Move, Interrupted

The $$$ didn't make it to the right hands in time for us to be able to take possession of the house over the weekend, so even though the house is ours (as of filing all the papers with the county today) we won't be able to move in officially until this weekend.

Both Papa Bear and I are exhausted and resigned to what has happened. We did everything we could, gave it our all, but there is just no making up for other people's lack of due diligence. So, needless to say we won't be giving our Mortgage Broker any stellar recommendations to anyone anytime soon. He's the one who basically mucked up the whole deal (even thought he refuses to admit any degree of responsibility - hello - you were the one who was supposed to secure funding prior to or at least by the contractual closing date) So in the words of my BIL - He is a pune!!

We will be staying in the condo for one more week and were able to extend our rental for the storage unit. Luckily, everyone there has been really flexible and understanding. And on the positive side this will give us time to go in and paint or do whatever we want to without having to worry about covering up furniture and what not. It's all going to work out!!

The Good, The Bad and the Ugly!

The Good - we have FINALLY signed loan docs (yippee)

The Bad - we still have to wait for the loan to fund and the title company will deliver the loan docs to the loan company by 8:00 am tomorrow and our Broker is going to be pushing for it to get final approval, so it can fund tomorrow. This is the plan because - and please send up your prayers tonight so that it will be so - otherwise we cannot take possession and move into the house until the loan funds, which won't be till Monday, and that just won't work for us as Papa Bear has work commitments out of town Sunday Afternoon till Wednesday and there's no way that Mama Bear, in all her super human mommy powers could do a move of this magnitude on her own. No Way Jose!!

The Ugly - Papa Bear and I have been quite the emotional, nervous, and angry wrecks that you can imagine we would be after everything we have been through the last few days, and unfortunately a few of our more choice conversations with our broker have been with the kids in listening distance (hey - there is only so many places you can go in a 1600 sq foot condo). I guess some of what we have said has rubbed off a little on the kids. BB1 upon being asked to go get her shoes on because we were finally going to go to the title company and sign papers to buy the house, looked up at her Papa Bear and asked in all the innocence a 5 year old could "Are you going to kick his a**!! Now as to who the "he" was, it doesn't really matter. It was just too funny!

Can I say I just love my kids... Out of the mouth of babes... Needless to say it broke through a lot of the tension we were still feeling and we laughed for probably the 1st time in a few days. I guess that means we will make it through, and this too will pass.

No Dice

It's the end of day, Wednesday and we didn't close. The Lenders are still sitting on the paperwork. The sellers have lost almost all confidence in us. We are in a major state of limbo. Waiting, just waiting... I think I could cry...

Bottom of the 9th...

Sorry to all you sports fans out there who thought this might be a really cool sports story, I just don't know of any.

Instead it's going to be a venting post because sometimes you just have to let it out, and if I don't try and find something humorous to hold on to at this very moment, I just might explode and that would not be a good thing. Here I go...

As most of you know we are hours away from closing on our house and after a good 30+ days of doing all the things we are supposed to in terms of providing documentation on assets/liabilities, funds for our down payment, co-ordinating the inspection and then getting the appraisal, you would think at this point in the game everything would be set, printed and placed in a nice little folder, just waiting for Papa Bear and I to sign our little names on the dotted line.

Unfortunately that is not the case! Because apparently the company we are getting our loan through is run by a bunch of monkeys (insert picture of monkeys in suits, jumping around office cubicles, smashing phones on the desks and throwing papers into the air) who are notorious for throwing out last minute conditions. The final condition that is holding up this whole process is that they want two additional comps on the appraisal. Apparently the 3 that they already have on the appraisal are not sufficient, but what really gets me is that they have had the stupid thing for over 2 weeks and they NOW decide they have insufficient comp information.

So the question I find myself asking is "Are these people retarded!!!" (I am trying really hard to keep this G-rated) "Has everyone in this office decided to suspend all neurological and muscular activity above the neckline?" Or are we really indeed just dealing with a bunch of monkeys?

Plus, I wonder if this really is the "final" condition that will need to be signed off on or are these baboons going to throw something else out to delay this process even further?

They say that purchasing a home is one of the top 5 most stress inducing things you will ever do in your life. I fully agree with that. The roller coaster of emotions that we have all been on this last few days has been intense and I for one am ready to get off this crazy ride.

