A Better Weekend---Surviving Step Parenting

Greetings:

Well I'm dumb and slept from like 5-9pm so I'm awake at 11:30pm.   I spent the last hour catching up on emails and also did all my grading for DMACC.    I create an announcement for each of the classes each Sunday or Monday to remind students what to read and complete for the week (even though they should be watching the class agenda on their syllabus).   I have plenty to grade for ISU too but I'm not mentally prepared to dive into that tonight.    I assigned a bunch of work to most ISU classes last week too so the online pile is growing and by the end of November I'll have a house filled with binders containing unit plans for three classes.   Weeeeee!

Today we took time and carved pumpkins which went better than I predicted.    I made two:  I used the large white one I chose earlier in the month and carved 'Welcome' on it with a template.   I thought it would work well with trick-or-treaters approaching the porch and it will also welcome people to the party.   Two birds---one pumpkin.  Dan carved a pumpkin with Mario on it for Jude---Jude helped by scooping out the guts and supervising Dan's carving skills.    Taylor carved the Broncos design on his pumpkin (horse).    Dan tried carving the word "Indians" onto his own pumpkin but in the middle of it, the designed caved in.  It was too intricate and he was pretty disappointed.   I made a one-eyed monster carving on our other little one.    My one free-hand experiment without a template.

We recently found out that Dan will no longer need to work weekends soon.  Technically this upcoming weekend (November 3) is his last scheduled weekend but he will work Monday-Friday after that point.   He used to have some Tuesdays and some Fridays off but that pattern with change.   He can still work on weekends if he chooses to pick-up shifts for people which can still happen but he needs to see if we have plans or if the boys are scheduled to be here.   So speaking of having weekends off...

He and I had a significant fight today about cleaning and doing stuff around the house.    I gave him the benefit of the doubt in the first months of living here and getting settled.    I also cut him slack during the week because he has to commute and leave the house before 6:30AM.   Unless I ask/tell him to do something (usually repeatedly) he doesn't do squat in the house.   The only thing he was good about was mowing the yard in the summer.   I warned him in the past week that we needed to clean all bathrooms very well, especially with the upcoming party.    The floors really needed to be swept and mopped and everything needed to be wiped down.    He assured me things would get done.    Well we were busy yesterday so it was understandable not much happened around here yesterday.    I slept in today (10am) and realized that Dan had been up for hours before I arose.    I came downstairs and he had been drinking coffee, watching TV, and playing on his phone since 7am.    So I was like, "well I'm up let's get to work".    He looked a bit surprised and said something along the lines of needing time to relax and rest.    Umm you've done that for hours dude, get up.    I told him what I would be doing as we only had so much time to clean, feed the boys lunch, carve pumpkins, and be on the road at 3:45pm to take the boys back to Mariah.   By the time he was doing anything I had two bathrooms done and had even run to the store to grab hamburger buns for lunch.   He did end up cleaning the 2nd floor bathroom on his own, cooked lunch on the grill, and cleaned up his crap from the living room but the fact I have to nag him to do it is getting really old.   He often tells me to just remind him or tell him what to do.    I told him that if he needs someone to tell him to look at the pile of dishes to load into the dishwasher or to pick up random items from the living room that are out of place, that's pretty sad.   I keep having flashbacks to the days we cleaned at his apartment in Newton.   It was gross.    I said something about understanding why his place was so bad in Newton and he honestly seemed surprised and said "It wasn't that bad".    If he has somehow blocked out all the cleaning he had to do and how I had to spend a day there helping him in a rush so he was out in time ----that's scary.

I'm not making him do anything else for the party (other than the begging to clean the house so it's presentable).    I am doing all food prep--buying the food--decorating and planning the activities.   I have a lot to do before Saturday, especially with creating the games and activities.    Both of the older boys were wanting to attend the party but the official decisions were made this weekend.    Due to a choice Colton made this weekend, his invitation was revoked.   Taylor is now allowed to come as he did have a decent weekend here.   All week long he was asking Dan if he could do some yard work here and we have PLENTY of leaves to rake.   When they got home Friday evening we still had a lot of daylight so Dan sent him to the backyard to start raking piles and do some bagging.    He was inside within 10 minutes stating he didn't realize he'd have to do it by himself.    Dan and I were trying get supper ready to go and do something things around the house.   We sent Jude outside to hold the large yard bags so Taylor could put leaves in them---well they were stumped because they couldn't figure that out.   We were like, you can pile them on the rake and dump them in or grab a bunch in your arms and put them in the bag.    We'll they didn't want to touch the leaves and using a rake to dump them in was "impossible".   It took them an hour to fill one bag.    He then claimed it was getting too dark to work and came inside for the night.    Well I decided to prove a point and went outside to work on the leaves and filled 10 bags on my own in an hour.    When I was about done Taylor came out baffled that I was still working (kinda dark but doable) and had done it all on my own.   Dan told me later that Taylor was really embarrassed that I cranked out that much work and was frustrated I took away his work for the next day.     The work ethic with the kids is beyond frustrating.    Even getting Jude to understand what it means to clean his room is trying at times.   We understand why it's an uphill battle for us---the kids don't do this kind of work at their Mom's house.   Both boys have made it clear they don't have to clean their rooms or pick up the house.    Not to be snooty but that's probably why the house looks like hell. 

As for Colton--well he made a dumbass move on Saturday.    Dan and I took the boys fishing on Saturday morning and came back to Ames around 12pm.   We were driving back to town and Colton called Taylor and asked to talk to Dan.    He asked if he could come hang out at the house during the day if he arranged his own rides.    He said his grandparents were fine with him coming up and he would ride back to Ankeny with his Grandpa after the ISU football game.    We were surprised because he was in Ames really quick and before we were back to the house.   We still needed to run to Fareway so I could get ingredients for making cupcakes and we needed garlic bread for lunch.    He said he'd meet us at the grocery store and he did....an Uber had dropped him off.   We were a little confused he used that taxi service but figured his grandparents may have told him to do so to at least get to Ames.  I figured his Grandpa had come up really early for tailgating at the football game.    He paid $30 for the trip up though which seemed ridiculous.    I made a comment in the parking lot about the fact the football game was almost done but he said his grandpa said he could stay longer into the afternoon.    Well about an hour at the house Dan gets a phone call from Colton's grandma who is livid because she had no idea Colton had gone to Ames.   He was supposed to be a block away from their house and she had no idea he had hired an Uber.    His Grandpa has also left Ames already as I was right in that the game had ended.    We sat Colton down in the living room and Dan was pissed.   We also found out from his Grandma that Colton has been doing this for awhile---he just leaves their house, is wasting money on Ubers, is sneaking out at night to go meet girls.   Now mind you, he's 19 so he should want to be out and doing things but here are the issues:

a)  he may be 19 but cognitively he doesn't function at that age--he's more like 14.    Case and point--he had to use an Uber gift certificate because when he showed up in Ames on Saturday, he had forgotten his wallet.    I didn't even know electronic gift certificates existed for Uber. 
b)  due to his legal history, he's not supposed to be gallivanting with girls because he's made poor decisions
c) he really shouldn't have money to go out and have fun with because he can't hold a job and doesn't have the motivation to work.   Dan did a good job of hammering down the fact that he cannot come back here until he's working and we expect it to be more than 20 hours a week or even full time.    Colton claims that nowhere is hiring in Ankeny--which is bullshit because places are already hiring for holiday work.   I suggested Mill's Farm Fleet---they pay well and he could easily get full time work.   He just doesn't like the fact that a normal person works a consistent schedule.    In the past he's worked less than 12 hours a week and complained it was too tiring.    Try one of my 70 hour work weeks buddy. 

