Frustration!

I am so frustrated!!! Almost everything in ready to pack the trailer, except THE TRAILER!!! It needs new axles, the ones Howard and Jimmy got for it were 7 inches too short. Of course they waited until Saturday to get them so now they have to wait until Monday to get the metal guy to add the 7 inches to them. Which means I'll have to wait until Tuesday to even start loading the truck and it has to be done Tuesday! I don't think I can do it in one day even with leaving so much stuff behind. I might just have to let Howard stuff everything from the shed into the trailer instead of going through it all. I don't want to put any of that stuff outside until I'm ready to put it in the trailer, because I don't want it stolen. Every space available if full of boxes so there isn't any space left to put new boxes. So I can't even pack what is left to be packed. GRRRRRRR!!! I want to scream at someone, or throw things, or basically act like a frustrated child. Of course I can't do that, so instead I'm on the verge of tears off and on today. To top it off I'm having a head ache induced by hormones and cramping, which probably explains my over emotional state right now. (Sigh) I'll be okay, everything will get done, and I'll be on my way home in just a couple of days! (Imagine wild cheering here.)

P.S. I know I used a lot of exclamation marks in this post, but I'm hormonal and it made me feel less frustrated. Really it did.

Finally!!!

We finally got the house sold. We had to settle for $700 because we wanted to leave by the third. Now it's a sure thing, we will be leaving by the third of May! Hurray! Now we have a list of things to get done, none of them very hard.

1. Paint the fenders on the trailer.
2. Take the trailer in to get the license.
3. Pack up (I have a plan for this as well).
4. Have dinner with Howard's Cousin Jim and Aunt Martha.
5. Take the cable box in, pay the final bill.
6. Call the phone company to shut off the phone and give them my new address for the final bill.
7. Talk to the insurance people about the truck.
8. Look around for anything we forgot.
9. Get in the truck and leave!

We will stop by my brother Cody's house on the way out to see them. I think we will go the coast route because it will be a little bit easier for the truck to handle than the other ways. Besides Aidan can get his look at the ocean. So, depending on how long it takes us, how often we stop, and how slow we have to drive because of the trailer, we could be in Hood River in less than 2 weeks!

Not much progress

Still no news on when the move will happen. The trailer has fenders now, all we need to do is get doors on it and get it licensed. Then we can start to pack it up. We get money on the third, so maybe we can leave by Saturday the sixth.

Yesterday was a migraine day. I slept from 1:30 PM until 6:30 and still had a headache. It faded after we had dinner, but is still sitting there behind my right eye waiting. I feel like I could sleep all day today too. Of course I won't be able to do that. It's hard to describe the way I feel after a migraine. The pain is gone, but I'm still not quite back to normal. It's like a memory of the pain, or a tiredness like after a leg cramp, that feeling that if I move wrong it will come back. Anyway, today I'm in that almost back to normal phase. I hope that this afternoon it will be gone for good.

Still in California

Yesterday I was sick. It might have been a flu bug or just a reaction to the food I've been eating. (Sometimes I feel sick after eating red meat. My Doctor thinks it's the hormones and/or chemicals that animals are fed these days. They build up in my body and then I have to eat chicken or go vegetarian for a few days in order to feel normal again.) But whatever it was I'm feeling better today. The weather should be good today, and I should be able to get things together to get the permits this afternoon. Then the only thing left to do would be putting the doors on the trailer, putting a second coat of paint on the trailer and packing it up. It looks like it will be Tuesday or Wednesday before we can leave. We might have the car sold, and someone else looked at the house the other night. So maybe we will have enough cash to get home.

I had a dream that we were in Oregon, and it felt so good to be home. It didn't seem to be much of a rush or too much of a problem, but somehow I wasn't with Howard and Aidan. I was trying to catch up with them. I'm not sure what I was driving, or if I was with other people. It's been too long since I woke up, the details are fading. All in all it was a good dream though.

