Along The Way

The girls and I have logged MORE THAN SIX THOUSAND MILES in the ol' van this summer.

I try to make it somewhat enjoyable...

Which kind of explains our weight gain now doesn't it?

We stopped at Ikea again yesterday.

I'm still impressed with myself for coming up with that pit stop idea. I dropped the kids off to play, grabbed a cup of coffee and made myself comfortable in a fake living room (I wanted desperately to make myself comfortable in a fake bedroom) and called a friend. As it turns out hot dogs were only 50 cents and after days of McDonald's I was pretty excited to eat my meat in oblong form. So we had lunch and then hit the road again, feeling surprisingly refreshed. I said to Mr F on the phone "I really like going to Ikea and not buying anything."(It really is a completely different experience) And he said "You've built up an immunity." Although I should say that yesterday Kid stood in front of the "As-Is" room and held her arms out to block me yelling "DON'T GO IN THERE!" So some of the credit goes to Kid... although not all of it since she spent about 20 minutes trying to haggle me into buying her large sheep skins...

You've missed a fair amount of Furious shenanigans as of late. I assure you Kid is still Kid and Baby is still Baby. I wish I had more photos of their craziness...

Last night I walked into the bathroom to see Baby brushing her teeth with swimming nose pinchers on. God... that would have been a classic Baby pic.

Kid still makes me laugh non-stop. The other night while eating McDonald's in the car (umm... forgive us) I handed Kid the fries (Baby's fries I might add.... Kid didn't order them) I told her she could take some out and then give the bag to Baby.

"What is some?" Kid asked.
"A few... less than half." I replied.
"What's half?" Kid asked.
"You know what half is." I replied.
[crinkling noises]
"Did you give her the bag?" I asked.
"Yep." Kid replied.
"Did you take less than half?" I asked.
"I took what I call less than half." She replied, than added...
"and.... what you would call half."
"Does she have half of them?" I asked.
"A little less." Kid replied then cackled...
"I HAVE MILLIONS OF FRIES!"

Oh I couldn't help laughing and laughing... it was so classic older sibling. As she said one day "If I'm weird it's because you made me that way." True, true. And I call that a success worth celebrating!

That's what I've got folks. Our house in Asheville closed successfully yesterday. We're closing on our new house this afternoon. So we're almost done. Our movers come on Saturday. Until then we're still kicking it at the Cougar's.

This Is It

Moving Day.

Good God.

I kind of want to divorce Mr F right now.

We were up until around 3 AM packing.

And then up again at 7 AM packing.

The movers are there now.

Mr F is.... still.... packing.

Oh the anxiety!

I took the kids out of the house so they won't get trampled.

Back in a few hours to clean.

Look at our empty (God willing!) house.

Comment on it's strangeness.

Shove whatever is left in the crevices of our cars.

Then drive north.

For the last time.

Update... maybe the last until we move... I imagine you'll survive

Mr F changed his plans and was able to arrange his time off, so that when he came down on Saturday night he was able to stay here until we close and the moving truck pulls away next Monday.

The packing and moving is with this development doable.

I've also managed to schedule *last playdates* with all of Kid's best friends and a final pizza & movie night for them all to be together one very last time before we move. I'm really glad that it worked out timing wise with all of them. And she's been happy and it all seems like a good wrap up for her, not sad. We're having our party a couple days before we move so it won't be too overly fraught with eminent moving-ness for her.

Coming back has been confirming. We did the right thing. Are doing the right thing.

Sometimes I worry about going back to a place (Brooklyn for one) and being there and being overwhelmingly sad for what I've left behind. And even though things have been hard and less than we hoped, there were certainly good things about Asheville. Maybe I'd come and see that I'd missed it all, so caught up in the constant stress of all the things that went wrong, that I didn't see them... until now... when I'd chosen to give them up.

That hasn't happened.

We weren't blinded by our circumstances.

It all seems replaceable.

And being back in Michigan these past few weeks has felt so comfortable and right. So known. And not in the claustrophobic way I had always imagined it would when I was in highschool and couldn't imagine moving back... EVER. Let alone choosing to do it... TWICE. Choosing, both times, over places people dream of living.

