Friday, November 5, 2010

Moving Horror Story #2

I got back to CA safe and sound, on 10/8/10. Relieved not to have to deal with the mess in my apartment, for at least a few weeks. This time I was able to be at home in CA for three weeks, instead of two :).

On Monday, I called the moving company to see if they could tell me when my stuff would be delivered. They said the driver would contact me. And, surprisingly, the same day, the delivery driver called to tell me that he would be delivering my 'move' that Wednesday, 10/13. On Tuesday, he called again to tell me he would deliver between 10am and 2pm and I should have a money order for payment. I told him I was supposed to be able to pay with the credit card and he said No, they wouldn't accept that for payment. When I argued, he said it was fine, he just wouldn't deliver my stuff until I could arrange to pay with a money order or cash. So, I caved. I got the stupid money order from my bank the following morning.

At about 10am, I called the driver to see if they were close. He said they were in the area but he had a few stops ahead of mine, and he would call me when he was enroute to my house. 2pm came and went with no call. I called again. Again, he said he had a few stops still and would call when he was getting close. 5pm came and went with no call. At this point, I'm getting mad. I'd taken time away from work to make sure I could be available when the delivery truck arrived. I called again at 5:30 and the driver said he was on his way, but was still 40 miles away. The delivery truck arrived at our house at about 8pm, 6 hours later than he said they would be there!

And when the driver greeted us, he asked for the payment, so I said I'd rather wait until he unloaded my stuff to make sure everything was ok and he said that he would not even start unloading the truck until I paid him. He said I could have a 'beef' with the company that didn't involve him and he didn't want me to withhold payment at the end if my stuff was damaged. If it was damaged, it wasn't his fault. So, again, I caved. I got handed him the money order and he said 'Oh, I'm gonna have to call and make sure I can take this.' I was ready to scream at that point! Pete almost had to restrain me. I said 'You told me you needed a money order and THAT is a money order!!!' Then he said he wanted a Postal Money order. The difference is that Postal Money orders are treated pretty much like cash, where the one I got, would have to be taken to my bank to cash. Sounded kinda sleezy to me.

After they started unloading stuff, Pete asked if there was an inventory list we should be checking. The guy said 'Yeah, it's in your envelope.' So, he wasn't even going to use the list if we hadn't asked. I started checking everything off the list and at the very end, my 37" LCD television hadn't been unloaded yet. The guy said 'Is there anything left?' and I told him and he said 'Well, you'll have to call the company because I don't have any TV on my truck for you.' Pete even climbed in the back of the truck to check and sure enough it wasn't there. I held it together pretty well, even after the driver said 'Well, sorry about your TV, but it's not my problem. Call the company.'

Pete treated me pretty much like you might handle very thin, fine china. Very gently. I told him I was ok and I would call the company first thing in the morning, even though I felt like I was about to lose my sanity, I was so mad.

I called the moving company in Atlanta the following morning and spoke to the manager there. The same guy who had raised his voice at me and threatened to cancel my move, when I wanted to pay for the pickup with a credit card :). He said he was sorry about the TV and he would call the delivery company and find out what happened. At this point, I was convinced that it had been stolen. I thought at this point, maybe it was time to write to the Better Business Bureau. So, I went to their website and started the claim process. I submitted the claim to them that morning by about 8am, Pacific Time. At about 9:30am, the manager called me again. He apologized again and said they would either find my tv, or someone would contact me to figure out reimbursement. I was happy with that. He said they would let me know by the end of the day. And sure enough, by the end of the day, the same, smart ass driver, who was 6 hours late delivering my stuff and who told me the tv 'wasn't his problem', called and said they had found my tv. He was very vague and said they found my tv and someone would contact me to deliver. NICE! That was on Thursday, 10/14/10.

The following Monday, I still hadn't heard from anyone. So, I called the company in Atlanta again. I spoke with the manager again and he said he would call the dispatcher of the delivery company. He called me back and gave me a number to call and basically told me not to call him again, that I needed to deal directly with the delivery company. Fine!

I started calling the delivery company and everytime I called, a nice girl with an Indian accent answered. Each time I told her who I was and why I was calling, gave her my phone number so she could look up my account and each time she didn't have the slightest clue what I was talking about. Also, each time she said I needed to speak with the dispatcher, who was magically never available. In the meantime, the elusive dispatcher called and left a message that my tv would be delivered no later than Wednesday or Thursday that week. And someone would call me closer to that time to give me a more specific time. Nice!

Tuesday came and went with no calls from the delivery company. I called Wednesday morning and spoke to the same sweet-sounding receptionist who didn't know who I was or what I was talking about, but called me by my first name even before I told her my name. And again the dispatcher wasn't available, but someone would call me back to setup delivery. I called again later in the day and was told that they would deliver later in the week. I said 'Ok, so that's tomorrow or Friday?' she said 'Yes ma'am, later in the week.'

I called the delivery company EVERY DAY that week, with NO calls back concerning a delivery time. Finally, Friday afternoon I called and spoke to a different receptionist who actually helped me. She said they had be scheduled for a Saturday evening delivery and she didn't know why no one had called me. In the end, my tv was delivered back to me the following Monday morning, at like 6:15am. And this time, the driver was actually very cordial and apologized for all the crap I'd been through. Most importantly, my tv was all in one piece and had not been damaged! And, the best thing for me is that I don't ever have to call or deal with either of these companies again!

Word to the wise: do NOT use Xpress Relocation, Inc., or Moving Solutions for your moving needs. I've been through enough hassle, worry and expense for anyone who may be reading this :).

On a happier note, I have made LOTS of progress with the wedding planning, and I'll be adding a page for those stories, like the one I added for House Hunting :)

Stay tuned and thanks for reading!

Easily Distracted :)

New Ventures and Horror Stories

When I came back to Fairmont for my fourth trip back for invoicing, I knew that my company had been bidding on work in Southern California, and that if we were awarded the job, there was a really good possibility that I would be transitioned over to that job. And, I was aware that if we got the job, things could move pretty quickly. So, I decided to give my notice at my apartment complex and move have my 'stuff' moved to CA, so I could be a little more mobile.

So, before I came back, I started looking at moving companies, trying to figure out who could give me the best deal on coming and loading my belongings and delivering them to our house in CA. I contacted several companies for bids, made the decision and booked my move for October 1. I was going to be in Fairmont, and I figured I could have the movers come, take everything, I'd sell a few items and then I'd just have to worry about cleaning and painting the apartment. And, I'd have the next trip to Fairmont when I could finish things up. Right? WRONG!

The movers came, as scheduled on the morning of October 1. I showed them around and showed them what I needed packed and taken. The 'leader' was Israeli and had a thick accent, so I had trouble understanding him. But he was very clear in telling me that I had much more 'stuff' than what they had estimated. The girl who did my estimate, based it on a very thorough inventory list I'd given her, but apparently she underestimated and this guy was telling me I had about double what she had estimated. And, since they had only allowed for so much space on their truck, he would have to charge me 1 1/2 times more per 100 cubic feet over the amount they had alloted for me. GREAT. So, I asked that they pack the specific larger items and we could reasses after that. I was also told up front that credit cards were accepted for payments. But the crew leader told me they never accepted credit cards and I had to pay him with cash or money order. He basically insisted that I go to Walmart and get a money order with my credit card for him. I argued. I was LIVID at this point. So, I had to call the company in Atlanta, to fight with them over this. The manager there told me the girl who did my estimate was wrong and they did not accept credit cards. He threatened to cancel my move. I was pretty tough about this and I told him if he cancelled my moved I would be on the phone with the Better Business Bureau within 10 minutes. The guy actually raised his voice to me, asking 'Are you threatening me?!' But in the end, he backed down and let me use a credit card to pay for the pickup. Hurdle #1 jumped.

