Life has been a little bit (lot bit) hectic lately, which hasn't left much room (or sanity) for blogging. While today is no exception, I wanted to post a quick blurb-y update.
We decided not to sell our house after all. The idea of selling and moving again was breaking the kids' hearts. They love this house, they love our property, and with everything they went through moving halfway across the country 18 months ago, we just decided it wasn't fair to them.
Besides that, Hubs' job is going to keep us here for a few more years (at least) anyway, so what's the point in selling a house we love, only to move into a rental we'll just have to tolerate, when we'll be here in Cheyenne anyway?
So that's the scoop. It may not be the wisest financial decision, in terms of the drilling and property value and whatnot, but we're letting future Mommy and Daddy deal with that.
Besides, once I'm a hot shot novelist, it shouldn't matter, right?
Right?!?
Guys?
Why are you laughing and walking away?!?
Showing posts with label Moving. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Moving. Show all posts
Monday, December 22, 2014
Friday, August 22, 2014
Everyone calm the f*ck down, mmmkay?
In my last post, I discussed the random challenge we were faced with in receiving two competing job offers in one day. Well, given my overly-caffeinated inability to focus coupled with my mental and emotional exhaustion, I apparently didn't explain the situation particularly well.
Because of this, and the blowback I have received regarding our "decision", let me clarify a few things:
No, we don't hate living here. We just love Seattle and the plan was always to move back in a few years anyway. It's not a waving-the-white-flag situation, so keep your "I told you so" to yourself.
No, it would not have been "selling [our] soul" had we taken the Seattle offer. We knew it wasn't perfect, and that it would have been career-limiting, but it would have gotten us back up there (which was our only reason for considering it). Also, no, I don't make my decisions based on [this individual's] opinions. But thanks anyway.
Financially speaking, it would have been challenging and borderline irresponsible to move back. Moving 1200 miles is friggin' expensive! U-Haul, gas, food, hotels, and oh yeah, buying or renting a house; it adds up. Also, while we would have been able to sell our house quickly, we would not have even made back our down payment since we haven't lived here very long. All of that was a major 'con'.
While our heart may be in Seattle, sometimes you have to be a grown up and consider the responsible choice. Staying here and taking the local offer is the better career move, as well as the financially responsible move. Facts don't lie.
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| What I know everyone is thinking when they say "I understand"... |
Yes, I would rather live in Seattle than Wyoming. Duh.
Yes, I can be a Seattle girl even if I live 1200 miles away. I will always love Seattle. It's an amazing city filled with incredible art, culture, music, food, and people. And coffee. (God, I miss good coffee.) The climate and geography are amazing. The perpetual green is beautiful. The ferris wheel is... well, terrifying for me, on account of hating heights. But still. Living sandwiched between the ocean and the Cascades is where my soul is fed. Seattle is an incredibly special place.
Yes, I was looking forward to coming back. I had already made plans to spend my birthday up in Victoria with my childhood bestest friend, having high tea at the Empress (delicious!), roaming the cute little shops and bakeries, and hitting up a few of the 8,000 Irish pubs down by the harbor. I was going to kidnap other bestest friend, Ginger Jesus, and their kids for Thanksgiving. I was planning the annual Halloween party with my mom. I was invested in this.
And yes, I was heartbroken when it didn't work out.
But I truly believe everything happens for a reason, and apparently staying put is what we're meant to do for now. Hub's new company will provide him the valuable experience, marketable title, and global platform to grow his career in ways the Seattle job could never have. So while I miss my family and friends terribly, I understand that things worked out for the better.
I'm sorry I let everyone down by dangling the carrot and then having to take it away.
But we will be back. That much is guaranteed.
And until then? We enjoy the journey and the experience. Next stop, Mt. Rushmore and Carhenge!
Wednesday, August 20, 2014
Like sands through the hourglass...
Yep, these are the days of our lives... The crazy, out of left field days of our lives.
So here's what's been going on. As you know, a little over a year ago, The Husband was offered an outstanding job opportunity here in Wyoming, resulting in our big move from the greater Seattle area to Cheyenne. However, after getting down here and getting settled, it quickly became clear that the job was not what we had been promised. In fact, The Husband had been bold-faced lied to about the job: its future, its duties, even its title.
Over the course of the past year, Hubs was put in charge of a project that was doomed from the start (when the management company includes a clause in their contract stating they do not have to finish the project if they don't want to, that should be a red flag, but Husband's company's CFO signed it anyway). Since then, they cycled through four different project managers (none of whom had previous PM experience), pushed back the project three separate times (it's now slated to go live a full year after its original date), and had the management company remove 80% of the original project items from scope. Husband was the only one at his company technically skilled enough to handle the demands of the project, and therefore more and more duties and responsibilities were dumped on his plate.
On top of that, continually more duties and responsibilities of his core job were piled on as well. It became the go-to to expect Hubs to 'handle it', even when the time constraints made it truly impossible to do so. As the expectations exponentially grew, so to did the lack of respect or appreciation (or even basic civility). Hubs became the fall guy for everyone else's issues (particularly when the Payroll Department didn't feel like doing their jobs). Hubs' manager did absolutely nothing to ease the situation, not even bothering to show up to meetings or update himself on the status of the project. All of the warnings Hubs gave regarding the quality, integrity, and success of the project were ignored, even when all of them came true. And still no willingness from Hubs' manager to give Hubs the job title, pay grade, or even public recognition and respect befitting his massive responsibilities.
Finally, the tinderbox erupted. It became clear that Hubs not only had no future growth within the company, but there was a chance he would be left holding the bag when the project inevitably failed and created a PR, logistical, and corporate nightmare. Hubs and I both reached out to our networks and pursued job opportunities for him, both here and back in Seattle. Some leads went nowhere. Others seemed promising but resulted in bupkis. After our hellish summer of family health crises and vehicular drama, we became all the more aware of our need for a reprieve. Mentally and emotionally, we both were exhausted, and put it out to the universe that hey, we need a break!
Well, be careful what you wish for, my lovelies, because apparently when it rains, it pours!
Last week, Husband received a call from a contact back in Seattle, offering him a job position. It wasn't an ideal position, but it would have afforded us the opportunity to get back to our home turf. Some negotiations still needed to take place, so we knew we had a few days before anything was final. However, we were given verbal confirmation on several occasions that yes, this was going to happen, without a doubt.
Well, yesterday we were supposed to have received the official job offer. By then, we had discussed the situation with our families and a few closest friends, and everyone was incredibly excited about the prospect of having us move back to Seattle. As we awaited the job offer, Hubs received another interesting phone call. A local job prospect that he had interviewed twice with and then didn't hear back from finally called. The president of the company wanted to interview him that afternoon! He went in, and 30 minutes later they offered him the job.
So, now we were facing two competing job offers: one that wasn't great but would have brought us back to Seattle, and one that would have kept us here in Cheyenne for the foreseeable future, but was an awesome career opportunity. It was a genuinely mind-boggling situation that we had never predicted having to face, and we were at a loss.
Cue the DEFCON 1 levels of stress.
Being the slightly OCD, anal-retentive, Type A person I am in a challenging situation, I proceeded to make in-depth pro-con lists. We then took the kids out to dinner, both to celebrate Hubs' new opportunities and imminent escape from his hellish job, as well as to inform the kids of the difficult decision we were facing and get their input.
(Oldest son wanted to go back to Seattle, daughter was good either way, and little guy was sad at leaving his best friend Percy Jackson...)
By the end of the evening, we had pretty much come to our decision, but were still awaiting the official job offer from Seattle. By this morning it still hadn't come, and we found out that the CFO and HR manager of that company had decided it would be more fiscally advantageous to stick with local candidates whom they could hire for much cheaper (because they notoriously pay below market whenever possible).
So that was that. The decision was made for us (though, in truth, it was the decision we were leaning toward anyway).
Hubs starts his new job the day after Labor Day, and it couldn't have come at a more perfect time!
So here's what's been going on. As you know, a little over a year ago, The Husband was offered an outstanding job opportunity here in Wyoming, resulting in our big move from the greater Seattle area to Cheyenne. However, after getting down here and getting settled, it quickly became clear that the job was not what we had been promised. In fact, The Husband had been bold-faced lied to about the job: its future, its duties, even its title.
Over the course of the past year, Hubs was put in charge of a project that was doomed from the start (when the management company includes a clause in their contract stating they do not have to finish the project if they don't want to, that should be a red flag, but Husband's company's CFO signed it anyway). Since then, they cycled through four different project managers (none of whom had previous PM experience), pushed back the project three separate times (it's now slated to go live a full year after its original date), and had the management company remove 80% of the original project items from scope. Husband was the only one at his company technically skilled enough to handle the demands of the project, and therefore more and more duties and responsibilities were dumped on his plate.
