Updates and Ramblings

Well, we're doing it. We're pinning down dates and making firm plans.

I have been going crazy the past few weeks, as Micah has reported that he hasn't been making the progress on his thesis that he originally had planned to allow him to be done with everything and start work on September 21. At the same time, we didn't want to push the date further because 1.) There was no way of being certain how much more it would need to be delayed, since the last steps of his thesis require cooperation from a reading committee, edits, and the scheduling of the dissertation, possibly taking 3 weeks or three months 2.) Micah's NSF fellowship stipend ends this month. His advisor has been generous in offering to pay for his tuition for the new semester and said that they would discuss what he could pay Micah for August, but the usual rate for a graduate researcher is much less than what his NSF stipend was. 3.) It's so emotionally exhausting knowing that we will be moving and not doing anything about it. I have been so anxious, thinking over and over about the process of cleaning and packing before showing our condo, finding a home in Florida, getting a second car. I am so ready to just get down to doing it.

So, Micah spoke with his manager at Harris and got the green light that he can go ahead and start on September 21 and can fly back to Atlanta and get the day off of work for his dissertation, if it is not completed in time. So, exactly two months from today, we will officially, definitely and certainly, barring any massive natural disasters or other such major unforeseen incidents, be in Florida, Micah enjoying his first day on the job.

Yesterday, I filled our living room with boxes and beginning this afternoon, we will start moving them into a storage unit so that our place looks less cluttered for selling. We plan to put our house on the market August 2 and start showing it August 9. So, everything doesn't have to be perfect until the 9th, but I want to clean up as much as possible well in advance so that we can get some good photographs for our listing. It will certainly be a slow process, packing and cleaning with the kids, but somehow I find it way less stressful to have our whole house trashed as I begin sorting and hauling out stuff than worrying about having to do it some future day. It will be especially hard because Micah will be putting in some long hours the next two weeks in order to submit his "rough draft" thesis by August 1, so I will be working hard all day and night without much relief.

In case you're wondering about our kids: they are adorable, perfect, darling little nightmares. I remember  when Natalie was about a year and a half, I felt like there was something wrong with her and I just couldn't pinpoint what it was about her that was so frustrating. Then, a lady in our relief society one day asked me, "So, is your daughter still pretty active?" That was it. Active. That's what Natalie is. And Angela, too, now. They aren't constantly bouncing off the walls or anything, but they can't stand being bored. They seem to need constant attention and entertainment and stimulation, or they are super, duper needy and hang on me and make me insane. I'm still trying to figure out whether I've spoiled them or if i's just their inborn nature, but it is certainly wearying. I haven't had a break (like, 24 hours+) from being a mom in over 2 years now. I really feel like it's time. The 3-day 2-night company paid house hunting trip will be something, but we'll be busy checking stuff out and might not have much time to relax. So, don't judge me if I spend a week over Christmastime on a cruise all alone.

In other news, you remember that leak I complained about last time? It was coming from our upstairs toilet. It was not installed properly and has likely been leaking sightly ever since we bought the place 4 years ago. The plumbing repair was $500 and he told us that the cleanup of the inside of the wall and the kitchen cupbaord affected would probably cost "a few thousand dollars", depending on the degree of mold they discover when opining up the wall. I discovered that our insurance coverage has a $15,000 deductible. So, we're just living with it and hoping that it doesn't hurt the sales price too much. It's super obnoxious because the part of the cabinet that is most visibly affected could be super cheap and easy to replace, but the cabinets are so crappy that they have no info inside any drawers or cupboards with the manufacturer's info so I can't easily order another one unless I find someone with enough specialization to be able to identify it by looking at it. Also, there is a horizontal strip that covers the top seam of all of the cupboards on that side of the kitchen and I'm pretty sure that removing it will damage it at the very least, likely destroy it, and so then we'd be left with another part to try to match. Overall, I'm just not interested in the headache. So, there it is, buyers! Water damage! Go ahead, offer less than the asking price! I'm still not that concerned. I mean, there is no way that we won't make a huge killing on this place. I'm sure that we will sell quickly and easily, we just might not get the full 100% return that I was hoping for!

Lookind at cars, we've narrowed it down to a few. What are your opinions?
We're looking for a little more trunk space (so we can throw the cooler in the trunk, along with the stroller and swimmy gear and head to the beach!). So, originally I was thinking station wagon. The Jetta Sportswagen and Toyota Matrix are my favorites, though between the two, I feel like I trust Toyota a bit more where reliability comes in. Then, liking toyota, I started looking at Rav4's. Did you know that some rav4's can come with 3rd row seating? While I don't need a van, a couple of tiny rumble seats in the back would be perfect for occasionally driving my kids and their friends. Then, we can fold them down and easily have the trunk space I want. But it is an SUV and I don't know how it would handle.  Then, I saw a friend's new Maxda5 and it looks awesome. Though the seats may be a bit small, it's got the fold-down third row and seems lower to the ground. Just not sure about Mazda's reputation (or lack of) for reliability.

Next time I will have photos. My camera battery is dead!