helping the recession

In being the good Americans that we are, we decided to take one for the team and make a purchase yesterday. We bought a house. In Elk Grove, CA. Don't know when we'll move in, but that's ok. As long as it can be the light at the end of my tunnel, it relieves me. Built 103 years after my current house (1900, 2003 in case you need some help with that), which can be good and bad. No antique character, but no lead paint charm either. Pool? check. 3 car garage? check. Bigger than 1200 sq feet? Check. (2900, to be almost exact). So moving.. when? Well, I have come to the realization that it's not going to happen this summer like I wanted. I can't seem to find a nursing school anywhere, that I can apply to until I completely finish ALL of my science classes. I have one left and am taking it this semester. However, courses 'in progress' do not count, so I can't apply until at least May 31. Therefore, aiming for admission in Fall of 2011. What about my big beautiful vacant house? Well, dad and Grandma will move there as soon as they can, we have just started the escrow count down, and keep it lived in until we can get up there.

It's all soooo exhausting

left at 830 this morning, got back at 445pm. Didn't eat breakfast or have any morning caffeine. Dumb, I know. DIdn't realize it until maybe 1pm when I was having problems walking up the stairs. What did we do today? House hunt. I can't remember if we went through 11 or 12 or 13. One wouldn't let us in (offer pending) one got added at the last minute, one had a patio for a backyard so we didn't go in, and so on. Got to our first house at 1015am, finished up just a little over 3 hours later. By the time we got to lunch and had it in front of me with the cherry coke, I was a wreck. Head felt like it had a giant hammer stuck in it, and I thought I was going to vomit in the restaurant bathroom. My lovely husband went to the grocery store next door and bought me some tylenol, then while he finished his food, I went to the car to lay down. Two errands later, we were at the hospital, but it was OK because we just went to check out where Lisa works. I was feeling better after the tour and even better at 5pm when I got to lay down for a nap, and bestest of all at 530 when the kids woke me from my nap.
We saw several great houses today, and got turned down from our last offer - by another ALL cash offer. I thought it was a recession, but apparently not for some. We are feeling optimistic though, because really, we saw several great houses today. Means we will offer on two, maybe three, tomorrow. Keep your fingers crossed... This is really getting old and tiring already!

end of December

I realized yesterday why I'm so tired. Here's a way too detailed list of our last 1/2 of december:
12/17 - My last final, I finished at 930pm
12/18 - Friday - dinner in Novato, with Santa
12/19 - I worked, then had friends over for dinner
12/20 - to Elk grove to look at 12 houses
12/21 - to Soledad (2 hrs south) to drop off kids with mom, then shopping in Gilroy on the way back
12/22 - to Concord to babysit 1/2 day or less, then late night shopping
12/23 - packing and wrapping and cleaning and baking
12/24 - hit the road to Santa Maria, plus stopping in Gilroy along the way for last min gifts
12/25 - not enough napping involved
12/26 - day after Cmas shopping and napping
12/27 - left SM to sit in car for 3 hours to arrive in Monterey
12/28 - monterey aquarium, dennis the menace park
12/29 - leave monterey, stop at aquarium, then moss landing for beach play, then gilroy for return of said gifts, then home
12/30 - Pump it up in the am for the kids, dentist in the PM for brandon
12/31 - house cleaning, dinner at a friend's
1/1 - early morning trip to Elk grove to look at 4 houses, eat lunch with sis/fam, then back home
1/2 - early morning trip for christmas in Modesto. Home at 830pm
1/3 - kids let us sleep in til 9am! then I worked this afternoon, and now, am waiting for the dinner fairies to make me dinner.
Here's to no road trips for a few days.

I didn't used to be drama, did I?