On top of that, continually more duties and responsibilities of his core job were piled on as well. It became the go-to to expect Hubs to 'handle it', even when the time constraints made it truly impossible to do so. As the expectations exponentially grew, so to did the lack of respect or appreciation (or even basic civility). Hubs became the fall guy for everyone else's issues (particularly when the Payroll Department didn't feel like doing their jobs). Hubs' manager did absolutely nothing to ease the situation, not even bothering to show up to meetings or update himself on the status of the project. All of the warnings Hubs gave regarding the quality, integrity, and success of the project were ignored, even when all of them came true. And still no willingness from Hubs' manager to give Hubs the job title, pay grade, or even public recognition and respect befitting his massive responsibilities.
Finally, the tinderbox erupted. It became clear that Hubs not only had no future growth within the company, but there was a chance he would be left holding the bag when the project inevitably failed and created a PR, logistical, and corporate nightmare. Hubs and I both reached out to our networks and pursued job opportunities for him, both here and back in Seattle. Some leads went nowhere. Others seemed promising but resulted in bupkis. After our hellish summer of family health crises and vehicular drama, we became all the more aware of our need for a reprieve. Mentally and emotionally, we both were exhausted, and put it out to the universe that hey, we need a break!
Well, be careful what you wish for, my lovelies, because apparently when it rains, it pours!
Last week, Husband received a call from a contact back in Seattle, offering him a job position. It wasn't an ideal position, but it would have afforded us the opportunity to get back to our home turf. Some negotiations still needed to take place, so we knew we had a few days before anything was final. However, we were given verbal confirmation on several occasions that yes, this was going to happen, without a doubt.
Well, yesterday we were supposed to have received the official job offer. By then, we had discussed the situation with our families and a few closest friends, and everyone was incredibly excited about the prospect of having us move back to Seattle. As we awaited the job offer, Hubs received another interesting phone call. A local job prospect that he had interviewed twice with and then didn't hear back from finally called. The president of the company wanted to interview him that afternoon! He went in, and 30 minutes later they offered him the job.
So, now we were facing two competing job offers: one that wasn't great but would have brought us back to Seattle, and one that would have kept us here in Cheyenne for the foreseeable future, but was an awesome career opportunity. It was a genuinely mind-boggling situation that we had never predicted having to face, and we were at a loss.
Cue the DEFCON 1 levels of stress.
Being the slightly OCD, anal-retentive, Type A person I am in a challenging situation, I proceeded to make in-depth pro-con lists. We then took the kids out to dinner, both to celebrate Hubs' new opportunities and imminent escape from his hellish job, as well as to inform the kids of the difficult decision we were facing and get their input.
(Oldest son wanted to go back to Seattle, daughter was good either way, and little guy was sad at leaving his best friend Percy Jackson...)
By the end of the evening, we had pretty much come to our decision, but were still awaiting the official job offer from Seattle. By this morning it still hadn't come, and we found out that the CFO and HR manager of that company had decided it would be more fiscally advantageous to stick with local candidates whom they could hire for much cheaper (because they notoriously pay below market whenever possible).
So that was that. The decision was made for us (though, in truth, it was the decision we were leaning toward anyway).
Hubs starts his new job the day after Labor Day, and it couldn't have come at a more perfect time!
Wednesday, July 9, 2014
Anniversary
One year ago today, we arrived here in Wyoming.
We had left Washington on the evening of July 6, 2013, and pulled into Cheyenne in the wee hours of July 9th.
Those first few days- hell, the first few hours, even- were a major struggle for me, as from the start, things did not go as planned and expected. I had just left a house that I loved, a town that I loved, and my family and closest friends, and was instantly regretting all of it. It honestly took me several weeks before I began reestablishing my grasp on why we had moved, and that it was in fact a good thing.
Those four months we lived in the apartment, waiting for our house to be finished, were tough. I physically hated living there, and the commute for my husband and children was brutal. After the house was done and we finally, officially moved up to Cheyenne, things began looking up.
I loved our house, and the feeling of finally getting to be settled. I loved that the kids' school and Husband's work were now only minutes away instead of an hour. I loved that our lives were finally able to simplify, and we could begin establishing ourselves here.
There have been some hiccups, and some obstacles, and some what-the-hell-are-you-kidding-me moments. But overall, I can honestly say that I like living here (minus the wind, which is soul sucking).
But here's the thing.
Something that, despite my many attempts, I have been unable to successfully explain to many others in our lives.
On the one hand, I like it here. On the other hand, I would move back to Seattle tomorrow.
And yes, those two feelings can coexist.
While it was an emotional struggle for me at first, I fully understand why we moved here, and the benefits of doing so. I have adapted (mostly) to high plains living, and while there are some aspects of it I may not particularly care for, overall it's nice here.
I like exploring the area and seeing new things. The sunsets and sky-scapes are absolutely stunning. The slower pace of life and small-town feel is perfectly pleasant to me (except trying to get anywhere on Lincolnway anytime before 10 am, when the Blue Hair Brigade is out in force and going 20 mph below the speed limit!)
But here's the thing that people are having a hard time wrapping their heads around: I like it here, but I miss Seattle like crazy. It's not like living in Cheyenne is terrible, and I'm miserable and want out rightthissecond. I do, genuinely, like it here. But I don't love it here.
And that's the key.
My heart and soul is in Seattle. In the trees and the mountains and the rivers and the ocean.
I don't know what the future holds. I don't know if we will stay in Cheyenne for five more months or five more years. But I do know that our time here is not permanent. Western Washington is a very special place, rich in a natural beauty that can't be matched. My soul is fed up there, and because of that, we will move back eventually.
It is possible to like where you are, but know you belong somewhere else. To be happy, but not fulfilled. That's where I'm at. And our calamity of a trip last week reaffirmed that to me. Driving across Snoqualmie Pass made my heart sing. And leaving made it sink.
I don't hate living in Wyoming, and I certainly don't regret moving here.
But home is where the heart is. And my heart is in Seattle
We had left Washington on the evening of July 6, 2013, and pulled into Cheyenne in the wee hours of July 9th.
Those first few days- hell, the first few hours, even- were a major struggle for me, as from the start, things did not go as planned and expected. I had just left a house that I loved, a town that I loved, and my family and closest friends, and was instantly regretting all of it. It honestly took me several weeks before I began reestablishing my grasp on why we had moved, and that it was in fact a good thing.
Those four months we lived in the apartment, waiting for our house to be finished, were tough. I physically hated living there, and the commute for my husband and children was brutal. After the house was done and we finally, officially moved up to Cheyenne, things began looking up.
 |
| The fluffy clouds of the High Plains |
I loved our house, and the feeling of finally getting to be settled. I loved that the kids' school and Husband's work were now only minutes away instead of an hour. I loved that our lives were finally able to simplify, and we could begin establishing ourselves here.
 |
| Storm rolling in over the kids' school |
There have been some hiccups, and some obstacles, and some what-the-hell-are-you-kidding-me moments. But overall, I can honestly say that I like living here (minus the wind, which is soul sucking).
But here's the thing.
Something that, despite my many attempts, I have been unable to successfully explain to many others in our lives.
On the one hand, I like it here. On the other hand, I would move back to Seattle tomorrow.
And yes, those two feelings can coexist.
While it was an emotional struggle for me at first, I fully understand why we moved here, and the benefits of doing so. I have adapted (mostly) to high plains living, and while there are some aspects of it I may not particularly care for, overall it's nice here.
 |
| Normal sunset views from my house! |
But here's the thing that people are having a hard time wrapping their heads around: I like it here, but I miss Seattle like crazy. It's not like living in Cheyenne is terrible, and I'm miserable and want out rightthissecond. I do, genuinely, like it here. But I don't love it here.
And that's the key.
 |
| Hello, gorgeous! |
My heart and soul is in Seattle. In the trees and the mountains and the rivers and the ocean.
 |
| Mt. Pilchuck, my former backyard |
 |
| Is anything better than a bonfire on the beach?!? |
 |
| So beautiful, and so very missed |
I don't know what the future holds. I don't know if we will stay in Cheyenne for five more months or five more years. But I do know that our time here is not permanent. Western Washington is a very special place, rich in a natural beauty that can't be matched. My soul is fed up there, and because of that, we will move back eventually.
It is possible to like where you are, but know you belong somewhere else. To be happy, but not fulfilled. That's where I'm at. And our calamity of a trip last week reaffirmed that to me. Driving across Snoqualmie Pass made my heart sing. And leaving made it sink.
I don't hate living in Wyoming, and I certainly don't regret moving here.
But home is where the heart is. And my heart is in Seattle
Monday, October 28, 2013
Somewhere over the rainbow...
I'm having a stressful and irritating day, so I thought I'd share one of my favorite songs.
He makes my soul happy...
Over the Rainbow - Israel "IZ" Kamakawiwo'ole OFFICIAL VIDEO from Mountain Apple Company on Vimeo.
He makes my soul happy...
Over the Rainbow - Israel "IZ" Kamakawiwo'ole OFFICIAL VIDEO from Mountain Apple Company on Vimeo.
