THE JOYS OF HOME OWNERSHIP

There's been no post for the past two weeks for a couple of reasons:

1) Somebody from Pompano Bay, FL (says Google), tried to get into all my Google-related accounts.  I had to change passwords, blah-de-blah-de-blah, etc.  Got it finally squared away today.

2)  I've been busy moving and settling into our new home.  The cardboard boxes aren't completely gone, but I've made a good dent in them!

And, don't feel bad.  I DID manage to post a lot of pics to Facebook from our trip and Oklahoma.  None from the house, yet, though.  That is a LOT of pictures.

I really like my little home.  It is cute and has a ton of potential.  But today, I wanted to focus on those inevitable little surprises that pop up at you and make you wonder if you did the right thing by buying this thing.

Getting ready to move in, we had asked our realtor for any recommendations for plumbers, electricians, handymen, etc.  Ken is a lovely helper, but don't put him in charge of projects.  He's not handy.  Luckily, our realtor gave us a list, and one has been a real goldmine.  He's been to the house several times now and I just call him whenever I need a little advice.

We knew there would be problems; we read our inspector's report thoroughly, putting at the top of our list the most urgent matters.  As part of the selling of the house, the family refunded our good faith money so that we could use it for some of these repairs.

We decided to tackle the issues with the water heater first.  After all, I am not a fan of cold showers and I like my dishes to be sanitized.  My new friend, the plumber, came over to fix the problems but...duh-duh-DUH! - found another one.  Coming up from under the house he showed us a picture of the galvanized steel water line running under it.  Galvanized rust was more like it; the plumber said he was afraid to touch it for fear it'd fall apart in his hand.  Guess what just became our new top priority?

Mr. Plumber came over last week to replace the water line.  I'd received my new washer & dryer the day before, but was afraid to use it until the water line was in, so I had loads of laundry piled and waiting.  My plumber replaced it with this new stuff called pex pipe; I guess it's used in all the new housing and with reason - it can expand some, so it won't burst if there's a freeze in the winter.  It's not very expensive, but the brass fittings for it are!  But Plumber is upright and reasonable and while it ouched our wallet some, we knew we couldn't put it off.  Plus, when he removed the old pipe, he showed me the inside...what there was of it.  I hadn't had much water pressure before and now I know why!  Talk about a clogged artery!  Plus, that had to mean the water coming through was pretty gross. Luckily, we've been drinking bottled water because Ken doesn't like the taste of the local water.

That seemed to be it, and we could breathe a little easier until yesterday, when I noticed that it was very warm in the house despite the a/c being on.  Oh, goody.  After passing a very warm, uncomfortable night, I called my buddy the plumber again (because he does more than plumbing, really, and could refer me to the right person if he couldn't do it) and, while the filter needs replacing (it's dirty, but not completely clogged), it could be we need more freon.  I just hope that's it.  His pal, the a/c guy is coming over to check it.  I don't have a lot of money for a big expensive fix but it is in the 100's out there and...what windows in the house that AREN'T painted over don't have screens.

Oh, and now there are ants in my back bathroom.  Probably thinking it's cooler in there than outside.  If they only knew...

Other issues with the home are annoying and will have to be dealt with in their own time (and some when my pocket $ builds up).  One, while I love my three pecan trees, I don't appreciate at all their little seedling children everywhere.  Some I've been able to pull, others I need to get my trowel and spade and dig them out.  Another are these bolts that stick up at the edge of the garage and I'm afraid I'll drive over and puncture a tire.  (By the way, I had to get a new battery for my van this last week on top of everything else.)

Then, there's the crazy issues of "Why did the previous homeowners do that?"  The painted windows are one of those.  Another is why they planted little plants in the back of the planter and bigger ones in front of them.  And then, why are there two and three plants practically planted on top of each others? Probably that bugs me more than most people, mainly because I care more about my yard & garden.

No, really, I like my house a lot.  I love to sit under the trees and watch the clouds fly by.  We all like to look for squirrels and birds...so far I've seen robins, blue jays & scissor-tails.  The carpet in our home is pristine (compared to the yucky stuff back in Corona), the bedrooms are spacious, the kitchen is big, and the neighborhood is nice and quiet.  I'm just kvetching.  It's all part-and-parcel of the moving process and "this too shall pass."  Thank goodness!

THE PUSH

Other than one picture of the clouds that the kids took, there will be no other pictures of yesterday.  That's because the day was not about sightseeing, but about getting to Oklahoma...and Ken/Dad.

We left Albuquerque at 8:00 a.m. for a straight shot to Amarillo.  Other than bathroom & stretch breaks, we did not stop. My back had about had it with the days of never-ending driving and I was so tired.  I was looking forward to stopping...permanently!

We had lunch at Taco Bell in Amarillo.  Because we had to wait for Ken to get off work  so he could meet us in Memphis, TX (an hour and half from Amarillo), we spent some time walking around a park with a pond.  I think I burned the top of my head a little (I'm so bad about that!).

By then, the kids were chomping at the bit to get to Dad.  Outside of Amarillo was pretty much...nothing.  Fields and roads and roads and fields.  We kept at a pretty good pace, considering that we had to slow down as we went through towns (smallest population 365, largest 3K).

