Divine Intervention

I promised Susan a blog explaining what I meant by a recent Facebook status...so here goes...

If you remotely know what's going on in my life, you know that big changes lie ahead! Although we love our home, it creates alot of stress for us. For starters, it's 4750 square feet! After alot of heart to hearts, and realizing that patience is a virtue with which neither Dan nor I have been blessed with, we decided to only have one child. When we first built our home that we're in now, we were planning on at least 2 kids...after nearly 10 years of marriage, we admit that we're impatient, perfectionists, and we enjoy having the flexibility and freedom that having one child gives us. With just Drew, we will be able to give him so many more opportunities.

With just the three of us, there's close to half of our house that never really gets used...yet, we still clean it and pay the utilities to maintain it. With so much space, we've accumulated STUFF...way too much of it. So, about a year ago, we decided to pursue selling our home and buying a much smaller one. When our realtor took us through some other much smaller styles of homes, we were a bit befuddled, and with the real estate market where it was...the only action on our house was a nosey realtor that lives down the street!

That was last summer. In early fall of last year, Dan secured a position with the FDIC that has had him on the road nearly every week since. With him only being home a handful of days per month, I had more of a burden on me to take care of things. That ony top of EVERYTHING else I already do...many days of near meltdowns, I can assure you. I just pray that Drew is young enough that he won't have much recollection of the many mornings I battled with him to rush him out the door. The raising .f my voice in sheer frustration of it all...

During the fall, winter and spring, Dan pursued other positions, and although he eventually landed a different job within the FDIC, he still traveled, and it still was taking it's toll on all of us. He recently applied for a position with the Treasury Dept. in NW Washington DC. Pending the results of his background check, he's been given a tentative job offer! :) No more travel, but in facing a commute from Hagerstown to DC everyday...moving is no longer a luxury, it's a necessity.

So for the past few weeks, we've searched and searched the internet, had many back and forths with our realtor, and last Sunday, landed (again) in the Villages of Urbana. I say again, because 5 years ago, when we were looking to build our current home, we went to VoU to check out some of the model homes. We absolutely fell in love with it all. Back then, real estate was huge, and those prices were no where near what we could afford. So Hagerstown it was.

So there we were last Sunday, with a listing of homes to go through...saw some stuff we didn't like, kinda liked, and really liked...but mostly still not really knowing what to do... After leaving one model and being en route to another, Bob the Realtor hit an unmarked manhole cover and messed up the tire on his car...trip ended then...back home we went.

Although we were leaning in the townhouse direction, we were really impressed with one of the single family home builders, but the house was too small, and the price too big. Me being the constant internet person, noticed that the single family builder also did townhomes...rather larege ones at that. I was intrigued, gave the sales office a call...only to be told that everything they currently has was spoken for, and their next delivery was set of Jan 2010. Not happy with it, but we still wanted to check them out.

We get to the TH model Sunday...liking what we see on the outside. We were going into wanting to talk about end units, brick fronts, bumpouts...

We walk in ans start talking to the sales guy. Ironically enough, he mentions that in their next available building (Oct delivery) they have a brick fronted, bumped out end unit that just became available...within the past hour. Knowing that, and seeing traffic pick up in the model, I started getting really nervous! Then he mentioned that there was another couple interested in the same end unit, but they were away at a funeral service, and were powerless if anyone came in and could put money down to hold it.

Thanks to our realtor, he initiated a conversation with the sales office and expressed our intent to put a hold on it...GOTTA LOVE BOB! After a few minutes of talking and forms, we got the point that they needed some earnest money, in the form of a check. Dan was caught off guard...we don't carry a checkbook...well, he doesn't, but the constantly frazzled wife that writes the checks and pays the bills while stopped at traffic lights...SHE had the checkbook! SCORE ONE FOR ME! The house is being held for us until Friday...at noon we go to contract and get started! :)

Had we not had tire issues the week before, we would've gone to that model and been told that the earliest house they had would be done in January...not what we wanted at all. We would've left there really not knowing what to do, as other houses that we liked were too small, priced too high, or were no longer available. In seven days timer, there were a collection of little things, that had any one of them gone any differently, we wouldn't be going back to Urbana Friday to start a contract on a house...