Friday, September 27, 2013
TGIF and other nonsense
It's Friday!
The weekend is officially here, and I am officially stoked.
I love weekends. I live for weekends.
Especially right now, when life is incredibly busy and going to get even more so in the coming weeks.
First, with our insane commuting schedule living so far away from Cheyenne. It's inconvenient, to say the least. Needless to say, we're all looking forward to the house being done and our lives resuming some semblance of a normal schedule.
Second, I start school in a couple of weeks, so once again I will be plunged into the chaos of earning a degree whilst running a household and raising three children and all that brouhaha. But only three quarters left, so I just need to buckle down for...9 more months...
It's depressing when I put it that way...
And third, we're moving soon. Again. Moving is one of the most stressful events in a person's life. And we will have done it twice in four months. Just thinking about that makes my eye twitch.
But we did get good news on the house! I think I mentioned before about how our builders had a very different timeframe than us when it came to the house being done. They had been planning on the end of November. Our purchase contract states our closing date is at the end of October. Slightly big difference, yes?
Well, once this came to light there was a flurry of *slightly intense* conversations between us, our real estate agent, and the builders. The builders came back with a promise that we'd be in no later than the middle of November. Considering our lease ends November 15, that was cutting it a little close, but what can we do?
But then we got a text yesterday from the builder saying that the carpet order came in, so now all the materials are in and ready to go. She said it looks like we're on track for the end of October after all!
Granted, given all the hiccups and headaches we've had so far, I'm not holding my breath on that.
But still. Having that be feasible?
Totally cool with me!
So yes, right now weekends are my solace, my peace, my zen. It's the only time of the week for the foreseeable future that I can do what I want, and according to the schedule that works for me.
TGIF baby!
The weekend is officially here, and I am officially stoked.
I love weekends. I live for weekends.
Especially right now, when life is incredibly busy and going to get even more so in the coming weeks.
First, with our insane commuting schedule living so far away from Cheyenne. It's inconvenient, to say the least. Needless to say, we're all looking forward to the house being done and our lives resuming some semblance of a normal schedule.
Second, I start school in a couple of weeks, so once again I will be plunged into the chaos of earning a degree whilst running a household and raising three children and all that brouhaha. But only three quarters left, so I just need to buckle down for...9 more months...
It's depressing when I put it that way...
And third, we're moving soon. Again. Moving is one of the most stressful events in a person's life. And we will have done it twice in four months. Just thinking about that makes my eye twitch.
But we did get good news on the house! I think I mentioned before about how our builders had a very different timeframe than us when it came to the house being done. They had been planning on the end of November. Our purchase contract states our closing date is at the end of October. Slightly big difference, yes?
Well, once this came to light there was a flurry of *slightly intense* conversations between us, our real estate agent, and the builders. The builders came back with a promise that we'd be in no later than the middle of November. Considering our lease ends November 15, that was cutting it a little close, but what can we do?
But then we got a text yesterday from the builder saying that the carpet order came in, so now all the materials are in and ready to go. She said it looks like we're on track for the end of October after all!
Granted, given all the hiccups and headaches we've had so far, I'm not holding my breath on that.
But still. Having that be feasible?
Totally cool with me!
So yes, right now weekends are my solace, my peace, my zen. It's the only time of the week for the foreseeable future that I can do what I want, and according to the schedule that works for me.
TGIF baby!
 |
| Good luck not having this song stuck in your head all weekend now! |
Friday, September 20, 2013
Sociology of Marvin the Martian
My textbooks came today.
*dunh dunh dunh*
Yep. Fall quarter is officially just around the corner. Slightly over three weeks away.
I can feel it lurking, staring at me, daring me to once again maintain my 3.9 GPA and my sanity simultaneously.
It's not an easy feat, and thus far I've done... well, not too bad overall. Oceanography nearly killed me, but that was awhile ago, and the scars are finally beginning to fade.
Too dramatic, you say?
I assure you, it's not. That class was brutal. I swear it left me with a limp.
Anyway, this is my LAST fall quarter ever! Well, unless I go to grad school. But right now the thought makes me gag slightly, so I'll put a pin in it until... indefinitely...
So yes, Last Fall Quarter.
This is quite possibly my last "not scary" quarter. Winter will be when I laughingly try to juggle an extra course load, and Spring is when I'll be doing my utterly terrifying degree capstone.
This quarter I'm taking Intro to Philosophy, because I love nothing more than blithering on about metaphysical nonsense, and Sociology of the Family, because it genuinely sounded interesting (and the other sociology class I wanted ended up being canceled for this quarter, so plan B).
My main stress for this quarter (besides the "new class" jitters) is the fact that I will be moving right in the middle of it. Which means that I'll need to arrange internet service before we're even in the house, because I will absolutely not be able to wait two weeks or, god forbid, have to attempt dial-up or DSL! It also means that I'll have to do all of my assignments while also packing, loading, and unpacking my entire life, once again.
Le sigh.
I swear, somewhere inside my brain is a tiny little sadist...
*dunh dunh dunh*
Yep. Fall quarter is officially just around the corner. Slightly over three weeks away.
I can feel it lurking, staring at me, daring me to once again maintain my 3.9 GPA and my sanity simultaneously.
It's not an easy feat, and thus far I've done... well, not too bad overall. Oceanography nearly killed me, but that was awhile ago, and the scars are finally beginning to fade.
Too dramatic, you say?
I assure you, it's not. That class was brutal. I swear it left me with a limp.
Anyway, this is my LAST fall quarter ever! Well, unless I go to grad school. But right now the thought makes me gag slightly, so I'll put a pin in it until... indefinitely...
So yes, Last Fall Quarter.
This is quite possibly my last "not scary" quarter. Winter will be when I laughingly try to juggle an extra course load, and Spring is when I'll be doing my utterly terrifying degree capstone.
This quarter I'm taking Intro to Philosophy, because I love nothing more than blithering on about metaphysical nonsense, and Sociology of the Family, because it genuinely sounded interesting (and the other sociology class I wanted ended up being canceled for this quarter, so plan B).
My main stress for this quarter (besides the "new class" jitters) is the fact that I will be moving right in the middle of it. Which means that I'll need to arrange internet service before we're even in the house, because I will absolutely not be able to wait two weeks or, god forbid, have to attempt dial-up or DSL! It also means that I'll have to do all of my assignments while also packing, loading, and unpacking my entire life, once again.
Le sigh.
I swear, somewhere inside my brain is a tiny little sadist...
 |
| Or just him... |
Monday, August 19, 2013
Footprints on my heart
I think it is a universal understanding that good friends are hard to come by. In this great big world of 7 billion people, finding individuals who truly accept you for you, warts and all, is tricky. People want you to fit into their preconceived mold; they want to define you, shape you, control you, and turn you into their version of who they think you should be.
It's shitty, but true.
Growing up, I had several friends through elementary school and high school who were like that. I was told who to be, what to think, how to act, what I did or did not like, and sadly I accepted that for myself.
Until one day I didn't.
Needless to say, I have sufficiently lost contact with all of those "friends".
Now that I am approaching my 30s, it has become increasingly clear to me that it's not the quantity of friends you have, it's the quality.
In keeping with that, I really only have three true friends in my life. Yes, I have many more people that I would call my friends, several of whom I know I could call for help in a crisis or whatever.
But only three of them are people that I feel truly "get" me. People I could call sobbing at 3am, and they would drop everything to be there for me. And I for them.
The first is my sister. Growing up, we hated each other. Like, truly despised each other's existence. I was the irritated older sister, she was the spoiled younger sister. We fought. We threw things at each other. We called each other the meanest names we could think of. She bit me. I kicked her. Once she even pulled a knife on me!
(It was a butter knife, and she was about 4 or 5, but still)
(I still give her shit for it)
It wasn't until she was about 15 or so that we started to actually enjoy each other's company. After she graduated high school, she lived with The Husband and I off and on for almost two years, and while that was difficult in some ways, it was also a lot of fun and brought us closer together. She has been there for me through some tough stuff, and I for her, and I love her dearly and miss her a ton now that we've moved.
I don't think I truly appreciated how much I enjoyed getting to spend time with her or talk to her regularly, and now that we're 1200 miles away, I get sad thinking about it. I'm getting a little ferklemped right now actually, so moving on!
Yeah. Saying that makes me feel reaaaallly old...
But we were barely 5 when we met, so the math isn't as devastating as it sounds.
Age was my first (and really only) best friend. She was my other half! We did everything together growing up. Sledding and camping and every single birthday and eight million sleepovers. We would play dress up until the wee hours of the morning, and then her parents would make the best pancakes in the world- still unrivaled by any other pancakes, ever.
Like, seriously, don't even try. Kotyk Pancakes for the win.
