One Month: 3 Homes

So... the Smithville situation didn't work out. I wanted to make it work, I wanted it to be great. But there comes a time when you just have to walk away from a bad decision.

We took possession of the Smithville house in late June, and once we picked up the keys, we smelled trouble. Literally. It smelled like every cat in a 5 mile radius had taken up residence and litter-box territory inside the house. It was truly terrible. And I am not a super-smeller by any means -- most of the time I can't smell anything unless its either very strong or directly on my nostril. So walking in to this house and smelling what I smelled, I assumed that it had to actually be a lot worse than what I was experiencing. And it was bad.

So the first week we had keys, instead of moving stuff from our old place, we went over there every day to spread out baking soda on all areas of all carpets in all the rooms (good thing it was small and there were only 4 of these areas), and then come back the next day and vacuum, and spread some more baking soda. I even bought like $50 worth of air fresheners and smelly-goods, hoping that the combination of it all would provide some relief and the smell would settle. After about a week of this, we decided that maybe if we just got our stuff in there, and started living in it, the smell would settle. So we got a moving truck and with some help, moved our stuff in.

We waited another week, this time living there, with all of our stuff, and it didn't get better. In fact, with the heat in triple digits for most of this time, the smell got worse and worse. Then we began to experience other problems that we were willing to look over before, due to the great lake access and small-town atmosphere. It became obvious during this time living there for a week that the situation was not improving and we hated it there. We wanted out.

Adam called the landlord and explained the situation, and as much as this could have been an extra terrible situation since we had signed a lease, he was very gracious and let us out of it, and refunded our deposit in full. I had to scramble to find a different place that we could move in to pretty much right away, and after a few tries, I was able to find a townhouse community in the Northland near Zona Rosa, for a good price. With the help of some family and a truck, we were able to get moved, again. This time, for at least a period no less than 13 months. So far we really like our new place, and though it's in a different school district, Carisma won't be too far from some of her old friends from her old school. Adam is closer to work and I am happier as we are near all of the 'stuff.' We've started taking walks as a family since there are sidewalks everywhere, too. Good news all around.

I look forward to starting August off in a much better state of mind than I started off with in July.

Try, Try Again.

It's been a while. I'm a busy gal. Well, most of the time. Some of the time I am simply too lazy, or better yet, too overstimulated to formulate enough coherent and related thoughts to put them down. I need to center myself a little bit, and I suppose there's no time like the present.

At last posting, I was still hoping to start the nursing program with Penn Valley this fall. That's not happening - I didn't make the cut. I suppose they have their reasons, and all I can do is try to push forward from here. I plan to apply again in August to start in January, but after the upset the rejection letter caused me last time, I'm not holding my breath. At this point, there is little difference in the amount of time it would take to complete the Associates Degree Nursing program and a Bachelor's in Nursing. So whatever will happen will happen and I am prepared to move forward regardless of what the letter says this time.

After living in our current house for 3 years, Adam and I have decided to take up residence in Smithville, Missouri. It's about 6 miles north of where we are currently, but the change of scenery should do us all some good. Carisma is looking forward to starting fresh at a new school, and Adam and I are both looking forward to the relaxing atmosphere the town has to offer. Right now, our current street is under construction, the barricades are literally feet from our driveway, and there has never been a sidewalk so we feel often cooped up. The new area is an older neighborhood, and the house isn't exactly perfect, but it will do for a while. We are looking forward to walking the trails, hanging by the lake, maybe we'll even pick up bike-riding. Who knows. We are both looking at this move to a neighborhood like this as a means of getting back to healthy shape, as we are both far from that right now.

All my adult life, I have craved new-ness. Not necessarily new things - that I really couldn't care less about - but new experiences. I am not exactly the most adventurous person, but I really enjoy the feeling of a new, fresh experience. I have felt like I'm in "the waiting place" for quite some time. Even though I'm working towards a goal, it sometimes feels like I am running on a treadmill that is going faster than I can. I assume I still will feel that way for the most part, as it is, simply put, reality. But to experience a different waiting room is something I look forward to greatly.