Here we go again...

[DCJenn]

An update.

So, the woman in DC who was supposed to buy our house and backed out at the last minute emailed a request to void the contract. Needless to say we declined the offer. Where it goes from here, is anyone's guess.

We've looked at a lot of places here in the 'hood and although the house with the pool was incredible, I kept waking up at night thinking about how wigged out I'd be with a rambunctious toddler and deep pool. I just couldn't do it, I knew I'd NEVER be able to relax, and isn't that the point of being 'home'?

I was called for a temporary position assisting a group in town rewrite their standards incorporating some new changes by their accrediting body. Right up my alley and it'll pay pretty well. Certainly better than my current job!

Nikolai is adjusting (see post under parenting for the latest wrinkle). We got all of his hair cut off at the AF Base on Sunday. He was hysterical but at least didn't throw up on me like he did Rick the last time he got a haircut. It's just too flippin' hot here to have hair.

We're slowly getting organized which is hard since our stuff is spread out between two storage units and this tiny house. Rick has been able to start studying again which is all I really care about.

We have an offer in on a place here- I'm not posting more because of course everything is contingent on the crap in DC. I'll post more about THAT when things are finally over.

[DCJenn]

So, nothing at all has changed about our situation except that our attorney is on top of the situation in DC and we hope to have some resolution there, soon.

We decided to let go of the house here that we had a contract on- (see, it CAN be done, but you just have to do it within the appropriate timeframes...)

and now, we just sit and wait. We had a cleaning service come in and totally scour the DC house. I didn't have time to do things like clean out the drawers and scrub the refrigerator. It's all pretty now. People are looking at it and I think since mortgage rates have dropped for three straight weeks now, the slump of the summer may be over. It's always dead time in DC in July and August (there's a reason Congress takes an August recess, trust me.)

My job continues to be fine, I'm working hard on this project because I want it to be a good document. and also because I really like the guy I'm working with. the woman that I have to work with is a little OCD about some things and other things (like information I need!) she is lax about.

I've been able to get back to the gym and just signed up today for yoga classes. I had to wait until I got the financial situation straight before I could justify the 50 bucks a month.

Nikolai has adjusted to both daycare and the big boy bed. I did buy some pull-ups diapers but they're HUGE on his skinny little body. He's in no hurry anyway.

Rick has finally found a good place careerwise. Man, it's only taken the entire 7+ years I've known him but he's finally happy and engaged and generally not rage-filled. Wow. The on-call schedule is going to suck since it's basically on -call for a whole month but there's not much he can do about it.

My grandmother's 90th was a great time- I have some very funny relatives. I was actually kind of glad to get some time away and to catch up with my cousin. She's awesome and we had a great time cruising the bars of the SouthSide of Pittsburgh until 2am.

and my bestest pal in the world had her second child last Thursday- a littlel red-haired boy who looks just like his red-haired sister. I'm sad I won't get to see him for a few months but what can we do? She's asked Rick and I to be his god-parents (I was like, "really? can we be non-religious god-parents?" but 1) Rick was actually baptized Catholic (although he didn't know it until we had to get our marriage license and I was able to use his baptismal certificate as proof that he existed) and 2) We're still more stable than her in-laws, since her SIL is seriously agrophobic (won't leave her house- didn't come to the pre-wedding party, the wedding reception, or the Christening of the first baby and has attended not one family dinner unless it's at her MIL's house in the same town)

So that's it- it's 100+ every day now, the doggie gets walked at 8am or not at all...

Hopefully there will be happy news from DC soon and we can get him a decent sized yard rather than the dirt patch we currently occupy!

Jenn

[DCJenn]

Here is a picture of MY baby, since Kris shared hers...

I think he was channeling Bono from the Zooropa Tour.

Jenn



and yeah, that's me on the couch with the Sunday paper strewn all over the floor.

[DCJenn]

Pissy. Pissy. Pissy.

Yup, that's me. I've already removed my ticker because my 40th birthday is going to suck. SUCK. Have I mentioned SUCK? Why? Because either we'll be getting ready to buy a house and therefore have no money OR we'll lose yet another contract on yet another house and still be paying rent plus expenses plus mortgage plus expenses. Yay.

Will we be able to get home for the holidays? Doubt it.

the Boards are four days before my birthday- so at least that part will be over.