Well another consequence was that he is not invited to the Halloween Party anymore.   He didn't understand why he needed that consequence.    He thought us being mad was punishment enough.    The fact he was back online later that day to play video games shows us his grandparents were likely pissed but don't punish him.   I'm sure we'll be the bad guys because of his invitation revocation.  Taylor also made a comment about not attending anymore either because he'd rather see his girlfriend that weekend in Des Moines.   (Fine with me!)   We are doubtful his Mom will go for it though because she would have to taxi him to see the gf and she dropped way too much $$$ on his Halloween costume.   I doubt she'll just let him skip the event she bought it for.    We also got confirmation that she's dating again so I'm sure if there are planned weekends for the boys to be here, she likely has dates or plans set up.    Taylor made a comment that she's brought two different boyfriends to the house this fall but after she shows them the house and introduces them to the boys, they break-up with her immediately.    Interesting eh?

We had a car accident occur in front of our house on Saturday (car on fire and everything) and Taylor and I sat down to watch it all.    We had a good conversation.    He said in the past he got so mad at Dan's house in Newton (in the last year) and gets upset with our current house in Ames because we are strict and don't back down.    He also said it's improved his respect for Dan though and basically called his Mom a pushover.    He also said his Mom is upset because Dan and I never have anything bad happen to us and all the bad stuff happens to her.    I guess she doesn't remember us telling her about our leaking roof this summer.    If she did more preventative things with her house, I think it would hold up better and be more comfortable for her and the boys.    Her basement flooded badly more than once this summer and I guess she got the water out but just told the boys to keep the door shut and they'll not use the basement anymore.    I guess it reeks and is likely molding if I had to guess.   Dan said she's going to get an awful surprise because the water heater, furnace, and other key things are in the basement.   If the basement is that bad and the furnace ever needs to be fixed, I could see a company not willing to go into the area or it's going to ruin her set-up.    The central air is already broken and been broken for almost 4 years.   She also says that Dan is going to have a good life now because he's marrying into money and it's not fair because she can't make him spend the money on the boys.    She also realizes she can't get adjust child support anymore because it would likely go down in price for Dan because I think she actually makes more money than him now.   I think in the past he would spend extra money on the boys (e.g. buy clothes, send extra food to the house, etc.) and forget what he did for her.    I actually keep track of the extra money he sends so she can't complain anymore that he doesn't help with some of the extras.   She tried it once and I shared the details of how much extra he gave her that month based on clothes we bought Jude, etc.    I guess something was rejected with her school loans recently too and she actually has to pay a large sum each month now and had them in forbearance for awhile.   After talking with Taylor, it's apparent he now recognizes the financial bind his mother is in and his remaining medical bills from treatment aren't helping that.    His mouth is still a mess too--he likely needs teeth pulled and still has over 20 cavities.   If you bring it up to Mariah she says she doesn't have the time or money to deal with it.   Oddly enough his mouth doesn't hurt--yet.   I have a feeling there will be a day when a tooth gets really angry and she's going to get an emergency dental bill to add to her debt.    Dan doesn't know if their dentist in Newton will even accept her or the kids as patients either because there is still a balance due.    Dan paid off Jude's balance a couple years ago but wasn't going to pay for her or Taylor. 

Things to look forward to this week:

• Trick-or-treating on Wednesday!   Gavin is likely coming over to help and my co-worker Kathy may come over too.  
• I have my last art class tomorrow night.    I made some cool things with acrylic paint but I'm not sharing much else as some things may be Christmas presents.  
• Grateful that Alissa is coming later this week and I will definitely need help to prepare for the party
• ISU Women's basketball starts on Thursday night too!   

Today's blog entry felt like word vomit but it helped me get a lot off my chest about the step-child situation.    Thankfully Dan let's me choose my battles.   Jude always comes to the house when he's supposed to but I can veto when Taylor and Colton come over.    Colton will not be back in our house this year.   Taylor has to keep earning it so it's a weekend-by-weekend decision each time he asks to come over.   I'm waiting for the weekend when I change my mind mid-weekend and Taylor has to go back early.    We've made it clear if he's being that awful, Mariah will come and get him.    She's always said that will be fine but if it ever occurs I can see her pitching a fit.   That woman does not like to drive far from Newton.    

Novel complete!

First Post in October *hangs head in shame*

It's been a pretty decent month that's included more fun than usual and here I am not blogging until October 20th.    In my defense, my workload got pretty intense and will be so until mid December.   I've done some grading today already but will admit I slept in way too long.   

So here is the skinny on what's been happening in life:

• I finally got to attend Valley Scare and it did not disappoint (except for my ass being too big for some of the rides).    The scary attractions were well done and plentiful and it was worth the money.   I will admit I was exhausted by the time we went through the last haunted site (Zombie High School).    Props to Alissa for driving all the way back into Iowa and Cedar Falls when everyone else fell asleep in the car.   
• While on the topic of haunted ventures, Alissa and I enjoyed Slaughterhouse in Des Moines.   It was very well done and very scary.    I hadn't been to an attraction with such good live actors but also electronic monsters and scare too.   We went to Zombie Burger afterwards, it was probably only my third visit to the original location.   Oddly enough it wasn't my burger I was wowed by but the indulgent milkshake I got to go--Crunch Berry shake.   Never been a fan of that cereal but I guess if you mix it with ice cream it's the bomb.
• In terms of the house, the front is officially decorated for the holiday.    The inside of the house is decorated too but things will be moved around a bit for the party.    I spent all of last Saturday unpacking and organizing the office in the house.    It looks so much better.    I was able to throw a lot of stuff away too.   I still need to redo my filing cabinets so that's the next task.   Regardless, I can keep the doors open during the party and not be horribly embarrassed.  
• Both teaching jobs are going quite well.    Yes I'm buried in grading but everything is under control.    I'm especially happy with a change I made in my class for future secondary health teachers.   Each Thursday two groups of students go to Ames High School and lead action-based health activities with students.    If the health teacher likes the activities we give him a copy of all materials, etc.   I just like the students being able to "practice" with actual students before they student teach and experience the attitudes and behaviors of teenagers.   
• The cats are doing very well and cohabitate nicely for the most part.   The kitten still plays a lot and is energetic.  Jinx will play and wrestle for a bit but Jinx reaches a threshold and gets pretty angry.    She usually turns it up a notch and beats the shit out the kitten to make a point that she wants to be left alone.   

I guess that's the jist of what I have going on right now---thought I had more to report on. 

Lucy

Well, Dan finally has his own cat now since I stole Jinx from him when she was brought to the house.    In my defense I cannot help that I'm a wonderful person and his first cat took to me.   We decided to look at the local shelter last week and picked out a kitten.    Gavin and I actually looked at the kittens before Dan got there and I successfully predicted the cat Dan would pick out.   The kitten was very timid and not socialized well and it actually reminded me of Jude.   The shelter was actually a little leery to let the kitten go initially but since we don't have a dog and no small children, it worked out.  The cat's originally name was Stubby.   Dan changed it to Lucy since she was shy and timid.    We call her Lucy Liu too even though she's not an Asian actress. 

I've included some pictures to show Jinx's demeanor as well as general pics of Lucy too.

The last picture is also to show how chunky Jinx has gotten too. 

Today I did something I've always wanted to do...I bought Halloween decorations for the porch and the front of my house.    I took Jude with me and tried to involve him in the decisions too.     He helped pick out the goodies that will be put into grab bags for the kids that attend my party on November 3.    I'll be sure to add some pictures of the porch and the front of the house when things are done and set-up.    I'm taking it easy money-wise but I'm excited to decorate in the next week or so.    We have plenty of leaves falling too and I'm even getting the decorated bags that hold leaves too.    I went with ghost bags instead of the standard pumpkin bags. 

Pretty simple update this time! 

Concert Anticipation is High

Greetings:

I'm getting pretty excited because in less than 24 hours I will be watching one of my favorite bands perform.    I've always wanted to see Live...live in person and fortunately they reunited last year and decided to tour again.    We are seeing them at the Hard Rock in Sioux City.    Counting Crows is performing too...they should be good as well but I'm not as jazzed about them.    It's been neat to see Bush this year and continue to see bands I enjoyed in the 90s.    Another perk is that 90s bands tend to play smaller venues and typically the tickets are pretty affordable.   We have another concert in October too in Des Moines.   