Sometimes it feels like we will never get out of here. But we have to leave the trailer park by the end of May regardless of anything else. So ... Keep good thoughts that we will be back in Oregon before Christopher's birthday on the 10th of May. I know that is almost 3 weeks away, but the way things are going it could take that long.

Trailer and truck update

There has been progress, although not as much as I'd like. The truck got it's carburetor re-built, it still needs a tune up and the timing set. Then I'll go get the trip permit to take it to Oregon. The trailer is almost done. It needs doors and a paint job. Oh and Howard needs to get some bolts to bolt the box down to the sheet metal part of the trailer. I will also need to get a permit for it.

I've been so sleepy the last couple of days. Before we had Aidan I used to spend days like this in bed, sleeping and maybe watching some TV or drawing. Now, of course, I have to watch Aidan, so no all day naps for me.

Email change

Those of you that I actually send e-mail to will soon notice that I've started to change my e-mail address. I won't be using the comcast address any more once we move, so I thought it would be a good idea to get some of it changed over to the new Yahoo address. I'll also be using it for comments on blogs and such. It's the same as the comcast one, it just ends with yahoo. com instead of comcast.net.

Moving update.

There has been an other short delay in the move. Howard stressed his back on Saturday and hasn't been able to move around much until today. He's almost back to normal today. So we are behind a little bit with building the "box" for the trailer. I had a migraine yesterday so I'm a bit behind on packing and cleaning. Oh well, things are still good for leaving this week-end. We will see how it goes from here. Even more good news, there is a man who is interested in this place. He says he will have $1000 tomorrow. That will allow me to pay $500 in bills and still have money left for the move. Keep your fingers crossed that he will actually come up with the money, we can use all the good luck we can get.

I think we will take the coast route to Oregon, because the hills are much easier and there is less chance for snow. The weather has been very wet the last few days, with lots of snow up in the mountains. They are saying that the snow level is going up though, so who knows. It will take longer going the coast route, but will be a nice drive and easier for the truck to handle, I hope.

Finally a bit of good news!

Well, the truck (pick-up) finally got here. They fixed a "module" for about $23. The next thing will be a complete go over to make sure everything is in good working order. It needs the timing set and some newer tires. Now we have to get a trailer. We could easily get one that is basically the bed of a pick-up, but that will be too little. There is an other one that we think is big enough, but we are not sure we can get it. Keep in mind this is all free stuff. So it is conceivable that we will be moving by the end of the week. However, I'm not going to hold my breath. Every week since the end of January we have thought we would be able to move by the end of the week. (sigh)

My list of things I'm taking with me is getting smaller all the time. I still need to get into the shed and see what is salvageable. But chances are I'll be leaving most of it here. I want to find my books, and a few other things. But I don't need most of that stuff, I've become accustomed to having it. So I'll be taking my Queen size bed (mattress, box springs, frame and headboard), Aidan's twin size bed (mattress, box springs, frame, headboard and footboard) my two dressers, the china cabinet, filing cabinet, art cabinet, a small desk, 3 small tables, a small bookcase, 2 TV's , computers, 2 lamps, microwave, various boxes of things, our cloths, Aidan's toys, and a few other small odds and ends of things.

Aidan LOVES the truck. The first night it was here he got mad when we brought him in. He wanted to sleep in it! So it has become known as "Aidan's truck". Here are a few pictures of it with Aidan playing in it today.

It's not a very pretty truck.

A few updates.

Here's an update on that weight loss study: My anonymous commenter is probably right, it is a scam. I got a call yesterday, it seems that they are not taking any more people into the study. Now they are offering a discount to actually get all the stuff. Hmm ... If I can't get $150 in order to make $1000 why do they think I'll be able to pay even a discounted price? Oh well, it would have been nice. I would like to loose a lot of weight, and the $1000 would have been great, but since anyone can qualify for the so called test, and they are already selling the product that was being studied just last week (not enough time to collect necessary data) I'd have to agree that this is a scam. (sigh)

I don't know what is happening with the move. I guess there is a 1978 Dodge truck that is supposed to be here any time now. It needs some work, but if the problem is what Jimmy thinks it is it won't cost much to fix it. There is also a trailer, kind of a boxed in truck bed with a roll up door, that we are also supposed to be getting soon. So ... I'm trying not to get my hopes up too high, but IF it all works out the way Jimmy says it will, it will be wonderful!

