Farewell Shrestha's!

The week that we moved in Ratty was driving to visit her Mom and stopped by to see the place.  They were getting ready to move to NC so it was nice to see them before they left.  I can't believe that they actually are moving away but she got an amazing job opportunity and I know that they enjoy the climate and trails there.  I'm not sure if they are going to stay there permanently but we wish them well!  Ratty also got us a very sweet house warming gift to help personalize our space for the next year... it was very thoughtful!  The visit was nice and it was of course great to see Mari.  She's such a chill baby :)  Hope to see you guys around... i looked and saw there was a half marathon there :)




JVG

Moving!

Moving is a big to do... but somehow this move didn't seem so bad.  Probably because I knew what we were moving into and what we got to move out of but I think it went pretty smoothly.  6 months ago we moved into what we thought would be better than the townhouse.  It was OK.  However, it was very apparent that there was a lot of things structurally wrong with the house itself and that the landlords were very lazy when it came to fixing said problems.

It started off when we moved in it took them over 3 months to get new Norah's bedroom door fixed.  It had fallen off the hinge and wouldn't shut... which, is unacceptable.  Then, they put an untreated door on so then when it got warmer it swelled and the door still wouldn't shut.  I couldn't believe it.  In the span of a week the dishwasher broke, the dryer stopped working and the basement flooded.  Not impressed.  The basement has since flooded three times during our stay and each time they said they were gonna come fix it and help clean up and they never did.  We found ticks inside of our bath tub and ants coming through the windows... not awesome.  So, to say the least we were pleased as heck to be getting out of there.














Now.. onto the wonderful house we are living for the next year.  Some profs in the department are going on sabbatical for a year and wanted somebody to house sit their home and do upkeep.  It is the nicest house I have ever lived in... and the largest.  We are staying here RENT free... which is amazing. So, not only is this home beautiful, and large but its rent free.  The backyard is fenced in and has a playset for the kids and the front yard has lots of trees for shade.  There is a lake across the road and they have kayaks that they said we could use.  Seriously... could this deal be any sweeter?  It's also nice because this is giving us a chance to see what being a home owner is like without having to buy yet.  I love the neighbor that its in and the neighbors are great too!  Turns out they are musicians who teach at WMU and I have seen the wife in a few concerts.





We bought a bunch of plastic totes because we knew that we would be storing stuff, which also made the move easier.  We tried to get as much packed as possible before, which was good.  My friend Nancy took the kids out so that I could pack during the day which was tremendously helpful!  Holly and Dad came down the day of and helped us move.

















The kitchen is my favorite part of the whole house as they have AMAZING appliances... it's gonna be hard moving out in a year but we are definitely soaking up the luxury now.  :)

JVG

Huge Chunk of Ice

This has been an interesting winter for us as we moved into a new place at the beginning of December.  We had been looking for a place because the winter was so terrible the year before at Rosewood and we didn't want to experience that again.  However, this place hasn't proved to be much better.  Upon moving in the door to Norah's bedroom fell off its hinges and it took them 1.5 months to come and fix it.  Really?  Then, after they replaced it it got warmer and it wouldn't fit in the door frame, so we can to call them again to come fix that.  Add on that our dishwasher broke, followed by our dryer and then the basement flooded... we weren't happy.  We also had to call them because the previous tenants had left a roll of carpet there which was now soaking wet and i didn't want it to get moldy.  Guess how long it took them to get it out of there AFTER they said they were going to take care of it?  Humph.  Well, anyway, the last straw was when we heard this really loud crash so we looked to see what it was and this huge chunk of ice had fallen off the roof (it tore the gutter right down) and landed on the AC unit in the backyard.  It was ridiculous.  Luckily, we didn't need the AC in the middle of the winter, but I just couldn't believe how lazy they had become with everything around this place.  This is definitely something that could've been prevented.