So, the guys proceeded to pack my stuff. They were friendly enough, althought I didn't trust them at all. The leader had told me how he went to West Point and had been in the military, had a degree in Engineering but he couldn't spell 'kitchen' to write 'kitchen table'. So, whatever.

After about 4 hours, they had packed and loaded much of the important stuff I had, but there was still about 1/3 of my stuff left and they seemed pretty rushed at that point. The leader told me that the boxes I had of my clothing and personal items would be cheaper shipped via UPS. They left behind several of the larger items I had told them needed to go, also. So, after he scammed me for an extra $150 for the little bit of extra space I took on the truck, I paid them and they left. And I had to figure out what to do with everything I had left. They didn't take any of the clothes in my closet, and left behind about 6 boxes I had already packed.

I ended up spending every evening the following week, going through my stuff and trying to figure out what to throw out or give to Goodwill and what I could pack and ship back to CA. HUGE disappointment and hassle. Luckily I had a company pickup truck and could pretty easily take loads to the dumpster and to Goodwill. What a mess! But, by the end of my trip, I made alot of progress. I sold some things on Craigslist, and some were spoken for. But there would be much left to do when I came back for the beginning of November.

Stay tuned! Another horror story is coming up, about the delivery of my 'WV stuff'!

Hurricane Donatelli

Pete made some real progress on moving things around and getting more stuff settled at the house while I traveled back to WV for two weeks of work in the office. For some crazy reason, we planned to have our Housewarming party on September 18, even though I was gone from August 29-September 12. Ambitious, I know :).

So, Pete's father and stepmother decided to come out for the party and Pete needed his dad's help with fixing some things around the house. We were all flying back on the same day, September 12. So, I was a little nervous about just getting back to CA and having Larry and Debbie there already. I was planning to work Monday and Tuesday that week, taking the rest of the week off to visit and prepare for the party. My assignment while the 'boys' were working on the house, was to take Debbie out running around in San Jose. Fun, right? Well, after all the travel and just getting back on Pacific Time, I really only wanted to sleep. But I do love to shop, so I was up for the task. Overall, we had a great time. Very busy, but fun all the same.

We even got to visit Wine Country for the day and I'd love to go back and spend some more time. The wineries are so spread out that it took us almost two hours to drive from the first one we visited and the second. The wine tastings were awesome and I will post pictures from them within a few days. Good wine, nice company and beautiful scenery. AND a 2+ hour drive back to San Jose, through San Francisco traffic was not so much fun :).

Our Housewarming party was a hit. We had about 20 people there all in all and everyone had fun. We had tons of food, I baked, Pete grilled and it seemed like everyone brought wine :). Good stuff! Then Sunday came and we were all exhausted. After my four days off, I was back to work that Tuesday and felt like I could use a vacation to recover from the four days off :). I know that's pretty common, but we did so much work over that time, to get ready to have people over for the party, there wasn't much of a break.

I titled this entry 'Hurricane Donatelli' because I tease Pete's dad about being 'Hurricane Larry'. He doesn't do anything softly. He walks fast and hard, and I see him as something of a bull in a china cabinet :). I love him, but he's 'All Go'. Pete had a short list of things he needed his dad's help with around the house, but almost immediately after Larry got to the house the first day, he insisted they needed to stain the deck. That wasn't even on the list, much less the first thing Pete wanted to tackle. But regardless, the went and spent $100 on stains and sprayers and spent the first afternooon staining the deck. And it looks gorgeous! But Pete had trouble getting past the fact that it wasn't on his To Do list :).

All in all, it was a great week. The party was a success and basically forced us into getting things more settled in the house, so it worked out well. And then the following weekend, I left again, to travel back to WV for another two weeks. That would be my fourth trip back.

Easily Distracted has been slacking!

I've been thinking about updating my blog for WEEKS now. And only now and I taking the time. I can't believe I haven't written anything in almost 3 months!

So, here's how this is going to shake out: I've been so lax in keeping up with the blog, I'm probably going to write several over the next few days, with different topics. What can I say, I've got LOTS to say and I don't think I should jumble it all up in one entry :).

Here's what's been keeping me SO busy I haven't had time to blog:
1. Moving into the house being an ongoing process
2. Traveling every two weeks for work
3. Moving out of my apartment in WV
4. Planning our wedding

So, I'm going to start where I left off the last time. I believe I was preparing for the termite fumigation for our new home.

To shorten what could be a long story, I prepared the house for fumigation, per the instructions we got from the termite 'people'. I trimmed back our plants in front of the house, made sure we didn't have anything edible inside, and Pete got permission slips signed by our neighbors. My next task was to be at the house to let the fumigators in and make sure everything was ok before locking up. What a HASSLE!

The crew leader came to me and said 'This house isn't prepped!!' Well, being new at the 'bug business' I said 'Yes it is! I did it everything the checklist said.' So, he proceeded to tell me that he would help me out by prepping the house, but he wasn't going to put things back when they came back to take the tenting off and everything. Fine. I have to say I felt a bit violated when he nearly destroyed all of the plants in front of the house, started taking down sections of our fencing and went through the house opening all of our cabinet doors, windows, dresser drawers, etc. I felt like saying 'hey, buddy, that's my closet!' So, the termite guy now knows what color panties I have in my underwear drawer. I actually left in tears because I was convinced they were going to hurt our house.

That evening we went by and saw the house completely covered by blue tenting with 'HAZARDOUS GAS' signs posted everywhere. Wasn't a great way to spend our time. But, the good news was, I got a call Monday afternoon that the house was cleared and we could go back in. So, I went over to check everything out and started closing drawers and cabinet doors. Tuesday we moved the majority of our things over from the apartment and Wednesday night we started sleeping there :).

At that point, I felt so much better because we were actually there and I could spend my non-work time putting things away and getting settled in. So, we moved into the house on Wednesday and the following Sunday, I was leaving again to head back to WV for two more weeks of work in the office. Not ideal!

So, that's Book 1 of our New Homeowners/Moving in story :). More to follow about the Housewarming party and Move-In Part 2!

Tuesday, September 7, 2010

WV girl turns Californian!

I can't believe it's been almost 3 weeks since my last entry! Man, does time fly!

I'm right smack in the middle of my third trip back to WV and I gotta say, I'm ready to be back in San Jose, with Pete. I left to fly East, literally, the day after we finally got everything moved from the apartment to the house. And I felt like a giant heel for leaving Pete to have to straighten up the mess. Honestly :).

This trip has really been the best yet, which is to be expected, really. I mean, it takes time to get used to the kind of arrangement I have. The travel is exhausting. It sounds pretty glamorous until you're actually on the plane for 4 1/2 hours at a time and racing through airports to make the next flight. But I'm certainly not complaining. I'm very blessed to be able to work from home and come back to do office work every couple of weeks. Soon, I will probably be easing away from being in WV quite so much. I will miss my family, but sometimes I question if they will miss me. This trip, friends who I've not seen in years have been more interested in getting together and spending time with me than anyone else. And I'm very thankful for this, as I don't have many great friends and the time spent with them is relaxing and takes my mind off of other stresses.

Wednesday, August 18, 2010

Neighborhood Newbies

Warning: This entry may contain some pretty heavy sarcasm. While I'm very happy in life, I find humor in sarcasm. Please don't mistake it as bitterness. Enter at your own risk :).

So, it's been a little while since I last wrote... And, it's been quite an eventful few weeks, to say the least!

Number one news: Pete and I are officially homeowners! I've also been back to WV for my second trip back to the office, since I started my new work arrangement. So, while I should be elated that everything has been going so well, today I'm somewhat melancholy. Maybe overwhelmed is a better word. Generally after a certain point, my mind kinda goes into the overheated, auto-pilot mode and I find myself staring blankly at nothing. Luckily, I have an awesome fiance who puts up with me and encourages me through these little spells :).

So, to start where I left off last time, I flew East, for two weeks in the Fairmont office, about three weeks ago. Things went fairly well. Busy, as usual but all in all, pretty smooth. The feline divas even 'handled' my absence better than last time, which was a relief for me.