Aidan was sick a couple of days ago. It seemed like everything he had to eat or drink would come back up in just a few minutes. Twice it happened in the car, and once it happened all over me. My stomach was irritable for two days after that and then I had a day of sitting in the bathroom almost all day. Today I'm feeling pretty good, except that I'm tired. Oh and allergies, but those are normal for me around here at this time of year.

Yesterday I asked Aidan to be quiet. He has started to repeat everything anyone says. But when I told him that I didn't feel well, he came over to me, put his hand on my cheek and said "Oh, poor little Mama." It was so cute. He sounded so concerned.

Mommy blog entry.

Yesterday while shopping Aidan was looking at the wall in Food 4 Less, pointed and said "Black Q." You know what? He was right! I didn't know he knew what a Q was! Today I cut a piece of toast in half, corner to corner, and he said "Triangle toast." Wow! I didn't know he knew what a triangle was either. He is finally starting to talk a lot, almost able to hold a conversation, and coming out with suppressing things. He is still fairly well behaved, but is starting to say no or just ignore what we tell him to do. Luckily for him it's only a once in awhile thing.

He only has melt downs when he is tired, but now that he is trying to skip the afternoon nap that happens regularly. He is also starting to sleep in later. No more waking up a 5 AM, he will now sleep until 7, or once in awhile even 8.

Right now he is talking to the TV, it's the Backyardagains. He really likes them as well as Dora and Diego. Of course Sesame Street is always something he will sit still for. (Probably why he knows about Q's and triangles) During most of his "Shows" he will be playing, pretending to read, drawing, or some other activity. This is a new Backyardagains, so he is interested more than normal. The kids are having a race "around the world" they were snowboarding down a mountain and Aidan was telling them "Be careful, don't crash." He had to say it 4 times, once for each of the 4 characters that are in this adventure.

He is counting objects now. Ducks in a book, pieces of tomato, and movies in the book case. He counts in Spanish up to 7 sometimes too, thanks to Dora and Diego. I'm going to see if my Dad would mind teaching Aidan more Spanish.

He brought a stuffed toy to me with a shirt to wrap around it, then he carried it like a baby, patted it on the back and then put it to bed. It was so cute, he doesn't know any babies right now, so maybe it's just a natural nurturing part of his personality. He knows almost all his body parts, and can show them to you as well as name them. His Daddy and I are having a disagreement about the words for his behind and his penis. Howard wants to say Butt and for some strange reason feels weird saying Penis. I want to say Bottom and Penis, because I think they will be more acceptable at school when he goes. Howard doesn't think that the word Butt will get Aidan in trouble. So I guess he will learn both and I'll have to tell him not to say Butt in public places like school and the Grocery Store.

All in all I'd say that Aidan is making a good amount of progress learning things. He may still be behind kids his age in some things, but I think he is catching up fast and is actually ahead a little bit in a few others.

Howard's birthday.

Howard's birthday was Saturday the fourth of March. The day started out sunny and warm. He wanted to BBQ in the park so that Aidan could play on the slide he likes. So he called a friend and invited him and his wife to the park with us. By the time Howard got the hamburgers on the grill it had become overcast and cold. We toughed it out until after we had eaten, because Aidan was having such a good time. And because having people who aren't family to talk to can be interesting sometimes. Howard said that the day was a good one for him, because we were together, Aidan was so happy to be playing in the park, and we had some nice conversation.

Here are some pictures I took of Aidan, my batteries died early, so I only got about 4 or 5 pictures.

Still in California.

