Moving Down The Road

 What a crazy month March has been. We got word that we had out purchasing offer for the business property in t George accepted on Feb., 25th--Genius Golfer's birthday. Having that accepted, we were in a time crunch to get our home in Pleasant Grove packed up cleaned and sold as quickly as we could knowing out closing date on the business property was tentatively April 16th. Time was of the essence.

I headed north to the PG house the very next day.  I have two wonderful friends who hunted boxes for me and boy, did they come trough for me!  I immediately began boxing up the house.  There is SO much you don't think about after living in a house for 26+ years! I began to box things--not thinking that we still had to live in the house--cook, eat, clean, wash, etc.--while we were packing.  I learned right away that the most used pan in the house should NOT be in the first box I packed. GG was semi-polite about that but he was right in being frustrated that I didn't think it all the way though.

I quickly filled boxes and piled those boxes into the 3rd car garage--our staging area for the move. I packed all week. About March 3rd we had enough stuff out of the house that GG scheduled the online realtor to come take the photos they needed. Photos were taken.  the phones were approved the next morning and the house was on the market within 1 week of us deciding to sell.

The market is SO crazy right now that we had people assure us that the house would sell for thousands--even tens of thousands--more than we list it at and that we should expect a bidding war for our place.  I was a little embarrassed that we could list the home for so much money, especially knowing what we paid for it when we bought it. I couldn't wrap my brain around that kind of value in this house. I knew it was a wonderful place to raise our family--back yard,  cul-de-sac, drive thru driveway, 3rd car garage, etc. But in my head I still was thinking the value of what we bought it as, not this crazy inflated real estate bubble. It sounded so greedy to list it at $439,000.  But that is was we decided. We hit the publish button and held our breath.

The house was publicly listed on the MLS on Friday.  We had 3 or 4 people immediately want to see the house that day!  Another 6-7 the next day and several more for Sunday.  So we rented a UHall and loaded that and my car and took the first loads to St George with us. Whew!  What a stress! We had friends that were coming to StG that weekend and had planned to stay with us anyway, now they were conscripted into unloaders with The Boy and his Sweetheart too.  We had unloaded the UHall in 20 minutes.

By the time we were ready to head back to PG on March 10th, we had offers.  One was exactly the asking price ($439K) then $444K, $454K, and $470K. We looked at the details in each offer.  The lowest and the highest wanted closing dates into April and we weren't sure that would cut it time wise with our business property closing.  The $444K one wanted 2.5x the realtor allowance for the buyers realtor.  We opted to accept the $454K offer.  We went thru the dance to accept their offer on Thursday the 11th. 

We were contacted the next day by our realtor that the buyer changed their mind and didn't want the house after all.  GG found out that the buyer declined because they found out the city wouldn't let them build a 4th car garage to the already built half of the house.  GG could have told them that!  We tried for that too, once upon a time. DOH!  That set us back a week now.  Time was speeding up it seems. And the pressure was building!

So, back on the market the house went. Another load of stuff in cars that weekend while more showings were scheduled.  One day we had 11 showings. Since GG worked from home, it was easier for him to be in St George when we were constantly being interrupted to show the house. It was very unnerving for me, but he was only annoyed because it interfered with his work.  

So I left him in StG and I came back north on the 16th. That day we decided to take one of the new offers.  The $470K family had been contacted after the first offer fell through, but they didn't want it by then. This new offer was for $449: and was from one of the families that initially offered too.  They raised their offer another $5K but they still had a detail about their realtor's fee at 2.5% what we had agreed on when we started this process.  So GG and I decided to counter with the acceptable purchase price, but we wouldn't pay more for the realtor. They accepted our counter offer and I let our a deep breath.

Our closing for the PG house was now scheduled for April 8th, barring any issue with the home inspection and appraisal. Great, I held my breath again.

Meanwhile I continued to box up and clean the house. What a chore!  I had already filled a 20 yard dumpster mostly with expired food storage that I knew I didn't have room for in StG. I had taken two trailer loads of stuff with a friend to DI as donations.  We made one pick up truck--thank to a friendly neighbor--to the dump. There was still The Girl's closet. I wasn't about to sort her stuff she left with us when she moved back east. She had booked a flight out to see us March 20-27 and now that visit would include a purge of her closet and pile of stuff I had already boxed up.

Following the week with The Girl here, I took her to he airport and returned home in where we packed up both cars again and left that afternoon to head to StG again. By now we had sold or given away all of our furniture except the 2 barstools and a folding chair.

GG left me in StG on Sunday t head back and get his stuff in the PG house wrapped up. His chores included selling our little CNG Honda and his large wood working tools too. All his items were sold quickly online.

