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It’s been a busy week!

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Luckily Tom is still home recovering from surgery, so he’s able to take care of all this stuff! I don’t know what we’d do if either of us had to keep making all these trips back and forth. (These were all little things so I saved them all up for one big post!)

MONDAY

We had someone out to move the water lines for the refrigerator. If you recall from a previous post/rant, the brain surgeon who installed it put it about a foot beyond where a normal refrigerator would be. It was covered up by our trash can, but we had them move it anyway. Now we’re just waiting for someone to come back and fix the hole in the wall.

TUESDAY

We had guys out to fix our front door. It didn’t shut quite right (the top right corner stuck into the house about 1/2″ or so, like it was warped) and would have been an issue for the security system (oh yes, we have a security system—the builder pays for the first year). I’m not entirely sure what they had to do, but all I know is the door is fixed, but we’re still waiting for them to come back and fill all the holes they made.

We received our cruise documents today. And I about had heart failure when I saw that the itinerary had changed from what we originally saw on Orbitz!! Normally an itinerary change wouldn’t be any cause for alarm, but we had purchased our Royal Dolphin Swim for the specific day we were going to be in a specific port—and that had changed!! I knew it wouldn’t be a problem to cancel the shore trip and get our money back (you can cancel up to 11 days prior), but of course I think the worst of everything and assume that the other day will be sold out and I will miss my dolphin swim after being so careful to plan ahead! Tom called and spent forever on hold, but got everything straightened out (yes, the itinerary changed and yes, we switched dolphin days). Poor Tom was so frustrated with having to deal with it…and I just said “I’m glad you had to do this. You take me for granted because I’m the one who always deals with this stuff!”

WEDNESDAY

We finally started putting up some personal pictures. I finally have my picture wall! I can’t remember where I got the idea, but I’ve always wanted to have one wall dedicated for framed pictures (all different frame types). The stairwell is perfect for this. I’ll take a picture of it eventually (or when I get home).

We had someone out to install the new dishwasher—finally. (We never thought it would take 1+ weeks.) It’s a KitchenAid. I’d never heard of KitchenAid dishwashers before we went looking and never guessed we’d end up with one! Anyway, we love it—it’s the best dishwasher we’ve ever had! We can actually fit like two or three days’ worth of dishes in it. Large items like cookie sheets and pot lids can fit in no problem. And we can even take out the top tray if we have something really tall we want to wash (which we did last night—I had a 24-quart cooking pot we’ve always had to wash by hand and I wanted to get it really clean). Plus, it’s QUIET!

We’ve solved the cats whining at our bedroom door issue. Remember, we locked them out of our bedroom once we moved in…and it worked for the most part, but Fuzzy would still whine loudly in the morning (we couldn’t figure out quite what for, since he had plenty of food and water). So now they all get locked in the living room/4th bedroom at night. They have water, but no food…but even if they did whine, we can’t hear them! We’ve slept SO well the past two nights!!!

THURSDAY

The guy came to install the new countertops today. We didn’t get the dripless edge like we thought (we got the waterfall [rounded] edge, which is still 100% better than the straight edge we had before) but it looks GREAT! Even though it looks good, it’s strange getting used the new color since I was really used to the purple—and liked the purple. But this new design/color is perfect. The installer said he’d never seen such crappy work before—he told us that the guys who had originally installed the counters had been fired because they did such poor work (after our house, they were on their way to fix another crappy install). So, we’re thrilled to have great new counters.

new counters

The TV repair guy came to look at our TV. (Back story: we got a really great deal on a TV at Sam’s Club last weekend—because it had been repaired. It also had no sound so we got them to knock it down more. We didn’t need sound because we hook it up to our receiver…but turns out it had sound, so…BONUS.) But we noticed that it had a problem near one of the edges—some color squiggles and a black spot that affected the viewing area. Tom called Samsung, they said it was under warranty, we called a local repair guy and…turns out it was nothing major. It was [something like] a piece of foam padding [that sits between the case and the screen] that was buckled or crinkled, which was affecting the rear projection. So, it was a quick an easy fix and we have a brand new TV for a great price!

The Heating & Air guy came to check our system. It actually started about two weeks ago (or, shortly after we moved in). It seemed to always be VERY cool in the house, even when we had the temps set to like 79. Now, I know what 79 feels like—at our old house, it would have been sweltering—but in this new house, when the thermostat SAID 79, you’d still be CHILLY. I was positive something wasn’t right, but we decided to wait it out a bit since they had JUST fixed the a/c and we thought that might have something to do with it. Well, we just got our first electric bill last week and WOW, it was a doozy. I mean, we knew it would be more since it’s a bigger house (plus it had the $25 connect fee), but it was the same price for two weeks as our old house was FOR A MONTH (in the height of summer, $130-140). We didn’t think it should be THAT high for just two weeks, so I convinced Tom we had to call. I mean, we thought we were doing so well trying to keep the temps warmer to conserve energy/save money, but no matter what we did, it was cool in the house (not always COLD, but enough so that you’d get goosebumps some times). So, the guy came today (which surprised me that it only took a day) and guess what? The calibration was off by SEVEN DEGREES!! And there were holes in the freon line so we had leaking freon!! I’m not sure of the mechanics of it all, but the guy assured us it all added up to a higher bill than we normally would have had. And everything is now fixed so that’s good. And I’m reassured that I am NOT crazy and the temps were out of wack.

JUST WHEN I THOUGHT I WAS DONE WITH ENTRIES FOR THE WEEK

Tom just called to say…the guys are there tearing up the driveway! (Oh yes, did I forgot to mention that we talked to the agent and she said they’d replace the driveway?) There was no advance warning or phone calls…they just showed up and started in with a backhoe. We have no idea how long it will take to finish, either—we’re guessing quite some time, as we’ve been driving them nuts with it and they probably hate us! But at least they’re sticking to our agreement of “by the end of the month.”

AND AN HOUR LATER…

Tom just called to say “GUESS WHAT?” While tearing up the driveway, they completely ripped out the cable line, so we have no internet and no TV. And when he went out to confront them, they suddenly don’t speak ANY English (they’re Mexican, but you know they know English). Now Tom is trying to call Time Warner to get it fixed and he’s trying to call the builder’s rep to let her know what happened and also that they will be paying for any repairs.

I wonder what else is going to happen???

New Countertops & New Driveway

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COUNTERTOPS

So we have a pretty big scratch in one section of kitchen counters, another section where there’s an odd strip of discoloration, and one edge section where it chipped in a few places and they colored it in with a marker. So the counter guy was just at our house and basically said he’d have to replace almost the entire thing to fix all the separate issues…so, if we wanted to change the color, we can! It would cost us $30 in materials, since there is one section he wouldn’t have to replace if he just replaced it with the same color we have now.

Don’t get me wrong—I LOVE LOVE LOVE the purple and it doesn’t look bad AT ALL—but something less, um, colorful, might be good for resale. (Although I was sure people would have a heart attack when they saw our old green/peach/orange kitchen, but they didn’t.)

So…it’s off to Lowe’s tomorrow to see if we want to change colors. It’s funny. I was sort of upset that we didn’t get to choose ANY options for our house…and now that I technically get to choose our counters, I’m sort of wishing we didn’t have the option because there are too many to choose from!

DRIVEWAY

So when we were doing the walk-through about two weeks ago, we noticed that the driveway was really splotchy (for lack of a better word). Roger said it looks like they poured it and it rained (or somehow got bubbles in it) and then it dried and the bubbles popped…so now we have an entire driveway of spots where the cement just chips away. It’s horrible. Obviously the builder can’t replace the entire driveway (he said it would be $8,000—-$10,000) so instead they’re going to grate it and seal it with some sort of colored epoxy material. We’ve seen some cool samples where they paint it to look like bricks or stones (see here for examples) but I think we’re only going to get to choose a color. We don’t want anything that will really stand out, but we hate to stick with plain gray/concrete color since we’re being given the choice. So now it’s another decision…and it will be rushed at that, since the contractor is out-of-town and will be coming in tomorrow morning to give me the samples, I pick a color right then, and he goes and does it that afternoon! Tom could normally come over from work, but he has a dentist appointment tomorrow morning! ARGH! So, the good news is we’re getting our driveway fixed, but the bad news is I am freaking out about picking the color!