Finally, what is ticking me off the most is that Papa Bear and I have plans. Plans to pack and move and get settled into our new house. Plans for people to help us move. Plans that are supposed to happen on a certain schedule within a certain time frame and these monkeys are messing with the plan. aauuuugggghhhhhhh! no, that's not quite right - AAUUUGGGHHHHHHH! OK - much better. Thanks for letting me vent.

I'll keep you all posted on what happens. Hopefully, we will still close on time, but more than likely we will probably have to push back our closing by a day, but I will let you know once all this monkey business gets sorted out!

WHEN YOUR HUT'S ON FIRE

I could not resist passing this story along, especially in light of recent events in my own life. I pass it along in the hopes that it will reach someone else who might be feeling a little like thier own hut is on fire.

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The only survivor of a shipwreck was washed up on a small, uninhabited island. He prayed feverishly for God to rescue him. Every day he scanned the horizon for help, but none seemed forthcoming. Exhausted, he eventually managed to build a little hut out of driftwood to protect him from the elements, and to store his few possessions.

One day, after scavenging for food, he arrived home to find his little hut in flames, with smoke rolling up to the sky. He felt the worst had happened, and everything was lost. He was stunned with disbelief, grief, and anger. He cried out, "God! How could you do this to me?"

Early the next day, he was awakened by the sound of a ship approaching the island! It had come to rescue him!"How did you know I was here?," asked the weary man of his rescuers. "We saw your smoke signal," they replied.

The Moral of This Story: It's easy to get discouraged when things are going bad, but we shouldn't lose heart, because God is at work in our lives .... even in the midst of our pain and suffering. Remember that the next time your little hut seems to be burning to the ground. It just may be a smoke signal that summons the Grace of God.

Love, Love, Love!!

I am posting a story that was sent to me via email today, mainly because I love the sentiment behind the story...it's very similar to Nicholas Sparks book "The Notebook" which is a story that I have loved from the moment I read the book - way before the movie came out - and it will be a favorite of mine for life.

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IT WAS A BUSY MORNING, APPROXIMATELY 8:30 AM, WHEN AN ELDERLY GENTLEMAN IN HIS 80'S, ARRIVED TO HAVE STITCHES REMOVED FROM HIS THUMB. HE STATED THAT HE WAS IN A HURRY AS HE HAD AN APPOINTMENT AT 9:00 AM.

I TOOK HIS VITAL SIGNS AND HAD HIM TAKE A SEAT, KNOWING IT WOULD BE OVER AN HOUR BEFORE SOMEONE WOULD TO ABLE TO SEE HIM. I SAW HIM LOOKING AT HIS WATCH AND DECIDED, SINCE I WAS NOT BUSY WITH ANOTHER PATIENT, I WOULD EVALUATE HIS WOUND.

ON EXAM IT WAS WELL HEALED, SO I TALKED TO ONE OF THE DOCTORS, GOT THE NEEDED SUPPLIES TO REMOVE HIS SUTURES AND REDRESS HIS WOUND.

WHILE TAKING CARE OF HIS WOUND, WE BEGAN TO ENGAGE IN CONVERSATION I ASKED HIM IF HE HAD A DOCTOR'S APPOINTMENT THIS MORNING, AS HE WAS IN SUCH A HURRY. THE GENTLEMAN TOLD ME NO, THAT HE NEEDED TO GO TO THE NURSING HOME TO EAT BREAKFAST WITH HIS WIFE.

I THEN INQUIRED AS TO HER HEALTH. HE TOLD ME THAT SHE HAD BEEN THERE FOR A WHILE AND THAT SHE WAS A VICTIM OF ALZHEIMER DISEASE.

AS WE TALKED, AND I FINISHED DRESSING HIS WOUND, I ASKED IF SHE WOULD BE WORRIED IF HE WAS A BIT LATE. HE REPLIED THAT SHE NO LONGER KNEW WHO HE WAS, THAT SHE HAD NOT RECOGNIZED HIM IN FIVE YEARS NOW.

I WAS SURPRISED, AND ASKED HIM. "AND YOU STILL GO EVERY MORNING, EVEN THOUGH SHE DOESN'T KNOW WHO YOU ARE?" HE SMILED AS HE PATTED MY HAND AND SAID. "SHE DOESN'T KNOW ME, BUT I STILL KNOW WHO SHE IS."

