Next chapter....coming up!

[mishka422]

I'm completely freaking out! The previous tenants moved out and we were able to go in and take a look at the condition of the house. They left it a total mess! First, it's filthy. It needs to be scrubbed from top to bottom. GROSS! Second, the floor in the master bath has been peeled off, the blinds are busted, they removed (and destroyed) 3 doorknobs, the entire place needs to be painted and the dishwasher is apparently not working. The power and water are off so we can't check out anything else. We also can't start cleaning it of fixing it since there is now power or water! Doing all of that and cleaning out our house just can not happen in so short a time! We only have weekends.

[SunFunOne]

The landlords should be doing the basic fix ups like the floor & doorknobs. I would think it wouldn't take that much. Maybe 2 months of the $ you're saving in rent? BUT - if you have any thoughts of buying - have it inspected first. Best $ you will ever spend. Paint is cheap. You can do it - ask to have water on. The work would be with it but you want to be sure there are no structural or mechanical issues and especially on a warm climate - no mold. Do your due diligence here!

Barb

[mishka422]

I'm 99% sure we won't end up buying it. At this point, we may not even move in there. It's overwhelming.

The owner lives out of state. It makes it really hard to get things done unless they are willing to hire a professional to do it.

I won't know until we can talk to them.

[mishka422]

We have decided to take on the work and move. The savings will eventually lead to a down payment for a house. The state of GA has a home ownership program that could work well for us. Heck, we might be able to do it in less than a year. The down payment is minimal (less than $3,000), and the interest rates are pretty low. They don't require a massive credit score either. We will see.

We decided that if we hire a cleaning company to come in and do the top to bottom scrubbing then we could just paint at least the master bedroom and bath and living room (the places that the furniture is hardest to move once it's in)and replace the blinds in the master and the linoleum floor in the master bath I could live with fixing the rest after we move in.

So.....lots and lots and lots to do. I wish I were home right now to handle it instead of at work. When we moved from CA to GA I was laid off from work so I was able to pack and clean the entire time which took a lot of stress off me. I don't handle stress well at all!

All that being said, Gabe is being VERY sweet and caring. He saw how nervous and stressed I was and was making sure to give lots of hugs and ILY's. It's a bummer it takes me freaking out to get that from him. Maybe I need to be a wreck more often! LOL

[mishka422]

The cleaning companies are just too expensive to do a deep clean on the house. Anything other than the typical cleaning that I would do on a weekly basis is more than triple the normal rate. I've been in there cleaning the last couple of days. The smell is horrible. These people had cats and I don't think they ever cleaned anything. Cat dander, dust, kitty litter in every corner of every room in the entire house and the bathrooms...OMG...I've seen better ones in truck stops. GROSS! I need a HAZMAT suit.

There is so much to do and I'm already exhausted and sore everywhere. That's what I get for not working out consistently. Plus, with the craziness of the last couple of months I've put on even more weight. Why can't I just be anxious and nervous all the time? I don't eat then. ARGH!

[mishka422]

WHEW! Dodged a bullet. Last night when I got home after a super long and exhausting day (this moving stuff is going to be the death of me!) Marc told me his recruiter called and offered to move up his report date to....NEXT WEEK!!! Ummm....what?? OMG! After he strung me along for a bit he told me he decided to stay with his original date of 5AUG because he wasn't quite ready to go yet.

That was a little freaky! My mom emotions were warring with the practical side of my brain that was telling me the quicker he goes, the quicker he will be able to get his life moving. Scary moment for this mama bear. I'm starting to get a little nervous about not having him in direct access all the time. It's the control freak in me coming out.

[whatisis]

That's not being a control freak, that's being a Mom who loves her son! It's hard to let them fly but you're doing it...and that's love.

[mishka422]

The house is getting there.

We have cleaned until I have nearly no skin left on my fingers and painted most of the house. It still isn't the way I like it but it will have to do for now.

I think we will just live there for 2 years so we can save up a down payment and then buy a house. At least, that's my plan. Heaven knows that plans don't always work out but I'm hoping this one will. One has to some day right?

[mishka422]

Every day I have the reality hitting me that my 'baby' is not going to be here much longer. My heart is starting to hurt and the sorrow overwhelms me sometimes.

Don't get me wrong, I don't want him to change his plans. I'm so proud of him and I know this will ultimately be good for him. My mom side doesn't want to let go is all. He has been at the lake with his best friend and his family the last 3 days having a blast. He hasn't called me once. He texted his dad once but that is it. I hope this isn't indicative of how it will be once he's out of boot camp. I won't expect him to call every day or anything like that but once a week would be nice. Maybe I'll talk to him about considering a set day of the week and time to call if he's not at sea.

Sorry, I'm babbling. Just journaling my current feelings and getting them out of my head.

[JustStunned]

I am a Marine veteran. During my tenure in the Corps I typically called home to speak with the folks once a week on Sunday night. I tried to do so at a time that was convenient for them and fit within the duties I had. I did so because my Mom asked me to. Some duties interfered we adapted the schedule.

When my son left to become a Marine he agreed to a weekly call. It was typically dominated by X and when it became a competition I stopped playing.

Regular calling/skypeing is tough to impossible when deployed or at sea.

During Marine boot camp there is a call at the beginning of training. It is read from a script. No conversation is permitted. My son specifically asked I answer the phone he was concerned the manner of the call would upset his mother and he did not wish an emotive response to distract his focus. They need our love and support. They need to know they can focus on the tasks at hand. They have to focus to safely execute whatever they are engaged it.

Letters are a god send. Heartfelt uplifting letters describing the day to day occurrences around the house, town, family and friends get folded and saved, to be read again and again during downtimes. It is neigh impossible to review a telephone conversation. Hand written a page to a page and a half of chatty prose as if you’re having a conversation.

MARINE Mother toughest job in the Corps…….Wife too.

If he is going to the Corps there is an online resource for family. We can figure a way to make the address available without violating TOS.