Another great part of it all...the backyard backs into a shared common area with a totlot playground...Drew's favorite!

Some would call it luck, some would call it chance, but I'd like to think of it as divine intervention! :)

Semi-Charmed Life

(Going with a different font tonight!)

If you have Sirius/XM Radio...90s on 9, to me, has got to be one of the best stations ever! I listen to it in my car daily...nearly every song I've heard has nearly moved me to pull off the road and have a good cry. Why? I heard Third Eye Blinds Semi-Charmed Life, and it took me back to the summer that I transferred to Salisbury, and how it changed EVERYTHING. The 3 friends of mine, who I thought were my best friends...well, I guess there is alot of truth to the saying "out of sight, out of mind." The same song also made me think of Princess Kimmie, and how she'd lock me out of my own dorm room to have sex with nearly EVERY male on our floor, AND a half dozen or so guys she collected from other parts of campus... That fall semester was pure hell...

Then I heard the Goo Goo Dolls song, "Name." I thought of my group of guy friends from HJC...Charlie, Brett, Rob and Jason. I went right back to the time that Charlie's dad died...the laughs I shared with Brett in Bio lab (and how he almost got me kicked out of class!) I get a little misty-eyed because at the time, the people that were tied to these songs...they were a big part of my world, and a part of me still wonders where they are, what they're doing, etc...

In sickness and in health...part 2.

For those of your out there who aren't parents, let me warn you...

One of the toughest things about being a parent is having a sick child...it's probably what I struggle with the most. Drew rarely gets sick, but when he does, his symptoms are usually in the grey area that leave me wondering if I should call the doctor or take him in for a visit. I don't want to be one of those crazy hypochondriac moms, but I don't want to be trying to have a normal day if Drew should really NEED medical attention.

At least with myself at my age, I've been through enough illness cycles that I pretty much can evaluate my own sickness, and usually only go to the doctors if I need antibiotics.

Being a mom, I often get torn between work and family obligations. I need to learn that it's ok to take off work to care for Drew if he's sick. I know my job isn't that important, but I'm often made to feell like unless there is a situation involving an ER or a family funeral, that I need to be at work.

I'm actually at home right now. Shortly after Drew woke up, he complained of his tummy hurting and spent most of 30-45 minutes hunched over and crying in pain. I know there is alot of intestinal stuff going around, and I was off Friday for what I thought was food poisoning. However, after that short period of time, Drew stood up and delcared that his tummy was all better, and he's been running around wreaking havoc ever since. I had such a dilemma...

1. What if I took him to be with my stepmom at close to normal time and at some point in the day, what if the stomach thing came back?? Then wouldn't I feel like crap!

2. What if I committed to stay home and "ride it out..." only to have an entire day pass without any more incident?? Then wouldn't I feel like crap, knowing that I was just off Friday for an actual illnesses!

I compromised at half a day. The nurses said that if the morning came and went and there were no more cramping incidents, that it was probably just a gas thing, and that otherwise, if if were this stomach bug, there would have been some vomiting or diarrhea already. They also mentioned the possibility of appendicitis, but if that were the case, he would not have the ability to hop around on one foot. He can, that's for sure!

It just kills me that everytime an urgency pops up in my life that keeps me from being at work, my first thought is always making sure that the facility is covered. I remember the morning that my grandfather passed away, I spent the better part of the day lining up people to work in my place while I was off. That bothers me, because all I do is run a college fitness center, it's not like I'm a neurosurgeon or anything...

I guess if anything, mornings like this remind me that maybe I really do need to start looking for another job. I can handle office work, but supervising a facility is getting old...especially as Drew gets older and gets involved in more things. I don't want to miss out on special moments with him...I'd love to be able to make a phonecall and tell someone..."hey, I'm going to telework today...see you tomorrow..."

