Home Again?

Time's are a-changing, yes sirree. My parents' house in under contract and they are to close on the 25th of this month. I have such mixed feelings about this whole change, which I never really expected to have, being that I'm a *cough* 30 year old with a family of her own but...bare with me as I try to explain my feelings.

My parents are entering a new stage in their lives. They have an empty nest as my youngest brother is going to graduate college soon and, by the sound of things, will be moving to one coast or the other (boo, hiss). They are both getting into their "golden years" and my dad doesn't want the upkeep of their acre of land. For my mom, it was either a new house or a new career. Since they don't want to move out of their smallish town for the big city, a new house was more attainable, especially since the perils of the housing market haven't hit their area as hard as others.

That said, they put the house on the market at a very reasonable price and were under contract in about 90 days. They are building a brand new house about 5 miles from where the current house is, in a subdivision. We haven't lived in a real subdivision since I was 5 years old. Big changes for them (and me). The house will not be done until about September, so they will be living in their 14' trailer at a local campground for a few months. Before you all start feeling too bad for them, they will have air conditioning, TV and a DVD player. The only challenge is going to be accommodating two grown dogs.

This brings back memories for me because when we first moved to Colorado from dreadful Michigan (sorry Michiganders but you know it's true) we lived in an eight foot pop-up camper at the local KOA while our house was being manufactured. I have a very clear recollection of watching our house come down the road while we were having dinner at Burger King.

My parents have been in that house since late 1993! It has been a wonderful house for us, filled with memories. Most will come with us to the new house, but certainly, some will stay behind. The girls & I recently visited the house for the last time before the move. As we pulled up, I noticed that the trademark "MC" wasn't on the garage. Tears came to my eyes. That logo has been on every house we've lived in since I was born. It was official then, they were moving. Helping my mom pack up all the knick knacks and pictures was hard for me too, but I am also looking forward to seeing how they will be displayed in the new house. I will miss the soon-to-be old house. The peacefulness of not having neighbors close by, the breathtaking mountain views. The current house was the first place that I called home and will always be considered that in my mind.

For years, my parents' house was, in my mind, my "home" too. Things were rocky in my life and a series of moves didn't make me feel that a home of my own had been established. On more than one occasion, I have fled to my "home" when things were bad or tough and magically, everything seemed better there. It was like another realm, another dimension. The move couldn't have come at a better time for me, personally, because for the first time, I finally feel that I have a "home" of my own. I don't know when or how things changed, but I feel established, safe and secure where we are now and I need less of a refuge somewhere else. I will say that this past year has been the best to date in terms of my marriage. I think all of the kinks have finally been ironed out. Praise be!

I do yearn for a house (not home), in the physical sense, of my own. I would love to create a place that my own children can come to some day, to seek refuge, love and advice. My parents have done a wonderful job of building both a house and a home and it is my sincerest hope to do that same some day in the near future.

Someday, I will truly come home again.

Success!

Cara's surgery went very smoothly. She was back in post-op recovery around 5pm and moved to a recovery room around 8pm (they were booked, so we were on hold). She is returning to her normal self, wanting to eat and drink and playing peek-a-boo with Mommy. If everything continues to go as planned, we should be released tonight or early tomorrow morning! It's amazing how children bounce back from things like this so quickly.

In other news, we were approved yesterday afternoon for a condo (rental). We will be moving on Friday, August 24th and hope to having everything settled by the 29th. Thankfully, the development is just down the road from where we are, allowing us to "move dirty" if needs be. We will have a 1st floor condo which means NO MORE STAIRS!

So, all is well in our world. We are extremely thankful to the Lord for watching over Cara and the dilligence of the medical staff here at Children's Hospital. They have been wonderful. Also, I want to thank everyone, once again, for their thoughts, prayers, text messages, emails, phone calls, instant messages, etc. I don't know how I would've made it through this without you all. We know that your thoughts and prayers made a difference. We felt surrounded by love & support.

