Angela Pictures & Venting

First, some photos, since I've been bad at capturing the cuteness and stature of our youngest blossoming toddler here.

Angela trying to spoon feed the dog

Offering kibble by hand 

Toddler hug

When Marty and Charlotte arrived to watch the kids this week, Angela went right up to Marty, reached to be put on his lap, then leaned in for a snuggle. So sweet! We're really gonna miss the weekly visits from Grandma and Grandpa when we leave!

Angela finally went to the doctor for a doctor visit last week. She hadn't been since her 6 month checkup because I planned to just skip the 9 month and go at 12 months, but there was confusion over her medical coverage when she turned a year and i took two months to fix, so we just waited for the 15 month milestone! She had to get 6 shots, which was sad. After 3 months of breakouts on her face, back, arms and legs, she finally got some prescription stuff for her ringworm, so hopefully that will be taken care of before long.

We're under contract to sell our condo and things are looking good. Our due dilligence ends tomorrow and then we have one more week for a financial contingency during which the buyer can back out if he isn't able to secure financing, but things are looking good. Annoyingly, we do have to put like $600 into fixing stuff that ain't broken. 

The a/c compressor (the outside component) is on a concrete slab that has settled and tilts slightly side-to-side. The inspector noted this as a potential problem. Since we needed to have an a/c professional come and do a routine tune-up anyway (another suggestion from the inspection), we agreed to have it fixed if the service dude determined it was necessary. So the guy came and looked everything over and mentioned that the intake area under the filter was a bit dustly and the antifreeze was slightly low, but it was an insignificant amount and the hvac was having no problem producing cool air. He mentioned nothing about the slanting compressor, after looking at it thoroughly. So, I thanked him and asked him to note on the invoice that the compressor pad did not need to be straightened. He was confused and so I explained that it was part of a buying agreement and instantly everything changed. Not only did he suddenly insist that the pad WAS NOT okay and DID need to be replaced, he also said that the intake filter needed to be removed and cleaned and the antifreeze topped off. URGH. Should have known better than to leave it to the opinion of a professional who could stand to make a profit off of saying that there were necessary repairs. He also pressured me to buy a contract instead of paying for the one-time tuneup, saying it was transferable to the buyer and with the contract discount on repairs it would be cheaper, but after he left, I did the math and it was slightly more expensive to pay for the contract, PLUS we're already buying an appliance warranty for the buyer, so it is just completely useless. ARGH. And to add to my frustration, I made an appointment for Thursday for them to come back and do the repairs and I received a call from the dispatcher around lunchtime telling me that I was next on the schedule, so I waited around all afternoon and they never came. Around five, I called to ask what was going on, and the secretary just told me that I was scheduled for the following day. I know that I did not schedule for that day because I had plans the following day and plus the dispatcher called me that afternoon, so I knew I wasn't just confusing the time that I scheduled, but the lady was really condescending and just kept repeating that my appointment was tomorrow instead of offering any excuse as to why it would have been changed or why I would have received a call that afternoon. ANYWAY, I have been very irritated about this whole experience. And it's not even over. Now I have to wait until the middle of next week for the guy to actually come back and do the repair. And who knows what other non-issues he will uncover during the repair that he insists are necessary to fix as well. Customer service and professional integrity are dead. I look forward to the day when micah ONLY works 40-50 hours a week and can be home nights and weekends to learn how to take care of problems around the house himself.

Micah was supposed to have his thesis submitted to his reading committee this week. He has failed, but hopes to make it by next week. He stayed overnight at school Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday this week. We're both exhausted and still have a lot of work ahead of us before we head out. Movers will be packing up our stuff on the 17th, loading it out on the 18th, and then, 2 weeks from today on the 20th, we'll be driving down. I'm struggling to decide what to pack to bring with us in the car, as this will be all we have for the next 1-2 months. The rest of our stuff will be going into storage until we can find a house and then we'll have it all delivered. I was worried about clothes, since I already packed away all of the girls' long sleeve shirts and pants in storage. I was thinking, "If we get well into October, maybe even November, we'll be needing cold-weather clothes", but then I looked up the monthly forecasts for Melbourne. HOLY. CRAP. This place that we're moving is like a firey pit of hell! It NEVER gets cold! The high NEVER goes below 70. I knew that the winters were mild, but I never actually bothered to look up specifically what that meant. I am going crazy now. I'm never going to get to wear pants or sweaters again. NOOOOOOOOO! 

I'm at a frustrating point right now when it comes to clothes. My weight and shape has fluctuated so much in the last 3 years. Right now I weigh about the same as I did when I was graduating from college before having children, but nothing fits me the same and I have no idea what size I really am. I get so upset trying to shop for clothes because it really seems like nothing fits me- I try on the same thing is different sizes and one is too tight in one area, but the next size up is way too baggy in another area. And it's already tough to find comfortable, modest clothes for hot climates. I sweat a lot and it's really embarrassing. But I don't want to wear black in the frikkin-hot Florida sun. I really need new temple garments, but the styles and sizing have changed in the last year and are about to change once more, so I can't figure out a size that really works, especially in bottoms that can be worn with shorts. And exacerbating the issue is the fact that I generally have the girls with me when I go shopping and so I can't spend more than 60 seconds looking at any one thing or Angela will start screaming. How do I keep myself from slipping into sloppy T-shirts and baggy men's pants!? 

I'm worried about our house search. I keep going back and forth in my mind over what my priorities should be. The market seems high right now, so it might not be the time to really invest in a more expensive home if prices are inflated. It makes more sense to purchase a cheaper home that will be sufficient for our immediate needs so that we can purchase more when prices are lower. But at the same time, I really want a stronger sense of permanence. I feel like, living here for the past 4 years, I feel as if our future move was always on my mind. I want to enjoy living in our home, not worrying about where I will live next. I want a place that we won't outgrow as easily as we have our current place. And I don't want a split-plan ranch, which narrows down the possibilities quite a lot. 

I'm feeling really pessimistic right now, if ya can't tell. Hopefully working through a busy couple of weeks will get me focused more on the present and I won't feel so anxious about things!