Go figure.

I was driving in my car with my niece. We were coming back from the cottage Up North. She said "I don't know why people don't like Michigan. Every time I go someplace else... I like it... but I come back and I think it isn't better. I mean... the trees." And I said "Michigan is underrated."


Not that I wasn't looking at a British car magazine the other day... and talking to Mr F and him saying "There are a lot more car magazines in Europe." And me saying "Oh! You definitely have to go for that!... imagine... The Furiouses Go Europe."

But even with that... with the wanderlust I will never lose... I know we're doing the absolute right thing for us. Having family and friends who have known us. Where not every single event is new, or polite, or a potluck (ha!). Where it is easy. Where you know where to go. And I need that now. We deserve to just enter this time with a good enough house, and good enough schools, and good enough job, and good enough health... and focus on enjoying the goodness that is found in a life that is easier.

And so we will. Or try at least.

Progress

Yesterday I managed to empty out our linen closets, despite taking a good 4 hours off to take Kid to her playdate:

imagine one more box

Today my kind, kind, friend stopped over helped me hammer these out while the kids played:
imagine 2 dish packs, 2 large boxes, a mirror box, 3 book boxes, and 1 box of toys

In between all that I also managed to set this up for the kids sleepover they're having tonight:
image huge tent on our screened in porch

I've also been listening to Prep while I lay on my bed pack. It's fantastic.

Progression Shots?

Maybe I'll start documenting my packing progress.

Seeing as I clearly need some kind of motivation.

boxes packed: 0
storytimes attended: 1
trips to library for internet: 2
errands: 3
playdates planned: 2

(we've only been home for 20 hours, 10 of which were spent sleeping... can we say procrastinate)

I'm off to the moving company to pick up more boxes and tape.

My goal for the day is to pack my linen closet and craft closet.

Progress pics tomorrow.

I know you can't wait.

We've Arrived

I almost died of a heart attack while driving between a concrete wall and double trailer semi. On the inside of a tight mountain curve. The longest 5 minutes of my life trying to get myself out of that horrible wedge.


The house feels weird, like we don't really live here. I feel bizarrely unemotional about it, which is a relief. Not like our old house in Ann Arbor which I still prefer to avoid seeing when possible.


I've already been bitten by about 20 freaking mosquitos.
For real. We've been here an hour... and I've been inside.

And some jackass realtor has left our back door open for who knows how long.


Oh, and you'll be interested to know that the damn hallway light burnt out AGAIN.

On The Road Again

We left this morning (early).

Brief stop in Ann Arbor to meet with the neurologist (Cyclical Vomiting... new diagnosis... most likely will develop into either regular migraines as she ages or remain with just vomiting ie abdominal migraines or combination of both... or somewhat unlikely.... grow out of it. But yes we can expect her to vomit without cause monthly. Goody. Strangely, the Dr said that every single patient that morning had presented with cyclical vomiting... so must be a fairly common neuro issue... among neuro patients that is).

Genius pit stop idea: Ikea. If you're on a five state road trip there is a good chance you'll drive by one. You know what they have? A supervised drop-off kid center. You know what else they have? Cinnamon rolls, coffee, and pretend living rooms.
Bonus for me, they also had free kids meals today. We were there for 3 hours and I spent a grand total of $4. We played, we tried out EVERY.SINGLE. piece of furniture on display, I had mental break, and we had dinner. I also was able to completely avoid the rush hour traffic I would otherwise have hit in Cincinnati and Lexington.

Tonight we're at another Hilton. As Kid said when we loaded up this morning... "Could we not stay in a motel?". I hear you kid, and I raise you to "Could we only stay in 3 star and up hotels?". Road trip tip: Travelocity Top Secret Hotel deals. We've got a Hilton with pool and breakfast for under $60. I've stayed in nasty blood stained motels for more. Plus Hilton labels there pillows "firm" and "soft" which I find hilarious... mostly because they have (in every hotel... this is our 3rd Hilton this summer) been placed in the wrong cases 100% of the time.

That's all folks.

