Yesterday completed the final move-in of furniture to the house. Every household item that we own is now under the roof. The thing is, we can use another roof. There is so much stuff that needs to find a place that we will be unpacking and sorting for a long, long time. It isn't the best of the year to be doing all this with the intense heat which makes it very difficult to do anything in the garage for very long. It will eventually all get done.
I really appreciated the help that Brian gave yesterday for the moving of the furniture from his house and from George's house. I really couldn't have done it without his help (with just Josie and I) and I know he had better things to do before he goes out of town today. Thanks again, Brian.
We will settle-in to unpack and organize everything now and that is going to be a challenge. The only piece we are missing right now is a desk for the den area where I can place all the office supplies and computer equipment that we have. There are many boxes of souvenirs and items we have accumulated over the years that we will struggle to find a place for in our available storage. I will definitely have to make some arrangement in the garage to store much of these things, but not while it is close to 100 degrees in the garage.
One thing that is a nice benefit for us and one we are using and will continue to use extensively - is our swimming pool. It was a good decision to get one with our house and it will pay dividends this summer...
Tuesday, June 30, 2015
Monday, June 29, 2015
A Big Move Out of the Way
The storage unit in Surprise, AZ is now history. Our move of all our goods to the house occurred without problems and the movers did a fabulous job. We now have boxes everywhere in the house and the garage is about one third full. It is still amazing how we got so much stuff in that storage unit as we completely filled the 24 foot truck. This is what it looked like when we arrived at the house at around 2 PM and following 3.5 hours of loading at the storage unit:
We ran over our estimate for the move by just over 2 hours so I paid for the extra time and the movers were gone by almost 4 PM.
The main chore for me at that point was to assemble our Sleep-Comfort bed that we haven't used in over 6 years. We could finally put away our temporary air mattress that we had been using since we put the fifth wheel in storage. That was no easy task as I had to locate all the parts and remember how it all went together. We made it though, and we enjoyed a great night's sleep on our "new" old bed.
Today will wrap up all the moving that we need to finish. I have a truck reserved for 8 AM to pick up the furniture at George's house and Brian's house and then we settle in to get everything consolidated and organized. That will be the real challenge now, and no easy task and will take quite a long time after seeing all that we have to do with all the boxes we have to empty...
We ran over our estimate for the move by just over 2 hours so I paid for the extra time and the movers were gone by almost 4 PM.
The main chore for me at that point was to assemble our Sleep-Comfort bed that we haven't used in over 6 years. We could finally put away our temporary air mattress that we had been using since we put the fifth wheel in storage. That was no easy task as I had to locate all the parts and remember how it all went together. We made it though, and we enjoyed a great night's sleep on our "new" old bed.
Today will wrap up all the moving that we need to finish. I have a truck reserved for 8 AM to pick up the furniture at George's house and Brian's house and then we settle in to get everything consolidated and organized. That will be the real challenge now, and no easy task and will take quite a long time after seeing all that we have to do with all the boxes we have to empty...
Sunday, June 28, 2015
Ready for Furniture
Everything is now ready for the rest of our furniture and all our belongings from our storage unit. We look around the house now and can't believe we have so much stuff already and are a bit concerned about where we are going to put everything. Of course, we really don't remember a lot of what we have in storage so it will be a surprise today.
We also made arrangements to rent a truck for Monday AM to pick up our furniture pieces from George and Cheryl and Brian and Amy. I wanted to get a truck with a power lift gate but they were all reserved for Monday and were too expensive anyway. We can manage with the ramp and a large appliance dolly. We are anxious to get those pieces and finalize our furniture - for now.
I also had Spencer's Appliances come out yesterday afternoon to check the settings on our TV. There were some adjustments required and we feel much better now about the quality of the picture on our new set. We also had them hang the two TVs on the wall for us in the family room and the master bedroom.
Once we get all the furnishings settled we only have the gas line remaining of the items we wanted to get done up front. Once we get that line in, we can swap out the electric stove for the new gas stove and be done with everything...
We also made arrangements to rent a truck for Monday AM to pick up our furniture pieces from George and Cheryl and Brian and Amy. I wanted to get a truck with a power lift gate but they were all reserved for Monday and were too expensive anyway. We can manage with the ramp and a large appliance dolly. We are anxious to get those pieces and finalize our furniture - for now.
I also had Spencer's Appliances come out yesterday afternoon to check the settings on our TV. There were some adjustments required and we feel much better now about the quality of the picture on our new set. We also had them hang the two TVs on the wall for us in the family room and the master bedroom.
Once we get all the furnishings settled we only have the gas line remaining of the items we wanted to get done up front. Once we get that line in, we can swap out the electric stove for the new gas stove and be done with everything...
Saturday, June 27, 2015
Finally Started
We have been kind of just camping out in the house before yesterday. The new carpet was laid and the new furniture was delivered and set up. Now we will be able to empty out our storage unit in Surprise (on Sunday afternoon) and we will then have all our possessions at the house. It will be exciting to see, once again, how much stuff we have been hoarding for the last almost seven years.
We did not connect with George, Cheryl, Brian or Amy yesterday. They must be gone somewhere as it isn't like them not to return calls right away. I don't believe they are going to Portland until July so it might be something else (?). We'll probably find out today.
The only thing scheduled for today is a visit from the TV place where we purchased our new set as they need to make sure that all of the settings are correct and we are taking advantage of all the new features. Very soon we should have good photos of the inside of the house to show everybody...
We did not connect with George, Cheryl, Brian or Amy yesterday. They must be gone somewhere as it isn't like them not to return calls right away. I don't believe they are going to Portland until July so it might be something else (?). We'll probably find out today.
The only thing scheduled for today is a visit from the TV place where we purchased our new set as they need to make sure that all of the settings are correct and we are taking advantage of all the new features. Very soon we should have good photos of the inside of the house to show everybody...
Friday, June 26, 2015
New Chapter Begins
A new adventure in our lives has started with the official closing of our house yesterday. The fifth wheel is put away and will be given a rest for awhile and all the goods that we have had in our storage unit for the last six years is coming out. We have some new furniture that we bought - both in Vista, CA and here - that will take its place in the new home. We are excited to get things going and to get settled.
