We’re Moving. Hopefully Soon.
Do you want to talk about ugly dropped ceilings? Soffits? My overgrown garden and yard? How to fix up a house and sell it? How to make an offer on a new house, way across town, even when you haven’t sold the old house yet? Oh, let’s talk about that here and now. (For the rest, head over to my new post on Grasshopper, “Where You See Corn, Your Realtor Will See Weeds.”)
We put a contingent offer on a house today. A big house, a fancy house that is way across town where I have never lived before. It has woods and greenspaces nearby, and is 10 minutes from my husband’s work.
Ten minutes. It takes him an hour and a half sometimes to get home now. (Usually it’s a mere 45 minutes.) (I count the minutes.) (The kids count the minutes, and fall apart.) (Usually because I’m attempting to make dinner and be a good little homemaker, to make his commute worth his while.) (I should make him martinis, don’t you agree?)
Ten minutes away? We could have nooners.
That is, f we weren’t too busy unpacking all 847 boxes of our junk.
We could have a nooner right now (it’s 2:10 p.m., but whatever) if we weren’t shell-shocked by the four-page list our realtor laid on us of everything we need to do. It includes, but is certainly not limited to:
* Ripping out the carpet in our room, Wacky Boy’s room, the stairs and the hallway.
* Cleaning. “Sparkly clean! Really, really sparkly clean!” (Will ponder this.)
* Clean up garden, tear down cornstalks, prune, weed, edge.
* Put up “light, airy” curtains and valances.
* Relocate the neighbor and her appliances which she is fond of leaving in her driveway.
* Relocate the cats because They Stink.
* “Sparkly clean!” This means you, windows.
* Re-do grout on sinks and shower.
* Buy a new doormat.
* Buy a new door.
* Install the new door. (Hockey God hates hanging doors. Hockey God just checked with the neighbor, who is a whiz at installing doors. Neighbor will install door.)
Gotta motor, more later…
Love,
Miss Sparkly Clean
, 
.
WM – You’ll be close to Mrs. Planet Nomad–how exciting!
It’s good for the whole family to give HG a ten minute commute. The schools in B’ton are reputed to be good. And I think you’ll find like-minded friends in the burbs–they’re not as snooty there as they were when we were teens (or maybe I’m not as judgemental).
Happy moving. I am SO relived it’s B’ton and not Iowa!
October 13th, 2007 | #
Oh, that sounds blissful….
October 13th, 2007 | #
You’re right…At least it’s not Iowa.
October 13th, 2007 | #
Moving=yuck. (I should know, I did it today!) Being moved, however? =happy! and nooners! Also? The realtor lady? Ka-razy. Your house is gorgeous! If you have to do all that stuff, maybe y’all could role play add some spice to the whole process. HG can pretend that he is the rugged handyman, coming over to “hang your door”… and you could say, “ok, Big Boy, but you have to promise to tear out my carpet…” Hee.
October 13th, 2007 | #
Mallory,
You’re cracking me up. I’ll use that line later, thank you.
Everybody else,
Dang, you all sure have a lot of interesting opinions out there in cyberworld, dontcha? I love Iowa, where my husband grew up and my in-laws still live. (My in-laws who read this blog, hello, Grandpa and Grandma!) I love Colorado, where my mother-in-law lives (hi, Grandma B!) (My kids have three grandmas, how lucky is that?)
I also love Arkansas, where my mom’s family is from, and North Dakota, where my dad hailed from, even though I haven’t had a chance to visit N.D. yet. I am loyal to my heritage and please let’s not run down other states.
I know a lot of you think we’re like “extra cool” out here on the West Coast but that carries no weight in Wacky World.
If we had been able to find jobs we’d be in Iowa now. I am sad to be letting go of Iowa. I had high hopes for moving there, and wanted my kids to be with their paternal grandparents, who they rarely get to see. (Note to my in-laws, who do read this blog, *by the way* — we love you and hope to see you soon.)
October 13th, 2007 | #
I spent 20 years in Colorado…It used to be cool…way too overdeveloped now….But Iowa…umm….well…like Megs said.
October 13th, 2007 | #
Oh lordie. You need my friend Sharon, mega-cleaner supreme. Infact, I might have to invite her over for tea and laundry, just thinking about all the work you have ahead of you.
Love the role-playing idea, must try that!
October 15th, 2007 | #