I'm trying not to kill the kids tonight... but they aren't making that easy.

He's Not Just The President

"Dad I saw a commercial for people to grow hair." Kid begins.

"I would enjoy you not to have a patches of no hair." She sets the stage.

"I am looking at one now." She says not so subtly.

"I enjoy you the way you are now...." Kid attempts to smooth any ruffled feathers.

"But I would enjoy you more to look like a normal dad... with hair." She nails the coffin.

Delayed

(Also known as my first stage of packing procrastination)

I was hoping my 17 year old niece would be able to come down with me to Asheville to turn my trip of drudgery into a spectacular teen adventure... but alas... it wasn't meant to be. I'm trying not to kill myself over it. As she said "Just cry a little". Will do.

I was going to leave tomorrow morning.

But.

It feels so much better to sit around NOT packing our stuff up and eating brownies (yes I actually have to pack to go and pack... it sucks) .

Also, kind of legitimate excuse style... Kid's neurologist called with an unbeknownst to me scheduled appointment for Tuesday morning. I don't know why that happened. Usually those referrals take a couple of months. My mom suggested there might have been a sudden cancellation... could be. I thought about canceling it and rescheduling for when we're back, but I also want to be sure she gets in BEFORE starting school just in case we need a special protocol on file with the nurse. I don't want to take a gamble on the appointment and then have to wait until October to get her in. (of related interest: Kid has not thrown up once since getting out of school for the summer... this is the big thing to talk over with the Dr re:abdominal migraines)

I guess I think it's best that we stay, so now we're leaving after the appointment on Tuesday.


And now for the boring details of my life...

Tomorrow we are finalizing all the moving contracts and insurance for said move. We can't remember if our homeowner's covers this or not. I'm thinking with the corporate move I must not have cared and just added the extra coverage.

I'm also going to get all of our stuff organized and moved out of my grandmother's space.

We've put off the carpet until we move in. While I wanted to have it all done before the movers came, it just got too complicated. I really need to be able to see the spaces and look at carpet samples in the proper lighting, etc. It just got to be too much of a rush, and for that amount of money I don't want to regret my decision. I'm thinking of a light greyish taupe (called shale) by the way. Neutral but not beige. I also think the grey tones will allow for more paint color choices (assume we'll have at least one pink room). Oh and we're going with Lowe's. I wanted to support the local store but the service/price/and quality in our range just weren't worth the premium.

That's the update. That and I've gained 5 pounds in the 5 weeks I've been here (Remember when I made fun of Mr F for that?). Once again proving that I just can't drink soda without weighing 5 pounds more pretty much instantly. When will I learn? And when will I stop loving it's sparkling effervescence? Probably never... which is why I need to reinstate the ban. I just can't control myself when I let soda back into my life.

On that front... once I move I am totally going to bring it. For real. Really real. I am totally ready. I feel like complete crap.

P.S. Have any of you (Deb?!) done the Tracy Anderson Method? I'll have a lot of room in my basement for those crazy routines. I'm dying to hear what people think of it!

It Turns Out...

Carpeting the 4 bedrooms is going to be just over THREE THOUSAND DOLLARS! Does that not seem like a bit much for carpet?
That's not even for expensive carpeting (like I wanted).


Which just makes me wonder...

Exactly how much do I hate dog scented/stained- wild rice colored- shag carpet?



In other news, the seller has asked if we can close on the 18th (as planned) but have her stay through the 20th.

Hmm... that's a problem... since our movers are going to arrive sometime between the 19th & the 23rd.

Which, we all know, under present circumstances will mean they arrive on the 19th at 8 AM sharp.

And, no, we have absolutely no say or control over when they arrive (long distance moves are annoying like that).


On a positive note, Mr F has agreed to take some vacation days (about time) and come to Asheville so that we can have 4 or 5 days of packing with two adults and not leave it all the the shortest one to try and do by herself. Think about it peeps, have you ever actually tried to pick up a fully packed "dishpack". Those suckers are about 4 feet tall. I'm about 5 feet. It just isn't going to happen.

Check, Check, Check

Mr F got a raise (maybe he'll be able to drop all the extra work soon and we can have a normal life?)