Towards the end of my trip, we also closed on our house in San Jose! EXCITING does not even describe what we're feeling about that! We LOVE the house! But with that excitement, came moving all of our 'stuff' out of storage and into the house. Now, keep in mind, this is not a mansion we're talking about :). It's small, but perfect for the two of us and the occasional visitor. But, we have accumulated lots, and lots of 'stuff' over the years and now the challenge is figuring out where to put it all! So, I got back to California last Friday night, 8/13/10. Yes, I flew on Friday the 13th :). On Saturday, bright and early, our movers showed up at the house and the unloading commenced. Then came the POD and all of the unloading we did ourselves. We succeeded in unloading everything into the house and putting boxes in the general area where they might eventually go, so we were very pleased with that. Sunday, however, my 35 year old body HATED me! All is well now, but Sunday morning, we were hurty :).

What happens now, you ask? Well, after all that unloading, we still haven't stayed overnight in our house. I went back over Monday and Tuesday, and managed to unpack the kitchen, plant some flowers and kill some bugs. Pete is so tickled to have a yard to play in, he's sprayed Turf Builder on the front and back yards twice already :). Now comes the termite fumigation. I didn't see this as much of a hassle; just something we knew we'd have to have done before we moved 'all the way' in. We had hoped to have this done last week, but with a small delay in closing escrow, the termite tenting wasn't scheduled. And now, the earliest we could find anyone to do it is this Friday. We thought they'd just come, do what they do, ventillate the house and we'd be allowed to move in. But NOOOOOO. Not that simple. Nope, now they say we have to get written permission from our neighbors, which could be fun since no one works 'regular' hours anymore. I started to panic. I mean, what happens if no one is home? Or someone is on vacation? Answer: We can't get the fumigation done! SWEET, right?! WRONG!!

There are all sorts of things they don't tell you beforehand. For example, our backyard is completely fenced in. This is one of the things I love about the house! But for the fumigation, they 'may' have to remove a portion of our fence to get the tent around the house. That being said, they'll be charging us $75/hr. with a minimum charge of $150 for any labor they have to do. GREAT. So, they're going to charge us $150 to take down a portion of our fencing and not put it back up? Doesn't sound very good to me.

Another thing is that the process 'may' kill any plants close to the house. Just like the gorgeous landscaping I love in the front of the house! After this process, all of that 'may' be dead, including my very fragrant gardenia bush and the hibiscus that attracts up to 3 hummingbirds at a time! Not to mention, that everything has to be cut back, away from the house at least 1 foot. Again, not the end of the world, but I really don't want to lose all the plants in the front of the house! So, I'm praying and crossing my fingers and toes, that everything goes well, on schedule and we can at least save the gardenia, hydrangea and hibiscus bushes. Tonight, after dinner, we're going over to 'prepare the structure' as instructed by 'Discount Fumigation'. Nice name, huh?

So, this evening, I'm feeling a little bit defeated. I really want to get things situated in the house and move in. We've already started planning a house warming party, so that's exciting. It's also a big motivator for us to get everything mostly settled in the next few weeks! Hopefully. So, please, PLEASE pray that things go as planned and we can move in next Tuesday :).

That's about all that's been encompassing our world over the past few weeks. I'd say it's enough. We're very blessed, that's for sure.

So, that's it for now. I'm planning to take pictures and video of the house, as soon as things are a little less of a mess, so stay tuned.

Thanks for reading :)

As Always,
Easily Distracted

Monday, July 26, 2010

Pictures of You, Pictures of Me

Sorry, everyone; I couldn't think of a clever title for this one and this song has been in my head, so I thought I'd start there :).

It actually is somewhat fitting. I spent much of my weekend, or at least Saturday, snapping picture after picture. I love photography and always have! The way things move; the shaddows they cast. It's all fascinating to me. And, Pete and I spent Saturday immersed in some of the most beautiful scenery I've seen in a long time. We took a little day trip, down to Pebble Beach, CA and did the 17-Mile Drive. I'd never heard of such a thing, but Pete mentioned it, so I Googled it and insisted that that's what I wanted to do!

Basically, the 17-Mile Drive is a scenic drive that weaves in through the communities, golf resorts and scenic vistas of the Monterey Penninsula. Of course, since Pete's a lover of golf, we were going to check out Pebble Beach Golf Links. So, we decided to make an afternoon out of it.

The only downside of this very enjoyable afternoon, was the weather. Pete and i are both warm-weather lovers and while it was close to 90 in Sunnyvale, it stayed in the 50's with cloudy skies, for most of the day. A bit disappointing, but it really didn't ruin much for us. We took Pete's classic Corvette out for the drive, took the top off and went for a little cruise :). We saw some beautiful views of the Pacific Ocean. I'm always in awe of how blue the water looks. Very different from the Gulf of Mexico or Atlantic Ocean. It's also so different because people don't just come to the beach here to lay out and enjoy the sun and the water. The water is COLD! So, if anyone is in the water, they're generally surfing :).

Anyway, we spent a good two hours driving on this scenic road, stopping and taking pictures and seeing the sights. It was a wonderful way to spend a Saturday! Next time, I'll be sure to check the weather before leaving though. While I got some great shots, I imagine they'd be even better if the sun was out.

After all of that, everything is business as usual here in Sunny, Sunnyvale. I'm getting ready for my second trip back to WV, to work in the office during our monthly 'busy time'. I'll be gone for two weeks this time. And when I return to CA, we'll be moving in to our house! Or at least getting ready to :). We're still looking at an August 10 closing date on the house. There are a few things we're going to have taken care of after closing and before we move in, and then we'll be set. We're very excited!

So, that's it for today! Everything is busy and we keep chugging along here :). I'm starting to think about going shopping for my wedding dress. But we want to get 'over the hump' as far as settling into the house is concerned, before we set a date and make plans for our destination wedding. Any ideas are certainly welcome! We've been considering the Bahamas, Hawaii or even a cruise. So, we'll see. I've even contemplated having a small wedding here in San Jose and then leaving for Hawaii or whereever we decide. So, stay tuned!

Thanks for reading!

As Always,
Easily Distracted :)

Monday, July 19, 2010

Good Times

While my last entry was about the 'not-so-good' times, I feel the need for a little positivity here today.

Pete's birthday was Saturday, so we decided to venture North to San Francisco Saturday night. So, I did some research and figured out a place for us to check out for dinner and we were off! a little less than two hours later, we arrived at Pier 39 :). Pete overshot our exiting the interstate a little and we ended up having to go ALL THE WAY across the Bay Bridge, and for anyone who has done that, you know it's several miles long! Then, we got to come back across the top deck of the bridge. No harm done, though :). We found the North Shore easily enough, parked the car at Pier 39 and explored a little. We found the restaurant easily and had a nice, fresh, seafood dinner.

After dinner we walked around and found a 'Fresh Pearl' stand. One of those places that has nice pearl jewelry, but also has actual oysters you can choose and they open them up to see real pearls inside. So, doing the 'tourist' thing, we did that. We ended up getting two very pretty pearls; one pink and the other white. But we totally got raped when the salesgirl there showed us settings to choose from. I won't go into how much $$ that was, but let's just say I got one pearl set in a pendant and ran away with the other one not set :). A good time was had by all!

No news is good news, on the house front. Our loan was approved by the new bank and some of our contingencies are going to be released this week! The appraiser went and did his inspection today, so we'll wait to hear back about that. And then I think we're really over the hump! So, we're very excited about that. I'm already figuring out what I want to plant in the back yard. So far, I think a lilac bush, some honeysuckle, lemon and orange bushes. I even thought about clearing out a few things in the flower garden and planting some daisies. We'll see. Exciting!