Work has been going splendidly and I really have no complaints.    I've been able to consistently work ahead and stay ahead of my prep for both ISU and DMACC.    By the end of September I'll have a lot of homework rolling in though and I'll be spending more time grading lesson plans and the such.    One thing that is quite helpful is that I only have one section of my elementary health methods class.   In past years I've had two sections (90-100 students) and due to changes with enrollment, we only need one section now in the fall and spring.   It's nice only having 42 students in that class.   

Swim & Gym started this past week too.   I wasn't watching my enrollment list very well and instead of cutting off registration at 40, I let 52 kids into the program.    It's fine with our gym and outdoor activities.    The pool is rather full.    Being that most kids need to be in the shallow end, things are a bit cramped.   Whoops.   I also had two lifeguards quit the day before we started which sadly isn't unexpected but still irritating.    I had one hire on standby if something like that happened so thankfully he was able to start on Thursday.    I wish students had a clue about professionalism. 

Gavin's doing very well with college and made the comment today about being surprised that it's already week 4 for the semester.   He got a B on his first biology test and a C on his first chemistry test.   He has a lot of homework each day but his plugging through.   He has his first psychology test next week.   He informed me he got to watch a video about a full natural birth recently in that class.    (Developmental Psych)    He said it wasn't as bad as watching the c-section video in high school.   Gross. 

Other random details lately:

• I received my 1/4 beef today and it was oddly satisfying to re-organize my deep freeze and put all that meat in there.    Stewart and Shirley actually drove up to get their beef today and offered to pick up mine too.   No need to drive for hours?   Yes please.    
• Gavin was originally going to drive up with me to get the meat but came over to wait for its delivery so he could carry it into the basement.   He was cool and also cleaned out our gutters.   And thank god he did because they were plum full of leaves and crap.   I also trimmed bushes and low trees and we filled two lawn waste bags.   Boring yes but quite exciting for a homeowner.  
• Dan and I may be joining a year-long study at ISU that gives us free exercise access, free dietician access, and pays too.  We have upcoming appointments to do checks to see if we are eligible (blood pressure, blood work, etc.).    
• I am getting excited for haunted attractions in the next months.   Alissa and I may try to go to Valley Scare in MN and I recently found out about a very scary attraction in Des Moines too.    Ames has its usual Haunted Forest too.    I'm continuing to make plans for my Halloween Party on November 3 too.   I made some hardcopy invites for people at work and for those without Facebook too.   

I guess that's it for now.   Figured it was time for an update.   

Week One--Check

It is a much needed weekend/Saturday as the first week of the school year started off really well.    It's always a little goofy in the fall as ISU starts on Monday and DMACC starts on Thursday.    The elementary education population has shrunk a bit so I only have one section of my health methods for those folks and the coordinator scheduled it for 11am on MWF so most of those days I don't have to be on campus until 10am.    Rest assured I go in around 9am usually but it makes my mornings pretty open.    Due to a colleague being on sabbatical for the fall, I am covering a methods class for elementary PE on MW afternoons.   I've taught it a handful of times before so it's not too much of a handful but we do have a lab with it that brings about 60 home-school kids to campus once a week.    The class was moved a couple years ago to be in the junior or senior year of the students' program so we were confident those that were truly going to make it to student teaching would take the class so I have a nice group of 23 students that I know well due to having them in other coursework. 

On Tuesdays/Thursdays I don't teach until 2pm and it's my methods class for secondary health education.    A local health teacher wanted to work with me and the class so the students had more interaction with actual high school-aged students.   His communication SUCKS though so it's making me a bit nervous about the planning and organization that needs to happen through December.    I actually need to email him after this and professionally nag him about checking his email since he hasn't responded to something I sent about a week ago.    He's actually one of my past students and many of us were not thrilled when he landed this health ed job as he's not doing it justice.    My ulterior motive is to bring better, engaging activities into his health classroom so the students do get some meaningful lessons. 

Swim & Gym will start on September 11 but I did have to review the syllabus component with those taking it a class and I have an orientation meeting for it on September 4 for everyone involved as I still have some people on payroll to help with it.   I've had a lot of new people sign up for it this fall so depending on what I want to do...I may be able to make it a larger program soon and go beyond having 40 kids enrolled. 

At DMACC I'm teaching Sports Diversity and Personal Wellness (high school version) and both are online.     Both classes have an introductory type of assignment to complete as I have to report attendance soon and if someone isn't cutting the mustard and submitting any work, they get yanked from the class.    It's DMACC's way of preventing students from abusing their financial aid. 

Gavin had a good week and I went out to lunch with him on Friday.    He's only nervous about the two labs he has on his schedule (biology and chemistry) as he can tell they require a lot of work from him.   If I remember correctly,  his chemistry TA may not speak English well either.    Our next door neighbor is in charge of the biology labs at ISU and Gavin's already bumped into him too.   Of course in the first week of classes ISU had idiots on campus one night showing "firearms" by the very northside dorms but turns it out was BB guns and an airsoft gun.    It also sounds like Gavin got to experience his first fire alarm in the middle of the night last night too.   He's enjoying his job too.   He mainly works during the slow period in a local dining center.   On one day he makes deli sandwiches per order, one day he makes pizzas and ensures enough are out for students to take if hungry, and on a third day he washes dishes.    It gives him 10 hours of work a week. 

I had hopes to do more today as I want to start attending more ISU volleyball matches but with Dan working, I didn't feel like taking Jude out by myself.    We could have gone to the Farmer's Market too but nah.    There is another volleyball match tonight at 6:30pm that I could try to go to after Dan's home from work.     I slept wrong the other night and have a huge knot in my upper right back/shoulder blade.   Staying home with a heating pad hasn't been too shabby today.   I'm also trying to finish the book "The Sun Also Rises" as my book club discusses it on Tuesday.    It's a very dry book and I'm sorry but Hemingway doesn't do much to capture the reader's attention.    Sounds like most others in the club aren't thrilled with it either.   Our next theme is "back to school" for September and I've nominated "Fahrenheit 451" as the book to read.   Not sure what the other nominations are but the book is supposed to focus on school or relate to a book we read years ago when in school.    Gavin read the book last year and said he really liked it in his AP English class which is why I thought of it.   Plus it's a story that talks about a society getting rid of books so I thought the irony would be cool for a book club. 

Guess that's it for now!    Here is Gavin on his move-in day.    I need to pop in and see what their room looks like now.    I stopped by and gave him a bag of snacks the other day (Funyons, Cheez-Its, etc.) and LeAnn sent him a care package with treats so apparently he is the envy of his friends with his little pantry in his room.   

Vacation Come and Gone---Time to Work Again

Greetings:

My time off has run out and it's back to the grind with full time work.    I've been working part-time in the last weeks as I'm still doing work for the grant at ISU, prepped for this upcoming week's orientation for new grad students, and I'm prepping for my classes that start on August 20 for ISU.    I really haven't done much for my class prep.    I really should start on that.   I'm teaching two DMACC classes too and they start on August 23. 

We were able to jet up to Minneapolis for a quick vacation and it was a combination birthday present for Dan too.   His favorite baseball team (Cleveland Indians) were playing a triple header against the Minnesota Twins.    Thankfully the Indians won 2 out of the 3 games.    I was very pleased with how Jude did with all the walking and the length of the baseball games.   We also worked in a trip to the Minnesota Zoo.  Believe it or not I think initially Dan and I were more excited to go there but it ended up that Gavin and I were more excited to see the animals.    Gavin is enamored with otters.   Ask him about it.   There was a state park with waterfalls that I wanted to go to but we never worked it in so I will try to get back and to go that.    My coworker said she'd go back up with me since she's in Minneapolis a lot to see her family.