Definite trade offs

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We knew there would be trade-offs with the new house, but we’re starting to experience them on a first-hand basis now…

THE KITCHEN

We could tell the kitchen was smaller. We had a square kitchen with a bar/island in the old house and this is more a galley-style kitchen. However, we counted the cabinets and saw that all we would be missing (storage- and counter-wise) was the island…which, granted is quite a bit of space, but we didn’t think it would be that drastic. Key words? DIDN’T THINK. Wow. The counter space we have is EXTREMELY limited: we have four sections that are maybe 18″ each (one on either side of the stove and either side of the sink). This leaves barely any room to set plates out for dinner and chop something at the same time. Or put the rice cooker and a plate on the counter, let alone chop something. So, our first purchase is going to be an island of some sort, probably rolling, so we can have more workspace, plus a little more storage space. OH, I almost forgot…yes, we do have about the same number of cabinets (minus the island, of course), but guess what? They’re ALL smaller in width! Where we used to be able to fit the mixing bowls next to the measuring cups, we no longer can! Each cabinet is at least 3″ smaller than we are used to…which adds up over an entire kitchen.

THE OFFICE

Granted we could have put our office in one of the bedrooms, but we chose to put it in the “sunroom” off the fourth bedroom (or bonus room) so we could have a dedicated guest room and a dedicated way-in-the-future nursery (besides, we wanted the office off the living room). Anyway, we thought we had a small office at the old house…but this is about 3′ shorter on one side, so we can’t fit quite as much stuff in as we did before. It will work, but it’s a little cramped.

BUT ON THE FLIP SIDE…

THE MASTER SUITE

We have a REAL honest-to-goodness master suite now, with a nice-sized bathroom we can BOTH fit in at the same time! With a double vanity and drawers (oh, to finally have drawers again!). And we haven’t finished arranging the bedroom yet, but there’s lots more space in there as well—not just a walkway around the bed! And we have a gorgeous 118″ triple window.

THE FOURTH BEDROOM

Pure and simple, we have a fourth bedroom which we didn’t have before! We are using it as our living room (i.e. room where the TV is) because I didn’t want a TV downstairs.

THE GARAGE

It’s larger than our previous garage, plus it’s nicer (has a brick foundation), plus it has TWO garage doors instead of one (so Tom can keep his side closed to hide all the woodworking stuff).

THE DINING ROOM

We had a dining room before, but it was small. And even moreso when the table was fully extended. Now we will have the table fully extended at all times (or so we think—we haven’t actually tried it yet) and no one will hit their head on the pot rack anymore!

So…there are trade-offs. You’d think spending as much as we did on this house there wouldn’t have to be any, but I don’t think there is such a thing as the perfect house—unless you have it custom built (speaking of—dad, get ready for when we come home to Michigan!). We looked at houses on the same street with much better kitchens, but there was always something else about the house that turned us off. So, hopefully the island will take care of our kitchen issues and we’ll be all set! Now it’s just a matter of finding one the perfect size that isn’t $400!

Many gas stations closed

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On my way to work this morning, my regular gas station was closed. Word on the street (i.e. floating around the office, from people who have been out in traffic) is that there are quite a few gas stations that are closed, and the ones that are open have lines OUT INTO THE STREET.

This is just insane. I can’t wait to see what the prices are on my way home.

Wow. Just, wow!

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Long story short, we’re moved in to the new house. Long story long, it wasn’t without some annoyances and trauma. As you know, it started with our power being turned off Friday morning and it only got better from there.

Not house-related, but we had an appointment at lunch Friday to go visit a cat that we were considering adopting…a fully declawed Tabby that we were REALLY excited about (I really really want a Tabby). However, he is almost 20# (not a problem) and unfortunately as we discovered while visiting him, a nipper (a problem). We did not want to bring home an alpha male that bites/nips. So that was disappointing—it’s rare to find a fully declawed cat. Now on to house stuff.

I had called last week to find out about switching our water service. They told me it had to be done in person. Fine. Annoying to have to make the trip, but fine. So Tom had been meaning to get to it while he was home packing and moving, but never made it. So Friday afternoon, after closing (4pm), I went. So I get there and wait in line for about 15 minutes, and…they tell me they don’t service the new address (ARGH!) so I had to go halfway across town at 4:30 on a Friday to start service! (Yes, it was my fault for not asking and merely assuming the new house TWO miles away would be the same water…but annoying.) Anyway, before I left, I asked for a letter of recommendation for the new water place so I could hopefully avoid a deposit. She said “just have them call us” — okay. So I get to the new place and ask about avoiding the deposit and she said they need a letter. I said “They said just to call them to get the reference” and she said “Yeah, we don’t do that. We need a letter. And they will charge you $5 for it.” I said “You have GOT to be kidding me.” She assured me she wasn’t. I told them “You two water companies should really talk to each other. I can’t be the only one this happens to.” Then I wrote out a $45 deposit check. ARGH. (I will be getting the other water deposit back, but still.) Oh, and I asked about when I might be able to get my deposit back… “Once you have lived here for five years…” OMG! FIVE YEARS!? I was not a happy camper. Not a big deal in the grand scheme of things, but stuff like this just rattles my cage.

So I get home, still fuming, and run into Tom on the road, taking a trailer of stuff to the new house. I tell him what happened with the water. So I was getting dinner ready and Tom seemed to be taking forever but I really didn’t think much about it. He finally comes in and says “I can top your water story” and proceeds to hold up the plastic tray from our grill and says “This is all that’s left of the grill.” Our $600 grill. I literally said (pardon my French): “You are fucking kidding me.” Apparently the strap broke and the grill went FLYING off the trailer doing 40mph. Luckily no one was in the opposite lane where it landed (although he did have to stop traffic to gather the pieces). And of course we can’t afford another $600 grill and I don’t want a cheapie grill now that we’ve had the best. UGH. We’re laughing about it now, but man, that just sucked hard core. (Actually, the grill really isn’t in pieces…but the smokestacks are crushed, the lid is buckled so it doesn’t close, and the knobs and such are missing. Apparently the gas line survived, along with the gas tank, so Tom and Roger think they can try fixing it.)

More utility fun. Tom called LAST WEEK to switch cable service (internet/tv). It was supposed to be turned off on Saturday at the old house and ON on Friday at the new house. Saturday morning…neither had happened. I called and…oh, wait, I didn’t call from our home phone because they turned that off Saturday morning, apparently at the crack of dawn (I scheduled it for Saturday, and they tell you “sometime Saturday” but it’s apparently first thing). So I had to waste my TracFone minutes ON HOLD forever while they told me…they didn’t have a disconnect order OR a connect order for either residence! YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME. And it gets better. Apparently the lines haven’t even been run to the house yet (“Are there painted lines on your lawn? No?? Hmmm.”), so it could be UP TO TWO WEEKS to get service. No one told Tom this when he called to switch service A WEEK AGO. ARGH!!!!

And did I mention that the A/C was NOT WORKING at all on the second floor (we have two units, one for each floor)? We discovered this Friday after closing when Tom first walked in, about 5pm. Like you could get anyone to come fix A/C at all this time of year, let alone a Friday afternoon! But Roger came to the rescue and managed to find our contractor (who he happened to see in the neighborhood) who called the A/C guy…who, of course, happened to show up Saturday morning WHILE WE WERE GONE. Another call and the guy was scheduled to come back out Sunday! Phew! (So, this is jumping ahead, but our first night in the new house was spent on the air matress on the first floor where the A/C was working.) Apparently what had happened was the builder had the A/C set SO low that it froze the line.

Then we had been running late on packing, what with the 4-hour Friday power outage when Tom couldn’t get into the house (no keys, garage door opener didn’t work), but we were still aiming on being done by 3pm when the carpet guy came. But in the meantime, we were still loading stuff into the new house. (Actually, Roger and Tom were loading and hauling stuff to the new house, Dick [my bosses partner/myold Staples manager] and I were hauling boxes into the new house.) Anyway, around 2 we went back to the old house to get the last of the little things, still trying to beat the carpet cleaner and, of course…he was EARLY! In retrospect, we should have said “Sorry, you’re going to have to wait until 3!” But instead, we just piled all that was left into the garage, kitchen, and back porch (all areas he didn’t need to clean). Technically the house was ours until midnight, but we wanted to be DONE by 3. Unfortunately, it didn’t work out quite like that. Anyway, by this time we’re just exhausted but we have to finish. So it was power washing the garage floor and loading last-minute outside stuff like hose reels and hanging plants.

