. It has 4 bedrooms and a bonus room. Two bedrooms and the bonus room are upstairs and two bedrooms are downstairs. The bonus room was never finished... meaning, they didn't put the vents into the room, so it's not technically heated/air conditioned like the rest of the house. However, it felt about the same temperature as the rest of the house. It has 2.5 bathrooms. They're smallish, but with some updates, I think they'll be great. The living room has a fireplace. There is a formal dining room (I miss that in our house now). The kitchen is huge, but blank. There aren't enough cabinets or counterspace, but if we buy it, we're going to put in different cabinets and more counterspace. It has a beautiful stairwell and a screened in back porch. Our neighbors are really close (the only real downfall in my opinion), but across the street is just woods. Woods, woods, and more woods. :) We're only a few blocks from the Country Club (nice area of town!... not the ghetto!!!).

The realtor is supposed to call us back. He is finding out how much it costs per month to heat the house and to let us know when the A/C is turned back on so we can make sure that the air conditioner can keep the house cool (Joe and I both need it to be cold at night so we can sleep). Once we find out those things, I think we may make an offer. :) I'm so excited!!!