I HAD TO HOLD BACK TEARS AS HE LEFT, I HAD GOOSE BUMPS ON MY ARM, AND THOUGHT, "THAT IS THE KIND OF LOVE I WANT IN MY LIFE."

TRUE LOVE IS NEITHER PHYSICAL, NOR ROMANTIC. TRUE LOVE IS AN ACCEPTANCE OF ALL THAT IS, HAS BEEN, WILL BE, AND WILL NOT BE.

Can I get a do over?

Even though it is me expressing this statement, I know that if BB1 was older and aware enough she would probably chime in and even beat me to this statement. We have had, to say the least, the worst run of luck in the last few days. I'll let you know that this is going to be a pretty long post, but you will get the full details as it's the only way to convey what we have been through and why I want a do over. Just hang in there with me as I relive these moments - hopefully for the last time.

Do Over Scenario #1.
Last Friday we had multiple power outages at our condo, so on Saturday, I decided rather than hang around and wait for the power to go off and then come back on a few hours later, me and the girls would spend the day shopping, having fun and playing around at the local mall. Upon returning home, we found out that the power was still out. Frustrated, but like the troopers we are, we set about getting ready for bed in the dark. I had one flashlight that survived the trip to our storage unit, and with that I located some candles we had bought previously (because of the frequent power outages up here - it must be a remote mountain location thing) and proceeded to lite a few.

The whole time I was doing this, I was also telling BB1 about how dangerous candles can be and how we don't play with them, move them, or touch them or put anything around them, we leave them alone, just where mommy had placed them. She seemed to get it and all was well. In fact we had quite the adventure locating our jammies and brushing our teeth, all by candle light.

So, I go and put BB1 to bed first. I get her all tucked in with Brianna Bunny, turn on her songs, sing her a lullaby and (with what is to be the one moment I would go back to and do over) I leave one candle in her room (as she is afraid of the dark and still sleeps with a nightlight). I set it in the middle of her little table and I again re-iterate how we leave them alone, don't touch them, don't move them, etc, etc, etc and with a belief that my child gets this and won't do anything, I leave the room to go and put BB2 into her bed which is just down the hall and around a corner.

With no lights on our downstairs is like a tomb, but with the candle in BB1's room I can make my way around without a flashlight. I am rocking BB2 to sleep and feeding her her night time bottle, when I see flickers of light that are stronger than before and I immediately know somethings wrong. Not a half a second later the smoke alarm starts wailing and BB1 shoots out of her room like a rocket, screaming "I'm sorry, mommy".

I immediately put BB2 down and rush to see what in the world has happened. I see that BB1 had gotten out of bed and, for whatever reason known only to the 5-year old mind, had placed a plastic shopping basket on top of the candle, it has caught fire and is burning in all it's acridic glory in the middle of her table. Not even thinking for a second, I rushed in and grab the basket and carry it into the bathroom and throw it into the sink and douse it with water. So the fire is out but, the smoke alarms are still going, so I grab a towel and rush back out of the bathroom and back into BB1's room and throw open the two windows and start waving the towel around like a mad woman trying to dispel the smoke because of the sprinklers.

Did I happen to mention that the condo has a fire sprinkler system in all the units (again a mountain location thing), and I am just waiting to have the sprinklers descend down from their little holes in the ceiling and start soaking everything in sight. Luckily, the sprinklers never came on, the smoke finally dispersed and the alarms shut off.

Now here's the worst part (you've got to be asking yourself "wait - there is a worse part"). To set the scene again, BB2 was screaming her little head off the whole time I was waving the smoke out of the windows. She was trying to climb up my legs to get away from the sound that was scaring the heck out of her. So finally, once it's quiet, I pick her up, and then I realize I can't hear BB1 anywhere, which is weird cause she had been screaming the whole time I was putting out the fire and waving the towel around as well, so I yell out her name...no response. I yell out her name again, this time using the middle and last name, to let her know I am serious. Still nothing. Panic mode sets back in as I realize I have no idea where she is. It's still pitch black and now I have no candle light to see my way around.