So around 5:30 we were back at the new house to shower to go have dinner at Roger and Ursula’s (which was fine, since we didn’t have much food available). So I have to find the shower curtain and liner and I get it all together and hang it up and…it’s too short. There was a good 6″ of space between the bottom of the curtain and the bottom of the shower. (We have a shower now, with just a little lip on the bottom.) I was about ready to cry. Not that it was a big deal…I was just exhausted and my entire body hurt and we were upstairs without A/C and all I wanted was a simple shower! Luckily the rod wasn’t screwed in—it was just a tension mount—so we could move it. Well, actually it wasn’t a tension mount because we couldn’t change the width—all we could do was slide it down the wall…which worked, but now it’s out about 4″ too far so the curtains are at an angle. And I still managed to get a huge puddle of water on the floor. And we had the crappy showerhead because we didn’t have the plumber’s tape to install our own showerhead. OH YEAH—I forgot—we also didn’t have hot water since no one had turned the hot water heater on—but luckily it was SO hot upstairs that we didn’t want a hot shower—cool was just fine.

This isn’t directly related to us, but just an update: we talked to the buyers on Saturday afternoon (they showed up while we were there), and he was asking us THEN where he had to go to turn on water and power. This was after I already told his agent THREE WEEKS AGO and she told him, plus I told him personally about the water because I had to give him directions, plus the messages she left about the power issue on Friday. He is a nice guy, but totally clueless.

So Sunday Tom had to go back again to take out the laundry sink…and stuff we forgot in the kitchen like my purse and the vacuum (I thought Tom was loading everything into the car and Tom thought I would at least grab my purse). Hoo boy. I’m glad we at least know the buyers a little and they’re nice enough to not destroy or steal anything!

The A/C guy came and fixed the A/C. Now it’s working like a charm. I painted the office…I didn’t really want to paint so soon, but we wanted to get that room set up, and once all the computer stuff is in and all the cords are all over, it’s IMPOSSIBLE to paint, and we didn’t want to have to set the room up twice…so I painted it. It wasn’t too bad—the painter’s tape I used this time did its job wonderfully…but we somehow ended up with a dime-sized blotch of paint on the carpet. OH MY GOD. I wanted to scream! I blame it on Tom, LOL, because I had everything covered with a drop cloth (because I was PARANOID about not getting paint on the carpet)…and at the very end, he came in to help fold up the tarp and… later when we’re setting up the office, I noticed the paint. Hoo boy. It never fails.

Sunday dinner I start making something…and realize the plastic utensils we’d been using are just not going to cut it for this meal…so we go on a 20-minute hunt for silverware. Of course it’s not with all the other kitchen stuff because I totally forgot about it, so it’s in an unlabeled “last-minute item” box. Or so I thought. Turns out it was in a “kitchen” box—actually in the kitchen that I’d already opened—I just hadn’t fully unpacked it.

Oh, and the cats. OH MY. They are soooooooo confused. They didn’t like being in the carriers of course, but we only let them out in one room (with their litterbox) while we went to dinner at Roger’s. We let them out when we came home and oh my, the crying and meowing… They freaked out whenever we left them and they couldn’t understand the upstairs and downstairs and got especially confused with the balcony. They would be downstairs crying and we’d call them from the balcony and they just meowed louder and louder, never looking up. It was like they were crying for us to come get them and lead the way. It was so funny. It’s better now after a day, but the first night, Fuzzy started crying in the middle of the night and Tom had to go find him and he carried him upstairs to the litterbox—that was what he wanted. He apparently got lost or couldn’t find it or didn’t remember… now, a day later, that’s been okay, too. It’s been an adventure.

So that’s where we are. Now we just have a ton of unpacking and painting to do….

It’s really happening!!

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We got the appraisal on our house Monday and unfortunately, it was $2,000 short. This was a HUGE disappointment, since we couldn’t really afford to lower our selling price any—we need every penny in order to pay off my car, which is a contingency of our new loan. We had thought it might come in low—by $500 or $1,000 at the most—so being two grand off really put us in a funk. The problem with the appraisal coming in low is that the sale is a VA loan, and the VA will only loan what the house appraises for!

We discussed our options, but none of them were able to get us in the new house without borrowing money. The good news is we had offers from both my mom and dad to loan us the difference, but I had never borrowed ANY money from either of them up until now, and I didn’t want to start (well, I borrowed an apartment deposit from dad once, but I paid it back within a month). I didn’t sleep much that night, wondering what we were going to do and running through various scenarios. What we kept ending up with was that we didn’t want to give up the sale because (obviously) we still really wanted our new house…and…we also sorta had half the house already packed in boxes! Ironically, had we not just decided to take our honeymoon (and already paid for half of it, with the other half due this month), we could have afforded the difference.

So we went to the selling agent asking if there was ANY way the buyers might pay an extra $1,000 and we’d drop the price $1,000. Since their loan wouldn’t cover it, their extra $1,000 would be out-of-pocket…something probably not easy for a young couple. We also felt guilty even asking since they are already paying ALL the closing costs…and we didn’t want to scare them off and lose the sale. Well, we were lucky…they REALLY wanted the house and eagerly accepted our offer. So, it’s a go. We close on this house on August 10 and will hopefully close on our new house August 12 (we can’t close the same day since we have to wait to get our money, then take it to the bank to pay off the car). We are borrowing the difference from my mom and David (thanks again!). We should be able to store stuff in the garage of the new house before closing, and Tom is certain we can be fully moved in by Saturday morning (13th), so we should officially be in our new house at 108 Birdie Court on Saturday, August 13. ONE MONTH FROM NOW. HOLY SHIT—it’s really happening. 🙂

We have an offer!

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Two couples came to look at the house this evening, and we could tell the one couple was absolutely hooked when the girl asked “Would you leave the shower curtain in the master bath? I love the lilacs!” So we weren’t terribly surprised when we got a call from our agent saying they were making an offer and the paperwork would be done in the morning. The best part? It was for the full asking price PLUS all closing costs! (The “no closing costs” had been one of our contingencies—the market is just so hot [especially in our price range] that sellers can pretty much ask for whatever they want.)

Now we just have to hope the house appraises for our full asking price…it’s going to be close, if not VERY close.

We’re officially for sale!

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Our house is officially for sale! (Of course, there’s a long and convoluted story behind it, but suffice it to say the house is the cleanest and most organized it’s ever been!) The good news is that no one expects it to last until the weekend, and no one would be surprised if it sold today. The bad news is that the house we put an offer on is still taking backup offers (again, long story) so there’s a chance (although extremely small) that we could lose it.

Okay, so you want the long and convoluted version? Here goes. Let me try a list—it may help simplify things:

  • One of our best friends (and previous neighbor), Roger, is an up and coming real estate agent.
  • It’s been known since Day 1 that if/when we sell our house, he will be the agent.
  • I now happen to work for one of the top agents in the city.
  • We planned on doing a FSBO (we thought we had a buyer) so Roger would get a 2% fee and we’d save some money.
  • I had to break it to my boss that I was listing and buying with another agent. It was awkward and she was surprised but overall it went okay.
  • The FSBO fell through and, due to a contract contingency for our new house, we had to have our house sold or listed by Monday.
  • Roger couldn’t go down to 4%, which we needed in order to make what we wanted to make on the sale of our house.
  • I had to go crawling back to my boss to suck up and ask if she would sell our house. (I actually cheated and took the wuss way out by having Roger call her!) 😳
  • She agreed with no hesitation (phew!).

Oh, the trials and tribulations of real estate! 🙂

A Change of Plans: A Blog Exclusive

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We aren’t announcing this via email blast to the whole family yet, because all plans aren’t final. However, if you are one of the loyal readers of this blog, you will find out ahead of everyone else. See, there are benefits of reading my blog!

Long story short, we are going to be in Jacksonville another 2-3 years—and are in the process of selling our house and buying a new (larger) house. Wow, we know. It was a big shock to us, as well, since the last anyone knew, we were planning on coming home to Michigan within the next year or so.