The seller agreed to pay our radon mitigation (cannot believe it... totally thought they'd shoot it down)

I signed Kid up for school (yes I'm freaking out)


Of course I still feel like rolling around on the floor and crying out "I can't do it!". I'm planning on loading the kids up and hitting the road on Monday morning. Saying I really don't want to go down there and face the packing/moving music doesn't even come close to expressing my complete and utter dread of the tasks ahead.

I suppose I'll live through it.

18 days until the moving truck comes...

Hopefully I won't have become addicted to meth in the mean time.

One Liners

Late last night after watching The Departed, Mrs F turns to Mr F and says...

"I married a woman, and you married a Boston cop."

Mr F nearly fell over laughing.

Because

It rang so true.

Earning Potential

"If [Baby]'s ever going to make a lot of money, she is going to have to learn how to juggle fire." Kid calls to me over her shoulder, while riding bikes around the driveway.

I'll take that under advisement.

Still Negotiating

This feels like it's been dragging on forever.

Today we are countering the Asheville repair requests (since it turns out our range is NOT under warranty and we're not paying to fix the minor flaw... just be happy you are getting that super deluxe range already! Give me a break!). And back up plan is TAKING my awesome range and replacing it with a basic stainless range. Win-win. But we'll see if it comes to that.

We are also submitting our repair request for the new MI house: radon mitigation. That's it.


AND I'm still freaking out.

It is really difficult for me to show up here now. I just don't want to vomit all my stress out onto you all. I know it's annoying and a downer.

Unfortunately, right now, aside from a whole bunch of hot family gossip that I can't share, that's all I've got.

The main problem is that there are tons of stressful timelines and projects IN MY NEAR FUTURE... but... none of them can be started now. So I sit and stew and toss and turn... anticipating the stress.... and feeling helpless to do anything about it. It's rough.

I'm not someone who can just carry on and pretend that in 5 days I'm not loading the kids up and driving for 2 solid days to Asheville. To walk into who knows what. For real. Neither Mr F nor I can remember exactly how much work is waiting for us there (certainly a lot... but have we left ourselves a doable timeline?!?!).

God, I wish we had a corporate move! Last time we did all this in as fast a turn around BUT we had our stuff PACKED FOR US. I wish we could do that now. It would be such a huge relief. We wouldn't even have to go down (which I have mixed feelings about... I'm not sure it's great for Kid who has finally moved on emotionally). If I get really desperate maybe I'll get the movers to come price the packing of the remaining stuff... just so I can know. People, it might be worth the price... seriously... for my sanity. I'm starting to get anxious just thinking about that basement. Who knows what condition Mr F left that in. And how, exactly, am I supposed to do it all with the kids underfoot?

See? This is exactly why I don't want to blog. I'm sucking your souls out... and I just can't help it.



Things to look forward to post-move:
Mr F has vowed to get in the best shape of his life... this should provide hilarious blog fodder.

The Results Are In

Yesterday we finally got our repairs request for the house in Asheville.

I've been more than a little worried, seeing as the buyer had put in a contingency saying if there were more than 3K in repairs needed she could walk. Well, we did not know of 3K in repairs... but... our house is from the 20s and the reality is that if someone was being really nit picky there is certainly the potential to find repairs.

And she did... but not 3K worth. Thank God. Seriously.

She gave us back a fairly sizable list of weird small repairs that neither Mr F nor I would ever ask for (obviously or we would have had them repaired when we purchased it 2 years ago). But they are all doable, and things that we can fix on our own. So far we're looking at needing to spend less than $100 on them. Awesome. We were able to just agree to all her requests which makes everything easier and smoother, and means we are moving forward with the closing. Huge relief.

We're having our inspection in MI this afternoon. I don't expect anything crazy to come up. We've basically agreed that we aren't going to give them a list of small nit picky repairs. There will have to be something MAJOR for us to request repairs. We aren't the type to expect older homes to be in new condition, and we are also not the types to inconvenience a 90 year old woman. Knowing that, we negotiated our sale price down low enough that we'd be willing to inherit the current house condition (barring any large serious unseen issue... pests, mold, foundation, and the like). So, we're expecting the inspection to be pretty smooth and that we'll be moving forward on this end too.