After fumbling around the downstairs, I check the door that leads outside from our room downstairs. It's locked and I know she can't unlock it. I start checking all the closets, thinking maybe she ran in there to get away from the noise - nothing. So I stumble up the stairs and it's dead silent. Where is she - I know I should at least hear some little noise, like her crying or whimpering, but I get nothing. Then I think - maybe she's gone out the front door and possibly outside. Sure enough - to escape the smoke alarms, she has run outside and climbed in the car (which thankfully wasn't locked because then who knows were she would have gone). I see her upset little face in the middle of the window, I go and open the door and ask her what she was thinking running from the condo, why she put her basket on top of the candle, why she didn't listen, everything I was thinking just came pouring out of my mouth in a near hysteric tone. All it succeeded in doing was to freak her out even more than she already was. It was definitely not my most brilliant moment as a mother. She kept saying she was sorry, she didn't mean to and I did what any other parent would do in that moment (thankfully) and just took her in my arms and hugged her as hard as I could. Both BB1 and BB2 received quite the smooshing as I tried to calmed myself down.

After returning to the condo, it took a little while to get the girls settled back into bed, but we did it minus the candles, of course! I called Papa Bear (who was in Reno for the weekend) related what happened and just broke down crying and shaking. It's hard to describe the feelings that rush through you once the adrenaline turns off and you are left in recovery mode with just your thoughts of "what if?" It was a horrible night. So, that's do over moment #1

Do Over Scenario #2 (happened today-Tuesday, July 17th-not 2 days after scenario #1.
BB2 was down for a nap, BB1 was playing in her room and I was getting dressed as we were going to spend the day doing something fun, whether it be at the park or running errands, it didn't matter, as long as we weren't at the condo. So that was the plan - get out and do something fun. This was before the crash that I hear from BB1's room followed by a frantic call "MOMMMMMMMMMM" I rush into her room to see her in (of all places) the closet and she has one hand over her mouth and the other in between her legs. I have no idea what happened but she is looking a little dazed, and seems like she is in great pain. She goes to open her mouth to say something and all I can see is blood. Her entire mouth is filled with it. I can't tell where the cut is or even how deep it may be, but I know it has to be deep from the sheer amount of blood pouring out of it.

I take her into the bathroom and get her to rinse out her mouth to try and get a good look inside and see that the gash is about 1/2 inch long and 1/4 inch across on the side of her mouth. I also realize that this is probably not going to close up on it's own and I am going to have to take her to the ER or Urgent Care. I call Papa Bear (who was an RN for 15+ years) to ask his opinion and, after seeing a picture I took and sent over to him, he agrees with me.

So, I grab both kids, rush them into the car and head over to the ER, which from where we live is a good 20-25 minutes away as we have to drive down a canyon - Stupid mountain living - atleast this is my way of thinking in the moment.

BB1 is now dutifully holding a wet washcloth to the wound, which is making it a little difficult to talk, but I finally get out a very disjointed story about how she fell (obviously), while trying to get a box that was on the top shelf in her closet. Later on I found out the whole story which was she had climbed up on top of the dresser in her closet (a huge and rustic looking thing) and fell trying to get down which is when she hit her mouth on the top of the dresser and her legs on the dresser handles on the way down. Of course, this was a little frustrating for me to hear all of this, as I had already told her multiple times to not climb on the dresser, to not use the handles as stairs and to ask if she ever needed to get anything that was on the higher shelves, but like all kids, when they get an idea in thier head, they always want to do it themselves and I digress from my original story.

So - We get to the ER at 1:00 pm. Unfortunately, we don't leave until 6:00 pm because even though the Dr's quickly determine that the cut can be fixed pretty easily (and yes, stitches will be required), the patient is scared to death about the prospect of getting a shot. The whole way to the ER, she kept asking "Will I get a shot?" "What are the Dr's going to do?" "Will he give me a shot?" and just the thought of it had her trembling and inconsolable.
The good nurses tried numbing her check with a topical medication, but the minute she saw the needle for the medicine prior to the stitches, she freaked out. It took, 2 nurses, the Dr and mom to hold her down and she still wouldn't calm down enough to be able to put the stitches in with any accuracy, so the decision was made to put her under.

The Dr's suggested a "conscious sedation". New concept for me, but the way it works is you are given a drug, which pretty much puts you to sleep, but your eyes remains open and you appear to be awake. Of course, it would have to be administered with a shot, but by this time it was the only option.