Why did we perform a 180? Well, Tom had a talk with the head of the Business Technology Division and a prior colonel at 2MARDIV. He had no problem with Tom extending for one year here at base, but he thought it would be in Tom’s best interest to go for augmentation. Augmentation is a two-year commitment that changes his status from a reserve officer to an active duty officer and permits him to continue on in the Marine Corps if he decides he wants to go back into the Marines (I warned him that he might not like working in the real world!). If he were to decline his augmentation, he would be burning a more secure bridge than he expected.

When Tom told me about this we discussed it for a while and decided that a two-year commitment here at base would not kill either of us (although we really want to come home, we want to make sure we are in the best financial position to do so). Staying another few years will also allow Tom to go further in his masters work. Also, Tom has to figure out his schedule for getting his degree—there is only one class he can take this fall semester…so depending on the rest of the semesters he may need the entire three years to finish!

Another factor in our decision to stay is that Tom’s company commander said that he wouldn’t send him anywhere and that his company has too many officers that haven’t gone overseas yet. Of course, this isn’t a 100% guarantee (nothing is in the Corps), but we’re comfortable with it.

We also discussed our finances. Since I work for a real estate agent, we have been tracking the amounts that the houses in our area have been going for. The way we look at it, right now is probably the best time to get the best chunk of money out of our house. We could still get a little more if we waited another 2-3 years, but if we were to roll our money into a larger home in a more prestigous area, in 2-3 years we will be able to leave with a more substantial profit. We are just trying to leave Jacksonville with the most money possible and if we were to stay in the house we are at now, it wouldn’t be as advantageous as a new, larger home. As a positive, we’re fairly certain the new house will appraise for more than we’re paying, so we will actually start off ahead of the game. (Our neighbors, who moved into the same subdivision four or so months ago, have already had their house appraise for about 10k more than they paid). Of course, buying this new home is all depending on the sale and appraisal of our current house—and if we can’t get what we want (either sale- or appraisal-wise), then we can wait. The goal is to pay off the car (which payment will actually rollover into our new mortgage) and make a comfortable, yet dedicated, investment.

Ultimately, it’s a huge step we’re both excited AND scared about. The prospect of a new, larger house is exhilarating…but the prospect of doubling our mortgage is frightening (even though it all logically figures out). We figure everything happens for a reason, so if it was meant to be, it will be.

WISH US LUCK!

Procrastination is expensive!

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Owning a car sucks—at least today, LOL. Our check engine light came on a few days ago so it went in for service today. We were expecting it to be the oxygen sensor (what it was the last time the light came on—a mere $35 issue). Well, it was that, BUT there was another issue which they needed to do an in-depth diagnosis to determine…at a charge of $70. Well, you can’t NOT do it… So the next call was to tell me they found what it was—the air flow ratio sensor, which can be replaced at a cost of…$380!! If we don’t get it fixed…it will eventually kill the catalytic converter. Lovely. Then, I had also had them do an oil change…so they noticed that ALL our fluids (and especially the transmission fluid) need flushing. Add $460 to the bill. Egads. I wasn’t prepared to deal with all this today, so we’re not having it done today…but we need to do it soon. Of course, had we kept up with out 30,000 or 35,000 mile scheduled maintenance plan, we probably would have already had some of this stuff done. So, our procrastination is now going to take a big-assed bite out of our savings… He said the air flow ratio sensor might be covered under an extended warranty—which I thought we bought, but they couldn’t find any record of it…so I put in a call to Spartan Toyota in Lansing and they looked it up and said we bought the 6-year 100,000 mile warranty (phew!)…so now I just hope the air sensor is covered by it!!! Hoo boy.

“Woman survives crash with tractor-trailer”

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Woman survives crash with tractor-trailer
May 20,2005

CHRIS MAZZOLINI
DAILY NEWS STAFF

A tractor-trailer collided with a car Thursday morning on U.S. 258 near the Onslow County Multipurpose Complex, requiring rescuers to extract a woman from her vehicle.

Connie Dail McClain, 53, of Richlands Highway in Richlands, was driving her 1999 Chrysler 300 southbound on U.S. 258 around 6:30 a.m. when she drifted across the center lane and into the path of a 2003 Kenworth tractor-trailer driven by Phillip Smith Jr., 43, of Fayetteville, according to Highway Patrol Trooper R.E. Dudley. Smith was driving the tractor-trailer for Carolina Tank Lines, based in Burlington.

The front left of McClain’s vehicle struck the front left of the tractor-trailer near the fuel tank, Dudley said. The car spun around and came to rest on the roadway, he said.

Emergency rescuers extracted McClain from the vehicle, and she was taken to Onslow Memorial Hospital. She was later transferred to Pitt County Memorial Hospital in Greenville, where she was listed in fair condition, according to the nursing coordinator.

Smith tried to avoid the collision, Dudley said. He swerved into the southbound lanes, then back to the right, and jack-knifed as the tractor-trailer went off the road and hit a utility pole, Dudley said.

Smith was uninjured, Dudley added.

“There was some fuel out of the tank on the ground,” he said. “It was not a major hazardous materials incident by any stretch.”

It is unclear why McClain drifted into oncoming traffic.

“The investigation is still ongoing; I haven’t had an opportunity to speak with her because of her physical condition,”

Traffic had to be rerouted until 10:30 a.m., said Onslow Sheriff Ed Brown. Deputies directed traffic up Hines Farm Road and into the Burton Industrial Park through a back entrance, and then back onto U.S. 258, he said.

“I cringe to think what the traffic would have been like this morning if it hadn’t been for the access (to the industrial park),” Brown said.

OMG. OMG. OMG! OMG!

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I had a detour on the way to work this morning so when I got in, I called Tom to see if he had the detour as well (usually an hour earlier than me) and there was no answer. I didn’t think anything about it. He called me about 20 minutes later…he was just getting to work…he had been the main witness to the accident (about 7am)! He said he came very close to being in the accident himself! As it was, he witnessed a woman cross over the center turn lane and run into a semi [just behind the cab]. The semi jackknifed and took out two telephone poles—one one EACH side of the highway and barely missed him. He said at one point, he and the semi driver were just staring at each other as the semi was rushing towards the car! He stopped and ran to a nearby house to have them call 911 and then had to keep the woman restrained, standing in a pool of gas, glass, and blood.

OMG. 88|

He is still shaken up about it, as should be expected. And he said that experience was MUCH WORSE than all the crap he experienced being in Iraq.

OMG. 88|

I asked what had happened to the woman…did she fall asleep? Have a stroke? Have a death wish? What? He said none of the above—-they weren’t sure…but the cop said that they had had two calls EARLIER THAT MORNING about two hit-and-runs she had been involved in! The woman was in bad shape, but expected to be okay.

OMG. 88| Not the way to start my morning…

The Royal Swim

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http://www.shoretrips.com/

We scheduled a shore excursion for our cruise…”SWIM WITH THE DOLPHINS IN TORTOLA-THE ROYAL SWIM” —-

Imagine the thrill of dolphins pulling you through the water, or leaping over your head. Picture yourself speeding through the water as the dolphins push you by your feet. Experience the joy of a dolphin’s kiss…memorable photo opportunities to say the least. And our professional photographers will capture these magical moments for you on video and photo. Each session is one hour, with 30 minutes of swim time.

I used Shore Trips (linked in title), a site I found last year while surfing the net. They supposedly have the same tours that cruises offer, but you get smaller groups and more personalized service.

I really hated to spend as much as we did for the experience (dolphins are one of the most expensive trips, excluding renting a private yacht for the day!), but Tom said if that was what I wanted to do…then we’d do it! To make sure we get the most out of the experience, we bought a waterproof housing for our camera, so we can be sure to get TONS of pictures!!

We’d like to maybe do another excursion, but we aren’t sure yet what it will be…something cheap, most likely!

FINALLY, OUR HONEYMOON!

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http://www.hollandamerica.com/

WE JUST BOOKED OUR HONEYMOON CRUISE!!!

Of course, I’ve been researching cruises the entire time Tom was gone but I got overwhelmed very easily…so he finally did his own research and narrowed it down to five cruises for me to choose from…and I was still having a hard time deciding! It was either cruise from Ft. Lauderdale before October (in order to use my free US Air ticket—-that I got for taking a bump last year—-before it expired)…or go from Charleston, SC, during Christmas, when cruises were a bit cheaper (and also so we might not miss being at home so much).

