Moving Month, Part 2

This has been the hardest month (week) physically, financially, emotionally, and any other which way you look at it. Originally our Must Move Out Date was December 15th. But when the new buyer's loan didn't come through, the date was pushed back to December 30th. Aldo and I had most of our stuff moved out by the 15th. The final things were bicycles, tools, and the like in the garage. And some condiments in the fridge. Then, the week of Christmas mom informed us she was going out of town to Tennessee to move her camper and put an offer on some land down there. She said we (Aldo, myself, my uncles and Granddad) had to move her stuff out by the time she got back. Because the next day she would be signing the papers over. !! We had three days.... AND this is Aldo's busiest season, full of BLACK OUT days. 

Well, we did it. We got it done. With a toddler too!

Let me vent for a second.... I thought I might get a break from moving on Christmas Day. I didn't. Mom was taking off the next day for her trip, and all Christmas she was grumpy, saying stuff like "well I need to pack... I guess I'll do it by myself... nobody is helping me..." in her passive aggressive way of asking people to help her move. It's Christmas! So I went all day hearing this while trying to be with family, and finally couldn't take it any more and went over to help her get things loaded on her camper at night, since the guys just wanted to watch football. We pulled the camper in front and were checking the tail lights when we found that the entire right corner was covered in mold. The cushions were ruined. The corner needs completely gutted. So I couldn't pack anything on the camper. At the same time we found a leak in the garage. Apparently all that work mom and Jerad did on the garage roof, pulling up the surrounding metal, cleaning off the top, patching, and painting didn't fix the problem. So all night mom was furious. I went to help her pack so she would be ready to leave at 6 or 7 in the morning, so she could get down to Tennessee at the time she wanted, but instead  most of the time was spent shaking her head at the cushions and the puddle in the garage floor. The next morning she took her Durango to the mechanic to have fluids checked and wound up getting things replaced... and didn't leave until after noon.

Day 1 - Monday : Jerad cleaned out the 3rd garage stuff like mom's tools that she wanted in the trailer and put a load of things in his horse stall.

Day 2 - Tuesday : Jerad and I started packing boxes and moved them all to the large trailer with the furniture so we could figure out the best way to pack it on mom's trailer (to fit it all and get what mom wanted by the door.) Then when Jul came over we started moving it over to mom's trailer. It was probably our biggest moving day. And all this time Luke, Jenna and sometimes Jenna's friend were watching Mila.

Day 3 - Wednesday : Aldo and I both had to work in the morning, so Jerad watched the kids for us. Dad wanted to meet with me and the kids after I got off work for a special Christmas shopping spree. And then when we got back, Jerad was ready to finish with mom's house. I guess he had moved the rest of the garages and back room to the barn?? Or somewhere. I have no idea. So what was left was craft room junk and outside junk. We spent the night moving old, good-for-nothing (not even firewood) lumber on Jul's trailer. 

By the time mom got home on Thursday I was super excited that we got all that she asked done. Thursday morning Aldo and I went to sign papers at the apartment because it would be his only day off. Mom wasn't impressed at all when she saw what we had done. She said we didn't have to move the wood. The trailer was packed wrong. And where did her computer go? And we need to stop using her internet. ?!?! 

The newest news is this: the sale of the house fell through.

The appraiser for the VA that the guy was getting his loan from appraised the house too low. An appraisal that may stick with the house for 6 months. Mom doesn't want to come down on the price of the house again... (it would be $232K). All of our rush and work, I feel, was for nothing. She commented that she's letting the contract with her real estate agent run out and she'll do a For Sale by Owner. And in the meantime bring up the price of the house by updating the kitchen.

Lately, she's been hovering. The other day she wanted Luke to go with her to recycle, and when I said no because we had plans, she began to interrogate me on what those plans were. And got defensive when I said she's judgemental and that's why I didn't want to tell her. (Maecy said she told her our conversation and that she assumed I was at our Pastor's house. A Pastor's is not a bad place to hang out. No wonder I never had friends growing up...). When I went over today  to finish up the basement by shampooing the rest of the carpet and sweeping and mopping, and scrubbing the bathroom floor like she wanted... she came down and started spraying cleaner in the creepy bathroom (that we never used and had already cleaned) and started looking under sinks and such. When are we going to be free of her criticism? Are we ever going to be finished with the house? We have our own apartment now, pushed out / forced to get into by my own mother... when is our life going to become important?   Nothing we ever do, no decision we make is ever going to appease her.

I'm seriously bummed for my mom that the house didn't work out. This whole adventure / process has been one obstacle after another. I'm sorry her hopes were set high. I'm sorry she's now stuck in a house to pay for by herself, with an animal she'll have to take care of by herself, with repairs or remodeling she wants to make to get it sold at the price she wants and I'm sure she'll be left to do it by herself. The outcome to all of this isn't what I thought. What should be a celebratory thing hasn't been that way with every step. All I know is now we have the keys to a place called home, and we're going to be sleeping there on Tuesday. 