We start with new carpeting today and all of our brand new furniture today. There are some pieces that I need to pick up from George and Cheryl and from Brian and Amy to complete our furniture list. That will be coordinated soon as I'm sure they have been wondering like everybody else if we would ever close on this house. We have also generated a list of needs and other items that we are targeting to acquire in the short term - such as a desk and a treadmill. We just need to make sure we stay within our budget for these items as the cash is being dispersed at a rapid clip right now.
We're off and running and there is no turning back now. We feel we made a wise choice in our home and are looking forward to entertaining family and friends in more than a 400 square foot space for the first time in a long while...
We start with new carpeting today and all of our brand new furniture today. There are some pieces that I need to pick up from George and Cheryl and from Brian and Amy to complete our furniture list. That will be coordinated soon as I'm sure they have been wondering like everybody else if we would ever close on this house. We have also generated a list of needs and other items that we are targeting to acquire in the short term - such as a desk and a treadmill. We just need to make sure we stay within our budget for these items as the cash is being dispersed at a rapid clip right now.
We're off and running and there is no turning back now. We feel we made a wise choice in our home and are looking forward to entertaining family and friends in more than a 400 square foot space for the first time in a long while...
Thursday, June 25, 2015
CLOSED !!!
There have been so many false alarms and attempts at closing the house that I didn't want to mention anything about it anymore until it happened. The closing occurred this morning which is why the blog entry is so late. At 9 AM the papers were signed and we went immediately to the furniture store to finalize our order and schedule delivery for tomorrow. We also celebrated by having lunch at Olive Garden today and stopped at the DMV to change our addresses on our driver's licenses.
More tomorrow on our exciting day as we are so happy that it is finally over and the HOUSE IS OURS!!
More tomorrow on our exciting day as we are so happy that it is finally over and the HOUSE IS OURS!!
Wednesday, June 24, 2015
Doctors and Procedures
Yesterday was Josie's turn to visit the doctor's office, collect prescriptions and schedule procedures. She has been having a recurrence of her pinched nerves and painful joints and she went to her neurological doctor yesterday. She got about four or five prescriptions and scheduled more appointments for MRI's, CT Scans and physical therapy. Like me, her days are beginning to look like days of prep for the next procedure.
Following the visit to her doctor, we stopped at the Tanger Outlets on the way home which are just down the street. It was a rare experience when the mall looked like a ghost town. It almost looked like it was a holiday and all the stores were closed but it was just a very light traffic day, probably because it was a weekday and it was 114 degrees outside. Here is a shot of the mall:
We don't know how most of those stores survive with such little traffic.
We then went home and had a nice dip in our pool before having some dinner, watching a little TV and heading to bed for the night...
Following the visit to her doctor, we stopped at the Tanger Outlets on the way home which are just down the street. It was a rare experience when the mall looked like a ghost town. It almost looked like it was a holiday and all the stores were closed but it was just a very light traffic day, probably because it was a weekday and it was 114 degrees outside. Here is a shot of the mall:
We don't know how most of those stores survive with such little traffic.
We then went home and had a nice dip in our pool before having some dinner, watching a little TV and heading to bed for the night...
Tuesday, June 23, 2015
More Medical Stuff
I picked up my Barium Sulphate Suspension yesterday morning and will be ready for the pretty pictures they will take tomorrow when I have my CT Scan. I have two bottles of the stuff and have to take both before my procedure begins at 8:30 AM tomorrow. I could have scheduled my MRI for the same day as the CT Scan but I thought the Barium Sulphate might interfere with the MRI results, so I will schedule that for another day.
I also received a call from the vascular surgeon's office and they scheduled another procedure for June 30 when I will have the disturbance checked that was discovered on my Ultra Sound. As all of these medical procedures are being scheduled, I am feeling better each day and suspect that the illness I experienced was all a reaction to the cholesterol medication I was taking. I hope that is the case and I will probably know for sure very soon.
This morning we have a doctor's appointment for Josie at 7:30 AM where she will have some analysis done on recent pain and numbness she has experienced in her feet and leg. She has had a history of pinched nerves and this may be another occasion where she may need some shots to control the numbness. I guess it is the time for us to get our bodies checked and in shape for the next set of adventures, whatever or wherever they might be...
I also received a call from the vascular surgeon's office and they scheduled another procedure for June 30 when I will have the disturbance checked that was discovered on my Ultra Sound. As all of these medical procedures are being scheduled, I am feeling better each day and suspect that the illness I experienced was all a reaction to the cholesterol medication I was taking. I hope that is the case and I will probably know for sure very soon.
This morning we have a doctor's appointment for Josie at 7:30 AM where she will have some analysis done on recent pain and numbness she has experienced in her feet and leg. She has had a history of pinched nerves and this may be another occasion where she may need some shots to control the numbness. I guess it is the time for us to get our bodies checked and in shape for the next set of adventures, whatever or wherever they might be...
Monday, June 22, 2015
Nice Father's Day
I had a very nice - and quiet - Father's Day with Josie while just hangin' out around the house and watching the final round of the US Open Golf Tournament.
We did take a short trip to Dick's Sporting Goods store in the morning to look for a work shirt for Josie. Of course, they didn't have the color she needs to buy so I guess we will just order them online. While out-and-about in the morning we stopped at Costco to get a few items and the rest of the day was spent doing some things around the house.
The US Open Golf Tournament did not disappoint. Jordan Spieth, the young phenom who won the Masters Tournament earlier this year repeated with his second major win of the year. What a great kid and great golfer. It is refreshing to see somebody like him come on the scene to replace Tiger Woods as the top US golfer.
We are expecting things to wrap up today and tomorrow on the house and hopefully get the closing all done. The final step should be completed today and we can move on from this bad experience of delay after delay. I also have to pick up some dye at the hospital pharmacy to be used for my CT Scan that is scheduled for Wednesday. I'm still waiting on the appointment for the MRI which I most likely will get today. I will be glad when all this medical stuff is over...
We did take a short trip to Dick's Sporting Goods store in the morning to look for a work shirt for Josie. Of course, they didn't have the color she needs to buy so I guess we will just order them online. While out-and-about in the morning we stopped at Costco to get a few items and the rest of the day was spent doing some things around the house.
The US Open Golf Tournament did not disappoint. Jordan Spieth, the young phenom who won the Masters Tournament earlier this year repeated with his second major win of the year. What a great kid and great golfer. It is refreshing to see somebody like him come on the scene to replace Tiger Woods as the top US golfer.
