A New Life Begins

Well, it's been a whole week since I've done any blogging. I had grand notions of sitting down each night and recapping the day in all it's glory and thus following every step of the moving process in a neat, orderly fashion.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

This past week has been a flurry of chaos. Fun chaos, but chaos just the same. Because on top of moving the 8,000 pounds of belongings that I own to a new location, we also have Vacation Bible School at the church this week. And my birthday is tomorrow. And we're going to Cedar Point on Friday. And I had to put my car in the shop. Twice.

I'm a little tired.

Soo, tonight I really need to get my banking account for the bank that's loaning me the money for this nice new house set up, so I don't have a lot of time here either. However, I will be back to recap the madness of the past week...

I'm sure you won't want to miss that!

Signing off (for the first time) as a new homeowner in my own place...

The End Of An Era

Tonight I'm sentimental....and probably a bit sappy. Just to let you know before I get into this. Don't say I didn't warn you...

If all goes as planned, this will be the last night I catch my snoozes in this apartment. You know, 13 years is a long time to be at one place. And even though I'm more than ready to move on, I still need to take a second to say goodbye.

So, I'm thankful that I had a safe, affordable place to come home to every night. And the neighbors were nice. Mostly. Except for whoever it was that left a nasty note on my car one time. But, that's times past now...I'll try to leave the grudge behind.

So tomorrow a new chapter begins. No more fighting for a parking spot on the street. No more scraping layers of ice off the car every morning while I nearly get run down by maniacal drivers who won't slow down. No more hoarding quarters like a raving lunatic so I can do my laundry.

I will be able to vacuum my floor after 10:00 and not worry about waking up the neighbors! I will be able to play my piano without the headphones! I can do jumping jacks and run in place all I want! (HA HA...like that's actually gonna happen!)

I can't wait.

(By the way, did I mention before that I really Thank God for all of this?)

Life is Good

Today I'm a packing fiend. I've officially reached the "organized chaos" stage, which actually is quite a step up from just plain old "chaos". Onward I trod...

Today 3 of my good friends from high school were in town, so we met and had supper together. Then we tried to go break into the house. It is a bit comforting to know it's a pretty sturdy little place. I actually did call the owners to see if they cared if I showed it, which they didn't at all...except they were at Cedar Point today, and didn't seem too willing to drive an hour or so back here to bring me the keys. I just don't understand what's wrong with 'em...

I also still have about 7 or 8 loads of laundry I need to do. I have a feeling some of them might have to wait for the new washer and dryer. I can hardly wait to christen them!!

Otherwise, today is a day I've just been noticing a few things that I feel the urge to share:

• I hate it when my DVR doesn't record a show I really wanted to watch
• I hate it even more when my DVR only records 14 minutes of a show that I really wanted to watch
• I also hate trying to get a little tiny spot of dried milk out of the bottom of a glass
• It's really not a good thing when you open up a butter bowl expecting to get butter only to discover it contains the left-over navy beans you fixed 2 days ago....which apparently you also forgot to put in the refrigerator (talk about rank!)
• It's also not a good thing to discover that your only loaf of bread is green
• It's been a blessing to me that the weather has been unusually cool...since I didn't bother to put the air conditioner in my window this season
• It's kind of odd to see your life sitting in a pile in the middle of your living room
• Greased Lightning is the most wonderful cleaning agent I've encountered in a long time
• I own way too many clothes

Life is good.

Hey....I'm Buying A House!!!

Today I got another call from the banker. He said he had some news for me.

Hallelujah and Praise The Lord.....THE GRANT CLEARED!!!

I'm giddy.

Thursday we close. That means I have tonight and tomorrow, plus about 2 weekdays for all practical purposes to get this place tidied away. And call all those places you have to call to get things set up.....Electric/Water/Sewer, Cable/Phone/Internet, Gas, Trash....what am I missing?

I guess I'll figure it out when I get into the house and the flip the switch for it and it doesn't come on, huh?!

So, as you can see, don't have a lot of typing time tonight. I have a feeling that the next few days are going to be a virtual whirlwind.

But a fun whirlwind....

(And just one more time....Thanks God! Very much!)

Just Stuff...

Well, I just bought a washer and dryer.

I also finished all my first-time-home-buyer counseling today.