In sickness and in health...

First, I've got to get a grip on the sleeping arrangements around here...mainly with me and Drew...

Here's a typical day... (I don't mention Dan because with his job, Drew and I are home alone each week Monday -Thursday night...)
Both Drew and wake up between 4:30 and 5:30...yes, you read that right. I was the same way as a child. My mom never needed an alarm, I woke her up and told HER to get ready for work! HAHA The longer I am Drew's mom, the more I appreciate my own mom. She really is a SAINT! :) He is me, through and through...

So we're up early and out of the house by 8am. I drive Drew to Boonsboro to meet my stepmom. She's my daycare! He's with her and all is well for the day. I got to work and leave work a little after 4, to meet her again in Bboro by 4:45. NOW, most days, he does not nap...sooooo, he falls asleep in the car and is out until sometime really early the following morning. I rush home, put him to bed, collapse in the family room and usually fall asleep on the couch pretty early. I wake up at about 2:30 am to go to bed. Only thing is, I can't sleep. Thanks to some friends that work overnight shifts, I can usually find someone to chat with. I fall back asleep by about 3...

How crazy is all of this!??? CRAAAAAZY! I pretty much live my life chronically exhausted, can you tell??

Anywho...Drew had some trouble getting to sleep last night, and when we had our battle of wills at midnight last night, he came back at me with a croup-like cough. Sooo, off to the bathroom we went, for the first of our 2 steamy bathroom sessions. They really do help though. He's fine now. Although I am still not back to normal after some bad Japanese food last night...steer clear of hibachi scallops. I'm rebounding though, just not as fast as Drew. I can always tell when he's feeling better, he gets honery...

His latest list of accomplishments...
1. Drinking 1/4 bottle of cough syrup. Thankfully, he threw it all back up just as I was calling poison control...
2. Spilled close to 1/2 gallon of beverages throughout the day...milk, water, gatorade, lemonade, and my coffee that he decided he'd carry into my bathroom...leaving a trail of coffee stains in several rooms...
3. Getting ice cubes from the fridge and spreading them around the house...
4. Rolling large wooden blocks down the stairs... When I threatened to take them away, his response was, "you can't take the stairs away, I'll build new ones!" I didn't think I'd have to be more specific with a 3 YEAR OLD!
5. He keeps sabotaging my attemps to grab a quick nap!

I miss the days that I was in school and I'd get sick. My mom and stepdad would go about their days, and leave me to myself. The thing that stinks about mostly being an only child...you get used to be a loner way too much!

Why I chose the black layout...

Anyone that works with me should already know the answer to this one...it's more environmentally friendly! It requires LESS energy to have white words appear on a black screen, then to have black words on a white page. Every bit counts right?? Besides, as much as I miss the blizzards and snowstorms we USED to have...where's my el nino?? my la nina??

Scratching the Surface...

Hello! Well, first, I'm here thanks to Court! :P I like to write, ramble, and rant...and rather than tie up facebook with incessant notifications about my writing about my life, I figured I'd come here, and let people read along if they wish...so here we are!

First on my mind tonight...
I'm thinking about doing some research and writing an article to submit to several different parenting magazines. As a mother of a near 4 year old, over the past several years, my body has gone through a complete changeover...kinda like the physical equivalent of the Bush / Obama transition...oh wait, that was actually peaceful and painless...

Well...what I mean is, how so many things change after the baby has been born...hips, thighs, skin, boobs, vein stuff, hair changes, sensitivities to smells and chemicals, that area that despite all of the dieting, cardio and crunches one can tolerate...well, that's never the same either...and that's just to scratch the surface! I love being a mom, but I think if younger women were a little more educated about it all...maybe some segments of our society wouldn't be so casual with the concept...

So writing this article is just one of the many things on my mind...
There's plenty more to come, trust me! :P