Another part of the decision was when to visit Kathryn, Marcus, and the girls. We had talked about going this spring or summer, but it could also be combined with the cruise… Another part of the decision was whether to get a balcony or not. Some ships had them, some didn’t. And we didn’t want to spend a TON of money…but we really wanted a balcony. So, I was trying to decide, wavering back and forth, back and forth, back and forth…when I got an email from Orbitz with some cruise deals. (I had searched Orbitz before, but when Tom was looking, we were using USAA because they had previously had the best prices.) I clicked on it just for the heck of it and—-what? $721 for a 7-day cruise with a balcony? At that moment, we knew we were booking a cruise that night! Here’s what the room looks like:

Deluxe Verandah Outside Staterooms

2 lower beds convertible to 1 queen-size bed, bath & shower, sitting area, private verandah, floor-to-ceiling windows. Approx. 249 sq. ft.
Holland America Reserved Room

We are cruising to the Caribbean on Holland America from Ft. Lauderdale. We haven’t researched the ports much yet—-and honestly, they weren’t much of a consideration when choosing a cruise (especially when we found the good deal). Our main concerns were taking a cruise for 5-9 days for a good price and hopefully getting a balcony. I’m more interested in the whole cruise ship experience, with the ports just being an added bonus.

  • Day 1: Ft. Lauderdale, FL
  • Day 2: Half Moon Cay, Bahamas (HAL’s Private Island)
  • Day 3: At Sea
  • Day 4: Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas
  • Day 5: Road Town, Tortola, B.V.I.
  • Day 6: At Sea
  • Day 7: Nassau, Bahamas
  • Day 8: Ft. Lauderdale, FL

So, we’re totally geeked! Now we just have to finalize travel plans (i.e. when we will arrive ahead of time, in order to visit with the Filipek clan) and get our passports! (We had debated not getting passports, since they’re about $100 each, but it’s much easier than carrying around a handful of documents…I’d need three: my driver’s license, my birth certificate, and my marriage license!) Now I’m just hoping I have my birth certificate in the safe…

Our grand plan…down the drain???

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So Tom and I have been getting REALLY excited because he found out (while in Iraq) that he can take college courses to finish his second degree—and the military would reimburse us for 75% of the costs. Excellent, no? That’s what we thought! We had it all planned out—he would extend his time by a year or two—just enough time to get his degree. He would take classes on Camp Lejeune or at the local community college. He’d graduate/have his degree just in time to get out and move home to Michigan (and be able to get a great job).

But. (There’s alway a but, right?)

Now he’s finding out more details. Of course, the people who told him about all this to begin with didn’t mention ONE THING about the caveat. Hoo boy. Oh, the military will pay for the classes…but you have to pay them back: you either stay in (I think it was) one extra year for every so many classes you took…or you have to pay EVERYTHING back. So, if you take any college classes, you’re automatically LOCKED into more time to pay it off. (I can’t recall the exact ratio, but I think it came out to us having to be here like four more years…which was NOT in our grand plan.)

The second problem, although not a military caveat, is that NONE of the classes Tom needs for the degree he wants are offered on Camp Lejeune. There wasn’t enough interest, so the classes have been cancelled. And as luck would have it, there are none at the community college, either. So, where ARE the classes? At MCAS Cherry Point, 1:30 away (oly 60 miles, but no highways). So, that totally sucks. If he wants to take classes, they have to be night classes, which puts him in the car a minimum of THREE HOURS A DAY and most likely puts him on the road late at night after having been up since 5 or 6. I am NOT happy about that. AT ALL. I got him home safe from Iraq—the last thing I need is for him to fall asleep at the wheel coming home from class.

So, for now, our grand plan has been flushed down the toilet. We have no idea what we’re going to do. He really wants to get his second degree (all the better to get a great job when we move home), but it’s going to be VERY hard with all the daily travel. We can’t afford to do it on our own financially (i.e. go back to school in Michigan), but in order for the military to pay for it, we have to stay in longer. His committment is offically up this August, so if he doesn’t extend (or doesn’t sign up for four more years), he’s done—and out!—in August. Worst case scenario, he’s done in August and then what??? Do we move home? Does he find a job as a civilian contractor for about the same money (more salary, but it evens out with the loss of the housing allotment)? EGADS. It seems nothing is ever cut and dried in the military!!

Homecoming Yesterday

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I woke up at about 6am and just could NOT fall back asleep…but I was happy that I slept the whole night (I had been afraid I wouldn’t sleep a wink). Tom called about 7am to let me know he was in Charlotte and was still expected in at 8:40. I left the house (in his car, per his request!) at 8:15 since the airport is literally only minutes away. As I drove by our friend’s house (Roger & Ursula), I saw they had hung a sheet/banner out saying WELCOME HOME TOM! I almost started crying right then! (I had wanted to do a banner, but long story short, it just didn’t happen and I knew he wouldn’t be heartbroken.) But it was SOOOO sweet that they put one up and I’m so glad they did!

So I made it to the airport, parked, and only had to wait about 10 minutes before he walked off the plane! I hadn’t really been emotional AT ALL up to that point, but as soon as I saw him, I started crying! After a few minutes of hugs and kisses, LOL, it was off to wait for the luggage (I swear, all 400# of it). Then he finally got to see his new car…and loved it! Of course, he drove home.

After unloading the car, saying hello to the kids, and eating our Cinnabons (that he brought from Charlotte), Tom took a two-hour nap. I know he could have slept a lot longer, but he wanted to start getting back on schedule. Then it was off to base so he could check in and return his weapon. Then we ran some errands (dreaming about DLP televisions at Best Buy, checking out replacement laptops at Staples, eating dinner at Texas Roadhouse—a new place that just opened but that’s one of our favorite restaurants from Lansing, and getting groceries at Sam’s Club). Then it was home, where we ran into some neighbors in the street. Then we watched some TV and were in bed by 10.

So how is it to have him home? Wonderful. Absolutely wonderful. Except for one thing. MAN, does he make a lot of noise when he sleeps! LOL! I mean, I know he snores, but let’s just say I didn’t get much sleep (hence my being up this early). My little prods that used to get him to flip over?? No more. Now I have to literally shove him to get him to move. I know it’s mainly because he’s STILL exhausted and because he’s not used to sleeping with anyone else…but if this is still a problem after a week, we’ll have to take drastic measures!!

We have a bonfire planned for this weekend so everyone can see him and we can hear all the stories…so we’re really looking forward to that and to seeing everyone. Poor Tom—after he left, two of our best friends moved from the neighborhood, one put their house on the market (and has two offers on it), and the last is just putting their house up for sale. We’re the only ones left!

Stay tuned for more post-deployment stories, I’m sure…

*Some details have been omitted due to my parents reading this blog, LOL…

Deployment: Yippee For Taxes

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Wow. That’s all I can say right now—wow.

I got our taxes done this week. This was the first year since we’ve been married that I’ve had to do it—we get it done on base for free, and Tom always does it because it’s more convenient for him. So, thanks to the deployment, it was my turn!

So, as per the past few years, I wasn’t expecting much back (for example, last year we got $159 federal and $229 state). So imagine my complete and utter surprise when the tax guy finished and said, ever-so-casually, that my return was $1451. My first reaction? “I’m sorry, that must be a mistake!” He reassured me that the amount was correct. Why the big difference? You won’t believe it. Deployment. All money earned while deployed in a combat zome is not taxed…but they keep taking out taxes as normal! So, we obviously overpaid by a large margin—so it’s all coming back! Talk about a great morning…

Termination of Mail Services

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Since Tom has been gone, I’ve been getting emails from Camp Pendleton with announcements related to the deployment (as well as related to spouse events in the Pendleton area—of which I have absolutely no use!—but most of the deployed marines were originally from the area, so it makes sense for them). However, once in awhile, I get one that I actually read! This week, they announced the Termination of Mail Services…because the guys are getting closer to coming home!! They make this request 45-60 days out (I’m guessing at the number of days, but it seems to fit with the timeline Tom has given me) so that there’s less chance of packages getting lost in the transition from Iraq to California (during which time the marines may be moving around frequently). Any mail sent after Feburary 15 will be held at Camp Pendleton, so there’s really no use in sending anything else unless you want him to receive it there. Personally, I would not take the chance!! If you want him to get something in California, I’d wait until he’s settled in to Cali and I can give you an address (most likely, he will be at a hotel again, as he was on his way out). Please feel free to contact me with any questions!