She had the cool video game systems that my family couldn't afford, and I developed my love of Super Mario and Donkey Kong at her house. We had a pet nail (one of those industrial sized rail road nails?) (yeah... I don't know... overactive imaginations?) attached to a meltwater runoff pipe on the walk home from the bus stop, and we named her Nailey and dressed her up in grasses and leaves and whatnot. We made snow forts and climbed trees and picked cherries and spent more time on the banks of the Columbia River than I can even remember (though I distinctly remember the intense terror I felt every time we went down there, because of the insane amounts of poison ivy plants and my irrational fear of touching said poison ivy) (which I still have today...) I practically lived at her house, and her parents still consider me one of their daughters.
We certainly had our ups and downs. She was the domineering one (as the youngest of three girls, I think she was exerting her power any way she could) and I was a total pushover. We fought like cats and dogs, but never stayed away too long (even when we probably should have). In about the 6th grade, we had a temporary friendship divorce, but I think it only lasted maybe a month or so? After that we pretty much stopped fighting (unless she was hanging out with one of the Amandas. The Amandas were never nice to me. Bitches) and our lifelong friendship was cemented.
I moved away at the end of 8th grade, and against all odds and expectations (and several hundred miles), we stayed in touch and stayed friends. While we don't see each other as often as we'd like, we still make it work. She is a part of me. She has known me the longest, put up with me and my idiosyncrasies, and accepts me fully (as I do her). Because of her (and her family) I had a happier childhood than I otherwise would have. We have literally and figuratively grown up together. I know that she will always be in my heart and in my life, and I love her and miss her dearly.
(Happy Birthday tomorrow!!!)
The third friend is my soul-sista Kym. I swear, meeting her was like meeting my (blonde, much shorter, much larger-breasted) alter ego. Our husbands find it a little scary how alike we are. She and I clicked instantly, which almost never happens for me. I always feel like I have to put on a facade with people, especially when I first meet them. But with Kym, I was instantly comfortable with her. I can totally be myself around her, and nothing phases her. While we've only known each other a short while, I feel like I've known her forever. We've supported each other through life's bullshit, we've laughed, we've cried, our kids are best friends, even our husbands get along great.
Leaving Kym was one of the hardest parts of moving to Wyoming (besides my family, of course). She was the first person I'd met, in the town I'd lived in for over 6 years, with whom I actually genuinely clicked. Our families instantly bonded, and I could easily see us all growing old together, sitting on our back deck, drinking beers and commiserating about what crazy thing our kids did, or the uber-mom up the street and the bitchy thing she said this time, or the craziness of extended family.
I miss them terribly, my kids miss their kids, and when I get particularly lonely or stressed out down here, I wish I could just walk up the street to Kym's, plop on her couch, play with Baby-Baby, and chit-chat for hours.
Thursday, August 8, 2013
My "red sink" moment
So as I've mentioned before, we are currently building a house. This is my first time building a house from scratch, and there have been many times so far that I have felt overwhelmed, or had trouble believing it was actually happening.
Well it is starting to sink in now!
Yesterday we had a meeting with the builders to go over some of the specs for the house- specifically the windows and doors package.
At first it was a breeze. We knew we wanted the Queen Anne grid, so all we had to do was choose the sizes for each room. The longest we spent discussing any of the windows was in figuring out the size of the rain glass transom for the master bath, and then a quick debate over whether or not to add an extra window in the basement. It's an upgrade, so it's an out-of-pocket expense, but having them order it from their wholesaler and install it for us ahead of time will be a heck of a lot cheaper than us buying it ourselves later on and then having to cut the whole, fix the drywall and the siding, and all that. So we went for it.
Donesies!
Then we moved on to the doors.
Sigh...
The doors were not as easy.
We wound up going with a simple two-panel door for all the interior doors, because they aren't too ornate and have more of an updated classic country vibe, which we liked. When in Rome, right?
Then we had to pick the exterior doors. Choosing the two garage doors was fairly easy. We maintained the same two-panel look, only in the steel, fire-resistant doors. Choosing the two sliders was easy too, as we just went with the Queen Anne grid in those as well.
Then we had to move on to the front door.
And here is where my brain started to hurt.
So. Many. Options.
So let me share a story before moving on. Back when I was probably 10 or so, my parents were remodeling our house. I remember overhearing the discussions about all the different color choices and design options and layouts (something I relate to now!) They needed to move forward with the kitchen design, but my mom was stuck. She couldn't envision it. She didn't know the look she wanted, the layout, any of it.
And then inspiration struck.
We were at the home improvement store, and she was perusing kitchen sinks when she saw it. The sink. It was an enameled cast iron sink. And it was red.
Yes.
A red sink.
Not everyone's taste, but it spoke to her.
From there, the rest of the kitchen came together easy peasy. My mom found her inspiration in that sink.
Fast forward twenty years to yesterday, and there I am sitting in the builder's office, flipping through a gigantic book of door options.
Too fancy.
Too plain.
Too see through.
I flipped one more page, and I found it.
The door.
Same two-panel design as our other doors. The top panel was leaded glass, much like many of the other doors I had been seeing. It also had matching side light panels as well.
But rather than the fancy schmancy curlicue designs that were not my taste, this door had a cleaner geometric pattern. Squares and rectangles in different textures of privacy glass.
And intermittent in the pattern were ruby red pieces.
It was simple, yet beautiful.
It had a pop of color.
And it spoke to me.
That's my front door. I just knew it immediately.
I had my "red sink" moment.
Well it is starting to sink in now!
Yesterday we had a meeting with the builders to go over some of the specs for the house- specifically the windows and doors package.
At first it was a breeze. We knew we wanted the Queen Anne grid, so all we had to do was choose the sizes for each room. The longest we spent discussing any of the windows was in figuring out the size of the rain glass transom for the master bath, and then a quick debate over whether or not to add an extra window in the basement. It's an upgrade, so it's an out-of-pocket expense, but having them order it from their wholesaler and install it for us ahead of time will be a heck of a lot cheaper than us buying it ourselves later on and then having to cut the whole, fix the drywall and the siding, and all that. So we went for it.
Donesies!
Then we moved on to the doors.
Sigh...
The doors were not as easy.
We wound up going with a simple two-panel door for all the interior doors, because they aren't too ornate and have more of an updated classic country vibe, which we liked. When in Rome, right?
Then we had to pick the exterior doors. Choosing the two garage doors was fairly easy. We maintained the same two-panel look, only in the steel, fire-resistant doors. Choosing the two sliders was easy too, as we just went with the Queen Anne grid in those as well.
Then we had to move on to the front door.
And here is where my brain started to hurt.
So. Many. Options.
So let me share a story before moving on. Back when I was probably 10 or so, my parents were remodeling our house. I remember overhearing the discussions about all the different color choices and design options and layouts (something I relate to now!) They needed to move forward with the kitchen design, but my mom was stuck. She couldn't envision it. She didn't know the look she wanted, the layout, any of it.
And then inspiration struck.
We were at the home improvement store, and she was perusing kitchen sinks when she saw it. The sink. It was an enameled cast iron sink. And it was red.
 |
| It looked much like this |
Yes.
A red sink.
Not everyone's taste, but it spoke to her.
From there, the rest of the kitchen came together easy peasy. My mom found her inspiration in that sink.
Fast forward twenty years to yesterday, and there I am sitting in the builder's office, flipping through a gigantic book of door options.
Too fancy.
Too plain.
Too see through.
I flipped one more page, and I found it.
The door.
Same two-panel design as our other doors. The top panel was leaded glass, much like many of the other doors I had been seeing. It also had matching side light panels as well.
But rather than the fancy schmancy curlicue designs that were not my taste, this door had a cleaner geometric pattern. Squares and rectangles in different textures of privacy glass.
And intermittent in the pattern were ruby red pieces.
It was simple, yet beautiful.
It had a pop of color.
And it spoke to me.
That's my front door. I just knew it immediately.
I had my "red sink" moment.
 |
| Similar to this, only with ruby pieces... |
Monday, July 22, 2013
What are you willing to do?
So it has been an... interesting few days, to say the least.
Interesting mostly in a crawl-in-a-hole kind of way, but also a little bit in a good way too.
First, we went to visit the State Capitol last week, which was really cool. I plan on posting some of my pics once I finally get around to synching my phone. Clearly I'm totally on top of that... or not.
Anyway, I had never been to that kind of government building before, and the history/political geek in me was in absolute heaven! Beautiful building, cool history, good times.
After the visit to the Capitol, we drove out to where our property is to meet the builders and go over some specifics for our house. In a way it was good, because we finally got moving on all that stuff (they broke ground the next day) and we finally started feeling like progress was being made. On the other hand, we realized that the timeline our agent had given us was not realistic, and that we will likely not be in the house before the lease ends on this apartment. That means that we will probably have to pay more rent (on an apartment we barely like to begin with), and that we will also be cutting it close to have Thanksgiving in our new home. Sigh...
But oh well! At least it means being in a brand new dream home, right?
Well we thought so.
Until Friday.
