Two weeks ago, we loaded up a U haul with the help of a moving crew and moved our stuff 1.6 miles to our new "home." I say "home" because a rental doesn't feel as much like a home to me. Not that the new place doesn't have some great qualities. It just all feels so temporary since we only plan to be here for a year while we look for our next place to live. We haven't figured out exactly what we want to do next. If we want to build or if we want to buy an existing house. Where we want that to be. Do we look closer to my office or try to plan around the school we would like the boys to go to? There are just so many factors to consider. I'm afraid I'm still so stressed out from the move that I can't seem to narrow my thoughts down to one thing. Of course Chris would like to stay close to where we currently are since this is where he grew up but I would really like to live in Austin proper.
We also closed on the old house a week ago. Chris was in training so I had to attend the closing alone. Jackson ended up being with me because he was sent home from daycare the day before with a fever. He ended up sleeping in my lap through the closing which let me know he really wasn't feeling well. A trip to the doctor after the closing revealed a 103.5 temperature and his second round of strep in a month. While I was sad to see my little house go, I was happy to have the closing behind me so we didn't have to deal with the selling process anymore. I had my doubts about selling the house and it didn't all go smoothly but it is done now. I'd say I'm happy but I don't think I will be until we figure out or next move. I guess I am more relieved.
Monday, May 20, 2013
Monday, April 29, 2013
To the New Owners of My Home
Dear Future Residents of Elder Way,
Welcome to my little cottage on Elder Way. I hope you fell in love with this place much like I did five years ago when I first stepped foot in it. I can remember the first time I walked into this house and how I was captured by the openness of the living area and the space in the kitchen. I remember how I planned for the furniture and decor I was going to place throughout the house during the time I was waiting for my closing date. I was so excited to call this little slice of earth my own.
You see this house was not just a house to me. It represented so much more than just a place to live. It was a place to start over. Five years ago, I was newly divorced and trying to navigate the world truly on my own for the first time in my life of 30 years. This house was my fresh start. It was all mine. I had done it on my own and that was huge for me. I was doing everything that no one, especially my ex-husband, expected me to be able to do. I was living away from home, away from Alabama. I had a successful career and I was making a place for myself in this world without the support everyone believed I needed. Buying the house was a way to say I had made it.
Since that time, this house has seen a lot of laughter and some tears. This house has seen the first kiss of newlyweds returning home from their honeymoon. It has heard the cries of a newborn fresh from the hospital. It was here that Chris proposed, that I found out I was pregnant, and that Jackson took his first steps. This house is full of memories for me and for my family. While I always knew this wouldn't be our forever home, I knew this place would be special to me for many reasons.
So I just ask that you take care of my little cottage on Elder Way the same way it took care of me for the last five years. Make it more than just a place to live. Make it your home and love it the way I did. I know I won't be back here but I will be near by and maybe our paths will cross again one day.
Sincerely,
Mavsmom
Welcome to my little cottage on Elder Way. I hope you fell in love with this place much like I did five years ago when I first stepped foot in it. I can remember the first time I walked into this house and how I was captured by the openness of the living area and the space in the kitchen. I remember how I planned for the furniture and decor I was going to place throughout the house during the time I was waiting for my closing date. I was so excited to call this little slice of earth my own.
You see this house was not just a house to me. It represented so much more than just a place to live. It was a place to start over. Five years ago, I was newly divorced and trying to navigate the world truly on my own for the first time in my life of 30 years. This house was my fresh start. It was all mine. I had done it on my own and that was huge for me. I was doing everything that no one, especially my ex-husband, expected me to be able to do. I was living away from home, away from Alabama. I had a successful career and I was making a place for myself in this world without the support everyone believed I needed. Buying the house was a way to say I had made it.
Since that time, this house has seen a lot of laughter and some tears. This house has seen the first kiss of newlyweds returning home from their honeymoon. It has heard the cries of a newborn fresh from the hospital. It was here that Chris proposed, that I found out I was pregnant, and that Jackson took his first steps. This house is full of memories for me and for my family. While I always knew this wouldn't be our forever home, I knew this place would be special to me for many reasons.
So I just ask that you take care of my little cottage on Elder Way the same way it took care of me for the last five years. Make it more than just a place to live. Make it your home and love it the way I did. I know I won't be back here but I will be near by and maybe our paths will cross again one day.
