Tuesday, October 23, 2018

We bought a house...

Crazy to think of how fast you can move in life - yet other days it is soooo slow. Like today for example. Not a lot going on at work, at home, or anywhere. People say to enjoy it while it lasts but I don't. I enjoy being busy at work (not so much at home) but because if I am not I have too much time to think about things I could be doing or that I'd rather be doing.

Anyway now that I rambled...we bought a house. I didn't put an explanation mark on the end of that statement like I normally would have.

Charlie and I discussed this observation. That after already having bought a house - new and old - it just isn't exciting. I mean it is but not like it used to be. After all you still have a mortgage, cleaning, and of course taking care of it. But it sure is nice to have a house to call home! Now this I did use an exclamation for. Renting is not our gig, that is for sure.

We only moved a block away from where we were renting - the house had a great floor plan, was already updated, and enough space. Even Savannah has her own full bathroom!! We just felt at home there when we walked in. A little more than we wanted to pay of course, but we also didn't want to have to move Savannah out of the school district once she started and I heard pricing was going up both on houses and financing programs.

So far so good. We are learning a lot about Texas soil and how it affects your house foundation. That it moves when getting moist and drying. That we have to keep it watered. Very odd to us. Here are a few photos and we are still settling in so it doesn't show everything but you get the picture.

Master Bath "Hers"

Master Bath "His" - btw you can't see it but the shower is HUGE

Back patio

Kitchen minus the new fridge (on the left you can't see) that is being delivered

Guest / Main Bath

Front door

Not much to look at on the outside (like why are the front windows so dern small?) but it has all the upgrades we wanted and at the best price before the market and rates went up. 
 

Saturday, August 18, 2018

OH my GOSH!

I haven't written in my blog all year? I didn't even realize it. I guess since it was all in my head I thought it was done.

Wow. Just wow.

A lot has happened.

February came and well, the work for Trane was pretty dry in Wisconsin which led the idea of our transferring to Texas. This and Charlie, an only child, has family there. Family whom he has never been able to spend much time with because of various differences from the past. Now that amends were made there was so much more for him, Savannah, and even myself to gain from this move. This is not to mention that the first day I met Charlie he has wanted to move back and this was a pretty open option now that the door for Fostering/Adopting my grandson and his siblings was closed.

About that...Michael left home and about the same time we were denied by the State of Utah to take the boys. Because I had made a mistake with my own two boys while mentally ill in 1998, they were not about to give the boys freely to us. I can't blame them, but on the other hand the more that time was slipping by the more detrimental it became for us to consider how it would affect the kids of having to be taken from where they finally became stable and called home. And come on people...it was 1998 - 20 years ago, with no other issues.

My health at that time wasn't well from all the stress of Michael leaving and the remodeling. I had spent most every weekend not feeling well. So I think it was something that was supposed to happen. There wasn't any way I could take care of three children 7 and under the way I wanted to. Add to that three pets, a 14 year old, and a very large house. So when one door closed and another opened, we went for it. I still keep in touch with the kids and they are doing well and are still in the same family with no reason to move.

Charlie got the job and started in April. The house in Green Bay was put up for sale and we put all of our belongings, as best as would fit, in a POD that would be sent off to our landing spot in the Fort Worth area. We packed up and left officially in June and said our goodbyes to Cameo Ct. The house didn't seel though until a month later, and for much less than what our hearts valued it at. It had a lot of good memories and a lot of hard work. But the chapter ended and we knew it.

Today we are in a little rental house in Bedford, TX and I landed a job working for another Toyota forklift dealership as a Sales Coordinator. Savannah starts high school on Monday - 9th Grade! Wow! Aaaaannnd....we are buying a house! I'm quietly excited. Not sure why when you get older things aren't as dramatic as you felt them previously. That or it is my medication. Anyway, I am looking forward to the what's to come. A little nervous about not having snow for Christmas, but I try not to think about it.

How's Texas you ask? Texas is hot! The food is so good though - so much flavor and so much sweet tea! The people are so nice and respectful. It is great to hear people younger than you call you ma'am and sir and just being very polite even at fast food restaurants!

The weather reminds me a little of Utah because of the semi-dryness and heat. It is odd to find that the heat of the day is in the latest part of the afternoon and that the night NEVER cools off. I keep expecting to have a cool summer night like I did growing up in Utah. It's tricking me I guess.

And like any big city there is a commute to and from work similar to Utah because of many busy people in one area...but it is a much larger scale. I had no idea what a "Metroplex" was until now. Unfortunately there isn't any beautiful scenery that I have seen so far that we would want to visit when out on a Sunday drive like we did in Utah or Wisconsin. Too soon to tell I am sure. One great plus is no State Income Tax...or so you think. Only time will tell.