We had an appointment to meet with a notary public and close on the sale of our Washington house. We were super excited until we started signing the docs, and saw that we would only be getting back half- yes, HALF- of what we had been told.
*cue the panic*
See, even though we knew we weren't going to be pulling in a huge profit on the sale of our house- after all, we had only owned it for 21 months- we were expecting to get back a fairly decent amount, and had based our purchase of the house and land here in Wyoming on that money. We were going to use it as a chunk of the down payment. Without that money, suddenly our down payment, and therefore the house itself, was in jeopardy.
We went from picking out features of our house to watching our dreams crumble in less than a week.
Needless to say Friday was a bad day. Bad, bad, bad day.
Major suckitude.
And lots of tears (on my part, obviously).
Saturday we nursed our emotional wounds. We went up to Cheyenne to celebrate my son's birthday. It was nice to get out of the apartment and put the whole down payment debacle out of our minds for a few hours. We let our son pick out what he wanted to do, and so the plan was to go to the Wyoming State Museum, go to the botanical gardens and outdoor children's museum/water park, eat dinner at Red Lobster (his favorite!), and then go to another park and open presents and have cake.
However, on the drive up to Cheyenne, several emergency broadcasts came on the radio announcing severe thunder storms, rain, hail, lightening strikes, and flash flood warnings for northern Colorado, the foothills, and the Cheyenne area.
That essentially cancelled all of our outdoor plans!
We hit up the museum, then went to dinner and opened presents. We decided to do the botanical gardens and children's museum/water park another day, and we're going to have my aunt and cousins over tomorrow (his actual birthday) for cake and more presents. It didn't go as planned, but it was still fun, and he enjoyed it, which is all that matters.
After dinner, we decided to drive out to our property, kind of as a motivation/inspiration thing. It was amazing how far they've already gotten! The entire basement is almost dug up, and it looks like they'll be ready to pour the foundation pretty soon.
Seeing it in person, seeing the dream start coming to life, made us determined to make it work, even with the lesser profit amount we have to work with. We started crunching numbers, and it looks like we may be able to squeak it out after all.
Hopefully.
We decided that it basically comes down to this: How hard are you willing to fight for your dreams?
Me? I'm not giving up yet.
Interesting mostly in a crawl-in-a-hole kind of way, but also a little bit in a good way too.
First, we went to visit the State Capitol last week, which was really cool. I plan on posting some of my pics once I finally get around to synching my phone. Clearly I'm totally on top of that... or not.
Anyway, I had never been to that kind of government building before, and the history/political geek in me was in absolute heaven! Beautiful building, cool history, good times.
 |
| Front grounds of the Capitol Building |
 |
| Main Capitol rotunda. So beautiful! |
 |
| The view from Capitol Street |
After the visit to the Capitol, we drove out to where our property is to meet the builders and go over some specifics for our house. In a way it was good, because we finally got moving on all that stuff (they broke ground the next day) and we finally started feeling like progress was being made. On the other hand, we realized that the timeline our agent had given us was not realistic, and that we will likely not be in the house before the lease ends on this apartment. That means that we will probably have to pay more rent (on an apartment we barely like to begin with), and that we will also be cutting it close to have Thanksgiving in our new home. Sigh...
But oh well! At least it means being in a brand new dream home, right?
Well we thought so.
Until Friday.
We had an appointment to meet with a notary public and close on the sale of our Washington house. We were super excited until we started signing the docs, and saw that we would only be getting back half- yes, HALF- of what we had been told.
*cue the panic*
See, even though we knew we weren't going to be pulling in a huge profit on the sale of our house- after all, we had only owned it for 21 months- we were expecting to get back a fairly decent amount, and had based our purchase of the house and land here in Wyoming on that money. We were going to use it as a chunk of the down payment. Without that money, suddenly our down payment, and therefore the house itself, was in jeopardy.
We went from picking out features of our house to watching our dreams crumble in less than a week.
Needless to say Friday was a bad day. Bad, bad, bad day.
Major suckitude.
And lots of tears (on my part, obviously).
Saturday we nursed our emotional wounds. We went up to Cheyenne to celebrate my son's birthday. It was nice to get out of the apartment and put the whole down payment debacle out of our minds for a few hours. We let our son pick out what he wanted to do, and so the plan was to go to the Wyoming State Museum, go to the botanical gardens and outdoor children's museum/water park, eat dinner at Red Lobster (his favorite!), and then go to another park and open presents and have cake.
However, on the drive up to Cheyenne, several emergency broadcasts came on the radio announcing severe thunder storms, rain, hail, lightening strikes, and flash flood warnings for northern Colorado, the foothills, and the Cheyenne area.
That essentially cancelled all of our outdoor plans!
We hit up the museum, then went to dinner and opened presents. We decided to do the botanical gardens and children's museum/water park another day, and we're going to have my aunt and cousins over tomorrow (his actual birthday) for cake and more presents. It didn't go as planned, but it was still fun, and he enjoyed it, which is all that matters.
After dinner, we decided to drive out to our property, kind of as a motivation/inspiration thing. It was amazing how far they've already gotten! The entire basement is almost dug up, and it looks like they'll be ready to pour the foundation pretty soon.
Seeing it in person, seeing the dream start coming to life, made us determined to make it work, even with the lesser profit amount we have to work with. We started crunching numbers, and it looks like we may be able to squeak it out after all.
Hopefully.
We decided that it basically comes down to this: How hard are you willing to fight for your dreams?
Me? I'm not giving up yet.
Tuesday, July 16, 2013
Greetings from the other side... of the Rockies
Hey hey! I'm back from the abyss.
And by abyss, I mean the internet-less world of moving.
Man has it been crazy lately. Like, mind-bogglingly so. I find it hard to believe that we left Washington only a week and a half ago, it feels like longer (and shorter all at the same time).
So here I am, in a new state, in a new time zone, in a sort of temporary limbo whilst I await our house being built.
The OCD organizational side of me? Not loving it.
The hippie, gypsy, free-spirited side of me? Going with the flow, man.
Cause really? That's all I can do right now.
I'm a little bitter, because the apartment we're renting until our house is done doesn't allow satellite dishes to be put up, so we had to suspend our DIRECTV service for a few months and go with Comcast.
And to be clear: I. Hate. Comcast.
Why, you ask? Because they suck. Exhibit A? The fact that our DVR doesn't work. At all. I can't record anything. I can't pause, rewind, etc. I can't enter in any favorites. Nothing. I get an error message saying that the DVR function is disabled and to call customer service.
And when we called to figure out what was going on, the stupid customer service rep said it was just because we weren't pressing the buttons on the remote hard enough.
Let me repeat.
Our DVR isn't functional, everything we try to do is met with an error message, and we were told it was because we weren't pressing buttons hard enough.
Special kind of stupid, I tell ya.
So after several more phone calls, we finally have a tech coming out on Thursday. I guess my reality TV escapism will have to wait...
And by abyss, I mean the internet-less world of moving.
Man has it been crazy lately. Like, mind-bogglingly so. I find it hard to believe that we left Washington only a week and a half ago, it feels like longer (and shorter all at the same time).
So here I am, in a new state, in a new time zone, in a sort of temporary limbo whilst I await our house being built.
The OCD organizational side of me? Not loving it.
The hippie, gypsy, free-spirited side of me? Going with the flow, man.
Cause really? That's all I can do right now.
I'm a little bitter, because the apartment we're renting until our house is done doesn't allow satellite dishes to be put up, so we had to suspend our DIRECTV service for a few months and go with Comcast.
And to be clear: I. Hate. Comcast.
Why, you ask? Because they suck. Exhibit A? The fact that our DVR doesn't work. At all. I can't record anything. I can't pause, rewind, etc. I can't enter in any favorites. Nothing. I get an error message saying that the DVR function is disabled and to call customer service.
And when we called to figure out what was going on, the stupid customer service rep said it was just because we weren't pressing the buttons on the remote hard enough.
Let me repeat.
Our DVR isn't functional, everything we try to do is met with an error message, and we were told it was because we weren't pressing buttons hard enough.
Special kind of stupid, I tell ya.
So after several more phone calls, we finally have a tech coming out on Thursday. I guess my reality TV escapism will have to wait...
 |
| Otherwise known as the Real Housewives of somewhere or other |
Saturday, July 6, 2013
Peace-ing out
Tonight is my last night in my first house. Tomorrow is my last day living in Washington.
(At least, for the foreseeable future)
Goodbye Snohomish. I heart you.
Goodbye Lake Roesiger. You've been lovely and you will be sorely missed!!!
This area of Western Washington is a gem and will always hold a special place in my soul...
(At least, for the foreseeable future)
Goodbye Snohomish. I heart you.
Goodbye Lake Roesiger. You've been lovely and you will be sorely missed!!!
This area of Western Washington is a gem and will always hold a special place in my soul...
Friday, June 28, 2013
Homeless on the range?!?
Hey hey!