We are expecting things to wrap up today and tomorrow on the house and hopefully get the closing all done. The final step should be completed today and we can move on from this bad experience of delay after delay. I also have to pick up some dye at the hospital pharmacy to be used for my CT Scan that is scheduled for Wednesday. I'm still waiting on the appointment for the MRI which I most likely will get today. I will be glad when all this medical stuff is over...
Sunday, June 21, 2015
Timing the Work
Of course, with the high heat during the day, everyday, you have to get anything done outside in the early mornings before the heat arrives which is generally around 10 AM. Yesterday, I sprayed all the weeds and wild grass we had on the property to get rid of those unsightly blotches and also did some investigating of our irrigation system which I still haven't figured out. There is one valve on the side of the house that doesn't seem to tie into the rest of the watering system so I guess I'll have to get some help in figuring out this strange system.
Following the little bit of outside chores, I went to the store to pick up a few things and then settled in to watch the US Open Golf Championship. The course this year is outside of Tacoma, WA, and is a course that is new since we left that area. It was a gorgeous day in the Seattle area and this is the nice time of year to be anywhere in the Pacific Northwest. Every time we see shows from that area at this time of the year we get a little homesick for that part of the country. Of course, all of the announcers agree that it is a true garden spot of our country.
We have a rare day off together today and will probably do some more settling and unpacking of the boxes - in between the US Open - that we brought from the fifth wheel. We wish we could just go ahead and get everything else delivered and set up but we will wait until our residency becomes "official", hopefully early this week...
Following the little bit of outside chores, I went to the store to pick up a few things and then settled in to watch the US Open Golf Championship. The course this year is outside of Tacoma, WA, and is a course that is new since we left that area. It was a gorgeous day in the Seattle area and this is the nice time of year to be anywhere in the Pacific Northwest. Every time we see shows from that area at this time of the year we get a little homesick for that part of the country. Of course, all of the announcers agree that it is a true garden spot of our country.
We have a rare day off together today and will probably do some more settling and unpacking of the boxes - in between the US Open - that we brought from the fifth wheel. We wish we could just go ahead and get everything else delivered and set up but we will wait until our residency becomes "official", hopefully early this week...
Saturday, June 20, 2015
TV is Back
For the first time in a week we were able to watch the news on TV. It's the same old stuff - massacres in churches or schools, weather disasters and politics. The news hardly changes at all, only the locations.
DirectV spent about 3 hours at the house yesterday setting up the satellite and receiver equipment. I was disappointed that the programming has changed to where we no longer get the east/west feeds for the major networks. That enabled us to get shows earlier from the east coast so that benefit is gone. Also, I have a problem with the quality of the broadcasts and I'm not sure if that is related to the new TV setup or not. When our new set was delivered, it wasn't really tuned up since we had no TV reception. I will call the place where we purchased it today to see if I can get a technician out to fine tune the TV. I paid too much for the set to settle for inferior quality of the picture. I know one thing though, and that is that we got our TV back in time to watch the US Open Golf Championship this weekend.
The heat continues as we reached 116 here yesterday. It seems like summer is really here so we will have to adjust again to the hot summers that we were able to avoid for the last 6 years or so. It's nice that we have the pool now, although 116 is almost even too hot to swim. We are looking forward to having a few days off together after Josie works today and Monday. She gets a rare 3 days off in a row so it better include signing papers for the house and getting our furniture moved into the new house...
DirectV spent about 3 hours at the house yesterday setting up the satellite and receiver equipment. I was disappointed that the programming has changed to where we no longer get the east/west feeds for the major networks. That enabled us to get shows earlier from the east coast so that benefit is gone. Also, I have a problem with the quality of the broadcasts and I'm not sure if that is related to the new TV setup or not. When our new set was delivered, it wasn't really tuned up since we had no TV reception. I will call the place where we purchased it today to see if I can get a technician out to fine tune the TV. I paid too much for the set to settle for inferior quality of the picture. I know one thing though, and that is that we got our TV back in time to watch the US Open Golf Championship this weekend.
The heat continues as we reached 116 here yesterday. It seems like summer is really here so we will have to adjust again to the hot summers that we were able to avoid for the last 6 years or so. It's nice that we have the pool now, although 116 is almost even too hot to swim. We are looking forward to having a few days off together after Josie works today and Monday. She gets a rare 3 days off in a row so it better include signing papers for the house and getting our furniture moved into the new house...
Friday, June 19, 2015
It's an Oven
The weather has been unbelievable this last week. In the last seven days we have had these high temperatures, in this order: 106, 107, 109, 113, 114, 116 and 117 yesterday. This is still only mid June. The highs in Jackson have been running in the 80's each of those days. Ho hum. If it is in any way possible, we will be spending our summers up north from now on.
It has been impossible to get anything done outside past about 10 AM in the morning. There are several projects that I want to complete outside but all I can do is sit inside and try to do as much as I can until we close on the house. We will, however, be getting our TV back today as DirectV is scheduled to come this morning to install their equipment. Hallelujah!
We are again hoping for a wrap up of the paperwork for our closing today. There are new underwriting guidelines that are causing delays and we are working through them. We are supposedly just about there and will know for sure today. This has been an experience to forget...
It has been impossible to get anything done outside past about 10 AM in the morning. There are several projects that I want to complete outside but all I can do is sit inside and try to do as much as I can until we close on the house. We will, however, be getting our TV back today as DirectV is scheduled to come this morning to install their equipment. Hallelujah!
We are again hoping for a wrap up of the paperwork for our closing today. There are new underwriting guidelines that are causing delays and we are working through them. We are supposedly just about there and will know for sure today. This has been an experience to forget...
Thursday, June 18, 2015
More Yo-Yo
We got very excited yesterday morning when we received a call that the order had been given to release the docs to title. We thought for sure that yesterday would be the day we signed and closed on the house. Wrong, As the day progressed, they discovered a problem that had to be fixed before they could complete the docs for signing. We ended the day not knowing, once again, when the papers would be ready for signing. Based on the signs that we were going to sign yesterday, I went ahead and ordered the installation of our DirectV equipment so we could get some television for the first time since we left Lake Pleasant. Of course, that created an inquiry on our credit and I'm sure I will hear from the lender about that. It's not like it is a major credit issue and if we had signed as it appeared we would, it would not be a concern. We'll see how that goes today.
