The Road to Home

I’ve been doing tons of research about places to take Ladybug, playgroups to join, and activities to attend. We’ve got a few things lined up, but I just can’t get excited about them yet. Perhaps it’s the dread of meeting new people.

I’ve always been one to have only a few close friends. I don’t mind that either! See, I don’t really like to take the initiative to go out and meet new people. I was shocked when Dr. D came home last week with a phone number and email address for someone that he thought I might want to meet. Did he expect me to make the first contact? Surely not.

So after a few days of hem-hawing around trying to come up with what to say, I sat down and sent an email. Of course, it worked out. It was actually fantastic. I can’t wait (neither can Ladybug) to get together again.

While this gives me encouragement, I know that I have pretty much wasted this first year here in Michigan. The only people that I have met are colleagues of Dr. D’s, and none of them have families or kids. I am in desperate need of some “mommy-to-mommy” time, and that makes me miss my friends back home even more. I know, however that I won’t make friends unless I get out and meet people. So I am tyring. I really am.

After all, how often does a fantastic friend just fall in your lap?

We have been living here for 19 days now. That means 19 days of trudging up and down the staircases. We have two…and they are both hardwood. (I would go take a picture, but I can’t. More on that later.) While they look prettier that way, I have had this sense of dread about how much damage they would do if one were to fall. I’m a pretty clumsy person, you see. I can’t hold on to things without dropping them, and I have a history of twisting my ankle while walking. Just walking, not running skipping or jumping. Just innocent walking.

Well, after 19 blissful accident free days, I fell down the stairs. First thing this morning, Ladybug and I were coming downstairs to let the dogs out. About 3 steps down, my bare foot flew out from under me. As I landed on the back and side of my leg, I tried to stop the slinky-esque slide with my left arm.  Thank goodness I didn’t travel down the entire staircase.

So I can’t go take the picture now as I’m sitting with my leg propped up, waiting for it to stop throbbing. My arm will be fine in a few days. I’m not too worried, but I will make a mental note to be more careful in the future!

An on another note, I have been trying to identify some of the plants and such that we have in the backyard. I know what several of the plants are, but I am stuck on this particular one

Anyone know what this is?

It looks like this up close

Check it out. I’m famous now!

Seriously though, I LOVE Parent Hacks. There are always so many good ideas on the site, many of which I think, “Wow. How did I go so long without thinking about that?”

Is it wrong to be proud of a box full of toiletries?  I hope not, because I am!  I have been collecting these items since January, when I started officially CVS’ing.  In this box I have the following:

• 12 Dove Deodorants
• 6 Adidas Deodorants
• 3 Herbal Essences Shampoo/Conditioners
• 3 Herbal Essences Shampoo/Conditioners
• 7 Listerine Smart Rinse Mouthwashes
• 9 Suave Shampoos
• 2 Suave Body Washes
• 9 Boxes of CVS Brand “Tylenol
• 6 Boxes of CVS Brand Bandages
• 2 Sicks of Benedryl Allergy Reliever
• 1 Tums Quick-Pack
• 4 Kiss Nail Glues
• 6 Aquafresh Toothpastes
• 28 Toothbrushes

Yes folks, I said 28 Toothbrushes.  It seems that there have been “free” toothbrush deals at CVS constantly since I started “doing the deals”.  After we move, I will probably go through all of them and only keep the ones that my family (and our houseguests) will use.  The rest, I plan to donate to our local women’s shelter.  They have already seen the benefits of TONS of other CVS finds.

Keep in mind, all of this stuff was bought with either no or very little out of pocket expense on my part.  Aside from the initial investment to get my first round of “Extra Care Bucks”, I have spent a tiny amount on these items.  I hope that this will make a dent in my family’s budget this year.

And to top things off, I’ve been able to get TWO gift cards for prescription transfers this week.  I now have $55 to use on future CVS deals!

