in the meantime...

I know I need to post - there's plenty to write about, but since I was asked to post the link to Mark's new blog, I will.

Zeitzeuge Redux

Maybe I'll write a little sumpin' sumpin' tonight.

The Loft thing

So, here's the thing...and I've had a few drinks, so I'm sorry if this gets a little rambly and confusing. We found this loft to go look at. It's right down the street, has a separate bedroom, 2 baths, and a gorgeous view of downtown. The building is cool and so is the space...with a few "taste" upgrades. So, we scheduled to meet with the listing realtor...she sent her husband and "partner."

After spending a good amount of time looking, he mentioned that the prior deal fell through because the building was no longer FHA approved. ????!!!!!?????...Ok, so we want an FHA loan. Apparently one tenant bought a 4th unit to expand his loft (must be nice) which rendered the property FHA DISapproved. The HOA had no idea that they would lose this status with his buying another loft, so ever since they've been in a battle to regain FHA status. That was disappointment #1.

THEN he mentions that the $255/mo HOA dues had an additional assessment fee attached to it because of the new elevator they put in...after reading the paperwork I discovered that this elevator that goes 2 floors cost them $150,000...WTF?!?!? That would be a total of $390/mo in HOA dues until "assessment was paid."

THEN we asked to see the rooftop deck (one of the selling points) to which he says, "oh, my wife hasn't allowed me up there yet." So, I thought I'd ask about another selling point - the extra storage downstairs...his response? "There's extra storage?" Hmmm...ok...so we made a laundry list of what needed to be done:

1. rip out the brick "wine storage" that looks like a firepit gone wrong and is not structural
2. fix up the secondary bath
3. buy shelving for the master closet
4. remove the hd projector and painted screen
5. add a "loftwall" for the second bedroom
6. paint all the walls
7. sand all of the beams
8. remove carpeting from section of bedroom
9. remove part of the built in shelving because it doesn't accommodate our living room
10. remove "maple" panels from refrigerator and replace with black or stainless

And yes, some of these things can be done after we get the place and down the road, but still, quite a bit more work than we want to do. $169k for 1588sf... Our budget isn't that high.

The realtor's wife (the principal) wrote me back and apologized for the confusion with everything. She said that they are in the process of working out the FHA thing and that the assessment was either already paid for or would be rolled into the seller's closing costs. I told her that if he would even think of $159k for it we would take another look with her to show us around the rest of the building.

I got an email this morning from her saying that she would contact the seller and haven't heard back, so I'm writing that one off. On the other hand our realtor emailed a couple of listings this morning - one great house in Lake Highlands (near White Rock Lake) that we absolutely love...so who knows where this journey will take us.

We aren't seriously planning on moving until the Fall, but if something were to come along in the meantime...it would just have to be a perfect fit and deal for us to take it right now.

Mark's Back

Because Mark's started blogging again, it's been brought to my attention that I don't anymore. Sooo, the question is should I?

If there is actually a handful of people out there who are interested in my rambling, speak now or from now on you will only get Mark's side of the story! :)

I quit blogging because I felt like nobody really had any interest anymore. If I was wrong, then I'll happily start up daily ramblings again.

Goodbye Nora

Nora passed away last night just before midnight. It's amazing to me how knowing someone like her so briefly changed my life so dramatically. She unlocked a part of me that I had tucked away for what I thought was forever. She made me realize that it shouldn't be locked away - not that I'm ready to share all of that, but it's what allowed and inspired the paintings.

She loved a good margarita, so at 4 we're closing the showroom and heading out to get one in her honor.

We all love you and will miss you!

Heading Home

So no, Mark and I were specifically told not to dance together. We probably wouldn't have made it out alive - not everyone there is family. Not that family would be too keen on it anyway. However, it was a moot point becasue Mark and I stayed home while my parents went. We were completely exhausted and didn't want to move.

So, today we head home. I want to go by the cemetery here to visit Grandma and since we're out here I'd love to stop and see Granddaddy's grave in Shreveport, but that may take too much time out of the way. I know I'm anxious to get home and I can only imagine how Mark feels.

Everyone's still sleeping, so I don't think we'll make the 9:00 departure time we planned on. I think we all forgot about the stupid time change. I'm sitting here showered, dressed, and drinking coffee. Yeah, I'm ready to hit the road. I need to stop typing now...I sliced one of my fingers with an exacto knife yesterday, right on the tip. It's a little sore and this typing thing is starting to hurt.

Trip to Gorum

So, we're in Gorum to help my parents move Grandma's stuff out of her house. I'm the first one up and I've made my coffee and am sitting here in disbelief at how long dial-up connections take. I guess I just didn't remember. I mean I knew it was slow, but damn! My first pot of coffee was finished brewing before the home page came up.

That's one thing about living so far in the middle of nowhere - you have to be patient. I'm not. At all. I attempted doing a couple of things on Facebook, but it was just ridiculous how long everything took to load. It's a different world out here. (I realize how pathetic this sounds.)

Tonight, Mark will get the privilage of experiencing a local dance. Uncle Charles, Grandma's brother, will be playing the fiddle tonight - and he's amazing to watch. The fun part will be watching Mark take in the gathering of people. Most of them I'm related to somehow. There are 3 main family names out here and I think ours outnumbers the others by quite a bit. Anyway, I haven't seen a lot of these people in years so it'll be fun. The last time Mark came out here with me, but he only got to meet Aunt Carmen, he didn't get the full "Gorum Experience."

I think he's approaching it from an anthropological point of view. He asked if there were banjos and my mom replied, "we don't have banjos, we use fiddles out here." It'll be an experience he'll never forget.

Hopefully we'll be going into Natchitoches today for lunch at Lasyonne's. We need meat pies and gumbo at some point. If not today then we'll have to do it on the way out of town tomorrow. But I have a craving - and Mark's been talking about it for two weeks now, so hopefully we'll go today.

I'll be sure to take pictures tonight!

Nora

I've mentioned Nora before in my blog - pretty recently. She was the inspiration for my paintings. She had her surgery a few weeks ago to remove some cancer cells from just inside her skull. During this time she was off the chemo. While recovering from her surgery the cancer returned with a vengeance.

It has since spread into her spinal column and she has developed a type of non-contagious meningitis that can come with certain cancers. She is in the hospital on really good painkillers, but is also lucid. She has decided that she wants to go home with hospice care and let her family take care of her. Her goal is to build up enough strength to sit at her computer and tell her story.

She has realized that surrendering isn't about giving up, but about letting go. She is preparing herself to pass on to a place where she can take care of her friends and family here. She doesn't see this as and end, just a transformation. She is tired and has put up an incredible fight. She's ready to rest.