I went to my scheduled doctor's appointment with the Vascular Surgeon and he told me the reason I was there was because one of the doctors thought he saw a kidney artery aneurysm on my Ultra Sound test. They are investigating that now and that is all I need on top of all the other medical appointments that are being scheduled. Evidently, that is an aneurysm that very rarely bursts and creates a problem and there is never any symptom that it exists.
I wanted to show this photo of the temporary setup we have in our eating area and family room:
All we can do with the TV right now is watch movies with our Blu-Ray player. It will be nice to get TV back again in time for the weekend as DirectV will be out tomorrow for the installation. Once we sign for the house, we can get our real furniture delivered and get set up for the long term...
I went to my scheduled doctor's appointment with the Vascular Surgeon and he told me the reason I was there was because one of the doctors thought he saw a kidney artery aneurysm on my Ultra Sound test. They are investigating that now and that is all I need on top of all the other medical appointments that are being scheduled. Evidently, that is an aneurysm that very rarely bursts and creates a problem and there is never any symptom that it exists.
I wanted to show this photo of the temporary setup we have in our eating area and family room:
All we can do with the TV right now is watch movies with our Blu-Ray player. It will be nice to get TV back again in time for the weekend as DirectV will be out tomorrow for the installation. Once we sign for the house, we can get our real furniture delivered and get set up for the long term...
Wednesday, June 17, 2015
Confusing Signals
I went to the Labs yesterday to give another blood sample based on my doctor's recommendation from Monday's visit. I also received a call from the office of my primary physician who scheduled another doctor appointment for me today - with a Vascular Surgeon. Evidently, my personal physician saw something in the Ultra Sound that he didn't like, or he is being cautious. Anyway, it seems that the two doctors don't know what each other is doing so I'll just go along and play their game.
Another "game" that we are very tired of playing is the game of figuring out what is happening with our closing - if anything. Yesterday was the final review of everything and we heard absolutely nothing from the offices of the people involved. Our rate-lock expires today, so something better happen to get the papers signed or there will be another adjustment in the loan. In the meantime, we are still going without TV as DirectV requires a credit check which means an inquiry on our credit report - and we are avoiding that. We are really, really tired of all this...
Another "game" that we are very tired of playing is the game of figuring out what is happening with our closing - if anything. Yesterday was the final review of everything and we heard absolutely nothing from the offices of the people involved. Our rate-lock expires today, so something better happen to get the papers signed or there will be another adjustment in the loan. In the meantime, we are still going without TV as DirectV requires a credit check which means an inquiry on our credit report - and we are avoiding that. We are really, really tired of all this...
Tuesday, June 16, 2015
Medical Results
My Ultra Sound in the morning yesterday didn't take very long and I was home again by 10:30 AM. They don't give any results but I had an appointment with the Gastrointestinal Doctor at 1:15 where I would hear about the results. That appointment resulted in an inconclusive diagnosis of my liver problem. The doctor reviewed the Ultra Sound - nothing unusual - and discussed other possibilities that might cause the problem I had been having.
The net of the whole experience was that the doctor will schedule an MRI and a CAT-Scan along with another blood test which I will take today. Since I haven't been bothered by any of the symptoms recently, he is thinking that whatever caused the problem has gone away which would point to a reaction from the cholesterol medication that I was taking and have discontinued. I'll keep you posted.
We are still waiting on a single response before getting the green light to close on our house. We were hoping for yesterday, but now we will sit by again today. We are slowly getting things organized inside the house but until we get all of our furniture we can't get totally settled. The big thing for us now is that we have no TV. We can't get DirecTV installed until after we close since they have to run a credit check and set up a new account for us. That is a no-no before closing on a house.
We will just hang in there another day and hope that today is the day...
The net of the whole experience was that the doctor will schedule an MRI and a CAT-Scan along with another blood test which I will take today. Since I haven't been bothered by any of the symptoms recently, he is thinking that whatever caused the problem has gone away which would point to a reaction from the cholesterol medication that I was taking and have discontinued. I'll keep you posted.
We are still waiting on a single response before getting the green light to close on our house. We were hoping for yesterday, but now we will sit by again today. We are slowly getting things organized inside the house but until we get all of our furniture we can't get totally settled. The big thing for us now is that we have no TV. We can't get DirecTV installed until after we close since they have to run a credit check and set up a new account for us. That is a no-no before closing on a house.
We will just hang in there another day and hope that today is the day...
Monday, June 15, 2015
Complete Day
We started early - 6:30 AM - to go to the RV storage unit at Lake Pleasant to take care of last minute chores to settle the unit into storage for the long haul. Josie wanted to prepare the refrigerator for storage and we had to put the cover on which was a lot easier to do before the heat of the day arrived. This is how the rig looked in its new location:
And again following the cover placement and wheel covers:
We finished up at the storage facility by 9 AM and returned home to continue unpacking and setting up in the new home.
We finally had a chance to enjoy our pool for the first time and we made it a fun afternoon of swimming and having a barbecue. The pool was super and, of course, refreshing in the 105 degree heat:
Following our dip in the pool, we moved the table and a couple chairs into the shade and I cooked a couple burgers on the grill and we had a nice picnic dinner by the pool:
Eventually, we will have the table and chairs set up so that it is almost always in the shade.
It's back to work today for Josie and I have my Ultra Sound this morning and a doctor's appointment this afternoon. Let's hope that all of that goes well...
And again following the cover placement and wheel covers:
We finished up at the storage facility by 9 AM and returned home to continue unpacking and setting up in the new home.
We finally had a chance to enjoy our pool for the first time and we made it a fun afternoon of swimming and having a barbecue. The pool was super and, of course, refreshing in the 105 degree heat:
Following our dip in the pool, we moved the table and a couple chairs into the shade and I cooked a couple burgers on the grill and we had a nice picnic dinner by the pool:
Eventually, we will have the table and chairs set up so that it is almost always in the shade.
It's back to work today for Josie and I have my Ultra Sound this morning and a doctor's appointment this afternoon. Let's hope that all of that goes well...