When you fly to Arkansas, you pass over beautiful farmland, small towns, and lots of water.  Arkansas is just full of puddles and creeks, ponds and streams, and lakes and rivers.  I always feel like I’m home when I see the big ole’ muddy Arkansas River!

After stretching our legs for a bit on the ground, we posed for a few pictures and then hit the road.

So…now it’s time for a game.  It’s called “Guess Whose Hair is their Natural Color!”

(That’s My Mom in the middle and my Lil’ Sister in the shades!)

Since I put out a call last Sunday for questions, I have received a few that I am willing to tackle. My answers have been on my mind, but I haven’t had much time to sit and actually write about them. As luck would have it, Ladybug and her two cousins are all three napping together at the moment. I’m in the other room with my feet propped up relaxing in a comfy chair.

Ok. Here’s the question!
Beth (who never leave a website, but is a faithful commenter) writes: “Here is my question: Where do you think you’ll end up living when Dr. D has completed all his training? Will you go where the best opportunity is, or will you head back closer to home?”

Well, Beth. That’s a good one. To be quite honest, I’m just not sure where we will go! Dr. D has yet to determine exactly what area of Psychiatry that he would like pursue for his Fellowship, and that could lead us to a different city for a short amount of time. (A Fellowship is shorter amount of time than his Residency will be.)

Now, when he is completely finished with his training, I would like to go back closer to where our family lives. Unfortunately, I just don’t see that happening. I have a feeling that we are going to be the “Black Sheep” of the family. You know, the ones that move far away and never come back “home” to live.

I never would have expected my little family to move to Michigan. If you had asked me 10 years ago, I would have told you that I would be living in Little Rock, Arkansas. I have always loved to travel and see new places, but I was very content with my little corner of the world. I had all of my friends and family nearby where I could see them at any time. I was comfortable–perhaps too much so.

I can honestly say that I am glad that we moved. I really like the town where we are currently living, and once we get a new house, I think that our living situation will be greatly improved. I don’t regret this move one bit. There are days when I loathe the fact that we are so far away from our family, but I have never been just down and depressed because I have regretted moving out of my comfort zone.

For those of you “rules sticklers” out there, I know that I didn’t exactly give an answer to the question.  But the truth is this:  I just don’t know.  We could move back to Arkansas, or we could stay in Michigan.  Or we could move somewhere equally as nice.  I just don’t know!

Greetings all! I’m coming to you live from what is shaping up to be a cloudy, hot and humid day here in Central Arkansas. We have had a fantastic visit so far, seeing many family and friends. Ladybug is currently in the room adjacent to me playing with her older cousin, who she has missed like crazy. They even slept in the same bed last night! Needless to say, she has been running on full speed since we arrived. Finally she found a few minutes to rest her little body!

With another jam-packed day planned, I hope she is able to catch another nap sometime today!

A year ago, our awesome realtor took us to look at this house. We had already been 10-15 homes in the area trying to get a sense about what was on the market. There are a few different floorplans here that we weren’t familiar with, not to mention the completely new concept of a large basement that functions as living space.

Fortunately for us, our realtor was able to quickly (and I mean SUPER FAST) learn what we liked and didn’t like. She was able to also get an idea of what our “dream” situation would be. Even more fortunate for us was the fact that she knew the people that lived in this house. How you ask? They were clients considering buying/selling with her!

After going in the house the first time, Dr. D and I were hooked. It is in wonderful condition (or so we think), it has tons of space for us and our junk, and it is in a nice little subdivision with sidewalks and mature trees.

And check out the deck. It has an awning that rolls out over it if you don’t want the sun!

And a HOT TUB!!!!

Aside from all of the posh outdoor features, the inside is pretty awesome too. The Master Bedroom has it’s own fireplace, and sitting room. Not to mention a closet that is big enough to be a nursery!

And then there’s the basement.

See the drawers? They are refrigerated drawers! There’s a sink to the left, and a dining area to the right.