Profound thoughts? Daily blather is more like it!

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Welcome to the first entry of my new (but old—the account was created over a year ago) blog. Pretty, ain’t it? You can thank Jim, whose own blog experience made me want to actually work on mine! I always thought it would be cool to have my own blog (and, you have to admit, it seems like a Jen thing to do)—but since I have a whole website that I sort of consider a blog, I never really got around to doing it…why duplicate things? That, and I was sure it would eat up more time than I was willing to devote to it…because you all know how I get sucked in to anything computer!! But, then Jim had to go ahead and change blog providers and he got me all excited again. So…after wasting a GOOD 30 minutes trying to get it set up correctly (wrong paths, wrong ftp logins, wrong passwords), I finally did it! (Then add another hour or so for fiddling with account settings…) So I might try my hand at this for a few days and see how it goes. Enjoy!

D-Day–Tom Heads Out

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Well, it was rough…like I knew it would be. I managed to make it to the very last day without breaking down (although I came close more than once when Tom was saying goodbye to people)…and it seemed once I started, it was hard to stop—any little thing would set me off again. Logically, I knew better. I knew I could handle him being gone, I knew I’d be fine in a day or so, and I felt silly for being so emotional…but in the meantime it was just horribly painful.

I told Tom about four times that this was the LAST time I was doing this…that he was getting out when he was done and he was never leaving me again! I honestly don’t know how some wives can joke about being glad when their husbands leave…or wanting them to leave…or joking that “Can’t my husband go with yours?” I can’t fathom ever looking forward to him leaving. Especially for nine months. NINE MONTHS. Maybe it’s still the newlywed in me??

One of the hardest things about the day was being home alone while he was on base doing last-minute things. In my mind, the hours were flying by, totally wasted, when we could have been together. As it turns out, there were some screw-ups, so he actually did end up wasting a lot more time than he had planned on (he got home about noon, having left at 7am). But the good news is he got all the necessary paperwork done and now he can go up for Captain. (I’ll have to have him explain the process in more detail, but basically, you have to get your packet of information together to present to the selection board…which will happen while he’s in Iraq…so he had to complete it before he left. If they determine he’s qualified, then he makes Captain in a year or so.)

Then it was the rush to get the last-minute packing and last-minute “honey do” things done. And that’s when it started to hit me…he was really leaving (although logically, of course, I’ve known that since August). Before we knew it, it was time to pack the car and head to the airport. And before I knew it, I was home again…in an empty house. (Thank goodness for the cats…at least there was some life there.)

My only thoughts for the first few hours were… He’s gone. He’s actually gone. For nine months. Nine. NINE! Almost a year. I will be alone for 270 days. How do these other wives do it??? So, finally, I went to my crutch…this website! I spent some time updating and felt much better…although I still can’t believe he’s going to be gone for NINE MONTHS!

Upcoming deployment…

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Well, everyone…we have good news and bad news.

The bad news? Tom got the call today—he’s headed to Iraq on September 15! We’re both taking it well (or as well as could be expected). Of course we didn’t want for this to happen, but we both knew it was a possibility so it’s not like it was a total surprise. What we ARE thankful for is that we have until September 15 to prepare…we actually got notice yesterday that he had a 50/50 chance of leaving in 10 days (!) and THAT really threw us for a loop…so we’ll gladly take 45 days instead. (This will give us time to get the legal stuff in order…as well as have our garage sale!) Everyone has mentioned how well I’m taking this…and I say “Well, FOR NOW! Just wait until he starts packing and I have to drop him off…I’ll be a total mess.” 🙂 Oh, and did I mention what might just be the worst part??? He won’t be gone for the normal six months like most everyone else…he’ll be gone for NINE MONTHS! Oy vey.

But, the good news? He won’t be on the front line! He’ll basically be doing some of what he does on base now—technically, he will be an Information Management Officer/Data Programming Officer. In civilian terms, inputting data into databases and making sure applications are running correctly…in an air-conditioned tent. 🙂 He’ll be located away from shelling and direct fire in a Headquarters type area (just about as safe as you can be over there). And it’s also good news that he’ll be pulling in overseas and hazardous duty pay…

We are homeowners!

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Wednesday (28 May)

Tom talked to our realtor and found out that the contractor IS NOT fixing any of the house problems before closing…including the MAJOR things the inspector found (like no insulation in the attic). HUH? The realtor originally told us that they typically don’t fix anything until [after] the walk-through, but since our contractor knew we couldn’t make it down during the week, and would not adjust his schedule for us, we had to schedule the walk-through on a weekday…and the only available day was closing day! (Typically, you would do the walk-through with them a week or so before, then they’d have time to fix the problems before closing.) So anyway, we were really ticked off. I mean, this is EXACTLY why we did our own walk-through two weeks prior—and faxed the list to the contractor! And our realtor, at the time, told us the contractor was going to fix the things! It was just a nightmare we didn’t want to deal with. We just knew we did NOT want to close on a house with major things still unfixed. We tried not to think too much about it.

Thursday (29 May)

It was a loooooong day for me at work. All I could think about was the house and what was going to happen. Of course, I was thinking the worst. We left town about 4pm and of course, had to stop by the house on our way into town. Since we had assumed some of our changes would have been done (especially the OBVIOUS ones), we were VERY disheartened to see that the shutters and front door—which had been brown but were supposed to be green—hadn’t been changed. We reasoned that if they couldn’t even change that one basic/obvious thing, what hope did we have of anything else on our three-page list being taken care of? Falling asleep that night, thankfully, was no problem…but we were both wide awake at 5:30am!

Friday (30 May)

We had checked out of the hotel before we even got our 7am wake-up call! We had time to waste but didn’t have anything to do, so we went and sat in our driveway and waited. The building supervisor showed up around 8 and chatted with Tom for a bit while he waited for the rest of his guys to show up. Apparently they were going to have painters and whatnot following us around fixing things as we pointed them out. That was all well and good, I thought, but what about the things that just couldn’t be fixed on the spot (like a broken drawer latch)? I did not want to close on a house that still had problems!

As it turned out, we had nothing to worry about. They had, in fact, been working on our list—and probably about 80% of it had already been fixed. We then walked through the house, room by room, with a painter and he touched things up (sanded, filled, painted, etc.) as we pointed them out. There were other guys there doing some of the bigger patching jobs, as well as our contractor, his son, and [what looked like] a buddy of his. There were about 10 people milling about—and I was a little overwhelmed. Things went smoothly, but I did feel a bit rushed. Then the supervisor walked us through the house and explained how things worked, we asked some questions (we found out that there was insulation in the attic—it just hadn’t been in when the inspector was there), and were done by 9:30. We did end up with a list of about five minor things that they needed to fix (including the shutters/door and shower rods) but it was nothing major (thankfully). Then it was off to the lawyer’s office for closing.

The closing went very smoothly. The lawyer was very nice—and funny. We signed about 30 sets of papers and were done in about a half hour. One good thing is that our mortgage is going to be lower than we first thought—at least until next year. Since the house wasn’t completed at the first of the year, we don’t get charged all the taxes—so our payment is about $75 lower per month than we thought. And next year, even after it goes up, it will still be a bit less than we thought. Bonus! We thanked the lawyer, thanked our realtor, then sat in the car saying “We just bought a house. We own a house. Oh my god.”

Then it was off to set up our water and electricity accounts. And eat a celebratory lunch. And head to Lowes for the first of many trips—we knew we had underestimated how much paint we needed, plus we had decided on the color for the main/guest bath (a medium turquoise). We went home (home!) and unloaded the car and got ready to paint! I taped up two rooms while Tom put the epoxy coating on the garage floor. Then our neighbors saw us so they came over and we stood in the driveway talking for about an hour. It’s so cool to have neighbors that we can talk to!!

After they left, we started. I had SO been looking forward to painting…but damn, I forgot how hard it was! And how painstaking it could be. And how frustrated I get when I can see roller lines. But I wanted it painted, so it was getting painted and I tried not to complain at all. It was after midnight by the time we finished the first coat of green (Misty Sea) and the first coat of red (Chilled Wine).