Sunday, June 14, 2015
Recovery Day
After working so hard to empty the fifth wheel the last several days in the high heat, it was nice to kind of relax and recover a little bit. I didn't get a shot of our fifth wheel in storage yet but we have this photo of our space after we were all done:
We will get back to storage today to get a few last minute things done - open the refrigerator to air out and to place the covers on the unit.
Josie has off from work today after a long day yesterday following our marathon move. We will also try out the pool today!
This begins a new phase for us and we are hoping to get the house closed by Tuesday so we can get on with all the other events we need to schedule. It looks like we may have just beat the real heat as I see that we will crack the 110 barrier this week. Ugh!!!
We will get back to storage today to get a few last minute things done - open the refrigerator to air out and to place the covers on the unit.
Josie has off from work today after a long day yesterday following our marathon move. We will also try out the pool today!
This begins a new phase for us and we are hoping to get the house closed by Tuesday so we can get on with all the other events we need to schedule. It looks like we may have just beat the real heat as I see that we will crack the 110 barrier this week. Ugh!!!
Saturday, June 13, 2015
Out of Fifth Wheel
It was a struggle yesterday but we finally emptied the bottomless pit of the fifth wheel. The picture you saw yesterday of the garage with the fifth wheel contents is about half of what the actual load turned out to be. We made two more trips in our vehicles yesterday and the final trip had both of our vehicles completely stuffed with goods. Not to mention what we had moved inside of the house. It's done now and the fifth wheel is in the storage facility at Lake Pleasant.
We spent our first night in the house and slept on our air mattress. It was not very comfortable and we both had restless nights. We will be glad when this is all over and we can get our regular furniture delivered and set up.
Oh, and here is the promised photo of the pavers and grass, plus gazebo that we have stored on the side of the house. Remember that each one of those pavers was moved individually and more than once:
There is no final word on the closing except that early next week is the last we heard. It just has to happen then or we will be looking for other temporary quarters. The owner has been very cooperative and willing to go along with all these delays but her patience is about to run out. She wants her money.
In the meantime, we have no TV and very little furniture so we will have an interesting weekend...
We spent our first night in the house and slept on our air mattress. It was not very comfortable and we both had restless nights. We will be glad when this is all over and we can get our regular furniture delivered and set up.
Oh, and here is the promised photo of the pavers and grass, plus gazebo that we have stored on the side of the house. Remember that each one of those pavers was moved individually and more than once:
There is no final word on the closing except that early next week is the last we heard. It just has to happen then or we will be looking for other temporary quarters. The owner has been very cooperative and willing to go along with all these delays but her patience is about to run out. She wants her money.
In the meantime, we have no TV and very little furniture so we will have an interesting weekend...
Friday, June 12, 2015
Reaching the End
We had an almost marathon day yesterday finishing up with the pavers and grass and loading boxes in our vehicles to take to the house. We have this photo that we took yesterday of the garage that now contains almost all of what we had inside the fifth wheel:
In addition to all that stuff, there are lots of boxes that we have inside of the house that we didn't want to leave in the garage. It's truly amazing that we had all that in our fifth wheel.
I want to take another picture of the side of our house where we have all the pavers, grass and shed stored. I forgot to do that yesterday, so maybe today we can get that one.
We are suppose to close on our house today and we have heard nothing from anybody. It may still occur - remote chance - but we understand that there is still only the one item that needs to be resolved.
We will be out of the resort today and in the house at the end of the day. At this point, we don't know what we will sleep on at the house as none of our furniture in there yet but we'll figure out something...
In addition to all that stuff, there are lots of boxes that we have inside of the house that we didn't want to leave in the garage. It's truly amazing that we had all that in our fifth wheel.
I want to take another picture of the side of our house where we have all the pavers, grass and shed stored. I forgot to do that yesterday, so maybe today we can get that one.
We are suppose to close on our house today and we have heard nothing from anybody. It may still occur - remote chance - but we understand that there is still only the one item that needs to be resolved.
We will be out of the resort today and in the house at the end of the day. At this point, we don't know what we will sleep on at the house as none of our furniture in there yet but we'll figure out something...
Thursday, June 11, 2015
Another Bump
We are just about at the end of our rope with this "roving" close schedule that seems to be a weekly event now. Once again, there was a person in the underwriting office in CO that raised a question about another "obscure" situation that really has no bearing at all on the overall picture. We don't know for sure what the impact will be on the schedule, but we are hoping for only a one day delay, at most. We should know this morning sometime.
In the meantime, we received the money for the gazebo yesterday and we worked , steadily, trying to finish up the site prep for moving out of here tomorrow. We have another load or two to take down to the house today of pavers and fake grass and that project will be done. This is a progress report from yesterday:
We are also still packing the inside of the fifth wheel and it seems that the more we pack, the more we see left to pack. I have no idea how we were able to fit all this stuff inside.
With just over one day left at the resort, we have our work cut out for us to get done in time to be out by tomorrow afternoon...
In the meantime, we received the money for the gazebo yesterday and we worked , steadily, trying to finish up the site prep for moving out of here tomorrow. We have another load or two to take down to the house today of pavers and fake grass and that project will be done. This is a progress report from yesterday:
We are also still packing the inside of the fifth wheel and it seems that the more we pack, the more we see left to pack. I have no idea how we were able to fit all this stuff inside.
With just over one day left at the resort, we have our work cut out for us to get done in time to be out by tomorrow afternoon...
Wednesday, June 10, 2015
Another Day Closer
We had a major step taken yesterday when the loan package was released to the group of underwriters that performs the final review before releasing the package to the title company to prepare docs. It is looking really. really good for our Friday closing date.
COIT came to the house yesterday morning and spent about 5 hours there. They cleaned all the duct work in the heating/cooling system, steam cleaned the tile and grout and put a seal on the tile and grout. We are now ready for the carpet people to come in. By the way, we rescheduled the carpet for Thursday so that COIT would have plenty of time without any interruptions.
The schedule now looks like this: Appliances delivered today, carpet tomorrow and our new furniture delivery scheduled for Friday afternoon following our AM closing. Also on Friday, we will move the fifth wheel from the space into the resort storage area and prepare it for the long, hot summer. We have the move from our storage unit in Surprise scheduled for Sunday AM.