Sincerely,
Mavsmom
Saturday, April 20, 2013
So Here We Are
Editor's Note: So I am not doing so well with the goal of writing once a week this year. Sorry! I'm afraid life is just getting in the way too much right now which is frustrating since I have plenty to say just no time to say it. Busy doesn't even describe what we have been recently but more on that to come.
We decided about 2 months ago to put our house on the market and see if we had any luck selling it so we could upgrade to a larger house. We debated trying to sell when I found out I was pregnant but held off because the market wasn't very good at the time. Two years later, the market is much better and we were very pleased with what we heard from our realtor. After a month of working to get the house ready to list, we finally got it listed on the 3rd. We have had nearly 20 showings (including 3 since our offer went through) on our house in 2 weeks with the first one coming mere hours after the house went on the market. I'd say there is a little bit of interest.
We do have an offer on our house. Pending the results of the inspection that happened yesterday and the buyers closing on their current home, we will close on the 10th. So we have about 3 weeks to find a place to live and move. This means we are putting off trying to buy another house for now and decided to rent until we can decide if we are going to buy an existing house or build a new house. The house sold a lot faster than I expected and I am worried about making a rash decision on a house only to decide we don't like after we move in. Building wasn't even an option a couple of weeks ago until we found a neighborhood and floor plan we really like which totally changed the path we were heading down. Instead we have looked at about 15 rental properties this past week. Almost as soon as we find one we like, it gets snatched up before we can put in an application. We finally found one we like near where we currently live and in the price range we really wanted to pay so we have an application on it which will hopefully go through next week and we will know where we are going to land in 3 weeks.
We also spent most of last week in Alabama visiting my parents and attending J-Day at Judson. It was a fun but busy weekend. Chris finally got to see Judson and now understands me a little better because of it. I also got to spend some time with some of my friends from my college days. It felt like we were back in the dorm again staying up half the night talking about boys and life. I wish I could do that more often because you really do need those times to reconnect and here from others in situations similar to your own. It was while we were at Judson that the offer came in our house. I was pretty excited because I had to told Chris that was what I wanted to happen so we wouldn't have to deal with keeping the house show ready for long. We have been much more lax with picking up after ourselves this week which has been nice. I will admit I am excited to see where we will end up next but I am sad to sell my little house. More on that later.
We decided about 2 months ago to put our house on the market and see if we had any luck selling it so we could upgrade to a larger house. We debated trying to sell when I found out I was pregnant but held off because the market wasn't very good at the time. Two years later, the market is much better and we were very pleased with what we heard from our realtor. After a month of working to get the house ready to list, we finally got it listed on the 3rd. We have had nearly 20 showings (including 3 since our offer went through) on our house in 2 weeks with the first one coming mere hours after the house went on the market. I'd say there is a little bit of interest.
We do have an offer on our house. Pending the results of the inspection that happened yesterday and the buyers closing on their current home, we will close on the 10th. So we have about 3 weeks to find a place to live and move. This means we are putting off trying to buy another house for now and decided to rent until we can decide if we are going to buy an existing house or build a new house. The house sold a lot faster than I expected and I am worried about making a rash decision on a house only to decide we don't like after we move in. Building wasn't even an option a couple of weeks ago until we found a neighborhood and floor plan we really like which totally changed the path we were heading down. Instead we have looked at about 15 rental properties this past week. Almost as soon as we find one we like, it gets snatched up before we can put in an application. We finally found one we like near where we currently live and in the price range we really wanted to pay so we have an application on it which will hopefully go through next week and we will know where we are going to land in 3 weeks.
We also spent most of last week in Alabama visiting my parents and attending J-Day at Judson. It was a fun but busy weekend. Chris finally got to see Judson and now understands me a little better because of it. I also got to spend some time with some of my friends from my college days. It felt like we were back in the dorm again staying up half the night talking about boys and life. I wish I could do that more often because you really do need those times to reconnect and here from others in situations similar to your own. It was while we were at Judson that the offer came in our house. I was pretty excited because I had to told Chris that was what I wanted to happen so we wouldn't have to deal with keeping the house show ready for long. We have been much more lax with picking up after ourselves this week which has been nice. I will admit I am excited to see where we will end up next but I am sad to sell my little house. More on that later.