Mom went to an estate sale and bought a couch, chair and loveseat.

She also bought a snow shovel and yard shears, but she thinks she "might just hang on to those."

My boss brought me 4 plastic tubs for packing today.

I have packed all of my storage containers away and now must either eat all of the food that I make in one setting or throw it away.

If something happens that this house falls through, I've got a world of a mess on my hands here.

(I'm sure it's gonna all work out though...eventually)

Show Me The Money!!

As you know if you've been following along on this little journal of my life, I'm in the house buying process. We've been sitting in the same stagnant position for about a month now, which is.....the loan's approved, the grant's approved, the appraisal is good - but we have to wait for the grant money to get here.

These are the times that try men's souls...

Or mine, anyway.

So today was the call I've been waiting for....I finally hear from the banker. The money's here!!!

Well...not exactly.

There's a question about my eligibility because they think I may be over the salary limit. However, I'm really not. It just looks like more because of the profit sharing check we received in April of this year. My banker's statement was "We figured that's what it was. We half expected they might question that."

I'll admit, it took all of my being not to scream into the phone "THEN WHY DIDN'T YOU ADDRESS IT UP FRONT WITH THEM???!!!"

Instead, I said..."So, will this be a problem?" (Ah, sweet deception...) He tells me the same thing happened to his son and all they need is a statement from my Company explaining that.

So now we wait again...

He thinks though we should hear in a day or two about the funds, and closing will probably be next week.

Good grief...I gotta kick the cleaning/packing bug into high gear...

Mosquito Madness

I just came home from our monthly Ladies meeting at the church. This month was hosted by one of our members at their house in the country. It was a lovely setting...tables with cloths and flower vases on them, nice place settings laid out, and a wonderful buffet of food. It was lovely.

Then THEY showed up.

Mosquitoes. Dear lord...the mosquitoes. The UNBEARABLE mosquitoes!!

Seriously, I wouldn't be surprised to see symptoms of malaria soon. I better start reading up on what those are...

This is twice now in one week. On Saturday Adam was in the Big Ball tournament for Bicycle Days. We headed there after the parade and were there until after 11:00 p.m. So for the first 6 hours, we sat in the mostly blazing sun. I got cooked like a little lobster. Even the top of my head was throbbing. Finally, the sun heads down for some relief.

Then THEY showed up.

Are you seeing a pattern here??

Ah the joys of Ohio...

Giant blood-sucking creatures in the Summer...

Allergies galore in the Fall...

Rain and tornadoes in the Spring...

Ice, snow and freezing temps in the Winter.

Now...why on earth wouldn't anybody want to live here?!

On a completely unrelated note except that I somewhat mentioned it earlier in the blog and I wanted to stick a few more photos on it... here's some shots of Bub's Big Ball team this year....Sluggin N Chuggin. They ended up third overall....not bad!

Darth Vader, Jesus and Skateboarding Bunnies...

I think I may have mentioned once or twice before that I like small town living. I like it very much. This past weekend was our town's 18th annual Bicycle Days. Of course, what's a small town festival without a parade?!

All the little kids line up on the street with their plastic bags to catch all the candy loot the parade participants fling out at them. It doesn't take them long to figure out if they wave as they pass by, they're more likely to get more candy!

Even the "Big Kids" like to catch a prize or two!

(Now what are the odds that they would throw a little Republican elephant named
"Righty" directly into Heather's lap?!

She was nice though and gave it to a little kid who was upset because he didn't get an animal. Let's hope he's not a Democrat!)

And what's a parade without awesome floats??

This is the one our Church entered.

HEY! We won First Place!!

Of course, the most fun is hooting and hollering at all the friends and family you know...

Way to go Mammy! Convert all those ladies in the crowd to Curves!

(Look at the little kid's face beside her. He thinks she's nuts!)

Ah yes....nothing like a small town parade. I mean, come on...where else in the world are you gonna see Darth Vader, Jesus and a skateboarding Bunny Rabbit - all in one day!

Bicycle Days

Small town America. I love it. One thing that many small towns share is the Summer Festival. Around here there are several standards....The Shiloh Ox-Roast, The Bucyrus Bratwurst Festival, The Marion Popcorn Festival. Here in my home town of Shelby, it's Bicycle Days.