Went to the urologist - for matthew - today. Let me first complain about appointment times. Ours was at 1030, I was told to come early to fill out paperwork. We showed up at 1005 (pulled Matthew out of school), filled out paperwork, then waited in the waiting area until 10:50 when I asked if the dr was even there. (this has happened a few times with ob/gyn) They call us back to his office, then at 1122 the dr comes in. How rude is that? I pulled Matthew out of school for that? anyhow, apparently matthew saying his body isn't telling him when he needs to pee might actually be the truth. Your bladder is a muscle, and him holding it all this time so that he can keep on playing, has increased the muscle mass around the bladder. It might still be sending the signals, but he honest-to-God might not be feeling them. Solution - we need to atrophy his bladder a little bit. He needs to pee every hour for a few weeks, then stretch it out to every two hours and see how that goes. Plus he needs to 'double-pee" when he actually does go, because he probably isn't completely emptying out his bladder when he goes. The nighttime problem wont even get addressed until the daytime problem is resolved. We revisit the dr in about 2 months to see how things are going. Plus, (YAY) we get to go back to our favorite X-ray place for an organ scan (ultrasound?) to make sure his kidneys and bladder are fine. I'm going to try to get a copy for home, so that he can take it for show and tell. With me taking the anatomy class, he seems to be very interested on what's going on inside. how many days til Christmas?

out of the mouths...

***warning - not for the weak***
I'm getting Brandon ready for bed tonight, he's naked. Naturally, he's um, checking out the parts. Anyhow, he goes "Mommy, I think I feel balls in here. Why are there balls in here?" My first reaction (an audible gasp) goes unnoticed by him. He's just staring at me, waiting for a response, I guess. Then he goes "I think that's where the gnocchi is." I did all I could to not spit my laughter in his face. It was awesomely brilliant! I was proud and disgusted all at the same time.
Happy thanksgiving!

priorities

We had a lovely, crazy weekend a day or so ago. Saturday was our God-daughter's 9th birthday party. Saw a fun movie, had some good food, chatted with some peeps, then headed to Elk Grove to sleep on a marshmallow. I swear, I do not know how people sleep on such soft cushy beds. It was HORRIBLE. Then Sunday spent 3 hours with an agent touring homes in the area. Found the perfect house, yard, and neighborhood, only not within one specific house. We are in the fact finding portion of our journey. Finding what we agree on (pool)(big yard) vs what we don't agree on (proximity to Dos Coyotes, for example). Caylynne and Selene watched the kids for us - they think we were out Christmas shopping. Which is sort of true - momma wants a really BIG present this year. Then it was off to Novato for dinner and grandchild drop off. Matthew is out of school this week while Brandon and I are not. Which reminds me, I need to call him right NOW and say good night. Ok, done. He sounds beat. Excellent. Anyhow, then it was back home by about 8pm, and I was snoring by 815pm. Hectic hectic weekend. And we get another one in just a few days. More house hunting, bad sleeping, a birthday party, and Thanksgiving right around the corner. Can't wait!

the light bulb came on

I had an epiphany today while driving. It really was an ah-ha kind of moment. I was driving back from Sacramento, after an annoying chat with a nursing school person, and it hit me. The reason I want to move. I actually side tracked a little through Davis and got on the 113 there to head back home, and the sheer beauty of their own little highway just really overtook me. There was this huge green grass area between northbound and south bound lanes. Then on the sides there were trees, with leaves changing colors. The freeway wasn't 8 lanes wide, with industrial buildings and billboards along the side. It was beautiful. Then I got to 80, and on the sides of the freeway there, was farmland. Green unadulterated land. It just kind of caught me off guard for how much I missed seeing areas without buildings. Then I thought about growing up in Santa Maria. If you traveled south from where we lived, it was hills, cows, shrubbery. And I mean, like one mile south. I thought about it and realized I don't want to live on a farm. That's not why I want to move. It was the simplicity of everything when I lived in these places. Growing up seemed rough at the time, but it was simple. Homework was short, and then it was over. School was what you did to be social and see your friends that you didn't see on the weekends. The weekends were for part time work to earn some money to go see a few movies after work. No health insurance woes. No "can't lose my job or else how will we eat" struggles. No "where should we raise the kids" discussions because we were the kids and our parents picked a great place. Then there was Davis and Sacramento. Even then, I worked mon-friday and my money was my money. Sure there was rent, but I never worried about it. I guess if I had lost my job, I would have asked the parents for help until I found another job. Still pretty care free. Then I moved to Oakland and everything changed. It's hard to grow up, with the glory days of my youth behind me. I just can't help but believe that it we get back to a town where I have heart, things will be simpler and easier and more carefree for my kids and their parents.