Blogs
I've been reading other blogs lately like
slice of pink,
dooce and
mommyhood. It's made one thing incredibly evident to me: I am not the writer that I'd like to be. Granted, I'm more of a math person and was never really interested in writing, but these women make me want to be a better blogger & person. So check them out, they're a few of my favorites. The kind of blogs that have you laughing out loud, thinking, "I've (thought/done/wish I'd done) that!" xoxo
SOLD!
A guy came to look at the house today. He walked though rather hurriedly saying things like, "Yes, yes, good, nice. . ." I finish showing him the backyard and he asks me if we're firm on the price. I tell him that we are. He says ok and that he wants to give me a deposit. I say, "ok!" He leaves to go to a meeting and tells me he'll be back before 3pm with the check.
While he's gone I call the realtor of a couple who was supposed to come look at the house for the third time at 3:45 (which is why Mike was bringing me the check before 3pm). I tell Realtor Bob what's going on and that if his clients want to give us more money, we'll sell it to them (aren't I shiesty). He says he'll let them know & I don't here anything from them.
Mike brings me the check & we sign some papers (we're opening escrow tomorrow). Here's the pisser: Realtor Bob's clients came to look at the house at 3:45, only to find out that Bob didn't tell them about my phone call until just before they came, or that they could have offered us more $$.
In conclusion:
- Bob's a jackass who screwed his clients out of getting our house & us out of getting more dinero.
- We've sold our house, without even advertising it in the paper - WHOO-HOO!
- Mike and his family want a 2 week escrow, so we will probably be out of here by June.
Anyone want to help pack? xoxo
Pictures from the River
The River
We made a spontaneous trip to the
River, which is why we've been MIA. Left Thursday & came home Sunday evening.
Gracie played half naked in the sand (ok, all naked, with lots of sunscreen). She saw her daddy swimming in the water & decided to run down the sand, head first into the water (twice). We found out that she floats pretty well. Don't call child protective services yet, I was right there to catch her.
The
weather was beautiful. The river was awesome (except for a few choppy parts on Saturday). The Harley "
River Run" was going on while we were there. It made the traffic home terrible, but there were some amazing bikes!
Kristal met us there on Saturday, which was lots of fun. Once she sends me the pics, I'll post them.
Looking forward to
Buena Vista in May. Anyone who can get the time off is guaranteed a boat ride! xoxo
ps - don't you love all the links!
Real estate agents
I know I've mentioned before that in becoming a realtor I am joining a certain class of professionals, but that has been brought to a whole new level. On the day of our impromptu open house, I met Francine. You should know that I've been up front with realtors, telling them that I am getting my license & am not interested in having someone else sell my house. After we had talked on the phone (which was a treat), here's how my conversation with Francine went:
ME: So, here's our house.
FRANCINE: Oh, your pretty, you should come work for me!
ME: ummm. . .
FRANCINE: How much money would you give me, if I could get you more for this house?
ME: We'll, we really want to do it ourselves [read: you'd be last person I'd have sell my house].
FRANCINE: You life is going to be hell, then.
[If she thinks I can work for her, then why couldn't I sell my own house?]
ME: Can I show you the front door?
FRANCINE: Let me first go on and on about myself. Aren't I a fabulous 50+ woman? Did I mention that I'm currently renting an apartment in Northridge, so that I can get my degree [multiply this line times five].
ME: Well, I need to change the baby's diaper, so. . .
FRANCINE: I can get you more for this house.
ME: Gracie is pulling off my arm & screaming, so let me get the door for you.
FRANCINE: I can get you more for this house. How much would you give me?
I think you get the picture. xoxo
AVIFF
I'm
so going to see this:
Super Size Meand this:
Holidayand definitely these:
Off Beat, The Meaning of Life, Gopher Broke, Spam-ku: I won a haiku contest about SpamIf Randy is working, I may need a platonic date. Any takers? xoxo
Sunday
Cute picture my dad took. Can you tell that one of us decided to get up (and stay up for a few hours) in the middle of the night? She even decided to get her toys out.