Pete's going out of town for business, for the first time on his new project, this week. I gotta say, I'm a little nervous. I mean, I know my way around here, but I've never been here, in this town, in this apartment, by myself overnight. Thank God he's only going to be gone one night!

So, that's it for this week, I think. Everything's good! I have my occasional hiccups, but I like it here and I'm excited for us to move into our first home together! I'm already planning the menu for our housewarming party. Stay tuned; I might need help with that!

Thanks for reading!

As Always,

Easily Distracted

Friday, July 16, 2010

Distracted and Distressed!

I'm hoping that after this week, we're over the hump as far as the home buying process goes. Those of you who have done this before may advise me otherwise. But please, if you know things probably will get worse after this point, just keep that to yourselves. I need a day or two with no drama :).

Pete has been banking with Star One Credit Union, who is affiliated with his employer. They are a California bank but he setup his account with them right after he got his job, 5 years ago. It's where the bulk of his savings is. So, logically, he went through them for the pre-approval of our mortgage. And he was pre-approved for the full amount of the mortgage, without even adding my income! So, we thought we were in the clear.

Then, we made an offer on 'the perfect house'. We started going through the next steps of getting the appraisal, etc. and the bank started calling Pete about repairs that they wanted to be done prior to closing. Now, there are a few minor things that we were going to take care of after closing, with a credit the sellers were going to give back to us, but we are not willing to put up money to take care of these things before the house is ours. Things like a torn screen door and superficial cracks in some mortar around a window and the chimney flu being stuck open; all of these little things, Star One demanded that we get repaired by a licensed contractor or they wouldn't finance the loan. That was another issue; Pete had planned to fix these issues himself. All the while, the clock is ticking to get the appraisal done, which they hadn't even started yet.

Star One also had problems with the debt ratio, which is crap. I won't go into too many details there. But trust me, debt is definitely not a problem. We know they were figuring in the ratio after the mortgage payment, taxes and insurance. But after working with a mortgage broker, we found out that Star One was factoring in about 3 times as much for insurance than is average for a home of this size and price.

One thing we did to increase our comfort level was to add my income to the loan application. I went to the branch where our designated loan officer was, to complete the paperwork and give them all of my financial documents. They were complete shits to me! Sorry, mom, or anyone else who might be offended by that statement, but there's really no other more accurate statement. The loan officer Pete had been working with belittled me to the point where I was told I had to explain every detail of my 'situation' including why my employer was located in Illinois, why I'm living in California, how long I lived in WV, down to the fact that Pete and I are applying for a mortgage together even though we are not married. SERIOUSLY?!! Come on, people, this IS California! Same-sex couples finance homes together all the time without being legally married and I bet they didn't deal with half the scrutiny I did. They probably didn't go to this bank and deal with Alex H. either!

One thing I've learned over the years about customer service is this: if you provide excellent customer service, you're not afraid for people to know who you are and be able to contact you or your supervisor if they aren't satisfied. Well, our loan 'asshole' and his direct supervisor, Maricella, neither one would give me last names or business cards so that I could contact them directly. I asked specifically for their cards. Maricella only wrote down on a blank sheet of paper, her first name and email address and Alex would only tell me that he could be reached if I called the bank and asked for 'Alex H.' Nice, huh?!

So, when Pete got home and I told him about my experience, he was livid. I told him that we had to write the bank a letter, from him, stating that he was aware and 'willing' to apply jointly for a mortgage with me. Bullshit, right? Well, he agreed. They treated me like I was a freaking criminal, instead of a prospective customer!

The next day, (yesterday) our realtor started calling Alex, to see where we were in regards to the appraisal. Even though Pete had ordered the appraisal three days prior to this point, Alex said that he hadn't ordered our appraisal because he wasn't sure that we would be approved for the loan. With all of the other road blocks they've put in our way, this time it's credit drama with me. I've successfully recovered from a terrible situation I got myself into almost 10 years ago. But apparently Star One did not want to finance us because my credit score is less than 740. They had other reasons, but Alex was plain out shitty to our realtor and called Pete, leaving an equally disgusting message that we were not approved for the mortgage, either with my income or without. They wouldn't even approve him!! Even after the pre-approval!

Needless to say, Pete will be taking his money and our business elsewhere. After all of that drama, we were pretty strung out because the clock is ticking. We have 17 days in our contract contingency. We're almost a week in. And usually it takes several days to get a mortgage finalized. So, we went to our realtor's office and met with a mortgage broker who works with them. He was great! Tony took our information right there and was able to tell us about any possible issues he saw and found a bank he was sure would approve the mortgage. He said he worked with this particular bank all the time and would work with them to get things moving quickly. So, after almost a week of terrible treatment with Star One, we feel much better after spending 2 hours with our new mortgage broker. No, the rate isn't quite as good as what Pete was 'pre-approved' for, but Tony told us that with all the hassle Star One was putting us through, they probably never intended to finance us at the low rate they pre-approved anyway. Awesome, right?

Now that we're back on track with the mortgage, everything feels much better. But knowing Pete, I'm sure Star One, Maricella A. and Alex H. have not heard the last of us. And, after meeting with Tony, I cried for a few minutes and shook my fists dramatically in the air at Alex H. and Maricella A. Then, I made myself a drink, we watched Superbad and laughed our butts off.

Today is Friday. It's not my normal 'blog updating' day. But I thought this was an appropriate outlet for my frustrations about what we've been through this week. I had an appointment with the DMV to get my registration and driver's license switched over to California yesterday, but had to cancel to go meet with Tony. So, I'm going to try and get that taken care of today, even though I don't have an appointment. Tremendous luck with probably be needed. Either way, I have a backup appointment on July 28.

Hopefully when I update next week, things are still progressing nicely. We're supposed to go to the house over the weekend, or maybe even today, to meet with a contractor to look at some HVAC and wiring 'stuff' we're getting done after closing. At that time, I told Pete, I would be deciding where to place our furniture :). That's always a nice, happy thing to do! I may even take my tape measure!

Thanks for reading! Have a great weekend :)

As Always,
Easily Distracted

Monday, July 12, 2010

Anticipation or Anxiety, Part 2

Hello everyone! Well, even though I just posted last week before I came back to CA, kind of alot has happened since then :).


My flight back to Sunny, CA was both eventful and uneventful at the same time. We boarded the plane and ended up sitting on the ramp for almost 2 hours due to thunder and lightening in the area. That was the eventful part. The uneventful part was that I was lucky enough to have a later connection from Las Vegas to San Jose, so I didn't have to stay over and fly back the following morning. Of course, it wouldn't have been much of a hardship to HAVE to stay in Las Vegas for a night, would it? But you know, after a trip like that, ya just want to get home! So, instead of getting into San Jose at 9pm, it was 11pm. LONG day, but like I said, things could have been much worse.


We submitted an offer on a house on Friday morning! The owners countered; we accepted their counter and then they accepted the whole deal, I guess today. So, barring any complications with the inspections we're having done, looks like Pete and I are going to be homeowners in the next month! Very exciting. And very scary too! I'm so excited to have our own home. But I'm also scared out of my mind to have that much debt, knowing I wouldn't be able to do it on my own. That's where I have to trust a little bit more. I'm so used to being on my own, at least financially, that this 'together' thing is different! So, that's the big news of the hour. We went to see the house on Saturday and I absolutely love it. it's got a gardenia bush in the front that smells amazing and it's in a very nice, quiet neighborhood. I didn't post any additional pics on the Sunny Vista page, but that's the one! Seems like I'm having issues posting pictures and getting everything to line up. So, I left it, with the update that that's the one for us! I went ahead and removed all the others from the house hunting area.

This week, I also plan to get my car registered here and get my California driver's license. Exciting, but again, a little daunting. I officially will be a 'California girl' then :). So, I've been finding out about everything I have to have for that and I made an appointment to get it all taken care of Thursday afternoon. Perfect timing, since Thursday is payday! I have an appointment today to get a smog inspection/certificate for my car. I can't get it registered without that, so I figured I'll go ahead and take care of it.


