One room down

We spent a lot of yesterday unpacking (well - I did - John was building me the cabinet to put a lot of the kitchen stuff in. So the kitchen is done. Yay!! Now on to finding a home for the other boxes piled in the dining room. Hopefully we can knock through some of that tonight (and maybe tomorrow night if John's softball game is rained out as it sounds like it might be). It would be so nice not to live in an obstacle course anymore. Of course the fur babies will probably miss sitting on top of the boxes in the middle of everything - but se la ve. :)

Spinning in Circles

What a whirlwind of a weekend!!

We took Friday evening off - which perhaps we shouldn't have - but John won that one. We went to dinner and then to see Paul Blart: Mall Cop. It was funny - kind of in an I Love Lucy way where sometimes you want to just step in and stop the humiliation - but it was an enjoyable movie.

Saturday, I had my dress fitting. The lady doing the alterations kind of looks like Whoopi Goldberg. She is a trip. I was about to do some major flipping out though because she got 2 drops of blood on my dress from opening the box that my dress came in with a razor blade. Luckily she had a solvent that took it all out - can't even tell that it was there. Lucky!! I love my dress. Wish I looked different in the dress - but nonetheless - here we are and that's what we have to work with. I have to make a trip over to the Maddox shop this week to get some wedding unmentionables customized for the dress. Can you believe that the alterations were almost as much as the dress??! Yikes!! I'm so glad I got flip flops for the reception. The pretty heels I bought to wear for the wedding really are just for the pictures. After standing in them for about 30 minutes while we decided what to do with my dress my feet were about to revolt. I can see it now. I'll be up at the altar supposed to be thinking about this wonderful man who is about to become my husband and all I will be able to focus on is when I can get out of these heels.

After the fitting it was time to get serious. We spent the rest of the day packing up stuff at Johns. We went over Sunday before church and Sunday after church to work on it some more.
We put linoleum on the floor on top of the carpet in the cats' room - to make for easier cleanup with the little terrors. That linoleom was quite the pain. Yes - that is why it is not supposed to be set on top of carpet - I realize this. I wish I had a video camera to capture my parents, John and me trying to keep this silly covering against the walls. My wish is to have the new apt settled by the wedding so we don't have to come home and deal with all this moving clutter. Once it is all in one apt - we can work on getting it a little more organized. We both have donated and purged so much stuff. Why were we keeping it????

I'm hoping that we can possibly be ready to move into a house by our first anniversary if not soon after. No, I can't fathom packing and moving AGAIN but hopefully that time would be for at least the next 5-10 years if not longer. They are building a new subdivision right behind the airport. I would love to be able to move into a new house. How awesome would that be?? Waiting and hoping and wishing and praying.....

First Dress Fitting Tomorrow!!

I have my first gown fitting tomorrow morning!! Kind of excited and kind of anxious. 50 days! Yikes!! Not nervous about the marriage - just nervous about all the stuff that has to be done before we get to that point!! At least I'm finally feeling human again. Let's hope this weekend will be a productive one:

-First dress fitting

-Get everything moved from John's apt

-Get stuff situated with apartment people. They are trying to mess with us and I'm really irritated over it. Hopefully we can come to a resolution.

-Get apartment a little bit more unpacked and settled.

We only have this weekend so I don't know how unpacked we will get - but I'm tired of living in a state of chaos with half unpacked boxes everywhere.

Oh by the way...

We got the money from our closing today. I should be happy, right? Instead I kind of feel like this picture of the pissy cat. Yanno - I really thing it should be part of the job of the people walking you through the home buying process to anticipate any "normal" problems that could come up.

- Originally I was told that the money would be available to me on that day. I wasn't told there was a possibility that because we were closing on a Friday that we might have to wait until Monday. Surprise! (A simple heads up that this could be possible would have been nice.)

- A week ago I checked with the title company to see whether I should make final payments to the mortgage company and home owners association. She said - you take care of the HOA, we will roll the mortgage into the closing. I was hit with double payments - because they took it out of the closing AND I had paid like I was supposed to. Surprise!

- At the closing, as we were going over the closing she explained that the year end taxes had been taken out because the mortgage company hadn't paid them yet. Almost $1700. This seemed ok until this morning I logged into my account and saw that indeed the mortgage company had paid them!! Double payments again!! Surprise! Luckily I caught it early enough that the title company hadn't sent the money off to the city, county, school taxes yet so they are going to hold it until they get comfirmation that these were already paid.