Moving Month, Part 1

1 Year, 4 Months

We're half-way through our move. Like any other major events that happen in life, there's been some good and some bad points, although I would say this has been better than what I expected, and the so-called "bad" have just been "surprises". For instance, I thought the kids would get on my nerves. They don't at all. The kids are hardly here, and when they are Luke has someone to keep him busy and off the tv, Mila has young baby watchers so we can move or clean or cook, and if none of the above, they actually keep to themselves. When they're not here the house is absolute quiet. My uncle is usually off doing horse business making the big bucks, or in his room. Another example, I thought Mila would be too much for them because she can be demanding and loud. The kids LOVE her and she has this weird communication/connection with Jerad. He LOVES her. My guess is he has a little baby fever. (After all they used to foster all the time. So kids had the run of the place.) For some reason I keep imagining my mom talking with family members and as a side note questioning how it's going or somehow making us look like bad renters (whether it's not getting the laundry through in a timely fashion, not cleaning up dishes, always watching tv, always sleeping, always reading, using all the internet, using all the water, not offering to help with horses, not painting the place..... these are just some valid to outlandish things I could come up with, and it's not really that far-fetched of a daydream). And Jerad answering for us.. "no, they're good tenants." Of course we are. I feel as if Jerad would rather we stay longer; if not for the extra money then for the company.

This past week was the first time we actually "hung out". Aldo and I had to go somewhere, I can't remember, and Aldo told Jerad he could watch on our tv. When we got back Jerad has his feet up on the couch all comfortable-like and was watching off of Kodi (the movie set-up Dad did for us). The next day he was on it again. And the next day. And then the kids were here for the weekend. At first they played outside in the snow, and then when they came in... watched on our tv again! This was the surprise. I thought for sure they would leave by bedtime. Because they were watching the movie for the second time. And it was a school night. And privacy. Nope. Aldo wasn't here so Luke was put in bed and Mila and I hid in my room watching a DVD on my laptop. So this was the one time where privacy ever came up. And it really wasn't that bad. Not what I thought.

The other surprise has been the fireplace. It's not bad or anything... just a nuisance. You have to restock the logs more frequently than what I would have thought. Our first night here was the coldest night ever!! And so now we know how much firewood, size of logs, when to put them in, how to control the fire, etc. I guess for if we ever need to know that information. But more importantly, central heating is a MUST and a fireplace can be back-up.

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Today I had a morning meeting, so while Mila slept on Jerad's watch, Luke came with me and then I took him to school. This would give me the chance to ask about transferring later on and virtual school, etc. The office lady was a heckler. She gave me the 10th degree and dug in to where I had to tell the truth about us moving. And she was like... <use Wicked Witch of the West voice>.. "well using a different address is illegal." Ugh. Do you know how many people live out of district and still go to the school of their choice? Or use a different address than where they are really living? A ton of people. AND, I've had several people tell me that they knew people who didn't have to transfer. A Piper kid for instance. That's KCK school district. Hmmmm.... So it's not like I was asking for Luke to ride the bus or anything. She said, "well, he'll need to get approved by the district office and you'll have to call them... and usually only people who need special attention or special reasons get through." Baloney. (I know that's not how you spell the word... But I think that's how It's spelled when it's not the lunch meat, and more of phoney information. Just so you know. I'm not illiterate. Haha!)

So... today I've spent scrambling to get paperwork together: birth certificate, lease information, immunizations, utility information, etc. All before the schools and businesses are closed for the holidays and winter break. Luke's last day at Basehor Elementary is tomorrow!!! He doesn't even know. Him, his teacher, the schools... it's like nobody had been prepped and made ready for this transition. Poor buddy. His friends are going to be surprised to know that he's not coming back from winter break. He's moving away. And so what should be a fun thing has become an emotional, sad thing. My poor baby. I can see a few benefits from this:

1. The new school is directly across the street from the apartments. So I no longer have to travel back and forth to take Luke to school. Less money spent on gas for transportation. And I do t have to travel during the winter months either. And I can be there at a moment's notice if need be.

2. We continue to break out on our own. Is Johnson County where we see ourselves in the future? Well, we aren't still hitched to family in the boonies.

3. It's easier to transfer now rather than in 2nd or 3rd or 4th grade, or middle school. It's better now while he's young. And at least it's one kid and not both of them.

4. This is weird, but another daydream I've been having is that what if this is all part of God's plan? What if years from now Luke is sitting across from his wife, whom he met in 1st grade at this new school, and she confesses that if he had come sooner he would never have "stuck out" to her. An de if he had come sooner he would never have been coupled up with her to learn the class rules, catch up on the subject, etc. What if this is all God's plan? (That should have been my #1.)

As I was being handed all the paperwork to sign at this new school from this new face in the office, I was heartbroken that Luke had to be plucked out from what he knew and pushed into something else. I said out loud, "<sigh> this is sad." The office lady looked at me like I was crazy. Like I was getting a divorce or something and Luke was going to need counciling. Not the case, lady. It's more like my expectations were hit by a train. And so all I can think is - it must all be God's plan to get us into that position where He wants us. Literally.