Monday, February 25, 2013
Moving on Up
Last week was a crazy week for us. Chris had signed up for a training course out of town so I spent the week alone with the boys shuttling everyone back and forth and trying to keep my sanity while maintaining the house and getting everyone fed. It was a long week and I was happy when Friday evening rolled around and Chris arrived home. I really don't think I could handle a husband who travels all the time for work. One week was enough for me so I don't envy those who frequently have to deal with the absence of a second set of hands at home. I told Chris when he got home that he had missed a lot during the week because Little Man was suddenly talking more and more of a daredevil than before he left. Also, we had another big change happen last week.
Wednesday morning I walked into daycare and Jackson's teacher told me the director was wanting to meet with about moving Jackson up. I was a little surprised by this because I had already received a note home that they were creating a 1 year old class and moving all the "older babies" out of the infant room into a new class since they had so many infants now and the older kids in the room really needed more activity time. I was ready for this move and I welcomed it because I agreed that Jackson was ready for more than what the infant room was offering him. We loved his teachers though and we were going to be sad to move up from the infant class.
It turns out the director had decided to group the children based on their school year. Rather than moving Jackson to the 1 year old room, she wanted to move him to the 2 year old room with his former classmates from the infant room. The idea behind this was that all the kids would move up through the daycare together and start school at the same time. I guess it is a good idea in theory but this mama is not ready for her baby to grow up. I know I can't stop it but that doesn't mean I have to help it along. So Friday morning was his first day in the 2 year old class (they didn't give me much time to prepare for it). We shall see how this goes. Hopefully he will adjust well.
Wednesday morning I walked into daycare and Jackson's teacher told me the director was wanting to meet with about moving Jackson up. I was a little surprised by this because I had already received a note home that they were creating a 1 year old class and moving all the "older babies" out of the infant room into a new class since they had so many infants now and the older kids in the room really needed more activity time. I was ready for this move and I welcomed it because I agreed that Jackson was ready for more than what the infant room was offering him. We loved his teachers though and we were going to be sad to move up from the infant class.
It turns out the director had decided to group the children based on their school year. Rather than moving Jackson to the 1 year old room, she wanted to move him to the 2 year old room with his former classmates from the infant room. The idea behind this was that all the kids would move up through the daycare together and start school at the same time. I guess it is a good idea in theory but this mama is not ready for her baby to grow up. I know I can't stop it but that doesn't mean I have to help it along. So Friday morning was his first day in the 2 year old class (they didn't give me much time to prepare for it). We shall see how this goes. Hopefully he will adjust well.
Monday, February 11, 2013
Meme...because I need to post something
Copied from one of the other Julies because she tagged everybody and since I am failing miserably at the blogging once a week thing.
Do you have any strange phobias?
I have a few actually. Sharp objects and hot objects, know...such as knifes and ovens, which makes cooking fun. Also escalators thanks to witnessing a little girl fall down one when I was a child.
Do you sleep with or without clothes on?
Always with clothes on. After all, what would you do if you need to quickly leave the house in the middle of the night.
If you are outside, what are you most likely doing?
Wishing I was back instead.
Simple but extremely complex. Favorite band?
I would have to go with Rascal Flatts even though I haven't downloaded any of their music in a while.
Do you believe in karma?
To extent. I haven't definitely seen karma in action.
Who is your celebrity crush?
Channing Tatum
What’s a sound you hate; sound you love?
Hate: Metal chairs scraping across a concrete floor
Love: Jackson laughing
Choose: East Coast or West Coast?
East Coast
What was the last book you read?
Sisterhood Everlasting by Ann Brashares...yes, I've read all of the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants books.
Do you like the smell of gasoline?
It's not my favorite.
Do you have any nicknames?
Jules, Rotten, JulieBoog
What was the last movie you saw?
Chris and I saw Les Miz on our date night last month.
What’s the worst injury you’ve ever had?
I pulled my groin muscle once and I could barely walk for two weeks.
What’s the last thing you purchased?
Groceries for the week
Can you touch your nose with your tongue?
Nope
Is there anything pink within 10 feet of you?
Um no...there isn't a lot of pink in my house of all boys.
What’s your favorite animal?
Dog...beagle in particular.
What were you doing last night at 12 AM?
Sleeping.
What’s a song that always makes you happy when you hear it?
Oh...so many! Celebrate, Dancing Queen, Devil Went Down to Georgia...just to name a few.
What is the single best decision you have made in your life so far?
Moving to Austin after my divorce rather than heading back to Mobile.