So, here I am, taking care of business. Pete and the feline divas were very happy to have me home. Paris peed on my running shoes, to make sure I wouldn't be using them to leave anytime soon, but otherwise, they've settled down and things are back to normal. Hopefully we can do without the drama from them the next time I go back to WV.


That's about it for now! Thanks for reading :)


As Always,

Easily Distracted

Tuesday, July 6, 2010

HOT Holiday Weekend!!

Well, I hope this finds everyone happy and rested after the Independence Day weekend. In just the few weeks I spent living in California, I was VERY spoiled by the weather there. Don't get me wrong, I love hot, sunny weather but MAN, the humidity here! Of course, the temperatures were up all weekend, but it really did seem humid to me. Everyone around me talked about how it wasn't, though. And it looks like it's going to be hot all week, which is fine by me. I love the sunshine. I told Pete that California weather is perfect for me; sunny and mild!

I didn't even have to work much over the holiday, which was a pleasant surprise! I put in a couple of hours from home on Saturday, just to do some filing and checking emails, etc. but didn't come in to the office :).

Pete found us another house on Saturday and this one looks better than the others we've been interested in, so I'm excited! I've given him 'permission' to make an offer based on his comments and the pictures I've seen, so he's going to call the bank and check on his loan pre-approval today and possibly go see this house again this evening. Of course, if we make an offer, it's totally possible that we'll close on the house while I'm back here in WV next month, but I think we can work with the dates, so we'll see. I'll post pictures tonight, maybe.

So, what did I do over the holiday weekend? I enjoyed myself, that's for sure! I lounged by the pool Saturday and Sunday for a few hours. Had a girls night out with my sister and her friend BJ Saturday night, which was well-needed :). We had Mexican and Margaritas for dinner and then went to see Eclipse, which was really good. Sunday, I went with my sister and her friends to see Craig Morgan in concert at the park here in Fairmont. GREAT show! I wasn't expecting to enjoy it so much! And, of course, the people watching at these events is second to none :). Monday, I endured pooltime in the blazing heat for a couple of hours (that was about as long as we could stand it) with my sister and then I took her and my mom out for dinner for their birthdays. Fun was had by all. But the part I feel the best about is that when I got home from dinner, I cleaned house. I took trash out, vacuumed and took care of some clutter. Now that I don't have the kitties, I can clean knowing the cat hair probably will stay away. Trust me, it's a good feeling :).

After dealing with Pete's frustration over the feline divas last week, he calmed down some and things started to even out again. I'm sure Paris was freaked out about me being gone, but he said she seemed to be better. Then yesterday, he called to let me know that she's been using her travel carrier as a toilet, so that's awesome. He's convinced that she'll ruin whatever house we decide to buy, within weeks. So, I'm sure the welcoming committee will be enthusiastic when I get back to Sunny California, Friday night. I'm praying that after they know I'm coming back, maybe the next time I leave them they won't punish Pete so badly. We shall see.

So, this week should be busy. My goal is to keep my nose to the grindstone and do my work while I'm at work and ignore everything else. I've got dinner plans with my friend Carol, movie plans with my Daddy and that just about takes care of my 'free-time' in the evenings :). Then, I'll be heading West on a 4pm flight this Friday.

Easily Distracted really is 'On the move' now!

Take care!

As Always,
Easily Distracted ;)

Friday, July 2, 2010

Feels Like the First Time

Ok so that title is kinda stupid, but I heard that song on the radio on my way to work this morning and thought I'd steal it :).

'Feels like the first time' kinda describes the way I felt when I walked into the office yesterday morning. A little excited; a little nervous. But after I got here and fired up my laptop everything was as if I'd never left. Kinda. I mean, there are a few people who are acting weird, but I guess you'll have that.

My flight Wednesday was uneventful, without delays which was very nice. Except I started out by having to go through a fairly thorough inspection by one of the TSA agents. Not sure why but it didn't get me down. I kind of laughed about it most of the morning. Of course, if I'd been running late that might have changed, but whatever.

So, I'm here in my hometown of Fairmont, WV for the next week for work. They set me up with a nice, rugged, sort of beat-up, pick-up truck complete with the safety strobe, backup alarm and highway cones in the bed :). But it has wheels and pretty safely gets me from here to there, so I'm tickled with it!

While yesterday was fine for me in many aspects, I got an unsettling text from Pete mid-morning. I'd purchased some bean bag chairs for us to sit on when we watch tv and one arrived Wednesday evening. When I talked to Pete before bed Wednesday night, he was happy. Thursday morning, he texted me that I'd better get another bean bag chair because Paris ruined the one we'd just received. AWESOME.

So, right away I called him. He seemed ok. Said he'd just gotten up. It was only about 7am there. I asked what happened and he said Paris had peed on the new, twill bean bag chair. Then he started into how he was going to look for a second job so he could keep up with all the furniture we're going to have to replace if she kept peeing on stuff. He even said he was thinking about selling all of the furniture we have in storage because it was all bound to be ruined anyway. And he told me all of this in a normal, conversational voice which usually is not a good sign. So I started apologizing and said I didn't know what to do about Paris. I told him he could put the cats in the bathroom when he's not there, to be sure. But apparently when I say 'I don't know what to do' about anything, it sets him off. So, we weren't talking much and he asked if I had anything to say since neither of us were talking. I told him I was sorry and I didn't know what else to talk about because he sounded so mad. He said he wasn't mad; he'd just woken up but that I was making him very angry. So we hung up pretty fast after that.

I went about my day fairly normally. I was pretty exhausted yesterday so I left work at a reasonable time to go home and check out my apartment and go through my mail. I had a nice, relaxing evening. Watched New Moon for the hundredth time, in preparation for going to see Eclipse on Saturday. And mixed myself a nice, tasty beverage. Ahhhhh :).

I called Pete before bed to see if anything had gotten better and that may have been a bad idea. He was sleeping and you know how much fun it is to wake a sleeping bear. So I asked him how he was and he said he'd had a terrible day. The morning was awful and things hadn't gotten any better throughout the day. But he never wants to talk to me about what happens at work, so I dropped it. I asked if we still had two cats in the apartment and he said yes. He said Paris was hissing at him from 5 feet away now and seemed kind of upset about it. So I asked if he'd done anything to her, meaning to ask if he'd punished her for peeing on the chair. For anyone out there with cats, you know that doesn't do any good. Apparently that was the wrong thing to say because he got really upset and asked why I thought he was always 'doing things' to them. So I clarified and he said no, he hadn't done anything. So, I dunno. Our conversation was short, but I feel pretty helpless since I'm 3,000 miles away from him right now. There's not a damn thing I can do about anything happening there.

So, I'm determined to be happy today. And when Pete calls me this morning, I will cheer him up with my cheerfulness. I may suggest he marinade himself in catnip. Then Paris will surely love him. And I'm going to suggest he make sure he gets the 'ruined' chair out of sight. Maybe that's setting her off. It's definitely a concern if she's doing this now since we'll be moving again once we find a house.

Anyway, that's how my first day back in WV went :). My apartment greeted me with a fowl stench that came from the humidity and the fact that Pete had turned my air conditioning completely off before we left. So, this holiday weekend will find me cleaning my apartment, from ceiling to floor. Since there aren't any furry people walking around, I can get rid of some cat hair once and for all :).

There will be house hunting updates over the weekend. Lots of excitement there! Out of three houses we decided we liked, all three had offers before we could get ours in; one of them above asking price. So that's awesome. BUT, two of those offers may fall through, so Pete's going to go out with our agent on Saturday and look at a couple of places.

I'll post new pictures there as soon as I can. Thanks for reading!

As Always,
Easily Distracted

Monday, June 28, 2010

Anticipation or Anxiety?

I think Mondays will be my new Blogging day :). This marks the beginning of the third week of my 'working from home' venture and all is still going well!