So, to wrap this story up, she got the shot, went under in a matter of minutes, got 4 stitches - 2 that will dissolve and 2 that will have to be removed. And one big puffy lip to show for it. It was pretty scary watching my baby put under that way but, it was almost harder watching her come out cause she was so unsure of where she was. She couldn't focus on anything and the medication was making her nauseous. Mostly I think she was just plain exhausted from all the trauma of the first attempt to stitch her up, she was hungry and just not sure of what had really happened too her.

One of the side effects to the medication is loss of short term memory and the first intelligible words she uttered after asking for mom, were "Did I get a shot?" I kid you not. I guess that side effect may have been the best one possible she could have had. She is back home and after eating a little bit, has gone to bed.

I have a feeling it will be another long night, as I never sleep well when I am worried about my kids (or any loved ones for that matter) And after reading all of this (I hope you made it through in one piece), I throw it out there to the powers that be in the universe - can I just have a do over?

Playing Catch up!

It seems like I spend most of my day playing catch up with one thing or another. Anyone who knows me though should realize it's just how I am and love me in spite of my always being a few steps behind everyone else. Eventually I do always catch up. One of these days, I may even surprise you and be ahead of the game.

The following is a quick update on what been going on since our move from Colorado to Utah at the beginning of the year. We have been living in semi-vacation mode in Eden, Utah. We choose the location due to the close proximity of 3 ski resorts. Guess it figures that this winter was pretty mild and all the visions of multiple days on the mountain with nothing but runs of perfect powder stretching before us were just that, dreams, visions and a whole lot of wishful thinking!! I may have forgotten how to cook in the time that we have been here. So it will be very interesting once we are in our new house, with my kitchen back in full-operational order and everything out of storage. I am sure there will be updates on the fun that is to come.

BB2 turned 1 - I can't believe it. We had multiple parties the spanned a couple of states. Of course she could have cared less about the cake (my kids are wierd) but the presents (aka the wrapping paper and ribbons) were a hit and she loved getting her picture taken. She is such a little ham when it comes to the camera. I love it. She has taken to getting around the same way as her older sister did, by scooting on her bum. Most kids wear out the knees she wears out the seat in her pants. I can hardly keep up with her.

BB1 celebrated her Birthday in true style with a Neverland themed Party. Contrary to my belief that she would want to be Tinkerbelle (since she is everything Princess or closely related), she surprised me by saying that she would be Captain James E. Hook for the party. She looked the part in her pirate hat and sword. She loved having her UT cousins and even friends from Colorado who have moved out to Utah, came and spent the time laughing, giggling and walking the plank in true pirate fashion. She had a great time with the pirate flag pinata, fairy cake (the frosting was her favorite part) and of course the presents. Although, I do have to give her props for being more worried about giving out the party favor bags to everyone else, rather than opening the presents people brought for her. Her big gift from mom and dad was to FINALLY go to Build-a-Bear where she ran around in true birthday girl fashion and we now have Brianna Bunny as part of our family. Brianna has yet to leave her side and goes where ever BB1 goes.

Papa Bear is loving being at home and no longer spending all his time on the road, living in hotels and eating out all the time. Trying to balance work life with being at home again with two very loud and active kids has at times stretched his patience, he wouldn't trade a minute of it. He gets out on his bike now and again and once we are settled both of us are recommitting to the gym to get in tip top shape. We did it before, so we can do it again. I for one, just want my yoga classes back as they are the best way I have found to reconnect and re-establish my sanity. Say it with me 'oohhhmmmmm'!

With the warm summer weather upon us, we are trying to spend more time outdoor than indoor and so far we have has a couple of mini vacations back to Colorado to hang out with our good friends (of which we are so of like mind and spirit at times it's scary), a trip to Bear Lake with Family, and lots of mini excursions around Utah to try and take in all the beauty this state has to offer.

Enough blogging for now . . . there is meat to be grilled for dinner . . . love to you all!

Moving at the Speed of Light

Sometimes this is how fast I feel my life is moving. Especially as of late, with an impending move to a brand new place and all the things happening and changing with our little ones, it seems like a good time to get into this whole blogging movement. I love reading what's happening with Family and Friends on thier blogs, so now it's time to add my two cents and share what's happening in the the Life of the Losee's. Maybe my posts will give you something to smile about, or something to make you think, but overall as long as you go away laughing than your visit has been a success . . . welcome to the Laughing Place!!