Shelby used to the be quite the little manufacturing town, making everything from bubble gum (they say we made it first) to light bulbs (they say we made the longest burning bulb ever) to seamless steel tubing (Another first). And of course, bicycles.

I'm told that Shelby bicycles these days are a coveted collector's item. And they're kind of cool looking. Check out the Donald Duck bike....

But, if you can't own a Shelby bike yourself, you may be able to catch a glimpse of one at Bicycle Days. This is always the weekend after the 4th of July. Usually you'll see a lot of people exodusing out of Shelby on the 4th to catch fireworks in another town, then the next weekend we all congregate on our football field and enjoy them with our townspeople...plus folks from all the other towns that we descended on the week before!

They take one of the streets and set up food booths...you know, the greasy, sugary, salty, no-health-value-whatsoever-for-you food types that you find in every small town festival. Funnel Cakes...grilled brats, steaks, burgers...fried everything you can imagine...frozen bananas...ribbon fries....shew, I gained five pounds just typing that!

And there are all kinds of activities...basketball shoot-outs, "Big ball" softball tournaments, live bands, square dancers, cornhole tournaments, a 5k run, a cruise-in, a parade, "Real Guitar Hero" competition, bicycle and big wheel races.

Something for everyone...

Come on now....how could anyone not love such a spectacle?!

More to come tomorrow....

Lunchtime routine

For some reason today around 11:30 a.m. I thought lunch would be a good topic to blog about. Now, at 11 p.m., I have no idea why I thought that. But, well....I'm here, so let's blog....

I don't go out to lunch with a lot of different people. A lot of days anymore I have to do working lunches. My boss and I do those a lot. Sometimes you get 3 times as much done just stepping away from the office for a while, even if you are cramming food in your mouth while you do it.

A lot of days if I don't have a meeting and Heather's free we do lunch together. Usually the same thing happens each time. I'll call her and the following conversation will ensue:

Hezzo: Hey.

Me: Whatcha doin?

Hezzo: Nothin.

Me: That's nice. Whatcha doin for lunch?

Hezzo: I dunno

Me: Wanna go?

Hezzo: K. Meetcha downstairs.

So we meet in the lobby, walk to the car, get in, buckle up, and have the following conversation:

Hezzo: Where do you wanna go?

Me: I don't know. What are you in the mood for?

Hezzo: I don't know.

Silence as we drive down the road

Hezzo: You gotta tell me something

Me: I don't care. What do you want?

Hezzo: I don't want McDonalds. or Wendy's. Or any burgers.

Me: I don't either.

Hezzo: Or Taco Bell.

Me: I don't either.

More silence as we drive further

Hezzo: So where are we going?

Me: I don't care. Where do you want to go?

Hezzo: I don't know. Wanna do Mexican?

Me: Yeah. I knew you were gonna say that.

It's a wonder we don't starve to death in this little ritual.

Oh, sometimes it varies. If I decide we usually end up at the pizza joint.

Though Heather declared we couldn't go back there the other day because one of the cooks was flirting with her.

Eh...she'll be back.... If I have anything to do with it...

Animal Crackers, MJ and Manilow...

Today was a weird day. Well, first I was sick all day. Stomach just nauseous. Which I hate. I'd rather be in pain then feeling like I'm going to throw up all day long. Trust me, it makes sitting in meetings that were already almost unbearable even more so. If that's possible...

So, I was really considering leaving early when my boss pops out of her office and asks if I can come back and review some stuff with her. Well, it didn't seem like "No I'm going home instead" was the proper answer, so back I go.

So as I'm going back she informs me she has to go get something to eat, and in a couple seconds she's back with animal crackers. Which she informs me she doesn't like. But she got them because they seemed healthier than Cheetos. Yeah, she and I both do real well together on this dieting thing as a support system for each other, since we both think the same way on that kind of stuff.

So, I start talking to her about Foreclosures and Vacancies, which is what she called me back for, when she starts making the sound of every animal that she is about to eat. OK...if you don't work in an office, you just gotta understand that some days at a certain point you just can't do anymore. Apparently for her this was one of those days. And we were at that point. Which really didn't bother me much because I was kind of there too.