Anyhoo, we had an interesting thing happen to us this winter.  The sensor in our van kept telling us the wheel pressure was low so just a random day I asked G if he could go take care of that.  So he went to the gas station to fill it up which shouldn't take long right?  Well, I get a call from him saying that the wheel is deflated because the little nub that you unscrew came completely off!  WHAT?!  So he finds a spare tire and we get it to a tire place and they said that this isn't the first one that they'd seen.  That, it was pretty common this winter because it was so cold and that people have shredded their tires driving on the highway when it happened.  So, even though it was a bit of an inconvenience during the day I am so very thankful that we caught it when we did.  It was a cheaper fix because the tire wasn't destroyed and it could've been much scarier had we been driving with everyone in the car. So, small blessings.  :)

JVG

The move

So much has happened in the past few weeks I really don't know where to begin!  So... I guess I will begin with our move.

We are now happily moved into our new place.  :)  There is more space (thankfully with #3 on the way) and it doesn't reek of smoke.  I couldn't believe what a difference it makes, but we are less irritable, no more headaches and we don't dread being home.  The kids are loving the new atmosphere because there are a ton of families within the complex.  Did I mention that they have 3 playgrounds that the kids think are great?!

Their first time at the new place

They found a neighbor cat and where pretty excited about it

Moving day was actually a bit of a struggle.  We didn't get as much packed ahead of time as we would've liked, mainly because of the kids.  Its hard to pack things up and have them leave it alone... and its hard to know what you can pack because you don't know if they're gonna need/want something.  But, luckily, our good friends Ashley and Sunil stepped up in a major way and helped us out.  I can't believe that they drove all the way from the other side of the state to help us move all day.  It was awesome.  And it was a good thing that they did because it turns out they were the only ones who could help us move that day!  We had some other people lined up, but last minute things fell through.

Dude made a 'nest' on the floor for his resting/nap time and fell asleep

So, our dear sweet friends made the move possible.  My parents (bless their hearts) watched the kids all day while we packed and moved everything.  I was still feeling under the weather, so I was a bit more slow than I wanted to be, but we did get everything done.  The only thing I wanted put together before they left were the kids beds.

The kiddos helping put our bed together!

And, really, after we got done moving we spent the night at my parent's house.  It was really late when we got there, and Gaetan had told my sister that he would help her move early the next morning, so there wasn't any reason to drive back.  It was funny, because even though we were exhausted we ended up staying up to 2:30 in the morning having really good talks with my Mom.  It was a great way to unwind, and spend some QT with her.  :)

We are almost all the way unpacked.  Just a few decorations here and there and I think we've pretty much done it.  God is so good and faithful to us I just can't even begin to say.  He found another person to lease our place so that means we don't have to pay double rent for the next few months!  That was probably some of the best news we got all month! haha.  And even with all those other places that fell through and we were so discouraged, I truly believe that we found the best deal and situation.  :)

JVG

Moving

So, we are actually moving after our fiasco with all the other housing places that we tried before this... and actually, this is the best find yet.  I know it probably sounds like I'm just saying that... but this one is bigger than the rest, and for a better price!  :)

We are still waiting to hear which 3 bedroom place it is.  There was a duplex available that had a garage and was slightly bigger... and available sooner.  And then there is another 3 bedroom place that will be coming available at the beginning of August (so not to far away).  The lady was supposed to call on Thursday to let us know but she didn't... :(  And then I knew that she was going to be in training on Friday, so we didn't expect to hear anything from her then.  So, hopefully (crossing fingers) we will be finding out tomorrow and enlisting the help of our friends to make this move (and hopefully last for awhile) quick and painless.

Dude is really excited because they have three playgrounds at this new complex, and one of them looks like a dragon/dinosaur.  I think Lucy is pretty indifferent, but she will have her own room.  We were debating on whether they should share a room and have an spare, but I know that she sleeps better (which ultimately means I sleep better) if she's as sequestered as possible.  When they get older I think they will share a room (probably even want to for a little bit) which will be good.

I will keep everybody updated on what we are doing for moving, but it is such a relief to know that we found a place and are very excited about it.  :)

JVG