The person wanting to buy all of our amenities on our RV site backed-down and is only going to buy the gazebo. We suspected that might happen so we already made plans to utilize the pavers and fake grass at the house. I need to rent another, smaller, trailer today to take up all the stuff and move it to the house. Josie has the day off today so she will help with that and also do more packing of the fifth wheel.
Only Two days to go...
COIT came to the house yesterday morning and spent about 5 hours there. They cleaned all the duct work in the heating/cooling system, steam cleaned the tile and grout and put a seal on the tile and grout. We are now ready for the carpet people to come in. By the way, we rescheduled the carpet for Thursday so that COIT would have plenty of time without any interruptions.
The schedule now looks like this: Appliances delivered today, carpet tomorrow and our new furniture delivery scheduled for Friday afternoon following our AM closing. Also on Friday, we will move the fifth wheel from the space into the resort storage area and prepare it for the long, hot summer. We have the move from our storage unit in Surprise scheduled for Sunday AM.
The person wanting to buy all of our amenities on our RV site backed-down and is only going to buy the gazebo. We suspected that might happen so we already made plans to utilize the pavers and fake grass at the house. I need to rent another, smaller, trailer today to take up all the stuff and move it to the house. Josie has the day off today so she will help with that and also do more packing of the fifth wheel.
Only Two days to go...
Tuesday, June 9, 2015
Another Big Load
Most of the morning was spent taking down and cleaning the shed while loading it into the trailer. In between those separate events, I emptied more stuff from the basement of the fifth wheel into the trailer and also packed a few more boxes inside to take on this load. Here are a couple shots of the shed as it was being prepared for the move:
The shed was pushed back into the trailer and I loaded the very back (near the door) with more boxes.
I made it to the house by around 2 PM and unloaded everything. The main event for yesterday at the house was to get the water turned on. That didn't happen until 4:30 PM and the guy told me he had 35 jobs scheduled for the day and we were next to last on that schedule. Of course. I returned the trailer last night on the way home after meeting Josie at the house when she got off work at 5 PM. We stopped at Applebee's for dinner on the way home.
No progress was made yesterday toward getting the closing date confirmed as the lead underwriter was out of the office attending a training session for the day. Sheesh.
Our biggest day of the week so far will be today. I will go to the house early to meet the COIT folks to give us an estimate for cleaning the ducts and steam cleaning the tile and grout in the house If the estimate is acceptable, they will perform the work. Following that, and sometime early this afternoon, we will have the carpet installed by Empire Flooring and that should take up most of the rest of the day. I am hoping that some progress can be made today toward getting the closing confirmed...
The shed was pushed back into the trailer and I loaded the very back (near the door) with more boxes.
I made it to the house by around 2 PM and unloaded everything. The main event for yesterday at the house was to get the water turned on. That didn't happen until 4:30 PM and the guy told me he had 35 jobs scheduled for the day and we were next to last on that schedule. Of course. I returned the trailer last night on the way home after meeting Josie at the house when she got off work at 5 PM. We stopped at Applebee's for dinner on the way home.
No progress was made yesterday toward getting the closing date confirmed as the lead underwriter was out of the office attending a training session for the day. Sheesh.
Our biggest day of the week so far will be today. I will go to the house early to meet the COIT folks to give us an estimate for cleaning the ducts and steam cleaning the tile and grout in the house If the estimate is acceptable, they will perform the work. Following that, and sometime early this afternoon, we will have the carpet installed by Empire Flooring and that should take up most of the rest of the day. I am hoping that some progress can be made today toward getting the closing confirmed...
Monday, June 8, 2015
Moving Underway
It was a very, very busy day yesterday and one in which we made some huge progress in getting our space cleared out at the resort. I picked up the cargo trailer (rented for two days) from U Haul right at 9 AM and we were loading up before 10 AM. On the first load, our goal was to load the outside furniture and get as much of that moved as possible along with some of the boxes we had already packed. We came close to getting all the furniture loaded for the first trip, but we had to leave behind three of our gazebo chairs for the second trip. We had lots of boxes to load and we also filled the Jeep with those once we had everything in the trailer that would fit.
Here are a couple shots of the morning loading effort:
Our first trip was a fast one as we had everything emptied out and in the house by just after noon. The furniture was placed around back on the patio and stones to the side of the patio, and we placed everything else in the garage so that nothing would interfere with the carpet laying scheduled for Tuesday.
We stopped at the Village Inn up the street from the house to have lunch before heading home to get the second load.
We really made good progress in emptying the trailer and getting the shed emptied. One problem we discovered was that the shed was too heavy - even emptied - to move ourselves. So, I will take it apart this morning and load the pieces in the trailer. There aren't a whole lot of areas yet to empty with the largest being the basement of the trailer which really isn't too bad. I expect to have all the boxes done and the basement emptied by the end of the day. That is, with the exception of the things we will need for the rest of this week.
Here is a shot of our space that is now almost emptied except for the amenities that are being purchased (hopefully) by the person taking over our space from us:
There a few calls that will be made today to schedule a couple other services - such as Coit to do the tile floors and DirecTV to arrange for satellite TV service. We are moving along now...
Here are a couple shots of the morning loading effort:
Our first trip was a fast one as we had everything emptied out and in the house by just after noon. The furniture was placed around back on the patio and stones to the side of the patio, and we placed everything else in the garage so that nothing would interfere with the carpet laying scheduled for Tuesday.
We stopped at the Village Inn up the street from the house to have lunch before heading home to get the second load.
We really made good progress in emptying the trailer and getting the shed emptied. One problem we discovered was that the shed was too heavy - even emptied - to move ourselves. So, I will take it apart this morning and load the pieces in the trailer. There aren't a whole lot of areas yet to empty with the largest being the basement of the trailer which really isn't too bad. I expect to have all the boxes done and the basement emptied by the end of the day. That is, with the exception of the things we will need for the rest of this week.
Here is a shot of our space that is now almost emptied except for the amenities that are being purchased (hopefully) by the person taking over our space from us:
There a few calls that will be made today to schedule a couple other services - such as Coit to do the tile floors and DirecTV to arrange for satellite TV service. We are moving along now...