I totall understand that the mortgage company has to take the taxes out. And I get that the city can take a few weeks to post the payments - BUT don't you think that people who deal with this for 20+ years should be able to anticipate that maybe this might be the case and at least warn a first time seller BEFORE she has to freak out and figure this out herself? Seriously?? I wasn't even aware that the year end taxes would be part of the closing - I just figured that the mortgage company had taken care of it like they do every year - which they did. If I hadn't called to investigate this when I did then I would have to fight each individual that the taxes were sent to to get my refunds. I guess this is all part of the learning curve.

On a happy note - I was able to confirm our flight and reserve a car for our honeymoon this morning. That and a nice little blue tablet of Aleve helped resolve this monstrous headache that resulted from this morning. Now let's think happy thoughts of snowflakes and jingle bells...and beautiful little baby Taylor that we get to see in just 3 days!! :)

CHECKS!!

Today is the day!! With one big check (hopefully), 3 big checks off of the list! House sold - check! Invitations purchased - check! Honeymoon tickets bought - check! What a HUGE relief! We have a roadmap and are ready to roll!! Can you believe next week is Christmas? With the sale complete - I have some shopping to do!!!

**UPDATE** Well - the closing went fine - but because it didn't start on time - by the time it finished - it was too late to wire transfer the funds for this days business....so they'll do it tomorrow and I have to wait until Monday for it to be in my account. Grr. Oh well - it is done. I met the lady who bought it. She seems nice. Kinda looked like Mary Lou Retton but taller. So I guess shopping will be postponed until next week. Nothing like last minute eh? Mom and I did go get our wedding invitations so that is 1 1/2 (the other half will come when I get the money) of the 3 checks.

A little nostalgic

We loaded up the last few items from my condo last night. After all the boxes were in the car, I went back inside, sat on the stairs, shed a few tears, and just sat wrapped in the nostalgia of it all. Lots happened in the time span I lived there. Jen and I moved in a few weeks before 9/11. Job changes. Life changes. Love changes. It was the first house I purchased. It's where I lived for most of my 20's. It's where I was living when I met my Johnny. I'm not sad about moving forward - quite the contrary - but you have to take the chance to remember and properly say goodbye, right? I think it is a single lady that is moving into it. I hope it will be a great place for her to live too. Tomorrow afternoon my Melrose Place will become part of the past. Let's take a moment. Ok - now let's party!!!

Moving Hodge Podge

Making my list and checking it twice. There is so much going on that if I didn't have my list I think I would go crazy. I just booked a U-Haul for Saturday. 2 days!! I can't believe moving day is finally almost here!! We go sign the lease tomorrow evening!

After we sign the lease - we go to dinner with some dear friends. Saturday, John will drop me off at U-Haul, go to choir, and then come back to help me move. Sunday we go to the early service for the Christmas Cantata and then head to Athens to have Christmas with John's family.

What a whirlwind of a weekend. Next week won't be any less busy. John has to work to keep even with all his stops then next weekend he is on call. I close on my house on Friday and as soon as that money is wired - need to get my Christmas shopping done.

Christmas Eve - we will leave for Pensacola as soon as possible - stop somewhere along the way when we get tired and drive the rest of the way on Christmas day. I really really dislike his company's December policy. It needs to be on a rotating basis so that those of us with out of town families can be able to enjoy the holidays with them.

I still haven't heard back fromt he appraisal yesterday. Hopefully all went well. I really don't like loose ends. It is way stressful.

This seems to be a hodge podge of randomness doesn't it. Oh well...enjoy ;-)

Checks on hold???

Ok - one minor freak out resolved. I had an inkling that I should call to check about whether or not a hold would be placed on the check I get from the sale of my house when I deposit it in my account. They said - yes - up to a week!!! Now that won't work!! I need it for Christmas!! I called my realtor and she said very casually that they can do a wire transfer instead and it would be available immediately. When I was trying to sort this out with the guy on the phone - you would think he would have suggested this as a possibility rather than let me freak out. Sigh...9 days....9 days....9 days....

They had the appraisal today. Pray that the results are good and that the price doesn't have to change!!

It's Moving Week!!

This weekend went by really fast. John had to work Friday night, which I didn't know until last minute - so I spent a quiet evening home alone relaxing. Saturday we went through some stuff at my storage unit. I found a couple more things I am going to try to sell on eBay and found 3 or 4 boxes that will either be for the combined yard sale with my parents and me or for donation. I know there are more to go through. The only stuff that will be going with us onto the next juncture in life will be stuff that has a purpose.