While we were in the process of falling in love with the place, we knew that this house was out of our price range. We kept running the numbers in our head, unable to make them work at the price that the owners were wanting.

Unfortunately for us, we had already been in the house! We knew that it would be a great home for our family. Every time we would talk about things like getting new furniture or a new TV we would start hypothetically talking about where we would put that item in “the big house”.

A year has passed and we are still talking about this house. We drive by it occasionally. (Ok, not occasionally. More like constantly. I’m sure they think we are stalking them!) We have started eating and shopping in that area to get a feel for the community. I even drove over there this winter “just to see how they cleared the snow from the streets”.

The house has been haunting us. The fact that we knew that it would be perfect for us wasn’t helping. Neither was the fact that we had sold our house in Arkansas. We are just dying to move out of this place!!

So, we made an offer on it last night.

Yep. You read that correctly. I am so giddy with excitement that I can hardly contain myself today. The market here has gone so soft that we are (hopefully) going to be able to get the house at a much better price point for our budget than it was a year ago. It is still not “on the market” but they are actively seeking a bigger home (they just had their 4th little girl). We should know their answer by tomorrow.

While it is hard waiting, I have tons of paperwork and errands to help me pass the time. Ladybug starts preschool on Thursday!

It has been a super busy week so far, and it’s only Tuesday. Don’t forget to check out the Day 1, Day 2 and Day 3 Giveaways, and check back tomorrow for another one!

Last week, Ladybug got to spend some time with my parents back in Arkansas.  They begged and pleaded for her to stay graciously allowed her to stay while Dr. D and I returned to Michigan to do some serious house hunting (and recuperating).

Well, I didn’t really get much accomplished last week.  I was recovering from the two-month-long festival of illness that has plagued my house for, well, two months.  Sore throats were the main culprit, but the week that we were in AR, a gross cough consumed both Ladybug and me.  I chalked it up the stupid blooming Bradford Pear trees, but I’m not sure if it was really allergies or not.   I’m still not 100%, but I am certainly feeling better.  The copious amounts of NyQuil I consumed last week HAD to help with that, right?  More likely, it was the sleep that the NyQuil allowed me to get, but I digress.  I feel better and that’s all that matters.

While the little one was away, I was able to look at a few houses that interested us, but overall, I think we know which one we want.  The only problem is, it’s occupied.  The owners had a baby in February (my birthday, actually) so they kind of stopped looking for a bit.  I know that they are still open to the prospect of moving into a larger home, but I’m not sure how quickly this deal could be executed. We are pursuing it,  but I’m growing impatient with this tiny duplex.   I’m ready to close and move TODAY!!  I so desperately want to move out of this place.

This is a picture of Ladybug coloring at our 4-top kitchen table.  I turned my computer around to get the pic with photobooth.  See the stretch of kitchen cabinets behind her?  Yeah.  That’s all there is.  less than two feet on one side of the sink where we have to store the crock-pot (notice the fruit dish ON TOP of the crock-pot), and only about three feet on the other side where the dish drying rack and microwave are housed.   The kitchen table is our saving grace in here.  We use it for a desk, craft table, island, and general surface to set stuff down.  I would just LOVE to have at least one stretch of true counterspace that wasn’t occupied by a piece of kitchen crap equipment.  The worst part of it all?  See the sweet pink dish brush on the sink?  Yeah.  That is our dishwasher.  It is not automatic.

But, my kiddo is back and life is returning back to normal.  I missed her terribly and it seems she has changed so much.  I always swear that a “week is too long and I’ll never do it again.” We’ll see.  I doubt it will be her last vacation with the grandparents.

Well, it’s official.  We no longer own a house in Arkansas!   The papers are signed and sealed and we have paid all of the fees.  The sign is gone, and the keys are on the counter.

Bye bye, Rock House!

(Ironically, I think that I am even more excited today than the day we bought it!)