Hello? Where is the champagne? Where are the dollars? Where are the orgasms? (we'll at least I know where they are- except that I've been so sick for the last week culminating in now having no voice- lost that in a meeting today- hard to feel sexy whilst coughing up a lung and blowing my nose.)

We haven't had a vacation in years, we don't have money to take one now. And besides, my husband is now on-call for the entire month of September.

I've taken more drugs in the last two days and even now my throat hurts so much I can't swallow. I bought NyQuil and I'm about to partake. Maybe I can sleep through my funk.

pissy. pissy. pissy.

[DCJenn]

Wow- That was over a week ago and I'm STILL sick, but have turned a corner. Now I only have one screaming raw sensitve painful section of my throat. and I can sleep through most of the night.

Yikes.

Things are a little better mentally. I think that we should be able to swing two mortgages if it comes to that. Not preferable but I think it can be done. and I think I've parlayed my PT dinky job into something significantly bigger which is great.

My parents come tomorrow and that should be fun. They're only going to be here for two days but I'll take it. Of course they really want to see Nikolai but at least they admit it.

But, gotta work now, deadline looms-

J

[DCJenn]

We had a great time with my parents but it was so sad the day that they left- they had an early flight so Nikolai didn't get to see them. He was sitting at the breakfast table and said, "Momma and Ing (don't ask, it's what he calls my dad) coming over?" and when we told him no he burst into tears and said, "No, no, no..." It was so pathetic.

So, I made my reservations to go home for Thanksgiving. My friends have recieved for their 40th birthdays: one carat diamond earrings (that would be one carat in each lobe), a vacation home in Maine, a vacation to Costa Rica for a week and a bike trip to Italy for 8 days. I just want to go home.

I used my left over United miles and it cost a total of 15 bucks for the three of us. (and 120k miles). Those trips to Russia eventually did pay off in miles, that's for sure.

My husband spoke with his mother last night and the breeders are at it again. This time the 20 year old nephew and his wife are expecting their second (At least he joined the Air Force and appears to be growing up somewhat) and the 21 year old neice who JUST HAD A BABY, they finally told us is 20 weeks pregnant with her second. This is the girl who never got her high school diploma AND doesn't want to get married because it's such a 'commitment'. and what are two kids under two years old? I'm not even sure the first one is a year old yet. Train wreck. I sooooo can't go there. Plus his oldest sister just had a face lift and lipo and got a tattoo. at 45. I guess it's because two of her three sons were fathers before they could vote. Have I mentioned that it's glaringly obvious that Rick is adopted? (Actually, one of his sisters is a nurse and they look a lot alike, it's just the rest of the family that are a walking Jerry Springer show.)

Nothing new on the DC house but I don't care how much it will cost to move to the house here- I have to get out of this tiny, stinky, dirty hole that we live in.

Jenn

[DCJenn]

The DC house is nearly rented! For shits and giggles, I decided to list it on Craig's List just to see what the market was like. Holy Moly! I can't even believe how many people contacted me about it. SO we have a couple who work on the Hill- each works from a different Senator and we're a 10 minute walk from the Capitol. (although we're on the House side, not the Senate side. in case you all didn't know- the House office buildings are all on one side of the Capitol, the Senate on the other)

We did their credit check and they look great, so now I'm waiting to hear from them about the move-in date.

We have back-up renter possibility as well.

The problem is the Coldwell Banker Broker (not the agents). The way the contract reads is somewhat conflicting- but the Broker thinks that we owe him the amount of money he wouldhave made had the house sold in July. The way I read the contract (and our lawyer read the contract) he may be entitled to the money but from the defaulting party- the Asshat. however, the Broker seems to have forgotten about us and we're trying to fly under the radar.

Where this may get sticky is because we just resigned with them and the listing contract doesn't expire until March. If we take it off the MLS, then the broker has to approve it and then we reappear on the radar.

I think if the house is rented (DC has VERY tenant friend laws) for a year and it's the holidays, no one is going to want to see it anyway, so why bother yanking it off the MLS. They can pull it off Realtor.com without pulling it off the MLS, too.

Bottom line, once we get the security deposit and the first months rent...I can relax.