I've been trying to do more around the house but still haven't tackled the office yet.   It's still chaos and needs to be organized.   I'm starting at it right now as I write this blog and watch my movie.    By the way I'm watching the movie "Lady Bird" and it's fantastic.    Gavin and I spent part of the day packing him up.    He just needs to pack up his clothes and he's set to move in on Tuesday.   Coincidentally my schedule may allow me to help him move in on Tuesday too as long as we get it done in the morning.    He picked out a new backpack today too and he is set with his new laptop.   Bring on ISU.   

So here's the plan in the next week:

• provide orientation for new grad students
• new orientation features a 'mix and mingle' event which is new and should hopefully make the new students feel more welcome---takes place Thursday afternoon
• work on my syllabi, primarily for ISU
• work with Dan's mom and her husband to taxi Jude back and forth as they are helping to watch Jude since I need to work 
• attend Czech Days on Saturday!

I also set the date for my Halloween party.    It has to be on Saturday, November 3 to work around ISU football but I'm excited to have a shindig for the holiday I love.   We plan to have yummy food,  some fun games, and we want people to dress up.  I plan to have prizes for some costume categories.  Some possible ideas may be:

• scariest costume
• best couples costume
• best school spirit costume

I'll probably have a goody bag for all kids that come to the party too.    I want Halloween to be my annual party to host so let's hope it takes off well this year and continues to be a hit.

I guess that's enough for tonight.    Hopefully I can rave about how well I oriented my new grad students in the next entry.   

Here's a tribute to Gavin's love of otters.  

The Best Week of July

Time for another update as it's 2:09AM and I cannot sleep.  I spent hours working on lesson plans with hopes of getting tired but nope, wide awake.    Probably going to go work on organizing part of the basement after this.    Oddly enough I was exhausted around 2:00pm earlier today and kind of slept then for like an hour so I'm slowly screwing up my sleep schedule.   Go me!

• I'm excited for this week because it's the end of the summer program.    I enjoy it and the such but by week 6-7 I am ready for it to be done.   We have the usual Family Night on Wednesday so I have some preparations to do for that event.    I need to do them today (Monday) and Wednesday because Ames will be a zoo on Tuesday.   Why you ask?   RAGBRAI will take over the city.
• Cory and Katie and their crew are camping in our yard on Tuesday evening and are welcome to use our facilities and showers.    Dan's boss and her fellow bikers aren't camping on our property but we are letting them shower if they want to as well.    It's going to be a little odd as both Dan and I will likely be at work when people actually get to town but I'm making Gavin stay home to be the host so people aren't in the house without anyone present.   I actually just made some signs to post so people use the correct door, bathrooms, etc.  
• I'm oddly excited that Jude is FINALLY going to the dentist on Tuesday too.    He's getting a bit nervous but it's been something I've been pushing Dan about for two years.    The next thing on my list was a well-child check-up but that's actually happening without my nagging.    Jude lost his place in his after school program and is using a new one and they require a physical.   Wahoo!    He has a physical on August 10.   The next thing on my list---he has to get a flu vaccine this year.    After the number of times he got the flu last year, I would hope his mother doesn't fight Dan on this.   
• Gavin finished his thank-yous today.    He's pleased to have that endeavor done but now he needs to start organizing himself for moving into his dorm.    I had mentioned buying his laptop in the last update but I noticed my debit card was never charged.    I contacted the store and was informed I should have gotten an email stating the purchase had to be canceled.    We are buying a laptop through the bookstore at the university and the model of laptop we bought was no longer going to be bought under contract by ISU.     Thankfully they just bought a contract to similar (better) model of laptop of the same brand so we bought that instead.    It was slightly cheaper too.    I'm just irritated because I never got the so-called email that was to notify me the sale couldn't happen anymore.     
• Dan and I spent time today organizing our furnace room and added another shelf and it is the last shelf we needed to organize our extra food and extra appliances for the kitchen.    The room looks a lot better and bigger now too.    We also got a lot off the floor too in case we would ever get water but I hope that never happens.    
• I am grateful for this extra job in terms of the extra money (not that I've seen any of it yet) but I am very sick of being on a computer so much as well as writing lesson plans.   I am actually having to wear my glasses more often because my eyes dry out too much with contacts when I stare at the computer so much.   Sad but true.  I'm going to have to bring my computer and do work on our vacation which is sad and I have to participate in some webinar meetings too.    Our hotel has a business center so I'm hoping I can bop into their to have those meetings and not have them in our room as I doubt the others can be quiet.    The last time I tried having a meeting at home I had a loud meowing cat and a 9-year-old asking about yogurt a lot.   

Computer battery is almost dead so update is done for now.   Here is a picture of our damn cute cat.  

Hello July

Time for another update.   It's been busy since the last update but there have been lulls so that's nice, especially on weekends.

• We had Gavin's graduation shindig in Waukon in June and I have to say it went quite well.   He was surprised with how tiring it was but we had a good turn out.   It was nice to not have a plethora of food left over.   I did have a ton of paper plates, cups, etc. left over but we'll make good use of them.    I'm thankful for all the help we had and it was a much better idea to have it in Waukon and not Ankeny.  
• I taught a class for 5-6th graders at the end of June and it went fairly well.   The students were talented and gifted so I was a bit nervous but I simply tweaked some of my college content and activities and they thrived.     The maturity of some of those students was concerning for them being so bright and smart.    Still waiting for my paycheck but should be getting it at the end of July.   I actually had a couple of the kids in my after school program a few years ago.  
• The summer camp is going well and we are entering the last three weeks.    I am happy with 75% of my employees.     A couple need to be fired but I cannot get rid of any life guards so my ratios are OK and another culprit is a grad student.    I did have to dismiss a child from the program due to his anger issues.    I hope that's the only dismissal so far.
• A group of people are starting a book club in Ames so I'm excited to join it.   It's supposed to be a variety of genres as well as a social mixer type of thing.    The leader for the endeavor says about 25 people are showing interest so far.    
• It sounds like our vacation plans will take us to Minneapolis at the end of July and early August.    The Cleveland Indians are playing the Minnesota Twins (Dan), there is a good zoo (all of us), and maybe a trip to ValleyFair (all of us).   It's close to Dan's birthday hence an activity focused on him.    He's still trying to get days off work though which is proving to be difficult thanks to his work environment.    He's the first to help people and work for others yet no one steps up to help him.    He needs a new job.
• We attended a concert recently and I was finally able to see Bush and Gavin Rossdale in the flesh.   It was actually a great concert and paying a bit more for good seats was wise.   Our next concert is July 29 (Shinedown and Godsmack).  
• I’m procrastinating at home and still don’t have my office in order as well as storage in the basement.   The “man cave” is also in shambles but that’s Dan’s job to fix.  I need to have my tasks done before ISU starts.   
• We had a meeting this weekend in regards to Dan’s troubled 15 year old.  We are taking a step back from things.  He’s going to Newton after treatment and not staying in Ames.  He won’t agree to our terms and conditions so his mom can deal with him.  She keeps sabotaging things away so she can deal with the consequences too.  Case and point, he’s not to be using the internet (says his therapist) yet when he’s on pass with her, he’s on the Internet all day.   We would uphold that rule and be the bad guys.  We can’t win so we are bowing out.   She can fix the mess she keeps contributing toward yet isn’t taking responsibility for at the same time.   You can’t be your kid's friend.  You need to be their parent.  
• Gavin had his orientation for ISU and was guided thanks to LeAnn.  I was able to pop in at times but I had conflicts due to the 5-6th grader class and my summer camp program too.  We’ve picked out a meal plan and he’s done his financial aid counseling.  I finally purchased his graduation present too.  His new laptop will be arriving in a week.  We are going to start searching for his textbooks online too so we can find deals and avoid the bookstore prices.  We got his dorm situation worked out too and he’s living with his friend fromAnkeny in the Birch dorm.  I’ll share his address in the future if people want to pepper him with mail in the future.  His ISU email is gfsmith@iastate.edu

That’s enough for now! 

It's Been a Busy Month

Whoops I let May fly by me without blogging very much.   It was a very busy, hectic month but it went very well.  