Well, there is still not much news about our move. There is a possibility of a u-haul type truck that we could get for next to nothing and we would be able to keep it. But I don't know how that is going to work out. There have been a few people who have looked at the house. Yesterday one lady actually said that she would get the money and come back, but she didn't. I'm hoping that she will come back with the money eventually and that we will get that truck. Howard says that we will be leaving before the end of the month. I know I'm starting to sound like a broken record, but I really need to get out of here. It took me a while to get to this point. I was looking for another house or something, because we didn't have any money, Howard needed to get a job up there first, I needed more of a long term plan. But now that I've gotten past that particular set of worries, I and very anxious to get going. So far 2 months of wanting to finally leave, and still there isn't much progress. I'm sure that when it's the right time it will happen. Howard has more possibilities for jobs now than he did a couple of months ago. He's talked to people in Coos Bay and Albany, just recently. So maybe it's a good thing.

Worrisom survey results.

It's a little worrisome that only one in four Americans can name more than one of the five freedoms guaranteed by the First Amendment. But more than half can name at least two members of the Simpsons, according to a survey. I'm ashamed to say that I can only name 4 or the 5. I remembered Freedom of Religion, Freedom of the press, Freedom of speech, and Freedom of Assembly, but completely forgot the Freedom to petition for redress of grievances. Could you have named them before today? Do you know what the other Amendments are? If so you are ahead of me, I can't remember most of them. This bothers me some what, because I think we should all know and understand them and yet here I am one of them many who don't know. I'm not even sure if I've ever studied them. Maybe I should study them on my own.

Diet study

There is an interesting study going on right now, about weight loss. They think they have come up with a perfect weight loss program. It sounds interesting, you diet one day and eat what ever you want the next day. They have a vitamin crystal you take on the "Food Days", which is supposed to help with energy. On the "Diet Days" you eat only fruit and vegetables, drink water and eat these wafers which are made from a root and expands somewhat in your stomach. The only exercise you have to do is walk 30 to 40 minutes a day. At the end of the study they will pay all who have made it through the whole study $1000. The only problem I have is they want a $150 deposit, which you will get back eventually, to make sure "only those who are truly serious about loosing weight" get in. I'm probably more serious than anyone else in their study, but I don't have that right now. My credit card is maxed out right now, and ever penny we get we have to either save for the move or get things we need. So I'm not going to be able to do the study. But maybe there will be a second study with a smaller deposit, or maybe we will have money soon and I can still sign up. Oh, if you are interested or know someone who might be interested their web site is http://dietstudy.com Let me know if anyone does it and how it works out.

Things are not moving very fast.

I'm still not sure when we will be moving to Oregon. We haven't been able to sell the house, I don't think any work has been done on building a moving trailer, and Jimmy wants to tow the trailer up there for us, but I don't think I'll be able to afford to pay for gas. I'm getting worried, I don't want to be here any longer, but it looks like we may be here for another month anyway.

But there is a possible bright spot, Howard has talked to someone in CoosBay about a job. It pays about $2000 a month, gross pay. Not too bad, I think. If they like his resume he could have an interview in a couple of weeks. Coos Bay isn't my first choice of places to live, but it's better than here. It's getting depressing not knowing if will be able to leave this month or not. I'm about half packed and I don't feel very encouraged to pack any more. I could get quite a bit packed and still be able to live day to day, but I just can't seem to bring myself to do it.

I am getting rid of a lot of things, well actually I'm just going to leave them here. Maybe someone can use them. We are going to take the beds, two dressers, the china cabinet, the art cabinet, the filing cabinet, computers, cloths, Aidan's toys (although many of the older ones are not going with us), about half the dishes and pots and pans, about half the boxes of things I've been moving with us, the desk, a lamp or two, and maybe the freezer. Hopefully the trailer will be done soon and I can start to move things out there to get them out of the way. If I keep Buddy close to the trailer no one will be getting into it.

I've been feeling very tired a lot lately. I'm not sure why. But I need to fight it, and get busy around here. It's a challenge to do things like pack and clean with a busy 3 year old trying to "help" or thinking he can get away with doing things he would normally get in trouble for. He naps only half the time these days, so I can't count of that time to do things. Howard gets too involved in his computer or TV and doesn't' watch Aidan well enough (or maybe I'm just being too critical, thinking I am the ONLY one who can watch Aidan well enough).

