2008-08-03-5:29 p.m.
UPDATE: Ok, so finally we get a call from Kurt's sister. She's being all snooty, telling me that we'll have to call the REAL owner of the house. That she won't be discussing the matter with us.
Well, haha on her. The "real" owner happens to be Kurt's dad who lives in Texas. (mom and dad have been divorced for years.) He is being super nice, chatting it up with us (we've known him for a couple of years now, he's actually old friends with my uncle from high school!, knows my mom and he's been to our home for dinner more than once). He just wants to know what's REALLY going on. Evidently, sister didn't feel like getting up off of her ass and cleaning, so she went running to daddy saying that we were crazy and that we don't have a leg to stand on. Failing to mention mom and all of her stuff. So we filled him in. He asked us to email the agreement that Kurt had written up for us (which we did), and he'll be talking to Kurt when he reaches Barcelona on Tuesday.
At this point, we've already unpacked all of our stuff again and have pretty much said "screw it", but I'll be damned if crazy packrat lady is going to win on this one. Going running to daddy, indeed. GROW UP! jeebus.
So there's the status. I'm doubting that we'll end up staying there after all. Which is fine, whatever, we just want to know what's going on so we can tell our kids and get on with what we need to do. I do NOT enjoy being in limbo, you know what I mean?
OH! Forgot to mention, I'm working on the old cuss-box thing. Call me on it if I let the f-bomb fly (or any bomb for that matter). Aubrey suddenly wants to know what every cuss word is and what it means. Yipes! That means cutting them out of the vocabulary. It can't hurt, right?
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2008-08-03-1:11 p.m.
Today, of course, she's not picking up the phone, nor returning phone calls. Gee, didn't see that one coming.
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2008-08-03-7:02 a.m.
O.k. So. I'm trying not to freak out, or be too negative. I'm trying to tell myself that things happen for a reason, and it really is better this way. I'm trying.
So, the story is. Our friend Kurt gave us a key to his house about 10 days ago. He was going out of the country for six weeks and wanted us to stay at his house while he is in Germany. He lives kind of in the middle of nowhere, but here the middle of nowhere is danger to an empty house. Add in that we're having work done to our house, and we need to keep it clean to show (two kids and one furry sheddy dog do not a clean house make), we thought it would be a good idea.
So Kurt brought us the key, said that his mom would be in and out of the guest house every now and then, but that was it. The place is ours til second week in September.
So, we loaded up what we would need (clothes, food, kids, dog) and headed out yesterday morning. We're all looking forward to it because it's a great big, beautiful house on plenty of property. Yay! You know? So we get there, pull out the key, stick it in the lock and walk in the house. Huh, that's weird. The house is FULL of junk. Boxes everywhere, women's clothing hanging draped over every available surface. Trash and fast food wrappers on top of that. Bathrooms are nasty, bedrooms are a disaster... unbelievable.
So we all step back outside and really take a look around. Well, the garage and driveway are full of boxes and junk, too. Not like Kurt, I mean, don't get me wrong, he's a typical messy single guy, but this is just not like him. We're staring in disbelief when a woman comes around the corner asking us what the hell we're doing there. (!)
We tell her what's going on... well, she's Kurt's mom. She says she thought we weren't coming until September 1st (why would we move in five days before Kurt gets back into the country? could she have even thought out that lie?) and had commandeered his home, without his knowledge or permission. Basically she was moving all of the contents of her house into his, without asking him, AND had moved into his guest house without asking him, AND had moved his sister into the main house without asking him.
Now, Kurt DOES NOT get along with his family. The very last thing in the world he would want is his mom and sister bringing all of their stuff into his house and setting up shop. Kurt is going to be LIVID.
So, his mom begged for us to give her 24 hours to get all of the stuff out of the main house (including his sister) and get it cleaned up. We'll see if she really does it. Meanwhile, I had to email Kurt via MySpace because that's the only way we have of reaching him. (He's backpacking through Germany and staying in hostels.) I figure we'll call her in the morning, and if it's done, fine. Otherwise, we're just going to stay home and forget it. It just sucks, we wasted an entire day packing, loading, driving then standing around while she stammered and hemmed and hawed, all the while explaining that we should have called her first. Why would I call ahead to someone that I didn't know was there? She didn't seem to get that, that if WE HAD KNOWN she was there, we wouldn't have bothered in the first place, much less called ahead.