So I know I fell off the blogging bandwagon lately. I've been a little busy. You know, that whole preparing to move multiple states (and a timezone) away. It tends to be a bit time consuming.
But I'm back bitches!
So this past weekend we were down in Cheyenne, getting the lay of the land and trying to accomplish certain pre-moving goals. Like establishing a place to live. You know, crazy stuff like that.
Suffice it to say, it didn't go as planned.
First of all, if someone is offering full price to buy your house... take the freaking offer. Don't play hardball just because you can. Shit like that pisses me off. We encountered that when we were buying a home up here too. Builders decide "hey, there's interest in my houses, let's try to squeeze every last penny from them!"
No dice, bro. Unlike some homebuyers, I'm more than okay with walking away if you decide to be a wanker. Mama don't play like that.
So we found a property we liked and we made an offer on it. 3,000 square feet, three bedrooms, two baths, with a full, unfinished basement (that will eventually give us five bedrooms and three baths) on 35.5 acres! For a good price!
The catch?
The house isn't built yet, so we'd have to rent a place for about four months in the meantime. Le sigh.
But for my dream home? Sure, I can deal.
We made an offer- full price, just asking for closing costs. The builders decided to play hardball, and countered. We were unimpressed. After mulling it over, we countered their counter-offer, and made it clear that we were more than willing to walk away.
Because is the house perfect? Yes. Is it worth being put over a barrel for? Nope.
So after waiting until the last possible second before we had to leave Cheyenne on Monday, the builders finally got back to us- they had accepted our offer! So we are under contract. Check one thing off the To Do list.
Did I register my kids for school down there? Nope. Because I was too busy running around trying to scramble and find a place to rent. And that took up an unimaginable amount of time.
Did we leave Cheyenne with a short-term rental lined up? Nope!
*facepalm*
*heavy sigh*
*long drag of a cigarette even though I don't smoke*
So here's the thing with Cheyenne.
It's a military town. At any given time there are hundreds, perhaps thousands of military personnel in town- all needing a place to live. And many, if not most, of them rent. On top of that, most of the available (and decent) rental houses won't do a short-term lease, and we only need a place to rent for about four months while our house is being built.
*grumblegrumble*
So we turned to townhouses and apartments.
I totally struck out on townhouses. No one called me back. Not a single one. Jerkfaces.
And apartments? Well, all but one of the nice complexes in Cheyenne are low-income, so we make way too much to even be considered. And they're all full anyway.
And the non-income-restricted places? Well there is only one nice, newer complex in town. And it's booked out months in advance. Everywhere else? Run down, outdated... and full.
We did finally get a call back from one complex shortly before we were leaving town on Monday. We went to check out the unit that was becoming available, and... well... there's no way in hell I would allow my children to live there. To put it mildly. It had a very distinct rape-y vibe about it, and I'm pretty sure we would have gotten an infection of some sort from the carpets. We bailed about as quickly and politely as humanly possible!!!
So we left town Monday afternoon totally defeated and dejected and anxious and stressed. Yes, we found a house for our family, yay! But we lacked a place to live until then... un-yay.
Monday night after we got home I went into OCD mode. I google'd every rental option imaginable in the Cheyenne area, and then branched out to the surrounding areas as well. I did find a cute little house in Cheyenne that was available, but the owners were assholes, and after several conversations with them I chose to walk away. You can only take so many times of someone reiterating that they are looking to benefit themselves and not to help you out before you want to tell them to fuck off!
So after numerous phone calls, e-mails, and mini-panic attacks, I am pleased to announce we finally have a short-term rental lined up for when we get down there. It's a cute two-bedroom (plus a sunroom) apartment that'll suffice until our house is done. Not my ideal situation to be back in apartment mode, but whatever. It's temporary.
The first catch? Because we're doing a non-conventional lease, we're paying more per month. To be paying this much for a two-bedroom apartment boggles my mind, but I'm letting it go.
The second catch? It's in Fort Collins.
As in Colorado.
As in 40 miles from Cheyenne!!!
Looks like we're commuting for a while.
*sigh*
So I know I fell off the blogging bandwagon lately. I've been a little busy. You know, that whole preparing to move multiple states (and a timezone) away. It tends to be a bit time consuming.
But I'm back bitches!
So this past weekend we were down in Cheyenne, getting the lay of the land and trying to accomplish certain pre-moving goals. Like establishing a place to live. You know, crazy stuff like that.
Suffice it to say, it didn't go as planned.
First of all, if someone is offering full price to buy your house... take the freaking offer. Don't play hardball just because you can. Shit like that pisses me off. We encountered that when we were buying a home up here too. Builders decide "hey, there's interest in my houses, let's try to squeeze every last penny from them!"
No dice, bro. Unlike some homebuyers, I'm more than okay with walking away if you decide to be a wanker. Mama don't play like that.
So we found a property we liked and we made an offer on it. 3,000 square feet, three bedrooms, two baths, with a full, unfinished basement (that will eventually give us five bedrooms and three baths) on 35.5 acres! For a good price!
The catch?
The house isn't built yet, so we'd have to rent a place for about four months in the meantime. Le sigh.
But for my dream home? Sure, I can deal.
We made an offer- full price, just asking for closing costs. The builders decided to play hardball, and countered. We were unimpressed. After mulling it over, we countered their counter-offer, and made it clear that we were more than willing to walk away.
Because is the house perfect? Yes. Is it worth being put over a barrel for? Nope.
So after waiting until the last possible second before we had to leave Cheyenne on Monday, the builders finally got back to us- they had accepted our offer! So we are under contract. Check one thing off the To Do list.
Did I register my kids for school down there? Nope. Because I was too busy running around trying to scramble and find a place to rent. And that took up an unimaginable amount of time.
Did we leave Cheyenne with a short-term rental lined up? Nope!
*facepalm*
*heavy sigh*
*long drag of a cigarette even though I don't smoke*
 |
| Sad Keanu understands |
So here's the thing with Cheyenne.
It's a military town. At any given time there are hundreds, perhaps thousands of military personnel in town- all needing a place to live. And many, if not most, of them rent. On top of that, most of the available (and decent) rental houses won't do a short-term lease, and we only need a place to rent for about four months while our house is being built.
*grumblegrumble*
So we turned to townhouses and apartments.
I totally struck out on townhouses. No one called me back. Not a single one. Jerkfaces.
And apartments? Well, all but one of the nice complexes in Cheyenne are low-income, so we make way too much to even be considered. And they're all full anyway.
And the non-income-restricted places? Well there is only one nice, newer complex in town. And it's booked out months in advance. Everywhere else? Run down, outdated... and full.
We did finally get a call back from one complex shortly before we were leaving town on Monday. We went to check out the unit that was becoming available, and... well... there's no way in hell I would allow my children to live there. To put it mildly. It had a very distinct rape-y vibe about it, and I'm pretty sure we would have gotten an infection of some sort from the carpets. We bailed about as quickly and politely as humanly possible!!!
So we left town Monday afternoon totally defeated and dejected and anxious and stressed. Yes, we found a house for our family, yay! But we lacked a place to live until then... un-yay.
Monday night after we got home I went into OCD mode. I google'd every rental option imaginable in the Cheyenne area, and then branched out to the surrounding areas as well. I did find a cute little house in Cheyenne that was available, but the owners were assholes, and after several conversations with them I chose to walk away. You can only take so many times of someone reiterating that they are looking to benefit themselves and not to help you out before you want to tell them to fuck off!
So after numerous phone calls, e-mails, and mini-panic attacks, I am pleased to announce we finally have a short-term rental lined up for when we get down there. It's a cute two-bedroom (plus a sunroom) apartment that'll suffice until our house is done. Not my ideal situation to be back in apartment mode, but whatever. It's temporary.
The first catch? Because we're doing a non-conventional lease, we're paying more per month. To be paying this much for a two-bedroom apartment boggles my mind, but I'm letting it go.
The second catch? It's in Fort Collins.
As in Colorado.
As in 40 miles from Cheyenne!!!
Looks like we're commuting for a while.
*sigh*
Thursday, June 27, 2013
Incommudicado no mas
I know, I know, I suck, I fell off the radar.
Sorry.
I have much to tell, I've just been crazy busy lately.
Back soon. With details.
Sorry.
I have much to tell, I've just been crazy busy lately.
Back soon. With details.
Thursday, June 13, 2013
Bobbing and weaving
Alright.
So things are getting better.
I mean, they're not at all what I had expected, hoped for, or necessarily wanted.
But I guess life is all about being flexible, right?
So the whole Alaska thing is in the process of being resolved. I already have a folder's worth- yes, a whole file folder!- of documentation in dealing with this nonsense.
We had our appraisal today, which I guess went well? I have no clue. The appraiser said we had a lovely home, so hopefully that translates to it being appraised at a value that does not screw us over on the sales price. It shouldn't, but considering how things have been going the past few days, I'm not believing anything until I see it in writing.
So assuming the appraisal turns out well, then we move toward closing. Our buyers are getting USDA financing, so it's going to take longer than I would like to close, but hey, whatever.