What’s the last song you listened to?
Help Me Remember by Rascal Flatts
What is your current desktop picture?
You accidentally eat some radioactive vegetables. They were good, and what’s even cooler is that they endow you with the super-power of your choice! What is that power?I would love the ability to be able to read people's minds.
You can re-live any point of time in your life. The time-span can only be a half-hour, though. What half-hour of your past would you like to experience again?
I would probably pick a half hour after Jackson was born. I just feel like I didn't get enough time with him when he was tiny. I didn't even get to hold him until a day after he was born.
You just got a free plane ticket to anywhere. You have to depart right now. Where are you gonna go?
Hawaii, Europe, Orlando, New York...I'd take anywhere just about right now.
Tag, you're it!
Do you have any strange phobias?
I have a few actually. Sharp objects and hot objects, know...such as knifes and ovens, which makes cooking fun. Also escalators thanks to witnessing a little girl fall down one when I was a child.
Do you sleep with or without clothes on?
Always with clothes on. After all, what would you do if you need to quickly leave the house in the middle of the night.
If you are outside, what are you most likely doing?
Wishing I was back instead.
Simple but extremely complex. Favorite band?
I would have to go with Rascal Flatts even though I haven't downloaded any of their music in a while.
Do you believe in karma?
To extent. I haven't definitely seen karma in action.
Who is your celebrity crush?
Channing Tatum
What’s a sound you hate; sound you love?
Hate: Metal chairs scraping across a concrete floor
Love: Jackson laughing
Choose: East Coast or West Coast?
East Coast
What was the last book you read?
Sisterhood Everlasting by Ann Brashares...yes, I've read all of the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants books.
Do you like the smell of gasoline?
It's not my favorite.
Do you have any nicknames?
Jules, Rotten, JulieBoog
What was the last movie you saw?
Chris and I saw Les Miz on our date night last month.
What’s the worst injury you’ve ever had?
I pulled my groin muscle once and I could barely walk for two weeks.
What’s the last thing you purchased?
Groceries for the week
Can you touch your nose with your tongue?
Nope
Is there anything pink within 10 feet of you?
Um no...there isn't a lot of pink in my house of all boys.
What’s your favorite animal?
Dog...beagle in particular.
What were you doing last night at 12 AM?
Sleeping.
What’s a song that always makes you happy when you hear it?
Oh...so many! Celebrate, Dancing Queen, Devil Went Down to Georgia...just to name a few.
What is the single best decision you have made in your life so far?
Moving to Austin after my divorce rather than heading back to Mobile.
What’s the last song you listened to?
Help Me Remember by Rascal Flatts
What is your current desktop picture?
You accidentally eat some radioactive vegetables. They were good, and what’s even cooler is that they endow you with the super-power of your choice! What is that power?I would love the ability to be able to read people's minds.
You can re-live any point of time in your life. The time-span can only be a half-hour, though. What half-hour of your past would you like to experience again?
I would probably pick a half hour after Jackson was born. I just feel like I didn't get enough time with him when he was tiny. I didn't even get to hold him until a day after he was born.
You just got a free plane ticket to anywhere. You have to depart right now. Where are you gonna go?
Hawaii, Europe, Orlando, New York...I'd take anywhere just about right now.
Tag, you're it!
Wednesday, February 6, 2013
18 Months
I feel like I have said it at every age but I am really loving Jackson at 18 months. I am really starting to see the person my son is going to become one day. He has learned so much the last 6 months that he never ceases to amaze me with what he knows now. Just last night he pointed to his sippy cup and said Elmo to acknowledge who was on his cup. That was the first time he has pointed out something instead of just saying random words.
I wanted to make sure I captured some of the things he has done because these are moments I don't want to forget. During our Christmas trip, we stopped at Cracker Barrel for dinner. I handed him a fork just to calm him down and was surprised that not only did he know how to use it but he could. That has really changed meal time for us because J wants to fed himself exclusively now. That can be fun and frustrating at time.
Another fun thing he has done is learn some simple sign language to be able to communicate with us easier. His language development has really grown even in the last month. I honestly think we get at least one new word a day.
My boy loves to dance and loves music. I really hope this means he is going to be musical as he gets older. One night I flipped the TV over to Les Miz in Concert. He was totally fascinated and sucked in to the music. He still loves Veggie Tales but has added Elmo to his favorites. He gives kisses and says bye when it's bedtime. He is just such a sweet but curious child.