Which is good. But, honestly, the panic is also starting to set in. Buying a house is crazy. You see it once or twice and then just make the best educated guess you can. Intellectually, I feel good about the pros & cons of this house. But that doesn't mean I'm not having a little freak out in my head these days. You just don't know exactly what you're walking into.

I can remember when we bought our first home and came for our walk through and I was like "Seriously? There was always this huge whole behind this door?! Those stains all over the carpet?" There can be tons of weird cosmetic things (which your inspection does not cover) that you just do not see when you're in your house hunting mode. When you are so much more focused on certain features... and.... when people's furniture is artfully hiding giant carpet stains, etc. And those things can feel like a bit of an overwhelming let down when you move in. Moving into a previously owned house is not like moving into a rental or a new house... things are not (necessarily) clean and freshly painted. You know that you'll have the work of unpacking and the actual move... but you forget that there can be a fair amount of surprise work when you walk through your new door.

This sounds complain-y.

It's not. I'm just feeling overwhelmed with the next 4 weeks ahead.

I'm gearing myself up for the big drive back down to NC with the kids (I do not want to do that... it just sucks the life out of me... especially knowing what I'm driving to). Then two weeks to completely pack up the house, pretty much by myself. Mr F will probably come down on weekends... but weekend #1 he'll spend completing all the repair requests. Weekend #2 will be our close up shop weekend. Movers come that Monday. We might need a dumpster...

Then the settling in. Which, of course, will on many levels be a huge relief. But it's the kind of relief a new mother feels about giving birth. Yay! It's finally out! Oh wait... now I have to take care of it. Moving in is kind of like that. One hard part is over but you're walking right into another. An unknown one.

I'm just hoping everything is back to some kind of normal by Christmas.

Man, I did really like those Asheville winters...

In That Case... Carry On

Last night Kid pounced on me while I was trying to lie down on the couch and gossip with Mr F. (To know the Furious clan is to know that we love us some gossip... and... that our children like to maintain a 5 inch radius around my body AT ALL TIMES).

Kid is getting big, and while I may appear normal sized on the internets, the truth is I'm the size of a large child... and... Kid is the size of a large child (which is rapidly becoming both disturbing and dangerous). So when she pounces I fear a bit for my life. And usually start laughing hysterically out of nervousness but, of course, my laughter only encourages her...



"What are you doing?!" I managed to gasp out while trying to position my arms up in a more defensive manner.

"I'm loving you in a new different way." Kid says ominously, looming about an inch from my face.

"Okay... but... it can't involve licking." I reply nervously.

"It's not." Kid confirms.

"I'm drooling."

Hang In There

I'm almost back to being able to blog in a somewhat interesting (I hope) and/or humorous vein (I hope).

This has just been a crazy, crazy time in my life. And while one would think that would lend itself well to blogging, strangely enough it hasn't.

I feel a bit superstitious... yes... I guess that is it. And it's kind of muffling me.

I do find it's easier to reveal my hand when I know it's bad.

Right now things are going well, very well. And maybe, that is such a new and unusual state for us to find ourselves in, that I'm having a bit of a hard time even processing it.

That... and... things AREN'T finalized (I hate to even say that... see? The superstition comes out... again)

On any end.

So I'm feeling a little guarded, like everything could still slide through my hands.

I don't want to count my chickens just yet.





The List:
A'ville inspection TODAY (hopefully it all goes well)
Sign Kid up for school Tomorrow
MI inspection FRIDAY
Kid school physical next week (can't believe I got in!)
Kids & I to A'ville to pack house 8/1-8/16 (I'm sure the kids will be really helpful)
Hired movers (yes! going pro!) for 8/16
Closing in A'ville 8/17
Closing in MI 8/18
Carpets replaced 8/19
Movers to MI 8/20
Unpack in MI 8/21-9/6
School starts 9/7

So.... I'm still kind of overwhelmed by everything and my time line (just a little... not to complain because things are so much better on every level than they were). Trying to rest up while I can. But, honestly, I don't feel like I've ever recouped what I lost energy-wise during the months of house showings and single parenting. I think I'll be paying for this for quite some time. I'm not as young as I look...