• We had our housewarming party in May.    Sadly it rained so my plan to have people in the backyard did not happen and we had a lot of people in the house mingling.   It did get warm and stuffy and I felt like I was constantly rushing everywhere but it was a good time.   I was grateful my family could come and help with things.    We didn't think things through with Dan's work schedule so Mom and Dad ran the grill thankfully.     A lot of people were able to see the house finally so it was like 40 birds with one stone. 
• I said good-bye to the apartment in Ankeny and Gavin moved into his basement bedroom on May 23rd.   I had to go back on May 24th to empty the refrigerator and clean it because I didn't have a good way to transport the food to Ames on the 23rd.    Thankfully since we are clean people it didn't take much to clean the apartment so I anticipate getting a lot of our deposit back so I can put that into savings.    
• Gavin graduated from high school on May 29 and we had a good crowd in attendance at Hilton Coliseum.   I was disappointed his picture wasn't included in a presentation at the beginning of the ceremony and now that I think about it, I've never gotten an answer as to why that happened.   We have his actual party this upcoming weekend and I still need to do some purchasing and packing for the event before Gavin and I depart on Thursday night.  
• Dan and I have found a decent babysitter for Jude (we hope) and she will be watching Jude on Friday since Gavin and I are out of town.    Dan has to work most of the day and then take Jude to his Mom that evening.     The same babysitter will be helping with Jude the weeks of June 18 and June 25 since I have some extra teaching duties for ISU in the mornings.    We will have other periodic days too that we need help too so it's nice to have someone in Ames we can count on.   And yes Gavin helps with Jude too but he has a life of his own and we don't want to always depend on him.   Plus after June 18-19, he will be getting another job.  
• We've continued to work on the house quite a bit.   After officially moving out of the apartment, we added many more  boxes to the furnace room in the basement so Dan and I bought more shelving units to store extra food and extra appliances that don't get used too often.    I'm also re-boxing some kitchen items that Gavin may want/need some day when he has his own apartment.    I still have a lot of organizing to do in that room.    We spent a lot of time last Sunday organizing Gavin's bedroom as he was dragging his feet with unpacking boxes but he got it done.     I also got our laundry room and cleaning supplies unpacked and organized too.    Next is my office area....ugh.   Dan and I need to open all the windows in the house and vacuum out the window sills still as most have a lot of dead bugs in them.   
• Summer Youth Fitness started this week and it started off well.    We are low on kids compared to past years but I have a great group of staff.   I may have more kids join late.    It's one of those jobs where I kind of run around like a crazy lady all afternoon but I enjoy it.   

I'll have more to report on after this weekend when we see a bunch of family and part for Gavin's accomplishments.    It's been nice to have him in Ames now.    He does travel down to Ankeny a lot to see his friends though so I don't see him as much as people think.    

Almost to the Finish Line

I didn't grade much today but my brain needed the break.    Starting this week and through the rest of the summer I am only supposed to work 20 hours a week but I can tell this week will easily be 40+ with the remaining grading I have plus I need to do some work with the summer program for kids.    The good news is DMACC grading is done.    I have one more class to completing grading for and I'll be done.    Only 50 more items to review. 

It was nice to just be at home and do some odds and ends.    I had Jude all weekend as Dan worked and we spent some good time together.    He had never seen the "Wizard of Oz" or "The Sandlot" so we watched those while graded.   We also watched "Cheaper by the Dozen" and "Cheaper by the Dozen 2" too.    I spent time cleaning up our kitchen and dining room as it became a "catch-all" for a lot of papers and mail.    We went to Ankeny today and I brought more from the apartment so all my cleaning went to hell as now I have boxes in the kitchen sitting around.     I have a lot of work to do with figuring out how to best organize the kitchen and deciding what needs to get stored in the basement.   

Dan and I got some black-out curtains for the two upstairs bedrooms.    They aren't to truly black-out light but to keep the sun out at the end of the day.    Both bedrooms have windows that face the west and when the sun is setting, it bakes the rooms.    It's already been quite warm.    We are hoping the new curtains keep the rays out and help us better control the temperature.    I am getting a little excited as we'll need to mow the lawn for the first time soon.    We'll likely only need to mow the front and side as our backyard grass doesn't grow much.    Mowing is supposedly Dan's job.   We'll see how often he does it with his work schedule.     He barely has any time off in May.    It's ridiculous but he also chose to pick up extra shifts on his days off.   

When I wasn't watching child-friendly movies with Jude, I watched "Vanilla Sky" with Tom Cruise.   I've tried to watch it in the past (usually edited on cable) and never fully understood the story line.    I watched it start to finish yesterday and was actually impressed by the story line.    I usually don't like movies with 'Tom Cruise but I give this one two thumbs.    I need to make myself sit down and watch "Inception" too as that movie confuses me.   I've never been able to sit down and watch it fully. 

I guess I didn't have anything earth-shattering to blog about but I cannot sleep and didn't want to grade anything. 

Channeling my Inner Fred

I am so happy we are having normal spring weather this weekend.   I spent a lot of time outside today to prep the yard in general but also for the upcoming grill-out on May 19.    I raked the backyard and the north side of the house primarily.  (Hence the channeling of my Dad.)    I still have more work to do in the front of the house to clean up the landscaping.    In total, 14 of the tall paper yard waste bags have been filled.    Gavin was cool and came up too and cleaned out all of the gutters.    He also helped with some of the yard work and he and I did some work behind the garage.    Past owners seemed to just throw things behind the garage and I'm trying to tidy it up.    There is a big pile of brush and branches, broken cinder blocks, pieces of old cement, and lots of leaves.    He and I handled some of the branches and raked up a bunch of leaves today.     He also dug out some erosion areas too so the gate to the fence by the garage now opens and shuts properly.    I want to make sure it worked well so if/when we get a dog, I can prove I have a secure backyard to a rescue society.   

It seems silly but I am incredibly sore from the yard work.    My legs are aching tonight.    Makes me feel old.    The yard work did lead to a little spat with Dan and he never came out to help me.    Toward the end of the evening I started hinting I could use help and he still didn't come to help me.    Now yes, it was my choice to spend a lot of time cleaning up the yard but it was something that needed to be done.   Past owners have not cleaned up leaves as they should have and I wanted to give our grass and other vegetation a better chance of thriving this summer.    He said he was on board for doing the mowing when it comes to yard work but it seems like this other work isn't appealing.    He just earned the opportunity to help me further behind the garage with clean up.    Ha. 

We dog-sat this weekend for Dan's Mom and her husband.    Despite their issues, they took a trip to Eastern Iowa so there dog Charlie stayed here Thursday night until Saturday night.   He's an easy dog.    He's pretty old so he basically laid around.    The cat was not happy at all to have another animal in the house.    She has a right to be uncomfortable due to the nature of the dogs at her past residence.   It still bums me out she was so pissy about it because introducing a corgi to the house may be difficult in the future. 

Dan's friend was able to come over and do more work with the house today too.    My closet is finished!    Well finished in the sense of carpentry.    He put up a bar so I can hang my clothes and did it in a thoughtful manner so the slanted ceiling won't be too stressed with the weight of my clothes.    I still need to get some shelving for the closet but it helped me better organize the bedroom.   All my clothes are now in the closet or in my dresser.    It looks much more tidy.    I also put away all my winter clothes and pulled out my summer clothes too.     I have a pile of things to donate and a pile of things to take to the local consignment store.   

I plan to spend tomorrow (Sunday) with a multitude of grading tasks.    I have 86 binders to grade for my health classes at ISU.    I also need to do about 55 rubrics for teaching assignments too.    I extended a deadline for PE unit plans so those will start to trickle in but I won't touch them until later next week.     I'm actually up to date with my DMACC grading...one class has to turn in a Diversity Handbook they create for a mock sport association but I only have like 10 students so those won't be too time intensive.    Needless to say, lots to do.   