Pete got to come out with me and our realtor on Saturday and we looked at 9 houses! Yes, you read correctly; 9 :). We saw some crappy ones and we found two we really liked, so check my House hunting section and there's a tab for 'Harriet Ave.' That's our number 1 pick thus far. Two of the others were disqualified, which I detail in the househunting page :). We're pretty excited and we're looking through all the disclosures and home inspection documents for the house on Harriet Ave. The second one we liked is very new; only 4 years old. The problem with this one is that it has more of a condo feel. Not really a problem per say, but whatever. There's very little parking other than the garage, it's close to shopping and busy streets, which is good and bad and there's a very small backyard which we would have to plant grass in because it's currently dirt :). I'm more than happy to plant grass and play in the dirt. That's really no big deal for me. But the feel of the neighborhood we're not sure is right for us. The inside of that one is gorgeous though.

The big reason we love the house on Harriet is because of the yards. There's a nice front yard, with soft, green grass and flowers planted. And the backyard has some stone for patio furniture and grass along with a cherry and a plum tree.

Anyway, I'll let you read for yourselves on that; I mean if I put all the goods on this page, what would be the point of adding the Househunting page?!

The past couple of weeks have been good and not so good at times. It's been quite an adjustment. While I've been able to get lots of work done, I lack the interaction with my coworkers and bosses, which I really do miss. Everyone is so busy that I also have to be patient with them to get back to me and I'm not very good at that. In fact, I had myself worked up into a tissy the other night thinking everyone was avoiding me, which probably isn't the case. People are just busy and since I'm out of sight, I'm probably pretty easy to avoid if they don't have time to talk or answer questions. I know I've been guilty a time or two of not returning a call or an email from someone when I'm busy. So, I need to remember those things when I'm frustrated or waiting to hear back from someone.

This Thursday will be my first visit back in the office. I'm both excited and anxious at the same time. Looking forward to seeing everyone and at the same time a little nervous that in just three weeks maybe I won't fit in there anymore. Hopefully that doesn't happen. So, I'm going to put my best foot forward and walk in there like I haven't been gone at all :). I guess I've got both the anticipation and the anxiety. I'm sure this will get easier with time.

There's also the fact that I don't want to leave Pete for 10 days. I know, again, this will get easier. But this time I'm leaving and I'll be gone over the 4th of July, which is his favorite holiday. He'll be here alone. So I'm going to make him pinky swear that he'll do something fun. And we can have a Faux 4th Party when I get back :).

No more real drama on the feline diva front. Nikki is adjusting very well. She barks and cusses out the giant black squirrels who come to hang out on our porch. Pete's named them Wayne Brady and Dave Chappel. Pretty funny stuff :). And, Paris is coming along. She doesn't hide all day in her drawer, but she only uses the litter box sporadically. We thought we were home free when she used the new litter box the other night. I even sighed a sigh of relief when I saw her in there this morning. Only to see her trying to pee on my running shoes about half an hour later. Little bitch! One of the ladies at Petsmart tells us we have to be patient. So, I repeat this to Pete. She's also taken a liking to peeing in the bathtub. Gross, but much easier to clean up...

Best of all, the weather here is my favorite part. Warm and sunny. Pete and I visited the apartment complex pool Sunday afternoon. It was in the high 90's which might not seem too hot to some of you. But the sun is more direct here. After less than 2 hours outside, covered in spf 50 sunblock, both of us were worn out and pretty pink. We didn't burn but we couldn't have stayed out much longer.

So that's about it for this week. Sorry, no pictures to post here. Check the house hunting area and the house on Harriet :). Our second choice is on a street called Cypress. I'll post those pics too! Esther and Nadine are no longer posted because we've eliminated them.

Thanks for reading!

As Always,
Easily Distracted

Monday, June 21, 2010

Fairly Frazzled

Week one is done! Not that I really wanted to get week one over with, I just thought that sounded fun to say :). Anyway, I've been in sunny, Sunnyvale, California for a week now and things are going very well, all things considered!

It was definitely an adjustment working from home, but I'm loving every minute of it. Don't get me wrong, I love being around my coworkers and I miss that. It gets pretty isolated here. I may not talk to anyone but Pete in a normal day. But we're getting along great and enjoying our time together.

Today, I bit the bullet and purchased us some furniture. After a week of watching movies sitting or laying on the floor, I know for certain, I'm too old for that. So, I bought two bean bag chairs. Lightweight and easy to throw around, I thought they'd be perfect. A little college-dorm-roomy, yes, but hey, my butt won't be screaming at me to get off the floor, so judge not!

Pete and I met with a realtor last week and were pretty encouraged by our discussion. She gave us a few preliminary listings to check out and advised us to get out and explore some neighborhoods over the weekend, which we did. We actually ended up stumbling upon two open houses so we took a peek and fell in love with one of them. NO, don't worry, Mom, we didn't make any offers or write any checks for the first house we loved. We were calm and started weighing out pros and cons. I've added another page to my blog, so you can follow the Househunting Adventures of Carrie and Pete, up close and in detail! I'll even be posting pictures! And, I believe you can click the 'Househunting' link at the top of my blog to get there!

So, like I said, it's been a pretty good week. The kitties have 'seemingly' adjusted pretty well. Paris hasn't been in her drawer in a couple of days. They even seemed to be using the new, automatic litterbox I got them. Which leads me to my next entertaining (for you) story...


WARNING: THE NEXT PORTION OF THE SHOW MAY BE OFFENSIVE TO SENSITIVE READERS.

This next part of my entry for this week is about my two, furry, Princess-Diva cats and their new litterbox. Please stop reading if you think you might be sensitive to litter-related subjects.

I ordered a Scoop Free litterbox from Petco before we even left Fairmont. Pete's highly allergic to litter and cats, really, but he's building up a tolerance. Anyway, I wanted something that would be very little maintenance for him while I'm back in Fairmont for work. I was so excited and anxious to get it all set it up. I went ahead and took the old litterbox away and the cats checked things out a bit. When I noticed they hadn't used it after several hours and they were both pacing around looking longingly at my purses, Pete's shoes and any boxes we had laying around, I scrambled to get the old litterbox out! I mean seriously, I'd be PISSED (the pun is definitely intended!) if I caught one of them taking a leak in the new, Coach messenger bag Pete got me for Christmas.

So, at the advice of my older, wiser (aka wise-ass), sister, I put the old litterbox back in the bathroom with the new one so they could get used to the new one without feeling threatened. She scolded me a little and said I'd already put them through enough with the move. Let them have their old litterbox! So, I did. And slowly, they started getting more comfortable with everything. They weren't hiding as much and they'd sniff out their new 'potty' a bit. So, I thought I'd try again and I took the old litterbox out. Nikki was A-ok. She just started using the new one like everything was fine. But then when she figured out I'd put the old one in the spare bedroom closet, she OPENED THE CLOSET DOOR and I found her in there crapping in a CLEAN, empty litter box!! Yes, folks, my cat opened the closet door without thumbs. I'll let that sink in a minute...

Anyway, after that drama, Nikki went back to normal with the new 'potty'. And Pete said he'd seen Paris in there too, so I thought we were home free. Until this morning.

Paris had her 'Man, I gotta pee' face on. She was pacing around and I took her and showed her the new box. I didn't think much of it since Pete had seen her use it. Then I saw her scratching the floor around one of our boxes. I checked it out to find that she had pissed all over and inside the box with our Nintendo Wii games, remotes, accessories, etc.!!!