The apartment we are going to move into is almost as big as my condo, which will be nice. I'm getting excited. 6 more days!! I believe we can go look at it tomorrow. It's going to be a crazy weekend. Friday I imagine we will be getting some stuff together at the house...renting the UHaul on Saturday morning. John has choir practice until noon on Saturday. After that we will begin to load all the boxes and furniture into the uhaul and drive it to Irving. Everything is pretty much packed except for the decorative stuff we left out for staging. We still have John's apt through the end of January so we have that luxury of taking our time to get things loaded from there. That's good - because we always get sidetracked when we start talking about getting his house packed up.

I think I am going to try my hand at re-finishing John's end tables and coffee table to try to make some of the wear and tear a little more palatable for a while. :) We will be able to fit most of our furniture in the new apt. The only furniture that won't go is furniture that we agree we will not use again. Ultimately we will probably replace all but 2 or 3 pieces - but that will be over the long haul. We'll get a slip cover for the couch and make that a little more up to date looking. Best of all - I think there will be a place for everything. Yes we will be using the 2nd bedroom for storage boxes - but I don't think it will have to be a cluttered storage - at least that is my vision for it! :)

New Apt!!

We'll find out on Monday which one it will be. The current resident will help determine that for us. Kinda hoping for the 2br 2ba bc they would work a deal with us because it wasn't what we were looking for initially. Guess we will see on Monday!!

or

Moving on....

Change. That seemingly small word causes such a stir. It makes me happy, sad, stressed, anxious, relieved, scared, excited and thoughtful all at the same time. Here are the things on our plate at the moment:

-Thanksgiving. Normally my favorite time of year. This year - my sweet Grandma will not be here to celebrate with us. I'm still having a hard time accepting she is gone. I've been trying to understand why her death hit me so much harder than my other grandparents. I miss them terribly too. I think hers still hurts so much because it really came out of the blue and because there were so many disappointments associated with the timing of her death. Yes she was almost 90 but she wasn't sick - she still was in overall good health. Don't get me wrong - I'm glad she didn't suffer - but the sudden nature of it - still makes it feel like it happened yesterday in my heart. I miss her so much. I have a special tribute in mind though. I think she would have loved it. She and my Aunt and Uncle have come down to celebrate Thanksgiving with us for about the last 10 years. The last 3 of those Grandma has stayed for a few months after in what will definately be remembered as some of the most precious memories. We will be driving down to Athens on Wednesday to celebrate with John's family and head back this way to have dinner with mine.

-We are going to look at an apartment and possibly put a deposit down on one this evening. Pretty excited about this. 2br 1 bath - in a brand new building for a great deal and across the street from where we are now. Love me a fresh start!

-My house sells/closes on the 19th. What a huge relief that is!! We signed the offer and are proceeding with that. The inspector was supposed to go by today and what should he find but the water was disconnected. I called my former neighbors and they said the city was working on a water main and the water would be off most of the day! Of all days!! I hope we don't have to pay for a second inspection!!

-Before we go to Florida for Christmas, we knew we were going to have to either get my car fixed or get a new one. Well - the guy who usually gives me an employee discount doesn't work at the dealership anymore. It actually would be cheaper to get a new car/lease a new car than keep fixing this one. Lately it is always something with it. I talked with someone about a lease today. Pretty interested in pursuing that - even though you aren't building equity - I think right now it is the best way to get us in a reliable suv.

All these things are good things - but a lot of things to have swirling around in my mind right now. What is that song? I'm ready for a slow down...

Offer pending

So....many of you know the last offer fell through. For whatever reason the lady flaked out and wouldn't even call her own agent back. Oh well. My realtor called me today and said someone new put an offer on it. We countered. There it stands for now. Join me in prayer that this offer will go through. They want to close on 12/19. Would be a WONDERFUL Christmas present!!

Monday - still waiting...

Waiting waiting waiting. I just talked to the Realtor again. She said the buyer isn't stalling - just trying to get things in line. I'm chomping at the bit to get this in writing. The sooner we do that, the closer we are to getting it finalized. Please come back with an acceptance and soon!!!!

I GOT AN OFFER!

I got an offer on my condo last night!! We are countering this morning and hope to have a contract sometime today. Please pray it through with me!! I'm so excited! I just hope it pulls through!