The end of this semester is a little different as I am one of the department marshalls for graduation.    All faculty go through a rotation for helping with graduation.    I am borrowing a gown from the department (never got one since I didn't attend my graduate ceremony).    It is pretty old but looks pretty nifty.   I need to add some clasps to it because it doesn't stay shut.    I have an old cap to wear too (from department) but am curious to see if I can find a better tassel to wear with it. 

I am excited for the upcoming grill out at the house.     I am slowing buying things for it.    We bought the hamburger for it today.     I am buying things for Gavin's graduation party too.    On a psychological level, it's less of a blow to spread out the costs rather than buying everything all at once. 

I've also indulged in my guilty pleasure of attending concerts recently too.    Dan and I are seeing Everclear again in June.    We are also seeing Bush early in July.    Gavin, Dan, and I are seeing Godsmack and Shinedown at the end of July.    Thankfully the venues in Iowa are keeping the ticket prices affordable.   

Guess that's enough of an update for now.   

Making a House a Home

Greetings:

Overdue for an update so here are some recent events in no particular order:

• We hosted an Easter lunch at the house and it went very well.    The secret to things working smoothly?   Doing must of my food prep the night before.   I made the mashed potatoes and reheated them by baking them in the oven in the morning.    Made the Oreo dessert and lemon bars the night before.   Also made a double batch of pasta salad.    I had attending people bring sides and it really made the meal complete.   Baked the ham for 1.5 hours in the oven and let it hang out in the CrockPot prior to eating.    Mary gave us an eight foot table to have which gave us extra seating.   Shirley and Stewart brought their folding table and chairs too.   It was pretty easy to convert the living room into a dining room.  

• It's been a hectic few weeks since traveling for work.    I still have plenty of grading to do this weekend.   I also had my health fair event at a local elementary school on March 28th.   It went very well though but it always feels so stressful the day before and the day of the event.    I also volunteered some time the first week of April for a local youth event that reaches all seventh graders in the three local counties.    I worked in the tobacco room again so kids could learn about the risks and see cadaver lungs of healthy versus smoking people.    On the second day I led a Jeopardy game about the use of social media.   Each year I'm like "ugh, why did I agree to volunteer when I could be grading" but after I put in the time I'm glad I did so.   

• On Friday (yesterday) I hired professional movers to take several things from Ankeny and bring them to the house in Ames.    They moved my treadmill (now in basement), loveseat (in living room), my table/desk (in basement-storage), the king bed (in master bedroom), my recliner (front porch), and my dresser (Gavin's room).    I don't know where my loveseat will end up as it cannot stay in my living room and I don't know what we'll do with the recliner.    I may put my loveseat on the front porch as ghetto as that sounds as it would be nice to sit out there in the summer and read.    

• Before the movers arrived, Dan and I spent about two hours at the apartment and packed up my SUV and his truck.   My bedroom and closet are now empty.   We also packed up my "office" too.   I cannot hang up my clothes yet at the house because we need to install closet rods in my walk-in closet.   It should be done this week.   Other upcoming tasks for the house:
• trees trimmed later in April if we ever actually have spring weather
• organize office area, it's boxes and chaos
• organize "man cave"---Dan's job 
• get split box spring for Gavin's room 
• get quote for adding gravel to our driveway 
• get a grill 

• We set a date for a "Wahoo we don't live in Ankeny and Newton" party in May.   We'll host the event on May 19th.    I ordered some invites for it.    Excited to show off the house and by that point it should be put together fairly nicely.    We are going to grill burgers and hot dogs and provide some sides.  I also placed an order today for Gavin's graduation party announcements.

Guess that's enough of an update for now!    Time to do some grading.  Here are some pictures from the Easter lunch as my offspring passed out right after eating.    He cozied up with the stuffed bunny Jude received  from his grandma.  

    

Back to Iowa

Greetings:

I've traveled to Nashville, been professionally developed, and am back in Iowa again.   I admit before leaving I was no longer thrilled with the notion of leaving town with all the house stuff taking place.   I stuck with my plans though and took off a few days early with a colleague that works in Des Moines in the area of public health.   We left on Saturday morning but took off later than planned due to the weather and road conditions.   We drove to Tennessee which took about 11 or so hours.    She travels the way I do and we barely made any stops.   Our first planned stop was at a state park called the "Land Between the Lakes" and it was pretty cool.   We also stopped at Clarksville to their original train station.   That was more of a stop for her as she thought it was cool to see a location related to the Monkees song "Last Train from Clarksville". 

We stayed at a hotel in the college area of Nashville and just settled in the first night.    A Chili's was across the street so we didn't try to find any local, unique eateries.    She got a really nice hotel room that basically served as an apartment.   It had a full kitchen.    Considering I was "tagging along" I volunteered and slept on the sleeper sofa.   The next day (Sunday), we went to Lynchburg TN to see the Jack Daniel's Distillery.   I don't like that kind of alcohol but it was actually a really good tour.   The place has really neat history in relation to the start of creating whiskey, Prohibition, and how the production enlarged to meet the world's needs.    The tour ended with a tasting of five types of their whiskey.   We did some tourist shopping after that and went back to Nashville.    We purposely took back roads to avoid the  heavy traffic and drove by a new development with houses starting at 500K.   And they were having open houses.   Jess decided we should stop and look at one.    It was a very awkward walk through the house but was neat to see what 750K would buy down there.   (FYI, they don't build many houses with basements.   I think that's weird because they do get tornadoes.)    I'm pretty sure the realtor thought we were lesbians or something. 

We went to a local place for supper called BrickTops because we thought it was casual.  It was not.    But it was a really good meal.    I was able to get deviled eggs for an appetizer with "millionaire bacon".   It is the best bacon I've ever had as it goes through stages of being cooked, coated with brown sugar, cooked, brown sugar, etc.    After a heavy appetizer I got a basic salad but we ended up sharing an ice cream sundae.   

On Monday we went to the city's wax museum.   It had a heavy focus on country music (of course) but it was cool.    It was also a bit creepy at times too.   It included some cool historical artists too.    We went back into Nashville  afterwards and found the American Pickers location in the city.   The TV show is quite deceiving.    It made it sound like they bought an entire old factory but the old building is actually a fancy strip mall and the Antique Archeology is just one of the stores.   It had a lot of artifacts they've picked on the show and the usual magnets, t-shirts, etc.    We decided to head back to hotel as we both needed to do some work and some pre-conference stuff.   

Tuesday was the first official day of the conference.   It was the  SHAPE annual conference.   (Society of Health and Physical Educators).    The highlight seminars for me were related to me teaching pre-service how to teach health.    I also went to some cricket activities as they are trying to bring that sport into the USA.    Jess is originally from England so she's a big cricket fan.   The lead speaker for the day was a educator from the Bronx that helped solve a food dessert issue in the area by having kids plant gardens for the school and community.    He did well to outline what needs to be fixed in society and how teachers fit into that picture.    Wednesday was another day of seminars too and then I made my way to the airport to fly back to Iowa. 

The flight out of Nashville was a bit stressful because we left late.  It wasn't a big deal for me because I ensured I had a decent layover at the next location but a lot of people were panicking as they were going to miss connecting flights.    The flight was fully booked too and they started making announcements early that not all carry-on luggage would fit on the plane.   They were encouraging people to check bags (free of charge) so I decided to volunteer my roller bag.    Very few were willing to do so and by the time they were boarding the last two zones on the plane, they announced that all remaining bags had to be checked so people were pissed off.    I got to Atlanta though (only took 20 minutes).   It was an odd flight pattern---Nashville to Atlanta to Des Moines but it was a cheap flight.   The flight to Des Moines was also fully booked which many people said was odd for a such a late flight at night on a Wednesday.    I got into Des Moines at 11pm and Dan picked me up.   We were up late though because I had to stop at my apartment in Ankeny to get my vehicle and when we got to Ames I needed to stay up to eat.   I was starving.   