Weird, weird lady. and you could tell she was lying. I think she knew we were coming and was just hoping that we wouldn't. I don't know. I'm tired.
So, okay. Thanks for listening to me ramble. I heart you.
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2008-07-26-6:45 p.m.
Well, it turns out that the reason for my flickr neediness really was p.m.s. Which sucks, actually, because in the last few months I'm down to having a period every three friggin weeks. This is starting to worry me, because frankly this stuff runs in the family. It starts out with your period coming more and more often right around age 32 (in October). Then you start hemorraging (sp?) every time. Then you're just one big period every ten days or so and you'd rather drop dead than buy another tampon. Welcome to early menopause in my family. The above listed problems will continue on 'til about age 36, when your doctor will finally feel the need to do something about it. By then, you're anemic and hate every living thing on the planet. My mom, at 36, had a hysterectomy. My sister, at 37 had her uterus cauterized (I can only picture them setting her uterus on fire. ugh.), my cousin at 44 is still going through it. I had an aunt that literally bled to death at 38. Gee, wonder what my glory will be? We can only wait with baited breath.
Wow, I'm a negative blogger. I'm so sorry. I simply don't have food to run to anymore, so it's you all, and I apologize for my word vomit.
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2008-07-23-7:59 a.m.
We're heading out to Big Rock Creek today. Not that many of you will even know what I'm talking about :) It's a place in Littlerock, California up above the dam. Just nice, quiet creek, lots of shade, rocks and things to climb on. Good fun for children and dogs, which is who we're taking with us, so it'll work out.
But of course Child #1 is all crabby/cranky, and I'm thinking it's because she's nine years old now, but seriously, I'm not sure. She always sounds like a P.M.S.ing 15 year old, and sometimes I don't know if I should ground her or buy her a maxi-pad. Help anyone?
Little One is all over the place happy. Just bee-bopping through life, always content until Child #1 cuts her down with some scathing remark. These things are making for a rough summer.
But, where was I? Oh yes, the creek (or "crick" as I like to call it), should be great fun. Then we'll be stopping at the brand-new-just-opened-today-but-not-announcing-it-yet Super Target in East Palmdale. Should be, well, not fun, but...something alright :) I just want to see it. Husband is mortified. He used to live in a beautiful old house on the same property, and is feeling personally affronted by the Target Corporation at this point in time. Odd considering most of our daily bread is paid for by Target.
So, more later! I've got to get into a rhythm of being on here more often. I've been slacking, and I'm sorry!
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2008-07-22-12:19 p.m.
I've been feeling rather neglected lately. I've somehow got it in my head that my worth is dependent upon how many people comment me on Flickr. Can you believe that shit? My period must be coming. I sit at the computer every available moment to see if anyone has anything to say about my photos, then get butt-hurt when no one says anything. I know damn well why they're not saying anything.. because they have lives, damn it! Well, that and my photos are uber boring lately, and I know it. I just keep hoping nobody will notice. Hell, I'm getting bored with my own weight loss news, so why wouldn't they be, right?
On to brighter news. Got a new bag from www.queen-beecreations.com today. SO EXCITING. No really, that's the best thing that's happened to me all week. I also have a new cell phone coming via ebay either tomorrow or the next day. That'll be grand, having email, etc. at my fingertips.
On August 1st we'll be moving into a friend's house for a month. He'll be out of the country camping, and since we're trying to sell our house, we thought it might do better without us (and our ginormous hair dropping dog) in it. We'll just be moving the necessities (clothes, food, etc.) and coming over during the day to finish up any work and cleaning that needs to be done. It should work out nicely. Rent and utility-free for a month always sounds nice. So wish us luck that it all goes well. It'll be a bit of a further drive to and from work, but the cut in utilities will make it worth it even over and above the fuel prices.
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2008-06-04-7:05 a.m.
yay! The third season of Weeds came out on DVD yesterday, so today we're having a Weeds marathon. I'm so excited.
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2008-05-31-9:06 a.m.