Finally we slowed to stop at a Travelodge in the itty-bitty burg of Memphis.  Ken was there waiting (I guess he sped from work to get there before us).  I can't say it was a super-emotional reunion, mainly because I was too exhausted to do anything but collapse in his arms.

But the driving wasn't done yet.  There was still another hour to go until Altus.  More of the roads, flatland, small towns.  I looked at my clock when we passed the OK border, 5:06 p.m. (that's 3:06 California time).  The kids abandoned me for Ken, leaving me with the music I wanted (now you know who 

It didn't look much different.  These tiny towns looked pretty dilapidated.  Faded and falling apart, homes and "main street" businesses looked very sad.  I started having misgivings.  What if Altus was like this?

Treelined creeks and signs of wildlife began to emerge.  Why did the turtle and the wild turkey cross the road?  Maybe they had death wishes?  Still, it was fun to see.

Finally, Altus loomed...well, as much as a small town can.  It was larger than the other places we'd been through and, while some of the places on the far end of town looked fairly beat up, eventually we began to see nice neighborhoods and the signs of "normal" civilization.  Not California, to be sure, but at least it was big enough to have what we need.

More to come on the new life in Altus...

Are We There Yet?

The answer for that is...no.

Some of us just pick up and go. Others have a journey first through time, but not space. And we are the latter, for reasons unknown to us at this time.

Our journey started way back in the spring. Here's my journal entry around that time:

"We are still waiting on pins and needles here to see if Ken is a) going to get a 2nd interview for the Oklahoma job - they say so, we just haven't been given a date/time yet, b) going to get an offer for the Oklahoma job and c) going to accept the Oklahoma job - yikes! The wait is making him slightly distractedly irritable.

I have yet to feel (Spirit-wise) whether or not the move is a good idea. Personally, I don't want to go - my resources and support group are here. But if it is where we are supposed to go and what we are supposed to do...I will follow. But the waiting is a killer."

At one point we figured it wasn't going to happen:

"No news is good news as far as I'm concerned. We should have heard, but haven't, about OK a long time ago, so I figure they don't want us and have forgotten to tell us."

Talk about yo-yo's:

"Life is CRAZY! This week Ken had two second interviews with two companies - and one was the OK job! Plus, he got an email inquiry about a third one - in Houston!"

And then...the news came:

"So it appears to be Oklahoma. They have sent us an offer and Ken appears to want to take it. I FEEL (in calmer moments) that this is the right thing to do. But right now I need to list my qualms...in order to calm them? Or just to bring them to light.

We are going to rural Oklahoma, earning less than we could live on in California. Ken says we'll be able to make it there. But, as my friend Michele says, we won't make it back easily. It has to work and we'll have to stick out there, like it or not.

I worry about the kids and their opportunities. Things as they are, my kids have still had so many experiences and chances here for growth. Will Oklahoma be able to offer them still more? Will they be able to homeschool there and still succeed? Will they need to go to school, just to be with people? Or just to have the resources they may need to acquire their dreams and goals?

And will we be able to progress and save and plan for our future there? Is there a future there? Ken says there is mobility in the company, but with his Aspergers, will he be able to do it? And if it meant another move, would we be able to move? Would there be enough $?

Also, I am very leery about the housing situation. Will there be places for us to rent or will we be able to get a home right off? Rural areas aren't well known for their apartment complexes. Plus, I don't know how well our mobile home here is going to sell, or if we'll end up giving it away.

And, of course, nearly everyone I know and love are here in California. Mom & Dad aren't getting younger and with so many health issues, I won't be around to help them.

I know there are positive things about taking the job and moving. I've heard them and been rehearsing them. Still, tonight - at nearly midnight - my fears seem very real - and very overwhelming. I will be fasting through the night into tomorrow and will ask Ken to give me a blessing in the morning. It will be as much for him as it is for myself. We need the Lord's consecrating hand on our family if this venture is to succeed."

Obviously, I was uneasy at first about the move:

"I asked Ken for a blessing this morning. I came to it fasting and he readily agreed, looking at yesterday's journal entry so he knew of my concerns. But when he started, he paused for a long time. Then he said he wasn't ready yet and needed to pray and ponder some more.

I went to the livingroom to do some studying and pondering of my own while I waited. Analiese was awake and kept me company. Ken was in our bedroom, behind closed doors. He said there was nothing for the longest time...and then Jonathan got up. The Spirit flooded into him and he knew what to say. He mentioned that the blessing could not be given without the whole family.

We're to go to Oklahoma. There is much growth and service and blessings awaiting us there. My worries were from Satan - to try and stop us. We are going to be blessed beyond measure due to our faith - faithfulness in tithing in particular - and our worthiness. What a blessing to have from the Lord that he thinks us worthy!

Of course, I am an emotional mess right now, full of gratitude that the Lord is right beside us. Even Ken wept some as he felt the Lord's love and blessings.

Things will work out. We just need to keep remembering that!"

So our journey begins with a step of faith:

"Ken leaves tomorrow, so he gave us all husband/father's blessings. Mine was mainly of comfort & safety, but also to know by the Spirit who would be purchasing the home, so that I could greet them warmly and they could feel by the Spirit that this was their new home. No timeline, though, bummer.

Still, it was good to have the peace of knowing things will go according to the Father's plan. Also, I can use this time remaining to comfort my mother and spend time with my friends."

My journals certainly reflected the times and concerns. And, of course, the adventure was only just beginning!