At this point?
I just want to move forward, have a closing date set, and hope for the best. I've given up fighting for things to go exactly my way.
Apparently the universe has decided that me making plans is HILARIOUS!!!
We've all but missed out on the original house we wanted to buy in Cheyenne. I mean, it's still available right now. But by the time we finally close on the sale of this house? Our realtor down there has said it isn't likely the house will still be available.
So Plan B.
We're going to submit an offer on another lot in the same neighborhood. This lot is just in the permit stage, so it'll be approximately four months before we'll get to move in, but it's our next best option.
This of course means we will be stuck renting for a few months once we get down there, but I've accepted that. As long as we have a plan to follow, I'm good. This whole being-in-limbo thing is killing me.
I also realized today that I'm going to be in Cheyenne next week. As in, the last week of Spring Quarter. As in, when all of my major assignments are due!
Fuck.
For some reason this hadn't dawned on me until this morning. So now I have to do a mad scramble to finish everything before next Thursday morning. This includes reading 250+ slides on Islam followed by two discussion questions, the last chapter in my Race and Ethnicity book followed by two discussion questions and a quiz, as well as two term papers- one for each class.
...
Oy vey.
Oh yeah, and my son's birthday party is this weekend, so I have to clean my house and move all of our packing stuff... somewhere...
So things are getting better.
I mean, they're not at all what I had expected, hoped for, or necessarily wanted.
But I guess life is all about being flexible, right?
So the whole Alaska thing is in the process of being resolved. I already have a folder's worth- yes, a whole file folder!- of documentation in dealing with this nonsense.
We had our appraisal today, which I guess went well? I have no clue. The appraiser said we had a lovely home, so hopefully that translates to it being appraised at a value that does not screw us over on the sales price. It shouldn't, but considering how things have been going the past few days, I'm not believing anything until I see it in writing.
So assuming the appraisal turns out well, then we move toward closing. Our buyers are getting USDA financing, so it's going to take longer than I would like to close, but hey, whatever.
At this point?
I just want to move forward, have a closing date set, and hope for the best. I've given up fighting for things to go exactly my way.
Apparently the universe has decided that me making plans is HILARIOUS!!!
We've all but missed out on the original house we wanted to buy in Cheyenne. I mean, it's still available right now. But by the time we finally close on the sale of this house? Our realtor down there has said it isn't likely the house will still be available.
So Plan B.
We're going to submit an offer on another lot in the same neighborhood. This lot is just in the permit stage, so it'll be approximately four months before we'll get to move in, but it's our next best option.
This of course means we will be stuck renting for a few months once we get down there, but I've accepted that. As long as we have a plan to follow, I'm good. This whole being-in-limbo thing is killing me.
I also realized today that I'm going to be in Cheyenne next week. As in, the last week of Spring Quarter. As in, when all of my major assignments are due!
Fuck.
For some reason this hadn't dawned on me until this morning. So now I have to do a mad scramble to finish everything before next Thursday morning. This includes reading 250+ slides on Islam followed by two discussion questions, the last chapter in my Race and Ethnicity book followed by two discussion questions and a quiz, as well as two term papers- one for each class.
...
Oy vey.
Oh yeah, and my son's birthday party is this weekend, so I have to clean my house and move all of our packing stuff... somewhere...
 |
| Solid plan |
Tuesday, June 11, 2013
Anyone think to bring a parachute?
So yesterday afternoon was "hanging on in quiet desperation".
Today?
Spiraling into a pit of gloom with nary a 'chute in site.
Today?
Spiraling into a pit of gloom with nary a 'chute in site.
 |
| Never felt as connected to Wile E. Coyote as I do today |
Everything was just smooth sailing so far. The Husband got the amazing job. Our house sold in one day. We found the house we want to buy down there. Easy peasy lemon squeezy, right?
Nope.
Not even close.
First, late yesterday afternoon we realized that our real estate agent had screwed up and that we weren't going to be getting back the amount of money from the sale of this house that we had been told and had been banking on as part of the down payment for the Cheyenne house.
Cue the panic.
Then, we find out that while we are "technically" pre-approved, we need to "take care of the medical debt".
Erm.... excuse you? What medical debt?!?
Seven years ago we spent the summer up in Alaska (long story, maybe someday I'll tell it) and while we were there The Husband got severe kidney stones. Well we didn't have insurance at the time, so we walked away with over $30,000 in medical debt.
Yes kids, 30k.
Hooray for the American medical system, amiright?
Well over the next few years I worked my ass off to chip away at it, and as of when we bought our house almost two years ago, everything had been paid off or forgiven. No medical debt in sight.
So what the hell happened?!?
I have no freaking clue. This debt popped back up on our credit recently, and we have no idea why. It should have been taken care of years ago, it wasn't on there until recently even though it lists it as being from seven years ago, and the biggest problem is when The Husband called to get it straightened out, the people handling it were complete assholes. And continue to be.
We have been trying in good faith to get it squared away, and they're just being bullies. It's unnecessary.
We called you. You didn't call us, we called you in an effort to get this taken care of. And yet you're going to be dickwads about it?!?
*grumblegrumblegrumble*
So after a fury of phone calls and scrambling, it looked liked we had gotten everything straightened out. Our agent fixed the issue, so we will still end up getting the amount we had been assured, which was a huge relief. Then the Alaska debt people seemed willing to play ball, and it looked like that was going to be taken care of.
We went to bed last night feeling like things were back in place.
And then this morning?
Fuck my life.
Everything fell to shit again, and I'm doing everything in my power to not lose my mind and flop in a heap on the floor and cry hysterically. I don't know whether I'm angry or sad or what, my emotions are all jumbled right now.
While we are still going to get the money out of our house, there may not be the Cheyenne house we want after all. The builders won't accept a contingency-based offer, so we can't even offer on the house until our Washington house closes, which is in July. So we may miss out entirely before then.
*fingers crossed our house closes early!*
On top of that, the deal we thought we had worked out with the Alaska debt people was thrown back at us. I'm sorry, but anyone who refuses to put anything in writing?!? Shady as hell. Bottom line. I don't know what the deal is with this company, but they are not operating on any sort of proper and professional level. I'm seeing a lawyer in our future, because I don't trust these people!
So as of right now, I have no idea where we stand. We are flying down to Cheyenne next week, and the original plan was to make the official offer on the house down there and get the kids' schools figured out and all that.
Now?
*shrug*
We can't offer on the house until this house closes. And our financing won't go through until this debt thing is squared away (which is stupid, because we have really good credit, and clearly this randomly posted debt isn't affecting our ability to pay AT ALL, but whatevs. Yay bullshit government red tape.)
So we're stuck.
I'm at a loss. What do you do when life is out of your control? What do you do when people are being stubborn asshats and needlessly digging their heels in (even though it does them no good and they are clearly the ones in the wrong), simply because they want to be difficult? I don't understand it.
Sometimes it sucks being an optimist, because then you're even more crushed when people act like douchecanoes. (Worse than a douchebag, less interesting than a douchewaffle)
So now when we fly down to Cheyenne next week, I guess we plan on seeing rental houses instead? There's no telling how quickly this will all be settled, and I'm sorry, but I'm not cramming my kids into an apartment. I can't even fathom that right now.
I still know that moving down there is a good move, I'm not doubting that. I just had a sneaking suspicion that things were going TOO easily.
I hate that I was right.
So about that parachute...
Monday, June 10, 2013
"Hanging on in quiet desperation is the English way..."
So life has been... hectic lately. To say the least.
That whole 'preparing to move halfway across the country while simultaneously trying to maintain the rest of my life responsibilities' thing.
You know. No biggie, right?
Of course right.
So the first big part of this last week (or the only truly news-worthy part, anyway) is that... WE SOLD OUR HOUSE!!!!
Inoright?!?
It was listed for a whole four hours, which is nuts. All I can say is thank God for a seller's market!
And the fact that we've owned it for 20 months and managed to make a profit? Amazing. Granted, we're not walking away millionaires by any means, but still. That's a major obstacle that we can take off our To Do list, and that's a huge sigh of relief!
(Of course, now we have to find a new place to live... 1800 miles away... no prob, right?... right?!?)
Beyond that, trying to balance my end-of-the-quarter school craziness, the kids' end-of-the-school-year chaos, keeping my house from spiraling into a tsunami of clutter, and not having a mental breakdown in the process has been... tricky at best.
Who's idea was this again?
Mine!?
Oh that's right.
Crap.
The irony of accidentally ending up moving halfway across the country... Only I could manage something like that.
Overall, I am getting excited about the move. Stressed beyond belief. Losing weight. Losing sleep. Overwhelmed and slightly panicky. But excited nonetheless!
I think it will be fun to see a new part of the country, to explore places I wouldn't otherwise get to see as easily, and to make new memories and share this experience with my kids (although my daughter has convinced herself that a posse of rattlesnakes is awaiting her, and I can't convince her otherwise!) I am looking forward to the opportunities and adventures awaiting us in Cheyenne.