Now, about 5 hours later, I'm finally calmed down. Pete called shortly after this little event and raced home to stop me from dangling Paris off the balcony. He was actually way calmer than I was, even though the Wii has been his favorite thing since I got it for him last Christmas. He told me that everything in the box could be replaced, but Paris could not be. I thought for sure we'd both be evicted, but I'm not going to argue with him. I mean, there's really no other cat in the world like Paris. Even as difficult and prissy as she is, she makes GREAT material for funny stories :). So, after cleaning everything with Lysol and cleaning out the remotes and accessories with Q-tips, I feel like locking the Violator in the bathroom until she makes 'nice' with the new litter box. But, if anyone out there has any advice about this subject, please comment or email me. I'm thinking about taking off one of her toes for every item I had to clean off today. Please help me save Paris's toes.

To close, I want to thank everyone for their encouragement during this time of change. Everyone has been so great sending me notes on Facebook and commenting on my blog. I love doing this and will continue as long as people are reading. Like I said earlier, I'm going to be expanding this blog to include our House Hunting stories and also a page for Wedding planning. I haven't added that one because I want to talk with my family about some of our ideas before publishing everything to the internet :). Take a look at the pics I posted of the first house we toured and loved!

As Always,
Easily Distracted

Tuesday, June 15, 2010

Setting up Shop

I can't believe it's been two weeks since my last post! And at that point, I couldn't believe that I only had two weeks before making my big move :). So here's me in a state of disbelief!

Obviously alot has happened over the past two weeks. I got my boxes packed, organized my work 'stuff', said some 'See ya later's' (since this is definitely not goodbye for anyone) and Pete and I hit the road. He flew into Pittsburgh last Wednesday evening, I went to pick him up, he made a science project out of packing my car and we said PEACE OUT. Not really, hehe :). Man, I wish I would've taken a picture. The arrangement of boxes was definitely a work of art. But don't tell him I said that; I rather enjoyed teasing him about taking an hour to throw a few boxes in the car.

More than 30 hours of driving later, we arrived safe and sound, with everyone intact, in Sunnyvale, California. Don't worry, of course I have more to say about the trip :).
If you recall, much of my anxiety over moving was how my furry children would do. Well, smack my ass and call my crazy, they did fine! We had a pretty sweet setup, if I can give Pete some credit. Again, don't tell him. We don't need him getting a giant ego over this. We put the diva-kitties in their travel carriers with their harnesses and leashes. And we tied the leashes to the cargo hooks in the back of my Xterra. They travelled all the way in the back, right by the back hatch, so I could get to them somewhat easily when we stopped. We left their bags open a little so they could get to the litter box, but with their leashes on they couldn't go too far. To the left: Ms. Nikki, sleeping on top of one of my boxes.
They were pretty freaked out for the first several hours. Everytime we stopped they were terrified, scrunched up in the back of their carriers anytime they heard a loud noise. They wouldn't eat or drink which started to worry me. Then, sometime after about 9 hours on the road, it was dark and Pete saw two little ears poking up over our boxes and luggage! Paris sprung herself and Nikki followed shortly. They found comfy spots on top of everything and laid there, so they could see out the windshield. I'm sure you had to be there, but it was pretty funny. And everyday after that, they did not stay cooped up in their carriers. In fact, Paris kept popping her head right up through the top zipper, even if we zipped them up as tight as we could! This picture to the right is of Paris. She loves Pete. He's her person. So once they were out of their carriers, Paris wanted to be close to wherever Pete was. If he was driving, she'd be stretched out just so she could put her paw on him somewhere. If he was in the passenger seat, she'd sprawl herself across our Wii BandHero drumset and rest her head on his seat. And this picture was just too much to resist. Damn cat!

On Friday night, we ran into some pretty scary thunderstorms, which was not fun. Going through Nebraska, it was so flat, you could see for miles and miles, but there was ZERO shelter and may not be any exits from the interstate for miles and miles either. There were severe weather and tornado warnings on the radio every few minutes, warning listeners of storms capable of producing golf ball-sized hail. NICE! So, long story shorter, we had to pull off under an overpass to escape from the hail, wind and hard rain. Then came the flash flood warnings! The picture here is of part of one of the nasty storms. That's rain, not a tornado, but I was freaking out a little. I'd never seen rain like that. That night, we made it all the way to Cheyenne, Wyoming.


That second night was the most exciting/stressful of our trip, and we drove through crappy rain and wind most of the third day, but the scenery on day 4 was nothing short of breathtaking. The mountains in the distance when we stopped in Reno, Nevada and the Sierra Nevada Mountains coming into California were every bit as spectacular as the best photos you see. Unfortunately, Pete doesn't know how to work my I-phone and I was driving for that part, so I only got this one picture of our drive through the pretty parts :(. This one is in the parking lot of the hotel we stayed in Saturday night, just East of Reno, NV. Finally, we saw clear, blue skies!

In the end, we arrived in Sunnyvale, somewhere around 12:30pm on Sunday. We hit the grocery store, unloaded some boxes and finally were able to relax a little. My cats were freaked out, but still not as bad as I expected. Paris has been hiding out in my desk drawer. She found a way behind the desk to jump into the drawer, so if I can't find her, she's usually in there. This picture is Paris in her drawer and Nikki peeking in to see if there's room for her. Nikki found a cabinet she's particularly fond of. I couldn't find her yesterday morning and was starting to panic. I yelled out her name and she came out of the the bottom shelf of one of the kitchen cabinets, yawning and looking at me like 'What?!' Crazy cats and their hiding spots. I wish they were as interested in the new, automatic litter box I bought!!

We also were able to spend a little well-needed time, resting by the salt water pool in our apartment complex Sunday afternoon, which was heavenly. And let me tell you, the sun here is WAY different than the sun in West-by-God-Virginia. I usually use SPF 30 on my face and 15 everywhere else and using 30 all over here still got me a little pink. So, I bought a two-pack of 45 yesterday :). And yes, I did say 'salt water pool'.

The swimming pool here is filled with salt water, instead of chlorinated water. I'd heard of the YMCA doing that for their swimming lessons because people are more buoyant in salt water, so it's easier for them to float without being as afraid. But I've never experienced it. Pete had told me the pool seemed saltier than a normal one, and by Gosh he was right! I jumped in and it tasted like ocean water. And, in 4 1/2 feet of water, I couldn't touch to bottom, which felt weird. No, peeps, I'm not that short. Talk about buoyant! So, I looked up online this afternoon the benefits of salt water vs. chlorine. Apparently salt water pools are used in lots of cases because in the end, they're less expensive to maintain. Finally! ONE thing in this state that's less expensive! And, apparently it's 'greener' and the PH balances don't fluctuate as much as in chlorinated pools. So there's your lesson for today!

After taking yesterday off to get my home office all setup, I was back at it this morning, at the VERY early hour of 4:30am! Part of the 'deal' for me to work from California was that I needed to be up and working during our normal work hours in Fairmont, which start at 7:30am Eastern Standard Time. Translation: I roll out of our air matress bed at 4:30am. Of course, this isn't a 'Do or die' rule, but especially on my first day, I wanted to get started strong. And, starting that early means I'm done by 1 or 2pm, which means a nice afternoon for You Know Who :). This is a picture of my nicely appointed office 'area'.

This afternoon finds me very content, having had a very productive first day of working from home. I may have even gotten more done than I do when I'm in the office. No one is here. Of course, I do like being social and I love talking with everyone. My work 'peep's are the bestest. But with the quiet here, I can do what I need to do quickly. I even got in some laundry and went to the grocery store! So, don't hate me, but this is pretty cool so far. And, on the 30th, I'll hop on a jet plane and head East for 10 days in the office.

So, that leaves me here, updating my blog with the story of our trip West. We made it over 30 hours in the car, using 98.124 Gallons of gas, for a total of $272.03. And the best part is Pete and I still like each other! Can I get a WOOP WOOOP?!



Before I go, I need anyone reading this to give me some feedback. Pete and I are starting to talk 'weddings'. I thought about starting a new blog for my wedding planning stories. What do you think? Or should I stick with the Easily Distracted route and tell all my stories with this blog? Email me or leave me comments! I like to know people are out there!
Thanks for reading,
Easily Distracted
















Thursday, May 27, 2010

T-minus Two Weeks!!