Jenn

[DCJenn]

Well...I have now proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that people are crazy. So...Plan A renters: were late every single time they wanted to see the house. Expected my realtor to drop everything on a Sunday afternoon because they 'felt like' taking a look- they called a half an hour before they wanted to see it and got mad that he was actually with other customers. The last time he showed them the place, they measured everything, tested everything (my toilet requires that you jiggle the handle every once in a while- to which the husband announced, "well, there's one thingthat's going to have to be repaired. and then when they were leaving, they asked to see a house around the corner that was for sale. When Gary asked them if they were serious about our place...the guy went nuts. (and they couldn't see it because Gary had another appointment. and when he said, 'you were late, I don't have time to show you anything else." The husband cursed at him, dropped the F bomb like twelve times. and then sent me an email stating "we will not be renting because we want no part of your realtor benefitting in any way." At that point I was relieved. (and the wife called me and admitted that they were late "only 12 minutes" and that her husband totally lost it.) oh, and they actually wanted us to lower the rent. Nope, don't need that kind of drama from renters.

So, Plan B people. Get all excited that they're the Plan B People. and then ask me if they can paint my first floor. White or Beige. What the F? no you can't paint my house. If you don't like the colors, I'm terribly sorry but.... I mean, really. Like I'll let total strangers paint my house. and they only wanted to do the walls. Not the trim, the ceiling, etc. and then after I said no, they didn't want to rent it.

I relisted it and have some guys who want to rent it. Fine. They don't care about the price, they don't have any furniture, they don't care about the wall color.

What is with people?

Jenn

[DCJenn]

Sooooo, back to the train wreck that is the In-laws in California.

We got an email from my husband's middle sister (the 'normal' one who is a nurse) that he probably ought to call his mom regarding the youngest sister and her husband. OK. the little hairs start standing up...

Background. Youngest sister is not the sharpest tack in the box and married her high school boyfriend straight out of high school. HS boyfriend dropped out of HS and went to work for a fast food establishment. He worked his way up to lower middle management. She wanted to go to the community college and her parents were going to pay for it but the hubby decided that she shouldn't go. She acquiesced because she thought she should.

Ultimately they had two adorable kids. He got a job managing a few ofthe fast food stores a couple hours away from their home town. So, of course they moved. Now, every time we ever visited and every holiday the hubby was working mighty bizarre hours. Like past 12 on New Year's Eve? It was glaringly obvious to the universe that he was cheating on her left and right at every avaiable moment. SIL attempted to manage things and keep everything nice but we all know how successful that is. (oh, they also had to declare bankruptcy and lose their home thanks to some fabulous 'business investments' that the bone-head made)

Last Thursday, he came home and told her that he didn't love her anymore, that she was a 'bad wife' and that everything bad was her fault. and holy crap- he got up to go to work, apparently expecting her to stay there and take care of everything as always...and she grew the balls to leave him. She packed up their clothes and threw the kids in the car and left!

Now of course, he's pissed and calling all the time and threatening to take the kids, etc. The asshat really doesn't have a clue.

I told her she needed to do a few things: 1) register the kids for school 2) Go get a physical and make sure they test for AIDS and other STDs 3) Apply for WIC and TANF and every other federal program and 4) sign up for Spring semester at the community college- apply for aid and everything.

So...my husband is very pleased that his little sister has finally demonstrated that she's not a doormat.

But now I really don't want to go visit. (Although there's now no room at his moms so we could actually stay at a hotel!)

[DCJenn]

Now that I have recovered from the Boot camp class, spent a week at my mothers and done as much planning to move as I can, I can finally post something.

The week at home was great. My parents LOVE Nikolai. My dad was a complete jerk for the first three days, mostly because he had to work (from home) and therefore took it out on everyone. Finally, Wednesday afternoon he lightened up a bit. I'm also hyper sensitve to his pissyness because I keep waiting for him to be diagnosed with Alzheimer's Disease. It's a sickness of mine. All of the elderly relatives on his side of the family have developed some sort of dementia. Now, the fact that he's only 64, in perfect health and has demonstrated NO signs at all is meaningless. I just keep expecting it. Of course, I hope that he never gets it.

My mother made the best meals- stuff I never think to cook- pork tenderloin, beef, steak soup, pasta- it was all great. She's in love with Nikolai- it's so sad to leave her.