Sunday, June 7, 2015
In the House
We agreed on short term rental terms yesterday with the current owner of our house. Of course, it is all but done as far as closing, but we needed to get a head start on getting some things done before the anticipated close late this week. Karen, the current owner, is very easy to work with and is also the realtor for selling her own home. We agreed to pay her rent for one week, beginning yesterday, and she would allow us to move in immediately. That means we have the keys and the utilities are already in the process of being turned over into our names. I moved a few boxes in yesterday when I met Ron, our realtor, to get the keys.
I came home and started making calls for all the arrangements we need to make for the rest of the week. We start with installing the new carpeting for Tuesday afternoon. The pool service will start on Monday and we will get our new appliances and furniture on Wednesday and Thursday along with our goods from our storage unit. We have to be totally out of our space here at the resort by Friday, and I believe we will make that deadline.
These are some boxes, packed last night, that will be part of our first load this morning that we will take down to the house along with the outside furniture:
I rented a cargo trailer from U Haul for the day which I will pick up at 9 AM this morning. I also plan to drop off a letter of resignation to Sam's Club on my way to pick up the trailer. I just don't see how I can schedule any time to work between the moving, closing and now, with my health issues regarding the problem with my liver. We have no idea what will be required beyond the scheduled Ultra Sound scheduled for next Monday. We are hoping for the best, but must plan for an extended recovery.
We are on the way to getting this big step completed and hope that we can get the closing scheduled before Friday. Right now it looks like it will happen...
I came home and started making calls for all the arrangements we need to make for the rest of the week. We start with installing the new carpeting for Tuesday afternoon. The pool service will start on Monday and we will get our new appliances and furniture on Wednesday and Thursday along with our goods from our storage unit. We have to be totally out of our space here at the resort by Friday, and I believe we will make that deadline.
These are some boxes, packed last night, that will be part of our first load this morning that we will take down to the house along with the outside furniture:
I rented a cargo trailer from U Haul for the day which I will pick up at 9 AM this morning. I also plan to drop off a letter of resignation to Sam's Club on my way to pick up the trailer. I just don't see how I can schedule any time to work between the moving, closing and now, with my health issues regarding the problem with my liver. We have no idea what will be required beyond the scheduled Ultra Sound scheduled for next Monday. We are hoping for the best, but must plan for an extended recovery.
We are on the way to getting this big step completed and hope that we can get the closing scheduled before Friday. Right now it looks like it will happen...
Saturday, June 6, 2015
Closer to Being Done
The latest word yesterday was that we should be closing on the house by Friday at the latest. There are only two small items yet to be cleared before they release everything for docs to the title company. In the meantime, we have worked out an agreement - to be finalized today - to rent the house until it closes so that we may begin moving some things into the house beginning as early as today. I will finalize that agreement today with the owner and we should be ready to start.
We finalized a great deal on carpeting for the entire house yesterday with Empire Flooring. The deal was so good that we popped for the whole house instead of just the living/dining room and master bedroom and den. We are scheduled to have that installed on Tuesday if we are confident that the closing is on track. We also decided to go forward with the gas line installation as we discovered that the range we are buying and the microwave above it are of sufficient power and within an acceptable BTU rating to eliminate the need for outside ducting. That saves half the cost of the gas line installation.
We are excited to see some positive movement that will ensure that we are out of our RV space by next Friday. All of the coordinating now begins to make sure it all happens as smoothly as possible...
We finalized a great deal on carpeting for the entire house yesterday with Empire Flooring. The deal was so good that we popped for the whole house instead of just the living/dining room and master bedroom and den. We are scheduled to have that installed on Tuesday if we are confident that the closing is on track. We also decided to go forward with the gas line installation as we discovered that the range we are buying and the microwave above it are of sufficient power and within an acceptable BTU rating to eliminate the need for outside ducting. That saves half the cost of the gas line installation.
We are excited to see some positive movement that will ensure that we are out of our RV space by next Friday. All of the coordinating now begins to make sure it all happens as smoothly as possible...
Friday, June 5, 2015
Not Much Better
I spent the entire morning yesterday writing letters - seven of them - explaining situations that were a result of our traveling over the last six years. It is very difficult for us to believe that these requirements weren't discovered in the early stages of our application for the mortgage. Our credit is fine, but we have to keep explaining why we had business expenses on our tax returns for job hunting and traveling to get from A to B in order to work the jobs. The point is that these expenses will go away once we get into the house as we will have a, more or less, permanent residence and business travel will end along with those expenses. What a horrible experience.
I also got a little sick again yesterday and there is definitely something going on with my liver. My ultra-sound isn't scheduled until the 15th of June - a week from Monday - so I need to hang on for another week in the middle of all this house stuff that is going on. Josie nursed me again last night and I feel fine again this morning.
I also was at the house yesterday afternoon to meet with a plumber who gave us an estimate for running a gas line from outside to our kitchen range. We would like to convert it to gas, but the expense may prove to be prohibitive. We get another estimate today along with having a meeting with Empire Flooring at the house - they are having a spectacular sale this week and we will check it out. Josie has taken the day off today for all the meetings and to make sure I don't get sick again during the day. It wasn't as bad yesterday, so maybe my diet changes are having a positive effect on my liver. I sure hope so...
I also got a little sick again yesterday and there is definitely something going on with my liver. My ultra-sound isn't scheduled until the 15th of June - a week from Monday - so I need to hang on for another week in the middle of all this house stuff that is going on. Josie nursed me again last night and I feel fine again this morning.
I also was at the house yesterday afternoon to meet with a plumber who gave us an estimate for running a gas line from outside to our kitchen range. We would like to convert it to gas, but the expense may prove to be prohibitive. We get another estimate today along with having a meeting with Empire Flooring at the house - they are having a spectacular sale this week and we will check it out. Josie has taken the day off today for all the meetings and to make sure I don't get sick again during the day. It wasn't as bad yesterday, so maybe my diet changes are having a positive effect on my liver. I sure hope so...
Thursday, June 4, 2015
What a Bumpy Ride
After that good news from yesterday that our closing would be on Friday, we heard late yesterday that that it may slip again. There was a change made in Underwriters about two weeks ago and the changeover has resulted in some holes that needed to be filled in the documentation. There are also some things that the new underwriter needs that the previous underwriter didn't ask for. Anyway, we are holding on tight and ready to jump through any and all hoops to still make it happen tomorrow. We are truly getting to the end of our committed stays and soon we will have to spend more money to make accommodations for this closing process. We are also reaching the end of our rope as far as patience goes.
