*tap tap* Is this thing on?

I had pulled up this blog today to reference something, and realized that's been a very long time since I posted.

Time for a little catch-up?

The last chatty post was that, at last, we were going to close on our construction loan, so we'll start there for those of you who don't know. The final estimates came in on the house, and we just realized that we didn't want to work until the days we die to pay off a $400,000 home loan! Eeek, time to regroup. Fortunately, the house right next door to our lot came up for sale at only a mildly inflated price, so we bought it, and moved into it. It's tiny - 1430 s.f. on two floors, one tiny bedroom downstairs which is Scott's "office/studio" and a large bedroom upstairs in the loft. The master bath is big enough to sleep in, and there's a half-bath downstairs in the laundry room. The kitchen is a good size. We've had to replace most of the appliances that came with the house, but that's fine. So, here we are, nearly 1.5 acres of land in total.

I lost my job in November of 2009, which didn't bother me at all. I had absolutely loved working for my boss, but her stress levels hit maximum levels from her home life, she brought it to work with her, and our relationship took the hit. It had been miserable for a year before they let me go, so literally, I was upset for the length of time it took to get from the 33rd floor to the parking garage. But....despite sending out well over 100 resumes, here I am, almost two years later, unemployed. Only 3 checks left on my extended unemployment. The money I get isn't significant, but will definitely mean some major cutbacks in the budget when it's gone.

Shannon and her boyfriend, Justin, got married right after she graduated from high school, and are still doing well. Justin is going to Marine boot camp (whatever that's called) this coming Sunday, and Shannon was supposed to join the Marines as well, but is being delayed due to an injury she received while working at Walmart. She's still on the active roster, but they may have to push her out if she can't get healed up in time.

Our dog Rusty is doing great, and I have a fiesty fat cat named Stormy, a Persian Himmie, that I adore. Our boat died a slow and painful (and expensive) death, so we're off the lake for now, which is fine, the water is WAY low anyway.

And there you have it....all caught up :)

I'll try to be better about posting, I see there are still 6 of ya following us!

Traylor Family Reunion Info

Scott Carey will be hosting this year's Traylor family reunion.

When: June 25-27, 2010
Where: Quinlan, TX - Email for address and map (hlcarey at gmail dot com)
What: BBQ, Horseshoe Tournament, Fireworks, Fishing Tournament, Entertainment

What do you need to bring?
Yourself
Camping gear if staying over
Food for mornings, snacks
Dish to pass for main BBQ
Fishing Tackle (if planning to fish)
Water toys (if desired)

Typically, a few people show up Friday night to get their camp set up, but the majority show up Saturday morning and spend the day, with some staying over to Sunday.

We're flexible, we'll be around on Thursday, if you'd like to come out early and help cook, just let us know!

Helen & Scott Carey

Colleen, please contact

Please contact us directly at hlcarey at gmail dot com

At last!

Well, the rumor is that we should close on the construction loan by the end of the month! The appraiser should be done with his part by Monday or Tuesday, then it goes to Underwriting, which should have their part done by next Friday, and then we move to closing! Woohoo!!

I cannot wait!

OK…the journey continues…or does it?

OK…the journey continues…or does it?

I last left you all with the news of my father’s passing on May 31st. I flew to Syracuse, NY on June 13, and met Kristi there, and we drove to Auburn. The memorial service for my father was on June 14, and then we flew home on the 15th.

The memorial service was beautiful, my step-sisters/brothers did a great job of setting it up. It was emotional for me, realizing that he truly was gone. I did see cousins I hadn’t seen in 20 years, which was nice, but sad too – other than those cousins, for me, that branch of the family tree is gone. Dad was the last of three brothers to pass.

Kristi and I drove to Ovid, where my father’s family lived, and to Seneca Falls, where my mother’s family lived, and I showed her some of the things I remembered from previous visits. When you consider that my last visit was in like 1989, that’s pretty amazing – towns so small that nothing ever changes.

All in all, it was a whirlwind of emotions for me.

Fast forward two weeks:

We still haven’t begun building yet. The general contractor took so long to put in his bid, that the appraiser got backed up. Now watch, he’ll get his part done, and all the subs will be busy because they took other work while we farted around. Yes, I’m feeling slightly pessimistic. Trailer life is starting to suck, and I’m dying to get going, but it’s one delay after another. :(

On the other hand, Scott and I are looking at another wedding anniversary next week, and doing well, thank you very much. If we survive this trailer thing and rebuilding the house – I think we can survive anything!

Oh! And some cool news - One of the girls in the bird forum I used to hang out in read about the fire after I posted there, and she has a 2 year old Quaker Parrot she's going to give me! Of course, we can't take her until the house is built, but I'm very excited about it!

More later.

Bittersweet

Last night, Shannon graduated from high school....We're so happy for her! Tomorrow, she starts her new job as a camp counselor and will come home on the weekends. We'll miss her a lot :(

Then tonight, I received a phone call telling me that my father had died from a motorcycle accident today. The doctors think he had a stroke.

I think I've had enough loss for the year. Everyone else in my life will please enter the large protective bubble over to my left.

*Sigh*

I go through most days taking this whole thing in stride. We lost everything, but we're getting all this good stuff coming out of it, and that's a blessing. So is it really wrong to want it to be done in say...4 months?

Scott told me tonight that he truly believes it's going to be 6-8 months. I've been thinking October...we'll be ok. Now we're looking at what...Christmas? Oh.My.God!!

*sigh*

I bought my appliances last Monday. They're being warehoused until we can take delivery....but when I made that arrangement, I wasn't thinking 6-8 months. I don't know if I can get them held that long. I saved us a fortune by buying them when I did (no sales tax weekend, 10% off, and gift cards coming back to us). I'm just hoping the fortune saved won't be eaten up by storage fees.

*sigh*

This is a big setback to my sense of well-being. Trailer life is ok...my parents lived in a smaller trailer when I was a baby, but...come on...it's not the lifestyle I'm used to.

*sigh*