So, we wait- wait to go to settlement on the new house, wait for the Board results, wait to see if these people will hire me in a FT salaried position. Wait, wait, wait. I can't even begin to describe how happy we are to move to a house that's the biggest house we've ever owned. and in even more good news, there's an overgrown lot between our house and the house next door that we thought belonged to the other house- NOPE- so we will actually have 3 lots in downtown San Antonio. The mind boggles. Of course none of the three have decent landscaping but heck- I'll just have to hire our own iMSN plant people to design a xeriscaped (low water use) for us.

two more weeks....

[DCJenn]

I'm going to start packing up more stuff tonight.

Have I mentioned that I'm excited. I'm so excited that I can't even think about it.

I'm so excited that I am actually looking forward to this move.

I'm so excited that I'm pulling money out of the DC house to fund the pool fence in the SA house and it didn't even faze me.

I'm so excited that in a mere 12 days I don't have to use plastic cutlery. and I can grind coffee (never located the top half of the coffee grinder). and I can wear something other than Birkenstocks. and I can find my leather coat. and I can listen to records, cds, the radio OR the itunes. and I can brush my teeth without occupying 3/4s of the bathroom.

I can sleep on more than one of two sets of sheets. I can wash my clothes without having to go outside. I can cook more than one thing at a time and I can use a pizza stone bacause it will fit in the oven. I can escape from the boys and the boys can escape from me. My dog will have a yard, not a sidewalk.

The mortgage company called yesterday for the final information.

I think it's really going to happen. If it doesn't, I'll be on the evening news. Maybe even the National news.

[DCJenn]

Have I mentioned that we're moving?

Jenn

[DCJenn]

and to be filed in the "hmmm, why are things going so well" file. The cottage has been rented!!!!!

So, I now don't need to pay December's rent (our lease is the 15th-15th of each month) which means that hey- maybe we can buy a new mattress pad (cat shredded the old one) and maybe some new kitchen towels. Such a glamourous life I lead.

and some really interesting things are happening at work that I get to be a part of- new services to pregnant women and a new campus to serve the homesless of San Antonio. and we're having a door decorating contest and I have to say I have outdone myself. I just need to get an extension cord so that I can hang my lights and start my music. (my friend here thinks she's going to win but Oh, No. Its going to be me!)

Now I'm just waiting for the title company to email me the final amount for settlement and then go get the check cut on Saturday.

Wow....I'm sort of afraid. Although we have had the crappiest moves EVER so maybe this is a chance for something to go right. or not.

[DCJenn]

So, we're in the house. and every day we find something else that we love. I think this is the house. You know, the house that they cart your 90+ year old body from?

Here are some exterior shots from the front of the house. The first one is from the from porch looking at the Tower of the Americas in downtown SA. I was sitting on the porch swing so it's a little fuzzy.

I LOVE this house and maybe all of the strife was to make me appreciate it all the more.











Jenn

[DCJenn]

Christmas in the new house was fantastic.

We slept in (the benefit of a toddler who really didn't get what it was all about) and then we opened the various gifts. We didn't get each other much- actually, I bought myhself a cd and signed my husband's name on it. That's not the first nor will it be the last that I've had to resort to doing my own gifts.

Nikolai got a tricycle from my parents and several trains. The rug we bought with the train tracks and road was a huge hit and now we find him all sprawled out on his floor driving the trains.

I made Jenn's super Easy Indian Chicken which was fantastic.

The following day our friends came by- the ER doc who is being deployed- and they brought his dad whom we've known for years. We had gone to their house for Christmas Eve Eve dinner- they made a prime rib roast with a rosemary dry rub- holy moly was it good.

Jeannette (the spouse) and I are already planning the paint job because we both have OCD and the holes in the walls and the faded paint are starting to make both of us nuts. and- the previous previous owners marbleized the molding in the living room. It must have taken them forever- I'm assuming they must have done it before they hung it- it has like seven different colors- but the background color is MUSTARD and the 'veins' are blue, maroon, grey and white. Seriously ugly. and very textured as a result. So, we decided after staring at these things that sanding, priming and repainting celing molding at 15 feet off the ground is insanity and it would be easier to just rehang molding. Not to mention that they also have marbleized chair rails- and the chair rails are too high AND there's a huge seam where the parts meet literally in the middle of the biggest wall (obviously they'd never heard of the start in the middle with the biggest piece of wood concept). I mean really- why would you marble molding? It's not like you would or could EVER hang real marble like that. I blame the Hom Depot Faux painting classes for convincing people they are artistic.

But off to order paint samples! Whew hew! I actually love painting.

Jenn