Well, we do finally make it through the exciting world of foreclosures (cough, cough), and then get engaged in a lively discussion about Mr. Jackson's upcoming memorial tomorrow, which somehow leads into a discussion about Barry Manilow, whom Dona can't believe I don't just love, but she really does need to believe it because I really don't care for his music. I mean, I know he's a talented writer and he has a good voice....but his stuff just does not "move me".

So now she's decided she's going to give me a CD to listen to so I can "feel the Barry love".

I have a feeling I might be nauseous again tomorrow...

Sentimental Journey...For The Most Part

I'm beginning to realize that I am a sentimentally morbid person.

I'm still in the midst of all of this cleaning/packing fiasco, which is still pretty much a mess at this point. It would probably be better if I would just concentrate on one area at a time. But I must have ADHD or something, because I get bored in the same spot for an extended period, so I wander over to another part of the apartment and start ripping it apart too. I wish I could help it, but I really don't think I can.

So, last night I started into my hope chest. Wow, talk about a stroll down memory lane. Here is where you'd see my true personality at work. First, there's the sentimental side. I've got cards and letters from people from back when I was in elementary school. I found the card that came with the flowers my date to the senior prom sent me. I found my high school and college ID cards. (We'll just keep those hidden away, in the best interests of the public of course...) I found a note from one of my first piano students many years ago. (She thought I was the "best teacher ever." Of course, she was only like 9. I'm sure she's much smarter now than then.) I found a birthday card from my Granny Barndollar. I think it's the only thing I've got in her handwriting.

It was good to stop and think about her for a little while again.

Then it was on to the magazines. See, I'm a big fan of history. And the only thing I find more fascinating than history that happened a long time ago is history that is happening as we watch it. It just really intrigues me to see the world changing in front of my eyes. And that explains all the magazines. For years I always bought those "Year in Review" magazines. The whole year condensed into one magazine...how convenient! Remember the ADHD...give me the info in as quick and easy a format as possible...

Besides that, apparently the stuff that draws me the most lean toward the "morbid" side. Maybe that's because that's what makes news. Or maybe because those types of things make the most dramatic impact on society. Or maybe it's because it's just so hard to believe people engage in some of the activities that they do, or that their lives head down the course that it does.

Or maybe I am just morbid.

Timothy McVeigh, Columbine, Flight 800, Bill Clinton & Monica Lewinsky, Princess Diana, September 11, Ronald Reagan's passing...

I guess what it is is that all of these things brought out very strong feelings and reactions. Last night in the middle of my mess of living room many years after most of these had happened...I still felt some of those feelings. Things like that shape us...change us... I think that's why I look back to it sometimes. Not to dwell on the horrible past, but to remember. Remember how things used to be...and how it changed in a heartbeat.

So while I probably should part with some of these memories, I doubt I will. I'm just not to that point of reformation yet. Some things are just easier to change than others....

Happy Birthday America!

Hooray For the Red, White and Blue!!

God Bless America

(Happy 4th of July, everyone!)

Heroes and Holidays

Tonight Mom and I went to the store, and there was a man checking out in front of us who was wearing a National Guard uniform. He was just doing his grocery shopping...nothing spectacular in his mind, I'm sure. But I saw something more there.

We were in the presence of a hero.

I should have thanked him...for the sacrifice he makes for us, people he doesn't even know. It made me stop and think about what the upcoming holiday is all about. I had been happy because I don't have to go into the office tomorrow. But I had momentarily forgotten what it's REALLY all about...

It's more than a day off of work.

More than a gathering with family.

More than barbecued chicken and corn on the cob.

More than homemade ice cream.

More than parades and fireworks.

From the first utterance of "Freedom" in Colonial America to the deserts of modern day Iraq and Afghanistan, there have always been those who were willing to lay their lives and their own personal liberties on the line so that this country and the freedom and democracy it stands for could flourish.

Some have served us during peacetime...ready at a moment's notice if we needed them.

Many have gone off to war...seen and lived through things most of us could never dream of.

Some have returned home to try and rebuild a life after unimaginable horrors.

Some have returned home to claim their final resting place in their beloved homeland.

Some remain where they fell...but will never be forgotten by friends and loved ones back home.

So tonight I would just like to say to all of our Civil Servants, Soldiers and Veterans....

Thank You for all you've given to preserve the greatness of America.

Thank You for my Freedom.

Thank You for being my heroes.

I do so appreciate it.

And may God Bless America...