I was back to work on Thursday and the rest of the week ended well.   The conference itself wasn't as good as past conferences unfortunately but I did learn some new things.   I saw/met more people from Iowa than I expected too.   The venue for the conference was too big in a sense with how spread out things were but I guess too big rather than too small.   The venue didn't have options for food and lunch either.   There were a lot of hungry health and PE teachers walking around.    The location for the conference next year is Miami!    Doubtful I'll go, but it's under consideration. 

I'll be spending this weekend grading a lot.   I have about 400 assignments to grade for ISU alone.   Weee! 

Here are some pics from my adventures in the South:

926 Grand Avenue---Time for an Update

I am blogging from a couch in my house!   Mind you the living room is in disarray but nevertheless, I'm watching TV and relaxing. 

We moved Dan into the house on March 3-4 and it was a lot of hard work but the process went well.    He wasn't as prepared as I wanted him to be and he did have to scramble a bit before we showed up to start moving things.    I bit my tongue because I had warned him for weeks/months to start packing and cleaning.   On Saturday we used our own vehicles.    Gavin had a friend join us and was able to borrow a different friend's truck.   Gavin and his buddy were essential with how much they lifted and moved.    We did have a "keys locked in a truck" situation but worked through it. 

On Sunday it was primarily Dan and I and we had a box truck rented from my realty company.    We emptied the rest of his apartment.    We still had 1/3 of the truck to fill so we went to my place next in Ankeny and filled it all the way.    I was able to pull a lot from my storage unit and we put some shelf units in the truck too.    I had a decent amount of boxes packed too that got loaded.     During the late afternoon and into the evening we unloaded the box truck in Ames.   We had some people visit the house too (Dan's Mom and her husband, and Shirley & Stewart).    Shirley was cool and helped unload the truck for a bit.    Stewart kind of nit-picked the house and it's apparent he doesn't like my choice of a home.   Oh well, it's my house and not his.    Dan's friend (and past roommate) did a lot of repair in the house too over that weekend.   We needed a basement step fixed as well as a piece of furniture that was damaged in the move.   He also did some stabilization of our stairs that lead to the 2nd floor.   He's coming again on March 17-18 to do some more tasks in the house like putting our TVs up on the walls and putting a rod up in my closet so I can hang clothes. 

Over the past weeks we've unpacked and cleaned a lot in the house.    Here are the major accomplishments:

• Deep freeze was delivered and is running nicely in the basement...with nothing in it
• Mediacom came and at first had issues with setting up our cable and Internet; the contractor came 12 hours later with a Plan B and it worked out!   Cable and Internet in the house!
• had a locksmith company come to the house and we have logical locks now---previous owners had different keys for the front versus the back.   
• I bought shelves for the pantry and for storage in the basement---put them together and organized both areas.    The kitchen overall is done and just needs my items added to it in May.
• I somewhat organized Jude's room as his items were packed by what seemed like a drunk person.   I went through all his clothes to create a donation pile, consignment pile, current use pile, and future use pile.  
• Gavin and friends have been able to take unneeded items (usually in bad shape) and empty cardboard boxes to a pal's place outside Ankeny to be burned---very handy as we don't have a lot of space for garbage to be laying around.  
• Dan hooked up his washer and dryer and I've used them quite a bit.   It's weird how you get used to a certain type of appliances.    I don't mind his but they aren't as great as the ones in my apartment.   
• Dan's ex gave him his cat back earlier than we expected.    Jinx is now a fixture in our house and he's been an easy pet.   Apparently she's acting a lot different (in a good way) as it was customary for her to hide a lot and avoid people.   She's like attached to me if I'm home and is very social now.    I think she's comfortable not having a house full of animals.    
• I repaired the ceiling in Dan's closet and he was able to hang his clothes tonight and get more stuff put away.     
• I bought a new vacuum and it's been glorious cleaning up parts of the house.    I am anxious to clean the windows and window sills and the vacuum will be very handy.   It is a Hoover vacuum and it has pet features.   (Yes because of the cat but also because of a future Corgi.) 
• The last task we've done was in the 2nd floor bathroom as shower curtains are finally hung and the room can be used now.    We had only been using the first floor shower and Dan would prefer to be using the 2nd floor shower.    Eventually the basement shower/bathroom will be my bathroom.   

Upcoming duties and tasks are:

• Buy a new furnace filter
• Need another shelf in the pantry and another set in the basement
• Need to buy a split box spring for Gavin's room 
• Update driver's license

On top of all this change, I scheduled a conference next week so I'll be leaving Iowa to visit Nashville, TN.   The annual SHAPE conference is taking place at that location.    (Society of Health and Physical Educators)    A past student and now professional colleague is going as well as we are driving together on Saturday.    She plans to stay through the next Saturday and I will be coming back to Iowa on Wednesday.    I get to fly back.    Sigh.    I have to be thoughtful about how I pack to get there, what I buy there, and how to get it all back when I fly back to Iowa.   

I guess that's enough of an update.    And yes, Jinx runs around like a psycho in the middle of the night.    I'm usually up anyway so she has an audience. 

T-Minus 3 Days

It's a start to a big week!  On Tuesday morning, we have our final walk through of the house to ensure it is in the same state it was presented when I first made my offer on the place.    There have been repair people in the house so I'm hoping the floors still look decent.    Last Tuesday, the sewer was officially fixed so when we walk through in a couple days I plan on flushing toilets and having faucets run while we are there.    I know the sewer is fine now but it will still give me piece of mind.   It ended up costing the seller closer to 16K to fix the sewer.

The roof on the garage was completed on Thursday.    It too ended up being a bit more expensive for the seller but oh well.    The next part with the garage would be to add a garage door opener.    That will be Dan's task and Dan's bill though.  

On Wednesday at 3:30pm, I have my closing meeting with the bank to get possession of the house.    I also get to write them a large check for my down payment.  The meeting ends with me getting the abstract for the house and the keys.     I'll be getting a safety deposit box at the bank for the abstract.   If you lose it or it is destroyed it costs thousands to get it replaced.     We are also planning to get house re-keyed, new locks.    I'll probably do that during Spring Break.    I'm not super worried since the seller moved out a long time ago. 

Speaking of the seller....I got more of the story of why the house was vacant for so long.    Apparently the seller (in Australia) bought the house for their child that was supposed to attend ISU.    They tried attending but didn't even make it a full semester.    They left and went back to Australia.    So the house is in great shape because it was barely lived in even with this seller.    I'm still confused as to why such a big house was purchased for one person.  

On Saturday we'll start the move of Dan from Newton to Ames.    We are handling it with our own vehicles on Saturday and we'll have a box truck on Sunday.   Thankfully we have the box truck Sunday as it will likely rain all day.    He may be fully out of the apartment by Sunday and he'll have a couple weeks to clean well.    He is away behind in packing.   I told him that we are not coming on Saturday to pack for him.    He needs to be ready for us to put things on trucks.   

On March 9th, Dan has the day off from work so he'll be at the house all day.   He is having his Mediacom cable set-up that day and we are having our deep freeze delivered that day from Lowes.   Depending on cost and time, we may have a locksmith come that day too for changing the locks on the house.    I bought a deep freeze the other day as it was one of the "big" things I wanted to get for the house and get into our basement soon.    

I may move some things this weekend too but it won't be anything major since Gavin and I will still live here into May.    I may have some bookcases get loaded and things like that.    

Next "big" thing to do is get some quotes for tree trimming.    

That's the update!

Moving Closer to a Closing Date

Greetings:

I received confirmation that my mortgage has moved to the closing process.    I have officially done all the "homework" I needed to make the bank and underwriter happy.    Closing date is still set for February 28th. 

I found out that Roto Rooter is starting work tomorrow (Feb 13) on redoing the sewer line.     The garage roof will be done this week too but likely later in the week as it should be in the upper 30s or lower 40s so the snow should melt off said roof.    Either way, both processes need to be done by Feb 21. 