I'm also wishing I could Go-Go-Gadget Magic Packing Machine my house.
That whole 'preparing to move halfway across the country while simultaneously trying to maintain the rest of my life responsibilities' thing.
You know. No biggie, right?
Of course right.
So the first big part of this last week (or the only truly news-worthy part, anyway) is that... WE SOLD OUR HOUSE!!!!
Inoright?!?
It was listed for a whole four hours, which is nuts. All I can say is thank God for a seller's market!
And the fact that we've owned it for 20 months and managed to make a profit? Amazing. Granted, we're not walking away millionaires by any means, but still. That's a major obstacle that we can take off our To Do list, and that's a huge sigh of relief!
(Of course, now we have to find a new place to live... 1800 miles away... no prob, right?... right?!?)
Beyond that, trying to balance my end-of-the-quarter school craziness, the kids' end-of-the-school-year chaos, keeping my house from spiraling into a tsunami of clutter, and not having a mental breakdown in the process has been... tricky at best.
Who's idea was this again?
Mine!?
Oh that's right.
Crap.
The irony of accidentally ending up moving halfway across the country... Only I could manage something like that.
Overall, I am getting excited about the move. Stressed beyond belief. Losing weight. Losing sleep. Overwhelmed and slightly panicky. But excited nonetheless!
I think it will be fun to see a new part of the country, to explore places I wouldn't otherwise get to see as easily, and to make new memories and share this experience with my kids (although my daughter has convinced herself that a posse of rattlesnakes is awaiting her, and I can't convince her otherwise!) I am looking forward to the opportunities and adventures awaiting us in Cheyenne.
I'm also wishing I could Go-Go-Gadget Magic Packing Machine my house.
Friday, May 31, 2013
Home, home on the range...???
So things have been... interesting around here, so say the least. Remember awhile back when I mentioned that pesky gypsy wind was wreaking havoc with my status quo?
Well she came back.
In gale force.
And my life is about to be turned completely upside down.
Let me explain.
So back when I wrote that blog post, I had been searching and applying The Husband for jobs for several months. He has been unhappy with his current employer for awhile now, ever since they made some, shall we say, douche-y decisions. So I started looking around the greater Seattle area.
Local city governments, school districts, hospitals, major businesses, small businesses, utility companies, you name it I checked it out.
Now, The Husband has been in the IT industry for over 15 years now, and in probably any other part of the country that experience and expertise would be in demand. But not in Seattle.
IT people are a dime a dozen around here, and employers either want the entry-level tech who will work for $12 an hour, or someone who holds three Master's and two Doctorate's. There's nothing in between. Combine that with the fact that Boeing is getting ready to do a major layoff of thousands- yes, thousands- of IT people, and the odds become stacked even more against you.
So I branched out.
San Francisco. Portland. British Columbia.
More of the same. Too few jobs being competed for by too many overly qualified IT people.
I even devised a hair-brained scheme to move to the incredibly beautiful but incredibly tiny town of Joseph, Oregon. Why? Because it's pretty. Are there jobs there? NOPE! Their industry dried up years ago, so unless you are an established small-business owner, you're out of luck.
This is where the culmination of my frustration turned into the blog post about wanting the gypsy wind to take me away.
All I can say is, be careful what you wish for!
Shortly after that, my aunt suggested looking at the hospital in her city. She had heard they were hiring for IT, and sure enough, they were! So I applied The Husband, assumed it would be more of the same, and forgot all about it.
Until they called. And I began to panic.
Because the hospital where my aunt lives?
It's in Cheyenne. As in WYOMING.
Yeah...
Fast forward to today, and my life sits on this giant precipice above a gnarling torrent of chaos.
That sounds a bit dramatic, eh? But it's so true. The offer that the hospital presented to The Husband was... incredible, to say the least. Too good to turn down. Husband gave his current employer a chance to counter the offer, and they did. However, the counter offer was nothing more than a token gesture, and was actually a bit insulting when you consider that he has given them his blood, sweat, and tears over the years.
So we're moving halfway across the country.
I don't think it has fully sunk in yet. It seems surreal to me. And let's just say that no one is really taking it well. My family isn't speaking to me. Husband's family is split- some are excited for us, some are pissed. Our friends are all heartbroken, but they have all promised to come visit regularly. And naturally we will be back up here to visit as well.
But still. It's a huge move. And it's scary, and sad. But it's also a really good thing.
By the way, did you know that Wyoming has antelope?!?
Well she came back.
In gale force.
And my life is about to be turned completely upside down.
Let me explain.
So back when I wrote that blog post, I had been searching and applying The Husband for jobs for several months. He has been unhappy with his current employer for awhile now, ever since they made some, shall we say, douche-y decisions. So I started looking around the greater Seattle area.
Local city governments, school districts, hospitals, major businesses, small businesses, utility companies, you name it I checked it out.
Now, The Husband has been in the IT industry for over 15 years now, and in probably any other part of the country that experience and expertise would be in demand. But not in Seattle.
IT people are a dime a dozen around here, and employers either want the entry-level tech who will work for $12 an hour, or someone who holds three Master's and two Doctorate's. There's nothing in between. Combine that with the fact that Boeing is getting ready to do a major layoff of thousands- yes, thousands- of IT people, and the odds become stacked even more against you.
So I branched out.
San Francisco. Portland. British Columbia.
More of the same. Too few jobs being competed for by too many overly qualified IT people.
I even devised a hair-brained scheme to move to the incredibly beautiful but incredibly tiny town of Joseph, Oregon. Why? Because it's pretty. Are there jobs there? NOPE! Their industry dried up years ago, so unless you are an established small-business owner, you're out of luck.
This is where the culmination of my frustration turned into the blog post about wanting the gypsy wind to take me away.
All I can say is, be careful what you wish for!
Shortly after that, my aunt suggested looking at the hospital in her city. She had heard they were hiring for IT, and sure enough, they were! So I applied The Husband, assumed it would be more of the same, and forgot all about it.
Until they called. And I began to panic.
Because the hospital where my aunt lives?
It's in Cheyenne. As in WYOMING.
Yeah...
Fast forward to today, and my life sits on this giant precipice above a gnarling torrent of chaos.
That sounds a bit dramatic, eh? But it's so true. The offer that the hospital presented to The Husband was... incredible, to say the least. Too good to turn down. Husband gave his current employer a chance to counter the offer, and they did. However, the counter offer was nothing more than a token gesture, and was actually a bit insulting when you consider that he has given them his blood, sweat, and tears over the years.
So we're moving halfway across the country.
I don't think it has fully sunk in yet. It seems surreal to me. And let's just say that no one is really taking it well. My family isn't speaking to me. Husband's family is split- some are excited for us, some are pissed. Our friends are all heartbroken, but they have all promised to come visit regularly. And naturally we will be back up here to visit as well.
But still. It's a huge move. And it's scary, and sad. But it's also a really good thing.
By the way, did you know that Wyoming has antelope?!?
Monday, April 8, 2013
A gypsy wind...
First of all, I'm pretty sure I saw Ted Nugent at the grocery store today. Or his twin brother. Or his doppelgänger. So that was the exciting part of my day.
Inoright?!? It's a small life I lead...
So spring break is officially over. Well, for the kids at least. I have a week left before my spring quarter starts up. And then ten weeks until I'm free for the summer! And yes, the countdown has already begun.
So something weird has been going on with me lately. Over the last few weeks I've suddenly developed this burning desire to get the hell out of dodge. Which is kind of crazy because I genuinely LOVE where I live.
I love my house, I love my town, I love the kids' school, I love it all.
And yet...
This little spark of adventure has crept up inside me, wanting to try something new. To boldly go where I haven't gone before.
The last time we upped and moved completely spontaneously, it backfired horribly. We moved to Alaska on a family member's promise of amazing job prospects, but those jobs weren't actually there, and everything quickly fell apart. Naturally, I'm a little hesitant to have the same thing happen again, since life is good here and there is always risk involved in rocking the boat. But at the same time, I have this little gypsy spirit inside of me that gets restless every once in awhile, and given some unnecessary drama that has gone on lately, Husband and I have sort of tentatively discussed getting away from it all. Plus, I feel that everyone should move away from their home state, at least for awhile, and get a taste of life outside of that bubble of familiarity.
There are a couple of areas that I have in mind. Both are several hours away from where we live now. Both are smaller areas, more rugged and rural, with a lower cost of living, a slower pace of life, and amazing natural beauty. One area specifically isn't as pretty, but it has the most job prospects. The other areas are vastly more beautiful and very artsy fartsy, but more limited in other ways.
 |
| Potential future views? |
Clearly, this is a HUGE decision, and not something that will happen remotely soon, but it is still bouncing around in my head and I will continue to do my research and gather information... if for no other reason than to dream...
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| Potential future main street? |
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