I have been here this week alone trying to rest and unpack where I can.  I believe I might have to collect items for a donation run yet again because I over estimated the storage area I have here.  I am anxious to have GG under the same roof again with me, but things will be righted soon enough.  At least things look to be going forward to close on the house on the 8th of April.

I do know form this experience that I NEVER want to move again.  Especially after living in a home for 26 years and two children and all that comes with that. I see the advantage of living a minimalistic life.  But I enjoy my creature comforts too much to be that minimal, really.

Bubbling To The Surface

For three weeks I have tried really hard to be supportive and understanding and patient and hopeful.  I have tried to do what I know was needed, and still complete the things I knew others counted on me to do.  I've tried to make the new-nonschedule work around here, and still make plans each day that I can cross off my list.  I think I am losing the fight.

I realize that in the race for being a "good" daughter/sister/wife/mother/volunteer/disciple (choose your word) it is more important that I am just moving forward--regardless of the speed.  But this weekend, I feel like I fell off the track.  All those tracks.  And I have not good explanation.

The daily to-do list of things never gets much shorter for me.  And maybe that is the problem. 

At some point I hope to come to an agreement about what is Good/Better/Best and just stick with the best parts of what I am doing.  But until that happens, I still judge myself on what I get accomplished on that trifold list.  Some things, like laundry or grocery shopping, have to be done whether I like it or not.  Other things, like mucking out the garden before the first snow flies, is just a good idea. (Though, that said, no one else even seemed interested in eating the tomatoes I grew in it this year--so why bother again?--except I look at it as an "obedience garden".)  Some things would be nice to get to but I never seem to have the time to get them checked off.

I know, none of this even makes sense.  Perhaps in my fear of showing myself too vulnerable, I'm too cryptic to let you in on the reality I am dealing with here, but that is probably just as well too.  I would probably hurt feelings if I just spilled the beans.  And that was NOT my intent.  I really just wanted to vent a little and record my feelings as they are for future assessment. 

I think I probably just need a therapist.

Superlative

Today on our local talk radio show, they were talking about the most stressful jobs out there.  Callers were asked to call in with their opinions on this, or to share why their job is the most stressful.

There were calls from big rig truck drivers and highway construction workers.  There were high powered CEOs and other executives who spoke of their "necks on the line" every day.  Mail deliverers dealing with the constant, relentlessness of the mail and of dogs and of city dangers on their routes.

Then a woman called in and said "I don't know if this counts, 'cause I'm not paid for it, but I think being a mom is stressful."

The show's host graciously agreed with her.  He mentioned that not only is that a stressful job, but it is never over.  You are on call twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week.  You are on call from the time that infant is delivered until one of you passes away. (And I'd add, even after, as family relationships are eternal in nature.)  He was quick to applaud this mother's work and all others who are caring for and raising and teaching children to be good, upright, honest, responsible citizens.

It was very refreshing to hear.  Especially as I was folding football practice pants, once filthy-but now gleaming white socks and freshly laundered boxers, t-shirts, and jeans. It did me good to get a little pat on the back in the middle of my work day and hear someone I have never met personally give a shout out to all the other colleagues I have in the world.

Being a MOM is the best job, the most stressful job, the most rewarding job, the most worrisome job, the longest lasting job, and the superlative job title I could ever have.  It's the toughest job I've ever loved.

Lift Me Up and Calm Me Down

As some of you may know, Genius Golfer has been unemployed since last Wednesday. We knew it would be coming and were prepared, mostly, but I wanted to just thank all of you that have had uplifting words for me or thoughts that particularly calmed my wildly racing "what-if" mind.

We have savings stashed away and can live on that for a good while. The insurance was my biggest worry, but Dear Friend Kelly told me about a "major medical coverage" that is reasonably priced for individuals to carry, so that should be taken care of by next week. We have followed the counsel from the church to stay out of debt, so that is not the problem either. We have food storage to eat, and it is for just this sort of thing, so we won't starve. All in all, we can basically continue as we have all along.

GG doesn't have any plans at the moment. But he has played some of the best golf of his recent life in the past week. Must be the decrease in stress. He also tells me that he is sleeping so much better! Glad one of us is.

I just have an overactive worry-center in my mind. I think of things that could possibly happen, even far-fetched things that may or may not come along, but I worry about all those things. This is where good friends like you come in and save me. I have had some burger-therapy with Good Friends who tell me we are in good shape, and to trust GG and to trust the Lord. Things will be OK. When other people reinforce what I am trying to tell myself, I tend to listen to them (at least for the moment) a lot better than I hear myself.

I'll keep you all posted on the situation, but just know how much I appreciate the comfort and encouragement you offer as my friends. We WILL be fine. Just let me keep repeating that to myself and then you second that thought and I should begin to feel it too. I hope. Soon.