Injuries and Chocolate

Wednesday night while in the midst of cleaning I did something to my upper back/lower neck. That night I felt a slight twinge but nothing big..figured it would work itself out and go away. WRONG!! 4am I woke up crying because the pain was so bad. I went out in the living room to sit on the recliner hoping that would stabilize it and I might be able to go back to sleep. All day Thursday I moved like a robot. Driving was torture because I couldn't turn my head easily and every bump in the road jarred my neck and was excruciating. Thankfully I went to my Daddy Doctor who is a chiropractor and was able to relieve a little bit of tension. Johnny was really sweet and brought me two of my favorite chocolate treats. What a sweetie!! Today, my shoulder muscles aren't as tense, but my neck still hurts badly. Hoping to make it to Dad's office around lunch. Maybe I'm allergic to cleaning....;-)

My little condo has had a few showings, but no offers. This will be the first non-holiday weekend it has been on the market. Pray for big money!! NO WHAMMIES!!

My parents, Jill, John and I are headed down to Athens to have lunch with John's parents tomorrow. Looking forward to all of it but the 2 hour drive. Hopefully my neck will be better so that the drive doesn't hurt.

Next weekend - we need to meet with bakeries and look at tuxes. Time time to get down to business!! 6 months away!! Yay and AGH!! :)

Condo Photos

Here it is - my sweet little condo. Looking all cute hoping someone will want it for their home. She just put up the pictures last night so hopefully that will accelerate the interest!!

Organizing versus Cleaning

I was just looking for a picture of cleaning supplies and I discovered a new blog I will have to read. Talks about de-cluttering - maybe to the extreme... but still :)

Feel free to check it out: http://www.cluttercontrolfreak.com/

http://www.flylady.net/ is another de-cluttering site.

The reason I was looking for a picture is that we are finally getting around to sorting out things from moving out....and just doing some much needed cleaning.

Can I handle all this? I'm trying....

I am so stressed now - I just want to cry. It's not like things are not making progress - but things are just so tight right now and things are pulling from all directions. We all worked so hard on my place this weekend and there is still more to do. Not much but some. We are all meeting over there Tuesday night to finish up. Then Wednesday the A/C guys and hopefully the pest and dishwasher guys will be there... so maybe we can still get it listed this week. I'm praying it sells quickly. Like REALLY quickly. Moving is stressful.

To make matters worse - I freaked out last night because I was trapped within 2 feet of a wasps nest at waist level that was right on the doorframe of where I needed to be. I don't remember the last time I have been so scared. Maybe that's a little irrational 0r maybe a lot irrational. Maybe it's that time of the month but I don't freaking care. When I am out on the patio where the only exit is back into the house and they are at waist level on the door frame - about 10-15 huddled around that nest.... Yuk. 1 got inside - but quickly met his demise.

I keep telling myself that after October things will start to settle down - at least financially. Breathe in....Breathe out....Breathe in....Breathe out.

Fantasy Football Draft Time

It's Fantasy Football time! J0hn picked Romo. That's the only one so far that I have any interest in. I'm still learning to be a football fan. :) Got the new Cowboys hat and ready for the season. The draft is on hold until later this afternoon so we can actually leave now to go focus on finishing up my place!! Hopefully I'll be making a phone call to Susie on Monday to get this thing listed!!! Dad reminded me that I put a contract on the condo after it had only been listed for 2 hours - so hopefully I will have the same result!! It looks really nice...and we are leaving enough stuff there to stage it so it doesn't so much look like a bare house. I'm so over doing this every weekend and I need the money from the sale!! Pray it comes fast! Ok - we are outta here!!

For Sale....Seriously? Seriously.

This weekend we are going to finish up my house so hopefully it will be ready to get listed next week!!! Yay!!! :) I'm so ready to get this process underway! Just a few things left to pack up - empty out the food in the kitchen and start sprucing the place up a bit. Hopefully touch up paint will suffice rather than having to paint all again.

Where do I move from here? An apt in John's complex! October is just around the corner too...Thus will end my ties with the lease company. If I end my agreement with ADT then too - then all business expenses should be wrapped up and it will finally go away. Talk about one big mountain overcome...then I can chip away at some other goals and maybe in the next year or two we can purchase a new home. October will be a big month!! Also my baby niece will be born!! I can't wait!! I've already planned a long weekend to drive to Pensacola to see! :)

Among all this craziness - I have wedding plans to make:

Cake, Limo, Invitations, Making Programs yadda yadda yadda.....I've kind of lost the wedding momentum...Come back, come back!!