Sunday's goal for the week: Shorten
b.o.b. time to once a day. I know, it may be getting a little excessive. xoxo
For Sale II
Since we put the "For Sale" up in front of our house on Friday, we've had six calls. We haven't even done any other advertising. I had three people wanting to look today, so I decided to put "Open House" signs up. I figured that since the house looks good, I might as well. Again, no other advertising, just signs. We had a whirlwind of people come through our house. I think there were only two couples who may have been serious, but it was a good way for me to get comfortable showing houses. Believe me, I'm getting good at this! xoxo
For Sale
It's official, the sign is in front of the house. We're selling our lovely home. Where will we live, you ask? The house we're building won't be ready for
at least another year. So, in the mean time, we're moving back into the rental. The rental is a cozy little one bedroom (that's right,
one bedroom) house in Leona Valley. We lived there before we bought our Quartz Hill home. The advantage to living in the rental is that we will actually be able to afford this project we've started. We'll also be down the street from the house we're building, so we can be a little closer to the construction.
I have to say, I am a little nervous about moving into such a small space. There were times before when it felt crowded, and now we are three. But I'll be much happier living there than having my Randy work 10 extra days a month. We've decided that when we start to get cabin fever, we'll take the camper out or go on vacation (we're pretty good at that). Vacation is a good way to save money, right?
I'll post pictures soon. xoxo
Responsibility
I'm an animal lover, I always have been (hence the "Elmira" nickname my dad has tried to pin on me). But this really bothers me:
Iron Will Helps Pit Bull SurvivorThis is not a lone attack by a dog in Southern California, or in the AV. A few months ago there was an uproar about a big dog attacking a little yapper dog. People are upset about the nature of these pit bull-type dogs (which scare the crap outta me). The problem is not the dogs exactly, though. The problem is the
dog owners.
My real fear is that an irresponsible dog owner will be walking with their dog, who is either not on a leash, or uncontrollable while my innocent angel daughter is playing outside. Why are people not upset by the fact that this woman (or the yapper dog) could have been a small child? What are the consequences for someone breaking the leash laws (and why aren't they widely known?)? Why are they not more stringently enforced?
I've almost completely stopped running outside because I consistently encounter people walking their dogs off the leash. They are infringing upon my right to be outdoors & enjoy my run. I have been confronted by these dogs. While calling the dogs, who do not come, the owner yells at me from 200+ yards away, "They're not going to hurt you!" Later the owner tells me that if I'm going to yell at the dogs to get away from me [through tears], she can't be responsible for what they may do.
I told her that next time I'll be running with a gun.
A Habit
I've developed a habit. Just about every night for the past 14 months, I've had to peek at Gracie before I go to bed. I go into her room, make sure she's covered up, kiss her perfect chubby cheek, rub her little head & say, "Good night, baby. I love you."
Sunday
Went to church today (don't worry my atheist friends, this doesn't mean this will become a religious blog). I've decided to focus on two things for the week. The first is to be a better momma & wife. Going along with that is to focus on the things in life that matter, the things that I'll look back on many years from now & remember. One of those meaningful things: Gracie helped me garden today. I'm pretty sure she ate some dirt. I don't think that makes me a better mother. xoxo
Megan's Law
http://meganslaw.ca.gov/I think it is good to be informed. There are three of these bastards within a one mile radius of my house, but there are absolutely none in Leona Valley :)
NOTE: this is not an invitation for any of them to move there.
Leona Valley here we come! xoxo
Complaining II
Ok, so here's how this post started: me listing all of the things I am having a hard time with right now, followed by a list of all of the things that Im thankful/happy with. After writing the entry, I feel much more positive. So what Ive decided to do is just list the good part, the things that make me smile. If you want, you can just read the happy stuff & leave it at that. Since I did need to get some things off of my chest, the original entry will stay posted below. If you want to read it you can, but it really is just the complaints of a spoiled woman.
Here's the good stuff:
- RANDY & GRACIE, of course!
- Going to go visit Randy at work tomorrow, watch him be my hero.
- Ever since I taught her "Eskimo kisses," she has also mastered the art of closed mouth kisses (thank goodness). She doles them out all the time now. I love it.
- My Grandma is going to be ok. Just a few more days in the hospital, & they'll be able to send her home.
- Randy's grandma, Grandma Cathy had a full & great life. I have never in my life known more definitively that she is happy & in a better place.
- I can always get dentures. If I lived in another time, I probably would have pulled my teeth out on my own by now.
- Some day I'll get a new computer. And really, what a silly thing to be obsessing about. There are probably more people than I can count with far worse problems (food, shelter & safety to name a few).