In Contract

They accepted our offer this morning.
1960s ranch here we come.

We're at our family reunion... just finished marching in a parade.

More later....

Regret

Skating on some kind of post house offer delirium, Mr F & I walked out of IKEA's "As Is" room amidst the blaring loudspeaker announcing closing, and checked out with these....



The 60s element of our potential new home obviously got to our heads because:

they are non-returnable
they are, in non-Ikea surroundings, clearly ugly
they are also filthy and slightly damaged

Sure they were 50% off... but people... they were still $300! What the?!

Upon seeing them in the garage, an hours worth of regret had set in and I said...

"This was a big mistake!"

"We got caught up in the moment." Mr F responds softly.

"We?!! You are the one who wanted them! You better LOVE them!" I say somewhat hysterical.

A half hour later...

"You know, it really kills me, because it's the exact opposite of what I'm trying to achieve." I say to Mr F.

"I wanted playful and fun.... not.... hideous."

Could It Be?

When we set out to find our house, our kids and our particular lifestyle, were at the forefront of our search. This is our 3rd family home in 10 years and we've learned a lot along the way. We know that we care more about the easy flow of space (and love having a one floor home) more than we care about having a fancy granite kitchen & new baths. We know we need lots of basement storage more than we need closet space. We know that my immediate exterior surroundings greatly affect my mood... so it's not just about how our house looks it's about what I have to look at. I'm home all day and it does matter. We also know that if Mr F can have an office space out of sight in the basement, I want to divorce him less (for real, never again will he have an office space in a bedroom/by the kitchen/near our main bathroom... you know what I'm saying?). We also do walk, and I don't mean around the block, or to a playground. I actually do walk to the grocery store to get groceries. I will/do walk half a mile to drop off Kid at school and then hit the dollar store and grocery store & bank on the way home with Baby. It keeps me from going crazy. One thing I miss most about NYC is having a 100% walkable lifestyle, and while Michigan winters make that slightly more unpleasant, I do want to have the option as much as possible. The walkability (while also not being on a busy road) is more important than aesthetics or size.



So here is our search criteria for an ideal home...

3 bedrooms (minimum)
room for my exercise equipment
basement for storage
floor plan that flows well with obvious place to play
yard big enough for playing
not on a busy road
walkable to school
walkable to town w/real services (ie library, bank, po,etc)
move in condition no necessary updates
under 250K
ultimate bonus if it has a nice flat driveway for bike riding


Well, only one house met or exceeded ALL of our criteria:

The 2500 sq ft 4 bedroom 1964 brick ranch in Dexter.

I really felt relaxed and comfortable in this home and on the property. Different homes really do have different energy, and as much as I loved that Victorian both times I was in there I felt anxious and like I wanted to get the hell out of there. This house is really peaceful. Plus it has everything we wanted and more. Big, useable floor plan. No wasted space. Big bright workable kitchen, huge family room. Big yard with awesome play space and long flat driveway (we never thought we'd get that). 2000 sq ft dry basement with tons of room for storage, Mr F's workshop, my exercise equipment, and Mr F's desk... and roller skating parties. It is a half mile to the center of downtown and schools and community pool/playground. It's a nice easy bike ride or walk. We'll be right next to the historic cider mill and a big metro park and river. But best of all is it's a house that allows the kids to have a lot more freedom. We'd be on quiet street set well back. The kids could have freedom to run and play and ride bikes and sled without being constantly monitored. And, unlike a lot of the houses we saw, this house will not feel cramped once the girls are teens, the house will work equally well then.

Plus extra special bonus... the house has small dog/cat doors and a wireless fence already. And four bedrooms means we can expand our family if, after all the stress rolls away, we think we want to proceed with that.

Oh and this is the village of Dexter:



See what I'm saying? All that and a Dairy Queen, people!

We make our bid on it tomorrow.

From then on it will be know as "Project Drab to Fab".