My new lens came yesterday! I'm so excited! I got the Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8 and I love it! The bokeh on that puppy is amazing, can't wait to use it at Little One's birthday party this evening. I purposely scheduled it for a beautiful place at the "magic" hour, so that I can take some great photos :)
Today's going to be a busy day, meanwhile. I have to finish wrapping the birthday presents, and prepare the food, pick up the cake, ice and charcoal for the barbecue. Somehow, during all of that, I have to take the girls to ANOTHER birthday party at 1 p.m. and leave there early so as to make our 5 p.m. party early enough to set up. It should be a fun, busy day. Hopefully I can talk Hubster into taking the girls to the other party so that I have time to finish up what I need to do and not be rushed. I hate being rushed.
I went to Costco yesterday, thereby killing my checking account. We are somehow out of money (well, I know how, it's the birthday party) so I just wrote a hot check to Costco and called it good. Cross your fingers for me that it doesn't clear before Tuesday (pay day!) and hopefully not til Wednesday. Then I'll have all of the bills to pay, but we get another paycheck Friday so hopefully it won't be too tight. We really need to start saving money, the move is coming up faster than we think, and don't have much put aside to do the actual moving. It's going to cost about $2000 just for the moving van and gas money. Add on top of that hotel and food for five (a friend is coming along to help) and we'll be in deep trouble with the mere $700 I have set aside right now.
Guess I should make a plan. Right? I want to put it in my savings account at the bank, but for some reason I like seeing the cash in hand. I've got to figure out what I want to do and stick with it. Poor bank probably thinks I'm crazy. I'm constantly depositing the money, then withdrawing it again, simply because I can't decide where I want to keep it. Nuts.
You all have a beautiful weekend. I hope the good weather holds out here for today. It's going to be a fun party!
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2008-05-28-1:17 p.m.
Spent the day doing the shopping for Little One's 6th birthday. Loads of fun shopping while Hubster hyperventilated about prices, etc. Not only were we shopping for our kiddo, but her best friends are twin girls the same age whose party is the same day as ours, only earlier. So we had to buy two presents more than we were planning, ran out of cash, had to run home and get more since ATM kept shouting "insufficient funds" every time I tried to withdrawal. Ah well, such is life.
I know I'm going to regret one gift we got her, that she's been begging for since before Christmas, and we've been avoiding because it's got to be the most annoying toy on God's green Earth. Squawkers McCaw. Oh yes, Squawkers McCaw. Fucking thing is loud and annoying and creepy since it's motion activated and moves by itself, talking, shouting, blinking it's eyes and moving it's head. I'm going to hate this toy, I already know it. But they've pretty much quit making them (they were a bomb at Christmas due to annoying-ness), and was able to find the very last one at a Target near my home on clearance for 75% off. Can't beat that with a stick, so I guess Squawkers McCaw was meant to be. They even spelled macaw wrong.
The party ought to be fun. We're having it out at Apollo Park, which is a beautiful fun park with a lake and ducks, three playgrounds and plenty of picnic tables, barbecues and shade, and it's in the middle of nowhere. So you don't have the usual park noise of traffic going by, etc. The weather ought to be great, we're expecting sunshine with only a slight breeze, and we're having it in early evening so that it's not too hot.
We're basically just going to let the kiddos play around on the playground, barbecue some carne asada, whack a pinata with a stick, and have some cake. Good times, good times. Oh! and bubble blowing fun will be had by all :)
We're also been rushing around trying to find some pirate-y gear for Little One. Her class is going to have a Pirate Feast on Friday, and they're expected to dress up. So far all I had found were some eye patches with skulls on them that come with fake gold hoop earrings at the Dollar Hell. But at Toys R'Us I was able to find a complete pirate costume for fairly cheap.
So now that I've only got about an hour left of my day off, having just now finally walked in the door after being out all day, I get to go fetch the children from school, go order the birthday cake and buy a pinata, then off to my cousin's house to hook up her printer for her. She's had it sitting in the box in her living room for MONTHS. Poor thing. Technologically challenged and all.
Love you all! Oh! Last thing! The Weight Watchers update is: This week I lost 0.6 lbs. (boo!) for a total of 31 lbs. Yay me!
Okay, I'm done!
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