Saturday (31 May)

We slept in until 9, then I started edging the bedroom while Tom finished the garage floor. Then it was back to Lowes for more painting supplies…and a few other odds and ends (including a vacuum). I can’t recall what all we bought (it was mostly stuff we needed), but it was an expensive trip. The only bonus is that they had a 10% military discount until June 6! We grabbed lunch, then back at home it was more painting. Tom and I finally worked out a good system whereby he did the edging with a cool tool and I did the walls. Somewhere along the line, we took another trip to Lowes for more supplies—I wanted toilet paper holders—and we ended up getting a medicine cabinet (which he have to return because it doesn’t fit right) and a ceiling fan that we just fell in love with (that was a bonus because, unbeknownst to us, it came with a $25 rebate—but we had to get it because it will go PERFECTLY with how we want to paint the room). Then Tom was messing around with getting the washer and dryer hooked up and realized that we were missing a plug for the dryer (or was it the washer?) that was supposed to have been included. So, while he ran into town to pick it up, I started painting the bathroom. It was a small room, but it was a lot of work and I did most of it myself.

We had dinner at our neighbors at 6:30 (it was so cool to be able to just walk there!) and came home around 9…and started painting again! I didn’t want to AT ALL—I was SO dead tired and sore—but we had to get as much done as possible. And Tom kept reminding me that *I* was the one who wanted all the color! So, we got the second coats on both the den and bedroom, including edging. We also did a test run with the washer and dryer. OH MY. The front-load washer is the ultimate in cool. It is so quiet you would not even know it was running. Plus, it’s fun to watch! (Too bad it’s not inside so Fuzzy can watch it!) And the clothes came out almost dry! It was after midnight, again, when we finally went to bed.

Sunday (1 June)

I honestly thought I would die if I had to pick up a paintbrush or roller again, so Tom finished the second coat in the bathroom while I cleaned up, packed, and vacuumed the house. It was a GORGEOUS morning, so I turned off the A/C and opened all the windows! (I know there won’t be too many perfect days like that, so you have to take advantage when you can.) Tom planted our lilac bush (or, rather, lilac twig!) and I sat on the screen porch and made a few calls. We were done and showered and ready to go by 11:30. It was very hard leaving, especially knowing what we had to go home to (yucky apartment!) and that we wouldn’t be back to our house for three weeks!

Miscellany

Everyone warned us there would be bugs—lots of ’em. And believe me when I say they were NOT kidding. The mosquitoes are HUGE and they are all over. And in addition to the bugs, there are spiders (brown recluse, among others). And toads (those little mini ones). And bullfrogs (which are fun to listen to). One night in our garage, there were three mini toads, a spider, a cricket, and many mosquitoes. Lovely. I got pictures of them all just in case you don’t believe me.

Painters tape is a crock. We had two different kinds (brown paper with a tacky strip and blue tape) and neither worked well at all. The brown stuff actually came off on it’s own before we even got around to painting. It was actually pointless to use it—I did better hand-edging. Needless to say we have LOTS of touch-up to do on the trim and just a few spots on the ceiling.

After we completed our walk-through (and tested the facilities!) we went to visit Heidi and Neil and see their house. We loved it—seeing their vibrantly painted rooms confirmed our decision to paint our rooms! (Their living room is a wonderful golden color and their kitchen/dining area is a rich red.) Of course, the topic of conversation turned to “Where are you from?” and it turns out Heidi grew up in Michigan and lived in Traverse City for a few years! We knew all of the same places and hangouts—and she already put in an order for Traverse City wine when we come home! Then it was time to head home—saving money by not staying in a hotel for the second night!

One of the silliest things I am most excited about is having lights in every room! After six years of apartment living and having to have lamps in every room for ANY light at all, permanent fixtures are a wonderful convenience! But there are also quirks: There are cable outlets in the den and each of the three bedrooms—but not the living room! (And the one in the den is next to the fireplace?!?! Someone was NOT thinking on that one.) Along the same line, there are phone jacks in the kitchen, living room, and all three bedrooms, but NOT the den. Why??? And then there are the little things we can’t wait to find out what they’re for—like the pipe coming out of the house at about attic level!

Inspection completed!

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We got our inspection results and overall it was positive. However, there were two WOWs. One, there was a lot of “average construction quality” and “generally good condition” type comments that worried me slightly because, well, this IS A NEW HOUSE and I would expect more than average and generally good…but Dad confirmed it was the typical inspection BS. Two, the one major thing found was that the attic did not have insulation!! When we talked to our realtor, he was shocked and was definitely going to talk to the contractor! We’re waiting to hear how it went, because we fear the worst. Why? Because the contractor has been GREAT so far (so we don’t anticipate any problems) but you never know. He could suddenly become the contractor from hell or the contractor we never see. I’m just paranoid because things have gone so well this far!

We saw it and love it!

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We headed out Friday afternoon in rainy weather and ran into a few traffic jams on the way (seen in the first picture)—plus a detour OFF the highway due to a HazMat cleanup. Since we were so excited, we drove straight to our house (taking a back way we discovered, which saved some time). It was dark by the time we got there, but the electricity is connected, so we had lights. We loved it. Everything was perfect! Or so Tom thought until he saw the carpet.

He was determined it was the wrong color—it looked too light. I was sure it was right, but we decided to check it out anyway. Then I checked out the countertops—which I had been VERY worried about…and they were good! They weren’t as dark green/teal as I had been afraid of and they didn’t look bad at all. Truth be told…if I had it to do over, I would probably go with another color that more closely matched the floor. Also, I would go with beige or almond appliances, to also more closely match the floor. We only spent about 20 minutes there, because we knew we’d be back the next day for a more thorough inspection. We were also hungry and tired!

Saturday morning we went to Furniture Fair to upgrade our range. Our contractor agreed to switch ranges and credit us what he paid—we just had to find what we wanted and pay the difference. The range that was included was nice—but it was electric. And I decided that if I had to continue to live with an electric range for the next three years, it was going to be a flat-top (I HATE THE COILS!). But, since we had time, we first made a detour through the living room furniture to see if I could find some high back chairs that I liked. Not that we were necessarily going to buy any, but I just had to see if I could find chairs similar to those our friends have—they are the MOST comfortable high back chairs I have ever sat in and I would buy them if I could find them (except they were 20 years old). So, in the process of sitting in chairs, we ran into a minor snafu…as I got up out of a chair, my jeans were snagged by the chair in front of me—there was a wire sticking out! We called a manager over to show him, and they are replacing my jeans (well, sending me a check). So, although we were upset at ruining a pair of jeans, it was very cool that they’re taking care of it. So back to range upgrading.

Front Load WasherWe headed over to the appliances—but before we got to the ranges, we saw that they had a washer and dryer on clearance for $850. And it was a front-load washer like we wanted. So we looked at it, hmmmed and hawed (I wanted to run to a computer to check it out online), and thought we really wanted it. But we weren’t there to buy a washer and dryer—we were only there to upgrade the range! So we moved on to the ranges, saying we’d think about the set. There were only a few ranges in our price range (meaning cheap) so it didn’t take long. We debated over two ($50 difference) for about five minutes and ended up choosing the exact same range we had but in the flat-top. Then it was back to look at the washer/dryer set while the salesman did our paperwork. We looked more and talked more and decided what the hell—we needed a washer and dryer so why not get it now when it was on sale??? So, that was more paperwork. But then we noticed that they were running a “12 month/No Payments/No Interest” sale for purchases over $1000, so we had to add something else (the upgrade didn’t count). They had garbage disposals…so we added one and there we were! Now we have a year to pay for it all.

Then it was off to lunch (Texas Steakhouse, which I’m THRILLED with because they have my fried chicken salad that I miss from a restaurant in Lansing) and then to Sherwin Williams to check on the carpet. They looked it up and told us Pewter was installed and then showed us the samples—and it was indeed Pewter. Phew! Then it was off to our house. The first thing I did was to go outside to take a picture of the whole house. After the first shot, I saw a girl across the street, and we both yelled hello and then just walked to each other and started talking. She introduced herself and her husband (Brittany and Joel) and one of the first things I told them was that when we were deciding which house to buy, it was either ours or theirs and I really liked theirs for the inside washer and dryer and the master bedroom/bathroom (jacuzzi tub)…and her response was that they really liked ours because the washer and dryer were in the garage and they wanted our screen porch! Then Tom came looking for me and came over and we all chatted for awhile. We mentioned our mutual friends Heidi and Neil, who live down the street a few houses (Tom and Neil are classmates) and they said they knew their neighbors (also military) and they were already dog-sitting for them!