Hello again! I know it's been over two weeks since my last post. I've missed writing, but short of a constant cheese and WHINE fest, I haven't had a ton to say or report.

Yes, I've definitely been practicing the fine art of self-pitty these days. 'Poor me, I don't have any friends.' 'Poor me, I don't feel useful.' 'Poor me, I've gained some weight.' Any of this sound familiar? Well, for me, it stops today! This is so stupid and totally unproductive, which I can't afford to be right now.

The past several weekends have been rainy and depressing, which doesn't help. I'm stressed almost all the time with the anxiety around moving, worrying about the stress of traveling back and forth every two weeks, worrying about living with Pete again after so long, worrying about the expense of living in California, worrying about what kind of wedding to have and WHEN. Hmmm. I just listed four pretty big things I'm worrying about! TOO MUCH! So, I think the key is to take it one thing at a time. All of these things are going to happen regardless of if I worry about them. So, I've got to change my mindset from worrying to 'BRING IT ON!'. My mom always says 'Don't Sweat the Small Stuff'. And, those are words to live by, for sure. Of course, she didn't ever say much about sweating the huge stuff, but whatever.


I'M MOVING IN 2 WEEKS!!



Wow! Time is flying by! It's been almost a month since I saw Pete last. It's been pretty rough on me. But we're over the hump and he'll be flying in on June 9 to drive West with me. There are so many things I need to do before we leave, and I've been putting them off with the excuse of 'Ehh, I need to wait and do that closer to when we leave.' Well, folks, that'd be NOW!

So, while I do want to have some fun since the weather is going to be nice AND it's a holiday weekend, I also need to do some packing and cleaning house. So, my goal is to have all the non-clothing items I plan to take with me packed by the end of this weekend. I also want to pack up some things and take everything I don't want to Goodwill.

Traveling with two, spoiled, feline Divas should prove to be interesting. I'm not looking forward to it at all. I got them both pretty, pink travel carriers, complete with zebra-printed furry pillows to lay on inside. This is actually a picture of Nikki in hers. They love them! But I'm a little nervous about feeding them on the road. I don't think they'll eat under 'weird' circumstances. I also doubt that they'll do their 'business' in the grass at a rest stop. I think once I can let them out of their carriers in a hotel room, they'll be ok. But I don't look forward to the imminent allergy attacks for Pete, since the kitties will likely want to sleep in bed with us, instead of on the floor.

These are the things running through my head these days. Not happy thoughts about weddings and houses and warm fuzzies. But visions of cat hair all over the inside of my Xterra, and having them pee in their carriers or worse, on the hotel room floor. I'd give them 'something' for their nerves in hopes that they'll sleep during the car ride, but I don't think I can do that everyday for four days, which is what it will probably take us to drive the 3,000 miles! So, if anyone has any suggestions, please leave me a comment :).

I know that this will all be ok and the ride West will be long, but probably uneventful. Since Pete isn't a planner, I'm already mapping our route and looking for hotels along the way. We have our good friend, Miss Garmin, who will keep us company. What the heck did we do without her all these years? It's crazy how you get dependent on things like that. But I digress...




Like sand through the hourglass, So are the Days of Our Lives :)

Thanks for reading! Stay tuned!

Easily Distracted






































Wednesday, May 12, 2010

Blah Blah Blah

In the words of Kei$ha, 'Comin out your mouth with your Blah Blah Blah'. This sums up my week so far. Blah... Blah...Blahhhhh.

Almost everything about this week has been Blah. More petty Blah, Blah, Blah gossip and BS, difficulty doing actual work at work, crappy weather and not feeling like doing anything once I get home... There have been some smiling points, but only a few. And I can look on the positive side and be thankful for everything in my life. But you know what BLAH means, and that's what I'm writing about this time.

Our server at work has been down for three days, going on four. BLAH. There's very little work I can do that doesn't require me to access something on our server, so I've been able to get very little done AT ALL this week. BRUTAL! Hanging out for 9 hours or so a day trying to find things to do that I can do without server files is not the best way to pass the time! And now that my usual 'stuff' has been neglected for three days, if the problem is solved today or tomorrow, I, like most of the people at work, will be scrambling to catch up. BLAAAHHHHHH!


I had sort of planned on moving to California sometime mid-June, which just happens to be next month. I thought the weekend of June 19 sounded good, but Pete wants me out there sooner, so we tenatively decided on June 12. Which happens to be ONE MONTH from today! WHAAAT?! How'd that happen?! So now I'm thinking about everything I need to do at work to prepare for my move.


This is one of the smiling points for the week: I found out that my 'plan' has been approved. YAAAYYYY! I can finally give a few details! I'm going to move to California next month. I will keep my job and work from there for part of each month. And I will fly back to WV to help with our invoice cycle every month for 10 days or so. I'm the lucky girl who gets the best of both worlds. All the travel will be difficult and stressful for me, but I'll make it work. Now all I have to do is share this news with the group of people I work with. And I'm sure that it won't be met with unconditional positivity and awesome happiness, but I need to stop worrying so much about what everyone else is thinking or feeling and do what makes things work for me, right?

So this is today. I haven't written much this week because there hasn't been a whole lot to say. Hence the BLAH-ness of this week. Hopefully things will cheer up a bit for the weekend. The weather is supposed to be nice and I have GOT to get outside and do something active.

Thanks for reading :)



As Always,

Easily Distracted



Monday, May 10, 2010

Rainy days and Mondays

Welp, it may as well be said that I was not productive and happy as I planned to be over the weekend. Saturday was cold and rainy and I sort of endulged in a little wallowing. I went out to get my mom's Mother's Day gift, came home and laid around most of the day. I wasn't really sad. Just lonely and blah. You know, the kind of blah that makes you not want to do anything. So I didn't.

I did, on the brighter side, get some nice visiting in with my family for Mother's Day. And while the sun is out and today is bright and shiny, I can't bring myself to reflect that.

This morning I was greeted by the disgusting aroma of cigarette smoke. I mean, SERIOUS stench! Not just the smell when someone comes in your house and lights up a smoke before they realize you don't want them to smoke inside. I'm talking about the smell of a thousand cigarettes that are sill smoldering in the ashtray after a night of binge drinking with a dozen other smokers. Not that I've ever personally experienced heavy drinking or smoking (wink, wink) but that's what I'd imagine when I opened my eyes and took a deep breath this morning. My entire apartment smelled like an old ashtray. Why, you ask? Because I have a new downstairs neighbor who must smoke much more than the average smoker. Not that I have anything against smokers; I used to be one. I just didn't smoke in any enclosed spaces as I didn't want to be totally surrounded by the smoky smell. I met one of my new neighbors yesterday and he seems like a very nice man. I could smell the smoke just talking with him, but who am I to judge? If I still smoked, I'd probably not like it very much if someone told me I couldn't do it in my apartment. But I'm not sure what to do about the smell in MY apartment. I really don't want my things to smell like cigarette smoke. But I also don't want to cause trouble with my new neighbor. This was definitely not the sort of dilemma I wanted to be met with on a Monday morning.

This evening, when I got home, the smell was even worse, so I broke down and called the complex office to ask if these apartments are smoking or non-smoking. I didn't mention anyone in particular I just asked the question and found out that smoking is allowed and other than getting an allergen filter I'm pretty much stuck. So I lit a bunch of candles and will hope for the best.

I did, after my weekend of lonely wallowing, manage to force myself to get in a short workout tonight. And as I knew I would, I feel so much better. So my goal for this week is to do that workout every evening after work.

Now... How the HELL am I going to stop the crazy smoking men who live downstairs from ruining my stuff with their cigarette smoke?! I'm really at a loss. It's coming through the floor, I think! Please, if anyone has any helpful suggestions, please leave me a comment.


As Always,

Easily Distracted