3 Weeks and a Dilemna

For those that don't know, our lease is up at the apartment complex known as Del Dumpe (yes, even the 4 year old calls it that due to my slip of tongue one very frustrating day) at the end of this month. We signed a notice telling them that we will not be returning despite the pleads and "great special offers" or the lure of the new community center. Some of you may remember the issues we were having with maintenance and our neighbors. Frankly, we think we can do better. For the better part of the last month, I have combed through page upon page of listings on Craig's List and have found a few that look promising. We'd really like to get the 3 bedroom house. We've seen the inside and really like it. It's big and open, with more than enough space for our growing family. Not to mention that there's a 2 car garage and a nice sized, fenced-in backyard. However, I just didn't feel a good vibe from the owner. He's supposed to let us know by tonight, so we'll see. This house is also in a great neighborhood with kick-butt schools and REALLY stinking close to the water park. I have also called on a 3 bedroom townhouse that's right by Cherry Creek State Park. Again, it's in a good area with the same kick-butt schools. Hopefully, the property consultant will email me back tomorrow so that we can go down and check it out. If all else fails, we have arranged to move into a condo-style apartment about two miles away from where we are. It's really nice but, again, it's an apartment and we're trying to avoid returning to apartment living at all costs.
What's going to be interesting is finding a new place, getting the money together to move in, pack up our stuff here and load it into a Budget truck along with the things that are in our storage unit (only bare essentials are with us now), move in and get things semi-unpacked all before I have to show my face in Montrose for the start of my brother's wedding activities. Whew, talk about a busy few weeks!
Of course, add all of this to what is going on with Cara and that makes for complete chaos! I must find order in this chaos though...what choice do I have? Well, wish me luck!

The time has come, almost.

Well, the day is almost here. All the boxes are just about packed, the moving truck rented. Soon, we will be back in the Denver Metro area. I, for one, am very excited! I get to have my husband back as well as a new job in the public library setting. Officially, we will change residences on Tuesday but it may take a few days to get everyone settled in. So, if I seem to disappear for a little bit, you'll know what's up and won't have the need to send a search party. Now, if you happen to know any fit guys who want to carry couches, mattresses and such up 1 1/2 flights of steps, send them my way!

I guess it's fitting to say goodbye to the good ole Western Slope one more time. This area has been good to me and will always be home. Hopefully, we can visit often. A plan is already brewing in my head for the 4th of July.

Eastward ho!

The Good, the bad and the best!

The Good:
-I got a job with the Aurora Library. This means that, eventually, I'll be able to get these annoying, pesky creditors off of my back and I'll be getting out of the house!
-There will be "flexible income" again.
-We will be moving back to the city!
-I got hired despite a bad reference from a former boss (see below).
-Two of my dear friends gave me glowing references (thanks Jeanne & Jana).

The Bad:
-I was offered the Library Clerk position instead of the Library Assistant.
-The pay that I ended up being offered was about $4/hour less than was discussed at my interview.
-After paying day care, my take home will be a mere few hundred dollars.
-I found out that a former boss gave me a bad reference and had me panicked thinking I wouldn't get the job.
-I have to put my baby in day care and do not know of an upstanding one--time to do research. (Caitlin will return to the preschool she attended before)
-We will be 5 hours away from my parents, again.

The Best:
-The girls & I will be living with Ben again.
-We will be a family again, all under one roof.
-Ben & I have worked on our "differences" and what happened that fateful day in August & have mutually decided to save our marriage.
-I will be close to many of my wonderful friends on the Front Range.
-Did I mention that I will be getting out of the house?! Don't get me wrong, I love my girls but I think I'll be a much better mom if I'm not home with them 24/7, 365. Both will also benefit from the socialization that preschool/day care provides.

Well folks, that's the skinny. Now, even though I got the official offer...I still have to pass a background investigation, credit screen, drug test (shucks, no more poppy seed muffins) and have a physical. Other than the credit screen (for reasons mentioned in previous posts), I have no worries. What can I say except--WOO HOO! This good news came at the perfect time, the day before my 29th birthday!