We both are getting a bit depressed over the way this process has been going and we need some really good news and some positive action to right the ship again. Josie is trying to keep a positive attitude at work as I am also. Maybe today the spell will be broken and all good things will happen.
In addition to being ready to respond to all requests from the underwriters, I have an appointment at the house this afternoon with a plumber who will give us the first of two estimates to run a gas line from the meter outside to the kitchen stove where we will replace the existing electric stove with a new gas unit. That is the first of many appointments that we will schedule over the next couple days for activities that need to be completed before we move. Hang on everybody...
We both are getting a bit depressed over the way this process has been going and we need some really good news and some positive action to right the ship again. Josie is trying to keep a positive attitude at work as I am also. Maybe today the spell will be broken and all good things will happen.
In addition to being ready to respond to all requests from the underwriters, I have an appointment at the house this afternoon with a plumber who will give us the first of two estimates to run a gas line from the meter outside to the kitchen stove where we will replace the existing electric stove with a new gas unit. That is the first of many appointments that we will schedule over the next couple days for activities that need to be completed before we move. Hang on everybody...
Wednesday, June 3, 2015
Good News From Underwriting
Late yesterday afternoon we received word from our mortgage underwriters that we are just about there and ready to schedule the closing - probably for Friday. The only remaining action item was to cancel the old mortgage number that was assigned by Pulte during our previous effort so that multiple mortgages aren't being reported. That should be taken care of today.
Now, the rush is on once again to get everything coordinated and scheduled so that it can all happen before we have to leave our present home site at Lake Pleasant. The difference now is that we have less time to get the same things done. We must be out of the site and the RV placed in storage by June 12. That gives us one week which will have to be enough. I'm sure we can handle that.
I wrote another note for my HR manager at Sam's Club with the new dates that I will need to have off. They must be getting tired of my notes resulting in schedule changes. I'm thinking that I may look for something else anyway after we get settled in the house. The days and times they are scheduling for me are all over the place and I would like some consistency in my schedule. I already submitted an application at Cabela's down the street from our new home and am waiting to hear something from them. At any rate, they will receive my note today when I go to work at 9:30.
We are back on track now and ready for the race to the finish line...
Now, the rush is on once again to get everything coordinated and scheduled so that it can all happen before we have to leave our present home site at Lake Pleasant. The difference now is that we have less time to get the same things done. We must be out of the site and the RV placed in storage by June 12. That gives us one week which will have to be enough. I'm sure we can handle that.
I wrote another note for my HR manager at Sam's Club with the new dates that I will need to have off. They must be getting tired of my notes resulting in schedule changes. I'm thinking that I may look for something else anyway after we get settled in the house. The days and times they are scheduling for me are all over the place and I would like some consistency in my schedule. I already submitted an application at Cabela's down the street from our new home and am waiting to hear something from them. At any rate, they will receive my note today when I go to work at 9:30.
We are back on track now and ready for the race to the finish line...
Tuesday, June 2, 2015
Silence is a Mystery
We really expected to hear something from our mortgage company yesterday about the status of our close. I don't know if "no news is good news" or not, but we need to get an update this morning on just where we stand with the escrow process. Our date is getting too close now when we need to be out of our space here at the resort. I already have to pay for an extra month at the storage unit and all of our other deliveries and appointments have been delayed long enough. I know that our realtor must feel the same frustration we are feeling and is also getting tired of hearing that everything is done. We have had the "approval" for some time now, but we need to get an invitation to sit at the table and sign documents. Neither Josie nor I can remember when we last had so much stress for such a long period of time. It isn't suppose to be this difficult.
We know that a major reason for the longer escrow has been the fact that we have been nomads for the last almost seven years. I'm sure that the new guidelines placed on home mortgage underwriters has had an impact on the amount of documentation and supporting information that is now required. It would be different, I'm sure, if this were a cash deal. I wish it could have been, but it is what it is, and we need to be patient. We will be glad when we can look back and say we stuck it out and made it happen...
We know that a major reason for the longer escrow has been the fact that we have been nomads for the last almost seven years. I'm sure that the new guidelines placed on home mortgage underwriters has had an impact on the amount of documentation and supporting information that is now required. It would be different, I'm sure, if this were a cash deal. I wish it could have been, but it is what it is, and we need to be patient. We will be glad when we can look back and say we stuck it out and made it happen...
Monday, June 1, 2015
Compare to 2014
Occasionally, it is nice to look back to see what we were doing on the same days exactly one year previous to the current day. Last year, we had completed the first full week of working at the Lodge and we had also just completed our first hike of the year - to Phelps Lake in the Tetons. It was the start of our third year at the Lodge and we were working with a new gal - Jill - who didn't last very long. It was a lot different from this year as yesterday we were sweltering in 105 degrees and trying to stay cool by staying in the fifth wheel. We are waiting to hear about our close date on the house and are concerned about being able to coordinate all the moving activities before we leave our space on June 12.
We were contacted by some friends of ours yesterday who are planning a trip from the east coast to CA and want to stop and visit with us while they are in this part of AZ. They plan to be in this area around the middle of August and we haven't told them yet about our new house. Of course, we don't have a new house yet and until we close and get the key, nobody outside of our family knows about it. This is a couple that we worked with at Amazon.com and stayed in touch with over the years. They are Sue and Roger Sandlin. All of our friends will know soon enough.
Today will hopefully be the day we hear about closing on the house. It may be a couple more days, but we were given some hope on Friday that we would be given a firm date either today or tomorrow. It is so different from 2014 at this time, but as soon as we get settled into the house, we hope we will look back and say it was worth it...
We were contacted by some friends of ours yesterday who are planning a trip from the east coast to CA and want to stop and visit with us while they are in this part of AZ. They plan to be in this area around the middle of August and we haven't told them yet about our new house. Of course, we don't have a new house yet and until we close and get the key, nobody outside of our family knows about it. This is a couple that we worked with at Amazon.com and stayed in touch with over the years. They are Sue and Roger Sandlin. All of our friends will know soon enough.
Today will hopefully be the day we hear about closing on the house. It may be a couple more days, but we were given some hope on Friday that we would be given a firm date either today or tomorrow. It is so different from 2014 at this time, but as soon as we get settled into the house, we hope we will look back and say it was worth it...
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