Keep good moving vibes coming my way, okay? I don't want to have to pay rent for March.

Happy Birthday Valentines Boy

Today my sweet little boy is 3! How did the years fly by so fast? WOW 3 years already!

Dear Little Valentines boy,

I love you so very completely. It's hard to believe you are already 3, and yet it seems as if you have been part of me forever. You are growing bigger and bigger all the time, and learning new things every day. You are talking more now days, but still not as much as what I've heard others your age are talking. You know how to make your wants known, you can tell your Daddy and I that you love us, and you have a good memory for people and their names, so I think you are doing pretty well.

You enjoy playing with computers, any computer will make you happy. You like books, trucks, cars, red things, Elmo, Cookie Monster, Grover, you cat named Ti, and your dog Buddy. You are 39 inches tall (at least as far as I can tell with the growth chart I have, when I can get you to pass by it slow enough for me to see it).

You can count to 20 with only a few skipped numbers, a few mispronounced, but you know what they mean. You like the ABC's, but refuse to say them.

You are well behaved, for a child your age, you listen to me and usually do what I tell you to do. You go to bed easily, and sleep pretty good, for your nap and at night. You are trying to skip the afternoon nap though.

I want you to know just how happy I am that you are in my life. You can make me smile when I'm in a bad mood. I don't know what I'd do without you.

Here is your birthday cake, you liked it because of the trucks. You didn't care about the candle or eating the cake however.

Happy birthday my little love!

Childhood memories, updated.

One of the bloggers I like to read, lives in the area that I grew up in, down in New Mexico. She has a flickr photostream as well. Part of me wants to ask her to go and find the place we lived when I was a child and photograph the house. Part of me is afraid that if she did that I'd be disappointed or upset by what she would find. Even if I actually asked her and she should agree I'm not sure I could tell her how to find the place. It would be interesting though, to see how close my memory is to how the house actually is. If it's still there and if they hadn't done much to change it in the ... 32? ... years since we left. I guess it's unlikely that things would be the same as when we left, all these years would have brought changes, even if only small ones. Maybe someday I'll go back there and see for myself, if I could find it that is.

Birthday wishes

Today is The Girls birthday. I would like to be with her today, to help her celebrate.

Dear little Sister-friend,

I love you! I feel so lucky to have you in my life, even though we don't see each other very often. I wish you a day that is as special for you as you are special to me. Have fun, play, enjoy.

I love you!

The big move, an update.

It looks like we will have to wait until next month to make this move. The house didn't sell, and I don't think it will. So now we have to find a trailer, maybe Howard's cousin Jimmy can build one for free. The main problem with that is that he wants to tow it up to Hood River for us, I think he trying to save my car for me. I'd rather have a truck to tow it ourselves. It's very nice of him, if I'm right, to think of letting me keep my car. Oh well, we will see how it all works.

It gives me some more time to go through things and pack stuff up, so maybe a blessing in disguise. If we get the trailer, and a lock, I can load some stuff up early as well.

Still waiting, yuck!

Well, we didn't see them yesterday. We will have to pay the rent on the space when we get paid tomorrow. So they have until tonight and then they will have to wait until the end of the month to get the house, if they still want it. So the search of a truck and trailer is on. Jimmy thinks he can build one for us, and maybe we can get a truck. He also has a King Cab, I think, truck that needs a little work, but he could take us up to Hood River, towing a trailer, in it. Not what I'd want, because I'd like to have transportation once we are up there, but if that is what we have to do then that is what we will do.

I'm slowly progressing with packing up those thing we don't NEED for everyday life. I am also deciding to get rid of almost half of the things I have. Some things will go in the dumpster, some will go to whoever wants them, some we might be able to sell. Of course we will have to speed things up if they come over with the money tonight. (We might have missed them yesterday, because we went around to get my Wheel of the Year photos, so we were gone for a couple of hours in the middle of the day. Then from 6 to about 8:30 we were at Denny's for dinner with Jimmy, his wife, sister and mother.)