Then it was back to our house to do the unofficial walk-through. We told our realtor that we just wanted to see the house with everything done—but really, we wanted to do a walk-through on our own without the contractor there. We thought we’d be able to take more time and do a more thorough search for problems without him watching us and hovering over us. And there were problems. The only major thing was the shutters and front door—they are supposed to be hunter green but they are brown. We’ve already told him this and he was going to change it, but it obviously slipped his mind. The other things are minor, but there are lots…dings/scrathes/gouges in lots of the walls, mismatched fixtures (both silver and gold in the bathroom), misplaced fixtures (a light not centered over the mirror where it should be), drawers that didn’t sit right, carpet not installed nicely, painting errors, etc. I have about five handwritten pages to type up and fax to the contractor. I’m assuming (hoping?!) they had already planned to fix most of the obvious things (the huge dents in the wall). And, of course, we took loads of pictures.

IT’S OFFICIAL!!

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3:40pm

Our mortgage guy called me at work to tell me the paperwork is done and the loan has been approved!! So, we’re FINALLY official!! Of course, I was totally geeked about it and couldn’t even think about working the rest of my shift, so my manager let me go home (it also didn’t hurt that we were overstaffed at the moment). The hardest part was not being able to share it with Tom right away—he’s out in the field for two days (most of you will probably have found out before he did!).

4:30pm

I got another call from our realtor to set up the actual closing time and to try and set up the walk-through with the contractor. That’s the only thing left, aside from the actual closing paperwork (which is still set for May 30). I called Tom and left him a message to call me ASAP because I was home early from work and had news for him! We’re still planning on going down in two weeks to see everything completed (and take pictures, before it all gets too hectic) and to have the inspection done. We really debated about having a home inspection (and when I say really debated, I mean REALLY debated) but decided “better safe than sorry.” So, we’ve got to get that scheduled. Hopefully it will work out so that we can do the walk-through with the inspector. If not, our realtor said he could do it.

5:30pm

After a flurry of calls from the realtor, we have finally set up the walk-through with the contractor. Since it’s nearly impossible for us to be there on a weekday (the only time they do walk-throughs), we’re going to do it right before the closing…so it’s going to be a busy day!

6:15pm

Tom called (on schedule, since he thought I worked until 6) and I told him the news. He didn’t quite believe me at first, but after I assured him the loan was a done deal, I admit I head a WAHOO from his end! Of course, he was totally geeked, too. HOMEOWNERS! OFFICIALLY! YIPPEE!

Good news…and bad news.

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So I get a call at work today from one of the managers at the Jacksonville Staples. He basically just called to say hello, let me know they were excited to get me, and let me know he got the paperwork—and to see if I had any questions for him. I asked about the letter for the mortgage company and he had no idea. Lovely. I said all the information was faxed at the same time as the transfer paperwork…but he didn’t get that part. Okaaaay. So I explained to him what I needed and said I’d refax the info to him and he said it shouldn’t be a problem. Then I explained about my start date—why it would probaly be July 1 and he was okay with it. He did tell me that they really need someone now, but they will hold the position for me until I get there. So, that’s good. But then he says “So, did Todd talk to you about salary at all?” and I said no. He said “I see here on your paperwork that you make $9.25 an hour. Unfortunately, the highest I can start you at is $8.00—which is $2/hour more than I normally start people at.” My heart almost stopped. I mean, I had known in the very back of my mind that it was possible, but I honestly didn’t think it would happen. He went on to tell me that the Specialists there make about that much (as I make now), so he couldn’t give me that. Then he said “How does that sit with you?” And I told him I didn’t really have much choice as I really needed the job. But man, that’s a huge pay cut for me. It’s like starting all over—back to when I was hired. And that really sucks. He gave me the song and dance about how the cost of living is cheaper down there and all, but still. That’s a huge pay cut for me. But what can you do? At least I can be thankful I have a job.

Staples transfer in progress.

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Tom had called our mortgage guy the day before just to check in and see how things were going. Everything was going fine, except that he said he was still waiting for a letter from the Jacksonville Staples regarding my transfer. Um, excuse me? Still waiting? He had told me before that we would probably need the letter, but he would let us know for sure. We hadn’t heard anything so I wasn’t worrying about the letter. So, now I had to. I talked to my General Manager and explained everything, so he called the Jacksonville Staples right then. Of course, I was paranoid that they would say they no longer had room for me…so imagine my surprise when it was the total opposite! Long story short, they would take me today if I could be down there. When my GM told them my start date would probably be July 1 (a sensible date I gave him, since we’re moving on the 19th and are planning at least an 8-day trip to Michigan)—the manager said if I could get there sooner, it would be appreciated. Hoo boy. So, I’m not sure what I’m going to do about my start date, but at least it’s great to know they still do want me and are looking forward to me arriving. So the paperwork has been faxed, and I’m giving it a few days before I call to check on their letter to the mortgage company.

On an actual house note, Tom called our contractor to check and see when the house would be done (since no one has given us a date so far). He said it should be completed by May 13, which is about two weeks before closing. We are trying to decide whether or not to go down that following weekend to see everything, or just wait until closing. I hate to make two trips so close together, but I don’t think either of us will be able to wait until closing!

Our second visit.

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After a short night’s sleep (nastily interrupted at 3am by the alarm that the housekeeper apparently forgot to make sure was OFF), it was off to meet with the contractor at 7:45. He was an extremely nice and easygoing guy—we really liked him. As expected, we only had about 16 carpet samples to choose from—but I was immediately glad we had decided on color ahead of time. We knew we didn’t want anything in the brown family, so that knocked out about six colors right there.

We also knew we didn’t want major color, so that knocked out about six more (greens, blues, pinks, and black). So, of the few that were left, we chose Pewter, or a medium gray. Cool, one decision in 30 seconds!

Next we were handed countertop samples. Of course, none of them jumped out at me—and none of them even closely resembled any of the 20 we picked out at Home Depot. I wanted something granite-looking but it wasn’t meant to be. We thought we’d like some color, but not too much or anything that would possibly clash. I kept thinking about my purple dishes and what would go with those but that didn’t work too well, either. We ended up picking some boring gray stuff.

Next on the list was linoleum. Surprisingly, we had a huge stack of choices—and as an added bonus, we could choose different styles for the kitchen, bathrooms, and entryways!! We already knew we didn’t want anything that looked like typical linoleum for the kitchen, so that knocked out all but about 15 samples. Of the remaining samples, my favorite style came in about six different colors schemes, so it was just a matter of which one we liked best. We chose a Spanish/Mediterranean style tile-looking pattern in about 6″-squares in peaches, browns, tans, and greys. Surprising even ourselves, the decision took about three minutes. We also chose that pattern for the entryways. Bathrooms were next, and it took about a minute to decide on plain white squares, tiled in 1″ segments, for both bathrooms.

Then we wondered about our countertop laminate choice—it didn’t really go well with the flooring we had just picked (that we loved). It was okay, but nothing great. So it was back to the laminate samples again. I still didn’t really love anything, but we both sort of liked this greenish speckled stuff but I wasn’t sure it went well enough with the floor. But, Tom liked it—said it was a nice contrasting color—so I said “What the hell!” and went with that (although I’m still second-guessing that one). I can’t wait to see if it was the right decision!

Then, we got to pick cupboards—even though there wasn’t much of a choice: dark or medium wood (your basic oakish looking stuff). I would have liked something a bit lighter (more birch) or a bit darker (more cherry) but it wasn’t meant to be. Beggars can’t be choosers, right?

We also got to pick shutters—something I hadn’t even THOUGHT of. It was a good thing, too, since he said it was slated for brown slat-style doors (ick!) and we chose hunter green raised-panel doors.

The last thing we got to pick was appliance color. Since stainless steel wasn’t an option, we went with white, although thinking back, off white would probably have gone better with the floors. Oh well.

All in all, we made all the decisions in about 30 minutes. I think we really surprised the contractor, and he was impressed that we did some pre-planning before we got there. Of course, we were so wrapped up in making the decisions that we didn’t even think to take pictures of any of our decisions…so my descriptions will have to suffice for now. And the only new pictures you get are of the inside of the house. Oh, and we found out that the siding is apparently cream, not light yellow as I thought. It’s one of those “depending on how the light hits it” kind of things.