- I've spent several hours with my dad trying to fix the %$#@ DVD burner.
- We are so lucky to live in a place where there are trained medical professionals to do what they do.
You should know, this is just the short list of "good things." Thanks again. xoxo
Complaining
Normally, I can't stand complaining. I feel like there are so many things to be thankful for, that whining about a predicament is selfish. That said, I feel an overwhelming need to piss & moan - which is odd because things really aren't so bad. My family & I - we have it SO good (there, I'm feeling better already).
Ok, so now I've changed my mind. I'm going to start by getting all of the things that are bothering me off my chest, but then I will follow with all of the things that I'm lucky for or are making me smile:
- My Grandma is in the hospital. The last time I was in her area, I didn't stop by because I was tired. Someone (who shall remain nameless) has been making me feel very guilty about it ever since. Any other time I would've stopped, but I didn't that day.
- Grandma Cathy's funeral was Wednesday. It was very emotionally draining.
- The day of the funeral, I developed a toothache. My dentist says that it will either need a root canal, to be pulled, or it is nothing.
- My DVD burner won't work with my computer, I have to return it.
- I'm still getting over the surgery, it's a little scary to know that things weren't working properly & that they wouldn't without the help of a doctor.
- Randy has Strep. Gracie has the runs.
Sorry to be such a downer, I won't always be such a bummer. This an outlet for me, though. On the plus side, I can't think of anything else worth noting! Here's the good stuff:
- RANDY & GRACIE, of course!
- Going to go visit Randy at work tomorrow, watch him be my hero.
- Ever since I taught her "Eskimo kisses," she has also mastered the art of closed mouth kisses (thank goodness). She doles them out all the time now. I love it.
- My Grandma is going to be ok. Just a few more days in the hospital, & they'll be able to send her home.
- Grandma Cathy had a full & great life. I have never in my life known more definitavely that she is happy & in a better place.
- I can always get dentures. If I lived in another time, I probably would have pulled my teeth out on my own by now.
- Some day I'll get a new computer. And really, what a silly thing to be obsessing about. There are probably more people than I can count with far worse problems (food, shelter & safety to name a few).
- I've spent several hours with my dad trying to fix the %$#@ DVD burner.
- We are so lucky to live in a place where there are trained medical professionals to do what they do.
Thank you, I feel much better. xoxo
Easter Sunday at FS39. I can't decide which picture is better.
Busy doing nothing.
Do you ever feel like you're super busy, but when you sit down to think about what you've been doing - you can't? I know I've spent the last week doing lots of stuff (whatever it was, it's worn me out). Here's how I've spent my time (in percentages, of course):
- 25% of my time - Still trying to fix my DVD burner.
- 25% - Sleep
- 13% - boring stuff like shopping, household stuff, etc.
- 8% - the gym, although I've been a little neglectful lately.
- 5% - TV. I have a guilty pleasure, which I'm not about to admit.
- 24% - Misc.
Here's how I figured this out, in case you're interested. (Remember, if you're not, you may always go somewhere else in this www. But I won't tell you where to go.):
- Gracie has been napping 3+ hours/day, and I stay up about 3 hours after she's gone to sleep. This is when I mess with my geeky stuff. The geek in me is becoming more obvious considering the above percentages. I promise, it's not as bad as it may look!
- About 6 hours/night. Pretty lucky, considering I have a toddler!
- I usually clean the house in the a.m. & then pick up a little after dinner. I added a little extra for groceries, laundry & stuff. Let me emphasize that this is very approximate, I'm really not that AR.
- Yes I know, 2 hours a day is a little much for the gym, but it's my time to do something for me. Plus Gracie loves the day care & they love her. They even bought her a little outfit for Christmas.
- Ok, I'll admit it. I've been TiVo-ing a nameless soap. I feel so (dirty, ashamed, WT. . .). This is also done while the angel is asleep.
- I know that's a lot of miscellaneous, but I figure this is the time spent with family & friends. Tickling Gracie, changing diapers, hugging my man, talking to my girls on the phone, loving all of the good stuff. Please note that I saved the best for last. If I hadn't been so long winded, I probably would elaborate more.
In the words of my namesake (according to Rusty), Tigger, "TTFN, Ta ta for now." xoxo
PS - Gracie can now give the un-P.C. Eskimo kisses (where you rub noses). It has to be one of my favorite things, right up there with her laugh.