I'm not quite sure when I need to officially pay the down payment.   The money is sitting in my new Wells Fargo account.   State Farm still needs to come in and look at my fire place too.   Dan hasn't given his landlord notice yet either but can at any time.    I set the date for the electric, water, sewer to be put in my name for the residence.    We will put the gas in Dan's name because he's using the same company in Newton and just needs to change the addresses.    He's looking into options with his cable and Internet.    If there isn't a fee to just cancel the cable, we are going to do that.   But if there is a fee to cancel the cable early, we'll keep it for a bit.    Have to have Internet though.   

We have also picked a local garbage company too.    I feel like such an adult organizing all these utility services.    I'm used to them all being included with rent.   

Work is going quite well for both institutions.   I have 90 students turning in an assignment this Friday though so I'll start having digital piles of grading to deal with.   I'm also working extra hours for DMACC this month because our coaching classes weren't properly staffed.    I'm not thrilled to be working almost every weekend but hey, it's money. 

I have been working out almost every M, W, and F with the Exercise Clinic at work (ISU).    I am very pleased with my progress with weight lifting.    I'm making great gains with my upper body but do need to do more cardio.   I do end up working out on some Tuesdays and Thursdays too because of the class I teach for future PE teachers.    I've been making them try different group fitness classes.    I see the upcoming move as a workout too as there will be lots of loading/unloading vehicles and using stairs at the new house.    Functional fitness!   I'm more excited about it than Dan. 

Very excited to see some family this weekend and have some fun!

The Sewer on Grand Avenue....Not so Grand

Ah yes, much has transpired since my last blog entry about becoming a homeowner.     Had I written this a couple days ago, I would have been in more of a panic.   Alas, things are going in my favor so I'm feeling pretty good about the house.  

So on Friday last week, my agent sent a document to the seller's agent specifying we wanted the garage roof inspected as well as the sewer line scoped.     They had three days to say yes, no, or negotiate.   By day 4, my agent had to pester them a bit for an answer.   They agreed to have a construction company come to look at the roof and have Roto Rooter scope the sewer line.     The construction company checked and did a quote for the garage roof.    I was expecting to just do a quote for patching the hole but turns out the whole roof should be redone.    They will do so by the end of February.    $1600 covered by the seller.    

Onto the sewer....we didn't get an immediate answer about it.     My agent decided to contact Roto Rooter and thankfully the secretary was forthcoming about the news.    Sewer line = yikes.   We new about this for a period of time and the seller did not know we were aware of the news.    Finally on Wednesday night, the seller's agent communicated the news and told my agent they would be covering the full cost of replacement which is at least $14,200.  We are still rather shocked they didn't do something different but grateful for their decision.    We thought one of the following was going to happen:

1)  they try to negotiate and get me to pay part of the bill "if you want the house so bad, pay for half of the new sewer"

2) they could have pulled the house off the market, fixed the sewer, and put it back on the market for a higher price.    They may have offered to me first but it would have likely been out of my price range by that point.   

The bank ordered the appraisal of the house/property today.   I guess that happens in a two week time frame.  The new garage roof and sewer line are to be completed by February 21, a week before my closing date.   It's supposed to give me time to go and inspect the work to be sure I'm happy with it.    

My agent informs me that it is now the lull in the process because everything that needs to be done is not in my power.  I really won't be busy with things and meetings again until the end of February.  

Regardless of the recent drama, we are still on track for a February 28 closing date.    Dan hasn't informed his landlord yet about moving by the end of March but can likely do so soon.   

I am more than ready for my excursion to Osceola to take in The Thunder from Down Under.    Bronzed men dancing and alcohol.    Yes please.    

That's all with my update for now!

Maybe a Homeowner?

I believe this blog entry will only focus on my potential future home.    Lots has been happening lately so I figured I'd give an update.

My realtor sent a document to the seller's agent on Friday that lists things we want fixed before I would take possession.    We were asked to keep in mind the house is older so some of the things we aren't thrilled with can't necessary make the list.    An example is the windows.     A couple locks are broken and a couple panes of glass are broken.    The windows were likely that way for the current owner. 

We have two items on the "need to fix" list.    The first is a small hole in the garage roof.    They've been told to have a contractor come and look at the roof and apply the repair at their cost.     The second request is for a company to come and scope/video the sewer line from the house.    A) We want to see the tree root situation.   B) We want to see what kind of tile is associated with the sewer line.    Older homes sometimes use a tile made from Orange Burg (spelling?) and it turns into swiss cheese over time, especially with tree roots factored in.    It makes sewer lines collapse.   The good news is that with research, we are finding out that type of tile wasn't commonly used in older homes in Ames.   But there have been some occurrences in the community.    It seems to be more popular in older homes in Des Moines.    If we don't like what we see with the sewer line I would likely pull out of the deal unless the seller fixes the situation. 

We'll see how the seller and their agent react.   They can agree, negotiate, or say no.   My realtor thinks they'll agree because the list is so short and simple.    Plus the seller lives in Australia and likely wants this house sold and done with.    My realtor says he's used to having at least 10 items on the "fix it" list and sometimes up to 30. 

The inspection went very well.     He did put the concern in our head in terms of the sewer line but that's just a precaution type of check.    Radon testing gave an appropriate level.    My main concern was the attic and moisture in the ceilings upstairs.    Everything is dry--whew.   The inspector was pleased with the house.    He was very happy with the grading outside of the house that is causing water to move away from the house nicely, hence a dry basement.    In terms of his report and our own observations, here is our list of things that would need to be done with the house in no particular order:

1) gutters need to be cleaned on both the house and garage
2) add window wells to some basement windows to maintain the grade away from the house
3) trim tree limbs as many are hanging over the house
4) likely take down a tree east of the garage as it's too close to the structure and if it falls....good-bye garage
5) seal a couple of sets of windows upstairs as they are carriage windows and are very drafty

The main priority if I get the house would be the gutters and the trees.

In terms of things that need to be done and added as we move in would be:

1) buy a chest freezer for the basement
2) get shelving for a closet in our kitchen/dining room as it would need to be a pantry
3) figure out what we can move ourselves and what we'll actually need movers for (I'm not hurting my back)

It will feel weird to start making decisions about utilities too as I need to figure out what garbage company to use, Internet company, etc.    We are only going to use Netflix for awhile and not get cable or satellite.   And if Dan wants something more than Netflix he's going to handle it and pay for it.    I can't really switch over utilities but will have utilities on at both my apartment and the house for a couple months.    If we get the house, Dan would officially be living in it come April.   We'd use March to move him and move some of my stuff.    I'd continue to stay in Ankeny and slowly move more and more stuff to Ames in April.    Having Dan officially move in the house in April allows me to pay rent in Ankeny and pay a mortgage starting in April too. 

I had free time last night and took my "first time homeowner" course offered through Wells Fargo.    I paid $75 but it gives me $750 toward the homeowner process.    The money can go towards closing costs or my escrow fund.    Easy class and learned a lot from it.    Easily earned my A. 

After we get an answer on Monday about our requests for repairs, we can let the bank know we want the house to be appraised.    We've been holding off until we knew what we wanted the seller to fix and wanted to see their attitude toward fixing those items.   Tuesday is the deadline for ordering the appraisal for the timeline associated with my mortgage process.   Times a ticking.   We need to see if the house appraises for at least the amount I'm offering the seller. 

I decided to make it more public that I am trying to move to Ames so I shared a post from Facebook that my realtor posted on his business area on Facebook. 




Last but not least here are some of my pipe dreams if I do get this house and want to make changes to it in the distant future when the Money Fairy leaves me money to use for home improvement:

1) enlarge the 2nd floor bathroom and put in a modern shower/tub
2) put laundry in the area that is the 1st floor bathroom and not have a shower in that spot
3) connect the back of the house to the garage (breeze way idea)
4) before the breeze way addition, add a gate so the backyard can be completely closed off for a dog
5) the area in the back of the house has red brick for walkways...make the gravel driveway brick to match.   Add more brick to back yard for a flat area for a grill/patio


That's enough for now!   Fingers crossed for good news this week!