Now it's not all fun and games. Some days are really frustrating. He is so independent that he wants to do everything himself. That isn't always possible and can lead to some major meltdowns if he doesn't get his way. We are almost at the point of forgoing eating out until he matures a bit because I can't handle the meltdowns in a public setting. I really don't want to bother anyone or be "that" parent so public outings might be limited for awhile.
I wanted to make sure I captured some of the things he has done because these are moments I don't want to forget. During our Christmas trip, we stopped at Cracker Barrel for dinner. I handed him a fork just to calm him down and was surprised that not only did he know how to use it but he could. That has really changed meal time for us because J wants to fed himself exclusively now. That can be fun and frustrating at time.
Another fun thing he has done is learn some simple sign language to be able to communicate with us easier. His language development has really grown even in the last month. I honestly think we get at least one new word a day.
My boy loves to dance and loves music. I really hope this means he is going to be musical as he gets older. One night I flipped the TV over to Les Miz in Concert. He was totally fascinated and sucked in to the music. He still loves Veggie Tales but has added Elmo to his favorites. He gives kisses and says bye when it's bedtime. He is just such a sweet but curious child.
Now it's not all fun and games. Some days are really frustrating. He is so independent that he wants to do everything himself. That isn't always possible and can lead to some major meltdowns if he doesn't get his way. We are almost at the point of forgoing eating out until he matures a bit because I can't handle the meltdowns in a public setting. I really don't want to bother anyone or be "that" parent so public outings might be limited for awhile.
Wednesday, January 16, 2013
My Thoughts on Lance
I used to follow Lance Armstrong on twitter back when he was preparing for his last Tour de France. I would get so frustrated for him when the anti-doping officials would come knocking on his door on a daily basis. I felt like he had proven himself time and time again that he wasn't doping. And maybe at that time he wasn't. But apparently my faith in him was misplaced. I told Chris on numerous occasions that I didn't believe the stories to be true. You can imagine my disappointment when I heard that he was going to confess.
Now I don't know much about the cycling world. I still don't understand the time trials and how you can win without being in the lead or the first one to cross the finish line. I don't get it. But I knew a little of Lance's story from his years in the spotlight and it was neat to me that he lived in the Austin area. I also had a lot of respect for the Livestrong Foundation and what it was working for. I felt like Lance was someone you wanted to get behind and support because of all the good he was trying to do.
I think what bothers me most about this is not that Lance doped but that he lied about it, covered it up, and denied it for so long that you no longer can respect anything he has done. And I defended him. Not that my opinion matters to anyone but it is upsetting when you trust someone or something and you get let down. I feel this is something that happens a lot with celebrities. We put them on a pedestal for something they have done only to have that ideal shattered when you learn the truth about them. It makes you not want to put your faith in someone who is in the spotlight.
Truth is I am a nobody...just a middle class suburban mom. But that is why this matters. I want my child to have role models that he can look up to and aspire to be. I want him to be able to dream big and I pray that he will succeed. So that begs the question, Who can those role models be? Who should he look up to and how should we handle it when those people fail him? I don't know the answer but I do know I will caution him when he turns his attention to a celebrity because they can disappoint.
Now I don't know much about the cycling world. I still don't understand the time trials and how you can win without being in the lead or the first one to cross the finish line. I don't get it. But I knew a little of Lance's story from his years in the spotlight and it was neat to me that he lived in the Austin area. I also had a lot of respect for the Livestrong Foundation and what it was working for. I felt like Lance was someone you wanted to get behind and support because of all the good he was trying to do.
I think what bothers me most about this is not that Lance doped but that he lied about it, covered it up, and denied it for so long that you no longer can respect anything he has done. And I defended him. Not that my opinion matters to anyone but it is upsetting when you trust someone or something and you get let down. I feel this is something that happens a lot with celebrities. We put them on a pedestal for something they have done only to have that ideal shattered when you learn the truth about them. It makes you not want to put your faith in someone who is in the spotlight.
Truth is I am a nobody...just a middle class suburban mom. But that is why this matters. I want my child to have role models that he can look up to and aspire to be. I want him to be able to dream big and I pray that he will succeed. So that begs the question, Who can those role models be? Who should he look up to and how should we handle it when those people fail him? I don't know the answer but I do know I will caution him when he turns his attention to a celebrity because they can disappoint.
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